Characteristics common to most clients I work with are; passionate, hardworking, ambitious, caring, accomplished, expert, experienced, successful. What’s also true often is because they’re always striving for better for the business, organisations, and people they lead, they don’t spend much time acknowledging their achievements or considering their own personal desires, requirements, and wellbeing.
Read MoreMainly I avoid news and politics to protect the time, energy and spirit that enables me to contribute and enjoy life in the way I choose to. Important current affairs find their way to me of course.
Today, inspired by a moment of delicious perfection and deep meaning in my life, I sat down to write. Since I started putting self-care at the top of my to-do list 10 years ago, such moments happen with increasing intensity and frequency. At these times writing helps me revel in it and maintain it.
Read MoreThis simple phrase at once cunning and compelling is a perversion of our ancient lizard brains’ risk management system.
Is it familiar to you? Or any of its variations?
“Must learn more, try harder, be quicker, smarter, better, more on the case”
It seems so plausible, so true, especially when we have practised it for decades. It goes unnoticed.
Read MoreI feel sick with fear, literally. I have a heavy weight in the pit of my stomach. When I listen the voice in my head says “this must be good, you’ve got to get it right, you’ve got to say everything, you’ve got to be clear and eloquent, on point, it’s got to be a successful piece of writing or else…(when I really listen) you’ll be annihilated.”
Read MoreFor the last decade working as an executive coach and business mentor across many sectors I’ve seen more and more amazing women and men struggling to keep up with demands of life and work. Now the tide is turning. Amazing women and men like you and me are saying “No. No more, not now, not any longer. I require a different experience. Life is too precious to squander by bending myself out of shape keeping up with inhuman demands and delivering empty results. I refuse to keep denying my own experience”
Read MoreIt’s the time of year when even though we should be slowing down and snuggling up (think hibernation) Christmas brings added demands and expectations on us and our time. On top of everyday pressure to be successful that we normally live, a lot of people are in the overload zone.
Read MoreIn my time coaching professionals, I’ve identified several factors that commonly keep people stuck in work roles, and even careers, that no longer suit them. Although for the individual this trap feels real and limiting, there are always options, but it can be difficult for them to see the possibilities themselves.
Read MoreFor many hard-working, caring professionals, mid-life (40’s – 50’s) is a common time for questioning the status quo. Energy levels change and domestic, and work situations do too.
The prospect of one or two decades more in the same work environment or having the same day-to-day experience, may not seem desirable or even practical.
Read MoreOver a year into my own coaching practise, one word is coming to me over again and that is intuition. I’m beginning to see that helping my clients reconnect with their intuition is the vital ingredient.
Read MoreIn this video, I'm talking about time - because, in my experience, it really relates to the satisfaction and dissatisfaction that we feel in our work, life and career. It's really important to me that I feel I'm doing something satisfying and enjoyable with my life. In the video, I share some of my personal experiences around this and share some questions to get you thinking about what it means for you.
Read MoreWhat I now know in practise in a way I used to know only in theory, is that work life balance is a choice. It doesn’t feel like a choice when you face a to-do list as long as your arm and are perhaps in overdrive. When your calendar is booked up for weeks ahead and you are the lynch pin to the many responsibilities you have on your plate right now. However, it is a choice and you have the power to slow down and create more time for you and the things you are currently missing out on, the moment you choose to.
Read MoreIn the first stage of my career I started and grew a creative business. I ran it for fifteen years. For most of those years I was passionate about and committed to my work and business. I enjoyed the many challenges, got a buzz out of pushing beyond my limits on a regular basis. I thrived on developing specialist knowledge and expertise. I felt empowered by the responsibility and the status this work afforded me.
Read MoreA lot of my clients arrive at my door feeling tired, jaded, over-burdened or worse. They are suffering burnout. It’s understandable. They are passionate, capable people who have been working hard for decades, delivering value for their employers, colleagues, businesses and clients, and doing their very best for their families, friends and the communities they are part of.
Read MoreOverdrive is a habit of relentlessly pushing oneself towards goal posts that move further away, usually across most aspects of life. There’s always a new achievement to reach for. Good enough isn’t a thing for someone stuck in overdrive. It has got to be the best. Rarely, if ever, do over-drivers own their successes and achievements. They’re usually too busy focusing on what’s still to do, what’s next, and on the aspects where their performance fell short.
Read MoreReclaiming enjoyment starts with noticing where and when enjoyment is missing then making small tweaks and changes to get some quick wins and put foundations in place for the longer term. In this video I’ll give you some tips on how to start reclaiming enjoyment.
Read MoreSelf-care is any activity that we do deliberately to take of our mental, emotional and physical health. Although it's a simple concept in theory, it's something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety, good relationship with oneself and others, health and fitness, creativity and resilience. Self-care enables us to work and play and enjoy life more.
Read More
© Sarah McNicol 2024
