Be My Guest .. Rebekah Harriman

March 12, 2013 by 4 Comments

Hi everybody.  I’m really excited to share that I will be running an ongoing series of interviews on my blog,  called ‘Be My Guest’, with the first one starting today!

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We all know the value of Social Media but it can be a real challenge to know where to start/focus.  I invited the lovely Rebekah Harriman, a Social Media expert to share some of her hints and tips on how to make Social Media work for you. She’s also sharing a giveaway of the top ten things to do once you’ve done a blog post.

Having worked in a research centre at the intersection of e-science and the arts Rebekah learned about blogging before it exploded onto the internet, and social media as a mass form of communication before it became cool. It also taught her all about virtual teams who pulled together from different locations round the world to work on the same project.

Another boss, who was a professional networker, led to her realization that being good at talking to people and making connections is a valid job that she could actually earn money at doing!

All of these experiences led her to setting up her own company, in 2009, that combined her love of creative flair, business knowledge and the ability to communicate and connect with people. Supporting, coaching and training other small businesses combines her passions with her practical side in helping them thrive and demystifying what social media is and can be for them.

 Describe yourself in 3 short, fab and fun sentences
  • I’m a quirky, retro girl with a love of all things 50s in appearance.
  • A contradiction as I’m an immensely practical person who is a daydreamer and artist
  • Overall a passionate communicator who loves meeting and getting to know people!
Why did you choose to become an entrepreneur?

A combination of necessity in needing a flexible job that worked around my young children and needing to do something fulfilling, that makes me happy and earns money at the same time!  I’m also much better when I’m in control of how I work and who I work with!!

Who has been your biggest inspiration in business?

My friend Nicola Wise. She is passionate, creative and inspires me to keep reaching for my dreams. She has been the person who has introduced me to the work of people like Danielle La Porte, that have had major impacts on my validation and my journey. She doesn’t realise how important to the world she is and still searches for what will be her mark on the world, when she has already made a massive difference. I love her humility and generosity and it is this integrity I strive for in my own business.

What’s the best business advice you’ve ever been given?

We all make mistakes, just pick yourself up and keep going!

What three tips would you give when working on Social Media?
  1. Pick your platforms – you seriously don’t need to be everywhere.
  2. Choosing themes each month makes coming up with consistent content across platforms much easier
  3. It will take longer than you think to have an impact on your business, but the impact it does have is ultimately more than worth the effort.
What are the three biggest mistakes that people make online?

Giving up too soon, just broadcasting and selling what they do. Social media is just that, social. You need to build trust, relationships and give value with people more than you let them know what it is you do.

What if I’m completely technophobic, what do you suggest?

It’s not that scary really, change your mindset on how you view a platform. It’s like nipping into a local café for a chat or going to a picnic and meeting some new people.  Choose any way of viewing it as a social event that isn’t scary to you and start from there.

How much time do I really need to spend promoting my business on Social Media?

You should not be promoting what you do in a sense, it’s more about meeting people and building trust!! But, that aside,  you need to be there every day in some form and you need to be consistent. However you need to keep it to a level you can fit in otherwise you won’t have time to do your actual work you get paid to do!!

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

That people like me exist to help make social media less scary and fit into your marketing plan. I do it because I’m passionate about good ways to communicate with other people and if you are passionate about what you do you stick at it and then you succeed, but always measure yourself by your own definition of success and not somebody else’s.

If I wanted to connect and/or work with you where would I find you?

Rebekah-harriman.com, where I give away lots of tips, advice and downloads for free, especially if you sign up to my newsletter. Also on Twitter far too much, Facebook , Pinterest and also LinkedIn. I love talking to and meeting new people so please come say hi!!

Thank you Rebekah for sharing some really useful insights with us.  Click here to download your Top 10 Things To Do Once You’ve Written A Blog Post

Over to you… We’d love to know what has been working for you in terms of social media, so let’s get a conversation going in the comments section below.

Would you like to be my guest?  Just drop me an email and tell me what gems you’d like to share with my readers.

 

Filed Under: Business, Interview Series, Rebekah Harriman, Social Media Tagged With: , , ,

Changing Negative Language

March 8, 2013 by 2 Comments

Happy Friday!

