Podcasts about cloughie

Experiencing Joy and Bliss - A Creative Visualisation What if joy and bliss weren't things you had to chase… What if they were already inside you, waiting to be remembered? In this deeper episode of Personal Development Unplugged, Paul guides you through a powerful creative visualisation designed to help you experience joy, bliss, and deep personal pride – not just think about them. This is not about forcing positivity or pretending everything is perfect. It's about sending a clear emotional signal to your unconscious mind: "This is how I want to feel." Using imagination, memory, sensory awareness, and gentle NLP-style anchoring, you'll explore what joy truly feels like for you – and how that feeling can begin to influence your future choices, goals, and direction in life. This episode works best when you can set aside around 20 minutes with no distractions. It's an internal experience – subtle, safe, and deeply personal. In this episode, you'll: Discover why feelings, not goals, are the real compass of personal development Experience a guided creative visualisation for joy, bliss, and personal pride Learn how imagination can bypass internal resistance and unlock change Anchor empowering emotional states you can access whenever you choose Begin building a "base camp" for future growth and deeper work Explore how joy can become a signal your unconscious mind follows This episode gently sets the foundation for upcoming deeper dives into joy, purpose, and removing what gets in the way of feeling truly alive. Best enjoyed somewhere comfortable, safe, and uninterrupted with headphones Your Key Takeaways Your unconscious mind often knows more than your conscious plans Joy and bliss are states, not rewards Imagination is a valid and powerful route to emotional change You can consciously anchor empowering feelings Feeling good isn't selfish – it's ecological Your Call to Action Subscribe so you don't miss the upcoming deeper dives Share this episode with someone who could use more joy in their life https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/473-experiencing-joy-and-bliss-a-creative-visualisation Explore Paul's hypnosis and visualization tracks at paulcloughonline.com/podcast Send feedback or suggestions to feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com Shine Brightly

If You Thought This Was Bad Including deep hypnosis If you thought this was bad… it isn't. And that's actually good news. In this deeper dive, I'm talking honestly about what happens when life feels overwhelming, when things get pushed down instead of talked through, and why "suck it up, buttercup" is one of the biggest myths we've ever been sold in personal development. This episode is about not being broken, even when you feel like you are. It's about understanding that feeling low, anxious, lost, or like a failure is not the end — it's a starting point. A platform to move from, not a prison to live in. Inside this episode, we explore: Why suppressing emotions only makes things worse How feeling "not good enough" can actually be the best place to begin change The difference between pity and genuine support Why imagination is one of your most powerful tools for transformation How to reconnect with the best version of you — even if you can't see it yet And embedded within this episode is a deep guided hypnosis / guided imagery process designed to help you: Let go of limiting beliefs and emotional weight Reconnect with your inner strengths and qualities Experience what it feels like to be your best self Begin acting as if change is already underway You don't need to be "fixed". You don't need to be perfect. You just need the right tools — and a bit of encouragement. What You'll Experience A safe, grounded hypnosis process (eyes closed, no distractions) Powerful imagery to reconnect you with confidence, ease, and self-belief A reminder that growth doesn't have to be hard — it can be fun Practical encouragement to start using the tools you already have And I've got your back. Call to Action If this episode resonated: Subscribe so you don't miss future episodes Share this podcast with someone who might need it Pay it forward — growth shared is growth multiplied https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/472-if-you-thought-this-was-bad/   Shine Brightly

Lets Start Over A brand new year often brings pressure to reinvent everything. But in this Five Minute Quickie, Paul invites you to start over without throwing everything away. This episode is about recommitting — to your growth, your tools, and your intention to become the best version of yourself. Not by chasing pity or staying stuck, but by choosing encouragement, responsibility, and action. With over a thousand episodes behind him, Paul explains why revisiting the fundamentals of personal development isn't going backwards — it's how real mastery is built. You may have heard it before… but you're not the same person listening now. Inside this FMQ, you'll explore: Why "starting over" doesn't mean starting from scratch The difference between healthy honesty and unhelpful pity Why reminders are often more powerful than new information How mastery comes from doing what you know — consistently The importance of sharing what you learn to deepen your growth This episode sets the tone for the year ahead: practical tools, encouragement, personal responsibility, and meaningful change — for you, and for the people around you. And if you want a say in where this podcast goes next, Paul invites you to get involved. Let's share this message and ask others to do the same https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-523-lets-start-over/ Let's start over — properly. Shine Brightly

Highlights from the home of the best Brian Clough stories.During 2025, the Green Jumper heard from many great guests.This is a special collection of just some of those wonderful memories.From a chip shop treat to a dressing room drama, these are some Cloughie classics you'll love to hear, in the company of pod host Marcus Alton.There are more stories on the tribute website, brianclough.com, where you can buy souvenirs to help the running costs of the podcast.

The Green Jumper's 100th episode tells the story of how a young, rookie journalist managed to secure an interview with Brian Clough at the height of his European success. Alicia Rudzka was a trainee at the London College of Printing when she wrote to Cloughie at Nottingham Forest. What followed was a meeting that the young reporter would never forget. "I was mesmerised," recalls Alicia in her conversation with pod host Marcus Alton. "I couldn't believe I was sitting in the company of one of my all-time heroes. It remains the highlight of my life probably, as well as my career."This milestone episode also includes exclusive extracts from a live event of Clough nostalgia presented by Marcus.

Come And Play For A Change In this slightly longer Five-Minute Quickie, I'm inviting you to do something different… to come and play. Play with ideas, play with possibilities, and play with the truth about those heavy beliefs we sometimes carry like "I've got no one." In this FMQ, we explore: How "I've got no one" is a belief, not the truth Why every belief — even identity-level stuff — can be changed Why it often feels like our issues only happen to us Why working with compassion (not empathy) creates real change How every issue is just a behaviour — and behaviours can change How these seeds we explore now lead directly into the deeper work in the following longer episode This is your invitation to come play with me, to explore lightly but honestly, and to get ready for the deeper dive where we really shift these things. Because it's not magic… but it's bloody magical. Next steps: Make sure you're subscribed, share this with someone who needs a little support today, and keep an eye out for the longer episode — it's a good one. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-521-come-and-play-for-a-change/     Shine Brightly

"I'm Not Good Enough – Where'd That Go?" In this deep-dive episode of Personal Development Unplugged, we go straight to the heart of that old familiar belief: "I'm not good enough." Where did it come from? Why does it stick? And more importantly… how the hell do we finally let it go? Following on from FMQ 520, we go far deeper — unpacking the real intention behind that belief (yep, your unconscious mind is actually trying to protect you), the conflict it accidentally creates, and how to guide it toward a better way of keeping you safe. And then… we do the thing. A guided process — powerful, imaginative, and deeply integrative — designed to dissolve the old belief, honour the intention behind it, and install new, empowering beliefs that actually support you. Not named, not formal — just a beautifully crafted experience that uses memory, imagination, counterexamples, and emotional safety to shift how you see yourself. What you'll learn in this episode Where "I'm not good enough" really comes from Why it is helping you — but in the worst possible way How your unconscious mind gets stuck in a loop of "protecting" you by holding you back Why perfectionism is just the same belief wearing a different hat How to honour the original intention so your unconscious mind joins the team How to use imagination + real memories to generate powerful new beliefs A full guided process to change how you feel about the past and the future How to use this again to reinforce confidence, safety, and inner alignment The reminder that you are always more than you think you are Hypnosis-style process included Yep — this episode includes a guided inner process (eyes closed, deep focus) allowing you to revisit past experiences safely and then rehearse future success with new beliefs installed. Not formal hypnosis — but absolutely hypnotic in effect. Why this episode matters Because this belief — I'm not good enough — is the quiet saboteur behind so much anxiety, overwhelm, perfectionism, avoidance, and self-sabotage. When it shifts, life opens up. You get back your choices, your confidence, your comfort in your own skin. And your unconscious mind gets to protect you in a far better way. Takeaways Your unconscious mind always means well Protection and progress only conflict when the strategy is outdated You can change a belief by giving your unconscious mind better evidence and better options You don't need to "feel ready" — you need to feel safe You can install empowering beliefs now and rehearse a new future You're already capable; you just needed access to the right internal resources Please share this episode https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/469-im-not-good-enough-whered-that-go Shine Brightly

"He was eccentric and a great man-manager. He knew the players inside out." There are some great Brian Clough stories in this conversation with former Nottingham Forest winger Franz Carr. He tells pod host Marcus Alton: "Your archive newspaper cuttings are fantastic - I've never seen some of them before!" Franz talks about the matchday instructions from Cloughie, the principles of life and football he learned from the Miracle Manager and even the nicknames he was given by Clough's captain, Stuart 'Psycho' Pearce. Franz was the flying winger whom Clough said he would run as a greyhound if he ever considered a change of career! Enjoy reliving those magical days in this entertaining and informative conversation. You can see some of the archive features, which are mentioned in the podcast, on the tribute website, brianclough.com.

I Feel Sh*t So Let's Change This Episode in a Nutshell In this deeper dive of Personal Development Unplugged, we get real about feeling stuck, low, anxious or just "not ourselves" — and what to actually do about it. No more endless talking, analysing or looping the same bloody thoughts. This is about changing how you feel at the unconscious level, where these issues were created… and where they can be changed. If you've ever struggled to remember what "good" even feels like, or wondered why you can't just think your way out of the cycle, this episode gives you a gentle, powerful way to move forward — using your imagination, memory, and your very real inner resources. What You'll Learn • Why "talking about your issue" rarely creates real change Talking keeps you in your conscious mind — the part that didn't create the problem. So it can't resolve it. • Why your unconscious mind is the key Your unconscious created these feelings to protect you. It just chose a bad strategy. So we go back to that level to educate it and update it. • How to discover how you actually want to feel (Not as easy as people pretend. But we make it easy.) • How to use memories to unlock feelings you thought you'd lost If you can imagine the feeling, you have felt it before — we just need to uncover the counter-examples. • A step-by-step method to go from "how I feel now" → "how I want to feel" Including the powerful "middle feeling" bridge that stops your brain panicking and makes real change doable. • How to create experiences in your future that your unconscious mind believes are real And therefore starts acting on them now. Why This Matters Because you deserve better than living with old, outdated emotional programmes. Because you are more than the issue you're experiencing. Because feeling good, calm, confident or safe isn't a fantasy — it's a memory inside you waiting to be brought forward. And because change doesn't require force, pressure or reliving the past. It requires permission, imagination and simple steps. Your Simple Action Steps Write down how you feel now. Be honest. No judgement. Write down how you want to feel. This is the feeling you'd choose if everything was just right. Find the halfway feeling. The emotional stepping stone. Use your imagination: Visualise yourself feeling the way you want to feel, in the exact context where you currently struggle. Drop into a memory: Let your unconscious find a time you actually felt this way before. Blend them. Bring that old feeling into the imagined future — your brain doesn't know the difference. Repeat with curiosity. It's simple. It's gentle. And it works. Cloughie's Notes (The Heart-to-Heart Bit) You are not broken. You don't need fixing. You simply learned a way of coping that doesn't serve you anymore. And just as you learned it, you can unlearn it. And relearn something far better. This episode is my way of guiding you to the place where you can make that change — easily, naturally, gently. Because you matter. And because I know what it's like to feel lost. And I know what it's like to find the way back. Useful Links • Free Hypnosis Library: paulcloughonline.com/podcast • Episode Mentioned: #78.1 – "My Qualities" • Instagram & Email: If something comes up, message me. We'll explore it in future episodes. Call to Action If this episode touched you, helped you, or even nudged you a little — please share it with someone who might need it. And subscribe, because the next episodes are going even deeper with real processes that create real change. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/468-i-feel-sht-so-lets-change/ ‎ Have more fun than you can stand. And remember: Change isn't magic… but it is magical. Shine Brightly

"He knew when to put players in the team and when to take them out. He was a genius at that. He was a psychologist and a mentor."Brian Clough signed speedy winger Franz Carr when he was just 17. Carr became a key part of Clough's re-built Nottingham Forest sides that achieved huge success in the late 1980's and early 1990's. In this fascinating interview with Marcus Alton from brianclough.com, Carr recalls those magical times and enjoys reflecting on some archive newspaper reports he'd not seen before - including special praise from Cloughie himself. This is a trailer for the full forthcoming interview.

How To Achieve Your Goals Easily There's an easier way to achieve your dreams and goals — one that actually feels good and keeps you motivated the whole way through. In this episode, I share a simple but powerful approach to goal setting that most people miss: starting from the last step — that moment when you've already achieved your goal — and using that feeling to drive you forward. You'll discover how to find your true why, anchor your motivation, and create a plan that's realistic, energising, and deeply aligned with what you want. And there's more — I'll also guide you through a special hypnosis process designed to connect your conscious and unconscious minds, so the path to your goals becomes effortless and natural. This isn't about grinding harder or forcing success. It's about feeling your way into it — knowing exactly what success looks and feels like so you can enjoy every step along the way. In this episode: The often-overlooked final step that makes all the difference in goal achievement How to find and anchor your true motivation (your why) Why traditional goal-setting keeps you stuck and how to flip it The role of your unconscious mind in creating success A guided hypnosis process to help you align and take inspired action Takeaway: When you start from the feeling of already having achieved your goal, and anchor that emotion, everything changes. Obstacles shrink, motivation grows, and the steps become natural. Listen now — and let's make your goals easier, more joyful, and truly yours. Then let's share it with others https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/467-how-to-achieve-your-goals-easily Shine Brightly

How To Make Sure You Get What You Want Ever feel like you're doing everything right toward your goals… and still somehow missing the mark? In this short and powerful 5-Minute Quickie, I'll get you thinking differently — about the real key to success. It's not about doing more, it's about choosing what really matters and owning it with absolute certainty. You'll explore: Why most people get overwhelmed and give up on their goals. How to simplify your path by writing everything down and seeing it clearly. A sneak peek into the longer, deeper episode to come — complete with a hypnosis process to make success feel inevitable. This FMQ is your seed for something bigger — a simple mindset shift that can change everything. Start now: write down what you truly want, rate what's most important, and get ready to make sure you actually get it. Listen now. Think deeply. Then be ready for the next one. And share with your friends: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-518-how-to-make-sure-you-get-what-you-want And as always the video link https://youtu.be/F4NUGealUYg Shine Brightly

How to Really Be Successful Ever heard people bang on about mindset — and thought, “Yeah, but what about the rest of me?” This Five-Minute Quickie goes beyond the buzzword. Because success isn't just in your head — it's in your body too. In this short but mighty episode, we explore: Why mindset alone isn't enough — and what “body-set” really means How to align your physiology and psychology so your goals feel inevitable Simple ways to tap into your “future you” — breathing, posture, tone, gestures — to unlock real, embodied confidence Cloughie breaks it down in his trademark way: fun, grounded, and totally usable. When you bring your body and mind into alignment, you don't have to fake success — you become it. Takeaway: Success is a feeling you live, not just an idea you think. Act, move, and breathe like you've already achieved it — because that's how you'll get there quicker, bigger, and better. Please share and see others grow too: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-517-how-to-really-be-successful Oh! And there's a video of me recording this too https://youtu.be/NnGVNaRiabI Got feedback, a question, or a win to share? Email: feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com Shine Brightly

"I had some great times with Brian. He once paid me a wonderful compliment by saying if he could have chosen a brother, it would have been me."Colin Shields was a close friend of Brian Clough and in this fascinating chat with pod host Marcus Alton he describes life 'behind the scenes' with the charismatic Cloughie. Colin's book Champagne Memories, supporting good causes, is available at brianclough.com and contains many more great memories.

Acting As If Without The Fake Welcome back to another Five Minute Quickie! You've probably heard the phrase “fake it till you make it”—but let's be honest, it feels like a lie, doesn't it? That's because it is. When you try to copy someone else—how they walk, talk, or behave—you're not acting as if, you're acting as them. And deep down, you know it. You can't fool yourself. So what's the real power behind acting as if? It's stepping into the version of you who has already achieved your goal. Not pretending, not faking—just allowing that future you to live in the present. That's when you tap into the physiology and psychology of success. In this short FMQ, I'll share why “acting as if” works, why faking never does, and how to make it real so you can accelerate your goals, your dreams, and your enjoyment of the journey.

