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The Gift of Limitations
Do you know what I’ve realised? In my quest to grow as a person and lead myself well, I switched into thinking that limitations were simply a problem that I needed to solve with the right strategy or amount of effort. This wasn’t a conscious thought and my words said the opposite. But deep down, I was trying to eliminate all signs of being fragile. What if those limitations are actually a key to growth and self-leadership? “In my finite life, the mundane has begun to sparkle. The things I love- the things I should love- become clearer, brighter.” Kate Bowler- No Cure For Being Human This is the gift…
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End of year reflections
Are you the kind of person who spends time reflecting and planning at the end of the year? I wasn’t for a long time but have been doing this in one form or another for the past several years. It is a process that I have come to both love and dread. Often, I wait until December or even January to do this but this year I started early. Having seen the benefit of end of year reflections in my own life, I want to share a few thoughts with you. What I am doing this year Before we dig into the benefits, let me share what I am doing…
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How I am dealing with discouragement
I sat at my desk with my laptop open in front of me. The desk hid a box of unsold books and other boxes of resources and gifts for events that hadn’t happened. My microphone lay off to the side reminding me that I had skipped recording a podcast last month. Emails arrived in my inbox with disappointing news of low conference registrations, disengaged leaders and continuing decline in numbers for the organisation. That niggly voice in the back of my mind asked how much longer we could go with my business bringing in so little income. I was ready to shut it all down under the weight of discouragement.…
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What I’ve learned from audiobooks this year
Audiobooks have become a key way that I read books these days. They allow me to pursue growth, understanding or even entertainment while I take care of other demands on my time. I can do housework or drive to my next stop while learning. I know this is true for many people these days. The main downside I have found is that I don’t always stop and reflect on what I am gleaning from the words. So I am taking some time today to reflect on what I have learned from audiobooks so far this year. Maybe you will learn something or be inspired to reflect yourself. These are the…
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Becoming the mother I want to be for my daughter
I find it so much easier to focus on my leadership skills in my business and organisation settings. This is the natural default of where our minds go. The most important leadership role I have, though, is not in those arenas. It is in my home where I hold the title of ‘mother’. Do you see yourself as a leader because you are a parent or do you dismiss the importance of this role? I am taking a few minutes to step back and reflect on whether I am becoming the mother I want to be for my daughter. Does anything else even matter if I mess this up? Why…
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Do you need to work on flexibility or letting go of control?
If there is one skill we have all had to grow in over recent times it is flexibility. Plans made in one moment are radically altered by the next day. My daughter’s first day of school for the year postponed. Plans being made for a conference held loosely. Some days I feel agile and ready for anything. Other days it feels like a hit to the gut. At times, I wonder if making a plan for anything is even worth it. I’ve come to realise that I am actually not needing to work on flexibility. I need to work on letting go of control. I get unsettled when something shakes…
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Reflecting on 2020 and how I have grown
It would be so easy to get to this point in the year and rush to move on. The desire to push this crazy year into the past is tempting. I see that sentiment in so many places. I understand it but I don’t want to take part in it. We can miss the significance, the growth and the lessons if we relegate 2020 to the rubbish pile. An interview I was part of and a planning for 2021 exercise I am doing with my mastermind group has had me reflecting on 2020. I knew from the beginning that 2020 was going to be huge in my life. A…
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Diving deep to find what I learned this winter
I sat down to write about what I learned this winter. This seasonal reflection has been a regular practice for me for the past few years, inspired by Emily Freeman. So why did this time feel so much harder?! I couldn’t think of a single thing I had learned or even what I had done for my birthday less than two months ago. I contemplated giving up and finding something else to write about. Do you ever want to move on quickly from discomfort too? I had a choice between pushing through to what was lying underneath or ignoring the issue entirely. I chose to push through. It started with…
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How I lead and work from home
I feel like it may be more honest to write about how not to lead and work from home. Please don’t be fooled into thinking that I am a model for how to do this well. I simply share some tips and ideals that I aim for as one distracted and imperfect home office user to another. Set up a dedicated space I have the luxury of having a large room detached from our house that serves as my home office. If you ignore the fact that this room also doubles as my daughter’s play room and is strewn with Lego, Barbies and craft supplies, it’s just about perfect! I…
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My fears and hopes as I launch out
This journey of leaving regular, dependable employment feels like I am leaping out into a chasm. It is easy to feel courageous when I am sitting and talking with a coach or others encouraging me in this journey. Courage is hard to hold on to when the self-doubt comes, when looking at financial decisions coming up and when anticipating the work it will take to bring in an income in these next few months and years. There is fear and hope as I launch out. Fear I am terrified. Have I made the right decision? Who am I to think I can earn a living from writing, speaking and coaching?…
Encouragement for women in leadership
