When is enough enough?
Let me paint the picture so that you get a feel for what one of my clients shared with me the other day. You see he was suffering a challenge that many small businesses face very early on in their growth. It is a catch 22 situation and depending on what he did next would either make or break his business. It is a situation that we have faced in our business and I would imagine you have faced this as well.
What I am alluding to is……. (more…)
Are you trading your hours for dollars and feel that you are getting nowhere fast?
Do you even like what it is that you do that pay the bills? I’ve asked a lot of people over the last few months if they like what they do and I can count on one hand how many of them like, not love mind you, but like the jobs they are currently employed to do.
This led me to ask them “Why do you spend your precious time working a job you don’t like?” This is some of their responses:
Do these excuses sound familiar….? I must admit I stayed in a previous job because of one of these excuses, but it didn’t take long before I realised that by doing so was detrimental to my health and happiness.
Let’s look for a moment at the negative side of staying stuck in a dead end job that you don’t like. Over time you may start to notice the following:
There are lots more but do you see that by being unhappy in where you work or what you do, that over time it will have a detrimental effect on your health.
By spending a few hours a week you could invest in learning new skills that would then give you the opportunity to choose another line of work or lifestyle. At the very least you will become aware that there is another option.
I appreciate that there are generally two types of people:
The people that do. These positive people want to improve themselves and their lifestyle they will have an open mind and will see the possibilities of learning new skills. Most of these people will follow through once they have learned these new skills.
The people that don’t. These people are generally negative and have a limited view of life. They are the people who will set about to prove you right, you know who I mean, the people who say things like:
These people are happy to experience life as they know it and that is ok, but don’t let them bring you down.
If you get nothing else out of this, please just accept that there is always a choice, another option, another way of doing things. Life is never meant to be simple, but it doesn’t have to be hard.
Vicki Williams
Your Destiny Unfolds
Creativity and the Workplace
The first thing that comes into most managers minds when they hear the words “creativity” and “workplace” combined is either a) someone is cooking the books (as in creative accountancy) or people are just goofing off.
The reality is something far different
It has been shown that workplaces where creativity is not just tolerated, but encouraged, have not just a more profitable bottom line, but their staff are happier, lower staff turnover, increased business flexibility, reduced leave of absence – in essence those things that a truly motivated and forward thinking business wants and needs to thrive. These are places where discussion is encouraged, boundaries are challenged and everyone is constantly striving to improve those things that impact not just their sphere of influence but the company as a whole. It is a place where these practices are not just given lip service, but they are truly a part of the company’s overall business plan, its ethics and its moral code.
So how do we encourage creativity in the workplace?
A good place to start is to consciously open the lines of communication in all directions, between individual staff, between managers and their staff, and most importantly between the various departments. More money is lost from “misunderstandings” between departments than most companies would like to admit. This communication does not have to be formal. It could be something as simple as encouraging conversation over a coffee, at the water cooler, around someone’s desk or in some other less structured atmosphere. Remember creativity cannot be forced, it has to bubble up out of the unconscious for most people, and often a chin wag over the new widget we are making can turn out to be a major coat saver in the long run.
We are not advocating a completely laissez-faire workplace, but that keeping people in their place, tied to a desk or kept in a box generally does not encourage the flights of fancy from which great ideas come.
During my 20 years of employment in a range of companies, I have seen evidence of these cost savings many times in workplace situations, let me explain……..
As I sit here in my office at 5.30am I know that winter is on its way, why? because I have had to find a cardigan and dust off the control to turn on the heater and I don’t think I will be eating my breakfast outside this morning BURR!! They are advertising a quick getaway to grab one last burst of sun in the Whitsundays, very tempting!
I happened to catch an interesting conversation on Sunrise about the best places to work which got me thinking about all the places I have previously worked and it’s funny, when you think of your workplace in that context, what thoughts do you conjure? It took me back in time and I was flooded with some wonderful memories, mainly people that I haven’t thought about in ages. On a personal note I have loved every place that I have ever worked (what I can remember), although there were times or things I did that I didn’t particularly like, but overall I have no complaints.
I firmly believe that you choose and create your own working environment. Most businesses today are doing what they can to provide their employees with an environment that is safe, bright, happy, friendly and fun. You only have to look at Google to see how this can work. If you want to view a working environment that provides everything an employee could ever imagine check this out and see how the other half works.
