What is it that you're not noticing...?

Our mind is an incredible piece of equipment. As we go through the day, it gathers information without us even realising it. I saw a film on the television the other day, when someone had to try to remember something. I can't remember the name of the film (although the information is in there somewhere!), but it was one of those save the world situations where a bomb had to be disabled and in order to recall the correct number sequence our hero had to use all his powers of concentration to search his memory. He brought the 'picture' to mind and the world was saved for another day.

I had a similar, if not so dramatic experience yesterday. I had decided to send out an e-letter to a select number of contacts I had picked up at the One Life Live exhibition. The content was directed specifically at this group, but I hadn't realised that I'd made a mistake when creating the bespoke recipient list, and it ended up going out to the whole of my mailing list. So, apologies to anyone who wondered why they were receiving it! Interestingly, the first people to respond didn't seem to notice or mind, but as soon as I received their emails I realised what had happened. As my stomach lurched with the realisation, a picture flashed into my mind of the bespoke list, with the box beside it stating the number of contacts. Had I registered this at the time, I would have been alerted to the fact that the list was too long, but whilst my subconscious mind had received and stored the information, my conscious mind had dismissed it.

What strikes me most about this, is that we are far more capable and extraordinary than we think we are. We can do and achieve almost anything we want if we put our minds to it, even overcoming what we see as our physical limitations. If we don't know it now, we can learn it; if we're not fit enough, we can train for it; if we don't have enough funds, we can find a way to earn them. So, what is it that you're not doing because you have decided you 'can't'? Try replacing this belief with something motivating like "I want to do this. How can I achieve it?" Don't let some silly thing like your conscious mind put you off - reach into your subconscious and explore the very real possibilities.

www.springtolife.co.uk

New entrepreneurs of the recession

Being made redundant will mean something different to everyone, from your worst nightmare to something you've always dreamed of. For those who have been hanging in there, hoping to be let go so that they can start on the project they've had simmering away for months now, it's a chance to get cracking, hopefully with the cushion of funding to tide them over. To others, it can feel like the end of the world and they will be plunged into insecurity, financially and personally. It hardly needs saying that we are living through challenging times, and the media ensures we are all existing on the edge of fear, if we are not already consumed by it.

Whichever way you look at it, we all need to be more creative - about how we spend our money, what we do to enjoy ourselves (and that doesn't have to involve spending) and how we earn a living. The greatest entrepreneurs in the world are, without exception, creative in their approach to business, building and developing new and innovative companies offering something different and exciting. It is my belief that there will be many new entrepreneurs born of this recession. They don't all have to become new giants of the commercial world - you don't need to be quoted alongside Richard Branson to be an entrepreneur. The definition of the term from its French root, is 'one who undertakes'. To me, this means someone who is prepared to take a leap, be different, have faith in their dreams.

So, if you find yourself 'redundant', remember that it is not you who is 'redundant', but the job, and you are so much more than your job. And if you are the director of a company which is having to let people go, consider how you can help them to discover the entrepreneur lurking inside. In my next month's newsletter, I will be giving advice on what to do with your Great Ideas and who can help. To sign up to receive this newsletter, visit my website or email me direct at amydeane@springtolife.co.uk.

Why our stories are so important

Have you ever heard it said to someone, or perhaps had it said to you, that you should write a book...? Some people's lives seem to have been so rich with extraordinary events and experiences that they should be written down and immortalised to entertain or educate the rest of the world.

In fact, we all have extraordinary stories, and we can all learn from each other. Richard Wilkins from the Ministry of Inspiration, says that we are all superheroes masquerading as ordinary people. I love that! And it's true. I have the incredible privilege of hearing people's stories in my coaching practice, and also on "Whatever Next...?" days which I co-facilitate with my colleague, Jeremy Clare. Everyone's story is so interesting and so amazing, and so unique and diverse. What is also fascinating to observe is that there are common threads running through these stories, which could broadly be called 'the human experience'. Not so much threads of events, but threads of emotion. We are all students of the same school of life, each attending our own individual lessons. The learning is the same, but how we each came to that learning will be different every time. And sometimes we have to repeat the lesson over and over before the teaching sets in! Sound familiar...?!

Our stories are our foundation, how we became who we are today and how we will become who we have yet to be. They form us, and can in turn INform us. If you follow your own story, you will discover where you learnt to respond to certain situations, good or bad, and also how to adjust that learning, looking at a particular experience with new eyes - perhaps with the help of someone else's eyes. You will also be reminded of times in your life when you enjoyed a certain activity or hobby, but as your life moved on, these things were forgotten. These memories, chapters in our story, can be the key to returning to Self, and often trigger new ideas and opportunities when re-evaluating your life after a significant life change.

When you hear someone else's story, you might find yourself thinking, I know how that feels! This is one of the ways we connect as human beings, and how we learn to understand each other. This is one of the reasons I decided to include group workshops in my new coaching programme, The Whole Works, because in conjunction with 1-1 coaching, group workshops provide that extra and very different stimulus to reflect and learn.

I decided to write my own story in 2 parts, which can be read on my website. It was a hugely cathartic thing to do and helped me to see where I had learnt certain things along the way. Whether it takes you 5 minutes or 5 hours to write your story, I'd highly recommend it.