BLOG: Dealing with disappointment.

Now I love getting stuff done. I love taking action & making a difference.

Sometimes though, things don’t quite work out how I imagined.

Does that ring a bell?

Do you sometimes get excited, make a plan, take some action & then feel disappointed?

I know how I feel when that happens-

Frustrated, not good enough, a failure, sad, angry and resigned. Feel like giving up, hiding away.

I feel like I need a little bit of time to lick my wounds & then I take a step back from my emotions to see what has actually happened.

I can get caught up in my plan & get very attached to the results that I want to create.

I know that when I do that, an expectation builds inside of me. I expect to get a certain result.

I get into a pattern of telling myself that I should have such and such a thing.

That I must achieve such and such a thing, and that only in gaining these things will I then be successful.

These kind of thoughts create in me a sense of unrest, disquiet & dissatisfaction.

I feel I am lacking something, I feel useless and incomplete.

Over the years I have made many plans to achieve things, those plans have often not gone the exact way that I had intended. Not happened as quickly as I would have liked, or turned out differently, or not happened at all. So, what can we do with the feelings that arise when things don’t go to plan?

I have notice that if  I consciously choose to surrender myself to whatever outcome I might get, I feel a great sense of relief. It is much harder for myself to experience disappointment.

Also, in hindsight, more often than not, the ‘wrong’ outcome turns out to be an even better result than I had ever envisaged.

Dr Wayne Dyer in his film The Shift  explains how this can be achieved, much better than I can.

A shift in our thinking is how we can deliver ourselves from suffering & disappointment.

“Move into a place of service. Living from your authentic self (, rather than from your fictional EGO self). Moving into meaning. Ambition with meaning, ambition transformed into purpose. You have to learn to become the observer, to step back. You begin to live in your process, trusting where the universe is taking you. Detach from the outcome and that detachment allows you to be no longer fighting. It allows things to just come to you. You are allowing them to show up. We aren’t here to push, we are here to enjoy life.”

Trust in the process of life, chill out!

This is not about becoming a martyr, but sharing all of our gifts with the world, unconditionally.

As a small physical aside…I also find that cooking helps me deal with disappointment.

Today I’m making marmalade. Have had the seville oranges in the freezer for 15 months!! I didn’t feel I had enough time last year-now I’ve made time. Feels great.

BLOG: Wasting time?

Hi, my name’s Beth & I’m a tv addict. Well I was…for years. I now just choose to watch very little tv.

What’s your time wasting ‘poison’?

TV has a lot going for it, but I was watching EVERYTHING. I’d been in a tv watching cycle for years.

At Uni I took English Literature & only had 6 hours of lectures a week & in between those 6 hours-I watched TV. I read a little, of course, but mainly I watched TV.

After I graduated, I got a job working at the great worker’s co-op-Unicorn Grocery & I would then come home & the first thing I would do when I got in was…Yes, you guessed it – turn the TV on.

4 years ago now, my then boyfriend, now husband was shocked at how much time I could just while away gawping at the box. At the time I worked shifts running a cafe & would sometimes finish work at 2pm, come home, stick the tv on & stare at the box.

You get the picture. I wasn’t even a happy tv watcher-I’d get annoyed at the tv, exasperated at the shit programmes.  I would then get frustrated with myself, at bedtime, that I hadn’t done anything else with my day.

The next day I’d go to work, come back & watch it all over again!

Alan, my husband, gained a different perspective on the tv ‘thing’.   The year that we started our business we were both working other jobs, while we built up Dig our box scheme. He was working as a delivery driver & he noticed the same thing week in week out. At the houses he delivered to, when he walked past their living room windows he could see the occupants just sat staring at the corner of the room at the tv. He said that he had an eerie feeling when watching  someone watching tv – he said they looked hypnotised. This really unnerved him, then he came home to me doing the same thing-like the film- Invasion of the Body Snatchers!!

He then broached the subject with me of getting rid of the tv. “So, when are we going to be a tv free household?”

