Changing anything in your life demands that you change how you behave or, more likely, misbehave... it's an automatic thing! You can only change your behaviour if you disengage that Autopilot and reflect on reality for a moment before you react. So, to behave differently, to do new things to change your life, you've to stop yourself in your tracks. Do it now - do the next thing that you were going to do in a way that you would not normally do it. It doesn't matter how innane or mundane what you were about to do is... in fact, the more mundane or routine the better... because we change our lives, one step at a time, by jogging ourselves out of our routine.

There are so many things I could achieve today if I could only do the things I need to do and cut out the stuff that's wasting my time, sapping my energy and, actually, wasting my life. Over the years I have been amused - stunned might be a better word for it - by the extent to which my clients calculate that, if they cut out the time-wasting nonsense, they would create up to two extra full days... per week - yes, PER WEEK, to do... well, actually, whatever turns them on!

But we are creatures of habit - hence today's Quick Tip - we'll habitually (or, for some, obsessively) check our emails, read the same news in five different ways, annoy others by copying them in on our emails (either to look good or just to cover our ass!). Most importantly - and we're not even aware of it - we continually relive our most important memories - they make us what we are or think we are and remove our ability from simply getting on with what needs to be done right here, right now.

We also like to ensure that we are busy because busy fills our lives with noise - without business, the silence might be deafening, we might even begin to consider that there are other, more important or effective, things we could or should be doing. Busy also makes us feel important and relevant, even needed. What if you went to work every day, cut out all the unnecessary nonsense, just did what you were paid to do to the very best of your ability and, then, at half-past two in the afternoon, discover that you could go home? How would that make you feel? What would others think of you?

Of course, free to do what you want at half-past two in the afternoon, you would then have the ability to do new, big, bold, brave and courageous things. But you wouldn't do that, would you? We're none of those things. Yet "big and bold" or "brave and courageous" are just words that normal crazy people use to describe what the purposefully focused person knows is the next obvious thing to do. And, it's funny, you know, when you don't think you're being brave and courageous you do big and bold things completely and utterly effortlessly.

We are our own worst enemy. We fill our days with nonsense that makes no difference and leave ourselves short of time to do what will make the difference... and, then, to top it all off, we complain that there are things about our lives that we would dearly wish to be different!

The Psychology of Success will take place again on Wednesday September 7th. Last month we had a full house so, if you would like to learn how to take control of your mind and make everything so much easier as a result, you might like to reserve your spot for this Workshop sooner rather than later. You'll find all the details here...

And, if haven't already signed-up, The Gurdy Summer Camp (after a fashion!) will start rolling out in early July. You'll start with a little self-evaluation, using the Mindfulness Measurement Index™ to get a snapshot of where your purposeful focus stands and what results you've got to show for it. I'll then follow up with you - one-to-one - to help you evaluate what you could do next to "up the ante". And, then, we'll all get together, as a group, for the day, in Dublin on Sept 8th. Now, obvsiously, numbers are limited for this Program - and, even now, there are only a few places still available. So, if you're interested in participating and you're an existing client, don't put it off - sign up here: Purposeful Focus & Tangible Results - Evaluating Your Progress & Stepping Up