Life Skills Workshops
The first workshop held in 2018 ― participants comparing exercises
Extensive Workshop Notes and Participation Certificates
download the 2019 workshop infopack
2018 saw the launch of the Life Coaching Malta's Workshops; a series that eventually developed into Training Courses in soft- and mind-skills. These workshops included:
Essential Life Skills comprising
Self-Discovery
Brain-Mind, Emotion-Feeling
Goal-Setting and Motivation
Worry, Anxiety and Stress
A highly specialised course
☼ that's not for everybody:
.
The Art of Manifesting
Material from these workshops was incorporated in different Training modules that I later developed and delivered on behalf of professional training organizations.
Extensive printed notes and participation Certificates — an essential part of every workshop.
The language used in courses (whether English or Maltese) always depends on the participants' nationality and fluency.
Essential Life Skills
This first workshop was divided into the following 4 modules, each comprised of 4 sessions of 90-120 mins long. Some of these modules were later made available separately. Details in the sections below.
1. "Self-Discovery",
2. "Brain-Mind, Emotion-Feeling"
3. "Goal-Setting and Motivation",
4. "Worry, Anxiety and Stress".
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Self-Discovery
This was definitely the most popular workshop of all. This is perhaps because the course provided the foundation for the others that followed; explaining essential principles of Personal Development.
The programme kicks off with the Life Wheel exercise that assesses individual participants' level of satisfaction in ten important areas of Life. The aim? To find out:
- which areas fall below personal average and so need improvement;
- in which priority these need to be tackled; and
- what is going to be done.
We explain how every individual has different personas, projected in various roles one plays in life and this later forms the foundation of the understanding of "Personality" as covered in Leadership and Communication Training.
The image / video (right➔) represents a scenario of 'generic' roles we often play. Make your own 'Me-Map' and compare your levels of Authority, Responsibility and Confidence between different roles. This is just a taster. A proper explanation, in a training session, would naturally make more sense 😀of this.
The course deals with Self-Love via the My Characteristics exercise, then 'life balance' via the My Interests exercise, ultimately leading to the Life Mission exercise.
But before reaching that stage, we share vital teachings about Responsibilities ‒ what's yours to carry and what's not‒ then we correct any misconceptions regarding Beliefs and Values, because these underlie EVERY decision you ever make in Life!
We also discuss Ikigai, Hygge and other exciting concepts.
No wonder this was a winner!
The 2020 edition ― what everybody needs to know
CLICK the ➤ play button to start the Me-Map video
Your different personas (roles)
Making the most of your Life ― Personal Development
Delivery, notes and slide language generally depends on group needs
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The Feb 2020 edition ― Module 2
Course Notes bundle and Certificates ― 2020
The Perception Model ― How we process Reality
The Feb 2020 edition ― Module 2
Brain-Mind, Emotion-Feeling
In this Module, we talk about human evolution so as to demonstrate how certain basic needs have not changed since 300,000 years ago (Homo sapiens), perhaps even since 4 million years ago (Homo erectus).
The Brain
While the primitive parts of our brain remained largely unchanged, the human brain has, however, developed in other respects. So, in this module we first explore the structure and function of the physical Brain — the body's control centre — including an overview of our nervous systems.
We also dig into the world of neurotransmitters and hormones, into brain-friendly foods and toxins.
The Mind
Next, we familiarise ourselves with the non-physical 'function,' i.e. our virtual Mind. We shall classify this into separate functions of consciousness, discussing the purposes they serve. We explore the "Conscious" (or reasoning mind) and the "AlterConscious" functions, which are comprised of the Subconscious and the Superconscious states.
Starting from the premise that we only notice a part of what's happening around us, that is ... that our sensory intake is limited, we examine the Perception Model, or how our subconscious mind filters and processes this intake in order to create "meaning." We talk about stress as a natural response and differentiate between (physiological) emotions and (psychological) feelings.
As the perception process involves interpretation, meaning is created in the form of thoughts, which in turn produce feelings. This suggests that what we feel is often a result of how we interpret our environment. So how we feel can change when we change our perspectives or come to different realizations.
In this module, we also dive into:
☀ the workings of the Subconscious Mind,
☀ the Covery 90/10 principle,
☀ the mental "representation" system,
☀ the concept of individual reality
also known as one’s "model of the world"
☀ Heuristics, or mental shortcuts
☀ various Cognitive Biases
that distort our thinking process,
☀ Cognitive Dissonance; when a person has
equally strong, yet conflicting beliefs/values
☀ the Limbic system as the seat of emotions
In the final session, we also talk about positive strategies to change our state of mind when feeling troubled or stressed.
This is a rather intensive programme with a somewhat technical approach to the relationship between the Brain and the Mind; one that seeks to explain how our limited locus of control can be optimised to help us live more satisfied lives.
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Goal Setting & Motivation
This Module was also used during the AcrossLimits' Erasmus+ sponsored "Weight Matters" programme intended to help participants set and achieve their weight-loss goals.
SMART Goals are explained in practical terms and common mistakes that people make when setting goals are also tackled during this course.
What is 'being Specific' ?
