 Do you ever listen to the stories you tell yourself or notice the ones people around you tell you?
‘Business should be hard work?’ ‘You can’t do it.’ ‘When are you going to give up and get a proper job?’ ‘Money doesn’t grow on trees.’ ‘To be a success you need to work harder and longer.’ Those stories might be things you heard growing up, they might be things you’ve told yourself or you’ve seen other people perpetuating in their business. You look for evidence of them being true. You repeat them over and over again, but are those stories holding you back? Your mindset is so important in building and growing your business and the stories you’re telling yourself can either inspire you and push you further or they can hold you back and keep you playing small. Why not take some time thinking about the stories you use or you’ve heard. Write them down. Then think about alternative stories you can start to tell yourself. These new stories should inspire you and remind you just how capable you are. So, for example Business should be hard work’ Could change to ‘Business doesn’t feel like hard work because I love what I do and I get to use my strengths, skills, and abilities every day. Just because you’ve been listening to a story for a long time doesn’t mean you can’t change it. Is it time to let go of those old beliefs, leaving them in the past, while you start a whole new chapter with new stories that support your success?
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 Restrictions are lifting here in the UK and things are returning to ‘normal’, but is normal now anyway, and what if you don’t feel ready to get back to normal?
It’s been a strange time. No social contact, something we all crave. Very little interaction with people outside of our immediate household. Working from home, no travel, nothing really open. We’ve all had to adapt and get used to this new world. Now we’re being told that we can go back outside, meet up with friends, hug – safely – whatever that means and head back to the office. But after a year or more inside it’s bound to feel strange. You might notice you’re feeling anxious. You might not be ready to hug your friends and family and working back in the office might feel overwhelming. Give yourself some time. Explain to those around you that you’re easing back into life slowly. Take baby steps and focus on one new thing at a time. Create techniques that work for you – it might be that you want to keep socially distanced, only meet in the garden or keep your Friday night meet-ups with friends online. Don’t feel pressured to slip back into ‘normal’ quicker than you’re ready to and remember if you are struggling or your anxiety is affecting your life then it’s alright to reach out for professional help. This is new for us all and it’s okay to need some help to find out how to live in a post-COVID normal.  How many times have you decided that a list is the answer? How many to-do lists do you have? Does yours get longer every day? Is it filled with things that never get done?
To-do lists can be a great way to help you organise your day, but are they actually tools that help you procrastinate more? Here are 5 ways to help you make sure your to-do lists help you get things done.
To-do lists can be a great way to keep you motivated, but they can also be an excuse for procrastination. If your to-do lists are holding you back then give these 5 things a try and let me know how you get on. If you’re struggling with procrastination why not come and join my workshop. You can find more information here .  We all have those big goals, don’t we? It might be a 6-figure income, to write a book, buy that house or create an online income stream that means you can work less. Those are the top-level goals and they are completely possible, but what if your goal feels too big and you can’t see a way to make it happen? What happens then?
When goals feel too big and too far away they make achieving goals harder. Taking the giant leap from where you right now to where you want to be can feel like too big of a step, so you end up doing nothing. Yes, we need big goals to push us out of our comfort zone and help us up-level our lives and our businesses, but you need a solid, achievable plan to get there. If you are feeling stuck and unable to move towards those big goals then maybe it’s time to look at your mindset.
Goal setting is key to your business, but you need to make sure you stack those goals so you see your achievements. One day you will look back and see just how far you’ve come.  Being assertive isn’t about shouting and getting your own way, it’s about learning how to show up in
your business in a healthy way. Here are some ways you can be more assertive and why they are important. 1. Saying no It’s easy to feel like you have to say yes to everything in your business. Yes to those clients you might not feel like a great fit with. Yes to work you might not have time for. Yes to something that doesn’t fit with your goals. It’s easy to say yes because you don’t want to be seen as awkward or hard to work with. Saying no to things that don’t feel right is a good way to be assertive. You don’t need to give excuses or explain why you’re saying no. No is a complete answer. So, listen to your gut and make sure you’re saying yes to the things that feel right and no to the others. 2. Set boundaries Just like it’s easy to say yes to everything, it’s also to find yourself boundary-less and exhausted. Setting boundaries and sticking to them is a powerful way to be assertive. Have fixed times when you work, don’t reply to messages outside of those hours, manage client expectations, and explain your boundaries to your clients. 3. Recognise your value Don’t underestimate your importance. You are the expert, you are the key component in your business, you are responsible for your own success. Assertiveness is easier when you see your value. When you do you will find it easier to speak up and give your opinions, to say no when things don’t feel like the right fit, and respect your boundaries. You and your business deserve to be here, so don’t let anyone make you feel like you shouldn’t. Being assertive will help you create a business you love, that allows you to build a work-life balance that works for you and lets other people value what you do. Is assertiveness something you struggle with? I’d love to hear if you need a helping hand.  