Things We Don’t Want to Do

I am sure we have all had the experience of tackling some dreaded task only to come out the other side filled with a new sense of confidence and strength and feeling invigorated. It is interesting that most of the time when we do that dreaded task, we come out on the other side changed and often wondering what we were so worried about or why it took us so long. It might spur us on to begin to look for other tasks we’ve been avoiding so that we can feel that same heady mix of excitement and completion.

Whether we avoid something because we perceive that it bores us or scares us, or because we think it will force a change we’re not ready for, putting it off creates obstacles for us. On the other hand, facing the task at hand, no matter how onerous, creates flow in our lives and allows us to grow. The relief is palpable when we emerge on the other side knowing that we did something even though it was hard or we didn’t want to do it. Interestingly, when we cling to our comfort zone, never addressing the things we don’t want to face, we cut ourselves off from flow and growth.

I am sure we all have at least one thing in our life that never seems to get done. Try bringing that task to the top of your list and promise yourself that you will do it as soon as possible, this act that could liberate a tremendous amount of energy in your life. Whatever it is, you can allow yourself to be fuelled by the promise of the feelings of exhilaration and confidence that will be the natural result of doing it.

If this has resonated with you in any way, please get in touch.

I offer coaching and mentoring to you – for you to make the changes you want to in your life. Build your confidence in your abilities.  Read my clients’ testimonials here. To help you to have more fun, more freedom and less stress. That is it. There is no catch. I believe in you.

Maggie Currie

Professional Transformational Coach, Consultant
Founder of MAGGIE CURRIE COACHING

Website:       http://www.maggiecurrie.co.uk

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/maggielifecoach/

Email:          hello@maggiecurrie.co.uk

Being Gentle with yourself

There are times when our lives are filled with what seems to be constant change and growth, at those times it is vital to remember that we need to be gentle with ourselves. Since it can be easy to use our energy to keep up with the momentum of our lives, we may not be aware of the fact that we are much more likely to run ourselves down. When things seem to be moving quickly, it is especially essential that we make a point to slow down and be gentle with ourselves.

It might be difficult to notice what is happening to you for you may be so caught up in the whirlwind of your life that you lose sight of the direction in which things are heading. Being gentle with yourself doesn’t mean that you don’t accomplish things. Instead it means that you honour yourself on an ongoing basis and take care of the needs of your body.

This means different things to different people. For instance, it could mean having a session with a therapist; eating better, or getting extra sleep. Putting your energy into yourself in this way helps create space for a more positive, loving, and accepting view of your life. By setting the intention to do so, you will be more cognisant of your energy levels on a daily basis and more able to replenish them as needed.

The more we are all able to treat our bodies with gentleness, the more tenderness and compassion we will call forth into our lives. Learning to understand and pay attention to what our self needs will in turn allow us to fill our lives with unlimited loving and healing energy and to truly take care of the things that mean the most to us.

If this has resonated with you in any way, please get in touch.

I offer coaching and mentoring to you – for you to make the changes you want to in your life. Build your confidence in your abilities.  Read my clients’ testimonials here. To help you to have more fun, more freedom and less stress. That is it. There is no catch. I believe in you.

Maggie Currie

Professional Transformational Coach, Consultant
Founder of MAGGIE CURRIE COACHING

Website:       http://www.maggiecurrie.co.uk

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/maggielifecoach/

Email:          hello@maggiecurrie.co.uk

Can you enjoy Valentine’s Day as a single person – or away from your loved one?

There is so much emphasis on love and marriage leading up to Valentine’s Day and on the day itself.  There are adverts everywhere and shops are full of gifts, treats and cards all specifically for this occasion. But not everyone buys into this sentiment.  And there is no reason why everyone should.   So how can you survive and keep your sanity if you can’t or don’t want to buy into it? There are so many ways to make sure you enjoy yourself on your own.

