WORDS OF WISDOM |
WORDS OF WISDOM |
What does your 'Personal Brand' say about you? Not your logo or your colours I’m referring to:
I’m speaking to you about being ‘Who You Want To Be’, decided by you and not by societal or anyone else’s norms. It's unique, specific and special to you…..Why would you want it to be dictated by others or by thoughts that are not true to you. Your ‘Personal Brand’ speaks to your character, reputation, values, how you think and what’s important to you. It also outlines how you approach all aspects of your life. One of the most important elements of your 'Personal Brand' is, the ability to unapologetically be ‘Who You Want To Be’. For me, my ‘Personal Brand’ is about being certain of myself, without ego or arrogance. It’s a place that feels honest and comfortable. It’s about having respect for myself and others, you will notice it in the way I interact and communicate. It’s taken time and personal development, which has all been worth it. I still enjoy spending time working on developing myself but I’m here, where I want to be and it feels great. I’d like to share some tips and ideas for you to be able to do the same.
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It’s nearly here, 2020
Yes we have Christmas coming and then the New Year’s festivities....what next? Whilst I’m not a fan of wishing my life away I am a fan of planning, preparing to the best of my ability and then letting go. Why not get a handle on your 2020 by starting with a plan. Create it now and enjoy the holiday season knowing you have your starter kit for 2020 in progress. How effective are your New Year’s Resolutions? ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ or steadfast goals, which do you prefer? Generally ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ are often made on a whim, which fades with the sun somewhere between the 3rd & 10th January as you say to yourself ‘I’ll continue with being resolute, tomorrow, next week or next year.’ Turning your ideas, dreams, wishes or aspirations into specific goals doesn’t come with the same pressures as opting for ‘New Year’s Resolutions’. Goal setting and planning when done in your own time provides you with greater options, space and resources to achieve them. On March 8th we celebrated 'International Women's Day' with it's theme of #balanceforbetter, a campaign which will continue throughout the year.
I believe it should continue beyond 2019 so we carry on creating balance in the world. The challenges we currently face won’t go away if we just quit taking action once we reach the end of the year. As with any change, behavioural or otherwise commitment and perseverance is required or progress will stop. The ‘Balance for Better’ campaign looks at building a gender balanced world, which is essential for businesses, economies and communities to thrive. Diversity in thinking, perspectives, learning styles and personalities is a must for success in business and these other areas, gender balance allows all of these and many more attributes to create and enhance success. We already know how important balance is in all aspects of life, it’s something we can all work towards creating for ourselves and for others in varying forms. The campaign theme emphasises that we all have a part to play to make gender balance happen. Including both women and men in the conversations for change will enable collaborative action. Here’s an example of how an open conversation can change assumptions and perspectives, which are very important for working towards gender parity. The first thing to do is acknowledge it, instead of being fearful. If any type of fear subsequently accompanies your feeling of self-doubt, then also acknowledge your fear. It sounds a strange thing to do but acknowledging the feelings that at first seem to hinder your progress is a valuable way to remove the hold they have over you. Awareness and acceptance of feelings or emotions labelled as negative will mean you can start the process of removing the power they have over you and in the case of self-doubt will enable you to elevate what you believe yourself to be capable of.
When we fear something or are uncomfortable with the way we’re feeling there's a tendency to veer towards avoidance rather then acknowledgment, exploration and acceptance, which would in fact provide you with a starting point for options towards change and more affirmative action. The uncomfortable feelings you experience such as self-doubt might at first appear to be there to trip you up or stop you from progressing but they are created by you (mostly unconsciously) with a helpful purpose in mind. They are created to protect you, which is a wonderful intention but not always helpful. They’re created with the intention of saving you from being hurt or disappointed and to keep you safer within your comfort zone, the zone of only doing what you know and where you think you are certain of the outcomes. As humans we are very complex in the way we think and sometimes it’s not always easy to understand our thought processes, which determine our behaviours and actions.
Are you fed up of yo-yo dieting? Want to learn how to love you body? Want to ditch the scales?
You have an ideal that you want to eat healthier, think better and move more. You’ve had this ideal for a while now but life keeps getting in the way. You start with more fruit on Monday and by Wednesday you’re back to the Donuts and Wine. What if this could be different? What if you could follow the 80/20 rule where you eat well 80% of the time and allow yourself to have your ‘something else’ 20% of the time. How does that sound? We’re all busy, we work hard, we have children, aging parents, partners and pets. All of these require our time, inevitably the thing that slips is how well we look after ourselves. Having a healthier approach to life is not difficult and can be simple if you choose to prioritise self-care, being kinder to yourself and implement some basic manageable guidelines. If you’re up for this now, keep reading if not I’ve planted the seed come back when you’re ready. We want to help you buy into the idea of making better choices for yourself. Your ally when it comes to looking after yourself more is your mindset. Once you engage your mind to be more supportive of healthier choices, you’ll find things become just that little bit easier, until you’ve created new habits that work for you rather than against you. Where or how do I start, I hear you ask? A very simple definition of mindfulness is; to focus only on the present moment in whatever you are doing. Focus on your thoughts, your feelings and your senses, be present, be aware, be accepting.
How hard can this be? In today’s mostly fast paced, technology driven, results oriented existence with our focus on multitasking, can we make space for mindfulness? Yes of course we can, life is about options and therefore choice. Choosing to make time for finding ways to reduce stress and live a more balanced life is surely worth a go. Mindfulness can be helpful in allowing you to feel calmer, less stressed, more connected and more at peace with yourself and the world around you. Is it for everyone? No, if you are struggling with mental health issues or feeling particularly vulnerable you should consult your GP or a specialist. Depending on what floats your boat, what you want in your life and what you are willing to try in order to create a more calming, focused existence for yourself, mindfulness is a remarkable space and place to carve out for yourself. Have you been experiencing challenges with your levels of self-belief and self-confidence? Do you often compare yourself to others usually elevating what they have and what they have achieved far above what you believe about yourself?
How often do we compare ourselves to others whom we believe to be living in the perfect kingdom when peaking in through the tiny window to their world? Rather than stirring you up to achieve more, does this comparison grip and impair you, so much so that you do nothing but overanalyse and compare even more? Would you be surprised to know that you are not alone? We often compare ourselves to others without even realising what we are doing. Very few of us use what we observe in others as a way to actually focus on what we want for ourselves, strengthen our weaknesses or elevate our own self-beliefs. Instead the time is spent thinking negatively about how we view ourselves, about what we don’t have and how we aren’t where we want to be in life. Communication plays a huge part in our everyday lives. It influences our relationships at work, at play, with friends, family, even strangers. There is no doubt that the way we communicate is important, in particular as a way of imparting and receiving information, ultimately influencing what we give and receive out of life.
The subject of communication is of course very comprehensive but for today I will be brief. My aim is to get you thinking, if only for a moment about the way you communicate, how do you like to share and exchange this valuable commodity. A positive, great, mediocre or negative communicative experience has the power to leave you anywhere on the scale between feeling absolutely amazing and the complete opposite end leaving you feeling low and lacklustre. How much effort do you make in your daily communication? Speaking, writing, or otherwise? How do you like your communication best served? How important is effective communication to you? I have a thing, in that I really enjoy listening to others and how they communicate when speaking with each other, some might call it eavesdropping but I like to call it curiosity or research. |
AuthorI'm older and wiser than I look. After many years working in the corporate world I decided to branch out on my own.......Brave eh? Categories
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