Category: Amazon coaching blog

It is not hard to see what people value in their lives. Generally speaking, what you spend your money on determines what you think is important. In simple speak, follow the money trail and all will be revealed.

So how do we determine what is valuable, and how is it valued? What is a problem, and what determines the dollar spend to fix it? And what does it say about us when we continue hoarding and buying stuff, when clearly there are other more pressing issues at hand?

From the questions above we can see that seeking help to fix, manage, or solve a problem is not straight forward. There are many variables, beliefs, opinions and values associated to requiring, and/or seeking, to get help for a real, imagined, or a perceived problem. There are also lots of ways we avoid problems by buying and hoarding our way out of them... or trying to.

Some areas of life that require help or the need for a problem to be fixed are simple, accepted, and straight forward. Often these problems are associated to our needs and what we deem to be not negotiables - these things are considered far too important to ignore as they would tangibly impact our quality of life. In other words we can quantify and measure what would happen if we did not fix them.

For example:[green_tick_1_list width="100%"]

• If the car breaks down you get it fixed - if the price to repair it is too much you replace it.
• If you wear out a pair of shoes you buy another pair.
• If you get a leak in the roof of your house you get it repaired.
• If you need food you buy it.
• And so on.....[/green_tick_1_list]

The above problems are dealt with in real time because they would cause us visible and measurable pain if we chose not to fix them. The outcomes of the above are self explanatory. There is a cost to solve these problems that is accepted - often with little if any questioning. Often they are fixed because to leave them would cause further pain or discomfort on some level.

But what about getting help for the problems that are not that tangible (not a physical object or service for example), or the ones you can put off because they are considered to be not that important?

Are there any bells ringing for you yet in relation to where your values really sit and what you are prepared to invest in getting help in your life?

Lets pose a few more questions:[green_tick_1_list width="100%"]

• Is your car and the money you spend on it more valuable than your health?
• Is buying a new handbag more important than seeking help to manage/minimise the stress or baggage in your life?
• Is the next trip overseas to help ease/manage the conflict in your relationship, more important to you (both) than facing the fact that the real issue (let alone the cost emotionally and financially if the relationship fails..) is that you both need to focus on getting help and clarification on the relationship itself?
• Or is jealousy and conflict destroying your life, but you'd rather avoid it by shopping it away or blaming someone else for it...and not looking at yourself?
• I could go on...[/green_tick_1_list]

The point I am making here is that the things (and people..) we truly value are evident in our lives for all to see. If we value our relationships it is demonstrated in the way we treat people. If we value ourselves it shows in how we treat ourselves. If we value or treasure something, we take the time to focus on it. Imagine if some people spent as much time on understanding their relationship as they did on understanding their next travel itinerary, the assembly instructions for their new toy, or their plans for a bigger garage to hoard their stuff?

Get My Book 'Minimalist Transformation: How Minimalism Will Simplify And Change Your Life' Right Here!

No amount of glossing over a problem will make it disappear unless it is acknowledged, managed and embraced. Many of us are quick to fix a car, but will pay little conscious attention to fixing (read as improving) our relationships....or ourselves. We are quick to get away from the stress in our lives by taking a holiday or doing a big spend up, but fail to make the necessary connection that in a couple of weeks, or a few short moments, we will return to the same situations and feelings about them. Is that a smart way to live life, let alone a good use of time and resources?

How much would you pay to fix or solve some of the problems you have been ignoring, putting into the too hard basket, or the someday I will look at it pile? To reframe that for you, how much have you spent and hoarded already in avoiding your issues, and not seeking help or guidance? In the famous words of Dr Phil; "How is that working for you?"

How many holidays, or cars, or shopping sprees, pairs of shoes, (I recently spoke to a man whose wife had hoarded 141 pairs of shoes....yes he counted them all!) new furniture, or accessories have you purchased already?

"People were created to be loved. Things were created to be used. The reason why the world is in chaos is because things are being loved and people are being used."
- Dalai Lama

How much money do you estimate it may have cost you in avoiding to deal with these issues or problems?

Trying to mask or buy your way out of a problem by spending money around it to avoid dealing directly with it will not make it go away. Any amount of spending sprees, hoarding and holidays, and acquiring new shiny things, will only momentarily or temporarily take the focus off or away from them...or take your mind away from that problem. I love the words of Aristotle; "Wherever I go there I am." Your problems stay with you - until you face them and manage or solve them.

 

Life transformation coaching with me is a powerful and effective way to develop your awareness in these areas and to find out what really matters in your life. At a fraction of the cost of buying up and hoarding things to mask or avoid your problems, it might be time to invest that money in you!

