Friday, 12 August 2016
Thursday, 30 June 2016
Stuck between a rock and a hard place...Literally!
As I sat there stuck on the side of a huge cliff face waiting to be rescued, I thought to myself "how did I end up here?"
“There's a victory, and defeat; the first and best of victories, the lowest and worst of defeats which each man gains or sustains at the hands not of another, but of himself.” Plato
I had an incredible job taking 800 passengers up on the Kuranda scenic train each day. The train took passengers up through thirteen tunnels, direct along the mountain and alongside the most amazing waterfalls. It is known as one of the great rail journeys in the world.
When the train got to the top of the mountain I always had a few hours to kill and instead of sitting around watching TV like the other fellas I would always go swimming, riding or adventuring.
This time, I decided to take my rock climbing shoes and play around on Barron Falls, a 400ft cascading rock face in the Tropical Far North of Queensland, Australia. As the afternoon sun grew so did my confidence climbing in this incredible place. I climbed further and further till I found myself on a ledge. I realized I couldn’t climb back down the way I came. AS you know climbing down backward is not an option.
I got very concerned, very quickly, as the way up was vertical and with no ropes. I realized I was stuck, I started to think about all the possibilities of every option that I had and the consequences of each. 3 options – Climb back down (not an option) Sit and wait to be rescued or climb up and risk my life…..
So I decided to sit and wait to be rescued, I sat waiting for 30 mins thinking about the reality of my decision. The train would be about to depart and I wouldn’t be there to give the go ahead for the train to leave, as I was responsible for the passengers. I wouldn’t be there to do anything. So the train would be stuck, 800 passengers stranded, hot, tired and waiting to leave. Everything started to flash very fast, helicopters, news crew, the headlines, government job, sacked, safe to say it was going to be bad.
“Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees the others.” Aristotle
So I changed my mind and started to climb up, heart racing, paralyzed with fear but I pushed through as I now had only one option; get up that cliff and run for that train. I made it to the top and almost died, it felt like an out of body experience. I sprinted for the train and just made it. The hostesses took one look at me and said “are you ok? You look like you have seen a ghost” It’s a long story ☺ I said.
What made me climb instead of waiting? It was only when the pain of staying on that cliff edge outweighed the risk of climbing up that I decided to take action. This is the same in life, we wait until the pain becomes so great and then we take action. When we decide to leave self-doubt behind and say yes to ourselves we smash the limits that hold us back from our true potential.
“Any action is often better than no action, especially if you have been stuck in an unhappy situation for a long time. If it is a mistake, at least you learn something, in which case it's no longer a mistake. If you remain stuck, you learn nothing.” Eckhart Tolle
It doesn't have to be that way, you can listen to that voice that niggles telling you there's more. Saying you are more than this more than your circumstances, because you are.
Fear is real.
Fear is normal.
Fear is within us all.
When we get nervous that means it important.
Am I good enough? Am I worthy? Do I belong here? Yes!
We are conditioned on failure it's black or white you're right or wrong. That’s not true, you are learning at each setback.
The more you let yourself down, the more you put things off, the more you spiral inwards.
What is your response to the fear? Do you blame? Loose time? Procrastinate? Perfectionism?
The fear will never go away so you need to act anyway. Turn the fear into a goal.
Courage comes after you act.
Ask yourself how do you want it to be?
What would be possible if you were without fear?
If you wait for perfection you have waited too long and are fuelling the fear.
I know what you might be thinking, you are doing pretty well in life, the money is coming in, things are ok. But there is a little voice quietly telling you there is more, you can achieve more, be more, you are worth more than you acknowledge yourself for.
“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.” Plato
Now is the time to start listening to that voice. Let us chat and let me help you take action.
Rise Up out of the everyday and into life.
Join me on this journey below.
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Snachap - thephoenixexp
Friday, 3 June 2016
Lacking clarity or focus?
There are so many areas of your life that take or shift your focus. Family, work, businesses, friends, commuting, which leaves little time for you.
It can be distracting and for some overwhelming. If this goes on unchecked it can leave side effects like lack of clarity or lack of purpose. It could lead you to feel like you have no time for yourself and you can slowly start to forget what's important. It's possible to disconnect from yourself and those closest to you.
Do you often feel that sometimes you are not completely in the moment for those you care about?
Do you find yourself thinking about all those tasks you think you should be doing?
Does this take you away from what is important to you?
What are you focusing on?
“One reason so few of us achieve what we truly want is that we never direct our focus; we never concentrate our power. Most people dabble their way through life, never deciding to master anything in particular.” Tony Robbins
There is always the next task to be completed the next distraction waiting. With all of this clutter, it can be hard keep a clear head, to react rather than respond. What we focus on is what we get to the detriment of everything else.
“Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps, they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them.” Jack Canfield
So how can you get clarity and focus back?
1. Focus on the incredible things in your life. You have much more than you think, write them down. Gratitude is the healthiest of all emotions.
2. Get out of your comfort zone. Do something that you don’t think that you could do and do it anyway. Fear or self-doubt holds people back from their true potential. No matter how far you have become or how much you have achieved, don’t settle.
3. Wake up 30 minutes earlier for time for yourself. Move! Do some stretching or push-ups for 20 minutes. Then sit, think for ten minutes and notice the thoughts that come up and let them go. This creates space in your mind for more great thoughts.
“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” C. S. Lewis
Maybe you’re doing some of these ideas already, maybe not. Try these simple tools out because you are worth it. The ultimate goal is to have fulfillment to create balance in all areas of your life. This will always be ongoing, working towards a better version of you and never settling for good enough.
“If you always put a limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them.” Bruce Lee
We don’t see the world how it is we see the world how we are. What do you want to see?
Rise Up. Out of the everyday and into life.
Join me on this journey by following below.
