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Giving up on goals

This week I’m asking you: Have you abandoned any goals or commitments in the last few months?

For most of us, the answer to this question is “yes”. It’s just after the first quarter of the year and that is around the time that the wheels can start to fall off our carefully laid plans.

In some ways this is a natural thing. For example, if you set too many goals in January that were all due for completion in the first half of the year, you’re likely giving up on a few of those by now. 

Then there are the other reasons why we’ve thrown in the towel in the 4th month of the year. This is what I want to discuss today. It’s these other reasons that contain within themselves the key to your success.

Yes, paradoxically, the reasons you give yourself for giving up, are also the doorways to your success.

Huh? How does that work?
Well, the excuses that we give for not committing, not following through, actually reveal the exact obstacle we need to overcome. Think about the most common excuses given giving up on a goal:
“I didn’t have enough time, I’m too busy”. Not enough time.
“I’m too old/young/late/early..”. The wrong time.

You would be forgiven for thinking that these excuses are about time itself. On the surface it looks that way. But what if I ask you:
Is that really true, that you have no time?
Can you be 100% certain that you have absolutely no time?
This is when the excuse starts to get a little shaky. A tiny spec of doubt starts to creep in and the absoluteness of your answer/excuse starts to waiver. 

Perfect. This is exactly where you are meant to be.

You see the excuses that we give ourselves and reasoning we use are just stories that tell ourselves. I don’t meant that your purposely lying to yourself. I mean that we all construct stories (mostly unconsciously) to make sense of the world and our experience in it. It is these stories that will ultimately confine us or set us free.

For most of us, our stories have been playing over and over in our minds for years without being questioned. Stories actually do help us manage our way in the world but they do need to be updated from time to time when they are holding us back.

If you want to change your story you can start by questioning it.
What’s my excuse or reasoning?
Why did I give up on that goal?
These are the first steps to questioning your story. These questions will reveal your story to you.

Then ask yourself: 
Can I be 100% certain that that is true?
What would happen if it was not true? What would I like to do then?

These questions create awareness of your story and give you the opportunity to decide if you want to keep your story. It will open you up to options that you otherwise thought you never had.

Remember to approach this process with genuine curiosity and less like you’re interrogating yourself or beating yourself up. There is no judgement here. It is a process that works best with curiosity to learn about yourself.

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The power of your TRUE strengths

It is only very recently that I discovered the difference between a strength and a true strength.
And…wow, how it has changed my life! 

I don’t think I’ve truly learnt any really new productivity and wellbeing hacks for years. So often it’s the same thing over and over again. Batch you tasks. Use your calendar. Eliminate distractions… heard it all before! And I’m already doing it.

So, you can imagine my excitement when I came across this one thing that I hadn’t heard of before. It was seriously a game-changer!

We’ve all been aware of utilising our strengths in our roles at work and in business. Maybe you’ve done a strengths assessment test or training. I think we can all agree that knowing our strengths is important and can be used strategically to maximise outcomes.

Well, what I’ve learnt about true strengths will take your strengths strategy to the next level!

There is a world of difference between your strengths and your true strengths. Both are things that you’re good at, or even amazing at doing. But only one of these is sustainable… can you guess which one?

Yes, your true strengths are the the skills and aptitudes that you can use over and over again and they actually GIVE you energy. So after using your strength(s) to complete a task/project you feel invigorated or energised (and NOT depleted).

So if your true strengths give you energy, the question is:
Which of the strengths that you are currently using are giving you energy?

Answer that question and you have one of the most powerful productivity & wellbeing hacks I’ve seen in many years!

When you understand what gives you energy, you know you can spend larger amounts of time with these activities. When you know what doesn’t fuel your energy (tasks you are good at and will continue to do) then you can break these tasks down into smaller pieces.And…maybe even sprinkle a little of the energy-giving tasks in-between.

You see where I’m going with this?

Knowing you true strengths is power!
Make sure you ask yourself today:
Which of the strengths that I’m are currently using are giving me energy?

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Are your work habits sustainable?

I’ve been talking a lot about burnout over the last 12 months, and with good reason.