As always, it is your choice, and it is a decision based around what you truly value in your life. You can always change and improve your life - and coaching with me is an incredibly cost effective, and powerful way to do it. To book a life coaching session with me, or to find out how coaching with me can help you, simply go to the contact me menu at the top of the page.

*Craig Hedge is a Professional Coach and Lifestyle Mentor based in Hobart (nipaluna), Tasmania, Australia.
He is author of the Instinctive Living self help ebook and audiobook series available on Amazon.
Author.to/craigwhedge

 

Todays world, and the people within it, are more connected than ever before. Our technology enables us to confidently contact and communicate with others almost anytime and anywhere. The barriers to entry to use this technology are disappearing fast as most people nowadays can get access to this technology regardless of their financial position.

To demonstrate this perfectly, I travelled for 8 months primarily reliant on FREE WIFI to communicate and plan my trip around the UK and back in 2015 - all on an entry level android device. With email and numerous social networks like LinkedIn, Youtube, Twitter, Google+ and facebook, we can all communicate to others (note not necessarily with others) like no other time in human history. Our devices have us communicating to each other more than ever before. As a Life Transformation Coach and passionate student of, and in life, I am by nature a curious person. I am genuinely interested in making my own connections and furthering my own learnings, un-learnings, and understandings. Like many of us, I see the wonderful opportunities these technologies bring into our lives - I also see some of the limitations that come with them.

Any opinion about the benefits and limitations I have is naturally limited, and in no small part due to my generation and my age. I accept and embrace this. Clearly I do not know what I do not know (there is a hint there for anyone wondering whether life coaching might be able to improve their life...) so with that knowledge, I realise that I, most likely, do not make the connections or understandings to this technology like someone who was born into a world where these technologies already existed and were the norm.

That last sentence is an interesting point and one aimed at older generations that look at younger generations as being disconnected and device dependent. Has any older generation truly connected with, or been able to communicate effectively with a younger generation? Is todays ipad, iPhone or PC any different from any other technology from years/generations passed? These are questions well worth pondering.

Is todays ipad yesterdays Enid Blyton? Were children throughout history any more or less engrossed in the technology of their time, or seemingly anymore disconnected from their older generation/s than our current generation/s are? Can we start to become aware of, or indeed break this generational cycle of disconnection?

But I digress, the intention of this article is to get you thinking about your life and how you communicate to, and with, the people in your world. Our devices and our technology help us stay connected to each other. Let us not mistake that connection, or explain it away, as confidently communicating with each other. These are two completely different things. We need to understand this difference to ensure we are living our lives more fully and with more awareness.

Get My Book 'Confidence For Life' Right Here And Improve Your Communication And Self Confidence!

In future blog articles, I will be focusing more on those relationships in our lives that we can improve as we make that differentiation between communicating to or at, and... communicating with. I will also be looking at the differences between doing with each other and being with each other. Once we start making those necessary connections in our lives, we start improving the quality of our lives. Coaching helps you make connections - connections that can change your life.

Our devices, whatever the technology (newsfeeds or newspapers, books or ebooks) might be, can be obstacles to confidently communicating and connecting with the people in our lives. As always, awareness is the key.

Are you having some challenges with your interpersonal communication skills with someone in your life? Perhaps a loved one or a co-worker? Maybe its a situation that has challenged you for sometime? Is your lack of self confidence holding you back from moving closer to people?

Life Coaching with me (see what some of my clients say about coaching with me right here) can help you move closer towards managing, understanding, and moving on in - and through your life. Coaching can help you to improve your communication and your confidence.

Would you like to learn more about how coaching with me can help you build new levels of confidence in your life? Simply go to the contact me drop down menu and email me via the contact form to book a session. Want to ask a question or provide your thoughts about this article? Feel free to comment below the article, or you can email me directly.

*Craig Hedge is a Professional Coach and Lifestyle Mentor based in Hobart (nipaluna), Tasmania, Australia. He is author of the transformational Instinctive Living self development book series available on Amazon.

When we think of living healthy balanced lives we often focus on the key areas of physical exercise, healthy eating, and getting a good nights sleep. Thankfully, in recent times more emphasis has been placed upon the other important aspects of mental health, wellbeing, managing stress (resilience is a word often used here to put a positive spin on it..another story for another day) and finding that elusive work life balance. Is the practice of gratitude the missing ingredient and the glue perhaps that can bring this altogether?

We place a lot of emphasis on what goes in to our bodies - whether that is food, vitamins, or information. But what about what we project outwards from our bodies and beings? There are plenty of examples of people in our lives who on the surface do all the right things to maintain health - yet somehow they continue to experience health and lifestyle issues.

