Anxiety to Confidence - The Personal Development Unplugged Podcast

Paul Clough
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A podcast for those wanting personal development but want it made simple and easy to understand and more importantly use, take action and make a difference to your life and the world you live in. If you want to change the way you feel and the way you act and react. If you have negative emotions, behaviours, that you want to lose forever and create something special in your life then I think you will like what you hear. This genre of self-improvement, self-development and mastery of your mind has, I believe, been made over complicated and secretive and here I am de-constructing the processes into their simple forms that we can all understand and easily use. There's no interviews just little ol' me ;0) Who am I and what do I do?………Paul Clough. I now love helping making changes in people and guiding them to create the life they really want. A personal look at me: The above sentence was not always the case and being the best in the financial realms of the building industry was my aim and getting there by any means. I now know this is, and was, the worst way ~ even if I did make director of one of the largest building companies in Cambridge by the age of 30. One of the major realisations came on my first ever training in hypnosis. I found that it's not a win lose world and that a win win is only a low basis to live. Being true to your beliefs and coming from a place of integrity where service is paramount. This understanding together with lots of NLP skills helped create my last partnership in the building industry grow from a turnover of £800k to £16m in less than twelve years and that can only be done with giving more than expected. Another shaping of me came from two traumatic events in my life that happened within six months of each other which created a number of major changes in me and by beliefs in what is possible. I have written about my experience and how I dealt with it but more importantly it really showed me my love for my three boys and theirs for me and resulted in the step up to become a trainer of NLP (which I never intended) and my close and exciting work with two of my sons. In supporting Joseph and help create change in people in our training's and his wonderful life changing 'Be your potential weekend' and with Luke the continuing development of Cambridge Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis processes. My relationship with my third son Daniel just keeps getting better and better too. Not knowing how good I had become in change work in the beginning I generally studied, practiced and saw clients then things started to happen when I started to work following just my instincts. Two clients come to mind both in effect dying from the effects of what was happening to them and the way they felt and within one and two sessions respectively not only won the will to live they changed virtually in front of my eyes and being apart of that process was and is the best feeling alive. The above are just three of many brilliant learnings I have had in my life. The more formal bit Paul Clough I am a Trainer and Master Practitioner of NLP and Hypnosis and am passionate in assisting those who want to reach their full potential and his special skills form a unique foundation for success. I constantly seek and develop new skills and learning's – through advanced levels of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Time Line Therapy ™, Hypnosis and to improve everyone I work with. I have an understanding of the mind/body connection which enables me to create in my clients the difference that makes the difference ~ from excellence to outstanding. For those that want qualifications: Certified Trainer and Consultant of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Certified Master Practitioner of NLP & Time Line Therapy Certified Master Hypnotist and Hypnotherapist

  1. 6d ago

    #493 What Deserves Centre Stage In Your Life?

    What Deserves Centre Stage In Your Life? Are you choosing how you live your life, or are you just doing what needs doing? You can have a full diary, get loads done and still feel as though you're drifting. I've been there. When some of my old routines and roles disappeared, I found myself asking, what next? But perhaps that was the wrong question. Maybe I didn't need another project to fill the gaps. Maybe I needed a clearer direction. In this deeper dive, I share what I'm discovering through my North Star work: how to stop running on autopilot, reconnect with what matters, and start designing a life that feels meaningful to you. And it comes down to a wonderfully simple question: What deserves centre stage today? I'll share how I use this question to check my direction, make room for curiosity and choose one small step that supports the life I want to build. You don't need a five-year plan. You don't need to figure out the whole journey. You just need to pause, check your compass and decide what matters today. Because we're all works in progress. And sometimes, a small course correction is all it takes to get moving again. Come and explore it with me. Let's stop letting the days choose us and start choosing how we live them. Pay it forward. Please share: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/493-what-deserves-centre-stage-in-your-life And if you want to see me recording this https://youtu.be/5y2GnSEScI4 Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Hey there! I'd love to hear from you—questions, feedback, requests—all welcome. Drop me a line or leave a comment. If you've enjoyed this episode or any other, please share and subscribe! You can reach me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Subscribe to the Podcast Ready to subscribe? Click here to explore your options. Or, if you're on Apple Music or iTunes, you can go straight to subscribe or leave a review here. Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, Music by freegroove from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by will |Marshall from will marshall. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism Hey, welcome to the longer podcast, The Deeper Dive, and it's me, Paul, your friend. And I have a question.   This is a question to myself, but I want you to ask it of yourself. Am I actually choosing how I'm living my life, or am I just doing what needs doing? That's a question that came into my mind a little while ago. You see, until recently, just before this question came up, I didn't realise.   You see, you can have a full day, or you think you're having a full day. You can think you're being productive. You can even enjoy parts of it.   But the thing is, you can still have that uncomfortable feeling that you're somehow just drifting, maybe just treading water. And something for me, this drifting, just had a feeling of being disappointed. Being disappointed in me, the day I've done, but I thought I've been really productive.   Can I share something personal with you? Because this is what these podcasts are all about. I want to share something personal because my priorities are changing. That's my experience.   I told you, if you've listened before on previous podcasts, I've been doing a lot of self-work, North Star work, looking for a change of direction. You see, I no longer have a hypnosis clinic. I've closed it down for a little while, but I've closed it down.   I do slightly fewer podcast episodes. You see, my previous structures just were all disappearing. And the things that at once were just automatically occupying my time, they disappeared.   I just started to feel, you know, what is happening? See, I wasn't bored, but I was looking for something meaningful. Have you had that before, you know, where you just know there's something more out there? And you see, I think that's more about drifting, because drifting isn't necessarily doing nothing, is it? It could just be doing the same things repeatedly without consciously even asking, why are you bloody hell doing them? And I think that's what I noticed when I took those things away. There's a gap.   See, my diary used to be full of everything. I'll be doing this and doing that. And then something happened.   There were gaps that needed filling. See, my old life was really structured. There was things scheduled.   And just check, you know, if this resonates with you and your diary. Everything's scheduled. I had defined roles in each of those different times of life, or different times of the day.   I had projects to work on. I had things specifically I was having to do, and I was doing them. Those people I was working with.   They were all things that needed doing, weren't they? To me, though, they were all mapped out, and I was on autopilot. And the trouble is, when you're on autopilot and you're doing these things, and things disappear or things change, for me, I don't know if these resonate again with you, there was an emptiness. Not real anxiety, but there was a hint of anxiety.   I certainly got frustrated. I got frustrated, and I got a feeling of being really stuck. You know, treading water, feeling stuck, bloody quicksand.   It's horrible. But it wasn't boredom. So I had to ask the question, what happens when things that used to give you a life structure, those things that gave you structure, or giving you structure, disappear? You see, I always used to look ahead.   Look ahead to my day, my week. In some ways, I used to look in the big picture of my life. What about you? Do you look out for your day, look for your week, look for your life? But you see, that's big, your life.   But I got to be thinking, what the hell am I doing? Where am I going? Where is this taking me? You know, I felt lost with those emotions as well. It's a pissed off feeling, really. It's not major, but something was wrong for me.   I don't know if you've had those feelings before, and maybe between us we can work out what's happening. You see, for me, and it might be for you, when something disappears, we just naturally look for something to replace it, don't we? Oh, I just need another project. Something with a beginning, an end.   Let's schedule something, something to accomplish. You know, there's space that needs occupying. To replace the old way, I just wanted to put in what I was familiar with, that old familiar zone, no stretch, no nothing.   And although I was asking what next, maybe that was the wrong question. Because I think a better question, what I've come up with a better question is, where do I want my life to be heading? Where do I want to be going? It's a great reframe in the way that I was trying to solve this directional problem within just another project, something to put in its place. And it was a directional problem.   Where do I want to go? Where do I want to head? What do I want to enjoy? What do I want to discover? And I tried to make things fit, just to grab hold of things. But when you do that, just nothing seems right. Doesn't feel right.   Get that off feeling. You've had that before, I'm sure. So, I used to have this file, I think I mentioned it on the FMQ.   This file on the computer where I kept my notes of finding me. But it wasn't finding me. It was actually changed to finding my North Star.   So, there's a journey from me, finding me, finding my North Star. But then I began to realise, I wasn't necessarily looking for the perfect project, the five year plan. This new identity, you know, it was an answer.   But that's not what we're looking for, is it? When we go deep down, it's a direction to explore. You see, when you look at life this way, it's not, here's the route, here's the route. I don't even know which way to say that.   This is where you're going. It isn't like that, is it? It's more about a feeling of, this is roughly the direction I want to be heading. Because then you're open, open to experience, open to synchronicity, open to, well, just open.   And it was my saving grace actually starting to look for this thing I called my North Star. It gave me a new view, a different perspective. It gave me permission to look at my life differently.   Not from that, doing things by rote, doing things over and over again, just the same way. Because when you do the things the same way, guess what? You get the same bloody answer, don't you? And the more I did this, the more I looked at the direction I wanted to go, what was open to me, this was no longer a metaphor. The North Star, this thing, I write it down in my journal every day.   It's not just a nice metaphor, it's a meaning for me now. And it doesn't mean that this looking for a direction has to have a destination at the end of it. Oh, no.   You see, do we sometimes make life harder by just believing we need to know exactly where we're going? Because I think we do. But we don't. Maybe, maybe we don't.   Maybe we need to re

