A Leap of Faith

somerandom

Lynne - so nice to hear from you - You'll never believe this - - Nerja is where I'm planning to go !!! It's where I've just come back from - we go there every year !! Can't get over the coincidence!!!

I tried to PM you but it doesn't look like it went through - (or it went through 3 times!!!) - but yes - would be very happy for some mutual encouragement around learning Spanish

somerandom

Hi All

Well my post-holiday glow is wearing off fast. Last week felt a bit "meh" - mostly to do with the weather to be honest. Workwise the week was fine - a decent amount of clients and money earned. All of my work was Skype & Phone based so I was at home a lot. It had some advantages - I was able to indulge in my current obsession - de-cluttering. And I finished the timeline for the workshop I'm set to deliver next week.

On Friday I had lunch with a friend who does the job I used to do (but in another borough) - talking to her reminded me of how that job is a constant round of problems to solve. I guess it put my "meh" week into perspective (a "meh" week would have been like a holiday in my old job :eek:) - I'd still like to regain a bit of that holiday glow though...

Next week looks a lot livelier - I'm up Town for a meeting on Monday and again on Weds when I'm delivering a workshop at a Conference and will be Coaching someone in person up at the South Bank (or my "office") as I like to call it :rotfl:... Even writing my plans make me feel like I have more energy. Plus I need to re-focus on my long term plans.

OK - focus for next week - #regaintheglow .

Have a great week everyone :):)

somerandom

Good Morning All!

Well that felt like a roller-coaster of a week...

The high point of the week was Weds - The "Masterclass" I delivered couldn't have gone better. The timeline flowed, the group were amazing (and they laughed at my jokes :rotfl:) AND the organisation I did it for said they'd like to talk to me about doing more stuff for them - which is super-exciting for me :j - it really gave me a big boost of confidence. They said they were open to me pitching ideas for their programme and are willing to try things out. A friend/business partner & I have been discussing some idea for Leadership Training we'd like to try out - so this would be a great platform for that. Also on Weds I coached a lovely new client. I do most of my coaching on phone or skype but this was "in person" which was really enjoyable. She's booked up for future sessions.

The beginning of the week was dominated by the torrential rain which I allowed to put me into a spectacularly grumpy mood until I remembered that I am a Coach and I know how to shift my mindset lol! Yesterday I spent all day reeling from the referendum result. (although I did still manage to do something productive - a friend of mine recorded a visualisation for me).

I have woke up this morning and decided I need to have some R&R this weekend. I'm going to try to stay off FB & news channels and just chill- (having said that I realised I do have 2 clients tomorrow morning) - if the sun stays out all the better.

Next week is REALLY quiet and I'm not expecting to earn much - I need to hold my nerve and make the most of a quiet week by catching up and contacting people. I have a few social engagements which are also potential networking opportunities.

I hope you all have exactly the week you need

somerandom

Good Morning All - hope you've all had a good week.

I spent the first part of last week feeling pretty out of sorts - settled down towards the end of the week. I've been to an atypically large number (for me) of social events these have perked me up a lot over the course of the week.

Paid Work-wise : it was fairly quiet. I had a few interesting conversations with colleagues that have the potential to become work in the future (& even if they don't I enjoyed them & learned a lot).

I went to an interesting free event yesterday. It's called "Street Wisdom" - it's a free, three hour workshop - you bring a question that you would like to explore. The first hour is spent tuning into your surroundings, the next hour you go off on a "quest" with your question in mind and the idea is you take inspiration from your environment. The last hour is spent "debriefing" (you don't have to disclose your question - I didn't). It was interesting !! I'm toying with the idea of facilitating one with the friend who told me about it.

June was my lowest earning month since January - which I guess wasn't surprising given I was away for a week at the beginning and didn't have any facilitating jobs (which are well paid and bring the income up). Overall after 9 months of trading I'm still earning very slightly more than I did at work. I know that July and August are likely to be quiet though so that will probably bring the average down. Repeats to self "hold your nerve"!!!:eek:

Next week is looking fairly busy - a decent amount of paid work plus networking, planning and more socialising.

It's also a priority for me to follow up on some leads. Please tell me off if I haven't done this by the end of the week !!:rotfl:

Have a lovely week xxx

MissShoes

Getting in early....

Chase up your leads!

Xx

somerandom

MissShoes wrote: »

Getting in early....

Chase up your leads!

Xx

:rotfl: Thanks MissShoes

somerandom

Good Morning

Well I asked to be told off if I didn't follow up on the contacts - I did 4 out of 6 so definitely a "could do better" on that front. If a Coaching client had set themselves those tasks but not delivered I would ask "What got in the way?" - in my case it was sunbathing, socialising and still feeling a bit out of sorts at the early part of the week.

This coming week there is not so much socialising happening so there's no good reason I shouldn't be able to do the follow up I didn't manage this week PLUS one of the contacts have asked for further info PLUS I did some networking this week and have 3 more contacts to follow up on. Having said that, I know that if the Sun does come out it will win - so knowing that I should get as much done as I can on this miserable, overcast day.

Funnily enough - completely out of the blue 2 clients who had gone MIA several months ago have contacted me again and a lovely young woman who I coach has asked to increase the number of sessions she has a month (I did some Coaching on asking for a payrise and she got it ) - so that's good news for both of us.

