How really happy are you? Want to change your life?

Posted on March 10, 2017 by admin

How really happy are you?  Are you feeling down or concerned that things could be better?  Do you want to change your life but not sure how to do it?  Here’s some good news – you can change your life and the process does not have to be all that difficult.

“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.”
Lao Tzu

Do you want to change your life?

If you are a driver think back to those days before you got your licence.  For most people  being able to drive gives them  more independence and gaining a driving licence can change your life.

Can you remember how nervous you were before your first lesson or after a lesson that did not go so well?  There must have been times when you felt that you would never be able to get the hang of it.

Fast forward to how you felt after passing your test.  Then a few years later when you are an experienced driver it all becomes second nature and you cannot imagine not driving.  That is exactly how easy it can be to change your life.

 

You can change your life

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Lao Tzu

When you decide to change your life and start the process you will be surprised how quickly things can change for the better.  The first step is the most important one.  Once you take it don’t look back.

Here is an example that may help you make that important first step.

Write a personal ad for a dating agency or website.  You are to only include 5 NEGATIVES or things you don’t like about your present life.  (Here are some words that might come to mind – SAD, UNHAPPY, LONELY, UNLOVED, SHY, WITHDRAWN, BORED, UNDER VALUED, OVERWEIGHT).

When you have written your ad, read it back to yourself; how does it sound?  Do you recognise yourself?  Is that how you think people see you?  More importantly, is that how you want people to see you?

Now do the same exercise using 5 POSITIVE words and things you like about yourself.  (Words to consider: FIT, HAPPY, FUNNY, POPULAR, WITTY, CONTENTED, RICH).

When you have finished, again read your ad back to yourself.  How does this person sound?  Is that how you would like to see you?  If you want to change your life, you can it is within us all.

Everyone has bad points or areas of concern – even those who are successful (think of Winston Churchill, Marilyn Monroe, Judy Garland, Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson).  The difference is how people see you. The fact is we can choose how we are seen by others and having a positive attitude is a great way of changing other people’s views about you.

NEGATIVE                           becomes                      POSITIVE

Withdrawn                                                                   Thoughful

Boring                                                                            Methodical

Overweight                                                                   Cuddly

Do the same exercise for you career by writing an advertisement for your job in both the negative and positive.

Not only will it help you see the things you DO like, it will also identify what you DON’T like. Armed with this information, you can make an action plan or personal development plan and change your life for the better.

 change-your-life-in-30-days-e-book

 allows you to examine and put into practise the self believe you will gain. Simply carry out the given daily exercise you will feel and see the improvement as your new thoughts bring you the rewards you deserve.

Download it now and become the person YOU want to be.

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The Best You Personal Development Exhibition 2017

Posted on March 7, 2017 by admin

The Best You Personal Development Exhibition 2017

This week,  the PD Cafe (the Personal Development Cafe) is going to showcase some of the remarkable people we met at The Best You Personal Development Expo at the Excel Centre in London.

The brainchild of The Best You editor-in-chief Bernardo Moya, this was the second year of the exhibition.  Over 12,000 delegates had pre-booked, therefore this year’s show was guaranteed to be bigger; and so it proved.

With more than 14,000 people attending the 2 days, the event was a great success.  A list of renowned headline speakers such as the founder of Ultimo lingerie Michelle Mone (Baroness Mone of Mayfair), Douglas Vermeeren (author of the Guerilla Marketting series), Bernardo Moya (Founder of The Best You), Hilary Devey CBE, Mac Attram (Business Coach & Trainer for Entrepeneurs) and Eric Ho (investor on the TV show ‘Shark Tank’) was impressive.

the-best-you-expo

Over 100 exhibitors were on hand including entrepreneurs, online course developers, life coaches, image consultants, NLP practitioners, hypnotherapists, relationship, wellness and mindfulness experts.

Delegates were treated to live yoga, keep fit, dance sessions and other demonstrations.

We were so impressed with the event that we have decided to showcase some of the exhibitors we met at the expo.

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Keep your Personal development plan up to date

Posted on March 3, 2017 by admin

Always keep your Personal development plan up to date

Why should you keep your personal development plan up to date? The answer is simple. Because sometimes the best laid plans (of mice and men) can go wrong!

A personal development plan does not have to be complicated.   It can be as simple as a list of goals or targets. But it should be a realistic guide that helps you to achieve those goals.  Here is a short example that I hope will demonstrate exactly why!

A few years ago I decided to start a website and blog.  The site was never intended to be one of the then popular ‘personally branded‘ sites.  There are many people who do not relish being in the limelight but simply want to share great information, news and articles with others.