  2. Oct 30

    FMQ 544 Are you Drifting Through Life - How to find direction

    Are you Drifting Through Life - How to Find Direction Are you living with direction, or just going through the motions? Sometimes we don't suddenly lose our way. We drift. Our days fill up, life carries on, and before we know it, we're not quite sure what deserves centre stage anymore. I've been exploring this through my own North Star work — looking at how I want to live, what matters to me, and how I can design a life rather than simply follow the routine. And I've been asking myself a question: What deserves centre stage today? In this FMQ, I share why finding your direction matters, how changing roles can make us question who we are, and why a little self-reflection might help us get back on our own path. Because we're all works in progress, aren't we? And perhaps the answer isn't to have life all figured out. It's to keep checking we're heading in a direction that matters to us. Come and have a think with me. Then join me for the deeper dive, where we'll explore how to start your day, your week — and perhaps your life — with a little more intention. As always please share: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-544-are-you-drifting-through-life And if you want to watch https://youtu.be/4ybOlU533_k Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Hey there! I'd love to hear from you—questions, feedback, requests—all welcome. Drop me a line or leave a comment. If you've enjoyed this episode or any other, please share and subscribe! You can reach me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Subscribe to the Podcast Ready to subscribe? Click here to explore your options. Or, if you're on Apple Music or iTunes, you can go straight to subscribe or leave a review here. Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, Music by freegroove from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by will |Marshall from will marshall. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism Hey, welcome to this five minute quickie, sowing a seed from a conversation I had with myself. So I was sitting down the other day, just reviewing stuff as you do. And I thought to myself, when I think of a day, do I ever think of what deserves to be centre stage? Do you think of whatever needs to be centre stage of your day? Maybe centre stage of your week? Do you ever think about what matters most of all today? And then I thought about the issue of drifting, drifting from the right path.   And you see, what I thought was, we've been on a little journey, a little adventure over the last few episodes. Such things as my struggle with structure, my need for structure, but also my need for freedom. And that led me to things like managing time.   Or is it designing your life? Or even if you remember that longer podcast, how the hell did I even get here? And all those questions, or all those longer episodes, came from, I'm going to call it a personal struggle. Because it was a struggle and it was personal to me. But it was me finding new ways, changing roles, which effectively, you get to think of changing your identity.   And this could be by choice. Mine was more by choice than necessity, or being made to. But sometimes we're forced, aren't we? We're forced to change our roles, change our way of being forced, maybe.   A hand being forced. And they're not comfortable at all, are they? But there was this thing about what deserves to be centre stage today. Because it had come to me over the last few weeks.   But you see, what I thought was, one of the thoughts I was, because I like to share this stuff. I was trying to think where it all came from. And no one really tells you this, do they? They tell you to plan your week.   And we've talked about it, you know, doing all the different things you would do for planning. And planning is great. But no one tells you how to start your day, which is different than planning your day.   No one tells you how to start your week. No one tells you how to start your bloody life when it comes down to it. Because, you know, we come onto this little world.   And there isn't a rulebook, is there? Not a written down one and one you can follow. You know, there's not a manual. And a little while ago, I was really confused about this.   And then I had one or two aha moments. I did a lot of inner work, you see. A lot of inner work.   And it all started with my question to myself. And I even put it into my computer as a folder, finding me. And I was going to put things into that folder that I discovered about finding me.   And I put lots of little bits in there. And then I changed it a little bit to finding my North Star. Because somehow, that felt so important.   And it is so important. I don't know if you really feel that too. That's finding your direction.   Maybe a reason for being here. And how to be here. I'm keeping that in my mind, my North Star.   But my North Star now is becoming my life's architecture. Because I'm building my life. I'm designing my life and building it.   And I haven't finished yet. Oh, no. You see, we're all a work in progress.   Because I don't think I ever will finish. Because it's a work in progress. And I think if you just, well, think about yourself.   Are you the finished article? Yeah, we're all work in progress, aren't we? And you see, it kept coming back through all this inner work I do with my puzzle book and all that stuff, self reflection, reviews, and an awful lot of dreaming because dreaming is a wonderful thing to do. I used to have a dream book, how to make things happen used to call it my dream book. And I think I've discovered something.   It's not the way, the way, the only way. But I think it's a really good start. It's a start to how you can go about really understanding how to start your day.   How to find that centre stage of your day, your week, your life, maybe. To save drift, because drifting is the thing that I think this takes us away. And we don't notice it because it's a drift.   It's not like there's a current suddenly pulling us along or we're getting swept away. It's a drift for the reason we're here. And drifting and making sure we pull back onto the right path.   So if any of that has just resonated with you, you know, if you think I'm just going through the motions, maybe, because that's a little bit what I was doing. You know, my day started, my day finished. I then have maybe an evening where I'd do the same thing.   Yeah, there was bits and pieces in between. And I'm not moaning because I was really fortunate because I met some wonderful people working with clients, designing various things for the mind, different processes, enjoying myself. But it was a little bit by rote.   But then, as I say, those changing roles, things are changing our direction. That's what it is, it's finding a direction. And sometimes we just need to make sure that we are on that right path, the right direction.   And you do that, I think, by making sure that you start the day right, you start the week right. And that will make your day right. And maybe on the deeper dive, when we get into that, I'll go through with the things that I found really benefited me of how I found those things.   And maybe we'll have a little hypnosis process in there as well. And that will also link into something else I'm doing, tools in transformation. And there's little bits in there.   And that tool, there's a tool in tools in transformation, which I haven't issued yet, they're coming out shortly. That goes along with this a little bit as well. So have a little think, have a little think of how much are you really on path, on your path? Are you pointing to your North Star? And then come with me.   Because even if you are, maybe some of the things that I've come up with, they might just help you really lock that in place. And if you are a little bit drifty, like I was, I think they'll bring you back on course. So come with me on the next deeper dive.   And we'll have some real fun. Because that's what it's about, isn't it? Having fun and finding our way. So until the next time, my friend, you go fly and press subscribe and follow.   So you make sure you get the next longer, deeper dive in your listening device of choice. Transcribed by TurboScribe. Go Unlimited     Personal development [self improvement] [self development] [NLP] [Hypnosis]

