Daily Bliss

04/08/2026

As a coach, this is a scenario I see often:

A client enters the session, overwhelmed; stressed up to their eyeballs. They have too much work to do or feel incapacitated by a decision that is too hard to make.
Fight or flight has been triggered, the entire nervous system is dysregulated, and it feels awful. They need to figure out what to do, immediately. My best advice? Do not do anything until you get calm.

This advice can push against our instincts, because it asks us to put the looming task aside. We often feel we will only become calm once we have a plan, decide on our course of action, or complete the task/decision. So we push through, forcing ourselves to work in a heightened state, desperate to reach the end and the sense of relief. Unfortunately, pushing through often means we don't get to experience that relief on the other side.

The power of the pause
It's obvious, and we all know on an intellectual level that taking a moment before acting is generally considered best practice. But in the moment, our instincts fight us. It is important to recognise when this is happening, and be ready with techniques to intercept. Read the full article for examples.

Different regions of the brain are responsible for producing different thoughts and feelings. When you intentionally activate specific regions, you can tune into your wider awareness of the situati…

07/07/2026

With the New Year, we often find a kick of motivation and inspiration. It's a time we feel naturally capable of putting our past performance behind us and committing to new goals.

It can be incredibly helpful to adopt this mindset for the midpoint of the year, too.

Sometimes, if we don't feel we're travelling towards our goals by this point, we can be inclined to give up. Alternatively, we can get so caught up in day-to-day busyness that our goals naturally fade into the background… they become something we'll work on when we have more time or energy. But when will that time come?

Let this month be the time to dust off those January intentions, review how you've travelled so far, and re-define your goals based on what is realistic for you right now. The chart provided can be a great starting point - head to the full blog for access.

Let this month be the time to dust off your January intentions, review how you’ve travelled so far, and re-define your goals based on what is realistic for you right now. The chart provided c…

09/06/2026

There are two types of ways we view our worth as professionals. One is rooted in human value: our integrity, presence, authenticity, and care. The other focuses on performance metrics: our efficiency, productivity, grand achievements, and institutional ratings.

When we consider what we value within ourselves, it can be interesting to assess whether we are placing more emphasis on the internal, human values, or on the external, outcome-based elements. This can often be the difference between whether we feel like we are 'enough,' or whether we're constantly striving for it - often without knowing what 'enough' actually is.

Over time, some interesting theorising has been done on this topic of 'enoughness,' and one conclusion is this: To feel we are enough, we must build the sense from within. We must define our worth through humanistic qualities, and separate external comparisons and evaluations from our identity.

To be enough is to be "fully human, not endlessly productive."

The quote above is from an interesting article by a university lecturer, evaluating how professional self-worth is formed. The author identifies a clear disconnect between their university's measurements of performance (student evaluations, institutional expectations and bureaucratic demands) and the intrinsic qualities of a good teacher (clarity, presence and ethical care). They ask the question: under what conditions do professionals feel "seen, valued, and whole?"

What is required is a shift from striving for constant achievement, to striving for adequacy. Identify your adequate forms of professional being. They may include:
- Presence
- Honesty
- Autonomy
- Care
- Patience

When evaluating your professional worth, focus on whether you are operating from your value base. You will always take critiques and evaluations on board, but they will not shape your identity. The goal is to maintain your sense of worth without complete agreement with institutional judgement.

"Enoughness becomes both an anchor and a gentle resistance—not a shield from critique but a reminder of proportion."

Your value is defined by how you exist, not by what you produce. Goals and targets will come and go, but your presence and sense of self is constant.

When we consider what we value within ourselves, it can be interesting to assess whether we are placing more emphasis on the internal, human values, or on the external, outcome-based elements. This…

12/05/2026

Often, if a thought or feeling keeps popping up while we’re trying to work on something else, it needs to be given an outlet before we can move on. Using the brain pour technique is a great way to train our capacity to park an issue while we focus.

