Sunday 28 February 2010

“Give a smile to everyone you meet (smile with your eyes) and you'll smile and receive smiles.” W. C. Stone http://ping.fm/sxv9g

Friday 26 February 2010

Hi, Today's Happiness Blog post is about cleaning up unhappy experiences from the past: http://ping.fm/km6qI
The final post to the Business Success blog is up and running: http://ping.fm/IplSz
The Happiness blog is up and running: http://ping.fm/g44Gi
Now you can create happiness where there was unhappiness: http://ping.fm/SmaBe

Thursday 25 February 2010

Hi, I have just finished Chapter 2 of the first e-book on CENT. Coming soon: http://ping.fm/xJYTx
"I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time." Charles Dickens

Wednesday 24 February 2010

The starting point of all achievement is desire. .... Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small fire makes a small amount of heat
Hi, Have you read CENT Paper No.10 yet - on The Story of Relationship? What did you think? http://ping.fm/EwAUI

Monday 22 February 2010

If you are struggling with relationship problems, this might help: http://ping.fm/YQIbk
Hi, CENT Paper No.10 - on Relationships - is up and running: http://ping.fm/RCVnF Enjoy! Jim...
"We will receive not what we idly wish for but what we justly earn. Our rewards will always be in exact proportion to our service." Earl Nightingale
Sorry: Almost finished Paper No.10; but who am I? http://ping.fm/BMgmx
Almost finished Paper No.10; but who am I? http://ping.fm/9dVc2

Sunday 21 February 2010

Almost finished CENT Paper No.10 - the real hum-dinger! Later... Jim...
Hi, These are my Four Main Coaching and Counselling Services: http://ping.fm/BthqS

Saturday 20 February 2010

Hi, Check out the Institute for CENT Studies: http://ping.fm/rJKBc
Best, Jim
A description of my Cognitive Emotive Narrative Therapy (CENT)?: http://ping.fm/5YteI

Friday 19 February 2010

Hi, Range of counselling videos here: http://ping.fm/ymcDw

Thursday 18 February 2010

Hi, The Happiness Blog is up and running: http://ping.fm/y5z5v Enjoy! Jim
Hi, Still working hard on the editing of CENT Paper No.10. This one is a hum-dinger! If you have any unfinished business from your childhood, this will help to clear it up. When it is ready, I will post it at http://ping.fm/MiNEb Best wishes, Jim

Wednesday 17 February 2010

Hi, I am now working on the final stages of CENT Paper No.10, which is also Chapter 13 of the draft e-book on the Birth of Cognitive Emotive Narrative Therapy. http://ping.fm/84vf2 Best wishes, Jim

Friday 12 February 2010

Hints and tips on how to be happy

Hi, I have just updated the Happiness Blog on my website, here:

http://www.abc-counselling.com/2010.02.01_arch.html

This blog post contains lots of useful hints and tips on how to have a happier life. The post begins like this:

CALM, SERENE HAPPINESS IS THE PRIZE TO AIM FOR

By Dr Jim Byrne

Copyright (c) Jim Byrne, 2010

In the past, I have distinguished between calm, serene happiness, and excited, aroused happiness.
Excited, aroused happiness occurs in response to something that you strongly desired and got; or something that surprised you which was positive. It comes from outside of you.

Calm, serene happiness occurs when you are at peace with the world, and you have a positive mental attitude that is not dictated by the external world. This is what Seneca meant when he said:

"True joy is serene".

Aristotle believed that our deepest happiness comes from living a good life. What he meant was that moral functioning translates into happy functioning. That's why I always say: to live the good life, you have to be willing to live a good life.

An element of this idea is caught in the following quote from Maeterlinck:

"Above all, let us never forget that an act of goodness is in itself an act of happiness. It is the flower of a long inner life of joy and contentment; it tells of peaceful hours and days on the sunniest heights of our soul". Count Maurice Maeterlinck

...The Happines Blog is continued here...Think your way to happiness...