Another year has gone by and another Mother’s Day has arrived. This year, it's a bit different as we have been hit by the pandemic and although this is the first Mother’s Day in lockdown, last year's still feels like a blur! With the world in confusion, we were all trying to brace ourselves for what was to come. There was fear, uncertainty, anxiety, stress… Not knowing what to do, the fear of losing your own life or the lives of your loved ones, not being able to see your loved ones. So many different emotions were flying around. But when we look at where we are now, although we have had good moments, not a lot has changed. We are still in a pandemic, and ultimately, still in lockdown! There will be restrictions on our celebrations again but how can we cope with them this time? Here are my 5 tips to survive Mother’s Day in Lockdown 1) Acceptance Remember that it is lockdown, which will lift soon, and you will be able to meet your mother soon. We can be thankful that at least we are alive. There will be plenty of time to celebrate it later. You can mark a day by contacting them, go for a distanced walk (if you're nearby) or call your mother on a voice/video call. Maybe even arrange a family meet up online! 2) Tribute If your mother is not around anymore, think of all the good memories you had with her. And if you have children of your own, enjoy precious time with them. Grief is part of life so express and work through your emotions. You can write a letter to your mother and tie it to a balloon to release into the sky. You can release balloons in the sky, sit quietly, spend some time with the thoughts of your mother and maybe let her know what you would like her to know. If your mother is alive but you don't have a relationship with her, then perhaps think about potentially reconnecting with her? 3) Make plans! You can make plans for when you will be able to see her, what you will do and where you will go. This pandemic has really made us think how precious the time is. Once gone, the time never comes back. So, what could you do now to make more memories to cherish later on? 4) Remember, this will be over! It’s just a matter of time. This will be over soon, the lockdown, the pandemic. Though we will be still living with the impact. We can learn from this and learn to live life to the fullest and make more time to connect, create memories and be happier. Let’s learn to make the most of what we have now! 5) Send Gifts If you want to, you can send a letter of memories together, some gifts, like flowers, a hamper or maybe even something personalised, just to make her day special. Although life may throw situations at us that we don't expect, we have it in ourselves to be able to manage, accept and make the most of it! Happy Mother’s Day!  How many times have you told yourself that you don’t have enough time? Your to-do list grows longer, you work more and more hours and you still don’t have time to fit it all in. So, how can you expect to reach your goals when you don’t have the time?
Running a business takes time. You are responsible for most, if not all, of the work and so it can feel like you never have enough time. Will it be easier when you can outsource jobs or decide how you focus your time? Maybe, but there are also lots of things you can do to give yourself more time right now. Here are 4 ways to create more time in your business.
If you’d like to know more about time management and how to create more time in your day then why not join me on 19th March 2021 for Time Management to Achieve More in Your Personal and Professional Life Workshop.  Imposter syndrome is defined as the internal experience of believing that you are not as competent as others perceive you to be. Sufferers can feel severe inadequacy and self-doubt, fearing that they will be exposed as a fraud. It can affect anyone regardless of their success and can have a huge negative impact on people’s mindset.
Lots of things can trigger the feeling, but often starting a new job, setting out in your own business, or taking things to the next level can leave you feeling inadequate and wondering if people will ‘see through’ you and see how incapable you are. When you’re self-employed imposter syndrome can hinder your business in lots of different ways.
Has it stopped you from doing something in your business or made something harder? So, how can you overcome imposter syndrome? Is it something that you can beat or do you simply have to learn to live with it? Firstly, stop comparing yourself with others. You are on your own journey and doing it your way, so stop looking at what others are doing. Focus on what you can do and what’s working for your business, because that’s what really matters. Also, look for evidence that you can do these things. You’ve got this far and you’re doing great. Yes, things might be new and unfamiliar, but find evidence that you can absolutely do this. This will help silence that imposter syndrome. If you’d like to know more about imposter syndrome and how to stop it and stop it impacting your mindset and your business then why not come and join me online on the 26th February at 10am where I will be teaching a workshop on it. You can find out more and sign up for your space here.  Valentine’s Day is here again!
What a year we've had. We've been hit hard with this virus, restrictions, and several lockdowns! As a result, we have experienced shock and trauma. It has been really hard to come to terms with what is going on and we can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel yet. We have gone on autopilot and are just doing what we are asked to and supposed to! For so many, it has been very hard to come to terms with the high level of uncertainty we're currently experiencing. Some of us have lost our loved ones, some have not been able to see their loved ones for months on end. Most of us have felt isolated and lonely. There are so many relationships that have broken down and/or many just surviving on a thread! These unprecedented times have stopped us from enjoying and celebrating many festivals and occasions, then here comes Valentine's Day! So how do we embrace this Valentine’s Day? Do we celebrate it or not? If we do how do we celebrate it, as we are restricted in so many ways? We have so many variations of relationships. Some are together and some are separated. What do singles and those who have recently broken up do? 5 tips for couples to celebrate Valentine's Day: (Don't worry single people, I haven't forgotten about you! )
5 tips for single people to get through this Valentine’s Day:
 As business owners we want success (otherwise, why would we ever start), but there are things we are doing that are actually holding us back.
We don’t set out to self-sabotage but it happens more often than you’d think. In this blog, I want to show you 5 common things I’ve seen in my coaching practice, so you can start to watch out for them in your business. If you’d like to know more then you can sign up for my free 10 mistakes report here .
There are lots of reasons we procrastinate – stress, tasks feelings too big, the love of shiny objects that distract us, fear of failure. Procrastinating can really hold you back and stop you from reaching your goals. Try tracking your time, turning off notifications while you focus on the task at hand, and breaking down your to-do list, so you don’t put off what you need to do.
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