The pre-work brain pour – Putting aside the personal
10-15 minutes before starting work, write down or dictate everything on your mind about your personal situation.
- Get a coffee and put pen to paper, create a computer document, or record a voice note
- List your ideas, things to remember, and emotions
- Move the thoughts and feelings from your head to something tangible, so you won’t keep thinking them over and over
- Close the book/computer/phone app and give yourself permission to park the situation until you’re ready to come back to it

This technique can also be used to create space from work in our time off. It’s increasingly common for major projects or workplace problems to seep into our home lives, impacting our relationships, enjoyment of down-time, and ability to rest. When something significant is going on at work, complete a similar process to close the day.

Read the full blog to learn how.

Often, if a thought or feeling keeps popping up while we’re trying to work on something else, it needs to be given an outlet before we can move on. Using the brain pour technique is a great way to …

14/04/2026

A great technique to combat imposter syndrome is to catch and contradict any non evidence-based thoughts as they come.

"I'm not qualified enough."

List your qualifications and experience. Challenge yourself to include the things that you may not consider applicable at first.

"No one here likes me."

List the times that people have interacted positively with you: a passing smile; words of encouragement or thanks; buying you a coffee; pausing work to help you. You stop noticing these things when the imposter takes over, but they continue to happen.

Imposter syndrome thrives on a cycle of self-critical thoughts, reflecting only our fears and insecurities. It tries to speak louder than our strengths and overshadows the things we know we are goo…

10/03/2026

The 2 Types of Performance Anxiety

If you ever feel nervous before a presentation, meeting, or your one-on-one, it may be a symptom of performance anxiety. It's completely normal, and most of us experience it to some degree. The thing that many people don't know is this: There are two distinct types of performance anxiety....

If you ever feel nervous before a presentation, meeting, or your one-on-one, it may be a symptom of performance anxiety. It’s completely normal, and most of us experience it to some degree. T…

10/02/2026

Intention vs Resolution

Intentions encourage us to approach our goals with more flexibility. Where a resolution may be a clearly defined behaviour or outcome, an intention could be considered more like a 'first draft;' the first of many steps that will carry us to where we'd like to be....

Intentions encourage us to approach our goals with more flexibility. Where a resolution may be a clearly defined behaviour or outcome, an intention could be considered more like a ‘first draf…

21/12/2025

Different situations in our lives require different approaches. Sometimes, our inner critics or habitual responses push us to try the same approach on repeat, even when it's not working.
For any job, there are different tools designed to complete tasks effectively. When painting a fence, it wouldn't make sense to pick up a hammer, when the paintbrush is sitting there, ready to use.

In the same way, it's ineffective to approach a conflict with avoidance, or an emotional problem with pure rationalisation. We need to train our minds to pick up the right tool for the right situation.

PQ categorises our mental tools into 5 categories. The Sage Powers:
1. Empathise
2. Explore
3. Innovate
4. Navigate
5. Activate

Next time you find yourself problem solving, consider whether your instinctive approach utilises the best tools for the task, or whether a shift in your mindset may be more effective.

Watch this 1 minute video for the rationale behind the toolbox metaphor, explained by PQ's founder, Shirzad Chamine.

facebook.com/watch/?v=449215817480718

17/12/2025

Over the course of this year, Mindset Matters has focused on each of Positive Intelligence's saboteurs: conceptualisations of different habits and thought processes that hold us back. Each one resonates with different individuals to different degrees. As we close out the year, the focus is on identifying what these things mean for you, specifically. Join me in this final edition for 2025, and apply the tools that work for your specific personality and patterns.

The full newsletter is available via LinkedIn.

10/12/2025

There are a million ways we can give definitions and names to our inner voices, thought patterns, and brain functions. They’re all borne of different individuals' desires to conceptualise their intangible inner workings. Some will be incredibly helpful for one person, and meaningless for another. The key is finding the metaphor or framework that works best for us.

In this month's blog, consider how a range of different approaches can be utilised in the same situation, to help rein in negative self-talk.

Read it here: https://dailybliss.com.au/find-your-favourite-framework/