Best wishes,
Jim

Dr Jim Byrne
ABC Coaching and Counselling Services

jim.byrne@abc-counselling.com/

~~~

Wednesday 10 February 2010

Business Success Blog...Manage that Crisis

The business success blog can be found here:

http://www.abc-counselling.com/id164.html

Friday 5 February 2010

Business Success Blog...Manage that Crisis

Hi, I have just updated the Business Success Blog - on Friday 5th February 2010 - at this address:
http://www.abc-counselling.com/id164.html

The current post begins like this:

Principal No.7: Manage the crisis

In any business crisis or crunch point:
You've got to manage that crisis

Copyright (c) Jim Byrne, February 2010

1. Introduction

I have often heard and read that, in written Chinese, there is only one hieroglyph to represent both ‘crisis' and ‘opportunity', yet many people in business insist on framing their business crises as purely negative events. One of the main reasons for doing so is that they hate change, and they want to stay in their ‘comfort zone' - the known and the familiar.

However, in Buddhism it is said that "Change is the law of life". You cannot avoid change, and some of that change will involve growth, and some will involve decline and death. And the essence of Spencer Johnson's message, in his book ‘Who Moved My Cheese?' is that "The ability not only to accept change but to create it is a mark of the dynamic individual". ('50 Success Classics' by Tom Butler-Bowdon, page 168).

Brian Tracy, in his ‘Crunch Points' book, defines a business crisis as an event that is highly disruptive; an emergency; and a red alert situation. He indicates that we should not expect to be fearless in that kind of situation, but quotes Beverly Smith to the effect that: "To be courageous means to be afraid but to go a little step forward anyway". So don't expect to be unafraid, but do try to be courageous in the face of those fears that you have about your business crisis.
When a business crisis hits, and it's your business, you must take total charge immediately. Your first priorities should normally be to: (a) control the cash flow and ‘prevent the hemorrhaging of funds'; (b) put on your ‘white hat' and collect all relevant information about the nature of the crisis; (c) use a thinking heuristic (like De Bono's To-Lo-Po-So-Go[1]) to solve the problem; and: (d) make a decision and get into action.

...continued here...the business success blog...

Best wishes,
Jim

Dr Jim Byrne
ABC Coaching and Counselling Services

jim.byrne@abc-counselling.com

~~~

Thursday 4 February 2010

The Happiness Blog - Acceptance and Regard

I have just updated the Happiness Blog - on Thursday 4th February 2010 - on the subject of Unconditional Positive Regard and Unconditional Self Acceptance, here:

http://abc-counselling.com/id143.html

This is how the post begins:

REGARD AND ACCEPTANCE: DEFINING TERMS

This blog post is designed to clarify some words and concepts that I used last week. By the end of this post, you should have a much clearer idea of what it being described and proposed here.

Last Friday I wrote about ‘Unconditional Positive Regard', which is an attitude of mind promoted by Carl Rogers. I did that as a prelude to thinking and writing about ‘Unconditional Self Acceptance', the alternative attitude of mind promoted and recommended by Albert Ellis.

To clarify this a little: Carl Rogers, who created person-centred, or non-directive, counselling, recommended that we should all treat ourselves and each other with Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR). On the other hand, Albert Ellis - who was originally influenced by Rogers' ideas, and who then moved on to study psychoanalysis, and finally to develop his own system of therapy (called Rational Therapy) - recommended that we should all offer ourselves and each other Unconditional (Self or Other) Acceptance.

On Saturday morning I had to see a client in Halifax. On the way to the office I stopped at Café Nero for a green tea and a sandwich, and while I sat there I wrote some notes in my pocket notebook. Essentially I was thinking about you (dear reader) and wondering what sense you can make of this presentation of ideas, and whether it might be a good idea to clarify some of these terms. I therefore wrote down what I thought might be your questions, with the intention of answering those questions in this week's blog post. And so here they are:

...continued here...

Best wishes,
Jim

Dr Jim Byrne
ABC Coaching and Counselling Services

jim.byrne@abc-counselling.com

~~~