Changeability Podcast: Manage Your Mind - Change Your Life

“There are two types of people in the world. Dreamers and haters and the only difference is one thing, haters gave up on their dreams.” – Answer to the author of this quote is found in the podcast. Joe Pardo is a New Jersey-based dreamer, who has always believed that society starts with you, and that to make changes in society you must first change how you yourself think. His innate curiosity about people inspired him to start the motivational Dreamers Podcast and he now aptly considers himself a “recorder of dreams.” Joe’s just released his first book (April 2015) called 31 Life-Changing Concepts, a book for people like him who hate to read books. He’s packed it full of pictures and very direct messages and challenges for the reader.   Changeability Podcast – Episode 40 Here us talk with Joe about his book, his dreams and those who’ve inspired him in episode 40 of the Changeability Podcast.  Listen by clicking above or subscribe to our podcast on iTunes or Stitcher. In Episode 40 you’ll discover Lessons lea

Our thoughts are critical.   “If you realised just how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.” - Peace Pilgrim The wrong types of thought, the negative thoughts that often come to mind throughout our day, can make you feel bad and stop you achieving our best. So today we’re thinking about NATS. And we don’t mean those pesky little insects that buzz around you and over your head when you’re enjoying a warm summer’s evening walk or drink outside the pub.  We’re talking Negative Affirming Thoughts (NATs for short). And if you’re not recognising them, then they might just be preventing you living your fullest life now and getting in the way of you achieving your goals or making the changes you want in your life.  “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it.” - Eckhart Tolle So today we want to look at the different varieties, or maybe we should say ‘species’ of NATs out there.  Because if you’re aware of them you’re more likely to recognise th

What are the ingredients for a fulfilled life, how can you get them and what gets you going in the morning? Just some of the massive questions we’re discussing with Gary Ware from Breakthrough Cocktail.com on today’s episode of the Changeability Podcast. We’re delighted to welcome back Gary to talk about these massive questions and more and to share with us an exciting online event he’s organising - The Elixir of Life Summit.  And you don’t get a better name than that for an event – after all who wouldn’t want the elixir of life? Before we get to that, Gary tells us the story of his self-development journey and how he came to be putting on this event. From feeling unfulfilled and lacking a sense of purpose to being fired up by a huge goal much bigger than himself. One of the defining activities in this journey for Gary and many others has been the introduction of a specific morning routine.  This is a routine of morning rituals which work together to perfectly set your intentions for the day.  Gary shares how

What have self-development and improv got in common – well quite a lot it turns out, according to our guest in today’s episode of the Changeability Podcast - Gary Ware. Gary is a breakthrough mixologist! (Listen to find out what that means!) By day a digital marketer, by night a comedian specialising in improv comedy.  At the end of a busy day, he also has his own website BreakthroughCocktail.com and a podcast of the same name helping ambitious professionals live up to their full awesomeness potential. We talk to Gary about how he got to this point and why he took up improvisation, what he’s learnt from it.  How it helps him in his work and life, and what we can learn from it too – even if you don’t want to get up on stage and try it out for yourself. There’s lots of gems in here but a couple that really resonated with us were: Say yes – even when out of your comfort zone.  But don’t stop there and don’t say “yes but…”, say “yes and…”  Gary explains what this means most eloquently. Our perception is failing e

‘Learn to appreciate what you have before time makes you appreciate what you had.’ We often look to the future to make us happier.  We think about the changes we want and that somehow we’ll be happier once they’re in place. Or we think we want more of something to make us happy, more money, more cars, more holidays, more tech.  It might seem counter-intuitive but studies indicate that in reality these aren’t the things that make us happy.    It doesn’t mean we don’t want to change or improve things in our lives, or indeed have more – but that those things alone are unlikely to increase our happiness and fulfilment, if we’re not happy now. They may give us a temporary lift but all too soon it becomes the norm and we’re looking for the next thing, when we might be better finding ways to bring more joy, time and experiences into our lives. Gratitude and appreciation can help us do this by focusing on what we have rather than what we want. We can train our brains to look for the positive and the good and what w