  3. Oct 23

    #492 What Are You Leaving Room For

    What Are You Leaving Room For? What if your obsession with managing time is actually stopping you from living your life? For years I thought every bit of my time had to be useful. Productive. Accounted for. If I looked back at the day and couldn't point to what I'd achieved, I'd feel bloody guilty. Time blocking, priorities, goals, productivity systems… I've tried the lot. And they all have their place. But eventually I realised I wasn't really trying to manage my time. I was trying to work out how to design my life. Because here's the thing: if every minute of your week already has a job, where does something new get in? Where does curiosity fit? Creativity? Learning? Walking. Thinking. An unexpected idea. A new opportunity. Or simply doing something because it enriches your life? In this deeper dive, I explore what happens when we stop trying to fill every available space and deliberately leave some room. Not empty time. Potential. It's part of what I'm discovering through my North Star work: protecting what matters while remaining open to what I haven't discovered yet. Maybe you don't need to manage every minute. Maybe you need to ask a better question: What are you leaving room for? Please remember to share what you hear https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/492-what-are-you-leaving-room-for/ Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Hey there! I'd love to hear from you—questions, feedback, requests—all welcome. Drop me a line or leave a comment. If you've enjoyed this episode or any other, please share and subscribe! You can reach me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Subscribe to the Podcast Ready to subscribe? Click here to explore your options. Or, if you're on Apple Music or iTunes, you can go straight to subscribe or leave a review here. Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, Music by freegroove from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by will |Marshall from will marshall. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism #492 What Are You Leaving Room For? Hey friend, welcome to the deeper dive of the Personal Development Unplugged podcast.   Let's get started. I think I've had it for such a long time in my life. It is a question.   In fact, it's been more than a question. It's caused me anxiety. It's an anxiety, a fear, as it were, about wasting time.   I have this thing, I have to spend time wisely, productively, all the time. Every bit of time has to be allocated. Well, that's what I used to think.   And it gave me real shit when I used to look back at the day or forward to the day and if I felt I just wasted any moment of time. Do you ever get that? You feel what a wasted day. Time's finite isn't it? It's the only thing that in some ways you can't, you can spend it but you can't really save it.   You have to be there. You see time as I say can't be spent, can't be saved rather. You could ask your question, did I spend it? Well today.   But the other thing is you can maybe just look back and wonder what I actually achieved and I used to really, used to cripple me. And I've done so many things, so many things and I bet you have too. You've probably had lots of different processes of time management etc.   Here's the ones that I tried. You see I did a long time ago with Tony Robbins, I did OPA. Knowing your outcome, what's the purpose of that outcome and then doing action.   It's all about taking action and an action is great. Especially when you decide what to do. I did time blocking and I used to try to block out every bit of time, the whole day.   I still use time blocking but I use it differently now. I used to think what's urgent versus important because I know the difference. Intellectually I knew we get stuck in the urgent stuff and we really need to just do the important stuff but we get lost in all of this trying to spend time wisely, productively and not wasting it.   Following intuition. That's good but with that other stuff it just didn't work out for me. You see there, I'm sure there's other stuff I use as well but they're all useful.   But not one of them really quite solved my underlying dissatisfaction of what I've done and also stopped the anxiety. The anxiety and fear of just wasting this time I have on planet Earth. And then there was the funny and stupid things are and yes there are funny and stupid things will happen.   Have you ever had this? You're doing something. You're doing something really important or you're going to. You got it blocked out but before you start you really have to tidy your desk up.   You have to get everything pristine. Get those pencils and rubbers and pens all in their places. And does that make bloody sense? It looks like and feels like we're being productive but that's an avoidance isn't it? It doesn't make bloody sense at all.   Yet with this fear of losing time, wasting time, I still would try to avoid. And I don't know why. Well I don't know and I don't need to know why.   That's the whole thing. Because why you might find excuses. You might find limiting beliefs.   But I had, if you've ever heard the expression, the penny just dropped. Maybe like an aha moment I guess. It was a thought I had sitting quietly.   Maybe maybe time management isn't solving the wrong problem. You see I wasn't trying to organize my hours. I thought I was.   But I was actually trying to work out how to organize my life. Well that's a big one isn't it? Organize your life. You see I struggled with questions like what does it actually mean to spend time well? Because I had in my mind initially it had to be productive.   I had to be doing things. So what does it actually mean to spend time well? Does that resonate? Here's another one that might just get you. And it got me because I couldn't.   Who decides what's worth your time? Yeah because there's pressures isn't there? There's also pressures from peer pressure, the media, what you should be doing. So much going on in your head can can put that pressure on. So who really decides what's worth your time? We know the answer.   You know the real answer. But sometimes it's fudged isn't it? And then the other thing you can ask yourself maybe this is a question I've struggled with. Can a perfectly organized day still be a badly spent day? Because you see this is what happened.   I spent years trying to organize my time. What I really needed was to organize my life because I would have a perfectly organized day and still feel I'd missed the point. I would have missed the point.   Meaningful, oh that was a big one, meaningful. You see what I discovered. You see it landed, it landed in this bloody noggin of mine.   There really is a distinction, a distinction in this time thing in my head. You see there is a There's a time that needs scheduling, that's without doubt, so I'm not throwing everything out because that would be silly, wouldn't it? There's a time that needs scheduling, things like appointments, commitments, deadlines, things involving other people. They may be each one of those above, but things that really involve other people.   So you have to be there for them. And things that you're going to do that have a definite duration, because you don't want them to just keep going on and on. So you say this is going to take this long, but what was the distinction, Paul? I've got that bit, the things that really need scheduling, but there's time that shouldn't necessarily have a predetermined outcome.   What? Let's say that again, clearly, there is a time that shouldn't necessarily have a predetermined outcome. Now, what times are they? And this is what I found in my search, a little bit I call my North Star, how I got some foundations to that. There's times that don't have a predetermined outcome such as thinking, thinking time, reflection, time just to reflect, considering, these are all, you know, they're not quite the same, but they're, you know, you might be considering an outcome, you might be thinking about something different, you might be reflecting on what's just gone by.   And there's exploring, just exploring options. Maybe there's a bit of creativity, you want to create something. So you need time for creating creation.   Then I thought to myself, what about that time for learning, sitting down and just learning something new to get this noggin of mine really, well, trying to fire it, get those neural pathways to far and wide together. Maybe if I had through all of that ideas, I could then follow an idea through a little bit, which ultimately all lent its way to discovering something new, opportunities that haven't appeared yet. Yeah, does that make sense? You see, I had an idea that not all time now has the same job.   That's what I had at the beginning. It had to be productive, it had to be meaningful, it had to be everything all the time. It had to be set down in stone.   But now

  4. Oct 16

    FMQ 543 You're Managing Your Time. But Are You Designing Your Life?

