4 Levels to Creating Change

If you've been reading the news about different critical events, I'm sure like many, you may have been feeling a lot. 

Here's a gentle reminder - it's ok to feel. 

To feel scared, outraged, worried etc. 

To be human, and to connect to natural human responses is healthy. 

What doesn't help is to remain stuck in them, judging, blaming and shaming, forgetting the bigger picture and deeper thread that connects us all. 

There are many ways to create change in life, personally and collectively. 

I don't have all the answers (much I'm still learning) though from what I've observed over the years so far from my own setbacks, challenges and bumps along the way - as well as my wins, client successes too. 

There are 4 KEY LEVELS to creating change, in no particular order - physical, mental, emotional, spiritual.

You see, everything is made of frequency (science has proven this time and time again) and each of the following levels hold a different frequency and vibrate at different speeds. Each valid, each important.

Picture this...

If I was to tell you to  "go to the beach now"... you may have an image or memory that arises. From that you may start to feel something, you may also get an intuitive messages or realise that so many people around the world are connected through the sea and the sea is like a representation of humans... each a drop in one giant ocean. 

And through all of that, physically you are still where you are. The physical body vibrates slower (and needs more time to make the shift) compared to the mind and emotions and spiritual connection. 

                                      

Let's look at these levels through the eyes of creating change in life.

On a PERSONAL level - if you've been moving towards a desired outcome can you can identify any of the following that you have overlooked?

• PHYSICAL: Take action, get practical.
• MENTAL: Hold the vision, clear any subconscious beliefs that may limit.
• EMOTIONAL: Express what needs to be expressed, and feel the joy of receiving what you want to call in.
• SPIRITUAL: Remember the deeper thread that connects all, listen to your intuition (the guidance from your Soul.

This can also be applied COLLECTIVELY...

• PHYSICAL: Helping on a practical level, giving aid, supporting others physically in need is important.
• MENTAL: Holding the vision and belief that a harmonious world is possible is important.
• EMOTIONAL: Express what needs to be expressed constructively, and feel what it would be like to experience a world with more harmony (heart coherence) is important.
• SPIRITUAL: Prayer, energy work, meditation etc is important.

All levels are valid, all levels are important.

To ignore, blame, shame, judge, avoid one of those is to miss the full opportunity given by LIFE to create a shift in the current experience. 

I've seen a lot of blame and judgement online lately, there are many horrified and furious with what is going on around the world (rightly so). Though to turn that onto fellow humans, judging how others show up in times of crisis is a waste of precious energy. 

What if that energy used to help those in need directly instead?  

Something I've struggled with over the years is finding the balance between being of service, and also doing it in a way that is sustainable in the long run for me and others.

Sensitivity to the subtle realms is my superpower... and I've needed to learn plenty of self-care and boundaries too. 

I have friends who are born activists and dive head first into all the horror, shadow and do their humanitarian work there.

They are amazing. 

And I also have other friends like me, who focus more on the energetic work, both internally and externally to contribute to more integrated harmony for humanity, which is also incredibly important. Making sure I don't overtax my nervous system so I can support clients in need whilst still being aware of what is happening in the world and contributing through the subtle realms through intention, attention, prayer, healing meditation etc. 

All ways of helping are valid. 

• Looking at your own shadow. 
• Protesting
• Prayer
• Group meditation
• Donations

The list goes on.

Collectively we all contribute. 

Which brings me to 3 questions I recently asked on Instagram...

• What's your vision for this planet and humanity? 
• What do you spend your time, energy and attention focused on? 
• Are those in alignment? 

Read that again.

We are collectively co-creating this world. It's impossible to go into all the nuances in one blog post though with these 4 levels it's a starting point to expand the perspective and shift the energy to one of possibility and opportunity. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, how are you showing up for yourself and others in today's world? 

NOTE: If you are struggling, only focused on your immediate world, know that's ok too. You, focusing on you, in moments of struggle is valid, allowed and important on a vibrational level. Though often what can happen is when being of service is brought in, the personal experience can shift too, after all it's one of the 6 basic human needs - contribution.

And if you need some extra support to gain clarity, calm and confidence 1:1 sessions are available worldwide. Full details here. And also a Podcast episode here. 

Could This Be The Answer?