The intention of this article is not to discuss the merits of a great diet or to promote physical exercise (although they are obviously important) - I will leave that to others far more qualified than myself to talk about those things.

What I am suggesting though, is that health and wellbeing is much bigger and wider and multi dimensional than diet and exercise. I often speak about making what I call those necessary connections in our own lives.  That is, becoming cognisant of those connections that help us become more aware of who we are, and how what we do and think, impacts us, and those around us.

So how does gratitude fit in to ensure, and perhaps fortify, a healthy approach and outlook to life? As a contrast lets look at the opposite of gratitude here (for example words and feelings like: pessimism, negativity, selfishness, anxiety, worry, scarcity, poverty consciousness, doom, gloom, etc) and see if this can shed some light on the importance, and indeed the necessity, of acknowledging and practicing gratitude in our lives.

It is those feelings and experiences mentioned above that can create a downward spiral that erodes or dents a persons confidence, self worth, and their health and wellbeing. Is there a common denominator here? Generally speaking there is. In simple terms it is an experience that focuses on what is not happening, what is not there, and what is not mine. In other words the focus is on what is not working or evident perhaps.

Hardly healthy thoughts or practices wouldn't you agree? Where is the evidence or demonstration of gratitude above for example? It is hard to see or experience life as this wonderful, and at times challenging journey, if we continue to focus on what is not happening to or for us. Gratitude is a way of staying on course and a reminder that our lives, despite our ups and downs, are actually pretty good for the most part....if we choose to focus our attention and awareness onto what is working for us.

Get My Book 'Gratitude Amplified' Right Here

Before I continue any further let me make it perfectly clear that I do not see gratitude in the same light as I see positive thinking. They are two completely different approaches.  I state this because it is all too easy to pretend things are not happening and to put a big layer of positive thoughts over everything in an attempt to improve or change situations. I am not a big fan of that kind of positive thinking...

The gratitude I speak about is not about creating positive thoughts where there are none, nor is it about developing mantras or affirmations (although they can be effective) to overcome or transcend certain situations.

Gratitude is about acknowledging what is already evident in your life. It is about being thankful and aware of all of those things that make your life good. These things are real. They exist. This practice of gratitude confirms your awareness of those conditions.

So how might you begin to show gratitude, and be grateful in your life, and where might you start? You start at the beginning. Sometimes (and this is particularly valuable if your life is focused on what is not happening or not evident) you start with things that might seem small or insignificant. You need building blocks and foundations to build upon - small instances and experiences of gratitude are powerful.

One way you can prepare yourself is to take a look at some of the video/audio programs around that can help you develop your appreciation and gratitude further. That aside, all it takes is an open mind and an intent to see good things and valuable experiences in your life.

Here are some examples to get you into the habit of practicing and acknowledging gratitude:[green_tick_1_list width="100%"]

• I give gratitude and thanks for my health.
• I give thanks for my family.
• I am thankful for a great job.
• I am thankful for a good partner.
• I am grateful for living in a beautiful place.
• I am grateful that I have great eyesight/hearing/movement.
• I give thanks and gratitude for my creativity.
• I give thanks for my ability to adapt to life changes.
• I am thankful for the food I eat.
• I give gratitude and thanks for the experiences I have had that have made me the person I am.
• I am thankful for having the ability and freedom to choose.
• I am grateful for those things I may not be aware of that are working for me right now in my life.....now we are getting somewhere with practicing gratitude!

[/green_tick_1_list]

The above is a small list of things that barely even touch the surface of what you might be grateful for in your life. The key is to start focusing and looking at what is happening in your life, what you do have, what you are managing to achieve - and what you have achieved. It is an appreciation that life and its challenges brings possibilities and opportunities into your life. It is about the wonderful things and people that are in your life. More than that though, it is whatever you choose it to be based on your imagination and experience of yourself and your world.

Gratitude is about making those necessary connections in your life where your awareness starts growing and you start appreciating your life and the experiences and conditions you are creating in it. It is real. It is experienced. It is powerful. It is life transforming. And all importantly, it is something you can do in your own life right now. Coaching is a great way to become aware of, and to further develop your appreciation for life and your gratitude.

To book a coaching session with me, or to find out more about how coaching with me can help you, simply go to the contact me page on the home page menu.

*Craig Hedge is a Professional Coach and Lifestyle Mentor based in Hobart (nipaluna), Tasmania, Australia. He is also the author of the Instinctive Living transformational self development book series available on Amazon.

