Tag: coaching

Why achieving a work/life balance is hugely under rated

why finding a balance is a requirement not a luxury!

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In a world where communication is possible (and sometimes unavoidable) twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, the blurring of lines between working hours and personal time is becoming a regular feature of our lives. Yet, however successful or driven you are, never under-estimate the power of a bit of down time. Even the most successful business owners and entrepreneurs on the planet, recognise the importance of switching off to see results in their careers.

It’s time to start claiming back your down time for yourself and setting some boundaries between your work and your life!

Flexible working and being ‘switched-on’ can really take its toll. More and more employees are finding that being part of a world of constant communication and global business, means they are required to be constantly available to their employers. Yet keeping up to speed with your team at all times, can actually zap your energy and ultimately lead to a decrease in productivity. The same goes for the self- employed. If you find yourself switched on at all hours, every day, you find yourself working at 60-70%, when in reality it would be far more beneficial for you to be working at 100% efficiency for dedicated blocks of time.

So, is it a simple case of time-managements? Well on the surface, yes. Setting out blocks of time to focus on specific tasks and respond to certain emails can honestly work wonders. But we accept that’s not always easy, research by Cedar found that the average worker checks their phone for e-mails a whopping once every six and a half minutes. If we don’t nip this habit in the bud, our precious free time could be seriously under pressure.

With time management in mind, learn to know your limits. Don’t have eyes which are too big for your workload plate! One of the biggest reasons that the work/life balance is compromised, comes down to the work loads of individuals. Missing deadlines is horrible and it’s one of the biggest timewasting elements of your personal time. Be honest about what you can achieve in your available time- looking swamped with work could even have negative implications on your career. Dedication can easily be confused for inefficiency.

Finally, it’ll make you and those around you far happier. We all know that success can sometimes mean making small compromises in our personal life, but that’s what they should be. Small. Compromises. Got that? Not a regular thing. You’ll feel lighter, jollier and you’ll get back a bit of enjoyment in both your personal time and believe it or not- in your working day. Rather than rushing through projects or knowing you’ll have to stay late to get things done, take your time and relish your work projects. After all, you’ve probably worked hard to be there!

 

Bid farewell to your comfort zone

How moving outside of your comfort zone can take your life to the next level!

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Ahh the comfort zone, so named because it’s the mental equivalent of being wrapped on the sofa smothered by a duvet. Well ok, Lifehacker actually defines it as “the behavioural space where your activities and behaviours fit a routine and pattern that minimises stress and risk.” But either way, it’s all about the cosy sense of familiarity, security and certainty. There’s nothing scary in the comfort zone!

Sure, the comfort zone does indeed have its benefits. Us humans are creatures of comfort, it’s our natural neutral state. There’s little stress in the comfort zone, there’s consistency and you’ve probably reached a consistency in your performance, or maybe even in your emotions? But be honest with yourself, isn’t also a little bit boring? When did you do something exciting in your comfort zone? When did you last do something that makes you proud?

Melinda Beck for The Wall Street Journal has successfully argued that a little anxiety, can actually be the magic ingredient in our growth. Stepping outside of our comfort zones is our way of challenging ourselves and reaching new heights. Without risk, how can we prove that we can rise to the occasion of attempting something we might not be any good at!

Think back to when you were a child (the time in your life when you did nearly all of your growing), think about how many risks you took. No stream was too wide to leap, no colour-combo was too wacky! It’s only as we grow older that we learn to fear failure.

Beyond growth, leaving the comfort zone can also help our creativity flourish. Trying something new gives you a blank canvas of exploration and experimentation, that would simply be impossible in the confines of the comfort zone! By its very nature, creativity is inherently risky. When we show our creativity, we feel vulnerable and terrified of possible rejection. But the rewards that can be reaped from creative achievement will more than make up for it. Plus, the more you do It, the easier it becomes, until one day, taking risks, well…becomes part of your comfort zone!

By taking calculated risks and continually challenging ourselves, we’re effectively self-improving, it’s easy to cultivate openness, imagination and a higher intellectual curiosity! It allows you to become more astute and will also help with making spot-on decisions. All of a sudden, a situation which would have once made you extremely uncomfortable, becomes the perfect arena to allow you to look around, observe, absorb and interpret everything you see. Your decision making abilities will improve tenfold!

When you escape your comfort zone, you are effectively vanquishing your mental barriers, it’s a huge personal achievement. Whilst we can’t always promise the results will be equally fantastic, the sense of pride you will feel will make taking away that cosy duvet, indescribably delightful!

Why Invest in yourself?

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We live in a funny old world. We’ll think nothing of spending a few hours a week watching a boxset on Netflix or of spending £8 on avo on toast a couple of times a week. But when it comes to investing money and time on ourselves- all of a sudden we get hesitant.

It doesn’t make sense, surely investing in yourself is the best return on investment you could ever possibly have? It’s especially important for those who seek to help overs, you need to give to yourself before you can give to others! Our individual gifts and talents will best serve others, once we’ve invested in them! Correspondingly, investing in yourself is a powerful signifier of self-love. If you show that you are willing to invest in yourself, others will be far more likely to want to invest in you. It sends a powerful message to the world. It shows exactly how you deserve to be treated.