Those following my work will have noticed I've been travelling a fair bit recently. Family gatherings, funeral, workshops... I think I'll be buying a fair few trees to be planted this autumn to make up for the many flights!

One thing I've noticed whenever I return to Barcelona, step back into the flat and start unpacking is how living with just a few things can make life so much simpler. I feel lighter, freer.

I also went to Menorca for August with just 1 item of hand luggage, most of which was taken up with my laptop. And looking at my wardrobe afterwards I realised how much stuff I do not use with a strong urge to give the majority away. This urge also seems to arise whenever I take self-awareness courses and Training's, it's as if when I move something within me, I need to move the stuff around me too.

And you know what?

It feels so good!

Whilst we may not want to live out of a suitcase for the rest of our lives, significantly reducing and spring cleaning our living space can have numerous benefits... 

1) Charities and those in need benefit from donated clothes and books etc.

2) Cleaning and clearing physical items around us helps shift the energy around us also... which in turn affects the energy within us too.

3) Getting rid of the old in our lives creates space for the new to come in. I remember a teacher once saying that before she manifested her life partner she literally cleared space in her house for this partner (that she had yet to meet) so could move in one day. As if she was saying to the Universe "I'm ready! I'm creating space in my life (and home) for a loved one to share it with me".

4) Life is simpler. 

Click To Tweet: "Simplify life, create space and welcome the new" Emma Bradford

Number 4 alone is golden. I mean how full can life get sometimes? Bills, work, emails, chargers, passwords, food shops, cooking, cleaning, washing, commitments etc. Cutting back, sticking to essentials only can create so much SPACE.

Space to notice the freedom, presence and valuable small (Big) things in life.

Feeling overwhelmed? Stressed? Cluttered? Or simply looking to create change and bring new energy into your life?

Strip back. 

Wardrobes, cupboards, drawers, asking yourself... 

1) Is this necessary and important? If yes, keep it. If no move on to next step...

2) Is this meaningful, beautiful and something that puts a smile on my face? If yes, keep it if you wish. If no, time to release it.


Life can be so simple and beautifully rewarding. 

Let's make it even more so and notice what shifts occur by doing so. 

What helps you feel lighter, freer and more relaxed in life? Let me know in the comment section below.

Have a friend seeking support? Offer a helping hand and share this post.

Want more? Full details on trainings, workshops, coaching, audios and more on my website.

My Wake Up Call... And It's Message

"I'm done conforming" I said to myself.

Following every 'Must Have Steps On How To Reach 6 Figures In Your Coaching Business' never really resonated with me. At times I felt guilty in the past for not taking part as I felt I 'should' be doing it because it was the seen thing to do.

"That's what all coaches do right? Doing __x__ training, __y__ program, __z__ social media tactic... so I need to do that too".

Yet some of it felt forced, rigid and even sneaky... (don't even get me started on Instagram following tactics). So I stepped away and felt set apart at times for doing so. 

You have to post in ____ way, every day.

Have to do __x__, __y__ and __z__ to gain followers  

You have to document all your life on social media stories everyday

Have to... must do... should do... etc.

The list grew longer and longer.

I'm good at being consistent with blog posts, social media updates, online community commitments, meetups, workshops etc. My Taurus determination has got me where I am today. I also noticed this Spring I needed a little more balance, running my business according to what resonates with me only without the guilt. 

A while ago I felt low in energy, having spent years behind a computer working hard to spread the message about Wholehearted NLP and offer support to those seeking it. Carrying the business solo - accounts, publicity, creation, coaching, training, admin... everything... single handed. 

Then I had a wake up call. Life slapped me in the face and brought me to my senses. 

My health was stretched from the pressure I was putting on myself and a friend left the Earthly plane. Success took on a whole new meaning. Talking about this with a dear friend at a house party afterwards... I explained to her how I forgot about the true meaning of success in life and what's truly valuable.

Friends, family and health.

So I postponed all my events for a whole month, looked within and step by step started making necessary changes in my life.

A) RECONNECT TO THE BODY: I reconnected to my senses even more, getting out of my head and into my body. Attending regular yoga classes, dancing more around the house to my favourite music, appreciating my body with gratitude.

B) PRIORITISE VALUES: I started prioritising time with family even more, and catching up with friends because that's something I value. Life is too short not to acknowledge what we value.