All was going along swimmingly.  The site was well received and was on an upward curve.  Then a close relative suffered an illness that required full time care.  There was no question of what would happen.

keep-your-personal-development-plan-up-to-date

Health is something we often neglect in the pursuit of wealth.  Wealth you can always regain, but never take your health for granted.

Over the next two and a half years the site took a back seat as I acted as a carer for my beloved mother.  Those years were some of the best times we spent together.  When she passed away, I knew that she was not sad, had made peace with her maker and was in a better place.

Why a Personal Development Plan Needs to be Up to Date 

It was once she had gone and ‘normal’ life had to resume that the maxim ‘physician heal thyself’ became more true than ever.

I now had to revisit my own Personal Development Plan.  My goals had not been updated.  All my target dates had come and gone.  The plan did not reflect where I was, what actions I needed to take and when I expected to achieve the set goals. In essence my personal development plan was irrelevant.

This is an extreme but real example of why it is so important to keep your plan up to date and relevant!  Your personal development plan (pdp) should reflect what you want to achieve.  If that changes, so should your pdp.

I have now re-written my own Personal Development Plan and will regularly check to make sure that it is a true picture of where I am, what actions I need to take to ensure I achieve my goals.

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How to become a Live-in Carer The road to Caring from SA to the UK

Posted on December 14, 2016 by admin

How to become a Live-in Carer – The road to Caring from SA to the UK

Being an over mid-way 40 something and with my offspring finishing school and leaving the country; I suddenly found that there was a chasm in my life. I had looked after, cared and nurtured her from birth till 18 and all of a sudden she was gone!  I had gone from mother, friend and carer into a void.  Yes it’s called empty nest syndrome.

My first thought was to collect animals and nurture them. But obviously there are restrictions to this and in the main finance. I came upon a website with regards to caring in the UK, and as I am one of the fortunate few; I was born there and hold an EU (who knows how long that is going last) passport I could quite easily go. So I began to explore whether I could become a carer in the UK..

Researching how to become a Live-in Carer

Whether caring was my forte or not, I was determined to give it a go. The pound/rand exchange rate made it even more lucrative. And certainly with the situation in SA being as it is with regards to white males and females working in the country; this was an astute financial way forward.become a live-in carer

I searched through all the websites for caring in the UK and believe me it is a huge industry. I decided to contact the one that had the best references with regards to training which would include accommodation. Please note at this point that accommodation and travel can be extremely expensive when using rand – and don’t ever convert you will cry.

I settled for the biggest care company who gave the longest training and believe me it was well worth it. The training was intensive and the only loophole being that you would have to work for them for a minimum of 12 weeks thereafter. But they accommodated you! How bad could that be?

So I took my SARS tax refund of approximately 25k, completed the applications forms, jumped through millions of hoops – police clearance included and boarded a flight to the UK.

How I became a Live-in Carer

Luckily for me, I was able to start my training in May which is the beginning of summer in the UK. Do not – whatever you do – start just before winter – as a South African winter is immensely hard here and you lose contact with the folk in SA due to the time difference. 2 hours does make a huge difference when you are caring and finishing at 22:00 as it will be midnight in SA and your friends and family do not want to chat at that time of night. It is also the most depressing time of the year; dark early at night and late in the morning, cold, miserable and just downright sad.

On a brighter note – I landed at Heathrow and luckily was met by family and friends so not too strange, I had given myself a couple of days to relax before starting the course. I was dropped off at the accommodation the night before the course started. This was interesting as it took me back immediately to boarding school days. Nice rooms etc., shared bathrooms and kitchen. Most of the ladies were from SA with a sprinkle of French and others.

Up and at it the following day and to give credit where credit is due the course was intense. Pass marks were high and you were constantly watched with regards to behaviour and what you did and didn’t do. I believe that the training given was of the highest standards and I, even though nervous, felt that I was capable of doing what was needed of me in a job situation.

The process of finding a client was done towards the end of the course.  You were ‘placed’, which entailed discussing the proposed client with the staff; being asked how you felt about it.  If all went well you were placed in that position at on successful completion of training

Once you have qualified, whether you want to work for a care company, on a self-employed basis, privately or for an agency; then you should make sure that you construct a polished Care Assistant CV or Live-in Carer CV.

Sample Care Assistant CV / resume

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When is follow your dream good careers advice for children?

Posted on August 6, 2013 by admin

Sooner or later as a parent you will more than likely have to give some careers advice to your teenagers or children, but would you encourage your child to follow their dream?

Careers advice for children and teenagers

Most parents want the best for their children or teenagers. They have invested a lot of emotions such as love, joy, pride, anger, fear, worry and frustration into successfully bringing up their child. Then of course there is the financial investment a parent has made to get their child or teenager to the point when good careers advice is necessary.

The reality for the majority of parents is that their child or teenager will more than likely pursue a traditional or ‘normal’ career path. With good careers advice, support and the right attitude they can succeed and achieve all their ambitions in their chosen field.  But what should you do if your child is talented or especially gifted?

careers-advice-for-children-and-teenagers-at-the-personal-development-cafeIn the current climate parents face many challenges.  Reality TV has exposed many children and teenagers to lifestyles that other generations were not aware of.

There are many TV shows highlighting the homes, lifestyles and wealth  of the rich and famous that are almost religiously watched by children and teenagers from ‘normal’ families.  These programmes project images of wealth and success that is giving many children and teenagers false expectations or aspirations that may not be realistic.

The access to global media and ‘lifestyle’ programmes mean many teenagers are now growing up believing that fame equals success.  More worrying is the numbers who want fame but are not prepared to work for it.

Whilst following your dream may be great career advice for children and teenagers it should be their dream.  Many of these so-called ‘reality’ programmes are implanting someone else’s dream, stifling the child or teenager’s mind and not giving them a chance to explore their own dreams.  After all if they are to be encouraged to follow their dream they should identify their own dreams and not be distracted into following the latest media trend.

The availability of the internet combined with social media tools such as youtube and Facebook have had a major impact.

These medium can be incredibly useful in highlighting talent and can be used positively to launch future stars such as Lewis Watson.

Just 18 months ago we featured this young singer songwriter.  Since then he has gone on to tour the UK, appear at Glastonbury and other festivals.

Following your dream should always be considered when you give careers advice to your child or teenager; but be realistic.

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Positive Thinking Your Key to Success

Posted on November 11, 2012 by admin

Have you ever completed a task then completely forgot about it or lost it?  It might be nearing the end of the year, but this warrants posting simply because it has been found.

The fact that the Olympics have been and gone and Great Britain (yes we include Scotland, Ireland and Wales when we do well) not only presided over one of the most successful games, won lots of medals AND London was not bombed  is testament to the fact that this is a recovered article.

The good thing about finding your lost treasures – especially words that have been meticulously thrown together after a sumptuous meal followed by many medicinal brandies 😉 – is that they are a welcome gift.

Here is the article that appeared from out of nowhere.  Late but not forgotten!

Positive thinking is the new must have attitude for 2012

Reasons why 2012 will be a great year.

Like you every year starts off optimistically for me. But this year is special. Why? Well here are my reasons why 2012 will be a great year.

Now that the experts have thankfully re-interpreted the Mayan prophecy it seems all is not as bad as we once were told. So instead of the end of the world most of us can look forward a New Age and to many more years. I was never actually worried because my magic folding fish fortune teller told me that ages ago anyway. However as the Bible Code have predicted the world will collide with a meteor, all my bank cards will expire in 2013 just in case they are right.

fortune telling fish

magic folding fortune telling fish

The Olympic Games will be held in London. This is definitely good news and some great performances from British athletes. Not particularly looking forward to the 3 hour dash to get on a tube event, but I have been in training and feel confident of getting on the podium. Strange how the BBC has moved to Manchester! Is this a sign?

England football (soccer to my American cousins) team will win the European championship and everyone will forget that Fabio Capelli is Italian and claim that they always had faith in him. Quietly confident that I know the final score, – I suggest you get a magnetic fortune telling fish if you want to know who makes the final ;).

fortune telling fish

Amazing fortune telling fish

Finally The Personal Development Cafe goes viral. Facebook, Google and Microsoft enter into a savage bidding war and the site is sold for a huge undisclosed sum. Thankfully we get to keep the fortune telling fish.

If you are reading this anytime after the European championships, sadly England did not win – in fact Fabio Capello is now a name consigned to English soccer history.  As a result there was a ceremonial burning of the magnetic fish.

However we hope that you adopted positive thinking and that it has had a great impact on your life.

Just to reinforce the saying above, here is an excellent article that explains more about positive thinking and how positive thinking can help change your life for the better.

Positive Thinking Your Key to Success
By Remez Sasson

Positive thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction. It also helps the daily affairs of life move more smoothly, and makes life look bright and promising.

Positive thinking is contagious. People around you pick your mental moods and are affected accordingly. Think about happiness, good health and success, and you will cause people to like you and desire to help you, because they enjoy the vibrations that a positive mind emits.

In order to make positive thinking yield results, you need to develop a positive attitude toward life, expect a successful outcome of whatever you do, but also take any necessary actions to ensure your success.

