2013

by

Your assertive rights

In the continuing journey of building confidence it is essential that you implement your assertive rights so that your life is as happy as it can be.

I have included your assertive rights below, and I would like you to read them and be aware that you do have the right to implement them, no matter what other people think.

 

Pretty woman portrait

ASSERTIVE RIGHTS

  1. I have the right to judge my own behaviour, thoughts and emotions and to take the responsibility for their initiation and consequences upon myself.
  2. I have the right to offer no reasons or excuses to justify my behaviour.
  3. I have the right to judge whether I am responsible for finding solutions to other people’s problems.
  4. I have the right to change my mind.
  5. I have the right to make mistakes and be responsible for them.
  6. I have the right to say “I don’t know”.
  7. I have the right to be independent of the goodwill of others before coping with them.
  8. I have the right to be illogical in making decisions.
  9. I have the right to say “I don’t understand”.
  10. I have the right to say “I don’t care”.
  11. I have the right to say “No”.

When you read and absorb these assertive rights and then begin to implement them in your daily life you will notice the difference.  Don’t think that other people won’t notice, they will, and they will probably be surprised.  So what?

emotionalwoman

Let them get over it and continue to assert your rights on a daily basis.  It will increase your confidence and reduce the risk of you being treated as a doormat who always says yes or agrees with everything everybody else says or does.

Your life will improve, and you will boost your confidence by implementing your assertive rights on a regular basis.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

Helping people to become the very best version of themselves.

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

 

by

Trusting your gut feeling

Gut feelings get their name from the place in the body where they make themselves known.  A pang in your gut when you may be doing the wrong thing, or a vibrant zing when your body approves of what you are doing, can guide you reliably at times when logic fails. Sometimes, when logic takes over, we ignore our gut and probably live to regret it.  We discover later that a rational approach is only one way of determining what is going on in a situation and how we should react. 

iStock_000002405095Small (2)

Our gut resides in the solar plexus just above your belly button. When it is functioning well, we can trust its guidance and adjust our actions accordingly. So many of us have a tendency to hold in this area of our bodies.  We take shallow breaths that never reach this part.  But it is in this place that we find the courage to act, to reach out into the world and create change.  When our gut is out of balance, we are timid and out of sync, wishing we had been able to say something although we were only able to say it later when we were alone; wishing we had acted on the opportunity we hadn’t seen until it was past. 
Happy young woman with a white background

In order to get the most out of your gut feelings, you may want to focus your attention on it more regularly and make the time to care for it. You can begin right now by taking a deep breath into your belly.  When you exhale, pull your navel in toward your spine so as to empty out completely before taking another deep breath into your belly.  When you empty completely, you release any stagnant energy and create more space to be filled with the fresh, nourishing breath.  

The more you practice this simple, cleansing exercise, the clearer and more communicative your gut feelings will be and the more comfortable you will feel acting on them. 

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

Helping people to become the very best version of themselves.

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

 
by

Whatever we believe becomes our reality

We tend to ignore information that we think is inconsistent with our reality. Successful people absolutely believe that they have the ability to succeed. They do not think or talk about the possibilities of failing. They do not even consider the possibility of failure.

We usually act in a manner consistent with our beliefs. The most important belief system we can build is one where we absolutely believe that we are going succeed. This is called positive thinking, confirming our reality that we absolutely know that no matter what, we will be successful.

Often positive thinking is difficult because our parents or guardians only gave love and approval to their children when they did something that they wanted them to do.  If we grew up with this kind of conditional love we will inevitably tend to seek unconditional approval from others.  When we become adults, this need for approval from the parent is transferred to the workplace and to our boss or workmates. We can become preoccupied with the opinion of the boss and some totally imagined high standard.

 

iStock_000004418879XSmall (2)

If we can change the way we think about ourselves and our potential, we can open new doors to unlimited possibilities and point ourselves in the right direction to a better, more fulfilling professional and personal life.  We should not think about what other people think of us, but we should concentrate on what we want and adjust our thinking so that we will achieve it. 

To begin to change the way we think about ourselves, we need to stimulate our imaginations.  This can be done by writing down a clear and detailed description of our ideal outcome.  We must be absolutely clear about the outcome, but we must also be flexible about the process of achieving it. 

There is a method you can use to see yourself having achieved your outcome.  It is called the ‘Hindsight Tool’.  It works like this:  

  • Think about the outcome you want, visualise yourself as having achieved it.

