Bruce Thompson Coaching

Have you ever wondered how some people are in regular employment and struggling with mortgages, overdrafts and credit card debt, while others work for themselves as entrepreneurs, and seem to do very well out of it? How can someone who has dropped out of college or University go on to massive success, while generations of graduates struggle to pay off their tuition fees for years.

The answer is as simple as it is startling; that is the way “the system” is designed to work. Schools are designed to turn out people who have enough knowledge and education to be able to hold down a steady job, aspire to modest material wealth while conforming to the rules, until they retire with their gold watch to a minuscule pension. Universities provide an opportunity to aspire to higher earnings, while providing a drag anchor in the form of student loans, while their highest aspiration is to become an employee or a self-employee.

Another question: what do Bill Gates (Microsoft), Michael Dell (Dell Computers), Larry Page (Google), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) and Larry Ellison (Oracle) all have in common? Apart from being incredibly wealthy, they all dropped out of high school or college. They got out before the education system could brain wash their minds, so they failed to become employees. They created their wealth and have grown their own companies by becoming business owners and investors.

This shows three things:

1. Education is no guarantee of Financial Success in your life
2. Lack of Formal education need not be a barrier to your success
3. The ability to create wealth is something that makes you different from the others

According to entrepreneur and blogger Seth Godin, as quoted by Penelope Trunk on her Brazen Careerist website:

“… generation Y is the last one that will be as totally brainwashed by the system, by the schools and by companies and by society to believe that the industrial age (and compliance) is their ticket to the carnival. The smart ones will see that and play a different game, and the sooner they realize how bad the scam is, the faster they’ll recover.”

Seth Godin is an entrepreneur and blogger who thinks about the marketing of ideas in the digital age. He has produced several critically acclaimed and attention-grabbing books, including Permission Marketing, All Marketers Are Liars, and Purple Cow. He was the founder of Squidoo, the popular publishing platform and community that makes it easy to create pages (or lenses as they are known) online. In a presentation on TED, he spells out why, in a world of too many options and too little time, when it comes to getting our attention, bad or bizarre ideas are more successful than boring ones.

When is now the right time to decide to do something different and be a success?

Click here to watch Seth Godin on standing out

If you are interested in performance coaching, boosting your marketing, or doing something different and being even more successful, click here to contact Bruce Thompson Coaching and learn more.

Although we do not usually do featured blog posts on this site, sometimes you just can not help picking up a great idea from another site, and it fires your imagination.

This time the idea comes from our friend Eldonna Lewis Fernandez, retired USAF Master Sergeant, who took control of her own life, and set out to help others transform their lives too. She runs the Pink Biker Chic programs, which are aimed at helping women to “take control of the handlebars of their lives and steer themselves to a bright and successful future”. From the metaphor, and program name, you can tell that she is a biker!

She says that riding a bike is one of the best stress relievers on the planet, and invites women to partake in experiential and life changing Women’s Biker Empowerment Experience 4 Day Workshop.

The great idea, which we borrow and reproduce here, is the concept of PINK, which stands for Power, Integrity, Negotiation and Knowledge. According to Eldonna, you don’t have to wear pink to be PINK. PINK comes from within. When you embrace the Power of PINK and live life in the front seat, you are fulfilled from the inside out and those around you reap the rewards and benefits of being in the presence of a powerfully peaceful woman.

The advice which she gives is equally appropriate for men and women.

1. Replace negative self talk with powerful self talk
2. Release all resentment
3. Surround yourself with people who hold you to a higher standard not people who bring you down
4. Use powerful language for goal setting and take positive action toward achieving your goals

When you run yourself down, or allow others to talk down to you without challenge, that seven year old child that is your unconscious takes it in, and incorporates it into your reality. Remember that whatever you say, even to yourself, your unconscious is always listening. Always speak positively and aspirationaly about yourself and your goals, so that the reality you manifest is the one you want. Take a PINK Lesson and Empower Your Future!

To find out more about Eldonna Lewis Fernandez and her programs, click here to visit Pink Biker Chic

While checking out some postings on the blogosphere, concerning the postulation that “six sigma” efficiency cultures are antithetical to highly creative thinking, I came across the following observation on Coaching and Facilitating from a blog on WordPress.com Coaching and facilitating – two faces of a coin, and followed a link to Design Thinking.

Actually the diversion (or digression?) set me thinking about the way that ideas form and grow from apparently random interactions. Say you overhear a snippet of conversation in a crowd, and it means something to you. Using Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK) predicates, it may cause a flash of inspiration, strike a chord in your mind, or give you an empowering feeling. Your internal filters and meta-programs kick in and sort, distort and generalize this new input and place it into the thought processes which are going on in your mind at the moment, down in your unconscious. Suddenly this is manifested in your conscious mind as a new idea, which may solve a problem you have been wrestling with, or take you off in a new business direction.

The overheard snippet may have nothing to do with the problem you have been unconsciously seeking to solve, or anything else in your life at the time; all it has to do is provide a bridge between the old state, and the new one. It is your own meta-programs which have shaped the new piece to fit the jigsaw. To take the jigsaw metaphor even further, it actually does not matter what fragment of picture is on the new piece, as long as it it fits in place; the picture is built from the resultant combination of the combined inputs. This process can also occur during sleep, as a dream, which may be interpreted in the waking state or simply ignored.

