But with all that excitement of looking forward to what hopefully might be, many of us also experience a certain level of anticipation. Will we, this coming year, finally accomplish what we have wished for so long, or will it be another year of failure? But what is failure? Have you really failed? Are you just very hard on yourself? How do you know if you actually have failed?

“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” ~Dalai Lama

When working with organisations I’m always amazed to see that some of them do not take the time to evaluate when important projects have finished. I’ll ask them “How can you ever improve the way you currently perform” I mean, how can you implement improvements to the current work processes if you don’t take the time to understand what and how you are doing things and whether the chosen direction is the right one? Most of those organisations reply by saying that everything seems to work out ok. My response is simple: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

This time of year is full of evaluation and reflection – you only have to turn on the TV to notice that many programmes want us to relive the memorable moments of the past year. When we personally take a moment to reflect on the past 12 months it might become clear to see what went well for us, where our efforts have paid off. It maybe identifies areas or situations where on hindsight we could have done better? When reflection becomes the revealer, we are able to start making the changes to our lives. Whatever you notice, see or identify please use that knowledge in a productive way. Never look back and say to yourself “If only” but look back and say “I’ll know better next time” Never say, “I never want to go through that again”, but say “I learned through that trial”.

That’s where reflection becomes knowledge and knowledge is power.

So how much time and effort do you really put in reflecting and evaluating your year in order to prepare and making plans for the future? With that outcome in mind we create an opportunity to make a choice. A choice to either continue down the current path or set our feet on a new one that will hopefully lead to even better places.

How can we reflect on 2012 and make 2013 even more successful.

Here are few tips and principles

• Celebrate your successes and identify your failures. Map what you learned from both and think about what you want to change in the year ahead.
• Define what success looks like for 2013. Write a list by month, write a year-end letter to yourself, or build a dream board, but don’t go into 2013 without knowing what you want success to look like. Map out how you’ll get there and what resources you’ll need.
• Don’t waste too much time on the small, insignificant stuff. Make a list of the things you do that waste time every day and list what you’re going to do to change that behaviour.
• Be courageous and be proud of being yourself.
• The weeks and months fly by, so plan your time carefully and don’t waste it.

I’m wishing you all a very happy and successful New Year!

The post Reflection is a revealer – make 2013 your best year ever. appeared first on Open Mindz - Hypnotherapy.

Smoking was not cool anymore and over the years the stigma attached to smoking increased. You only have to go into any public place such as a bar or restaurant to know that society wants you to stop smoking.

Easier said than done right?

My toxic friend was my ‘rock’. We shared good and bad times together. We laughed and cried and he was the one that calmed me down after a stressful event or day. My toxic friend allowed me time to pull myself together, gave me opportunities to socialize with other people and ‘made’ downtime so much more enjoyable. Despite all the health warnings and what he was doing to my body I could not turn my back on this friendship!

I failed to see that I learned to lie for him. I lied about how much my intake was, tricking myself into believing I only smoked a few cigarettes day. Yet every day I rushed to the shop to buy myself another packet of 20. I couldn’t face the idea of not having a packet around the house – just in case. What about my damaging my health? Well…..that would only happen to other people. As I made myself believe that I only smoke a few cigarettes a day and that would hardly have an impact!

Over the years, I have tried many methods to help me to stop smoking, I tried nicotine patches, chewing gum, going cold turkey but each time I managed to stop for only a few weeks. I hated the thought of spending lots of money on something that I thought could do myself! But each time I failed. I even started to think that I might as well be a smoker forever as I couldn’t deal with feeling like a failure.

Each time I stopped my mind played tricks and kept on ‘screaming’ for one last cigarette. Just one more! I started to miss it again, despite feeling healthier. I missed my toxic friend so much that I quite happily gave in and let him back into my life. That one last cigarette turned into a packet again. Normally, after an attempt to stop, I smoked twice as much. I think I wanted to catch up on all those cigarettes that I missed out on, making me physically sick.