This week we’re being negative!  We’re looking at the power of language, one of my favourite areas.   Language can have such a big impact on how you think, feel and behave.

Negative Mind

Take a step back and just listen to the world around you, i.e.  The news around recession and politics (don’t worry I’m not going there!)  It’s no wonder we start to feel like there’s no hope.  This negativity can really start to change our mood.

Whenever you spot yourself saying something negative turn it around into a positive.  We often generalise too, so when you hear yourself do it -  challenge it;

  • The weather is ‘always’ miserable    Always??
  • I ‘never’ win anything    ‘Never??’
  • I really ‘should’ or ‘must’ do that ‘but’..  ‘Should?? Must??  Who says?’

Challenging your language is a great first step into taking control of it.  You can then start to make it more positive.  It’s not about seeing things with rose tinted glasses, but recognising that negative words can change how we think and what we actually achieve then as a result.  We know that thoughts lead to feelings that lead to behaviour.

A friend of mine shared a  short Video – ‘Lost Generation’ with me this week that I’d love you to watch.  It’s a ‘palindrome’, meaning it reads the same forwards as backwards, and the meaning is the exact opposite.    Out of interest did you notice your thoughts/feelings/behaviour when you watched it forwards/in reverse? Any difference?

What words can you think of that really lift your spirits?  I knew a Recruitment Consultant in my former HR life who, when you asked her how she was, would always respond with, ‘I’m beautiful, thank you’.  What a difference that response made!  My word is ‘fabulous’.  It’s really interesting to see the change on people’s faces too when you use it instead of the ‘I’m fine’ response.  Try it out!

If you’re being negative, or someone else is, ask yourself why.  There will be an underlying reason, a root cause.  People don’t generally just deliberately choose to be grumpy.

Remember positive language is a choice.   I choose to use more positive language on a daily basis.  Do you?

Breaking News….
  1. My Live Your Life In Colour newsletter was mailed out this week, with a little gift of a ‘Wheel of Life’; a Coaching tool to help you start work on making some positive changes.  If you’ve signed up then it should be sitting in your inbox waiting for you.
  2. I will be running an ongoing series of interviews on my blog, with the first one starting next week, on Tuesday 12th March.   We all know the value of Social Media but it can be a real challenge to know where to start/focus.  I have invited the lovely Rebekah Harriman, a Social Media expert to share some of her hints and tips on how to make Social Media work for you. She’s also sharing a giveaway of the top ten things to do once you’ve done a blog post.  Don’t miss it!

Want to work with me to unpick your limiting beliefs and help you be more positive?  Connect with me here.

If you like this blog post then please feel free to share using the buttons below.

 

Filed Under: Coaching, Life Coaching, Mindset, Negative Language, Positive Language Tagged With: , , , ,

Looking After You

March 1, 2013 by 9 Comments

Hi there.  This past week I’ve been posting little questions on facebook about looking after yourself, such as how much sleep do you need to be at your best, what do you do/buy to treat yourself etc.  If you haven’t joined in on the conversation pop on over there, everyone has their own unique perspective.

It’s easy these days to forget ourselves.  We get so caught up in work, family, life commitments that we put ourselves last.  With all of the wonders of technology you’d think we’d have more time, not less.

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How good are you at taking care of yourself?   Try out this little quiz to find out..

Score 0 for Never, 1 for Sometimes, 2 for Often, 3 for Always 

  1. I look after my health, ensuring I eat healthily every day, exercise regularly
  2. I bring relaxation into my routine each day
  3. I limit my alcohol intake (if you limit your alcohol but you’re a smoker then score 0)
  4. I get sufficient sleep every single night and listen to what my body needs
  5. I’m comfortable setting boundaries and saying no to things that aren’t right for me
  6. I allow myself time out from work/family commitments to do something nice
  7. I have a list of things to do/places to go that lift my spirits and help me feel replenished
  8. I have a fabulous circle of family/friends that support me when I need it
  9. I take time to go offline – switching off all technology for a set period of time
  10. I always feel calm and ready for whatever I face in the day ahead
  11. I have some really good daily routines
  12. I take short regular breaks throughout the day to recharge myself

How did you do?  What did you learn about yourself?  Did some of them make you smile because you recognised areas for improvement?!