C) TIME-OUT TO RELAX: I started taking time out from work, choosing to post social media updates ONLY when I really wanted to and felt I had something worth sharing. 

I love my job, I feel passionate about spreading the message of finding gifts within the shadow and supporting individuals through that. Looking back I can see it was another layer to shed in realigning myself with what resonates in terms of how I manage my work/life balance.

To step a little further out of the rigidity and a little more into the fluidity.

So I decided upon a new work manifesto...

1) To post work based social media updates ONLY when I feel called to share an important message or valuable event. Bringing authenticity even more to the forefront of my work at ALL levels.

This doesn't mean to say to go for months without connecting with my community or that certain tips to gain publicity or out smart social media algorithms are unnecessary or even bad. If we value our community and have a message that can offer service and benefit, being present and learning useful tips can be a smart thing to do so the message actually gets seen. It's about using ONLY what resonates and leaving the rest. Using ONLY what feels authentic to us and letting go of what others may be doing if doesn't speak to us.

2) Listen to my intuition... when I need to step back and say no and when something is calling my attention.

Is it a complete 'yes!'? If not... then most often it's not the best choice for me, my business and clients so I won't go ahead.

3) Prioritise creative, relaxing, regeneration time out from work, as not only does this fuel work successes to come, it also contributes to true success in LIFE.


I share this openly because I feel it's important to keep bursting the bubble that all teachers are perfect and free from challenges - a common misconception, especially in the coaching/NLP world. Yes I've learnt some incredibly useful life changing tools over the years, and yes I've overcome many challenges too. This has helped me really understand clients deeply and guide them to their inner knowing during challenging life situations. Re-frame past events, rewrite the story within their unconscious and reconnect them to their true self within.

And just like any teacher... I'm human too.

A recent trip took me into the depths of the beautiful Cotswold's, in the UK with dear friends. A week away to unwind, laugh and explore. I remember before the trip, someone on social media commenting... "a whole week?! What will your clients do?!" I thought they were joking at first. Turned out they were serious and concerned for my clients well-fare if I was unavailable for a few days.

The old me would of felt guilty taking time out, questioning my actions and perhaps even slotted in a non-urgent hours of work during the trip, even if it could wait.

The new me wasn't having any of it. 

Knowing full well my clients and business were going to benefit so much more by having a re-energised, grounded and centred coach, not to mention allowing me to feel more human again by creating a more harmonious work/life balance. Hey, I even postponed a Facebook live... something I would have never done before as commitment and consistency are BIG for me. Though I knew, deep within I needed a switch off from the online work world. 

And you know what? It worked.

My energy built up with strength and I felt inspiration growing again within. Something I thought was disappearing... in reality it was simply waiting to be found again.

To find MYSELF again.

I felt tired back then because I was disconnected from my energy.

I felt lacking in inspiration back then because I was disconnected from my intuition.

The energy and intuition are within and around us... they ARE us. It's all about reconnecting to OURSELVES. 

Because we are, whether we chose to realise it or not, the staring role in our life. There are no back ups, covers waiting to fill in behind the curtains.

It's us, this life, and our choices.

If you've been feeling tired with life's challenges and commitments recently ask yourself this... who am I living my life for? 

And how do I choose to live it from now on? 

Now I'd love to hear from you! Reflecting on this, what one change do you feel called to make in your life to really embrace and LIVE life fully? And when will you do that? Let me know in the comment section below.

Have a friend needing a gentle nudge forward into fully embracing life? Offer a helping hand and forward this post. 

For more information on Training's, Workshops, Classes & 1:1 Coaching visit www.emmabradford.net 

How To Make Peace With Change & Find Comfort That Heals

How do we respond to uncertain times?

With fear? Anxiety? Anger? Or perhaps we're calm, optimistic and open to change?

Uncertainty (variety) is one of the 6 Basic Human Needs according to Tony Robbins...

1) Love & Belonging

2) Significance

3) Certainty

4) Uncertainty (Variety)

5) Growth

6) Contribution

To have a feeling of uncertainty in life is essential so we don't feel bored. Imagine what it would be like if we knew exactly what will happen every minute, every day of our lives before it happens. I don't know about you, I'd certainty crave some uncertainty just to add some variety in life!