Me: “Erm…(talking about airy fairy-hypothetical future dreamland) Well, I’ve always felt that in my life there will reach a time when we don’t have a tv in the house.”

Him: “So, what is it about not having a tv that appeals to you?”

Me: “Well, I feel like I’m wasting my life staring at that thing…”

Him: “Ahaaa!! So if you feel like that now, why don’t we get rid of it now?”

Me: “Eeeer…because I like watching the tv…& I’m scared of the space it will leave…that I will have to fill!”

Him: “We can watch films on the computer, we can watch things we really want to watch. How about that?”

Me: “OK…Let me think about it.” (I turn back to the tv…2 mins passes)

Him: “So, when shall we get rid of it? ”

Me: “Oh I dunno, soon.”

Him: “How about tomorrow?”

Me: (HEEEEEEEEEELP-airy fairy-hypothetical future dreamland-become COLD LIGHT OF DAY!) “Oh F*@# it, OK let’s do it!”

So, we did, the next day.We put it on Freecycle & it was gone by the end of the day.

I immediately felt lighter & relieved. Yes, relieved.

Now, to be really clear about this-I’m not smug about this. I now waste plenty of time of the internet, just not as much as I did watching tv. I just wanted to share with you that there may be some very ‘normal’ everyday habits that are sucking up your time & wasting it before your very ‘square eyes’.

What’s your addictive time wasting poison, that feels good for a while, then leaves you feeling empty?

What could you do with that time instead?

BLOG: How long are you going to spend trying to prove yourself?

I have been thinking recently about my coaching business & how I can best serve those people I feel I am born to coach. As my practice has jumped up a notch recently I have been looking at what direction I want to go in-rather than being a one coach fits all- I have been comparing myself to my friends/coaching associates-Jana Schuberth, Corrina Gordon Barnes, Alison Foy & Zoe Hoppe-all people I love & respect for their work. I have been thinking alot about what MY special magic coaching skill is-like what my special super hero power is! I got myself in quite a tangle comparing myself, thinking what I’m good at, thinking about what I need to improve & flexing my marketing/ promotion muscles… The tangle I found myself in had resulted from spending ALOT of time reading everyone’s work-thinking-wow-that’s great, absorbing all of their ideas, admiring their viewpoint.

I had not giving myself the time to think of mine, let my own work come out of it’s own accord.

It came to the crunch the other night, when I felt paralysed by myself-how can I prove to myself & everyone that I’m a great coach? I just couldn’t see the woods for the trees.

I felt rotten-stunted, dried up of creativity & tired. I hadn’t rested properly for days, worrying about how I could show the world who I am. I needed help.

I found a lead meditation class near to my house and went on Tuesday. I talked to the group there about my dilemma & they were very helpful. As soon as I put the time aside to just be quiet & listen to myself -the penny dropped.

I have so much love & compassion inside of me, all this worry was stopping any flow. Why was I worrying about proving myself? Does a flash catchy website mean I’m a good coach-NO! Does adding funny & inspiring comments to my Twitter account mean I’m a good coach-NO! Does showing the world how insightful I am make me a good coach-NO NO NO!

Do I know I’m a great coach-in my heart-YES-this is what I was born to do. What was I wasting all my time trying to prove? I am it already. From my chat with the meditation group & my subsequent calm meditation-I knew it was true. I feel re-energised and free to give to the world again-not stunted by comparing. I was ready again to give unconditionally.

How long are you going to spend trying to prove yourself?

Who are you proving yourself to? Your boss? Your partner? Your friends? Yourself?

How will you ever really know that you have proved yourself? Do you have a preconceived state of results that will show you that you have arrived? How long do you believe that feeling will last for? Will it wear off & will you then be in a place of proving again very quickly? Is it a case of telling yourself you’ll have proved yourself when…

When I have this… When I know that… When so & so smiles at me… When I have ££ in the bank… When I am a success…(?) When I feel better… When I feel excited/safe/proud/inspired…

In expending energy trying to prove and demonstrate that you are of importance in the world, you are subscribing to the belief that you are not important, until you prove otherwise.

Is that true?

In your efforts to show the world that you are good enough, you are starting from a point believing that without proof, you are worth nothing, you lack substance. Is that substance not already inherent within you? You are already who you are. There is nothing to prove.

A mindset with a desire to prove themselves to anyone else or themselves comes from a place of not really KNOWING how perfect & complete they are already.

Knowing how perfect and complete you are already is vital in freeing yourself to see what is possible for you to DO with your amazing BEING.

This is not arrogance, just acceptance of what is.

Go BE-give yourself without fear, be the contribution that you are & for goodness sake-BE. Go BE happy.

Testimonial/Guest blog by Deanna

A great description of how an individual can feel within the coaching journey. Thanks Deanna, you’re great!

Everybody has a ‘to-do ‘list, right?
There are the daily ones – pick up dry cleaning, buy stamps, call so and so etc.

But most people also have a life ‘to-do list’ that maybe one day they’ll get round to – lose weight, travel world, write a book, start own business etc. These are the kind of things that could dramatically improve your life in some way, so what stops us from achieving our bigger dreams and goals? Obviously there are practical reasons such as children, money, school term times, money etc. (Did I mention money?) But when do the real reasons become excuses and a kind of self sabotage? What’s stopping you actually doing the things that you’ve been putting on the back burner?

I went to visit my friend Beth who is a life coach. In simple terms, this isn’t counselling or therapy, it’s a way to help you try and turn your dreams and ambition into practical reality.

In six structured sessions, a life coach can help you to reassess your priorities and accelerate the process of you realising your ambitions – after all, you’d have got round to it yourself anyway, one day,wouldn’t you? Coaching aims to help you change your whys? to why not’s? And your ‘I’ll do it later’, to ‘I’ll do it now.’

Have you ever taken the time out to sit down and work out exactly what small changes you could make to improve the quality of your life and then made a plan of action to make that happen?
Booking a course with a life coach helps you to focus. Beth uses visualisation exercises and other techniques to help shift your brain from thinking in the abstract to understanding that you can make things possible, starting now.

People put up all sorts of barriers and make lots of excuses to stop them moving forward. Mine were quite simple but big enough to have formed a blockage to personal progress. I’d had a couple of children and lost the structure and purpose of a working day which lead to weight gain and loss of professional self-esteem. I didn’t have the confidence to get new projects off the ground.

I was incredibly lucky to have found Beth who happens to have connections in our mutual field so was able to give me practical support and introductions as well as coaching. I went to visit her at her house for my six sessions, which were held over a few months. I did a lot of talking whilst Beth filtered out the nonsense, helping me to focus on what I was actually trying to achieve and come up with a more practical plan to go about it.

These sessions take place over a period of time significant enough to help you acknowledge small changes happening in your life. That’s another thing people don’t do enough, take time out to acknowledge the small victories and see how they form together and gather real momentum to affect significant and positive change.
The sessions are really an investment in your own future but it’s not a magic cure. It takes hard work in the form of self analysis, honesty and goal setting and then the courage to apply the changes which only you can do.

Beth’s a good listener but she’s also a straight talker and she clearly gets genuine pleasure from helping people become empowered enough to realise their own dreams. Change doesn’t happen overnight but I can see my life having improved step by step since my coaching experience with Beth and now I know what I have to change to achieve the rest of my ambition.

Selfish…me?

Who says being happy is selfish? Spending time consciuosly considering what will make you happy & going for it, is one of the best things that you can do for others around you. It has a knock on effect. Calm, joyful, charismatic people-they are like magnets attracting people to them, the domino-joy effect.

People who consider themselves to be self expressed & living their lives fully are not the grumpy people sitting in the corner conplaining about life.

Think about when you are in a good mood, when all is well with the world, you have a smile on your face, and no matter what the weather is doing, you are shining inside. Do you feel more compassion towards your fellow humans at this time? Do you feel you want to bring a smile to others’ faces? Do you want to share your joy with others? Yes, yes yes!