0-15 What needs to change?  Choose one specific area that you can improve that will have the quickest impact

16-21 – You’re doing well, but there’s room for improvement.  Think about which one of these you need the most, work on that one first and then move on to the next

22-29 – You understand how valuable self care is and already reap the benefits of its rewards, but you can still raise those numbers if you put some work in.  Keep reminding yourself why this is important

30-36 – Wow, you’re amazing!  You have this self care thing all figured out.  Keep it up now

Just a bit of fun, but in all seriousness what do you need to change?  We know we need to look after ourselves, we hear enough about it in the media/books etc, but it’s not always that easy.  Sometimes you can push yourself so hard that it’s difficult to get out of that cycle.  Time constraints are often a main factor too when it comes to taking this time for ourselves, so thinking about your day identify where you’re wasting time.  It doesn’t mean life has to go on hold while you sit cross legged in your living room saying ‘ohm’ for a few hours (although I’m told that has fabulous health benefits too!) Start with a few minutes of ‘ME’ time and build it up as you can, it’s about quality time not quantity.  Use it wisely.

Looking after yourself is non-negotiable.  How can you be of any use to others when you’re burnt out, frazzled and ready to snap at a moment’s notice?

Go and grab yourself a glass/cup of something, run yourself a luxurious bath with bubbles and chill with a good book.  You’ll then be ready to take on the world!

I’d love to hear how you take care of you.  Leave a comment below telling me what you do on a regular basis.

If you liked this post please share it with others and don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter.  It’s coming out any day now with a special discounted offer for my subscribers.

Filed Under: Coaching, Self Care Tagged With: , ,

Name It, Own It, Fake It

February 22, 2013 by 1 Comment

Hi there.  I’ve been putting this post off because it’s all about procrastination!

Seriously though, going with my KISS rule from last week’s post I’d like to share with you my

3 TIPS FOR CRACKING PROCRASTINATION

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1. Name it

Recognise that you’re procrastinating and identify what form it’s taking

Naming it involves recognising what you’re doing instead of the task in hand.  You have that pressing task to do, but oh you must just…

  • Check in on your social media accounts/email
  • Catch up on the latest business news
  • Watch TV, make coffee, put the washing on, let the dog out

You know what your personal things are, you just need to admit to them.  How much of your time/energy is wasted procrastinating?  I now work in blocks of time on Social Media; less distraction by shiny things, more time interacting.

2. Own it

Accepted you’re procrastinating yet?  Now own it as an area you need to work on.

  • What is happening when you procrastinate?
  • What thoughts are going through your head about that task that you’re putting off?
  • What’s the fear driving it?  What is the procrastination hiding?  (Examples could be laziness, perfectionism, fear of failure or even fear of success.  Which one of those would fit for you?)
3. Fake It

Ok, so the motivation just isn’t there, now what?  Well, sometimes we have to ‘fake it’.

Start the job!  Once we get started the motivation often comes, and if it doesn’t come then you will have still made some progress on a goal.

Here’s a few pointers..

  • Don’t overthink it (less time thinking, more time doing)
  • Don’t wait for perfection (sometimes you just need to take a risk and put it out there)
  • Break down the task (set a 15 minute time, put in 100% effort on that task. When the timer goes off, put it away – just take one step at a time)
  • Do boring/hard work first then the rest of the day can be fun!

Does it even light you up?  We can’t always pick and choose tasks we want to do, i.e. tax returns, but we can set a big juicy reward for ourselves on completion.

Fancy some homework?

List all of the ways you’re procrastinating.

For each item ask yourself the following questions..

  • What’s underneath that procrastination? (dig really deep here – get to the root of it)
  • What will happen if I don’t do this?
  • What will happen if I do?

I’d love to hear on my facebook page how it’s going.  Sometimes just sharing can be really powerful.

If you want to get coached around your procrastination issues , or want to start making some fabulous changes in your life/business, get in touch.  If you like this post please feel free to pass it on using the share buttons below the post.  I’d really appreciate it.  You can also sign up for my newsletter here.

I know that when it comes to procrastination I have to practice what I preach, so if you see me around on Social Media for more than half an hour at a time please pop by and tell me my time’s up!