So what has this to do with the debate about Associative v Linear thinking? Well nothing and everything! Nothing, because drives for efficiency and refinement of process are linear, systemic and iterative, while shooting off on a mental tangent, or making an intuitive leap to a solution is non-linear, unpredictable and random, so would be excluded from any data set as background noise or spikes. Associative thinking is a holistic process that looks for relationships even though no causal link is apparent. This could also be seen to exclude intuition and divergent thought patterns.

However, it is the very random and unpredictable nature of the non-linear conclusion which may be germane to the debate; this could easily be the basis for an associative connection, made at an unconscious level. While this might be accepted by an Asian thinker as having a rational basis, this is inconceivable to western minds.

As noted in The Geography of Thinking by John Mole, author of Mind Your Manners, “The most striking difference is between Asian and Western ways of thinking. While western thinking strives for order, Asian thinking aspires to harmony. Rather than look for ways of reducing facts or premises into categories, eliminating what does not logically fit, it looks for ways of associating them into meaningful patterns which accommodate rather than resolve conflicting premises or facts. ”

So with this geographical component to the Associative v Linear debate, it is now appropriate to turn to the main challenge of Coaching and Facilitating Associative Thinking; If efficiency cultures are as far from highly creative thinking as it is possible to be, how can you promote and nurture the creativity in such a controlled and linear environment?

As Professor Krishnamurthy Prabhakar posted in the thread Productivity vs. creativity: Does the culture war impact social entrepreneurs?, “the six sigma process is based on linear thinking. It is applicable to simple systems that can be measured and controlled. On the other hand creativity is a non linear process”. He also points out that “Organizations today are not just simple input process and output feedback systems. They are complex and non linear. You need to change the mind set that six sigma is a cure for all ills. Six sigma is one tool, but not a theory to explain complex system behavior.”

This polarization between linear and non linear though processes is more than just a debate between creative and system oriented types. On the BBC World News program Virtual Revolution Dr Aleks Krotoski explores how the World Wide Web is reshaping almost every aspect of our lives, 20 years on from it’s invention. The Web is promoting a change in the way people search for and access information, and may be resulting in a change in the brains of users, prompting the title of the fourth Programme in the series, Homo Interneticus? Check out the cogitative processes of the Korean children who have been using the web to research answers as part of their school curriculum.

Business development professionals are clear that being able to ‘think out of the box’ provides a competitive edge, particularly in research and technology based industries, which value inspiration. One of the fundamental building blocks of ‘thinking out of the box’ is associative learning, although we really do not know how the associations and links in our brains function. While western culture ignores or marginalizes non-linear conclusions as aberrant or illogical, Asian thinking encompasses and encourages them to preserve harmony.

Once the dust has settled on this argument, the truth may be that linear thinkers are slipping into their sunset years, while the rising tendency towards associative thinking will mean more intuitive coaching is required. In this new world, Neuro-Linguistic Programming and the specialist techniques used by associative thinking coaches will become highly prized. It would be unfortunate if Asia was the only source of such specialist skills.

On the way to work in the car this morning I was singing along to If Everyone Cared by Nickelback, and was reminded about how a simple idea can have such imense power. The song explores the idea of everyone joining together to make the world better.

The chorus (as I sing it, and apologies to Nickelback for any inaccuracies) goes like this:

If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we’d see the day when nobody died

The message of the song is simple. Care a little bit more for each other and provide comfort for anyone in distress. Love a little bit more and be honest with yourself and others. Share what you have and expect nothing in return, you will be amazed at the rewards. Swallow your pride and be a better person. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis “A proud person is always looking down on things and people; and as long as you’re looking down, you can’t see something that’s above you.”

When we can all do that, then the world will be a better place.

Click here to watch the moving Nickelback video on YouTube

Some of you may know my friend Charles Harris as a writer and TV director, and the power behind Footloose Films. You should also know he is also a master at getting his point accross in a few sentences. Among his many skills, he runs runs Pitching Masterclasses, and has kindly agreed to list a few pointers here for people who are looking to succeed as a writer, director or producer in film or TV, or just preparing an elevator pitch.

If you want to get powerful at pitching, you need to put in the work. The professional pitch is best started with just a few words, so your pitch should be no more than two to three sentences. There are a few steps neded to hone your skills and grab the attention of industry professionals in just a few words. These are the basics that you should get to know first:

• Pitching is like talking – think of it like a conversation
• Keep it short – Two to three sentences
• Know what you want
• Know what they want
• Get in the mood
• Be clear – state what needs to be said up-front
• Put in the work
• Practice Makes Confident

As an experienced writer and director in TV, theatre and cinema, Charles Harris has worked with a number of the top names in cinema and TV, from James Stewart to Spike Milligan. A film editor for BBC and Channel Four, he moved on to direct TV and theatre, winning awards around the world.

