July / August 2008

In This Issue

Help for Heroes
Motivation - Where is it?
Reflexology - What is it?

There is a notice at the entrance to my office: WARNING! Demolition in Progress.

I won't go into details of where the notice came from, but students, building sites and dares are in the story. However, right now it is propped against the office door as a sign that things are being overhauled.

So, before I can greet the new, I have to get rid of the old - clutter that is. Back in our March issue we talked about spring cleaning - and it's time to "walk my talk" as they say.

It is now two months since our last newsletter. In that time I've had the privilege of coaching some wonderful people as they take steps towards fulfilling their dreams. And it never ceases to amaze me that through coaching others, I am continually discovering more about myself.

And one of the main discoveries is that I need to challenge myself more - to be who I know I can be and live as I know I should live. To be true to my core and not afraid to experience life.

Ok, that sounds dramatic - but it is also very important that each of us looks at who we are and how we are living - are we being true to ourselves.

So, try a personal demolition. It's simply another way of clearing away the obstacles that stand in the way of progress.

Enjoy this newsletter and have a great summer.

Forthcoming Events:

Introduction to Mindfulness

Learning mindfulness can have an amazing impact on your life. Learning techniques that overcome stress, anxiety and bring you into the present moment.

Enjoy the here and now - reduce worry and increase your confidence and self esteem.

Wednesday 24th September at Dissington Hall, Ponteland

Cost £97

Visit our website for more info

Please note that due to demand for mindfulness workshops in other areas we will not be offering this workshop again in the foreseeable future - BOOK NOW TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT

Good Reading...

Achieving Inner Peace by Sohan Singh has just been published.

Develop yourself through inner self knowledge and mindfulness.

To find out more and browse before you buy visit here

And Coming Soon...

Stress Busting Toolkit

Packed with tools, exercises and information on overcoming and avoiding stress. This toolkit for individuals and trainers will be available directly from PRF Solutions in September.

Priced at £5.99 you can pre-order your copy by emailing
info@prfsolutions.com

Help for Heroes

I've just had an amazing "survival" weekend courtesy of the British Army. And it left me with a great deal more respect for the physical fitness of our armed services.

Regardless of whether we believed in the right or wrongness of how the "war on terror" is being carried out, I do believe that we should at least acknowledge that people from this country are putting themselves into situations most of us would not like to be anywhere near. I was amazed to meet young men - younger than my own son - who had just returned from Iraq. Now they were, like my group of friends, giving up their weekend to raise money for colleagues who have suffered serious injury in the service of their country.

While enjoying (?) assault courses, clay pigeon shooting and sleeping under the stars, we managed to raise a sizeable sum for the charity Help for Heroes.

Motivation - where is it?

It's taken a wee while to get this newsletter together. Because of lot the work here at PRF Solutions is based around the school calendar, I've been busy planning work for the new school year. However, now the school holidays are here, I must admit I find it so much easier to just sit back and let time drift by.

So, what do you do when your "get up and go" has got up and gone?

Having thought about this, I tried to figure out where my motivation had gone! Well, firstly, I thought about procrastination. I am not sure that this fits the bill here. Procrastination can be interpreted as a defense mechanism that protects us from doing things that are unpleasant or that we dread. Well, I neither fear nor dread writing - it's one of my favourite things to do! The real problem with procrastination is that while we may be trying to avoid something we don't want to do, we are also maintaining the emotion that goes with it.

Further, the more we procrastinate - or finely develop our skill of avoiding the things we don't want to do, we are adding to our emotional distress by being guilty.

Ok, well, I reckon that's not quite while I am not getting round to the "to do" list on my desk. For me, years of working in education is telling me that this is the summer holidays and you just don't work right now. So, relax, take it easy, you'll be busy enough come September....

However, the truth is, that we can't get this time back. So, dismissing procrastination, where is the motivation? I read a scary statistic recently that over 60% of people can find nothing motivational about their job. But it is where we spend so much of our time. The drive to keep them going is the avoidance of poverty and how they spend the cash they earn.

I am so pleased not to be in that category either!

So WHERE is my motivation? Well, I guess at the end of the day it has to do with personality types. Are you the kind of person who sticks to routine? When you have something to do, do you go at it until its complete? Are you great at staying focused and being able to prioritise what needs to be done?

We're all different and I have to put my hands up and say "no" to all of the above. I do leave things to the last minute. That's where discipline comes in. I get a lot of pleasure from my work - especially receiving your comments. Does that motivate me? Yes, it does. But motivation isn't always enough if we don't add a bit of discipline.

So, ask yourself - what are your avoidance behaviours? Do they show signs of procrastination? Are they a lack of motivation? Does it feel important right now? Does it feel good to do? Does it excite you? If the answer is yes and you still aren't getting there - how's your self discipline?

So, what's stopping you reaching your goal? Try asking yourself this: If you could have [your goal] right now - would you take it?

Of course, to get there, you could always use a coach!

Reflexology - What is it?
by June Padley

Earlier this year, BBC2 invited Kathy Sykes to research hypnotherapy, reflexology and meditation. The series, called Alternative Therapies caused a stir in the world of holistic therapies. I certainly know many reflexologists who feel disappointed and misrepresented by the programme. Not least because the lack of representation from our professional bodies. One in five people in the UK who choose to use Complementary therapies deserve to know that their therapists have been well trained, adhere to a Code of Practice and Ethics and are subject to Continuing Professional Development, ensuring that they give the very best service possible.

Reflexology is the stimulation of reflex points in the feet. It is not a massage although most treatments begin with a certain amount of massage. This helps to relax the client and to acclimatise them to the feel of the therapist's hands. Stimulating the reflex points on each foot causes responses in the corresponding areas of the body. Each foot represents a side of the body - that is, the right foot represents the right side and the left foot the left side.

As a Reflexologist I was taught that this is because of the 14 Meridian Channels which, according to Chinese Medicine, the Qi (Chinese, pronounced 'chee') transports energy throughout the body. When any of these channels are blocked we feel unwell, 'out of sorts', in pain. So, by unblocking the problem channel the flow of energy is restored, promoting good health and well - being. It also facilitates the body's own healing processes. Reflexology, like any other complementary therapy, does not diagnose, treat or cure any disease, illness or condition. It simply gives the body the best chance to do this itself.

As a teacher of anatomy I am aware that, scientifically, these channels as represented in Chinese Medicine do not exist. However, this is reflective of the western view of physical medicine. Eastern medicine, based on treatment of body, mind and spirit as one should not be lightly dismissed. Reflexology has been beneficial to many and long may it continue to be.

Who We Are

PRF Solutions
is a personal and professional coaching company. We offer personal life coaching to individuals as well as training and development opportunities for organisations.

We are part of "The Head Coach" which brings professional coaching into education. We coach school leadership teams as well as offering in-house training in coaching and mentoring.

PRF Solutions has a wide range of open events that run throughout the year. These have included workshops on mindfulness, presentation skills and stress reduction to name a few. We also arrange skills development workshops for personal development professionals.

PRF Solutions has a specialist service for school admission appeals. We have a very high success rate and work with parents who have been refused the school of their choice.

Whatever your coaching needs, contact us for a truly personal service.