But seriously, what is it that makes YOU want to go to work? Find out more…….
How do you know if you have balance in your life?
Merimbula, NSW, Australia
I have just gotten back from a wonderful holiday in Merimbula NSW, what a beautiful part of Australia.
I am not sure about you but when I go on holiday it takes a few days to ‘get in the holiday mode’, if you know what I mean. It can take Rodney about a week to fully unwind, that’s pretty bad ah!! (Maybe he should get coached on it!!).
I think we are all guilty of overdoing certain aspects of our life, I know that as a coach I will ask my clients to take a reality check test to ascertain what areas of their life needs more attention. I appreciate that change is easier said than done sometimes. It then comes down to a choice of how you choose to live your life and what you will put up with as a result of your choices.
The expression work life balance was first used in the 1980’s to help explain the unhealthy life choices that many people were making, they were choosing to neglect other important areas in their lives such as family, friends and hobbies in favour of work related chores and goals.
Many people these days experience burnouts due to overwork and increased stress, this condition is seen in nearly all occupations from blue collar to upper management. Over the past decade a rise in workplace violence and increased absenteeism and compensation claims are all evidence of an unhealthy work life balance.
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Determined to Succeed
Let’s forget the New Years Eve resolutions because they generally don’t last longer than a
month.
What I want to focus on are the goals that you set at the start of every year that set the
benchmark for how you want your personal, career and business life to unfold. If these
goals are not planned, structured and set in the correct format then you are not
necessarily setting yourself up to fail, but you are putting obstacles out there that may
not need to be there. To get the format correct and take everything into consideration
To get the format correct and take everything into consideration follow our guideline click here.
Now that you have your goals underway, are there any other obstacles that may hold you back
from achieving the goals you have set? Take a good look within, and be really honest with
yourself, do you need to work on any limiting beliefs or fears? Seek help to assist you in
overcoming these once and for all.
Life is not meant to be an easy ride, so you can expect to have hiccups along the way, what
you need to be conscious of is that you don’t get weighed down or diverted as you manoeuvre
through life. It’s these challenges that give you the internal growth that you need to
survive, coupled with the determination to keep on going.
Nick Vujicic was born with no limbs, when you watch this clip I am sure you will be as
amazed as I was at just how determination can be a catalyst for achieving everything you
aspire to be, do or have in your life.
I have chosen to bookmark this video clip and watch it every time I get to a stage when I
become complacent with life, when I believe that I am coasting through life and not
challenging myself to become even more successful. I hope you will as well.
Your Destiny Unfolds
With Rodney & Vicki
Poor Communication is not a Disability
Many of my clients say they are no good at communicating. I challenge them to step out of their comfort zone and try different approaches to improve their communication skills.
After establishing why they consider they are not effective communicators, we set about planning our strategy for creating change.
In many instances I find that they have a limiting belief in themselves that holds them back. If I was to determine the most common limiting belief associated with poor communication skills, it would be “I’m not good enough”, or “I am afraid of rejection”. Feeling rejected is extremely common and when experienced on a regular basis can cause self-doubt and a lack of self-esteem, which is very destructive.
The Wheel of Life, the film
I have just seen a new documentary film on health, wellness, spirituality and personal development called “The Wheel Of Life” that I just had to tell you about.
If you’ve seen “The Secret” or “What The Bleep”, you’ll love “The Wheel Of Life” (and if you haven’t, I’m sure you’ll still enjoy it!)
Here’s where the trailer has just been posted click here
After you’ve watched the trailer, make sure you sign up to gain access to 8 “hidden” content videos on each segment of “The Wheel Of Life”. Once you sign up, you will be sent the link to a new video every day.
The Roadmap To Become A Blogger
Released! New report reveals tested roadmap for blogging success…
Yaro Starak and Gideon Shalwick from
BecomeABlogger.com have finally released their highly anticipated new report. It’s called…
“The Roadmap To Become A Blogger”
Or simply…”The Roadmap”
If you’re ready to claim your own copy now, just go here (it doesn’t cost a thing):
Giving back to Society
I am not sure about you, but I always knew there were people out there doing really great things for the community, the country and the world. I had never met any of them, but I would see them working tirelessly to ensure our lives and homes were protected at any cost. Until recently I didn’t give them much thought. I suppose that was extremely selfish on my part. I would donate money to the current world crisis and that was pretty much it as far as I was concerned. But there is a lot more to it.