Category: HR AND TRAINING TIPS

Many people assume that because I teach confidence building skills, I must be naturally confident. That is definitely not the case. I am a positive psychology trainer because I found the field’s tools so useful in my own life. I’ve learned to be optimistic and believe in my own ability to create positive results. Over the years, I’ve developed a routine that helps me stay in thriving mode. If you’re interested in developing your own self-assurance, maybe some parts of this routine will be useful in your life.

Here are the five things I do daily, to maintain a positive psychological state. They’re all based on principles of positive psychology.

3-minute mindfulness activity

When I awake, I focus my attention on the here and now. I scan my environment and find something to appreciate. This morning, for example, it was a bird fluffing itself up on a branch outside my bedroom window. Finding something to be grateful for before I get out of bed is a helpful way to pry myself to ‘think positive’.

20-minute shot of caffeine-and-smiles

Okay. So the caffeine part isn’t evidence-based (yet). The smiles are, though. Being around positive people creates ‘positive resonance’. That’s why my daily routine includes pausing at my favourite café for coffee and a chat. Bertoni is a spot where everyone is cheerful and positive. There is a vibe amongst the staff, which customers can’t help but absorb. Especially on days where I’ll be working solo, spending 20 minutes in this environment helps keep me upbeat and happy.

Limiting myself to ONE goal for the day

I have a tendency to overwork and be a perfectionist. That’s a legacy of imposter syndrome. At least these days I recognise it. The most practical way I’ve found to manage it is to limit myself to one major, but achievable, goal per day. This prevents me taking on too much, working excessive hours and exhausting myself.

45 minutes of exercise (like it or not)

I don’t really like going to the gym, but it does make a difference to my mood. I’ve researched the bare minimum amount of exercise required to stay healthy – both physically and psychologically. It seems that 45 minutes, three times a week is all it takes to boost mood. So that’s how long I spend in the gym each week. On the other days, though, I do activities that are more appealing. This includes walking to my favourite coffee shop, or dancing in the evenings.

Self-hypnosis session at bedtime

I’ve had a tendency towards insomnia since my teenage years. I blame my parents for introducing me to coffee at age 13. Fortunately, these days, there are many self-hypnosis products which help me relax and sleep. My favourite session is I Can Make You Sleep by Paul McKenna. I have a routine where I hook up my headphones and listen to this audio track in bed. What I really like about it, is that it is designed to let you drift into sleep without ‘waking up’ out of trance. That little touch makes all the difference to helping me drift off.

I firmly believe that everybody is capable of shifting into positive emotional states. This daily routine helps me to do just that. I encourage you to develop your own routine, so that you can experience a happy and empowered life.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a specialist in positive psychology. Her passion is teaching talented people to use social and emotional intelligence to excel in business. These skills centre around building positive mindsets, proactive communication habits and purposeful leadership behaviours. Eleanor’s qualifications include degrees and diplomas in Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She is also the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners. This is a free resource for trainers and facilitators.

My father was a philosophy lecturer. This meant bedtime stories. I grew up with what was slightly different to the average tales of Cinderella or Robin Hood. I was raised on tales of Diogenes, who lived in a wine barrel and peed on wealthy Athenians when they called him a dog. Another favourite character was Socrates, who taught by asking questions. And, of course, there was the author of rhetoric, Aristotle.

It turns out this early grounding in philosophy paid off. To this day, I draw on concepts from Socratic dialogue and rhetoric in my work as a trainer. In particular, I am fascinated by the ways trainers can use metaphors to enhance the impact of a training message. As Aristotle apparently once wrote, “To be a master of metaphor is a sign of genius.” I like to rewrite this quote slightly and say, “Mastery of metaphor is a sign of training genius.”

So what’s the best way to use metaphors? Well, that depends. It seems not all metaphors are created equal. There are five types of metaphors trainers should be aware of. How many of these do you currently use in your presentations?

Common metaphors

The name says it all. These are metaphors which are regularly used in everyday conversation. For example, calling an idea half-baked is a simple metaphor which most people would recognise. Trainers can use simple metaphors to make content accessible to course participants. However, avoid using too many common metaphors as they can make your presentations sound clichéd.

Extended metaphors

Yes! These are my favourites! They’re longer metaphors, which may, in fact, become stories. Many famous novels are extended metaphors. For example, the novel Lord of the Flies is a metaphorical exploration of human nature. The author, William Golding, stated that his book was “an attempt to trace the defects of society back to the defects in human nature”. The entire novel is structured around this concept.

