Do nothing to be a success?

Do nothing to be a success?

Are you joking? Do nothing to be a success? Sit around and do nothing – diddly-squat – and be a success? Nahhhh can’t happen can it? The only success that would come from that would be being successful at being a failure! Actually I was wrong. The way in which I interpreted the do nothing was to give up, not keep progressing and fall into an empty state of laziness or inertia. That was not an option. However, on reflection, the do nothing to be a success was some of the best advice I have ever received. By doing nothing one can truly succeed. Okay I can see arms flaying in the air, eyebrows raised and the hint of a dark and dastardly smell lurking beneath people’s noses. The expressions suggest intrigue combined with absurdity.

So nothing… Do nothing? Okay I am not saying do nothing all of the time; however, have you noticed how much time you spend doing and then doing some more? We all seem consumed by a race, as if our self worth is  based on being the most busy. In fact we seem to be living in a perpetual state of extreme busyness. So much so we could have a busy-off - like a dance off but by out busying each other. Yo! Yo! Yo! I am sooo busy that I....  That is more busy than you. The next busy dancer makes their way to the floor - 'sorry too busy to busy-off'.

We all just keep doing and doing…. Always in a state of constant activity, progressing towards goals. If you are not doing that, you may be at the gym, you may be with your family or you may find yourself filling up your precious time with more doing. Status appears to be based on how busy you are. So when is the ‘nothing time?’ The nothing time is when your brain processes, it is daydream time and provides empty space for inspiration. During nothing time your unconscious has the opportunity to assemble all the building blocks you have been working with and maybe provide some intuition. If you are always doing something then when can that whisper of inspiration be heard when it is being drowned out by a mental brass band? 

So imagine this… I actually took some time to do nothing. I allocated nothing time, a complete luxury for someone who experiences life on a fast treadmill, usually running full speed and I realised something… Nothing is nice. That little sentence can also be read in numerous ways but doing absolutely nothing, other than just ‘being’ is nice. I even took a bit of time for the luxury of a meditation and it was then I felt my body relax. It was as if I dropped from my mind into my body. All the tension released and I felt as though I had a sense of calm and empty space.  During the meditation there was initially a churn of what I had to do, what I had to get done and then it cleared there was quiet. In that quiet, a lovely and gentle series of images arrived. Those images revealed answers to some of my current work challenges. They were actually relatively obvious; however, it was only when I did not nothing that I found the answers that I had been over-thinking and trying to force. What made the time of nothing more beneficial was that I realised I was caught in a cycle of doing it all and getting it all done. So many of us find ourselves chasing and chasing to keep up. By doing nothing I realised my priorities, the important things that I wanted to achieve. All the other ‘shoulds’ could be left and if someone wanted them done then they could do them themselves. I realised by doing nothing I have time to assimilate, focus and visualise. By doing that I then began to achieve greater results.

So what about you? How about you try making time just to do nothing and allow your intuitive side to whisper direction? Until you silence the mental brass band you may simply find yourself running at walls when intuition can show you the door. Do some nothing and see how it increases your success! I would love to hear any comments you have on this…

LINK TO AUDIO BOOK MONEY FARM:

http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Money-Farm-Audiobook/B010BOM9A8/ref=a_search_c4_1_7_srTtl?qid=1463130836&sr=1-7

LINK TO ALL AUDIO BOOKS BY RUBY ALLURE:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_mn_mt_ano_tseft__galileo?advsearchKeywords=ruby+allure&sprefixRefmarker=nb_sb_ss_i_0_8&sprefix=Ruby+all

Wellness Days as a Reward for No Sick Days... imagine...

Wellness days...

What is the reward for not taking any days sick? I was thinking about this the other day when a number of colleagues phoned in sick because they felt unappreciated and wanted a day off without affecting their holiday entitlement. I thought to myself that is interesting... People are using sick days to have time out. In Australia they have duvet days, days where employees just want to be at home chilling because they don't want to come into work. So with many parts of corporate culture there seems to be more focus on the negative rather than the positive. So where is the reward in being well other than actually feeling healthy?

