At the beginning you feel like you’ve thought everything through and you’re really motivated to get going. Everything seems to be going great! Your plans have paid off and your journey towards your goal couldn’t seem easier.

So… why do you begin to slip?

Unless something happens to get you back on track, your goals seem to fade into obscurity.

You find yourself missing the odd gym session, and not being quite as organised. Whatever it is, you can feel yourself slipping back into your old ways. Unless something happens to get you back on track, your goals seem to fade into obscurity and before you know it, weeks have passed since you did anything you initially planned so hard for.

Often you can come up with a whole host of reasons why things faded away. But it always boils down to one thing:

Being accountable for your own actions gets harder

More important than what happens, is how and why it happens. There can be a whole host of reasons:

• You don’t feel you are progressing fast enough, so things get boring
• You find the going gets tough and other things seem to keep getting in the way, so you start to let them
• You aren’t sure you even want this goal anymore. You find it hard to remember why you thought this was a good idea!

I’m sure you can think of lots of other reasons, but the great news is that the solution is always the same.

GET ACCOUNTABLE!

If any of the above sounds familiar to you, then now is the moment to change it. Get someone else to hold you accountable to your own goals. Share with them your reasons for wanting them in the first place. Other people seem to have an amazing memory for repeating your own words back at you! If you feel things start to get tough, tell someone, ask for help, advise, tips, tricks, anything to help you get over your current hurdle. Finally, give them permission to check in on you once in a while to see how things are going.

You can even ask me to personally help you with this. Just drop me an email with what it is you are trying to achieve. I’ll help you keep that motivation bubbling along. An even more effective method, is for you to post your goal, plan and any expected hurdles here in the comments below, or on our Facebook page.

So there you have it, Email / Comment  or Facebook. Choose whichever one feels it will be the most effective for you. Let us, help you.

In a recent blog post, Chris suggests it is worth reviewing your ‘current life’ twice a year, particularly to take an honest look at which parts are sending you warnings that something isn’t right – and that you might be ignoring!

Join Sam and Chris as they explore some of the ways to spot warning signs using Sam’s real-life experiences as an example, and how even the smallest changes can make a significant difference in helping you turn things around.

P.S. Since recording this, Sam has taken her two actions and really believes it is worth taking action before the warning signs become less subtle!

Put this technique into practice immediately and you’ll find your barriers are no longer as high or as strong, and taking action becomes a whole lot easier.

We’d love to hear how this works for you and if you have alternative versions that other ActionPodcast listeners would benefit from as well. Leave a comment on this podcast!

Finding common ground with someone can build instant rapport and allow you to connect with people and a much better level. Learning to find the common ground with someone is a skill that anyone can learn to incorporate into their daily lives.

The course Gina mentions is with http://www.darreneden.com

Often we hear people say that if they had more money they would be able to do something else; something more exciting or interesting. Or they blame their current circumstances, having to look after the kids, an elderly relative or some other kind of commitment.

All too often we find ourselves holding on to this wishful thought that if we had the freedom, things would be different. Well Paul and Gina are here to tell you that vision of freedom is, in fact, just an illusion. It’s your own way of stopping you from actually fulfilling your dreams.

By sustaining this illusion, people even feel somewhat satisfied that they have already attained their goal, even though it’s just in their mind. This has the added benefit of them never having to go through the hard work and change that might be required to achieve this dream.

So if you often find yourself lost in wishful thinking, it’s time to shatter that illusion and start working towards making it a reality instead.

Not just providing a ‘positive thinking’ theory, they guide you through a specific set of actions and provide a simple framework for you to take on a transformational 30 day challenge to eliminate a key stress or frustration from your life.

Listen to the podcast and leave a comment to let us know you’re taking the challenge and how we can help you to succeed.

These questions can help build your confidence that you can do it and start you on the path to feeling great about your new opportunity.

That’s a nice ideal to work towards, but it is as ridiculous as it is impossible!