    Are you managing your time… or are you designing your life? I've spent years trying to get better at time management. Time blocking. Priorities. OPA — Outcome, Purpose, Action. Lists. Apps. And, occasionally, rearranging my pencils instead of doing the bloody thing I was supposed to be doing. And some of those tools work. But something still felt wrong. Because you can become incredibly efficient at spending your time while still spending it on the wrong things. That was the thought that landed in my puzzle book: Maybe time management is solving the wrong problem. Maybe the question isn't: "How can I manage my time better?" Maybe it's: "What do I actually want my life to be about?" That's a much bigger question. And it's one I've been exploring as part of my own North Star adventure — trying to work out not just what I should do with my time, but what kind of life I actually want to create. In this FMQ, I sow the seed. The deeper dive is where we'll explore the difference between managing your time and designing your life, why being busy doesn't necessarily mean you're moving forward, and how to start putting the important things back where they belong. So before you rush off to organise tomorrow's diary... Maybe stop and ask yourself what you're actually organising it for. In this FMQ, we explore: Why better time management doesn't necessarily create a better life The difference between urgent and important Why being busy can become a very clever form of distraction How productivity tools can sometimes help us organise the wrong things Why time blocking and planning aren't enough on their own The question: "What am I actually trying to create with my time?" And the bigger shift from managing time to designing a life The deeper dive is coming. And knowing me, there'll probably be a puzzle book, a few uncomfortable questions and at least one process involved. Listen to the deeper dive What if managing your time isn't the answer? What if the real work is deciding what deserves your time in the first place? That's the conversation we're having next. A little question for you Before the longer episode arrives, grab a bit of paper — or your own puzzle book — and ask yourself: If I stopped trying to manage my time better, what would I actually want to do with my life? Don't solve it. Just let the question have a rummage around. If this got you thinking... Subscribe or follow Personal Development Unplugged so the deeper dive lands in your feed. And if you know someone who's forever saying "I'm so bloody busy", send this their way. It might give them something else to think about. You never know. Your question might become the seed of the next episode. Have more fun than you can stand and share what you hear: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-543-youre-managing-your-time-but-are-you-designing-your-life   If there's something you'd like me to explore, or you've got a question, a challenge or even a celebration you'd like to share, email me: feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com It's time to fly.   Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, Music by freegroove from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by will |Marshall from will marshall. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism Welcome back, welcome back to another Seed, the FMQ. I thought about this because it seemed to me, and it was me, everyone seems to want to manage their time better. And for me, I'd see if this goes inside you too, and feel sounds right.   Can you maybe just grasp it for a bit? I wanted to spend my time on the right thing. I had this real burning, it wasn't a desire, but it was a burning thing that I didn't want to waste time. Time was so valuable.   Time's the only bloody thing that you can only spend, you can't save. Well, you can save it a bit, but you can't save it for another day, can you? You can't put it in a deposit account and go, Oh, I think I'll spend a bit of time that I put aside. I was, I used to get anxious about what's happening to my time.   Did I spend it right? Did I do the right thing? Did I waste it? Oh, no, I just sat there. Maybe I was scrolling and deep diving in bloody TikTok and all that stuff. Sometimes it's about maybe distractions, which is that part of the deep dive, but there's other distractions in our time.   Distractions of other people. Sometimes we get distracted. Deliberately, don't we? We distract ourselves.   Oh, I better clean my desk up before I start work, because it's important that I put the pens in the right way up before I do this. So, you know, we're self-sabotaging ourselves, trying in some way to manage time better. I used to think that if I managed my time better, I'd be more motivated.   I'd be on the money. I'd be really there. I'd be making it happen.   But I then look back and go, shit Cloughie, you didn't do an awful lot today. And I was always looking for the right time management tool. And I know there's loads of them about now on, you can get the apps everywhere.   And I did a lot way, way, way, way, way back. I used to do Tony Robbins, OPA. OPA, Outcome, Purpose, Action.   And it works. It did work. But I did get distracted.   I did sometimes not do it completely right. Maybe I was picking the wrong things. And at the end of the day, I thought at the beginning of the day, I was doing the right things.   But at the end of the day, I'd look back and thought, I'm not so happy with all of that. Maybe that was just me. Maybe that wasn't.   It worked well. It worked well. I even then put it into time blocking.   We all know what time blocking is, yeah? Well, you get your diary and you put in a big block of time saying, this is what I'm going to do. This is going to make a difference to me now. It's going to make it so different because I want to know exactly when I'm going to do something.   But sometimes distractions came along because I had to clear those pencils up again, because maybe the pen wanted just a cap on and the pencils wanted sharpening and the rubber wanted to be put in the corner and clean that, dust the desk, it's a bit dirty. And I used to religiously sit down in the mornings and time block everything. But then I got confused.   Because I had, say, like the OPA, outcome, purpose, action in my mind, because I knew that's important to know what you're doing, it's the intention, the purpose, and then take action. But I had a real difficulty in understanding what was urgent and what was important. You see, there's a lot of people who do a lot of urgent stuff.   You see them, they're busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, busy, doing all the urgent stuff. And what happens? They leave all the f*****g important stuff behind. Because they're like feeling busy.   And you look back at the end of the day and say, oh, I've been so busy, but you've achieved absolutely nothing. You know, I did find out and I know now, if I do the important things first, things get done. And I can use in a bit of time blocking, I can do a little bit of OPA and all that stuff.   But it still wasn't satisfying me. Something was out of kilter. I even used to go, okay, I'm just going to follow my intuition without question.   You know, everyone says follow your gut, just go ahead and do it. And I did sometimes and I did the urgent things or I intuitively followed something which just distracted me because it was easy. Yeah.   And that's where I started to think, something's wrong. I know time management is a useful tool. But I was trying to live my life, design my life by allocating my time, my lifetime.   And this question came up in my head. Maybe, maybe, maybe time management may be solving the wrong problem. But I'm going to repeat that.   Maybe time management is solving the wrong problem. That's when the puzzle book comes out, isn't it? That's when the puzzle book comes out. You start thinking, you see, I spent years trying to organise my time.   But what I really needed to do is this. And this is where the puzzle book came in. I needed to organise my life.   Wow, that was a big distinction, wasn't it? I'm going to repeat that as well. I spent years trying to organise my time, time management. But what I really needed was to organise my life.   And it's like the thread that we've been going through over the last few episodes. But this one goes even deeper, really meaningful. So that's where we're going to go on the deeper dive, the longer podcast.   We'll find out, you know, what's stopping us. Well, I tell you what, I'm not even going to tell you what we're going to find out, what we're going to achieve, because there's loads of stuff in there. I've got things I want to share with you.   So just let that ruminate, ruminate, juggle around in those, in that little thing at the top of your head.

