Anthony Venn-Brown - Author - Professional Coach - Speaker Email Archives Homepage For eight years now I've been sending out regular emails of helpful personal development tips I use when coaching clients and what I've learnt as a passionate student of personal growth and metaphysics. People have often kept them for future reference and passed them on to friends. This newly created page means that people can now easily access these at any time. If you have any questions, please email me directly at info@psalifecoaching.com or visit my website www.anthonyvennbrown.com If you are considering being coached, I'm happy to give you a complimentary session. This comes genuinely obligation free as this will be the best way to evaluate the benefits of coaching for yourself. This will give you a better understanding of what your next steps might be. At this time I will also give you more details about our premier program, "DARE TO BE YOUR BEST". There are a variety of coaching options, depending on your need and budget. We'll also see how we would work together - an important step in choosing a coach. Click here to fill out complimentary coaching session request form Join the Mailing List Now - Dont miss out! Most Recent Newsletter at the Top 224 For every obstacle there will always be several solutions Obstacles, challenges and problems are unavoidable in life and it's how you respond to these defining moments that shape the type of life you live. Some people seem to have constant struggles and live in a place of defeat whereas for others, it seems to bring the best out in them. Each and every problem you overcome in life, makes you stronger, more self-assured and empowers you to confidently move in the direction of your dreams. 223 Everyone needs to define success for themselves When you have a clear understanding or what you really want and not what others have told you what you want, life is much more enjoyable. There's nothing like a strong sense of purpose based on clearly spelled out values to keep you moving. But more than that, it keeps you moving in the right direction. Without it, you can climb the ladder of success all right, but when you get to the top, you may find that it's leaning against the wrong building'. 222 Learning to be present ensures your life is richer A relative newcomer to personal development is the concept of 'being present', sometimes called 'living in the moment'. Once you discover how to do this, your life will take on a richer, fuller experience because your consciousness has expanded, even awakened. You actually get more out of life. 221 There is no such thing as bad self awareness. Self awareness is quite a strange term, as if we weren't, we couldn't ask the question. Think about it. So, the fact that we can ask the question means we are conscious. Doesn't it? I am conscious of myself, aren't I? I am self aware, aren't I? How could I be conscious of self and yet not aware at the same time? 220 Without a COMPELLING future your life progress is Where will you be in 5 or 10 years time? What will you be doing? Where will you be living? What will be your greatest achievements? For many, the canvas of their future is blurry. It’s only a sketching. For some the canvas of their future is completely blank. Their lives are governed by the past and their current circumstances. They have become a responder to circumstances and not a creator. If you have a clear picture of all that you want in your future then the subconscious has the capacity to create strategies and circumstances that will make that a reality. 219 Missing Component in the Personal Development Industry I've estimated that I've invested about $80,000 in my personal development over the last 10 years and been a part of the personal growth industry for more years than I'd like to mention (it's 38 actually), so I have a pretty good idea of what works and what doesn't. Many have invested time and money in seminars, books, workshops, CD's and courses only to find the shift in behaviour and results have been minimal or old patterns returned. Was the information they received impractical or was something else missing? 218 If you don' reward yourself you'll burnout Mostly people think that just the achievement of the goal is the reward but this is not necessarily the case. One can quickly move on to the next goal or be surrounded by lots of activity which means the satisfaction of achievement doesn't recharge the batteries as it should. After all that work and energy you feel depleted instead of encouraged. One person works hard at a goal and achieves it. Additional motivation kicks in to go for more. Another person though, sees the same goal as just another task completed. Both achieved the same goal but ended up with different outcomes. WHY? 217 The Gift of Unhappiness No, I'm not talking about the unhappiness we experience from being retrenched, not getting a promotion, a lover or partner leaving us or being clinically depressed. I'm talking about the inner mechanism that tells us things are not as they should be in our world and its time for change. Do you know how to read it or use it to your advantage? Few do. 216 Why New Year Resolutions Don't Work New Years resolutions are quite clichéd aren't they? When people mention them, it's become