It's Good to be ME!

When things knock us off balance in life, what if it's actually our panicky over-correction that tips us over, rather than the event itself? Discover how you can better keep your balance as the waves of life head your way.

When you don't know something's there, you just can't hear it. Discover something worth your attention which you might have been missing in the noise of life.

Failure is typically something we try to avoid and the stress of trying to get stuff right and not make mistakes can be quite exhausting. Listen to this episode to get a new perspective on success and failure.

If you were ever in doubt that thought creates our experience of life, then this extraordinary turn of events in a mediocre tennis match might just change your mind...

Do you feel as if you're constantly spinning plates? So many things to do that you can't give your full attention to anything? Maybe it's time to change your act. Have a listen and see if you can catch a glimpse of another, less exhausting way to live.

Inspired by a simple fable, I explore how life without the stress and strain of trying to make things how we want them to be, could actually result in a happier and easier life. Are you more like the sun, or more like the wind?

When we take things personally, we get into all sorts of trouble, and often they weren't meant that way at all. But what if, even when other people do intend us to take things personally, we STILL don't have to? Every relationship becomes easier when we learn what it means to really not take things personally!

There's so much that's going to be different about Christmas this year. And what if there's also something different to see in the Christmas Story that many of us know so well? There's good news about well-being and peace of mind in this age-old tale. Join me to seek it out.

Do you ever feel like a victim of circumstances? Helpless in the face of other people's bad behaviour or awful situations? What if you can take ownership of even the bits of your life that look as if they've got nothing to do with you, and get proactive and creative with them? Because it turns out that being a victim is as much a thought-creation as everything else in life...

A sense of urgency feels as if it's telling us that something needs to be done soon. But beware! What if that urgent feeling you've got is actually telling you something different altogether?

When we think our wellbeing is dependent on something else - then we believe we can't experience wellbeing until we achieve that thing. This leads to an exhausting, life-long, never-ending search. What if you just didn't have to do that any more, because wellbeing is something that never leaves you...however lost you may feel?

When our hair isn't the way we want, we might make an effort to create the look we want by straightening it. But what if that's what we're trying to do with life too? Putting enormous efforts into making it the way we think it should be, often with limited success? How much easier would life be if you didn't have to do that any more?

Does it seem that if only everyone else would sort out their lives, or behave better, then you'd be able to be happy? Whether it's your kids, your parents, your colleagues or world leaders, there's always someone who seems to need fixing. In this episode I suggest that maybe fixing others isn't your responsibility...

Our conventional understanding of stress is that there are events or people that are intrinsically stressful, and the best we can do is to manage that. But what if there's another way of understanding stress as a helpful signal that our state of mind is getting in the way of seeing things clearly. Listen now for a whole new way of thinking about stress.

Sometimes it can look as if, when things don't work out as we'd hoped, our whole life plans are ruined. But that can't ever really be the case...and knowing that makes all the difference in the world!

Often when we feel stuck or dissatisfied in a relationship (whether that's with a partner, family member, or anyone else) it seems as if we just need THEM to change for things to be better. But what if that's not the case? What if we can transform our relationships ourselves...?

How do you think change - the sort of change you are looking for - happens? Because of a simple misunderstanding about the nature of change, and where new ideas come from, often we're searching in the wrong places for what we seek. In this episode you can discover why searching in the dark is actually rather a good idea...

Whatever you're really looking for in life won't come from where you're currently searching...

This week's podcast is in the form of a story - a fairytale, about a little girl who thinks she needs armour to protect her. As you listen, maybe you'll consider what is the armour that you wear every day. How would life be without it?

We have so much knowledge and expertise these days - that it's easy to think we are in control. The truth is, we are not. In this episode, discover why that's actually really good news!

At this time when we can't be very certain about anything much, fear seems to be everywhere. But there are a few things we can be sure of even now - and one of them is that fear is not helpful. Another is that we can rely on our innate resilience. Listen to this episode to discover what you can do when you feel anxious or fearful.