Effective positive thinking that brings results is much more than just repeating a few positive words, or telling yourself that everything is going to be all right. It has to be your predominant mental attitude. It is not enough to think positively for a few moments, and then letting fears and lack of belief enter your mind. Some effort and inner work are necessary.

Are you willing to make a real inner change?
Are you willing to change the way you think?
Are you willing to develop a mental power that can positively affect you, your environment and the people around you?

Here are a few actions and tips to help you develop the power of positive thinking:

  • Always use only positive words while thinking and while talking. Use words such as, ‘I can’, ‘I am able’, ‘it is possible’, ‘it can be done’, etc.
  • Allow into your awareness only feelings of happiness, strength and success.
  • Try to disregard and ignore negative thoughts. Refuse to think such thoughts, and substitute them with constructive happy thoughts.
  • In your conversation use words that evoke feelings and mental images of strength, happiness and success.
  • Before starting with any plan or action, visualize clearly in your mind its successful outcome. If you visualize with concentration and faith, you will be amazed at the results.
  • Read at least one page of inspiring book every day.
  • Watch movies that make you feel happy.
  • Minimize the time you listen to the news and read the papers.
  • Associate yourself with people who think positively.
  • Always sit and walk with your back straight. This will strengthen your confidence and inner strength.
  • Walk, swim or engage in some other physical activity. This helps to develop a more positive attitude.

Think positive and expect only favorable results and situations, even if your current circumstances are not as you wish them to be. In time, your mental attitude will affect your life and circumstances and change them accordingly.

Follow the tips and suggestions in this article, and prove to yourself the reality the power of positive thinking.

When you expect success and say “I can”, you fill yourself with confidence and joy.

Fill your mind with light, hope and feelings of strength, and soon your life will reflect these qualities.

Article source: www.successconsciousness.com

Has this article shown you what you really want in your life? Has it inspired you to Change Your Life?

Now that you know what you really want in your life, Change Your Life in 30 Days ebook is a great way for you to start improving your life and becoming the person you always wanted to be.

Please let us know if you have a favourite inspirational quote that you would like to share with others, advice, suggestions, questions that you would like answered, useful articles or comments that will be of help to others – simply use our form below to post or reply to a topic.

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Law of attraction workshop

Posted on August 17, 2012 by admin

Law of attraction workshop

Have you heard of the Law of Attraction but don’t know what it is? Perhaps you do know and want to know how to make the Law of Attraction work for you. Then this Law of Attraction workshop is what you are looking for.

What’s on the Law of Attraction workshop

The best way to find out what you should expect is by letting the person delivering the workshop explain.

“The workshops are never the same as the group energy has a lot to do with how the day goes. Just like nature herself, the weather can play a part in how we dress, therefore I have quite a few different paths we can go down to get the same result.

Yet if it were a gardening analogy, we will be looking at the lay of the land now, what you want your garden to look like and doing some weed pulling, giving you plenty of chances to clear the soil, making a fertile bed in which to create from. Some of the processes I use may include some NLP, Hypnosis, Time Line Techniques and the use of The Power of the Present Tense.

We also do a unique process called The Alignment Line, which will connect you to your purpose for being on the planet. This is an extremely powerful technique that is the law of least effort, as instead of going out to find your goals, we simply find the purpose you already had when you were born (or before).

There will be plenty of humour to guide your journey, plus lots of chances to complete old ‘stuff’ that blocks your unique energy in life.”  Terry Elston NLP Master Practitioner.

Book your place now on the Law of Attraction workshop by clicking this link –
NLP World – Law Of Attraction Course

Is the Law of Attraction workshop for me?

One of the things that many people do is waiting for what they want to come to them.   You can make your dreams come true with the Law of Attraction, you just have to know how.  Everyone’s experience is different but listening to what others say and reading the feedback from previous clients can provide great insight.  Even better, visit the trainer’s site contact him, speak to him directly and find out for yourself.

Download a free copy of Law of Attraction and access other Law of attraction articles.

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Videos from the personal development cafe

Posted on August 17, 2012 by admin

Videos from The Personal Development Cafe

Watch all the latest videos from The Personal Development Cafe instantly.

5 Tricky Interview Questions

In this video we take a look at some tricky interview questions that can throw you at interview. A classic example is the “Tell me about yourself” interview question. The video provides an explanation of the question so you know what is required. A sample answer is given to illustrate how you can answer the question.

What Is Equality and Diversity?

Equality and diversity is a much heard expression. But what exactly is meant by equality and diversity?