No Regrets - Just Do It -Here's How Have you ever caught yourself holding back, waiting for the “perfect” moment, and later felt that sting of regret? The truth is, regret weighs far more heavily than failure ever could. Failure teaches you something. Regret leaves you stuck, wondering “what if?” In this longer episode of Personal Development Unplugged, I take you deep into how to break free from hesitation, silence that self-doubt, and finally step forward with courage. This isn't about recklessness — it's about learning how to live boldly, make choices you're proud of, and stop letting fear dictate your life. You'll discover: Why regret is heavier than failure (and how to free yourself from it) Simple mindset shifts to move from hesitation to momentum The one question that reframes fear and unlocks action A step-by-step hypnosis process to help you just do it — so you don't just think about change, you actually experience it This is more than a conversation — it's an opportunity to work with your unconscious mind, shift your patterns, and take meaningful action today. If you've ever said “I wish I had…” then this episode is for you. Share it with someone who needs that nudge forward, and don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode packed with practical tools, mindset shifts, and powerful processes. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/464-no-regrets-just-do-it-heres-how Shine Brightly

Keeping Negative Emotions At Bay Ever lost your cool over something small — then realised it wasn't about the “thing” at all? In this episode of Personal Development Unplugged, I take you through a real-life moment where frustration turned into anger, then into something deeper… limiting beliefs like “I'm stupid” or “I'm not good enough.” Here's the truth: those surface emotions are rarely the whole story. By peeling back the layers, you'll discover what's really driving them — and more importantly, how to release them. You'll learn: How to spot the real emotion underneath anger or frustration A simple process to break free from limiting beliefs before they grow Why small learnings create massive change over time This isn't about pretending negativity doesn't exist. It's about learning from it, dissolving it, and building stronger foundations for success — every single day. Takeaway: When you uncover the lesson behind an emotion, the emotion itself loses its grip. That's freedom. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/461-keeping-negative-emotions-at-bay and don't forget to check out the free hypnosis tracks waiting for you at paulcloughonline.com/podcast Shine Brightly

Letting Yourself Down: Thinking of Others – DON'T Do you put everyone else first? Always there for family, friends, even the ones who don't always treat you right? That's an incredible value to have — being dependable, supportive, and accountable. But here's the truth: when you constantly put others before yourself, you're letting yourself down. And when you let yourself down, you let everyone down. In this episode, I'll guide you through a simple but powerful exercise to uncover your core life values — the foundation of who you are. Once you know your top three, you'll understand how to live in alignment with them, stay true to yourself, and actually be a stronger support for those you care about. This isn't about being selfish. It's about knowing who you are, standing on that rock-solid foundation, and being accountable to you. From there, everything else — your goals, dreams, relationships — falls into place. Listen in and find out: Why putting others first can actually let them down. How to discover your top three life values. How living by those values makes you the best version of you. Why accountability starts with yourself — or it doesn't work at all. It's time to stop letting yourself down. Build your foundation. Live your values. And only then, lift up others. Let's share this with others https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/460-letting-yourself-down-thinking-of-others-dont And there is a video of this too https://youtu.be/yRgclkZ-GgA Shine Brightly

Spicing Up Success Ever wondered why some goals feel like a slog while others seem to flow? In this 5-minute quickie, I dive into Neville Goddard's powerful idea of the feeling of the wish fulfilled—and then I take it further. What if you didn't just imagine the emotion of achieving your dream… but also stepped into the psychology and physiology of already having it? How would you breathe, walk, talk, and think if your goal was done and dusted? This is more than just motivation—it's how you train your unconscious mind to notice opportunities, attract success faster, and build unstoppable inner confidence. So if you're ready to achieve your dreams quicker, richer, and with more certainty—hit play. And if you know someone chasing their goals, share this with them. It might be exactly the nudge they need.

3 New Hypnosis Tracks With My Compliments I've just re-edited and transformed three of my favourite podcast processes into real hypnosis tracks — multi-layered sessions designed to get deep into your unconscious mind. These tracks include: Making decisions with unconscious clarity Making anxiety your best friend Spinning anxiety away (weird, but it works!) They join nearly 70 free hypnosis audios I've created for the Personal Development Unplugged community — all downloadable, no credit cards, no catches.

In this short yet powerful Five-Minute Quickie episode, we're diving into a question that could seriously supercharge your personal development journey: "How often do you check your progress—and why?" Cloughie explores the sweet spot between over-checking (hello, obsession and lost motivation!) and under-checking (hello, complacency and drifting off-course). Whether it's your personal goals, weight, mindset, career, or even podcast stats, finding your ideal review rhythm is the key to staying on track, boosting motivation, and making real progress. You'll learn: Why too much checking can destroy momentum Why not checking enough can cost you time and energy The hidden fears behind your review habits (fear of failure or fear of success?) A simple mindset shift to help you course-correct without self-judgment How to schedule reviews that actually work for you

The Alternative To Anxiety and Worry An empowering deep dive into how you can take control of anxiety and worry — and replace them with clarity, calm, and confidence. An empowering deep dive into how you can take control of anxiety and worry — and replace them with clarity, calm, and confidence. In this episode, Paul Clough (yes, me!) shares personal experiences and tried-and-tested NLP and hypnosis-based techniques to help you break the cycle of anxious thoughts, worry loops, and emotional overwhelm. Discover how to: Dissociate from unhelpful feelings, thoughts, and mental movies Rewire your internal voice to one of calm, strength, and clarity Use simple yet powerful visualisation and anchoring techniques Access the emotional states that truly support you Stop rehearsing failure and instead direct your own movie of success Prepare for real-life situations with ease and confidence You'll learn how your unconscious mind can work with you rather than against you, so you're no longer hijacked by imaginary fears or future catastrophes that never even happen.

Feeling a Failure – Let's Solve It Ever felt like a failure? That heavy, gut-sinking emotion that says “I'm not good enough” or *“I've let myself (or others) down”? You're not alone. But what if I told you feeling like a failure is not a fact – it's a signal. And better still, it's something we can solve together. In this episode of the Personal Development Unplugged podcast, we go deep – but in only the way we can. I'll walk you through how those thoughts of failure sneak in, what they really mean, and most importantly, give you simple, practical NLP and hypnosis-based tools to shift that feeling fast.  Learn how to: • Challenge and change the story you're telling yourself • Turn emotional feedback into empowering action • Reclaim confidence and self-worth (without toxic positivity) • Use the language of success to rewire your internal dialogue • Start new habits that build momentum, not guilt This isn't about pretending everything's great. This is about acknowledging the feeling, finding the real intention behind it, and creating real, lasting change. And it's simpler than you think — because, say it with me: In simplicity, there is genius. It's time to take that feeling of failure and use it as fuel for your personal growth. Listen now and reclaim your inner success story. Watch the full video episode too if you fancy seeing my face in action! Subscribe. Share. Let's help more people unplug from limitations. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/455-feeling-a-failure-lets-solve-it https://youtu.be/zT59hSKIKvA Shine Brightly

A Respectful Look at the Views of Others A Five-Minute Quickie from the Personal Development Unplugged Podcast Ever wondered how someone can hold a belief so different from yours — even the total opposite — and still be right? Well, in this five-minute (ish!) ramble, we explore one of NLP's most important presuppositions: respect for another person's model of the world. We all build our own "maps" of reality based on our experiences. But what happens when we genuinely listen to someone else's? Can we learn from it? Can it balance, challenge, or even evolve our own beliefs? In this episode: Why no one's map is 100% the territory How curiosity leads to harmony (and less conflict) And why active listening could be your secret growth tool Take a moment, a breath, a coffee — and muse with me. Test everything. Respect difference. Be curious. Want the full experience? Subscribe, follow, and share the hell out of this with someone open-minded like you! https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-506-a-respectful-look-at-the-views-of-others And the video link https://youtu.be/yE9FVIl3nyo More fun than you can stand — wallow in curiosity! Shine Brightly

#454 Mental Wellbeing – Tools and Strategies Part 1 Two simple tools that could change everything. We've all been through tough times — sadness, anxiety, OCD, loss of confidence, grief, loneliness… and it's all “stuff” that affects your mental wellbeing. But here's the thing: most of that big stuff? It started small. In this episode of the Personal Development Unplugged podcast, I (Cloughie) guide you through two powerful, yet beautifully simple mental wellbeing tools. These aren't fluffy techniques – they're real strategies that help you: Acknowledge and neutralise uncomfortable emotions (instead of pushing them down) Interrupt anxious thoughts and looping inner dialogue Get clarity, create strategies, and take back control Transform worry into personal power and positive action We do the work together. Right here. Right now. These are practical NLP-based tools you can use any time life throws you a curveball – no fluff, just real results.

My Favourite Podcasts Hey! Just sharing some podcasts I really love. I think they're pretty popular, but if you haven't checked them out, give them a listen. Modern Wisdom (Chris Williamson):** Super thoughtful, articulate guy. Most guests resonate with me. Chase Jarvis Live:** Creative chats with honest, talented people. *School of Greatness (Lewis Howes):** From athlete to business guy, really grounded and inspiring. Mark Devine Show:** Navy SEAL turned spiritual explorer—really cool to see that side of things. Making Sense (Sam Harris):** Deep, sometimes complex, but worth it. Jordan Peterson:** Thoughtful and deep—might need a dictionary at times! Jordan Harbinger:** Down-to-earth, real conversations. Think Fast, Talk Smart:** Tips on how to communicate better. Bill Burr's Monday Morning Podcast:** Hilarious, honest, with some swearing. Joe Rogan:** Wide range of guests, super popular. Ass-Breaking Motivation:** Gets you fired up—some shouty, some inspiring. Would love to hear your favorites too! Send me an email at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Sharing is caring, and it helps us all grow. And hey, make notes of those golden nuggets—you never know when you'll need them. That's it for now. Keep learning, keep sharing, and let's make this world a better place. Speak soon! https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-505-me-and-the-podcasts-i-like-and-learn-from And the video of this episode is here https://youtu.be/2B7hfTQopa0 Shine Brightly

Kindness: The Next Superpower Hey my friend—kindness… a superpower? Really? In this longer, deeper episode of the Personal Development Unplugged Podcast, Cloughie explores why kindness is one of the most underrated forces for change—inside and out. In a world that feels increasingly self-centred, reactive, and short-tempered, a simple act of kindness can disrupt the noise and spark real transformation. This is part personal confession (yes, Cloughie admits to being “a bit of a dick”), part gentle wake-up call, and 100% full of practical reflections to help you become more self-assured and more connected to those around you. What you'll discover: Why kindness isn't weakness—it's proof of deep inner strength The surprising return on investment of a small act of kindness How to shift from frustration to compassion (even in traffic!) Why you sometimes forget your own kindness—and how to bring it back to mind A reminder to start by being kind to yourself, because that's where it all begins How kindness feeds into your personal goals and dreams—if you choose to include it You'll also be invited to: Reflect on the kindness you've received and how it shaped you Review your day for simple “kindness moments” (smiles count!) Set an intention to actively make the world a better place—starting today This episode isn't fluffy—it's practical. It's a reminder that we don't need to wait for the world to change. We start with us. One kind moment at a time. Be kind—pass it on: If this touched something in you, share the episode with someone you care about. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/453-kindness-the-next-super-power/ Subscribe or follow to never miss a moment of mindset magic, deep musings, or a little friendly self-hypnosis. And if you've not yet explored all the free hypnosis at paulcloughonline.com, now's a good time. Because whatever you think you are… you're more than that. Let's fly Shine Brightly

“I'm Stupid — I Don't Understand / They're Stupid — They Don't Understand Me” Another Five-Minute Quickie for those deeper musings… Ever thought “they just don't get me” or “I must be thick because I don't get them”? Here's a fresh lens: The meaning of your communication is the response you get — a golden presupposition of NLP. In this episode, we dive into: Why it's your responsibility to be understood How feeling misunderstood (or stupid) is a communication challenge, not a personal flaw Simple ways to change the way you speak so your message lands A mindset shift to stop blaming others (or yourself) when communication fails The power of reflection and “musing over a G&T” to grow your emotional intelligence If you've ever felt unheard or misjudged, this episode is your 10-minute reframe. Press play. Muse. Learn. Share. Subscribe, follow, and most of all — share this with someone who needs it. Let's spread better communication, understanding, and kindness, one listen at a time. Shine Brightly