You are probably feeling that you have nobody to rely on but yourself,  and on this ‘special day’ my suggestion is to turn the focus of your attention to you.  Buy yourself something special, something you will love.  Maybe treat yourself to a day pampering yourself with doing your nails, styling your hair, giving yourself a facial, or treat yourself to a special meal and enjoy it at home.  You don’t have to cook it yourself, order it by phone and have it delivered to your door.  Use your favourite crockery, buy a bottle of wine and just enjoy being you, the lovely you that you know you are.

Maybe you could get a few of the worst romantic comedy films you can find and watch them and make fun of all those dreadful films.  Have a fun evening.

If you have children, maybe make the day special for them, as well as you.  Buy them some little gifts – maybe chocolate, stuffed toys, model cars etc.  You could make a present hunt with clues so they have fun trying to find the little gifts.  Whatever it is you choose, make sure it is fun. 

Another way to look at Valentine’s Day is to make some new resolutions, as most New Year’s resolutions were made 6 weeks ago. Make a Valentine’s Day resolution to love yourself, resolve to take some evening classes, resolve to go on that trip you have always promised yourself, make a start towards the dreams you know you want to achieve.  Resolve to try out new recipes. Resolve to date yourself, plan life around yourself and learn to love yourself again.  This will not only be fun and interesting but loving yourself is the basis of being the confident you.

In the short-term be prepared for personal questions from friends and co-workers about your plans for your  Valentine’s Day alone.  Have an answer even if it is ‘no comment’.

Don’t get dressed up as that invites questions. Avoid tv programmes filled with loves stories.

Remember it is just one day.  Shut your door, eat what you want, read a good book, watch your favourite film, do what is fun for you.  It will all be over in the morning.

If you would like, you could wait until February 15th and buy yourself a heart-shaped box of chocolates at half the price. Buy yourself some flowers at half price too.

Whatever you do, don’t sit at home being miserable and sorry for yourself because you don’t have a date for this silly day. If you do sit at home and feel sorry yourself don’t beat yourself up about it.  Remember, it is only one day, and there is nothing to be ashamed of in not participating in Valentine’s Day.  It is your prerogative, be true to YOU.

If this has resonated with you in any way, please get in touch.

I offer coaching and mentoring to you – for you to make the changes you want to in your life. Build your confidence in your abilities.  Read my clients’ testimonials here. To help you to have more fun, more freedom and less stress. That is it. There is no catch. I believe in you.

Maggie Currie

Professional Transformational Coach, Consultant
Founder of MAGGIE CURRIE COACHING

Website:       http://www.maggiecurrie.co.uk

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/maggielifecoach/

Email:          hello@maggiecurrie.co.uk

How you see yourself

How you see yourself begins with 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.  In fact, everything that you do on a day-to-day basis is affected by your comparing your activities with these ideal qualities.  Not only that, you constantly strive to behave consistently with them. Successful people are usually very clear about being excellent in every part of their lives. Unsuccessful people frequently have fuzzy ideals.  

When you set higher and more challenging goals, your self-ideal improves and crystallises.  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. Improvements in your self-ideal begin in your imagination where there are no limits except the ones that you create and accept. Be careful of the limits you set for yourself.  Are they in your best interest? Could you stretch those limits?  Do you have a vision of the very best person you could possibly become? How would you behave each day if you already were that person?  Make a picture in your mind of how you would look and stand, how you would appear to other people? Make that picture as bright and colourful as you can.  Hear what you hear, see what you see, feel what you feel.  Make it brighter and step into that picture.  Add smells and textures if you can.  Really be the person you are envisioning.

There are more things you can do immediately to put your ideas into action. Dream big dreams. Set big, exciting, challenging goals for yourself.  Allow yourself to imagine a wonderful life ahead. Step outside of your comfort zone.  Make sure the goals you set are achievable by you, or you will become very disappointed if you fail to achieve them. 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. You will immediately notice a difference in your behaviour.  Not only that, other people will notice too.