more like a joke. Almost like people expect them to fail. 215 Closure on 2007 & the most important day of the year 2008 is here! There is something great about starting a new year. It's like you get the chance to begin all over again. Similar to starting a new job, commencing a new course or a new relationship. A positive, motivating energy comes with the new situation. In many ways, it is a new beginning because you can't go back and change what happened last year. Make 2008 Everything You Want It to Be Have you every planned your entire year? Set health, finance, career, relationship, travel, social goals. This practical 4 session package has been especially designed to help you achieve that. The sessions can be done on the phone or internet (Skype) anywhere around Australia, the world or face to face in Sydney. 213 Surviving the silly season - some hints The calendar is completely booked out with parties and family gatherings, presents to buy and wrap, journey's to be made, preparations for a holiday (if you are one of the lucky ones). Rush! Rush! Rush!. Sound familiar? Hope some of these thoughts on Surviving the Silly Season make it more enjoyable for you. 212. 4 Secrets of Success? I don't think so! I always chuckle to myself when I read the words on some self-help book title or on a website the "Secrets of Success" as if the individual has made some amazing discovery that no-one else has ever thought of before. Are there really any secrets? 211. Plans and Strategies Make Your Action More Effective You've probably heard the saying 'Fail to Plan - Plan to Fail'. Things do happen at times even though we don't have a strategic plan written down but putting some planning into our goals certainly increases the potential for success. Every successful business knows that. The person who is called an overnight success knows that is really true there has been months possibly years of planning and strategizing. Let me share with you the Goal Planning strategy we use in the Dare to be Your Best 12 week coaching program. 210. How to Change Inaction It is almost a ridiculous statement isn't it? Of course nothing happens without action. But not everyone moves into action. We see that all the time with family members, work colleagues and friends. Why? Some reasons why people don't get started are...... 209. Are ALL things really possible? Anything is possible. That's quite a statement isn't it? It's been made by numerous religious leaders over the centuries as well as often heard in an almost cliché fashion in 1,000's personal development books and multitudes of seminars around the world. But how true is that 'anything is possible'? If you are doubting the validity of that statement then you are probably experiencing the implications of that in your life and functioning at lower percentage than you are capable of. Possibly only 30-40%. How do I know this? 208. 15 Things I Learnt About Human Beings and Success in 3,350 Hours I keep records. One excel spreadsheet keeps a record of the number of coaching hours I've done. Why? Well, for accreditation with the International Coaching Federation one must maintain records of clients, hours coached etc. I was totalling up this month and saw that over the last 6 years I've coached 3.350 hours. That's a lot of hours. Enough for me to apply for accreditation as a Master Coach: the highest level possible. The variety of clients has been enormous from people wanting to re-enter the work force after a time of unemployment to executives, a couple of celebrities and even a millionaire. People use a coach for different reasons but the one thing they all have in common is that they all want change. 207. Do I HAVE to be successful? The short answer is no. You don't have to be or do anything that isn't right for YOU. But more importantly what is success? When asking people to define success and what goals they want to achieve, people usually go for the things they have been told will make them happy. Some coaching programs begin by asking people what they want to achieve, what goals do they want to work on. Name three things you would like to have in your life. People typically come up with such generic things as....... 206. I never imagined it would be like this...yes you did Let me show you how powerful your imagination can be. If I placed a plank of wood on the floor and asked you to walk from one end to the other you wouldn't have any trouble doing that, would you? Then I said 'Close your eyes and imagine the plank was 20 metres above the ground suspended between two buildings'. Suddenly the simple task becomes difficult, even frightening and the only thing that changed is what you were imagining in your mind. 205. Life Lesson from an Egg Recently, I had the privilege of meeting a very spiritual person. He'd actually been a monk for many years and is now an academic. In my lounge room, he began to recite some poetry he'd written and was soon on his feet animating the words, his voice rich with expression and emotion. A simple poem but with a profound message that I've since shared with a number of people i knew would relate to it. In fact I'm sure it relates to every human being who has found transitions in life uncomfortable or difficult. 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