Gillian Dalgliesh is rapidly becoming Edinburgh’s ‘go-to’ life and business coach, for people seeking to improve their quality of life.
Having first established her reputation through Lemuria Life Coaching, Gillian has now launched a new arm to the business, called SlimThink. The course is aimed at helping people lose weight quickly, effectively and permanently, by using positive thinking techniques.
TEN SIMPLE STEPS TOWARDS SELF-EMPOWERMENT
Life can be tough! Life can present us with all sorts of situations that we would rather not have! One of the secrets of dealing with them successfully on a physical , emotional and spiritual level is to realise that we are in control of them all. It’s all about how you FEEL about something – a rainbow is only a rainbow, a problem is only a problem, the key is simply how you FEEL about it! It’s YOU who determines if you see a rainbow as a beautiful thing or something associated with rain, and it’s up to YOU if you see a problem as another negative challenge, or an opportunity. Rainbows and problems don’t have emotions, it’s YOU that gives them feelings! I have listed below some techniques to deal with life’s ‘challenges’:-
Focus On Solutions
When you focus on solutions, problems become a thing of the past. Your thoughts are where your energy goes. Solutions move you forwards and problems hold you back. If you have a dilemma and don’t know how to decide, choose the option that feels the lightest. When something feels burdensome the solution will appear hard to achieve and you may lose momentum. Settling on an approach that gives you the most feeling of ease while still knowing that your objective is achievable is likely to be the one that leads to the solution and the best possible outcome. This may be facilitated by setting yourself achievable steps to accomplish to reach your desired outcome. Small steps create great achievements!
Success & Failure
No matter what is happening in your life, treat both success and failure as lessons. We can gain from both. Never chastise yourself about any mistakes you have made – they are often the lessons we learn the most from and are the most worthwhile having! Our successes and failures enable us to learn about what we really want in life, and as we handle our life’s situations with fortitude and wisdom, we mature and start to live from a more fulfilled place.
There’s nothing you cannot cope with!
Very often what might seem like the worst thing in the world – grief, job loss, trauma, depression, infidelity, divorce, even physical assault – can be a catalyst for constructive positive change and will reveal your inner strength. Even when you are at your lowest point, consider what you have learned and be grateful for the lessons that are helping you to grow and to find inner peace.
Exercise Regularly
We are born to move and exercise is a great way to manage how you feel! It gets you moving and your energy then ripples outwards, lifting your thoughts and emotions. Often the hardest part of exercising is the getting started, but after a few moments the lethargic mood can disappear and you can really start to enjoy the commitment and effort you have made. You will have lots more energy if you exercise regularly, even if it’s just a 10 minute walk. A brisk walk can get your heart pumping!
Wherever you go, you’ll find yourself there
You cannot run away from your shadows. By turning to face those parts you may not particularly like, and learning to accept they’re all part of who you are, this is a major lesson in self-empowerment. There is no such thing as a geographical cure – you will take your problems with you to anywhere you care to run to. If there are aspects of you that you would like to change, then acknowledge them and think clearly about how you would like to alter them.
Change
It has been said that death and taxes are the only certainties in this life. However, there is at least one other – and that is change! Change is a constant in everyone’s life. When you accept that you are the author, director, producer and star actor in your life and that every thought you have ever had has played a part in creating the situation you now find yourself living, it is a very reassuring to know you can alter any outcome for the positive!
Fate and destiny didn’t get you to where you are right now in your life – you did! And if there is something you would like to change, then take responsibility for it and start being the change you would like to see!
Thoughts Create
Positive thoughts and careful actions create positive experiences. Whatever you focus on in your life grows – either positively or negatively – so choose your thoughts carefully! Your thoughts are endowed with a creative power that has molded your life and they attract whatever it is we think about. Your thoughts change the balance of the energy around you and bring changes to your life in accordance with them. Be assured that your thoughts and feelings and the mental images that you carry in your mind, affect your whole life, for the better or the worse!
The Only Person Responsible for the Way You Feel is You!
No-one else can make you feel anything. You choose how to respond in all situations. When you take full responsibility for your own life and the events within it, you know that you are in control. You can then choose to focus on changing your outcomes for the better and gratitude for the lessons you have been provided and the opportunities to grow.
In Times of Stress, Be Slow To React
When you are faced with an unpleasant or emotional situation – Stop! Take time to acknowledge that for the moment the situation may be out of your control. You are much less likely to make a rash judgement and you will be empowering yourself to achieve an insight into the situation and be able to cultivate a wisdom that will serve you well . You can then apply this knowledge not only to your present moment, but in other moments of ensuing unpleasantness too.
Focus On the Now
The past is exactly that – the past! The future doesn’t yet exist! All your present worries and apprehensions about what you hope to achieve in the future are just negative thoughts preventing you from enjoying the present moment. Shift the mindset of “I’ll be happy when …. I have achieved a better job, a better relationship, more money …. whatever. Your achievements, your accomplishments, your happiness and contentment to date are what count! So consciously take time out to spend a bit of time thinking about what is good in your life right now! This is what is now known as ‘Mindfulness’, and believe me, Mindfulness is the new rock’n’roll !!!
I give this advice as someone who has lived through life’s challenges – many of which were painful to the extreme. I could have chosen to live my life as a victim but instead I chose to see my painful experiences and circumstances as opportunities. I now have a successful life coaching business helping other people surmount personal difficulties. My reason for sharing my learnt wisdom with you is to help you to lead a healthier and happier life. Recently, someone emailed me to say that as a result of my articles and wisdoms, he has taken a different approach to life, is feeling more fulfilled and has a better, happier and healthier understanding of who he is and the life he leads. If I can offer you the same feeling of contentment, then I take great joy in that. Thank you.
“If we all did the things we are capable of doing we would literally astound ourselves.” Thomas Edison
You can read more about Gillian on her website www.lemurialifecoaching.com and also for those of you wishing to take control of weight loss issues www.slimthink.com
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