Wednesday, 11 May 2016
You have done so much more than you acknowledge yourself for
One year ago I started working on The
Phoenix Experience, one year since I finished up at my job. I started to have thoughts
that I should be further along in life and asked myself “have I done enough?”
Of course there is always more to accomplish but I realized, when I took the
time that I had achieved a lot.
I know you have done so much more than you
acknowledge yourself for. This incredibly amazing life we are lucky to live
isn’t easy. To have even made it this far is a true gift and a miracle in
itself.
There are so many areas of our lives that
we need to focus on to keep in balance. People to please, health to manage,
providing for our families and ourselves. Time gets away from us each and every
day leaving us asking “where did that day go” or “is it May already? The year
is going so fast”.
“Don't
cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.” - Dr. Seuss
Its not slowing down anytime soon that’s
for sure with more demands than ever before. The constant distractions and
pressures of the day to day can often lead us to think that we haven’t done as
much as what we really have.
“Happiness
cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the
spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” -
Denis Waitley
I want you to take time out, slow down and
consciously remember all of the wonderful things you have done so far in the
last five months. It doesn’t have to be life changing or world beating (though
it could be) its still worth remembering. Why? Because you are worth it, you
are worth acknowledging.
“Let
the future tell the truth and evaluate each one according to his work and
accomplishments. The present is theirs; the future, for which I have really
worked, is mine.” - Nikola Tesla
There will always be the next goal or the
next achievement you are striving for. Don’t forget to acknowledge where you
are now and how far you have come. The person that you have become as result is
far more important.
“Give
yourself a gift of five minutes of contemplation in awe of everything you see
around you. Go outside and turn your attention to the many miracles around you.
This five-minute-a-day regimen of appreciation and gratitude will help you to
focus your life in awe.” - Wayne Dyer
There is so much beauty and wonder all
around us don’t be distracted from it because you are thinking you should do
more. Enjoy today while striving for tomorrow. I believe in you.
Rise Up. Out of the everyday and into life.
Join me on this journey by following below.
Wednesday, 27 April 2016
Friday, 1 April 2016
Do you really belong here?
Of course you do, you are exactly where you
belong.
We all know the saying fake it till you
make it. Its Amy Cuddy version I like, which is fake it till you become it. If
you are there, you belong.
“When
you get to a place where you understand that love and belonging, your
worthiness, is a birthright and not something you have to earn, anything is
possible.” Brene Brown
Often we believe in our hearts that we
belong but our mind (ego) tells us, your not ready, you haven’t done enough
training, you haven’t studied enough, you haven’t got enough hours up. I could
go on all day with the amount of excuses our mind will give us on why we
shouldn’t be there. Our ego is doing its job; it wants to keep us safe and
maybe a little too comfortable.
“The
feeling of not belonging, of not being entirely worthy, of being sometimes
hostage to your own sensibilities. Those things speak to me very personally.” Anthony Minghella
The same thing is if you are in a place
were your heart tells you that it’s not right that you don’t belong here. Maybe
you don’t feel like your living to your incredible life’s potential. Your heart
says you need to change and fast, but your mind (ego) tells you otherwise. It
begins to say its safe here, its to risky to do that other thing, your too busy
right now, your not smart enough to do that, do it next year when you have more
time. The list goes on for us all doesn’t it?
“We
are driven by five genetic needs: survival, love and belonging, power, freedom,
and fun.” William Glasser
When coaching my clients a question that
comes up a lot is how can I get rid of the self-talk, well the truth is its
always going to be there. You just need to acknowledge it and keep moving
forward, keep getting out of your comfort zone and listen to your heart. You CAN do that other thing, you are smart
enough and you do have enough time. You have everything inside right now.
“You're
imperfect, and you're wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and
belonging.” Brene Brown
The universe or god (which ever your faith)
will never put you in a place you are not ready for. If you are doing the do,
then you definitely belong. No amount of theory or training can prepare you, so
get out there and do the do.
Your heart is right……you belong. Embrace
it. Enjoy it. Respect it. Live it.
Rise Up. Out of the everyday and into life.
Join me on this journey by following below.
Thursday, 17 March 2016
Giving back to yourself……
Giving back to yourself……
What does that even mean?
I will endeavor to explain what I mean;
because it’s the reason I started my business The Phoenix Experience.
Last week I did a talk in front of 500
business people on this exact topic and it is quite a story on how I actually
came to be on that stage. It was a series of major life events, good and bad
that formed the stories and the basis for the talk.
“Look
deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” Albert Einstein
My life has been full of crazy highs and
lows, out of each of these has come a powerful lesson. These lessons I didn’t
learn at the time but they shaped the person I am today. If only I could have seen
the lessons the first time. I am a firm believer that the universe will keep
throwing things at us until we learn what we are meant too.
“To
the degree we're not living our dreams, our comfort zone has more control of us
than we have over ourselves.” Peter
McWilliams
We get so busy being busy, that we forget
or fail to find out what is truly important to us. It’s entirely possible to
get caught up in the everyday for our whole lives. We get caught up in other
peoples dramas, no time for ourselves, no idea what we would do if we did have
time, uninspired and not as healthy as we would like.
“A
dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out
of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the
unknown.” Denis Waitley
It took life-threating accidents to shake
things up and get me out of my comfort zone.
But it doesn’t have to take a life event to shake things up. When we are
out of our comfort zone we grow, learn and develop. Getting out of our comfort
zone is good for us. Challenge is good for us.
“There
are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the
way, and not starting.” Buddha
This is why I start The Phoenix Experience
because you don’t need to wait for a life event to shake you out of you comfort
zone. Giving back to yourself is taking the time to remember what is important
to you, challenging yourself and honoring what you believe in.
Rise Up. Out of the everyday and into life.
Join me on this journey by following below.
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