A New 30 - Day Challenge

 

 A New 30 - Day Challenge

Hey! It's Dave. 

This week I have decided to issue a bit of a challenge to my readers it is actually based on a Personality Exercise I took about 2 years ago.  

Naturally, having done this myself I would really like you all to do it as well and at the end feedback anything you discovered about yourself during the exercise.

Simply answer each question truthfully and jot down your answers.  You can share the insights (publicly or privately) if you so wish.  But even if you don't share, please leave a comment to tell us what you have discovered about yourself at the end of the questions:-

So here goes

1.  What weird things do you do when you are alone?

2.  How have you changed during the past 2 years?

3.  What kind of person attracts you?

4.  What do you prefer to wear to bed?

5.  Name 5 things that irritate you about the opposite sex?

6.  Name 5 things that irritate you about your own sex?

7.  What is your opinion about checking on people?

8.  What are your current worries?

9.  When was your last kiss?

10. What are your thoughts on drugs & alcohol?

11. Name something you want to say to an ex!

12. Describe a date you would love to go on

13. Spill the beans - Something disgusting that you do?

14. The best thing to happen to you this week is............

15. What am you proud of in your personality?

16. What scares you?

17. Something that never fails to make you feel better?

18. When was your last argument?

19. Something that you can't get over?

20. 3 things about you that people don't really expect?

21. What if........?

22. Something you want to say to someone close to you?

23. Something you want to say to a friend?

24. 10 ways to win your heart? 

25. If you follow a religion what faith are you?

26. Something you like about your brother / sister?

27. What is your happy month and why?

28. What has changed for you significantly this month?

29. Where do you see yourself at this time next year?

30. When did you last say "I Love You!"?

Thank you for taking part and I hope that you got something out of it.

ooo000ooo

About Dave   I am a personal development coach; a therapist; speaker; and  radio presenter.  A number of years ago I founded my coaching practice 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 the following disciplines:-

Life Coaching (Honours Diploma)

Music Therapy (Diploma)

Crystal Therapy (Practioner)

Reiki (Practitioner)

Dementia Awareness

plus I am compiling a series of short videos that will provide an 

Introduction To Mindfulness

To enquire / book a session, then please email me.

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

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 am able to 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!

Being Assertive

      

       BEING ASSERTIVE

This week I decided that I would write a short piece about being assertive.  It is my belief that standing up for yourself can be hard - but there is a way to learn how to be stronger in your approach!

It is important to get your point across to the other person.  However, there are many ways that you can do this so here are just a few

a) Focus on what can be done - say something such as “I understand that it must be difficult for you but we can take that into account when we look at what we can do”

b) State what you want using some words such as what I would prefer is this........

c)Take ownership of your ideas and feelings and viewpoints And you can do this by using the phrase “this is how I see the situation....”

d) Do not focus on opinions but use behaviour and facts such as “When I saw you do…”

e) Make clear statements for example “I don’t have a preference for what we do…“

f) Create a habit of asking open questions - the type that invite the other person to give their view

g) Make sure you focus on what can be done by saying “I know it must be difficult, but we can take that into account…“

It also helps to use the following as ideas:-

Avoid falling into the I win / you lose trap - this view tends to indicate that we live in a hostile place and that the way to survive is to be the stronger person, to strike first because "the best form of defence is attack"

Conversely avoid falling in to the you win / I lose trap because this makes the assumption that your needs (when compared to others) are not as important. You appear to be anxious about standing up for what you want so you make other people feel guilty or sorry for you

So the best thing to do is to adopt the I win / you win situation. This way acknowledges that each persons rights are equally as important as everyone else’s!  You are responsible for your own behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour

And that brings us to the end of the short piece on being assertive it can be hard to stand up for yourself but you can learn to be strong.

(Based on a piece entitled "Be Assertive" by Suzanne and Conrad Potts)

ooo000ooo

About Dave   I am a personal development coach; a therapist; speaker; and  radio presenter.  A number of years ago I founded my coaching practice 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 the following disciplines:-

Life Coaching (Honours Diploma)

Music Therapy (Diploma)

Crystal Therapy (Practioner)

Reiki (Practitioner)

Dementia Awareness

plus I am compiling a series of short videos that will provide an 

Introduction To Mindfulness

To enquire / book a session, then please email me.

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

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 am able to 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!

LOVE - Conditional v Unconditional

Love

Conditional v Unconditional

Recently I became an observer to a conversation between two people and they were talking about two aspects of love conditional love and unconditional love. The discussion lead to an exchange that revealed one of the participants in the discussion had had a parent who would often say things like "if you don't do that I will not love you" can you imagine how that felt to a young child?

Now, we often hear the phrases "conditional love" and "unconditional love" but do we really know what they actually mean?

