Now, I’m sure you’ve been in a situation where someone makes a chance remark, or you see something that triggers off a whole load of memories which have lain dormant for years. As human beings we store all our experiences in the mind/body complex – what we have difficulty with is recall, unless something triggers off the memories. Well, I thought I was taking a trip to Poole, but in fact it turned out to be a trip down memory lane for the most obscure reason.

I wandered into St Peter’s Church, Poole and there was my memory trigger – photos of Lord Baden Powell, founder of the Scouting movement! Apparently the first ever scouting expedition was held on Brownsea Island in Poole harbour in 1907 and Lord B.P’s connections with the town were cemented when he married his young bride (he was 54, she was 23!). Well, seeing his image brought back all sorts of childhood memories about my brothers going off to scout camp and doing good deeds to raise money in Bob-a-Job week (a bob = 5p these days ). I can remember them comparing notes and moaning about how some householders made them work much harder than others for the same amount of money!

However, putting aside the personal memories of the smelly kit bags and the bob a job stickers, it got me thinking about Lord B.P who was described as being a man of his time and a man before his time. Having recognised (during his serving career in the army) the importance of instilling good values in young people he then did something about it and went on to found the world’s largest peace movement and was considered to be the 13th most influential person of the 20th century. Wow! So what was/is the scouting movement teaching? Well, they refer to spiritual development (not religious) as being at the heart of the scouting activities and by that they list 7 ‘laws’, a code of conduct.

A scout is to:

• Be trusted
• Be loyal
• Be friendly and considerate
• Belong to a world-wide community
• Have courage in all difficulties
• Make good use of time and is careful of possessions and property
• Have self-respect and respect for others

Quite frankly, if I’d followed these all my life, I’d be in a VERY different place now!! However, of the above listed, the one that jumps out as having the most potential for creating long-lasting and far-reaching change for the world is the last one – having self-respect and respect for others. A teacher of mine once said that you can only respect others as much as you respect yourself, so there you have it. Start looking at ways in which you can increase your self-respect……..respect for others will then follow on naturally. ….hmmm……maybe I WILL recruit for the boy scouts after all!

No, I’m NOT recruiting for the Boy Scouts! is a post from: Lis Allen

However, what really interested me was the storyline which revealed King George’s challenging up-bringing and how this had created anxiety which affected his speech to the point of him stammering really badly. History tells us that his parents were undemonstrative and he was not only missing out on affection, he was subjected to a stern upbringing by his nanny.

He was certainly the product of Victorian upbringing, in an era when Royalty would definitely have shared the accepted belief that children should be seen and not heard. Now that’s an interesting belief to hold….I wonder if that has had a long-term effect on the self-expression of the nation?! Isn’t it interesting that man’s greatest fear is not death, but public speaking. WHAT is that about? Time to check in with yourself and ask some questions.
Are you able to relate to the King, with all his difficulties in expressing himself? Maybe there are situations in your life when you want to say something and you’re stopped, not because of a speech impediment, but because of some other factor. It might be:

• lack of preparation – you might need to think through exactly what you want to say, rather than blurt something out on the spur of the moment.

• you’re unable to control your emotions and this would minimise the impact of your communication

• you think no-one values what you have to say

• you’re scared of letting people know your innermost thoughts and feelings.

It could be one of the above, or maybe, of course, it’s all of the above, to some degree! In which case, it’s time to start having a look and asking some questions. How can you express your point of view in a powerful and compelling manner? How can you become even better at sharing who you really are?

Have a think about it, and let me know what you come up with.

Finally, back to the King’s Speech for a moment. As I said earlier, I didn’t fall asleep – I was so humbled, moved and inspired by the courage of this man, sleep was the last thing on my mind. In fact, I think I might go and see it for a third time…….maybe his courage will rub off on me?

