15/11/23 Making My Way Back…….

 

Hello and Merry Meet

After what seems to be an absolute eternity I feel that I am now getting into a position where I can begin to reboot my blog.   It has been quite a journey, and one which I have no great desire to repeat.

However, there is life in the old dog yet and so I am not planning on going anywhere in the near future.

I have, however, done a lot of thinking over recent weeks and I feel that I do need some kind of change of lifestyle. To that end I have, for the moment, cut down my working hours to just one day a week and I aim to keep them that way for the foreseeable future.

I must say that my work colleagues and one director, have been absolutely excellent!   Sadly, though, I cannot say the same about the other director - I don’t even think he knows that I have been in the office  today.

So please accept my apologies for my absence, and for the brevity of this post, but as things progress, I am sure that the posts will return to their normal length and the varied content.

All the very best for the future

Thank you for reading this post and I will post again very soon.

Love, Light and the Brightest of Blessings

DAve x 

Aka Merlin x

Creating Your Identity

There are several steps that you need to follow to be able to create a rock solid identity for yourself

Step 1 

Ask yourself - Who am I?

What are my values?

What are my beliefs?

What are my ideals?

Step 2

Self-refection is a great way to understand how and why you feel the way you do. Taking the time to look inward and give serious thought to your behaviours can be an effective way to know where these insecurities come from. Once you understand the cause of these troublesome feelings, you can divert your attention to other matters. 

Step 3

Practising self-affirmation can be a simple process. All you need to do is give yourself constant encouragement. These can be verbal reminders like saying something positive to yourself each morning or physical reminders such as leaving positive notes on your desk at work. When combined, these positive reminders will cheer you up and help accept yourself for who you are.

Step 4

Mindfulness is about focusing on your environment. It involves relaxing, meditating, and concentrating on sounds or thoughts. Mindfulness exercises can be as short as 60 seconds or as long as an hour. During this time, you can become more aware of yourself and your surroundings. 

It’s Not Too Late To Shine!

“I don’t care how old you are it is never too late to stand out from the crowd and make your mark on the world!”

So to begin let me ask you this question :- what does it take to put yourself into the situation where you can leave that mark?  What conversations would you need to be holding, and with whom?

I believe that there are 7 clear and basic steps that you need to take and work on every single day.And those steps are:-

1. Be clear about your goals.
2. Take the initiative to learn and exceed what is asked of you
3. Learn to cultivate positive and meaningful relationships
4. Adopt healthy routines
5. Work To cultivate self-awareness, and keep up the practice
6. Find success in the workplace.
7. Where possible find and secure the services of a mentor- someone who has done exactly what you are setting out to achieve.

Additionally, I believe that inspiration is a necessary key factor!

As is going along with your instincts / gut feelings.

All too often, over the years I have noticed that there is a tendency for people to get to a point in their lives (a point that has no fixed age) where they start to think they are “too old” “over the hill” “ready for the knackers yard” etc. but my response to that way of thinking is “no way is that for me!”  I have far too much that I want (and feel that I need to do) with my life before I say goodbye.

So now let’s talk a little about some of the ways we are able to shine!

a) live a life that is respectable and not hypocritical - 

Take the time to define your values, priorities, and goals for life. Work to fulfill the desires you want to achieve. Build your relationships and be a good family member and friend. Serve your community and mankind and stay true to yourself.

b) choose to do the loving thing

Reminding yourself to “do the loving thing” taps into a deep part of yourself, it unleashes powers much stronger than fear. Checking into true-north on your moral compass gives you tremendous courage

c) avoid arguments

1. Give yourself and others some space. If you can, go outside or into another a room to avoid escalating an argument.
2. Count to 10 and breathe. This can help you start to feel better. ...
3. Find a referee. ...
4. Write a letter. ...
5. Leave it!

d) only share your opinions if you are asked for them.

It is very disrespectful and presumptuous if you proffer your opinions / ideas when they may not be wanted.   

If you offer advice where it is not requested can give out an air of superiority, because it assumes that you (the advice giver) know what is best.  Unsolicited advice can often be perceived as being critical rather than helpful.

If you really want to get it off your chest, write it down and you will feel lighter.  The next time you feel the urge to share things with your friends, try to deliberately resist it for a while. If it is a momentary urge, it might disappear in some time.

So that brings me to the end of this piece about creating your identity and I hope that you have found it useful.

If it has raised any questions please feel free to drop me the question in an email to devonlifecoach@mail.com and I will get back to you with answer as soon as possible.

Have a superb day

And remember

Don’t predict the future - CREATE IT!

DAve x

A Get Away Week

Wednesday 25/10/23

…… and we loaded up the car and headed off to South Molton for about 10 days - some of which were to be just Ali and I and others spent with Danni, Anthony and the children.

They arrived on site later in the week so we had a few really peaceful days alone.  We travelled round quite  bit and saw more new parts of the county we had not seen before such as Tiverton Minster -  stunning piece of architecture.

Eventually once The Stewarts arrived I thought that we might get some time with our friends, but sadly the wasn’t to be, because they had made other plans, plus I was not on top form.

Eventually on Monday Tina arrived and we began moving about a bit more and eventually came home on Thursday.

Today Might Be A Sad One.......

 

                                                                          "Misty"

Today is Wednesday 28th June 2023 and it is the day before Dawn's Birthday and sadly it may be the last time we have the company of our beautiful little cat "Misty"  She has been with us for many years and is probably Dawn's most devoted companion.

She is as much a family member as any one of us and so I am here at work writing this with a very, very heavy heart!

Admidst many tears (in private) I knelt and whispered in her ear as she slowly ate her breakfast.  I thanked her for being such a loving member of the family, for being probably Dawn's best ever friend.

And so if this is your final day on the earth and you walk the Rainbow Bridge, please do so with my heartfelt thanks, my blessings and my love.

You will always hold a very special place in my heart and in those of the other members of your family.

As I am again fighting back the tears I give all my love and thanks to you 

Misty (our beautiful friend and family member)

DAD xx

The week from hell-p

Hi and welcome to this week's blog

To say that this last week has been the week from Hades is a bit of an understatement.  There has been lost data, computer crashes and subsequent recovery systems put in place which did work to some extent but then managed to lose other important information like log in details, passwords etc.

Nerves have been rather frazzled and I have been close to breaking point a few times in the last few days but fortunately not all of it was my fault.   Computer systems that were working perfectly last week suddenly decided that they did not like what was happening and that they would shut down / freeze.

The friendly IT guy put things right by dumping everything, installing a new o/s (which to be fair has made a huge difference to the speed of my machine but alongside that I lost a lot of email information that was saved within the program, and lots of documents now don't appear!

Sadly I am NOT particularly literate when it comes to computer speak so I get lost when my well meaning friend lapses into computer language.

The I find just a few moments ago that (despite his reassurances to the contrary) some of the programs I use regularly (such as this one) have asked for passwords to be entered when I have never had to enter them at all during the past 4 or 5 years..... now maybe you (dear reader) have a password file the size of an encyclopaedia but let me assure you I do not!!

So, in a nutshell I have most definitely felt the strain during the last 7 days.

If I wasn't committed to not smoking this week would definitely have made me become a smoker again.

So there you have it - rant over!!!!

Thanks for taking the time to be here and I hope that the next 7 days are much better.

all the best

DAve x

oooOOOooo

      Affirmations, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blog Traffic, Books, Recommendations 

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                                          SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!

                   About Me - Personal Development Coach; Music Therapist, 

                                        Speaker; Radio Presenter; Author

“I established my coaching practice, a number of years ago, and, although it has gone through various incarnations, the core of Altered Image Coaching has always remained the same – to help and encourage people to live their best lives”

Certifications 

I hold qualifications in each of the following disciplines: –

Suicide Alertness - awarded 2019

Music Therapy (Diploma) - awarded 2016

Personal Performance Coaching Certificate - awarded 2008

Life Coaching (Honours Diploma) - awarded 2007

Introduction To Counselling Certificate - awarded 1995

Introduction To Employee Investigation Certificate - awarded 1993

Crystal Therapy (Practitioner)

Reiki (Practitioner)

Dementia Awareness Award

I have also compiled a series of short videos that help to provide an

Introduction To Mindfulness

To Find out more about how we may be able to work together or to just dive straight in and book a session, please click here to send me an email

We also have a Facebook group and join search for the Altered Image Coaching page.  This page is home to a group of like-minded people (affectionately known as the tribe), and as a thank you, for their continued support, people who join “the tribe” often receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.

This page is home to a group of like-minded people (affectionately known as the tribe), and as a thank you, for their continued support, people who join “the tribe” often receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.

Plus, the page also provides advance information about forthcoming projects and events.

So, please spread the word about the blog, the tribe, and the other areas to your friends and family, and I hope to welcome you as a member of our tribe very soon.

Issues All Around

 Hi it’s Dave and thank you for joining me on this week’s post

To say that the past week and a half has had its’ share of issues is something of an understatement.  So far I have had a total meltdown of my laptop / a rebuild (and teething issues).

This has resulted in having to try and fathom out how to use a brand new set up and the attendant complexities of learning how to do things on what is ostensibly a whole new computer whilst trying to continue to function effectively at work whilst battling through this.

It has definitely not been the smoothest of times!!!!!

Anyway that said the computer engineer has said he will come out and try to iron out at least some of the bumps and glitches.

                                                         oooOOOooo

      Affirmations, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blog Traffic, Books, Recommendations 

                             Beneficial, Change Your Life, coffee break ideas

                                          SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT!

                   About Me - Personal Development Coach; Music Therapist, 

                                        Speaker; Radio Presenter; Author

“I established my coaching practice, a number of years ago, and, although it has gone through various incarnations, the core of Altered Image Coaching has always remained the same – to help and encourage people to live their best lives”

Certifications 

I hold qualifications in each of the following disciplines: –

Suicide Alertness - awarded 2019

Music Therapy (Diploma) - awarded 2016

Personal Performance Coaching Certificate - awarded 2008

Life Coaching (Honours Diploma) - awarded 2007

Introduction To Counselling Certificate - awarded 1995

Introduction To Employee Investigation Certificate - awarded 1993

Crystal Therapy (Practitioner)

Reiki (Practitioner)

Dementia Awareness Award

I have also compiled a series of short videos that help to provide an

Introduction To Mindfulness

To Find out more about how we may be able to work together or to just dive straight in and book a session, please click here to send me an email

We also have a Facebook group and join search for the Altered Image Coaching page.  This page is home to a group of like-minded people (affectionately known as the tribe), and as a thank you, for their continued support, people who join “the tribe” often receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.

This page is home to a group of like-minded people (affectionately known as the tribe), and as a thank you, for their continued support, people who join “the tribe” often receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.

Plus, the page also provides advance information about forthcoming projects and events.

So, please spread the word about the blog, the tribe, and the other areas to your friends and family, and I hope to welcome you as a member of our tribe very soon.

What Is It About Music?

 

       What Is It About

             Music?

Hi Everyone I'm Dave B and thank you for joining me here for this week's blog.

It is possible that I might have mentioned this before in one of my previous posts but that said it is something that I am passionate about:-

MUSIC in its' many forms and styles.

Have you ever wondered why it is that music can be so evocative?

It is true that we only need to put on a piece of music and within a few moments a shift happens and we can soon find ourself somewhere totally different, for some it could be Paris, for some it could be in the middle of a field with a loved one.  For others it could be in the heart of a fairground......

No matter where it takes us, simply sitting and listening for just a few minutes can dissolve all the stresses and strains of every day life and there is no need to move anywhere.

This was brought home to me when I saw a comment that a friend had posted online.  She said that had been listening to piece of music and with just 5 minutes she was:-

"fully relaxed and recharged!"

It was this realisation that prompted me to study for a Music Therapy Diploma and then, once qualified to become a music therapist.

Music has the power to calm the furrowed brow, and a formidable quote from Hans Christian Andersen say it all for me.  He said

"Where words fail, music speaks!"

I whole-heartedly believe that music has no need of language it speaks through emotions.

So next time you feel pressured, stressed, or in need of relaxation instead of turning to questionable substances put on some music, close your eyes and let your imagination take you on a journey of discovery, 

You never know, you might enjoy it!

Such is the power of music!

oooOOOooo

Affirmations, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blog Traffic, Books, Recommendations 

Beneficial, Change Your Life, coffee break ideas 

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

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About Dave  Personal development coach; music therapist; speaker, radio presenter

                               

"I established my coaching practice a number of years ago and although it has gone through various incarnations the core of Altered Image Coaching has always remained the same - to help and encourage people to live their best lives".  

Certifications

I hold qualifications in each of the following disciplines:-

Suicide Alertness - awarded 2019

Music Therapy (Diploma) - awarded 2016

Personal Performance Coaching Certificate - awarded 2008

Life Coaching (Honours Diploma) - awarded 2007

Introduction To Counselling Certficate - awarded 1995

Introduction To Employee Investigation Certificate - awarded 1993

Crystal Therapy (Practitioner)

Reiki (Practitioner)

Dementia Awareness

I have also compiled a series of short videos that help provide an 

Introduction To Mindfulness

To find out more about how we might be able to work together or to just dive straight in and book a session, then please click here to send me an email

If you would like to join our Facebook group just follow the link to the new

 Altered Image Coaching page. 

This page is home to a group of like - minded people (also affectionately known as "The Tribe") and as a thank you for their continued support people who join "The Tribe" often receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.  

Plus the page also provides advanced information about forthcoming projects and events.

So, please spread the word about the blog, the tribe etc. to your friends and family and I hope to see you as a member of our "Tribe" soon.

LINKS

Website:

https://moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/alteredimage

Wytchwynd Photography:

http://moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/photographyportfolio

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.co.uk/davethemerlin/under-blue-skies/

17/05/23 It Is All A Question Of Attitude!

Attitude 

Hi it's DAve and thank you for joining me on the blog this week.

Today I would like you to consider something.....

Many, many people sit in the middle of their lives and convince themselves that the world is a big bad scary place, or that it owes them a living, or better still that everyone is “out to get them” Sadly this sort of thinking can become what we describe as a self fulfilling prophesy. 

The phrase “As you think so shall you be” has never been truer than it is in today's world. It is very easy to adopt a complacent attitude, you drift along allowing the events taking place in your life to just wash over you, to put yourself in the role of the victim or to believe that you have no control over things that affect you. 

And yet, you don't realise that you can change that situation in a flash, in the blink of an eye. 

Here is a short exercise that will illustrate this point to you.  

If it is possible stand up and start to imagine what it would feel like if you had just discovered that your car had a flat battery, that the tyres had been slashed, and that your postman had delivered a huge collection of bills this morning. 

What position would your body adopt? 

How would you stand? 

Would you sigh?

How would you be breathing? 

What expression would be on your face?

NOW

Imagine that while you were standing there somebody came up to you and told you that you had just won that competition you entered a few weeks ago! 

You have won a luxury holiday to the Seychelles, and you now have a guaranteed income of £40,000 hitting your bank every year for the rest of your life. 

What positions would you adopt now? 

How would you be standing? 

How would you be breathing? 

What expression would be on your face?

It is a fair bet that your whole physiology changed as quick as a flash when you pictured the good fortune that had come your way.

So you see, as was said earlier, your whole attitude can change in an instant and that is one of the core principles of Solution Based Thinking. 

Once you realise that you have the ability to take control of your life your personal attitude changes!  

The realisation that you can always control your reaction to the things that happen in your life and that you can approach problems from an entirely different perspective is something that is very very powerful.

oooOOOooo
Affirmations, Blogging, Blogging Tips, Blog Traffic, Books, Recommendations 
Beneficial, Change Your Life, coffee break ideas 
SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT
oooOOOooo

About Dave  Personal development coach; music therapist; speaker, radio presenter

                               

"I established my coaching practice a number of years ago and although it has gone through various incarnations the core of Altered Image Coaching has always remained the same - to help and encourage people to live their best lives".  

Certifications
I hold qualifications in each of the following disciplines:-
Suicide Alertness - awarded 2019
Music Therapy (Diploma) - awarded 2016
Personal Performance Coaching Certificate - awarded 2008
Life Coaching (Honours Diploma) - awarded 2007
Introduction To Counselling Certficate - awarded 1995
Introduction To Employee Investigation Certificate - awarded 1993
Crystal Therapy (Practitioner)
Reiki (Practitioner)
Dementia Awareness
I have also compiled a series of short videos that help provide an 
Introduction To Mindfulness
To find out more about how we might be able to work together or to just dive straight in and book a session, then please click here to send me an email

If you would like to join our Facebook group just follow the link to the new
 Altered Image Coaching page. 

This page is home to a group of like - minded people (also affectionately known as "The Tribe") and as a thank you for their continued support people who join "The Tribe" often receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.  

Plus the page also provides advanced information about forthcoming projects and events.

So, please spread the word about the blog, the tribe etc. to your friends and family and I hope to see you as a member of our "Tribe" soon.





LINKS

Website:
https://moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/alteredimage

Wytchwynd Photography:
http://moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/photographyportfolio

Pinterest:
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/davethemerlin/under-blue-skies/


Workbook



Apologies but
The 2023 Workbook (#7) 
HAS STALLED !!!


Please email: devonlifecoach@mail.com for more information



oooOOOooo


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Have a fantastic day, live a life of Passion and Power.

And again, above all remember

"Don't Predict The Future - CREATE IT!"
DAve x