Career Clouds and April Showers...

Isn't it typical, here in London just a few weeks ago we were told to expect a hose pipe ban due to insufficient rainfall, then just days later, April showers kick in and we've had rain on and off ever since! 


Talking of April showers reminds me of a tweet I saw recently with a quote that I love:

"Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, 

it's about learning to dance in the rain"

I have seen the quote many times and this time it occurred to me as the perfect analogy for so many people in their careers. 


For many people their careers are a storm. Their career evokes negative feelings and makes them feel very restricted in what they can and cannot do in other areas of their life. Just like a storm would prevent many people from going on a day/night out, taking part in their favourite hobby, visiting friends and family and generally enjoying life, a career feels just as restrictive for so many. However, in nature, most storms pass and eventually the sun comes out again. This is often not the case for many people and their careers and they spend their days counting down to the weekend, their weeks counting down to their annual leave and their years counting down to retirement. 

How could you learn to "dance in the rain"? 

What if you could learn to love your career?

A lot of the time when we really dislike something, our natural instinct is to want to remove ourselves from the situation. With a career it is not always as simple as leaving and sometimes leaving does not even solve the feeling of unhappiness and discomfort. 

Take some time to think about your career...

How did you get into it and what made you choose that career? 

What did you love or enjoy about your job? 

If you can identify these aspects and reignite the initial passion you had, you will learn to dance when the storms come your way. If however you "fell" into your career and never felt excited by it, then it's definitely time to at least explore "sunnier climates"! 


Love Live Life

Wake up and smell the coffee!

A few weeks ago I met up with an extremely lovely lady Sally, who is also known as the Word Nerd! I met Sally at a WIBN meeting as I am a member and Sally was visiting. It turned out that we lived very close to each other and so we decided to meet up for a coffee, as you do. 


Fast forward two and half hours and it turns out we had so much more in common than being "Women In Business". We now both work for ourselves after becoming disillusioned with life after we followed the traditional route of school followed by university into a career that we eventually realised we didn't actually like or enjoy that much. After very similar circumstances we both woke up to "smell the coffee" and realised it was now or never. Thankfully we both chose to take the plunge, leave our corporate careers and setup our own business doing something we love. For me it is career coaching with professionals and young people and for Sally it is writing, more specifically, blogging. 


Sally is the reason I have finally got back into blogging again! The way she spoke about what she does really inspired me and reminded me why I enjoy writing and just how much I have to share with you all. I love what I do and I also love writing so why not combine the two, just like Sally has. For me it is part of my business, for Sally it is her business. 


What do you really love doing that you could potentially transform into paid work? 


The possibilities are endless. Many of you have become so disillusioned with your life that you're not even aware of what excites you anymore. Take a few minutes to list all of the things you are interested in and enjoy doing - whether you still do it now or it's something you did when you had more time or more money. 


The freedom Sally and I have through working for ourselves means that we are able to spend two and half hours getting to know each other and sharing our stories with each other. It also created an opportunity for us to become work and gym buddies. Working from home can often be isolating and as we live locally, we have agreed to meet up for coffee regularly with our laptops and convert the coffee shop into our own open plan office for a few hours! 


Had you asked either of us five years ago if this lifestyle was possible, I would have definitely said no way and I'm pretty sure Sally would agree. As I said, the possibilities are endless. Where there is a will, there is a way so start exploring your options today.


Stay posted for an interview with Sally and learn how she made the transition from the corporate world to the online world... 


Love Live Life

Spring... A time for change and new beginnings...

So I haven't blogged for a while and that has been for a number of reasons, mainly though because I have been on a transformational journey both in my business and personal life. I have had lots going on some really positive and exciting things that I will tell you about very shortly and some quite emotional and life changing things. However I know this will sound so cliche but I have learnt so much along the way. I now have so much more clarity about the business and my life and I am once again excited about life, living a life I love and I have a career I love! 


As the blog title says, Spring has arrived and it is a time for change and new beginnings. I will be revealing some exciting stuff around LL Coaching soon that I really hope will inspire and empower you to start your own transformational journey and create a career and life you love! 


What areas of your career or life would benefit from a good "spring clean"? 


This  weekend while you're enjoying the glorious spring weather, have a think about the areas where you're feeling frustrated or fed up and what changes you would like to make. 


Have an amazing weekend and if the weather where you are is as beautiful as here in London, enjoy the wonderful Spring sunshine! 


Love Live Life

Love Life... Hate Procrastination...

So the first month of 2011 has come and gone. How have the first 31 days of the year been for you so far? How are you doing with those resolutions and goals you set at the start of the year? Let me guess - broken, a distant memory or hanging on in there by the skin of your teeth?

