Brian Groves's Blog, page 58
November 5, 2017
Are we moved more by the flames of fear or the fire of success?
On the face of it, there seems no difference in either answer to the question “Are we moved more by the flames of fear or the fire of success?” After all, in both scenarios, we need to move if we don’t want to be burnt by our procrastination.
Thinking about the flames of fear, we might ponder what fear specifically we have in mind. It could be the fear of failure, something each of us probably identifies with. We don’t wish to let anyone down and this keeps us moving forward. There is no pleasure in our progress as we see only the stick without the carrot.
The fear of success is a little more difficult to pin down. As much as we want to be our best, the unknown ‘life at the top’ can appear terrifying. Success often brings with it a number of changes to our lifestyle which, although seemingly positive, frighten us into ‘playing small’ to remain in our current comfort zone.
The flames of fear are, in any case, uncomfortable and although we may be moved by them the situation is rarely pleasant. Being moved by the fire of success is, on the other hand, an experience we embrace with a heartfelt intention to live our potential each step of the way.
With the fire of success propelling us forward, our energy and enthusiasm are noticeable for their intensity to all around. Being powered by a clear objective harnesses resources for the sake of reaching our goal.
So, are we moved more by the flames of fear or the fire of success?
Kindest regards.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
November 1, 2017
Was yesterday really better than today?
It is often said by ‘those in the know’ that the past offered more opportunities, less stress and endless hours of enjoyment yet, honestly, was yesterday really better than today?
How we actually determine the answer to this question “Was yesterday really better than today?”, and I am not sure any response would hold up to a ‘scientific investigation’, is a matter of personal interpretation.
It is not unusual for us to cherry-pick particularly pleasant and enjoyable moments from our memories. We recall relatively easily those occasions we lived fully and achieved success in any area of life we wish to think about. Positive peak moments invariably push negative events into a secondary position.
In all probability, yesterday, as today, contained a variety of ‘good’, ‘bad’ and ‘neutral’ moments. Was yesterday really better than today? Most likely no. Past successes are remembered without recalling the effort required to achieve them and the many setbacks encountered prior to reaching them.
Today, on the other hand, is so present in our minds it is perhaps difficult to evaluate objectively the day without focusing on all the commitments and tasks still needing to be dealt with. Giving our all now, in any case, sets us up to look back tomorrow upon today with a sparkle in our eyes.
Let me close by asking again “Was yesterday really better than today?” To share your thoughts, please leave a comment below.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
October 29, 2017
Appreciating something sweet about the day
No matter how tough the current situation might appear, when we make a little effort it is possible to engage in appreciating something sweet about the day. And this can go a long way to altering our perception of life on a daily basis if not indeed hour by hour.
Although appreciating something sweet about the day may not be enough to amend the flow of the moment – problems remain problems to be handled regardless of the presence of something sweet – the boost could be enough to shift our thinking towards eventual solutions.
Accepting the impermanence of everything and everyone, and knowing this day will pass, we are able to focus attention on appreciating something sweet about the day as well as on anything less so. Embracing what the day offers is perhaps a balanced way forward for us.
Right now, it is surely interesting to ask ourselves to what extent we are appreciating something sweet about the day. Around us, there are probably two or three things capable of producing a smile on our face if we give ourselves the chance to connect with them.
Clarifying choices with regard to where we place our attention is an activity valid for each of us. To explore your choices as part of a complimentary coaching session, via Skype or Google+ hangout, please get in touch.
For now, thanks for connecting here and reading this ‘Appreciating something sweet about the day’ post.
Kindest regards.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
October 25, 2017
Watching the waves of the moment crash around us
It is never easy to remain unmoved whilst watching the waves of the moment crash around us. We might be tempted to flee the scene, leave the difficulties and seek out a safer environment.
Watching the waves of the moment crash around us, however, can also be read as a method of being conscious of the present situation as we navigate difficulties to reach our objective. Awareness is coupled with and aligned to our movement towards the goal.
With a wider vision of the day, we could see patterns stretching back from the past to today. These forms perhaps offer insight into how we should interact mindfully with the present, as opposed to merely reacting mindlessly, whilst watching the waves of the moment crash around us.