"I want to lose 12kg" may sound specific enough to many, but the subconscious mind doesn't deal in mathematics; it cannot understand what 64kg minus 12kg means. Instead, "I am reducing to 52kg" sounds like the specific command that your control centre can follow.
Here's a further secret! "I am fast becoming a Size 6" (women's dress size) is even more tangible because it is visual. It works better.
What is Motivation?
This programme is more of a coaching exercise than a training session. We understand what drives us so as to remain hungry for the goal. Ultimately, you need to know the reason for the goal to be achieved.
Are you familiar with the story of the horse, the staff party and the water through? Well, perhaps one day you will be at one of our sessions ♞ and you'll understand its significance to Motivation.
CLICK the ➤ play button to start the SMART Goals video
6 Essential Tips ― Goal-Setting the right way
It's really NO S.W.E.A.T. ― The Motivational Model
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CLICK to play the video of a presentation in the Maltese language
What is Stress? ― What happens when we worry?
Some of the strategies proposed to overcome Worry
Worry, Anxiety & Stress
There is a substantial difference in severity between "being concerned" and "worrying" about something.
As a matter of personal character, some people worry more than others.
Now worry, besides not solving problems, actually depletes a person's energy and clear-mindedness, but worse than this it can often lead to anxiety and stress to a level that harms people being both mentally and physically.
In this module we explain how worry eats from 'uncertainty', how it thrives in the basement of 'vagueness', and we spell out the method to be used to gain back rationality—either to take action to resolve, or to accept what cannot be solved about the problem that's eating us.
Anxiety often paralyses the body and deprives a person from performing at one's highest potential. This is evident in what is generally referred to as 'stage fright'. We explore ways to tackle this 'fear' that is generally not based on actual danger but on irrational self-talk. Naturally, anxiety also holds people back during job interviews and any form of competition.
Stress needs to be understood because it is actually a necessary and natural response intended to keep us alive, although it often causes more harm than good.
Understanding is the first, essential step, but then we need strategies to cope with stress and the anxiety it brings. We need practical advice, and this module provides the best methods we know.
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The Art of Manifesting
commonly known as the Law of Attraction
How is this workshop different?
The APPROACH we take in this exclusive workshop is unlike most others because we tackle the subject from different fields of knowledge. We do not restrict our material to the spiritual (or metaphysical) angle, although that is very compelling. We use teachings from psychology and neuroscience to demonstrate why the proposed system will work, and we even resort to common sense.
We are not re-inventing the wheel. We bring you old texts from little-known sources, more recent teachings that carry a lot of weight (but without the sensationalism created by some authors of late), and we also bring you philosophies that were kept hidden from the public for centuries. If this sounds a bit sensational, it isn't meant to be.
This is an intensive course and it is NOT FOR EVERYBODY. What follows is an excerpt from "Annex 2" of the programme's Notes Bundle:
New Thought Movement – “New Thought” teaches that Infinite Intelligence, or God, is everywhere. Modern-day adherents of New Thought share some core beliefs, namely that:
- God or Infinite Intelligence is "supreme, universal, and everlasting";
- divinity dwells within each person, [so] that all people are spiritual beings;
- "the highest spiritual principle [is] loving one another unconditionally...
and teaching and healing one another"; and
- "our mental states are carried forward into manifestation and become our experience in daily living".
— excerpted from wikipedia
The New Thought Movement claimed to have brought us spiritual wisdom such as that which is revealed in the Kybalion (published in 1912) reflecting Hermetic Principles from ancient Greece and Egypt. This Movement is where the term “Law of Attraction” came from.
So, creating your own experience, your own reality, your desired future is what this is about! We make it clear that this is not witchcraft, even if it feels like it is. It isn't. It is rather a way of manipulating the forces that create and destroy.
What's in the treasure chest?
Let us go over the topics covered in this masterclass in Manifesting. First, we explain the general aims of the programme and make some caveats, or conditions, moving on to defining certain Terms so as to avoid confusion in understanding. Next, we establish our personal aims; each individual decides what value-based goals are desired. So now, we are ready to start.
We explain the distinctions between Brain and Mind, and our connection to "The All" (also definded as the Absolute, the Universe for many, and God in general terms). Next comes an explanation of Cognitive Biases rooted in our subconscious conditioning that may often interfere in our success. We study the Kybalion and the Seven Hermetic Principles, discuss Energy as wave vibration (a scientific approach, sometimes using tuning forks) as well as its relationship with emotion, and concepts such as "what you resist, persists" (also known as "contrast" in Manifesting language), and "Where attention goes, energy flows", among others.
We talk about how to protect your progress from skeptics' ridicule, how to use the power of your imagination, the 6 stages of Manifesting, the effect your words have on your state of mind and, eventually, your outcomes, and we make reference to the Teachings of Abraham, Napoleon Hill, William Walker Atkinson, Norman Vincent Peale and more recent authors like Canfield, Lossier and Levenson.
Admittedly, this is perhaps the most intensive programme on Manifesting you're ever likely to come across, so commitment is an absolute requirement. We discuss how all this plays out in real life and explain important tools like vision boards, gratitude lists, journaling and scripting techniques, among others. We end the course with an easy assignment to ensure our understanding is correct. By this time, participants will hopefully feel their power to create their experience, leading to a more satisfied life.
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