Changeability Podcast: Manage Your Mind - Change Your Life

“How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and heightMy soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.” ~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, The Changeability Podcast today takes a light-hearted look at something we all want in life and if we haven’t got it, we’re often looking for it.  And that is love. So episode 80 of the award winning show is our opportunity to celebrate love – in all its rich diversity. “Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds” ~William Shakespeare The Beatles told us ‘All you need is love’, we know that ‘love is a many splendored thing’ and we may even have said ‘I’m not in love’ when clearly we are. So with love all around us and the shops urging us to spend, spend, spend to show and celebrate love, we thought we’d offer our own take on a subject that’s dear to our hearts.  In Episode 80 of The Changeability Podcast discover: How many Valentine’s Day cards a

This week’s guest on the Changeability Podcast is Tarun Stevenson, joining us all the way from sunny Australia. “When you’re setting goals, start working on becoming a person that can actually handle the goal you’ve set yourself.” It being the beginning of February, this is traditionally the time of year when people begin to struggle with the impetus and enthusiasm of personal and business goals they may have set for the year, so we invited Tarun to talk about keeping your goals on track. “The problem is not the problem, the problem is you keep talking about and thinking about the problem.” Who is Tarun Stevenson? Tarun is a personal development coach, teacher and speaker with the John Maxwell Team. He works with individuals and organisations, to identify obstacles and limitations in their growth and through development of leadership and communication skills help them realise their full potential. We had a fascinating discussion with Tarun, in which he offered a wealth of information and knowledge on keep

‘You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream’- CS Lewis Start talking about goals and it wont be long before the subject of SMART goals comes up. Possibly the most popular and well-known of all goal setting tools and techniques, but are SMART goals always the smartest way to set goals? Today on the Changeability Podcast we we ask, and answer, the question - do goals need to be SMART? You can’t go far in the worlds of business or personal development without coming across smart goals and last week in episode 77 we talked about what SMART goals are in ‘A smart guide to SMART goals’.  Because they are used so much all over the world and particularly in business, they tend to be accepted as the best way to set goals but maybe not everyone is so enamored with them. Yes, there are those who totally get SMART goals, they love them and accept them as the best goal setting technique, but are they really always the best way to look at goal setting. The word SMART is an acronym which provides a g

In this week’s episode of the Changeability Podcast we’re talking goals and more specifically we’re talking SMART goals.  What are they and why do people like them – in our smart guide to SMART goals. ‘Goals are dreams we convert to plans and take action to fulfil.’ Zig Ziglar As we write this, we’re three weeks into 2016 and so far this year we've been thinking about goals. In episode 74 we looked at why some people don’t like the idea of goals or setting goals and some ways to overcome those objections. We chatted to Richard Scott in episode 75 about his experiences and insights into goals and how to achieve them. On last week’s show, in episode 76, we thought about why our brains like having goals. We’re at the end of a very goal focused week ourselves, having been working on two specific goals of our own simultaneously. One of which is ironically about goals – to finish writing all the scripts for our new goals course. And the other goal is to transfer this website over to a new theme (Thrive themes if

An interesting conversation occurred on our Facebook group (facebook.com/brilliantlivinghq) this week. We’d posted something about ‘Why people don’t like goals (and are they right?)’ and one of our Facebook members made the comment: “Setting goals chaps my behind.” The Anglo-Saxon aside, what a great comment from someone who is obviously not a total convert of goal-setting. Direct and to the point. And that got us thinking. As Kathryn is the writer of the international best-seller “Changeability: Manage Your Mind – Change Your Life” and goal setting is a key element of developing your Change-ability, the ability to manage your mind to make changes in your life, then surely we need to be able to explain ‘Why your mind needs goals.’ So we set about explaining just that. Entrepreneur, author and writer, Jim Rohn has always plenty to say on the subject of personal development and so this quote caught our eye as in part answering the question. “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall int