  5. Oct 9

    #491 What If Life Doesn't Need To Go According To Plan

    What If Life Doesn't Need to Go According to Plan? How the hell did I get here? It's a question I've been asking myself lately — and the more I think about it, the more I realise something rather interesting. Some of the things that matter most in my life were never part of the plan. Hypnosis certainly wasn't. Neither were some of the people I've met, opportunities I've stumbled across, friendships I could never have predicted, or the directions my life eventually took. And yet, those unexpected moments often turned out to matter enormously. So perhaps the answer isn't to stop planning. Planning can be bloody useful. It gives us direction, reassurance and something to work towards. But what happens when we become so attached to the route that we stop noticing the possibilities appearing along the way? In this deeper dive, I explore the difference between having a plan, choosing a direction, and remaining open to what life puts in front of us. And I share one of the ways I'm working with this in my own North Star exploration — using my puzzle book to ask some deceptively simple questions about the life I've lived, what I'm grateful for, what really matters to me, and what direction might be worth exploring next. Because maybe we don't always need the whole bloody map. Maybe we need to know the direction… and remain curious enough to notice what appears. Listen in, have a think, and see what your life might be trying to show you. And please share your appreciation by sharing the episode: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/491-what-if-life-doesnt-need-to-go-according-to-plan And if you want to watch me recording this episode https://youtu.be/BYNBv_KI5-w Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Hey there! I'd love to hear from you—questions, feedback, requests—all welcome. Drop me a line or leave a comment. If you've enjoyed this episode or any other, please share and subscribe! You can reach me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Subscribe to the Podcast Ready to subscribe? Click here to explore your options. Or, if you're on Apple Music or iTunes, you can go straight to subscribe or leave a review here. Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, Music by freegroove from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by will |Marshall from will marshall. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism  Have you ever, ever, ever, ever thought when you look back at your life and ask this question, how the hell did I get here? How the hell did I get here? It's an interesting question, isn't it? I'll bet you have never asked it, but I'm asking it now.   How did I get here? Because you see, when you examine it, so much of what matters in life, I think, was never on the roadmap. So, if you like, say that again, if you're like me, you might just say to yourself, I know I had plans, I had trajectories, I knew where I thought I was going, and yet, some of the things that changed my life the most, I couldn't possibly have planned. They were so far over the horizon, there's no way I could see them.   You see, NLP wasn't supposed to lead me here. It was supposed to lead me into being a kick-ass business person. And I went to a particular guy who was going to train me and I spoke to him many times saying, I want to come and do NLP with you, proud of it, he was a brilliant man, fortunately he's up in the heavens now.   And he said, no, Paul, you can't, you have to learn hypnosis first. And hypnosis was not on my horizon. It's never, or was never on my horizon, I didn't even know what the bloody thing was.   But he said, you know, you've got to come and learn hypnosis first before you can do NLP. So I thought, oh bugger, I know he's such a good man, so I'm going to learn it. And the thing was, something bloody happened.   It was in about the first day, I had this realisation, what a dick I was, to think this was NLP and that was going to make me this kick-ass businessman. Because I was going to try to use it as hacks and, you know, all the tips and tricks and all that stuff you hear about manipulation. And what a lot of bollocks that was.   I had this realisation, this aha moment, I'm a dick. Let's just learn. Because there was so much more to learn.   And what happened? Tell you what happened, which was so far off the horizon. I learned hypnosis. I did learn NLP, I did do lots of business with it.   And then I carried on, but created hypnosis clinics, did trainings, taught people, helped people, did all sorts of stuff, which was never on my bloody horizon. Never planned. Then there was another time, another time in my life when I was doing some work and I got a phone call from a guy I sort of knew.   I'd worked with him before, but he was like in a different company and he worked for us and things like that. And he just phoned up one day and said, Hey, Paul, could you help me out? I've got this job and it's near where you live. Can you pop in on a Saturday morning, just for the next month or so and do some work for me? So I said, yeah, sure.   Why not? And that's what I did. That little invitation. And then he said to me one day, thanks for doing what you're doing, but do you know somebody who can come and help me full time? Because my business is growing and I need this type of help.   And I said, well, have you thought about asking me? And he said, would you do it? You wouldn't do it, would you? Because you do other things. You know, you've been a director. No.   Is that really you? I said, well, ask me. And he did. And I said, why not? Why not? Done everything else.   This is another path. And what did it lead to? 15 years of working somebody who we never had an argument with. We never had a formal agreement, but we never fell out.   We never did any crosswords, which is so weird. And he became a real friend. I never had friends at work.   I had colleagues. Yeah. But not real friend friends.   But he was a friend I could really turn to whenever I needed to. He was there. And so far beyond my horizon, all from, well, why not? Now, have a think about this.   Let's put the spotlight on you for the moment. Yeah. In a nice way.   In a nice way. I want you just to consider something. You may want to come back to it after as well, but just take time to consider how much of your life was actually planned? Not the obvious stuff, because obviously, I had plans in my business and things like that, because you have to have some plans.   But think about the people you've met. Think about the opportunities you've come across serendipitously, if I could say the word. The places you've lived, visited, the jobs you've had, the relationships and those happy accidents.   The things which were totally unexpected. Maybe it was a conversation. Just think for the moment, how many of those things that now matter enormously, if I could say the word, to you, were actually part of your original plan? Yeah.   I'm gonna bet not a lot. Yeah. So let's have a little think.   Don't think that planning is bad, by the way. We're not going to throw planning out with the bathwater, because that's a ridiculous thing to do. Because planning is effective when it's done properly, and it's successful.   All the things I did, having found these unexpected things and the why nots, I still had to plan for them to come to fruition. Because what does planning do? It gives us a little bit of certainty, because we've got an idea where we're going, what we're doing. It gives us a bit of control, doesn't it? Again, because we know the steps.   And that control gives us a little bit of reassurance. Maybe sometimes it fulfills your identity. This is where I'm going.   I don't like the identity bit, but this is why I think, I'm going to do this. That's a better identity. I can do this, because I've got control.   And plans give you something to measure against, doesn't it? Because if you haven't got a plan to measure against, you don't know how close you are to that goal. You don't know how far you've come. You don't know whether you have to move direction slightly.   And it also gives you that wonderful feeling that you know what you're doing. Now, sometimes we don't, but we feel it. And that's why abandoning or changing a plan can feel so uncomfortable, you see.   We're going to change and that takes away our uncertainty, or creates uncertainty rather. Can't get it right, Cluffy. We're maybe still in control, but the reassurance isn't there anymore.   And we're thinking, is this me? My measurements are gone. Maybe I don't know what I'm doing. Maybe I get that funny belief.   And that's why I say, changing plans can be a little bit, feel funny. We're threatening that certainty that we were believing is that we knew the route. But the thing is, there's a richer point.   And it's like overplanning. Don't overplan. This is to me, it's a little bit like

