SAD UPDATE

Latest news - we now have confirmation that the date for the funeral is definitely the 9th Feb. 

So the next post will be your screens on the 17th.  Please bear with me during this sad time.

Thank you

DAve x

Hi Everyone

I have to apologise for the lack of posts recently but to explain:-

My Dad (aged 94) passed away last Saturday morning after a short illness.  The family are somewhat devastated by this news and as a mark of respect I have suspended all posting on my blog pages until his funeral has taken place on 9th February.

I trust that you will bear with me as we continue to deal with whatever the days ahead bring us.

Thanks

DAve x

Taking Stock (Holding A Personal Review)

TAKING STOCK

(Holding A Personal Review)

So here we are at the beginning of 2021 and I have to say that during my life thus far, I have never experienced such upheaval, upset and confusion!  I would like to say that there is a "simple way" out of this but at present the way things are being handled I am not sure that there is! 

I would love to be able to say that I am able to provide a solution to the whole situation in which everyone is finding themselves, but the truth is I cannot! 

However, what I can do is provide a few ideas and suggestions about the ways we can make lifestyle improvements that will help us to work towards making our lives more focused and as a result, hopefully more pleasant and meaningful.

So let us take a few moments, before we go any further,  and recognise that it is time to take stock of where we are right now.   To do this effectively please take the time to ask yourself the following few questions:-

1. What three things have gone well for me in the past six months and why?

a, what am I grateful for?

b, what have I done and been successful at?

c, what type of thinking has created positive results in my life?

2. What three things could I do differently from what I am doing now that will make a positive impact on my life during the next six months?

Think about things that might stop you or will get in your way. How would you deal with them?

3. If I could create three definitely achievable goals for 2021 what would they be?

Identify the milestones that you will have to reach every month to achieve those goals?

Decide how you could celebrate both the weekly results as well as monthly results?

Now, Looking back over the last couple of months answer these questions

Am I surrounding myself with people who inspire and stimulate me?

What do I want to be different in 2021 when compared to 2020?

Where do I need to grow and what action must I take to ensure that growth happens?

What are the thoughts and feelings that sabotage me and how can I create a new internal soundtrack for my life?

What new habits can I create on a daily, weekly or monthly basis to support my progress?

Remember that coaching is always about working on your life and not reacting to events.  Because of this it is also important to ask yourself the following questions on regular basis:-

Am I OK?

What do I need?

What is working for me?

What isn't working for me?

Am I on track?

Where do I need to grow?

What actions do I need to take?

And finally! 

If I only focused on things I can control, what three things would I concentrate on (during the next six months) that would dramatically improve my self care?

So my friends, as you may already know, I work with people, helping them to create a life that works and if you feel that you would benefit from a few Personal Development sessions please feel free to contact me for a "wee chat".

oooOOOooo

The preparation of the new and different 2021 Workbook is underway! 

(But, owing to circumstances it will probably be available in Mid February)

However if you wish to order a copy of the outgoing 2020 workbook please navigate to the Shopping Page

Business Developer / Coach Emma Kersey said this about the 2018 Workbook

"Sorry I didn't get round to fully utilizing the e-book but please know that just reading it helped massively........... just needed a push and the book did that so thank you"

ooo000ooo

About Dave   I am a personal development coach; a therapist; speaker; and  radio presenter.  A number of years ago I founded The Blue Sky Company to enable me to develop my work in more ways.  In addition I am also a therapist and that work includes music therapy; crystal therapy; Reiki and I will soon be offering an introduction to  Mindfulness.

If you would like to know more about my therapy work etc, then please email me.

If you would like to join our Facebook group just follow the link below to the Under Blue Skies page. The page is home to a group of like - minded people (affectionately knows as "the tribe").

By way of a thank you for their continued support Tribe Members regularly receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.  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.

Under Blue Skies Private group · 27 members Join Group This group aims to concentrate primarily on Personal Change although at times there may be elements of Business Change or a cross over point somewhere...

LINKS

Website:

www.moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/bluesky

Wytchwynd Photography

http://moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/photographyportfolio

Pinterest:

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

To subscribe to the blog please go over to the right hand side of this page and click the button that says “Follow”.  Once you do that you will be added to our list of subscribers.

Feel free to share this and other posts with your friends and associates

Inspirational Phrases

In addition to the above I send out a daily email containing an Inspirational Phrase. 

To ensure that we comply with the relevant regulations this is a subscription only service and to  be included please send an email using “add me” as the subject to:- 

underblueskies@zoho.com

Once you have subscribed the phrases will be delivered to your mail box every day at no cost to you whatsoever.

