How many of you know a teacher who has made a difference in your life? How about a coach or trainer, a facilitator or a presenter who has made a difference to you as a client?

Let me explain…

Until the age of 12, I grew up in Thangool, Queensland, Australia. It was an extremely small town of 200 people.  And during those years there was one teacher who had a great influence on me.

His name was George Whittington…naturally we all called him “Dick”….not to his face, though. Apart from being the principal and being responsible for the running of the school, he was also my Grade 6 and 7 teacher. One memory I have was his smoking a pipe. What an aroma!

More importantly, he always had time for each one of his students. I felt that each of us was made to feel important and recognised for the talents we had.

So if you’re a teacher / coach/ trainer/ mentor, or if, like me, your life was greatly influenced by a one of those people, you’re going to love this movie! If you’re a coach, then I suggest that you substitute the word “client” for “child”. The beautiful poem, The Heart of a Teacher, was written by Paula Fox.

So, here’s you opportunity to honor any person in your life who has made a difference.  Just click here to watch! And by the way, it’ll make the perfect gift for any teacher this holiday season!

ENJOY!!! and share with others.

Love,
Terry

SORRY!!! That’s not
me. It’s one of our
beautiful Aussie
models, Lara Bingle.

“OK, Terry, what has a picture of your Aussie model, Lara Bingle, got to do with this post?” you are probably asking.

(Lara was used in the controversial 2006 Tourism Australian advertising and the catchphrase was, “Where the Bloody Hell Are You?”)

To be honest, firstly, I wanted to get your attention. Secondly, it struck me that people have been asking where I have been.

Well, that is a great question. It’s taken me 12 months to finally get back into doing something that I was enjoying. Without going into all the finer details, let me just say that there has been a great deal of personal growth – mentally, relationally, financially and spiritually. (This usually occurs after a divorce and all the challenges associated with it) …Oh yes, and plenty of inspiring walks on the beach.

So, what have I got for you?

In the posts that will be ‘comin at ya’, there will be heaps about how accelerated learning can make your learning / teaching/ training/ presenting more effective and efficient, engaging and meaningful, faster and easier and heaps of FUN!

There will be numerous practical tips posted + +++++ a great deal more…so, let’s get this ‘show’ started. (And…I promise you that, if that is not the case, then you can kick my butt!)

Here’s to an engaging, emotional day.

Have you ever had a person’s name ‘on the tip of your tongue’? And…no matter how hard you try to remember, the harder it seems to become?

However, when you stop trying and relax, guess what happens? The name comes to you. Has this ever happened to you? Yes?

What about when you are taking an exam? Have you ever gone blank? Have your kids ever said that they went ‘blank’ in an exam? Once again, when you relax and stop trying, the information pops into your head.

Why is that?

Well, your brain goes into the ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ mode. This is something that all of us have inherited from our caveman ancestors. Whenever they were faced with danger, their best survival strategy was to fight or run away.

When this occurs, the blood and oxygen are diverted from the upper part of your brain where your memories are stored, and ends up down in your muscles.

Your capacity to remember, concentrate, listen and observe is reduced. It is amazing that all these faculties are important to your child as a learner, aren’t they?

By dealing with stress, you are able to stop your mind from going blank.

Just like we are all aware that physical exercise is necessary to live a healthy life, mental fitness exercises are also vitally important.

So, how can your child manage their stress? How can they make learning easier and quicker?

OK, then what are some mental fitness exercises that you and your children can apply?

1)    Give yourself permission to relax.

This simply involves being aware that you are feeling stressed and say something like, “It’s OK. I can now chill out! I can overcome this problem.”

2)    Control your breathing.

When you’re stressed, your breathing tends to be shallow. Deliberately control your breathing so that it’s deep (into your stomach), long, slow and easy. This will give your brain a boost of oxygen.

3)    Use Relaxation exercises.

Apart from guided imagery, (where a voice guides you into thinking about a time when you felt relaxed and peaceful), another extremely simple method is called a cook’s hook Up. Google search for a description of this practical, easy – to – follow method.

4)    Do Regular Exercise.

Long walks, swimming, exercise bike, rowing machine, treadmill, cross-trainer or cycling are all excellent. Participate in any exercise that will get your heart rate up. The best way is to do it in intervals and this will vary with the type of exercise chosen.