To me it became apparent that the biggest problem when wanting to stop smoking was not dealing with the nicotine addiction, that seemed relatively easy, but it is the behavioural and psychological aspect of smoking that caused the main issue. I’m sure you are aware of the products available to you but unfortunately most products only deal with the nicotine addiction. For example, each time I tried I did not take the time out to grief for the loss of a toxic friend, who was so important to me for all those years, neither did I understood my behaviours or triggers.

If stop smoking was really that simple – would everybody not be using nicotine patches successfully? Being a smoker has made you very strong willed and the reality is that there is never a right time to stop smoking; those are all excuses for not doing it! The right time is now especially with the New Year approaching.

But which product or method should you use? They are all claiming to be the best!

Well in the end I did sought help & support and successfully used hypnotherapy. It is now over 3 years ago since invested in myself and ended that toxic friendship and I never look back! The best investment I ever made!

My journey & experiences in becoming a non-smoker, have inspired me to write the OpenMindz stop smoking programme, so you too can end that toxic friendship and live a healthier life.

I will show you everything you need to know and do to stop smoking easily, quickly and most importantly…forever! Think how your family or children will feel when you have stopped smoking. Think about how much healthier and happier your life will be.

There are 5 main reasons why a person has failed in an attempt to stop smoking.

The person:

• Did not truly wanted to stop smoking
• Did not create a (realistic) stop smoking plan
• Did not understand what was happening with their body and mind during the withdrawal period.
• Did not recognise their triggers and how to deal with them
• Had no support.

I cannot make you wanting to stop smoking – that is a decision you need to make prior to booking an appointment on my stop smoking programme. However my programme is designed to overcome the other 4 reasons to why someone has failed to stop. The programme is completely tailored to your needs and requirements as whilst there are similarities between smokers, each person is actually unique and should be treated that way, whether you smoke 10 over the weekend or 40 day.

Why not make 2013 your year and successfully end that toxic friendship?

For further information on how I can support you in your journey to stop smoking contact me by either phone 0845 266 66 26 or email me on marco@opmz.co.uk

The post It’s time to say goodbye to a toxic friend. appeared first on Open Mindz - Hypnotherapy.

Soon we will be celebrating the beginning of a New Year – a year where things will be better than in the past one. The good news is that things will be better than the previous year, however the reality is that in order to make it a better year – you’re going to have to start planning and changing things today.  I would like to support you jumpstart your resolutions now!  Allowing you to make 2013 your year!

The beginning of the year is the worse time to start thinking about your New Year’s resolutions. By that time you are looking for instantaneous results, throwing yourself right into the tasks, without giving it any thought on what approach to take or to form a plan of action. This is the biggest mistake you can make and why so many people fail to achieve their New Year resolutions.

How many times have you made New Year resolutions, sworn to yourself that this time you are going to do it, and before you know it you are falling back into your bad behaviours again. The first few weeks in January will fly by and very easily things will creep back into their old ways, unless you plan how you are going to make those changes in the first place.

You can put yourself in a great starting position to achieve what you set out to do. By starting to prepare now allows you to tweak goals and adjust your plan of action, test temptation and learn to deal with difficult times.

What is your New Year resolution?

• Managing your weight?
• Stop smoking?
• Make more money?
• Drink less?
• Live healthier?
• Spend more time with family or friends?

These examples above are all worthwhile resolutions but without specific goals and implementation plan they are only wishes.

When working with clients I like to use the SMART goal setting tool – This is a great way to set your New Year resolutions.

SMART stands for Specific, Measureable, Achievable or Accountable, Realistic, Time bound.

A few other points to take in consideration when creating your New Year resolutions:

• Remember always to write your goals down.
• Get support from friends and family
• Find someone who wants to achieve the same goal
• Take one step at the time
• Start now and use this time to stay motivated – many people make resolutions around this time!
• Be prepared to deal with failure – don’t give up at the first hurdle but learn from it and keep on going.