‘Gratitude is a habit of the heart.’ Alexis de Tocqueville  It’s all very well knowing gratitude is the best attitude but how do we actually do it – how do we do gratitude?  Because we’re not talking about noticing a lot of nice things today that make us feel all warm and fuzzy and then forgetting it all for the next month. That’s not going to help us much. And the evidence tells us that gratitude and appreciation are helpful to us. They make us feel happier right now, and in our lives in the future, they put us in a good place from which to make the changes we want. As we mentioned last week, by deliberately seeking out gratitude filled moments you train your mind to be on the look out for more. An article by Eric Barker in TIME Magazine this week ‘Here’s How to Scientifically Train Your Mind to Be Happy’ talked about the very same thing. He wrote that training your mind to look for errors and problems (as happens in careers like accounting and law) can lead to a pervasive pessimism that carries over in

If you want to jump out of bed in the morning shouting ‘I love my life’ at the top of your voice (and mean it) - the time and place to start is here and now.  It’s brilliant to have a vision of how you want life to look – and goals to get you there. It’s great to use tools like affirmations and visualization to put you in the right frame of mind to achieve those goals. But it’s not just about looking forward to happiness in some future time. It’s about where you are now, being happy with who you are and what you have now. And this is where gratitude is the best attitude kicks in. Gratitude and appreciation give you a simple yet amazing mind management tool with the power to change how you feel right now and carry you forward towards your goals. ‘I don't have to chase extraordinary moments to find happiness - it's right in front of me if I'm paying attention and practicing gratitude.’ Brene Brown Gratitude is one of the universal themes from our shared experience of what it means to be human. It crosses cul

You think you have time Does this apply to you?  “The trouble is you think you have time” Buddha The answer, if you’re being honest, is probably - yes it does.  We all think we will always have more time. We know on an intellectual level we wont.  We understand the concept that our time here is limited. We see the evidence all around us. And yet we often don’t accept it on an emotional level, and don’t act in accordance with it. We carry on living our lives as if there will always be a tomorrow. Another time for us to make the changes we want to make and live the lives we want to live. Maybe even another time somewhere in the future when we’ll be happy. With that happiness depending on changes we have yet to make. So we find ourselves saying I’ll be happy when…(fill in the blank). Time as a Present If this all sounds a bit depressing, what about this then? Yesterday is history, Tomorrow a mystery.Today is a gift, that’s why it’s called the Present.   This is the flip side. We can only ever really know the

What is it that stops us doing what we want to do?  We’re not talking about the things we think we should be doing but those things we think we truly want to do. Yet even though we want to do them, something gets in the way of us actually doing them.  It might be starting that new business, or the novel you know is inside of you.  Maybe it’s shedding the excess pounds getting you down, or eating the healthy food that’ll give you more energy. Whenever you want to do something but you don’t see it through, you are resisting it on some level. You are experiencing resistance to your goals, desires or dreams. And we all experience it, that’s not the issue.  The issue is what we do about it.  Do we let resistance win out and sabotage our intentions, or do we recognise it and deal with it. That’s what we’re talking about in episode 32 of the Changeability Podcast with guest Tony L Brown. "Knowledge alone is powerless, it’s what you do with that knowledge."Tony L Brown   Tony is a coach, consultant, speaker, trai

Are you a rudderless boat being tossed about in life’s sea or are you on course to get what you want from life?  These might be difficult questions to answer but the secret to getting the changes you want in life starts here - being clear about how you want your changed life to look. “Do you know where you’re going to, do you like the things that life has shown you, where are you going to, do you know?” Whether you recognise the song or not, the words capture the first technique to manage your mind to get what you want in life and business. It’s about setting your intentions and then finding out what’s getting in the way of making them happen.  The likelihood is there are self-beliefs and negative thoughts lurking about in your subconscious working hard to keep you precisely where you are now. Nice and safe and secure, at least as far as your mind is concerned, even though you might not realise that’s where you want to be! Yet recognising those thoughts is a great step forward and the start of getting rid of