The REAL Path to Self-Confidence: Why There's No "Blueprint" But Steps to Self-Assurity That Actually Work What This Episode Is Really About Let's get one thing straight right off the bat - there's no such thing as a confidence blueprint. If someone's selling you that, it's clickbait, pure and simple. But here's what I can give you: a real, honest look at self-assurity and how to build it from the ground up. You see, I've been where you are. I remember being at the peak of my confidence in my career - I couldn't do anything wrong, just knew I had it all figured out. Until I didn't. Something unexpected happened, boom, that confidence bloody went. Completely went. So where did it go? Well, stick around because I'll tell you about that. Self-Assurity vs The Confidence Myth Here's the thing about self-assurity - it's different from confidence. Self-assurance is being confident in the things you say and do because you're sure of your abilities. I love this little saying: being confident in your competence. Your competence is your abilities, isn't it? And when you're confident in your competence, you're self-assured. But it doesn't have to be in everything. If you haven't got the abilities, you can't be confident in them. That's where mastery comes in - doing what you know and knowing what you do. That's being confident in the things you say and do because you're sure of your abilities. There are people who know it but don't do it. And there are others who do what they don't know and think they're confident - but that's just overconfidence getting into the realms of stupidity. Becoming More Self-Assured You already have self-assurance - you just want a bit more. And that's all about knowing what you want. You need a target to aim for. If you know what you know, then you probably know what you don't know. Then you can decide what you want to know. What could you aim for? Maybe you want to be more social, deal with that social anxiety that's holding you back. Maybe you want to speak out more at meetings, express yourself in a group, maybe even do a podcast. Perhaps you want a better job, a promotion, more friends, a partner, or just to learn a particular skill. You name it, fill in the blank. The Process That Actually Works First question: Where the hell are we now? Where are we in relation to the thing we want? We need to know where we're starting from. Don't get overconfident and think you're further along than you are. Think about what qualities you have. Don't be shy about this - no one's going to read them. What do you know? What have you learned? What have you done before? What have other people said? Get a feeling for where you are now and all the good stuff you already have. Next question: What does what we want look like? And it's more than just looking. What would it look like when you've got it? What would you hear? How would that feel? You've got to know it feels right. Jump into the future and ask yourself - if I had it now, what would it feel like? What would it enable you to do? When you see the difference between where you are now and what it would look like, ask yourself: What do I need to bridge that gap? If this seems difficult, try this simple question: If this was really easy, what would that be like? Sometimes we overcomplicate things when the answer is right there. What You Need to Learn Everyone knows someone who's sure of themselves. They're grounded, strong, and they have that inner strength because they're sure of their abilities. So, what abilities do you need to learn? Where are you going to get them? Where are you going to learn them? Maybe it's getting the skill of talking, being able to open a conversation with somebody. That one little skill could change everything. Write these things down because you need to know what you need to learn. Start small. If you can do one small step, and you can because you want this, you know what it'll feel like, you've got the motivation, and if you master that one small step, you'll have confidence in your competence for that step. Taking Action That Counts Once you've got that goal in mind, you start taking action. It's an intuitive action, but also a thoughtful action. Continued action. As you do that, you become aware of where you are now because you've moved along the road toward your goal. You become flexible because you start thinking about what else you might need to learn. You're not rigid in your approach - you have flexibility because of your awareness and the action you're taking. You can also act as if you have it now. When you visualize yourself doing it, you'll know how you'll be in your physiology, how you'll walk, how you'll talk. You'll know your psychology, the way you think. The Ripple Effect Here's what's amazing - when you're aiming for this one thing and building self-assurance in this area, it generalises into other areas of your life. You become more self-assured in different areas you weren't even aware of. You might be working on being more social, but suddenly you're getting on better at work, leading things, contributing more in meetings, and making more friends. From Thinking to Doing If this has got you thinking, I want that thinking to turn into doing. Start with this program: Get it down on paper. Where are you? Where do you want to go? What would it look like? What do you need to learn? Start a program and schedule of learning those things. Don't just listen to this and go "Yeah, sounds really good, Paul. I know all this." No - go and do it. And if you need help, you know what to do. Email me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Share what you know, share your journey, share your adventure. When you tell other people what you've learned and how you're using what you've learnt, you become more self-assured. They get to know about it and you inspire them as well. You can even mentor someone - help them learn the things you've learned. The Truth About Blueprints This isn't a blueprint - never was going to be. I don't think there is a blueprint for self-confidence. But it is a way, a process of achieving self-assurity, being sure of yourself. And this process is adaptable and flexible to you. I've broken it down into simple steps, easy steps. But simple and easy steps still take effort and energy. Once you start making little inroads into those steps, your confidence starts to build, and those steps get bigger. You go from a crawl to a walk to a run and a skip and a hop. Then it spreads to different areas of your life and becomes unconscious. Resources and Next Steps If you need deeper work at an unconscious level, check out my Supreme Inner Confidence program at paulcloughonline.com. For serious issues causing distress or panic, see a one-to-one therapist - find someone who's a master hypnotist, master practitioner of NLP, timeline therapy. Share this podcast if it resonated with you. Let's get everyone feeling good about themselves in the right way. Make this little old planet Earth a better place to live for you, me, and everyone else. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/451-the-blue-print-to-confidence-and-self-assurity Get access to my hypnosis tracks at paulcloughonline.com/podcast - they're all downloadable so you can use them anywhere, anytime. Ready to build real self-assurance? Your journey starts now. Go fly, my friend. Contact: feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com Free Hypnosis Tracks: paulcloughonline.com/podcast Shine Brightly Paul Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure.     And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism So the longer podcast, and is there such a thing as a confidence blueprint? Really, I know I said so in the title, but if there was such a thing as a confidence blueprint, I think you'd just find it's clickbait. You know, think about it, the one and only way to confidence, hmm, yeah, I don't think so.   You see, I'm thinking about confidence, and it reminded me when I was one of the most confident people, confident Cloughie in my career. I was so confident, couldn't do anything wrong, I just knew, I just knew, until I wasn't. Something unexpectedly happened, and boom, that confidence bloody went, completely went.   But where did it go? And I'm going to talk to you about that a little bit later, right at the end. But you see, the title also says, steps to self-assurity. That sounds a little different.   So what's, what is self-assurity? Well, it's all about, I guess, being confident in the things that you say and do. Because you're just sure of your abilities. I think that's what self-assurity is, being confident in the things you say and do, because you're sure in your abilities.   And I've always put that down to something, I love this, this little saying, being confident in your competence, because your competence is your abilities, isn't it? And if you're confident in your competence, you're self-assured. But it doesn't have to be in everything, does it? Because if you haven't got the abilities, you can't be confident in them. But you can be a master, and we've talked about mastery before, doing what you know and knowing what you do.   That to me is then being confident in the things that you say and do, because you're sure of your abilities, because you are mastering the things that you do know, and you're actually doing them. And you know, there are some people who just, they know it, but they don't do it. And there are other people who do what they don't know, and they think they're confident, but that's just over-confident and getting onto, well, maybe the realms of stupidity.   So, let's just think now, becoming more self-assured, because you already have self-assurance, you just want a little bit more. And that's all about knowing what you want, isn't it? You need a target to aim for, because if you know what you know, you probably then, if you thought about it, know what you don't know. And then you can decide what you want to know.   It's getting in circles here. And when you set that target, you can start to learn. And then you become more confident in your competence, because you know what you're doing and doing what you know, because you're confident in the things that you now say and do, because you're sure of your abilities.   Wow, that went round, didn't it? So, what are the things you could aim for? Well, you could aim to be a therapist. Yay! I mean, I didn't aim to do that initially, but hey, I'm very confident in my abilities of being a therapist now. Yeah, so I'm self-assured.   And I think that comes, well, I know it comes across. But it could be so many other things. It could be to be more social.   You know, that social anxiety, holding you back. But if you were self-assured about you, you know, and had that self-assurance about yourself, what you say and do, then you could be more social. That leads to things like speaking out more, maybe at meetings, maybe expressing yourself in a group.   Maybe doing things like a podcast. Maybe you want to get a better job or get a promotion in your career. Maybe you'd like more friends.   See, I said plural, not a, you might want a special friend, but just more friends. Maybe you want a partner. Or maybe you just want to learn a particular skill.   You name it, you fill in the blank. Because these are all things we could aim for. Using what we know already and learn new ways.   But we need a target. We need an aim in mind. We need a bullseye.   So I keep saying so now, I don't know, where's that come from? I think we all experience unconfidence. And I don't know if that's a word, but I know what I think it means. When thinking about a goal, when thinking about an aim in mind, why is that? My thoughts are, well, we have to admit to ourselves that we haven't got there.   And here's the thing when we say things like we haven't got there, and we get that that little bit of guilt or sadness or whatever it is, we missed the word off yet. We have to admit that we haven't got there yet. Oh, that sounds different.   Yeah, so we just need an aim. Know that we haven't got there yet. And that's the whole point of doing this because we haven't got there yet, but we will.   Now, if this thing about self-assurity is a big thing, self-confidence is a big thing, and it is causing you distress, maybe panic and things like that, then I think you really ought to go and see a therapist. That would be my advice. A one-to-one therapist, get in there, get it sorted.   You know what I say, find someone who's a master hypnotist, master practitioner of NLP, timeline therapy, and boom, they'll help you really, really quickly. Or if it's not as big as that, and it's just you want some help to do it by yourself, obviously, I've got my supreme inner confidence program, paulcloughonline.com. I think it's confidence, it's a slash confidence, but you'll find it if you go to the front sheet, the landing page. But that's for dealing with it at an unconscious level, the things where your unconscious mind is trying to do something and it's not quite working, all that stuff.   But I'm not selling that. Well, I am, obviously, but this is not the sales pattern for that. But all I'm saying is there are, we've got a couple of things if this is really, really, really big.   But if it's not, and also, this will help you anyway. Either way, if it's big, just by thinking this through, doing this little process I'm thinking of, it will help you. It will loosen the model of your world.   It might even get you what you want there and then. So what are we going to do? Well, now we've set out our aim in mind, yeah? We've got this thing that we want to do. We want to learn.   We want to achieve, be able to, all that stuff. That thing about being and doing, more social, speaking out more, all that stuff, getting a partner, friends. So you have to think, I think, in questions.   I love questions. But first of all, let's ask the question, where the hell are we now? Where are we now in relation to the thing that we want? Because we need to know where we're start from. We don't want to get overconfident and think we're further along the line.   Well, I'm nearly there. Now, where are we now? And one way of when you think about where we are in relation to where you want to be, have, do, is to think about, well, what qualities do I have? Now, if you search it through the latter or the last sets of longer podcasts, there is one called my qualities. Also do hypnosis track on my qualities.   But don't be shy. Think of the qualities you have. No one's going to read them, so you can write them down.   Be assured about this. What qualities you have in relation to what you want. You know, what do you know? What have you learned? What have you done before? What have other people said? And just get a feeling for where you are now and all the good stuff that you have already.   That's that mastery, remember? Even if it was only one quality, I know you've got so much more than one quality. But if you just do that one quality, knowing what you do, doing what you know, you are a master of that one quality. But you've got more.   And just think for a moment. So we've done where we are now. We've done our list of qualities.   We may have listened to a hypnosis track. But then we have to ask our question. What does we want? I'll start that again.   What does what we want look like? And it's more than just looking like. But a lot of people say look like. A lot of people are quite visual.   But just think if you could visualize in any way, shape or form, whether it's 20-20 vision or just an awareness, what would it look like? That end result? You know, maybe you being more social, maybe you speaking out more, you having that better job, having more friends, a special friend, a partner, or learning to do a skill. What would that look like when you've got it? Because when you look like it and what would you hear? And how would that feel? Because you've got to know it feels right. Because if you know, you might think, I really want that.   But it doesn't feel right. And remember, this is what would it be like when you have it? Forget the how you're going to get there and you're not there yet. No, jump into the future, wherever that would be.   And go, if I had it now, what would it feel like? What would it be like? What would I see? Because I just want to make sure that that's exactly what you want. Yeah, I do want more friends. I would like to be able to speak up.   Because if I spoke up and I was speaking up with a self-assurity, it'd be like this, it'd be like that. And people would be smiling at me and they'd listen and I'd learn more and all that stuff. What would it enable you to do is another question.   And when you see the two, the difference where you are now to what it looked like, just maybe another simple question. Well, in that case, what do I need to bridge that gap? Because we're going to start to find the steps to go from now to then. And you might go, oh, Cloughie, this is so difficult.   You know, it's a bit difficult sometimes what it would be like. Oh, I don't know what I know. Yes, you do know what you know.   But here's another simple question. If this was really easy, what would that be like? Well, if it was really easy, I'd make all the steps just like this and I'd get a piece of paper and I'd write the steps down and work it out. Yeah.   So just make a note. What would this be like if it was easy? Where am I now? What are my qualities? Let's be honest. Let's not be shy.   Let's don't underestimate, but let's not overestimate. Let's be, you know, I've learned a lot in my life. And what does it look like if I got it now? Yeah, there you go.   Now we've started. So let's go back a little bit to self-assurity again. Everyone knows a person who is sure of themselves.   Yeah, they're grounded, aren't they? They're strong. They have that inner strength because they're sure of their abilities. So this is this thing, the difference between now and then, what are the abilities you need to learn? So you can then be confident in the things that you say and do because you're sure of your abilities, being confident in your competence.   So let's get them down. What abilities do you need? And then start to think of where are you going to get them? Where are you going to learn them? Now, if you want a little bit of help with this, because I want you to write those down, because you need to know the type of things you might need to learn. You know, if you wanted to do a particular thing for your job, you might need to learn another skill.   Maybe it's just getting a skill of talking, being able to open a conversation with somebody. That one little skill, opening a conversation, knowing that you've got things that you can talk about. We'll do that.   So you have to write those things down, but then think of a hashtag 449. It's not too far away. Listen to that, because that gives you all the steps you need to start putting it together.   Start small. And as you consider everything in hashtag 449, and then you know what you need, you think, okay, I know what I need now, but what's the smallest step I could do? Because if I can do one small step, and I can, because I want this, I know what it'll feel like, I've got the motivation, it's important to me, and it's only a small step. And if I master that one small step, I'll have that confidence in my competence to master.   And you see, once you've got that goal in mind, that thing that you want, and you do what I've said, you start taking action, and it's sort of intuitive action, but it's also thoughtful action, but you have to take action, and it's continued action. And as you do that, you become aware of where you are now, because you've moved along the road a little bit towards your goal. Where are you now? How much more have you got to do? Maybe there's some new things to learn, because you're now aware that you're on this path.   And maybe you think, oh, I've strayed a little bit. Oh, I didn't think about this one. So you then begin to become flexible, because you start to think, well, maybe if I learn this as well.   So you're not rigid in your approach. You have a flexibility in your approach, because of your awareness and the action you're taking. And because we did that little thing of, you know, what would it look like when you get the thing that you want? You could also act as if you have it now.   You know, when you visualise yourself doing it, you'll know how you'll be in your physiology, how you'll walk, how you'll talk. You'll know in your psychology, the way you think, and you'll know then you'll be confident in your competence. Be sure of what you know, what you say and do.   It's all there. You know, it's all adding to those qualities that we've made a note of. And then you'll start to skill stack.   And then what happens is, oh, I'm starting to move towards this target with more self-assurance, which is, I feel confident in my competence. I feel confident in myself now. You'll find that will generalise into other areas of your life.   So you become more self-assured in different areas that you weren't even aware of. It's amazing, this always happens. So you're aiming for this, but funny enough, I was only talking about social.   But you know what? I'm getting on so much better at work now. I'm leading things. Maybe I'm going to meetings and bringing things there.   Wow. All these things, you know, and actually I'm making more friends. I'm being more social.   Whatever it is, you'll find that other things just get better, get richer. There's that word again, richer. So here's the thing.   If this has got you thinking, I want that thinking into starting to do. Start doing. Start with the programme, this little programme of getting it down.   Where are you? Where do you want to go? What would it look like? What are the things you need to learn? Let's start a programme and a schedule of learning those things. Let's listen to hashtag 449 if you haven't listened to it already, or go and review it again, make some notes, take action, knowing what you want. You take action, you become aware, you're flexible, you're acting as if, all these things, skill stacking.   And that's all about doing. Don't just listen to this and go, yeah, all sounds really good, Paul. Yeah, I know all this.   No, go and do it. And if you need help, you know. If there's something you think, oh, this all makes such perfect sense, Cloughie, but I need a bit help in this area.   You know what you need to do. Just email me, feedback at personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. That's it. The other thing to do is, I don't know if I'm going to say share, but share what you know, share your journey, share your adventure.   Because when you tell other people what you've learned and how you're using what you learn, you become more self-assured because that's what just happens. And they get to know about it and you tend to inspire them as well. And as you get that more assurance, self-assurance, more self-confidence in your competence and everything else.   And as you share that with people, you know how much you've learned. It becomes a real solid platform, which is self-assurance and self-confidence. And if you want, you can mentor somebody as well.   Mentor someone, help them learn the things that you've learned. I mean, this isn't a blueprint, never was going to be a blueprint. I don't think there is a blueprint of self-confidence, a blueprint to confidence, but it is a way, a process of achieving self-assurity, self-confidence, being sure of yourself.   And it's just a process. And this process is adaptable. It's flexible to you, which is why I wanted to get it across to you because it is such a, it's an easy way.   I've broken it down into simple steps, easy steps. But the thing about simple and easy steps are they take effort though. They take energy.   But once you start to make little inroads into those little steps along the way, suddenly your confidence starts to build and those little steps get bigger. And you start from a little crawl to a walk to a run and a skip and a hop. And we're just having fun.   And then it spreads to different areas in your life. And you start to use this everywhere and it becomes unconscious. It's a wonderful thing.   It really is a wonderful thing. So please as I do share this with people, share this podcast, if you would, let's get everyone just feeling good about themselves in the right way. And in that way, this little old planet, this little old planet earth reaps a benefit, makes it a better place to live in for you, me and everyone else.   There you go. And I'm sure you've subscribed, followed, all that stuff, all that stuff, those stuffs, whatever it is, have fun and yeah, look up hashtag 449 and those hypnosis tracks. And if I can, I'll add on a little bit at the end to tell you where to get them.   Okay. So until the next time, my friend, you go with all the self-assurance you have bubbling up inside you. Go do it now.   Go fly my friend. So the 90 seconds of hypnosis tracks. Why have I put hypnosis tracks on a separate website? Well, it's so simple, really.   I want you to have them all in one place. So you can look through them all. You can find the particular one you want.   I've even made them downloadable. So you can put them on any of your playing devices that you prefer. You don't need wifi.   You don't need the iTunes or whatever. You can put them anywhere you like. You can even burn them onto disk if you want.   Where'd you get them? Well, there you go. I told you it's paulcloughonline.com forward slash podcast. If you're worried about your email address, please don't be because they stay totally safe with me.   I only use them to send you out that email and give you access. Simple as that. I send you a link, a special link so you and only you can access those hypnosis tracks because I want them just for you.   And the other thing about this is you've taken responsibility. I don't want to make these open to everyone, just random. You have taken responsibility to listen and be part of this community of personal development.   And I want to help you. I want to help you personally to get your dreams, your goals. And therefore I'm giving you these tools, these protocols, these paradigms, whatever you want to call them, but in deep hypnosis.   So just enjoy, have more fun than you can stand with hypnosis.   (Transcribed by TurboScribe.ai. Go Unlimited to remove this message.) Personal development [Unplugged] [podcast][NLP][Hypnosis][self development]self improvement][awareness]

Loneliness and My Plan To Conquer It The Revolutionary Solution to Loneliness That Actually Works Feeling isolated? Struggling with loneliness? You're not alone. In this powerful episode, Paul Clough reveals his breakthrough plan to conquer loneliness once and for all – and it's not what you think. Why This Episode Matters: Loneliness has become an epidemic affecting millions worldwide. Whether you're personally struggling with isolation, know someone who is, or simply want to future-proof yourself against loneliness, this episode is essential listening. Paul's unique approach offers real hope and practical solutions that work – because everyone deserves meaningful connection. What You'll Discover: The Counterintuitive Approach: Why creating a plan for someone ELSE might be the key to solving your own loneliness crisis The Small Steps Strategy: How tiny actions like visiting coffee shops without your phone can transform your social life The Ikigai Framework: Paul's proven daily/weekly/monthly system that keeps you connected and engaged Real-World Action Steps: From library visits to cookery courses, yoga classes to reading groups – discover dozens of practical ways to rebuild your social connections Key Takeaways: Start Small: Begin with 60-second conversations and people-watching in public spaces Explore Interests: Use libraries and bookshops to discover what genuinely attracts you Join Communities: Wine tasting, art classes, meditation groups, and more – find your tribe Create Structure: Build a progressive plan with daily, weekly, and monthly social activities Take Action: Stop doomscrolling and start connecting with real people in real spaces Perfect For: Anyone experiencing loneliness or social isolation People who want to help lonely friends or family members Listeners seeking practical strategies for building community Those ready to break free from digital isolation and create real connections Take Action: Grab a pen and paper – you'll need them for this interactive episode. Paul guides you through creating your personalized loneliness-busting plan that actually works. Ready to transform loneliness into connection? This episode gives you the tools to make it happen. Subscribe to Personal Development Unplugged for more life-changing strategies and practical wisdom from Paul Clough. Need support? Email Paul directly – he responds personally and has your back on this journey. Lastly, please share this important message https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/450-loniness-and-my-plan-to-conquer-it Shine Brightly

