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Author: Anne McKeown

Stoicism and Self Discipline

stoicism marcus aurelius

My daughter studies ancient history and is always sharing the teachings she reads from thinkers of old. What I’ve picked up from her musings is that these teachers knew a lot about what it means to be human, even though they didn’t have access to all the scientific, technological and medical advances we have today. […]

12 Benefits of Craft

A picture of a girl painting

I went to the Sydney Craft Fair with my daughter last Friday and we had such a fun day.  We booked into a jewelry-making class, it was so simple and best of all – extremely therapeutic! I share this with you as a reminder to take time out and do something creative on your own […]

Enjoy The Journey of Life

enjoying life

Do you enjoy the journey of life? Or do you dream of having more? Would you like more money, more success, more happiness, more friends? Dreams are good and aiming for more is great, but not if you are sacrificing the present moment by always thinking of the future. Enjoying the journey of life towards […]

Becoming the Best Version of Yourself

Becoming the Best Version of Yourself Making the decision to become the best version of yourself is the first step in achieving any successful goal. Understanding the difference between the Conscious and Unconscious mind empowers us to make that decision. Conscious and Unconscious Mind We can learn how to use the mind to move the body when it’s struggling with motivation. And we can use the body to shift our mindset when feeling stuck. When we get the mind and body working together, achieving our dreams becomes much easier. They should not be treated separately. If one is out of kilter it will have a negative effect on the other. For example, if you are dieting to lose weight, but are not aware of the implications this can have on your emotions, energy and thought process, then it can trip you up and cause you to fail. If you go to see a psychologist but are not eating well and moving your body regularly, then you may struggle to make the changes you desire. We know the brain is an organ that needs to be exercised like any muscle. We used to believe it was static and unchangeable, but now through results of neuro-science studies we know that the brain is adaptable and malleable, it can be changed by the mind and our behaviour. At a recent event (which was recorded and you can watch here) I asked the question, “what is the mind?” That’s a difficult question for most people to answer because we can’t see it or touch it, yet it is there underpinning everything we think and do. As mentioned above, the mind is split into two parts the Conscious Mind which is your decision maker, internal analyser, objective thinking mind. It can only hold one thought at a time and identifies incoming information via the 5 senses. The Subconscious Mind on the other hand runs the body, stores memories, maintains your instincts and is the domain of all your emotion. Do not be fooled into thinking it is ‘less than’ because it is called sub conscious or unconscious mind, it is actually more powerful because we are so unaware of its influence on our everyday life. Overloaded Safety Switch Awareness of the unconscious mind at work, can allow us to realise the battle in our minds: the part that wants to change and the part that resists change. The unconscious mind perceives danger all the time, we are wired for the negative, we have the same reptilian brain now as when we lived in caves. To enjoy calm, we need to teach the mind that we are not in danger all the time. Often we over-react because we missed the bus, we are not actually in danger, but our mind takes us down a negative spiral : now I’m late for work, my boss will be angry, I have no time to buy coffee (so the body is upset now too), I’ll miss my first meeting and be behind with tasks for the rest of the day… It is important to stop this train of thought in its tracks. Realise the unconscious mind is trying to keep you safe. Flick the switch in your mind (even physically do it by flicking your earlobe) Talk to your mind, (yourself) and get back in focus with awareness of your thoughts and your behaviour. Even have a laugh at yourself for being so silly, missing the bus is not the end of the world! Powerful Pictures As soon as we have a thought, the mind creates a picture to make sense of that thought! Often those pictures are negative, and we anticipate everything that could go wrong. We scare ourselves with negative self-talk, which creates a negative feeling, which results in negative emotions and often negative behaviour. We need to turn these pictures around. For example: You see someone running a red light, you think “what an idiot, that’s dangerous, why did he do that?” You are feeling self righteous and annoyed at that person. Your thought creates the language and emotion of annoyance. Imagine if instead, you saw that person run through the red light and thought: “I hope that person is alright. Are they racing to a hospital?” An understanding and positive reaction like this will fill you with feelings of warmth, calmness, and gratitude. It’s exactly the same event/circumstance, but when you view it differently, you react differently and feel more positive! Our Stories No 2 people view the world the same because of what our parents told us, different to each person, teachers, experiences. Twins: One successful and likeable. Other felt like failure, life was against her, unlikeable. I asked, when did she first feel like this? Immediately her subconscious mind came up with the answer. She remembered her first day at kindy when she drew on wall instead of in the book. The exhausted teacher responded aggressively, making her feel small and in that moment the twin’s subconscious mind made the decision to hate authority, and resent her sister as “the good girl”. She carried this ‘story’ throughout her whole life, at university and work there were further clashes and thus she struggled to make her way in life. Her twin sister had a different experience and doesn’t understand her twin’s anger at the world. And the only person suffering is her twin, being so hard on herself and causing her own pain. Talk Yourself into It What you say to yourself is not what you would say to others. “I’m a loser, too tall too small, too etc.” But you are not too anything, you are just YOU. Choose to be the best physical and mental version of YOU and you will find life more enjoyable and more fun. Learn to recognise when the subconscious mind is holding you back. For example, when you need motivation to push through situations eg. It’s raining outside, you want to go to your exercise class but you also want to stay in bed! Talk to yourself and tell yourself how good you will feel if you persist: the exercise, the community, the coffee. Again flip the switch. Go from unconscious to conscious thinking. I tell clients to become a robot! Sounds silly, but robots only do what they are programmed to do. They do not argue, they follow commands. Help yourself by preparing the night before, in the morning, become robotic and get wheels into motion, then the benefits start to sink in and your mindset is changed. You use the body to shift your mental state and vice versa as mentioned at the beginning. It's time to unlearn old habits and negative stories you tell yourself. It’s time to learn new habits and write a new story for future life. Smoking: cold turkey or procrastination. Depends how embedded that pathway is and on degree of addiction, personality. We underestimate what we can achieve in 3 years and overestimate what we can achieve in one year, almost as a way of opting out. Give yourself a break and realise that worthwhile things take time and it’s challenging to push that unconscious mind out of its comfort zone. Commit to a schedule, and take responsibility. Own your decisions and notice how they impact your level of achievement. Ask For Help Everyone has some struggle, most wear a mask and pretend they are fine, look fine, talk fine. But when we show our vulnerability, open up and ask for help, we are rewarded with huge benefits. Don’t try to do everything on your own, reach out and let’s discuss your goals and challenges.