Image Source: Notebook Doodles via Pinterest
Filed Under: Coaching, Life Coaching, Procrastination Tagged With: ,

KISS (not a lovey dovey post!)

February 15, 2013 by 4 Comments

* Edited to add a link to a fabulous resource from Leonie Dawson ..

So the focus has been mostly about love this week; whether it’s love of pancakes or the love of (or lack of love in) your life, but I’m not going to be talking about love today.

I want to talk about how you KISS

Wikipedia’s definition: ‘KISS is an acronym for “Keep it simple, stupid” as a design principle noted by the U.S. Navy in 1960’.  Well I would never be so rude as to call you stupid, so you might want to change it to Keep It Short & Simple, Keep It Sweet & Simple, Keep it Seriously Simple?!

So what do I mean?  Life can be complicated, if we allow it to be.  We have to make so many decisions in a day and often we make things a whole lot harder than they need to be.  Even buying a coffee nowadays is a challenge; you get asked, ‘Would you like cream, marshmallows, skinny or whole milk, decaf or regular coffee, tall, skinny, to stay in/to go??’  Phew, decisions, decisions!

My most peaceful and calm days are when I keep things simple, so I now try and simplify life by making very small changes.  If I can create a habit or routine to make life easier then I’m going to give it a go.  I don’t know about you but I’m a big list maker.  I love having lists in little books that I can then work through and I hate to admit it but I get a great sense of satisfaction when I tick them off as completed!  The trouble was my lists were getting so long that at the end of the day I would be moving them over to the next day and feeling as though I’d achieved nothing.  One of the big changes I’ve made is to prioritise my top 3 tasks for the day.  By having to think of just 3 things you then have to prioritise what’s really important to you.  At the end of the day it’s likely that you will have achieved 1, if not all of them, which gives a great sense of satisfaction instead of feeling like a failure.  Leonie Dawson has created a really colourful poster here that can be a great help with daily to do’s.

So my questions to you are..

  • How can you simplify your life today/this week/this month?
  • What needs to happen to make your life a whole lot easier?

KISS

(I’ll leave you to decide what the two ‘S’s represent!)

I’d love you to comment below about how you KISS(!) and if you liked the post then please share it with others using the share buttons below.  If you want to learn more about goal planning then read my blog post here.  Sign up for my newsletter here and you will receive my goal planner so you can start setting some ‘FUNKY’ goals.

On a final note my launch offer has been really successful.  I only have a couple of places left now for my free coaching session when you book one of my packages.  Interested?  You can find out more here.

Filed Under: Clarity, Coaching, KISS, Life Coaching, Simplicity Tagged With: ,

How?

February 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Hi everyone, it’s really great to have you here.  If you’ve never popped by before then I’d encourage you to check out this post to download your free goal planner and learn a bit more about ‘FUNKY’ goal setting.

One aspect of Coaching is helping Clients to change their perspective / mindset.  Today we’re going to talk about a very small word that can really change your mindset from one of negativity to one of possibility.

This little word is

‘HOW?’

 

Often when approaching something we give ourselves a million and one reasons why we can’t do it.  ‘I can’t get that job because’… ‘I can’t move because’… ‘I can’t find my perfect man because’…

By adding this oh so powerful word, ‘HOW’, to a sentence we move from a place of ‘I don’t stand a chance of getting/doing/being …’ to ‘Well ok, supposing, just supposing, I could find a way, where would I start?’.  Let me give you an example..

‘I can’t start my own business because I don’t have any resources’.

Change this to…

‘How can I start my own business with limited or non-existent resources?’ 

Now you’re starting from a completely different place – a place of POSSIBILITY.

Let’s play a bit with this..  so using this example – You know you can’t do it because you don’t have enough money right now, but suppose you could do it, suppose there was another way. What could you do then?

Who could you speak to for help/guidance?

Where could you find more information?

In the example we used you might come up with some of the following ideas just by spending a few moments brainstorming;

  • Attend some free networking events
  • Market your business via social media
  • Tell your friends and ask them to recommend you to others
  • Set up a facebook group to meet like-minded people and get your ideas out there
  • Do some online research on ways to start a business with little/no money
  • Do your own printing, art work, form design etc
  • Work with someone; share the resources and the work
  • Use a freebie company for your business cards, just until you get on your feet

I’m sure with a bit of thought you could come up with dozens more.