To read the full article from which this short list was distilled, and to find out how to make your pitching even better click here to read Pitching with Power by Charles Harris

Click here to visit Charles’ blog
Click here to visit Footloose Films

At this time of year many people are minded to make resolutions as part of the New Year tradition. They decide to give up smoking, take up jogging to lose weight or make a career change to get away from a job they dislike. Sometimes they attempt to do all of the above at once!

Research carried out by the University of Hertfordshire shows that less than a quarter of people who make New Year’s resolutions actually keep them. Their data shows that most people (78% of their 700 people sampled) focus on the down side of not achieving their goals. It comes as no surprise to me that they fail to achieve results if they are focusing on the negative side. What we focus on tends to grow.

The best way to achieve any goal is to forward vision the result you want to achieve, and then frame the steps to achieving it in positive terms. You may want to lose ten pounds, but focusing on not eating does not help you to do it. Instead, how about focusing on eating a healthy, balanced diet and taking regular light exercise? You want to give up smoking? How about focusing on taking a healthy drink of pure water, every time you would previously have had a cigarette? You want to leave your dead-end job? How about identifying the recruiting requirements for your ideal job, studying to build your qualifications and then applying for the position?

Notice how these are all goal seeking motivations, with positive steps towards where you want to be. This is important to success, as your unconscious has difficulty processing negative images or sustaining away motivation. Instead of stating the objective as a negative (ie Stop Smoking) you focus on the positive steps you are going to take, such as drinking pure water.

When you make your New Year’s resolutions there are just three steps; Decide, Commit then Act.

• Decide on your achievable goal and focus on the positive steps you are going to take.
• Commit to achieving your goal, by cutting off from any other possibility.
• Act to achieve your goal, every day and in every possible way.

Part of the problem that people have in maintaining resolutions is the meaning that we give to things. Human beings are meaning making machines; we attribute meaning to everything. It is a legacy of our primitive past, where we started to attribute meaning to natural events as a way of overcoming fear.

Remember that a minor slip on your path does not mean that you cannot achieve your goal. If it rains and you don’t get out for that morning jog, it does not mean that your resolution is broken – it just means that it is raining. So stay indoors, do push-ups and sit-ups and get over it!

Focus on the positive to achieve the results you want, and have a Happy New Year!

Last night I was sitting in Andrew Barton’s fashionable Covent Garden salon while Shirley was having her hair cut and styled by Andrew himself. As he worked his magic, I realised why he is such a popular stylist, and remembered the old adage that you get what you pay for. The value is in the result.

Many of you will know Andrew from TV programmes such as Channel 4’s award-winning 10 Years Younger. Andrew has worked on the heads of many celebrities including Robbie Williams, Kylie, Elle Macpherson, Kate Moss, Penny Lancaster, Juliette Lewis, Jennifer Ellison, The Olsen Twins, Melinda Messenger and Turkish pop singer Sertab Erener. ¹

Having worked for Tony & Guy, and been International Creative Director for UK’s leading hair and beauty salon group Saks, Andrew is now creative head of his own Andrew Barton Hair & Beauty Empire. His flagship Covent Garden salon opened on 12 November, and the business is encouragingly busy.

Watching Andrew at work, he is obviously passionate about what he does, and has excellent rapport skills with the customers. The staff are friendly and helpful, and kept me supplied with latte coffee while watching the master at work. The result is spectacular and Shirley is pleased with the finished style; well worth the trip to London.

If you want to book an appointment with Andrew, or one of his hand picked stylists, the Andrew Barton Salon is located at 25 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2E 8NA. You can phone for an appointment on 02071112 5998 or email appointments@andrewbarton.tv

Note 1. List cribbed from andrewbarton.tv/profile
Prices and services are on the website at andrewbarton.tv

I note with interest that Ian Sample, science correspondent for the guardian.co.uk, has reported that Scientists at New York University have found peoples’ memories could be rewritten after being recalled. While this may be a surprise to the researchers, led by Elizabeth Phelps, it comes as no surprise to NLP master practitioners!

This is a technique we use to re-pattern the neurology of a client in a number of different interventions, to achieve spectacular results; for example:

• Phobia Elimination
• Memory revisiting to remove a limiting decision
• Removing performance anxiety caused by past failures
• Changing a like to a dislike – say to avoid overeating a particular food
• Revisiting past events to take new meanings

As reported today in the article entitled Memories can be ‘rewritten’ to make them less traumatic Ian records:

In a breakthrough that has major implications for treating phobias and anxiety disorders, psychologists have helped people conquer their fears by “rewriting” their memories to make them less traumatic.

The therapy takes advantage of the discovery that human memories can be modified and made less frightening if they are manipulated soon after they are retrieved. They have concluded that invasive techniques and pharmacological interventions may not be necessary.

According to the university researchers who carried out the conditioning experiment, the best results occur when the memory is rewritten between three minutes and six hours. This is why a reprogramming session can make such a difference, in a very short time. Once the memory has been revisited it is ripe for changing so that it is no longer a block performance.

If you are interested in experiencing the beneficial effects of memory changing using hypnosis and light or deep trance, why not click on the link below, fill in your details and get in touch.

Click here to contact us
Click here to read the Guardian article.