Sleep deprivation is real, and is caused by a consistent lack of sleep or reduced quality of sleep.

Our body needs sleep; just like we need air, food, water and movement to function at our best. During sleep our body rests and heals itself, and chemical imbalances are restored.

Without enough sleep, our brain and body systems do not function properly. It is no accident that sleep deprivation is actually used as a form of torture as it is one of the quickest ways to break a person down mentally and emotionally.

It is estimated that somewhere around 70% of people are sleep deprived.

Chances are, that you are one of them!

If we want to improve our health, wellbeing, happiness, relationships and productivity, one of the first places to start is in making sure we are getting enough sleep.

There are two aspects to consider sleep from:

Sleep quantity and sleep quality.

In this episode of the podcast, you'll learn the immediate steps you can take to help you get enough sleep, to build in better habits and to improve the quality of sleep, through the lens of sleep hygiene.

Sleep well!

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I basically took two weeks off work, pretty much completely switched off. And I don’t think I have ever done that since I started my business in 2013.

In today's episode of the podcast, I am reflecting (in real time) the process of working through my challenges with understanding my boundaries and how to run and grow a business that is focused on service, that is in alignment with my values and who I am, but that also serves me and my family.

It's something that I am sure you can relate to, and I really encourage you to listen in.

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Creating the right environment and doing the right things at the right time. For us to succeed in our endeavours in life, we need to be practiced and we need to be prepared.

Often, we do things thinking we are doing the right thing, preparing ourselves for what is coming up - and in a sense we are. The action is right, but the timing is not.

We often miss this nuance. We do things, which are the right things to do, but it is not at the best time to maximise the outcomes.

In this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing a really simple example of how thinking we are doing the right thing, but not being fully across the conditions for which we are doing that thing, can sabotage our success. 

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Recently, I completed my first half-marathon.

It was a goal I set at the start of the year, a goal that supported my bigger vision for my life - that is, to be the fittest, healthiest and happiest I have ever been.

Over the last few months, I have had to overcome a few challenges; with physical weaknesses being exposed and having to be corrected, with fatigue, with looking at my nutrition, vitamins and supplements, managing my time, and also becoming aware of patterns of self-sabotage (and catching them before they went too far!).

It has been a worthy goal to pursue, and I learned a great deal about myself in the process. It was a great example of something I talk about a lot - that goal setting is not about the actual achievement of the goal itself - rather, it's who we had to become along the way to become the person for whom it is possible.

Running has never been something that has come naturally to me, and it has only been since my late 30's that I ever even had a go at it. But over the last few years, it has been something that I have been more and more drawn to. I walk a lot, and the running isn't to replace the walking, for me they are two very different activities that each provide something unique.

In this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing with you the behind the scenes of the process of the last few months. And while I am talking about it in the context of the half-marathon goal, the lessons and insights are universal.

It was such a fantastic experience, I loved it all, even the really hard bits. I am very grateful for the experience and I hope that you gain something really worthwhile from listening to this episode.

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Please join me to celebrate the 150th episode of The Happiness Hunter Podcast!

In this episode I'm reflecting on the experience of bringing this podcast to life every single week for nearly three years; through a global pandemic, pivoting the business, moving home three (!!!) times, lockdowns, home-schooling and many, many 4am starts to get it published to deadline.

Creating anything of any substance or meaning takes time and requires effort. There are no shortcuts.

When we play the long game, we set an intention, get clear on our vision. And then we just show up and take consistent action - no matter what - until our vision is realised. 

If we are only motivated by external measures of success, then we will never succeed at the long game.

The rewards for playing the long game are many, but mostly they are not external - certainly not in the beginning.

As you go along playing the long game, you realise that the real reward tends to be more intrinsic - developing self esteem, confidence, self-belief, trust, patience.

Being willing to stick at things when the shine has worn off and you are just plugging away, requires determination.

Yet these are things that no-one can take from you. Once they are developed, they belong to you.  

And that is the real prize. To become the person for whom it is possible.

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The Happiness Quotient or HQ is based on The Seven Elements Framework for Life Integration, which underpins a lot of the work that we do in The Happiness Hunter. The framework was initially developed in 2013, with a friend of mine, Paul O’Brien. 

Since that time Paul and I have both gone on to refine and adapt the framework as we deepened our individual understanding of it's application to real life. 

Undertaking your Happiness Quotient (HQ) is one of the first exercises we do when we begin working together. It's based on the framework, and asks you to reflect on how happy you are in each of the elements of your life. It can be a bit confronting, but this can also be quite enlightening, as it shines a light on and exposes where you may be struggling, but also lets you see those areas of your life that are going well.

In this episode of the podcast, you'll have the opportunity to reflect on your HQ and make a plan to take the next best step from where you are now.

And just so you know, when I first did this exercise - not one element of my life was working well, but today, that is no longer the case.

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Our rewards, outcomes and experiences in life are in direct relation to our attitude, our effort, our contribution, our service.

Our deeds are what counts.

So if we are not taking action, then nothing counts.

We need to be the catalyst.

If we want a different experience, we need to do something differently.

So, have a listen to this episode, reflect on what it means for you and then go out into the world, and give the best of yourself today.

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We live in a very busy and noisy world, with a lot of distractions, noise and interruptions. From the sound of traffic outside, to the jackhammer down the road on the building site, to the ping of a notification or people talking to us.

Our ears are always picking up sound, even when we are asleep. Our brain receives the electrical signal and has to do something with it, it has to decide how to respond – even when the noise is not directly related to us. Always being “on” means that we don’t have the ability to go “in”.

Experiencing silence is very important to our wellbeing. We need peace and quiet, just like we need exercise, water and to eat well to nourish our bodies.

In this episode of the podcast, you’ll discover just how beneficial a low sensory environment is to your wellbeing, and have some time to reflect on how you can create the space for more silence in your life.

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One of the most challenging concepts for people to accept (including
those deep into the practice of self improvement and personal development) is that the world around us reflects our inner world.

The relationships, the bank balance, the number on the scales, the environment (be it toxic or healthy), the experiences – is a reflection and mirror of what is happening within.

This is big, and at times, quite an uncomfortable truth to be reminded of. Yet, it is liberating in the sense of recognising what it reveals about ourselves. Even better is that the solution to changing all of it for the better is within us.

In this episode of the podcast, we are talking about our ability to change our experience by turning the lens inwards, and I'm sharing with you some questions to help guide your reflection.

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Holding the line is when we maintain the existing position or state of affairs. It refers to former military tactics, in which a line of troops was supposed to prevent an enemy breakthrough. 

This line is at the edge of where we have been.

It’s the line where our dreams come to die. Because we can’t hold it. And we retreat back.

This is the point of self-sabotage.

It is the point we quit.

It's the point where we say it's too hard, and I give up.

We tell ourselves it is not our time.

Staying the course is to pursue a difficult task to the end.
 
But if we can hold that line. And make a plan to push over that. If we can cross over. If we can say that’s not the way this ends this time.

If we can take the leap, as my teacher says, and if we can simply jump.

Then that’s where the magic happens.

Because that’s where we go where we haven’t been before.

Have a listen to this episode of the podcast, where I recently did just that.

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