If this has resonated with you in any way, please get in touch.

I offer coaching and mentoring to you – for you to make the changes you want to in your life. Build your confidence in your abilities.  Read my clients’ testimonials here. To help you to have more fun, more freedom and less stress. That is it. There is no catch. I believe in you.

Maggie Currie

Professional Transformational Coach, Consultant
Founder of MAGGIE CURRIE COACHING

Website:       http://www.maggiecurrie.co.uk

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/maggielifecoach/

Email:          hello@maggiecurrie.co.uk

Invest in yourself. The investment that won’t let you down.

In these turbulent times there is one investment that you can be sure won’t let you down. Investment in yourself. It may be that you feel your confidence has been derailed by recent events. Investing in your own personal Life Coach is one answer to getting back on track. Ask yourself this question – How do you live your life? Do you live it at cause or at effect? And what does that mean for you?

Take two people going for different jobs, both having all the right credentials and experience for the roles. One of them approaches their interview from the perspective that it’s completely down to their performance as to whether they get the job or not. They will choose how to present and project themselves and they will take 100% responsibility for their result. They feel pretty confident and in control. The other person is approaching their interview differently – from the perspective that they’ll do the best they can, but ultimately it’s down to the interviewer’s opinion of them and the other candidates’ performance against theirs. They feel they have little control over the outcome, which makes them pretty nervous, and they believe that interview situations never bring out the best in them, so why should this one be any different?

Which one is more likely to be successful? My guess would be the first person. A clear example of being ‘at cause’.  We know that a cause is something that makes something else happen. So when we’re talking about living at cause, it’s all about causing things to happen, making choices, taking action and full responsibility.

Notice the position of power this puts you in. On the other side of the equation, an effect is what happens because of the cause. So living on the effect side means having things happen to us, living with excuses and reasons why something couldn’t be, the choice and responsibility is ‘taken’ out of our hands. It’s a feeling of powerlessness and of being the victim, in many cases. The interesting thing is, that people on either side of the equation, whether at cause or effect, will each walk away patting themselves on the back. Why? Well, of course, the ‘at cause’ group chose to have their result and they got it. While for the ‘at effect’ people it was completely out of their hands right from the start. They found a reason (excuse?) why they couldn’t have their result and walked away saying “see, I knew it wouldn’t work”. Either way they were right. So the question you should really be asking yourself is – not which side do you live at, but which side do you want to live at? Cause or effect? The key point here is that at any given moment, you have the choice. You either allow what’s happening to affect you and hold on to your excuses. Or you take full responsibility for what is going on and choose to get your result. I know which I choose!

So get out there and invest in yourself. As the consumer you have the choice of individual one-to-one life enhancing sessions in person or over the telephone or, if you prefer, you can choose one of the hundreds of inspirational one-day or half-day  workshops on offer where not only experiences are shared and ideas bounced off each other, but new friends are made. Just the discovery that you aren’t the only one in this situation is very empowering. 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 invest in yourself. The investment that won’t let you down.

If this has resonated with you in any way, please get in touch.

I offer coaching and mentoring to you – for you to make the changes you want to in your life. Build your confidence in your abilities.  Read my clients’ testimonials here. To help you to have more fun, more freedom and less stress. That is it. There is no catch. I believe in you.

Maggie Currie

Professional Transformational Coach, Consultant
Founder of MAGGIE CURRIE COACHING

Website:       http://www.maggiecurrie.co.uk

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/maggielifecoach/

Email:          hello@maggiecurrie.co.uk

Our Community Responsibility

It’s easy to get caught up in our personal lives and forget that we have an obligation to be responsible members of our communities. For some of us, expressing this responsibility is so interwoven into our personal lives that it is simply a natural extension of who we are. Others may need to take a moment to consider how to be more responsible for the community in which they live.  For those who live in large cities, we can start with our own vicinity. Anything we do on a small level will automatically ripple out into the larger system.