‘If you don’t like it – change it - may be simple to say but not so simple to do. Change can be hard. But it doesn’t have to be. You see it’s not your fault. Change is supposed to be difficult because that’s how we’re programmed to be. Yet once you understand that programming and how to work with it, you have a way to increase your success in whatever you want to do.’ This excerpt from Changeability – Manage your Mind – Change your Life sums up what we aim to do, not only with this book, but also on the Changeability Podcast.  Our aim is to help you understand that internal mental programming and give you ways to work with it so you can change what you want to change, improve what you want to improve and have success in whatever you want to do. This week on our 30th episode of the Changeability Podcast we look back at some of the key themes of the past 29 episodes.  These are the big ideas that underpin what we talk about on the podcast, write about in the blog and lie behind the Brilliant Living® products

Do you like to daydream? As a child were you told off for daydreaming in the classroom when you were supposed to be doing your school work? Maybe you were imagining what you were going to do with your friends after school, or what you wanted to be when you grew up, or how great it would be when you were old enough to do what you wanted.  If so don’t knock it, you were practicing a useful technique to help you get that life you dreamt of having.  Because visualization is like daydreaming on purpose. “To dream by night is to escape your life. To dream by day is to make it happen.” Stephen Richards   And with some tips on how to make the most of your imaginings and a bit of practice you can hone your daydreaming so it becomes a great mind management tool for you. That’s what we help you to do in episode 29 of the Changeability Podcast. Episode 29 The Changeability Podcast This week’s episode is a slightly different format (not that we really have a set format!) – with a practical show of two halves. In the fir

What does it take to be successful in any part of your life?  Yes, setting goals. Yes, being clear about what you want. Yes, doing the work and putting in the hours to create or improve or develop the skill or the relationship – or whatever it is you want to achieve.  But what if there was another ingredient that you could throw into the mix to give you that extra edge?  Would you use it to up your game or even get ahead of the competition? These might sound like sporting metaphors and we’ve used them on purpose, because this is the very thing that many people, including sportspeople, use to give them that extra something that leads to their success. So what is it that they have? Well it’s something we all have it’s just they use it for a specific purpose.  It’s IMAGINATION.  They use the power of imagination to create the success they desire, and you can do the same. It’s true that the imagination is where this success initially starts, and where it plays out until it becomes reality. But in that imaginin

If visualization is one of the key mind management techniques sports people use to perform better and reach their goals, then mentally rehearsing what you want to achieve can do the same for you. You don’t have to be an elite athlete to experience the benefits of using your imagination to visualize the future you want. But how to visualize to get what you want?  What’s the best way to do it? In episode 27 of the Changeability Podcast we take a look at what you can do to get the most out of visualization. These are the little tricks of the trade of how to visualize for maximum effectiveness – in other words – how to visualize to get what you want. It’s got a lot to do with rehearsing and making it as real as you can. Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will. – George Bernard Shaw In episode 27 you find out: The vital link between visualization and rehearsing. It’s all about acting – luvvies! How Julian’s turning bad

This week we’re talking about a straight up, full on, mind management tool you can use in life and business to help you make changes and achieve your goals - VISUALIZATION. Visualization uses the power of your imagination to create the life you want, by creating in your mind’s eye what you desire or want to achieve, and repeatedly visualizing it. Far from being something way out or weird, visualization is natural and we all do it everyday of our lives. We visualize when we’re being creative or planning something.  We use it in a positive way - like looking forward to our next holiday, or in a negative unhelpful way - like when we unnecessarily imagine things going wrong for us. (We talked about this in episode 20 ‘What is Visualization’ when we first looked at visualization.) So if visualization is something you do naturally – wouldn’t it be great to take the visualisation you do naturally everyday, enhance it and make it work to your advantage? As a mind management tool - using the power of your mind to do