How are extended metaphors useful for trainers? You can use them to trigger and sustain audience engagement just like Billy Connolly. He opens a metaphor at the start of a show, then circles back to expand upon it throughout the session. You can do this, too. This is a brilliant way to keep people listening.

Sensory metaphors

These are metaphors which appeal to the senses. They use figurative language to tap into the power of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. For example:

• Chill out, everyone!
• Today’s hot topic is…
• Let’s get to grips with a new idea
• Think of a sweet memory

Using sensory metaphors is a neat way to connect with kinaesthetic learners. So try some out in your next presentation.

Implied metaphors

These are short metaphors in which the speaker draws on assumed knowledge to create a figure of speech. They work because they are so simple that detailed explanation is not required. A good example is saying that someone has been “barking commands” at their team. Although the speaker does not explicitly mention a dog, it is obvious to the average listener that a comparison between a person and a dog is being made.

Visual metaphors

Unlike the previous metaphor types, these are not figures of speech. They are illustrations or images which are used to create a point. For example, a trainer might use an image of a pie as a visual metaphor illustrating the process of distributive negotiation. This involves splitting a limited resource between parties in a negotiation.

Overall, the purpose of using metaphors in presentations and training is to leave an impression. The stronger your metaphor, the more powerful the learning experience. If you’d like to find out more about using metaphors and other figurative devices in your sessions, check out my retreats and masterclasses for facilitators and trainers.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a trainer and coach, with a passion for unleashing the power of positive deviance in talented people. She has taught more than 50,000 people how to excel professionally. An expert in the field of Positive Psychology, Eleanor is also qualified in Social Anthropology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She specialises in helping HR and L&D practitioners to unleash the power of positive psychology in business. Her major focus in developing three key areas that support positive workplace cultures: positive mindset, proactive communication and purposeful leadership. Eleanor is the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners. 

Okay. Role play isn’t always popular with course participants. Don’t let that put you off using it, though. It’s a powerful medium for learning, provided you create and set up scenarios that resonate with your group. Aim to create a ‘real play’ environment, rather than an acting class vibe.

Put simply, role playing is an active learning technique in which course participants ‘act out’ scenarios. The purpose of doing this is to apply techniques they have learned during a training program. This means simple scenarios work best. Your participants need to devote ‘headspace’ to processing what they’ve learned. So don’t confuse them by giving complicated briefs and character sketches.

Indeed, it pays to remember that role play began as an improvisational technique. The techniques we use in today’s training rooms were first developed by a Viennese psychologist, Jacob Moreno. He believed that people learn far more from acting out problems than from talking about them. He therefore developed a process for first pinpointing a real-life problem, then playing out different ways of solving it. That structure evolved over time, gradually becoming more ‘scripted’. Today’s role play techniques often combine the acting-out-problems component of Moreno’s model with Harvard University’s case study model. Sometimes, however, the briefs provided to role players become too complex because of this.

That’s ironic, really, when you consider they are called ‘briefs’. Keep that name in mind the next time you are writing a role play scenario. Instead of lengthy descriptions, use dot points in your briefs. Instruct your course participants to imagine they are really in the situation described. Tell them to ‘be true to themselves’ as they play out the scenario. This will reduce anxiety levels and help everyone get the most from the activity.

Another way to reduce ‘stage fright’ is to frame your role play carefully. For example, point out that nothing – except learning – will happen if participants make mistakes during a role play. It’s much better to stuff up in the training room than in real life. Ask them to experiment wildly and try on new behaviours, because learning happens when we do new things.

Finally, remember that introducing an observer is guaranteed to raise stress levels. Instead, hand out debrief sheets and encourage role play partners to fill them in together. This depersonalises the process of giving and receiving feedback. Thus, it makes the role play experience far less daunting.

Overall, your ability to write and set up role plays will impact how much people learn from them. Remember that master trainers don’t just print out role play briefs from the internet. They craft relevant, engaging scenarios that make sense to their course participants.

