Why you need to follow your INTUITION and what it can do for you...

Have you ever overridden what appears to be logic, and instead 'gone with your gut?'.

How did that turn out for you?  Better or worse than you'd expected?  Glad you made the decision?  Relieved...it turned out better after all.

I've yet to meet anyone who hasn't been glad that they went with their gut over their head (not to say that it can't happen of course).  But what does it mean to 'go with your gut' or your intuition?  And why am I proposing that this skill is vital to our evolution both as individuals but also, arguably as a species?

Well, in this week's Halloween Special, I dive into what it means to be intuitive and how using our intuition is becoming a lost art.

We take a look at the benefits using your intuition and how it can help you on your journey to fully embrace who you are, bit also as a way to help you make those changes you've wanted to make and get to where you want to be.

What are your thoughts?  Personally, I consider myself very intuitive but even I resort short-cuts and am definitely guilty of getting out my phone faster than I should on occasion. I'm consciously trying to do this less now and I'm noticing a real shift.  More mindfulness, more calm and more contentment with the decisions I'm making.

Do you use your intuition or do you feel that you could maybe use it more often?

Til then have a great week!

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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

What to do when you're too scared to change your career?...

I've had a question!.. I often get questions sent to me, usually privately via social media or e-mail, and I do try my best to answer everyone's queries.  A lot of the questions are the same, and it's because of this that I thought that I would take the time out to answer here some of the specific questions I get, in the hope that more of you will find the answers useful for you on your own journey.

So, let me introduce this new monthly segment 'Answers with APE'...I don't know  I'm just making this title up, but it may stick.  Ha ha.

The first question I'm going to answer was from a lovely lady via Instagram and it went like this...

"How do I change career? I'm too scared that a change won't work out".

This is a question I hear a lot, though it comes in various guises, from "I don't feel confident enough to leave my current job", to "I don't think I'll ever leave as I feel stuck because of ......"  You fill in the blank.  What is it? Money, time, family, commitments.  The list goes on.

So, today I'm giving you a practical, APE style, answer to this question.  Obviously it's designed to be short, practical and useful to kick start your process.  Enough to allow you  to start to think differently about your current situation and what you can do about it.

So without further ado, let's get stuck into what I've said about this one...

If you're in this position I hope you've found today useful.

I'd of course love to hear form you and if you have a question for me you can send yours to me at serena@apemodelpsychology.com

I'll be taking one question a month to answer from emails, social media, comments or even my current clients.

I'll be back next month with another answer to your question and back with a usual nugget of APE wisdom next week.

Til then have a great week!

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How small 'nudges' can help you make big changes...

Have you ever felt like you just needed a nudge in the right direction...to get you to where you want to be?

Maybe you'd like to change your job, lose weight or start exercising more and you know that just by making a few small tweaks you might be able to actually achieve what you want.  The problem often is however, that where you ultimately want to be seems so far away!

Enter Nudge Theory.

Nudge Theory, simply put means starting with small changes that elicit behaviours, nudges if you will, that force you in the direction of where you want to be.

I todays video we look at this, a little about how it's been implemented in society to evoke big behaviour changes in populations and even politics, and more importantly how you can implement it in your life as a starting strategy for your own change.

Pen and paper at the ready and here we go...

So, will you be implementing any nudges in your own life?

I'd love to hear from you if you think you will!

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Til next week!

What to do when you feel like you've lost your way...

Have you ever felt like you've lost your way?

What was it that triggered that feeling?

Maybe you felt stuck in a job you'd fallen out of love with.  Maybe you literally felt like you'd fallen out of love with your partner or maybe you can't quite put your finger on what it was that had you feeling that way.

Maybe for you it's just that you've lost passion for what you're doing across the board and now you don't really know what the way forward even looks like any more.

In my work as a psychologist, I've yet to meet anyone who hasn't felt this at some stage in their life.  About some-thing.

Well this week we take a look at exactly this, feeling lost ,which often also results in feeling down, anxious and frustrated.   After all what can you even do about?...well here are some positive actions you can take to help you if you've ever experienced this...

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*

Til next week!

Happy Birthday to us!...APE MODEL turns 1!

Happy birthday to APE, Happy Birthday to APE, Happy Birthday tooooo Aaaa, aaa-pe.  Happy birthday to APE!

I think you get this gist?!

A year ago this week, APE Model Psychology started its journey into the world and into the lives of people like you.  Yes, you reading this right now.

I can tell you though, that it didn't just begin the night before the first blog post was launched.  No.  In fact I came up with the concept 3 years before, around the same time that I started another business altogether in fact**.  The only issue was that it didn't feel right to go ahead with APE at that time.  I wasn't completely sure why at the time, but I'm a big believer in trusting your gut and so that's what I did.

For those 3 years, while I worked on my other business, I did my APE work behind the scenes and trialled and tested concepts and parts of the model with the clients I was working with.

I can tell you now, with my hand on my heart that it was a good decision.  If not only for the fact that I think APE would be something really quite different had I launched it at that time but also I've grown and changed so much as a person over the last few years, that I'm more comfortable in my own skin and I think that you do your best work from a place of self-acceptance more than anything else.  The result if you don't do this, is a business that you create that looks and feels how you think it should, versus how you feel it should  Big mistake!

So today, in honour of our birthday I'm sharing with you a very, very different kind of video.

It's more of a behind the scenes snippet really and in it I'm telling you all about a period of change that Ive experienced recently and how this has impacted not just me, but my business.  I'm also sharing wth you what you can expect to see 'going forward' as they say; as inevitably this will impact what APE looks and feels like.

So, without further ado a little from behind the scenes in honour of us being 1 year old! Enjoy...

Well, would you like more from behind the scenes?

I'd love to know so tell me in the comments below, or come n over to Facebook and join in the chat.

Ans don't forget 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*

Til next week!

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** The other business was my Multi-passionate business for women...see HERE if you're feeling nosey!**