Each individual has their own personal preference, some crave lots of uncertainty, going with the flow and unexpected surprises. Whilst others prefer more certainty in the form of routines, organisation and predictability. When we experience too much certainty for our preference, life can become a bit dull, and when we experience too much uncertainty for our liking, this can trigger higher levels of anxiety.

Each individual has their own threshold.

In my work over the last 5 years I noticed that when high levels of uncertainty were present in clients lives this was a common trigger to reach for comfort food... looking for a feeling of comfort when anxiety levels rose high.

Sometimes we might not even realise that we are affected by uncertainty... yet we can gain deep insights into what is going on unconsciously by looking at our behaviour. Our behaviour is a great insight into what thoughts, emotions, beliefs and values are in play at a deep unconscious level. Are we responding angrily to a change of plan (I know I have at times before!), are we experiencing anxiety bubbling up within? Or perhaps we're in a state of fear... what may or may not happen... worries playing on loop within our mind. 

Habitually many human beings are creatures of comfort, not wanting to move out of the comfort zone, our familiar surroundings and if anything pushes us out of it it can trigger more uncertainty in our lives sometimes leading to overwhelm and anxiety. 

The thing is, life is constantly moving and changing. 

Life IS change. 

We cannot avoid uncertain times completely. There will be moments when unexpected events occur in life.. so how about we make peace with change instead?

Click To Tweet: "Constructive comfort vs destructive comfort... there's a difference" Emma Bradford

How To Make Peace With Change...

These following 3 steps are not the only ones out there in the world of self-awareness, though these steps can be a wonderful starting point to shifting our perspective...

1) ACKNOWLEDGE: First of all, what are we currently thinking and feeling about uncertainty and change? What does it mean for us if uncertainty and change are present?

Are we fearing the worst case scenario? 

Fear of losing what we currently have? 

Angry that things have changed? 

Anxious of what may or may not happen?

2) SHIFT THE PERSPECTIVE: We can start transforming things by challenging the Limiting Belief and acknowledging the emotions.

For example... if we believe that change is painful or difficult, then perhaps we might resist change to avoid pain. Whereas looking at things from a different perspective... perhaps it isn't the change that causes the pain, just our resistance to it that does?

We can notice beliefs as they pop up and challenge them by asking ourselves this question... 'What else could this behaviour mean? What haven't I noticed yet?'

Simply by shifting the perspective we can create a profound shift in how we feel... after all thoughts can create emotions. For more on how to shift emotions specifically join the Facebook community here.

3) CONSTRUCTIVE COMFORT vs DESTRUCTIVE COMFORT: Comfort is not a bad thing, we can absolutely benefit from downtime and an extra boost of oxytocin filled hug. What is unhelpful though, is when we use unhealthy vices to give us that feeling of 'comfort' on a regular basis. Often this can come in the form of food, alcohol and social media scrolling etc.

So the beneficial question to ask ourselves is how do I find comfort and is this constructively helping me both in the short and long term?

For example... if I'm going through a challenging time and I find myself scrolling too long on social media... I'm simply looking for looking for a form of comfort, a distraction from the challenging situation. This isn't necessarily helpful in large periods of time both short and long term so we could say it's a form of Destructive Comfort.

On the other hand, if I'm going through a challenging time and I meet up with a friend to chat about the situation this can be considered as a form of Constructive Comfort as not only can talking with a loved one be comforting, it can also support us in understanding whatever situation we're in and gain clarity on our next chosen steps of action.

Are we constructively finding comfort or are we tapping into destructive comfort seeking patterns? And if the later, what can we start doing to transform that?

Time for change, don't you think?

I'd love to hear from you... what actions of constructive comfort help you? Let me know in the comment section below.

Have friends going through a challenging time? Share this post and help to spread the love even further.

For more information on 1:1 coaching, Wholehearted NLP Trainings, FREE resources and more... check out www.emmabradford.net

How We Can Transform Fear Into Love

I feel I write about this more and more lately, and it's too important to stop.

This time it came closer than ever. 

Barcelona, my home, my beautiful city was attacked. I was in shock when I first heard, and at the same time there was a feeling for a while that Barcelona might be a prime target with Las Ramblas welcoming millions of people every year.