How to Achieve Your Dream Outcome - The Complete Blueprint Episode Overview In this transformative episode, Paul CLoughie delivers on his promise from episode #445, revealing the exact methodology for turning your biggest dreams into reality. This isn't another generic goal-setting session—it's a deep dive into the psychological architecture of achievement, complete with a powerful guided hypnosis session to embed these principles into your subconscious mind. Episode Length: Approximately 25 minutes Key Focus: Dream achievement, goal manifestation, subconscious programming What You'll Discover The Specificity Principle Why vague dreams produce vague results (and how to avoid this trap) The danger of saying "I want more money" vs. creating specific financial targets How to transform general aspirations into laser-focused outcomes The Wish Fulfilled Methodology See It: Visualizing your achieved dream with crystal clarity Hear It: Programming the sounds of success into your mind Feel It: Embodying the emotions of already having achieved your goal Act As If: The powerful psychology of success behavior modeling The Four Critical Questions Framework Paul reveals the four questions that unlock subconscious motivation: What will happen if you get it? What won't happen if you get it? What will happen if you don't get it? What won't happen if you don't get it? Key Timestamps & Highlights [0:00-3:00] Introduction and connection to episode #445 [3:00-8:00] The specificity imperative - why details matter [8:00-12:00] Acting as if you've already achieved your dream [12:00-15:00] Learning from past successes and modeling others [15:00-18:00] The ecology check - ensuring your goals serve everyone [18:00-25:00] Guided hypnosis session - Programming your subconscious for success Powerful Takeaways The Present Moment Assessment Know exactly where you are on your journey (0%, 50%, 90%?) "What gets measured gets done" - the importance of tracking progress Creating your baseline for authentic goal measurement The Success Trigger Method Paul shares his personal trainer certification story - how he visualized sitting on steps with his certificate, and how this exact scenario manifested. Learn to create your own "achievement trigger" that signals you've reached your destination. The Resource Recovery Technique Mining your past successes for transferable skills Learning from others who've achieved similar dreams Why reinventing the wheel slows down your progress The Ecological Framework Ensuring your dreams benefit you, your loved ones, and the planet The importance of personal initiation vs. waiting for others Creating win-win outcomes that serve the greater good The Guided Hypnosis Experience The episode culminates in a transformative 7-minute hypnosis session designed to: Embed the "feeling of the wish fulfilled" into your subconscious Activate your reticular activating system to notice opportunities Program your unconscious mind to support your dream achievement Create lasting motivation that pulls rather than pushes you forward Note: This section begins around the 18-minute mark and should be experienced in a safe, comfortable environment with eyes closed. Action Steps Define Your Specific Dream: Move beyond "I want more money" to "I want to earn £X by doing Y" Create Your Success Movie: Visualize seeing, hearing, and feeling your achieved dream Establish Your Trigger: Identify the specific moment that will tell you "I've made it" Resource Audit: List skills from past successes that apply to this dream Model Success: Find someone who's achieved what you want and study their approach Act As If: Begin embodying the behaviors, language, and mindset of someone who's already achieved your dream Share the Love: Know someone with big dreams who's struggling to make them reality? Share this episode and help them unlock their potential. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/449-how-to-achieve-your-outcome-your-dream Remember: Your dreams aren't just wishes—they're blueprints waiting to be built. This episode gives you the tools, the mindset, and the subconscious programming to make them your reality. Subscribe, follow, and leave a review to help more dream achievers discover Personal Development Unplugged! Shine Brightly

A Journey to Better Behaviours: Rewire Your Reactions for Good Ever catch yourself snapping at someone and thinking, “Where the hell did that come from?” You're not alone. In this episode of Personal Development Unplugged, I'm getting honest about my own struggles with automatic reactions—and how I turned them around. This isn't just about stopping bad habits. It's about understanding the intention behind those knee-jerk behaviours and learning how to respond with calm, curiosity, and confidence. What you'll learn in this episode: How to recognise the unconscious triggers behind emotional outbursts Why your unconscious mind isn't the enemy—it's actually trying to protect you (even if it's doing a rubbish job) A simple yet powerful way to thank those old patterns—and let them go How to build new beliefs and emotional habits that support the real you Practical steps to respond with intention instead of reaction And a process to boot to follow along with If you want to feel more in control, improve your relationships, and stop letting outdated emotional patterns run the show—this is your invitation. Take the first step to emotional freedom. Listen now and discover how to create better behaviours from the inside out. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/448-changing-negative-behaviours-easily Shine Brightly

Did I Do Enough? A Deep Dive into Daily Reflection Ever catch yourself at the end of the day wondering, "Did I do enough?" Here's the thing - having the courage to answer that question honestly is where real growth begins. In this episode, I'm getting vulnerable about my own journey with this question. Some days I'm flying high, crushing goals and feeling unstoppable. Other days? Well, let's just say they feel like I'm moving through quicksand. Sound familiar? The beautiful truth is this: you are more than what you think you are, even on those challenging days. But here's what I've discovered - the difference between those breakthrough days and the struggle days often comes down to one simple thing: intention. When I set my intentions the night before, something magical happens. I wake up with clarity instead of confusion, purpose instead of procrastination. It's like giving your mind a roadmap before it even opens its eyes. What you'll discover in this episode: The simple ritual that transforms scattered days into focused ones Why your morning state of mind is everything (and how to master it) The art of honest reflection - learning from both your wins and your wobbles How to celebrate the small victories that actually create the big transformations Look, mastery is simply doing what you know and knowing what you do. And when you can honestly say "yes" to "Did I do enough?" - that's when you start to feel happy for no reason. Ready to take ownership of your days and create a ritual that actually works? Oh, and I've got some practical bits and bobs too. Tools you can use right now to gently take charge of your day — and reflect with pride instead of pressure. Because the truth is — the question “Did I do enough?” isn't here to judge you. It's an invitation to learn, tweak, and grow. So, if you're ready to start ending your days with a quiet, confident “yes…” Come have a listen and then share what you learn https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/446-did-i-do-enough-really/ ‎ With you all the way, Shine Brightly

IGNITE YOUR DREAM: THE JOURNEY TO REALIZATION Hey there, dream-chasers and life-lovers! Welcome back to another raw and real episode of Personal Development Unplugged. Ever had that dream sitting in your gut that feels like it might just burn you up from the inside if you don't pursue it? That vision that keeps you awake at night, whispering "what if..." even when every logical voice around you is shouting "impossible"? Today, I'm ripping open my own journey – the messy, beautiful adventure of chasing down a dream that completely revolutionized not just my career, but who I am at my core. THE DREAM THAT WOULDN'T DIE Let me take you back to when I was standing at that crossroads we all face – playing it safe or diving into the unknown. My passion for NLP and hypnosis was like this persistent itch I couldn't scratch. Society told me to find something "sensible," something "realistic." But as we talked about in our last mastermind session – your soul doesn't speak the language of sensible. It speaks in goosebumps, in that flutter in your chest when you imagine living your purpose. Remember when I shared how I'd hide my NLP books under more "respectable" business texts when meeting clients? That's the fear talking, folks. And fear will keep you small if you let it. FINDING YOUR GUIDES IN THE WILDERNESS Here's the thing – the universe has this funny way of sending you exactly the mentor you need when you're brave enough to take that first wobbly step. For me, it was encountering masters of the craft who saw something in me I couldn't yet see in myself. They didn't just teach techniques; they modeled what was possible. As I shared in our last get-together, transformation isn't just about acquiring skills – it's about becoming the person who can hold those skills with authenticity. My mentors didn't just change my career trajectory; they helped me rewrite my internal story. LEGACY IN MOTION One of the most profound insights I've had (which many of you resonated with last time we connected) is how our dreams create ripples beyond ourselves. Watching my sons carve their own paths in this field – bringing fresh perspectives and innovations I never could have imagined – has been the ultimate validation. They're not following my footsteps; they're creating their own trail using the permission I unknowingly gave them to pursue what lights them up. That's legacy in motion, my friends. YOUR TURN: AWAKENING THE DREAM So what about you? What's that thing making your heart race when you let yourself imagine it fully? As we discussed in our last session, the feeling of the "wish fulfilled" isn't just woo-woo visualization – it's programming your reticular activating system to recognize opportunities aligned with your vision. Here's what I want you to take away: Your unconventional dream isn't "too much" – it's precisely what the world needs from you Those obstacles and naysayers? They're not roadblocks; they're invitations to strengthen your resolve The mentors you need are already out there waiting for you to be ready to receive their guidance Your clear vision of success isn't fantasy – it's the blueprint your subconscious mind uses to navigate Understanding your deepest "why" isn't just motivational fluff – it's the fuel that will carry you through the inevitable valleys THE INVITATION This journey might take longer than you expect. It'll definitely be messier. But I promise you this – each step, each failure, each moment of doubt is part of the adventure that's shaping you into the person capable of holding that dream when it manifests. Remember what we shared in our circle last time: your dream exists for a reason. It chose you because you have something unique to bring to it that no one else can. It's time to dream big and then DOUBLE IT! Share your journey with me and our community of fellow dreamers. Let's give each other the courage to reach heights we can't even imagine yet. Spread the fire – share this episode with someone whose dream deserves oxygen to grow. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/445-i-had-a-deam-whats-yours/ Until next time, keep showing up, keep growing, and for heaven's sake, keep dreaming audaciously! —Your fellow traveller on this wild, wonderful journey Shine Brightly

Navigating Indecision: A Simple Process to Move Forward Hey there, amazing friend! Ever caught yourself going round and round in circles, totally stuck on making a decision? That feeling where your brain just won't settle on which path to take? I've been there too, and in today's episode, I'm sharing exactly how to break free from that frustrating loop! I open up about my own battles with confusion and that knot-in-your-stomach anxiety that shows up when we're faced with choices. But don't worry - I've got something special for you today: a super practical process that will help you cut through the mental fog and finally move forward. Together, we'll explore how to tap into your imagination (yes, it's way more powerful than you think!) and discover the symbolic representations of what's really going on. It's amazing how our minds can show us the answers when we know how to look! What You'll Learn Today: Why indecision feels so uncomfortable (and why that's actually useful!) My step-by-step visualization process that unlocks hidden insights How to tune into what your unconscious mind is trying to tell you Simple techniques to transform your new awareness into confident action Whether you're deciding what to have for dinner or contemplating a major life change, this episode has something valuable for you. Now it's your turn! Give yourself 10 minutes to try it. Find a quiet space, close your eyes, and follow along with the episode. Please take time to try this process for yourself. Find a quiet space, close your eyes, and follow along. Then come share your experience in our community group or tag me on social media - I'd absolutely LOVE to hear what insights came up for you! Then come share your experience in our community group or tag me on social media - I'd absolutely LOVE to hear what insights came up for you! Here's the link to help you share the whole episode: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/443-clearing-confusion-and-finding-direction-on-our-dreams Remember, you're not meant to stay stuck. Let's break free together! Shine Brightly

Personal Development Unplugged: You CAN Achieve Anything - Here's How to Overcome Overwhelm & Regret Are you feeling stuck with too many goals and dreams but accomplishing none of them? In this eye-opening episode, Paul Clough shares a powerful but simple strategy to transform overwhelm into focused action and achieve what truly matters to you. Episode Highlights: Why having multiple goals often leads to overwhelm and procrastination The connection between goal confusion and the feeling of regret Paul's proven method for breaking free from the cycle of starting and not finishing How to prioritize your goals to feel at peace with your choices The importance of handwriting your goals instead of typing them Visualization techniques to bring your goals to life and fuel your motivation The 3-Step Process to Achieve Anything: Get all your goals out of your head - Write down every single goal, dream, and aspiration without editing or judging Identify your ONE most important goal - Ask yourself: "If I could only have one, which would bring the richest experience to my life?" Visualize your success - Imagine having achieved this goal and experience the feelings, sights, sounds, and even smells of success Key Takeaway: "You can achieve anything you want but you have to work at it in a particular way." - Paul Clough Stop letting overwhelm hold you back from living the life you want. By focusing on what truly matters most, you can find peace with prioritizing and start building momentum through achievement. Don't forget to share, subscribe, and leave a review if this episode helped you take action toward your goals. Together, we can create ripples of positive change!  https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/442-i-cant-achieve-anything-heres-how-you-can Connect With Paul: Have a success story to share? Questions about personal development? Email Paul directly at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com for a personal response!     Shine Brightly

