Cruise Control

Are you ready for Effortless Success...?!

Looking for "top tips" to help you enjoy more success at work - and in your life as a whole - and have fun along the way?  Want an extraordinary career without paying the price in your health and home life?  Curious about the difference that makes the difference between people who achieve outstanding results and incredible levels of job satisfaction and the rest of the folks on the planet?  Then you've come to the right place...

Life is a journey.  And if you know how to drive and have a little on-the-road experience, whether you realise it or not, you already know how to enjoy effortless success.  Curious?  Read on!

I'll be dividing this blog into 6 main sections:

1. Discover Your Dream Destination
2. Reprogramme Your Autopilot
3. Get Moving
4. Make Good Use of Your SatNav
5. Lead Your Convoy
6. The Ultimate Journey

Click here to view a short video introduction.  And now, get ready to set yourself to Cruise Control... for Life!

Enjoying the Journey

It's not about the destination.  You've got to enjoy the journey.  Cliche, right?  But how does a cliche get to be a cliche in the first place?  Because it happens to be true, and worthy of repeating!

So are we having fun yet?  Is your Journey of Life filled to the brim with delicious moments that take you effortlessly and enjoyably toward your Dream Destination?  If the answer is anything less than a resounding "Yes!", I have just the thing for you...

Here's my most comprehensive Cruise Control video so far, created for a recent online event hosted by my good friend Daphne Cohn ~ The Pleasure Nutirtionist.  In this video I share;

• Why goal-setting often doesn't work - and what does!
• How to set your Autopilot for your Dream Destination
• How to listen to your SatNav for life, and know whether you are on track every moment of the day
• How to get started and make progress - easily, enjoyably and in a way that energises rather than drains you

Check it out!

 

 

The process I guide you through in this video will support you in any area of your work or your life as a whole.  But the bonus if, like me, you set 'wellbeing goals' for 2012 - to lose weight, get fit, heal your body, discover more energy - is that the worked example will help you lock on to Destination: Slim, Strong and Sparkling!

So grab a cuppa and settle in.  And if you have any questions or comments, please share below.  It's about time you really began enjoying the Journey, don't you think...?

"Send the light of your own loving ahead of you.  When you get there, the loving will have prepared a place for you.  Be kind, gentle, and enjoy the journey." Peter McWilliams

It's your Journey...

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  It's so important to make good use of your rear view mirror!  Looking back should always be done in a way which supports your forward Journey.

Listen in as I discuss this important idea with my good friend, transformational coach and speaker Tiffany Kay...

 

 

 

I'm making a guest appearance on Tif's brand new programme Your Life Two, which helps women in mid-life to create their most inspired and deeply satisfying life Journey.  For further details of the programme and how you can join in the fun, visit www.YourLifeTwo.com 

And remember, it's your Journey... ;-)

“Understand that the past cannot and will not take you down. If it didn’t then, it certainly can’t now.” Maggie Lyon

 

Navigating the 'Danger Zone'

We're three weeks in to January.  And you know what that means?  When it comes to fabulous intentions for the year ahead, we've entered the Danger Zone.  Navigate the next week or two well, and you stack everything in favour of a stellar year.  Navigate it poorly, and look forward to another year of 'business as usual'...

So what is the difference that makes the difference?  I believe there are three critical factors:

1. Make sure you are INSPIRED towards your destination, not just motivated to get away from where you have been.  The 'away from' energy of 'motivation' is great to get you started, but the more success you experience, the less motivated you will be. After all, it's not as bad as it was... When you are inspired by the Journey to your Dream Destination, or even just your next Magical Milestone, your momentum will grow and grow as the Journey unfolds.
2. Be sure to tap into the juicy 'feel' of your destination, rather than waiting until you get there to feel good.  If you can find the feeling place of your destination - pump it up, bask in it, and milk it for everything it's worth - wild horses couldn't stop you from moving forward.
3. Allow any action you take to be inspired from the uplifted, energised and fabulous feelings you associate with your destination.  Stop thinking about what you should do, and instead tap into the small but significant moves which will take you enjoyably and effortlessly forward.  The more enjoyable it is, the more likely you are to keep going.

