Want to be a part of some exciting research?...

I've recently been listening to the book Dare to Lead by Brene Brown.  I do love me a good Audible book (no this isn't as ad!).

Have you read/listened to it?  Maybe you haven't yet as it's really only just come out, but maybe you've read some of her other work like Braving the Wilderness or Daring Greatly?

Anyway, one of the reasons I love the work of Brene, is because she's done the work.  I mean really done the work (or for other fans of Brene, she's been in the arena!)

You see she's done the research.  In other words she hasn't just sat on her bottom in her lounge and thought up, out of thin air, a series of opinions about the topics she likes to discuss, namely vulnerability and shame.

Brene Brown is, aside from being a qualified social worker, a US based academic.  In this capacity she's spent more than 20 years researching these fascinating facets of our human being-ness, and in turn impacted the lives of many as she's shared her valuable lessons which have come from the research.  From the data.

But why am I sharing this with you here today...so unlike APE you might be thinking.

Well, some of you reading this may not be aware of the fact that aside from being a Chartered Psychologist, I too am an academic, based in a UK University.

My area of interest is Change....how we do it, what stops us, what propels us forward, what inspires us, what hinders us, what stands in our way, what transforms our lives and helps to truly evolve us from the ground up.

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It just so happens that I am starting an important piece of research in which I'm going to look at this in detail.  In a way that's not been done before and to do that, I need YOUR help.

If you feel that there is something in your life that you have made a change in, then I would love to hear from you.  I'm going to be conducting interviews with people who have undergone change and compliling a study which will aim to unlock the process of change and in turn help us all in understanding it better.

Right now I am just in the process of making preparations for the study to begin, but I would be so grateful if you would, if you feel you fit the bill, to show your interest by opting in early to find out more.

All you have to do is click on the link below which just asks for your name and best contact details and I will be in touch in the coming months to provide more information about the next steps (you can opt-out at any time so don't worry).

CLICK HERE TO BE TAKEN THROUGH TO THE EARLY OPT-IN

That's all for this week, but please do forward this on to others who you think might be interested in participating.

The more the merrier and the more we will all be able to learn...

...remember, compelling, important work like this, and that of Brene's, can only happen with your help and input, so please consider stepping out of your comfort zones if it's not something you've done before.  I'd be forever grateful.

With many thanks... x

APE SUMMER SCHOOL PART II: The benefits of SLOW living..

Welcome back to week 2 in which we continue our dive into the Art of Slow Living...

Have you ever felt forced to slow down?

What was it that made you do it?

I know that for the clients I've worked with it's ranged from illness, conflict in their lives including family issues, burnout or even the death of a love one that has forced them to stop and take stock.

The lesson I've taken from working with people navigating through these experiences, as well as having experienced it myself, is that there is another way.

We don't, and really shouldn't wait for disaster to strike before we contemplate what we really want to do in our lives, or reevaluate how our lives could look.

So that's what we look at in this short video this week.

Get a pen and paper ready as there's a short exercise at the end that will help you to address the benefits of a slower pace of life.

Til next week!

*To get this delivered straight into your in-box, along with some other behind the scenes snippets, then please CLICK HERE to sign up to our mailing list*

How to have a Multi-passionate career...

Did you always know what you wanted to do for a job when you were little?

What was it?  Did your idea stay the same or did you change you mind over time - maybe like me, when you realised what 'said job' would actually entail in terms of qualifications or actual on the job tasks!

Maybe, also like many of us who have struggled with this, you were conflicted as there were multiple things that took your fancy?  One you day you wanted to be a doctor the next an interior designer?

Although we don't look specifically at being 'Multi-passionate' (MP) as part of the APE Model, the concept naturally crops us as we look at what you do for your work and income.

Inevitably as part of this conversation, what you love to do, versus what you feel you should do, or indeed when you have been considering a career move, we begin to consider the possibility of stepping into a new career that brings you joy.

We also consider how you may be able to neatly fit together pieces of your life-jigsaw that will make up more of a Multi-passioante or Portfolio career.

So that's exactly what I'm looking at in today's video.  Here I tell you a little bit about me and why a MP career was the way forward on my own career path.  I also look at the benefits to addressing your career in this way and how it can actually free you up from a lot of angst about what you might be feeling you 'should be doing'.

So without further ado..

What do you think?

Do you currently have an MP career or would you like one?  Can you distinguish what you'd like to do for fun versus what you'd like to do for money?

Til next week!

*To get this delivered straight into your in-box, along with some other behind the scenes snippets, then please CLICK HERE to sign up to our mailing list*

How to figure out what you really want to do...

Do you know what you really want to do?

Maybe you're doing it now?  Maybe you're living the dream.