We are all different, or rather we are all unique.  Understanding just what is meant by equality and diversity gives us a greater insight into others.

We made this video because we understand that just as we are different physically, there are different methods of learning.  Some people may prefer to read, others to be shown. So in order to ensure that we offer everyone the same opportunites to fulfil their potential we believe that this video illustrates equality of opportunity.

This video from the Personal Development Cafe provides a visual and written explanation of equality and diversity.

Take our equality and diversity quiz and see how well you do now that you have seen the video.

We would love to hear your opinions and comments on the videos from the Personal Development Cafe. If you have any experiences you would like to share on interview questions or equality and diversity let us know. Tell us what videos you would find helpful by using the comments form below.

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Careers Advice For Teens

Posted on August 8, 2012 by admin

Careers Advice For Teens

As a parent we have high hopes for our children. When offering careers advice for teens often we tell them to be what WE would like them to be and neglect to let them be what THEY want to be. Of course we usually do it out of love. After all most of us want the best for our children.

How many of us actually LISTEN and have believe that they can accomplish their dreams when we give careers advice to teens and children?

The Best Careers Advice For Teens.

Sometimes the best careers advice for teens comes from those who have faith and allow them to pursue their goals. Of course we should take a pragmatic view, not every child will achieve the success they wish for. But it is better to have tried and failed than not to try at all.

How would you react if your child said they wanted to be a singer? Would you support them and allow them to follow their hearts or would you advise them to go for the safer option of getting a ‘real’ job?

Of course we are all different and have different reasons for the decisions we make when giving careers advice to teens and children. It is not easy to say follow your dreams if you are not financially able to provide the support needed.

However I am sure that the strength gained from the belief of those around that young person can be the spur to make sure they give it their all.

The benefits of listening when offering careers advice for teens

It must be so overwhelming to see the progress and actually be involved in the growth of emerging talent. To watch it grow from a dream to reality.

The beauty of giving the right careers advice to teens is that everyone can feel proud of the decisions made.

The power of gratitude

A few months ago in our article careers advice for teens, the father of Lewis Watson left a comment on this blog where he said:
“As Lewis’s proud parent, I can’t express enough how much of an advantage you get in today’s job market with the right advice and encouragement from Parents, Teachers and People that have already done it before!! my advice – give this article a read!!”

In the ensuing months the faith that was shown in Lewis not just by his parents and siblings is being deservedly rewarded.

Six months since our article, Lewis posted this video on youtube. Many people believe in the Law of Attraction. The following video shows just what the power of gratitude is.

Whilst there is no doubt that Lewis Watson has incredible talent, the support he receives from his family can only improve his chances of the success he deserves. So as we also believe in the Law of Attraction and the power of gratitude, we thank his parents, siblings, relatives, friends and fans who have supported him.

We hope that when you consider offering careers advice to teens and children you take a little time to read the article need careers advice for teens and ask yourself, “what if Lewis’ parents had not supported him?”

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The Power Of Sustained Thought

Posted on July 12, 2012 by clifford

The Power Of Sustained Thought

“Steady, patient, persevering thinking will generally surmount every obstacle in search of truth.”

Nathanael Emmons
1745-1840, Theologian

Almost every inspiring leader has used a simple, powerful and yet often demanding, human quality that most of us possess.

The power of sustained thought.

We use this power everyday usually without realising that we are actually doing it.

For example, many of us get up every day and go to work without realising that that is a result of sustained thinking.

How?

It often started years ago and became a habit.

In some situations we went to university, college or another place of learning to learn a trade, skill or profession. While we learned this new set of skills, at the back of our mind we imagined ourselves actually doing the ‘job’.

This image became impressed upon our mind and became a guiding beacon for what actions followed. We began to read further into our dream job, we began to look for potential job vacancies and potential employers in our chosen field.

Eventually we get the job or the position that we wanted.

Even though the above quote by Nathanael Emmons speaks of our thinking ‘surmounting every obstacle in the search for truth’ the same is true of whatever we use our minds to think of.

the power of sustained thought or the law of attractionSome have referred to this as ‘The law of attraction’.

Whatever it is called it is still the same thing.

That which we continually think about, comes about.
The example of where our daily job originated from is a good example.

So if that is true for everyday things such as our job, our existing income, our possessions; imagine what we could do with our in-built and truly amazing power that we have for sustained thinking.

In theory we could use our minds / thoughts to create a life for ourselves that is far beyond our present level of existence.

When do you want to begin to create the rest of your wonderful life?

Next year? Next week? Or now?

The choice is yours.

You can download a free copy of Law of Attraction  and access other Law of attraction articles at The Personal Development Cafe. 

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