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Julie Leonard Life Coach

Helping you live to your full potential.

How Practicing Gratitude Can Increase Your Happiness

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This simple act of practicing gratitude can radically affect my mood and mindset. First of several years now I have had a small wooden tray with a jar and a pen and a little pile of colored paper sitting on my desk. And at the end of each day, I write down something I am thankful for. Some days it is something big, like today and my new comfortable bed arriving. Other days it is simply I watched a squirrel on my balcony or the sun was shining.

Why the practice of gratitude shifts negative thinking

Our human brains have a tendency to focus on the negatives. Did you know that it takes FIVE positive comments to counteract ONE negative comment? It seems that people find it much easier to tune in to negative things than into positive ones. One of the areas I often start with when I am coaching a client is to listen to the language that they use. So many times the women I work with talk in absolutes. Everything. Nothing. Nobody. Everything went wrong today, Nobody loves me, Nothing ever goes right for me…..But often they are not aware that they are doing it. In over 25 years of supporting clients, I have never found these statements to be true. It is often how the person feels but when we take a closer look, it’s not completely true.

How Practicing Gratitude Can Increase Your Happiness

The practice of gratitude is an effective way to begin to shift your negative thinking and to remove those absolutes. When you feel that everything went wrong today or that the day was awful, taking a few minutes to think about something positive in the day that you are thankful for can shift your mindset into a more positive one. It also helps you sleep better and wake up the next day in a more positive mood.

The science of gratitude

And don’t just take my word for it. The world’s leading expert on gratitude is Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California who has carried out research that links the practice of gratitude to living a happier life.

The Impact of daily Gratitude practice

What we know from research is that daily gratitude can have a deep and far-reaching effect on our lives. People who practice gratitude regularly:

How Practicing Gratitude Can Increase Your Happiness

An attitude of gratitude

  • Report higher level of happiness than those who do not.
  • Have closer and more meaningful relationships
  • Live more in the present moment and are more mindful
  • Are kinder and more compassionate
  • Are more resilient in stressful situations
  • Are more focused on the positives in their lives
  • Have a strong and positive mindset
  • Have a more balanced perspective and dwell less on first world problems
  • Are physically and mentally healthier.

Wow! All of this from writing down a few words each day!

So why not kick off this year with an Attitude of Gratitude, buy a nice notebook and pen or get creative and make a Gratitude jar and embrace one of the simplest ways to increase your happiness.

Interested in increasing your happiness? Why not join my Happiness Club on Facebook.

You can also email me at hello@julieleonardcoaching.com to book a free discovery call with me.

I originally published this article in Uber Moms Blog.

Is Your Subconscious Holding You Back? – Change Negative Thinking

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Do you ever find yourself in the situation where you really want to achieve something but somehow it doesn’t happen? Do you find yourself procrastinating, putting it off or even talking yourself out of it?

Then now is the time for you to make changes.

Change Negative Thinking

You may think that you and your conscious mind are in charge of your future self but actually quite often it is our subconscious mind that rules our thoughts and actions.

The good news is I can help you change that.

Our subconscious is where our beliefs and values are – both positive and negative. These beliefs drive our thinking and our actions so if you have beliefs such as ‘I’m not good enough’, ‘It won’t happen for me’, ‘I don’t want to fail’, or ‘I don’t want to get hurt’, etc then you are not going to achieve your goals of getting that promotion, making money or finding love. Instead, you will stay stuck and frustrated.

So What Can You Do to Change Negative Thinking?

Identifying your beliefs and where they come from is the best starting point. Understanding and changing these beliefs will get you unstuck and moving forward.

As a Certified Life Coach I support women every day to understand who they are and what they think, feel and believe. The good news is that you can CHANGE negative beliefs and negative thinking and create a more positive mindset.

Want to start being in charge of your subconscious mind? Want to make long-lasting and positive changes in your life?

