Roy T Bennett said it best. In order to change, we need to move outside our comfort zone. Yes, it’s tough. But, to add another quote, if you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got. Time to make that change. Move outside that comfort zone! In this Blog, I show you the process of making change and making it stick.

Mindfulness is great but how can you stay mindful during a day at work? Despite the work that you do, there are going to be tasks that are just going to be just that little dull and will see you spiral into mindlessness! Meetings. Presentations. Those trivial tasks that just must be done! How can you remain mindful? It’s tough, but here are some ideas that might help.

The ‘father’ of positive psychology, Professor Martin Seligman, developed the acronym PERMA to describe the 5 important elements of wellbeing and living a life of flourishing. These stand for Positive Emotion, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishments.  The E is for Engagement.  Engagement is the act of engaging in our everyday, to notice what you notice and in doing so, getting hits of the happy hormones that fill up our cup and increases our overall wellbeing. So what is it Engagement all about and how do I get some more of it?

Election time has given us cause to reflect and as our leaders are spruiking their wares, the topics and issues are prolific! The comment that caused me most reflection was the “Blessed” comment from one of our leaders, who expressed how lucky he was that he didn’t have a child with a disability. Those who do not understand about disability, could not see the issue. Those that do, were horrified, disappointed or downright angry. The issue is not the comment, the issue is that it highlighted the total lack of understanding nor awareness of what our disabled community is about or their challenges but more importantly, their strengths and how they could, if allowed, contribute to our society.  It made me think about what our society would look like if we could press Control-Alt-Delete and start our society all over again but with a lens of access for ALL.

What’s all the hoo har about positive emotions? We get it, we are sometimes happy, elated, satisfied, joyous, and we like that, but why are they such a big deal? Why are we always searching for the Holy Grail of being positive all the time? Are we supposed to avoid negative emotions? What does positive emotions do for us? What’s the big deal? In this Blog, taken from an article published by PositivePscyhology.com, all your questions will be answered!

Our current education system is based on focussing on what our students’ cannot do and our teachers set about working on fixing that problem. Having such a deficit view of our young people has been around forever! It’s what teachers are taught to identify and then resolve. Those students who are not able to be on a par with their age level peers, are sent off to extra classes or extra work or even worse, placed in a lower-level class or ‘support’ class to ‘fix’ them.

Appreciative Inquiry (AI) was developed by Professor David Cooperider and involves a process of questioning to make long lasting change in our lives. He believes that "Every action we take is preceded ny a question." Questions that look for the true, the good and the possible are what enable us and others to consistently flourish.

Tony Robbins believes "Effective goal setting lets you measure progress, overcome procrastination and visualize your dreams. If you don’t know what you want to accomplish, you can’t create a plan to get there. Setting goals is the vehicle that will drive you to your desired destination “ But what is the point of setting goals?

We surveyed parents of children with Autism. Some had children who had been through the schooling system, some who are still there. Some had positive experiences and some had challenges. These are 5 of their tips in choosing the right school for your child.

For many parents, the hours between the end of the school day and bedtime might include some serious drama if their kids don't enjoy doing homework. These power struggles can feel like a virtual tug-of-war where everyone seems to lose. Many kids strongly resist completing their assignments, but there are simple solutions available and ways you can use technology to your advantage. Struggles may be everywhere in the world, but they don't have to show up when it's time to do homework.

What is GROWTH Coaching? It is a method of coaching someone to be their very best. Using a method that has been tried and proven to bring out the best of the coachee, using trust, active listening, clarifying and asking the best questions to promote learning and growth.

Recently we lost Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. He was a giant in the world of Positive Psychology and his work on 'Flow' is legendary.

A recent article by Brett Henebery, titled “Don’t bottle it up”: Why teachers need to talk about their emotions, has sent a shiver up my spine as it showed research highlighting that beginning teachers learn quickly about the unwritten rules of teaching including ‘Don’t show your emotional vulnerability, especially not to other teachers.’ If our new teachers are learning that this emotional behaviour is our expectation in schools, we are setting them up to fail, leave the profession or take stress leave. We need action! There is a sense of urgency to make changes at every level of education : pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary; if we are to enjoy a successful education system with quality Human Resources.

It’s been a tough year for our teachers right around the globe. As essential workers, they have had to juggle online learning, partial online learning, full face to face learning at the same time as providing online learning, preparing for all possibilities and often at a moment’s notice. All this they have done with a smile on their face, with amazing professionalism, exceptional resourcefulness and with restricted support. We’ve all had to learn the Covid Tango!

Just yesterday, I’d spoken with him (read: snapped at him) about screen time. Today, an argument began. Again.

He felt angry. I felt frustrated. We both felt misunderstood.

Why do we zoom in on the things about our children that concern us more than the things that delight us? Why do we find it so hard to resist the urge to criticise, nag, and worry?

Do you stress out when parenting kids who are having major, and public tantrums? Do you find yourself yelling and screaming at kids’ day in and day out? Are you finding that your kids are just not coping with the challenges that face them day to day and you are feeling inadequate to best help them? Well, you have the power to change all that and to become a calm and in control parent of successful, resilient and happy kids!

We all spend time at the end of another year, to reflect on our achievements and our disappointments. How did we go? What went well and what wasn’t so fantastic? What we wished we had done, what opportunities were lost and what mistakes we made. The things we would want to change and improve, and then they become our New Year Resolutions. 31st December are full of ideas and “In the new year I’m going to …..!” We all start with good intentions. Why don't they last?

This bushfire season has been catastrophic. The level of destruction, lives lost, wildlife killed, properties and businesses destroyed, has been worse than ever witnessed before. It is difficult to fathom, comprehend or understand and now, as people try to recover, it is so challenging for the best of us to know how to help and support. So, what do we do as parents, teachers and those working with or around children, to support them navigate through this emotional time?

I have a number of clients come to me wanting more positive moments in their days. Fair call! Positivity is way more productive and makes us feel so damn good! Some say (& it’s still controversial!) that it is best to have a 3:1 ratio for us to live at our best. Well that’s great, but how do I manage that ratio? How do I get that ratio right? Well, here is a few tips I have put together for a number of clients recently. Hope it helps.

The Action for Happiness organisation is a charity based in the UK and run across 19 countries. They aim to increase the happiness in the world by bringing together like-minded people from all walks of life, supporting them to take practical action to build a happier and more caring society. Their “Exploring what matters” course draws on the latest scientific research, focussing on individual mental wellbeing and provides a great deal of knowledge, support and resources to enable participants to develop a happier life.