  6. Oct 2

    FMQ542 How The Hell Did I Get Here

    How the Hell Did I Get Here? When Life Takes You Somewhere You Never Planned Have you ever looked at your life and thought… "How the hell did I get here?" I have. Twenty-six years ago I thought I knew exactly where I was going. I wanted NLP to help me become a kick-ass business person. Instead, I discovered hypnosis. And that completely changed the direction of my life. Then, years later, a phone call from a friend led me into another part of my career that I'd never planned, never expected and initially didn't even want. It became one of the best things that ever happened to me. And that's what got me wondering: Why do we think the rest of our lives has to be planned? Maybe life isn't always about following the plan. Maybe it's about having a direction… and being open enough to notice what appears along the way. This FMQ is the seed for the deeper dive: "What If Your Life Doesn't Need to Go According to Plan?" So, before you rush off to plan the next five years of your life, have a think about one question: How the hell did you get here? And what unexpected turns might have taught you something you couldn't have learned any other way? In this FMQ Why your life may take unexpected turns What unexpected opportunities can teach us The difference between having a plan and having a direction Why being open to change can create possibilities How life experiences can change your sense of purpose A question that might make you look at your own journey differently Your puzzle-book question How the hell did I get here? And then: What happened in my life that I never planned, but I'm bloody glad happened? Listen to the deeper dive What If Your Life Doesn't Need to Go According to Plan? Because sometimes the most interesting parts of life are the bits we never put on the bloody plan. If this episode resonates, subscribe or follow Personal Development Unplugged, and please share it with someone who might need the question too. It's time to fly, my friend. Have more fun than you can stand. Please share what you learn: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq-542-how-the-hell-did-i-get-here-when-life-takes-you-somewhere-you-never-planned Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Hey there! I'd love to hear from you—questions, feedback, requests—all welcome. Drop me a line or leave a comment. If you've enjoyed this episode or any other, please share and subscribe! You can reach me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Subscribe to the Podcast Ready to subscribe? Click here to explore your options. Or, if you're on Apple Music or iTunes, you can go straight to subscribe or leave a review here. Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, Music by freegroove from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by will |Marshall from will marshall. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism Welcome my friend to the seed a five minute quickie, the seed of thought. Well, my thoughts anyway. And the thought this time is how the hell did I get here? You see, about 26 years ago, I heard about this thing called NLP.   And I thought it was going to be kick ass, kick ass. In my business life, it's gonna, it was gonna just shoot my career, I'd be able to manipulate people and all that stuff. And so 26 years ago, or maybe more actually that 26 and a half years ago, I want to went and did a training with a guy called Wilf Proudfoot, unfortunately, he's left this world.   But what a wonderful man he was. And he was so wonderful. He said, I'm not teaching you now people, you got to learn hypnosis.   Oh, really? But I wanted to be this kick ass business person is going to change everything for myself. All in my business. I got it planned.   And I started that course. Bloody hypnosis. What the hell is all this about? What's that got to do with, you know, progressing my career? How's it going to change my life? I don't know.   And I listened to what he was saying. And a few things started to, you know, the cogs started to, to move in a different way in my mind. And then there was an aha moment about, I think it was about just coming into the second day.   I was thinking about this. I was wanting to learn how to be this kick ass business person with all these wonderful tricks and tools and, you know, mind hacks, which I hate the f*****g word mind hack. But as another discussion.   But something happened. It was if right then there was an aha moment. And that aha moment was what a bloody dick you are, Cluffy.   What a dick. It's not about you having mind hacks. It's not about you having all the tricks and things.   It's about changing who you were, and who I am, and seeing life differently. And I didn't jump, I didn't jump ship or do anything like that. But learning that hypnosis, and then an NLP with this different frame of mind, changed my life.   It was never on the horizon. But the effect was unreal. It did help kickstart my career.   But not in the way I thought about being manipulative and things like that. But being, you know, serving people, helping people in business, which is unheard of. You know, people used to try to do nasty things to each other, try to get the one up, you know, always be the better, try to, you know, cheat a little bit, I guess.   But just being kind and using these tools in a different way, changed my career. But it also added so many different things, because I'm here, aren't I? I've set up hypnosis clinics. I've become a trainer of NLP.   I train people to deal with trauma, become hypnotherapists. And I also got, and I'm still am, working with my two of my three sons. That's awesome.   Changed my life completely. But it was never on the horizon. Then there was another time, I remember this other time.   I was doing this, I was in my career, doing the stuff, that was okay. I'd had a few changes, and this is one I had to grasp. And then out of the blue, I got a phone call.   A phone call from a guy called Mark. I knew him, I knew him. And he said, Paul, I wondered if you can come and help me for a little while.   Just do a little bit of work at the weekend for me. Maybe just turn up on a Saturday and do this little job for me. I don't know, maybe four weeks, that's all.   And I thought, yeah, why not? Why not? It's different. Could do with a little bit of cash. And then it started to change a little bit.   So I talked to the guys around this new area. And it was a completely different area of the industry that I was in. It was part of something that I never, ever, ever thought I would ever be part of.   Didn't want to be part of it. It didn't seem right. Not in the way in my projectory, as it were, my plan projectory.   Cluffy's got a plan. And then out of the blue, again, Mark just said to me, do you know if, do you know anybody who would come and help me on a more permanent basis? And I looked at him and said, well, why are you asking me that? It just came out of my mouth. Why don't you ask me? And he said, well, you wouldn't do this, would you? Because it's, I know the type of work you've been doing.   And this is completely, completely off target, off track or whatever. He said, so I didn't want to ask you, but would you? And after a little bit of thinking, a little bit of chatting with the people involved in my life, I then thought, but why not? Why not? I've done everything else in this, this bloody industry. Why not take this little leap? Because I know this guy.   And he seemed, you know, I even checked his values, which is really weird, but his values were exactly the same as mine. And what happened? It led to 15 years of the second greatest job I've ever had. The first one is that training and working with, with people in therapy and things like that.   But it was the second greatest job I ever had. But it also did something else for me. It gave me a friendship.   And I never really had friendships at work. You have friendships, you know, but they're colleagues. But Mike was a friend, a true friend.   He supported me. If I was any, I had a few little wobbles occasionally, as we all do. And he was there for me.   Again, completely out of the blue. And you see, what I'm trying to say is, and this is where we're going to go on the deeper dive. This has been part of my personal work over the last few months, maybe longer, but I think it's over the last few months.   And I've come out with this question. Why do we think or why did I think the rest of our lives, my life has to be planned? And that rocked me. I'm going to repeat that one.   Why do we think, we, you and I think the rest of our lives has to be planned? Yeah, let that sink in for a moment. Because that's where I'm going on the deeper dive, discovering, finding direction. And I think you'll find it really interesting because it's changed my life.   And I think you'll get some golden nuggets from it, which will get