The King found his voice. Have you? is a post from: Lis Allen

Now I don’t normally recommend books which I haven’t read, but I’ve just read an article on the BBC website (see link below) which discusses its content.  It seems pretty much in line with what I already know on the subject of genes, hereditary factors and environmental influences on human development.  So, when you’ve read it (either the BBC article or the book) let me know what you think, and whether or not you’ve decided to become a genius!

Last summer I was fortunate enough to have been taught, amused and hugged by one of the world’s leading authorities on the biology of perception, Bruce Lipton.  See us together here – I bet you can imagine me rushing to the front of the lecture theatre in order to talk to him – I’m such a poser!   Bruce is an internationally recognised authority on cell biology, having performed pioneering studies at Wisconsin and Stanford Universities Schools’ of Medicine.  That’s good enough for me – this guy knows his stuff, puts it across in a really simple, easy to understand manner AND he’s a thoroughly nice person.  Perfect way to learn!

(Me and Bruce Lipton)

The implications of his and other research suggest that… our genetics and DNA do not control our biology; rather that our genes and DNA are controlled by signals coming from outside the cell.

And these signals are partly the energetic messages which arise from either our positive or our negative thoughts.

Because we can consciously choose how we perceive our world, we can choose whether our thoughts are negative or positive. The energetic messages that these two types of thought will send out, will obviously be very different and therefore differ in how they affect our cellular make-up, or biology.

Once we learn how to control our thinking, we get to choose how we feel about the world, which has an effect on our genetic make-up. If we chose to think positively about the world and ourselves, this could in turn help us to make better decisions about our lives and how we live them– including whether or not we want to be a genius!

So, when you’ve finished reading ‘The Genius in All of Us’, move on to the ‘Biology of Belief’ by Bruce Lipton, or vice versa.  If you don’t want to read, then watch Bruce’s stuff which is posted on my youtube channel in the ‘favourites’ section.  http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLisAllenTUBE?feature=mhum#p/a

If, as a result of reading this, you decide to become a genius, remember, you read it here first!!Happy New Year – Happy New Life

BBC link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-12140064

Are you Doomed to Mediocrity or Destined to be a Genius? is a post from: Lis Allen

Let me explain. Most of the time I love being the mother of a daughter who is studying A level food technology at school.  She cooks truly delicious dishes and I revel in the fact that I’m eating comfort food in my comfort zone and someone else has cooked it.  Result, or what?  

Until I’m not.  Experiencing comfort food or comfort zone, that is.

We were having a household discussion about offal and it has to be said that I was being a bit of a gaylord (can’t you tell I’ve got teenage kids!).  I was brought up on liver and kidney, and was being rather derisory about the fact that no one else in the family likes it.  What a bunch of softies!

Fast forward one week.  Said daughter-cook serves up supper.  Liver?  Kidney?  No, pigs cheeks.  Yes, you read correctly, pigs cheeks!  Now, I’ve managed to go for 50 odd years without sampling this delicacy and it has to be said I did not fancy pigs cheeks – I mean, would you?

Well, I gave it a go – I kind of felt I had to, honour and all that – and in fact, the meal was quite tasty!

So what did this domestic drama teach me?

• I have a very active imagination when it comes to the pig
• My childhood conditioning is strong when it comes to liver and kidney
• My daughter is a good cook and she’s smart!
• I am far more set in my culinary ways than I’d like to think I am

So, are you one of those people who doesn’t need to look at the Indian takeaway menu?  You order the same thing every time?  You have mental blocks about certain foods which you would NEVER try – unless of course you were forced to by a daughter?

Give it a go – next time you’re out, try something different off the menu – something (like pigs cheeks) that you’ve never tried before.  And, just check in with yourself.  If you’re limiting your life experience on the culinary front, you just might be limiting yourself somewhere else in life.  Are you?

PS  Just had a thought.  Which part of the pig did she get the cheeks from? ………..

