Wise Wednesdays

  This week, during a coaching conversation with a wonderful client who noticed what seemed like miraculous results in terms of influence on her team, we explored how she was able to create these results. We had worked on shifting a set of beliefs using the HAPI process and it resulted in her rapidly recruiting a fantastic new team member to support research on a national research initiative, with little organisational opposition which was unusual. She asked me how shifting her thinking had enabled this, so I thought I’d take time to share a response in Wise Wednesdays. On one level it’s intuitive: think positive thoughts, create positive results. On another level, it can feel like woo woo. But as a coach, I still use the medical principle of Ockham’s razor: the simplest explanation is the truth. Here are a few rational reasons positive thinking creates exciting results: 1) Positive thoughts create positive feelings : This is the basic mechanics of the mind-body connection. P...

Last week, we explored "the space between stories" or "the mystery between manifestations" – those periods of transition that mark every change in our lives. This week, drawing inspiration from “Deep Ecologist” Joanna Macy's book World as Lover, World as Self , here are 4 perspectives to explore as you navigate a transformational moment in your career, life or society: #1: The World as Battlefield: Do you see yourself as a warrior battling daily demons? While you’re fuelled by mountains of energy, you might also question the purpose of this ongoing battle. Where does it end? When does the warrior get to rest? #2: The World as Trap: Recognising there's something better, you accept the world as naturally disappointing and difficult. Despite occasional escapes through spiritual practice or nature, you find yourself returning to the world trap on Monday mornings. #3: The World as Lover: Do you sense the beauty in everything, viewing each moment as an opportunity...

  “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: now is the time of monsters” , said the philosopher, Gramsci. This past month, it's been a challenging time to write amid the complex state of global affairs and their impacts on people and relationships. I was asked for my perspective on several occasions and shared a few strategies for navigating the conversations without escalating conflict. In theory: the psychology of uncertainty I believe that we’re entering a period of intense transformation. Old social, geopolitical and economic structures are unravelling while new ones are emerging, influenced by ecological challenges and technology-driven information flows. We’re living through a Great Eco-Social Transformation and weaving a new social fabric. The psychology of the “in between phase” is familiar to me through working with service-driven clients going through significant transformation but also from directly experiencing the disruption of war and massive so...