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Reflect to Thrive!

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reflection1 It is a most mortifying reflection for a man to consider what he has done, compared to what he might have done.  Samuel Johnson.

Self-reflection is such an underrated and under-used method of personal growth, I believe.  Although, in fairness to anyone who hasn’t undertaken this ‘pastime’ to any great extent, I think there can be some very good reasons for this.

For example, we usually don’t want to revisit experiences that have been painful or embarrassing, dissecting them to find the gem of learning which would give us the key to moving on with some calmness or equanimity.  Instead, our self-reflection tends to get stuck on justifying our actions or finding fault in others – the ubiquitous blame culture which seems to pervade our society nowadays. [Read more…] about Reflect to Thrive!

Who are you hiding?

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maskI wonder why it takes us so long to finally acknowledge and allow the ‘real’ person within us to come forward?  Even more perplexing is why some of us never allow that person to come forward?  It’s a very, very personal condition, not least because from the outside most people wouldn’t know that the person they interact with is maintaining a façade.  This façade could be quite thin, maybe it’s the ‘professional face’ we keep on in a work environment or at the other extreme, there could be a thick veil of concealment through which the external observer cannot pry.

It’s natural to assume that if someone is concealing their real character that their personality or their intentions must be somewhat shady.  But, are there ever any good reasons why someone should conceal their true character? [Read more…] about Who are you hiding?

It’s Not Easy, But It’s Worth It!

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There are many obstacles to achieving our goals, from not really knowing what it is we want to achieve (a lack of real clarity on the outcome) to fear of failure or even success!  I have written about  many of the obstacles we may face in previous posts (just check out my link on obstacles, here) and today I’m going to expand further and take a look at what it really means to put in the effort to achieving our goals.  Before we start though, let me just say that if you’re on the cusp of starting out on your goal(s), you may find this post somewhat challenging or even an obstacle to starting!  Of course, I hope that’s not the case and that you find some value in the words that follow below. [Read more…] about It’s Not Easy, But It’s Worth It!

To Lead a Rich and Meaningful Life

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quapanAs we go about our daily lives we cross paths and interact with people almost continuously.  Sometimes these interactions are obvious – we have a conversation in person or on the phone, we connect via email and social media etc.  Other times, our interactions are far less obvious, for example when we take an action which has an indirect effect on someone else or where we take no action and maybe someone was hoping we might connect with them.  These latter interactions are silent and invisible in our everyday lives and we may remain completely unaware of them, or, they may come to our attention in unexpected ways.

In this vein I was thinking about how we enrich, or add value to our or other peoples’ lives, directly or indirectly.  There are many different ways of looking at this, but I’m interested to consider how our actions or lack of action can enrich our lives and those of the people around us.

On looking up the word ‘enrich’ in the dictionary, I came across the following definitions:

  1. Improve or enhance the quality of
  2. To make fuller, more meaningful, or more rewarding

[Read more…] about To Lead a Rich and Meaningful Life

5 Reasons You Should Take Action on Your Goals NOW!

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fiveTaking action on our goals doesn’t only provide the benefit of seeing our goals brought to fruition and the joy we will feel when we reach that point.  Between the start and the end, or, between now and then, there are many other excellent reasons and/or benefits which we can enjoy en route that will help to fuel our resolve to keep going.  Let’s take a look at five of these reasons.

1.  Your positive motivation will spill over into other areas of your life!

Yes, that’s right!  Once you pull yourself up off the sofa and start doing something, anything, towards your goal, you will find that your overall energy will increase.

There’s a general belief that we don’t have enough time and energy to cram anything else into our lives and so setting and pursuing a goal will only add to the sense of overwhelm we already feel.  But, the opposite is actually true!  By doing some work on one of our goals, we will feel more energised and this will provide the additional energy, and by default, time, that’s needed to help us keep on top of all the other ‘busy’ work we need to attend to. [Read more…] about 5 Reasons You Should Take Action on Your Goals NOW!

Bravery v Conformity: Where do you fit?

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5486393061_f7bf0e18f7Bravery…it’s a peculiar concept.  The word conjures up images of brave knights and shining armour, of soldiers going into battle, but is it more than this?  This vague and narrow application of the word bravery has been perplexing me somewhat this week, because we see bravery in so many more guises, but often they are quiet and easily missed, or, most often, just dismissed by the person who is demonstrating this sentiment.

I’m thinking of the people who face incredible health challenges in their lifetime, but learn not only to live with the difficulties, but also who go on to challenge the definition of their illness and achieve astounding accomplishments in their lives.

Or those who are willing to stand up to adversity on behalf of others and protest in the face of opposition from people, companies or even governments.

These are indeed brave actions.  Sometimes the mantle is given to us with little or no choice as is the case with illness, and other times we can be moved to action by the unfairness of a situation. [Read more…] about Bravery v Conformity: Where do you fit?