Making the decision to become the best version of yourself is the first step in achieving any successful goal. Understanding the difference between the Conscious and Unconscious mind empowers us to make that decision.   Conscious and Unconscious Mind We can learn how to use the mind to move the body when it’s struggling with […]

To Change Your Life, Change Your Mind!

To Change Your Life, Change Your Mind!

Everything we do in life begins with a thought.  So, if you want to change anything in your life, you must first learn how to change your thinking, which means changing your mind!  Once you know how to change your mind, you can learn how to change your state – physical and emotional – which […]

MIND- BODY CONNECTION

MIND-BODY CONNECTION & Pillars of Health Workshop

Are you aware that your body is affected by what the mind tells it? Your body is constantly receiving messages and signals from your mind that provoke physical reactions. An example of this mind-body connection is how your body responds to stress. Constant worry and stress over jobs, finances or other problems can cause tense […]

Manage Your Time Like a Pro

Manage Your Time Like a Pro Time is one thing we never get back. Time is one thing we tend to waste. Lack of time is something most people struggle with. So how do you manage your time like a pro and get stuff done? Here are a few of my handy tips: Organise Yourself I know it sounds simple, but many people find organising themselves so difficult! It can be a big challenge because organisation habits don’t come naturally. At first, it may feel like you are spending extra time trying to get and stay organised, but the payoff is worth it. Here’s a staggering statistic from USA: on average, Americans waste about 2.5 days per year looking for misplaced objects. Don’t be part of that statistic! Find a place for everything and keep everything in its place. This goes for computer files too! Create simple systems at home and work and monitor how much time you save. Batch Similar Tasks Together Batch all your similar tasks together. For example, don’t check your email every time someone pings you. If it’s urgent, go right ahead, but otherwise, set a time block every two hours or so to plow through all your emails at once. This keeps you focused, which is a more efficient way to work. Leave Wiggle Room Between Your Time Blocks Meet buffer-time. No one should have a fully stacked calendar with no time in between for a break. Block out buffer-time on your calendar in between meetings and tasks. Your future self will thank you when your days are more productive, and the hours are less exhausting. Stop Waiting Every once and a while, you’ll inevitably have to wait for something: at the grocery store, in the doctor’s office, in traffic. Instead of actually waiting, or deferring to your phone for entertainment, do something productive with your time. Listen to a podcast you’ve been meaning to try out, read a book on an interesting topic, or write in your journal. Turn waiting time into productive time. Do Less This may sound counterproductive but it’s not. Most of us take on way more than we need to, meaning we take on more than is beneficial to our work/life balance. We can often find ourselves offering to help others or wanting to control more projects than just our own. By doing that, you’re not helping yourself or those around you. In the end, you could wind up letting people down because you overpromise and under-deliver. Make Use of the Pareto Principle Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle, otherwise known as the 80-20 rule? This principle says that you can get 80% of the work done in 20% of the time. Similarly, 80% of the results come from 20% of the actions. It can be applied to many things in life, so it’s a great concept to apply to your usage of time. Get in the habit of noticing what tasks get the most results. Spend more time on those actions and cut out some of the responsibilities that take up time but don’t produce the outcomes you are looking for. We want to be productive, not busy! Reading these tips and putting them into action are two different things! If you struggle to create and stick to a successful schedule for yourself (and your family) I’m here to help and keep you on track. Reply to this email or call me and let’s get on to it.

Time is one thing we never get back. Time is one thing we tend to waste. Lack of time is something most people struggle with. So how do you manage your time like a pro and get stuff done?   Here are a few of my handy tips:   Organise Yourself I know it sounds […]

How to Overcome Self-Doubt

How to overcome self-doubt

Self-doubt is the killer of dreams. It prevents us from taking action, going after what we want, pursuing our goals, and developing connection with people around us. Self-doubt can cause us to hold back, depriving others of our uniqueness, generosity, talents, love and everything else we have to give to the world. It is important to […]

How to Deal with People who Squash your Goals

Taking a leap of faith for yourself is a daunting and challenging path. If you listen to Naysayers and Negative Nancys this journey will be much more difficult. You do not need their pessimism, nor do you have to deal with their opinions. There are several ways to deal with people who squash your goals […]

International Women’s Day 2023

International Women’s Day 2023

Imagine a world free of bias, stereotypes and discrimination. That’s what we strive for when highlighting International Women’s Day each year.   Successful organisations know that it is extremely important to have people with different skills in any team. If everyone tries to solve a problem the same way, they may never find a solution. […]

© Copyright Anne McKeown

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