5)   Listen to Baroque music.

The heartbeat of a relaxed person is approx 50-80 beats per minute. Baroque music is very close to this and so makes the learning easier and quicker. (You can use music in a variety of ways to help your kids learn. I’ll leave that information for another post.)

Final thought…Let me say that I consider stress to be a key to growth. An excellent book to read is “The Power of Full Engagement” by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. In their book, they remind us that to build strength in a muscle, we must stress it. The same applies to other parts of our lives.

Here’s what I invite you to do NOW:

Apply these techniques in your life and your children’s lives. If you make them a ritual, their lives will be enriched and they will sustain a higher performance.

By the way, do you know someone who would benefit from reading this post? Then you could let them know so they can use the mental fitness exercises as well, couldn’t you?

When our kids discover HOW they learn, they absolutely gain more control over their lives.

They are able to demonstrate and share their strengths, boost their self-esteem, become less afraid to make mistakes and increase their capacity to solve problems in life.

OK, what can you do NOW to develop this?

1.    Tap into your child’s learning style so they become a more active and involved learner.

Identify their preferred style (visual, auditory, kinesthetic). Then discover what activities will enhance your kid’s learning style.

2.    Discover HOW smart your kids are by meeting SLIM-N-BIL.

We are ALL intelligent in some way-Spatial, Linguistic, Interpersonal, Musical, Naturalistic, Bodily, Intrapersonal and Logical.

Each intelligence can be enhanced by specific materials, activities and special outings. When you identify their dominant intelligence/s, you will learn what they like to do, what they are good at and how they learn best.

3.    Create a supportive environment which invites and entices your kids to learn…and increase their learning retention.

Every aspect of the learning environment can affect your child’s experiences…lighting, temperature, acoustics, color, décor, seating, posters, music, aroma, plants, pets and toys.

4.    Take and make effective notes with Mind Mapping strategies to enhance your child’s success.

This information tool will increase remembering what is said or read, increase understanding and help organise material. Mind maps are colorful and have lots of pictures and symbols.

The ideas are connected and excellent for memory retention.

5.    Boost you kid’s brainpower by feeding them brain foods, plenty of water and exercise.

Proper nutrition protects the brain against toxins, improves mental alertness and assists memory.
Foods such as animal protein, nuts, legumes and seeds boost alertness.

Water is central to optimal brain functioning. Aerobic exercise improves thinking and learning.

6.    Avoid and relieve stress so your child can process and retain information they need to access more readily.

Have you ever had a person’s name ‘on the tip of your tongue’? No matter how hard you try to remember, the harder it seems to become. When you stop trying and relax, the name comes to you.

By avoiding getting stressed, you are able to stop your mind from going blank. Do some relaxation techniques, listen to music or practise yoga,maybe even T’ai Chi.

7.    Get in a state of focused concentration so your kids can learn faster and easier.

Would you like your kids to learn techniques where time goes faster, they can spend more time doing other things which they really enjoy, get better results on tests, study less, get certain people off their backs and they’ll do better in school?

Then two such techniques are called SLANT and the Alpha State…tools which will help your kids to access the best state for learning.

Here’s what I invite you to do now:

1. Search ‘learning styles‘ & ‘multiple intelligences inventories‘. Complete to identify your/ your child’s preferred style and dominant intelligence/s.
2. Research and then practise relaxation techniques, SLANT and the Alpha State.
3. Eat brain foods, exercise daily and drink 6-8 glasses of water per day.
4. Research Tony Buzan and Mind Mapping.
5. Create a learning environment.

OK, It’s Let’s Talk Time…

I invite you to let us know which of these techniques you are already using with your children? Which ones are effective and have brought about change?

Leave a comment below and share what has worked..what hasn’t …You can do that, can’t you?

“It’s Not How Much Money You Make That Is Important. It’s How Much You Keep.”

It is your decision whether you give your kids an allowance or not. Allowances can be either a good thing or a bad thing. It all depends on how you use it…and what experiences your child has.

Let me ask you this question…

What do our children learn if we just give them an allowance and fail to tie it to such lessons as responsibility, making choices, or becoming self-reliance?

