The post Make Some Time For Yourself first appeared on Sue Michaels Coaching.

The post Giving Yourself the Best Chance first appeared on Sue Michaels Coaching.

So I thought I better do it.

I can’t tell you how long I have been meaning to do more video and get myself more ‘out there’ on the interweb thingy, but somehow it never quite happens and the weeks drift on, self –set deadlines have gone by the wayside and still no shiny smiley face on your Facebook stream.

So my coach took up the baton.

‘If it’s that important, what is stopping you from getting on and do it?’

‘Errrrm…well, nothing, except I suppose, fear’.

It sounds so crazy when you say it out loud. I couldn’t even say what I was afraid of, but there it was. A silly, self-created fear. But there it was, that’s all that was in my way. Everyone around me is supportive, I know that I can make videos, I have all the technology. It’s all in my head!

Well, there was nothing for it – if that’s all it was, then I had to face it. And to make doubly sure that I went through with it, I announced it to my coach and on Facebook so that there was no going back.

It’s the same for all of us. When you look at what is stopping you, there are quite often some real issues – freeing up time, talking it through with someone, money – but fundamentally, these real issues can be overcome. It is often the fear in our head that holds us back. The worry that if we get out of our comfort zone, something might happen.

Well, it does. And it’s usually the best feeling in the world.

I have jumped over this hurdle and there’s no going back. It’s another feather in my cap, another string in my bow. My comfort zone has now moved up a notch.

And I can’t wait to get on with the next challenge!!

What about you? Is there anything that you have been putting off because of a self-created fear? What is the worst that can happen? What could be the benefit of going ahead?

Weigh it all up and you’ll soon find that taking the plunge could be the best thing that you have ever done!

If you want to be certain of what it is that you really, really want out of your future, follow the link below to my home page and pop your name in the email box at the top.

Click here to sign up!

As if by magic, a download will appear in your inbox called ‘Your Wish is Your Command’. It will help you to focus on your future and what you would love to have in it. Fill this out and then you will really have something to go for!!

The post Talk about out of my comfort zone…. first appeared on Sue Michaels Coaching.

This picture had many likes when I shared it on Facebook – it seemed to particularly resonate with people. When I asked a few people about why they liked it, there were two main reasons.

The first was that the dog has only one thing on its mind (careful…). Apparently, we have between 50,000 – 70,000 thoughts a day working out at dozens per minute. The very first thing we need to do is to keep those thoughts as positive as possible. The next thing is to filter out as many thoughts as possible. It is said that high performers in life are able to filter out half of their thoughts so that they concentrate on moving forward. So how can we do it? Practising how to do it on your own seems to make the process easier when you are with other people. It can be hard work, but there are a few ways that make it easier for me.

• Listening to music

A no-brainer for me as a musician. Music enables you to filter out a lot of the noise and ‘chatter’ that goes on in your head. For me, music without words does the best job, classical or Enya keeps me focussed the best.

• Doing stretches, yoga or a mindfulness exercise

Concentrating on your body and breathing can really help to turn down your thoughts – it’s the basis for meditation. We all know about taking a deep breath – it’s the same principal. A class is a good start for this or just get a mat and find a space.

• Being still and quiet

Just a minute taken out of the bustle. I worked for someone who referred to it as a ‘power minute’. At that time I was a full-time teacher, and pretty much the only time we could think of taking it was when we went to the loo, but you get the idea. Be without your phone or laptop for periods of time can also make this a lot more achievable.

• Going for a walk in the countryside

This just helps ‘blow the cobwebs away’. Something about being in the fresh air and just walking can help thoughts slot into place, keeping them ordered and relevant.

Practice these ways of getting yourself more focussed with your thoughts and you will be able to extend this habit when you are with others.

This leads on to the second reason that my tribe gave for relating to the picture and that is being ‘in the moment’ and that is a habit that we find tricky to maintain. But for all of us, there is a real danger of not enjoying the present because we are constantly thinking amount the next thing or mulling over what has already happened. The dog is completely focussed on the present, sniffing the air, wagging its tail and enjoying the company of its adult.