“You can prepare yourself for success, you can step into the feeling of actually having achieved the goal, see what it feels like, tweak it a little bit and see if it really is the goal that you’re after.” ~ Richard Scott Today’s guest on the Changeability Podcast is Brisbane based, Richard Scott at mynd.works.  We asked him onto the show for his valuable insights on the subject of goals, goal-setting and making your goals a reality. Richard’s work combines Psychology, NLP and CBT with traditional and modern hypnosis to bring the latest techniques in mindset motivation, psychotherapy, and stress management. Richard's highly successful techniques are world renowned with clients spanning over 30 countries, including celebrities, world champion sports stars, members of royalty, X-factor finalists, government, special forces and everyday people from all walks of life. We’re sort of guessing, we’re the latter of that list!  Episode 75 of the Changeability Podcast On this week’s episode: Why Richard is collectin

“The new year stands before us, like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.” ~ Melody Beattie Welcome to the first post and podcast episode of 2016. If you're reading this in real time - a very Happy New Year to you. In our last episode (73) we asked ‘What are you proud of today?’ We talked about things we were pleased about, and how all too often we focus on what's going wrong or the things we don't like about ourselves. It doesn’t matter you’re reading this at New Year or not – but one of the great things about New Year is it represents a cut-off point in time. A natural opportunity to re-evaluate what you’re doing and think about what you want to achieve in the year or months or weeks ahead. It’s a fantastic chance to move on with the new. And one of the fantastic things about life is there’s always an opportunity to start something new - a new way of thinking and a new way of doing things. We all have the potential to change things, which is of course

“We see the world, not as it is, but as we are – or, as we are conditioned to see it.” Stephen R. Covey The impetus for this week’s blog post and podcast was in part inspired by a conversation between the two of us. We’d been to see a couple of films and Julian was feeling a little stupid that he hadn’t really fully got to grips with their plots. During a conversation he said ‘You know, at the heart of it – I think I’m not very bright.’ Of course, as soon as he said it he realised it was a limiting belief and on some level knew it’s patently not true, and yet on another level he realised this was in part what he believed about himself. Having The Changeability Podcast and a personal development site like this tends to make you notice this type of thing but doesn’t make you immune from it, and here was an unhelpful belief rearing its ugly head. That got us thinking about unhelpful beliefs, which in turn got us thinking about counteracting them. The Stephen Covey quote mentioned above goes on to say something

I just don’t have the time If you find yourself complaining you don’t have time to do what want because you’re too busy, here’s 12 suggestions of how to free up your time and energy. They come from our guest on episode 72 of the Changeability Podcast, Rob Cubbon, who shares interesting insights into the drains on our time and energy that sap us of the will to achieve what we want in life. If you recognise the name it’s because we talked with best-selling author Rob Cubbon in episode 58 about his book: ‘Free your thoughts: How I re-programmed myself for happiness and how you can too.’ We realised there was one aspect of the book that deserved wider coverage, so invited Rob back to discuss his advice on how to free up your time and energy. The rationale If you spend your time involved in negativity, you’re not using that energy and time for more positive pursuits. Look at your habits, would you have more time and energy if you did without them. What are these activities and habits we’d be better off without? Ho

“When you are not attached to praise or criticism an interesting freedom is yours.” Kute Blackson We all find ourselves subject to criticism - not least from ourselves, but also from others. And we don’t like it. It makes us feel horrible - hurt, rejected, guilty, fearful, let down, misunderstood, angry, humiliated, insecure, embarrassed or unappreciated. What you can do about it? You can’t always prevent it or stop it - but you can handle it, by changing the way you feel about criticism and how you deal with it. “Be an encourager. The world has plenty of critics already.” Here’s 37 ways to deal with criticism. Read them or listen to episode 71 of the Changeability Podcast to hear us talking about 37 ways to deal with criticism and more. Listen to the criticism - Yes - really listen. It’s not about what are you hearing - but about what are they saying. Firstly, is it criticism? Secondly, is it justified - is it valid? Be aware of how you’re interpreting what you’re hearing when someone criticises you. Is

