Career
How important is your career? What ideally would you like to achieve in your working life? Whilst work takes up a lot of our time, the majority of people give very little thought to what they are doing, whether they are enjoying their work and how ambitious they really are. Perhaps now is the time to give some thought to this and to set your-self a goal. This might be a goal for advancement within your present area of work or to switch to something quite different.
We know that when goals are written down, they are more likely to be achieved. Once you have a goal in mind then you can plan the various activities and experiences needed to help you to achieve this. This might involve gaining extra qualifications, attending a course or doing some job shadowing for example.
Many people may be reasonably happy in their work and not very ambitious and take opportunities as they are presented to them. In fact they often allow other people to suggest what they might do next. As a consequence some people find themselves in positions where they aren’t really happy. They might feel a fraud or out of their depth. It is important therefore that we take charge of our own lives and decide for ourselves what we want to do and not leave it to others.
For those who aren’t happy at work, it is worth thinking whether this is because someone else decided what was best for us or because we are doing a job which doesn’t fit with our values or beliefs. It isn’t easy to change jobs in the present economic climate but we need to make a move to one which we enjoy and are able to feel more relaxed in. Doing this will also help improve our performance at work and lead to increased confidence.
Seeking feedback from colleagues, preferably 360o feedback, will also provide invaluable data to help us decide whether to change jobs and when to go for promotion.
How often do we stop and think about our physical environment – that is the space where we spend most of our time? Our home, our garden if we have one and our working space. As you think about this what are you aware of and how does this make you feel?
We might be limited in what we can do to change our work environment but there is plenty we can do at home if we make the effort. Having our own space where we can feel completely at ease, where we can relax and unwind is very important. It might not be possible to have our own room but we can create a space somewhere which allows us to reflect and relax.
For many people this means de-cluttering particularly for those people, who like me, hoard things on the off chance they will be of use in the future. Think how much better you would feel if you sorted out your wardrobe, drawers, desk top or garage for example and indeed anywhere else you collect items which are of little use to you. Try to imagine how helpful it would be to actually find whatever you are looking for because it is in a particular place and not thrown under a pile of papers or clothes waiting to be sorted. How often do you think about your garden? Is it a haven for relaxing in or an overgrown mess which bothers you every time you look at it?
Getting some sort of order in your physical environment can help you feel more relaxed and in charge of your life. It might not be possible to spend large chunks of time or money on doing this but you could decide to set aside a couple of hours each week for example and it might be even more productive and enjoyable to enlist the help of a friend. Imagine what fun you could have sorting out your wardrobe!
Take a look at your wheel of life to see how happy you are with the score you have given for your relationships with friends and family. If this feels out of balance then think about whom you particularly want to focus on in order to restore some sense of balance in your life. Are you seeing too little of your partner, neglecting your parents or not spending as much time as you would ideally like with a personal friend? What is stopping you from doing this?
Think about your current relationship with your chosen person and ask yourself how much time am I now spending with this person? Also, what type of relationship do we enjoy and what are you aware of as you think about that relationship. Then think about an ideal relationship with that person and what you would like your score to change to. When would you like to see that person, what activities would you like to do together and what needs to change to make this possible. How prepared are you to make these changes? This might be doing something extra or stopping doing something that you currently do. These are the types of questions that will raise your awareness to your situation and if you visualise what life would be like with your higher score then this might help motivate you to do something about it.
Working long hours is often the reason for neglecting someone who is important to us, or alternatively it might be the result of a disagreement at some time in our life that has caused the distancing. Both these situations are common coaching issues. I have seen clients who have ‘neglected’ their friends, agree to ring a friend each week to stay in touch. I’ve also helped clients rehearse the conversation they might have with an estranged friend in order to reconnect with them and get closure on their broken relationship.
Enjoying the company of friends and family can provide very important support and help restore some balance in our lives.
Lots of us take our health for granted, eating and drinking exactly what we want, not getting regular medical checks or doing exercise. The attitude is ‘I will start my fitness plan tomorrow’ but tomorrow never comes. We often only do something about our health once we have had a health scare and then it becomes our number one priority.
It therefore makes good sense to think about our health now and not wait until we have a problem. Perhaps you could ask yourself – How much do I care about my health and what am I doing to keep me healthy?
I am no expert on either healthy eating or exercise but I do know there are plenty of people who have provided advice in books or on the web for those who want to do something about this important aspect of their lives.
For those who don’t want to go to those lengths, I would ask you to consider the types and quantities of food and drinks you put into your bodies. How nutritious are these foods, how much alcohol and coffee do you drink and how often. Cutting out sugar is one of the best ways of feeling fitter and losing weight. How often do you exercise? Getting some type of exercise is particularly important if you have a job or life style which requires you to sit for long periods of time. Walking is a cheap and easy way of keeping fit whilst providing the fresh air and light so necessary for our well being.
You might also like to think about how much sleep you get and whether you feel rested and energetic the following morning. Getting to bed earlier might help or if this isn’t possible try a relaxation exercise during the evening to rid you of tension and to help you sleep better when you do get there.
Money can bring us joy and confidence but it can also bring sadness and anxiety if we don’t manage it well. How many of us know just how much money we earn or receive as income each week or month and how much we pay out during that period? Have we ever sat down and listed our outgoings and then compared them with our income to determine what we have left to spend or save? If we do know, how often have we exceeded this amount believing it is ok to indulge ourselves today and not worry about tomorrow? Living for today might be a good idea when applied to many aspects of our lives but not in relation to money.
It might be helpful to carry a small notebook with you for a week or month and make a note of everything you spend. You might be surprised by just how much you spend on small items such as coffees and canned drinks and how these costs mount up.
Spending only what we can afford should be our aim. Credit Cards can be a convenient way of paying for items but the bill needs to be paid off each month so as not to incur high interest rates. If we have any uncommitted money, then we could consider saving a small amount of this on a regular basis. The interest rates aren’t brilliant at the moment but the money will mount up and it gets us into the saving habit which can be very rewarding.
If you have got yourself into debt then it is important that you talk to someone you can trust such as a family member or a friend. It is important that you don’t keep quiet, as the longer the situation goes on the more interest you will have to pay and the more anxious you will become. Your friend or family member will be able to help you work out a plan to deal with your situation. This might mean making drastic changes in your life style to resolve the situation but if you have information on your spending habits then you can work out where to make the savings.
Why not try to avoid temptations and follow these steps:
- If you shop on the internet or on TV then stop doing this for a set period of time.
- Make your own sandwich instead of buying one.
- Think about giving up alcohol mid week.