  • Then use the ‘hindsight tool’  – In your mind imagine yourself in, say, five years’ time, picture yourself being the successful person you want to be. How would you look? What would you be wearing? What would you be saying or doing?  Who would be around you, who wouldn’t be around you? Where would you be?

  • Then, turn round and look back to the present and see what course and actions you took, what mistakes you may have made and how you corrected them.

Your life does not resemble anybody else's

It may be that the outcome you imagined is not exactly what you hoped for.  That is fine and very normal.  Re-think your outcome and do the process over again.  You can do this many times until you get the outcome you want.  Then put it all into practice.

If you need help with any of the above, contact me.  

I am helping people to become the very best version of themselves and would love to work with you.

I have some availability for new coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates for when you want to get started.  Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

by

How you can get the most out of your coaching sessions

Coaching is the key to transforming your life.It begins with helping you to understand where you are now and to obtain clarity about what you would like to achieve and how you will achieve it.  I then work with you to create and execute a plan of action to move you forward and transform your life.  You’ll be educated, entertained and inspired to take action immediately, and I promise you’ll find clear, logical, easy-to-implement ideas – most of which will make a difference to your life straight away. Remember, You can’t go back and make a new beginning, but you can start today to make a new ending.

Do you have a dream? I am sure you do. Become really passionate about it, enthuse to others about it, create a picture in your mind of what your dream will look like when you make it happen.  Make the picture as bright and colourful as you can.  Add sounds, smells – whatever you feel makes the picture complete.

Begin to do as many things as you can to bring that picture you have in your mind into form. You don’t need to change everything in your life to achieve it – just take baby steps towards it…gently…slowly.

 

???????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

In the words of  Robert Heinlein “In the absence of clearly defined goals, we become strangely loyal to performing daily trivia and ultimately become enslaved by it.”

You have a dream; have you set your goals to make that dream come true?  Don’t let it sit in your imagination or your heart forever …trust in you… let it out…..let it come to life.

Take the opportunity to invest in yourself. This investment won’t let you down. The more things change, the more YOU can’t afford not to.

Coaching sessions are focused and forward thinking, allowing you to get the results you need quickly and enjoyably and ensuring you get great value for money. 

If you are stuck at any point by fear of the unknown, I can help with various techniques, such as NLP and TFT, to rid you of the anxiety associated with fears, life traumas etc., and thus help you to move forward with your life.

 

Why do women stay in abusive relationships?

 

I have worked with a vast range of clients, male and female, young and old, each with their own unique lifestyles and challenges.  I am proud to be able to say that every one of them has benefited from my coaching.  Many of them have made massive changes to their lives, such as changing careers, moving to another part of the country and starting a new life, ending a relationship that wasn’t working, improving their home/work balance.

Don’t be one of the 90% of people who will look back with regret, knowing their lives could have been different. Take this golden opportunity to be fulfilled and live the dream. Have what you want, do what you want and be the person you have always wanted to be.  

Every single one of us is capable of achieving truly amazing things, but you have to choose. Are you going to be one of the 10% or one of the 90%?

It is time now for you to take action and to really begin to change your life.  I am helping people to become the very best version of themselves and would love to work with you.

I have some availability for new coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates for when you want to get started.  Get in touch today.

 

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

by

Maintaining energy and confidence levels

The people with whom we have the most contact and hang around with will have either a positive or negative effect on our levels of self-esteem and confidence.  We all know those people who are positive, happy and joyful to be around.

How do they make you feel?

Yes, they make me feel the same!  The positive thinking people can put zest into a boring atmosphere and can fill the room with ‘can do’ vibes that have a knock on effect onto everyone else. They are a joy to be around and bring our energy levels up and increase our self confidence.

winelady

We also know of those people who drain the energy from a room!

It is their perception that they never had the opportunities, they are always putting people down, they don’t like others to be successful, they are jealous and are negative thinkers – need I go on?

These people have the power to drain our energy and bring us down to their level, a million miles away from the level that WE want to be operating on. But they only have that power if we allow them to.

Some family members can be a lot like this as well,  we can always choose our friends, we can never choose your relatives! We can choose what are prepared to listen to though.

tiredwoman

So what can we do to make sure that the people who we hang around with empower and support what we stand for, rather than bring us down all of the time?

