Depressed, Angry, Frustrated, Resentful, Hateful, Outraged? Pick your poison

It is understandable why so many people have become depressed, angry, frustrated, resentful, hateful and even outraged at what is going on in the world today.  For sure we are in a time of change unlike no other. The great depression is about as close as we can get to to define the current situation. Continue reading »

Could you win a BAFTA. Claire did it this way.

This is a great review that I thought could help those that doubt themselves and there abilities to succeed through change. Some years back I had the privilege of helping Claire Faragher review her vocational direction. Claire was the first person I assisted with setting a suitable objective. The following is her review of Change Directions and the process of setting new goals. Read and be inspired.

“Setting a goal and reaching it seems quite a simple concept. But how many of us do it within a recognisable and beneficial time-frame, without too much pain and loss in other areas of our life? I recommend you read Georges Philips’s book Change Directions as it could give you the impetus to change your life for the better. I set a personal goal 3/4 years ago with Georges and in 2011 I won a Bafta. It made me very happy! I’m hopeful that you, by reading this book, will hit one of your life goals too – sooner rather than later. Why delay?”

Claire Faragher

Director / Producer

Life-changing.

Alex Kavdas – Amazon Review for Change Directions

It’s the only word that can accurately describe how this book and it’s technique work on you. One month after completing the suggested exercise i got a new job.

After working for three years as a presenter in a small local channel, I was offered a position next to the greek tv-queen in a prime-time 3-hour program. Moreover, I was assigned my very own 15-minute daily column within the show, with material I chose and decide is interesting (you can watch here http://goo.gl/cAmQX. I strongly believe that “Change Directions” can give you just the right boost to bring your life exactly where you want it to be.

Enjoy and keep on changing!

Thank you Alex, best wishes for a bright future. Georges Philips

You only have what you give. Time to do good. Inspire someone today…do some good.

You only have what you give. Just think about what that really means. Some people can get a little confused about the philosophy underpinning the statement. Here is an explanation that might help those who do not fully understand the importance of this. It is all about belief in yourself and your abilities.

What ever you do you are teaching your mind something about you. Not only teaching, also reaffirming existing beliefs. It is not enough to just say that you are a good person and sit back and do nothing unless you believe that that is what being good is and that what good people do is to sit back and do nothing. Continue reading »

Change comes at a price that you may not want to pay?

Most of the people that I come into contact with want some things to be different. They want to change something. It is interesting how they express that desire in negative context. In other words they will tell you want is happening that is causing them stress and will tell you that they don’t want it any more.

You may have noticed something here. They are clear that they are not happy about the situation yet will not offer an alternative to the situation. They will not offer an alternative that requires them to do something. Mostly they do not want to do anything. They just want it different and they want it different NOW. Continue reading »

Meditation is just another million year fad?

So often when you talk to people about meditation they look at you as though you are some  New Age geek  who has got nothing better to do that sit staring at space in a trance like state. Little thought is placed on exploring what it means to have a quite mind and more importantly the benefits we gain by meditating.

In a recent BBC report evidence has once more come to light to validate important benefits to our psyche. First and foremost, it is perhaps the most affective way to reduce stress and experience a feeling of calmness that is so essential if not critical  to our wellness and well-being.

Some years back I co authored My Little Book of Meditation which though small in size gave a clear understanding of meditation and the steps required to practice and accomplish a state of calm unlike no other. Continue reading »

The season of goodwill? Who would have thought this would happen! What? an opportunity!

Doing good feels good.

We have an opportunity to show our resilience. We are at a time where uncertainty is everywhere. The levels of fear have increased immeasurably and people are starting to lose faith in their abilities to get past these ferociously hard times. It is about surviving and survival has been what we as humans have done for millennia.

Sometimes though we need a little help and support. There are those who survived World War II only because someone risked their life by sharing shelter and food and protected the very vulnerable. That is what it is to be human. To give hope, help and support to those not able to fend for themselves through difficult times. Continue reading »

Cultivate appreciation. Gratitude brings with it unimaginable pleasure.

Often we miss the opportunity to savour moments of joy, insight, pleasure, care and the like. These are missed opportunities to appreciate some of the simplest joys that life has to offer.

So what stops us from being able to enjoy these basic pleasures?  I  am often aware of a great deal of discontent existing with some people. If you think about it, we have most of our needs met. Most are wrapped up in warm clothing for the winter perhaps have a local place to go and have a drink with friends or a neighbour to pop in and share a smile or help out in some way.

It seems that these things mostly get taken for granted. It is as if they just exist and we have a right to them. It is interesting if you take a slightly different perspective. What if these things were to just vanish. One day you wake and you are without friends, no place to go, no one to visit and no one visiting. No one to help with medical needs, no one to assist when we are in need. Continue reading »

I lived my loved songs, how about you?

Some years ago, as part of my approach to helping my clients, I developed theory the that the music we grew up with was significant in laying a path for our future experiences. It was one of those moments where it became abundantly clear to me that those songs that I attached my emotions to became a part of my life’s journey.

This is by no means a conscious action. What I mean is that I did not go out deliberately to like a song. I just found myself associating to a particular song more than another. The more passionately expressed, the greater the attachment to the song. You might recall standing in front of the mirror with a hairbrush or something similar and singing from the heart. It may be that not all words were understood, but that did not matter. It was the sentiment that was translated as an emotional experience.

As a boy growing up in the 1960’s the music available was initially limited to a few good bands or groups who populated the music charts. To give you a sense of it, there was only one chart. It was the BBC top twenty that everyone was aware of. That’s right, the top twenty! Now we are approaching a hundred different charts where the top 40 tracks are featured in different categories from R & B to Country and Western. You get the idea? Continue reading »

No Confidence – No Personal Peace. Could you be using the wrong model?

Every One Is Different

No amount of positive thinking and positive self talk will overcome self-doubt.  This is an alarming message and one that needs to be addressed especially by  those who are anxious, fearful, and in some extreme cases terrified.

Confidence is a wooly word. It does not serve to define what underpins the state that it is meant to represent. Confidence is better thought of as certainty. So someone who said they lack confidence is saying that they lack certainty. How certain we need to be is variable. One person may need a lot of reassurance while another needs little. Not having a sufficiently high degree of certainty leaves us with a high degree of fear.

I am not talking about those who have an optimistic view of events, nor those who project a bright perspective and see the good in most situation.  Those kinds of people are fortunate and go on to spread goodness. At some stage in their development they have adopted a constructive attitude that has served them well.

What stops us from developing a constructive attitude is buried deep in our psyche. It is mostly born in childhood and causes incalculable damage in our adulthood. The vast majority learn from what they see and hear. Continue reading »