Future Focus Coaching Practice - Business Development & Life Coaching - Bolton, Manchester & Beyond

We are not quite there yet, I know, but I promise … spring is just around the corner!
It is usually a time of great optimism. Many peoples’ thoughts turn to things like a ‘fresh start’, a ‘new season’, and yes, ’spring-cleaning!’

Spring-cleaning has its origins in ancient history. Back then with no labour saving devices and no electricity, spring marked the season when the weather allowed the complete cleaning of the cave or house.

Since then the tradition has been maintained but now there is a new angle.
It is called coaching and it is in effect,’spring-cleaning’ for your life.

Coaching is one of the most effective ways of staying ‘green and growing’ instead if becoming ‘ripe and rotten’. It is simply a way of looking at where you are now, where we you want to be in the future,and how you are going to get there.

I am a fully qualified Personal and Executive Coach and help my clients achieve what they want in a series of one-hour meetings or telephone calls at weekly intervals.

A few people are able to ’stay green and growing’ by themselves but the vast majority find that having an outsider like me to keep them on course is a vital ingredient.

I am not concerned with how they arrived at where they are right now. The only place any of us can begin to change our lives is here and now. So, we focus totally on the future and the actions that will lead to the positive results that they desire.

A fresh look at our homes in the spring often reveals the need for declutter and a fresh ‘lick of paint’.
In the same way a fresh look at our lives can reveal that we are carrying a load of excess baggage that we need to offload . This can be in the form of worry, guilt, fears and false beliefs or expectations.

I am a great believer in the power of a positive mental attitude and am concerned that only a few people ever achieve their full potential.

In coaching,clients are shown how they can easily let go of all this baggage to create room in their lives for new and exciting challenges. Many clients are amazed at the positive impact that even a small change or shift in attitude can produce. This really is ’spring-cleaning’ of the mind.

In the same way that the onset of spring is often the catalyst that triggers a burst of domestic action, I can be the catalyst that allows amazing and positive changes to happen.

Lastly, one question. Why wait until spring to begin the process of having the life you want?

‘ I simply don’t have enough time’. ‘I am always in a hurry’.’ I would love to do some exercise but can never find the time’. ‘I’ve always wanted to take up dancing lessons but don’t have the time’. ‘I’ve got loads of jobs to do around the house but no spare time to do them’.

Have you ever said or thought any of the above? Have you heard anyone else say these things?
It’s often said these days that life is ’speeding up’ and ‘passing much quicker’ than before.

Why do you think this is? Are there more things for us to do? Are the advancements in technology not giving us what they were intended to do… more time?

One thing that hasn’t changed is that we all have the same number of hours, minutes and seconds in a day.

How then can we ‘ do what we have to do when we should be doing it’ to free up more time to ‘do what we want to do when we want to do it?’

I would suggest we try the following:-

1. Clarify our goals. We ought to have crystal clear goals for all the different areas of our lives.
2. Be certain that any action we decide to do will take us closer to our ultimate goal.
3. Constantly ask yourself this question. ‘ Are you doing what you enjoy doing instead of doing what you really should be doing right now?’
4. Become disciplined to get the ‘ should do things’ done first.
5. Seperate out the things that you can delegate first to free yourself up.
6. Build in time for ‘interruptions’ and the ‘unexpected’.
7. Learn to say NO! and mean it.
8. Keep a log for two months and record in it how you spend your time. Then reapportion your time accordingly.
9. Build breaks and resting times into your schedule…time to ‘just be’…time to ‘look out of the window’.
10. Use a diary , ‘ to do’ list and prioritise. Paying attention to the top 20% of your priorities will bring you an 80% return.

Finally, when all the above is in place, allow yourself a little time to reflect on what you’ve done. review how you did it and what you achieved, plan your next moves and enjoy ‘doing it’.

Ok, time for a brew.. milk? sugar?

When is the last time you pressed the ‘pause button’ on your life to take a long…… deeeeeep… breath to review and re-evaluate where you are at? Lately, a short time ago, a long time ago or never!

Whenever it was just take a few moments now. It will be time well spent.