Well don't despair, January is one of the most challenging months of the year. Christmas debt, extra long wait for pay day, extremely cold weather and this year a large increase in the cost of living. So with all these things to think about, it's not surprising your will to stick to your New Year's Resolutions is struggling. This is normal of all goals, not just New Year's Resolutions. Whether we like it or not, life goes on and things happen to challenge us day in and day out. Set backs and failure are two huges factors in achieving goals. They are there to test our will and determination as well as to encourage us to stretch our imagination and think creatively.

One of the biggest challenges people face when working towards their goals is PROCRASTINATION. Procrastination makes you feel like you making progress initially because it involves being busy, however it actually stops you from making progress over time because although you are busy, you are busy doing things that take you away from achieving your goals, not closer. Procrastination is the difference between being busy and being productive. Procrastination shows up for many reasons: maybe you are not committed to your goal, you are not clear about your goal, you have no plan, you are fearful (failure, success, work involved, etc) or you hit an obstacle and don't know how to move forward or who to ask for help.

In order to overcome procrastination and get back on track with your goals, do the following:

• Identify all the things that keep you "busy" and ask yourself if they are taking you towards your goals or away from them
• Identify the time of day or week you make yourself "busy"
• Ask yourself how you feel about your goals and whether or not you are fully committed to achieving them - if you are not, then re-evaluate your goals and ask yourself why you originally set them and what outcome you was hoping for
• If you are fully committed to your goals, write them down (again if you have already done so) and put them somewhere where you will see them every day.
• Put together a plan of who, why, what and when:
• WHAT actions you need to take and WHAT obstacles/challenges you may face
• WHEN you need to take the actions
• WHO you can support you in achieving your goals
• WHY you want to achieve your goals - what will they give you?

Another reason for procrastination is boredom. For many goals, in order to achieve them, you are required to dedicate a large amount of your time and effort to them. Like a lot things in life, when you spend most of your time doing them, over time boredom sets in. As the saying goes "variety is the spice of life", therefore it is not only important to be passionate about your goals, but also to give yourself a break from your goals every now and then.

Make a list of all the things you love to do then schedule time in your plan to do something you love on a regular basis. It could be drawing for an hour a day or day a week, going to a football match/concert/show once a month, eating out once a month or whatever it is that makes you happy. By including it in your plan, not only will it ensure you do take time out to do things you enjoy, it also means you can enjoy your time fully without feeling guilty that you are not working towards your goals. Even if you are totally passionate about the goals you are pursuing, it is still important to schedule time out to do other things to give your mind breathing space and the opportunity to be inspired.

So don't worry if you haven't made much progress on your goals, every day is the start of something new and remember every goal involves set backs. However, set backs make you stronger and stretch your imagination.

Have a great month!

Love Live Life

The End is Near... Apparently.

Recently I have been hearing mumblings of that ancient Mayan prediction that the world will come to an end in 2012. Some people wholeheartedly believe the prediction whilst most think it's a joke, completely laugh it off and usually comment on those who believe it as though they have a screw (or two) loose. I don't believe or disbelieve it. The world as we know it today will certainly no longer exist in 2012 because change is inevitable, 2 years is a long time so it is safe to assume the world will be very different. Secondly, I have no idea how the world came to be therefore I have no idea how or when it will come to an end so there is every possibility it will end in 2012. There is also the possibility it will end today, tomorrow, next week or next month.

This got me thinking. What if we went with the notion that the world will end in 2012 and set about fulfilling all our dreams and achieving all our goals in the same way we would if we knew for certain the world was ending on the 31st December 2012. A common question coaches ask clients is what would you do if you only had a 6 months to live. Well what would you do if you really did only have 2 years left to live? What would you do differently today? I am not for one minute suggesting you pack up your job and spend all your life savings. However, if your ultimate dream involves the two things, I am suggesting you seriously look at what you want and put together a plan to make it happen.

Living in such a materialistic society, many of us automatically assume fulfilling our dreams and achieving our goals will involve huge amounts of money and spending our life savings. However when we really become aware of our own mortality and are actually given a short period of time to live, the material things become much less significant. We are much more likely to want to do things like spend quality time with friends and family, read a classic novel, visit a particular sight or country, learn a skill, etc. All things that don't actually have to involve much money.

So how about, just for fun, you imagine the world really will end on 31st December 2012. Think about all the things you'd like to do, see and experience (not have) before then - big and small - make a list and spend the next 23 months working towards achieving and fulfilling your goals and dreams. And if the world doesn't end in 2012 you will have achieved and fulfilled so many more things than you would have if you just took it for granted that you have another 10, 20 or even 50 years left to live!

