Feb 1 - Free Public Speaking Group Sydney
Checkout this awesome networking event http://www.authenticeducation.com.au/speak/?af=VIP0000493

Feb 4 - How to Become a Highly Sucessful Coach
Highly recommend this 1-day workshop from Benjamin J Harvey: How to Become a Highly Successful Coach http://www.authenticeducation.com.au/coach/?af=VIP0000493 Well worth $27

Feb 8 – How to Sell From Stage (NEW EVENT)
A must for all presenters, salespeople or speakers! http://www.authenticeducation.com.au/sell/?af=VIP0000493 

Feb 29 – Free Speed Networking Sydney
If you haven’t tried speednetworking yet, it’s the best form of networking http://www.authenticeducation.com.au/networking/?af=VIP0000493

Due to demand from across Australia, the Let Go And Grow in 2012  one day workshop has re-emerged as a 3 Part Tele-Master Class for easy access wherever you live. 

 (2 Series: Thursdays pm and Fridays am at the Introductory price of only $97 for whole series!)

 “I can’t tell you enough how great your workshop was for me. I have a renewed sense of myself and have been using the ‘NO’ word quite often if I don’t want to do something. My energy levels are better and also sleeping better. Thank you thank you.”   Karen Farr, eco solar pool heating.

 You will:

STOP!  Self sabotage, disempowering stories, procrastination, excuses

LET GO! Old beliefs, habits, strategies, relationships, thoughts, fears

GROW!  Your satisfaction, business, sucess, contentment, fun.

 Armed with your workbook and your Head Transition Coach, Sue Lester, you’ll not only be revealing your desires and blocks, you’ll be doing powerful NLP processes to create lasting change at the deep unconscious level, so it’s easy to take those actions.,

 “I was a little lost, scattered and overwhelmed. We zeroed in on areas that gave me perspective and understanding of how to super charge my life. Now I’m excited about my future.”  James Alisdair, online entrepreneur.

Bookings:  http://masterclass2012feb.eventbrite.com/

Session 1 CLARITY 

* Clarifying where you are

*  Exploring what you REALLY want

*  Identifying what’s stopped you from already achieving it. 

*  Shedding a problem or two with NLP.

 Session 2 CONFIDENCE

*  Highlighting your strengths

*  Identifying and delegating or educating your weaknesses

*  Stop negative self talk

*  Changing your limiting self beliefs at the deepest level.

 Session 3  MOTIVATION

*  Surefire motivators

*  AYMS signposts to get you there still smiling

*  Time line of action steps

*  Strategic goal installation

BONUS Session

*  Your Q & A

*  Top-up of confidence and motivation

*  For the ‘Motivated’ ticket buyers. 

EXTRA BONUSES

*  Email your personal questions through between sessions.

*  Workbook/resource manual included.

*  Free 1 hour individual Success Map session for those wanting to explore the option of ongoing support, accountability and NLP to blast through blocks in your path as they arise. (Transition Coaching program or Conception Coaching)

Bookings:  http://masterclass2012feb.eventbrite.com/

Series 1  Thursdays 7pm – 8:30pm February 9, 16, 23  (Bonus session March

Series  2  Fridays  11am – 12:30pm  February 10, 24, March 2  (Bonus session March 16)

Telephone/online log in details and instructions will be sent to you with your manual a few days before your first session.  Yes, you can mix and match times to suit your diary.

Any questions needing answers before you leap forward contact sue@growingcontent.com.au

 ”I was feeling stuck with completing my studies and finding balance in all areas of my life. After clear goal setting, timelines and smashing limiting beliefs I no longer feel stuck. I’m clear on my path and I now have the tools to keep it up. It was fantastic!”   Kylie. student and carer.