Secondly, it sends a very important message to your own sub-conscience. When you enrich yourself, you can feel yourself grow and will feel better about yourself. It contributes to your happiness. It’ll help you become more focussed, as well as boosting your confidence. Both confidence and focus are essential in helping you achieve those personal goals.

Perhaps you have a bucket list full of things you want to do, think of the joy that would come with accomplishments. So putting some time and effort into getting those things done would really pay off. Whether those goals are improving your singing voice or learning a new language. Or perhaps you want to consult with a life coach like me on how to lose weight or get a promotion. You’ll feel better within yourself when you put time and energy towards completing those things. The big payoff to all that effort will be when you look back on your life and realize that you put positive steps in making those things happen.

It’ll also do incredible things for your career and/or business. As previously touched upon, as your skills grow, so does you value to those around you-particularly your employer. This translates into you becoming a more valuable asset and will hopefully result in an increase in job titles and compensation. If you are entrepreneur, the asset of your personal talent is transferable. By investing in yourself, you are also investing in your business. Whilst you may be making an initial output of money and time, you’ll end up driving your efficiency and perhaps even make a cost reduction!

So there you have it, yourself really is your best asset. You are an investment that simply can’t fail to give back a return. So go on book in with a life coach today, and forgo a couple of avo on toast breakfasts!

Walking Coaching – What and Why?

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When people picture a life coaching session, more often than not, they picture two people sat in a room with a similar set up to a therapist’s office. But that vision couldn’t be further from the truth. My best coaching practice is done on the go! I’d go as far to say that walking and coaching are the perfect duo, they complement each other beautifully. Life coaching isn’t about dwelling on the past, it’s about moving forward to where you want to be- what better way to mirror what you want to achieve than physically striding forward!

Walking has a two-fold impact on the body, it relaxes you and re-energises you in equal measure- two physical states which are perfect for reflection and coaching. It increases blood circulation and gets your body pumping, helping oxygen and glucose to reach your brain. Essentially as you are exercising your body, you’re also exercising your mind- helping sharpen your thinking and enhance your mental clarity. The release of endorphins (your body’s happy chemical) will lead to insight and creativity through relaxation.

Similarly, in a world where we spend most of our time sat behind computer desks, it’s easy to forget the incredible power of nature and the outdoors. Nature is where we come from and it’s where we are most at ease. Walking outdoors heightens your perception of your environment and encourages your body to use all of its senses. As a fellow fan of life coaching whilst walking Dr Furnish once said: “It enables you to slow your pace down and ground yourself, which has a calming effect on your body and mind. This calming effect helps with problem solving and creative thinking.” In fact, walking actually slows down our brain waves, allowing us to unconsciously streamline our thoughts! Clever, huh?

More simply, nature is an inspiration. When we’re in green space we give ourselves to nature and its unpredictability. It is deceptively simple and extraordinarily resilient. There is no better place to reflect on your own resilience and creativity. Happiness can be found in nature that we forgot we had so taking the time to immerse ourselves in it for an hour can be enjoyable, insightful and empowering.

 

It’s also perfect for those of you who are over-worked and over-stressed, if you schedule in an on the go coaching session, you’re able to combine mental movement with the basic human need for physical exercise!

Text Coaching

A more relaxed but still super effective kind of coaching

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In the age of the iPhone a lot of people now prefer to communicate by text that over the telephone or sometimes even face to face.

Ofcom found that we sent 102 billion text messages in the UK alone in 2011 and a further 48 billion WhatsApp messages and those figure are only increasing.

Recently I have trialled text coaching with a few clients and we have developed great action plans that have them working towards their goals. The goals have been varied from finding a purpose, to weight loss to relationship problems.

The medium of text allows the coach the time to think of the perfect question, and the coachee the opportunity to ‘say’ things they might struggle to out loud.  It also means the coachee is in their own environment and does not need to travel or talk to anyone about where they’re going. It also means the coach can support anyone around the world. The other evening I was supporting a client all the way in Dubai from my cosy sofa in Essex, England!

Of course it is vital that as a coach you explain that you will be asking tricky questions and that as a coachee they should be as honest as they can even if their answer is I don’t know or can you rephrase that.

A great benefit to clients is also that text coaching is a cost effective option. As there is no room rental or travel for the coach, I am able to pass that saving back.

If you’d like to give text coaching a go, pop me an email at Georgina@essexlifecoach.com and let’s see how we can work together.

What is Life Coaching?

cuddling bunnies and dancing in the rain?

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Hear the term life coaching and often people conjure up thoughts of someone spouting motivational quotes and high fiving you for breathing…. it’s not that

The simplest definition I’ve come up with is supporting someone to reach their goals by exploring the reality and options available to establish a clear, achievable plan.

A coach will ask you thought provoking questions to help you identify how you can achieve your goals in small steps. They will also make you accountable and will follow up with you.
Overall your coach is the translator for your tangled inner thoughts as well as the person who will help you keep on track. A good coach will give you a safe space and the time to spend on yourself, which is invaluable.

As a coach I’m excited to help people achieve their happy!