As a coach, being present and only concentrating on the ‘now’ is a skill that needs to be practised and adhered to if your client is going to feel empowered. This (mostly) involves listening. But really listening. Focussing on what the person is saying and not allowing your own thoughts to take over; listening to tone and language as clues to what may be underlying; responding to what the person says in a way that lets them know that you are interested and that they are valued.

How can these principles relate to your life? Could you put away your phone when you spend time with someone close? Turn the telly off and look at the person talking. Could you take a deep breath of fresh air before a meeting so that you can fully focus? Have a go at not talking about how what someone is saying affects you and instead respond about them.

Give it a go – it can be quite powerful.

Enjoying the moment, the now, being in the present makes every moment meaningful. Life is happening now and by being more dog, maybe your tail will start wagging a bit more 🙂

The post Be More Dog first appeared on Sue Michaels Coaching.

Effectively, poor health = poor productivity. Oh dear.

Dale talked about a triad of life elements that if not kept at a good level could have an adverse effect on your well-being and consequently, your productivity. There are no surprises here, but when you start to think of these as affecting your ability to be successful in life, then maybe we need to take a second look.

Firstly, sleep was discussed. Apparently 7 hours unbroken sleep is the optimum amount we should have to wake up feeling refreshed. (I immediately thought of the cat and her ‘I’m hungry!’ meow at 5.30). For most of us, that means a different going-to-bed time, but Dale also had a few pointers to get the unbroken bit sorted. Here are some of his ideas:

• Sleep in the dark. Turn off any unnecessary LED lights that could fool your body that it is day time. And get a blackout blind if you live near a street lamp.
• Keep your phone away from your side. I have heard to keep it downstairs, which is something I have now trained myself to do, but if you have it upstairs, Dale recommends an app called f.lux which turns the blue light to a red based one which does not set off ‘wake up’ hormones in your brain. It also means that you are not disturbed by the endless stream of things that come to your phone all night.
• Have a caffeine cut-off. Try to make sure that you are not still full of caffeine when you go to bed. It takes around 6 hours for caffeine to leave your body, so make sure that you don’t have too much in the day and stop 6 hours before you want to be asleep.
• Have an empty bladder before you go to bed. Any major movement in the night will make your body go into natural wake up mode and pump in cortisol to get you ready for the day. This has a natural shelf life so if you then go back to bed, it is all used up when you actually want to get up.

If you don’t manage the whole 7 hours unbroken sleep, a 20 minute nap in the day can help to negate the negative effects of lack of sleep.

Secondly, Dale talked about exercise and movement. He explained that you are far more productive if you take time out for movement during your working day and to start the day with exercise will kickstart your body into action, make you happier and more alert throughout the day.

To complete the triad, Dale discussed the benefit of a protein-high diet to keep you alert. He suggested building carbs into your day as the day wore on, keeping the negative benefits of carbs from slowing you down in the morning. He finished by saying that if you eat food that has been grown or that was once alive instead of food substitutes, this will also have great benefits for your body long term.

So how does this affect you? What changes can you make to you daily routine that will have benefits for your whole day? Yes, we all should be a bit healthier, but if that healthiness can make you have a better day, every day, maybe we can start tweaking here or there and be more productive, more energised and more successful. Start with one! Today 🙂

The post Healthy Habits For Wellbeing And Productivity first appeared on Sue Michaels Coaching.

Over the next 10 years, I was lucky enough to have an inspirational teacher and live in a county where music was celebrated and enjoyed by hundreds of children and young adults. I travelled all around the world with the various bands I was in and forged friendships that still last today. It was only as an adult that it dawned on me that although of course, people got paid for doing what they did, but that was not what motivated them. Trips away, evening and weekend rehearsals, concerts and meetings to ensure that we had the best opportunities and experiences are not included in pay packets. Most people who like being with other people are happy with a smile, a thank you, recognition and the very act of giving. Teaching has that special extra kick that you get when you see that joy when someone gets something that they would not have got without your input.

Priceless.

When I decided to make coaching my primary focus for my life it meant leaving teaching, my career for the past 20 years. It was a massive decision although made easier with crazy bureaucracy and my sky high stress levels. But I would definitely miss the children. As we all know (and if you don’t, check out my blogs entitled Shake Up Your Senses or You Never Know), change can be like a domino effect. As soon as I mentioned that I was giving up teaching, a parent and music tutor friend seized an opportunity to turn his dream of starting a music school into a reality. Within a few weeks, we had established the school and six months later, we have nearly 100 children on the books.