  1. We have the power to choose who we hang around with. Ideally we want happy, vibrant and positive people. If we hang around with those types of people, the negative ones will disappear as they won’t be able to cope.

  2.  If we have good friends who are negative and yet we still want to hang around them, make a point of letting them know how it feels  – if they are a true friend they will respect this. If they are negative from time to time just acknowledge that this is what they are like and block out the negativity.

  3. The same can be said with family. Our more mature family members have behaviours that have been conditioned for years and years and from different eras. They have learned their behaviours from their parents and grandparents. Appreciate where they have come from and, as in number 2 above, acknowledge that this is what they are like and block out the negativity.

  4. Remember, that nothing has meaning in our lives except the meaning that we give it.

We are in control of our positivity and negativity, and nobody can take that away from us. 

It is time now for you to take action and to really begin to change your life.  I am helping people to become the very best version of themselves and would love to work with you.  

I have some availability for new coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates for when you want to get started.  Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

by

Forgiveness – Releasing the past

Forgiveness is such an important subject that I feel compelled to spend some time explaining its significance. When we hold something unforgiven inside, we are nurturing anger, hatred and resentment or maybe even guilt. These emotions lock us into the moment, continually reliving events.  Over time all this emotion can become suppressed into the subconscious, but they are still there, consuming our mental and life energy.

Until we release ourselves from this cycle, it may prove impossible to move forward. It really does not matter what the issue was, whether slight or life-shatteringly traumatic. If you want to move on you must let it go. To do this you must forgive. To forgive someone does not mean that that you condone their behaviour simply that you forgive them, and release them. By releasing and forgiving them, you release yourself.

Some people hold onto their anger, refusing to forgive or let go.  They will never move on until they do. In fact, quite the reverse, by allowing such emotions to ferment inside, they grow and can become all consuming, their whole life becoming defined by whatever the event was. They are no longer in control of their life or living the life they want. They are living a life that is directed by their anger and hurt.

A grateful attitude helps in times of extreme stress

 

How our lives are, is often a reflection of our reactions to the ups and downs of life.  If we choose to accept the good and release the bad, we are able to maintain control over our lives and keep our sense of direction.  If however we  focus on the bad things that have happened to us, then these will simply grow, continually manifesting our own dark thoughts and divert us from seeking what we really want.

If you or your life is “stuck”, then it is well worth looking back to see if there is anything unforgiven in your past.  Remember to forgive everyone, especially yourself.  So many people trudge through their lives burdened with guilt for this or that, forgive yourself  and let it go.

Remember, life is in the now, the past is already finished and dead and cannot be changed. Nothing you can do now, can ever change the past, yet it is amazing how many people squander their emotional and life energy, consumed with anger or guilt about the past.

In this moment now, you have your power – the power to make your choices, take your action, to make a difference.  You have no power in the past and you have no assurance of power in the future. If you want to feel free, released from the past  then you must forgive.  Forgive everyone, especially yourself. I know how difficult it is to overcome our natural and very human feelings of anger, guilt, resentment and fear. The basis of them can seem, and may well be, completely justified, you may be completely right to have these emotions, and it is OK to experience them.  However, these emotions damage your ability to move on, you must accept your emotions, but then be prepared to let them go. To release yourself, you must forgive. Until you do you will remain the victim with your life locked into all those negative emotions.

 

happyladywithbook

 

Look around you, do you know anyone like that?  Some tragedy or injustice has been suffered and now the entire life of that person is defined by their anger and resentment. Every positive thought, every inspired moment, all of life’s little pleasures are subsumed with their overwhelming feelings of anger, resentment, even desire for revenge. No matter how justified their emotions are, what good is it doing them? The past can never be changed. Life is full of tragedy and joy, it is not the events of life so much as how we respond to them that defines how joyous and successful our lives are.

It is time now for you to take action and to really begin to change your life.  Or you could do nothing.  It is your choice. I am helping people to become the very best version of themselves.

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

by

5 ½ Ways To Stand Out From The Crowd When Applying For A Job – Guest Blog by Sean McPheat

Someone once said “It’s a jungle out there!” and never a truer word has been spoken when it comes to today’s job market.

With a failing economy, the national debt, wide spread redundancies of quality people and a shrinking job market there are more and more applicants for every job than at any time in history.

Even to get some eyeballs to look at your CV is proving difficult. So what can you do differently to stand out and market your personal skills to the best of your ability?