We are simply human – and I sometimes like to think of humanity as “perfect in our imperfection”. I might try to radiate love, but I certainly don’t manage it 100% of the time. And whilst I’m increasing the success and happiness and fulfillment in my life (& hopefully inspiring it in others), there’s a long way to go yet.

In fact, for me – working on these goals and dreams and visions sometimes comes at a cost to those closest to me; when I’ve run out of time or energy or the amount of ‘me’ that I have available to share. So I’m definitely not perfect.

The critical factor though, is one that allows me to feel I’m being authentic and operating from integrity as a coach and as a person. And that is my willingness to look at my darker sides, and to always work on improving myself.

Every time I react in a way that is inappropriate, unbecoming or even childish…

Every time I say something I don’t mean, that is inconsiderate or hurtful…

Every time I disappoint myself, or let myself and others down…

I am fully aware that I have a choice about my behaviour.

The point of awareness is almost like watching yourself from an out-of-body experience: you can see/hear yourself in a situation, and part of you thinks “Why am I saying/doing that? That’s not who I want to be” but there can be a sense of powerlessness in the moment, as you watch the scene play out.

I could choose to ignore that awareness, and next time round behave in exactly the same way. But that is not who I want to be. It is painful looking at the parts of yourself that you’d rather hide; and to change them sometimes feels like putting them on display for everyone to judge. But it is our own judgement we’re actually hiding from.

So, instead of judging, think about the last time you said or did something that was out of integrity, and get curious:

• Why might I have behaved in that way?
• How would I have liked to behave?
• What are some other alternatives?
• What can I learn from this?

There is no guarantee that you’ll get it right next time, but you will certainly have a stronger sense of choice when the moment comes. And step by step, you’ll move closer to being more of the person you want to be.

After all, that’s the most we can ask of ourselves – which is far more realistic than trying to be perfect.

The show on NBC isn’t available to people outside of the USA, so you can view the first episode directly from breakthroughwithtonyrobbins.com

If you have downloaded the podcast from iTunes remember to post a review and visit our website at ActionPodcast.com to leave a comment or contact one of the presenters directly. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the podcast directly to your inbox, plus an additional weekly blog post!

As part of being a member of the BNI (Business Networking International) I’m entitled to some quite good training events. I’ve recently attended their new members training and during that session they also talked about how to prepare for your 60 seconds. The type of information you should be looking to cover and how to structure it best. So with my new found leaning from the course I went home and put together my 60 second speech.It really surprised me at how differently I had to write to make it work. Writing for an article to be read, is totally different to writing something that is going to be spoken out loud. I had to really simplify my language so that each word flowed into the next. Any time I practised the speech I would find a spot that I would have difficultly in saying, so I’d see if I would simplify it more. I tested the speech out on a couple of friends who helped me tweak it some more and timed me to make sure I was hitting as close as possible to the 60 seconds.

Last Friday I went to the BNI group again and used my 60 second speech. I was almost dead on the 60 seconds and had just a few seconds to ad lib at the end. I was delighted. It wasn’t the most exciting 60 seconds, but it was effective, it covered all the points and was fluid. So how does this relate to personal development you ask?

Well this type of action is a fantastic way of building your confidence in an area that you feel needs a bit of work. By giving it a format, a structure that covers everything it needs, you are giving yourself a basic template also known as a Boilerplate. The purpose of this isn’t to then use it permanently unchanged. The idea is that once you have the basic format in plate you DO change it.

Your boilerplate is your base line, your starting point, not your end point. From your boilerplate you know what must be in place, from there as you grow in confidence and your skills develop, you can adapt it. Either with some additional preparation or, if you feel daring enough, on the fly and ad lib some new bits into it each time you use your boilerplate. That way you have something to fall back on it things go a bit wry.

Have a think about some of the places you are already using a boilerplate. Maybe cooking your favourite meal, each time you make it, it’s somehow a little different. Going to the gym, you have a basic routine that you follow, but each time you go you do something else to liven it up. Even at work you may produce the same report on a regular basis but each time you do it, you find a new and more efficient way to do some part of it. By having that boilerplate, a base line to work from, you know what to do. After a while of using that base line your creative side starts to kick in.

