Link - eat your brocolli

I just loved this

Do remember to eat your brocolli with everything you do.

The learning is this....

When faced with a list of things to do, always do the hardest task first.

Looking Back - Psychology

When I was stuck in my job knowing I was a square peg, I knew I wanted to do something different. I’m the sort of person who has an enquiring mind. I always want to know what makes people tick.

Why do they do what they do?

How does that impact on me?

What would happen if they had handled if differently?

Psychology seemed to be the answer. I’d been wondering about it and there was a course at my local college for an A level. A chance conversation with a colleague established that she fancied doing it to and hey presto! I had a comfort blanket to take to college with me.

It wasn’t what I expected. It’s a very theoretical topic. Looking back I wonder if I expected practising on fellow students with a big black couch. I guess not.

Still, I saw it through and to my credit I have a grade ‘B’ ‘A’ level in Psychology, but I knew I didn’t want to pursue this any further.

See previous looking back post

Motivational Quote 7

"You don't just luck into things as much as you would like to think you do. You build step by step, whether it is friendships or opportunities."

Barbara Bush








"I think luck is the sense to recognize an opportunity and the ability to take advantage of it. The man who can smile at his breaks and grab his chances gets on."

Samuel Goldwyn

Careers Advice Service - Episode II

It hardly seems any time at all since I last spoke to the Career's Advice Service but its been over a month and they rang me today to see how I am getting on.

Its good, I can actually say I've made some progress. The very fact that I knew they would be ringing me today has spurred me on to make a decision.

The dilemma (to save you re-reading old blog pages) was whether or not I wanted to train as a counsellor or a coach. Although similar in terms of personal skills, they are very different approaches and I need to train differently. Training of course means out-laying money and time. Both of which I have very little spare!!!!

So its official. I am going to be a life-coach.

Now that is a goal! I guess I need to give it a deadline. I thought 2 years. End of March 2012. Spring. That fit with green-shoots.

Perhaps I'm being to easy on myself. Maybe too hard. I guess that's something i'll share with you when I know myself.

In the immediate future, I need to find out more about the training side. There are so many life coaching courses out there and I have so many questions about them.

How do I know if they are any good?
How do I know if they will be recognised qualifications?

I've agreed a goal with the Career's Advice Service of reviewing this in 4 weeks - I'd better crack on.

How to feel better

As a new blogger I am really starting to see the advantages of blogging.

Take today for example. I don't normally post today, but I'm sooo brassed off with work. I finish work quite early and am almost always home before hubby. There's no-one home to talk to.

So I get home, grab his royal doggyness and we stroll in gorgeous sunshine. Almost guaranteed to make me feel better. Not today. But grabbing a pen and paper did the job.

We found a nice bench, and in filling one side A4, I successfully put all my frustration into the crisp white paper. Its the diary I don't keep. All I had to do tonight is type it up.

Q - So what has frustrated me so much?
A - The people I work with.

I'm the sort of person who cares about others. I'm interested in what they do at the weekend and what's going on in their lives. I care. I used to work in customer service and I thrived on it. I loved helping others. I can see a purpose in it. Now I work in a pointless job with people who (and this is a generalisation) are full of their own self importance because they produce reports and spreadsheets.

Pah! So who cares really? I have some stuff to sort out about courses and in a couple of years I will be free and have a new career. One that helps ans supports others.

I want to fill my life with like minded people.

Tomorrow I have the day off, that makes a lovely long weekend when I can catch up with like minded, caring people.

I can't wait.

Phew - now I do feel better.

Careers Advice Service Link

I have had two phone conversations with the careers advice service. I can't recommend them enough.

And I certainly can't believe I procrastinated for so long before picking up the phone.

Do it - do it now!

Monthly Appraisal Time

I had a monthly appraisal today at work.

Boss always asks me what rating I think I deserve. I always say “run-of-the-mill-average-every-gets-this-middle-rating”. I did know that my confidence has been higher lately as a result of my own coaching but didn’t have the confidence to say I deserved the higher rating.

Boss gave me a higher than average rating. I’ve worked with Boss now for over 9 years and this is only the 2nd time he’s given me anything other than run-of-the-mill-average-every-gets-this-middle-rating. The other time it was a less than average rating.

So I came home from work today, completed elated. What a confidence boost.


I think I should sing my own praises more.