Feeling ANXIOUS? Transform It Into CALM! Personal Development Unplugged Hey, beautiful souls! This week on the podcast, I'm taking you on a transformative journey from anxiety to calm. Not just theory—we're diving into a PRACTICAL process you can use anytime those anxious feelings start creeping in. What You'll Discover in This Episode: The body-mind connection of anxiety and why identifying WHERE you feel it makes all the difference A powerful guided visualization that transforms anxiety into something completely different (and yes, it WORKS!) How specific colors can become your secret weapons against anxious thoughts My step-by-step approach to rewriting the stories that keep anxiety alive This episode isn't just about feeling better for a moment—it's about developing a TOOLBOX you can use whenever life gets overwhelming. I'll walk you through the entire process with the gentle guidance I'm known for, helping you access resources you already have within yourself (even if you don't realize it yet!). I've seen this technique change lives in my therapy practice, and now I'm bringing it directly to YOU. If this episode resonates with you, please share it with someone who might be struggling: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/440-imagine-anxiety-spinning-away/ Shine your light today! ✨ Paul Ready to Connect? Questions, thoughts, or breakthroughs to share? I LOVE hearing from you! Drop me a line at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com or leave a comment. Never Miss an Episode Subscribe on your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube Go Deeper Transform your life with my specialized programs at PaulCloughOnline.com: Supreme Inner Confidence Building Freedom from Anxiety Transformational Hypnosis Tracks FREE GIFT: Relaxation Hypnosis Tracks Download my complimentary hypnosis tracks at paulcloughonline.com/podcast Let's Connect Twitter: @pcloughie Important Note: While I'm a qualified therapist, this podcast is for educational purposes only. The hypnosis tracks aren't suitable while driving, operating machinery, or for those with epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare professional when needed. Music credits: Wataboi, DreamHeaven, ccjmusic, and others via Pixabay #PersonalDevelopment,   And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism Imagine this. Imagine you're a client of mine, but you're not. But imagine this coming into my clinic, comes through the door and there we are. You've got this lovely seat, doesn't. It's not a lay down seat, but it's one of those reclining seats, really comfortable. And you've come in, talk about this negative emotion you've been feeling. This feeling is, you know, it's anxiety. Now anxiety as we know is really general. It just means so many different things to each and every different person, I guess, doesn't it? Everyone will experience anxiety in a different way and it will be caused by different things triggered in different ways. Because everyone, I guess, is unique, isn't it? Aren't they? Aren't you? And I'd ask, so if you had just two sentences, what do you really want from this session? And they'd say, something like, well, I just want to feel so less anxious. And I'd say, well, just less anxious, a little bit or a lot. And they go, well, of course I don't want to. I want. And then get stuttery because that's what happens sometimes because we're anxious. And I'll say, well, what would happen if we could change that feeling of anxiety to something really comfortable? So you could deal with different situations where you used to be anxious in the past and you could feel differently, what would that be like? And of course the obvious answer is, well, that'll be awesome, Paul. Can you, you know, can we do that? So I can't do it. I can for myself, but I can guide you to it. You see, I'd explain. I'd explain the feelings, you see, Think now, when you think back to that feeling of anxiety, where'd you feel it in your body? And people go, oh, I haven't really thought about. It's always in my head. no, no, no, no, no. It goes to your head and creates that internal dialogue, that internal voice, those that the internal movie that we make of all the worst things happening, but that comes from somewhere else. It starts from a feeling. That feeling is triggered by something. And that feeling comes and then it tends to spread to your head into your mind. So just think back if you had that feeling right now, not at a 10 out of 10 scale, 10 being the worst, but a 4, 4 out of 10. So we know what it is, but it's Something we can deal with easily and effortlessly. And then sit in that comfortable chair and go, well, actually just about here. Just about here. And I said, well, put your hand on it because I want to know exactly where it is. they put their hand on the place where that feeling is. And I say, I bet you didn't realize the emotions, good, bad, indifferent, negative, positive, all seem to move. They move in a circular motion. They start somewhere, they go somewhere and they come back. So if you can imagine it going round in a circle, and I take my finger and point to a similar place on my body, where there. And I just move my hand in a circular motion, like CL. Clockwise in front of me. And I say, it could go this way and then I'd reverse it the other way or this way, or back to front in a circle or reverse. But it just moves. And the thing is, when we find the direction of your anxiety, we can change it. And then look at me a bit puzzled, but I says, okay, all you have to do is follow my instructions. So what I want you to do is see. I'll explain what I'm going to do. I'm explain. I want you in a moment to close your eyes and imagine a big movie screen in front of you. And what I'm to ask you to do is bring to mind a memory, a specific memory, when you felt that feeling. Not a 10 out of 10, 4 of 4 out of 10. So we know we're on the right way. We know we're dealing with that specific feeling, but not at its intent. It's most intense. And I say what I'm going to do then is ask you to play a movie of that experience, that memory, as if you're looking at a movie of yourself. So you'd see yourself on that screen beginning to go through that memory. And as you do that, I'll say I want you then to float out into that movie. And then what I'll do is I'm going to ask you to point with your finger at, that place in your body when you feel that feeling and notice which way it turns. And I want you to turn that hand in front of your body in that circular motion. And if you don't quite get it, you can guess a little bit. It's all intuitive. And when you get it, I'm going to ask you to speed that up just a little bit. Not a lot. So you just speed it up, say 10%. And as we begin to speed it up, you'll find if we've got the right direction, it'll get a little bit more intense. Not a lot, just a little. And the you nod your head to say, yeah, I've got that. I'll say slow it down. And then I don't tell them what's going to happen next. It's really weird. And at the end of it, something quite marvellous happens. Hey, it's Paul from Personal Development Unplugged. Did you like that? Did you do a little bit of it? Did you think about it? Well, here's the thing. If it's okay with you, why don't we do that now properly, as if you were a client of mine. But remember you're not a client of mine and I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist and it has to be right to do so. And you have to make that decision that we're not doing a 10 out of 10 because that would just be silly because this is a process of changing anxiety. So we don't need full blown anxiety to do that, we just need a snippet of it as it were. So if you're up for that, I've told you the start of it. Remember we're going to make a movie.     Using visualization to get rid of anxiety is a fast process   You're going to. Well first of all you're got toa get that feeling. Then we're going toa have eyes closed movie screen, press play as it were, run the movie. You're going to float out of your body into that. You on the screen feel the feeling and begin to move your hand in that circle. Then not telling you what happens next, but I'll do it with you. So if you're up for that, make sure you don't need anything that needs your attention. No driving, no machinery involved or anything that needs your attention. You're not walking, not doing anything because it's eyes closed. You could do it with your eyes open but there's too many distractions. I like to do it eyes closed. So just get comfortable. So if you're up for this, find a comfortable place to sit, take a nice in breath with me, hold it for a second or two, and as you let it out, just let your eyes close. There you go. And remember a time, a specific time when you felt that anxiety. We'll call it anxiety for the moment. You might call it something else, you might call it scared, fear, whatever is'just for me. We'll call it anxiety and remember a specific time. A specific time. And it's only a four out of ten. Remember ten being the worst zero being not, don't feel it. And when you remember that specific time, imagine out in front of you a lovely big movie screen. And if you've got like a TV control, you press play and you begin to see that memory with you in that screen going through that memory, just about to experience that anxiety over there. But you're not in moment because you see, I want you now, as you see yourself on that movie screen, to flow out of your body into that you on the screen, see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel those feelings, those four out of 10 feelings. That's the intensity, four out of 10. And as you feel that feeling, just point your finger to the place on your body where you can feel it. And as you do that, let your unconscious mind and your conscious mind, but your unconscious mind begin to move that hand in that circular direction. That could be clockwise, anti clockwise, forward and back in a circular motion. But just imagine that you know which direction it is and allow your hand to move. Just let it move. Could be slowly, but don't do it fast. Not fast. This is not a fast process in the manner of. That is a fast process of getting rid of anxiety. And as you do that, you notice your hand begin to move. And if it isn't moving, just imagine that you do know and guess, because your guesses are pretty good. And as you begin to move that hand, just speed it up a little bit. Not a lot. I go mad. Just speed it up a little bit. And as you speed it up just a little bit, notice that feeling. Does it get more intense or not? If it gets more intense, you've got it. And slow it down. You now know the direction. If it doesn't get more intense, just go back to that feeling and begin to move your hand in a different way. Speed it up a little bit until you find. Until you find the direction where when you speed it up a little bit, that negative emotion of call anxiety gets a little bit more intense. Now you've got it. Yeah, slow it down. And I want to ask you the question. What colour is this feeling? It's weirdn't it? What color comes to mind? Just like that, what colour is anxiety? Yeah, you got it. Now here's what I want you to do. I want you to have the hand that's turning and turning to move out away from your body. So you're still turning, but you're effectively like pulling that feeling out of your body, still turning. And as you do that, 1, 2, 3, flip it and turn it the other way. Turn it the other way. And as you turn it the other way, begin to bring it your hand back towards your body with it turning the opposite direction. And then think what colour is calm? What colour is calm and make that turning that colour and bring it back into your body. And as you bring it back into your body, really make it that colour of car, your colour of carb. And as you do that, notice what happens inside your body. You're now spinning this feeling the opposite direction and you've giving it the color of calm. Where's the feeling going? It's disappearing, isn't it? I know it is. I know it is. Really visualize that feeling of calm and spin it maybe a little bit faster. I don't mind this one spinning a little bit faster because that just makes calm even more intense. And as you do that, and you've got this feeling of calm, imagine rewinding that movie with this feeling of calm. And now run that movie from just before it started, that event started. And have this feeling of calm and this feeling spinning the opposite direction of the old way a little bit faster. And now go through that memory and notice how different it could have been if you'd have had this feeling this way. Spinning this way round and feeling of calm. Yeah, just notice how different it could have been. How much easier it is to go through it now. And when you've done that, keep that hand turning by the way, turning the opposite way that it was at the beginning. And then if you want rewind that movie to the beginning again maybe 10 minutes before it even started. And now you know what that movie is. And knowing that calm is calm, what would you add to come as a most wonderful feeling that would enhance come and would have made that memory even more comfortable. And when you think of that emotion, you'd add to that. That feeling you'd add to that cup.     Use these techniques to help your unconscious mind learn new ways to process memories   What color is that? And that hand seal spinning and it's color of calm. And now add that new colour of that new wonderful positive emotion and allow them to blend together to crackle, to sparkle. Feel that feeling get even more empowering. And then as you do that 10 minutes before that movie, just run it now run that movie. And notice as you run that movie with these two resources now, two feelings, two emotions, how much easier it is now. How much easier is and go through that movie noticing how easy it is now, how more. So much more comfortable it is. Yeah. and Then slow it all down. Open your eyes and Say thank you. Cloughie. No. There you go. And the question is, I know the answer to this, but was it better the second time with calm than the first? And the answer is always yes. And the number four out, of ten could have gone down to zero. But when you add that other colour that you know would have been the best resource to have, you're making like a recipe now with calm and its foundation as you were, how much different that memory could have been. And we haven't changed the memory, but we've changed your learnings and we're changing the learnings of the unconscious mind. Because the unconscious mind did that, anxiety for a reason, to keep you safe. But we've now shown you unconscious mind two better ways. So out of the three ways, there's two better ways. And maybe if you said this or something better, there is a myriad of a cocktail of wonderful positive emotions that you could have a recipe, as it were, of wonderful feelings that would address any situation in the future. That where in the past you would have had those anxious feelings and you'd have acted anxiously. But now you can imagine going through anything in the future now that where it used to trigger in the past that old anxiety, now it would trigger one of the myriad wonderful ways, if nothing else would just trigger calm or trigger calm. And so your unconscious mind can learn because it has a prime directive to protect you. And we've just found better ways than anxiety to protect you. So again, say this and something better and just wonder what it be like. What would it be like at any time in the future, in the now, if you were to come to a thing that in the past where you would have been anxious in, what would it be like to access these wonderful feelings, what would that be like? And just let that go. I mean, you can do this as many times as, like, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat. So you can't get that old way back. in fact, the old ways trigger the new ways. So you can go back over what we've just done, make it even faster in the wonderful different colors, because you know the direction now, don't you? You don't have to go back and find the old way and then take it out and bring it back, you know, the new way and just rinse and repeat. Think of a time in the past where you had that little bit of anxiety. Remember, four or five out of ten, no more. As you think of that time, spin it this new direction, the opposite direction, you know what you've got. Add the Most appropriate colour of calm and anything new which you feel would be great and just keep rinsing and repeating, rinse and repeating because it's like, I think we've said it before like if you had a cd, the old CDS that used to play music on and if you scratch them enough times they would never play the same and this is what you're doing to the memories. but you're learning each time by learning new ways.     Paul uses NLP to help clients access emotions and beliefs   And here's a question for you and this is a question I always ask my clients when they look at me in amazement with that feeling gune and they look at that old memory and they go o that memory is different now because I know how it could have been, how I could have used the resources I've got now and how I will in the future. And I'll ask them the question well, who did that? And initially they started to say well you did cluy they didn't call me cluy, they called me Paul. You did Paul. I'm thinking well did I know the feelings you were experiencing? Well, not really. I showed you where it were, pointed to him Paul but that's all. Did I know the movie, the content of that movie? No, not at all. Did I know anything about that second emotion? Not at all. So who did it? And it then just comes well of course I did it because you see when I say ay that's them m saying ay because you did it, didn't you? You did it. See, I was just a guide that's all guiding you through a wonderful easy process. And one thing about this process is it has no content, does it? No words. So you don't have to explain things, you don't have to try to describe things, you don't have to go through anything that is negative. Relive the past because you're not reliving it at all really. because we're just going through a process of 4 out of 10. But the more you think about these new ways times in the past that would have costused you a lot more than a 4 out of 10, 5 out of 10 if they came in the future now you know you're going to breathe through it by because you're going to access the most appropriate emotion, behaviors, thoughts, beliefs and your beliefs about how you're going to approach life are going to change now because beliefs change in a second in that little click they change there. you go and you think here's the real kicker because I love this process, I really love this process. I do it with every client just to show that they have the power, they have their own empowerment as it were, to change the way they feel, the way they act and what they believe in. Now a lot of people just think, well all these processes is a lovely NLP process. It's all about changing subm modalities if you want another technical bit. But I always say to my clients, well that's great because see my mum used to do this, bless her when she was alive, when she had to go to hospital a few times and they used to bring the doctor round or the doctor used to bring around all these learning doctors I guess you call them, studying doctors or whatever, doctors in practice, whatever. And she would get really anxious and I taught her this. Now bless her, she wanted to do it with a hand because she knew it worked so well. So every time they come round she'd ask them, before you say anything, could you just stop for a moment? Because I want to close my eyes, I have to get this feeling and I have to point my finger towards it and then I have to turn my hand around and then bring it out, turn it over, make it calm and bring it back in. And when my brought it back in I'll nod to you and you can start talking. And she would do it every time, bless her because it was like her anchor to calmness. She didn't need to because it, the sight of those doctors now would have turned on the calmness but she just loved doing it. Used to tell him, my son told me to do this so I've got to do it, bless. But the thing is, here's, as I said the kicker. A lot of people think that using these processes ah, are only used with negative emotions. And that's such Bs. That's just short sightedness, that's lack of creativity. You see. What about if you had a good feeling so you know you're going to say an event in the future and there's something where you want a little bit of confidence, not overconfidence but competence, where you've accessed all the information you want. Say you're doing a presentation so you go back at times when you've presented, doesn't have to be the same type of presentation but where you've talked to people and you've just been so comfortable being able to access the information you want to communicate and you go back into that feeling, notice which way it turns, notice what color it is. But this time instead of taking it out and reversing the spin. This is a good feeling. So spin it faster, spin it f and make the colors even brighter so you feel that feeling so intensely. And then imagine going through that future event with this feeling, spinning this fast, and learn from it. And maybe just play around with adding different feelings to it, spinning it even faster. And notice how you could go through that movie of a future event, feeling so comfortable, saying in the immortal words this or something better. And then just wonder with your internal voice what would be like to have access to all these wonderful feelings and even better ones when I actually do and go through the event I've been thinking about. And then you ll just let it gouse your unconscious mind will, as soon as it comes to that event, will trigger those feelings. You won't have to do it, but if you want to, just to get it. Because it's a great way to feeling good. And it becomes as if it's a memory. Because your unconscious mind find it very difficult to find the difference between the real thing that's happening and your visualizations. So it begins to think, well, we've done it this way before and it's good. And it can start to imagine doing things even better. There you go. That's something I do in my clinic. But do remember I'm a therapist. Not your therapist and all that stuff. And only ever do it for yourself. A four out of ten. Ten being the worst. But you can have fun with this. And this is the whole point about these processes. They are very simple. They do take a little bit of effort. You have to, I always say, have the will to do whatever it takes, but just do them and notice the difference it makes. And then play with the good feelings in the future. Cause you see if you keep playing with the good feelings when you have them thinking about things, it's a bit like planting flowers, isn't it? And pulling up the weeds. The more good feelings you spin in your life, the more energy you have. You. It's like that vibration. You are vibrating at a different energy or a different vibe. Frequency, I think they call it. I'm, not into that stuff in the technical thing, but I do know that once you start feeling good, good things happen to you. Synchronicity, you know, things just happened, are't they? Coincidence? No. This is you practicing to be good, feeling good, being successful in whatever you do and then having that successor. and good feelings being attracted, to you. And then all the new opportunities too. Because that's what it means. I hope, I always hope this that I communicated this in a way that made it easy to follow. If I didn't, please let me know because I need to improve my communication. So if there was anything that I didn't make clear, please email me feedback personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. and then I'll rectify that with another podcast. I'd love to hear about your experiences once you've done this. Just let me know.     Please share this podcast so we don't need anxiety in our lives   Same email address feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. and maybe if you got something out of this, it resonated, it makes sense. You did it and you just knocked it out of the park. Please share this with as many other people so they we don't need anxiety in our lives. There are better resources to use to deal with the events in our lives. Anxiety used to protect us. Now we've got so much, so many better ways to do it. Some of the best skills, emotions that we can access. So please do share this and maybe explain it to other other people too, so you get to learn it even more deeply. But please share the podcast and if you haven't done it already, which I'm sure you have, please of ###e follow whatever the button is on your on your thing of app of choice. So you get these podcasts weekly, okay? So have more good feelings than you can stand, more spinning the wonderful way, more brighter than you could ever imagine, and wallow in the success and the good feelings that you have and ah, will have in the future. Because it's now time to fly. I'll see ya. Bye bye now.     Paul Clough puts hypnosis tracks on a separate website   So the 90 seconds of hypnosis tracks why I put hypnosis tracks on a separate website. Well, it's so simple really. I wanted you to have them all in one place so you can look through them all. You can find the particular one you want. I've even made them downloadable so you can put them on any of your playing devices that you prefer. You don't need WI fi, you don't need the itunes or whatever. You can put HM them anywhere you like. You can even burn them onto dis if you want. Where'do you get them? Well, there you go. I told you, it's paulcloughonline.com podcast. If you're worried about your email address, please don't be because they stay totally safe with me. I only use them to send you out that email and give you access. Simple as that. I send you a link, a special link so you, and only you, can access those hypnosis tracks. Because I want them just for you. And the other thing about this is you've taken responsibility. I don't want to make these open to everyone, just random. You have taken responsibility to listen and be part of this community of personal development. And I want to help you. I want to help you personally to get your dreams, your goals. And therefore, I'm giving you these tools, these protocols, these paradigms, whatever you want to call them, but in deep hypnosis. So just enjoy. Have more fun than you can stand with hypnosis. Warning, you are now leaving the unplugged mind of Paul Clough. It's time to fly on your own. Be brave, my friend. Personal development unplugged. #AnxietyRelief, #MindsetShift, #NLP, #Hypnosis, #SelfImprovement, #MentalWellness Personal development [Unplugged] [podcast][NLP][Hypnosis][self development]self improvement][awareness]

Cultivating a Positive Mindset: Your Path to Empowerment Hey, you! Ever wonder how some people stay positive, even when life throws curveballs? It's not about ignoring problems—it's about tackling them with the right mindset. In this episode, we're cutting through the fluff and diving deep into real ways to shift from negativity to empowerment.

Beyond the Noise – Finding Inner Peace & Self-Therapy Hey, my friend… ever feel like life is just too loud? Social media, the news, work, responsibilities—it's like a constant buzz in the background, making it hard to think, let alone find peace. But here's the thing: you can create calm amidst the chaos. In this episode, I share my journey to finding inner peace—those little moments of self-therapy that help me recharge and reset. And trust me, it's not about escaping the world; it's about taking control of your inner one. What's Inside?

