Work Thoughts Journalling

 Do you find yourself in your head a lot about work issues?

You may have heard that journaling works well for helping to process your feelings.

Journaling also works for work issues that go around in your head.

Venting your frustration in a note book could also stop you from behaving in a way that you later regret. An example would be sending a message or responding to an e mail.

Your journal or note pad can help you to reflect. As you write your brain moves your thoughts from your emotional mind into your intellectual mind. This helps to neutralise the emotion and you can think rationally. Now you can respond rather than react.

Happy work journaling! 

For help and support with all of your work related issues, please contact me through www.westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk

Work improvements through Coaching.

Last week I worked with a client who wanted to change her relationship with a senior colleague. My client shared that she recognised her tendency to prioritise others feelings over her own, linked with her 'inability' to say no. Sounds familiar perhaps? Sarah told me that she would often take on too much work because of her personality. We worked for ninety minutes on identifying and practising a number of resources that she had and changing her belief to my first priority is myself so that I feel good and so have ample means to help others as I choose. We called the resources her boundaries and skills. As she left the session she said that she felt stronger. Sarah e mailed me this morning to say that she had had a conversation with her colleague during which they looked quite shocked and embarrassed and at the end of which her colleague had said that she admired her response and that she would do as my client suggested and ask another to run project X.

Professional Challenges

Right now I invite you to spend a few minutes on your personal development in work.

The first question that I would like to you consider is what is dominating your thinking at the moment?

For example, it might be to organise your workload better or to address a work relationship issue. 

Whatever, your current challenge, how are you currently thinking about it?

Is this proving a helpful way to look at it?

If not what would be a more helpful thinking frame?

For example, "I just feel overwhelmed by my workload" could become "I will think of ways to improve my organisation of my time. For example, I will spend approximately a third of my day working on my backlog, a third dealing with the here and now and a third achieving something important though non-urgent".

I want to remind you that your thinking whether flawed or excellent, or somewhere in between, is driving your results.

I want you to think about that. Perhaps you could start each day getting your thinking into the right place, for example "whatever happens today I will calm myself down to stay in my thinking brain and then come up with an action plan".

Happy thinking!

For help and support with personal and professional challenges please get in touch via www.westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk

Executive Coaching & Mentoring

I  can help and support you with your goals in your current role and with your goals for your future.

My posts are often about the things that you can do for yourself.

Today's is about being curious about what work contentment or happiness is for you.

1. Consider then write down words that define happiness at work for you right now. Not in 5 years time.

This might comprise tasks that you enjoy doing, skills that you enjoy applying, how you like to work, who you like working with, where you like working, when you like working...

2. What is your work identity? For example, you may see yourself as a servant leader helping your customers in some way.

3. What is your work purpose? For example, to be the best 'x' you can be.

4. What factors do you perceive as outside of your control affecting your work happiness? For example, you may want to change roles but think that you would not be able to match your existing remuneration which, having done the maths, you need to support your existing lifestyle? You may decide to think about this some more. For example, would you change your lifestyle to be simpler if you had a chance at greater work happiness?

5. What other factors are negatively impacting your work happiness? For example, comparing yourself with others rather than getting more in touch with your own definition of work happiness.

So go, be bold, be strong. I am here for you if you need me by contacting pam@westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk

Transform Yourself (no more procrastination)

 If you are finding that you are putting off the changes that you want to make, try this:

1. Use information such as models, methods, information and make them yours. Practice and then adapt them. An example would be you want to be healthy. Like most people you have the information to do this. Only when you make that information work for you as a unique individual will you have a deeper understanding of the difference between knowledge and actual implemented behaviour.

2. Set a goal around becoming your own advocate, taking responsibility for being your best self. Get real. What are your fears and what is stopping you from being the best version of you? Do you need to get support?

3. This is the present. The past has gone and we do not know the future. Let any negative stories about the past or projection of what may happen go. Our past does not dictate our future either. Get and stay present, it's a gift! There is just today. When you do this you are in your rational mind, in intellectual control. The emotions that you do feel will largely be good. We only create dysfunctional negative emotions by negative introspection of the past and negative forecasting the future. Your senses are alert and you can choose the thinking that will create the right behaviours, actions and results.

4. Safe is staying in your comfort zone. Your learning zone is beyond that. Just forget the danger zone! Take baby steps to do this. Choose thinking that will help. Physiology is powerful to reframe your thinking. Believe me. The fitter and healthier I became physically through movement and consumption the more positive my neural networks became. I faced everything in my day positively, doing my best and accepting setbacks rather than criticising myself for inevitable imperfection!

5. Once you get to this step you will feel connected to your purpose with energy. For me this meant intuitively knowing where to focus from waking at 4am each day! My day starts with reflecting on my health, relationships, work and finances and planning what actions to take.

Go well. Go steady. For help and support contact me via pam@westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk

Feeling Good Enough for what you want to do

 Whatever our development focus one area to show up is not feeling good enough to create a change.

Some people refer to themselves as feeling like an imposter.

I always say that this is likely due to high expectations. 

Individuals who expect less don't feel this way.

Telling a person to expect less doesn't seems to work!

What seems to work is a twofold process

1. Raise your awareness of your reality. How does your inner voice sound and when and where does it appear? What are the feelings and words that come with it? What is its impact, the consequences of it?

2. Decide kind and compassionate, uplifting words and actions that you could say or do in response to your inner critic. Could you speak these to your inner child? Practice these regularly until this is your new helpful and supportive dialogue.

[Tip: write the answers to the above questions down]

Now you are ready to take on the main change that you want to make.

Best wishes, Pam [e mail me, pam@westofenglandcoachingandcounselling, or call 07712 716602].

Personal Development Planning

Do you have a Personal Development Plan (PDP)?

If you do, good for you! If you don't now could be a good time to start thinking about and writing one. 

Research shows that people who are proactive about what they want including where they want to go in their careers are more likely to be successful in life.

This could be anything from working towards more flexible hours, to changing a behaviour to achieve better results. It could be changing career direction entirely. It could be starting your own business.

I would recommend that you start with diarising a few hours to take yourself off grid. Once a year I take myself off to my favourite place and review my PDP using a hand written journal. I always have a walk as well because this stimulates my thinking.

Some people find this an easy and enjoyable task. For others quite challenging and others procrastinate and stay still or stuck.

I provide help and support in the following areas if you want it:

1. Reviewing your career including career diagnostics - what careers best suit your values, personality and skills strengths?

2. Producing a stand-out CV

3. Personal brand development and marketing you

4. Role applications and cover letters

5. Speculative approaches to your targets

6. Interview preparation including state management and practice 

7. Negotiating your remuneration

Get ahead today and get in touch with me, pam@westofenglandcoachingandcounselling.co.uk