Each of us are responsible for what we contribute to the world, look at what you are doing right now, RIGHT NOW! Are you enjoying what you are doing? Is there is something else that you would rather be doing? If so, get on & do, or make steps towards it.

It starts with the tiniest acts. I was sat on a bench reading an article in a magazine waiting for my train to Edinburgh to see great friends on Friday and the article asked me ‘Are you enjoying what you are doing?’ On the surface I thought yes, I’m having a weekend away, what could be better? Then I asked myself again and noticed how my body was feeling? I realised that I didn’t want to be sitting down. I had a 4 hour journey, alot of sitting down, ahead of me.  I’d been so bothered about dashing to grab a seat in the waiting area, that I didn’t even consciously think whether or not I actually wanted to sit! Plus I’m a strong person-I didn’t know if in the standing crowd around me if there were someone else that needed the seat more.

Well I gave up my seat, willingly and stood up and waited. My seat was then immediately filled by someone else and I realised in that very simple act that mindfulness, being in the present, asking myself  ‘Am I enjoying this…is this what I want to be doing?’ is a question I want to ask myself more often. So simple.

 

EVENT-Thursday 20th January 2011

‘What do you want? No…What do you REALLY want?’

Coaching workshop

with Beth Creedon.

Thurs 20th Jan 2011 7.30pm-9.30pm

St Barnabus Church Hall,

Hardy Lane, Chorlton, M21 8DN

Advance Tickets -£5-

For info & to book 07833 774775

bethcreedon@gmail.com


What are we talking about?

I have been paying attention to what my friends & I spend most of our time talking about-the answer is others and their behaviour.

We discuss whether other people were behaving in an acceptable way. We talk about how they reacted to something and whether they did or said something that we agreed or disagreed with.

Sound familiar? We humans are all obsessed with analysing how the people around us are behaving. If we look at this more closely too-we are rarely discussing the positive aspects of their behaviour are we?  We are most definitely focussing on the negative aspects, & judging.

These discussions create the ‘stories of lack & attack’. What we think they are lacking, and attacking them for who they are & how they are being. As I look at this closely I see it as a horrid & very ugly pass time. Written down in the cold light of day-it looks AWFUL.

Next time you are surrounded by friends-notice what you talk about. Is it the same? Do you discuss celebrities, friends in common, your partner, family?

All this talk has a negative effect on my well-being, I feel sad & I find myself in an uncomfortable position; talking about others allows me to avoid looking at my own behaviour! It has cost me the opportunity to change my own words & actions for the better. It has also kept me from recognising the joy in life.

A new dawn has arrived.

To this end I have created two new discussion topics-

‘Others and how great they are.’ &

‘What I have done today to put a smile on someone’s face.’

Try it-you might like it.
:-)

What do you need to accomplish your goals? Ask someone else a question?

What question do you need to ask, to find out what you really need to know?

Do you tell people what you really want?

Do you dare to ask them if they can help you get what you really want from life?

OR do you shield them from the full force of you, your powerful possibilities, dreams & goals?

Do you decide all the reasons why they might say no, before you have even given them a chance to say yes?

Do you dare share yourself and tell the truth?

Who in your life would you like to inspire?

Inspire them by just being yourself, by authentically sharing with them who you are.

Tell them that you have fears, but you’re just going to go ahead and live the life you want to anyway.

Tell them that you must tell the most grounded heartfelt truth.

Be generous, be brave, be incredible, be inspiring!

Smiling on a Sunday

Hi, so 10/10/10 D-day arrived & the weigh in was-10stone 13lbs.

3lbs off the 10 stone 10lbs I had aimed for. The last week before my target date I felt like my scales had broken. I was stuck at 11 stone for DAYS! Was it psychological, was my body just hitting a plateau? Who knows, but what I do know is that when the scales did eventually tip under the 11 stone-I felt I had already hit my target.

I found some old notes from the last time I had tried to shed some weight. It was August 2002-I was 24 & I reached 10stone 13lbs-Funny huh! So, I think this is the weight my body likes to be. I’m really happy with the result.