What if your good intentions have already fallen by the wayside?  No problem!  Check out my previous post - 2012: Your best year yet...?  Follow the links and get inspired towards your own Dream Destination.  And remember - today is Chinese New Year.  So shout out loud "Gong Hei Fat Choi!" and begin again!  Any day can be New Years Day, when you are willing to learn from your set backs and begin again.

"Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent."  Marlene vos Savant

2012: Your best year yet...?

Are you keen to make 2012 your best year yet - making great progress towards your Dream Destination,  and enjoying the Journey along the way?  If so, there's a very good chance that you've already given some thought to the year ahead. 

A recent - very unscientific! - straw poll amongst my friends suggests that many of us do some kind of planning and goal-setting around this time of year. Not everyone is busy setting 'New Years Resolutions' - though many people do enjoy commiting to something fresh and new on January 1st.  Others find this is a natural turning point and plan in a more general sense, reflecting on the year that's passed, and setting intentions for what they'd like the New Year to be all about.  And then there are those who give the whole NY Resolutions kick a miss - perhaps to avoid disappointment or because the whole idea seems to them to be nonsense.  And last, but by no means least, there are those who simply find it unnecessary, as they are planning and goal-setting on a continuous cycle throughout the year - some in a structured way (perhaps a weekly or monthly cycle) and others following a natural flow as a new desire or inspiration strikes.  There is no right or wrong answer, it seems.  Each of us will find our own way on this. 

But this is a blog about setting yourself to Cruise Control, and enjoying effortless success on the Journey of Life!  So I invite you to consider this:  If you were setting out on a long drive, one likely to involve many twists and turns along the way, would you simply jump in the car and hope for the best, or would you give it some thought before you set off?  Would you decide where you were headed (or at least your general direction)?  Would you consider the milestones that would let you know you were making progress, and the experiences you'd like to enjoy along the way?  Would you make sure your vehicle was road-worthy, well maintained, and full of premium fuel?  And what does this suggest for your Journey of Life?

If you would like to set yourself up for effortless success in 2012, I invite you to take a look at the series of short posts I shared here this time last year outlining why goal-setting often doesn’t work – and what does.  The same approach applies whether you are setting personal or professional goals, and to individuals, teams and whole businesses!  So whatever your focus, you'll find something there which will make a difference.

New Years Resolutions? Not for me.

Make good use of your rear view mirror

Who will you become in 2011? (or 2012 in this case!)

What would the ‘Real You’ do?

Your Dream Destination

Stop! Driving Hard…

Your Dream Destination is closer than you think

It’s “Blue Monday”.  Or is it…?

Sights along the way

Get moving!

Finally, I'd like to thank you for being part of my Journey in 2011.  I appreciate you taking the time to read what I write, and to share anything that resonates with you with the other wonderful people in your Convoy.  And for 2012, I wish you a very Happy New Year.  Better said, I wish you everything you would wish for yourself.

"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential."  Ellen Goodman

Reprogram Your Autopilot

Of the thousands of thoughts you think every day, an estimated 90-95% are the same thoughts you had the day before, and the day before, and the day before that.  Freaky, right?  But not necessarily a bad thing.  After all, if you woke each morning and had to work out how to use your tooth brush, and fully consider the purpose of toast, you'd never get out of the door!

Having an Autopilot is incredibly useful.  In fact, everything you do superbly well you do on Autopilot, from the simple tasks such as a handshake, to the more complex tasks such as driving your car.  It is the basis of your Effortless Success.  (If you've ever arrived at your destination only to realise you don't remember driving, you'll know what I mean.)  But what about those little 'programs' which take you to places you don't want to go?  Taking the exit for work, while driving elsewhere on your day off, is not that useful.  Nor is swerving to avoid a small creature on the road and ending up nose-down in a ditch. 

The good news is that you don't need to live with Autopilot bugs and glitches.  You are the programmer, adding new code every moment of every day.  It's just that very few of us have ever been given the User Manual!  So here's the scoop:  Everything you give your attention to, your Autopilot (unconscious mind) takes as an instruction, a request to find or create more of the same.  This is a wonderful thing, as long as you focus on what you want.  But if you give all your attention to your troubles and problems, current or anticipated, your Autopilot still says 'You want more problems? Ok, here you go!' 

