mindset

  • Why time management tips aren’t actually working for you

    Time management remains one of the most asked for personal development topics, and for good reason.

    Time is our number 1 resource…we can’t get any more of it no matter what we do, and there’s always a lot to fit into a very small 16 hour daily window (assuming we sleep for 8 hours a night that is!)

    But the thing is that time management tips are everywhere. I could list loads right now and you’d probably know them all.

    Things like:

    • Turn the notifications of on your email / phone
    • Use a to-do list (and a done list)
    • Get good at saying no
    • Create buffers in between your meetings
    • Delegate

    See…none of these are rocket science (although all of them do actually work wonders).

    So the real question isn’t ‘how do I manage my time?

    But why aren’t I actually doing the things that will actually help me manage my time?’

    What’s actually stopping you from putting into practice the things that you know would work?

    Over the years I’ve asked a lot of people that question…and more often than not it comes down to your thinking.

    For example:

    ‘I need to keep checking my emails in case something happens’

    ‘I don’t want to let anyone down so I have to work this weekend’

    ‘It’s the nature of the job to work long hours’

    ‘I’m the boss so people have to be able to get hold of me’

    ‘It’s just expected of me’

    ‘If I don’t do it no-one will’

    ‘It’s quicker if I do it myself’

    Any of these familiar?

    We all have thoughts, beliefs and ideas about what we think we should be doing, or how we think we’re expected to show up…but when was the last time you actually challenged your own thinking and asked ‘is this really true?’

    And…if the answer is ‘no’ what could you do instead?

    Chances are a lot of what you’re thinking that’s causing you to work in a certain way is just some out of date thinking or habit that’s no longer true.

    Sure once upon a time it might have been true.

    Or it might have even be true for someone else who had some influence on you at some point (like an old boss) but it might not actually be true for you right now.

    And chances are if you changed that thinking and did something different…nothing bad would actually happen.

    You might even find yourself thinking ‘why didn’t I do this years ago?’

    So, my question is…what are you telling yourself about the way you manage your time that might not be true for you anymore?

    Here’s how:

    1. Look at all the things you don’t like about your day. The things that just serve to sap your time and energy…and make a list.
    2. Now write down why you keep doing them…and see what comes up. If you’re lucky you might have a real A-Ha moment and change them right now. If not, keep going and write down all the reasons why.
    3. Look at each of the reasons and challenge each one…one by one, asking yourself ‘is this really true?’ If it isn’t…it’s time to switch your thinking.

    Give it a go and see what comes up for you.

     

     

    Ready for the next steps?

    Take the Confident Leaders Quiz – and see where you need to focus your attention to get the results you really want – Click here to take the Quiz)

    Listen to the podcast – Smash Your Own Ceiling (click here for apple) (click here for spotify)

  • I had this on my vision board for the longest time

    I don’t know about you, but I love a vision board, and have used one for years.

    That said, I’m not really into cutting out pictures of what I want as I’m not actually a very visual person. Instead I have a notebook that every time I think of something I want to Be, Do or Have that’s a bit out of reach I write it in.

    The cool thing about this is that I can see what I’ve wanted over the years so when it pops up and actually happens I always have a mini melt down of ‘OMG that’s on my list!!’

    And that’s exactly what happened recently.

    Years ago I wrote…’perform at Edinburgh Fringe’ on my list.

    If you don’t know what this is, it’s a big comedy and performance festival that’s held in Edinburgh, Scotland, every single year and it’s globally famous. People come from far and wide to perform and watch all the acts.

    Now, at the time I wrote this on my list I’d just done a bit of stand up comedy and loved it, so maybe that’s where that came from…I’m not all that sure…but it was on there. Written in magic pen!

    The other thing that’s worth mentioning is that I’m in a choir. Something that I absolutely love to do. I’m not a solo singer by any stretch, but singing with a group of fab people is totally my jam.

    Anyway, at the beginning of the year it was announced that our choir’s tour would be performing this year at the Edinburgh Fringe!

    Yep, I had a mini melt down!

    So, that’s what’s happening this weekend. YAY!!!!

    I’m beyond excited that something that’s been on my list is coming to fruition and just goes to show that even though you might not see immediate results, it doesn’t mean that its not going to happen. Sometimes things just take a while.