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

And above all

Don't Predict The Future - CREATE IT!

4 Steps To Intuitive Eating

Hi

Thank you for joining me here on the Altered Image Coaching Blog!

Having just got through the Christmas and New Year periods I thought it might be useful (because so many people will be having concerns about their eating during the festivities) to take time to look again at how and why we eat the way we do and to offer a suggestion about changing what we can do about eating.

All too often we resort to our cravings when we make decisions concerning our nutrition or diet. We listen to our internal voice and are often likely to make decisions that do not serve us effectively!

We will often choose sugary foods and/or junk foods – because they are the sort of foods that we think will make us happy and we all know about the lull after the festivities!

However, by practicing intuitive eating and using mindfulness practices to anchor us in the "here and now" we are able to listen to our bodies own innate wisdom.

We can check out our body and listen to its messages, such as:- 

 I am thirsty / I am hungry / I am full / I am bloated (and the like).

It has to be said that there is not a “one size fits all!” solution to the situation because what works for you may not work for me or anyone else.

So here is a short guide to creating and using intuitive eating practices.

Step one
Sit in a quiet place without distractions. Observe your food, notice its’ colour / shape. Close your eyes and notice any smells or aromas.
What is happening to your body, is your mouth watering? Do you feel keen to eat the food? What are you thinking?

Just be in the moment!

Step two
Take the first bite. Notice the temperature, the texture. How does it feel in your mouth? Focus on the taste.

Continue in the same way for the rest of your mail.

Can you sense any messages from your stomach/mouth?

Step three
Close your eyes after eating and check in with your body – how do you feel? Do you feel energised? Do you feel sleepy? Are you satisfied or do you want more?

Be aware of what your body is saying as opposed to your mind.

Step four
Ask yourself how the meal has served you. Notice how you feel between different food types.

Notice the difference between messages that are coming from your body and compare them to those that are coming from your mind.

Follow the things that your body is telling you and eat intuitively then you can move forward into the New Year in a new frame of mind. 

And finally a quote from John Kabat - Zinn:-

“Mindfulness means being awake. It means noticing what you are doing!”

Suggesting A Different Approach

                 

                                                 A Different Approach

Would you like to work in a state of chaos or would you prefer to be in a place where all tins are stored alphabetically, where receipts are filed in an organised fashion in a perfectly organised storage system?

Would you like to work in an office where plants are flourishing, shelves are clean and the meditation mat sits quietly in the corner right next to the windchimes?

Actually, if you are anything like me your space is a state of creative chaos. I actually dislike doing life admin! In fact, if you gave me some paperwork to keep safe, there is a very strong chance that I would mislay it.

I have to confess that I am often surrounded by half-finished projects and it is a sad fact that there are many unfinished projects in our house.  There is probably at least one in each room!

A fellow coach - Barbara Sher, has actually come up with a great description of it and I quote “Clutter is like a modern sculpture that you have assembled around you.  It is a monument paying tribute to indecision.”

And again, if you are like me you will probably spend time decluttering but the chances are you are just "brilliantly disorganised".

Something else that I am guilty of - I rarely know how much money I have in the bank and if during a phone enquiry they were to ask me how much a recent transaction was (or to whom) the chances are that I would have no idea.

I often tell myself (and you probably do as well), that it will get sorted. When I have more time I will get it done!

Will it get done? Probably not!

So what can we do?

The answer could well be found in something called a “life edit“ devised by Anna Newton.

Anna says “a life edit encourages you to create systems and routines so that you save time and use it more wisely”

Editing everything from your budget to your belongings, your kitchen cupboards and your shopping list means that you will ultimately have more time to do what makes you happy.

A couple of suggested ideas are as follows:-

a) cook food in batches so that you are not cooking every single night
b) put your bread in the freezer and only take out what you need when you need it.

These minor changes could probably result in you not having to go to the supermarket every day (and that means you won’t make impulse buys of things that you don’t need).

The spin-offs from these two points are:-

i)  you will be healthier

ii) you will be carrying less weight

Another change each of us can put into place is learning to say no more often. 

If we are invited to a party we often say yes because we don’t want to offend or disappoint the person holding the party. Instead of doing that negotiate an alternative - you could suggest that you meet up the next week because you are not able to attend the party. 

Now here I recommend that you do not justify why you are not able to attend but if you do, simply say that you have something else planned.

These are only a couple of examples of changes you can make that will lead you towards a better life.

Now, I would like to make a suggestion.

Adopting something called the “kaizen” method can help make small changes and improvements more easily achievable.

For example if you want to run a marathon learn the habit of jogging round the block every morning and adding a little more distance each day. The more you do it the greater your willpower will become.

And now a word (or two) about motivation. 

There are several forms that motivation can take:-
External motivation (carrot and stick method)
Internal motivation (Becoming goal based)

and my personal favourite (and recommendation) 

Internal vision based (how you would like to spend your time) - focus on the journey not the destination, don’t set goals! Instead, consider the milestones along the way.

Look for your why?

For example:-

instead of saying that you want to be a professional guitarist or a published photographer ask yourself these questions:-

Why do I like to play my guitar? or Why do I like to take photographs?

Write down your answers as they come.

Keep asking these personal questions to determine your personal vision and it is very likely that in a short while you will notice that you are making steady and very noticeable progress.

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this post and if you have found it useful please click here to drop me a quick email and tell me about your progress.  

oooOOOooo

The preparation of the new and different 2021 Workbook is underway! 

(the first copies should be available by the end of January)

However if you wish to order a copy of the outgoing 2020 workbook please navigate to the Shopping Page

Business Developer / Coach Emma Kersey said this about the 2018 Workbook

"Sorry I didn't get round to fully utilizing the e-book but please know that just reading it helped massively........... just needed a push and the book did that so thank you"

ooo000ooo

About Dave   I am a personal development coach; a therapist; speaker; and  radio presenter.  A number of years ago I founded The Blue Sky Company to enable me to develop my work in more ways.  In addition I am also a therapist and that work includes music therapy; crystal therapy; Reiki and I will soon be offering an introduction to  Mindfulness.

If you would like to know more about my therapy work etc, then please email me.

If you would like to join our Facebook group just follow the link below to the Under Blue Skies page. The page is home to a group of like - minded people (affectionately knows as "the tribe").

By way of a thank you for their continued support Tribe Members regularly receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.  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.

Under Blue Skies Private group · 27 members Join Group This group aims to concentrate primarily on Personal Change although at times there may be elements of Business Change or a cross over point somewhere...

LINKS

Website:

www.moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/bluesky

Wytchwynd Photography

http://moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/photographyportfolio

Pinterest:

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

To subscribe to the blog please go over to the right hand side of this page and click the button that says “Follow”.  Once you do that you will be added to our list of subscribers.

Feel free to share this and other posts with your friends and associates

Inspirational Phrases

In addition to the above I send out a daily email containing an Inspirational Phrase. 

To ensure that we comply with the relevant regulations this is a subscription only service and to  be included please send an email using “add me” as the subject to:- 

underblueskies@zoho.com

Once you have subscribed the phrases will be delivered to your mail box every day at no cost to you whatsoever.

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

And above all

Don't Predict The Future - CREATE IT!

12 Strategy Tips of Lockdown

Hi and welcome to the Altered Image 12 Strategy Tips of Lockdown post.

This list was inspired by my very good friend and fellow coach Nicky so I extend her a great big virtual hug and "thank you" for that.

Photo by Matt Seymour on Unsplash

So never before have most of us lived through such strange times - I know that there are people out there who lived through the Great Wars but for most of us that is beyond our knowledge or comprehension.

Now without further ado let's crack on with the list.................

1) It is important to get out of the house (which at the time of writing is permitted for exercise) and walk.  This will do wonders for your mind, your fitness and your health.

2) Plan Your Time......it would be all to easy to sit in front of the tv (it would probably also end up very boring) and watch and endless stream of soaps, game shows etc.  Instead take the time to plan - what are you going to do?  Make a list of all the things you can (or want to) do.  That will raise your mental energy level.

3) Exercise.....do you have an exercise bike?  Can you do press ups / sit ups / squats etc.  all of these are good for you and will help to keep you in trim.

4) Maintain Contact.....I am sure that the majority of us have phones, access to emails, pens, paper etc.  We are able to write letters to people who we may have lost contact with, they may well appreciate.  Hook up with people that you have not spoken to for ages on Social Media.  There are quite simply many ways to keep up that contact and majority of you need not be alone.

5) Read A Book(or even write your own).....how many of us have said - "I really want to read that book" or "one day I'll read that book again" or "I have this great idea for a story I must do something about it one day"?  Well now we have the opportunity to do just that!

6) Create A Routine.....yes they can be boring but if you can create some sort of varied routine to stop you from just sitting and brooding.