That evening, whilst out rowing, the wellness day popped into my head again. I realised that I have an excellent diet, feel well, do exercise and work for a company that does not recognise that maybe well people should be rewarded for their optimism, their happiness and their capacity to work consistently. Happy and well people are productive, have more ideas and contribute with enthusiasm.  Yet there is more focus on the fact that people are unwell and need to be fixed. In my own wonderful bubble I built a corporation where wellness, positivity and concentrated focus were recognised and illness was accepted. I thought what would I do to motivate people to be well, genuinely well. I decided that if I had the chance I would create wellness days where those who have been well get rewarded with a day off every six months, are provided with a nice hotel stay or spa or whatever it is that floats their wellness boat.

You see in my mind, and you can correct me if I am wrong, people who are happy do not seem to get ill. They do not bring others down, instead they make the choice to be happy each day. They choose their response to circumstances and have a way of lifting other people's energy. They have an abundance of energy because they are happy - they are known as the 2%. So why can't we reward these people for the joy they bring and the work they do? Is being happy the reward in itself? Anyway I feel that large corporations should consider wellness days and now I have come up with happiness days. Days where we focus on happiness. That way there will be more positive enthusiasm rather than eye rolling combined with yawns. People would enjoy their work more and be more productive. Me and idealist - erm yes!

BOOKS BY R. ALLURE:

LINK TO MONEY FARM: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Money-Farm-Audiobook/B010BOM9A8/ref=a_search_c4_1_6_srImg?qid=1460568914&sr=1-6

  

Leader Readers

Leader Readers

So you walk into a room full of people who are labelled 'LEADERS'. You stand there in awe and then wonder who is the true leader? Who is the leader of the leaders? Well this was the very question that I posed to a well renowned inspiration lecturer on leadership, Michael Harwood.

Before I go any further, allow me to a paint an image of this chap. He was calm, humble and stable in his own power. He did not need to assert himself, instead he was simply present, focused and authentic. His presence was likeable and open, he was the kind of man you know could lead and had led various military expeditions.

There were a few golden nuggets from that I interpreted from his talk:

• A true leader will get down and dirty.
• The true leader is a spirit compounded by personality, vision and attitude.
• Management is of the mind and leadership is of the soul.
• Character is the decisive factor of an individual and leader of true nations.
• Knowing the enemy enables you to know yourself.
• The create powerful future visions.
• They always think 'what next and what after that...'
• They decide and act.
• They have passion and purpose.
• They put the right people in the right place and allow them to grow.
• The true measure of the leader is when things go wrong and how they respond. It is all very well leading when things go well; however, when the unplanned, inconceivable and the unexplained take place - watch how they respond.

So in answer to the above question: in a room full of leaders how do you determine the true leader?
Imagine my surprise what I received this answer: gauge them, sense their presence and then ask what they are reading and why.

I was startled by the answer, I had never thought to ask what a leader was reading. Instead I felt them, watched their posture and noticed how their eyes took in information. I would then engage in conversation depending on what I felt about them. Maybe this is more intuitive or a different kind of intuition. However Michael explained that the people who he respected and led nations had vast libraries. They were always reading, always learning so they could learn new ways and see where others had failed. I could see his point.

Of course why would you put your finger in a plug socket when someone had already been shocked? So now you know the secret to determining a leader - what they read. The question then becomes what are you reading to advance yourself?

You can find my books at the following link: Ruby Allure books on Audible:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

Selective Financial Amnesia

Selective Financial Amnesia

We have all had it where we have looked at our bank statement and think hang on… Who spent that? Or I don’t remember spending that. But that is the point our consumerist society makes it so easy and so quick to spend money that one tap, one pin number or one signature enables money to fly out of our accounts. Our lives are so busy that we move from one transaction to another without actually paying attention to what we have actually spent on. Also all the advertising and marketing plans make us feel as though we will lose out if we do not buy immediately. This is a clear recipe for financial amnesia. So how do we stop this turning into complete financial amnesia where we travel in a mental fog purchasing everything that takes our fancy? Well, this is where we have to introduce a sense of control. It is the same as calorie counting. This is where we take a journal and write down everything we spend, on what and to make it even more exciting, we can also add in how we were feeling at the time. Over a period of weeks it begins to dawn on you – actually there is endless frittering and spending taking place that you just don’t register. The same thing happens when people are on diets. When they begin to record their calories and what they have eaten, they can’t believe how much they have consumed because they have selective food amnesia. Obviously there are times when people cheat but of course that is where they cheat themselves. What makes this financial habit even more fascinating is once a person begins to make a financial diary there will be times that a more sensible financial choice is made and the spend does not take a person beyond their limit. It is at these crucial moments when the inner saboteur and inner critic take their power. In terms of finance you may wish to re-label them as the inner shopper and the inner ‘go on just have a treat…’ and the ‘you’ve done it again, you have over spent you should feel guilty.’ Awareness of your financial habits is crucial as is observing the inner commentary that goes on with it. You may never have paid attention to the endless commentary playing inside your head. When you pay particular attention to that commentary when you are spending is it any wonder we develop selective spending / financial amnesia because it bypasses the commentary and the critic. Instead it enables you the pleasant feeling of the spend until you realise you have either gone over drawn again or are peering at a huge credit card bill. With this in mind, what is the solution? Mindful spending. Pay attention to what you spend, record it and notice how you feel. Be there and be present throughout and if you don’t really need something breathe and ask yourself why you are willing to spend on something that will make you happy in the short term but miserable in the long term? Ask yourself if there is another way or is it possible to experience the equivalent feeling by focusing attention elsewhere like doing a workout or writing a book or watching a great film, anything other than spending. When you become mindful and present in your spending you will notice a shift in what you buy and also the selective financial amnesia will diminish because essentially selective financial amnesia is part of a denial process.  When you move beyond denial to presence you can be awareness and awareness is the first step to true presence. Enjoy.

You can find my books at the following link: Ruby Allure books on Audible:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

 

What if you don't have a plan?

What if you don’t have a plan?

 

A person without a plan is planning to fail, is the old adage that people often recite at us when they ask about our goals and what we plan to do. This year, when I was asked about resolutions, I answered I don't have any. That is the truth, I don't have any because I have never known a resolution to work. Instead I feel a shift of habit or an intended focus on an outcome is far more successful. I decide on my specific outcome and ask my self what new habit has to be adopted. Rather than lose weight I set the outcome as being the healthiest I have ever been. How do I achieve that? Well I cut out sugar, do a HIIT four times a week, practice yoga and meditation. There was no focus on the scales and no calorie counting, instead my behaviour resulted in a physical changed because I focused on what results I wanted.

 

 

This whole planning thing then escalated in my mind because I have always been a planner. I admit it - I was quite compulsive in my planning. That was before I realised how I wanted to control my success. I used to have a goal and make a precise plan. I used to get frustrated when I did not hit a target. Yet what often happened was a better way or a new and far more fun often appeared that would never have been noticed if I had stuck purely to a plan. I also found that always having a plan removed the potential for spontaneity. It is great to have an idea of what you want and then find the best path. The thing is some of the most satisfied people I have met have not had a plan, they simply had a passion for a subject or skill that satisfied them. They were open to opportunities and took them rather than forcing, controlling and planning. This may well be interpreted as being lackadaisical. It depends on whether the planning formulae works for you. I am not saying sit down and do nothing. I am not saying do not have a destination. Instead I am saying that it might be worth intending on an outcome and then adapting to what life sends you to get there. Usually people work out a destination and plan how to get there. There are numerous routes, some include the direct route, the meandering route and the adventurous route to name but a few. The point is so many of us believe that we are in control of life and its outcomes. That is so very ego based, the truth is we are not in control of our lives, we just believe we are. The more we hold on and continually plan, restrict and order, the more we suffocate potential. A tree would not grow into an oak if we set it targets, restricted how it grew and made is accountable for everything it did. Isn't that the beauty of growth, it happens in nature, it happens in its own time? So with growth in mind, and notice everyone is fixated on growth, one of the key ingredients is allowing for growth to happen. Control does not enable growth. Restriction does not enable growth instead nurturing, feeding and caring for projects, people, ideas and plants enable growth. Maybe that is what has been going wrong. Maybe forcing, restricting and controlling causes financial constipation in our financial markets. So maybe a new way is worth a try.

