How to avoid that back to work Sunday feeling...

Picture the scene...it's Sunday night.

You have a really busy week ahead. Your work days are full of appointments and you know this means some late nights. Probably rushed dinners and no time to do anything other than make some food and go to bed, all ready for another day.

Maybe you're the opposite?

You're excited!  Raring to go and can't wait to get stuck in into the week ahead.  You've got some fabulous projects on and some exciting meetings.  You've also scheduled in all your exercise and some nice evenings out with friends.

Which one of these people are you?

If you feel like the first person you're not alone.  You're just experiencing that typical Sunday feeling that you might remember from childhood, when you dreaded going to school the next day.

When you feel like this, you feel daunted.  Heavy.  Tired at the thought of what lies ahead and already wish the week to go quickly so that you can get to the weekend.  But the good news is that there are things you can do to overcome to all too familiar Sunday feeling.

And that's exactly what I delve into in today's video...here I share with you 3 things you do to immediately to start to re-frame this experience and start to feel differently about the week ahead.  So let's dive in...

I hope you enjoyed today's video and have been able to take something from it if you can relate to that Sunday feeling too?

If you have I'd love for you to comment below and tell us what you think.  Of course you can also do that by coming over to our Facebook page by CLICKING HERE.

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

Until next week!

The MIND MAP...a blueprint for how to change your mind-set and change your life

Time for something a little different this week...

I'd like you to consider something...if I could wave a magic wand that could make one change for you in your life, what would it be?

Did you have to think, or did it spring to mind at lightening speed?

So what was it?...and if it's something you'd like to change have you already been working on it?  Have you been working hard on it behind the scenes and if you have for how long?  Have you already seen changes or do you feel like it's been a bit like Groundhog Day?

Maybe you're in the camp of not doing doing anything yet, but every night you're 'Googling' in attempt to find the answer on your laptop...maybe someone else can tell you, help you or inspire you.

Safe isn't it..to do it that way?

If you're sat at a screen and looking for answers, to be fair, there will be some people that will eventually get off their bottoms and put some things into practice...but experience has taught me, both in my personal life and also as a psychologist who helps people to do this, that usually some external force is required to get the momentum needed in order to start the motion of change.

So what is it for you...?  What are you waiting for to kick start a new wave of action to get you towards your goal?

Are you waiting for inspiration to strike?

Are you waiting for a perfect opportunity?

Are you waiting for illness to finally kick-start you into doing what you've always wanted, or is it redundancy that will finally make you consider writing your book or changing your career?

Maybe it's the pressure of your partner, or that you don't have enough money?  or maybe it's just the 'perfect time'...whatever that is?!

I think you understand.  And also, if you can relate to any of this, you're not alone.

  What's often funny about this situation, is that like an elite athlete wanting to get better at her sport, it's good practice to get outside help to help you reach your potential/goals..but so few people do this.

Often it's because they don't know where to go. Maybe they're worried about not looking like they have all their swizzle together or they're basically still relying on Google or any miriad of things that I've already mentioned, for the answers.

Funny thing is.  Things don't always easily change this way.

But that's exactly what I'd like to offer today, with information about an exciting new workshop that will help you to kick start this process of change for you, helping you get to where you want to be.

So, to find out more about what this is and where it's happening, click on the video below to find out more about the new APE training called the MIND MAP.  A workshop that kick-starts this very process...

Definitely click on the link to find out more!

If you would like to take part in this initial workshop, which is limited due to the venue (the Paul Smith Room, Broadway Cinema Nottingham), then please click on the link below to find out more.

This link takes you through to a separate page that gives you more information about the event and what it can do for you in your own life.  You'll also find all the logistical details like when it's taking place, length,  cost etc.

**Please do also go through to find out more if you are not local, as there will be other opportunities to take part in the training that are coming up and you can sign up to find out about these first**

If you have any question about this event please fill out the form below where I would be happy to answer any questions you have:

[contact-form][contact-field label='Name' type='name' required='1'/][contact-field label='Email' type='email' required='1'/][contact-field label='My question about the MIND MAP event is...' type='textarea' required='1'/][/contact-form]

Until next week!

Interview with APE client...Ali Baker!

I met Ali over 2 years ago while I was teaching a workshop for Women in Business for a local council.

I was asked to do a workshop for the women on work-life balance, something which always makes me smile as I'm not actually a fan of the term**.

Anyway, it was this workshop that led me to Ali.  She was one of the 50 or so women in the room who all wanted to hear about how to achieve a more balanced life.  And at the time Ali was juggling, well a lot!

She was working part time as a Primary school teacher.  She was also a Pilates instructor and ran her own Pilates classes 'on the side'.  In amongst all this, she was trying to spend time with her 2 young children, keep a home and help her husband who was ill at the time and unable to work.  To say she had a few things on her plate would be an understatement.

Ali, said that she felt pretty overwhelmed at the time, and she knew she needed some kind of external input to help her to make the changes she'd been aware she'd wanted to make for some time...so in today's interview you get to hear all about just that.

In this interview Ali candidly and generously talks about her struggles prior to our working together.  She tells you all about the decisions she had to make around leaving her job and going into business full time, and also how our work, and ultimately the APE Model, helped her to achieve that.

