Self Confidence for Women

So why self confidence?

I’ve been carrying out interviews of career women this year. I’ve asked them about the challenges they face. I’ll tell you more about the results in a future issue.

It affects us all

The theme of self confidence came up time and time again. Worded as the ability to talk about your success in the same way as your male colleagues. Or believing in your abilities. Or fear of failure holding you back. Some women feel like impostors who risk being found out.

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I have been wanting to write in my newsletter and it has been near the top of my to-do list for longer than I care to admit. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about my relaunch as ‘Self Confidence for Women’ which you will have noticed.

Putting things off

So why the procrastination?

I’m learning not to beat myself up at times like these. There’s usually a reason for procrastination, often a good one. I’ve spent a bit of time sitting with this and being curious. (Something I’d recommend for something you are putting off). [Read more →]

Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.

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I AM ME

In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me

Everything that comes out of me is authentically me [Read more →]

Earlier this year, a friend and I agreed to apply to run a 10K race, partly to motivate ourselves to get out and run. I’ve run a 5K event before and wanted to stretch myself a bit more. My friend applied for an early April race which I felt didn’t give me enough training time to be sure of running the whole distance. I wanted longer to train so started to look at May races. In fact I did not apply for a May race and I have only just started to train.

If I had turned up for the April event, I would have been training since February. I would now be fitter. I might not have run the whole 10K run in April, maybe I would have walked some of the route. Yet, given that my goal is to get fit, or fitter, rather than have an impressive time for the event, that wouldn’t have mattered.

I don’t think of myself as perfectionist, yet my desire to make a ‘proper’ go of the event got in the way of my real goal – to get fit. [Read more →]

I read recently that Seinfeld is said to have spoken of the value of writing every day. He used a large wall calendar and scored a big red x over each day that he wrote. He was motivated to carry on crossing off the days and not breaking the chain.

It isn’t always the big steps that get us where we want to go, it is the consistent daily action, a succession of baby steps that build amazing outcomes. Daily action builds habits. [Read more →]

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment
that something else is more important than fear.   -Ambrose Redmoon

ACTION CHALLENGE: Where are you afraid? What can you focus on that will help you see beyond your fear?

Follow your heart…

What does this mean? This Youtube clip shows the results of one young woman’s gap year trip and where she ended up. As a result, she says, of following the prompting of her heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2STnO01zGw [Read more →]

Wishing you a joyful Christmas and a powerful year of stepping out of your comfort zones!

love Rosalyn x

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

- Mark Twain

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Last week, I was unable to go to bed, captured by the unfolding events of election night in the US. The next morning there seemed to be a feeling of hope and optimism imported from across the Atlantic. There was a new joy in the air.

Something has changed. The cynical have been willing to lay aside their cynicism and dare to hope. This election result felt similar to the 1997 Labour victory, the hope of something new.

It is all too easy to become disillusioned. How can we hold on to this optimism, this hope, in a way that is grounded for us? [Read more →]

Secure jobs have been rendered shaky and insubstantial by the uncertainty of the current economic climate. Where once you might have thought that security was a fair exchange for a sense of dissatisfaction, that often no longer applies. Many are questioning whether they want to stay put if there is no longer security. This could be an opportunity to think afresh.

Is it time to leave your job?

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With every venture, every task, every activity, every relationship there is the possibility of failure, of it ‘not working out’. This possibility is more likely with new ventures and new activities.

Am I alone in finding this scary? Of wanting the future to be known and certain before I even start?

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I’ve now written the story of my escape from corporate life and posted it as a page here – link http://rosalynclare-coaching.co.uk/about-me/story-of-an-escape

I can honestly say I’ve never regretted that initial ‘rash’ decision to hand in my notice. Despite things not always been easy or going the way I wanted since that date.

I have a similar decision at the moment; whether or not to reduce hours or leave my part-time job completely in order to concentrate more fully on coaching. This feels equally scary, despite there being less to lose and more to gain! [Read more →]

Even if you think you’ll be leaving your present work, being positive about it now is the best possible platform for change. This sounds counter-intuitive.

Being positive and being at peace will help maintain your energy levels and support your self-esteem which will help when it comes to networking and applying for other opportunities.

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I came across this great short quiz compiled by Pamela Skillings, who has written of her own escape from corporate America.

http://electricpulp.com/corporatecasualty/

How did you do?

I am looking to interview 50 women who want to find work that better meets their values and passions. They may be working in the corporate sector and want to escape.

I have been gathering information from my survey on job satisfaction and now I want more detail.

Do you know someone who fits the description?

Maybe YOU are one of these women? [Read more →]

I’ve come across this handy little tool for looking at a problem another way. It’s an online wizard (!) with a tool for asking questions, the Unsticker. Sample question (I love this) – what part of the problem is the most ticklish? [Read more →]

I’ve compiled a very short survey to gather research information of what it’s like for women working in a corporate setting. [Read more →]

What are you tolerating?

We are used to the notion of putting up with things. “How are you?” “Can’t complain” “Mustn’t grumble” “Could be worse”

And as a (British) race I sometimes wonder if we like to have something to moan about.

Tolerations can drain so much energy that we haven’t enough left over for the things we really like to do. Like a couple of very small stones constantly in a shoe, or the feeling of being slightly spiked by a cactus.

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