7th January 2008 - Newsletter No. 127
Contact - info@michaelheppell.com

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THIS JANUARY...DO NOTHING!

There’s always quite a lot of pressure on me when writing my New Year newsletter. In fact there’s quite a lot of pressure on us all at this time of year – or hadn’t you noticed? You’ve had all the fun of the festive season and now there is the pressure to; pay for it, lose the pounds you found and once again, make this your best year ever. Combine this to your usual bag of woes and you can see how people get down and dreary in January.

It’s usually at this point where you would expect me to write something about ‘how it doesn’t have to be that way’ and ‘why don’t you snap out of it!’ Well I’m a little older (41 this year), and my thinking about January has changed.

Here’s a thought. Why not make January your month of reflection? Reflecting is great as not only does it take

less effort than all out massive action but it also gives you the opportunity to achieve great things – if you do it properly.

So here’s my 5 step guide to reflection (without the pressure).

1) Set aside 15 minutes a day to reflect and do nothing else. You can split it in to three, five minute sessions if you like or go for a full 15.

2) Carry a pen and small note book. Capture your ideas as they appear and write down your thoughts. When you are in ‘reflective mode’ you’ll think of many ideas.

3) Be open to what shows up. There is no right or wrong way to reflect. Enjoy the luxury of letting your mind wander without the pressure of having to stay on track.

4) Have a reflective discussion. Who would you like to have a conversation with? If you could choose anyone at all who would it be? If you have a faith this could be your higher power.

5) ‘Isn’t that interesting?’ Those words are the key to a brilliant reflective experience. If you are unhappy about any part of the process then simply stop, and say to yourself, ‘Isn’t that interesting?’ If you miss a day or two, don’t beat yourself up just be aware of it and say, ‘Isn’t that interesting?’ Why feel guilty, confused or lazy when instead you could be interested?

So they’re my 5 tips on having a wonderful reflective January hope you enjoy - I’m off for a guilt free lie down.

Be Brilliant!

Michael

8 ways to make 2008 your best year ever

Join Michael Heppell on his annual free live conference call with eight brilliant ideas guaranteed to get you kick started in to making this your best year ever.

At 4:30pm GMT on Thursday 17th January Michael will host a FREE conference call where you can simply call in and listen to 8 different personal development tools and techniques. The 40 minute ‘ways to’ call has become an annual event with over 200 people being lucky enough to get a place last year to listen to Michael’s ‘7 ways to make 2007 your best year ever’ call.

This year we have secured over 300 lines for the call and you can book your FREE place now by simply emailing ruth@michaelheppell.com and requesting a place. Please state in your email if you will be calling from outside of the UK.

If you are one of the first 300 to register you will be sent a local call rated number and further instructions (including your pass code) for how to get on to the call.

Get your life balanced with a series of free mini books via the Independent Newspaper.

Starting on Saturday 12th January and running until Friday 18th the Independent has a free mini book featuring ideas and tips to make your 2008 your best year yet. Michael has written the introductions to each book and several special features including a brilliant piece on how to quit smoking.

Plus on Day 1 (Saturday) you’ll get a free audio CD with a selection of clips from top speakers and we are delighted to say that Michael has been chosen to appear too.

SEE MICHAEL LIVE ON YOUR PC!

If you haven’t seen Michael live (or you have and you’d like a reminder) then we have added a new videos section to our website. To view ‘Introducing Michael', ‘Michael on Service’ and ‘Michael on Brilliance’ just click on this link or visit www.michaelheppell.com and follow the links from the 'Michael As A Speaker' button.

After successfully running almost 40 public courses in Newcastle next week we will be announcing our first public How to Be Brilliant programme in London. If you would like to be first to know the details (and beat the public announcement) then send an email to events@michaelheppell.com and we’ll send you the information first.