Although having the boilerplate may initially seem a bit restrictive and even dull, it helps you put in place the foundation upon which you can build. By having the initial structure in place, your creative side is engaged, and before you know it, new ideas are flowing. You begin to tweak things here and there. If you can think about an area of your life or a task that you need to do and you are struggling with it, think about creating a boilerplate for it. Then watch it blossom into a creative and unique tool that you can flexibly use everyday.

Just for a giggle, I’ve recorded my speech onto YouTube. I still need to use it a few more times and be able to recall it without having to read my notes. The important thing is it’s a start and from there it can only get better.

ENJOY! And please do feel free to comment, I’d love to get some feed back on how to improve.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYVBOYXFnng

If you have downloaded the podcast from iTunes remember to post a review and visit our website at ActionPodcast.com to leave a comment or contact one of the presenters directly. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the podcast directly to your inbox, plus an additional weekly blog post!

If you have downloaded the podcast from iTunes remember to post a review and visit our website at ActionPodcast.com to leave a comment or contact one of the presenters directly. Sign up for our newsletter to receive the podcast directly to your inbox, plus an additional weekly blog post!

During a recent session it quickly became clear that I was on the verge of taking on too much. Over the last few months the power of being coached has resulted in some significant changes in my life and how I view situations. I’d been actively putting in a lot of work, spinning a lot of plates and generally been about as busy as I could physically be.

What surprised me was that I’ve now reached a point where pretty much everything is going to plan, on track and on schedule. I found myself looking for that extra thing that would put me back into the sensation of feeling, well rushed, busy and on the edge of coping.

I had become so used to “working my butt off” that now I had been able to schedule things better, automate them or even outsource them (my new favourite thing!) I was presented with a strange feeling of “what next?”!

Thankfully working with my coach I was able to see that, I was busy, very busy in fact. I was however, working smarter, better than before and I was now producing the results without having to work 16 hours a day. Ultimately I want to keep it this way, working at a pace that is healthy and even FUN!  As long as I’m still progressing, make moves in the direction that I want to go at a pace that works, then I’m doing the right thing.

I’d love to hear from others that have almost become so used to feeling rushed, that they often end up missing that feeling when everything is going to plan. What do you do to make sure you don’t overload yourself, just because you feel you should. How do you know when enough is enough?

David Cameron and Nick Clegg will likely face as much criticism as support over the “difficult times” and difficult decisions ahead. They have united in a spring clean not just of the electoral system, but also of the status quo and party relationships within all levels of government.

Who would have thought – Tories & Lib Dems?! During the past few weeks I’ve watched with a mixture of healthy skepticism and real curiosity. I have total respect for both these leaders for taking on a tough challenge, and I didn’t envy them their decisions! I have been excited to see what emerges, and to try and understand what it means.

David Cameron and Nick Clegg have had to consider a range of what seemed like ‘less than ideal’ options, and even in the face of that they have been able to seek and find true opportunity. Personally and politically, they’ve had to perform an honest evaluation of what wasn’t working – especially if it had done in the past.

So in the spirit of this sea change, we are offered the opportunity to look critically at our own beliefs and attitudes. What isn’t working? What relationship do we need to re-evaluate? Perhaps our relationship with ourselves, with money, with our partners/friends/family, with responsibility, with politics, with …?

As I noted down some ideas for this blog post earlier today, I realised this is exactly what I’ve done in relation to politics over the last few months. I was previously of the opinion that the three things you never discuss with anyone (especially family & close friends!) were religion, politics and sex. I ‘didn’t do’ politics; actively avoiding it until someone pointed out that this was in fact a political stance! I was happy that voting in the UK was optional (whereas it’s compulsory in Australia, and you get fined for not doing it).

