One of the most common challenges my coaching clients struggle with is handling distractions. They get frustrated because succumbing to distractions stops them from doing the important things that help them move forwards towards achieving their bigger goals.
I sometimes fall foul of this too. This week, I had a couple of almost completely free days and thus more time on my hands than usual. So you’d think I got lots done? Wrong! (you knew that was coming didn’t you) For example, one morning I somehow decided that looking at Facebook page analytics was fascinating and critical(!) and also that I really should catch up on all this month’s tweets from those I follow … and all the links in the tweets ! 2 hours later, time for a sandwich and catch up on the day’s headlines on Sky news. An hour later (well you shouldn’t rush digesting lunch should you!) and that morning… and half of the day… had passed forever. Continue reading
Many years ago I read a popular self-help book called “What to say when you talk to yourself”. The book is all about “self talk” : how the things we tell ourselves and others make an impact, both positively and negatively, on how we live our lives. It challenges the reader to examine their own self talk and modify it. For example, I remember at the time thinking about how I normally reacted when people asked me “How are you today?” I’d usually respond with something like “Oh, not so bad” – a bit of a negative expression really. So I resolved to make a new habit (which has lasted since then) of responding with something more like “Good thanks” or “I’m OK”. This helped lift my spirits and therefore made a positive difference for me as long as I what I was saying was “true enough” and not too “overdone”.