Ape Summer School PART I...The art of SLOW

What haven't you yet achieved in your life that you would like to?

Is it that you would like to be doing a different job?  Is it that you'd like to find love and your perfect life partner or maybe you feel like all will be well when you're bringing in a particular income?

Also, if you want to do any of these things, have you got a time limited plan?  Should you achieve said status by next year, next month or maybe it should have already happened and now you're falling behind!   Agggghhh!

Having goals can be  great thing, and as you well know if you've been here at APE for any length of time we are big fans of setting yourself realistic and inspiring goals.  But  can this goal setting malarky become an issue?   Yes it can and quite easily too.

You see often we feel rushed, and angry with ourselves for not doing these things 'quickly' enough.  Everything just seems to take so damn long!

Well welcome to the art of SLOW.

Over the next 4 weeks here at APE we are going to be taking a look at the art of doing things slowly.  We'll be looking at how actually doing things more slowly can be of huge benefit to you, not only in actually in helping you to complete said projects, but helping you to do them in a way that feels right as it gives you time to really reflect, stop and do your very best work...not to mention as it can also mean doing things in a way that is more nurturing to yourself.

Need more convincing, well here's a short trailer...

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I hope you'll be following along with this series of 4 short videos, all designed to help you see the benefits of a slower way of thinking , behaving, doing business and well, just being.

So without further ado, let's kick off with the very first instalment...

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Please do share your thoughts below and also why not sign up to hear about all things APE and get this, as well as behind the scenes stuff delivered straight to your in-box.

You just have to CLICK HERE to be taken though to the sign up page…and if you do, I’ll see you on the other side.

For everyone else, till next week…

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!

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How you can find your life purpose...

Do you ever question what you've been put on this one earth to do?

Are you doing it already?

It took me until I was in my 30's to know, really know, what I wanted to do with my life.

To be honest to all intents and purposes, from the outside it probably looked like I knew what I was doing.  I didn't have a bad job working as a University Lecturer.  I'd worked hard to get there and had done well to get all the 'right' qualifications and experience to get to where I was.

As well as all of this, I did a lot in my spare time, from singing to improv.  I even had a small business on the side and also went on lovey holidays with my partner as well as enjoyed doing up my own home which I'd bought some years before.

It seems cliche to say then, that something felt like it was missing for me.

I've always been the kind of person to look ahead and think about where I wanted to be, and I kept on coming back to the same feelings...would doing these things I was doing get me to where I really wanted to be, and what did that even look like?

I didn't know.

I'd been on such a rollercoaster before, doing one thing after the next and pursuing the things I liked doing back at University that whenever I questioned what I was doing, there seemed to be so much happening in my life that the prospect of making any changes, especially when I didn't even know what that looked like, was just too daunting.

I think you can probably guess what's coming...

...the big 'unlock' for me, was discovering what I felt my purpose was.

I share some more about this in todays video, as well as 2 specific things that work to help you, anyone find their own purpose.  So if that sounds like you, just click on the video below to find out more...

I hope this helps you if you've ever wondered what your own purpose is?

I'd love to hear what you feel your purpose is...you can share it below.  I can't wait to see the different things you all come up with.

In the meantime if you'd like get this delivered to you every week, along with a bit more from 'behind the scenes' then please CLICK HERE to be taken though to the sign up page.

I'd love to have you in the APE fold, especially as there are some very, very exciting new projects being launched soon.

Tel 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...

3 tips to quickly build your self-confidence..

Are you a confident person?

If you consider yourself to be confident, do you feel confident in every situation?

Most of us have strategies and ways of coping in situations when we don't feel confident, for example when we have to give a presentation at work, or going for a new job interview.

Sometimes however we can go through periods of just not feeling as confident as we usually do, maybe when life has thrown us a few knocks, or if things are not going our way, sometimes our self confidence can take a bit of a nose-dive!**

Well, there are some really simple things that you can implement straight away that have a surprising impact on how we feel and I delve into three of these things in today's video (APE style of course!)...so here we go..

Have you tried any of these before?

I'd love to hear from you if you think you'll be trying any of these strategies...and remember, they can work as 'one-off' strategies for specific things or events like a job interview for example, so give them a go.

Also, why not CLICK HERE and come on over to Facebook to share your experience with others sharing in the APE dialogue.  I'd love to hear from you.

Til next week!

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Tickets are selling for the 2 hour in-person training The Mind-Map.  To find out all about what this is about and where it's being held then CLICK HERE to find out all about it!

**As noted in the video, this advice is not targeted to those that are suffering from any potential disorder where a persons self-confidence has been affected.  If you feel you are suffering with issues around self-confidence and this is impacting on your mental health and daily functioning, then please seek the advice of a professional.  This is by no means given as a replacement for appropriate and professional medical help**

Working on your Mental Health when you feel well...

When was the last time you sought help for something?

I don't mean menial help, like you needed a hand carrying some shopping bags into the house.  I mean the kind of help from someone you considered to be an expert?

What was it for?

Was it that you hired a Personal trainer at the gym to help you lose weight or get fitter?  Did you hire a Business Coach to take you through the intricacies of your business to help you achieve your next set of targets?  Or was it that you went to the doctors for a health issue?

The natural peaks and troughs of life mean that we are not always resilient.  We also don't always have all the answers....no mater how much Google convinces us we do, and sometimes when things get really tough, and we feel out of our comfort zone, we do look for external help from those that may be able to offer guidance.

In my work as a psychologist, people obviously come to me when they need help too.

They come to me when they know something has to change and often there's been some kind of catalyst for that change.  Often it's just that creeping feeling of overwhelm or lack of sleep due to stress and unhappiness that has crept in too much into their daily life and they now realise that the time is nigh.  They need an external force on this one.

Although it's great that people feel comfortable to do this, and we can all be guilty of leaving things too late to get help....what I wish, is that people would start this kind of work when they are well.  When they have resilience.  When they don't feel in crisis or a desperate need to change something.  Ultimately this is doing the work, and positively impacting our mental health when we are well enough to do so.

In todays video, I dig into this a little more and offer up some important reasons as to why we should all work on a the basis of a prevention model, and that we can do this, not just for our physical bodies but also for our mental health too.  So let's dive in..

So what do you think?

More than anything I'd love to know what you think you could be working on now, that you know you keep putting off.  What could you be working on when you're well, instead of waiting that feeling of desperation or panic?

If you're brave enough do share in the comments below, or come on over to the APE Facebook page by CLICKING HERE to join in the discussion.

Til next week!