#50DaysOfShades Day 31 of 50 – Appreciation.

#50DaysOfShades Day 31 of 50 – Appreciation.

Back on day 6 I wrote about recognising the resource around us, then yesterdays I wrote about looking at things differently.

Today for me was about appreciation (of these things).

Taking it a step further than simply recognising something, or looking at it differently, today I went fully into appreciating what those things give me.

Something as simple as the plants and flowers that people grow in their gardens along my road. A fruity pint of beer and the opportunity to just sit in the sun with nothing particular to do.

Different to Gratitude (giving thanks for), that has its place too. But to appreciate – recognise the full worth of.

Question for today:

You may already show gratitude for things, but do you really appreciate them?

#businesscoach #businesscoaching #gratitude #appreciation

#50daysofshades d31-i02 - Appreciation.
#50daysofshades d31-i03 - Appreciation.

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#50DaysOfShades Day 30 of 50 – Changing how you look at things.

Changing how we look at things is key to changing the outcomes we achieve.

Last night I was having a conversation with a friend about how when I’m out on my walks I try to do as much of the route as possible in bare feet. There is definitely something about walking in bare feet that makes me more aware of where I am walking (changes in texture, temperature underfoot etc). This simple practice is great for challenging the assumptions I make about what is / is not happening around me.

So today when I didn’t really want to go out for a long walk but wanted to get my daily photo I headed out with the thought of looking for a different place to take the photo.

Somewhere I’d normally walk straight past without even thinking and I picked this pretty grotty bridge which is fairly close to home.
I thought it could give an interesting frame for the picture, the green foliage contrasting curve of the mottled bricks that make the arch.

What outcome did all of this ‘looking differently change?’ you may ask.

Well as you can see from the third photo the dark clouds (that looked even darker with shades on) were closing in. Being able to achieve my goal sooner meant I was able to make it back home before they broke. Enabling me to remain dry.

Questions for today:

How do you challenge your own thinking?
Do you ever ask others to help you do it?
What outcomes are you looking to change in the next few weeks?

#businesscoach #businesscoaching #thinkdifferent #changetheoutcome

#changetheoutcome

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#50DaysOfShades Day 27 of 50 – Celebrate Success

Today’s theme of Celebrate Success was suggested by a friend. Probably as a joke, but hey I need something to write about so here we go.
 
Over the last month of so he has been working on the classic beetle he recently purchased. Problems with the exhaust, running rich and a bit lumpy. So he had to strip pretty much everything out of the engine bay to get to the problem heat transfer thing (I’m not a mechanic!).
 
On a couple of occasions I’ve ‘helped’ mainly moral support, but the odd bit of an pair of extra hands makes light work.
And today I got a message – “Beetle just fired up!!! First bloody time”
 
So took a walk around to his workshop expecting it all to be back together, but no still a few bits and the boot lid to go back on, so gave him a hand putting that back on and left him to the other bits.
 
Then came the message “About to do a small journey in the bug” so out we go for a quick drive around. (He looked so chuffed with himself that it was back up and running). Seeing how it runs, listening out of anything out of the ordinary.
 
All sounded good.
 
He is now ready to take it to a VW show this weekend where I’m sure he will have a little celebration (when it gets there and back) and I got myself an ice cream on the way home.
 

Questions:

What have you done today/this week (big or small) that you can celebrate?
How are you going to celebrate it?
If you were to suggest a theme for the day what would it be?
 
 
#businesscoach #businesscoaching #CelebrateSuccess #vwbeetle
50daysofshades d27-i01 - Celebrate Success
50daysofshades d27-i04 - Celebrate Success - Steve Wells Business Coach in Sunglasses
50daysofshades d27-i05 - Celebrate Success - Steve Wells Business Coach with an ice cream

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#50DaysOfShades Day 25 of 50 – Little things that change your world.

Tying together a couple of things mentioned in previous days. Yesterday I mentioned the wild areas up at Reading Uni and on Day 11 I talked about creating the opportunities you are looking for.

In today’s photos we have two examples of where local people have done something to make their local environment brighter and more environmentally diverse.

The first photo of Newtown Community Garden, a space that has been co-opted by locals to be a managed wild garden. No Mow signs and allowing it to grow longer than normal, along with selective planting to encourage bees etc.

At the other end of the garden (pic2) is an example (one of many in the area) where the boring/ugly junction boxes have been painted. Some have themes, some have messages (pic3) some are just shapes. They are not painted perfectly but they have been painted with purpose, and it that that I notice in them. When they first appeared back in 2020 (I think) I actually made a point of looking for them and even now I’ll spot one I’ve not seen before (which makes me smile).

Questions for today:

What makes you smile on a regular basis?

What do you go out of your way to look for when out and about?

 

#businesscoach #businesscoaching #healthandwellness #businesswellness #spiritualbusinesses

#50DaysOfShades Day 25 of 50 – Little things that change

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#50DaysOfShades Day 24 of 50 – Lots of questions

The other day someone said one of my photos looked like the Reading University grounds. So took some time today to go and have a look around my old stomping ground. (1991-1995 doing a BSc in Biochemistry and Physiology).

