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Goal setting

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Ambition is an innate human trait; we have strived since the beginning of time to succeed.   History tells us great tails of achievement with the construction of megalithic structures of days long past.   Writing epic tails of love and loss, poetry, Inventions, and innovations we still see today.   Humans have always set goals and achieved them   Thought it was only in the most recent history that the power of setting and shoving goals was embraced by organisations as a tool that every person should use.    1968 Dr. Edwin Locke published “toward a theory Talk Motivation and incentives” in this publication he established that setting goals enhances results in senior management. Most industries and professions have used or still do use the SMART goal method.   Leaders, managers, and HR professionals advocate for this method of goal setting as a tool to provide a direction for their staff.   As a person who has come form sales the smart goal is something that was often talked about th
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We all have a story

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We can learn a lot about the world around us by listening to the stories we hear.   In times of isolation and uncertainty when the world appears to be falling into the depths of doom and gloom, with predictions of depression and recession take the time to listen to the stories people tell. Pick up the strength within their story. We all have a story to tell, a unique tale of our experience in the world. From the moment you get up in the morning you start a new chapter. When you think about it your day is whole new set of short stories.   There are the big stories if achievement, loss, and significant life events. But there is a collection of shorter stories that unfold in between the big ones. Short stories that come out of nowhere, for no rhyme or reason, the spare of the moment acts of kindness, or little setbacks that just happen as part of life. We live in a world that is constantly telling one story or another. Stop a moment and listen, what do you hear? Can you pick up
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Keep it Simple

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I have often asked myself how can I be a better coach?   As I did this, I clicked a link in an email to the Coaching Tools Company and the answer was right there “ Be a better coach by aligning your life with your values" . This made perfect sense to be given I work with developing strengths and continuing to work with and learn about my greatest strengths and learning how to apply them to my life, being authentic in my work and my relationships.   The author talks about embracing the concept of “Voluntary Simplicity” a philosophy developed by Henry Walden Thoreau in the late 1800s. The concept itself have existed in different forms since even earlier being traced back to 300BC when a Greek philosopher; Epicurus advocated simple, moderate living.   The Japanese also embrace the concept of Shibui to mean “elegant simplicity.” This idea is not about denying what you want or need in favour of a minimalist lifestyle, it is about embracing your values and beliefs i
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An Introduction

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Now more than ever, we need to understand how to use what comes naturally to us. We need to be authentic; we need to develop wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance and transcendence. We need to be connected to love and be loved. No matter what is happening in the world right now or where you are, there are many experiences and people who are ready to support you and your way though.    Experiences to engage us and people to enrich our daily lives with joy and happiness. I am getting busier at Coastline Coaching, and I believe it is because many people are using this time to begin their journey of discovering their strengths in this changing world. For me, discovering your strengths, simply knowing what they are is not a quick fix. It is a careful, delicate process that takes time.  In fact, the first step is understanding what they are and how you can embrace them as a part of your life.  The next step is working with the tools and strategies consistent
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The pursuit of happiness

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Beginning this journey in the mid 2000’s I wondered how I was going to combine my education and experience in a way that I could help as many people as possible.   Over my years of working with clients in Tokyo, across New Zealand and Australia with healing, relaxation, stress relief and teaching Reiki I have asked, what brought you here?   Breaking it down to the basics every person is seeking a sense of happiness.   A theme that Martin Seligman of the University of Pennsylvania identified in his book Flourish.   After years as a clinical psychologist he too realised that most people are seeking a sense of happiness outside of the satisfaction that they got from their current situation. My personal journey has brought me to the notion of helping healthy people be happy.   While all my clients had a sense of satisfaction about their life they all said they were looking for something else, something more than what they already had. One such experience was a client who came to
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Strengths and virtues

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We all have our strengths.   Have you ever been asked to talk about your strengths or wondered what your strengths are?   With the shift in psychology to a more positive framework a lot of work has been done to identify what these strengths are.   Gathering information form an incredibly diverse range of cultures and nations and created a collection of 24 virtues within those virtues which they have broken down into strengths. Scholars found that we all possess all 24 of these strengths only at a different degree.   These 24 character strengths then fall into one of the 6 broader virtues which are common across nations and cultures. Imagine the sheer number of strength combinations that are out there.   The number of potential combinations will exceed the number of people on the earth. While we all possess the 24 character strengths they can be ranked from 1 to 24, this is not to say that those that fall closer to 24 are a weakness, they may be aspects of yourself that jus
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Changes in coaching

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As psychology has become more involved with coaching, professional opinions have shifted from suggesting that life coaching was an invalad undisciplined industry.   Recognising   the sheer number of people and business employing life or corporate coaches psychology as a discipline has come to view coaching as a positive influence in the world.   The Australian Psychological Society for example has an interest group of coaching psychologists who are invested in introducing the application of psychological principles to life coaching practice. Consider for a moment the traditional intention of psychology, to bring a person form a negative frame of reference, as identified in the diagnostic statistical manual (DSM) to a neutral frame of reference.   The advent of applied positive psychology has taken this a step further, adding the necessity to bring an individual of any state of mind further into the positive.   Applied positive psychology uses established approaches like behavi
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