My point is not that we actioned a dream and made it a reality, although that did happen, nor that I was a lucky child who received free music lessons from a dedicated music service, although that’s equally true. It’s that I get to see that amazing look on children’s faces day in day out as they pick up an instrument for the first time and make a sound, or they learn something new or we all play together and it sounds alright.

The best bit is that I am giving myself to something or someone and it makes them feel good.

It’s such a buzz.

So what about you? If you are feeling a bit pants, what can you do to brighten up someone else’s day – it will make you feel great. Now starting up a music school is a bit extreme, but children are a good start – nieces, nephews, friend’s kids. Show them a new skill, make them laugh. Remember that bit in Monster’s Inc when Boo’s laugh blows the electricity? If there are no children around, then a colleague, a neighbour, a friend or a complete stranger. Do something small if you like, but do something.

Go on. Give it a try.

The post Do Something Because It Feels Good first appeared on Sue Michaels Coaching.

Bending this routine slightly can do anything from awakening your senses to changing your life. (If you have seen the film ‘Sliding Doors’ you will know what I am talking about). Check out your habitual behaviour and alter it slightly. At the very least, you will get a buzz, an awareness that is altered from the normal behaviour. New toothpaste, different temperature on the shower, toast instead of cereal for breakfast, coffee instead of tea. Changing your route to work or your mode of transport will bring a new sensory dimension. A friend on Facebook recently posted the gorgeous view that he got when he was forced to take an alternative route. Imagine the added kick he would have got if he had made that decision himself. To take this to extreme, another friend changed the way she spoke to people and presented herself at work and was promptly offered a promotion.

At times in my life, the smallest of changes has seemed monumental at the time. With hindsight they seem so insignificant, I can’t believe I tied myself up in knots about them. Life moves on and I wonder how much time I have wasted worrying and procrastinating over things that are completely irrelevant. If only I had just got on with it sooner…

Shaking things up a bit can make you feel alive. Habits mean comfort and very little change will happen while you are cosied up in your comfort zone.

The post Shake Up Your Senses first appeared on Sue Michaels Coaching.

Now, that in itself may seem inconceivable to us, but apparently this practice was quite common amongst our grandparents. (This in itself has forged a path in my life that has my parents throwing their hands in the air at my ‘crazy’ ways – the ‘rule-breaking buzz’ blog is on its way).

On one of these summer holiday Thursdays, we were all sitting around the table and the weekly portion of egg pudding was served. As always I took a massive helping and then it was offered to my dad. He didn’t look so keen and decided to pass. My nan looked a little affronted and said “Don’t you want any?” to which my father said, “No, I don’t really like it.” There seemed to be a moment of silence in the room, only broken by my grandfather saying “Neither do I.” For the first time in my father’s lifetime (some 46 years), two men, who had been served this dessert week in week out confessed to not liking it.

‘Why didn’t you say?’ was my nan’s (obvious?) response.

Well, why didn’t they say? There were probably a myriad of reasons. They didn’t want to offend her; they didn’t have an alternative; it didn’t cross their mind that there was an alternative?

I have reflected on this chapter in our family history many times. I think the most profound part of it for me is that my dad and grandad put up with something that they didn’t like for a vast proportion of their lives. Not only that, they did not consider doing something that would have improved their lives. Now, I appreciate that in the grand scheme of things, eating something that you are not keen on once a week is not going to harm you, but the principle is the same.

Why carry on doing something that you do not enjoy when stopping doing it would make your life better?

What about you?

Is there something in your life that you could change that would make your life that little bit better? Make it small. A different route to work that takes in the countryside? A more expensive brand of tea that tastes great? A different radio station instead of that annoying presenter that makes you cross? Maybe it might mean speaking out. How many years have you put up with something you don’t like?

It’s up to you.

The small change that you make will take you from a life less happy to one with a bit more smile.

Try it and see what happens.

The post Change Something You Don’t Like first appeared on Sue Michaels Coaching.