It's with tears, deep sadness... yet a deep knowing and optimism that I wrote this following words to my dear Barcelona meetup members. I felt the need to share some words to my community, knowing some had to run for their lives, to show support, and however much or little we are connected to recent events - these words can be applied to virtually anything.

The shadow of this world is not easy to experience, yet we don't need to let it stop us from continuing to believe and act according to what many of us value in life - love & peace. Just as I say with the Inner Critic... let us observe, learn and continue regardless creating positive change as we do. 

Click to Tweet: "Seeing people's fearful actions doesn't give us permission to give up on our loving actions" Emma Bradford

It's challenging times like these that can bring up varied responses... naturally we're all different. Some use their anger and hate to fuel more hate and hurtful actions, others want to avoid talking about the challenging emotions all together and only talk about love and light. 

First let us remember this...

It's OK to experience sadness... let's use that sadness and transform it when we connect, find understanding and share support.

It's OK to experience anger... let's use that anger constructively to create meaningful actions and community projects that create positive change in society.

It's OK to experience fear and pain when we hear of events like these... let's use it as a reminder to reconnect with loving words and actions as much as possible and not remain stuck in the vibration of fear as we continue our lives.

There's a difference...

Experiencing and passing through certain emotions is completely different to brushing over and avoiding them because they are a 'lower' vibration. Spiritual bypassing gets us nowhere. Yes, as much as we connect to love the better... though without acknowledging the current situation as it is first and any emotions that may be present we miss a wonderful opportunity to transform the collective fear at many levels.

Some might say, we cannot transform something without knowing, acknowledging and understanding what we want to transform first. 

Emotions are fuel... let us USE the pain, anger and sadness we feel to propel us into creating more love in whichever way feels right for us.

• Acts of kindness to those in the streets, affected to show that despite fear, love remains.
• Volunteering and offering support... the plus side of Facebook is that there is a huge amount on offer right now for those in need in our city. Beautiful to see how the city is coming together.
• And simply by stepping out of our houses, regardless of any fear and continuing with our life because we believe in something better.
• And so much more.

We're in this together, whether we're from Barcelona or not. This is a worldwide issue. A doorway of opportunity is being opened to us now... as a society we are called to face, learn from and find the gifts in the shadow using our combined light. Rather than reject it completely.

This is both within ourselves at a personal level and in whats going on in the planet right now. 

Everything is connected. We're being called to bring more connection, understanding, peace and love into our daily lives and communities on a regular basis... not just when difficult times occur. 

Connection, support, conversation, positive action.

Let's do all that we possibly can to ACKNOWLEDGE what happens, LEARN from it and then bring even more LOVE into society... even if it's simply to offer support and comfort to those deeply affected by challenging events.

This is how we can transform fear into love.

Spreading the love further

Here are a few options to choose from if you wish to spread the love further...

I'd love to hear from you... what loving action will you take today?
Have a friend that would find this useful? Please spread the love and share this link.
Want more? Check out the latest post on how we can find the gifts in the shadow here.
Looking for Support? FREE online community here. 

Transforming Fear Into Strength... What Would You Do?

'Basically, it's hot enough to melt steel'

...they said, as I breathed in the cool, crisp evening air and heard the gushing of the river Thames nearby. 

I was just about to do something that terrified me.

I was forcing myself well out of my comfort zone, yet I knew with all my being that this experience was right for me at this time in my life, I had to do it. 

2015, for many has brought huge changes. I could see clients and meetup group members experiencing turmoil... "This autumn has been too much!" I heard as I started focusing meetup events and workshops more and more on soothing the emotions within and how to detach from the inner critical voice. 

It seemed so needed at this time, more than ever.

I too went through major personal shifts earlier this year, with situations forcing me to let go, re-adjust and continue strengthening the loving connection within despite of challenging experiences.

Painful, yes.

And as with most things, what I learnt through the process made it so worthwhile.

So whilst looking up at the stars that cool evening near London, hearing the energy of the crowd and feeling the adrenaline pumping within I knew that my life experience was about to move to another level. I was about to test my beliefs about life and Mind/Body connection to the MAX, allowing all levels of my being to experience a completely new reality. 

I took off my shoes and socks, feeling the cold wet grass beneath my feet. 

