Glossy mags that work for you

Someone gave me a copy of Good Housekeeping - My first response was "I may not have the waist of a 10 yr old boy and wear Yassar Arafat style scarves regardless of the temperature - but I'm not that old!"

But as I flicked through from the back. Yes the back. I thought this was a tad odd too - but I found someone that does the exact same thing, and we discovered that we had sooo much in common and instantly hit it off - something psychological going on there me thinks.

It reminded of when I recently attended a marketing seminar. Learning things like how long it takes you to decide if you like a website, less than 3 seconds apparently! (That's not the most motivational news for any of you thinking of re-designing your website is it?) and how we see a hint of red first, and read in an F pattern (odd!) or that if you send out a 1000 leaflets your average return rate will be 2! Yes just 2, so think carefully whether THAT'S the best course of action for your business before you head off to the printers!

It got me thinking about how we are actively encouraged to think in different ways, to feel different things all the time. External influences are at it all the time, and whether you think you're paying attention and give a rat's hoot about the size of a z lists celebrity's butt, the fact is your subconscious quietly stored that info away. And depending on the person you are will depend on how that information gets stored and treated.

If you have had the experiences in your life to reinforce the person you are and to build your confidence then you WILL treat this info as worthless and it gets filed away in your subconscious deleted file, but if you look in the mirror and your eyes are drawn to the wrinkly bit of skin under your arm, or the laughter lines (yes laughter lines not deep groove wrinkles that need made up biohydrowhatsit technology!) then your subconscious will put a level of importance on that image and store it close to hand. And what does THAT do for your confidence?

As I flicked through the pages of this glossy I noticed a big difference to my normal glossies that I choose. The lack of the 'eat banana vines before midday' and a 'solution of chilli, Sarsons vinegar and juiced berries from the foothills of the Andes at bedtime' diet. The "I lost 3 stone and found the real me" stories. The lack of criticise and soul destroy the celebrity and successful people pages and the lack of 'I am a celeb and I do the hoovering to keep my bum firm and thighs like elongated sausages' - yeah right!! but a lot of hey "you are already great" instead.

Okay so I am not so interested in where to get an old suitcase repaired or where to get the perfect secateurs (although I was chuffed with finding out how to get stains out, since I have a muck monkey for a daughter) but I love this attitude. I love the don't change you, just understand the person you are and do more of that.

I went to a fabulous seminar yesterday with a guy that is the male version of me in everything he believes and does to get what he wants out of life and he spoke a lot about congruence and Good Housekeeping is singing this from the roof tops.

Congruence is about being what you are meant to be. Saying, feeling and acting in the same way. Have you noticed how on occasion everything seemed to flow? It felt natural, like this is what was meant to happen. That's not luck that's congruence at work.

How can you create this state so that your life flows naturally to whatever you want to achieve and succeed at?

Before you read another glossy or admire another B - List lounging in a castle on a fluffy white rug. Think about you.

What's important to you? What do you like doing? What are your dreams and aspirations?

Because if you understand what is important you will be able to appreciate that half the glossy magazine does not even apply to you. You may think it would be nice to have a butt like a 15 yr old school girl, but if you hate the gym, you and your parents are shaped like beach balls and you love Ben and Jerrys ice cream how much happiness is this butt going to create for you? Think of the pressure you would be creating for yourself to be someone that is not congruently you.

The opposite can be true too - Have you noticed how something "just clicked" and you instinctively knew what to do? The reason? You were listening to you, what is important to you, what you believe, what your values are - In other words you were congruent to everything that is important to you. Don't live your life admiring other peoples lives, get the life you want and you won't find it in any glossy magazine.

If you do one thing differently today make it the decision to listen to what is important to you. Professionally and personally you deserve to succeed in everything you do - Get Congruent, get Results!