Consider for a moment the difference between pleasure and happiness. Is the man in the picture above feeling pleasure or happiness? What’s the difference and does one always lead to the other?Last week I was working on the content for the upcoming “Love Yourself Slim” workshops and really trying to get across the idea that it is not about favouring one body type over another; ‘slim’ in this sense simply means ‘healthy’.  Do you love yourself healthy? And if not, take a moment to consider what is holding you back? Quite often we have negative conditioned beliefs from our past that lead us to believe we need something outside of ourselves to improve our lives.  Whether that is a big house, an expensive car or food that ‘comforts’ us, these material things actually bring us a lot more discomfort and stress than comfort and happiness.

Being healthy in body and healthy in mind is happiness.

Pleasure is something that is transient – indulging in chocolate, alcohol or drugs may bring a temporary sense of pleasure but ultimately such behaviour can lead to great unhappiness. How can we truly feel happy if we are not healthy?

One of the principal messages I want to convey in my work is that it is essential for us to focus on behaviour that is pleasurable but at the same time leads to our greater happiness.  Retraining our neural pathways to accept behaviour that truly and genuinely rewards us is crucial. For example, if an unwanted emotion arises, then rather than trying to escape from it by indulging in food, alcohol or shopping, we learn to take the courage to accept and sit with the emotion before choosing an alternative positive behaviour that really rewards us such as going for a walk, practising yoga or having a chat with a close friend or family member.

I would like to welcome all the new subscribers to the blog; I really appreciate you being here with us.  I would also like to thank my subscribers who have been with me since the beginning which is now nearly two years! It is truly wonderful to have your continued support. Please keep the feedback coming in – I really enjoy hearing that it has lifted your week. As always, please help this community to grow by encouraging friends and family to subscribe.

If you would like to watch the show from last Monday when Elsa Jones and I appeared to chat about the forthcoming ‘Love Yourself Slim’ workshops, please click here and set the player to 17 mins 50 seconds.

To ensure you get a place please register here

Venue: UCD O’Brien Centre For Science, Stillorgan Rd, Belfield, Dublin 4

Elsa Jones & Fiona Brennan, two of Ireland’s leading weight-management experts collaborate for a
Two-day weight loss workshop and create
One Opportunity for you to take control of your emotional eating and develop healthy eating habits for life!

For full information on the content of the workshops – please click here.

On Wednesday I took the train from Dublin to Cork and back. I was asked to launch the CIPD Southern Region’s new season of events. CIPD is a representative organisation committed to helping those in the HR industry and it stresses the humanity and human angle in HR.On the way, I decided to partake in one of my favourite activities,  people watching! This time though I decided to seek out people being kind to one another. I was pleasantly surprised by my first encounter on the DART where a local man patiently explained to some Italian tourists the way to ‘Tempe bar’. They had a low level of English and the man displayed incredible patience in helping them to understand. I next observed a security man on the LUAS holding doors open for people so they didn’t miss their tram. Then on the train I saw a friend offering his shoulder to a friend to lie on to ease a creak in his neck. I overheard a solicitor give free advice to a young couple worried they were going to lose their home. These may all seem like small things but they really matter and make a difference to those concerned.

On Saturday I was one of the fortunate souls who got to spend an evening with Eckhart Tolle at the RDS.  I am a long time fan and recall reading his book, ‘The Power of Now,’ when it first came out in 1999 but at that time I don’t think I understood a word; as my friend kindly put it,  “I wasn’t ready” to absorb his wisdom.  I was certainly ready on Saturday evening along with all the people that queued up to see one of the greatest spiritual leaders of our time in my opinion. What struck me was just how amusing and entertaining he is; we all sat riveted for two hours listening to every word he said.  He had many ‘Mr. Bean’ moments where to illustrate a point he would make a brilliant and funny expression. Tolle teaches us to go beyond thought, like the words in the temple of Apollon, to know ourselves is where our freedom lies. Knowing ourselves according to Tolle, is sitting still and asking ourselves, “Who am I?” Listening to the response and knowing that it is not the case, real self-knowledge is being comfortable with the not knowing.  Tricky to grasp cognitively but then when we go beyond thought we don’t have to worry about that!

This week, look for opportunities where you can help someone in whatever way you can. It makes a world of difference to that person and ultimately to the world we live in. Work on the idea of cultivating an alert stillness that comes when you are free from thought and totally absorbed in the joy of life.

Elsa Jones and I will appear on the Elaine Show on TV3 next Monday, 11th September to chat about the workshops and how they will be life-changing for those who have been battling with weight loss. If you get a chance please tune in!

Feeling the Love
The Early Bird Offer for   ‘Love Yourself Slim’ has been extended! Please Register HereSaturday 30th September & Saturday 7th October 9 am – 1 pm

Early Bird OFFER Extended for one Week Until Sunday, September 17thVenue: UCD O’Brien Centre For Science, Stillorgan Rd, Belfield, Dublin 4

Elsa Jones & Fiona Brennan, two of Ireland’s leading weight-management experts collaborate for a
Two-day weight loss workshop and create
One Opportunity for you to take control of your emotional eating and develop healthy eating habits for life!

For full information on the content of the workshops – please click here.