Tips and Talk

Newsletter
 

Tips and Talk – March 2008

Apologies to those of you who I know (because you tell me) look forward to the Newsletter; I can only say life has been extremely hectic over the last few months. Hopefully we are back on track for one at least bi-monthly.

Last Autumn I started Tai Chi, which is a wonderful discipline for body, mind and spirit. During a recent lesson, some of the class members were bemoaning the fact that they were not improving fast enough. Complaints included:

‘I forget everything as soon as I get home.’
‘I can get the legs or the arms, but not both together.’
‘I can remember the beginning, everything after that is a blank.’
‘There’s so much to remember, I’ll never do it well.’

Our teacher smiled and said, as he does nearly every lesson:
‘No one learns to do Tai Chi well quickly. I wouldn’t expect you to get it right straight away; I’ve been doing it for years, and I’m still learning. I start by teaching you some of the form; then we go back and refine the different elements before we move on. We take a small element, practise and refine it, and we’ll continue to do this even as we add new moves.

Often people increase their difficulties by adding in extra movements, making an element more complicated than it actually is. In Tai Chi less is more, the finished form appears sophisticated complex and elegant. In actual fact the elegance is created by making only very small purposeful changes in movement. 

Practise one small sequence until you feel comfortable with it; take another, then practise the linking moves that weave the separate elements into a seamless, flowing whole.’

Food for thought ……….?

Tip of the Month

With thanks to Michael Neill, here is the promised follow-up to the ‘New Year’s Resolution goals’:

"If you have built your castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be.  Now, put the foundations under them."
                                          Henry David Thoreau

Last time, I shared one of my favourite ways of coaxing your true heart's desires out of your spirit, up into your head and down onto a piece of paper.

This week, we continue the process by refining your list and dividing it in two:  your "fairy godmother" list and your "projects for 2008".

"Fairy godmother" lists are made up of those things you would love to be, do or have in your life but you aren't really sure if you're up for creating them.  However, if they fell into your lap, came to you out of a clear blue sky, or your fairy godmother showed up, waved her magic wand and "hey, presto!" they were yours, you'd be all for it.

This is a powerful list to have because it keeps you in touch with your fondest dreams and warmest desires, even if the circumstances for their creation don't seem to be slanted in your favour right now.

Your projects for 2008, on the other hand, are those things you want to take responsibility for and make at least a part of your life about creating.  Whether or not these projects actually come off as planned, you'll feel good about having invested the time and energy into doing whatever you know to do to make things happen.

This list will give you a way of organizing your efforts so you can get maximum reward for every action taken. The reason it's so valuable to have both lists is simply this:

‘While inspiration without perspiration (i.e. action) may be impotent, perspiration without inspiration just plain stinks’

Here's all you need to do:

1. Go through the list of creative ideas for your life you generated with the December ‘Tips and Talk’

2. Now, for each item on your list, ask yourself a simple question:
    ‘Regardless of whether or not I think I can actually have this, do I really want it?’
 

  • If your answer is an unquestionable "yes", circle or highlight it
  • If your answer is an unquestionable "no", cross it off or delete it.
  • If your answer is ANYTHING else, put a star next to it.

3. Gather all your "yes" goals on a new list.  Now, go back through each item and ask yourself these questions:

    ‘Do I want to make part of my life over the next year about actively creating this?’
    ‘Do I want to invest my time and energy into making this happen?’
    ‘If this didn't lead to the result I wanted, would I still be glad I took the time to work on it?’

  • If your answer is an unquestionable "yes", put it on your
    project list;
  • If your answer is an unquestionable "no", put it on your "fairy
    godmother" list;
  • If your answer is ANYTHING else, put it on your "fairy
    godmother" list for now.

 

Bonus Tip:
What do I do with the starred items from question two?

When you come across something on your list that isn't quite a "yes" but isn't quite a "no" either, chances are your head is fighting with your heart or your intellect is quarrelling with your wisdom.

My personal way of dealing with this is to put these items on a "no for now" list, and know that if they really matter to me they'll still be there the next time I check in with what I want.

This reflects my belief that when it comes to creating a life that makes you go "Wow!", goal-setting is an inherently irrational process.

In "You Can Have What You Want", I put it like this:

"The number of reasons you have to do something is inversely proportional to how much you actually want to do it.

In other words, if you have too many reasons to do something, chances are you don't really want to do it.  But if you can't think of a great reason to do something and you really want to or know to do it anyway, that's almost certainly an authentic intuitive prompting or heartfelt desire."

                                                                                               Michael Neill
News of Courses

  • Emotional Clarity – Johnny’s course was a huge success and places for the next level are filling up. The course is accredited by the British Institute of Hypnotherapy and if you would like further details phone Johnny on 01428 653881

 

  • NLP Diploma – listening to what you have to say, we are returning to our original format for the Diploma. The Autumn course will be two weekends, October 4/5 and 18/19

The cost will remain at £200

  • EFT Level 1, 2 and 3 Gary Craig and AAMET approved

AAMET has been very active over the last few months, resulting in increased
rigour and credibility for EFT. If you are interested in the details, there is a transcript of an e-mail sent by Tam LLewllyn (Head of AAMET) on the EFT page of the website
www.innersense.info

The next dates are:
Level 1 and 2 June 13 – 15
Level 3 September 13/14

HOT NEWS !!

For some time we have been running a Diploma Part 2 for the Early Childhood Service. This has proved so successful that we have been asked by several of you if we would consider making it available to all. Why not? – we couldn’t think of a reason, in fact it was a case of ‘Why hadn’t we thought of this ourselves?!’ As a result we are planning one for the Autumn; details of dates coming shortly.

The Advanced Diploma is designed for all those of you who not sure about committing to a Practitioner Programme, but want more NLP. It consists of a further four days, which we will be running as two weekends. It is open to anyone who has completed our four day Diploma.

If you want to register your interest or get further details, e-mail info@innersense.info
 

Have fun!

        Jenny and John