Unshakable Self-Confidence A Journey of Self-Discovery Welcome back to the Personal Development Unplugged Podcast! In this episode, we dive deep into unshakable confidence, exploring the idea that confidence is not something to be installed but rather reawakened. If you struggle with feelings of unconfidence, this episode is designed just for you. Join me, Paul Clough, as I share my journey from being an introvert who stumbled over words in front of small groups to confidently speaking in front of hundreds. You'll discover the transformative power of recognizing your competence and how it can lead to genuine self-confidence. In this episode, we will cover:   The importance of understanding the messages behind unconfidence and how they serve a purpose. How to change your emotional state and the impact it has on your physiology and behaviours. Identifying counterexamples of when you felt confident and competent. Practical exercises to anchor feelings of curiosity and learning. Steps to rekindle your inner confidence and take small, manageable actions toward your goals.   By the end of this episode, you'll have the tools to shift your mindset, embrace your skills, and take confident steps forward in your life. Remember, confidence is not about being overconfident; it's about being comfortable in your own competence. Ready to transform your unconfidence into unshakable confidence? Let's get started! And then please share what you learn - Confidently https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/433-unshakable-self-confidence/ Shine Brightly

Taming the Mind: Tools to Stop Worrying Hey there, friend! Do you ever feel like your mind is constantly racing with worries you can't quiet? Well, in this episode of the Personal Development Unplugged Podcast, we're going to take on that noisy “monkey mind” and discover how to transform those endless worries into clarity and peace. I'm going to walk you through what's really going on when that chatter takes over. We'll dig into why worry shows up in the first place and how you can acknowledge it without letting it control you. By the end of this episode, you'll have some super practical tools to break free from overthinking and start creating a mindset that's both calmer and more confident. Picture this: waking up tomorrow with a peaceful mind, ready to take on the day with ease. Sound good? Together, we'll explore how to make that a reality. I'll share simple but powerful techniques like practising gratitude and writing down your worries to help you regain control and move past the cycle of anxious thinking. Anxiety doesn't have to run the show. It's time to shift your perspective, break old patterns, and start finding healthier ways to navigate those swirling thoughts. This episode is packed with helpful insights and exercises to help you reconnect with your best self and truly enjoy the journey ahead. Ready to tame your mind? Let's dive in! I'd love to hear your thoughts—share what you learn and this episode with others https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/431-taming-the-mind-from-anxiety-and-worry Shine Brightly

The 3 Foundations of Self-Development and Change Three Pillars for Good Mental Health Or you could say Building the Best Version of You   Hey, my unplugged friends! Welcome back to another episode of the Personal Development Unplugged Podcast. Today, we're diving into the core of personal change work—the foundation that supports all your efforts to become the best version of yourself. Forget the complicated stuff; we're keeping it simple with three essential elements: sleep, food, and movement. These are the pillars that hold up your mental health and overall well-being. Whether you're dealing with anxiety, depression, or just looking to improve your life, getting these basics right is crucial. They're interconnected, and you can't focus on one without considering the others. What We'll Cover Here's what we'll explore in this episode: Sleep: Discover why a consistent sleep routine is vital and how small changes can make a big difference. Food: Learn how to fuel your body with the right nutrients and why hydration is key. Movement: Understand the importance of regular exercise and how it benefits your mind and body. These aren't just tips; they're actionable steps you can take today. No more excuses about time, energy, or resources. It's all about making small, sustainable changes that add up over time. Remember, I'm not a doctor or a nutritionist—just someone who's passionate about personal development and knows what works. So, let's get started on building a strong foundation for your mental health and personal growth. If you find this episode helpful, please share it with someone who might benefit. And don't forget to subscribe for more insights and practical advice. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/430-the-3-foundations-of-self-development Take care, shine brightly, and I'll see you on the other side. Shine Brightly

New Year Resolution What A Dick I Was I'm Rethinking Resolutions – From Dickishness to Empowerment Hey, welcome back to the Personal Development Unplugged Podcast – your space to dive into the real stuff that makes life better. In today's episode, we're shaking things up and rethinking New Year's resolutions. Ever feel like you're being a total “dick” for ranting against the whole New Year's resolution thing? I know I have, and guess what – I'm here to apologize for it. I've always felt resolutions should be something we set any day of the year, not just on New Year's Eve. But hey, who am I to decide? For many, that quiet time between Christmas and New Year is the perfect chance to reflect and set goals. So let's embrace it! Now, here's the deal: Instead of falling into the trap of vague and painful resolutions (you know, stuff like “lose weight” or “quit bad habits”), how about we focus on the joy of change? Let's turn those “shoulds” into “wows” and set resolutions that excite us. How? By making them personal – focusing on what truly matters to you, not what everyone else thinks. Here's a quick exercise: Grab a notebook and jot down three things you'd like to change about yourself – physically, emotionally, or behaviorally. Now, take about ten minutes and brainstorm anything else you'd like to change or improve. Let your imagination run wild! When you're done, see if any of these new ideas replace the initial three you wrote down. Next, pick the one change that would make the biggest difference in your life. Ask yourself: What would this change allow me to do? How would it transform my life? What beliefs would support this change? Write those down and let yourself feel the excitement! Now comes the best part: What's the smallest step you can take toward this change? And, most importantly, schedule it. Small, consistent steps are what lead to the big transformations. Please share what you learn: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/428-new-year-resolution-what-a-dick-i-was And don't worry – I'm here to help. If you need any support or have questions, reach out to me anytime at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Let's make these resolutions stick – and let's make changes that really matter. Together, we can make the world a brighter place, one small step at a time. Subscribe, share, and keep growing. Shine Brightly

Letting Go of Anxiety and Loneliness -The Deeper Dive Breaking the Cycle of Anxiety and Loneliness Transforming Isolation into Connection Hey there, my unplugged friends! Welcome back to another episode of the Personal Development Unplugged Podcast—the place where we keep things real, relatable, and ridiculously helpful. Today, we're tackling, again but deeper, what so many of us experience: the sneaky, self-reinforcing loop of anxiety and loneliness. You know the one—it starts with feeling anxious, which leads to withdrawal, which leads to loneliness... and before you know it, you're caught in a cycle that's hard to escape. But don't worry, we're diving deep into how to break free and rediscover connection. What We'll Chat About Today Previously, we explored some practical tips like sending a simple text or making small, meaningful connections in your day-to-day life. These are brilliant starting points, but what if they don't quite hit the mark? That's where the deeper work begins. In this episode, we'll uncover how your unconscious mind might actually be keeping these feelings of anxiety and loneliness around for a reason. Yep, your unconscious is trying to help you—just in an outdated, unhelpful way. Here's the thing: anxiety and loneliness often stem from old patterns that were created to protect you in the past. We'll ask powerful questions like: What is this anxiety or loneliness trying to protect me from? Where did these feelings first come from? By understanding the positive intention behind these emotions, you can guide your unconscious mind to let go of what doesn't serve you anymore and replace it with something that does. Practical Steps for Transformation I'll share simple but powerful exercises, like jotting down your qualities and strengths or visualizing the version of you that you're ready to step into. These tools help you tap into the wisdom and resilience you already have inside. And hey, if this feels overwhelming, don't go it alone. A skilled therapist can be an incredible guide in this process, helping you uncover the root cause of what's holding you back. Let's Make a Change Together So, are you ready to unplug from anxiety and loneliness? Let's turn these challenges into an opportunity to grow, connect, and shine even brighter. Subscribe, press play, and share this journey with someone who needs it. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/427-letting-go-of-anxiety-and-loneliness-the-deeper-dive Shine Brightly

Healing Emotional Scars Because you can Have you ever found yourself stuck in the echoes of past pain, wondering if you're truly healing or just coping? In this episode, I'll unpack the difference between carrying emotional scars and genuinely healing from them. Together, we'll explore how our unconscious mind—the part of us that's always working in the background—signals the need for healing and how we can respond. Think of emotional scars like physical ones: they're reminders of what we've been through, but they don't have to define us. I'll share personal stories and practical steps I've used to move from pain toward genuine healing. You'll discover how to tell if your emotional wounds are still raw and how to guide yourself through the healing process. Whether it's through self-reflection, creative self-therapy, or reaching out for professional support, you'll learn ways to support your journey back to emotional wholeness. This isn't just for therapists—it's for anyone ready to face their past and take steps toward a brighter future. Let's tap into the wisdom of your unconscious mind, learn to listen to its messages, and use them to build a life of growth, self-compassion, and empowerment. So, take a moment, tune in, and let's explore this path together. Because healing isn't just possible—it's inevitable when we take the first step. Please enjoy and share: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/423-healing-emotional-scars/ Shine brightly, Paul Shine Brightly

The Audio of the Video within the December Newsletter Sign up to the free, complimentary, 65+ hypnosis tracks and you too could receive the regular monthly'ish newsletter from me. There's usually a little video with a quick process or share. "How an I rush there Cloughie and sign up?" you ask Click this link https://paulcloughonline.com/podcast If you want to watch the video https://youtu.be/fHa8NcF9Uxo     Shine Brightly

From Anxiety to Confidence Let's Make the Shift Together Let's get real for a minute. Have you ever felt that knot in your stomach at the thought of speaking up in front of a group—even if it's just a handful of people? You're not alone. I've been there too. I've felt that dread, the sweaty palms, the shaky voice. But here's the good news: it doesn't have to stay that way. In this episode, I'm going to share my own story—how I went from terrified to totally at ease, speaking to not just a few people but hundreds. And I'll let you in on a little secret: it didn't take a complicated process or years of effort. It was a simple, powerful shift. What We'll Dive Into: The magic of visualization—how imagining your success as if it's already happening can calm your fear and build real confidence. Fueling confidence with your passion and curiosity—because when you care about what you're saying, everything changes. Why simplicity is the ultimate tool—you don't need tricks or hype, just a new way to see yourself. Here's Your Challenge: There's a process in this episode too You will take a moment—just a few minutes. Close your eyes and picture yourself succeeding. Imagine standing there, calm, collected, and confident. Feel it. Step into that version of you and notice how good it feels. Practice it. Let it sink in. If you know someone who needs a little nudge to find their confidence—share this episode. You never know who might need to hear it. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/422-a-simple-process-to-overcome-fear-and-anxiety Let's keep shining brightly, Paul Shine Brightly

Overcoming the Fear of Failure – Let's Unplug This Together Hey, you. Yes, you. Have you ever felt stuck, frozen in the headlights of your own expectations? Like you've got to get it just right or not bother at all? That nagging fear of failure with that belief of "I'm not good enough"—it creeps in, doesn't it? It stops us before we even start. But guess what? Today, we're pulling the plug on all that. In this episode, we're diving deep into what's really behind that fear of failing. Spoiler alert: it's not about being perfect. It's about the stories we tell ourselves, the beliefs lurking in the shadows of our subconscious, and the ways we unknowingly keep ourselves stuck. But don't worry—we're not here to wallow. We're here to shift. What We'll Uncover: Why your unconscious mind stirs up all that anxiety—hint: it's trying to protect you, just not in the best way. The roots of perfectionism and how they keep you from living your best, most adventurous life. How to rewrite those old stories—yes, the ones that tell you “you're not good enough.” Tapping into your wins—those times you nailed it, even when you doubted yourself. Anchoring powerful, feel-good emotions to calm that inner critic and give you the courage to. There's loads of golden nuggets here along with the 'HOW' to change Please share so that others too can create the life they deserve - pay it forward https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/421-afraid-to-fail-lets-change-that Enjoy, shine and be well Paul Shine Brightly

