For the well heeled and privileged, the quest for love and romance peaks on 5th August!

Our latest research reveals that for the cash rich and time poor, interest in love and romance operates with as much seasonality as in other sectors, peaking on the first Wednesday in August (this year falling on August 5th).

Real time tracking by researchers has identified a risqué trend in winter for those looking for something more casual in the post Christmas gloom. Our research has found that in both the winter and summer months the heat gets turned up, but these are also the periods when the single and wealthy are looking for something more meaningful. The biggest peak occurring during the weeks after school breaks up where our phones ring off the hook with enquiries about membership.

Summer is the only time when the city sleeps. Those who are single see colleagues head off with their families. Alongside this exodus, business in the city all but shuts down for most of August. Our clients work hard all year round and the summer is the key time they have a chance to reflect on their lives and think about what they want for their future. That’s when they ask for our help.

Of course this cycle isn’t unheard of. It was first identified in 2007 in the United States with a review published in the journal Health Education, into a ‘holiday season effect’. Studying membership applications since our inception at the beginning of 2000 has managed to pinpoint with greater accuracy the hottest day of the year for matters of the heart.  We experience a steady flow of applications all year round and in addition to a small January spike, 35% of new members sign up in the June-August period. The highest numbers of registrations averages at 5th August.

Lesson 2 in Confidence: Don’t Fake it, Learn it.

“The news that reaches your consciousness is incomplete and often not to be relied on. Turn your eyes inward, look into your own depths, and learn first to know yourself” - Sigmund Freud

 "Everything is great”, “I am fantastic”. Don’t fake your confidence. Learn it. The ‘fake-it-‘til-you-make-it’ approach might have worked for some, but a better way to have a healthy level of genuine and authentic confidence is to learn it. Learn how to tap into the confidence you were born with.

It is said that we were born confident. However, growing up, going through stages of development, gaining self-awareness with exposure to life’s experiences has chiselled away at our confidence resulting in new feelings of insecurity and doubt. But, we can regain our confidence; we had it once, we can have it again.

 Accept failure.

Failure makes you stronger. You learn and your chance of succeeding increases.

“A failure is not always a mistake; it may simply be the best one can do under the circumstances. The real mistake is to stop trying”. - B. F. Skinner

 Practice confidence.

We love that old saying, ‘practice makes perfect’. Meet new people, take yourself out of your comfort zone. It’ll be hard at first, but it’ll get better.

Practicing confidence is different to faking it. Faking confidence is pretence; practicing confidence is tapping it your qualities to achieve the confidence you deserve.

 Learn to receive praise.

Taking a compliment in an art form. Learn to accept positive recognition and reinforcement. Sometimes we automatically reject a compliment rather than simply saying “thank you”.

Embrace the unknown.

Embrace change, embrace the scary/unpredictable things.

Getting to know yourself, who you are, what you like, what you don’t like, are all small cognitive changes which can build your self-confidence. Be proud of who you are. Love yourself and let others have the chance to love you too.

Don’t let your confidence be detrimental to your relationship. Take control. Take action!

“Health is the greatest possession. Contentment is the greatest treasure. Confidence is the greatest friend.” — Lao Tzu