What will you do differently this year in making and keeping your New Year’s resolutions?

If you have any questions regarding this article or wish to get support in setting your New Year’s resolutions please do not hesitate in contacting me.

Hypnotherapy and coaching are great tools to gain a better understanding on what you wish to achieve.

Are you interested in managing your weight? We also will be running a new innovative weight management programme with LGM nutrition early January. For further information regarding this weight management programme please click here.

The post Why should I already start planning my New Year’s resolutions? appeared first on Open Mindz - Hypnotherapy.

I have lost count on how many times I have been asked, whether there is a magic trick I could teach to achieve and maintain ideal weight. Unfortunately I cannot show a magic trick but always answer with this sentence: “Achieving and maintaining your ideal weight does not just lay in your body, but also in your mind!”

This is the reason why so many people struggle with many slimming programmes & diets.  Those programmes are designed to place the focus on food by letting clients concentrate on what they can and can’t eat or by counting calories. This potentially creates a damaging and unhealthy relationship with food, which often results in short term weight reduction. Recognize this?

How many times have you tried to manage your weight but keep failing? How did you feel?

Are you repeatedly struggling to meet your targets? How does that make you feel?

Most people will give the same answer; a failure, demotivated, upset, deflated, why should I bother? Etc.

Earlier this year I met Lucy from LGM Nutrition at one of Brighton’s network events. When we started talking we discovered that we both have clients that have unsuccessfully battled for years with their weight. Lucy mentioned that most of her clients know and understand what they should be doing but are struggling with the willpower and excuses, I replied that my clients were struggling with practical and healthy nutrition advice. It quickly became apparent that joining our skills makes sense and with this Brighton and Hove Weight Management became a reality.

We have combined our professional expertise to offer our clients a unique weight management programme which will address both body and mind. Managing weight effectively is not about “dieting” or depriving yourself from the things you love. It is about re-training your thinking, increase your confidence and motivation, allowing you to develop a new attitude towards food and eating habits that suit your individual health requirements.

What is the Brighton and Hove Weight Management programme?

The programme is a 6 weeks course and will comprise 2 hours sessions weekly, conducting in small groups. Discussing topics such as commitment, goal setting, confidence etc. Lucy will be handing mini nutrition seminars. Each participant will be offered a one hour 1:1 consultation with both Lucy and Marco. Hypnotherapy may be part of this 1:1 consultation. Also included are the course materials – We are currently finalizing these and it looks stunning!

As part of the support package a Brighton and Hove Weight Management Club has been created. Allowing past and current participants to connect, interact, and share ideas to keep up the good work. Throughout the year we plan to run individual seminars and events relating to weight management, health, well-being and all things nutrition. Watch this space.

In just under two weeks we are officially launching this programme by running a Christmas  nutrition workshop called “Have yourself a healthy Christmas” to show people how to cope with the temptations of the festive season.

Who says that managing weight is dull and depressing?

The post Who says managing your weight is dull and depressing? appeared first on Open Mindz - Hypnotherapy.

For some a joy, something to look forward to, whilst for others it can be difficult time.

Where does Valentine’s day actually come from? According to Wikipedia Valentine’s day is a holiday honouring one or more early Christian martyrs named Valentinus. The day first became associated with romantic love in the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the High Middle Ages, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. By the 15th century, it had evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as “valentines”).

So for centuries we use this day to express love for each other. What about expressing love for our self? When was the last time you asked yourself this question “How much do I love myself?” Shouldn’t we need to love ourselves first prior to developing any meaningful relationships with others? Why do we always put others first anyway?

Let’s briefly explore what is self-love is – Wikipedia uses the following term – the strong sense of respect for and confidence in oneself. Looking at this term it clearly highlights that confidence & self-esteem & self-love are issues that are often related together. Self-esteem issue could be caused by a low self-love.