    Like chess pieces moving around a board.​

    This is how I visualise manifesting. The universe needs time to move the pieces to line everything up with whatever you want – and often there are a lot of moving pieces to consider, especially when we keep changing things too.

    So, the lesson here is, keep taking action, focus on your goal and don’t lose faith that what you want is on it’s way to you.

    If you’re interested in seeing what mischief I get up to at Edinburgh Fringe I’ll be posting it on my Instagram stories so click here to follow along.

     

  • How to get out of the weeds in your business with Gary King

    Welcome to another episode of the podcast.

    This week I’m delighted to share a cuppa that I had with the fantastic Gary King.

    Gary helps business owners to have the freedom to choose where, when and how they work.

    After 25 years in high-growth businesses delivering results at a senior level, Gary knew he could use his skills to help SMEs. A straight-talking, no-nonsense Yorkshireman, he now helps ambitious business owners create the freedom to make choices about their life through a range of online and in-person programmes.

    Having turned around his business and his lifestyle when struggling in the first few years, Gary now runs three successful businesses and it’s his experience he uses to help other entrepreneurs ditch the guilt, start earning what they are worth, and have the ability to make choices about how they spend their time. He creates what many hard-working business owners are missing – the freedom to choose.

    In this episode Gary shares:

    – Why he started his business in the first place

    – How he got stuck in the weeds and how that affected his life

    – What he did to get himself out of the weeds

    – And loads of golden nuggets to help you if you can relate

    Have a listen here

    Gary is also Director & Northern Regional Head for the Association of Business Mentors.

    To get in touch with Gary visit: https://www.tendo-uk.com/https://www.tendo-uk.com/

  • How to declutter your mindset – with Claire Shamillia

    Welcome to this weeks episode of The Smash Your Own Ceiling Podcast.

    Today I’m really excited to share a fab chat I had with the lovely Claire Shamilla.

    We cover a lot of ground in this episode:

    – How Claire’s life changed back in 2008 with the birth of her daughter

    – Letting go of old conditioning and old beliefs that no longer serve you

    – How to re-connect with yourself and remember who you really are

    – How to de-clutter those beliefs

    And so much more

    This is one to listen to with a notebook and pen.

     

    Let me first tell you a bit more about Claire…

    Since 2008 Claire Shamilla has supported women around the world to get unblocked and live with purpose.

    She is a highly trained & experienced practitioner who holds a Degree in Education, is an Accredited Life Coach, EFT Practitioner, Reiki Master Teacher and an Advanced PSYCH-K® Facilitator.

    She has a deep understanding of the mind-body connection and uses a holistic approach to support women to achieve lasting results, addressing not just the symptoms, but also the root cause of their challenges so that they can live a fulfilling life of balance, joy & purpose.

    Get the FREE One Minute Recharge Practice here: https://www.claireshamilla.com/recharge

    Website: https://www.claireshamilla.com

    Podcast: Rock Your Magic Podcast

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claireshamilla/

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

  • How to maintain a growth mindset – with Alan Reynolds

    Welcome…I’m super excited to share a fantastic conversation I had with the amazing Alan Reynolds about a topic that’s so very close to my heart – how to maintain a Growth Mindset.

    In this episode we talk about:

    – The difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset

    – How to tell the difference, and spot the signs in yourself

    – How moments of a fixed mindset might be limiting your growth and results

    – How to shift from a fixed to a growth mindset

    And so much more

    Let me share more about Alan…

    Alan Reynolds draws on his wide experience in banking and finance and more recently as a business consultant and lecturer in management. He is also a successful and award-winning thriller and screenplay writer.

    Alan’s key attribute is being able to inspire confidence in those he works with, bringing possibilities into probabilities and probabilities into certainties. As well as the financial sector he has worked for a number of multi-nationals.

    Alan has developed and delivered numerous training programmes which have received nominations for a national training award; specifically aimed at management development, leadership, and people skills. On an individual basis he has provided one to one coaching to senior management & executive

    level.

    In addition to his business enterprise, Alan is also Chair of the Self Employed Professionals Group. As part of his remit he has developed a mentoring scheme for new start-ups and successfully supported many members of the group who are venturing into the world of self employment for the first time.