“Criticism is something you can easily avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” ~Aristotle If you don’t want to be criticised - don’t do anything .Although you’ll probably then be criticised for not doing anything, or for doing nothing - if that’s actually possible. The meaning behind it is clear - the more you do the more people have to criticise you about. the more you open yourself up to judgement. We’ve all met people who always seem to be worried about what other people think about them. So much so it’s the determining factor in deciding if they do or don’t do something. But let’s not let such thinking keep us living small lives and stop us getting out there, making an impact or doing what we want. Because the truth is that whatever you do you’re likely to be criticised. Whoever we are, we will experience criticism. Not least because we all do it. We criticise ourselves and and we criticise others - even if it’s only in the privacy of our own minds. But it’s actually a lot more out t

‘A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally’   Oscar Wilde We are emotional beings with feelings, and together with our thoughts (which are intricately linked to our emotions and feelings) is what make us us. But our own feelings don’t exist in isolation. We are after all social beings and exist in groups, communities, nations, continents and the world. Our feelings and behaviour affect other people’s feelings and behaviour and other people’s affect us - in a positive or negative way. And the way we deal with the feelings of others can have a positive or negative impact on them or us. You only have to look at the news to recognise that as a human race we’re not always very good at dealing with the feelings of others. We see examples of religious intolerance, and social and political inequalities around the world and close to home. Our feelings do not exist in isolation and we are part of a larger community (whether we want to be or not). The more aware you become of your own feelin

“Don’t allow your mind to tell your heart what to do. The mind gives up easily.” - Paulo Coelho For many of us, our behaviours are often influenced by our childhood and underpinning those behaviours can often be a feeling of needing to be loved.  The manifestation of that particular ‘feeling’ may well take the form of always striving to achieve – and by being in perpetual ‘doing’ mode - continually trying to prove yourself worthy through what you do. Something I’m sure many of us can recognise in ourselves even if we don’t always realise or acknowledge the cause. Recognising our feelings is perhaps the first stage in a three-fold process of dealing with feelings. How we deal with those feelings successfully is then second part and if we can do that whilst being mindful of the third step – the feelings of others (as well as ourselves) then we are well on the way to feeling good. The process of undoing years of engrained thinking patterns and the way we feel about ourselves, our feeling patterns, is hard, wit

“Feelings, nothing more than feelings” – Morris Albert It’s been a week where I’ve had to deal with “nothing more than feelings” in a very public way, speaking as I have at my father’s funeral. An event of this magnitude can bring up many feelings and I think it would be fair to say I’ve experienced the whole spectrum - feelings of sadness and grief but also gratitude and joy as we celebrated as well as mourned Dad’s life. “And feelings like I’ll never have you again in my life.” Morris Albert And yet amidst the on-going sadness Kathryn and I have also experienced other feelings like accomplishment when we recorded 8 videos in 2 days for our business and happiness and gratitude when Kathryn’s podcast, Podcast Divas hit the top of New & Noteworthy in iTunes in 4 categories. So it seems fitting therefore to think about the process of dealing with feelings. Last week we asked what are feelings, what purpose do they serve, and how do you recognise and own your feelings? Now it’s all very well recognising

“I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings.” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Having recently talked about the ups and downs of life and a week when we experienced what might be called extremes of feeling, this week we put feelings in the spotlight. How are you feeling right at this very moment as you read this? We all have feelings, they’re an intrinsic part of our human experience, but what are they and what purpose do they serve? What is a feeling? How do you describe what a feeling is? Something to do with emotions - an emotional response A physical manifestation of our emotions. A notion about something. A bodily reaction representing our immediate response to a situation - a gut instinct. Dictionary definitions of a feeling include: “An emotional state or reaction.” “A strong emotion” – like ‘I love you’ “An idea or belief, especially a vague or irrational one.” E.g. ‘He had a feeling he was being watched.’ That’s what feelings are but what’s the point of fee

