Happy New Year! Wishing you all the very best for 2007. To ensure those resolutions and plans you declare tomorrow night are more than fleeting ones forgotten once the decorations are down, consider using own of the following techniques:
GOAL JOURNAL
Writing down a goal is the first concrete evidence of a commitment to a goal. Keeping a journal that states these goals along with reflections about your motivation and how they support values provides an easily accessible guide to direction and progress. The process gives weight to their importance and subconsciously you will act accordingly. The journal also provides a record for other helpful strategies e.g. record of reviews and affirmations.
TREASURE MAP
Creating a visual picture of your goal, through collage, montage, or any media can really appeal to those of a visual nature. Creating a detailed picture of what you are aiming for and placing where you will see it often will enhance motivation. It also appeals to the visual mind, it now knows what you mean, and has a present tense quality that will encourage the mind to create evidence to support what it sees.
SUPPORT
Identify and inform those who you know will support, encourage and reward you. You may all be working towards similar goals and can journey together. You may be surprised at who you find – it may not be nearest and dearest, but having support form others provides positive feedback and external motivation.

Dare to dream and you will reap the benefits.

All the best

Catherine

Take Care! Extreme care of yourself. Protect yourself from stress in the workplace by taking control of the things you can control. Look at your time management at both home and work - learn to prioritise and delegate. Using a "to do" list and completing one task before you moving on to the next can help you feel more in control. List writing is not a forte of mine, so I often have a mental list and get going before putting pen to paper. I have found that if I've done that I often lose momentum. What I do now, is write a list, but also add on all the things I have already achieved (those things that were on the mental list) and cross them off straight away. This gives me an immediate boost and I go full steam into the rest! Remember to establish a pattern you have to do something 21 times, to make it routine you have to do it 100 times. So make it attractive, build in rewards for yourself and enjoy feeling in control.

All the best

Catherine

The website's live - better late than never they say. It's fantastic to be up and running and I have got over the disappointment of missing my original deadline.

Today I want to answer a question regarding the website - " What are the hills about?". Well they are my feel good "anchor". A while ago when I was so very unhappy with my job I would drive home feeling very despondent and questioning what I was doing. On the way home I come to a certain point on the road and see the most fantastic view (the photo does not do it justice) and it just evokes the most wonderful feelings in me. These hills kept me going and would enable me to get home and be in the right frame of mind to be with my family.

"Anchoring" is a technique used by NLP practitioners , but we all have our own anchors already. Think about what triggers good feelings in you, it may be a photo, piece of music, a smell or using quick visualisations. Use them to help you refocus into a more positive frame of mind and bring a different perspective to negativity at work. If I am driving to a difficult meeting I will listen to a Mozart bassoon concerto in the car, I can't help but smile and feel more creative. The result is that I go into the meeting more optimistic and see the results.

Until next time

Catherine

Welcome to this blog spot. It is really exciting to have www.coachyourselfbetter.co.uk up and running as of 15.7.06. I hope that this blog is going to be a great resource for those who want to get better job satisfaction and start looking forward to the day ahead, rather than wanting to pull the covers over their heads again and phone in sick.

I know a job can turn around. A year ago I was looking for anyway out of my job. Now I have no intention of leaving and have voluntarily increased my hours for the past few weeks.

I look forward to putting my thoughts to screen over the weeks to come

All the best

Catherine