How to Think Better for Success Are you ready to unleash the power of your own mind and turn those dreams into reality? This episode is all about learning how to think better—simple, down-to-earth strategies to shift your thoughts toward success. Through a mix of storytelling and practical tools, I'll share personal insights and experiences that have helped me along my journey. Together, we'll dive into the art of *intentional thinking* and explore ways to create your own “puzzle book” to spark creativity and keep your mind focused. You'll discover how dedicating even a little time each day to clear, intentional thinking can bring clarity, solve problems, and unlock fresh ideas. Writing, as you'll find, isn't just about putting words on paper; it's a way to expand your thinking and gain new perspectives. We'll also tackle some classic excuses we all have—“I don't have time!”—and explore why time isn't the barrier we think it is. Here's what's inside this episode: The Power of Intentional Thinking** – How setting a clear direction for your thoughts can lead to real breakthroughs. Creating a Puzzle Book** – A tool to help organize ideas, connect dots, and keep those creative juices flowing. Overcoming Excuses** – The “no time” myth, busted. I'll show you simple ways to make time for your own thinking sessions. Building a Thinking Habit** – Practical ways to make regular thinking a part of your life. What You'll Take Away: Clarity and Focus** – Get a handle on what's urgent vs. what's important, so you can move forward meaningfully. Confidence and Calm** – Experience that peace of mind that comes from having a clear direction. Inspiration to Act** – Feel ready to tackle new challenges and inspire others along the way. *Are you ready to think better?* Jump in and start your journey now. And hey, let's spread some good vibes—share this episode and let's create a wave of positive change. https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/418-how-to-think-for-success/ Shine brightly, Paul Shine brightly Paul Please remember you can leave a comment or email me with questions, requests and feedback.  If you have enjoyed this or any other episode please share and subscribe. Just email me feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com If you want to subscribe to the podcast (I know you do) click here to learn more Or simply click here to go straight to Apple Music / iTunes to subscribe OR leave a review Remember for my specially designed programs for developing Supreme Inner Confidence, Free Your Life of Anxiety and specialize Hypnosis tracks go to PaulCloughOnline.com   If you want to access my FREE HYPNOSIS tracks go to paulcloughonline.com/podcast Follow and inter-react on twitter @pcloughie  I'm a therapist but not your therapist The information with this website or online work, techniques and exercises provided within these free and paid products are for educational purposes only. Do not use the techniques or exercises contained within some of these free or paid products whilst driving or operating machinery, or if you suffer from epilepsy, clinical depression or any other nervous or psychiatric conditions. The information provided is not a substitute for proper medical advice. If in doubt, please consult your doctor or licensed medical practitioner. Any decision you make having received any of Paul Clough's free or paid products are your own and you remain wholly responsible for any decisions and actions you take. Why not look for me and the podcast on  SPOTIFY AND the app Castbox I'm also in iHeart radio YouTube - copy n paste UC3BlpN4voq8aAN7ePsIMt2Q into search bar The Libsyn podcast page http://personaldevelomentunplugged.libsyn.com tunein, learnoutloud, Google Play Music Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, >, Music by freegroove pixabay seduction-jazz-112149 from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal Pixaby ventura-117073 from Pixabay, And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism     Hey, how to think better for success. Who am I to tell you? But I've got a couple of things, just got a couple of things that I know that if you did them, you would create success for your life and those dreams and goals would become your reality. And it all starts with stories, because we love a story. I got two or three of those. So come and dive in with me and learn. Or just sample a few ways of thinking better.     How to think better for success. Thought about this and I made loads of notes. And then looking at my notes again, I thought, who the nearly swore. Who am I to tell people how to think better? Now I do think I've got some things to share and it's not the only way, but I do think I'm on the right track. If anyone's listening to Jordan Peterson, I really think he's got it when he thinks writing is thinking. Because if you think about it, if you didn't think when you wrote, you just have a mass of lines everywhere and that'd be crazy. And I know you're thinking now, oh, shit, he's talking about writing it down again. Well, bit. Bit more than that. A bit more than that. I want to tell you a couple of stories. Maybe three. Maybe three sort of little stories. They're not much, but they're a little bit, you see, not. Well, a few years ago, A few years ago, my eldest son came to me and said, hey, dad, do you want to go away for a couple of days? I want to hire a barn, one of those converted barns. Not a barn with. With animals in, you know, but a converted barn for a couple of days. So we could just think. You think in one end of the barn, I'll think in the other end of the barn and we'll have lunch and then you'll think again and then we'll go out for dinner, and, then maybe one afternoon we'll just have a little ride around and things like that, see the countryside. But we'll. It'll be nice to be together, but also nice to get into a thinking mode, to plan. And I thought, that's a hell of an idea. Because you see, before I used to prattle on about, about sort of thinking and setting intentions, but it didn't really do anything. But going there was really setting intention. As soon as you walked through the door, you knew what you're going to do. We had a great time, did lots of thinking, still got me in my books, my notes I made, and so did he. And it was lovely to be with one of my sons just for a couple of days by ourselves. Awesome. And in my, My other life, when I used to be in, like a business type thing, and my partner, Mike, and he would often say to me, hey, Paul, we got this thing happening. It's like an issue. We've got a problem. Go away for a little while and think of how you think we could tackle it. Now, I'm an options man. I love options. And I would do, option one, option two, option C, D, four, five, whatever. And I'd come back to him with these lovely options. I'd really spend a lot of time thinking of the, different things, mitigations and all that stuff. I was following all different processes, and it really worked well. So I used to go away quietly by myself and do it. And then I'd go through with Paul. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just before we go. Too bad. We. Which one? Well, I like to go through it with you. No, no, just tell me which one. Because you've done a lot of thought on this. You know the answer. You done a lot of thinking. So I came up with, well, I think it's this one. So we'll do it then, because we're going to use your plan, and if there's something better comes along and we find that we can do it even better, we'll just change course, we'll be flexible. And that's exactly what I liked. And I think that type of thinking with options and mitigations got me into, when I started into this, getting deeper into personal development and trying to solve my own issues. Because as much as I do all this work and I do hypnotherapy and I work with clients, you know, we all have issues, we all have stuff. you know, if you want to get better at life, you want to enjoy life, create a better life for yourself, have dreams and goals, you know, this podcast was just a little idea at one time, then it became something into reality, but came through this like a thought process that I did. And I think with these type of things, I developed this thing I call my puzzle book because I used to have a lot of journaling and thinking in journaling, but I wanted something more specific. And what is a puzzle book? Well, a puzzle book to me is a book with plain paper in it. Plain sheets of paper. That's all. I don't like lines because they. They restrict Me, my lines restrict me. M dots are quite good sometimes but I really prefer plain sheet. A4 size if I can get it slightly, maybe a little bit smaller. But when I open it out I've got a nice big double sheet type thing. Anyway, enough about the puzzle book because you can buy them anywhere because it's literally just a book with pieces of paper. But for me when I sit down with that, it in itself and of itself, I love that thing. It fires off my intention when I sit down. It's like triggering my unconscious mind. Thinking is anchored to the puzzle book and because of that I changed my state. I'm sure I changed my state. Love my mind maps in there. But they just things seem to flow not always straight away but it allows me to be open, open to ideas sometimes strange and weird thoughts, creative thoughts that just might work. And I've done a little podcast on spending a few moments, a day or a week just doing the most weirdest thoughts you could have about what you want in life. Not just weird thoughts because that would be weird. And writing those suckers down. And that's the whole point about this puzzle book. You write them down when you just spend time. And I know I made a note that the previous longer podcast about thinking about your hero, becoming your hero.     Cloughie says most of his ideas come from either his puzzle book or journal   The best version of yourself getting more something you can get hold of, something you can see more clearly. That came from just someone mentioning something than me going into the puzzle book and it just exploded into thoughts and I got more clear. So if you look at be your superhero or be your hero, something like that, it's only a couple of podcast episodes back that came from that. But when I thought about it, virtually every, everything I've talked about seems to come from either in my puzzle book or my journal. And what are they? They're all sitting down thinking and writing. Writing is thinking and it's a wonderful habit to get into. And as I said, a lot of my writing can be just in the form of a mind map which explodes in my mind sometimes giving me all the different options, different thoughts that I can develop them. And I say it just allows me to see options taking time. But I know what you're going to say, well, not you personally because I know you're in there, in here for the, for the long haul. But there's, there'll be some who will say, oh, Cloughie, I haven't got enough time. I haven't got enough time to sit down and think. And that's Bollocks. It really is. It's a load of old balls. That's just a petty, flimsy excuse. It's for wimps. It is, it's an excuse. People think, I think they haven't got time. And you see if you believe that and you haven't got time to sit down and think about things, what happens? And I made two or three notes about this. You know, they just react. They react there and then. There's no thought at all. React without thought. There's no plan. There's no plan of any kind. In fact, it's just a reaction, isn't it? Just a reaction with no real intention. And what tends to happen is they might get lucky. They might get lucky and come up with something, but they end up doing something. The first thing that comes to mind, a knee jerk reaction and that goes wrong. And then they find something else and that goes wrong. Then they get overwhelmed and then they. It's just such a waste of fucking time. And it could have been stopped so easily if they'd have stopped and thought, did a little bit of thinking first. And this thing about time. We waste time every bloody way, don't we? Have a look, have a look of how much you do on the typical things. Social media, maybe gossiping, maybe just actually just bonky stuff walking around. I even started putting in my diary. Instead of planning, along with planning the things I wanted to do in the day, I actually wrote down what I actually did. And as soon as I started writing down what I did, it made me think of what I'm going to do next. And I started to get more things done just by looking at it going, no, I don't want to keep writing down. I spent 15, 20 minutes looking at bloody social media. I want to be writing down that I'm making changes, doing stuff. Even if it was sitting down thinking 15 minutes. And what else happens when people don't think? Well, they end up just doing the urgent things that keeps things giving the impression that they're busy. Oh, I'm so busy. I'm so busy now. You're fooling yourself if that's the case because you're doing those urgent things, you're not doing the important things, you're just doing stuff. And there's that knee jerk reaction again. Does this make sense? maybe, I'm talking about me time ago. Hopefully I didn't do a lot of this, but I'd seen it. I see it so much, people just doing, you know, these urgent things. Flitting and flopping to each different thing and not making any bloody difference in the world. Certainly not making no difference to their life and creating more problems. I see a lot of this when I deal with clients because they come in, certainly when they come from business and I'm doing my coaching course, maybe overwhelm, because there's so much going on. And if they just resolved one thing from a place of clarity, the world would change. And it does change when we get there.     Putting 10 minutes aside to think about a particular subject can make life better   So how long. Here's a question to you. How long does thinking actually take? I got you thinking now. How long did that take? I didn't. I didn't plan that. That just came out that way. But thinking can be as much as five minutes, where you just stop and, pause and you think to yourself, what am I going to do next? Is this going to make my life better or worse? What a wonderful question. Because then you can go, actually, I need to stop and think maybe a little bit deeper about this because I don't know, maybe you don't know the answer. I don't know if it's gonna make. It seems to think I'm gonna make my life better. But on the other hand, oh, but least that stopping and pausing has got you to think of all. What would make my m. Life better? If this is gonna be it, how can I do it? Lovely questions again, but you're writing these things down. Because if you just sit there and think about it, great start. But then someone goes, hey, did you want a coffee or did you want this? Oh, yeah, that's great. How you been? And it's all gone. Those thoughts are gone, and you're back to reacting, doing the urgent stuff. Now. You could actually just put 10 minutes aside, allowing yourself to be open with the intention of thinking about a particular subject. So you got that first one is, something happens. I just stopped before you react. Have a little field book in your pocket or something like that, or just a piece of paper, scrap of paper, just notes. But ten minutes to think about something more specific. So you're getting close to that puzzly book type thing, because that's the next one. I think sometimes it's. I love. Let's Talk about Me. I. I love sitting there for about 30 minutes with a puzzle book. And it's not every day. I don't do it every day. Do it at least once a week. I think, on things I find that are important to me. They haven't got urgent yet, but they are important. And I might sit down for 30 minutes might be less, but the mere fact I get that puzzle book out again and says it fires my unconscious mind because I have an intention. And you see, when you think about that 30 minutes, that's nothing compared to that bloody time that you waste on that social media, on gossip, on just simply doom scrolling all that stuff. And the thing is when you're not wasting that time and you're doing, it's just an investment in you and it's such a small investment that has such a high return, the return on your investment, the RII return on investment, I think that's what it was in business, is so high that you can't help but being more successful. And with that success comes, I want to say happiness, but it comes with maybe a calmness, maybe it comes with a little bit of peace of mind, maybe it comes with awareness, maybe it comes with conviction, maybe it comes with an expectation because you know what you're doing, you get from that, you get confidence. And when you do this, and here's a kicker, your unconscious mind can start to think, hey, this is a safer way to be because we are creating a world, a life for ourselves with less stress. We're dealing with stress before it becomes stressful, we're dealing with anxiety before it become anxious. We're planning our success, you and I are then planning our, our success and mitigating, I'm going to say failure, but mitigating where our results aren't what we want or what, what may come and blindside us or may come along. We can mitigate that as best we can. And therefore again we get more confident because we know what we're intending to happen and we know how we can, you know, mitigate things that aren't quite, may happen the other way. And again we've got it covered. And your unconscious mind goes, this is a great place to be. And it only took 30 minutes and we weren't going down the route of doom scrolling gossiping. That's great to have, great to communicate. But now think when you've got yourself in control as much as control is, but when you feel great about yourself and you feel like you've got purpose and you feel like you've got everything in hand, those conversations you have with other people are so, so much more richer.     So I've got a challenge for you. Get yourself a bloody puzzle book. Now am I going to get those excuses? I don't know   So I've got a challenge for you. Get yourself a bloody puzzle book. Now am I going to get those excuses? I don't know where to get one. you talk about a field book. What's a field, A Field book is just a small, little thin book. Have a look on places like Amazon or ebay or whatever, they're cheap. Or you can get a larger book and call it a puzzle book. How much are they then? They're peanuts. A few dollars, few pounds. When I say a few. One, two or three. You don't have to go mad because it's a plain book or, you know, I nearly swore. But just get a piece of paper, you know, print some out the copy machine, anything, piece of paper. Get a pen, pencil, whatever you bloody like. And I want you in your diary. Oh, I haven't got a diary. Well, get a bloody diary page, a day diary, that's all you need. I have one with times on it, so I can really block it out. But I want you to block out some five minutes and some 10 minutes for thinking time daily, every day, at least a, ah, five minute, or I would suggest a ten minute, because once you get into it, you'll want to spend longer than five minutes. But 10 minutes is something where you go, well, I can put 10 minutes aside because I'm going to have my cup of coffee, I want to just sit down the first thing in the morning. Sometime in the day, lunchtime, my break time, anytime on my commute, unless you're driving, of course. And, block it in your bloody diary. So before you start the week, you know roughly what you're going to be doing most days. So block it down. You can move them around a little bit, but once they're blocked in, you have to do it. And, block in 1:30 minutes time for yourself. Time to create success, time to think. Time to really get deeper into a specific issue, a specific thing, a project that you want to just solve, resolve, get better at, maybe learn it. Because they don't have to be all issues, do they? Things that you might want to learn. So how can I learn this? And when you sit down and think that's what one of the questions just jumped in. How can, what do I need to learn? You ask yourself questions. You write those questions down. What do I really want? Is it going to make my life better or worse? How can I make it better? What do I know already? What do I need to know more of all these wonderful questions? And questions go on forever. There are so many people now who have questions that are, so brilliant. Tim Ferriss has lots of questions and I love his questions and they're very closely aligned to the type of things that I would ask myself and what we could do. Because I Always threatened to write a book about just the questions you ask yourself, but I thought that was a bit pretentious. But we could do another podcast episode on the type of things you could do in that 30, minute session. The type of questions you could ask that would get your unconscious mind going in a direction to find the answers. Because it's. And again, it's because you write these down, your unconscious mind goes and finds the answers. And the beauty of this, you sit down for 30 minutes, you might not get everything done that you wanted to. They're open questions. You haven't maybe found the answer yet. You've thought of some options, but you're not quite sure. One of the old Cloughie guarantees is you'll go away. You'll close the book, you'll go away and you'll come back suddenly go, ah. And you'll have that aha, moment, where's my book? I must make that note down. And you can't find that, so you put it in a little piece of paper or your field book, and then you come back to your thinking book in that. And it. Just because it's written down, you can always go back to it. And it gets richer and it gets more inspiring, more intuitive and it gets you to start to dream and think without you really sitting down hard because you just go, ah, becomes a habit that, that ideas muscle starts to really get strong. You begin to resolve and solve what? whatever you need to solve and resolve. I hope a lot of this, I hope this has made sense because, to be honest, I try, I always try to think of the meta side of all of this. What am I trying to do? And I'm really just. It's a reminder that, to me anyway, that there's so much more that you can find and it's all in you and there's so much more of you to find and to keep it, put it on paper. And I think it just makes so much sense. I love you to think, well, that makes sense. I'm going to do that. Take up my bloody challenge. Take up my challenge and find out. You see, I believe this is where your dreams are formed. And then they're made and then you plan them and then you begin to schedule. We've got that bloody diary again, haven't we? And then we start scheduling for stuff and then we review the week and we review our plans and without that puzzle book, without that diary, without you consciously committing to this, your life might just say the same. And I don't Want that for you. I want your life to get so rich. Rich in every way, shape or form. So colorful, so exciting, so passionate with wonderful emotions. And I know you might thinking, yeah, you're bigging this one up, Cloughie. I don't think I am. I really don't think I am. It comes from these simple little things. In simplicity, there's fucking genius. And this is so simple. Take up my challenge.     Go on, I dare you. Go away and have a think about thinking   Go on, I dare you. And then when you do, let me know how you got on. Always love your feedback. Hey, your feedback might be claphy. You're not swearing enough. Sorry, I have started swearing a bit more in here. but that's because I'm getting more passionate about some of the stuff I'm talking about now, I think. And it's me, but hopefully that's okay. But do email me feedback@personaldevelopment unplugged.com if there's any of those questions. Well, I'm sitting down, but I'm getting a bit stuck. Let me know what you're getting stuck on. I'll find something that will take that unstuckiness, away or that stuck in us away. I promise I will. I can. That's what I do. Please do that. And maybe get somebody else on the challenge as well by sharing this episode. Let them know it's just a thinking thing. And it is only thinking better because that's what you do. You think. So we might as well use that skill of thinking and get it better. Get that muscle really pumping. And when you do that, people will see you and they'll go, shit, look at them. Look at them go. I can do that too. You inspire people and you'll never know how far the ripples of that change go. You really won't. But you know, you're creating that change in you and other people. What a wonderful thing to do. All because you listened to Cloughie and you did that seven day challenge and you continued listening and you continue to subscribe. Because if you haven't subscribed, why the not, please press that subscribe button. But the feedback is great. I'd much more prefer, much more prefer the feedback, but I'd like to subscribe too. Okay. Anyway, that's all there is. Go away and have a think about thinking and then take up the challenge. I dare you, dare you to create your dreams and the life that you really want.     Personal development unplugged. It's time to fly on your own   Time to fly. Bye. Warning. You are now leaving the unplugged mind of Paul . It's time to fly on your own. Be brave, my friend.   Personal development unplugged. Personal development [self improvement] [self development] [NLP] [Hypnosis]