​Lets work in partnership to transform your self and to transform your life Book Your FREE Discovery Call today!

Tips on How to Find Your Tribe

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One of the ways to feel connected with others, supported, content and happy is to find your tribe. Especially if you are new in a city, are self employed or a new mum, getting out and finding people who you connect with, who are supportive, positive and in a similar situation as you is essential for your happiness. We all need support, we all need help sometimes and we all have the need to connect and form relationships.

Since moving to Munich I have reached out and found various groups of people to connect with as my life here has grown and changed.

Find Your Tribe

My Ways to Find Your Tribe

When I first moved to Munich, I joined Internations, a platform for expats abroad and met many interesting people in the same situation as myself and from that formed some strong friendships. I then eventually set up my own group on Internations (Munich Women’s Sport and Wellbeing) in order to run the kind of events that I would enjoy and to meet like-minded women.

When I became a mother, I joined some FB groups and an English speaking mother and baby group where I met women who were all new mums and after more than 2 years we are still close and supportive to one another. I even set up my own local FB group to connect mums and dads in the area.

And as I am self-employed, I knew that it was essential that I surround myself with other entrepreneurs as its often not easy working by yourself. I found super colleagues to collaborate with and a monthly entrepreneurs group called Tuesday’s Together, part of The Rising Tides Society that is invaluable for its support and motivation.

From that group I recently found my tribe that would help me rebrand and relaunch my website and company. Ginny KraussNoleen Sliney and Carolin Voelker have become my A-Team on this journey for me and I can’t wait to share more about them and my journey with you over the next few weeks.

Who are the important people in your life? Do you need to get out there and find new people to connect with? How important is it for you to be surrounded by positive and supportive people who understand you and your life?

Check out the links above for inspiration or email at julie@potentiacentre.com for support or to book a Coaching session.

Three Steps To Reduce Stress

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We all know that our ancestors used stress and the fight or flight response to prepare for danger and to survive. And that in the modern world sometimes a little bit of stress is a good thing. It protects us from danger and is perfectly normal in certain situations such a sitting an exam, or your driving test or giving a presentation. But when it happens in everyday life or for prolonged periods of time it can have a detrimental effect on our health and happiness.

Stress is an emotional and physical reaction to a situation and is a state so many of us are very familiar with. The feelings of anxiety, worry and being overwhelmed along with the poor sleeping or oversleeping, butterflies in the stomach, nausea and tension are common symptoms of stress. When stressed, the body thinks it is under attack and switches to ‘fight or flight’ mode, releasing a complex mix of hormones and chemicals such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine to prepare the body for physical action. This causes a number of reactions, from blood being diverted to muscles to shutting down unnecessary bodily functions such as digestion.

Three Steps To Reduce Stress

Through the release of hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and norepinephrine, the caveman gained a rush of energy, which prepared him to either fight the tiger or run away. That heart pounding, fat breathing sensation is the adrenaline; as well as a boost of energy, it enables us to focus our attention so we can quickly respond to the situation. And this too is good if we have to suddenly brake when driving or react quickly in a situation, but if we live in this heightened state for too long these elevated levels of hormones and chemicals can lead to elevated levels of sugar and blood pressure.

So how do I Reduce Stress?

First of all you want to recognize your early warning signs. I know when I start to feel stressed, I don’t sleep so well, I feel emotional (more emotional than usual!) and I am more irritable. What are your early warning signs?

Secondly, you want to see if there is any action you can take to reduce the issue that is making you stressed. Can you speak to your boss about delegating some of your workload, can you book a babysitter to give you a break?

And finally, what can you do to reduce the feelings of stress? I have been supporting women for over 25 years to cope with and manage their stress levels. I know for me getting some fresh air every day, going to bed early and making more time for mindfulness practice really helps.