Which leads us to the following question:  “Would it ever be possible to reach your full potential when suffering from a low self-esteem and self-love?”

Personally I doubt it very much!! How would it be possible, if deep down you think you are not worth it, to receive love and success? Equally it is likely that the mind has been programmed with self-sabotaging thoughts to “protect” yourself from getting hurt!

Loving yourself is a learning process which starts with making a conscious decision, an intention to become happy and lead a fulfilled life.  Are you ready to become happy and lead a fulfilled life? I can hear you say YES!! But I’m sure equally many questions would spring to mind! Where would you start?

Below you will find a few tips to make 2012 the year of being your own valentine!!

• Beware of the limiting voice in your head – it is really protecting you or is it stopping you from what you would like to do?
• Keep positive – Things might go always as planned – but remember to keep going and not give up.
• Be kind to yourself – Look at my previous blog for more tips on this.
• TRUST – Trust yourself with what you are planning to will turn into a positive outcome.
• Have fun with it!
• Increase your confidence – focus on what you are good at!
• Look after yourself – like you would do to others.

In my practice I see many clients with these types of issues. It is more common that you would think!  Hypnotherapy and IEMT for example are very good tools and techniques to deal with it. Let go of old behaviours, thoughts and beliefs and learn to love yourself in a flash.

Find out how OpenMindz  – Brighton hypnotherapy -  can help you making a change and call 0845 266 66 26 today to find out more!

If you have any further questions, thoughts related to this article please let me know.

Happy Valentine’s day!

The post Are you your own Valentine? appeared first on Open Mindz - Hypnotherapy.

What does the word kindness means to you?

• Looking out for others?
• Helping others in need?

Many of us would answer this question by giving responses related to other people completely forgetting to focus on being kind to themselves.

From a very young age we learn that showing kindness to others is good. We are taught to be patient to friends and family and offer support, love and understanding to all who need it.

Than why do we find it difficult showing kindness to ourselves?

We learn that spending time in the bathroom or in front of the mirror is called being vain. Indulgent foods are only for special occasions, pampering ourselves and enjoy massages, facials is something we generally do not do for ourselves as we don’t take the time out. We are too busy with caring for others. Being kind for yourself is like a treat that you would not get or buy for yourself.

Why are we being taught that kindness to ourselves, in a way, is the wrong thing to do? Is it seen as a sign of weakness?

We seem to be aware that we need to treat others kindly, but tend to forget that kindness starts at home and within yourself. Let’s make a change and learn to be kind to yourself and you’ll reap the benefits, here is how:

There are various tools and techniques that I use that allow my clients to realise how to be kind to themselves. Hypnosis for example is a very powerful technique that enables my clients to explore, find and strengthen inner resources.

If you wish to receive any further information on what OpenMindz can do for you, how hypnotherapy works and how it could help you making a change, or if you have any other queries related to this article please contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.

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Today 16 days in the New Year I am wondering how you are getting on with your New Year’s resolutions?

Are you still committed to your plans and goals and trying your hardest to succeed? Or have you given up by now, shelving the resolutions until 2013 because it became too difficult or uncomfortable? A habit can be changed, as difficult it may seem sometimes, but it is possible.

I used to be a heavy smoker and I have successfully stopped the smoking habit with help from the tools and techniques such as hypnotherapy and NLP. For me the trick was to stay focussed on my desired outcome. Despite the stress, discomfort, social factors and sometimes the lack of motivation, I really wanted to become a non-smoker. I not only wanted to get healthier, but the smoking simply didn’t fit in with my lifestyle any more. OpenMindz was in the back of my mind and I had a great desire to undergo hypnotherapy myself to find out if I could stop smoking with this technique before investing money in a hypnotherapy course.

I have managed to turn my goal of becoming a non-smoker into a new habit – that of a non-smoker.

So how did I turn my goal into a habit?

Well the answer is simpler that you might think. Focus!!