Here are some of my ideas to get you started:

- Visit Egypt and see all the major sights
- Tour Italy in the Spring/Summer months
- Work and live abroad for at least 3 months
- Read every Jane Austen novel
- Sky dive
- Visit Africa
- Learn to speak Spanish well enough to have a conversation
- Watch a sunset and sunrise on a beach in a hot country (not necessarily on the same day)
- Learn to meditate
- See a show on Broadway
- Publish a book

Finally, here are some Dos and Don'ts for your list:

- Don't filter your list, write everything that comes to you (feel free to use pictures also)
- Do make sure you have enough on your list to keep you going for the next 23 months
- Do make sure you have a good mix of small totally achievable goals as well as "stretch" goals that you're not sure how you could possibly achieve them in the next 23 months
- Do make sure you put your list somewhere you can see it regularly
- Do make sure regularly check your progress and tick things off as you achieve them.
- Do keep a journal and put an entry for every goal you achieve

So there you go, time to start your list. You better get going, the countdown to 2012 has begun! ;)

Love Live Life

Never Leave Positive Words Unsaid...

... or positive deeds undone.

Last night I heard the tragic news of a 15 year old boy stabbed to death outside his school. I then found out that he was a pupil of my friend's husband which brought it even closer to home. For the rest of the night I could not stop thinking about that poor boy's parents and family and kept thinking, I hope they had no regrets. I hope let him know every day how they felt about him and he knew how much he was loved.

We live in a world where there is so much tragedy and negativity and although we have the power to inject so much positivity, most of us act as though we are powerless. Unfortunately too many of us get caught up in the stresses and negativity in life and we are too tired or worn out to focus on the positive and important things we have in our lives. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us, yet so many of us act as if we have been given a lifetime guarantee and therefore put important things off until tomorrow and before we know it, nature takes it course or some tragedy happens and it's too late.

The funny thing is, it's small things that matter and make a huge difference. Telling some you love them. Giving some a call or sending them a message to let them know you're thinking of them. Complimenting someone on something they did well or something they're good at. All these things take less than a minute yet so many of us fail to make time to do it. It is said, especially about the phrase "I Love You" that when said to many times it becomes meaningless. I beg to differ. If you say something with sincerity every day and the person you are telling you feels that love and you're actions are in line with your words, the feeling of love will be felt. I'd bet everything I own to say that no-one ever died thinking they told the people they loved that they loved them too many times. I'm also sure that the family they leave behind wished they'd told that person they loved them a million times more.

Life can be challenging and horrible stuff happens day after day so do whatever you can to ensure you're spreading love and positivity every single day. Happiness is contagious and when you tell someone something nice or do something nice for someone and they appreciate it, it automatically leaves you feeling better about life.

So never leave positive words unsaid and positive deeds undone because tomorrow is promised to no-one.

Love Live Life

New's Resolutions - Tips For Staying On Track

This blog is a continuation of the article in this month's LL Coaching Newsletter. The newsletter discusses 5 common reasons why people do not achieve their new year's resolution and below are a few more tips to help to increase your chances of success:

• Treat yourself: Whatever your resolution, make sure you build in a reward structure. If you have achieved or exceeded a small goal or target as part of your overall resolution do something to reward your progress. It can be something as simple as your favourite chocolate bar, going out for drinks or something more extravagant such as booking a holiday. The reward is to acknowledge your efforts and can act as motivation to continue working towards achieving your overall resolution.
• Make it as fun as possible and try different things: Automatically when someone mentions losing weight, most of our initial thoughts are going to the gym or going on a diet. Nowadays there are many different activities you can take part in that do not even involve a tracksuit! What works for one person does not necessarily work for another.
• Get a buddy or "cheerleader": If possible, join forces with someone else who has a similar resolution. Not only will they act as motivation, they are more likely to congratulate you on your progress than you are yourself.
• Be kind to yourself: It is inevitable that you will suffer setbacks. This could be due to working late, family commitments, illness, other commitments, etc. Life carries on despite having set yourself a resolution so accept it and move on. If you don't exercise one day because you have a cold, or you break your eating plan for a friend's birthday dinner or you just don't feel like it one day, don't beat yourself up. Just accept it for what it is and get back on track immediately so you do not lose momentum. Once you start beating yourself up, you feel bad which makes you less motivated to continue and has a tendency to make you ignore all the progress you have made up to that point.
• Keep a diary: This will act as a great motivator reflecting your progress. It will also help on those days where you lack motivation or when you are tempted to beat yourself up about a minor set back.
• Be happy: Finally, first and foremost, the most important thing about life is to enjoy it. So if giving something up or making a change is actually going to make you more miserable over 12 months than continuing then you have to ask yourself is it worth it and what the likelihood of sticking to it is. Don't fall into the trap of conforming to what the media and society prescribe as the "perfect" life. In my opinion, there is no such thing as perfect but to get as near to that as possible, it ultimately means being happy with yourself and your life for as many days of the year as possible.

NB: If you do not subscribe to the LL Coaching Newsletter but would like to receive it, send an email to info@llcoaching.co.uk and ask to subscribe to the mailing list.