During this extraordinary time, we will feel a whole range of feelings - from fear and pain to compassion, relief, gratitude or even joy. This week's podcast is about the nature of resilience, and how we can safely allow ourselves to feel all the feelings that come our way.

When we spend too much time worrying about what other people will think, we ignore our own inner guidance system. There will always be a whole range of opinions out there: we need to listen to our own wisdom.

We often make an effort to take care of our outer wellbeing, whilst at the same time criticising and judging ourselves internally. It might seem as if that running commentary makes us perform better - but I don't think that's the case. Being kind to yourself, just as you would be to anyone else who gets things wrong sometimes, is far more productive!

If you've tried to support someone with a mental health problem, or you struggle with one yourself, you might have noticed that more thinking, rational argument and reasoning doesn't seem to get you very far.  In this episode we explore why that is, and what the alternative can be.

Often we feel as if we need to have our life all figured out - to set clear goals and head towards them with total focus. But if we get too attached to the outcomes we've decided we need, life along the way can feel like hard work. What if you can see goals more as a direction of travel, and enjoy life along the way?

When you understand how something actually works, rather than being stuck in a misunderstanding that it works in a way that it actually doesn't, life gets a whole lot easier. In this episode we explore how our experience actually works - coming from US, not from OUT THERE!

Do you have an idea of what you should really be like? The perfect version of you? In this episode we look at why trying to be something other than who and what you are right now is just getting in the way of being YOU!

"You made me feel..." is something we might say or feel, but is it really true? In this episode we explore how blaming other people for how YOU feel, is actually like giving your power away.

With exam season here for some, and approaching fast for others, this episode is about understanding the waves of different feelings that sometimes engulf us around this time. And it's not just about exams. If you ever get caught up in feeling things just aren't going to work out...this is for you too!

If you ever find yourself switching off and not really listening to people around you, you might be missing something really important!

How much time do you spend thinking about the future, or dwelling on the past? In this episode we explore how much easier life gets when we focus on what is in front of us NOW...

We are well aware of many of the amazing systems at work in our world - the solar system, the respiratory system, the reproductive system. When we know how something really works, life gets a whole lot easier. But how much do you now about how you psychological system works? It could be a whole lot simpler than you think.

We typically spend plenty of time thinking about the things that we would like to be different about ourselves - things we think are wrong. In this episode, we explore how much better life might look if we put our attention on looking out for our own well-being instead.

What if inside of us we have everything we need to handle life? But we forget, and so we plaster on all sorts of unhelpful behaviours and habits that we think will make us safer and more able to cope. In this episode, I share the image of your inner diamond - and how just knowing that it's there can change your perspective and make life a whole lot simpler.

When we feel uncomfortable feelings, it seems as if they are coming from something in our world, and we might make a big effort to get rid of them. But our feelings can't hurt us and they are not telling us what we often think...

If we spent more of our time focused on what IS, rather than what ISN'T, we would live much happier lives, and experience calmer and more productive states of mind. In this episode we explore what that actually means - what really IS in our lives, and what ISN'T.

It's amazing the way we speak to ourselves inside our heads - yelling and criticising ourselves in a way we wouldn't dream of treating anyone else. In this episode, we explore why this might not be such a good idea!

It seems as if when we get the things we want...then we can be happy. But why wait? We look at the evidence to see if there is anything 'out there' that can make us happy. What if you just started being happy now?

In this episode we take a closer look at our sense (often blamed on social media) that everyone else is living the perfect, sorted out life, except for us.  What if you're having a normal human experience, and so is everyone else?   It's only a problem when we think it shouldn't be like that...

When we start to see how many stories we tell ourselves that just aren't true, then our experience is open to change into something quite different - and much better - at any time.

Knowing how something actually works can make a big difference to how well it functions for us.  What if feelings don't work the way we've always thought.  Have a listen, then try this out in your life, and see what you think.

If you want to hear some things that could help you to live a happier, less stressful and more confident life, listen to this short podcast. I'll introduce you to a new way of seeing the world, and yourself, that could just change everything. Listen to a few episodes, and see what looks different...