It is in times of change and uncertainty that stress increases and insecurity can sometimes drives us to do more in an effort to adjust quickly and avoid failure.

If you also add in the changes to the way we work and subsequent blurring of work/home life boundaries, then what we have right now is a situation that is ripe for burnout.

So, I ask you: What do you know about burnout and especially burnout prevention?
Because it is preventable, regardless of the situation.

However we do need to be informed and to understand what to look for and what to do now in order to avoid ending up there.
This is important for your own wellbeing as well as that of your team or family.

I have created a FREE webinar Burnout: What you should know for yourself and your team, to help inform you about what burnout is, what causes it and how to prevent it. You can register here.

For the moment though, you can start by asking yourself:
Are your current work habits sustainable?
Answer it honestly. If they are not sustainable, then you should assess if the situation you find yourself in is temporary or not. We all have crazy days and weeks of flurried activity, but they should subside and calm down.

If you suspect that slowing down won’t happen over the next few weeks, then you need to start thinking about implementing practices that will ensure the sustainability of your health.
Ask yourself:
What boundaries do you currently have between you work and leisure time?What selfcare practices do you do regularly? (Selfcare practices restore your energy and help you rejuvenate)

The great thing about our current situation is the amount of opportunity for all of us.

As individuals we can learn to value our wellbeing as much as our work
and find strategies to prioritise both. 

I invite you to join my FREE webinar on Tuesday 23rd March at 7pm to better understand what you can do ensure that no matter what the situation this year, your work practices are sustainable.

It’s a good feeling to be confident that at the end of the year, you will have your goals achieved without sacrificing your own wellbeing.

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How to do 2021 differently

How to do 2021 differently

Change begets change.

2020 thrust upon us change in almost all areas of our lives and routines. Much of the change was unwelcome. But the curious thing about change is the way that it makes us re-evaluate what is important to us and what we really want.

Many people were doing this last year. I know I was. And the resulting outcome is that many of us are wanting to do 2021 differently. We want to drop some things and we want more of other things.

The change that was so de-stabilising last year has jolted us into initiating our own changes for this year.

If you have also felt the pull towards a change but are not sue where to begin, then you’re in the right place! Here’s how to begin:

Get specific about the change you want by first defining WHERE you want changes to happen. Decide which life domain your proposed changes will be in 2021. Is it just your work habits you’d like to change or are you thinking of your health and wellbeing? Make sure you understand the WHERE of your changes.

Next you need to define WHAT specific changes you want to make. It’s easy to become clear about this by answering a few powerful questions.
Thinking of the life domain that you have selected above, answer the following:
What do I want more of in this life domain in 2021?
What do I want less of in this life domain in 2021?
Is there anything I want to completely stop in this life domain in 2021?

It’s important to have a time-frame in mind such as WHEN you want to start the changes. Is January the right time to make changes in your family domain or will it work better in February when the kids go back to school? Or when you are fully back into work mode?

Consider if you have the resources to take up the new changes now.  If you are dropping some things, consider whether you need to wrap a few things up first before letting go of them.
For example you may decide to delegate things and you may need to do a handover or training. This will help you define your “when”.

HOW will you make the changes? It’s important to have a plan in mind that establishes how you will start and manage these important changes. I recommend that your approach be slow, small steps at first. You can always move forward quickly once you’ve established the initial changes. What is required in order for you to make these changes? What steps do you need to take?

You should assess the impact of your changes on your schedule as well as others. Anticipate push-back from others if your change effects them, as it will take some adjustment for both you and them to get used to this new way of doing things.

The second part of the HOW is to create a system to maintain the changes you want to make. Do you have a friend or colleague who is also making changes? Perhaps you can agree to check-in with each other every week to see if you’re maintaining the changes. You might also consider an accountability partner or working with a coach. The key is to stablish a system that works for you to keep you on-track.

This WHERE, WHAT, WHEN, and HOW approach is an excellent foundation for the changes that you envision ahead for you in 2021.

If you need any help, reach out for a FREE 1 hour Coaching Introduction session to get you on track for your best year yet!