Professionalism?

“If you are a professional, the speed with which you react to a potential problem separates the men from the boys.” Yanni What do you imagine when you hear the words “being professional”? For me – that means owning up when you drop the ball and take your part of the blame.  Both of these…

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Mindfulness #2

“These mountains that you are carrying, you were only supposed to climb.” Najwa Zebian Mindfulness has been a tool that I have used for many years, and it has been very beneficial when things aren’t going so well in my life. For those who know me, I love to read, and my collection of mindfulness…

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Journaling #2

“A journal is your completely unaltered voice.”  Lucy Dacus This past weekend, I spent some time in Melbourne attending the “mindheart CONNECT: creating resilient lives” conference.  There was a range of speakers from both Australia and internationally and it was a wonderful reminder about self-care and utilsing a range of techniques to be the best…

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Emotional Freedom Techniques and energy work

“I think tapping into one’s power and one’s potential is a very frightening thing.” Viola Davis For those not following along at home, I am currently in Melbourne attending a conference “Mind Heart Connect; Creating Resilience Lives. This conference talks about approaches such as mindfulness, mediation and Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT/Tapping) becoming embraced into mainstream. …

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Challenging fears

“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” Dolly Parton I really tested myself this week and whilst it was difficult – I am happy that I decided to go with the opportunity. It may be surprising to you, BUT I have a fear of public speaking.  Reflecting to my primary school…

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Flexibility of thoughts

“Flexibility is the key to stability.”  John Wooden Flexibility of thoughts is not an easy task.  Too often, people have entrenched thought patterns and rules, not only for themselves but also for others.  Words such as “should” or “have to” are often precursors to these demands and show that the people are very stringent in…

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Funding options to access counselling

“Personal finance involves numbers, graphs and logic, right? Yes and no. It does include all those things, but it includes so much more. Money and personal finance tend to be more about feelings and attitudes than the numbers.”  Tamara Hull This week’s discussion is about funding options for therapy/counselling.  There is always a cost of…

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Perception of value

Everyone thinks I’m a nice guy, which is not a bad way to be perceived.  Matthew Morrison How we value things is really interesting and what constitutes value also adds another layer to this question. I think that you are all aware of our recent purchase of a dog in recent times and how we…

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Cost/Benefits

“A person who is truly cool is a work of art. And remember, original works of art cost exponentially higher than imitations. Just take a look at the the coolest people in history. They will always be a part of history for being extremely original individuals, not imitations.”  Suzy Kassem This week’s discussion is on…

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Keeping well #2

“The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need tomorrow.”  Robert Tew Keeping well is an artform and for me this includes self-care.  I gave a chat to a group of young people earlier this year and explained that self-care has seven domains: social, mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, recreational and environmental.  We discussed…

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Checking the evidence

“A question of proof. That’s a good title for a detective story, if you ever write one.”  Nicholas Blake This quote reminds me of fact checking the stories that we often tell ourselves, the stories about of our negative thinking and thinking errors.  Searching the evidence to see if our thoughts are actually true, or…

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Local or out of region #2

“It occurred to me that no matter where I lived, geography could not save me.”   Isabel Wilkerson I try to buy locally when I can, however, sometimes it is unfortunate that I cannot access goods or services from a local source.  When this happens, I have no choice but to look out of our…

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Supports

“You can’t achieve anything entirely by yourself. There’s a support system that is a basic requirement of human existence. To be happy and successful on earth, you just have to have people that you rely on.” Michael Schur This week we are discussing your support system, those who help you be the best person you…

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Being active in the change process

“I have my parents to thank for that, they raised me to be active and play all sports. They taught me the importance of staying healthy, being focused and setting goals in whatever I do.” Kiana Tom This week we are discussing being active in the process of change.  For me, this comes down to…

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Teamwork

“We are stronger when we listen, and smarter when we share.” Rania Al-Abdullah This week’s discussion is around team work and just as it takes a village to raise a child, the same can go for the new puppy that we have invested in. As a first time, inside dog owner and also given what…

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Finding or remembering your why.

“True happiness… is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.” Helen Keller Why do you do what you do?  Do you remember what led you to this? I’ve just come back from a weekend away and it was a wonderful reset and just what I needed.  Apollo also went along for…

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The change process

“You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Roy T. Bennett I was talking to someone recently about the change process and how it is difficult to make change – even when we really want it.  It takes approximately ninety days…

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Goals 2023

“Goals must never be from your ego, but problems that cry for a solution.”   Robert H. Schuller This week, our discussion is about goals – both personal and professional.  Whilst I am not a person who makes resolutions in the New Year, I do goal planning to assist in both direction and education for…

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Trauma and the expressive arts

“Some people’s lives seem to flow in a narrative; mine had many stops and starts. That’s what trauma does. It interrupts the plot. You can’t process it because it doesn’t fit with what came before or what comes afterwards.”  Jessica Stern Trauma is often a topic that is not always talked about and yet can…

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Boundaries #2

“No” is a complete sentence.”  Annie Lamott Boundaries is described as a limit of something abstract, especially a subject or sphere of activity.  We all have our own boundaries that we (hopefully) utilise in our lives, both at work and at home.  For me, having a new puppy, trying to establish boundaries within his behaviour…

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