I’ve been there plenty of times since I left but always for a reason, some good (helping advise one of the student groups), some not so good (getting grief counselling several years after my dad passed).

Today was the first time to just look around, see what has changed and feel what comes up. I always add in feel as it is how we experience what comes up rather than what we actually see that matters.

Studying in the labs at the School of Animal and Microbial Sciences, AMS, the building was one of the predominate features on campus with the new Microbiology wing just being completed next to it. Both of which are now tucked away behind new buildings, with AMS having been the host to a museum of Zoology, which has now been moved (but all the signs are still there), so not even sure if the building is in use.

There was a disappointment that the buildings (that represent something unknown to me, as I have no idea how well the department is doing these days) seemed neglected, passed over.

Then seeing a building I knew, but didn’t recognise. That was where I went for the counselling, the sticky plaster that helped at the time but didn’t heal anything. (There was/is a far longer story/journey for anything that actually helped). Maybe that was why I was drawn to go up there today (on Father’s Day) as it was at least admitting I was struggling was the start of that journey.

So I walked around and appreciated the nature (the campus was the biggest draw of coming to Reading). The big trees that were 27 years older now. The wild areas that have grown, that are being deliberately wildly managed.

And too many thoughts and questions came up to list here.

So question for today:

When did you last go back somewhere and how did you feel about it?

 

#Businesscoaching #businesscoach #revisitsomewhere

50daysofshades day 24 Microbiology and AMS buildings
50daysofshades day 24 i-02 - Steve Wells in Sunglasses with Reading Uni Library in background
50daysofshades d24-i05 - Tree Reading Uni
50daysofshades d24-i07 - Tree Stump Reading Uni

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#50DaysOfShades Day 22 of 50 – Getting it done.

Today was definitely a day where getting it done was the theme.

I have made a point (so far) of not going back to look at the pictures/read what I wrote from when I did 50DaysOfShades back in 2015. But I distinctly remember something about the first few days taking lots of photos then getting better at the single shot and using it whatever it looked like.

This time round that is so not the case. I want the good photo, I want it to reflect something, I want to be able to talk about what it means (to me).

Today it (the good photo) just was not happening. I tried to be a bit arty, and it just would not work, out of focus, terrible framing you name it. It was too bright to see anything in detail on the screen (even with my actual glasses) so was very much in a ‘I hope that worked’.

As you can see from the pic’s, it did not!

So here I am with 4 or 5 pretty ropey pictures (and a whole bundle that were deleted as soon as I actually saw then) that simply don’t match what I wanted to talk about. But I have a post to make and part of this experiment is about being honest with what happened and how I feel about it.

How I feel:

I actually feel ok about it (otherwise I would have gone back out and taken more, better, photos). The pictures are what you look at first, but not specifically what you see. Hopefully you are actually reading these ramblings and you see something deeper. A bit more of me.

Questions for today:

Do you think people see who you are, or are you caught behind a mask?
What have you seen of me, today or in the last 21 days?

#businesscoach #businesscoaching #resources #embracewhathappens

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Interested in business coaching?

What are you doing?

One of the big questions about this project is explained in more depth on Day 4

#50DaysOfShades Day 21 of 50 – Days to form a habit.

Some say it takes 21 days to form a habit, so that’s it now I must be in the habit of taking a photo and posting every day.
 
Eer no. (and the 21 days is a myth2 anyway, albeit a positive one that has probably helped people at least get started.)
 

I’m not even sure I can call taking/posting the photo a habit.

 
A habit can be defined1 as: “a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up”. To me there is also an element of a habit being unconscious, doing without thinking, getting to a point where it’s happening before you even notice it. (think biting nails, how someone folds a crisp packet, or what you do with receipts) Which more closely adheres to this definition2/3 “actions that are triggered automatically in response to contextual cues that have been associated with their performance”.
 
50DaysOfShades is far more of an exercise, maybe a practice (more on my definition of a practice another day) but definitely process.
Firstly I could give it up in a heartbeat, some days (not necessarily the ones with only a photo) I could really not do it.
 
Secondly, it takes thought. Working out what photo/where, what to say (if anything) it is far from an unconscious act. (To the point where I even have a checklist of what I do, how/where I post, what subtle differences there are between platforms, how to upload to my website etc). So if far from unconscious and triggered automatically.
 

It is however a practice (such as yoga or meditation).

It is something I am giving (for better or worse) time, energy and focus. And I have given it these since day 1.

 
So rather than pondering (or creating) a new habit. My suggestion is to create a new practice for this can be a reality from day one, not day 21, 28, 30 or in reality2/4 anything from 8 – 254 (or not at all).
 

Questions for today:

Do you have good/bad habits you create or change?
Would a practice assist you to get started?
 
#businesscoach #businesscoaching #TimeEnergyFocus #Habit #habits
(ps, just random photos from today's walk with dragon boats on the river)
0daysofshades d21-i03 dragon boat
50daysofshades d21-i04 Days to form a habit. Steve Wells in hat and sunglasses tent in background

Interested in business coaching?

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One of the big questions about this project is explained in more depth on Day 4