Humble Pie or Pig Cheeks for you? is a post from: Lis Allen

Just been out for a walk with ‘our’ dog – we don’t possess a dog but we look after the lovely Susy from time to time when her owner’s away on holiday – see photo on the newsletter .  She’s a beautiful roan cocker spaniel and a really sweet-natured dog to have around.

I’m more dog-centric than usual at the moment because we’re out walking her and meeting all sorts of breeds of dogs and their owners, of course.  I find myself thinking of those dog shows you get at village fetes, when the prize goes to the dog and owner who look most like each other – heaven help you if you own a Rottweiler and you win!

So, these musings have caused me to recall a study conducted by the Psychology Dept at Bath Spa University; this study was designed to see if members of the public were able to predict the type of dog people owned, just by looking at a photo of the owner.

The results were intriguing – researchers found members of the public were correct between 50% and 60% of the time, when chance suggested they should have a success rate of around 33%.  Interesting, eh?   Now, practicalities do come into it – if you’re a big strapping man and like going for long walks in the country, you’re not going to buy a dinky Chihuahua like Paris Hilton, are you?   So there is some obvious predictability.

However, what was interesting is that the public wrongly thought that the breed could predict the intelligence or personality of the owner.  They judged bull terrier owners to be less intelligent, while those who had poodles were thought to be nicer.  When personality tests were conducted, there were no significant personality differences.  By the way, if you’re an owner of a bull terrier, this might help you to understand why people treat you the way they do!

So what does this study show?  Professor Workman of Bath Spa University – “You shouldn’t judge a person by their dog, but we all do.”   I would suggest that it’s not just the dogs we judge others by, it’s any number of things from clothing to hair style to body mass to regional accent.  So the moral of this little story?  Acknowledge that we all judge others to some degree (there are some good reasons for this – more on that in another article) – AND be certain to keep an open mind because it’s easy to get it wrong.  Next time you see a bull terrier owner, assume he’s a VERY smart guy!

So back to Susy……….I wonder what box people put me in when I’m walking a daft, floppy-eared cocker spaniel who’s tearing round at 90 miles an hour, chasing rabbits?  Don’t answer!!

Are you a Rottweiler or a Poodle? is a post from: Lis Allen

These days I’m leaping out of bed, raring to go at the most ridiculous hour (well, 6 am always did seem ridiculous to me!). One great incentive for me to get out of bed early, at least on a Thursday, is my business breakfast club. This is a weekly meeting with other local business owners, who come together to learn from each other and support one another – during ‘challenging economic times’. (Check out my article entitled ‘Birds of a Feather’ to understand the importance of the people you hang around with).
Anyway, yesterday I was having a chat with a builder at the club who was telling me that he’s been really busy lately. People are frightened to move, so they’re making the most of what they’ve already got and having new kitchens and bathrooms put in. Now, isn’t that interesting? It isn’t that the money’s not there – it is. No one had a big bonfire and burnt it all. No, people have become more cautious about how, when and where they invest their money, understandably.

What’s interesting is that we have no direct control over other people or the things that are going on in the world around us. (I have to admit to trying to control my husband in the past and he wasn’t having any of it!). However, what we do have, in varying degrees, is control of ourselves and our own immediate environment. So wouldn’t it make sense to do as people are doing with their properties – make the most of ourselves and what learnings and experience we’ve already got?

So, how are you investing in yourself? How are you making the most of you and your capabilities? Who would you like to support you? What do you need to learn and practice in order to get excited about life and leap out of bed in the mornings?

Do you leap out of bed in the morning? is a post from: Lis Allen

Now before you wonder what’s been happening in my life, I am still married to James (28yrs and going strong!) and he has just applied for, and been granted, Australian citizenship.  How interesting, do I hear you say?  Why would he do such a thing?  (not casting any slurs on Australians you understand, I love ‘em!).

Well, let me reveal all.  His parents left Adelaide to settle in the UK in the 1930’s and had they stayed in Oz, James would’ve been 5^th generation Australian.  So this desire to go back to his roots and seek citizenship has raised some interesting questions in our household.

