I recently spent a week on the Greek island Ikaria. The island is best known as one of the so-called Blue Zones: one of the five regions in the world with an unusually high number of people who live up to the age of hundred- and stay in good health. A number of theories haveContinue reading “Being Judgmental is Stressful”
Category Archives: happiness
Don’t Fear Your Anger
At some point during our formative years, most of us are taught that expressing anger is a bad thing. The world, we are taught, is not always a just and fair place and therefore we have to accept that we can’t have it all. There is no point expressing out anger and frustration when thingsContinue reading “Don’t Fear Your Anger”
Avoiding Pain Leads to Disease
In our 21st century western societies, we have been conditioned to ‘think positively at all times’. Tons of self-help books have been written about the magical powers of positive thinking, ‘mind-over-matter’ and the dangers of not getting what we want, because of our ‘negative’ thoughts or vibrations. Our total devotion to positive thinking leads usContinue reading “Avoiding Pain Leads to Disease”
On the Importance of a Supportive Network
Last weekend I went to a gig in London where I met many of my old friends. In between the (admittedly loud) tones of the performing bands, we caught up with stories about the past, discussed the present and made plans for the future. Some of these discussions are likely to give birth to futureContinue reading “On the Importance of a Supportive Network”
It’s Personal, Not Business
Recently, I sat on a training course delivered by a business coach. He expressed the interesting (and quite divisive) view that you can only be a proper coach when you work on people’s businesses. He mocked the concept of a ‘life coach’ as someone who isn’t measuring any real goals. They instead waffle on aboutContinue reading “It’s Personal, Not Business”
Responsibility Versus Blame
For all of us operating in the disciplines of therapy, coaching or mentoring, facilitating change is at the core of what we do. However, every type of change requires an element of responsibility. Responsibility is about having the choice of responding to what is happening to us. As Sartre eloquently put it: freedom is whatContinue reading “Responsibility Versus Blame”
On Freedom and Gratitude
Freedom and gratitude are two of the most widely used words in the modern coaching world. Tons of books have been written about them, and about their importance in our lives. Just like with any widely used terms however, their omnipresence means that they sometimes lose their meaning and significance. It’s important to understand theContinue reading “On Freedom and Gratitude”
Who Do You Need to Be in Order to Be Happy?
There is perhaps no other topic in the world about which more volumes have been written than the pursuit of happiness. In a world where it becomes increasingly clear that we need to create our own purpose and destiny rather than relying on some metaphysical system to introduce meaning to our lives, shaping our ownContinue reading “Who Do You Need to Be in Order to Be Happy?”
Why You Need a Bucket List
One of the most important insights on my journey towards becoming an NLP Master Coach, was the concept of Motivation Direction. We live in a society where the idea of being motivated by things pulling us towards them is not only encouraged, but anticipated. We are expected to be motivated toward health, wealth, happiness andContinue reading “Why You Need a Bucket List”
Heal Your Inner Patriarchy with Maira Danni
Do you suffer from the effects of internalized capitalism, patriarchy and violence? Gestalt Therapist and Sexologist Maira Danni reckons that you do. According to her, patriarchy has been installed in human society about five thousand years ago, and has been with us since then, causing trauma and damage to both men and women. The goodContinue reading “Heal Your Inner Patriarchy with Maira Danni”
KostasTheCoach-The Freedom Composer 