Seeing things as they are

Choosing to see things as we wish them to be is an option but so is seeing things as they are. Each has consequences.

The first may involve viewing life through rose-tinted lenses. The world is ours and our input keeps the world spinning. ‘Seeing things as they are’ offers a more balanced outlook. Some things are good, others bad and the majority probably neutral. And we are a piece of the world, not its owner.

For now, let’s focus on what it means to go about seeing things as they are. In the first instance, we have the possibility to use past experiences as learning points for the present and future. The positive and negative from what has occurred before can be added to our current thinking to provide depth.

When seeing things as they are we have the chance to evaluate various perspectives without worrying about being biased toward any one viewpoint. When a decision eventually needs to be made, we are able to use our impartial judgement coupled with personal objectives aligned with our values.

Seeing things as they are may, at times, require us to accept the discomfort that comes from embracing ‘what is’ rather than ‘what we would like’. Even so, we can take heart from knowing we are not deluding or cheating ourselves as we move along the path of life.

To share your thoughts on the issue of ‘Seeing things as they are’, 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.

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Letting values guide our actions

A client was talking recently about various opportunities on the horizon. It was evident he had worked hard to put himself into this advantageous position. The problem, now, was to choose a path forward. And the selection process was causing him anguish and frustration.

After exploring the pros and cons of each option, we stepped back from the rational discussion and, in silence, attempted to ‘hear’ what his intuition was telling him. As a family man, and with the wellbeing of his children uppermost in his mind, he quickly came up with what for him was the ‘best’ way ahead.

By letting values guide our actions we are tapping into an important resource, available to us when we give ourselves the time and mental space to use it.

It could have been quicker to go about ‘letting values guide our actions’ right from the start of the conversation. However, as a person accustomed to ‘logical thinking’, it is unlikely he would have accepted the suggestion without first undertaking his ‘usual’ steps in the decision-making process.

The important thing is he found his solution, albeit by ‘letting values guide our actions’.

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.

How focused are we on what is really important?

Questions regularly crop up in these blog posts, so let’s continue the habit with this one: ‘How focused are we on what is really important?’

Our answer to the inquiry ‘How focused are we on what is really important?’ will depend on our rapport with heartfelt goals, plus our ability to schedule priorities. Provided we are clear about what we want to achieve and base our endeavours on this, our focus will automatically be on what is really important to us.

At varying moments of the year, we may be obliged to spend time on matters not directly related to our core goals. Nevertheless, even in these instances, we need not lose sight of our overarching objectives.

There is no reason to be despondent just because we have to work on less strategic issues once in a while. And, provided it is only ‘once in a while’, we shouldn’t worry about not dedicating all our time to our key concerns. 100% remains the response to ‘How focused are we on what is really important?’

Anyway, enough of my thoughts on the issue ‘How focused are we on what is really important?’ To share your input, please leave a comment below.

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.

Giving ourselves time to be ourselves

With so many things to do and places to be at, it can seem almost impossible to go about giving ourselves time to be ourselves. Nevertheless, how authentically present are we if we offer only a fleeting glimpse of who we are, rather than giving ourselves time to be ourselves?

It’s a cliché, yes, but life really is lived in the present moment. Unfortunately based on current scheduling, waiting for a clear agenda to start giving ourselves time to be ourselves suggests we could be waiting a long time.

So, will we do it? Knowing the value it brings there is no valid reason not to engage in giving ourselves time to be ourselves. The main obstacle stopping us might be the habit of putting ourselves second, third or even last on the list of people we listen to.

That, however, is another issue, worthy of its own post.

For now, please feel free to share your thoughts on the ideas set out here by leaving a comment below. Thanks for reading this ‘Giving ourselves time to be ourselves’ post today.

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.

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.

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.