What drove him to patiently persevere with the bureaucracies of a national immigration department (!) until he got what he wanted?  Is he going to morph into a Crocodile Dundee?  Are we going to be discussing the outback and long-drop dunnies over our ‘roo burgers?  I’ll keep you posted on the answers!

The UK BBC TV show ‘Who do you think you are?’ which enables celebrities to trace their roots is very successful.  Why?  Because most people, as they get older, develop either an interest or a need to find out literally and metaphorically where they came from. Family and national traditions have their influences and until we understand, we can’t undo them, should we wish to.   It has to be better for our futures if we can let go of old hurts and misconceptions and replace them with a pride in our heritage.

Whether it’s a parental, geographical or cultural influence, things change over time.  (It’s hard for young people these days to comprehend that my generation grew up without computers or mobile phones!).  Going back to the actual place where our forbears grew up creates the possibility of gaining some insight into what influenced their life experience.   It’s to be hoped that if and when we have a greater understanding, we’re more able to accept the past, both good and bad, and the people in it.

So, can’t stop just now – off to chuck a prawn on the barbie – catch yer later mate!

Self Improvement : Find your Roots… Go to Oz is a post from: Lis Allen

First of all, we stayed in a lovely hotel where the service and attention to detail was first class – it’s so nice to be looked after once in a while by people who really care about how they earn their living.  Perhaps there should be a hotel starring –system, for how much hoteliers care about their clientele.  (Funnily enough I discovered that a hotel in Torquay was the inspiration for John Cleese and Connie Booth to create Fawlty Towers – certainly not the one we were staying in!).

So, to continue, food was great, weather was superb and it was good to be away from the routine of home and be by the seaside, even just for 36 hours.

So why Torquay, you may be asking?  I have to admit that’s it’s never been on my list of places to see before I die!   The reason I went was to see a friend of mine, Gary, performing in an amateur production of Beauty and the Beast.  Now I’ve been to lots of amateur productions over the years and this has to be among the best I’ve ever been to!

So what was so good about it and why did I find it so inspiring?  It was clear from the first curtain up that every effort had been put into getting it as near perfect as possible.  Scenery, music, singing, costumes, lighting, choreography, the whole lot was ace!  As for the people playing the principle parts (you were brilliant Gary!) their performances could easily have graced a so-called ‘professional’ production.

So that’s my question really – what differentiates between an amateur and a professional production?  OK, the obvious answer is that the professionals get paid and the amateurs don’t, but surely it’s more about attitude.  My music teacher has a great quote about the difference between an amateur and professional musician: ‘an amateur practices until he gets it right – a professional practices until he can’t get it wrong’.

So going by that definition, you can be an amateur (ie not be paid) but have a professional approach to your project.   And, of course, you can get the opposite – be paid as a professional but have an amateurish attitude (Fawlty Towers perhaps?!).

The reason I was so inspired by last Saturday’s cast was their professionalism and how much they evidently cared about their audience and wanted the show to be the  best possible experience for them.   Oh, and the hotel we stayed in was the same – they really cared about their guests….so maybe being professional is about having passion for what you do and wanting to be/give of your best to others.   So, forget about money for a moment and ask yourself, is your attitude to life amateurish or are you a passionate professional – in everything you do?

Self Improvement : How do you live your life? Are you an average amateur or a passionate professional? is a post from: Lis Allen

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLisAllenTUBE?feature=mhum

I’ve watched it over and over again for several reasons, and it got me thinking about what I’d say if I wrote to him – this is what I came up with.

Dear Sir Ken,

Firstly, you make me laugh and I LOVE people who make me laugh, so now you know!   I watch your videos from time to time because you educate me AND make me laugh – wouldn’t it be great if our schooling system were able to do that for the next generation. People learn best when they’re having fun, don’t they?