Want to learn more about being a master trainer? Enrol in a trainers’ master class with Eleanor Shakiba today.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a specialist in positive psychology training. Her core strength is creativity, which she expresses in the training room through storytelling and visual design. She has dedicated her career to helping experienced professionals break through glass ceilings by developing their confidence, communication skills and leadership mastery. Eleanor is qualified in a range of fields including Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She is also the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners. This is a free resource for trainers and facilitators

Okay. This is where I confess to some dubious reading habits. When I’m tired, or need something to divert me from a problem, I love reading pot boilers. My particular indulgence is cliché ridden crime novels. I only read the novels that feature female detectives, all of whom seem to be deeply wounded and suffering imposter syndrome.

Interestingly, I learned quite a bit from these heroines. For example, I’ve picked up tips on packing bags, fitting exercise into a busy schedule and reducing housework to the bare minimum. Most significantly, I’ve drawn a few lessons on building confidence from the antics of my favourite female detectives.

It doesn’t matter if you make bad decisions, as long as you adapt

It’s amazing how often the central character of a crime novel leaves her radio and/or phone behind when driving off to meet with a killer. This seems to happen to even the wiliest detective. What interests me about this, though, is that the heroine always manages to recover from her poor decision.

This is an interesting lesson for real life. Sometimes we make the wrong choice. Occasionally this gets us into very hot water. Yet, if we keep a clear head, these situations foster learning and growth. After all, making mistakes is part of experimenting. It’s inevitable that if we take risks, sometimes we’ll experience ‘failure’. It’s what happens next that matters. And that is usually totally within our control.

The cure for self-doubt is action

The fast pace of the (fictional) female detective’s life means she doesn’t have time for rumination. I think the rest of us can learn from this. Rumination involves pondering our own flaws or errors. If we do this for too long, we’ll naturally begin to doubt ourselves. To break the cycle of rumination, it often helps to focus on something important. This doesn’t have to be hunting down a master criminal. It might just involve hunting down your perfect job, for example. In the end, what will impact your emotional state is your desire to make a positive change.

Solutions can be found in surprising places

The plot of a crime novel is only interesting when it contains unexpected twists. Life is sort of like that, too. One of the main things that attracts me to detective novels is that their central characters are usually extremely solution focused. They don’t let problems slow them down. Instead, they use lateral thinking and creativity to achieve a goal. Interestingly, they often combine high attention to detail with a strong sense of intuitive thinking. This is a great combination for anyone who wants to boost their confidence levels.

So yes. My leisure-reading can’t be classified as great literature. I’ll continue reading crime novels, though, because they spark new ideas that end up being applied in my business. Now I just have to convince my accountant to make them tax-deductible…

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a consultant in the areas of positive psychology training and solution focused coaching. She partners with HR and L&D teams to build vibrant cultures where ‘positive deviants’ thrive. Areas she specialises in include positive mindset, proactive communication and purposeful leadership. Eleanor is qualified in Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. Her passion is working with positive deviants to build success. Download a copy of her free ebook Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners.

Think of a training session or presentation that you deliver regularly. Are there any parts of that session that you dread delivering? If so, chances are those are the ‘dull bits’ of your content. The compliance content. The boring theory content. The policy and procedure content. You know what I mean. Lazy trainers deliver this type of content using dot point after dot point on a badly designed slide.

Not me! I see dull content as a flavourless stew waiting to be transformed into a tasty feast. The base ingredients are already in the pot: ready for me to add the right herbs and spices. My job is to choose flavourings that will appeal to the taste buds of my group. Like all master chefs, I have a few ‘secret ingredients’ I can add into my training sessions. What are your favourite ways to make a topic interesting? Here are mine.

Turning statistics into analogies

Any set of numbers actually tells a story. Your job, as a creative trainer, is to find the story and tell it. For example, in a session on safe work practices, you could turn statistics about injuries in the workplace into stories about the people those statistics represent. This type of story is often quite dramatic, so it can be a useful way to connect with your audience.

‘Spontaneously’ role-playing with course participants

If you tell participants they’re going to do a role-play, you will encounter groans and resistance. However, you can overcome this obstacle by participating in the role play yourself. Listen carefully to the stories your group participants tell. Then choose a story to enact for your group. Every session will have an extrovert who is willing to play you. During a break, ask this person, whether they would be willing to play the part of one of the people in a scenario that’s already been discussed. Then gather the rest of the group around and role-play the situation. Engage the audience by asking them to give instructions to the characters in the role-play, so that it becomes a ‘create your own adventure’ story.

