“If I could Turn Back Time…

I’d find a way…

To take back those words that hurt you…”

Cher was onto something here. We all have moments where we wish we could turn back time and regret the things that we said… do we sit down and think about how we want to feel or behave in the future?

Most of us happily set goals for our tangible achievements, new job, house, relationship… without thinking about how we will feel when we have / achieve them, let alone how we will feel on the journey to get it.  

Yet, subconsciously, we do know.

Think of a time when you have purchased a major item, a house or a car, maybe.   You looked at several, saw one or two you liked… then you started comparing the others to one you liked… and the selection process begins.  You like the “feeling” when you are in the one you like. It makes you experience something that don’t normally have at that moment in time. You get attached to that feeling and want more of it, so you buy the item.

So, it makes sense, to me, to do this with all aspects of our lives.

As someone in my fabulous fifties, I have had enough life experiences to know I need to be intentional about how I want to feel – about everything!  I looked at many ways of doing this, (I will always be on a learning journey) and discovered The Emotional Culture Deck.

After using it several times, I decided to embark on a journey of achieving my Pro Elephant Rider Certificate. My business is now built around working with teams, couples and individuals using this incredible little deck of cards.

I have used the deck tons of times in my pursuit of my certification and here are my top five lessons from my journey:

Talking about the deck is hard... because the magic is in the tactile connection when you use the cards then share what the impact of certain cards is … to you, with the people around you.  It’s personal and it’s real.  People become authentically vulnerable. Take a deck wherever you go and let people play.

Many people are unaware of the impact that our state (feelings + emotions) has on our thinking and physiology… By changing our thinking, it changes our moods plus the responses in our bodies. When they understand and talk about this, they realise the impact they are having on other people and can make informed choices about what they can do more or less of. – Pure team building GOLD.

By tailoring my question prompts for each session to elicit the desired emotional engagements, amazing conversations occur! I experience great pleasure in doing this and I am humbled to have the opportunity to make a difference in this way.

There will always be people who are reserved – often they don’t stay that way for long. It’s not personal. Give them space to observe and understand the process. If it’s right for them, they will be the one’s with the biggest transformation.

This little deck is something that can be used in SOOOOO many ways! From culture setting to conflict resolution. From onboarding to performance reviews. From dealing with trauma to setting goals. From weekly check-ins to project management. From family boundary setting to planning a holiday… Honestly, anywhere you have a conversation that you want all parties to engage in, emotionally, give this a go! It is a great stocking filler too!

I am happy to say that I have completed my certification and I highly recommend it. Especially if you are a coach, in HR or a people orientated business!

Here are a few ways you can learn more about The Emotional Culture Deck:

Visit www.theemotionalculturedeck.com

Download a free Lo-fi PDF version of the deck at the website, click here

Complete The Emotional Culture Deck Online Masterclass course like I did here

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me here for a chat