Neuroscience is showing us that we CAN change!  A leopard CAN change its spots and you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!  What we have learned is just what we have learned and hardwired into our brains! Read more

Gen x, y and z are ruled much more in their lives by feeling that they are making a difference in the world - that their contribution is noticed and valued. Baby boomers and traditional leadership models have not focused on giving people a sense of purpose and meaning in what they do. Read more

How many of us live in the past! Or the fears and beliefs from the past?  How many of us let those fears and beliefs ruin our present lives? Read more

I will never forget a moment in my little old Mazda 1300 car about 30 years ago! I was driving an international speaker around in Syndey as social convenor of a conference. He asked me 'what is it that you most want in life right now?" Read more

If you have never had a particular blood test called 'dark field microscopy' then I would recommend you find someone who does it and look with awe and wonder at your amazing blood! Read more

In the bottom of the old pond lived some grubs who could not understand why none of their group ever came back after crawling up the stems of the lilies to the top of the water. They promised each other that the next one who was called to make the upward climb would return and tell what happened to him. Read more

Every moment, we are perceiving and judging everything!  We are making choices based on those perceptions. This is very dangerous generally!

Perceptions are NOT reality but we believe they are! If you put 25 people in a room all looking at the same thing - you can guarantee that there will be 25 different versions of the truth - and every person TRULY BELIEVES that what they saw is the truth! We have to learn to live with the fact that we don't see reality - we perceive, judge and CREATE our own reality. Read more

Many of us are totally unaware of the deeper fears that are driving us. The amygdala is part of the limbic system of the brain - our oldest brain.

The part that kept us alive through its survival instincts. When we were more primitive beings, this was very handy as we needed to have that fear to escape sabre toothed tigers etc!

Sadly although many of us appear very sophisticated, our primitive parts are still alive and well! And interfering with many of our behaviours each day. Daniel Goleman who wrote Emotional Intelligence talks about the 'amygdala hijack' - where the amygdala take us - in an instant - into a place of terror and sabotages many of our opportunities. Read more

I remember reading a novel called Glittering Images many years ago. One line has stayed with me every since. The story of a monk who battles with his love for a woman with his love for God is counselled by a wiser monk. After many months of soul searching, the younger man thanks his mentor who replies, "I was only shining a light in the dark parts of your soul, so you could see the light yourself."  Read more

This is how Seth Godin refers to the amygdala! (Remember from last time, the amygdala is part of the limbic system of the brain - the oldest part of our brains - the part that kept us alive in primitive times.)

In his book Linchpin, he says it is "hungry, scared, angry and horny."!  And he says it is the 'source of resistence'.

In other words, it will resist change of any kind - it will cause you to find excuses, be defensive and focus on problems and risks rather than opportunities.  Read more