You are currently browsing the monthly archive for December 2010.
Snow, Ice, Thaw, Hot, Too Hot, Rain, More Rain, Snow, Ice, Christmas
That was 2010 in nut shell for me…
So what does will 2011 hold? and will my goals be helped or hindered by events I have no control over?
What about YOU?
Some people will make their new year resolutions tonight, wake with a hangover tomorrow and with the best of intentions, try to live by these resolutions for as long as possible.
- Give up smoking
- Get fitter
- go to the gym more often (that wouldn’t be hard as I hardly went after March this year)
- Be happier
- stop moaning
- get perfect job
- get perfect partner
- etc etc etc
The challenge with this is that when LIFE takes over and we settle back to our routine, it is easy to continue the habits that we so want to break out of.
Life will throw things at us that we can’t control and then we revert back to OH WELL maybe next time (maybe NYE Dec 31 st 2011).
Do remember that your new years resolution should account for HOPES, DREAMS and WHAT YOU DO WANT but also a plan for what your response will be when things don’t plan out as hoped.
I don’t ‘wish’ you a great 2011 because things will happen you have NO CONTROL over. Whether it’s the weather (always good to moan about :)) your boss, your partner, the kids or even a traffic jam when you are in a rush.
2011 will hold challenges as well as great times and it’s up to YOU to choose the best way to respond.
I wish you the best mindset for 2011 and ensure you enjoy the journey all the way to Dec 31st 2011. That IS in your control.
Until next year 🙂
Darren
It never fails to amaze me how often i used get to the end of a year and look back at what I have achieved with a sense of pride mixed with ‘I could have done more’.
As a coach I often work with clients who set themselves goals and hold themselves accountable for them. As we approach another year (2011 is 2 days away as a type this) I have just finished writing my own goals for the year, what I’ll achieve and how I’ll feel when I have done it. I work with my own coach to ensure my goals are HUGE and CHALLENGING and will enhance my life to be better and better.
Many people will have their own resolutions as we approach year end. For some they’ll be planned out, for others it’ll be a fleeting thought at 11.59pm on 31st December whilst preparing for a hangover the following day.
As we enter January life will go back to normal, the usual day to day challenges will [still] be there and it is easy to fall back into the old patterns of thinking, behaviour and action that got us the results we have in our life today.
If you want something different then you need to be doing something different.
So what will you resolution be?
Will it be well thought through? Will it be sustainable? Will you keep going and achieve it at the first sign of pressure?
It all depends on YOU!
Yes external events will cause you to be challenged but your success or failure in achieving your resolution is ALWAYS down to you.
Make sure you set goals that will inspire you to take action, notice what will happen when you achieve them and what will happen if you don’t achieve it.
But most of all decide to do something that gets you a positive result that you can measure so in December 2011 you can look back and say to yourself… WOW look what I achieved. Turn your resolution into a revolution and actually DO something rather than fall into the trap of having the best intentions but falling by the end of January
BBC News – Q&A: Snow chaos in the UK.
Whether the airports should have done more is a question for another time. Whether the highway agency should / could have done more is also for another time. At the moment in the Uk there is no doubt we are seeing weather that we haven’t seen for a very long time.
I would imagine the people in charge of airports, highway agencies etc we’re probably out playing in the snow the last time it was this bad in the country.
The news reports of people in airports, train stations etc have been pretty sad. People looking to get home and see their loved ones for Christmas and New Year. No doubt a feeling of panic can set in as we get closer to Christmas but still no sign of travel.
Then there are the people at home, looking to get to work, and back again. Getting shopping for Christmas has become a real challenge.
There is NO DOUBT that people are facing major challenges at this time but as I often say in my courses…
In life pain is inevitable but suffering is optional.
Whilst sitting in traffic, at home, on a train, in an airport remember that putting any energy into wishing it WASN’T happening won’t change it.
Decide instead to look at what YOU CAN do to make that moment enjoyable, bearable etc.
It’s not ideal, we all know that now but sometimes mother nature just shows us how strong she is and how unprepared we are. We don’t have a ‘right’ to travel. Sometimes we just need to do what we can and enjoy it. I would love to see a news report showing how people have got that spirit to make their situation as enjoyable as possible. Often times when the chips are down, human’s are at their best.
Have a safe Christmas and New Year wherever you may be this year and let’s hope the authorities have taken notice on how to plan and communicate better to their customers when things like this happen again.
BBC News – Woman who cannot feel fear may help in treating PTSD.
An interesting article about a woman with a crucial part of her brain missing. It’s called the Amygdala and controls, amongst other things, the fight, flight or freeze reactions to perceived danger.
The article discusses how this can help in research to those suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
It’s an interesting article from my perspective as it shows that if this woman and I were confronted by the something scary our reactions would be different. Not because we witness something different but because our brains see the same thing but process the information differently. This leads to a different response.
My business is all about how the brain interprets the world we live in and how we choose to respond or react to it.
There are times when we need the Amygdala to take over and give us the instant reactions we need. e.g. When we are in danger and need to move quickly. There are also times when it would be useful to get control over our first instincts and challenge them.
Whether in business when we experience bad news and we react badly (that then creates a bad outcome) or in our personal life.
The picture in the article shows a spider. I HATE spiders. That is my instant reaction when I see one (Amygdala Hijack). That said since I have been involved in challenging my brain consciously I have noticed that I am able to overcome my fear and choose a response that enables me to deal with the spider rather than be a victim to it (metaphorically speaking of course).
What would having NO FEAR in certain areas of your life do for you? Would it be useful to challenge your beliefs about what you can and can’t achieve.
So long as this woman stays away from ACTUAL danger then I would say she could go on and do ANYTHING in her life because she is not afraid, not even afraid a failure.
Would love to hear your comments.
Cheers
Darren
Darrentoms's Blog 