“I’ am now clear and focussed on my 2012 outcome.”  Nathan McDonald, Black Belt Business

The second secret is to know what ‘successful’ is for you.  We can spend our whole lives chasing someone else’s ideas of ‘success’.  We end up either disillusioned and frustrated because it remains out of our grasp, or disillusioned and frustrated because once grasped we still feel empty and unfulfilled.   What’s the point of a huge house if you don’t have the family and friends to warm it into a home.  What is YOUR measurement of ‘success’?  What needs to happen this year for YOU to feel it’s been a successful year? (Take a moment to jot some ideas down now.)

The third secret is to create your future by setting on a path with guideposts so you know you are still heading in your desired direction, even during storms.  This is often called planning and goal setting.  To be effective, your guideposts need to be AYMS.

A – Achievable at a stretch.  Personal growth stimulates and is the font of contentment and satisfaction.  Know that growth involves discomfort and vulnerability at times, as you outgrow one ‘skin’ and adjust to the next.  Just like a snake who feels constricted, and needs to shed the old skin to continue growing. During the shedding process it is totally vulnerable to predators so it chooses a safe environment.

Y – Yours.  To be compelling, motivating and satisfying, it needs to be for you. Your dreams and your values as it’s your life.  Make it count.  Have the courage to value your own needs ahead of others’, as by doing so you’ll have even more to share. Learn how to set and maintain boundaries.

M – Measurable.  If you can’t measure your success, how will you know you’ve achieved it?  Acknowledge reaching the small signposts as well as the large neon ones, as they keep you on path on a daily basis.  Allow yourself to feel satisfaction, and enjoy the sense of achievement.

S – Stimulating.  Leave out the ‘should’, ‘must’, ‘my duty’ and your perception of others’ expectations, and go for what makes your heart sing – YOUR definition of success.

Fourth, listen to your body. It will tell you when you need to recharge, to rest, to refuel.  It will also tell you when you are struggling and fighting too hard, when really, if you let go and adjust your expectations, your timeline, you’ll free up head space for more creative solutions, an easier way.  You’ll remember that love and connection with others is a valuable fuel too.  You need your body to complete this journey so care for it well, so it lasts the distance.

Your life is now, not tomorrow, so take steps to enjoy it now.

You don’t need to walk alone.  Guides are available. Sue Lester, Head Transition Coach at Growing Content Pt y Ltd, can help you gain the absolute clarity, authentic confidence and sustainable motivation to create and walk your path.  You benefit from having someone to talk to, and to nudge you back on track as needed, plus powerful processes to blast blocks out of your path as they appear.  Book in for your complimentary 1 hour Success Map session with Sue now by phoning 0428 128 679 or emailing sue@growingcontent.com.au , (Available worldwide via Skype or in person Brisbane Qld.)

 P.S.  My definition of success is starting and ending my day with a smile on my face and a warm glow of contentment inside.  For me that absolutely involves enough money to give me freedom of choice, particularly so I can continue to travel, but also for the satisfaction of helping others.  Success, for me, is also deep connections with people rather than just fame, and meaningful activity each day. I want to die knowing I have made a difference.

Any festive goodies not already consumed can be packed up and given away, and stock up your fridge and pantry with the kind of fuel your body needs to thrive instead.  Ensure you include protein every meal, drink 2 L filtered water every day, limit bread, pasta, rice and fruit, get rid of sugar and fried foods, and if you need alcohol choose wine over beer or spirits with soft drink mixers.  Ideally eat your evening meal before 7pm, or have your main meal in the middle of the day.  

If you are a morning person, set your alarm earlier and as you do that each night, commit to getting up immediately it goes off in the morning.  Have your exercise gear laid out so you don’t have to think about anything to get out the door, or into your home gym/pool/exercise DVD.   If it fits your routine to exercise at lunchtime or on the way home after work, do that – make it work for you, and make it something pleasant, enjoyable or at least not something you hate doing!  If you need accountability get someone else to meet you, hire a personal trainer or go to a class.

