We were having friends over for dinner again. The lovely aroma of food and
sound of the wok clanging was like a cacophony of sounds I was used to. Mum
was the ultimate entertainer. She loved to cook and did it effortlessly. It was
very usual for our family to have friends and family over for meals.
As a child I looked forward to hearing that my favourite cousins were invited for
a sleepover. It was our little reward that Dad afforded us. The deal was that we
had to complete our homework for the week, before they arrived on the
weekend. That was Dad’s strict rule.

Work then play. Accomplish what you set out to do then have fun loaded at
100% with no worries in the back of your mind. He was reinforcing behaviours
that he wanted. As a business owner today who is focused on creating effective
people, I understand now, the lessons Dad grounded us in.

I was about 12 years old when I realised Mum was usually slaving away in the
kitchen to achieve her target of ten or so dishes for our dinner guests. One day
I said to her “Mum why don't you cook less dishes so you have a bit more time
to yourself?” She replied “This is me. It’s nice to have a variety for our guests”
Many years later when I entertained I did the exact same thing. I would have
friends over for dinner and I would cook a variety of dishes just like Mum. When
I realised I had modelled my mother, I laughed . Replicating talent via
accelerated learning bypassing the conscious filters, I had taken on her
behaviour programs.

Modelling not on the catwalk, I was replicating talent of my mum in cooking and
entertaining. There were so many other skills that I had unconsciously learnt
from her without being aware of what they were. I had observed and emulated
how she did things without knowing I was doing it.
Today I know that the process of modelling high performers has been coded and
the structure of replicating talent well documented in the field of NLP. By
observation and doing what we see, hear and feel we have the ability to use
accelerated learning to create winning mindsets.

How high performers think, take action and create excellence!
Many years ago I had the privilege of attending John Grinder’s modelling high
performers program where we attempted to model an opera singer, a drummer,
a dancer and a martial artist over 5 days.

It was a fascinating experience as Grinder asked us to follow movements of the
models. We imagined ourselves inside their bodies. I enjoyed drumming most.
There were 2 drums for participants plus the drum master’s. The drum master
went as fast as we could keep up.

We closed our eyes, felt the rhythm of the music and reverberating of the
drums. The lady who was drumming with me kept pace while the drum master
took us into an amazing sequence.

Grinder watched and many participants heard the drumming so we drew a
rather large crowd around us. It was a thoroughly enjoyable experience as
neither one of us had learnt music formally. We intuitively allowed ourselves to
flow with the music.

You might be saying now “but that’s different to modelling a leader in an
organization” Well to be honest it’s no different. Once we elicit the internal
makeup of the individual – the values, beliefs, language, philosophies, we wear
the model’s persona. The same way actors prepare for their roles in upcoming
movies.

If you are a decision maker reading this set yourself an objective to create a
culture of modelling high performers in the organization. An accelerated
learning culture is one where people learn from feedback and indulge in more
empowering activities.

Create effective people with winning mindsets and create a culture of positive
reinforcement where people are rewarded for the behaviour that you want.
Like dolphins that are fed fish when they do a jump, feed a fish to your people
who are open to replicating talent of others. This is an amazing way to design
culture change as it is grown organically.

Exactly like the organizational unit, I know now that Mum and Dad aligned
human capital in our family. Each of us siblings, were shown our strengths and
transferring skills from them to us happened organically. They helped us in

achieving results and gaining higher productivity by opening our minds to
accepting change. Today I am a catalyst for change in organisations. What role
do you play in your organisation?

Spending time on an activity you enjoy has the potential to reduce anxiety and improve mental health overall. Research shows that people with hobbies are less likely to suffer from stress, low mood, and depression. Think about it. When you are having a good time, engaged in activities that you enjoy, you feel happier and more relaxed.

There is little or no need for stress management as endorphins are produced in your body which promote positive feelings. A hobby which is usually something you choose to do outside of your daily “have to” routine is a great way to spend your spare time. Finding a hobby could do any one of the following as it did in this sequence for me;

Find new friends in an environment outside your normal context In my mind it is highly recommended to engage in a hobby that helps me meet new people. When I migrated to Sydney I set out to create as many hobbies as possible. The idea was to meet people from different walks of life. Some were enjoyable and others weren’t but what it certainly did for me was help me meet people who lived in different parts of Sydney and who worked at many different jobs.

I learnt so much from these people and joined activities which made me refocus my mind out of the stress of having just moved countries, to enjoying my new life. This re-direction of focus is what helps your brain engage in enjoyment and reduce stress with hobbies. Unwind from a daily routine I was a banker when I migrated to Sydney. Days were stressful and intense. I had a new job in a new organisation in a new country. From learning how things were done to establishing new relationships. I found a new friend at the bank who was also single.

She lived in Manly which is a beach suburb. As in new friendships the excitement of spending time together was definitely an activity I looked forward to. A quick drive to her place, dinner and a three hour walk by the beach would change my state of mind, leaving me totally relaxed at the end of the night. From smelling the salty air to feeling the cold water at my feet. Learn a new skill As months went by and I delved in more hobbies, I gravitated more to things I had never done before. I especially felt a deep need to get out of my left brain (intellectual side) to my right brain (artistic side). As luck had it, one of my girlfriends was a good dancer.

I loved music and this got me interested in learning a new style of dancing called Ceroc. I found myself a dance partner. We went dancing every Tuesday and Thursday from 7pm for 3 hours. I still recall how stressed I used to feel when I first arrived at the dance hall and how relaxed I felt as I left at the end of the night. My ability to reduce anxiety was certainly fundamental to heighten productivity at work. Challenge you to deepen a current practice An interesting aspect of my life beyond banking was that I felt a calling to meditation.