Using cameras

There are many ways to use video and photo in training sessions. For example, the participants can video themselves or record themselves trying out new skills. Or they can write scripts and perform them as a way of giving feedback on what they’ve learned. In groups that are more resistant to ‘acting’, ask people to take photos of interesting objects and then relate them to your course topic. This is a great way to boost energy in the afternoon, whilst keeping your session on topic.

And remember this. Great chefs learn by testing new ingredients and trying new cuisines. Likewise, great trainers are constantly experimenting with new content and delivery methods. This keeps your learning menu fresh and your course participants hungry for more of your content.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a specialist in positive psychology. Her passion is teaching talented people to use social and emotional intelligence to excel in business. These skills centre around building positive mindsets, proactive communication habits and purposeful leadership behaviours. Eleanor’s qualifications include degrees and diplomas in Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She is also the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners. This is a free resource for trainers and facilitators.

If you want your message to have more of an impact, tell a story. Storytelling is one of the oldest techniques for getting a point across. When you tell a story, people listen. It engages their emotions and makes a stronger connection. Learn how to use storytelling to keep your audience hanging on your every word.

Storytelling is the use of words and images to communicate with an audience. It requires learners to engage their imaginations. This allows them to connect with your message and retain information. To use stories effectively in learning and development contexts, trainers need to understand the basics of crafting ‘teaching metaphors’. These are stories that include three main components: a problem; a strategy for solution and a positive outcome.

Storytelling as a communication tool can be traced back to the beginning of time. The leaders of ancient communities would tell stories to inspire or influence community members. Storytelling has also become an integral part of the positive psychology trainers’ toolkit. Martin Seligman, the pioneer of positive psychology, understands the importance of storytelling. Much of his research involves using participants’ narratives to create positive interventions. Research also suggests that humans are hardwired to listen to stories. You – as a budding positive psychology trainer or consultant – can use a story to present information in a way that makes more sense to people.

The most effective stories are personal ones. If the story is personal to the speaker, it becomes more personal to the audience. Of course, personal stories may not be an option for every presentation. Sometimes you need to tell a story to express data. Instead of rattling off numbers, create a narrative that showcases the importance of the data. For example, you may develop a persona for a typical client to humanise the information. All stories start with an idea, such as communicating a specific message to the audience. You then need to build the story around the idea. The standard storytelling structure includes a problem, a journey and an outcome.

When using storytelling in learning and development contexts, it’s important to keep your plots simple. You don’t need to add a lot of detail or twists. Four principles will keep you on track in this regard.

• Create a plot that mirrors your group’s real problems
• Suggest solutions for those problems
• Base your plot on strategies for action that can be used in real life
• Always end on a positive note

As you experiment with storytelling techniques, you’ll discover a range of ways to bring your stories to life. Try adding details about the characters in your stories, acting out key scenes or getting your group in a ‘choose your own adventure’ story building session.

Don’t stick to storytelling basics. Learn how to craft advanced metaphors and deliver them with impact. Enrol in a trainers’ master class with Eleanor Shakiba today.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a specialist in positive psychology training. Her core strength is creativity, which she expresses in the training room through storytelling and visual design. She has dedicated her career to helping experienced professionals break through glass ceilings by developing their confidence, communication skills and leadership mastery. Eleanor is qualified in a range of fields including Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She is also the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners. This is a free resource for trainers and facilitators

When I left university, I couldn’t find a job. My parents’ prophecies about anthropology being an impractical degree turned out to be right. However, that didn’t stop me for long. What my studies lacked in practicality, they made up for in seeding a set of core values and interests. I graduated with a passion for cultural dynamics, a flair for writing and a fascination with myths and stories from around the world. I also had some work experience to draw on. During my gap year, I worked in a childcare centre. The combination of life experience and exotic studies sparked an idea.

I was going to set up a theatre company. It would focus on turning stories from around the world into a place for children. I found three other unemployed anthropologists and the Magic Story Plays theatre troupe was born. We were surprisingly successful for a group of recent graduates with no business experience. Indeed, we lasted five years. During that time, we toured our original plays around New South Wales. Our key achievement was gaining accreditation to perform in schools, in our final year of working together.

Unfortunately, we also had a few skill gaps. We had no idea about marketing or budgeting. This meant our plays were highly creative and popular. However, we never capitalised on potential markets. After five years of exhausting work, I was sick of the constant cycle of creating, rehearsing, touring. I decided I was getting old and needed to get a proper day job. I was twenty-four years old.