“I really want to help people to be the best expression of who they’re made to be. And often I think we need people to call that out of us” ― Luke Strickland Our guest this week is Luke Strickland of The Potting Shed Podcast who joined us in the studio to help us with exploring creativity. About Luke Strickland Writer, thinker and dreamer Luke Strickland, is the host of the The Potting Shed Podcast, an eclectic exploration of a variety of topics helping you to be the person you’re created to be. His warm, engaging style is like a chat with a supportive friend. In the best Potting Shed traditions, it is nurturing - nurturing and guiding with honesty and humour as he shares his struggles and successes along life’s way. Join us as he talks about exploring creativity in his life and how you can do the same in yours. Episode 65 of the Changeability Podcast In this week’s episode, we explore: Why Luke named his podcast ‘The Potting Shed Podcast’ and what he gets up to in it How to make space for your dreams Rele

“Life has its ups and downs. When you are up, enjoy the scenery. When you are down, touch the soul of your being and feel the beauty.” ― Debasish Mridha This week we’re talking about the ups and downs of life and how we react and deal or cope with them. True to say partly spurred on by the week we’ve just had. It’s included the normal ups and downs of everyday life but on top of that there’s been some heightened ups and downs. In today’s episode (64) of the Changeability Podcast we share a couple of major events that happened to us this week and use them to think about the highs and lows, ups and downs of life generally, together with suggestions of things we can do to help us cope with them. “The unpredictability of life sucks. One minute you’re riding high with the wind whipping through your hair and the next minute you’re flat on your ass with a face full of gravel.”  Alison G. Bailey Life is full of ups and downs It might sound obvious but ups and downs of life are just part of life. However calm and st

If you ever wondered how to start and finish anything in life, then you can’t help but be inspired by Tom Boother’s story. “Become the thing, complete the challenge!” Tom Boother Tom Boother studied politics at the University of Leicester. And on graduating he did what all graduates do and sought to become a racing driver. Unfortunately, however, racing driving did not seek him and he was unsuccessful in securing the necessary funds to race at the level he wanted. So he returned to college to study Law, at the College of Law in London. It was whilst here, and with no athletic ability that Tom literally stumbled into the bizarre world of Ultra running. Ultra Running is an extreme form of running where runners typically cover large distances over rugged and challenging terrains. What’s a large distance, we hear you cry? Well, the official definition is anything over a marathon, though in reality the distances are considerably longer and the ground significantly rougher! Using the metaphor of Ultra Running, To

Following on from their recent success of winning best self-help podcast at the UK Podcasters Awards ceremony 2015, Kathryn and Julian were invited to the BBC to take part as guests on Lesley Dolphin’s afternoon radio show. ‘On the Sofa with Lesley Dolphin’ – is a BBC Radio Suffolk feature interviewing local people about their lives and successes. So with the tables turned and the spotlight glare firmly on Kathryn and Julian, we sat down for a warm-hearted discussion and interview about Changeability, winning an award and life – ‘On the sofa with Kathryn Bryant and Julian Illman’ Episode 62 of the Changeability Podcast On today’s podcast discover: Behind the scenes at Brilliant Living HQ and the Changeability Podcast How the show came into being The motivation behind starting an award winning podcast Life lessons learnt from podcasting If mindfulness is just a trend How Changeability is not just about the big changes in life Tales from Kathryn and Julian’s youth Royal connections and a tantalising secret pas

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”  Dalai Lama XIV According to neuroscientist and psychologists, one of the significant aspects happiness is it can be a learned response because the characteristics of happiness exhibit plasticity. Yes, this means we can take specific actions to make us feel happier. And when we when we practice or repeat them they build up into a habit. You know this from your own family, friends and colleagues that some people seem naturally happier than others, but this doesn’t mean your happiness level is a pre-determined given. Because what we’re talking about here means that we can develop and build up a happiness habit over time. Another key finding is happiness is the sum of lots of small actions and happenings rather than one big event. So it’s better for our happiness level to do lots of daily little things like kissing your loved one, enjoying a laugh, or eating something you like, rather than one big thing. All of which is brilliant news for