Relationships, public speaking, performing a song for Simon Cowell. All things you should put as much of yourself as you can into. A lion's den, a pair of hotpants 2 sizes too small and difficult conversations-all things you absolutely take yourself out of. I don’t mean don’t have difficult conversations but, as far as possible, we should take ourselves out of them.

Being self-employed I was naturally drawn to this book when I saw it.  Of course, I’d like to monetise my expertise and build a solid business creating my own products but is it really as achievable as we are led to believe? The internet is awash with people showing you how to build a business online, most of whom I’m more than a little suspicious of, so it was nice to pick up a practical book from a reputable authority on the subject. Perhaps it can be done after all….

Have you ever noticed that when you are doing something you love, no matter how physically demanding it is, you often feel like you could keep it up all day? Yet, when you are doing something mind-numbingly dull you find it tiring to the point where you could very easily fall asleep?

Why is this and how can we find ways to get more of that energised feeling?

Have you set some goals for the new year?  80% of New Years Resolutions fail by the second week of February. Here's 5 things you can do to increase your success rate in 2018.

I've never been one to admit "I'm struggling". I don't like to bother people or bring them down with my woes and no one likes a moaner. I've never had much time for Jeremy Kyle 'guests' who air their dirty laundry in public either. In fact, I admit I've been quite judgemental about them. However, I have come to learn that both professionally and personally, talking about your problems with people is actually a bloody good idea.  

I pay people to make me uncomfortable –and I love it. 

No it's not a wierd sex thing.

Ever found yourself slowly slipping into bad habits?

Here are 5 warning signs that you are veering off course and how to spot them.

Ever done this? You've set out to achieve something, you take action and slowly you start to see some progress unfold but then you get stuck and you can't seem to break through and finally crack it? 

When you find yourself in this situation it might be time to pause and reflect. Here are five questions to ask yourself when you get stuck. 

Modern technology is a wonderful thing when it works for us. However, when we become a slave to technology it can kill your productivity and cause you to lose hours each day.

Have you ever felt snowed under because of the commitments you have to other people? If you have then you may be training them to depend on you either practically or emotionally. Even worse your act of kindness might not be as kind as you think.

We all like to be smug. Who doesn't like the feeling of proving ourselves right and proving others wrong? It's a great feeling. Or at least it should be. 

I'm always amazed at how some people are so pleased to prove themselves right even when it means sabotaging themselves. 

Fitspo' quotes. Do you love them or hate them? 

I love seeing quotes and memes on social media. Mostly on weight loss or fitness pages. I'm intrigued to see if I can tell what a person's motivations are. I think a lot of people post these quotes and memes to show how positive they are but they probably aren't aware that they are revealing more negativity than they realise. 

I've been doing a lot of research into procrastination recently for an online course I've written on productivity.  I uncovered loads of loads of great tips and 'hacks' for overcoming procrastination. Lots of cunning methods of tricking yourself into greater productivity but none of the dozens and dozens them of the articles or books I read addressed the cause of procrastination. 

It's the question we rarely ask, what if it all goes right? Following my last blog on presupposing failure I thought it would be good to follow up one on presupposing success. We seem to live in a society that encourages us to imagine the worst. And while forewarned is forearmed, it can cause us to become really unstuck when things go surprisingly well. 

Last week England limped out of the Euro 2016 with an abysmal performance, prompting Roy Hodgson to deliver his resignation speech to the waiting press conference. Not a surprise. But what did surprise many commentators was the speed at which his resignation speech was put together. Did he have his resignation in mind before the match even kicked off? What difference would it make if he did?  

Working from home sounds like the ideal gig but the reality can be anything but. Some people take to it like a duck to water but for others, loneliness can creep in and before you know it you can be overcome with feelings of isolation. Why does this happen and more importantly how can you overcome it?  

Ever wished you had an owners manual for your mind? In this blog I give an overview of the 'prime directives of the unconscious mind'. Any material on behavioural change will feature frequent references to the unconscious mind. There's a good reason for that. All change, learning and behaviour is performed in the Unconscious Mind. But what does the unconscious mind actually do and why does it cause us to think and do all sorts of random and seemingly self-defeating stuff? 

Ever described yourself as being in two minds about something? Have you ever stopped to wonder if there's some meaning to that? 

In this blog I explore the difference between two types of thought, or processing, our minds use and the importance of appreciating the role each is designed to play. If you often experience a conflict between what you feel you should do and what you actually want to do, it might be helpful to ask "Am I using the best part of my brain to solve the problem?"

Ever pursued a goal, only to achieve it and not feel as happy you thought you would? Or maybe you achieved it but it didn't really change anything in the long term like you thought it might? Ever set yourself a goal but never really knew why? It begs the question, "do you know what you really want?"