  7. Sep 25

    #490 What Your unconscious Mind Is Trying To Tell You

    What Your Unconscious Mind Is Trying To Tell You Ever had that strange "ooh… I don't like that" feeling when nothing obvious seems to be wrong? I've been getting it more often while exploring questions about my life, my direction and my North Star. At first, it's tempting to push an uncomfortable feeling away, but what if that feeling is actually unconscious communication? In this deeper dive, we explore how the unconscious mind communicates through feelings, intuition, memories and emotional signals, and how becoming curious about an uncomfortable feeling can reveal what's underneath it. Rather than fighting anxiety, uncertainty or emotional resistance, I'm exploring a different approach: pause, listen, get curious, discover what you need, then choose your next step. There's also a simple process you can use to explore an uncomfortable feeling, discover what it may be trying to tell you, and decide whether you need to act—or simply give things time to settle. This is another part of my own journey of personal development, finding direction, trusting yourself and creating a more meaningful life. I'm learning as I go, and sharing the bloody journey with you. Don't suppress the signal. Get curious about it. Please share this episode: https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/490-what-your-unconscious-mind-is-trying-to-tell-you If something in the episode stirs a question or challenge for you, email me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. I read the emails personally. And if you're curious to see me recording this https://youtu.be/QqsuPtTs7OI Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Hey there! I'd love to hear from you—questions, feedback, requests—all welcome. Drop me a line or leave a comment. If you've enjoyed this episode or any other, please share and subscribe! You can reach me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Subscribe to the Podcast Ready to subscribe? Click here to explore your options. Or, if you're on Apple Music or iTunes, you can go straight to subscribe or leave a review here. Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, Music by freegroove from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by will |Marshall from will marshall. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism #490 What Your unconscious Mind Is Trying To Tell You     Welcome to this deeper dive. Hope you're well. Hope you're feeling good because I've got a a little question.   This has been happening to me a little bit more often than late and I thought it'd be a good time to to share because I'm sure you'd experience this type of thing too. It's that, you know, that feeling. What feeling is that Cloughie? Oh, nothing's really happened happened.   You know, you're not having a panic attack and you're not running all headless chicken type thing. Nothing's exploded. Nothing's gone.   You know, it's just, oh, oh, I don't like that feeling. Oh, I don't know. It's just happened.   It just comes along. See if you can resonate with this because this is where I tend to find I get these feelings come along out of the blue. It's, I find it when I'm writing my puzzle book, you know, asking a question.   And as I write the question down, I get that feeling. I just get that feeling. Or maybe it's, I don't know, making a decision.   I've got to make a decision about something. And while I'm thinking about it, it could be, I've known this to happen, that someone says something and it's not what they say, not the actual words as such, but it's maybe their tone. You know, the way they've said it.   You even get a look, don't you? Well, do you? I do. If someone looks at me in a particular way and I go, oh, I get that funny feeling. And it's like that word has maybe triggered something.   That look has triggered something. It's from the past. It's been anchored in the past.   And ah, I don't like it. They're like secret triggers because you don't know what's happening or what it is, but you know what's happening. Let's get it right.   You can even get it when you're driving past place or walking past. You're walking along and it's like your unconscious mind catches something in peripheral vision. I say that again, peripheral vision.   And you go, oh, it's like something is associated to something. But consciously, you're not quite sure what it is because you don't notice it because you notice the feeling first. You know, you can be thinking about something, just minding your own business, remembering something, and you get a feeling.   And this is where I've had it of late. And this is where it's all really come from is when you're considering a new direction and that feeling comes along and you don't know, is it something really bad? Or what is it? Because it's not, it's just an uncomfortable feeling. Have you had that? For me, it's normally just in the real pit of my stomach and it's just there.   Yeah. So have you had something like that? One or all of them? And what do we normally do? When you notice that feeling, what do we do? We go, oh, please make it stop. I don't like it.   I want to push it away. Remember I was saying, you know, you push it away, you push it down, trap it in a little box somewhere, hide it. It doesn't work that, does it? Because it tends to come back, doesn't it? Tends to come back a little bit and you go, oh, okay.   Maybe a little bit stronger. What would happen? Think about it. If we had a different response, what different response could we have? I'll tell you.   Let's just get bloody curious about the thing. Let's get interested in it. You see, it's not about this feeling not being right.   And it's not about this feeling must be, it's wrong. It's just, but what if I thought this? Interesting. Interesting.   Something's happened inside me. I wonder what I can learn from it. Wow.   All of a sudden, as soon as you say that, what can I learn from it? It's as if that feeling changes a little bit too. It's a bit like, oh, they're listening to me. And you see the meaning that you're attaching to that feeling, that negative, you think it's negative and that's why you're pushing it away.   But it may not be that. It may not be that at all. Because that's the meaning that you've consciously put on it.   And it's an unconscious signal. Yeah. Do you want to play? Do you want to play with me? Come on.   All you got to do is take a bit of time, take a bit of time out and play. It's not deep, but you're thinking about and remembering. So I want you to remember something.   I want you to remember a time when you did have a feeling like that. Not a mega, mega, mega one. No.   Ten was the worst. Zero. It doesn't exist.   A four out of ten, even a three out of ten. Something that you can remember it by. It's rememberable, if that's a word.   But it's not mega. Because I want you to, just for a moment, if it's okay, let's just be by ourselves. Because I want you to explore it.   Let's get curious. Let's get that thing interesting. Oh, what can I learn from this? But before we go into that bit, let's just notice, noticing it.   So where do you notice? Remember, bring that memory to mind now, where you felt it. Not what was going on, just the feeling. Recall that feeling.   Where do you notice it? Not externally, internally. Where do you notice it? As I said about minds, normally they're just a pit in my stomach. And as you remember that, just remember it.   If you could, and you can, put all your attention right there. That's it. All your attention right there.   What do you know? And now we can just notice all sorts of things. Does it have a size? What size is it? If it did have a size, what size would it be? Because it's there. Is it tiny, tiny, tiny? Maybe it's a tennis ball shape, or size, I don't know.   And the shape, is it round? Maybe when you think about it, and you really get into it, it's a bit more, it's not really round, it's more oval. Or maybe it's a bit more square. And when you really get into it, really get curious about it, does it move a little bit? Because sometimes you go, oh, it's actually just vibrating slightly.   That's how I noticed it. Yeah. What about its temperature? Is it warm? Is it cold? Does it have a temperature? Curious, isn't it? And get even more curious now.   Is there a pressure to it? Whatever that means, do you use it pushing, pulling? Is there a pressure? If you could know, and you could feel the edges of that, that feeling, would it have a texture? Does it have a texture? I've known feelings to have a slight direction. And when you really get into it, there's always an intensity, isn't there? Doesn't have to be mega, as I said, but there is, oh yeah, I can feel it now. I can feel it.   It has been moving. It's even got a colour now. Oh yeah.   And you see, you are now owning this as well, because you're describing it to yourself. And when you describe the

  8. Sep 18

    FMQ541 Why That Uncomfortable Feeling Might Be Trying To Tell You Something.