7. Study.....this is an ideal time to work towards a new qualification or skill.  There are many online platforms that can provide such training BSY / UDEMY are just a couple.  Some of the courses are free whilst others will require a little financial outlay (depending on what your choices are)

8. Learn A New Skill..... this could be knitting, it could be a therapy based skill, art, design, playing a musical instrument (there is a huge list of choices)

9. Get Fit.....follow an exercise programme (there are plenty offered online)

10. You could even drop me a letter, call me (07731 510040) if you want to just talk or email me

11. You could learn a meditation or visualisation technique - this is very good if you are feeling a wee bit stressed by the current situation.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY

12. Remember that you are not alone!

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this post and if you have found it useful please click here to drop me a quick email and tell me about your progress.  

oooOOOooo

The preparation of the new and different 2021 Workbook is underway! 

(the first copies should be available by the end of January)

However if you wish to order a copy of the outgoing 2020 workbook please navigate to the Shopping Page

Business Developer / Coach Emma Kersey said this about the 2018 Workbook

"Sorry I didn't get round to fully utilizing the e-book but please know that just reading it helped massively........... just needed a push and the book did that so thank you"

ooo000ooo

About Dave   I am a personal development coach; a therapist; speaker; and  radio presenter.  A number of years ago I founded The Blue Sky Company to enable me to develop my work in more ways.  In addition I am also a therapist and that work includes music therapy; crystal therapy; Reiki and I will soon be offering an introduction to  Mindfulness.

If you would like to know more about my therapy work etc, then please email me.

If you would like to join our Facebook group just follow the link below to the Under Blue Skies page. The page is home to a group of like - minded people (affectionately knows as "the tribe").

By way of a thank you for their continued support Tribe Members regularly receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.  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.

Under Blue Skies Private group · 27 members Join Group This group aims to concentrate primarily on Personal Change although at times there may be elements of Business Change or a cross over point somewhere...

LINKS

Website:

www.moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/bluesky

Wytchwynd Photography

http://moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/photographyportfolio

Pinterest:

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

To subscribe to the blog please go over to the right hand side of this page and click the button that says “Follow”.  Once you do that you will be added to our list of subscribers.

Feel free to share this and other posts with your friends and associates

Inspirational Phrases

In addition to the above I send out a daily email containing an Inspirational Phrase. 

To ensure that we comply with the relevant regulations this is a subscription only service and to  be included please send an email using “add me” as the subject to:- 

underblueskies@zoho.com

Once you have subscribed the phrases will be delivered to your mail box every day at no cost to you whatsoever.

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

And above all

Don't Predict The Future - CREATE IT!

The Last Post of 2020

 I know that this is late................ BUT

MAKE IT COUNT!!!!

oooOOOooo

The preparation of the new and different 2021 Workbook is underway! 

(the first copies should be available by end of January)

However if you wish to order a copy of the outgoing 2020 workbook please navigate to the Shopping Page

Business Developer / Coach Emma Kersey said this about the 2018 Workbook

"Sorry I didn't get round to fully utilizing the e-book but please know that just reading it helped massively........... just needed a push and the book did that so thank you"

ooo000ooo

About Dave   I am a personal development coach; a therapist; speaker; and  radio presenter.  A number of years ago I founded The Blue Sky Company to enable me to develop my work in more ways.  In addition I am also a therapist and that work includes music therapy; crystal therapy; Reiki and I will soon be offering an introduction to  Mindfulness.

If you would like to know more about my therapy work etc, then please email me.

If you would like to join our Facebook group just follow the link below to the Under Blue Skies page. The page is home to a group of like - minded people (affectionately knows as "the tribe").

By way of a thank you for their continued support Tribe Members regularly receive exclusive content that I do not post anywhere else.  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.

Under Blue Skies Private group · 27 members Join Group This group aims to concentrate primarily on Personal Change although at times there may be elements of Business Change or a cross over point somewhere...

LINKS

Website:

www.moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/bluesky

Wytchwynd Photography

http://moonshadowmedia.wixsite.com/photographyportfolio

Pinterest:

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

To subscribe to the blog please go over to the right hand side of this page and click the button that says “Follow”.  Once you do that you will be added to our list of subscribers.

Feel free to share this and other posts with your friends and associates

Inspirational Phrases

In addition to the above I send out a daily email containing an Inspirational Phrase. 

To ensure that we comply with the relevant regulations this is a subscription only service and to  be included please send an email using “add me” as the subject to:- 

underblueskies@zoho.com

Once you have subscribed the phrases will be delivered to your mail box every day at no cost to you whatsoever.

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

And above all

Don't Predict The Future - CREATE IT!