I have a nice smooth waist again & I don’t feel like I want to self consciously pull my jumper over my tummy anymore. It hasn’t just been about what the scales say, the journey & the obstacles I have overcome are more to do with my looking after my body & feeling healthy. Previously I have self sabotaged my efforts to reach my goal, so I have been aquainting myself with the glass ceiling that I had put up between me & my desired body shape. I knew reaching my goal was possible, I knew there would be resistance to my imposed food & exercise regime I just didn’t know what the issues would be until they slapped me in the face.

I wrote a journal each night, religiously for the first 2 weeks. It went a bit like this-

“Today I ate…(then I listed every single thing I had eaten, then I recorded my feelings and mood, which went a bit like this…) Aaaah, I’m hungry. I want some cheese-I am irritable, I feel fed up.”

Just writing those feelings down externalised them, instead of them stewing away inside of me, so it took some of their power away. The closer I got to the target I felt myself wanting to sabotage myself too-Every weekday morning I set my alarm for 6.45am, and over the last week or two I came up with every excuse in the book why I didn’t need to go that day. “You’ve done enough, you have a cold, there’s too much work to do today, you haven’t had enough sleep…blah blah blah.”

This journey has allowed me access to knowing myself better. I know the stories & excuses I give myself, I know the boundaries that I create for myself. I know that I can have fun without getting drunk. I know that I didn’t feel ready to be slim, I know that I had to accept myself as I am. About 3 weeks ago I looked at my legs & they didn’t feel like they belonged to me. I had to get used to embracing myself as slimmer-I didn’t feel ready. I had to get through my resistance to even being slimmer! Mad-so strange what we get used to and what we resist, and how our ‘comfort zone’ works really really hard to keep you from changing!  I now know that I don’t have to add loads of butter & cream to my cooking to make it taste nice. I know that my body thanks me for looking after it.

Thank you for all the fab words of support.

The scales don’t lie!

 

I have now registered on the  life coach directory, see my profile below.

http://www.lifecoach-directory.org.uk/member_2728.html

10 days to go

On the 10th May 2010, I set myself the goal of being 10 stone 10lbs on 10/10/10.

That feels a long time ago now-I got down to 11stone 3 lbs before I went on holiday for 3 weeks and came back at 12 stone again! Family wedding & my own greed to blame!

Since then I have joined a gym & have been good to myself. Eating well & stretching myself & my own deamons, out of my comfort zone-aiming to reach my target. Getting up early & going to the gym, before my head has time to tell my heart it doesn’t want to go exercising today.

I have chosen to share this journey as an example of how coaching works.

The coaching program I use with my clients-after a short amount of time enables them to coach themselves. Once the coaching journey with me is over-their solo coaching life begins.

I believe in the process, because I have been coached-so I know it works. Coaching can be transformational.

I cannot remember the last time I was under 11 stone, it is at least 10 years ago. As I worked through my Professional Certificate in Coaching Practice I set myself many goals & achieved them, but tackling my weight & fitness wasn’t important to me until this spring.

I am now 32 & I remember telling myself I wanted to be under 11 stone before my 30th Birthday-that didn’t happen-because I hadn’t yet learnt the process of how to really tackle the problems & obstacles I always put in front of myself.

When I set my goal-I imagined myself in the future having achieved my goal. I visualised myself in a long dark gray cardigan feeling slinky & great-not lumpy & bumpy-as I had always felt before. I weighed myself on Wednesday this week & I am now at 11 stone. 4 lbs to lose in 10 days!!! I went shopping yesterday to celebrate this milestone-& bought myself the long dark gray cardigan-better than the one I had imagined in my visualisation. I feel great in it-my husband said “Wow-you look ‘slinky’”- just the word I had imagined for myself back in May-funny how serendipity works huh!

I’m on the home stretch now, searching for a lovely restaurant to book ourselves a meal at on Sunday 10th to CELEBRATE!

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