Does more always mean better?

Does more always mean better? Possibly yes, if we have bought into today’s consumption mentality of ‘needing the latest best thing’ and ‘wanting the newest version of this or that’.

However, asking this basic question might be enough to break our buying habit or craving. For those of us already feeling overwhelmed by past purchases, this would be especially so. Additionally, it can help us manage the pressure we may feel under to keep up with the Joneses.

Besides the enquiry ‘Does more always mean better?’, we could ponder whether less is better. This might open us to a new mindset, one in which we are able to appreciate items in our possession as they emerge from piles of new acquisitions and the like.

Of course, there will be some things we associate so closely with we are unwilling to do without and would never dream of not obtaining more if the occasion arose. Gadgets linked to work or related to a particular hobby come to mind. In these cases, the answer to ‘Does more always mean better?’ is probably ‘Yes’.

Knowing why we choose to buy something keeps our decision aligned to heartfelt values. It also ensures the shopping process is undertaken mindfully rather than thoughtlessly.

Or not. Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts on this ‘Does more always mean better?’ post.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

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Cutting back on paper instead of cutting down more trees

Environmental concerns are hot news – no pun intended – so the idea of cutting back on paper instead of cutting down more trees is probably not unreasonable to most of us.

That said, it is interesting to note the proposal came from a class of university students who felt overwhelmed by the number of articles on paper they were being given to read. Preferring to have the readings available online, they requested access to digital copies of the material.

In this instance, cutting back on paper instead of cutting down more trees is an easily doable action. Besides the question of conservation, digital copies provide the additional benefits of:

a) reducing the weight to carry around;
b) being easier to store and retrieve;
c) increasing the likelihood of the material being read.

Personally, I still like to read things on paper, but that’s just me. But yes, I do use both sides of each sheet of paper, even if only for rough notes. In any case, I appreciate the bigger picture and have made the necessary changes for the future provision of material online.

And you? What’s your stance on the issue of cutting back on paper instead of cutting down more trees? Please feel free to share your input by leaving a comment below.

Right now, thanks for stopping by and reading this ‘Cutting back on paper instead of cutting down more trees’ post.

Kindest regards.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Achieving clarity regarding what is important to us

Before endeavouring to undertake any actions, it is crucial we spend time achieving clarity regarding what is important to us. Though this might seem obvious, it is often an overlooked step, made evident by needless ‘running around’.

How we go about achieving clarity regarding what is important to us may depend on a number of factors. In any case, the following ideas could apply to most of us.

1) Verifying the extent to which we are satisfied with our actual situation.

2) Tapping into our feelings about the tasks making up our schedule over the coming days, weeks and month.

3) Exploring the motivation we have towards continuing in the direction our efforts are taking us.

With the information gained from engaging in these three exercises, we are in a position to look clearly at our professional and personal life for the sake of achieving clarity regarding what is important to us.

And once we have completed this step, we can make any necessary adjustments to our activities to better align them with our values, if need be.

Or not. To share your input on the issue of ‘Achieving clarity regarding what is important to us’, please leave a comment below.

Kindest regards.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Vaguely speaking adds to the confusion

Vaguely speaking adds to the confusion that can be found all around us. Tuning into any news report these days is likely to leave us scratching our heads in wonder. Details are often nonexistent or so limited it is difficult to understand the purpose of the report itself.

Because vaguely speaking adds to the confusion of the moment, it is fair to say our replicating this behaviour does little to resolve or indeed relieve the sense of bewilderment associated with it.

Of course, as much as vaguely speaking adds to the confusion, it is possibly justified to suggest certain people use this strategy deliberately to either a) avoid being held to an exact position or b) fill silence even if they have nothing particular to say.

Cutting through the confusion by focusing on clearly defined goals is another option. To explore choices as part of a coaching conversation, don’t hesitate to get in contact and we can arrange a session. In any case, though vaguely speaking adds to the confusion, it remains an option to take up or set aside.

Kindest regards.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Why do we tolerate so much?

Why do we tolerate so much? Yes, really, why do we put up with lots of items, big or small, that are causing upset in our life?

In many instances, at least this is what quite a few coaching clients have suggested they were doing. Alternative approaches are not even considered until we begin to reflect on our life.

So often we seem to move through each day as if on automatic pilot. Nuisances and irritations are almost expected and little thought is given to resolving them. Instead, we tolerate them, deal with them on a temporary basis, rarely thinking to go to the root cause and do something tangible about them.

Why do we tolerate so much? As we don’t appear to be taking control of aspects of life under our authority, on a grand scale, maybe we should be asking who is profiting from the constant tensions and inequalities filling daily news reports?

So many ‘unacceptable behaviours’ – taking the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a benchmark for ‘acceptable behaviours’ – could be stopped in a relatively short time if there was the joint will to do it.

Okay, rant over. To share your input on the issue of ‘Why do we tolerate so much?’, please leave a comment below.

Kindest regards.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Università Cattolica, Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing motivated people who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

Curious? You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

Spending time with people we actually like

Leaving aside work and other occasions in which we have no say over who is around us, to what degree are we spending time with people we actually like?

Those moments in which we are spending time with people we actually like possibly make up the most memorable parts of each day for us. Yet why we might limit ourselves to so few such instances could be due to a number of reasons.

These may include being a) so focused on our goals we are unwilling to share our time with anyone, b) too wrapped up in someone else’s agenda to give time to our priorities and c) attached to the role of ‘the person who never stops working’, even for loved ones.

Choosing to be spending time with people we actually like is, in a way, a courageous activity. And when doing it with all our attention, we deserve a proverbial pat on the back.

If you wish to explore the extent you are giving time to people important to you as part of a coaching conversation, please get in contact.

In the meantime, thanks for reading this ‘Spending time with people we actually like’ post.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.

 

Completing one action today

Like it or not, completing one action today will make more impact on tomorrow than all the unfinished activities we are currently wrapped up in.

Results matter when focusing on productivity. Being busy being busy is a strategy for getting through the day but one unlikely to bring us closer to our main goal.

On the other hand, completing one action today indicates, at least to ourselves, our ability to prioritize time and energy for the sake of getting done what we have designated as crucial.

That said, the pressure to not engage in completing one action today can be tremendous. Being able to shut out distractions, resist getting caught up in office gossip and politics plus the multitude of notices arriving across our screens takes willpower.

Reminding ourselves why we want to achieve this or that, however, helps us as we go about completing one action today. Connecting with the desired outcome, as it were, might just be the inspiration we require right here, right now.

Regardless of how you view the issue of ‘Completing one action today’, thanks for reading this post.

Brian.

About Brian

Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.

As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches an International graduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related leadership and performance matters.

Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to live their potential, in education, work or life in general.

You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.