And…

Source: cdn.indulgy.com via Ruby on Pinterest

 

Changing the way you think about something and gaining a different perspective can open up so many new possibilities.  Welcome to the wonderful world of Coaching!

Where can you use the word ‘How’ and move from ‘It’s impossible’ to

‘HOW IS IT POSSIBLE’??

Have a great week!

 

Filed Under: Mindset

Happy New Everything!

February 1, 2013 by 7 Comments

Hi there

I am SOOO excited to welcome you to my very first blog post for my new coaching business.  Launching this business has been a dream of mine for a while now. It feels exhilarating to be taking these steps, but I’ll be honest it’s really scary too putting yourself out there online for the world to see!

I took a decision many years ago to live life to the full.  I don’t want to live a ‘black and white life’ as I call it where everything is grey, dull and boring.  I want my life to be in fabulous technicolour, full of all of the things I dream of and sometimes to do that you have to take a few brave leaps to get you where you want to be.  This is one of mine!

I don’t know about you but I find people seem a bit fed up in January, it’s time to hibernate for some.  It’s 2013, a new year.  A clean slate.  How does that make you feel?  Excited .. happy that you can make a fresh start .. old?!   It’s a great time to review what worked, what didn’t and figure out what we’d like to be different.

Often we decide at the beginning of a new year that now is the time to lose weight, give up smoking, get that new job we keep saying we want.  We could be determined to find the loves of our lives, to get more organised, stop procrastinating, start that business … the list can be endless. Some of you will be saying, ‘I’ve set new goals in the past, I’ve done this so many times before but I never quite make it’..  Trust me I know.  I hear you!  I’ve been there too.  I want you to make a decision though this year.  The decision that you are going to take this seriously, do it differently.  You might be thinking to yourself well she’s a bit too late talking about resolutions now.  Well yes and no.  I’m a great believer that you can start that new chapter of your life whenever you want to.  So with January out of the way let’s get cracking on some of those ideas that you’ve had bubbling away and do some goal setting.

Ultimately goal setting is all about how you want to feel.  Imagine for a moment with me.. How will you feel when you lose weight, what do you look like, what are people saying to you?  How does it feel to walk into any high street shop and buy what you love?  On the job front… How will you feel when you hand in your notice having got that job of your dreams?  What will the buzz in that office (picture your own workplace) sound like, what will you see on your way to work?  Don’t just think in terms of this being another thing checked off your to-do list at the end of the year, really think of what you will be/do/have when you achieve it.

I’ve got a little gift for you.  It’s 5 tips to goal setting and I’ve also created a goal planner for you to get you started in the right direction.

You’ve probably heard all about setting a SMART goal; making sure it’s Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time related?  Well, yes from my experience they can apply but we’re going for a FUNKY goal, fun is key here, yeah ok bad joke but actually it’s true.  If your goal isn’t fun or it doesn’t light you up then why are you doing it?  Sometimes we set ourselves goals because we think they are what we want to do, but how many times have you set yourself a goal only to achieve it and still feel a bit flat?

Goals need to spark you up with enthusiasm.  If your goal doesn’t make you think ‘yes’ while smiling your head off or have you fist punching the air (ok and maybe a little bit scared too) then I would ask you to ask yourself, “is it what you really, really want?”  So here are my five tips for funky goal setting…

  1. Set a Fab Goal (don’t settle for just anything, aim high!)
  2. Make a Unshakeable plan (tweak it until you know it just will work)
  3. Take Action NOW (not next month when ‘x’ is finished or ‘y’ has happened, not next week or even tomorrow.. now!)
  4. Keep at it (do something every single day towards your goal, each step is one step nearer to where you want to be)
  5. Achieve Success – Yes you can do it (you just have to commit to it now)

If you would like to receive my goal setting list (where I go into more detail on each of these areas) then sign up to my newsletter using the link on my sidebar

As I’m launching my business now I’d like to offer you ……

Launch Offer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To take advantage of this limited period offer just drop me an email letting me know you want to do some coaching and we can get started.

Now go and grab yourself a cuppa, get out that notepad and start writing down what you really want to achieve this year!

Filed Under: Goal Setting
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