Solutions are available in terms of finding a way through seemingly chaotic circumstances if looked for. Their significance is, as ever, individual to the person undertaking the exercise of watching the waves of the moment crash around us. And beliefs, hopes and fears add to or subtract from how we perceive things.
Energy and attention are, in any case, heightened during moments of intense upheaval. Clarity is many times found even as folk around us appear confused. Our needs and focus guide us towards outcomes, despite or because we are watching the waves of the moment crash around us.
If you would like to share your input on the issue of ‘Watching the waves of the moment crash around us’, please leave a comment below.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
October 22, 2017
Building on a rock-solid idea
Having tested the theory for feasibility and practicability, it is time to go about building on a rock-solid idea. The strength of the concept will determine in large part the outcome of our development effects.
Throwing time, energy and other resources at an idea clearly limited in its viability is a strategy offering little chance of achieving anything positive. Building on a rock-solid idea, on the other hand, offers if not a guarantee then at least a greater probability of success.
In relation to our goals, building on a rock-solid idea is maybe the preferred starting point for an eventual positive conclusion. On those occasions we are obliged to build without the time to investigate the soundness of a notion, we will need to pay ongoing attention to the manner in which the project evolves.
At the first sign of problems, we should be prepared to implement every change possible to support efforts for the sake of protecting progress achieved to date or at least getting things back on course.
Each of us knows in our heart from the outset the viability of an idea. Provided we are not put off by the originality or newness of our dreams, plus the prospects of setbacks invariably part of any endeavour, we can focus on building on a rock-solid idea today for tomorrow.
Kindest regards.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
October 19, 2017
Our place awaits us
Without suggesting political ideas or solutions concerning employment and immigration issues, ‘Our place awaits us’ can be read as an encouragement to tap into our potential for the sake of realising our best self and performing on the stage of life.
Once we have clarified our objective and set out a plan to reach it, specific action is crucial to achieving success. Yes, our place awaits us, and pondering the journey to this location may be pleasant, but only by undertaking it will we get nearer to our place.
In certain instances, it could be we are obliged to engage in activities seemingly far from the desired place we hold in our heart. Being clear about the validity of our overarching goal, we are able to accept diversions are nevertheless opportunities for us to learn something useful to take us to where our place awaits us.
Notwithstanding difficulties and challenges, or even perhaps because of these items, holding the idea that our place awaits us as a motivating factor is a key element of using our resources to the full. We risk to end up having to accept ‘any old place’ if we forget our life purpose or are distracted by daily events.
To join the conversation here, please leave a comment below. In the meantime, thanks for reading this ‘Our place awaits us’ post.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
October 14, 2017
Putting up a facade to the moment
Sometimes it is not easy to face the day; issues might be testing us to the point we are unable to perform on the stage of life without putting up a facade to the moment. Our positive nature and open attitude just need the support, on occasions, from the protection offered by a front as it were.
When turning to the option of putting up a facade to the moment we perhaps find the strength to confront life. With the aim, in any case, of offering our all, we are in a sense still doing so by putting up a facade to the moment for the sake of ‘getting through the day’ any which way.
Nevertheless, hiding from the world and attempting to fool the public is not the intended message of this post. Authenticity is surely always suitable for developing and maintaining ongoing relationships. However, putting up a facade to the moment may also be a form of being authentic if done for the benefit of all.
Moving through life is, as ever, a question of using the best tools to hand for the situation or issue before us. If this means putting up a facade for the moment as we develop confidence, whilst respecting our values and focusing on long-term goals, then so be it.
Having gone about putting up a facade to the moment, we are able to operate for a while in the freedom or security created between the facade and the outside world. This period of development is possibly akin to the training or apprentice stage of work which lets us find our feet before ‘going live’ or ‘flying solo’.
Regardless of how we look at the question of putting up a facade to the moment, thanks for connecting here today to read this post.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
October 12, 2017
Three benefits of the proverbial tea break
Upfront let me state the proverbial tea break could just as easily be read as a coffee break or even a cigarette break if that is your thing. We don’t need to worry unduly about the nature of the break when looking at three benefits of the proverbial tea break.
Thinking about three benefits of the proverbial tea break, we can list some general points, potentially appropriate to everyone. Specific advantages will, of course, be found on an individual basis according to the exact dynamics of the undertaking each of us is engaged in.
