Music to help you relax - Liszt - Au lac de Wallenstad and Pastorale

The piece below is from Années de pèlerinag; Suisse by Liszt. It is played by Lazar Berman.

Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage)  is a set of three suites for piano. The title Années de pèlerinage refers to Goethe's famous novel of self-realization, Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years. The original title for that was Wilhelm Meisters Wanderjahre which meant Years of Wandering or Years of Pilgrimage. Here are Liszt's words on these suites

"Having recently travelled to many new countries, through different settings and places consecrated by history and poetry; having felt that the phenomena of nature and their attendant sights did not pass before my eyes as pointless images but stirred deep emotions in my soul, and that between us a vague but immediate relationship had established itself, an undefined but real rapport, an inexplicable but undeniable communication, I have tried to portray in music a few of my strongest sensations and most lively impressions."

In her Mémoires, Liszt's mistress and traveling companion of the time, Marie d'Agoult, recalls their time by Lake Wallenstadt, writing, "Franz wrote for me there a melancholy harmony, imitative of the sigh of the waves and the cadence of oars, which I have never been able to hear without weeping."

Enjoy the music



With thanks to YouTube and Wikipedia

Learning the Art of Stillness

A TED talk from travel writer Pico Iyer on the benefits of reflection, stillness and mindfulness! Time to take back a few minutes out of every day, or a few days out of every season. It's the talk for anyone who feels overwhelmed by the demands for our world.

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search - you can find all her books on Amazon at this link

         

Active Listening and Good Communication

Building relationships at work and at home depends upon good communication. This includes the ability to really "hear" what the other person is trying to say. if you practice the skill of active listening, you will be able to communicate better.

In coaching we spend a lot of time thinking about active listening – for us it is a core skill. Active listening is hearing with engagement. In active listening you work to not just to hear the words, but to understand exactly what the other person is trying to say.

Active listening helps the other person to feel appreciated and respected. It helps them to have trust.

Active listening is a skill that requires practice but here are some tips to help you on your way.

1. Position - be somewhere where you can see and be seen by your hearer for important messages. Talking one to one, or in small groups, sit up straight or lean forward slightly to show your attentiveness through body language.

You can read the rest of this post at this link http://wp.me/p6V6rl-1lK

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search - you can find all her books on Amazon at this link

         

The Resilient Mindset – don’t let a fixed mindset defeat you

The Resilient Mindset – don’t let a fixed mindset defeat you

How to thrive in times of change

This is a challenging time for all of us. For many times are hard and the world has become a frightening place. So can you survive mentally intact and thrive?

How do you develop a resilient mindset?

Well accepting that we all have core values that we want to carry through life, most other parts of our thinking can changed. And a mind that is prepared to change and take on the requirements of new circumstances has most chance of staying intact. It is time to learn to challenge your own thinking.

A fixed mindset will chatter away in your head, if you let it.  It will tell you all the reasons why you shouldn't change. It is also likely to fill your head with negativity. It will tell you why you are not up tot he task of change. An, slowly it will erode your confidence.

The nasty fixed mindset will tell you that even if you wanted to change, you couldn’t do it! It might whisper that you’re not bright enough! You are not strong strong enough!  Or it might hint that if you change people won't love you any more.

Now sit back coolly and start answering back. Are any of those doubts founded in reality? Think of things that you have achieved in the past.

Time for you to start answering back.

“Well I’m certainly bright enough – if I see the need for change, I’m bright enough to do it.  I can learn and I can find people who will help and advise me.  I can learn and the people about me will probably like the new me! If not, well they will have to accept I have the right to be happy.”

You fixed mindset will probably answer; “But what happens if and when you fail?

So here is your defense.  “Everyone fails sometimes. But I’ll do it well and I’ll manage the risks – so I’ve got every chance of success.”

“But” says your fixed mindset, “if you don’t make the change, you can’t fail.”

“No, but, if I don’t try, I’ve failed already!

Now your fixed mindset sneers and becomes cunning.  “Oh so it is going to be easy for you then!”

You smile wryly.  “No it isn’t going to be easy.  Nothing worth having comes easy. I’m going to do it anyway”

Push the negativity back into the shadows where it deserves to be! If you keep beating it back, at some point your fixed mindset will slink away.  It won’t be dead. It may emerge occasionally when you are feeling tired or frustrated. But you have the upper hand now.  You know you have to find the energy to take up your sword and beat it back into the shadows again.

With practice you can learn to think positively and confidently about your change.  You will develop a resilient mindset.

You can do it! You can make the change you desire – it is time to start believing. Reach for your sword and begin practicing.

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience

means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search - you can find all her books on Amazon at this link

         

How to get promoted

How To Get Promoted – are you doing well in your present role but feel ready for the next step up? Even in this tough economic climate some people are still managing to get promotion. But how do you make yourself part of that élite group? 

Today over on our sister site we have a two post series on how to get that precious promtion.  Here is a link to Part 1 – link

Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in organisational development, management, coaching and personal development. That experience means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up new businesses or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues. You can contact her at wendy@wisewolfcoaching.com

Wendy has written a little eBook on how to get on with your boss and a book on job search - you can find all her books on Amazon at this link