Blog
It’s Not Happening To You (WT628)
It’s 4:12am in the morning. I got up especially early to attend an online training. There was no email with the login details. I checked last night and I double checked this morning. That’s odd. They always send an email reminder. I logged in to the training portal to get the link. The training date is tomorrow. Damn! I got up early just for this and it’s not on until tomorrow; that means I have to get up early again tomorrow. Did they change the date? I was sure I had it right. I almost let myself go into the Primal state of psychological suffering. I almost started to blame. I almost...
You Can Convince Yourself (WT627)
This week we exchanged contracts on a house. We’d been looking for a while and were initially looking for something to renovate as well as develop in a few years. We hadn’t found anything that met our initial criteria, so we decided to change the criteria. Within a few weeks, we found a number of properties which met the new criteria. One property was a fully renovated property although the rooms were small. Another property had an extra bedroom and bathroom and a better outlook, however it needed a complete renovation. We were serious about purchasing the first property which was going to...
Tell Me What You Don’t Want (WT626)
If I asked you what you want, could you tell me? Could you tell me in great detail or would you be vague? Would you say something like, “I don’t really know”? Or would you start to tell me what you don’t want? This is very common. Most people cannot say exactly what they want however most can say what they don’t want. It makes it hard for people to give you want you want or help you get what you want, if: You don’t really know, orYou can’t articulate it clearly. So here’s a little exercise you can do, for yourself and/or with others: Take out a piece of paper or ipad or something to write...
Shirl Wants One (WT525)
Firstly, congratulations to our lucky winners from last week, where we celebrated 12 years of thoughts and welcome to our new subscribers. Last week I attended the Lake Macquarie Women in Business Network and gave a presentation on How Your Personality Affects How Well You Lead. It was a lot of fun with a great group of ladies. We went through the REACH profiles and had a giggle at some of the differences. This week’s thought continues the theme, however I didn’t find the example I’m about to share, as funny. Here’s what happened: Ross has a mate whose mum has dementia and yet she is still...
I Just Want A Cuddle (WT624)
This past week or so has been tough. I woke up with a sore throat. Ross teased me and said it was because I snored all night. Very funny! The next day I had to cancel a lunch. I rang my friend and as soon as I spoke she started to laugh. “Cancelling lunch today Shirl?” I thought I had what people were calling the “Superflu”, so I went to get a PCR test to confirm. I was totally shocked when the results came back to say I tested positive for Covid-19. Oh boy! Seven days in isolation. Now that was going to be tricky. We don’t have a spare bed and I wasn’t going to sleep on the lounge. I social...
For What Purpose? (WT623)
As always, I love to hear your feedback and especially to know that you are sharing the thoughts with your friends, family and colleagues. Last week I received a number of responses regarding saying “No”. Thanks everyone for your replies. There is one response in particular that I want to share with you. It comes from a long time reader and supporter, John Lizzio. Thank you John. John shared that his colleague Catherine Cooper Norwood (RIP) used to say the three most important words in any language are “For what Purpose”. A question to be asked constantly and then followed by a resounding...
Say “No” – Get Your Time Back (WT622)
This concept comes up time and time again. Pardon the pun. It’s so important to be able to say “No” to things that don’t serve you or move you towards your goals and outcomes. Here’s an example. I have to say, I’m feeling very proud of myself right at this minute because I said “No” and I now have extra time to write to you as well as a topic to discuss with you. Since launching my book, The Loyal Lieutenant, Kellie O’Brien, my marketing lady, has been looking for opportunities for me to be a guest on podcasts etc. She’s put an enormous amount of effort into finding the right hosts and...
Because John Said (WT621)
Twenty years ago, I shouted myself a gold signet ring with the initials R&S etched onto the face of the ring. Overall, I was happy enough with the ring, however one thing bothered me and that was the shape. In my mind, I had visualised the ring to be more elongated. To me, it was a bit “fat”. Each time I would look at the ring, I would feel a bit of an “uggh”. This week I was talking with John who owns a very successful jewellery store and I showed him my signet ring. He asked to look at it more closely, so I took it off and gave it to him. “When I look at the ring Shirl, it looks like a...
Overwhelm is a State of Mind (WT620)
This week I’ve been hearing myself and many others describe their feelings of overwhelm. “I can’t get it all done.” “There’s not enough time.” “There’s too much to do.” And my favourite, “I’ve got a To Do List as long as a toilet roll”. It’s time to reveal the truth about overwhelm. Overwhelm is a state of mind. It describes how we are allowing ourselves to feel. Thanks to David Bayer, I discovered the unintelligent thinking around overwhelm. When we’re feeling overwhelmed, we are in what Bayer calls, the “Primal State” where we experience stress, anxiety, indecision and procrastination....
It’s Just Data (WT619)
When things happen, do you get emotional? I do! Although these days I can usually calm myself down fairly quickly and coach myself out of a full blown tizzy or an unthoughtful reaction. I thought it might be a useful discussion this week. When I worked for Kip McGrath Education Centres I really appreciated working with Storm McGrath because he had the ability to be detached. If something happened (and keep in mind, this was 20 odd years ago), and I got emotional, I knew my logic went out the window. You may know the saying, “When emotion is high, intelligence is low”. Well fortunately...