Once our day gets going it’s very easy to get swept away by the routine, the urgent (as distinct from the important), this morning’s crisis or, most prevalent of all, useless thought.  Even if you have started your day properly, it is simply so easy to become submerged. So, first things first, what does starting your day properly mean?  Well, none of us leave the house physically unprepared for the day ahead.  We wash and dress ourselves – shaving or applying the more...

There are times when we all feel flat – not necessarily dejected, disillusioned or depressed, just lifeless, energy-less and disinterested.  And although I’ve been teaching my many personal development clients how to start the day by focusing their minds – and I do the same myself – sometimes, within just a few minutes, one ends up feeling, well, ‘I wish I was somewhere else!’ or ‘I don’t feel like doing this!’  I’m not talking about things going wrong with our day, more...

Have you got crap in your head?  Of course you have – we all have.  But if you’re paying attention to the crap in your head, you’re going to get crap in your life.  You are what you think – it’s a little more subtle than that, in fact, because you are what you think subconsciously.  Your subconscious  mind rules your life – your behaviour, actions, reactions and interactions are all dictated by your subconscious and it all just happens automatically. Problem is – more...

The purpose of life is to be happy – so says the Dalai Lama.  Unfortunately, most people aren’t quite sure what happiness actually means.  Does it mean having lots of nice things – nice home, second home, nice cars, nice clothes, nice holidays?  Because, certainly over the last few years, many people fell into the trap of judging their happiness based on these kinds of things – and of judging their happiness by comparison to what others had.  I actually more...

You don’t need self improvement.  You’re perfect all ready – you just need to realize it.  You might call the process self-realization – a big word (two actually) for something that we can all do if we learn how to stop the noise in our head.   What noise am I talking about?  The little voice that says ‘No You Can’t’ – that nagging feeling that, unlike the L’Oreal ad, you’re not worth it! – or all the various different feelings of inadequacy that, in actual fact, have more...

Are you happy with yourself and with your life?  The chances are that there are things that you would like to change about both you and your life – I’ve rarely met anyone who is truly happy.  People often think that if they improve themselves, lose weight, buy a new car, go on a great holiday that, then, they will be happy.  That kind of happiness, however, is fleeting and superficial.  Happiness should be lasting and not dependant on having this or doing more...

Even though the effects of depression might be all too real in your life, depression isn’t real.  If you’re suffering from depression, you’re only imagining it because depression is the direct result of your subconscious mind’s obsession with useless thoughts that were impressed upon it during your formative years.  It’s normal for your subconscious mind to focus on the past – everyone’s does – it’s just that the crap that yours is focused on is probably a little more...

Did you know that your personal happiness – and the ability to be effortlessly successful – is directly linked to your ability to pay attention.   Many years research shows that when you have a “peak moment” – a natural high – all your attention is wrapped up in that moment.   But, it also works the other way around.   If you can train your mind to pay attention to what you’re doing, to wrap your mind up in each moment, each moment will become a peak more...

Unless you do something different today, today is simply going to be a repeat performance of every other Monday!  Most of us complain and moan about our lot in life. However, if there is something in your life that you're really fed up with, it’s never going to change unless you do something different – like taking real action.  But there's a big problem. The normal person, a slave to routine, does everything the same – day in, day out - every single day of their more...

From all the work I've done - with individual clients and in my Personal Development Seminars - over the last fourteen years, I believe that it would be true to say that the vast majority of people are simply dying for a better life – for more success and happiness, for security and contenment – for more balance in their lives – for a greater inner peace of mind.   Unfortunately, however, even though they like the sound of what’s possible, perhaps they have even more...

Let’s start this post by quoting the rapper 50 Cent: “Most people can’t handle boredom.  That means they can’t stay on one thing until they get good at it.  And they wonder why they’re unhappy.” The problem is that we live in a world where we expect instant results.  If we’re hungry, we want fast food, if we’re feeling down we want instant gratification.  In the same way, television is teaching us that anyone can be an overnight success – whether it’s more...

Are you feeling anxious or tense?   Do you worry?   Are you nervous?  If you perceive yourself to be suffering from any of these afflictions, then you’re letting your mind play tricks on you.   The inner you cannot be anxious, nervous or uncertain.   It’s your personality trying to trip you up. Remember, your personality – from the Latin persona, meaning a mask – is nothing more than a series of snapshots you took of events and people that impressed you more...

Today is a new day – one that has never happened before, one never to be repeated.  Now is a new moment.  And, in this new moment, you have a choice.  You have a choice in regard to the thoughts that you are paying attention to just at this moment in time.  Are they random thoughts?  Are they negative thoughts?  Have they anything to do with what you’re doing at this moment in time?  Are they positive thoughts (better than negative ones but more...

Normal behaviour is rarely fully appropriate.  How could it be, dictated, as it is, from a subconscious that is looking to past cues for guidance?   How could it be, given that the normal person is permanently in automatic reactive mode?   On a good day, a normal person’s behaviour will be mildly effective – that is in comparison to how effective you might be had you taken the trouble to pay attention and act, rather than react.  On a bad day, normal behaviour more...

Much has been written about the “Law of Attraction”.   It has been popularised by videos and books, like “The Secret” – and yet few people understand that your life is a mirror image of what is going on in your head.   You may have grasped the concept intellectually – but that is irrelevant.   If you do not deliberately take action each day to ensure that you’re in the right state of mind, then you do not understand – for only an idiot would fail to take more...

Many of my clients think I will do it for them!  Many others tell me that they “need their fix” of this, that or the other “guru”.  I have some news for you – and news it certainly is to many people – self-help means exactly what it says – you’ve got to help yourself, you’re the only one that can. Sure, you can read up on the latest thinking and science in relation to how the human mind works, how this universe of ours responds to our desires and intentions.  Sure, more...

Are you an avid reader of self help books?  Because many people that I know are constantly reading, constantly learning, constantly searching, constantly gaining a deeper understanding of what it takes to change your life.  Unfortunately, however, it is not reading that changes your life, but doing. The constant reading of self help books is not dissimilar to gathering a number of brochures and travel guides about some beautiful place that you would love to visit more...

I don’t know exactly how many personal development or so-called self help books sold over the last year – but I do know that it is the fastest area of growth in the publishing world with millions of books being sold every year.  I also know that, if you turn on your TV, open your newspaper or take a quick glance at the web’s chat-rooms and forums, these self help books aren’t making a blind bit of difference. Surveys testify to people being more fearful more...

If you want to see normal behaviour at its most bizarre, look no further than the French World Cup football entourage!  Anyone who’s been reading these articles over the last year will know that bizarre behaviour is endemic in France.  We’ve seen it in the in-fighting in tennis clubs, ski clubs and town halls.  We’ve witnessed village pitted against village, one half of our village up in arms against the other half!  What’s been happening in South Africa is only the same more...

Most of us want more out of life.  This is not to say that you’re unhappy with what you have.  Indeed, the secret to happiness is wanting what you have.  But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be constantly striving to scale higher heights of happiness and success because there is no standing still in life.
And, then, of course, there are those who are abjectly unhappy with their lot in life – the majority of people appear to be unhappy in the work that they more...

Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, you’re surrounded by people who have no idea that their subconscious mind is creating their reality as we speak.  They have no idea that their subconscious mind controls them and, by virtue of the fact that they don’t control their own mind, that they are actually crazy.
But you, having delved into the study of personal development (otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this), have some inkling that your thoughts create more...