The UK’s recent referendum on European Union membership seems to have exposed deep fault lines in British society, if the strength of feeling shown in arguments on social media is anything to go by. I’ve certainly seen the normal rules of…
10 Ways To Help Someone Close To You Loosen Up Their Limiting Beliefs
Even for experienced coaches and therapists, it’s not easy to help a person change when it’s someone close to you, because you’re emotionally involved yourself. If they’re stuck with a belief system that they know is holding them back, but they just…
Your Unconscious Beliefs Distort Your Perceptions – With Proof!
Your unconscious beliefs shape and distort your perception of what’s around you. Don’t believe this applies to you? This image, the ‘checker shadow illusion’ proves it does! The ‘checker shadow illusion’ was developed by Edward H. Adelson, Professor of Vision…
How To Use Surprise To Reduce Confirmation Bias
‘Confirmation Bias’ is when our minds filter what we perceive of the world around us, amplifying evidence that fits our existing beliefs and playing down or ignoring altogether any information that challenges them. Confirmation bias is inevitable – there’s so…
‘Growth’ vs ‘Fixed’ mindsets – and why it’s important to have a ‘growth’ mindset
Anyone interested in personal development will have come across the Henry Ford quote “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This quote is so often repeated because it encapsulates an essential truth – that self-belief…
Politics and psychology – test your moral foundations
Following on from the last article about the differences in psychology and brain structure between ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’, here’s a fascinating video of a TED talk by Jonathan Haidt on the five moral values that form the foundation of our…
How Limiting Beliefs Can Affect Your Leadership
Last week I had a first coaching session with the Managing Director of a medium-sized company. Although he had a long and successful track record as Operations Director, and had a wealth of experience and an MBA under his belt,…