Ali has achieved so much in the time we've worked together.  And like a lot pf people I work with, the person she is today is, to some degree, unrecognisable as she's made so many significant changes...so to find out exactly what she's doing now, may I present Ali Baker...

I hope you enjoyed this interview.

I'm so grateful for Ali in sharing her story with us so openly.  She really is an inspiration and epitomises what is possible if you not only put your mind to it, but also your thoughts into action!

To be honest, I have to say that many people also struggle to talk about this kind of work and to be open about asking for help...but the way I see it, it's just like having a coach in a sporting context.  You can't assume to change or get better without really challenging yourself and having someone else help to achieve that with the tools and experience they've gained from doing it themselves.

Anyway if you'd like to know more about Ali then do head over to her website (which she is still working on) to find out more.  You can do that by CLICKING HERE.

Also, you heard me say that I'm encouraging her to try social media and so for that you can find her up and coming Facebook page HERE.  Why not go over and say hello.

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

Until next week!

(**I prefer to use the term 'life-life balance', after all you show me someone who professes to have a perfect work-life balance and I'll show you another 50 people that don't.  Also, its funny how these trainings are often put on by work places, in the hope that they'll make you more productive and able to compartmentalise somehow...essentially bringing more oomph to the company.  The trick, that some employers do embrace however, is to first honour the individual, everything flows from that point on!**)

4 ways you can overcome feelings of Imposter Syndrome...

Have you ever felt like you're not good enough?

Have you ever felt out of your depth at work, like maybe any minute you'll be found out?  That you're not really that confident, or that together or that knowledgeable about the thing you've been employed to do! Essentially that you're going to be found out..that all along you've been a fraud!

If you can relate to any of these feelings then you maybe be experiencing Imposter Syndrome.

Though this isn't a mental health issue per se, it can and does have a significant impact on you and your daily functioning.

It can impact how we feel about ourselves and our abilities. It can hinder what we do next, and how we move forward, and in short, your feelings of being a fraud and not being good enough may mean that you miss out on opportunities that come your way.

In today's video I look at this in a bit more detail and also share 4 things that you can do to start to overcome these feelings straight away.

So without further ado, click on the video below to find out what you can do today...

What do you think?  Have you ever felt feelings of Imposter Syndrome and if you have will you be trying any of these strategies to overcome them?

If you will be trying these things, I'd love to hear from you in the comments below.  Which one has worked better for you and why?

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

Until next week!

What 'should' you be doing with your life?...

What's your answer to this big question?

What is it you feel you should be doing?

Should you be running your own business?  Bringing in a particular salary?  Living in a different home?  Be married? Have travelled?  Started that diet?  Written that book?

We all do it.  We decide for ourselves what we should be doing all the time.  Measuring ourselves against an invisible (sometimes visible) list of things we need to do, or else we will live a life of....well, what?

It's great to have goals, but this way of living, this idea of what we should be doing often gets out of control and can start to permeate our daily living.  The 'should' slips into our daily internal narrative...I should get up earlier. I should spend more time with X, I should add that to my to-do list, I should, I should, I should, I should!!

There is obviously a big difference between wanting, really wanting to do something and making positive changes in your life in order to achieve this things.  No-one would argue the contrary.  But what can be true is the that as we mindlessly bombard ourselves with a negative voice and tell ourselves what we should, or indeed shouldn't be doing, and doing so without question, then this kind of self-talk can sometimes end up doing more harm than good.

In today's video I go into this in more depth looking at what this can do to you if you don't step back and take note.  We also look at the benefits of tackling this kind of internal chatter and the positive impact that can have on your feeling of wellbeing as well as helping you to really move forward.  So let's get stuck in...

So, do you notice that you do this? I'd love to hear form you if this resonates with you in any way.

I think we're all guilty of it from time to time, but with a little mindful thinking and working on our positive self talk we can really make a difference.

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

Until next week!

Interview with Sarah Harrison from Hotpod yoga...

Have you ever tried yoga?

Well, the next question is have you ever tried hot yoga?

I remember trying a hot yoga class when lived out in New Zealand, which yes, I did like, but it was a very different experience to the Hotpod yoga I started doing a couple of years ago (and no this isn't an ad*).

There was something a bit magical for me about going into the womb of the pod, which was all warm and dark.  There was ambient music playing and beautiful smelling oils wafting through the air.

I think the pod itself gave some sense of safety and comfort for me, and also if truth be told, it felt less confronting to be moving my oh so un-supple body into cats and cows and camels!

In today's video, I am therefore so fortunate to be able to share an interview with Sarah Harrison from Hotpod in Nottingham.  Not only does Sarah talk about some of the general benefits of yoga for anyone curious to try it, but she generously shares her own journey into the world of yoga.  She also tells us about her business journey and how her practice has changed over the years.

So much to learn form the wonderful interview...enjoy!

So, if you haven't done hot yoga are you going to try it?

I  really can't recommended it highly enough and would love to know what you think and if you're going to give it a go?

For anyone wanting to find out more about Hotpod yoga you can visit the website by clicking on the picture below...you can also be taken through to book classes and get stuck straight into your own yoga journey!

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

Until next week!