Spring is a time for new beginnings

Yesterday was a very auspicious day for me, and the fulfillment of one of my personal goals. From later on this month, I am going to be working alongside two of the most incredible teachers I have ever met, training wonderful people in the beautiful art and science of hypnotherapy, at their school in Saltburn.

I began my own journey into hypnosis and NLP with Craig and Susi a number of years ago and I am very proud to announce that Joanna Taylor & Associates can now offer training in the Hypnotherapy Society Accredited Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy, in association with Dr Susi Strang & Associates.

As the saying goes, "The best way to predict your future is to create it." What futures are you creating today? Now is the only moment we have in which to make a difference. If you haven't set any goals yet for your future, now is the time to do that. As you watch the garden coming to life in springtime abundance, consider that this may be a time to think about your own new beginnings, too!

The Teachings of Dog: No 6 - Water Lily

Lily is an extremely determined lady. If a bit of biscuit (or a frozen pea - particular favourite!) makes a bid for freedom and escapes beneath a kitchen cupboard, then she will always be the first to draw attention to it by snuffling and scratching at it until either she manages to extract it or you give in and assist.

Since the ice has finally thawed on our little pond, Lily has discovered a new interest. Whatever it is (and frankly we probably don't want to know) is so deeply fascinating that she now spends far longer in the garden, but unfortunately for Lily it's something she cannot quite reach... None of the canine members of staff enjoy frolicking in water - Daisy is particularly funny in this respect and will go a long way out of her way to avoid stepping in even the shallowest puddle - so deliberately jumping in the pond is, for Lily, not an option. As she develops her strategies, however, she has clearly experienced some unwelcome feedback with a couple of early theories which resulted in her requiring some time for contemplation in the dogs' hot tub (otherwise known as the utility room sink). Like Edison with the development of his light bulb, to Lily this does not mean failure - she is simply finding different ways which do not give her the result she wants. I am sure, given time, she will achieve her goal.

Lily's teachings:

• Hold on to your dreams and goals, despite what others think.
• Know that sometimes in the pursuit of a goal it might mean you have to leave your comfort zone. Be prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve it.
• Never give up on a lost frozen pea.

Setting your sights on 2011

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them." - Henry David Thoreau

What dreams and goals do you have for 2011? December is always a good month for undertaking a "personal audit" and deciding what you would like to focus on for the coming year. What areas of your life are working well? What areas of your life could do with some improvement? Where do you want to be this time next year in your career, your relationships, your health? Where do you not want to be?

If you would like some help creating your own personal set of goals for the coming year and discovering what foundations you need to put in place, you are welcome to e-mail me at joanna@joanna-taylor.co.uk for a free goal setting exercise.

The best way to predict your future is to create it!

Teachings of Dog - No.2

Lily, as her name suggests, is a white dog. Well, usually she is white, but occasionally some other colours creep in to add a little variety...

Last weekend John gave the lawn what was hopefully one of the last cuts of the season, but the grass was terribly wet and the mower left clumps of wet cut grass all over the lawn. The dogs were all very excited about the fact that we were in the garden and decided to have a very mad game of chase. When Lily came in, her feet were a bright, fluorescent green...

Another of Lily's passions is coal - for some reason she adores it and can't resist eating small pieces from the coal bucket (quite a feat if it's a bit empty - she's a small dog - we've just never had the heart to stop her!). Always a bit of a giveaway, however, when she wanders innocently into the office - with black whiskers and black tips to her ears...

Lily's teachings:

• Let go once in a while - forget about your appearance and have fun!
• Do whatever it takes to achieve your goals (or coals, in Lily's case), even if you might have to put up with others thinking you look stupid.
• Sometimes things might have an alternative use which nobody else has considered.
• Weirdness is what individuality is all about. You are always free to be weird whenever you want to be.