The highlight of the week was that I appeared on a radio show speaking about Coaching. (It was just a small internet channel) - I really enjoyed it and felt really relaxed. It was hard listening back to it as like most people I don't like the sound of my recorded voice - but in terms of what I said - I was fairly happy. It good for me to "put myself out there" and try new things.

Next week: Fairly busy - fairly average other than I'm going to what looks to be a very good all day workshop on Saturday.

Have a good week all...

somerandom

Good Morning All ...

Last week felt like a very "wobbly" week. That's not to say it was a bad week - it really wasn't - just "wobbly". I find that I "wobble" as much (if not more) when things are going well as if they go badly.

I would say my "wobbling" has two major factors. Underlying everything, like most people at the moment, world events are having a major unsettling impact which makes the foundations of life feel very unstable & uncertain.

The "wobble factor" that is personal to me is mostly about having to put myself "out there" on a daily basis. By "out there" I'm talking about stepping outside my comfort zone - doing stuff I've never done before, following up contacts, making myself visible and it's made me feel exposed and vulnerable. Also this week I've had the opportunity to spend time with some very experienced people in the coaching community - which has been lovely and imposter syndrome crept in. Being a Coach I know this is normal and natural - I've even read books about it - so I know that it doesn't mean there's something wrong - but it feels DEEPLY uncomfortable.

Then yesterday I went on a workshop on "Self Compassion" - it was amazing. I still haven't fully processed it but it was so powerful and I feel that I've been given the tools to manage those deeply uncomfortable feelings - as Kristin Neff - the workshop leader said - it doesn't make them go away it just makes them easier to bear. If you google Kristin Neff you will find her website it has loads of free resources - she also has an excellent (& much viewed) TED Talk on Self-Compassion - which I'd highly recommend.

So in practical terms - financially - last week was a reasonable week. I managed to follow up on all of my contacts :T. I guess the BIG news is that I've been invited to an interview (they call it "audition" but that makes me feel more nervous so I'm calling it interview ) by an organisation I initially had talks with over a year ago. They run Leadership training in a big Corporate. The interview is early next month and it would be a HUGE boost for my career (& I REALLY, REALLY like them - they seem like they are such lovely people) . This is such an amazing opportunity - my priority is to work on managing my nerves. :eek:

Looking forward to next week - if all goes well it looks like a really nice balance between earning enough & not being too busy, also a couple of nights out that are not too full on.

Have a lovely week

somerandom

Good Morning Lovely People - What a gorgeous sunny week it has been !!! :j

So after my "wobbly" week I've settled down quite a bit. I'm still not fully settled – to continue the metaphor I’ve still had reverberations - but have been practising my self-compassion techniques which have been helpful. That “Self-Compassion” workshop was a real eye-opener - I’ve begun to notice all of the instances where people I’m coaching are extremely harsh on with themselves ( & where I am too) and have been sharing the techniques with them. There’s not been a single session this week where it hasn’t come up in one way or the other…

Last week was financially adequate. I had a social event cancelled on Tues which was in all honesty a huge relief as it was such a hot day. I had a couple of people reschedule sessions and one go MIA (it happens – especially with the clients referred from the Charity I coach for) but to balance that I picked up a new client referred through a friend.

I had Friday afternoon off and was visited by my cousin & her 4 year old daughter (who I think of as a niece) which was lovely – I was glad to have made time for that.

Also my son is on school holiday now. So far this week we haven’t properly adjusted to that – I’ve been working in one room while he has been on the computer in the other room making videos. We had a constructive chat last (which started as a potential argument but we turned it around) and agreed that we don’t want the Summer to slip by like that (although I do have to work and he does want to make videos). He has shown me how to play Pokemon Go – which has meant that we have been going out for some nice evening walks together! Confession - I have already slipped into catching Pokemon on my way to the shops too :rotfl:

Next week I have tried to “shoe-horn” a week’s work into 2 very long days to make room for Summer – I’ve made time for a walk on Monday, and trip on the Thames on Tues and there’s a very nice clear day on Friday so hopefully my two “mega-days” on Weds & Thurs will be worth it….

I hope you all have a lovely week. :):)

somerandom

Happy Sunday to All

Looking back on my last post a week ago makes me realise how much I squeezed into last week... and it felt good!! I must be building up my stamina!!

On Monday I did a really lovely long(ish) walk with my friend along the Regents Canal which helped ground me & get rid of the last remains of the "wobbles". I went out socially three times - which is an unusually high amount for me. I did my 2 full-on Coaching days without too much of a problem. The highlight of the week was getting a last minute facilitating job for Saturday. I had less than 48 hours notice to prepare & I had to travel and do an overnight stay (they put me up in really lovely accommodation) - I was so glad that I said yes though - they were such an amazing Team - really inspiring - it was an absolute pleasure to spend the day with them and I got paid for the privilege.

It's given me such a boost and the whole week has made me re-think what I am capable of. I'm also feeling so pleased that I made the move into self-employment. This is so much nearer to the life I want to lead than how things were this time last year.

The "audition" that was planned for mid-August has been postponed until September which works better for me.

Income for July was very respectable - as much as I earned in old job - August will be a LOT lower - I just need to accept that, hold my nerve and enjoy having a month where I have a lot of thinking/planning/ dreaming time as well as some Summer with my son.

Next week is looking very quiet indeed ... only 5 clients booked in & a couple of low key social / networking events! A huge contrast to last week...

Have an amazing week