Saturday, 1 March 2008

Become a firewalker with Tony Robbins

What were you doing 8 days ago? Were you walking on hot coals like me?

Last weekend I attended the amazing Unleash the Power Within event run by Anthony Robbins at the ExCel centre in London. Like many other wonderful people, I spend most of my time working with others, helping them to identify and achieve their goals and last weekend was time for me!

Along with 8,000 other people, I learnt the power of getting into a peak physical state to allow me to achieve anything I want to do, such as walking barefoot over a bed of hot coals!

By using key coaching, neuro linguistic programming and neuro-associative conditioning techniques, Tony helps people to develop unstoppable beliefs in their abilities, understand what drives them and how to develop the techniques for peak performance.

So, what stops people achieving what they want in their life? You can start by following the following techniques:

1. Know what you want to achieve - be specific.
2. Know why this is a must in your life.
3. Get yourself in a peak psychological and physical state.
4. Decide what you are going to do and take action.
5. If it doesn't work, find another way of doing it!
6. Get a coach, mentor or expert to help you to achieve your goals.

See you there next year!

Saturday, 16 February 2008

Valentine's day

Just in case you missed it, it was Valentine's day last Thursday!

According to a survey in 2002, a quarter of all long term relationships start at work. Many people spend so much time at work, so it is not surprising that love blossoms over the photocopier and relationships start. I actually met my husband when we were students working in Sainsbury's!

However, many organisations are banning people from having relationships with their colleagues, enforcing rules, or policing love in the workplace. On the most part, an office romance should not impact on work as long as the couple keep their love life separate from work and ensure that it does not cause a conflict of interest. Or if the worst happens, that a lover's tiff or breakup does not impact on their work or their colleagues.

You might be interested in looking at the following website for more tips on how to manage a relationship at work - http://www.worksmart.org.uk/rights/viewsubsection.php?sun=85.

What do you think about relationships at work?

Monday, 4 February 2008

How often do you change your job?

In a career coaching workshop I was running last week, we were discussing the changes in the way people work. When my father was in employment, it was generally the norm to stay in the same organisation for a long time. In fact he remained working for a well known bank for 32 years before taking early retirement.

Statistics show that people now change their careers around 7 times during their lifetime. But changes happen many times in a person's life which influences their choice of career at that time. This can be an enforced changes such as redundancy or relocation of a partner's role, or can be due to a lifestyle change, such as having a family, children leaving home or divorce.

According an article in HR Look today, an increasing number of UK employees plan to stay in their jobs for a longer period of time as a result of improved workplace quality, according to the Great Place to Work Institute. This is attributed to uncertainly in economic markets, but also due to workplaces investing more time and money to create a positive working environment. The research is showing that more and more people tend to stay for three years in a company rather than just switching and going to another organisation. This is positive news, and according to the Great Place to Work Institute's 100 Best Workplaces in Europe survey, 76% of employees believe their managers show genuine interest in them as a person and not just as a worker.

This is great news, how do you feel about this?

Thursday, 31 January 2008

Stress down day

Tomorrow, 1st February 2008, it is Stress Down Day in the UK.

In conjuction with The Samaritans, the day aims to stamp out stress and asks eveyone to wear their slippers and take part in stress reducing activities.

Each of us cope with stress in different ways. Ask yourself the following questions:

On a scale of 1-10, how much stress do you have in your life at the moment?

How do you cope with stress?

What three things could you do differently to cope with stress better?

If you would like some hints and tips to manage stress in your life, visit the site for more information. Go to http://www.stressdownday.org/.

Monday, 21 January 2008

Miserable Monday - the bleakest day of the year

On the radio this morning, it was announced that today is the bleakest day of the year. It is the day when many of us have run out of money after Christmas and are facing our credit card bills, the weather is terrible and we've broken our New Year's resolutions! How was today for you? What did you do to counteract this tale of doom and gloom?

Here is my advice to you:

1. Take time to be grateful for all the good things in your life.

2. Don't just make New Year's resolutions every year, but set yourself realistic and achievable goals to make long lasting change in your life.

3. Plan things that you are going to enjoy in your life, whether it is going out for an evening with friends or planning your dream holiday.

4. If you are feeling low, get some fresh air and exercise - take a walk around the block.

5. And if you are not happy with something in your life, what is stopping you from making a change?

Oh and ignore the media hype and just believe that you are going to have a fantastic day!

Friday, 18 January 2008

How long is your commute?

According to recent research by Peninsula, which was published by HR Look www.hrlook.com on Thursday, it now takes the average UK employee 1 hour and 5 minutes to commute to work, which is double the time that it took in 2003 (35 minutes).

The study has shown that the following reasons affect the increase in journey times:

Public transport late or cancelled
Road congestion
Accident creating severe delays
Public transport breaking down en-route
Public transport too full to stop and pick up passengers

How long does it take for you to travel to work?

How does this impact on you?

How much of a consideration is commuting time if you are seeking a new job?

Please share your experiences - I look forward to hearing from you.

Oh and if you are seeking career change, subscribe to the free Self Discovery newsletter today at www.selfdiscoverycoaching.co.uk and you receive a career satisfaction quiz and career planning report

Friday, 4 January 2008

Rediscover your career in 2008

In 2007, various studies were undertaken by organisations in the UK to measure employee satisfaction.

In a recent "Happiness at work" survey undertaken by Badenoch and Clark, it revealed that one in four office workers were unhappy with their job. It cited that the most disenchanted workers are men working in IT and telecoms, and more men said they were unhappy at work than women.

As stated by Buckminster Fuller, "the moment you know what you really want to do, it's really a different kind of life".

"No one is in control of your happiness but you; therefore you have the power to change anything about yourself or your life that you want to change" - Barbara De Angelis

Think about this, what is important about your job?

Does it give you a feeling of happiness or satisfaction?

Does it give meaning to your life?

Or is it just something you do to pay the bills?

The concept of a job used to focus on the importance of a good salary, security, pension and benefits. But for many people, a greater importance is placed on feeling satisfied. This includes job satisfaction, career enhancement and being fulfilled at work.

There is no longer the concept of a job or career for life. More people want freedom and work life balance and there has been a greater shift in expectations and desire.

It is not always easy to plan your career, but your future success depends on how well you plan and the decisions you take.

Do you want to rediscover your career in 2008?

Sign up to the Self Discovery newsletter to receive the free career planning mini e-book to help you to plan your career in 2008. You will also receive monthly tips to help you to rediscover your career. Go to www.selfdiscoverycoaching.co.uk for more information.