I want to take you on a journey, a very pleasant journey. Take a few minutes, sit down quietly and day dream…. Imagine yourself working to your full potential. What would that be like? You might be full of energy, really positive, everything you think of and do is the right thing, decisions are easy and straight forward, you are stress free, content and happy. Do you like the scene and how you feel? Is it a bit too good to be true? Well what gets in the way of you feeling this way? In Coaching we call the things that get in the way of us working to our full potential INTERFERENCE.

Have you ever dropped your phone and cracked the screen and damaged it? It’s fuzzy and you have to strain to make out the picture. Well just so is the picture in your head when your own individual interference gets in the way of you working effectively and efficiently.

So what sort of interference are we talking about. Stress, negative attitude, anxiety/ nerves, bad health, other people, emotional baggage. All these things can contribute to your interference and hold you back.

I recently had a client who came to me with a lot of interference with regard to interviews. He realised that his career was affected by the fact that he didn’t like doing interviews, felt that he was no good at them with the result that he was missing out on opportunities of promotion. What was happening was that he had one or two bad experiences in interviews and so had developed the belief that all interviews that he had done went terribly wrong. Through the coaching process we reflected on whether this belief that he carried to every subsequent interview was serving him and of course there was a resounding no! His perception of interviews had become distorted and was holding him back. With coaching he was able to identify and address his ‘interference’, learn techniques and do a successful interview with no apprehensions!

We may know what our interference is but it is a different ball game to do something about it. Coaching not only helps the individual identify their own personal interference but also directs them in developing ways to eliminate this interference and so work to achieving greater effectiveness. Just as you would, over time, get used to and accept a cracked screen, so also do we get used to and accept our own interference. That is until someone shows you something on their phone, with a lovely clear picture…then you realise what you are missing! So is it time for you to upgrade your screen?

‘Catch yerself on!’ and  learn to unhook from unhelpful thoughts and emotions that are causing your stress.

The 6 week practical mindfulness course returns to Clarendon Chiropractic Clinic in Derry/ Londonderry on Wednesday 1st May. There has been great feedback from past participants who continue to use the mindfulness techniques picked up from the course throughout their day.

Each week participants are introduced to simple techniques with a particular focus, building these  themes and mindfulness practice.

Sessions last just over the hour and consist of several short exercises and discussion about our mindfulness experiences.

Practical Mindfulness can help..

Reduce stress/ manage emotions/ reduce anxiety/ decrease emotional reactivity/ increase focus/ Boost working memory.

There is an option of two classes, 10am to 11.15am or an evening session 7pm to 8.15pm. Places are limited to 12 people for optimum benefit and effectiveness. Payment of course fee £75 secures place (www.paypal.me/catchyerselfon)

For more details visit https://www.facebook.com/events/2743046652402220/ or call Helen on 07719302988.

Just Do it!

These words from the Nike campaign of the 90’s say it all. The phrase was coined at a meeting when someone commented on Nikes can do attitude “You Nike guys, you just do it!” and the rest, as they say is history.

There is a lot to be said for using these words as a philosophy in motivating people into action in moving forward. Often clients use these 3 little words as a mantra or affirmation to help them focus on the job in hand. It is like an instruction for your brain to quit the procrastinating and get on with it. Sometimes to wait and weigh up all the consequences and plan in detail an action, can leave us in a situation where we can talk ourselves out of doing that action.

The underlying philosophy of a ‘Just do it’ attitude is self responsibility. Self responsibility means gaining control of your life by recognising you are responsible for your choices and actions. By not adopting self responsibility we become dependants or followers, turning control of our lives and actions to others. Self responsibility means having a proactive mindset where you go out and actively make things happen. Unfortunately there is a large majority of people who have the opposite mindset whereby they wait for things to happen to them, or for someone else to do it for them. They act passively to life. A good indicator of where you stand is to reflect on your actions should you see an accident. Do you rush over immediately to see if all is ok? Or do you stand by and watch, doing nothing? Those who take responsibility for their lives ‘Just do it!’ whilst those who lack responsibility just sit on the side lines expecting someone else to do it or something else to happen. So if you have a list of things the length of your arm that you want to do, or you’re having difficulty getting motivated about those goals you’ve set yourself, then cut the procrastinating and get on with it. Take control of your life, adopt a proactive approach to work and home using your mental energy in a more positive way. So next time you see the Nike tick use it as a reminder of a philosophy that can work for you… and Just do it!!