Ape Summer school Part III: Slow is your superpower!

Welcome back to our slow living series here at APE.

If you're new here, welcome!

This summer we've been taking a  look at the art of of doing things a little slower than usual.  Taking on a more realistic, reflective way of working and actually taking time to stop and smell the roses, dare I say it!

It's easy to get caught up in 'being busy' and rushing around for the sake of it.  Convincing ourselves that we are all the more important and that big things are getting done if we are chasing our tails!

Well, in my case, and in the case if so many of my clients, the world often has a funny way of slowing you down if you don't take the initiate and do it for yourself.

Don't get me wrong.  Inevitably we all have to dash about sometimes, tis the way of life...but I'm not talking about that.  I'm talking about those of us that have begun to equate busy with 'successful', or always being on the go with, I'm getting lots done!

It's often this way of being that leads to burn out, stress and actually, always rushing around means we often don't get to do our best work or sadly still, we don't stop for what's really important and forget why we're doing it all in the first place!...and that's exactly what we dive into today.

So without further ado, here is this week's little instalment.  Do have your pen and paper handy to jot down your ideas and as usual there is an exercise at the end...

..and don't forget to come back for the last video next week.

Til next week!

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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.

How to instantly boost your mood...3 simple things you can do today!

Do you ever feel like even though everything seems to be ticking along fine, you just feel low in your mood?

You feel a bit down, like there's a little cloud following you around and casting a shadow over how you're feeling?

Maybe you feel like this a lot, maybe you feel like this sometimes, maybe you feel like this around 3pm every day when you get that afternoon slump and you're craving a coffee to give you the boost to get you through the rest of the day (like me!).

There are obviously lots of things that impact how we feel.  You need to feel like you're doing meaningful work, you need to feel healthy and eat the right foods, be happy in your relationships, get good sleep etc. etc...I'm sure you can think of things straight away that you know impact how you feel.  Today though is more for those of you that are doing many of these things, are generally happy, but like I described at the start of the piece, sometimes you just can't shake the down feeling.

So, today I'm sharing with you a few things that you can do that involve being in 'motion'...in other words moving your body.

There is a lot of good research and science that links movement, so exercise and other modalities that show irrefutably that exercise and moving are directly correlated with a positive mood, as well as having other associated health benefits including better functional capacity.  So I dig into this today...and I have to warn you, some silliness takes place.  But you probably guessed that!

What do you think?  Do you already do any of these things....I can't be the only one dancing around their office at 3 in the afternoon?

I'd love to hear from you if you do this as as well.  What's your favourite tune...I'll be sharing mine over on Facebook so click here to see what I boogie to!

Also, if you'd like to get delivered to your in-box every week, in which I share some behind the scenes stuff too, then do CLICK HERE to be take to the sign up page (this is just a sign up to the weekly blog update).

Until next week!