Mind 100% on my desired outcome. At this point I couldn't even hear what the crowd was cheering towards me, I had no idea... it felt as if I was in another world, totally focused ahead as I stepped forward and walked bare foot across 4 metres of hot charcoals that lay before me.

Firewalk's* are just one way to help us to use our fear and transform it into strength and power in a situation. Breaking away from the 'I can't do it... I will get burned...' beliefs to 'Wow no burns whatsoever and I didn't feel a thing... if I can do this I can do ANYTHING!'. By actually achieving something that we previously perceived as impossible, we can feel more motivated to continue our journey towards other desired outcomes.

Empowering is an understatement!

If anything it's simply just a way to step out of your comfort zone and realise what you are capable of as solutions, goals and desired outcomes don't tend to reside within our comfort zone... we need to venture out of that comfort circle as this image below demonstrates...

And no, stepping out of our comfort zone doesn't feel necessarily always feel comfortable!
Quite often, it's afterwards when it can feel bloody great, and you often wonder why you feared it so much in the first place.

So that evening near London as my mind was so focused on my desired outcome, it was only until I reached the last step that I suddenly thought to myself 'I don't feel anything' and by that point I was on the grass again ready to celebrate with the rest of the group.

Eager to examine my feet afterwards... I found no burns whatsoever. 

Wow! 

The support I received during that experience, raising my emotional state and choosing to focus 100% on my desired outcome helped to make that move a whole lot easier despite the fears. Quite amazing to feel first hand too how the mind can affect the physical and emotional bodies experience of life in such a powerful way. 

Often people believe that we need to feel ready to do something or that we need to do it when we don't feel fearful anymore... when in reality these types of beliefs actually keep us stuck. Successful, confident people still feel fearful at times... they simply notice the thoughts and emotions and act towards their desired outcome regardless.

"We all feel fear at some point in life, particularly when starting out at something new. Fear is a healthy human emotion, so long as it doesn't cripple other emotions to get in the way of opportunity." Richard Branson

Have you been keeping yourself within your comfort zone recently?

If so, how can you support yourself through that process moving out of your comfort zone and towards your goals and desired outcomes in your life? 

The Firewalk** experience was one of the highlights of 2015 and a wonderful opportunity to remind myself of my capabilities.

A year of transformation and helping to prepare the foundations for 2016.

This time of year I often pick up on subtle energies and I 'feel' the shift energetically for what the theme for the next year will be for me. We often do this consciously too in the form of setting desired outcomes and creating new helpful habits in the form of New Year's Resolutions. 

However you do it, this time of year is a wonderful moment for reflection and transition... letting go of the old, welcoming in the new whatever you want that to be, and realising how far you have come noting the experiences you are grateful for so far. And this doesn't have to involve Firewalk's ;-)

Use this final week to reflect upon your 2015 experiences, and take a moment to consider this...

1) What TRANSFORMED for you in 2015 that you are most grateful for? 

No matter how big or small. Simply by being more aware of a new side of you, or picking up a new skill can be a wonderful change. As you consider how things have evolved, notice the feelings that triggers knowing all the wonderful new experiences  that you can welcome NOW thanks to that shift.

Also...

2) What is continuing to TRANSFORM at the moment as you go into the New Year? 

If there something you currently feel in the middle of ask yourself if there is anything that can help you through the experience. For example; support from a loved one, finding out how others may have completed a similar journey, a loving, comforting practice such as the Inner Light Visualisation or more.

And finally...

3) What would you like to TRANSFORM in 2016 and how can you help that to become a reality? 

Want to improve an area in your life or learn a new skill? Set the date in 2016 when you will start doing that. Writing things down and holding yourself accountable is a powerful step to success.

Now, I'd love to hear from you! 

Using the comment section below, what is your answer to transformation question number 3?  What will 2016 be about for you?  

Have a friend that would find this useful? Share this blog post on facebook, twitter or by email and offer a helping hand this season. 

Until next time, wishing you a fabulous end to 2015... let's make 2016 the best year yet!

EXTRA: Want to be the first to receive these posts plus extra bonus information that I only send by email? Sign up to my monthly newsletter here and receive a FREE Guided Visualisation mp3 to boost Self-Esteem. 


* To be carried out ONLY under supervision of trained Firewalk instructors! 
** Photos to follow when I receive them from the SUPER POWER SCHOOL event organisers.