Thursday 30 April 2015

Why Future Plan My Life?

Do you have a business or career plan? Chances are that you do. But do you have a personal plan? Chances are you do not. Research shows that most of us bumble along in life with no clear direction of travel.

If this is you and you are interested in making a change in this regard please read on.

We review our business plans about three or four times a year to check if we are on track with our annual goals and to incorporate new developments and disruptors emerging.

Our own goals and values change so it makes sense that we plan for our own future. For example, what you want in your twenties is unlikely to be the same as what you want for you personally in your forties.

A typical personal path make take the form of marriage and children but then you get there and you have become a different person who wants something different perhaps.

Perhaps the way to look at your life is to see it in phases and make plans accordingly.

What are the advantages of planning your personal life?

  • Planning [rather than bumbling along] will leave you feeling more in control
  • Widening your perspective to creatively think about what really matters to you and to explore new possibilities
  • Developing your self awareness, understanding what drives you and what you value right now
  • Limiting fear and managing uncertainty helping you to more ably forecast what you will be doing, when, where, with whom and why
I will be blogging more on this topic in future months so look out for those.

In the meantime what about some personal planning in your life? Let us know how you get on.

If you would like help and support with your personal journey please get in touch through www.westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk or call us on 01761 237400.

Friday 17 April 2015

Why do you need or want coaching?

If you find yourself feeling that you have had the same goals for some time but have not moved forwards towards achieving them or too slowly, then read on.

Even in our work we sometimes avoid setting goals and objectives and very often if this is not a requirement enforced upon us!

In our personal lives, most people bumble along without planning their personal objectives in life.

Research shows that this is mostly because we are focused on either surviving, being secure or achieving pleasure now. These drivers do not encourage us to be objective and plan for what we want and need in our lives.

If you are frustrated and ready to change all this then coaching can help you to get clear on your direction of travel and to formulate an action plan to achieve what you want and need.

Coaching will also help you to identify the resources including skills that you will need in order to achieve your plan.

At West of England Coaching and Counselling, the coaching process includes another dimension which is to help you to master your psychology.

This area is one that often keeps us bumbling along, our lack of confidence, for example, keeps us stuck where we are.

I will be blogging on this topic for some time so please look out for future posts.

In the meantime if you are serious about change and would like support plus some constructive challenge, please get in touch by sharing what you would like to achieve, through enquiries@westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk

Friday 10 April 2015

Invest in You

If you feel or think that you would benefit from personal development but this is not something that your employer will invest in, please read on.

Whilst coaching and counselling is increasingly being supported financially by employers, especially for senior leaders, this is not always the case and may not be available to you.

Before you forget about the option of investing some of your hard earned money in you, please think on.

We are prepared to invest our money in a lot of things and yet research shows that the best things in life are not things at all, including a big house, an expensive car and designer clothes.

Rather the best things in life are experiences that include at least some personal development.

You may have watched the recent Bear Grylls series and been impressed by some of the famous individuals who took part.

The chances are that you were not impressed by their fame but rather by their attitude and behaviours in the face of some significant challenges.

In particular I admired the humbleness of Mike Tindall and the unrelenting positive influence of Vogue Williams.

Interestingly, with increasing maturity when we are asked to think about our personal selves we think and speak and are interested in others less about what we own and more about who we are as people and the experiences we have had such as our friendships with others and fears that we have overcome.

I think that it is good to invest in your physical health by exercising your body and eating healthily. What do you think? What are your actions here?

What about investing in your mind, most notably how you think?

Is your thinking helping you to live your best self life or not?

If not you may consider very seriously investing in you.

You could start with exploring self development through reading etc.

If you would like a steer in the best books to read for your goals or would like to know the best tools to use or would like support in your development journey, we can help.

You can get in touch on 01761 237400 or through enquiries@westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk