Tap into the power of your circadian rhythm... your body clock.

The Circadian Rhythm – Body Clock regulates the (approximately) 24-hour cycle of biological processes. There are patterns of brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration, and other biological activities linked to this 24-hour cycle. Basically, its function it to keep the body functioning in balance (homeostasis).

Imbalances to the Circadian Rhythm cause difficulty falling asleep and/or staying asleep, fluctuations in energy and mood, depression, insomnia, “Winter Blues”, fatigue.
Pretty much any new studies that emerge today, such as how sleep deprivation can increase risk for diseases including diabetes, obesity and cancers, or how lack of sleep can result in poor performance.

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Travelling can be great fun but be it for work or pleasure it can also be a strain on your body and mind. Rushing for flights, changing time zones, sitting for extended periods, poor food, and new environments disrupt our daily routines and rhythms. Also, being on the go we find ourselves choosing convenient fast food options and throwing our regular balanced diet out the window.

Imbalances commonly experienced due to travel is sleep disturbances such as insomnia, jet lag, constipation, dry skin, anxiety, bloating, gas, fear, worry, low moods and fatigue. This is all the more problematic if you’re on a business trip and need to hit the ground running.

Follow the link below for 5 simple tips to keep your mind and body fresh while on the go.

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As we grow and develop we find ourselves leading - ourselves and others - on a form of autopilot. Basing our motivations and resulting actions on the 'norm', 'best practice', 'leadership style' and any number of other current buzzwords that mandate how we should best go about the act of leading ourselves and others.

Over the course of our careers we can literally spend decades being someone else, conforming to expectations and social guidelines and failing to experience the absolute happiness that comes from the freedom of taking heart led action that is at one with our inner self.

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Another week and our routines stay similar, steady as she goes.
But before you know it the year will be over. You will look back and review what was achieved and what can be done differently for the following year.

The normal assessment will be focused on ‘did we/I really think differently or do anything differently? What would we do differently next year?’
But we can still make changes to effect that, there is still time in this year to change the outcome. We can either act now or wait until it is too late.

It’s interesting, when we actually focus on the future and ask, ‘if I keep doing it the same way what will be my results or needed outcomes actually be?’ This is the reality of our life, we wake up and we begin to think those 80,000 thoughts we have per day. The only problem is that they are usually the same thoughts that we thought yesterday, in reality we are thinking in the past.

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Most people are familiar with the commonly used phrase of ‘It’s not what you say, but how you say it.’ From experience, it’s often hard to recall ‘exactly’ what someone has said, but in an instant, we can remember whether we enjoyed somebody’s company and whether we felt listened to and respected.

 

Unfortunately, in this fast paced, highly pressurised world, it’s not uncommon for individuals to get caught up in their own agenda, often being ignorant to the implications of their actions or inaction on others. Yet if we consider Gallup’s global research that indicates that only 13% of employees are actively engaged, in large part due to feeling unappreciated or respected, then leaders need to seriously reconsider not necessarily ‘what’ they are doing, but ‘how’ they are showing up to do it.

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The Enneagram describes nine different stories, or ways that we might operate when we are on automatic pilot. There is no better or worst personality type: they are just nine different filters to the outside world.

Each personality has its own unique defence mechanism. Each of us believes that our strategy for survival is the right one. These strategies feel right. Sometimes, though, they lead us and others astray. The Enneagram provides a framework to guide and support a personal shift away from the survival strategy to an understanding of the other positions and more conscious behaviour.

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Burn Out is now an official medical diagnosis, says the World Health Organisation.

Researchers have called it "one of the most widely discussed mental health problems in modern societies" and noted the prevalence rate of up to 69% in some groups, such as medical professionals. Even though the term was coined in 1974 by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger, burnout lacked a true diagnosis until now (May 2019).

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People often ask me why - as an executive trainer and mentor - I advocate beginning all change at the personal level. 

 The answer is deceptively simple - before you can hope to lead others you must first learn to lead yourself!   

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In business and life, fatigue is the greatest enemy to clarity of mind, creativity and productivity. Let’s explore some drivers of fatigue so you can combat fatigue at the root cause and live a life of energy and vitality.

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Fatty acids, as they sound, are fats that are necessary within the human body. Though you have probably often heard the word ‘fats’ and associated it with bad health, there are some essential fatty acids (EFAs) that are necessary for your survival. Without them, you could cause serious damage to different systems within the body.

