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Change 6 things!

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Facilitating a meeting earlier this week with our Mission Leadership Council, I used one of my favourite little change activities. I paired each participant up with a buddy, had them stand back to back and then invited them to change 6 things about their appearance.
I always love running this activity as it is such a great little icebreaker. It went very well and everyone had some fun together.
There were also some great points made by the participants and some very positive in the moment learning takeaways…
Two points I want to make today about this little activity.
Firstly, I always change something about myself. It is always very difficult for them to spot. When they are all busy changing various things about themselves, I simply sneakily remove my wedding ring. Eventually, after several guesses, someone always identifies the change. I then explain how difficult it is to remove my ring. Its been there a long time – 27 years! And it has great sentimental value, which brings back many memories too.
π‹πžπ¬π¬π¨π§ 𝟏- Change is sometimes difficult because we have been doing things the same way, for a long time. Little things, are often BIG things!
Secondly, after the activity, everyone changed their appearance, back to how it was. I didn’t ask them to do it, yet every single one of them did!
Why did they do that?
π‹πžπ¬π¬π¨π§ 𝟐- Simply stated, because that was the way they were before and frequently its much more comfortable there!
Two simple reasons why change is sometimes difficult to achieve!
William Bridges Transition Model, is a great place to start to understand more about change.
What change are you facing today?

Doubt your Doubts

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“No, I just can’t do it!” said the coachee.
As a professional coach I have heard that comment on so, so many occasions. It is frequently followed by limiting or debilitating stories of some kind of another.
Centuries ago addressing this issue William Shakespeare in “Measure for Measure” wrote; “Our doubts are traitors and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”
Much has been written in more recent recent years about our mindset.
Listening to Max Whitlock the British Gymnast after winning his 3rd Olympic Gold medal yesterday, he talked about the importance of a growth mindset, by focusing on the process and ignoring the distractions that come, then enjoying the challenge as much as the conclusion.

π’π¨π¦πž 𝐓𝐒𝐩𝐬

Another way to look at is to doubt your doubts, before you doubt yourself, by addressing your inner critic directly.
– In short – question your doubt!
– Face the fear, look at it and break it down into smaller actionable steps.
– Remember most folks have impostor-y feelings, fairly often, its quite normal!
– Focus on what you can do and not on what you can’t do.
Remember the view that you adopt for yourself will profoundly affect the way you lead your life.
What can you do today to dismiss those doubts?

Are you FITT?

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Are you FITT?

The FITT principle is a smart acronym that gives athletes a workout plan to help them achieve their goals – yet, in a very similar manner it applies to our learning and development habits too.

Ask any athlete and they’ll tell you what FITT stands for – as follows;
F-Frequency: refers to how often you exercise.
I-Intensity: refers to how hard you exercise.
T-Time: refers to how long you exercise for.
T-Type: refers to what kind of exercise you do.

The FITT Principle can help you create your own powerful learning & development plan.

For example – let’s consider studying for a new skill or learning requirement:
Frequency – how often you study
Intensity – how hard you study
Time – how long you study
Type – what type of different study tools you use

If you want to improve your learning & development ‘fitness’ – then apply the FITT principle to your plan and routine. It won’t be long before you witness a difference and your learning will be a winner!

What pulls you?

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In my coaching conversations, regularly I find that individuals feel 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒅 into something rather than feeling 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 by it.

One of the greatest lessons in life is to find something that 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒔 you! If we are open and willing to learn, life has a way of teaching us by π’‘π’–π’π’π’Šπ’π’ˆ us towards something.

When you keeping π’‘π’–π’”π’‰π’Šπ’π’ˆ yourself to do something, oftentimes it feels like something you have to do and then it can become tiresome. You can only 𝒑𝒖𝒔𝒉 yourself for so long before you give up. But when you’re 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 by something, attracted by it even, it feels like something you get to do and you tend to become even more passionate about it.

I am 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒆𝒅 by coaching, personal development and learning – I love it! Frequently, I’ll share my insights and discoveries about what I learn with others, to hopefully inspire and help them achieve more.

In life we learn what is most important by finding something that 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒔 us towards it – this is where we should focus our energies.

Oftentimes the most profound insights are really the simplest.

𝑷𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒗 𝑷𝒖𝒍𝒍

Consider what 𝒑𝒖𝒍𝒍𝒔 you. Therein your purpose awaits!

What are your anchors?

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Our greatest struggle is within ourselves.
Consider this definition of an anchor β€œa person or thing that provides stability or confidence in an otherwise uncertain situation.”
In our topsy turvy commotion filled world, all that can be shaken is being shaken. Life has a way of testing our anchors causing us to drift from the safety and protection they provide.

Change – Speed & Agility

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In our topsy-turvy, commotion-filled world, the pace of constant change is accelerating faster than superhuman Usain Bolt can sprint 100 metres.Β  Change can be dizzying and exhilarating!Β  Yet for many frightening too!

Mindset is key

It is our mindset and how we view things that is critical. Your mindset is effectively the way you think.Β  When faced with a change we must consider how we process those thoughts in our mind.Β  We need to fight against our natural instinct to resist change and our negative thought patterns that usually come at breathtaking speeds – unconsciously even.Β  Instead, we should embrace a more agile mindset, grasping hold of and looking ahead to the opportunities that are presented before us.Β  How we think about and perceive change is key.Β  For example, paraphrasing George Bernard Shaw “There are those who look at things the way they are, and ask why. I dream of things that never were, and ask why not?”

Our world is filled with disruption, indeed all things are in commotion and everything that can be shaken – is being shaken!Β  For daily evidence of that fact – simply watch the news!Β  My thoughts turned to Dylan Thomas “Do not go gentle into that good night (as I considered President Trump’s latest remarks) …. Rage, rage against the dying of the light” – will be his repeated hyperbole until he leaves the world stage.Β  As the acceleration and hastening influences in our world through technology and globalisation continue at warp speeds, clinging to and living our values each and every day will be the key to dealing with the changes set to come.

Do you know what your core values are?Β  Have you established what matters most to you?

Pause for a moment in amongst the turmoil and vicissitudes of the day.

Determine to embrace change.Β  Choose to change your thoughts, to change your world.

What will you do to reconsider how you view that change today?