Are you on the right course towards achieving your goals? Do you know, in the first place, what it is that will give you a fantastic life? You do! Great!
So, are you then, on the way towards achieving the short and medium term goals that will ultimately give you the final prize?
If you are, great!

If not, could it be that you don’t believe, in the first place, that you are an achiever?

Whatever you have answered there I believe that you are an achiever!

Do this exercise.

Think back over your life and recall what you consider to be your ‘Greatest Achievements’.

What type of things am I talking about? Well, to give you an idea and some thinking time, I will give you some of mine:-

1.In school I made an ‘electric’ guitar.The body of it was pale blue with a black ‘plasticy’ fascia.
It had real strings, a real ‘pick-up’, real ’screwy’ things at the end of the ‘arm’.
I borrowed an amplifier, plugged it in, twanged the strings and guess what??

WOW,IT ACTUALLY WORKED !!

Amazing!! I felt very proud. Formed a group…’Dr Death and the Surgeons’…practised twice and then decided the world wasn’t quite ready for us! Well before our time!

The guitar , was for me , however, one of my ‘Greatest Achievements’

2. Again in school I was an extremely keen footballer- certainly not the best player in the teams I played in , but I was awarded the ‘Player Of The Year’ trophy in my Junior School and made Captain of the First Team in my Secondary School. I was told in both cases I had been chosen because of my ‘passion for the game’ and ‘passion for winning’.

Two more ‘Greatest Achievements’ of which I am very proud.

3. Again in school I wrote a poem that was given a resounding 10/10. I was amazed by this as I didn’t think it was a particularly inspiring piece of work. But hey!! 10/10 !!

Another ‘Greatest Achievement’.

Ok. ‘Greatest Achievements’ are not limited to our school days. I have many more, but it just goes to show how I treasure the memories from such a long time ago.

Our ‘Greatest Achievements’ can come from all areas of our lives, family and friends, career, financial security,etc etc.

The whole point of recalling our ‘Greatest Achievements’ is to remind you that, even though you may think you are not an achiever,you will have achieved many things in the past, that once recalled will make you feel really proud. This will encourage you going forward , especially in difficult times , that you are able to achieve significantly more than you originally thought.

You ARE an achiever!!

Take a few moments now and think back over your life.
What things comes to mind that you now consider to be your ‘ Greatest Achievements’?

SHARE THEM WITH US ALL.

‘But surely we are ‘who we are’. What’s ‘becoming the person you want to be all about’? I am me! I do things in this way! I’ve always done it this way! I have what I have and this is all I will have!’.

Some people….most people say and think these things…and I tell them I agree with them…. ‘This IS all you will have’! Simply because they have decided that things are going to BE this way.

Is this the way YOU think , are these the things YOU say, is this what YOU believe?
OR , are you someone who believes that they haven’t yet achieved their full potential? Are you someone who really, really believes that there is more to learn, more to do, and more to have….. ‘Life in all its fullness’ ?

You do? That’s great. Then let’s waste no more time. Let’s get going.

I am a Life Coach and many of my clients begin their series of sessions saying things like ‘ Sam. If you could arrange for me to win the lottery this Saturday , then I will ‘Do’ everything I want to do, and I will ‘BE’ happy’.

You may at this point bring the famous Simon Cowell to mind at the times where he decides that someone is not going through to the next round. The big ‘X’ comes up. Having what you WANT, to DO everything you want to DO, sounds attractive, but it will never bring you the lasting happiness you long for. Many lottery winners and wealthy people experience extreme relationship, financial , health, or psychological problems as a result of having great wealth.

X HAVE>>DO>>BE X

The only way to true happiness is, first of all, by BECOMING the person you want to BE .
You may want to Be, more confidant, more forgiving, happier, content, a better partner, fitter, thinner, richer, better organised etc, etc.

Or, you may want to BE less, available, sensitive, materialistic etc, etc.
When you are the person you want to BE, you will be able to DO the things you want to do, and HAVE everything you need.

BE>>DO>>HAVE

That’s it. The first step. ‘Become the person you want to Be first… the rest will follow.