They are often used in everyday speech and it can prove difficult to determine which is which. Most of us have some kind of event that will teach us about one (or the other) type of love and the result of this is that we can often get confused.

It takes a lot of practice to gain an understanding of the differences between unconditional and conditional love.

So let’s begin by asking the question 

What actually is conditional love?

I think we can safely say that conditional love isn’t a very nice thing! It doesn’t feel very nice, in fact, quite often, it doesn’t feel like love at all! 

If someone exercises conditional love they put terms and restrictions on us and they have their own rules about what merits the giving of love.

To put that another way a person can have great affection for you, can care for you deeply but if it feels to you that you have to earn their love than that love without a shadow of a doubt is conditional.

It is my belief that conditional love often goes out of the window during difficult times. This is sometimes called “Fairweather Love” and that means that your partner, your friend or even a family member, walks away when the times get tough.

Conditional love is not a tried and true love, it often causes deep pain for those who receive it. 

If you find that someone is making you feel unworthy of their love when times are at their darkest this person is providing conditional love and that is completely opposite to the very definition of love.

So what is unconditional love?

It is very difficult to describe but, to put it simply, it is love without limits, without barriers and without any conditions attached to it!

For example, it doesn’t come with “I will love you if…” or “I’ll only love you when you change the way you behave”

On the contrary - there are NO boundaries to unconditional love, there are no debts to unconditional love, there is no charge to unconditional love!

Unconditional love is not an exchange it is freely offered and given! 

You could also say that unconditional love heals deeply,  and the reason for this is that it generates feelings that we have been seen and have been accepted for who we are, despite how difficult the times may be.

In conclusion I believe that possibly the most important statement on this subject is:-

 "you cannot practice unconditional love until you have learnt to Love yourself unconditionally".

ooo000ooo

About Dave   I am a personal development coach; a therapist; speaker; and  radio presenter.  A number of years ago I founded my coaching practice 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 the following disciplines:-

Life Coaching (Honours Diploma)

Music Therapy (Diploma)

Crystal Therapy (Practioner)

Reiki (Practitioner)

Dementia Awareness

plus I am compiling a series of short videos that will provide an 

Introduction To Mindfulness

To enquire / book a session, then please email me.

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

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 am able to 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!

               
    TIME FOR
   YOURSELF

A vast majority of people (including me) believe the theory that it is vital to take time for yourself!

It is also important to create space for enjoyment, preferably daily, but at least every week. Doing this will make you happier and you will be more effective both at work and at home.

Unfortunately, there are some people who feel that they are undeserving of happiness and there are others who feel that in their busy lives it is impossible to take a break and pause.

My belief is that it is vital to take time for yourself and it only takes a shift in perspective, even if you find that your schedule is crammed and you won’t be able to find the extra time, you really do you have to find it!

I advise that you don’t wait “until it feels right“ because we all have unfinished tasks nagging ourselves, and it is very easy to tell yourself that you will unwind when you have everything under control.

However, for some strange reason work and family life create a large infinite number of "to do's" and you won’t succeed with the statement above. So I suggest that you learn to put up with the discomfort of knowing your email inbox is full, or that the house is a tip and just switch off for a little while.

Why not opt for true enjoyment? 

Reserve a small part of each week for doing something that you honestly enjoy just for and of itself.

If you’ve booked tickets or made plans with a friend you will be more likely to make time for yourself. The reason this is so is because the other person will respect you for having something scheduled and it is in fact much easier to leave work because you have something to do than it is to leave work because "you want to relax and chillout".

Why not pay attention to your feelings?

If you find that you are doing something and enjoying yourself, spend half a minute paying attention to the feelings of pleasure that you are experiencing.  By doing so you will find that these feelings will increase.  

It is also highly likely that you will remember the experience in greater detail and that will make you feel that you have had more time to yourself!

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 can 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 Key Is Stuck!

 

         THE KEY IS STUCK!

How often do you try to get somewhere in your life, you have the key but no matter how hard you try it will not open the lock and it simply gets stuck?

I speak from experience here because I have been there! I studied the courses, took the trainings, worked the practicals and passed the exams and yet each time I tried “the key would not open the lock”

I became frustrated, suffered paralysing self doubt, I banged my head against the proverbial brick wall but none of it would “open the lock”

But then I discovered that the key was too BIG to fit the lock. Yes it was the right shape and all the notches were in the correct order but it was just too fat!

So what did I do with this discovery?

I started a change - I dropped some of the things that I was personally least interested in, from my offering - I rebranded slightly and simplified.

The nett result was that I am now busier than I have ever been, my post reads have increased many times over and now I have bookings coming in again.

So maybe, just maybe, if things are not performing the way you would like them to your key is too big for the lock!

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

DAve x

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 can 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!