Remember to nourish your relationships as well as your body, focus on what you do want rather than what you don’t, and above all – speak respectfully to yourself.  Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to your best friend.

Your life is now, not tomorrow, so enjoy it now.

p.s. if you need help with weight release, non-smoker conversion, or motivation to make change please email me to discuss and book a convenient time.  Skype sessions available worldwide.

Twas the night before Christmas; there wasn’t a sound.

Not a possum was stirring; no-one was around. 
We’d left on the table some tucker and beer,

Hoping that Santa Claus soon would be here; 

We children were snuggled up safe in our beds,

While dreams of pavlova danced ’round in our heads; 
And Mum in her nightie, and Dad in his shorts,

Had just settled down to watch TV sports. 

When outside the house a mad ruckus arose;

Loud squeaking and banging woke us from our doze.

We ran to the screen door, peeked cautiously out,

snuck onto the deck, then let out a shout. 

Guess what had woken us up from our snooze,

But a rusty old Ute pulled by eight mighty ‘roos.

The cheerful man driving was giggling with glee,

And we both knew at once who this plump bloke must be. 

Now, I’m telling the truth it’s all dinki-di,

Those eight kangaroos fairly soared through the sky. 
Santa leaned out the window to pull at the reins,

And encouraged the ‘roos, by calling their names. 

‘Now, Kylie! Now, Kirsty! Now, Shazza and Shane!

On Kipper! On, Skipper! On, Bazza and Wayne!

Park up on that water tank. Grab a quick drink,

I’ll scoot down the gum tree. Be back in a wink!’ 

So up to the tank those eight kangaroos flew,

With the Ute full of toys, and Santa Claus too.

He slid down the gum tree and jumped to the ground,

Then in through the window he sprang with a bound. 

He had bright sunburned cheeks and a milky white beard.

A jolly old joker was how he appeared.

He wore red stubby shorts and old thongs on his feet,

And a hat of deep crimson as shade from the heat. 

His eyes – bright as opals – Oh! How they twinkled!

And, like a goanna, his skin was quite wrinkled!

His shirt was stretched over a round bulging belly

Which shook when he moved, like a plate full of jelly. 

A fat stack of prezzies he flung from his back,

And he looked like a swaggie unfastening his pack.

He spoke not a word, but bent down on one knee,

To position our goodies beneath the yule tree. 

Surfboard and footy-ball shapes for us two.

And for Dad, tongs to use on the new barbeque.

A mysterious package he left for our Mum,

Then he turned and he winked and he held up his thumb; 

He strolled out on deck and his ‘roos came on cue;

Flung his sack in the back and prepared to shoot through.

He bellowed out loud as they swooped past the gates-

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, and goodonya, MATES!’

When the media are replaying the terrifying images of Nature out of control it’s easy to be mesmerized by the horror, absorbing more and more until you feel overwhelmed, totally inadequate, and perhaps even guilty that you are still living your normal life. Feeling overwhelmed hardly puts you in a strong position to help yourself and those who need you, does it?

So, what to do?

1. First step is to take back control, so turn off the TV, radio and stop reading the dramatic newspaper reports. You already know how bad it was, and any significant new information you’ll hear from those around you.

2. Second, reassure yourself you’ll know what to do if it happened to you. Write out 2-3 plans of emergency evacuation.
(1) If you find your home alight – ensure you and your family know to stay low (under the smoke) and go go go (get out immediately). Even very young children can be taught this. Ensure locked windows and doors can be unlocked or removed from the inside in a hurry.
(2) If a flood, cyclone or bushfire was approaching, know your plans of action. What safety items do you need to have e.g. wet towels, battery radio, drinking water & food, fully charged mobile phone & charger, torch, emergency contact numbers, protective clothing, taped windows. At what point do you evacuate? Where and how will you go? Etc.

3. Check your insurance cover is up-to-date, and it covers what you think it does.

4. What you don’t know, FIND OUT. Taking action and planning means you’ll stop feeling helpless, and will be able to be there for yourself and your family, in the unlikely event you face that situation.