    Alan has Thirty-six years with Lloyds Bank, twenty-five of which were in management positions culminating in being appointed a Senior HR Manager.

    Director of Alan Reynolds Associates Ltd, business consultancy.

    Alan is a former Associate of the CIPD and the Chartered Institute of Bankers

    More recently, in 2010, he has taken up writing fiction and has fourteen novels published including the award-winning Flying with Kites.

    Other books published; Taskers End, Breaking the Bank, The Sixth Pillar, The Tinker, The Coat, Valley of the Serpent, Smoke Screen, Twelve- a Date with Obsession, Exfil, Trent Island. The Baker’s Story, Arthur’s War, The Last Poppy.

  • How to navigate change with a beginners mindset with Mitzi Campbell

    Have you ever had to take a leap into the unknown and start a new chapter in your life?

    That’s exactly what Mitzi Campbell and I talked about on this week’s episode as Mitzi shared her leap from Academia to running her own business.

    Mitzi has spent over thirty-five years in education.

    She teaches, and her dynamic skills in the areas of academia, psychology, non-profit leadership and the creative arts inform her life story in continuous, priceless, and powerful ways and allow her to impact and uplift others with divine sincerity.

    Mitzi is the creator and host of The Blessons Podcast where she uses her platform to connect humanity and inspire personal growth and self-discovery for the good of all.

     

    In this episode we talk about:

    The importance of a beginners mindset

    The catalyst for starting again

    Following your truth

    Imposter Syndrome

    Limiting beliefs that hold you back

    And the importance of meditation.

    We cover a lot of ground and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

  • How to get unstuck and get the momentum you want

    You know that feeling of being stuck, where it just seems like you’re taking one step forwards and one back and you can’t seem to make the progress that you want no matter what you try?

    If so, this is exactly what I’m talking about today on this weeks podcast

    I’m sharing

    – How to get yourself back on track and starting afresh

    – How to stop yourself falling into the same traps as before

    – And how to maintain your momentum when it starts

    and if you’d like to the E-book so you can learn the 5 sneaky ways you’re holding yourself back and what to do about them, click here.

     

  • 5 powerful life changing questions

    I’ve been called ‘the Queen of powerful questions’ more than once because one thing I know for sure, when we ask ourselves deep questions we get great answers.

    It’s actually something we do on a regular basis in the Smash Your Own Ceiling world, so today I’d love to gift you some questions that the SYOC Community have loved!!

    All you need to do is get yourself your favourite drink, a notebook and a pen and write the question at the top of the page and answer it. There’s no right or wrong answer with how you do this, just answer the question and see what comes up.

    Have a listen and let me know which one spoke to you the most.

     

    I’d love to know what your favourite question is (and any light bulb moments that you might have had.) Let me know by hitting reply in the comments and if you’re ready to join the Smash Your Own Ceiling Community click here

  • How to make friends with fear

    Have this ever happened to you?

    You were happily doing your thing, feeling good about what you were about to do, when….suddenly…fear strikes…and your thoughts turned to things like…

    ‘What will other people think?’

    ‘This isn’t good enough’

    ‘I’m going to fail’

    And so on….

    If so, this week’s podcast is for you as I share tips on How to make friends with fear*

    Now you might be reading this thinking…why on Earth would I want to do that?

    Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your fear is here to stay….and it’s always going to be popping up when you least want it to, stopping us in our tracks.

    Our job is not to avoid fear, but to learn to move through it so we keep taking action and we keep growing, and to know that fear is actually a sign that we’re growing.

    I share:

    What fear is really doing and why

    Practical tips to move through fear

    How to feel the fear and keep moving forwards.

     

    and if you’re ready for some support click here to see how I can help.

  • How to have the confidence to speak up in meetings

    If you’ve ever been in a meeting where you’ve held yourself back from speaking up, whether that’s to ask a question, get more information, or share your opinion this is for you.

    In this episode I share practical tips to speak up in meetings…because your opinion and your voice matters.

    I share:

    The one thing you need to remember every time you’re in a meeting
    What to do to prepare your mindset before a meeting
    How to get comfortable speaking up
    Tips and tricks to speak up with confidence