Seeking to eliminate the uncertainty of a performer’s income and routine, I found the safest job I could locate. So began my years as a library assistant. It didn’t take long for my job to become less than rewarding. To fill the creative void, I joined a Middle Eastern dance company. My natural creativity quickly drew me into assisting with marketing and promoting the company.

Through all those experiences, I believed I was a failure. Looking back, of course, I now recognise a strong entrepreneurial spirit. I also smile at my natural creativity and ability to step into growth mindset mode. Of course, the lessons I learned in those years subsequently paid off when I set up my current business.

The most important thing I learned was that although it’s my strength, my creativity can only get me so far. To thrive in business, I had to develop focus and discipline. My creativity often still prompts me to invent even more projects. But now, I ask myself how those projects will contribute to my business’s success. If the answer is ‘not at all’, I don’t do it.

I’ve also learned that dabbling in areas of my own weakness is not a good idea. These days, I outsource bookkeeping and accounting because I’m just no good at it. I realise that this doesn’t mean my lack of confidence. It means I lack competence and need to source appropriately skilled help.

Ah, the difference between competence and confidence. This is the biggest lesson I’ve learned through all my business ventures. Realising I don’t have to master everything has freed me to focus on what I do best. This has subtly influenced my confidence and self-assurance. That’s probably because being creative takes me into my zone of flow, which allows me to operate in best self-mode.

This is a lesson I often share with participants in my courses on building confidence and self-esteem. Although everyone needs to find their own way of working in ‘the zone’, I know that when people work from strengths, they proposer and flourish. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter if you do things that don’t work out. Your failures create a pathway to future success.

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About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a specialist in positive psychology training. Her core strength is creativity, which she expresses in the training room through storytelling and visual design. She has dedicated her career to helping experienced professionals break through glass ceilings by developing their confidence, communication skills and leadership mastery. Eleanor is qualified in a range of fields including Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She is also the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners. This is a free resource for trainers and facilitators.

Ah. Trainers are creative beasts. Unfortunately, this leads to many inefficient, but fun, work habits. For example, I love playing with colour and design. This means I can dedicate many hours to PowerPoint design, even when my presentation will only be used once. From a business perspective, obviously this is not the best use of my time.

Luckily, I’ve been around long enough to have developed some more effective work practices. There are dozens of ways trainers can save time and energy. From leaving our travel bags packed and ready to go after every trip, through to reviewing our IT systems, smart trainers are organised trainers.

My favourite three tricks for saving time and working smarter are outlined below. I’d love to hear your ideas as well. How many of you already use these techniques?

If you’re going to do it more than once, create a template

Although our content changes from session to session, our basic work systems shortened. You will save hours each week if you use consistent templates for PowerPoint, session plans and participant manuals. But these are just the tip of the iceberg. You can also develop templates for project plans, work procedures, course outlines and promotional content.

Stop typing

Most trainers are pretty good at talking. We know how to improvise and express ideas. So why do we spend hours typing our training notes? Newsflash! Dictation is faster than typing – even if you type exceptionally well. So make use of voice recognition software. If you find it’s not accurate enough try using ‘transcribe from recording’ instead of live dictation. It seems to be more accurate in many cases.

Outsource formatting and layout tasks

You’re a presenter, not a graphic designer. Outsourcing makes sense. Not only will your documents look far superior when you outsource design, you’ll also save yourself a lot of time. Yes, I know that playing with PowerPoint and Word layouts can be enjoyable. The bottom line, though, is that you are a course creator. Spend your time on strategic tasks, and delegate or outsource the nitty-gritty formatting jobs.

Remember that saying no to admin tasks frees you to focus on developing your stage skills and mastering new content. Do the maths. If you saved two hours a week on non-essential work, imagine what you could learn over 365 days in a year.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a positive psychology trainer and coach. Her passion is teaching skills for positive thinking, proactive communication and purposeful leadership. Her clients work in academia, education, IT, engineering, finance and health. Eleanor is qualified in Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She’s the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners , a free resource for trainers.

Great trainers are skilled in holding a group’s attention. You know you’re doing this well when people say “Wow! Is it lunchtime already?” How do you make comments like this the norm in your training sessions? By mastering skills such as storytelling, experiential learning and – my favourite – stagecraft for trainers. So, what is stagecraft and how can you master it?