Absolutely nothing!

So, let’s help our kids discover and establish meaningful money habits that they will take into their adulthood.

“OK, what approach could I use, Terry?” you might be wondering.

Let’s read on and look at three approaches..

1. Doing Chores

Let me say up front…I don’t like this approach at all. Our kids should contribute as being part of a family, shouldn’t they?

There are certain duties and responsibilities that kids should do, such as making their bed and keeping their room tidy, helping out in the kitchen and in the yard or feeding the family pets.

2. Rewards For Good Grades And Good Behavior.

Isn’t this teaching our kids that education and behavior are only good for material rewards that they can get?

I would rather see our kids know what they are good at and develop a desire to continue learning AFTER they leave school.

What do you want your kids to focus on – being rewarded or enjoying and improving their learning?
As for the practice of rewarding your kids for their good behavior; do this and you are looking for trouble.

3. No Allowance At All

If your reason for doing this is to help them work out creative ways to buy what they want, then this is fantastic. However, some parents say, “I didn’t get an allowance when I was young. Why do my kids need one?”

That kind of thinking can reinforce the idea that, in order to have money, our kids must trade their time for money, can’t it?  Could our kids then grow up thinking that you have to work hard to make money?

By contributing, we are all sharing the load and all being valued.

OK, what can you do now:

1. Give your kids an allowance where they are practicing managing their money – saving, investing, budgeting, donating and spending wisely.
2. Encourage them to become entrepreneurs. Let your kids make mistakes with a small amount. This is far better than making a huge mistake later in life that has serious consequences for them.

START NOW if you have not done so already!

When you follow the steps above, do you think your kids will have a better than average chance of growing up to be more responsible with their money than kids who do not? Yes or Yes?

So, let’s empower your kids with vital financial information – and so increase their financial intelligence. Give them the ‘tools’.

Give them the responsibility of learning how money works. Model and encourage them to develop some simple, powerful money habits.

Does this make sense?

OK, It’s Let’s Talk Time…

I would love to hear what approach you use . Do you give your children an allowance? What for? If they don’t receive one, what are your reasons for this approach? How much do they receive?

I invite you to leave a comment. You will be helping others in our community as well.

During the last month or so, I would like a $1 for every time this question has been said to me.

Thanks to Tina from http://www.NewOldMomsClub.com and many others, I would like to take this opportunity to respond.

By the way, Tina, thank you for downloading the FREE mp3 and Action Guide after you asked me your burning question over to the right in my optin box.

It doesn’t matter where we live in this amazing world, things are certainly difficult right now with the present global financial situation…and especially if you have kids at home.

They too would be experiencing the stress. This can have negative results which can last into their adulthood, can’t they?

I recently read a research report written in 1994 by Roger Conger and others who stated that:

“The parents’ constant conflicts, irritability and hostile exchanges over money matters were what greatly increased the likelihood of their children’s emotional and behavior problems.”

Very interesting finding!

So, let’s look at 4 ways you can lessen this happening with your kids

1. Be open with them.

OK, I realise that this is rather obvious. It is not meant to be condescending. Our kids know when things are not going well in our family. They can feel the tension and stress and many times they feel that they are to blame.

2. Tell It As It Is.

Your kids are constantly watching and listening to what you say and what you do with your money. They are learning from the experiences you are giving them.

Be careful with the messages you are giving your children. As you already know, it is not just the words that you say. It is also your facial expressions and your tone of voice.

3. Turn Off the News

Let’s face it…the news is mostly about negative events. That’s what makes the news, isn’t it?  So wouldn’t it be better to limit the amount of negativity they are receiving during their day?

4. Ask For Help if You Can’t Cope!

This is not just restricted to getting help for your kids to deal with matters. Remember that YOU are the most important person in your child’s life.

Many times we parents worry too much about the rest of the family and say, “We’ll be all right, mate!”

OK, It’s Let’s Talk Time…

I would love to hear what you are doing to deal with matters. What examples are you giving to your children? What are you discussing with them?

What are you not sharing with your kids? Are there some topics you find ‘difficult’ to be open about in these tough times?

I invite you to leave a comment below. You will be helping others get through this time.