If you want to get inside the mind of a successful entrepreneur and businessman, then episode 25 of the Changeability Podcast is your chance.  Because this week we talk with Chris Ducker who takes us on the roller coaster experience of what being an entrepreneur has been and is for him. Chris shares the highs and lows, fears and rewards of his entrepreneurial journey so far and we chat about the mindset, techniques and tactics, which have made him the success he is today. And it’s not all sweetness and light, as Chris opens up about the challenges he’s faced along the way and how he’s dealt with them. “Do what you do best – delegate the rest” Chris Ducker Chris, of ChrisDucker.com – is a serial entrepreneur and accomplished businessman, with a bricks and mortar business in the Philippines employing over 200 staff and an online business helping become people start or improve their own businesses.  He is also a coach, blogger, author of the best selling book Virtual Freedom, sought after speaker and host of the

5 words for a great year ahead The power of words  There is power in words. We all know the power of words to motivate, educate and communicate. We use words to communicate with each other and also with ourselves. Our thoughts are formed in words and we have an inner-voice that commentates on what we do and think, and not always in the most positive of ways! So why not use your words to your advantage? One way of doing this is to have a few well-chosen words that sum up the essence of what you want to achieve or experience in the year ahead. These become your words for the year. The idea is you write them out and place them where you will see them every day. And you regularly repeat them, think about them, look at them and use them, until they’re impressed onto your subconscious and become part of how you think, act and behave. In short, these words work as shorthand for your aspirations and as affirmation of the way you want to be. They are a reminder of your goals and reinforcement for your intentions. Yo

The first of January was dedicated by the Romans to their God of Gates and Doors - Janus. Janus had a distinctive and unusual look – he had two faces which rather cleverly meant he could look behind him with one face whilst simultaneously looking forward with his other face. Just as doors and gates look in two directions, this god could look both backward and forward at the same time. This made him not only the guardian of exits, entrances and transitions, but just as you go through a door or gate to enter a new place, Janus was seen as the God of Beginnings. We of course remember Janus in the name of our first month of the year, January, but he represented beginnings and firsts of all types. This makes Janus a perfect symbol for us at this and any time of the year. So although we’re doing the two-faced Janus thing of looking back (in last weeks Changeability Podcast - episode 22) and looking forward to new beginnings today at the beginning of January – it doesn’t matter whether you read or listen to this in

We’re at the end of the year – so how was it for you? What have been the highlights and achievements of your year? If you were to give this year a mark out of ten, how would you rate your year? Would it be a derisory 1, measly 2 or a paltry 3 - a poor 4, average 5 or respectable 6 - a good 7, a great 8 or maybe even a fabulous 9 or totally brilliant 10? What is it about the end of the year that makes it a good time to take stock? We have a culture of looking back around this time of year – with all sorts of TV programs looking back at the events of the year, the trends, the politics, what happened in the media. But the end of a year also provides a convenient cut-off point for you on an individual level to reflect on what’s happened - and either recognise and celebrate it or put it behind you and move on. And to go with this there’s the annual goals fest of New Year resolutions. The fact is the idea of new beginnings is a conceptual device – a framework to hang a review of the past and preview of the future o

If you’ve ever doubted what visualization can do for you, or about the power of your subconscious mind to influence what you do and how you do it, listen to the interview with our guest on today’s episode of the Changeability Podcast - Dr Eva Detko. Dr Eva talks about how she used the power of visualization in her bid to compete in Latin and Ballroom competitions from a regional level right up to the national finals at the international home of ballroom dancing – in Blackpool, England. At the heart of this and the work that Dr Eva does with her clients is finding ways to harness the power of the subconscious mind to help us achieve what we want to achieve.  This might be through the hypnotherapy that Dr Eva specializes in, or in releasing the build-up of the stresses and strains of everyday life that will be detrimental to our health in the long term. Talking of health, Eva is also a Nutritional Therapist with a clear view on the inter-related link between mind and body, what we eat, our emotions and state o