There’s a widespread piece of ‘cultural hypnosis’ that lies at the root of stress, worry and anxiety. It’s the cause of poor performance, and of most relationship problems. In this article, you’re going to find out if you’ve been hypnotised, and how to snap out of it. And as you ‘wake up’, you’re going to find yourself experiencing more peace of mind, better relationships and better performance where you need it.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
– Marianne Williamson
It’s my last day in the office before I head off for my winter vacation, so by the time you read this, I plan to be sitting under a palm tree in Cape Verde, with a cold drink and a gripping crime thriller. I trust that 2015 has started wonderfully for you! In this article, we’re going to be exploring the second of the 3 transformations you have to go through to become a professional coach: Your interpersonal transformation.
“It isn't the mountains ahead to climb that wear you out; it's the pebble in your shoe.”
– Muhammad Ali, Boxer
In his excellent book, “Antifragile”, Nicholas Nassim Taleb explains that we tend to be suckers for positive advice, the “additive” approaches offered by how-to books, top ten tips, government interventions, crash diets, medication prescriptions, get-rich-quick schemes etc. Sadly, in practice these “additive” approaches often don’t deliver the hoped-for results, and can even cause actual harm. For instance, in the USA, it’s estimated that iatrogenic illness (illness caused accidentally by medical interventions) is the 3rd biggest killer after heart disease and cancer. So if addition isn’t as strong a bet as we’d like it to be, what’s the alternative? In this article, we’re going to explore the unexpected power of subtraction.
"One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."
– Henry Miller
A few weeks ago, I wrote an article called "The Solution to the Only 2 Challenges You're Ever Up Against". It really struck a chord with people, so my friend Richi Qi asked me about it when he interviewed me. We went into more depth and had a great time in the process! You can watch the video of our conversation by clicking above.
Oh, the irony! My lovely publishers, Capstone, have just sent me a massive chocolate box from the prestigious chocolatier, Hotel Chocolat, as an early (and incredibly luxurious) Christmas gift. Tragically, I managed to quit sugar a month ago and have managing to steer clear of the deliciously addictive stuff one day at a time. And then this arrives! It's like sending a kilo of pure Bolivian marching powder to a reformed crackhead. And it got me thinking… What if we were to auction this enormous Hotel Chocolat gift to the highest bidder, and give the proceeds to two of my favourite children's charities?
Yesterday afternoon at 3:45, I got a call from Sky TV News who wanted to interview me, live on air in front of 5 million people!
Photo courtesy of David Bennett, who got Clarity at Heathrow Airport 🙂
Following on from the International #1 Bestseller success of my book, CLARITY (thank-you so much for your support), I've decided to offer 3 people the opportunity to do a "total immersion" coaching and mentoring programme with me.
Your programme is going to be custom-designed to fit your specific needs, dreams and desires. As a result, this programme can take a variety of forms:
Yesterday I was interviewed for 13 minutes on Sky Sports TV, discussing the role that clarity has to play in performance and leadership. While the context of the interview was football and football management, I was careful to point out that these principles apply to every aspect of human endeavour. I hope you admire my restraint in how few times I said "Get Clarity" in the course of the interview 😉
“The truly scary thing about undiscovered lies is that they have
a greater capacity to diminish us than exposed ones. ”
– Cheryl Hughes
This week saw champion cyclist Lance Armstrong stripped of his 7 Tour de France victories for the part he apparently played in a doping conspiracy. I was interviewed by Sky TV News to give an insight into the psychology behind cheating. I explained that whether it's on the cycling track, in the boardroom or in the bedroom, there are only 3 underlying reasons people cheat:
This week saw cricketing legend Andrew Strauss resign as England captain and retire from professional cricket, citing poor performance on the field as the reason. Yet behind his poor form were reports of increasing pressure, both on and off the field. And if pressure was the “cause” of his poor form, where was it coming from and how could he have dealt with it? Perhaps most importantly, what lessons can we all learn from his experience, whether we're under pressure at work, at home or on the playing field?