Essential fatty acids are also not usually produced naturally within the body. They are termed "essential" because the body cannot create them and therefore consumption in the diet is essential.

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Dr Laura Delizonna’s article (High Performing Teams need Psychological Safety. HBR, August 2017) focuses on the need for psychological safety in developing high performing teams citing Google’s key findings from its extensive two-year study on team performance.  Paul Santagata (Head of Industry at Google) concluded from the study that the highest-performing teams have one thing in common: psychological safety, which promoted risk-taking, speaking your mind and creativity - the types of behaviour that he saw resulted in the market edge.

The focus of coaching is often individual change and transformation. 
So, how can coaching work effectively with the brain?

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As children and young adults we are taught that fitting in is natural, and desirable, representing the path of least resistance that leads to friendship, inclusion, approval and success.

However, the reality is that the pursuit of fitting in leaves many of us leading lives and careers that are less than authentic, which is neither comfortable nor sustainable, and rarely leads to the kind of success we ultimately feel good about.

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"It's amazing what ordinary people can do if they set out without preconceived notions."

 For me this quote from Charles F Kettering's summarises the essence of Inspirational Leadership.

 In order to be inspirational to others, you must first inspire yourself with a vision that is congruent with your personal truth.

 The very act of letting go of what we believe others want to see in us, frees us to be true to our own beliefs, goals and vision. It is this kind of authenticity that not only inspires us to pursue our dreams but inspires others to join us on the same path.

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The life of a leader, entrepreneur and business professional is not an easy one. Busyness, high stress situations and finding that delicate balance between work and life are a natural part of the role. If we don’t sustain our resilience, optimism and energy with these pressures, it often leads to burnout, fatigue and anxieties.

If you find yourself waking tired, despite a good nights sleep, crashing out in the afternoon, feeling a general level of overwhelm or anxiety and suffer brain fog, these may be signs that you’re already on your way to burnout and imbalance.

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Authentic leadership presence, or charisma is one of the most common characteristics people use to describe leaders who inspire their following.

 It is that quality that enables some leaders to leave their audiences mesmerised while others have you reaching for your phones to check the latest Facebook update.

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Ayurveda is the worlds oldest holistic medical system. It's called the science of life (Ayur means life and Veda means science or knowledge) and is over 5,000 years old - that’s the first written evidence of the incredible science.

Ayurveda’s aim is to create balance in both physical and mental health to facilitate the enhancement of consciousness for self-knowledge and realisation. Ayurveda achieves this by understanding the bodies energies (the Doshas and Mind-body types), seasonal routines, utilising food as medicine, lifestyle practices, detoxification programs, body treatments, positive psychology, yoga, meditation and so, so much more. Because of this, when people are new to Ayurveda it can be quite daunting. The knowledge is so vast a lot of people don’t know where to start!

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Come January 1st, we are always interested in a New Year’s resolutions to clean up our health, particularly if it has been a VERY festive holiday season. The consumption of relentless alcohol, sugar and Christmas ham not only cause us to gain a few unwanted kilos, but we typically find ourselves addicted to sugar, fatigued and in a state that’s not all productive when it’s time to get back to work.

 

Becoming healthy is one of the most common resolutions, and for a good reason – without vibrant health and well being, how can we really begin to enjoy life to its fullest and achieve our personal goals.

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Authenticity is the buzzword of the moment but what does it really mean in the context of organizational success?

 

Workplace diversity has long been a top priority for organizations of all sizes.

Research shows that enterprises which include people of both genders and of multiple generations, cultures and physical abilities increase their productivity, improve the effectiveness of their teams and are more profitable. A diverse workforce clearly equals good business.

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Leadership at its most basic premise has evolved as humans have evolved. It has transitioned from the primary animal instinct of survival, which was about gain through force and predatory actions along with pleasure. This was usually through aggression and dominance to enable survival. 

At lower levels of brain development, the left brain is in right hand or right in left hand. The emotional responses occur before the frontal lobes of the brain have a chance to discriminate or modify responses. At lower levels of brain development, the discriminating or frontal lobes of the brain are bypassed via the thalamus and amygdala. So, survival is paramount and instinctive.

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As 2018 races to a distant memory and 2019 looms, the question for ourselves, our business and our teams revolve around our reflections and our future visions.

The uniqueness of the human being which separates us from all other animals is of course that we can think in reverse and fast forward into the future. 

It’s a very handy brain we have, but do we use it? Do we consciously reflect and choose to innovate and create or unconsciously repeat the past?

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