Accessorize Your Winter – Wardrobe Essentials

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Is it just me, or does it feel like one day it’s lovely and warm and the next we are in Autumn and it’s feeling much colder? So don’t get caught out. Be prepared and ready for all kinds of weather. And an important part of being organised is to sort through your accessories.

Here are my tips for Organizing those Wardrobe Essentials:

Wardrobe Essentials

#1 Organise Jumpers and Cardigans
It’s time to declutter and get rid of old and worn woollens. Keep the ones you like and feel good in. Do any need laundered, hand washed or dry cleaned? Now is the time to do that and have them fresh and ready for the cold weather.

#2 Hats, Scarves and Gloves
Find matching pairs of gloves. Wash hats and Scarves. Find matching sets. And get rid of any badly worn or damaged accessories or any that you haven’t worn in years. Have them all in the one place- a drawer, a shelf or in a box so that you can easily find them. And don’t forget to have that umbrella in an easy to grab location.

#3 Boots
Now is the time to make sure you have all the footwear you need for the wet and windy weather. Do any boots need to be thrown away or replaced? Do shoes and boots need cleaned? Or does anything need to be reheeled or repaired? Do that now and be ready for colder days.

#4 Jewellery and Handbags
The colours of our clothing tend to change with the seasons and so looking out jewellery and handbags that match darker and heavier fabrics will mean you always look polished and put together.

Follow these steps and the ones from the past two weeks and you now have a wardrobe deluttered, organised and ready for winter.

For Ideas on how to get organized for autumns check out this article.

For more support with decluttering contact me at julie@potentiacentre.com

How Bragging About Yourself Can Boost Your Confidence!

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Most of us don’t like to talk about how great we are, even less so if we are feeling low on confidence. So, have you ever thought of making a brag book to help you boost your Confidence!?

I am a very visual person so I like the idea of something I can look at and touch and its a self-confidence tool I often suggest to my clients.

Boost Your Confidence - brag Book

Originally used as a way to create a portfolio to take to job interviews, you can now also use the idea to create a book where you can collect all the amazing things about you. It’s a wonderful way to gather together achievements, successes, awards and things people have said to you all in one place.

It’s simple and easy to do and very effective:

  • Find yourself a nice notebook or folder
  • Think about the achievements, big and small, in your life
  • Print off emails of nice things people have said to you
  • Put in letters, postcards or notes that say something special about you
  • Write in compliments people have given you
  • Add anything else you fancy

The Brag Book works in two ways. Firstly, the process of collecting all of these nice things about you will help boost your confidence. And secondly, whenever you are feeling low in confidence you have your visual brag book to look at and remind you of how great you are!

I find my brag book helps me stay confident and positive both personally and professionally and its a lot of fun to do. Plus, its nice to spend some time being creative.

So why not give it a go!

Life Coaching – Why Kindness Matters and How to be Kinder

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Just after the US presidential elections, I was chatting with an American friend of mine and he told me he had felt so despondent after the election. In fact, he told me he had gone into a depression for a couple of weeks. As we spoke I told him that I had liked the hashtag #lovetrumpshate and how it had inspired me to think about creating a campaign, a kindness movement in 2017.

Life Coaching - Why Kindness Matters and How to be Kinder

This, in turn, triggered a memory of when I was at uni and my best friend nicknamed me Julie ‘Love’ Leonard as even waaayy back then I felt so strongly that one person can make a difference.

And just before Christmas I had the immense pleasure of hearing Jane Goodall speak at the Tollwood Festival and she so succinctly and eloquently brought together all the thoughts I had been throwing around in my mind and she was so inspirational in what she has achieved with her own humanitarian projects. She is 80 years old and travels 300 days of the year to deliver her talks!

And I believe more than ever in 2017 with Trump and Brexit and so much hatred, racism, misogyny, and fear that it is time we start to be even kinder to ourselves, to our partners, our children, friends, family and strangers. It’s time to spread kindness and love and I do believe that love can ultimately win over hate.

So how can we be kinder?