Be Your Own Hero – A Journey to Self-Discovery Unplugging Personal Development, Finding the Real You Hey there, Cloughie here! In today's episode of *Personal Development Unplugged*, we're breaking free from the usual self-improvement treadmill to explore something more authentic. Have you ever felt lost in the quest to become "the best version of yourself"? I have. That's why I'm here to propose a new direction: instead of chasing perfection, let's learn to **be our own hero**. The Gym Epiphany In a rare quiet moment at the gym, I had a realization that hit me like a ton of bricks. Being your own hero isn't about comparison or constant improvement; it's about identifying and embodying the unique qualities that *truly matter* to you. So, grab a pen and your "puzzle book" because we're diving deep into this together. Questions to Kickstart Your Journey We're getting hands-on with some powerful questions to help you craft your personal hero. Here's what to ask yourself: - What does my hero stand for? - What values do they hold, and what kind of life do they live? - How do they show up in service to others? - What dreams fuel their journey? aren't just “feel-good” questions; they're tools to uncover what really drives you and align with your own unique potential. This Episode is for YOU if: - You're tired of feeling pressured to be the “best” version of yourself - You want to reconnect with a sense of purpose that feels real - You're ready to visualize and live out the values that make you feel most alive Your Journey Starts Here By the end of our time together, I hope you'll walk away with a clearer picture of your hero and a renewed commitment to live in alignment with that vision—one small, powerful step at a time. Listen, Share, Shine So if this episode inspires you, please share it. Let's create a ripple of people who are ready to live with purpose and shine brightly as their own heroes. Catch the episode at:https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/417-how-to-be-a-hero/ Shine brightly, Paul Clough Please remember you can leave a comment or email me with questions, requests and feedback.  If you have enjoyed this or any other episode please share and subscribe. Just email me feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com If you want to subscribe to the podcast (I know you do) click here to learn more Or simply click here to go straight to Apple Music / iTunes to subscribe OR leave a review Remember for my specially designed programs for developing Supreme Inner Confidence, Free Your Life of Anxiety and specialize Hypnosis tracks go to PaulCloughOnline.com   If you want to access my FREE HYPNOSIS tracks go to paulcloughonline.com/podcast Follow and inter-react on twitter @pcloughie  I'm a therapist but not your therapist The information with this website or online work, techniques and exercises provided within these free and paid products are for educational purposes only. Do not use the techniques or exercises contained within some of these free or paid products whilst driving or operating machinery, or if you suffer from epilepsy, clinical depression or any other nervous or psychiatric conditions. The information provided is not a substitute for proper medical advice. If in doubt, please consult your doctor or licensed medical practitioner. Any decision you make having received any of Paul Clough's free or paid products are your own and you remain wholly responsible for any decisions and actions you take. Why not look for me and the podcast on  SPOTIFY AND the app Castbox I'm also in iHeart radio YouTube - copy n paste UC3BlpN4voq8aAN7ePsIMt2Q into search bar The Libsyn podcast page http://personaldevelomentunplugged.libsyn.com tunein, learnoutloud, Google Play Music Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, >, Music by freegroove pixabay seduction-jazz-112149 from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal Pixaby ventura-117073 from Pixabay,     And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism Hey, in all these, bits of self development, self improvement and going to make the best version of yourself and all that. Constant never end improvement. My question is towards what and how and who? So I've delved into that in a special way. I think you find it interesting Hey, friend, I need your help. I need your help because. Are you puzzled as I am? Because I'm puzzled and I'm puzzled about bloody personal development, which is quite strange because I've been in that type of genre for bloody years. You know, helping people with hypnotherapy, hypnosis, timeline therapy, nlp. All about developing ourselves and to what end. So what is the direction of personal development? It's a lovely term, personal development, self development. But what we get these things. There's a lovely thing called Can I. Constant and, never ending improvement. Again, great thing. The actual concept of constant and never ending improvement is good, but to me it's slightly overwhelming. everyday constant, never ending improvement. Something I'd like to do, but I'm m confused. And then there's that one thing. Can we do 1% better each time we do it or 1% every day? Which is a bit like constant and never ending improvement, but you know, sounds good because they do. They're all like these wonderful memes. And I hate memes, by the way. Well, most of them. It just sounds good, you know, striving to be better. sounds m good too, doesn't it? Yeah. I'm in personal development because I want to be. I want to be better. What a generalization that is. I just want to be better, you see. Towards what? What we. Where are we heading in our personal development M why are we doing this? You know, where are we? What is the target? what is the aim? Towards what? Constant never ending improvement. Towards what? 1% more towards what? Striving to be better towards what? And that's why I'm getting confused. And I shouldn't be. I shouldn't be because this is part of my life sharing these type of things. And so this is why I'm opening up to you. Because I'm a little bit lost. Well, I was. I think. I think I was lost. You see, this thing just puzzled me, you know, what is the best version of ourselves? Because that's what I've been talking about as well. The aim is to become the best version of ourselves. But again, how general is that? The best version. What does it mean? What do you think of when you do that? I get a very fuzzy picture of myself sometimes. And it's the same bloody picture. Sometimes it's over and over again. Bit like the act of gratitude, you know, you can do it really well, but sometimes it's just by rote, isn't it? Same things. And when I think of that best version of myself, or a little while ago, it didn't inspire me anymore. And that was sad because this is my life. It's your life, isn't it? Are you confused? But I want you to help me. Well, help me as I just go through this. You see, a little while ago, not too long ago, I had an aha, moment again. I was in the bloody gym then. I was. It always seems to happen when I'm on that bloody walking machine. So I'm gonna go in there more often, I think. There I was walking away and I was listening to a podcast which included David Goggins. I love David Goggins. He's a bit way out there, but inspirational. And he swears a lot, which is, no mad, no bad thing, I don't think, anyway. And to his credit, I think, you know, don't be like me, don't be like me if you want, be inspired to think a little bit like me. But he did inspire me to think because he said this one. Well, how many? One, two, three, four words. Four words. And it was lost in a sentence because they carried on talking, but to me, suddenly, boom, it was there. Four words. Dramatic pause. What were those four?     Be your own hero is what I'm looking for in life   I'll tell you what those four words were. Be your own hero. I thought, fuck, yeah, that. That's what I'm looking for, be my own hero. Because I can. Well, it gives me something to work on, to flesh out, doesn't it? And what a way to live. Striving to be your own hero.     Imagine if you were living your life as your own hero   And before we go into that, just imagine, just for a moment, without visualizing anything at all, just think if you were living your life as your own hero, what'd it feel like? And to me, it gave me such a buzz. If I could only live like my own hero, that would be it. Now I've got something to strive for, because that is the best version of myself. That is what I would try to improve every day. Constant, never end improvement. To be that hero. If I only improve 1% a day to become my own hero, it would be there. If I just strived to be closer, not better, but to be closer to that version of My own hero. What a way to live. That's what I think. To me anyway. What do you think? Take a moment now just to think. If I was to be my own hero, living my life. Wow. Because that would be it, wouldn't it? But let's dive a little bit deeper. well, I did, you see. I did. I did with the help of my son's mastermind group because I asked them to help me to contribute to flesh it out, as it were. Now let's see if we can might even put this into a process. Later on I might put it into a hypnosis track, See where we go with that. But first of all, let's just think. And I got my puzzle book out for this by the way. Think about it. That's my puzzle book. I do, I can, I can sell the puzzle books to you. In fact, they are available in every good bookshop because they're just a plain, plain paper. You can get them lined, you can get them with little dots on what look like squares. But I love plain paper because it gives me the freedom. Or you can have, it's a piece of paper, it doesn't matter. But I use my puzzle book. And in the middle of my puzzle book, right in the middle, I open the, open up two pages so I've got the whole like all of it. And in the middle I put be your own hero. I thought, yeah, that's pretty good. But then I put after it, aspire to be your own hero. Cloughie. And I drew a little smiley face with a, with a halo over the top. I don't know why it made me laugh, but I, I started asking myself questions to flesh this out. And I want you to think if you could, which maybe helped me inspire myself to flesh it out, ask these questions. And I started to get some answers and answer the questions and I maybe just fill in some of the things I got which may get you consciously and unconsciously, because I want your unconscious mind to think about this. Because if you think about it unconsciously, if you're living your life as your superhero, you are living the best life you are the healthiest you have, or you're dealing with any stress and problems you're dealing with them. Therefore you're in the safest possible world of your own, which is where your unconscious you, the unconscious mind want them to be. Isn't it talking to your best friend now. So anyway, I'll come back to that. Yeah.     What are your highest values? What would your superhero stand for   So what is your best. So what would your hero Stand for what is. Stand for who? What would they stand for? Your best hero. You see, I wrote down fairness. if there is such a thing as fairness in an unfair world, because the world is unfair. And that's another. Another topic. But fairness, as best they could. But that was the first thing that came to mind, just to be fair, treating people with fairness. That's what my superhero would do. Superhero now, by the way. And what wouldn't your hero stand for? What wouldn't they accept? And for me, it jumped out and I was a bit harsh because I said, liars. I won't accept lies. People who don't tell the truth. My superhero wouldn't accept selfishness or rudeness or any of that. Just not acceptable. And that just got me to think, that's a. There's some stuff in there. Maybe I'll flesh that out again. But maybe you could think, what would your superhero not. Not accept? And what would they stand for? Firm. You, see in there, there's a set of values in there. So what is. Or what are is better word, the values of your superhero, the ones you despire to be. You see, I thought of mine. What are my highest values? And I've had these since I found them, basically when I did, a values exercise way, way, way back into a distant age. And it was always trusted honesty. And I wrote those down and ticked them again because I can't think of anything higher for me. So my hero, my superheroes, would have in his heart, trust and honesty. And then there was a side. Listening before talking. I don't know where that came from. That just slipped in. And, I know I have been thinking about that for a long time. In fact, there's. I think I've either have done or will do an episode on that. How to be heard. That's what it's called, how to be heard. In fact, I think that was the last one bit short because it muddled up in episodes in my head. But hey, listening before talking.     What would your superhero, your hero, believe in   Now, what would your superhero, your hero, believe in? What would their beliefs be? And I thought about this, and again, what I did was I wrote these questions down and then I came back to them because I wanted them to, I hoped, come from not my. Just my conscious mind, but from my unconscious mind and let my conscious mind, like, decipher what I was thinking inside. And the same type of beliefs that I try to have as best I can, I know they're right. Sometimes they get a little bit. They're bent or pushed against, but I'VE got this. I'm okay now. They're so subtle to me. They just give me that inner strength. I'm okay. And then I thought, well, that's fine, but is there anything else below that? And the belief I got was everyone can change if they want to. That just means leaving the door open, doesn't it? And I thought, well, that's again, come from all my work with therapy. People want to change. We can find a way because I've got this. And it just made sense to me. But what beliefs would your hero have? What would they have at their core along with those values? Because values and beliefs at identity level are, ah, so powerful. They're what set our direction. I think they're what, you know, inspire us, even though we don't know. Sometimes they could say below the surface. But this is like bringing them out into our conscious awareness. And we can go, yeah, yeah. And, I thought, keep going with this. Who does my hero look up to? Who does your hero look up to? And, I didn't have a person in mind. Nothing came up. But then I thought, well, anyone showing kindness, because that leaves it so open to looking for people who show kindness. And again, looking for anyone who is showing up to stand up and be prepared to stand up for what's right. And that's a little bit like the very beginning, isn't it? What would your hero stand for? And, not accept? And then this one that hit me a little bit, little bit in me. Well, a lot of it is in me. It's all me, isn't it? It's all about me. But this is all about you too. But the one thing that came along and then just like, knocked me between the eyes was someone who can say sorry when it's needed, when it's proper, when it's, when it's, when it's the right thing to do. Because I know I don't, I don't do that, don't do it always. I have to force myself sometimes. And I don't know why. And that's something I'll have to be working on. Maybe that's too much information, you know. And, I got a lot of stuff. I got a lot of stuff. Everyone's got stuff. I got good stuff to share and I got some stuff inside still to work on. Everyone's got stuff to work on. But again, if my superhero, and if I could aspire to be that, then I will be saying sorry if I need to, if it's needed. Because it can't be right all the time. Oh, we always want to make a mistake about loads, isn't it? and then I thought of this. What dreams does my hero have? Have a think now. What? What do you think? Your hero? If you could aspire to be that person, what dreams would they have? Because you sometimes think, well, maybe that hero would have everything. But no, they still have dreams. But, wow, what dreams would they be? Because they're coming from a foundation of absolute wonder. I haven't got an answer for this yet because I'm still dreaming to be my hero, and I find it hard to get hold of that. But they'll come. It'll come. I'll come back to this puzzle book. Look out, look at this. And suddenly I'll know I'll get the answer, because that's the whole. This is an aside now. this is a great thing about having things like a puzzle book and writing that sucker down. Because I did at least two to three efforts on this. First of all, I just wrote out one or two questions with that central theme, and then I began to flesh it out. Then I got a few more questions, and I know I'll flesh it out even more because it's a work in progress, isn't it? You know, I'm a work in progress. You're a bloody work in progress. We're all nearly swore. We're all work in progress, aren't we? I did swear so. Because it felt good.     How does your superhero provide service? What is selfless service   But maybe you want to think about that. What are your dreams? And are they the dreams that your superhero still, has? And then I thought, well, I got this lovely person now. My hero, the one I strive and aspire to be. How does my hero provide service? Because I do believe we. We should be giving. And I don't like the word should, but, you know, everyone should give service to somebody, to something. Doesn't be somebody. Could be something. Could be the land, could be. Could be animals, could be anything at all. But what is selfless service? You know, it's that one where you don't expect any repayment whatsoever. It's for free with my compliments, no charge. You know, you're welcome. That's the only thing I want to be able to say, you're welcome, and do it. I made this note again. It's sopy. And I even wrote sopy in brackets with love and a smile. That's how my hero provides service. I'm not sure what. What it would be in what. What genre, what type of thing, but I just know that my Superhero would be looking to do and give your welcome with love and a smile. And to do that I, made a note. Mastering becoming a master of emotions, becoming a master of actions, becoming master of beliefs, and becoming a master of skills. Because to give selfless service, you're giving your skills. So you need to be able to access all those skills and practice accessing those skills and practicing using those skills. Because just having them is no fucking good at all. If you know a lot but don't use it, what's the point of knowing it? That's just ego driven, isn't it? But if you can do what you know and know what you do and get and put it into the form of selfless service where you're welcome, he said with love and a smile, that's my hero. That's what I want to strive to be. And then, I put, how does a hero, my hero behave in the world? Because we have values, we have beliefs, we have skills. But it also ends up as a behavior, doesn't it? Everything is a behavior. And I've got. It's quite strange with integrity. But again, what does integrity mean? I got an idea, obviously, but then I wrote softly with inner pride and in capital letters, the last bit with the heart of a warrior and the warriors written in capital letters uppercase. Because if you can have inner pride, act and behave like a warrior inside with integrity and with everything else I've put together, I thought I've got the makings. I've got a recipe of a real hero that I can strive to be because it inspires me. And I wonder what yours does. How would your hero behave in the world? Here's the thing that I know that you see all these things and the more I'm going to flesh it out and the more you're going to flesh it out are, inside you anyway. Already you have all of these wonderful skills, traits, whatever you want to call it, they're in there because they would if you, you couldn't be able to bring them out on paper to think about them if they weren't in there somewhere. So you have all of these things. It's a matter of accessing them m and bringing them out in full to keep practicing, to keep striving to get that constant and never improvement of your, of everything you've got which starts inside with what you've got now and then improving it. One percent maybe. So there you go. I don't know if any of that made sense.     Paul: I hope this podcast inspires you to think of your superhero   This is a ramble I know it's a heartfelt ramble, by the way, because this is really important to me and I hope, one of my hopes is that I can inspire you to think of your hero, because it's what you deserve. It's what you deserve to live or how to live as your hero. But we need to have that direction. We need to have the thought about what it is to be specific, not just constant and never ending improvement. Now I know what I want. I want to constantly be improving. For now, I, know what, I'm 1% every day bringing this to mind. So I need some, something to bring it to mind every day, which is where we get visualizations and things like. But I can now visualize my superhero, my hero, me, the person I strive to be. That is the best version of me. And it gets better. The more I work on it, the better it'll be, the clearer it'll be. And when I look back, I'll be going, okay, Cloughie, we're doing it. Maybe not all of it. It won't be all of it because it's always more. Whatever you think you are, you're always more than that too. So you're closer. Maybe that's a bit weird language, but you are. So I hope you know I have inspired you just if nothing else to think about it. Please get a puzzle book, please get a piece of paper, pen, pencil, colored crayons, whatever, and maybe just right in the middle, my hero. Maybe be your hero. What is my hero? Whatever it is, whatever is right for you. And just with lines going away from the sender. Just begin to maybe think about what are the values, what are the beliefs, what will your hero stand for? Not accept, what type of service, what do they dream of, how do they behave, who do they look up to, all that stuff. I think I will be doing a hypnosis track on that just to help you flesh it out in your conscious and unconscious mind. Let's get them both going. So it becomes an unconscious target to the aim in mind to be that best version of yourself. A best version that we can now grasp, hold, feel, as it were. Because when you've. Even if you just took my hero, and I know it's not you, but if you took the elements that resonate within you and add your little bits, you could feel it. Can't you begin to feel what it would feel like? And it's that feeling of the wish fulfilled once we start working or working on us with that feeling first in mind, the feeling of the wish fulfilled and then be. Guess what? What would happen if we acted as if. Acted as if we were that superhero with all those wonderful traits, values, beliefs. Fuck it. We'd be there. Nearly there. Jesus. I'm sorry about all the swearing, but, I get emotional about this bloody stuff because a lot of this is just me pouring out the things I'm thinking about about me. And hopefully you can come along with me in parallel with your thoughts, your desires, your dreams, your goals. To be the very best person that enjoys life, the life you deserve. Anyway, I hope that made sense. Please, if there's anything that doesn't make sense or anything you want about that, more detail or whatever, something you didn't understand, maybe I didn't explain it right or something, you go, ah, Paul, what about this Cloughie? I thought about something. If there's anything like that, please do email me. I'd love to hear it. It'll inspire me to do more for myself and for other people too. How do you do that? Feedback at Personal Development Unplugged. dot com. And I'll be there for you. And we'll create even better lives for ourselves. Become. Get our superhero being even more. I wonder what our superheroes hero is. Oh, there's another concept. Let's go another level. So if you would email me and if you could share this episode and share the podcast, it would mean so much to me. It really would. It's a way of paying it forward. It's a way of selfless service. But it would mean, I think other people would get whatever golden nuggets I put out there, known and unknown, conscious and unconscious. I think it would be. That would be very kind. Very kind. And it's very kind of you to spend your time with me, listen to me prattle on about me and the things I'm thinking about. So have more fun than you can stand. And, find joy wherever you look.     Paul Clough advises you to leave personal development unplugged   It's time to fly, my friend. Warning. You are now leaving the unplugged mind of Paul Clough. It's time to fly on your own. Be brave, my friend. Personal development unplugged. Personal development [self improvement] [self development] [NLP] [Hypnosis]