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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Leading ourselves before we attempt to lead others

Leadership is a subject filled with many varying opinions yet, for now, let’s consider the idea of ‘leading ourselves before we attempt to lead others’.

Taking up the responsibility to organize all those elements of our life directly under our control is a form of leading ourselves before we attempt to lead others. It is a way of demonstrating, firstly to ourselves and secondly to others, we are capable of leading.

Once we become accustomed to leading ourselves before we attempt to lead others, the subsequent step of leading others will occur naturally. We shouldn’t be afraid to defend our efforts, especially in the face of those who accuse us of putting our own interests first.

With our own ‘house in order’, we can begin the task of attempting to lead others.

As the issue of leadership is indeed so vast, your input on the idea of leading ourselves before we attempt to lead others would be most welcomed. Accordingly, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

Thanks in advance and thanks also for taking time to read this ‘Leading ourselves before we attempt to lead others’ 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 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.

Is our self-image pushing us forward or pulling us back?

Getting beyond the glamour and glitter of social media, we can choose to ponder one key issue: ‘Is our self-image pushing us forward or pulling us back?’

Our self-image is the sum of all our thoughts, emotions, interpretations of experiences in addition to our habits. Although the world will choose to see us as it wants, our self-image is ours to manage.

How we see ourselves, then project this construction to the world, impacts on how we live the moment. We live events and instances through the filters we put in place. And our response to the question ‘Is our self-image pushing us forward or pulling us back?’ is one such filter.

Doing our best in all we undertake, we give ourselves the greatest opportunity to live our potential. This, in turn, maximizes our chance of reaching heartfelt objectives.

Unfortunately, the opposite is likewise true. When we fill our mind with doubts and negativity it’s difficult to strive purposely forward. If we don’t believe in ourselves, why should others?

To discuss this issue as part of a coaching conversation, please get in contact. In the meantime, thanks for reading this ‘Is our self-image pushing us forward or pulling us back?’ 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.

Even marginal gains are gains

There is always much talk around the idea of doing our best to achieve success, yet let’s not forget even marginal gains are gains. We may not be in a position to reach our overarching goal immediately but we can take comfort in knowing we are on the right track.

It is easy to dismiss the notion that even marginal gains are gains when looking at the bigger picture. We want the whole enchilada and possibly refuse to accept our daily efforts are not only bringing in the bread but also taking us nearer to our key objective.

Of course, while accepting even marginal gains are gains and progress is being made, we should not lose sight of the fact that if we started our journey at point A and want to reach point Z, being at point M means we still have more ground to cover.

How we choose to continue along the path remains ours to decide. To explore your situation with regard to achieving heartfelt goals, and possibly what is stopping you from doing so, please get in contact so we can arrange a coaching conversation via Skype or Hangout.

For now, feel free to share your input on this ‘Even marginal gains are gains’ post by leaving 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.

Acknowledging the presence of those around us

As we move through the day, it is easy to be so focused on our tasks, our objectives, ourselves, that the idea of acknowledging the presence of those around us gets forgotten.

Nevertheless, once we go beyond the immediate concerns of the moment, we can take a few minutes to reflect on what the day would be like without those around us. We might discover that, in many instances, time spent in the company of others is the source of lasting memories.

Acknowledging the presence of those around us may create a positive moment for them. And, in all likelihood, put a smile on our face as we see their appreciation for our sentiments towards them.

Starting with the words ‘Thank you’ is perhaps the first step in acknowledging the presence of those around us. Directing the thanks towards a specific action or reason could be the next step.

To get the ball rolling, let me thank you for taking the time today to read this ‘Acknowledging the presence of those around us’ 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.

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.