One Size Fits All?...really?

When I go out to shop and see some clothes with the tag 'One size fits all' I put that item back on the rail.  It'll never be a tag that works for me and yet for someone else it might be perfect.

Then it got me thinking about 'one size fits all' and 'coaching' and how many ways there are to communicate.  There are tons of opinions on the internet about the Law of Attraction, The Secret, vision boards and SMART goals.  Some cite that the power of positive thinking is an impossible task, while others view the law of attraction as a notion that isn't realistic.

Vision boards are also up for the opinion poll, and some go so far as to outline experiments conducted that show how a vision board may provide a sense of satisfaction among people but that it doesn't ultimately result in more success.

So it got me thinking and some of those thoughts were as follows:

1 - A vision board provides people with a chance to play.  It frees up their inhibitions, permits them to dream BIG and provides some focus for getting clear on what they want to go for.

2 - A positive attitude can help them to take action and ensure that goals extracted from the vision board can be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achieveable, Realistic and Timely)

3 - The idea that energetically we influence outcomes through thoughts can help us to understand the simple principle that what we put our attention on we get more of.  Minds will wander, thoughts will dip, energy shifts...but being AWARE that this impacts on our ability to think or focus and take action to or away from a goal can be extremely helpful.

4 - Lots of options being available to people means there is a stronger likelihood that a change for the better can be made in their lives because the message behind all of this is about being responsible for your own life and how you live it.  

If all of these approaches to coaching dispelled with the myth that one is better than the other, then essentially you just have a good solid honest message told a number of different ways.As far as communication goes one size does NOT fit all so however the message reaches you, if it helps you to shift your thinking or move to act positively then it is doing the job it is meant to do.  It's helping.

Energy Forecasts

stockphoto from google

Lee Harris is one of the best bloggers out there at the minute for me. Every month he posts about the energy for that month, and his accuracy in relation to being able to pinpoint what people are feeling is brilliant. So for the month of September, I wanted to bring his forecast to the attention of anyone visiting this blog. In particular, I wanted to highlight that for those feeling a little under the weather and unsure why and for those feeling their energy shifting in new ways but can't quite put their finger on the whey either, then this forecast could help.
There is a lot of focus on Syria at present, and I for one hope that any further conflict and hurt can be avoided at all costs. It means that whether or not you are aware of it, your subconscious is aware of a fear and threat and this can change your energy considerably. As most of us have gone through considerable change over the last 5 years, in some cases change has been forced upon us whether we wanted it or not, some may feel that they're only beginning to get a sense of being grounded again and moving forward positively. Use the energy at the moment in the world to ground yourself and don't buy into the media turmoil.
By that, I mean always ask yourself about what the media is presenting to you and aim to remove the fear aspect as much as possible from the information. I sincerely hope some of you find the forecast helpful as I know I definitely look forward to Lees insights each month.
LINK -www.leeharris.energy.blogspot.ie

I need a montage!

(image taken from http://www.allfamousquotes.net/stress-quotes/)

Tension is who you think you should be. Relaxation is who you are.
~Chinese Proverb

So this is a week full of interesting challenges to say the least. A recent return to study has presented me with a variety of little mountains to climb in the last while. Learning new programmes and catching up with new technology linked with the course has been testing in between fighting my own demons around study.
I'm not unfamiliar with deadlines, but had forgotten about the level of stress that can occur in those headless chicken moments! Just when you think you're moving forward and ticking the box of getting something done, you get feedback. Sometimes it's not easy to hear it but you've gotta hear it. So this week was the feedback of 'bin it'. Knowing and admitting when something isn't working is good. You know when you've put your best foot forward, and deep down you know when you haven't. Sometimes you present things dressed up as your best effort, when really it's a job finished fast to just get it done.
What feedback shows is that people care enough to actually take the time to call you out on this. They can see it isn't your best work or that you're nearly there with the idea but just have to tweak it.
It's reassuring to know there are people in your life that are happy to do this. In case you've come across a similar situation, here are some questions that you can always ask yourself. Although I wouldn't consider my situation a 'hard time', the 3 questions by Deepak Chopra do help to get your head straight and get out of the ego mindset:
1. Is this a problem I should fix, put up with or walk away from?
2. Who can I consult who has solved the same problem successfully?
3. How can I reach deeper into myself for solutions?

It's probably best that you go visit the site to read the questions and Deepaks response in it's proper context. Either way, they're great questions to use to regroup and refocus to move you away from feeling sorry for yourself and into taking positive action.

(Copy and paste the link -http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Deepak-Chopra-Advice-Handling-Hard-Times)