Focus on your new goal intensively for a period of time. (for at least a month) Beware that the best result is achieved when focussing on one goal at the time. The more you focus on what you wish to achieve, the more it will integrate with your being. Once the goal has become a part of your being – it becomes a habit and when it is a habit, minimal effort is needed to maintain it.

Sounds all very simple, doesn’t it? But it does take some work. You do need to stay motivated, remind yourself about the reasons of why you wish to achieve your goal and work towards it. You cannot run a marathon and not get into a running habit, despite focussing on the goal of running one. It does take work and commitment.

1) Write goals down

2) Explore the different routes to achieve your goal

3) Focus

4) Commitment

5) Motivation

Each time you feel less motivated, committed or focused, look at your notes and you can remind yourself again to why you are doing it for.

Keep up the good work!

I have experienced all the tools and techniques that I provide at OpenMindz in Brighton myself and every single one of them has helped me along the way. Whether this was hypnotherapy, integral Eye movement or EFT. That is the reason why, when you book an appointment with me, you are able to experience the flexibility of use of techniques.

If you have got any questions or wish to ask for further information regarding this article or want to find out more regarding the tools and techniques provided, contact me by using the contact box below or via email mentioned at the top of this page.

We are a Brighton based hypnotherapy and well-being consultancy for all your personal needs.

The post “Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.” appeared first on Open Mindz - Hypnotherapy.

People all over the world are using the New Year to make a fresh start. It is that time of year where many of us are creating unique New Year resolutions! We want to stop smoking, exercise more, manage our weight better and spend more time at home with the family. We promise ourselves we will be reducing stress levels and at the next performance review we will demand a well-deserved pay rise. We want to start a new hobby, pay off debt and feel free of worries.

All those exciting resolutions are put in place to make us feel healthier, happier and wealthier and so on. It is that time of year, where for once, we take a good look at our lives and decide on what needs changing.

Unfortunately the reality is that around 80% of the people who set New Year resolutions fall of the wagon within 15 days of starting. It is a real shame, especially when you realize that it takes around 21 days to change a habit. That actually means that the majority of the hard work was already done. Rather than being persistent and stay motivated in achieving our goals, we give up as we are approaching the finishing line. And rather than celebrating success, the first couple of months of the New Year are spent repairing the damage to our self-esteem, motivation and confidence etc. And those good intentions?……. Well those have been shelved until the next New Year…

Luckily it does not have to be like that at all. Make 2012 a year of positive changes and success! We don’t have to reflect and make changes to our lives, only at the beginning of the year. This can be done at any stage, at any time. Planning is key to success – Too many New Year resolutions are not well thought of. Maybe it is a spur of the moment decision, as we feel we ought to do something positive to start the New Year. Take time to plan, map progress and measure success – make it a real life project that last a life time.

 Here is how you can do that:

• Set clear goals – Break them down into smaller goals to make them more achievable.
• Write goals down – Write the goals down and the reasons why.
• Commit to your goals – Remind yourself regularly to why you want to achieve your goal.
• Not overdo it – One step (goal) at the time.
• Make it enjoyable – Celebrate success regularly.
• Involve someone – Work with others, we don’t like to let others down.
• Stop procrastination- Sit down for 10 minutes and regain focus!
• Think positive-You can do it! See, feel, hear yourself in that positive outcome!
• Deal with missteps –Missteps are not failures – learn from them and move on.
• Maintain progress –Understand and evaluate progress.

It can be difficult to achieve success on your own. OpenMindz is about providing people with tools and techniques such as hypnotherapy to create success. We have a huge variety of ways of delivering those tools and techniques.

Why not:

-        Try one of our workshops on goal setting or motivation for example.

-        Or join us at the MindzWork personal development group

See here our full listing by month

Whatever it is you are looking for we at OpenMindz are able to help you create success!! There affordable solutions to 1-2-1 appointments, so there is no reason to make up excuses and delay any longer.