Communities thrive on the talents of their members, so one approach to community responsibility is to consider what you have to offer and find ways to bring that into your community. If you have a special gift when it comes to bringing people together, you might agree to throw a party or event once a year that includes the whole community. Even a small open house in a small venue can accomplish a lot in terms of making people feel more connected and comfortable with each other. If you have a talent for organic gardening, you might offer to help people in your area plan their own organic gardens. You might be the go to person for neighbours who need someone to water their plants or care for their pets when they’re away. You might take an abandoned space in your community and galvanise others to help you transform it into a community garden or a playground for children. In an area where there are many homeless people, starting a soup kitchen or organising a Christmas meal makes a big difference not only to those in need but to those who want to help.

All events, picnics, and ceremonies started somewhere, with someone who wanted to give back to the community in which they lived. It’s not too late to propose and execute a new tradition in your own community, whether it’s a street party or an annual picnic. Your particular vision, gifts, and strengths are part of what makes your community unique, so as you recognise them in yourself, feel free to offer them to those who live in your vicinity. Whether your offerings are visionary or practical, they are the very essence of community.

If this has resonated with you in any way, please get in touch.

I offer coaching and mentoring to you – for you to make the changes you want to in your life. Build your confidence in your abilities.  Read my clients’ testimonials here. To help you to have more fun, more freedom and less stress. That is it. There is no catch. I believe in you.

Maggie Currie

Professional Transformational Coach, Consultant
Founder of MAGGIE CURRIE COACHING

Website:       http://www.maggiecurrie.co.uk

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/maggielifecoach/

Email:          hello@maggiecurrie.co.uk

Confidence sapping friends, family and colleagues

Although it is a well known fact, there are still some people who are totally unaware that the people with whom they have the most contact and hang around will have either a positive or negative effect on their 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 you feel the same!  They can put zest into a boring atmosphere and can fill the room with positive, ‘can do’ vibes that has a zingy knock on effect onto everyone else.

We also know of those people who could moan for England, and continually do! Often the least confident people are the ones who moan about how hard done by they are, how they are overlooked for promotion, how they are never chosen for this team or that project.  They don’t realise how damaging they are to themselves and to other people. They claim they never had the opportunities, they are always putting people down, they don’t like others to be successful, they are jealous and they are negative thinkers – need I go on?

These people drain your energy and try to bring you down to their level, a million miles away from the level that YOU want to be operating on. Work colleagues can be like this and will affect you and your confidence levels if you allow them to.  When you have spend your working days with negative people, try to block out as much of the negativity as possible.  If there is one particular person who continually drags you down, take them to one side and explain how you feel and ask them to be more considerate of your feelings. Family members can be a lot like this as well, but although you can always choose your friends, you can never choose your relatives!

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

You have the power to choose who you hang around with. Ideally you want happy, vibrant and positive people. You also have the power to choose who you don’t hang around with.  Be selective. If you have good friends who are negative and yet you still want to hang around them, make a point of letting them know how you feel – if they are a true friend they will respect you for this. If they are negative from time to time just acknowledge that this is what they are like and block out the negativity. The same can be said with family. Your more mature family members have behaviours that have been conditioned for years and years by their parents, teachers etc., and the conditioning has come from different eras. Appreciate where they have come from and be selective with the information that filters through to your brain. Discard the negative.

Remember, nobody can reduce your confidence levels unless you allow them to.

If this has resonated with you in any way, please get in touch.

I offer coaching and mentoring to you – for you to make the changes you want to in your life. Build your confidence in your abilities.  Read my clients’ testimonials here. To help you to have more fun, more freedom and less stress. That is it. There is no catch. I believe in you.

Maggie Currie

Professional Transformational Coach, Consultant
Founder of MAGGIE CURRIE COACHING

Website:       http://www.maggiecurrie.co.uk

Facebook:    https://www.facebook.com/maggielifecoach/

Email:          hello@maggiecurrie.co.uk