Posts tagged “Mindset”

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Magic and miracles

Posted on 24th June 2020 at 07:30

There are some words which are guaranteed to cause a collective intake of breath, in preparation for whatever may be coming next. Sadly, it seems this is often down to their moralist or religious overtones. The hint of impossibly high standards we could never possibly hope to reach…

We’ve talked about some of them before. Forgiveness. Goodness, that’s a big one. Responsibility. Not much better and can be equally scary. Acceptance. Another biggie. And we’d better stop there…

However, what we find particularly interesting, is that the meaning commonly attributed to the particular word is usually very different – or unnecessarily selective or narrow – from its dictionary definition.

So, this week, we’re going to put another one of those words under the spotlight. Dig out the dictionary, see what it really means. And, more importantly, whether this tallies with our own particular understanding.

Ready? Then here we go.

Enjoying the simple pleasures in life

Posted on 10th June 2020 at 07:24

It’s one of life’s mysteries that, for some inexplicable reason, the simple things seem to give us the most pleasure. Often much more than their long awaited – and more expensive (!) – counterparts.

Anyone who’s watched a small child unwrapping their Christmas or Birthday presents, has encountered this first hand. With the box – or wrapping paper (!) – holding their attention for much longer than the contents. Is so much more interesting and attractive. Gives greater pleasure and is played with for a much longer period of time. The contents quickly forgotten and pushed to one side…

Why is it that simple pleasures seem to be so much better?

Everyone's a genius...

Posted on 27th May 2020 at 07:04

It always makes us smile – in a slightly rueful way, we would hasten to add (!) – when we listen to people talking about themselves. Their achievements, skills and abilities.

For some reason – and perhaps it’s part of the natural English reserve / mindset – we’re just not comfortable about blowing our own trumpets. Well, if we’re going to be completely honest, most of us aren’t comfortable doing this.

And, yes, of course there are always going to be exceptions to this rule – and there’s lots we could say about this (!) – but we’ll leave that one for another day...

Service to others or service to self...

Posted on 13th May 2020 at 07:23

Service is one of those words with a multitude of different meanings, not helped by it being used as both a noun and a verb. Doesn’t that take you back to English and Grammar lessons at school?!?

Then there are its religious, military and domestic service overtones, all adding to a generally negative vibe. Hinting at hard work, duty and doing things we wouldn’t necessarily choose to do. And, probably, with – or for (!) – people we probably wouldn’t choose to spend our time with…

Given all of this, it’s not surprising that service is often viewed as being rather old fashioned and belonging to a bygone era. Best consigned to the pages of history.

However, this isn’t what we wanted to focus on today, but rather the more general – and voluntary (!) – aspect of service.

Susceptibility and Risk Factors, two sides of the same coin

Posted on 6th May 2020 at 06:54

A few weeks ago – goodness, it was mid February (!) – we had a look at susceptibility. Why there is no bogeyman – with your name written on them (!) – out there waiting for you. If you need a quick reminder, you can find the post here.

As so often is the case, this has led on to various conversations with clients, friends and family about what actually determines susceptibility. In other words, the Risk Factors. The things most likely to tip the odds for you in the wrong direction.

Before we go any further, there’s one very important thing to bear in mind. That we’re all completely unique. In every way. There’s never been another person exactly like us and never will be again. So, however similar we may be to another person – or people – our own particular make up, circumstances, life and medical history are unique to us. 100%.

A different perspective on the current madness...

Posted on 29th April 2020 at 07:21

This week we’re taking a break from writing a blog post and, instead, sharing a very poignant poem sent to us by a client. Thank you, SW. We trust it’ll touch you as much as it did us and, perhaps, even bring a tear to your eye too…

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the choice of picture, who can resist the sight of lambs at this time of year?!?

Panic buying, pasta and loo rolls...

Posted on 22nd April 2020 at 07:10

It’s always good to have something to mull over and give the “little grey cells” a gentle workout. So, this week, we’re going to take a look at a little conundrum that’s been intriguing us in recent weeks. And that’s people’s shopping choices in the run up – and during – the current madness.

Here in the UK, we’re used to milk and bread flying off the shelves at the first mention of snow. Well, let’s be honest, even at the mere thought of snow. Which, in reality, usually means a couple of inches max and the country grinding to a halt for a few days. It’s one of those unwritten traditions we’ve all learnt to expect...

This is in stark contrast with a lovely comment we heard years ago from a Canadian. When asked whether she was worried about it snowing – and having to drive back to her hotel in London (!) – she said there wasn’t “proper” snow in the UK. Her definition of “snow” being that she couldn’t find her car in the morning. It certainly gives a very different perspective!

Making the transition from do-ing to be-ing...

Posted on 8th April 2020 at 08:22

As clients and regular readers of this blog will know by now, we find the human condition endlessly fascinating. And not, as we always hasten to add, in an “OMG” way. Or any other unkind or judgemental way (!).

Rather, what interests us is the myriad of different ways in which people can view the same event. And then react to it. Not surprisingly, the events of recent weeks have provided a very good example of this. And continue to do so…

Interestingly, many of the responses – particularly in the early days – were those we more often see in connection with grief. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. The classic stages which many people go through, although often not in that particular order or at the time. It’s a topic we’ve covered before and our post can be found here.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood..."

Posted on 1st April 2020 at 10:36

While we may not like to think of ourselves as animals – and herd animals at that (!) – this is exactly what human beings are. We are naturally social by nature, albeit to varying degrees and with different people (!).

As a result – and however much we may not like to admit it – we’re influenced by what’s going on around us ALL the time. Whether consciously or not.

Perhaps from the people around us. Whether we’re interacting with them or not. What they’re saying, doing, thinking or feeling.

Or, may be, from a change in what’s going on in the wider world around us.

Pulling it all together...

Posted on 25th March 2020 at 09:33

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been taking a look at what’s actually going on in our heads. Discovered that, contrary to what we’d like to think, we have very little idea of what’s really going on. Let alone how – or why – it happens…

We know this revelation has been rather unsettling – even scary – for many people. It was for us, the first time we realised that the way we experience life was down to us. 100% of our own making. Without the involvement of any external – or arbitrary – force. Full stop. End of story.

However, the great news is that, this revelation puts us back where we belong. In the driving seat. Gives us the power to choose how we experience our life and what happens in it. And, with everything going on at the time of posting (25th March 2020), there’s never been a time when understanding this has been more important…

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