We are a Brighton based hypnotherapy and well-being consultancy for all your personal needs.

I wish you a very successful and healthy 2012 with lots of positive changes!

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Maybe it is that time when traffic was so slow that caused you to be late at your appointment?  Or are you thinking about that time at work, where you were asked to make some last minute changes to a presentation, but the computer slowed down and you missed an important deadline?

Or are you remembering that time on the bus, when that child was constantly screaming for some attention.

Maybe your life is about too much to do but not enough time?

I’m sure you know exactly what kind of situations I mean!

How do those situations make you feel? Angry, impatient, fearful, irritated, worried or stressed?

What did do? Do you blame? Or do you take responsibility for your own actions?

Were you late because the traffic was bad or didn’t you give yourself enough time to get there? Did the computer slowed down because it’s not a powerful one or did you try to do too much in one go?

Frantic thinking, restless thoughts, impatience, fears and worries etc. cause lack of inner peace, lack of concentration and the inability to think clearly. This leads to making errors, confusion and the inability to make decisions and to failure.

If you want to achieve more in life, you must know how to calm your mind, so that you stay focused and think clearly.

• Spend time doing what you love – Find some time each day to do something you love doing.

• Meditate – Even a couple of minutes a day does help, just do it regularly.

• Feel comfortable spending time on your own – Take some time to reflect – even a couple of minutes a day will help you!

• Go for a walk and enjoy your surroundings – Watching a sunset, enjoy a walk along the sea front is all very calming. Being around nature is very calming.

• Deep breathing exercises – Take a moment to take a few deep breaths in when feeling on edge.

• Use positive affirmations – Your words affect your subconscious mind, your behaviour and how think and feel

• Exercise – Exercising your body improves your health and mental attitude, making you more positive, focused and relaxed

All of the above are simple tricks to calm your mind during those situations that make you feel on edge. The best thing is that they don’t cost any money! Give them a go and see for yourself how beneficial they can be!

Openmindz is a Brighton based hypnotherapy and well-being consultancy for all your personal needs.

If you have any questions related to this article or curious to know more about hypnosis and how it could help you making a change, contact me via the contact page page or sent me an email on marco@opmz.co.uk

I look forward to hearing from you.

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All the participants really engaged in this topic and we shared some really interesting thoughts and theories.

We naturally came to the conclusion “we all want things we don’t have” and shortly after someone mentioned the saying “the grass is always greener on the other side”.

“The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” means that things always seem better elsewhere or it can mean that someone else life is better than yours.

Is that really the case?

Any gardener or landscaper can tell you that there are many different types of grass. Depending on what the needs are of your project, one type might be preferable over another.

Could this be same with us? Could it be that the grass is different? Maybe it’s a different type of green or has got a different texture or feel to it?

Most importantly if we are so busy looking over the fence aren’t we neglecting/ignore our own lawn?

Did you know, you can have a healthy, great-looking lawn simply by paying a little attention to the areas listed below:

• Fertilise
• Water
• Weed
• Mow

These are the four cornerstones of lawn maintenance. Follow them and you’ll have a green, great-looking lawn all year long.

Is your lawn in a really bad shape or haven’t you noticed how well it’s doing?

Maybe the lawn is overgrown and the grass needs cutting?

Or simply a little bit of water could bring back the greenness of your lawn.

You may opt to work with a professional who has the expertise and tools to guide and support, so that you can enjoy the results quicker, better and faster. Whether you decide to do it yourself, or work with someone, there is no doubt that every minute spent caring for your lawn is time well spent.

There is something very satisfying about walking barefoot across a lush green lawn!

If you would like any further information on what you have read above or would like to know how hypnosis, NLP, EFT, IEMT can help you achieve and maintain a lush and healthy green space, please contact me, I’m more than happy to discuss further.

For more information on the MindzWork evening groups and how to be part of them, send me a message.

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