5. Children Your children could also be feeling the same emotions, and it’s even more important they aren’t immersed in horror images, particularly with sound. Even babies who are too young to process the images on TV pick up on the emotions of those around them. Be aware people handle stress, heavy emotions and hot weather in different ways, and it’s easy to get snappy and irritable with children who seem to be misbehaving, but who can be simply acting up for attention and feel noticed and therefore secure. Everyone needs reassurance that they are safe and loved.

Remember, you don’t have to struggle alone with anxiety, sleepless nights and stress, simply ask for professional help and get your quality of life back. Life is too short not to.

(c) Sue Lester, 2011. Sue Lester, BA. DipTeach. Master Practitioner NLP, Hypnosis, Results Coach. Head Transition Coach at Growing Content Pty Ltd Ph 07 3103 2679 or 0428 128 679 www.growingcontent.com.au

Part 1 Clarity Read here:    http://www.growingcontent.com.au/2011/10/turning-self-sabotage-into-self-motivation-part-1-clarity/

Part 2 Confidence – 6 ways to achieve it.

A lack of confidence is a key cause of self sabotage as we try to protect ourselves from failure, from looking silly, or being criticised.  The dictionary definitions of Confidence include:

1. Full trust, belief in powers, trustworthiness and reliability
2. Belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities
3. Certitude, assurance

So authentic confidence comes from within, from knowing and liking who you are, and with faith in your ongoing abilities to learn and succeed.  Having that certain level of self esteem allows you to feel comfortable with others as you are not on guard for insults and rejection. You know that other people’s issues are simply that, theirs, not yours.

So how do you get this authentic confidence?  In 6 ways:

1. Change your self-talk.  Start encouraging yourself instead of criticising.  You have a choice whether you spend your life with your best friend or the witch.  Tell yourself stories that make you feel better, not worse.
2. Live in the Present.  Too much time in the Past re-running previous mistakes ensures they stay part of your Future – you are actually rehearsing and preparing yourself to repeat the same behaviour.  Too much time in the Future with the negative “What ifs” will paralyse you with anxiety for same reason.
3. Allow yourself to learn.  Stop expecting yourself to know everything or to be able to immediately master a new concept or skill.  As small children we think adults know everything and can do everything, so that’s the expectation that once we grow up we will too.  It’s a lie you need to recognise and let go.
4. Fake it until you make it.  This works because we often appear calmer on the outside than we feel inside.  People are attracted to happy confidence people, so your self esteem increases, you find interactions easier and it builds into genuine confidence through positive experiences.  Ask yourself, “What would a confident person do now?”   Fake it until you make it doesn’t apply to learning a new skill – confess your lack of experience and learn from those before you.  Confident people ask questions to increase their knowledge, and make their life easier.
5. Look for the best in others.  When you see them as people with faults and imperfections just like you, and stop feeling threatened, you can look for the good and really connect.
6. Change your internal image, the blueprint of your unconscious mind.  How you truly see yourself impacts on all aspects of your life.  More about this in Sue Lester’s book “The Face Within”.

These changes can take time if you are working on them by yourself, so allow yourself you make progress one step at a time.  Utilising the powerful techniques of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) and Results Coaching are the best way to fast track your progress through the self doubt, powerlessness and self-sabotage, but only if you are really ready to change.

So with Clarity and Confidence, you’re now ready for Part 3: Motivation, preferably the sustainable type of self-motivation which keeps you moving forward. Available next month, or if you’re in a hurry, but yourself in now for an individual session with Sue Lester, and smooth your path to where you want to be.

As always, we started by checking in how she’d gone with the coaching tasks from the previous session, in this case, a discussion with her husband about balancing their work/home life differently so Anne felt more appreciated and respected.  It hadn’t gone well apparently, and she exasperatedly told me, “He doesn’t think he’s doing anything wrong, in fact he told me he could write a book about being a good husband!”   How often have you heard that before yourself?