Maybe that's not you. You feel you're at the other end of the spectrum and you're not happy at all in what you're doing in your life.  Maybe you don't even know what you want to do?

Of course there are always those who sit in the middle and maybe that's you?  You're happy with a lot of how your life looks and feels but you could well do with making some significant tweaks to certain areas of your life that feel off.

If there are things you'd like to change and if you're feeling like you're stuck and don't know really how to make a shift, then there is definitely something you can do to make a big difference to your circumstances.

And it all starts with your vision for your future.

Now, don't poo-poo the idea of having a vision (are you thinking cork vision boards and incense sticks!).

There is actually a deep rooted psychological underpinning to having clarity over your vision. The beauty of this strategy is also that you don't have to have it all figured out if you're in the camp of not knowing what you really want to do.  It can start with knowing what you don't want, and then slowly piecing together bits of what you do like to do, to start the process of gaining an understanding about what you could be doing in your life.

This week's video is one I've shared before and it's all about why having a vision is crucial to your success and the start of any change that happens in your life.

In the video I explain all about how this works and what it can do for you, so just click on the below video to get stuck in...

I hope that this has helped you in thinking about your own vision.

Maybe yours was clear, but even if it is, it's something I like to revisit myself especially if I feel like I'm off track or I've taken on a new project.

How might you use this to move forward ?

Also, if you're in the UK and you're local, I'm running a Mind Mapping workshop this coming Saturday 9th June (2018 if you're reading this in the future).

It's happening at the lovely in Broadway Cinema in Nottingham (9.45am-12pm).

In the workshop I'll be going over this vision process in person, as well as some other strategies that will help you kick start this process of change...I'd love to see you there.  You can find out more by clicking HERE.

If you're already coming along I can't wait to meet you in person and for everyone else I look forward to virtually seeing you next week!

Time for a new way of thinking...

Have you heard the saying 'do what you've always done, get what you've always gotten?'

The funny things is, that although you've most likely heard of this saying, I bet there are things in your life that you would like to be different, yet you're still actually following a similar pattern of behaviour or series of actions that are leading you to, well, the same outcome or set of results.

It could be as simple as continuing to knowingly eat the 'wrong' foods which means that you still have that extra layer you'd like to lose.  Or it could be something bigger, like staying in a relationship that is toxic, or going every day to a job that you hate. Yes hate!

The good news about having these negative feelings about something, is that it's often the negativity that can set us on a path to make a change.  Everyone has a breaking point, and I'm sure you can relate that feeling of 'enough is enough'.

That desire to shift things, to be be different, to feel different and to experience something other than than what you've experienced so far, can certainly work to your advantage if you want it to.

The video I share today is completely different to the normal videos I share...it's one I made a little while ago which you may have seen, which works as a reminder to us all that sometimes we have to go though seasons of feelings and sometimes negative periods in order to make room for the new and have the fuel and the energy to make a change...literally just like seasons throughout the year.

I really encourage to stop for just 3 minutes to take time out to contemplate this.

Make a cup of tea. Turn your devices off, maybe even put on some headphones and really take in the message on this video.

Think about things for you.

Breathe deeply and contemplate for yourself, what your life could look like if you were to re-frame your negative experiences as nothing more than a catalyst for you to become a the best version of you.

What would that look like?

Write it down.

And if you would like to some help in achieving any of those things then you can also CLICK HERE to find out more about the MIND MAP workshop that will help you to kick start that change for you immediately...

Enjoy..

So what do you think?

Are you ready to step up and change that thing that you've been putting off or are you content going back to the same old thing?

At APE we are here to help you achieve your change and we're also shaking things up here a bit.  I have a few special offers coming for those of you that would specifically like help in finding work you love and finally leaving that job that is crushing your soul.  Including a free group where you'll have my ingot and the support of others.

If that's you, or of course you'd just like to be kept up to date with all things APE, including some trainings and events that might be happening near you, then just CLICK HERE to sign up to APE updates and you'll be the first to know.

Until then I look forward to seeing you back next week for one of our more traditional  videos.

Til then...

Why making a change is so difficult for humans!...

I do a lot of talks to groups, usually business groups and groups for entrepreneurs.

A lot of what I tackle in my talks is this idea of 'change'.  So, how we can change ourselves as human beings.

Change can be as simple as making a simple tweak in an area of your life that maybe you don't feel completely happy about, or maybe for you it looks like addressing an area that if you really sat and thought about it, you know you could improve...even if it's just your diet or quitting smoking!

For you, it might be that something immediately comes to mind when you read this.

You may know instantly for example that you want to feel more confident.  Maybe you feel like you need more time to get everything done?  Maybe you want to change your body, your relationship with a significant other, or to grow or start your own business?