Picture

1. Be more Mindful. By being more present and conscious of our thoughts and actions we can choose to be more kind to people in how we speak to them and act towards them.

2. Perform acts of kindness every day. Call a friend, talk to a stranger, write a letter, say thank you, buy someone a gift…the list is endless. Make an effort to do a small act of kindness every day and see how it makes you feel and those around you too.

3. Join a kindness challenge. There are many challenges out there such as the Advent Calendar or the  Kinder Scotland challenge via Kind spring. Or why not create your own challenge and invite friends and family to join.

4. Donate to charity.   There are so many worthy causes out there, big and small, local and national and International.

5. Volunteer with charity. There are so many ways to get involved and help others. Why not support refugees or transform some community green spaces or walk dogs in the local shelter.

6. Create (or join) a movement.  Social media has changed how we can mobilize people into action and make large and small changes in people’s lives. Change.org and Justgiving are two examples where ordinary people can make a difference. Find a cause you are passionate about and join or create your own.

Join my Kindness Movement

Together we can make a difference!

Mindfulness –  How to Turn the School Run in to a Happiness Moment

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Getting out of the house in the morning can be a challenge! Most of you will have seen this but it makes me laugh so much every time!

I will soon be getting myself and my toddler out the door to get to the Tagesmutter. It isn’t always going to be easy to stay calm and present. Children don’t always want to go with our schedule! But how we handle these minutes at the start of the day sets the tone not only for our day but for our child’s too.

I have been practicing Mindfulness for over 10 years and can’t emphasise enough the benefits of it. Being mindful is being fully present in the moment, paying attention. I often describe it as seeing the world through the eyes of the child. They are fully present and engaged and find wonder and joy in all that surrounds them.

Once out of the house, Mindful Walking can change our mornings and our moods from stressed and harassed to calm and happy.

Mindful walking is a simple way of being mindful every day. Most of us do some walking in our day. Whether it is from the house to the bus stop or from the u-bahn to the office or a walk to the shops, we can all find ways to incorporate mindful walking in to our day. And you will find huge benefits if you are more mindful with your child on the way to kindergarten/school as well as on the return journey alone.

So, on the way to school, take a deep breath and with your child draw awareness to all the sensations around you – the warm sun on your skin, the breeze on your face, the sound of birds, the smell of flowers, the colour of the leaves….Try to be more like your child and see the joy in all that is around you. You will then arrive at kindergarten/school with a happy child who will interact and learn much better.

Now, it’s time for you to walk mindfully back home or wherever your next stop is. When our minds are busy, stressed or going too fast bringing awareness to our body helps counteract that. Walking mindfully is walking normally but with more attention to our walking. To help you walk more mindfully:

  • Bring your awareness in to your body and to its movements as you walk – Each time you get distracted, simply bring your awareness back to your body and its movements.
  • Bring your attention to the soles of your feet – This is especially good if you are rushing or are feeling anxious. Notice the weight of your body down through your feet, and be aware of the ground supporting your feet.
  • Use a counting technique – This is very good if you are distracted or stressed. Count after each step – 1,2,3….until 8 and then count backwards to 1.
  • Use words or phrases – Adding phrases can help you stay in the experience. Try something like ‘walking mindfully’ or pick your own.
  • Let go – Pay attention to any feelings of stress or tension and walk and let go of them.
  • Have awareness of the nice sensations – Your body moving, the warm sun on your skin, the breeze on your face, the sound of birds, the smell of flowers, the colour of the leaves….

Over the coming days, pay attention to how walking more mindfully makes you feel. Do you feel calmer, happier, more relaxed, focused? In a matter of days you will begin to see a change in how you feel. So whether you walk to school, walk to the car or walk to the bus or train, say goodbye stressful mornings, hello quality time with your children and more happiness.

Interested in learning more about Mindfulness and how to make it part of your daily life? Let’s start working together to help you achieve a happier life. More details are here

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