 

What do you want as your outcome? Write it out. My intended outcome is..... and I am open to new ways that will enable this to happen. I look forward to experiencing growth. You see a person without a plan is not planning to fail instead as long as they have a clear intended outcome then they are open to possibility. With possibility comes adventure!

 

You can find my books at the following link: Ruby Allure books on Audible:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

 

Money Mindfulness and the Working Day...

Mindfulness for the Working Day

 

 

Dr Gaby Davies, Director of Mindfulness Training at Mindlab, recently shared her insight into Mindfulness at a corporate  Emotional Wellbeing Speaker Event. Mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist approach to paying attention in a specific way: on purpose, non-judgementally and whilst remaining in the present moment. The practice increases awareness, focus and acceptance of the reality of the present moment. Alternatively, you could look at it as an exercise for the brain that enables attention and emotional regulation. Consider where you place your attention on a daily basis? I am sure that it isn’t into how you feel within your body; instead, it is more like you are on a mental treadmill of trying to work through the ‘to do’ list. What you may not realise is that the practice of mindfulness has been scientifically proven to improve health, wellbeing and performance.  Employees who practice the technique have reduced levels of stress and have fewer days off due to illness. A few other added bonuses include improved relationships, increased ability to relax and an increase of 53% in a sense of happiness at work.

 

The regular practice of mindfulness affects neuro-plasticity, which is the technical term for how the brain is wired. What this means is that you can essentially re-wire your brain. Many of us are of the belief that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks – however, where the brain is concerned you can completely rebuild, restructure and adjust your brain’s  neurotransmitters into old age. An old dog with a newly rewired brain can create their own new and invented tricks – you might even find that the rewired pooch becomes a trapeze artist. Imagine the potential! If you want to know more about this there is an excellent book called Mindsight, which provides plenty of information on this.

 

According to the Mindlab, Stress can be reduced when you recongise that you have been hijacked by an emotion. It is then that you re-align the mind and refocus within your body and count your breaths. Doing this regularly improves the individual’s ability to think in stress situations and affects your working memory capacity which improves mental adaptability in complex situations.  Just twelve minutes per day has an effect on DNA, reduces cellular aging and enables increased focus.

Mindfulness helps you to:

·         Come off auto-pilot
·         Provide clarity and objectivity
·         Respond rather than react
·         To experience situations as they are
·         Increases awareness
·         Develop flexible and adaptive behaviour
·         Reduce your stress and anxiety levels

 

So what do you need to do to generate all these benefits? Well you relax into the simplicity of breath. First you ‘check in’ this is when you pause and refocus your mind into your body and notice any areas of tension. When you locate these areas take a number of deep breaths as though directing the breath to the tension area. Actively choose to let go of the tension, which often results in a sigh.

 

 

 

Another technique is to simply breathe in and clench your fists and exhale and open them.  Make sure you do at least ten breaths. The same can be done with the shoulder blades with a ‘shoulder blade squeeze,’ where you sit up and motion your shoulder blades to meet as you inhale and then release as you exhale. After a minimum of ten breaths see how you feel. Obviously there are numerous other Mindfulness techniques that can be used; however, the above are easy and can be practised at the desk.

 

A few tips to maintain Mindfulness during the day:

·         Don’t get highjacked by your emotions
·         Understand yourself better
·         Develop clarity – the result is less misunderstandings
·         Reign in your wandering mind
·         Pay full attention to people – this improves resiliency
·         What can you do at the end of your busy day? What does your body need?
·         Question: Who makes you hold your breath?
·         Question: What situation makes you hold your breath?
·         When aware of the situation that makes you hold your breath, breathe, release and let it go.
·         Give yourself a few Mindfulness pauses during each day.
·         Practise this when going to the loo, getting a coffee, lining up for a sandwich etc. 
·         When you arrive home from work take some time to focus on the breath and let the day go

Enjoy your working day in peace:)