Anne understands that the only person she can change is herself, and that her husband will never choose to make changes to his own behaviour when he doesn’t see any need.  His needs seem to be being met.  So we needed to step into his reality, and have a look through his eyes at what exactly is making him a ‘wonderful husband’.    This involved Anne putting aside her interpretation of the situation and his contribution vs her contribution, as we already knew her reality around this issue.

So we went through each aspect of their life together, from his potential perspective, and Anne wrote down each item on his list of being a wonderful husband.  We looked at what he provided  in material terms, financially, socially, within the family, within their relationship, household and garden chores, gift buying, holiday arrangements, caring for the pets etc.  At times it was challenging for Anne, as it could be for you, but just remind yourself it’s not about right or wrong, simply seeing his perspective.

The result was quite interesting.  Reading through the list Anne could absolutely see that, yes, he was a wonderful husband in terms of all of those aspects.  So then we needed to look at what was missing from her perspective, and that was just two things:  recognition of her business success, and physical affection.  It’s interesting how often this issue pops up.  In jokes and stories in our culture, it is only ever the man who doesn’t have his sexual needs met in the marriage, but in my experience the opposite is equally true, simply not talked about, even between girlfriends.  It’s a by product of super busy stressful lives, and a significant contributing factor to couples struggling to conceive.

After brain storming ideas, and discarding the purple feather underwear option, Anne decided that since it was only when her husband became super stressed their relationship felt strained, she would make a commitment to book them both regular time away to recharge together. 

Anne also realised she had been hiding her light, her business success, from most people in their family and social network.  If she wanted recognition, she needed to start sharing her successes and experience with others.  If you are in this situation, be aware it can challenge your partner’s perception of his/her importance and identity in your relationship, and he may be threatened rather than supportive of your success.  Consider, is this why you have down-played your success to this point?   What action do you need to take in your situation?

 Anne’s commitment to herself now is to allow herself to shine, so that others can learn from her experience, and she can enjoy the recognition she so richly deserves.    It won’t be an overnight change, but Anne’s resurrected  confidence and sense of self worth will stand her in good stead.

When you realise your husband has a totally different perception of his calibre as a husband, and you step into his perspective, what do you see through his eyes?   Remember, it’s not about who is right or wrong, simply about understanding what he sees.    Once you’ve done that, and ticked off the points you can agree, or at least concede to, see what is left and what is missing.  We tend to generalise and tell ourselves the whole relationship or partner is wrong, when it often is only 1 or 2 of our needs not being met.   What is it that you are actually really missing?

What can you change or do differently to get those needs met?  Is it something you can or need to discuss with him, or something you can quietly implement?   Is the discrepancy between what you want and have so much, you wonder if it is even worth trying to change or salvage anything?  If you bounce ideas around with a friend or family member, remember they have their own values and perceptions of your husband and what makes an ideal relationships too, so  trust your own gut instinct. 

Your coach has her/his own values and experiences too, but should be able to put those aside and be more objective for you.   To help you gain the clarity, confidence and motivation to do whatever you want to maintain balance and perspective in your relationships and your life overall.  After all, your life is right now, not tomorrow, so take steps to enjoy it right now. 

Call me if you’re ready to make those changes you want to see in your life, and we can discuss which path will suit your needs best.

Pain is our body’s way of communicating that something is wrong, and action needs to be taken to remove ourselves from the source of the pain.  During the healing process pain persists as a reminder to take care of the injured part.  It’s important to seek help during this stage as untreated pain in one part of the body can in turn injure another. For example, limping with a sore leg for a few days throws our hips and subsequently back out of alignment.