And yet, I voted in this election. In the last few weeks I’ve spoken to family, friends, colleagues and college buddies about politics. I’ve facebooked about it! I read up on the parties and their main points of policy. Somewhere along the line I decided that if I was to vote I needed to make an informed choice. I watched as the first election results came in live, I’ve checked the BBC’s election website for updates and news on what was happening, and I’ve watched announcements by Gordon Brown and David Cameron on the day of change. And I enjoyed it! Dare I say, I even got a little misty-eyed when I watched the announcement of a “new politics” and the outline of the coalition with David Cameron and Nick Clegg standing side by side.

This was a fundamental shift in my attitudes and actions. So what happened?

1. I realised that I needed to re-evaluate my beliefs and attitudes towards politics.
2. I examined the fact that I do care about the place where I choose to make my home; that I believe in our right to have a voice and I didn’t want to take this for granted.
3. I was open to the possibility that politics could be interesting.
4. I realised that to be authentic, my old belief wasn’t serving me.
5. I embraced a curiosity about this change and what it could mean for me and the broader context.
6. And I chose to take action in the spirit of this change, despite being anxious or not always understanding or feeling frustrated as I tried to learn about the UK political system.

Change can be scary. Writing my first public blog post mentioning politics is scary! And whilst it may not all be smooth-sailing from hereon in, and my transition towards civic participation might feel challenging, I remain curious about the future and happy that I chose to re-evaluate my position.

I’m also curious about the future for this unique coalition, this “new politics”, the economic challenges ahead; and I’m excited about the possibilities – encouraged that 65% of the population (up from 50%) chose to take action and vote, encouraged that two opposing party leaders can talk as adults, UK citizens and humans!

Perhaps there is inspiration to be drawn from the most unlikely of situations; perhaps like David Cameron, Nick Clegg and I, you too may have difficult decisions to ponder.

What in your life could do with a sea change?

Find something you’re scared of, and 9 times out of 10 it involves some kind of change in your life: new job, new relationship, new hair colour, new house, new school, new teacher, new country, new car! The list is endless.

So why do we resist? And how can we overcome the fear of change? Or rather, do we really have to?

I’ve now been living in New York for just over 5 months. It’s actually my 6th visit to the city, so it’s not entirely an alien planet. But culturally it often feels like it. I’d been wanting to live here for a few years, but always resisted the calling: too expensive, won’t get enough work to keep me here, will be all on my little lonesome. The excuses were really endless. Strange, really, since my life in London was hardly one of spellbinding excitement and stimulation. I guess it really was the fear of the unknown. Of moving out of my comfort zone and changing it for something totally out of my sphere.

But has the experience turned into a nightmare of epic proportions? Absolutely not! In fact I wish I’d come here years ago, when the economy was still buoyant and finding work a helluva lot easier. Yet despite the inherent challenges of moving to a new city and not knowing anyone, I’ve met some incredible people, made great professional contacts and thoroughly immersed myself in the cultural life here. In my opinion it’s just about the greatest city on earth. I love it here. I moved out of my comfort zone and embraced the changes. And as I did so became more confident. Not always less fearful, but soon discovered that the fear passed once I actually got on and did the very thing that was spooking me!

If you’re a change junkie, then you’ll have no problem uprooting in every sense. Change to you is an adrenalin kick. But for more cautious types, I have one thing to say. Feel the fear and do it anyway! Life is passing you by so very quickly. Stop dreaming and start doing. Make the changes you’ve always dreamed of, before it’s too late.

Photo courtesy: mediaslap.soundworks.com

Some ‘tools’ may require an investment up front, but having the right ones could save you a lot of time, hassle and money, giving you a better quality result with greater efficiency, and may even be the difference between you loving and hating what you are doing.

Paul and Sam discuss some of their DIY learnings, and explore other areas that this insight can be applied to – from serious tasks to fun ones! Afterall, would you try writing an essay with a lipstick?

If you are the owner of a small business that has grown over a few years to something greater, and would like to understand more about how the Right Tools and related concepts could ensure your business continues to grow effectively, and allow you to love what you created once more, then please contact Sam for more information.

The first decision is making the big decision, such as, “I’m going to get healthier”, “I’m going to spend less so I can save more”, “I’m really going to work on getting more customers”. Those are examples of the broader, or macro, decisions to address some area of your life. These are the kind of decisions that people are very good at proclaiming on New Year’s Eve as a resolution for the coming 12 months. Yet, the reason most people don’t get the results that they want, is that they are poor at consistently making the little daily decisions, or micro decisions, that really lead to the results they want.

And here’s why: most people make decisions based on who they are now, the skills they now have or the beliefs they now hold.

But if you’re a person who is aching for change and really wanting to get different results (e.g. more health, more wealth, more happiness, etc), you can’t make decisions based on who you are now.

The best advice I’ve ever received is this: make decisions as if you were the person you want to become.

Consider this example, you want to be healthier by going to the gym in the morning 4 days a week. You want it really badly but you struggle sometimes to get out of bed. You’re alarm goes off at 6am, you wake up and decide to lay there for another 15 minutes. At 6:15 you decide you need some more rest since you have a big day ahead of you and you can go to the gym tomorrow. That’s just not going to get you to your goal is it?

However, if you begin to make decisions as if you were a healthy active person, then you would begin to get out of bed as soon as the alarm went off and head to the gym regardless of how tired or unmotivated you actually felt in that moment. Act as if you were motivated. Act as if you loved going to the gym. And if you continued to make that decision on a consistent basis, and took that action on a regular basis, you’d soon become more healthy.

I recognise this can be easier said than done so contact one of the Action Coaches and listen to our motivational podcasts to learn some very simple and very effective techniques to make better decisions and consistently take the action you need in order to become the person you want to become.

Paul and Sam talk about how this helps them look at things from a new perspective, sharing tips and tricks on how you can bring this resourcefulness into your daily life.

Finances: Research your quotes for electricity, gas, insurance, mobile, cable, etc. Companies are desperate to keep customers, so they’re offering great deals right now. Manage your debt. Cut up your credit cards, or decide to pay them off every month. Recessions are great for investors as stocks on quality companies also lose value. They can then be bought at a good price, with excellent long-term prospects. Interests rates are currently at an all-time low. So if you’re not locked in to lengthy fixed repayments, change your mortgage to a base rate or tracker.

Career: Practise a positive mental outlook. Redundancy can give you the perfect kick start to move into a career or business you’ve always dreamed about, but haven’t dared consider – till now. Make a list of your goals and options. And take small steps each week towards achieving them. Smarten up your cv and put it out there. Lots of people are too scared to change jobs right now, so competition for new positions has actually reduced.

Personally: Practise a positive mental outlook. If you succumb to fear’s stranglehold and consequent inertia, you’re an instant loser. Think like a winner. Pick someone you personally admire and model their behaviour. This is your chance to be adaptive, creative and try something or someone(!) new. Seize your day, focus on the present and stop procrastinating. Recessions can be a fertile time for professional and personal growth. You’ll discover your strengths – and make use of them.

Business: Practise a positive mental outlook. To survive in this climate, your business must be increasingly creative. You’ll need to look for new markets, and exploit existing ones. And refine your products and business strategies. Competition is reduced as competitors go bust. If you run a small business, it’s prudent to delay larger expenditures. But as with every recession, businesses will continue to do business. And consumers will continue to flex their plastic. Focus on issues you can personally control.

In essence, the recession can be tough for some, but it’s also a massive opportunity for positive change. Respond to the collective fear and anxiety by expanding. Take small, regular steps outside your comfort zone to increase your self-confidence and self-awareness. Make the positive decision to motivate yourself into realising your dreams.

Life coaching helps you rise to the challenges. You’ll discover your strengths and use them to propel your life forward. Personally and professionally you’ll become more creative, more fulfilled and more successful.