I have been fortunate over the last while to have been helping a group of women who are residents of Daisy House in Dublin. I am running a series of workshops based on The Positive Habit. Daisy House is a registered charity that helps women out of homelessness. They do this through the provision of temporary accommodation combined with a uniquely tailored, individual, personal support program to women who are homeless. They provide the service for 18 months so that the cycle of homelessness can be broken. Daisy house believes in empowering the women to move forward to independent sustainable living. The ethos of the charity is to help the women to become independent on every level; rather than metaphorically giving the women a fish, they teach them how to fish! Daisy House Empower Others
In my work I meet so many different people from all walks of life, but to date I have never had an opportunity to work with such a positive group of women who, despite their adverse and difficult backgrounds, were full of humour, fun and very open to making positive progress with their mental health. They provide an inspiration to all of us and the work that Daisy House does for these women is remarkable.
This week, if you have the opportunity to help someone in less fortunate circumstances than yourself, then please do reach out. If you can help any individual, adult or child, to learn a new skill or to boost
their belief in themselves through your belief in them, then please do. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, is a step forward.
We can all learn so much when we simply take a step back from the world around us and observe what we see, what we hear, smell, taste and feel around us. Being “outside” ourselves can be a form of freedom when our minds are too busy.
The answers to many of our struggles lie in our ability to be part of the world and to engage fully with what is going on around us.
If I ever feel any stress, tension or anxiety creeping in, a wonderful technique I often use is to pull myself out of the fog of my thoughts and to anchor myself in whatever is going on around me.
The clarity of being fully present in the moment creates a concrete and tangible comfort that I can hold onto. Many of our thoughts can cloud our thinking and cause us to catastrophise.
This week, if you feel any stress, or anxiety, please try this technique and pull yourself out of your mind using your five senses to focus on what is around you at that moment. Observe life and the abundance it has to offer you. The stress and tension will pass as your mind begins to settle.
Last summer I decided that I wanted to write a book. I felt passionate about reaching as many people as I could to help them make positive changes in their lives. I wanted to share all the incredible insights and experiences that I have learnt from the work I do with my clients. I knew that if I could share the techniques I had created and the approach that works so well with my clients on a one-to-one basis I could help more people.
The book had the working title, “Six pathways to Positivity” and was based on the concept of reading a chapter each week; each chapter represents a positive pathway in your brain.
Nine months later the seeds of that idea have blossomed into what is now “The Positive Habit” Six Pathways to Positivity. The idea is esssentially the same but the “book” has now become a powerful, self-help, digital programme. It is a six-week, self-help course for people to follow. It is interactive and engaging and designed to empower people to reach their full positive potential. It is ideal for anyone who wants to improve their lives in any way whether that is to lose weight, to get fit, to perform better at work or to sleep more soundly at night. It is also very useful for people with anxiety and mild depression.
The programme is based on positive psychology and cutting-edge neuroscience; when you develop the habit of being positive everything else in your life will follow suit.
This week please take some time to have a look at the website:
If the course is right for you or you believe it would help a friend of family member then please do join the many people who are availing of the early bird offer to pre-register before May 30th. The programme is available from May 30th and has an abundance of material that will help you to reach your full potential.
Recently I spent a lovely evening with my mother and her friend at the National Concert Hall. Orchestra of your Mind
The music was by Rachmaninoff and featured his piano Concerto No 3 which is notorious for being one of the most difficult pieces of music to play in the world.
I was absolutely enthralled and absorbed not only by the music that I heard but also by the room, the musicians and in particular, the composer. He was a young man who conducted his orchestra with incredible passion, precision and love.
Think of your subconscious mind with its numerous emotions, feelings and thoughts as an orchestra and then consider for a moment that the conductor represents consciousness. By bringing conscious awareness to yourself you are, in a sense, conducting your own mind and choosing which parts of you are the best to focus on, which parts create beauty and which parts allow you to reach your optimum health and well-being.
This week make time to listen to Rachmaninoff’s Concerto No.3 and allow yourself to escape into the magic and drama of his music.
The phrase “me-time” is banded about a lot along in self-care programmes. I am a big believer in both.
The concept of me-time is very subjective: we all have different ideas of what qualifies as me-time. Essentially though, me-time is time spent doing what you want to do and something that benefits you directly.
Me time for me is simply being on my own, it really doesn’t matter what I am doing. I could be cleaning my car (although that is highly unlikely), I could be sitting having a coffee and watching the world go by or I could be doing some visualisation/self hypnosis at home. What I really love about me-time is the feeling of being complete and in harmony with myself. This is akin to spending time with someone I love and enjoy being with. There is no pressure and I can behave in anyway I want and they will understand what I mean.
It is a pleasure to spend time with me and the best thing about it is that my schedule never clashes with myself and I can always make time for me.
The core idea behind me time is that when you make time for yourself you are taking care of yourself and ultimately this makes you a nicer person. As a result everyone wins!
Recently I returned to Rome, the eternal city, after 20 years. My memories from that time are some of the happiest of my life. I was young and went to Rome to volunteer to help kids in an underprivileged area. It was an adventure to say the least and I was full of awe at a city that was soaked in beauty and history. Twenty years later I am still struck by the abundance of what the city and its people have to offer. Revisiting places.
This week, if you can, revisit a place that connects you to a time in your life when you felt truly alive and connected and happy. I know it may not be possible to actually go there but closing your eyes and allowing your imagination to return to that place in your mind is the next best thing. Use all of your senses to recall the colours, aromas, sounds and tastes of that place and time. When you have reconnected into that feeling, open your eyes and bring the feeling of joy and freedom with you as you go about the business of living.
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok
I have been fortunate over the last while to have been helping a group of women who are residents of Daisy House in Dublin. I am running a series of workshops based on The Positive Habit. Daisy House is a registered charity that helps women out of homelessness. They do this through the provision of temporary accommodation combined with a uniquely tailored, individual, personal support program to women who are homeless. They provide the service for 18 months so that the cycle of homelessness can be broken. Daisy house believes in empowering the women to move forward to independent sustainable living. The ethos of the charity is to help the women to become independent on every level; rather than metaphorically giving the women a fish, they teach them how to fish! Daisy House Empower Others
Recently I returned to Rome, the eternal city, after 20 years. My memories from that time are some of the happiest of my life. I was young and went to Rome to volunteer to help kids in an underprivileged area. It was an adventure to say the least and I was full of awe at a city that was soaked in beauty and history. Twenty years later I am still struck by the abundance of what the city and its people have to offer.