I was working with a client recently and no matter how I initially phrased my question on what action they wanted to take, the answer I got was: “I want to be…” or “I want to have…”
Every time I received these kinds of answers I had to remind the client that coaching is all about taking action; simply stating what you want to be or have (or feel) isn’t going to make it happen. Only an action that you carry out will help to create your desired end result. Read more of this article »
Some of you may know that I am a big fan of Toastmasters and regularly visit a central London club. I highly recommend it for increasing confidence in public speaking, as well as gaining personal confidence and making some great new friends and contacts.
Last week I did my first speech – The Icebreaker.
It’s good title for the first Toastmaster speech and one that every new Toastie probably dreads. I know I’d been thinking about doing mine for a month or two, before finally pushing myself out of my comfort zone and Read more of this article »
Being a coach, I’m very keen to “walk the talk” or rather, not just say coaching is good but have a coach myself because I know just how powerful it can be.
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?
One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is to stop. Stop chasing deadlines, stop pushing harder, faster and just…just slo-o-o-o-o-o-o-w down…to a full stop. Spend a bit of quality time with yourself to take stock of what’s working and what’s not. Are you able to spend time on the things that really matter, that you really want to do (or at least a good portion of your time on these things)?
Research shows that people that are stressed and overwhelmed spend less than 25% of their time on things that are fulfilling to them. This can be at work and at home and at play. Are you being distracted from the important? Under demand from other people’s requests? Read more of this article »
Hundreds of people listen to our podcasts everyday. A bunch of you visit the website too. We try and keep our content fresh, relative and from the heart.
One thing to really make clear is that it’s a two way street!
We love to hear from our listeners or website visitors on their stories. What troubles they are experiencing. How they have overcome adversity and triumphed! Read more of this article »
Every year at this time, millions of people pledge to themselves and their friends what is going to change in the new year – the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions. I want to lose weight, I want to stop smoking, I want to save more money and get out of debt. But numerous research studies confirm that nearly 95% of all resolutions are never achieved. In fact, most resolutions or goals for the year are well off-track by the middle of February, and are completely forgotten four months later.
How is it that millions of people want something that is important to them, is absolutely possible to achieve, will provide tremendous benefits and rewards, yet they fail so miserably at getting what they want?
Have you ever avoided telling someone something, because you knew as soon as you did they would start telling you what you have to do to fix it? Especially with close friends, family and loved ones. Their advice is always well intended but sometimes you might just need to get things off your chest to help you think things through. The last thing you need is someone giving you their words of wisdom before you have even finished giving them the facts!
In this show Sam and Paul go though some of the pros and the cons of giving advice and when not to. It can be confusing knowing when to give or receive advice, so giving people the heads up before you start can make the whole conversation take on a different slant. We also cover how to deal with unwelcome advice without burning your bridges and upsetting people, which can all too easily happen as you’ll hear!
On this show I talk to someone very special indeed! One of our listeners has agreed to take a huge step outside her comfort zone and speak with me about the podcast, personal development and her own experience.
It’s so easy for all of us to ‘lose our motivation’ at times. Sometimes this lull lasts for a few days, but typically it lasts for much longer than we want and it starts to become part of us, like a burden we carry. There may have been some trigger to that motivation slipping away — an event, a deemed ‘failure’, or simple (but oh so powerful) fear that stops us from taking action. We start to tell ourselves a story that we are “so unmotivated”, “I just can’t get motivated”, “I can’t seem to find my motivation anymore”. Which of course, does not really inspire you to take positive action.
Fear not, my friend. There is a better strategy to find that motivation, and more precisely, to discover your ultimate motivation.
We are very excited to announce that today, Friday 17 April 2009, Action Podcast enjoyed its 5000th download!
To celebrate, we are offering our listeners a fantastic, motivational offer – 4 FREE telephone coaching sessions with an Action Podcast Coach of your choice!
To make sure you are in with a chance of winning, simply post a comment in the box below, or post an iTunes review, telling us what you most enjoy about actionpodcast.com. On 15 May 2009, we will randomly select one entrant as our 5000th download winner.
So don’t delay! Here’s your chance to get help in turning your life around.
Post a comment below now, or submit a review on iTunes
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
The 4 free coaching sessions will last 45 minutes and must be taken between Monday 20 April and Wednesday 30 September 2009. They will be by phone (if you live in the UK) or by Skype. Due to the global nature of this offer, there are certain restrictions to the time of day that these sessions will be available. The winner will have 7 days to accept their prize or it will be re-drawn and awarded to another listener.
Post your comment now – and make 2009 a year to remember. Good luck!
MOST OF US know that happiness really does come from within – not without. Our acquisitive culture has made us only too aware of the transient nature of short-term, external fixes. Like a Chinese meal, we’re all too often left hungry after feasting at the table of consumerism!
And certainly no one else can make us happy. What a massive and unrealistic responsibility to place upon another human being. Not to mention totally unrealistic.
I’d like to introduce to you a new way of looking at your life that you might find useful
I call it the 9 week window.
It’s incredibly simple to grasp the concept but it may take a while to put things in to place and reap the benefits. We’ll roughly 9 weeks actually!
Week 1 (four weeks ago)
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
WEEK 5 (You are here! Imagine those maps with a big red arrow)
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9 (four weeks into the future)
The idea is to limit the distance you plan ahead and encourage you to take regular and constant action. As you move from one week to the next fill in the previous week with what you actually did do. Often you’ll find that it’s not until you make a conscious record of your actions that you realize how busy you really have been!
We spend so much time fretting over the future or commiserating the past we can end up finding ourselves a little consumed in that one area. This system will help you to balance your focus evenly and more productively on the future, present and past. Allowing you to plan, take action and enjoy the results all in one.
Start today and put this simple plan in place. To make sure you retain committed and motivated post your plan in the comments section below.
As a life coach you have to walk your talk and in this episode Paul and Sam talk about examples of what can happen if you do put in a little effort each and every day.
ActionPodcast is your weekly source of inspiration and motivation for taking consistent action in your life.
From managing stress to managing time, gaining confidence to getting rid of excuses, the experienced team of ActionPodcast coaches provides practical insights and actionable ideas for making consistent progress in the important areas of your life. Read more...
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