Here are 5 ½ ways to stand out:

  1. 1.    Video CV

 

Ever thought of recording yourself? It will certainly separate you from the other 99% of applicants who will not do this. All you need is a decent webcam and some free autocue software to load up which runs underneath your webcam so you don’t mess up and you’re away!

  1. 2.    Website

 

Going one step further than creating a video is to create your very own personal website CV. On this it can have a video, photos, information and can give you that professional edge.

 

  1. 3.    Coloured Paper

 

Imagine a manager or HR person who has the job of going through a pile of CV’s. They all look the same! Even if only one page of your CV is different colour it will stand out and draw the attention of the person who is reviewing it. You need an audience and this will certainly draw attention to it.

  1. 4.    Be Radical

 

Did you hear of the guy who spent his last £500 on a billboard to advertise that he is wants a job? Sometimes you need to be innovative and different to stand out. What can you do?

billboard

 

 

 

  1. 5.    Advertise On Social Media

 

You can use Facebook to target would be employers. Be creative in your ad and include your skills and qualifications and the type of job you are looking for. You can really target in to the people who you want to market yourself to due to the tools that Facebook has to offer in its advertising interface.

5 ½. It’s A Mindset Thing

The other point I wanted to make didn’t warrant a complete point! So I’ve given it a half! And that’s that what you have done to date has not worked so you need to be different, you need to try different things and don’t be afraid of failure. Stick your neck out and remember if you do what you’ve always done you’ll get what you’ve always go.

 

Author Bio: Founder and MD of international management development firm MTD Management Training, Sean McPheat is widely regarded as a leading authority on modern day management and leadership. Sean is a bestselling author, and has been recognised for his own business building skills throughout his impressive entrepreneurial career, which has included founding and managing successful sales training company MTD Sales Training and HR outsourcing company MTD HR Consulting.

 

 

by

Your Ideal Self and Life

Your self-concept is made up of various parts, each of which affects each of the others. Understanding these parts enables you to become nearer to your ideal self.  When you learn to take charge of the development of a new and positive self-concept, you can then control your destiny for the rest of your life.

The first part of the self-concept is your “self-ideal.”  Your self-ideal largely determines the direction in which you are going with your life. It guides the growth and evolution of your character and personality.  Your self-ideal is a combination of all of the qualities and attributes of other people that you most admire.  Your self-ideal is a description of the person you would very much like to be if you could embody the qualities that you most aspire to.

 

miror2

 

Throughout your life, you have seen and read about the qualities of courage, confidence, compassion, love, fortitude, perseverance, patience, forgiveness and integrity.  Over time, these qualities have instilled in you an ideal to which you aspire. You might not always live up to the very best that you know, but you are constantly striving to be a better person in light of those qualities that you value so highly.  In fact, everything that you do on a day-to-day basis is affected by your comparing your activities with these ideal qualities and your striving to behave consistently with them.

Successful people have very clear ideals for themselves.  Unsuccessful people have fuzzy ideals.  Successful people are very clear about being excellent in every part of their work and their personal lives.  Unsuccessful people don’t give the subject very much thought.  One of the primary characteristics of successful men and women in every walk of life is that they have very clearly defined ideals, and they are very aware of whether or not their current behaviours are consistent with their idealized behaviours.

Part of your ideals are your goals.  As you set higher and more challenging goals, your self-ideal improves and crystallizes.  When you set goals for the kind of person you want to be and the kind of life you want to live, your self-ideal rises and becomes a greater guiding and motivating force in your life.

Perhaps the most important thing for you to realise  is that whatever anybody else has done or become, you can do or become as well.  Improvements in your self-ideal begin in your imagination where there are no limits except the ones that you accept.

What is your ideal vision of the very best person you could possibly become?  How would you behave each day if you were already that person?  Make a picture in your mind of how you would look and stand, how you would appear to other people.  Asking yourself these questions and then living your life consistent with the answers is the first step to creating yourself in your ideal image.

winelady

 Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

  • Dream big dreams – Set big, exciting, challenging goals and ideals for yourself in every part of your life.  Allow yourself to imagine a wonderful life ahead.

  • Think about how you would act if you were an outstanding person in every way.  Create that picture in your mind.  Then, practice being this person, as though you were acting a role in a play. 

You’ll immediately notice a difference in your behaviour.  Practice all of the above.

It is time now for you to take action and to really begin to change your life.  Or you could do nothing.  It is your choice. I am helping people to become the very best version of themselves.

