​What does your 'Personal Brand' say about you?
Not your logo or your colours
 
I’m referring to:

• Your Character
• Your ‘Self-talk’
• Your Truth
• Your Discipline
• Your Motivation
• Your Message
• Your Stories

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.

Are you keeping great ideas or something else to yourself because you’re not ready yet, it’s not perfect or you’re afraid of how it will be received?

I’m always listening to what you say. As a coach and workshop facilitator communication is very important and listening ranks high on the list of being a great communicator.

For years and for some reason more so since lockdown (enforced creativity time I imagine) I’ve been listening to people coming up with great ideas but then talking themselves out of it by saying “I don’t think now is the right time”.
The thing about an idea is that it’s up for the taking. If you don’t claim it someone else will, maybe not immediately but at some point.

Great ideas can be unique or they can be more commonplace.

Those who make the effort or are brave enough to claim the idea will be the ones who receive the credit, whatever that looks like.

Whether it’s an idea to write something, for improving a process at work or one you have for creating a social enterprise, the world needs your ideas and input.

Please find a way to deliver your idea, project or thoughts, it is the right time.
To use the well known quote “If not now when?”

So, if you are sitting on a great idea and fearful of delivering it for whatever reason, here are some pointers for you:

Are you overthinking it?

​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.

Because being behind it means it’s an obstacle.

What is Imposter Syndrome?

Imposter Syndrome or Imposterism has been around for a while. This is what it’s currently known as but who knows in a few years it might have a new name.

Imposter Syndrome generally affects your professional life and is described, as having a persistent feeling of inadequacy despite there being evidence to the contrary. Even though you’ve experienced success in your life, you still have the feeling you’re a fraud, a fake or you’re not good enough and at some point you will be found out and marched off the premises.

The interesting thing about Imposterism is that it affects high achievers, people who for all intents and purposes could be most proud of themselves for what they’ve achieved in life, but instead they are mired in self-doubt.

I see Imposterism as part of self-development or growing pains, uncomfortable but if you want to go further in life, necessary.

The logical mind might tell us the feeling we’re experiencing of feeling like a fraud doesn’t make any sense, but the intense emotive feeling of self-doubt does not lend itself well to logic.

If you’re feeling challenged in this area here are a few things to consider:

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?

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.