First of three benefits of the proverbial tea break
The actual object of the break – tea, coffee, cigarette, and so forth – brings with it a refreshing interruption to the flow of the day. Once reinvigorated we are ideally able to better face anew the challenges before us, perhaps with a new perspective available to us as a result of having taken onboard some ‘energy’.
Second of three benefits of the proverbial tea break
By taking a pause, we give ourselves the opportunity to step away from an endeavour or task to clear our head for a few minutes. A brief walk to the tea room, vending machine or smoking area gets the circulation going and this itself might be beneficial to us especially if our work involves much time at a desk.
Third of three benefits of the proverbial tea break
Breaks, even those of a short duration, provide an occasion to change the scenery and possibly interact with different people for a few minutes. It may be considered a form of networking and underlines the social element of life, also within a work setting.
If you’d like to share your thoughts on this ‘Three benefits of the proverbial tea break’ post, please leave a comment below.
Kindest regards.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
October 8, 2017
Using points of references to guide our progress
Without using points of references to guide our progress we can occasionally be lucky and actually arrive at our desired destination. The probability of a successful outcome to our efforts is, however, enhanced when we do go about using them.
What we take as our points of references will be related to the nature of the endeavour as well as to how we feel about it. We might wish to benchmark our progress using people we know who have gone before us. Alternatively, our progress could be measured against commonly known and widely available criteria.
Then again, we may choose specific items closely associated with the matter in question to assist us on our journey. Using points of references to guide our progress, in any case, keeps us fully focused on what we are attempting to do and where we are aiming to reach.
Whatever our way of using points of references to guide our progress, and accepting there will be times the path is tough going, we should remind ourselves often why we are aiming to move from where we are to a different location, be it physical or figurative. Clarity concerning this is a key factor to reaching our goal.
For now, thanks for being here and reading this ‘Using points of references to guide our progress’ post.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
October 5, 2017
Being clear about what we want to see
Looking in a haphazard manner is fine in certain circumstances yet being clear about what we want to see is ideal for those situations when clarity is called for.
We might find it ironic to ponder clarity from the perspective of being clear about what we want to see. In many ways perhaps it is. Nevertheless, with an intention firmly established prior to engaging in the activity of looking we will most likely find the exercise valid.
Having decided our objective for the undertaking we should not, however, believe it is enough to guarantee what we eventually see will be exactly what we hoped for. We can do our bit in the process of observing but the result does not depend entirely on us.
Being clear about what we want to see naturally influences where we go about searching. Knowing our desired outcome points us in one direction as opposed to another. If the question is related to a specific issue then this too acts as a point of reference for our activity.
Another consideration to keep in mind regarding the notion of being clear about what we want to see is that of trusting there exists the object in question to be seen. Wanting to see unicorns in the local park is one thing, actually seeing them could turn out to be a completely different matter.
To join the conversation here please feel free to leave a comment below. In the meantime, thanks for reading this ‘Being clear about what we want to see’ post today.
Kindest regards.
Brian.
About Brian
Brian Groves DipM MCIM Chartered Marketer, Coach, Trainer, Adjunct Professor and Author, supplies professional and personal development to a portfolio of corporate and individual clients.
As an Adjunct Professor at the Catholic University of Milan, Italy, Brian teaches a postgraduate course based on dramatic texts and elements of coaching to examine various work-related performance matters.
Brian’s goal is to support through coaching, training and writing all who wish to reach their full potential, in education, work or life in general.
You can contact Brian via e-mail (brian@bgdtcoaching.com), by clicking on the icons or leaving a comment below.
Brian Groves's Blog
- Brian Groves's profile
- 14 followers
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/are-we-moved-more.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/was-yesterdayreally-better.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/appreciating-something-sweet-about-the-day.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/watching-the-waves-of-the-moment-crash-around-us.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/building-on-a-rock-solid-idea.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/our-place-awaits-us.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/putting-up-a-facade-to-the-moment.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/three-benefits-of-the-proverbial-tea-break.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/using-points-of-references-to-guide-our-progress.jpg){kind=link}
![[image error]](https://bgdtcoaching.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/being-clear-about-what-we-want-to-see.jpg){kind=link}