Secondly, you give me hope – hope for the future of our children. (Personally I have four, so I’m acutely interested in how I can undo the mess my generation has created for our young people).  It’s so refreshing to hear an academic speak with such insightfulness  about the way forward for our youth.  You fill me with hope, that someone as influential as you is getting out there and challenging peoples’ thinking in such an amusing and moving way.  Thank you – I hope to do the same soon.

Thirdly, you inspire me.  You talk such ‘common’ sense which I now realise (having reached the age of 50 something) is not so common.  I suppose I’m excited watching your video because I so agree with you and you support my view! I’ve arrived at the same conclusion, not through academic study but through my observations as a mother over the years.  So many mothers pay lip service to that well-known chestnut…..’All I want is for my children to be happy’.  Hmmm.

I had a conversation only last week with a mother who admitted she was cross when her son quit uni after 2 years.  She felt he should have continued, in spite of the fact that his heart wasn’t in it and the course challenged his integrity.  She was still buying into that out-dated view that the only way to get on in life is to have a degree.  She obviously didn’t know that, in certain subjects, by the time an undergraduate gets to the third year of study, the first year’s study is already out of date.

I’ve come to the conclusion that I and those close to me make the best contribution to society when they feel happy and fulfilled. That doesn’t mean you have to have an academic background, does it?

I came across a great quote recently about Education, which sort of fits into what you’re saying:  ’Education is what remains after one has forgotten everything he learnt in school.’ Albert Einstein

Can’t help thinking that the University of Life has given me some far more useful lessons than my formal University degree.

So, Keep up the good work

All the best

Lis

PS.  Let me know when you’re next speaking in London – I’d love to come so you can educate me and make me laugh ( I’m your number one fan!)

Self Improvement : Dear Sir Ken… is a post from: Lis Allen

The musical is based on the true story of a young Yorkshire couple – Viv and Keith -who won a fortune on the pools* back in the 60’s, and their subsequent journey from rags to riches and back to rags again.  It had everything you could want by way of entertainment – good story, brilliant acting and great music and choreography.  (As it was directed by Craig Revel-Horwood of Strictly Come Dancing fame, you’d expect that.)  I think the rave reviews are totally justified and I’ll spend, spend, spend and go and see it again! (See, I really got into the swing of it!).

However, what interested me was the underlying discussion around money and what brings happiness to people.  The poignant ending to the play led us to think that despite their poverty, Viv and Keith did in fact have a happy life before their pools win – when they had ‘no-thing’ but they had good relationships and friendships.  In their case, moving to a different town, buying a posh house and creating a partying lifestyle was disastrous – they isolated themselves from their friends and what had been their habitual way of life.  Interesting to think that Warren Buffet, who is one of the world’s richest men still lives in the same house he’s lived in for decades

In today’s western ‘civilisation’ (I use the term loosely!) we need money. American business woman, Rita Davenport is quoted as saying:   “Money isn’t everything but it ranks right up there with oxygen”.  I think I’d prefer to be happy and rich, rather than happy and dirt poor –because the thing is  money gives you freedom of choice,   So what makes people like Viv and Keith, and current lottery winners make the wrong choices and blow the dosh?

Could be any number of reasons.  Perhaps they’ve been misled into thinking happiness is dependent on having things.  Perhaps they don’t understand that they could be happy RIGHT NOW, with or without the money, if they took stock and appreciated what they already had.   If only they’d taken the time to find out what REALLY made them happy.  Hmmmm.

So whether you’re reading this having won the lottery, or you’re short of cash at the moment – take some time out to consider what makes you happy.   A great definition I’ve heard is ‘Happiness is the persistent pursuit of a worthwhile goal’.  So if you agree with that, what are your goals for the future?  At what do you wish to be persistent in order to be happy?  Let me know – I’d be very interested.  In the meantime, I’m off to Spend, Spend, Spend again–  I mean the performance, of course!

(*pools.  Just realised that younger people might not know what pools are.  Ask yer dad!)

Self Improvement : Spend,Spend,Spend! is a post from: Lis Allen