March 2009

 

Dear Anne

If you're anything like me, then you'll be astounded that we're already in March! I've been really busy and as a consequence the year seems to be flying by and sweeping me along with it. That brings me rather aptly onto the subject of this newsletter. We're going to look at how easy it is to get swept along in life and find yourself on a path that you didn't mean to take. I've included a great exercise designed to assess if the direction you're heading is right for you.

If you forward this newsletter on to colleagues and friends – then thank you! Don't forget they can subscribe for their own copy at the bottom of this page.

As always, I love to hear from you and receive your feedback on my courses and on this newsletter, so if you want to get in touch you can email or call me on 01697 747 821.

Best wishes,


The Positive Part – How Do You Get To Know, Trust And Love Yourself?

Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of. Benjamin Franklin

You are who you are because of the unique experiences that have shaped you and because of the environment that you live in. We all expect that by the time we reach adulthood we will know our own minds, have standards of behaviour and morals to live by, and be on the path in life that we are happy with.

Unfortunately we live in a fast paced world that's full of media influences that constantly challenge us. We're continuously bombarded with images and messages about what we should be eating, wearing, driving, watching, doing and thinking.

It's no wonder that increasing numbers of people are feeling stressed, depressed and having difficulty sleeping. We're all guilty of putting unnecessary and impossible expectations on ourselves (I know that I am!). And when life doesn't turn out like we expected, we get frustrated and anxious.

Of course I'm not suggesting you shouldn't have dreams and aspirations. On the contrary it's healthy to want to make changes and have ambitions. They've just got to be realistic and actually be things that you want – not that you feel you should have.


 
Positive Practice

else seems to be taking or that others expect you to take. This exercise will reveal whether you're on the right track:

  • Firstly divide your life up – Segment it into different categories that summarise your current existence and are important to you. For example your list might include work or career, family, friends, hobbies, community, study and so on.
  • Next, look at each segment – Think about where you're at presently, then look at the direction you're headed. For example, you might enjoy your current role at work, but be looking for a new challenge or more responsibility. What are you doing about it? Where will you end up if you follow that path?
  • Finally, think about where you actually want to be – Being on a path that you didn't mean to take isn't always a bad thing, but it doesn't hurt to occasionally reassess and make sure you're happy with the route you're headed. Look at each category of your life and think about where you want to be. You may discover some aspects of your life are on the wrong track.

It's never too late to change your route. This has been made very clear by some of the people attending my Fresh Steps for Older Workers programmes. When they've changed direction slightly, they've found that life suddenly becomes much easier, more exciting and a far happier place to be!

If you do find that life is getting you down and you feel stressed, then why not download the stress buster worksheet from my website by clicking here?

 

What Can You Do?

Jayne from Taunton took a new direction.

Jayne came along to my Fresh Steps course. Her children were away at university and she didn't feel stretched at work. She also felt that she could be using her free time more effectively. After a restructure at work she had held on to her job just to be safe, but she now felt that had been a mistake. When we looked at her network she realised that lots of people at work relied on her for support, but she wasn't getting any recognition for it. She decided that she would take a course in workplace coaching so that she could make sure she was helping them in a professional way. Starting to study again was a big stretch and she loved it. The course really helped to give her job a new dimension and she is now setting up a formal mentoring programme. This has provided the new direction that she needed and she now feels much more settled.

What Can You Read?

Overcoming Information Overload by Tina Konstant and Morris Taylor - Help yourself to make sense of all that info related to your possible new directions

A Woman in Your Own Right by Ann Dickson - Being able to communicate clearly and assertively both with yourself and others will always help you move forwards.

End the Struggle and Dance with Life by Susan Jeffers - Following on from her earlier books this helps you sort out where your life is going.

BlogPositive

Embracing Change

Where have you come from?


 
What’s Happening?

Fresh Steps. We had an excellent taster for our Manchester programme last week. Lots of really enthusiastic people came along, who are interested in assessing where they are now and what new directions they might want to take. Why not join them for the programme starting later this month? Call Stuart or Kirsten on 0161-214 7105 now to book your place.

Matchmaking. In the recession you can save money by sharing courses with other organisations. I have a number of clients who would like to find partners for women's courses. If you have a limited budget, only a few potential participants or you want to try out the course before committing, then give me a call. I can bring together potential partners for Springboard, Fresh Steps, Navigator or Spring Forward courses. You'll share the costs and benefit from excellent networking across a range of organisations.

Positive Praise

"Hi Sue, Thanks for the newsletter, which I read every 2 weeks to get me to focus on my goals, which slowly and surely I am getting on with. Thanks."

Lola, UK

"I really enjoy reading through your newsletter and it has really stimulated positive energy to come out. I began to look on life differently and appreciated the small achievements I achieved in life. Thanks and keep up the good work."

Gloria, South Africa

Next month we're going to work on your ‘in-look' – what do you believe about yourself and what are you capable of?


  
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