(Pain during childbirth is different. It can be signalling to the mother to move position to assist baby’s progress, but unfortunately the agony many women experience comes more from fear [the body tensing and resisting], and expectations of childbirth pain from the stories heard and movies seen.  The mind-body connection with pain is significant, and nothing illustrates this more than the magic of watching a tranquil Hypno Birth, or the amazing orgasmic birth – if every woman could experience one of those our population would explode!  In these situations the mother’s mind convinces her body that birthing is safe, natural and achievable without significant discomfort or pain, and her body and baby totally agree.)

The benefits of ongoing pain are less obvious, and even the concept of Secondary Gain can be quite confronting to a sufferer.  On a personal note, once I was introduced to the concept, my years and years of vomiting tension headaches made sense, and I was able to develop strategies to manage then prevent them occurring.  For me, the Secondary Gain, or benefits of an otherwise negative situation, were time out from a stressful job, avoidance of situations out of my comfort zone, a catch-up on sleep, sympathetic attention and some tender loving care from loved ones.

For pain that is ongoing for more than 6 weeks, there is commonly an underlying emotional reason or benefit, and often there is no conscious awareness of that.  This is when NLP can be invaluable in both identifying and removing the underlying cause, if desired, or simply training the brain to communicate to the body in a different way so the pain is alleviated.   The obvious benefit of the former is that the problem won’t later resurface in a different way i.e. back pain replaced with stomach aches. 

Remember pain is one way our unconscious mind communicates with our conscious mind that something needs to change.  Whether we choose to listen and act, or not, is a personal choice.

Clarity is about firstly, awareness you are holding yourself back, secondly understanding why, and thirdly working out what you can do to change.   Confidence comes from self belief, self worth, knowledge and experience.  Motivation itself comes in two forms, one self-sustaining, the other only good for a kick-start.

Self sabotage is the non-alignment between your conscious and your unconscious minds, resulting in that daily conflict.  Think of your conscious mind as the captain on board your ship, and below deck are your crew or unconscious mind.  Your captain can be announcing full steam ahead this direction, but if your crew are saying, “no, we tried it before, it doesn’t work, we’re afraid, we should go that way instead, the rule book says our family doesn’t do that” etc, your ship will zig zag, stall or even go backwards.   E.g. Your captain/conscious mind sets the alarm clock the night before so you can get up earlier to exercise, your crew/unconscious mind hits the snooze button in the morning.

What are your self sabotage weapon/s of choice?  Here are some common ones:

• Procrastination…until it’s too late.
• Over- eating, drinking, smoking, spending.
• Buying for others  as an excuse to have access.
• Distractions such as TV, computer, email, phone.
• Busy work for others’ needs, including children.
• Self Talk, including saying no in advance for someone.

Self sabotage kills your self esteem and passion for life.  Self sabotage guarantees nothing changes.  And that serves a deeper level purpose. 

There are two main reasons for self sabotage:

1. Not important to you – perhaps it clashes with your Values, or it’s important to someone else, not you.
2. Fear – of success, failure, that by doing it you might prove you are not enough or not worthy.

Think back to the exercise example. If you are not getting out of bed in the morning to exercise as you promised yourself the night before then chances are you value sleep more than exercise, or value watching TV until late more than a healthy body etc.  Perhaps there is resistance because someone else told you to exercise or that you were fat, and sleeping in is your passive protest. 

Perhaps you are afraid people will comment on your body while you exercise, or that you’ll feel discomfort or pain, or that you’ll lose your reason not to get that fabulous job or relationship, to socialise, or to stay faithful?    Perhaps there is fear that even if you did have a healthy body you still wouldn’t look gorgeous, you still wouldn’t be good enough for others?

What is it for you?  Is it one of these or something else?   Awareness is the first essential step to changing anything.  Now you have the awareness, are you are ready to do something about it?  If nothing changes, nothing changes.  

Next month: “Part 2 Confidence” Find your source of authentic confidence by making deep, lasting changes.

p.s. If you can’t wait that long, feel free to contact me to discuss your specific needs.