We are often reminded by our well meaning friends and families about the power of positive thinking in our lives. Unfortunately these words, and the sentiment attached to them, have little comprehension of how to actually make these things work for us. Understanding the concept, and being able to apply real and effective strategies to move closer towards achieving real and aligned results in your life, is a completely different thing altogether. To create powerful affirmations you need to understand the key components in aligning your vision to the desired conditions or outcome you are hoping for.

A common theme that you may have picked up with my blogs and my programs is my focus on the importance of alignment in your life in all you do. That is, ensuring you are clear on what you really want - and being clear on the best actions, feelings and thinkings in being able to move closer towards that. Put simply you can't say one thing and do another and expect a congruent or desired result. Why? Because you are sending out and projecting mixed messages both to and from yourself - and importantly the world/universe out there. The right affirmations move you closer towards alignment.

For example, you might say one thing, think something else and feel completely differently again. That is hardly a recipe for congruence or alignment - in simple terms it is a recipe for confusion. If you are not sending out a clear message how do you expect to receive one? Before you decide to create any personal affirmations you need to make sure you are as equipped and aware as you can be (and this is always a work/play in progress towards refinement) to give yourself the best chance of success.

Here is my guide/checklist (in no particular order) to help you move closer towards creating more powerful personal affirmations and living a life more in harmony and alignment:[green_tick_1_list width="100%"]

• Get clear on your what and the why of the things and conditions you are affirming and hoping to experience - you are an affirmator!
• Are these things in alignment with your beliefs and values and opinions about what is possible for you?
• Are these things being generated from (in simple terms) fear/insecurity, or love and abundance?
• Start feeling what you would like to experience and affirm.
• Start thinking about what you are affirming and what you want to experience.
• Start using the language that supports your vision or goals...this is affirmation in action.
• Start acting and operating in your world like what you want is already moving towards you.
• Use gratitude in your life whenever and wherever you can - for ALL things and experiences.
• Trust more in the process of your life and where and what you are moving towards.
• Ask for guidance in your life - wherever you find that in whatever form or structure that makes sense for you.
• Visualise the conditions and the things you want to experience and affirm.
• Focus on what you do want to experience...NOT the ones you do not want to experience.
• Another option that many people use is the use of visualisation audios and abundance programs to program their minds. If this interests you, you can click the following link to find out more about such programs - Mind Movies are a powerful way of helping you to create your own visualization sequences. You can take a closer look at the program, or you can create your movies with free software available on the internet. Affirmations are magnified with this approach. I have used Mind Movies, and I found it useful.
• Importantly, if you are struggling with this, enlisting the services and the support of a competent and qualified life coach is a great way to help you further understand and integrate the above. A good coach can help you build your affirmations by helping you find what is important to you.

[/green_tick_1_list]

The list above are the basic foundations to living a life more in alignment. Are you starting to see how limiting beliefs, false beliefs, and sending out mixed messages does not help you achieve or attain those things in life you aspire towards?

You Can Magnify The Power Of Affirmations and the LOA With A Copy Of My Book 'The Affirmation Matrix' Right Here!

This is where life transformation coaching with me can really help you. There is an old adage that states that you don't know what you don't know. It is so easy to get stuck in old ways of thinking and doing. With that approach and mindset, is it any wonder that trying to think through these things and improve your life with that limiting and incongruous way of seeing your world is often plain difficult and indeed futile?

I have lost count of the people I have spoken to or overheard over the years saying things like positive thinking doesn't work, or affirmations are a waste of time. They are correct. For them this is their experience. It is an experience based on a limited perspective and a way of seeing the world that does not, cannot, and will not see beyond that.

Personal growth and awareness is a process. It is often about learning - and importantly unlearning. Enlisting the help of a competent, qualified, and proven life coach, can help you become much clearer about what it is you want, why you want it, and importantly, how you can move closer towards getting it. Affirmations, used correctly, are a powerful way to move towards the life you want to experience.

If life coaching with me sounds like something that may work for you, please go to the contact me page to arrange a session. Please note, I am currently based in Hobart Tasmania, Australia. If you live outside of that region, I offer coaching via telephone and Skype sessions. To find out more about what I do, I strongly recommend you make the time to read my blog to get a feel for not only what I do, but, importantly who I am, and how I can help you move forward.

Life coaching can be the ultimate affirmation - it sends a very strong message inwards, and outwards, about your intention to grow and improve.

*Craig W.Hedge is an accredited and credentialed life coach based in Hobart Tasmania Australia. He is author of the Instinctive Living self development book series available on Amazon. Author.to/craigwhedge