All tagged Inspirational

Soar Into A Better Future

If you could soar over this difficult time to the time when it is all behind you and just a distant memory, what will you have found out about yourself? What strengths will you have found that you didn't know you had? What will you have achieved in these months that you've always wanted to achieve but didn't have the time? So far, I have cleared the garage of lots of rubbish and sold some bikes, and a rowing machine to people that really want some help with the exercise side of these months. I've power-hosed the patio, too. Today I am washing and hoovering out the car, and next week I am focussing on clearing outgrown/unused clothes from all of the wardrobes and drawers. How about you? If you would like further tips, techniques, and helpful strategies to use throughout this difficult time, or any other time in your everyday life then feel free to listen to my free "Life Coaching On The Move" podcast found on my website. Just click on the podcast button to listen and enjoy.#stayingpositive#copingstrategies#lifecoaching

What Do Your Two Wolves Tell You?

The North American Indians believe that we all have two wolves in our head; the good, helpful, empowering and encouraging wolf, and the unhelpful, critical, disempowering, negative wolf. Each go with us wherever we go. Each talk to us and try and pull us into their way of thinking, battling with each other to win. Here is how the story goes:

An old Cherokee grandfather is telling his grandson a story. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said. ”It is a terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil — he is anger, envy, greed, arrogance, resentment, lies, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good — he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The wolves are fighting to the death.

Wide-eyed, the boy asks his grandfather which wolf will win.
The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

This is so true. We must decide which one we want to “feed”. Listen to the internal chatterbox that is trying to help you, push you forward, encourage and develop you and feed it, and we must ignore and override the voice that is trying to keep us in a little prison, too scared to try anything, fearful of what others might think, catastrophising and worrying. We need to starve the bad wolf, ignore it and refuse to let it win.

Live with the end in mind

Sadly yesterday I attended the funeral of, and said goodbye to, a truly lovely 86 year old family friend. He had become something of a Grandfather figure to our boys, and a father figure to me following the loss of my own Dad four years ago.

But he’d lived a great life and up until just recently had been very active, healthy, full of fun, laughter and projects! As I sat listening to his eulogy and reflected on what I am going to miss most about him I wondered what people might say at my funeral when the time comes.

The advantage of foresight is that we can steer that ship now in the direction we want it to go in. What do we want people to read out when our time comes? What kind of character do we want to be remembered as?

I would love them to say that I was always smiling, upbeat and optimistic in life. That I was full of energy and a go getter. That it didn’t matter what you asked of me, I would always try and help. That I cared deeply about my family and friends and would always put them first - and because I know that is how I want to be remembered, I need to remind myself of that now and absolutely ensure that is how I live my life.

What would I like them to regale about what I did, where I went, how I spent my life? Again, I know I would like them to read interesting words, tell funny stories, remember great places or things I had accomplished. What I am saying is I would love for them to be able to read about a well and full lived life with lots of variety and interesting times - and again, I need to remind myself of that now……. just as I am settling down on the sofa every night to watch rubbish TV and waste evening after evening!!

Yesterday’s funeral was a celebration of a life well lived by a man who had a deeply warm heart, a huge sense of humour, was interesting, funny, full of life, a passion for travelling the world and was a true gentleman. I hope he was proud of his achievements, of how he lived his life, and who he was as a person and I hope when my time comes I will be equally as proud because if we all live now with the end in mind we can benefit from the power of foresight and be the people we want to be remembered as, and live the life we want retold to the generations we leave behind.