This I found out unexpectedly as I one day stumbled across a sign that read “free meditation” This journey began with art meditation and opening channels of intuition. After many years of going deeper with a variety of different aspects of meditation, I ventured into the ten day silent retreat-style meditation. I met some of my best friends there and learnt how to bypass jet lag, reduce anxiety and improve mental health. A wonderful very pronounced side effect that everyone at work noticed, was my performance at work improved.

While I did not target explicitly to reduce stress with hobbies, that was what exactly happened. Most organisations view stress management from a serious angle yet the opposite posture needs to be taken. Teams that are happy experience motivation to perform. Their focus is not on how to reduce anxiety or improve mental health, but more to enjoy what they are doing. In fact if you interview an entrepreneur or business owner, you will find that their heightened resilience and “never say die” attitude is cast in stone.

They are focused singly on winning not on failing. They also value a balance in life so having fun and playing are just as important as work. More than anything, entrepreneurs have made work out of their hobby. I often hear them say “I am being paid for my hobby” which is a cool concept as their level of enjoyment is immense and they definitely know how to reduce anxiety with hobbies. This is what employees need to understand if they would like to heighten productivity.

Having a hobby eradicates the need for stress management and reduces anxiety, not the other way around

Working from home was a concept that was considered a no-no for many non-
technology companies, until Covid-19 hit. The year 2020 was phenomenal in

forcing a mindset change to many ways of operating, one of them being the
whole idea of working from home.
Hearing first-hand from employees that their company revenue metrics surged
despite the workforce working from home, the truth homed in. It was evident
that with less travel time and expenses, employees had improved work
productivity.

Further to that, workers reported that they were well rested hence felt
reduced stress and hopefully on the way to a healthy life.
While many were resistant to a mindset change in the past, especially when
organisations organised corporate trainings, the great re-set was proof that
change happens fast when the need arises.

So, being open to new ways of operating is all that is needed, to lead a directed
life towards reduced stress and improved work productivity. If you are one who has the option to continue working from home, good for you.
As a Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP) Trainer, I say this with my hand on my
heart.

Understanding how to make profound change easily and fast is what I
help people do.
The only thing I look for is that the person is open to learning new things and
come to the fore of their own accord, without any pressure from family or
colleagues.
So what I share in this article is from an NLP perspective. In many ways these
tips will help direct your mind to great results like reduced stress and improved
work productivity.
Healthy Work-life Balance Tips for Working From Home (WFH)

1. Keep the connection with others
It is an important time to relate and communicate with colleagues so
keep the corridor of conversation open. Human beings need the
emotional connection to balance IQ, EQ and SQ.
Don’t feel guilty to pick up the phone and have a chat to a colleague
when you need a break. However you do need rules around how long
you chat for. This refresher is important for reduced stress.

2. Set daily rules based on your Cicadian rhythms
If you are a morning person, schedule activities that require your
greatest focus. Working with your natural energy patterns will yield
improved work productivity.
Observe your patterns and plan your week based on this. Do this so you
create work-life balance which leads to a healthy life. You will see results
within a few weeks.

3. Create time for yourself
Working from home can get serious so it is fundamental that you build
space in your schedule for some personal time. Whether to hang on the
phone with a friend or listen to music, this is rejuvenates energy.
When we are joyous we feel good. This cycle allows for energy to top up
and give you a refreshed feeling. Laughter is the best medicine. An old
adage that still holds true which leads to reduced stress.

4. Choose a practice you love
To create work-life balance we must rejuvenate from the mind, body,
spirit angles. A physical exercise regime to swim or jog at a certain time
of day, augurs well for the unconscious mind to engage rigorously.
From the spiritual dimension, whether prayer or meditation are your
choices, that is up to you. These are important practices to have a
sustainable and healthy life.

5. Anchor your workspace
When working from home, this is probably the most important point to
generate improved productivity. Your unconscious mind is an obedient
mind. If you give her orders, she will know what you want.
So, give her orders by working from the same place daily. Write
proposals in one part of your home and take calls in another. Do the
same activity in the same place every day.

6. Be outcome driven
Set goals for yourself daily and weekly. Acknowledge small wins that
encourage you to achieve even more. This is how you strive to achieve a
mindset change.
Directing your unconscious mind is gravely important. It forces you to
focus and this is where resilience is built. When working from home this
is a fundamental practice to set and achieve work-life balance.
I hope you realise now that the unconscious mind is fundamentally where a
mindset change occurs. Knowing how to work it to the fullest, yields
reduced stress hence a healthy life in the long run.
With mental health eroding globally, many people suffer from anxiety that
is exacerbated further by working from home. A work-life balance is easily
achieved if you implement some of the tips I have shared

When I think of re-charging, the visual of a battery pops into my head. The human mind is like a battery. When the charge is strong, we achieve high performance, as we have the capacity to re-charge self-confidence and use it to the fullest. 

A large proportion of issues arise from a lack of flexibility in behaviour, simply because human beings love routine and certainty. So to contemplate doing something in a different way requires a flex of the muscle, which puts people out and leaves them in a position of discomfort. 

As a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) Trainer, when I see the phrase "dealing with uncertainty" two things strike me;

• All of our life is uncertain. No one can guarantee us any certainty.
• How did we learn to create a box called "LIFE" and rely so heavily on living
  within this box with certainty? ​​

A person who loves continuous learning is driven by a growth mindset. They take on challenges and wear the hat of an adventurer, in manoeuvring twists and turns that life has to offer. 

An old subject but one still so relevant today is the critical skill of improving communication. Whether in the workplace or outside, we are human beings who need to connect for survival and beyond. Hence the need for communication. 

The recent pandemic came swiftly like a swipe of the hand to either help or debilitate different segments of society. If you happened to be on the wrong side of the swipe, many suffered from it, like depression after a job loss.