In film and theatre, the term stagecraft refers to the technical aspects of production. It includes building sets, sourcing props, creating lighting plans and working out how performers will use space. In public speaking and presenting contexts, the term is used more narrowly. It refers to the use of space by a speaker. The purpose of mastering stagecraft is to enhance your impact on an audience.

Obviously, experienced trainers and facilitators know that movement makes your presentations more interesting. How else can you use stagecraft to excel in your field? Here are a few advanced techniques to experiment with. They’re particularly useful for positive psychology trainers and consultants who want to wow an audience.

Set anchors

My favourite stagecraft technique is stage anchoring. In positive psychology training contexts, an anchor can be anything that helps reinforce your point ‘subliminally’. It could be a slideshow, a flashy display, or a flipchart. Stage anchors can also be specific spots where you stand, instead of a prop or display.

Design slides to complement your presentation
Build gaps into your presentation with a neutral slide, where you can step forward and speak directly to your audience. Get into the light yourself, make eye contact and smile! Restore the human dimension to your presentation with a personal story, a question, an appropriate anecdote or a bit of humour.

Shift your energy

High impact training isn’t created by what you say. It’s how you say it. Savvy trainers know that shifts in energy keep people engaged. To increase energy use these tips.

• Take up a position at the front of the stage
• Lean forward slightly
• Stand upright, holding any tension in your shoulders and neck
• Keep your head up and your chin tucked in
• Position your feet around hip-width apart

To decrease energy try these techniques.

• Move to the back of your stage area
• Lean slightly away from the group
• Hunch your shoulders forward slightly
• Hang your head
• Stand with your feet tight together

Want to improve your stagecraft skills? Enrol in a trainers’ master class with Eleanor Shakiba today.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a specialist in positive psychology training. Her core strength is creativity, which she expresses in the training room through storytelling and visual design. She has dedicated her career to helping experienced professionals break through glass ceilings by developing their confidence, communication skills and leadership mastery. Eleanor is qualified in a range of fields including Social Anthropology, Positive Psychology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. She is also the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners. This is a free resource for trainers and facilitators

Wow. I’ve been working in the personal development field since 1994. Over the years, I’ve read hundreds of self-help books. I’ve heard many wise words. And I’ve been exposed to many motivational statements. Most of these have faded from my memory.

Yet one stands out. This is the statement which pops into my mind in moments of self-doubt or uncertainty. It’s become a compass, which helps me keep both my life and my business on course. I don’t even remember where I first came across it. Nor do I know who originally created it. However, it resonates deeply with me.

The statement is “You are creating your future now”.

Why do I value this saying so much? I think it’s because it so neatly embodies an entire philosophy of life in such a succinct format. Additionally, it can be interpreted in many ways. This makes it a statement which can guide decisions and actions in a huge range of contexts. When things are going well, it suggests that you continue with current endeavours. When problems arise, on the other hand, it provides scope for shifting direction.

I’m sure you will find many meanings in this statement for yourself. Here are the three most important messages I draw from it.

Everything we do has implications for the future

From choosing what we eat each day to making important life or career decisions, we are accountable for our actions. No, we can’t control what happens next. However, our decisions do set in place chains of events. So, it is always wise to consider that, even when we choose to do nothing, we are still impacting our future state.

We always have choices

Even when options are very limited, we have the capacity to manage our own thinking. Sometimes the only choice we have is to manage our reaction. Those of us who take this choice, tend to be more resilient and confident. This is why I prefer to make considered choices wherever I can.

Hope fuels resilience

Accepting that the future can be better than now creates hope. I keep this in mind when I feel pessimistic or despairing. Knowing that tomorrow can be better than today has been the source of resilience for many people before us. When we choose to tap into hopefulness and optimism, we have a far greater chance of experience in a positive future. Why? Because we’re more likely to head in the right direction and take meaningful action.

The next time you’re wondering what to do, or feeling uncertain about your current situation, try interpreting things through the lens of this statement. You never know, you might just find that creating your future now is an inspiring source of energy and success.

About the author: Eleanor Shakiba

Eleanor is a positive psychology trainer. She designs bespoke programs for organisations and individuals who want to promote ‘positive deviance’ in business. Her expertise in teaching social and emotional intelligence skills makes Eleanor a highly sought-after facilitator. Eleanor’s qualifications are in Positive Psychology, Social Anthropology, Counselling, Coaching, Adult Education and Neuro Linguistic Programming. Eleanor is the author of the Positive Psychology Toolkit for HR and L&D Practitioners.