Your task then is simple: Keep your eyes on the road ahead, and continually steer your attention towards what you want - the most pleasing aspects of your life as it is, and the most inspiring aspects of the future you are creating.  But 'simple' and 'easy' are two different things.  A lifetime of programming is rarely over-written in a day! 

So here's a little something I put together which I hope will help:  A 5 minute MindMovie packed with positive affirmations, inspiring images and an uplifting soundtrack - all aligned with creating an effortless, authentic and enjoyable Life Journey. 

Daily viewing recommended...

 

 

 

"If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it." William Arthur Ward

It's Your Life, It's Your Journey

Every once in a while, someone gives a really great speech, one which both stimulates the intellect and stirs the soul.  In the summer of 2005, Steve Jobs gave just such a speech to the graduating class of Stanford University.

He told 'just three stories' from his own life.  And in so doing, shared many powerful lessons for how to truly live before you die.  Here's what he had to say...

 

 

Goodbye, and farewell, to one of the true creative geniuses of our time.

 

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."  Steve Jobs

And the Winner is...!

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who listened in to my live 'online event' for publishing giant Hay House.  The feedback has been amazing, and I am so grateful to you all.

As a thank you, I offered all listeners the chance to enter a free Draw.  The prize?  Three months coaching support with Yours Truly!  And you can see how excited I was to make the draw by checking out the goofey thumbnail below! Hehehe!

So, drumroll please!  The winner is...

 

 

"It's not true that nice guys finish last.  Nice guys are winners before the game even starts."  Addison Walker

Life is a Journey (NOT a Race!)

 Big thanks to Elliot Kay (aka The Coach with the Hat!) for inviting me to write a 'Guest Blogger' piece for his excellent Peak Performance blog.

Here's a link to the article I wrote, entitled "Life is a Journey (not a Race)".  I hope you enjoy it.  And while you are there, check out Elliot's books and other resources.

See you down the road! ;-)

 

“'No' uttered from deepest conviction is better and greater than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or what is worse, to avoid trouble."  Mahatma Gandhi

The Wonderful Thing About Roadblocks...

Sometimes it seems like you can't go on.  You've hit a Roadblock.  You can't go over it, under it or around it.  And since you can't see a way through it, moving forward is not an option.  Or so it can appear - if your attention stays on the 'outside', staring through your windscreen at the Scenery of your life...

But here's the wonderful thing about Roadblocks:

They are never as real as we think they are! 

Roadblocks are always temporary, the external manifestation of an internal block.  And you know you've hit that block when you feel your heart sink and your gut tighten, as you hear yourself say "I am..." or "I am not...", "I can..." or "I can't..." 

When you realise that you are always so much more than your thoughts about yourself, you have found the basis of true freedom - the freedom to be Who You Really Are!  And as the internal blocks shift, the external barriers disappear before your eyes.

Listen in as Caroline Casey shares her truly inspiring story of a life spent Looking Past Limits.

 

"Change your thoughts and you change your world."  Norman Vincent Peale

 

Magical Milestones

Every now and then you hit a Milestone: You look forward to something with such excitement and anticipation long before you can actually see it.  And then... the magical moment... it appears on the horizon, and words cannot describe the thrill than runs through you as you finally arrive at a place which previously only existed in your imagination!

Creating your future on Autopilot can be fun.  Every now and again, you'll stumble across something beautiful, and milk the moment for the pleasure it can offer.  But how much more satisfying to move towards your Dream Destination with Milestones in mind, the sights you'd like to see on along the way, and experience the joyful unfolding of the Journey...?

It's how I feel right now.  There's something big on my horizon, and I hope on yours too!  So please spare a couple of minutes to listen in as I share my exciting news!

 

I do hope you'll join me, and the hundreds of people who've already signed-up to join in the fun!  Click here for all the details you need, and to reserve your place!  It's going to be one heck of a ride... ;-)

"It's when ordinary people rise above the expectations and seize the opportunity that milestones truly are reached."  Mike Huckabee