 The million dollar question then is, if you know you want to change this thing, why haven't you done it yet?  Maybe you've actually tried and failed.  Maybe you lack any energy or enthusiasm about doing anything? Maybe you haven't started?  Maybe you just don't know where to start?

What's really funny about this, is that there is a big contradiction when looking at humans and how they change.  The contradiction is this..

..Change happens in an instant, &

..Change takes time!

Now before you switch off or think I'm pulling your leg, let me explain what I mean.

Actually changing a set pattern of behaviour can happen instantaneously.  I saw this happen with my own Grandmother and it's a great example of what I'm talking about.

She'd been a smoker her entire life, and was the typical smoker who tried, failed and tried and failed.  She also was so addicted that she hid her smoking from everyone and would convince them she'd stopped (she lied if truth be known...naughty Nan!).  Point is, she L-O-V-E-D smoking.  In her mind she was and would always be a smoker.

Then one day she went to her doctors, having experienced a few health problems, mainly with her eyes.  It turned out that she had diabetes, and she was told that if she continued to smoke she may lose her eyesight.

She left that doctors surgery and never smoked again.

Something had shifted for her.  The threat of losing her eyesight presented such a re-frame that the risk felt too high for her.  And this is a good example of what happens when change is instant.

I'm sure you can think of examples from you own life or that of people you know where a similar thing has occurred.

Change can happen too by just deciding, but often fails and people quickly revert to an old pattern of behaviour, often as they end up just relying on willpower alone which is often a recipe for disaster.

This is why change that happens instantly, when paired with an external force like the health threat my Nan experienced, or some other kind of associated negative behaviour (to you, e.g. threat of redundancy, salary loss, a partner leaving), that change has a better chance of sticking.  Think about disciplinig a child...effectively it's like conditioning your own inner child to do/not do something as there's a negative consequence.

This then also answers why, change takes time.  It's not always the case that an external force is available to us, and as they're often negative associations, we don't readily seek them out.

There is another way though, and that is to tackle a change consciously and over a period of time.  A good example of this is Slimming World or the like when you want to lose weight.

This kind of action based change strategy does a few things to help you make a change.

It allows you to set goals and see small incremental changes occur, where you usually can feel/see the benefit.  It allows you to build a deeper understanding of what's going on and therefore what works for you what doesn't (which bodes well for when you dip or slip off your path), and it also very importantly this set up holds you accountable.

That accountability acts as that external force similar to what I mentioned before.  It's also why people who want to change or improve in some way hire a coach or personal trainer, or even therapist of some kind to keep them on track.  It means you're accountable to someone.  Someone is waiting and interested in your results!

If you'd like to make a change and you're wondering where to start, I'd like to help you by sharing the work I do which I know gets results.  It starts with you being open and delving into your thoughts and feelings about what you want to change.

In giving you something really practical, I'd like to then share the first part of the APE Model which is all set up to help you make a change.

These first 5 pillars are all about setting you up to give you the best chance of having a change stick.  These 5 pillars are:

Vision

Goals & Definitions

Knowledge & Skills

Belief

People

If you'd like to start to implement a change yourself, why don't you have a go at considering these 5 areas of your own life and how they can impact your area of change. You can start by just answering these 5 questions in relation to the thing you want to impact:

1. What is your vision for your future self/what does your future self look like if this change were to happen?

2. What knowledge or skills do you already have in said area and what skills knowledge do you need?

3. What mini goals can you create for yourself that you know will set you on your path?

4. What positive and negative beliefs do you hold about said change?

5. Who are your champions/the people that you know can/will support you in you making this change?

Just starting to address these areas allows you to start to get some clarity about what you're doing and how you're going to go about making your change.  The idea then is to be in action in regards to what you've come up with.  If you've set goals, start to implement them.  If you have a vision, stay focused on that vision and allow it to be used as your guide to help you stay focussed.  Go back to 'your people' when you feel like you need more help or motivation to stay on track.  Focus on positively associated beliefs and be aware when your negative beliefs rear their head....you can se how this starts to work and also sets you up for success.

If you feel like you'd like more help with these things, to dig deeper on the psychological underpinnings, and also to be held accountable then you can also sign up to APE o find out more about the training that's on offer as well as the free groups I run to help people who want to do this.  You can do that by clicking here.

Also, if you're in the UK you're in luck as I'm running a 2 hour workshop on the 9th June called The Mind Map in which I'm going to go through this is person and show you the true power of your secret weapon...your brain, and how you get to make these changes in a way that will stick.

To find out more about this workshop just CLICK HERE to be taken to a page to find out more.

You can also watch the video below to see what it's all about...

I'd love to hear from you and if you tackle these questions, wold love to know what you  see?  What exciting changes will you be making?

And if you're now of the people who's already bought your ticket totes Bond Map, I look forward to seeing you on the 9th!

Til next week.