    Why That Uncomfortable Feeling Might Be Trying To Tell You Something Ever had that strange "oof… something doesn't feel right" feeling? Not necessarily panic or major anxiety, just an uncomfortable feeling that seems to arrive from nowhere. I've been noticing more of these feelings while sitting with my puzzle book, asking questions and exploring my own search for a new direction. And I've started wondering whether these feelings are actually signals from the unconscious mind, rather than something we should simply push away. The usual response is to ignore it, distract ourselves or try to make the feeling disappear. But what if there's something useful underneath it? What if that uncomfortable feeling is trying to tell us something? In this FMQ, I explore unconscious communication, anxiety, emotional signals, intuition, decision making and personal change, and sow the seed for a deeper look at how we can work with these feelings rather than fighting them. The longer episode will take this further and explore how we might understand what our unconscious mind is really trying to communicate. And, as always, this is part of my own ongoing exploration of finding my direction and creating a more meaningful life. I'm sharing what I discover as I go, because maybe what I'm learning can help you with your own journey. Don't push. Pause. Listen. If this resonates, subscribe or follow the podcast so you don't miss the deeper dive. And as usual, share it to another https://personaldevelopmentunplugged.com/fmq541-why-that-uncomfortable-feeling-might-be-trying-to-tell-you-something If you want to see me recording this https://youtu.be/CMxwK9U1OEQ Shine Brightly 🌟 Paul Hey there! I'd love to hear from you—questions, feedback, requests—all welcome. Drop me a line or leave a comment. If you've enjoyed this episode or any other, please share and subscribe! You can reach me at feedback@personaldevelopmentunplugged.com. Subscribe to the Podcast Ready to subscribe? Click here to explore your options. Or, if you're on Apple Music or iTunes, you can go straight to subscribe or leave a review here. Special Programs for You For tools on developing Supreme Inner Confidence, finding Freedom from Anxiety, or specialized Hypnosis Tracks, visit PaulCloughOnline.com. Free Hypnosis Tracks Want access to my FREE hypnosis tracks? Head over to paulcloughonline.com/podcast. Connect with Me Follow me on Twitter: @pcloughie Remember: I'm a therapist, but I'm not your therapist. This podcast and any of my online resources are for educational purposes only. Never use the hypnosis tracks or exercises if you're operating machinery, driving, or if you have epilepsy or psychiatric conditions. Always consult a healthcare provider if you're unsure. Find Us on Other Platforms Catch the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, iHeart Radio, YouTube, or on our Libsyn page. Stay tuned, and keep shining brightly. ✨ Music Credits Music by Wataboi from Pixabay, Music by DreamHeaven from Pixabay, Music by ccjmusic from Pixabay, Music by freegroove from Pixabay, Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by prazkhanal from Pixabay. Music by will |Marshall from will marshall. And the transcript WARNING if you're a lover of the written word this may make you frustrated, or angry - you have been warned - is it an 'ism   Hey, have you ever had an oof? That's not a nice feeling.   Had that? I really wanted to share something with you because I know it means a lot to me about this particular bit because I've talked a lot about puzzle books. And you know how much I love my puzzle books. The sitting down, the thinking, the asking myself questions.   And I've been spending a lot of time asking questions. And what I do, sometimes it can show that type of feeling. Or that feeling can suddenly come from apparently nowhere, being triggered.   You know, it's not the most horrible, horrible, horrible feeling. It's not like panic and things like that. It might be, but we'll talk about that.   But it's just a, ooh, that's just a weird feeling. You know, for me, it's generally in my gut area. And it just feels off, as if I've been knocked off balance a little bit.   As if to say, oi, Cloughie, I get that when I'm journaling too. Do you? If you journal, that is. You start journaling and you're right in a way.   And then some bit of inspiration comes, maybe. Or you're thinking about doing something and you're explaining it to yourself. And then, without warning, that triggers this weird feeling.   It's a negative feeling. It's just not nice. And in fact, when you think about it, when I thought about this, that's why I wanted to share it, is in fact, virtually anything could trigger off these type of things.   I notice those more often because I'm by myself. I'm, you know, sitting with my puzzle book by myself, considering stuff, asking questions, or journaling by myself. But in fact, if you think about it, music, that tune, that song, can just trigger a weird feeling.   Maybe it's the look of someone's face. It's the way they look at you, not the look of someone's face. The way they look at you could just trigger off a feeling.   Maybe it's a word. Or maybe, I've even known it, when you're either walking past a place or driving past a place, you start to think of something. Suddenly that memory gives you that feeling.   And I've been having it a little bit more often now because I've been going through maybe the last six podcast episodes, talking about and sharing about my search for change. I've been talking about a North Star, a new direction. Maybe you're having that too.   Or maybe you eventually will have the need to change direction. You know, something happens intuitively and you go, this is the right time. And then, ooh, because in this, for me, seeking change, a new direction, that's brought a lot of oohs.   Ooh, I don't like that feeling. So, can you relate to that maybe? Can you think of times when, unexpectedly, you just had, let's call it a weird feeling. We know it's negative, but it's not major, but it's something there.   And you can't explain it. You know, it could be a full run of things like panic attack, but generally, there might be a little bit of anxiety in there, a little bit of worry, a little bit of that type of, I'm not sure, what is this? You just can't explain it. And you see, I take it as a signal, a signal from my unconscious mind, saying, hey, Cloughie, but that's about it at the time.   And what do we do? What was the normal thing that nearly everybody does? We try to push that feeling away, don't we? Because it's not the nicest feeling in the world. It's a little bit horrible. It's messy.   I want to push it away. Go away. I don't want to know.   We try to ignore it, don't we? And the more we push it away, the more we ignore it. Guess what? It gets louder. It gets bigger.   It comes back at us. Because I believe it's a signal from our unconscious mind saying, hey, I've got something for you. But it's just in a weird, weird way of communicating, isn't it? Now, there is a thought, and I use it myself, and I've taught it, is to sit with that feeling.   Don't push it away. Just sit with it. Put your mind, as it were, in the center of that emotion, where it is in your body.   And just sit there. Acknowledge it. Don't try to change it.   Sometimes the process will be to explore its qualities, which is weird. You know, what color is it? Does it have a shape? Does it move around? Does it have a temperature? Is it rough or smooth? Does it pulse? Just to get to know the sub-modalities of it, the qualities of it. And sometimes doing that, it will either just disappear because you've acknowledged it, or you might get an indication of what it means, what it's trying to say to you.   But sometimes you don't. And I think there's a better way. There's a better way to learn.   And I've been learning different things, as I say, through my quest for a new direction in my life. And when you think about it, new directions can be pretty major, a little bit like my re-looking for the qualities of a North Star, a new direction. Or it could be just a decision you're making.   And there's a whole spectrum of thoughts that would create this. But what would happen if there was a better way? A better way to understand. A better way to learn.   A better way to have your unconscious mind let you know what it's trying to do for you, because it will be positive. It just doesn't feel good at that time. But what would happen if it could really find out what your unconscious mind is trying to say to us? Well, that's what I want to share with you on the deeper dive, because I know I've been talking about lots of different ways of finding your direction, asking questions.   All these steps along the way for my new direction and what I'm finding and sharing. And what I thought was, well, I haven't told you about those feelings. And it's important, I think, before we start to keep moving on in these new ways and what comes along on this adventure of life, as it were.   So on the next longer podcast, I want to dive a little bit more deeper into understanding your unconscious mind, how it's communicating with you through these feelings, so we can then just let them go, because we understand. Intuitively, we will know. And I think, well, that was important to me, to help me move forward.   It was like a blockage. You're trying to make a decision, and there's something weird, but you can't make it out. It's just like a blockage, something you can't see.   You can't grasp. And I want you to be able to see the answers, grasp the answers, and understand and make great decisions for yourself. So come with me, if that's of interest.   I think it'll be really interesting. What we'll discover, what we'll find, and ways to work with your unconscious mind, because it's

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A podcast for those wanting personal development but want it made simple and easy to understand and more importantly use, take action and make a difference to your life and the world you live in. If you want to change the way you feel and the way you act and react. If you have negative emotions, behaviours, that you want to lose forever and create something special in your life then I think you will like what you hear. This genre of self-improvement, self-development and mastery of your mind has, I believe, been made over complicated and secretive and here I am de-constructing the processes into their simple forms that we can all understand and easily use. There's no interviews just little ol' me ;0) Who am I and what do I do?………Paul Clough. I now love helping making changes in people and guiding them to create the life they really want. A personal look at me: The above sentence was not always the case and being the best in the financial realms of the building industry was my aim and getting there by any means. I now know this is, and was, the worst way ~ even if I did make director of one of the largest building companies in Cambridge by the age of 30. One of the major realisations came on my first ever training in hypnosis. I found that it's not a win lose world and that a win win is only a low basis to live. Being true to your beliefs and coming from a place of integrity where service is paramount. This understanding together with lots of NLP skills helped create my last partnership in the building industry grow from a turnover of £800k to £16m in less than twelve years and that can only be done with giving more than expected. Another shaping of me came from two traumatic events in my life that happened within six months of each other which created a number of major changes in me and by beliefs in what is possible. I have written about my experience and how I dealt with it but more importantly it really showed me my love for my three boys and theirs for me and resulted in the step up to become a trainer of NLP (which I never intended) and my close and exciting work with two of my sons. In supporting Joseph and help create change in people in our training's and his wonderful life changing 'Be your potential weekend' and with Luke the continuing development of Cambridge Hypnotherapy and Hypnosis processes. My relationship with my third son Daniel just keeps getting better and better too. Not knowing how good I had become in change work in the beginning I generally studied, practiced and saw clients then things started to happen when I started to work following just my instincts. Two clients come to mind both in effect dying from the effects of what was happening to them and the way they felt and within one and two sessions respectively not only won the will to live they changed virtually in front of my eyes and being apart of that process was and is the best feeling alive. The above are just three of many brilliant learnings I have had in my life. The more formal bit Paul Clough I am a Trainer and Master Practitioner of NLP and Hypnosis and am passionate in assisting those who want to reach their full potential and his special skills form a unique foundation for success. I constantly seek and develop new skills and learning's – through advanced levels of Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Time Line Therapy ™, Hypnosis and to improve everyone I work with. I have an understanding of the mind/body connection which enables me to create in my clients the difference that makes the difference ~ from excellence to outstanding. For those that want qualifications: Certified Trainer and Consultant of Neuro-Linguistic Programming Certified Master Practitioner of NLP & Time Line Therapy Certified Master Hypnotist and Hypnotherapist

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