Being creative by looking up

Ploughing through the day is an approach associated with busy folk, but then being creative by looking up could also be so. After all, to get things done successfully it is not enough to ‘just do them’. An element of imagination harnessed to best practices ensures we focus efforts in the most productive manner.

Being creative by looking up need not even refer to seeing an artistic display as, for example, the photograph at the top of the page here. It is enough to lift our head from whatever screen happens to be in front of us to experience life through our eyes.

On a similar level, it is common to see pictures of folk at music and sporting events embracing the action through the ubiquitous phone. It is what it is we can say.

Being creative by looking up, however, remains an option and one worthy of taking up from time to time, if only to return to the screen with renewed energy and purpose.

To join the conversation here on the issue of being creative by looking up, 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 Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related 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.

 

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Limited options limit our choice

Focusing on the idea of how limited options limit our choice, we could look at why we fail to see numerous opportunities available to us at any moment.

So often we hold on tight to what we feel is the only option, or way forward, for us and in doing so lose sight of potentially more beneficial alternatives. There might be an element of fear responsible for our lack of courage to select new, untried, avenues open to us.

Doing what we have always done may not be getting us to where we say we would like to be but it is ‘safe’, ‘comfortable’ and ‘within our ability to manage’. ‘Playing small’ some may say in a judgemental manner.

Another factor restricting our vision is possibly our inability to put actual worries, fears and doubts into a perspective of reality. Rarely are challenges so pressing, so crucial, that we are obliged to renounce our good sense to deal with them immediately. And yet we do just that many times over.

Putting all our energy into sorting out the latest ‘squeaking door’ we forget to give attention to issues more likely to be advantageous to us in the coming future. ‘Limited options limit our choice’ or better ‘Poor priority management limits our future’.

With society fixated by the idea of ‘moving forward’, few find the strength of character or inclination to buck the trend and hit the pause button to review progress, plus the likely destination continuing with current efforts will lead towards.

Well, having pondered the idea that limited options limit our choice, I had better stop now. I hope the input here has, in some way, provided material for reflection. Thanks for reading this ‘Limited options limit our choice’ 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 Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related 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.

 

Heart Poems On Time. The NEW book

Heart Poems On Time

“That time passes is a given. That we use it well is a choice.” Brian Groves.

With the Heart Poems series now well established and appreciating the extent to which time impacts on how we live each day, a collection of poems around this crucial theme is surely not out of place.

In a similar way to enthusiasm and energy, time available today may not be there for us tomorrow. It cannot be ‘stored up’ for another moment. We either make use of it now or lose it forever.

Nevertheless, it is easy to believe we have all the time in the world to reach our goals.

Accordingly, this book is aimed at helping you remember this is the moment for you to be you, live your potential and embrace life as it is, right here and right now.

With attention focused on the now, we are able to manage items previously having the power to distract us from our priorities. Moreover, fears about tomorrow and concerns hanging around from yesterday have little impact on us as we go about embracing today.

With this book, you will get the opportunity to:
a) Explore your perspective of today;
b) Ponder the extent you are living the moment;
c) Apply any new thinking in your life.

I hope this book becomes a catalyst for further reflection and input for you to manage not only today but also tomorrow.

Though I am experienced in the field of professional and personal development, you are the expert on your life. Implementation of any changes will, of course, need to be undertaken by you, I cannot do it for you.

With that said, enjoy!

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 a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related 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.

A walk in the park

Why is Brian blogging about a walk in the park? A good question.

Actually, I am thinking about a walk in the park from the perspective of doing something to get us out into nature if we are not already there.

Spending much of my time either in a training room, a virtual coaching space online or shut up in my home-office writing blog posts, books and poetry, a walk in the park every now and then is not a bad thing.

In reality, I take an early morning run in the park most days during the warmer period of the year. For me, that usually means mid-April to mid or late September. Sorry, but getting up at five is not the problem it is the idea of going outside into the cold that stops me the rest of the year.

Anyway, for those days I am not outside to see the dawn, a walk in the park offers a positive alternative. ‘Getting some air’ and ‘Stretching the legs’ are valid reasons to make such an effort. Even when the To do list seems more urgent than a walk in the park, productivity increases after a few minutes of exercise.

With that said, I’m off for a walk in the park. See you there?

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 a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related 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.

Picking our moment wisely

Completing anything well often involves picking our moment wisely. Circumstances are what they are and it is our responsibility to ensure we focus our efforts for maximum impact.

The decision to intervene in a situation will be influenced by many factors, some unknown to us before we act. Being able to make valid judgement calls is, as such, an art as much as a science. And picking our moment wisely is a crucial part of this skill.

We need to make use of our intuition to assist us in picking our moment wisely. Trusting our intuition is thus a key attribute for us to develop.

Other aspects associated with picking our moment wisely relate to the manner in which we see whatever is before us. When we are attracted to or inspired by an issue, we are more likely to bring our full range of abilities to the proverbial table.

But what about those occasions we fail to go about picking our moment wisely?

Well, as I repeatedly remind myself and my coaching clients, we are human. Mistakes offer us an opportunity to tweak our strategies and develop ourselves, or at least toughen ourselves up. Yet on the whole, when we apply ourselves things more often than not turn out okay, no?

To join the conversation here on the issue of picking our moment wisely, 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 Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related 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.

Remaining unmoved by the outlook

 

I expect you know the type of people who, remaining unmoved by the outlook, are never enthusiastic about what is occurring around them.

Unless we are constrained by work or family ties, the best response we can offer these folk is space. Hanging out with Negative Nellies or Normans rarely does much for either ourselves or them. Remaining unmoved by the outlook, especially one we would normally be pleased to see, goes against who we are.

Sometimes it is suggested reality is about seeing the brutal aspects of the moment instead of focusing on the positive side of things. Without denying life contains testing moments, we should not overlook the fact it is a balancing act between ‘good’ and ‘bad’. And most events reside at the midpoint between these two extremes.

How we choose to acknowledge life remains, as ever, a personal matter. Breaking out into song when something touches our heart may be our preferred mode of expressing emotions. Then again, a simple smile might suffice. That others are remaining unmoved by the outlook is their choice.

If right now you feel moved to leave a comment below please do so. In the meantime, thanks for reading this ‘Remaining unmoved by the outlook’ post today.

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 Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related 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.

Adding value to our daily routine

Being curious, let me ponder how we could go about adding value to our daily routine. Many ideas spring to mind but, for the sake of space, three will have to do for now.

1) Be clear about the intentions behind our actions

With the clarity of intentions comes a greater focusing of subsequent activities. Understanding why we are endeavouring to achieve something makes efforts relevant and even enjoyable. On the contrary, doing things just for the sake of doing them or ‘because we have always done them’ turns routines into ruts.

2) Seek out the element of fun

Noticing the fun or funny side of a task is something we may wish to attempt, especially if we have never considered work from this perspective before. This approach can reduce the tedious aspect of chores, turning them into light-hearted ‘events’ whilst adding value to our daily routine.

3) Schedule pleasurable activities as rewards for the successful completion of daily routines

Knowing we are off to the park, the beach or the pages of a favourite novel, once we have gotten through our routines is a way of adding value and energy to our efforts. Managing our workload is key to getting things done to the best of our ability. Incentives, where appropriate, help.

As stated, there are many ways to go about adding value to our daily routine. I hope the ideas here act as a starting point for you in your efforts.

Thanks, in any case, for reading the ‘Adding value to our daily routine’ 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 Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course, using four characters taken from dramatic texts as coaching clients, to examine various work-related 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.