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

by

Don’t die with your music still in you

The title of this blog is a paraphrase of the Emerson quote about how “Most men die with their music still in them.”

Ask yourself these questions:

  •  Am I doing what I came here to do?

  • Am I, at least in part, ‘playing my special music’?

If you answered yes to the questions, or are at least pursuing them, then I congratulate you. If your answer is no –  what you are waiting for?!

We are all special in this world.  Each of us has some special contribution to make to the world.  Perhaps it’s to write a book.  Perhaps your special gift is in being a great teacher or coach. It could be you are the next person to discover a cure for a major disease, or to start a business and be the best you can be at what you do.

 

iStock_000008873201Large

 

Are you a builder who is passionate about your work?  Do you dream of being a great parent, artist, or baker?

Whatever the passion is within you, let it out.  Life is too fragile and uncertain to postpone your dreams, hoping that someday, you will really begin to live your life.

Begin now!  Whatever it is you are passionate about, you can begin it now.  What are you waiting for?

When I lived in Basingstoke, Hampshire, my next door neighbour Maureen was really looking forward to her retirement.  She had planned everything she was going to do with her life once she could stop work and concentrate on herself. There were so many things she hadn’t yet done and when she had the time after her retirement she was going to do them all.

Six months before her 60th birthday Maureen was diagnosed with terminal cancer and she died before she even got to be 60.  She never did get to retire or do all the many things that she had planned to do when she retired.

It saddens me to see someone who is near the end their life, never having taken a step to realize their dream.  It saddens me that anyone should leave this earth with their music still in them. You owe it to yourself to let it out!

Imagine in your mind a mirror.  Look into that mirror and see yourself as you are today.  Now I want you to imagine yourself at the age of 80, see those sparkling eyes looking back at you.  I want you then to turn round and look back through the years of your life and note all the things you have achieved up to the age of 80.  How many things have you achieved?

 

old lady

 

Wouldn’t it be sad if you were to look back at 80 and say to yourself ‘I haven’t achieved anything in all my years’.  Don’t wait, begin now.  What are you waiting for?

Don’t die with your music still in you.

It is time now for you to take action and to really begin to change your life.  Or you could do nothing.  It is your choice. I am helping people to become the very best version of themselves.

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

by

Make every one of your minutes count

Your ability to manage your time, to focus and channel your energies on your highest value tasks, will determine your rewards and your level of accomplishment in life more than any other factor.

Your mind is your most precious asset.  I believe it is essential to be continually working to increase the quality of your thinking.  One of the best ways is to turn driving time into learning time.  Listen to educational CDs or audio cassettes in your car.  The average driver, according to the Automobile Association, drives 12,000 to 25,000 miles each year, that’s 500 to 1000 hours time spent each year in your car,  equivalent to 12 ½  to 25 forty-hour weeks.  That is the same as two full university terms spent behind the wheel of your car each year.  You can apply this too if travel regularly by train, bus, plane etc.

iStock_000005988115Medium (2)

 

If you did nothing but use your travelling time as learning time, this could make you one of the best educated people of your generation.  Many people have gone from rags to riches simply by listening to audio programs as they travel to and from work.

In addition, for personal and professional development, attend as many seminars as you can.  You can often save yourself 100’s of hours of reading and researching by attending a seminar given by an authority in his or her field.  You can learn ideas, techniques and methods that can save you hours, days, even months of hard work and research on your own.

Remember, to earn more, you must learn more.  Your outer world of results will always correspond to your inner world of preparation.  Continuous learning is the minimum requirement for success in any field.

Here are two things you can do to put these ideas to work in your life immediately.

  • Purchase an audio program that can help you to be happier and more effective today.  Begin listening to it immediately.  Resolve never to listen to music in your car when you can turn driving time into learning time.

  •  Seek out seminars and training programs given by experts in their field.  Sit close to the front, take careful notes, and apply the best ideas that you learn immediately.

 

 

 

Portrait of business people discussing a new strategy at a seminar

 

It is time now for you to take action and to really begin to change your life.  Or you could do nothing.  It is your choice. I am here to help you now that you are ready to change your life.

I have some availability for coaching clients, we just need to fix some dates if and when you want to get started. Get in touch today.

Maggie Currie 

Creedence – Confidence for You

International Confidence Coach, Motivational Speaker, Author

creedence.jpg

Website

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn