Why not resolutions? This is a question I get asked all the time and the answer is obvious. How many times have you made a resolution, at the beginning of the year, to do something or change something and then by end-January it's all forgotten?
How is coaching different?
It works on a desired outcome. Coaching helps you gain clarity on how to work towards a goal by helping you gain clarity, develop clear action steps on what needs to be done to attain the goal and most importantly it is about developing the HOW TO.
The HOW TO is to develop a strategy which can be replicated for future goals. It's all in developing the strategy.
Often my clients come in expecting me to solve their problems, tell them what to do, and are initially disappointed when I tell them that that is not what I do as a coach. Instead, as a coach, I help people get clarity by asking questions that require them to reflect internally.
Look out for my next blog on Questioning Techniques..
Friday, October 24, 2008
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Coaching on investments - reduce stress
I do get asked this question a lot:"should I invest now? What do I do with my current investments?"
One of the biggest group of people I coach are Financial Advisors and here are a few things that I've learnt from them:
One, before you put your money in any investment, assess your risk appetite...what does this mean? How good are you at taking risks with your money.
Two, get a risk assessment done by a professional.
Third...its more of my personal advise....if you don't know where to invest your money, and not sure how to do it and cannot trust someone else with it right now...leave it where it is!
In times of uncertainty, what you want to do is reduce your stress NOT increase it.
One of the biggest group of people I coach are Financial Advisors and here are a few things that I've learnt from them:
One, before you put your money in any investment, assess your risk appetite...what does this mean? How good are you at taking risks with your money.
Two, get a risk assessment done by a professional.
Third...its more of my personal advise....if you don't know where to invest your money, and not sure how to do it and cannot trust someone else with it right now...leave it where it is!
In times of uncertainty, what you want to do is reduce your stress NOT increase it.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Multiple Sources of Income during Recession
That's right...a good book to read right now would be Robert G Allen's "Multiple Sources of Income"...never has this book been more relevant than NOW.
I read it a few years ago and I remembered telling participants in one workshop I conducted that for the longest time, my father was a living example of someone who had multiple sources of income......long before Robert Allen wrote the book...he had, at any one time, at least two sources of income.
It's time for us to explore..what talents do you have that could bring in extra money?
Plumbing, home repairs, electrical work, driving, simple computer repairs, website desining, writing, baking.....you just never know....someone out there might just need you.
Have fun....recession proof yourself..
I read it a few years ago and I remembered telling participants in one workshop I conducted that for the longest time, my father was a living example of someone who had multiple sources of income......long before Robert Allen wrote the book...he had, at any one time, at least two sources of income.
It's time for us to explore..what talents do you have that could bring in extra money?
Plumbing, home repairs, electrical work, driving, simple computer repairs, website desining, writing, baking.....you just never know....someone out there might just need you.
Have fun....recession proof yourself..
Survive the Recession
For some of us, it is our very FIRST recession...it is frightening. Questions that are running through our head....what will happen to my job? Will I still have work next week or next month?
What do we do to beat the Recession Blues?
Time to find a new passion, find something new to do.
If you've been depending on one source of income, its time to ask yourself..."what else can I do to bring in more money."
I'm sure you've all got hidden talent that just got buried over the years.
Recession is a time to discover...
What do we do to beat the Recession Blues?
Time to find a new passion, find something new to do.
If you've been depending on one source of income, its time to ask yourself..."what else can I do to bring in more money."
I'm sure you've all got hidden talent that just got buried over the years.
Recession is a time to discover...
Quarter-Life Crisis - Action Plan
· Action Plan
If there is one thing we have learnt very well in school, it is that nothing happens without action. So start designing your Action Plan.
To help you design your Action Plan, ask yourself the following questions:
o What do I need to do for work, family, life, leisure, retirement?
o What specific actions I would need to take for each of the above?
o What is the time frame I need to put in place so that I have clarity of when I need to complete the tasks?
(Important Note: The purpose of an Action Plan is to give you clarity on the means of getting to the future. Many unforeseen events at the personal, societal or global level may occur that alter the path you had designed, hence you need to have the flexibility to revise your Action Plan to take into account the new circumstances.)
Now that the uncertainty in your life has a name, go ahead and design the life that you want and become the architect of your life.
If there is one thing we have learnt very well in school, it is that nothing happens without action. So start designing your Action Plan.
To help you design your Action Plan, ask yourself the following questions:
o What do I need to do for work, family, life, leisure, retirement?
o What specific actions I would need to take for each of the above?
o What is the time frame I need to put in place so that I have clarity of when I need to complete the tasks?
(Important Note: The purpose of an Action Plan is to give you clarity on the means of getting to the future. Many unforeseen events at the personal, societal or global level may occur that alter the path you had designed, hence you need to have the flexibility to revise your Action Plan to take into account the new circumstances.)
Now that the uncertainty in your life has a name, go ahead and design the life that you want and become the architect of your life.
Quarter-Life Crisis - Clarity and Values
What can you do if you’re experiencing quarter-life crisis?
· Life Goal Clarity
Just like in primary school you set out goals on which secondary school you wanted to go to, and then in secondary school you decided what course you want to take and then you devised plans to make the goals happen, similarly you set out your life goals.
Ask yourself the following questions:
o What is the kind of life I would like to lead when I’m 70?
o Who are the people I would like to have in my life when I’m 70?
o When I look back at my life at age 70, what would be the defining moments, what would be the events I recalled fondly and that I am most proud of?
o What did I do right from my 20s that brought me where I am at 70?
· What are your Values?
While doing the exercise above, you would find that driving your actions is a set of values. Every individual would have their own set of values that are derived from their own notions of what is right or wrong and their beliefs of how things should be. For example, a person may value family time and design work-life strategies that give them family time and this could be derived from a belief the person has that family has to be priority as they would always stick by one another.
As you design the life you want, get clarity of your values by answering the following questions:
o What is important to me about work, family, life, leisure, retirement?
o When I have (fill in what each of the above gives you), what will it bring for me?
· Life Goal Clarity
Just like in primary school you set out goals on which secondary school you wanted to go to, and then in secondary school you decided what course you want to take and then you devised plans to make the goals happen, similarly you set out your life goals.
Ask yourself the following questions:
o What is the kind of life I would like to lead when I’m 70?
o Who are the people I would like to have in my life when I’m 70?
o When I look back at my life at age 70, what would be the defining moments, what would be the events I recalled fondly and that I am most proud of?
o What did I do right from my 20s that brought me where I am at 70?
· What are your Values?
While doing the exercise above, you would find that driving your actions is a set of values. Every individual would have their own set of values that are derived from their own notions of what is right or wrong and their beliefs of how things should be. For example, a person may value family time and design work-life strategies that give them family time and this could be derived from a belief the person has that family has to be priority as they would always stick by one another.
As you design the life you want, get clarity of your values by answering the following questions:
o What is important to me about work, family, life, leisure, retirement?
o When I have (fill in what each of the above gives you), what will it bring for me?
Monday, October 13, 2008
Mid-life Crisis and Quarter Life Crisis
You’ve probably heard of the term mid-life crisis that hits adults 50 years and over, characterized sometimes by stress, depression, feeling of hopelessness or in some cases dressing like their younger counterparts. However, another phenomenon has also been emerging over the past few years but it appears to have hit an entire different generation, those in their mid-20s and early 30s.
If you’re in your 20s or early 30s, have you experienced the following symptoms in the past few months?
- Not being able to cope with the rapid changes and experiencing feeling of helplessness
- Feeling lost as friends from school disperse to establish their own paths in life
- The world appears unfamiliar as the structure and stability of years in school is no longer available and the work life has a new set of unfamiliar rules
- A sense of disappointment the working experience is not as exciting or glamorous
- A sense of uncertainty where life is heading as there is no longer a daily timetable nor a clear path paved out; not knowing where you will be in five years time
- Feelings of anxiety as the choices you make directly impacts your quality of life
- Not knowing how to deal with changing relationships; you’re an adult like your parents and yet they still treat you like a school kid or the girlfriend/boyfriend is now a spouse
- Having peers or subordinates who are much older to you and you’re not sure how to interact with them
- Feeling anxiety on whether you’ve made the right career choice or should you follow your passion
If you’ve experienced the above symptoms, chances are you’re experiencing Quarter-Life Crisis, a term coined up by Abby Wilner and Catherine Stocker, authors of “QuarterLife Crisis” and “The Quarterlifer’s Companion”.
If left unattended, over a period of years, the quarterlifers could experience increased stress, feeling uninterested in pursuing excellence and in extreme cases, just giving up on life and trudging along making ends meet.
Look out for my next article on what you can do to overcome this crisis.
If you’re in your 20s or early 30s, have you experienced the following symptoms in the past few months?
- Not being able to cope with the rapid changes and experiencing feeling of helplessness
- Feeling lost as friends from school disperse to establish their own paths in life
- The world appears unfamiliar as the structure and stability of years in school is no longer available and the work life has a new set of unfamiliar rules
- A sense of disappointment the working experience is not as exciting or glamorous
- A sense of uncertainty where life is heading as there is no longer a daily timetable nor a clear path paved out; not knowing where you will be in five years time
- Feelings of anxiety as the choices you make directly impacts your quality of life
- Not knowing how to deal with changing relationships; you’re an adult like your parents and yet they still treat you like a school kid or the girlfriend/boyfriend is now a spouse
- Having peers or subordinates who are much older to you and you’re not sure how to interact with them
- Feeling anxiety on whether you’ve made the right career choice or should you follow your passion
If you’ve experienced the above symptoms, chances are you’re experiencing Quarter-Life Crisis, a term coined up by Abby Wilner and Catherine Stocker, authors of “QuarterLife Crisis” and “The Quarterlifer’s Companion”.
If left unattended, over a period of years, the quarterlifers could experience increased stress, feeling uninterested in pursuing excellence and in extreme cases, just giving up on life and trudging along making ends meet.
Look out for my next article on what you can do to overcome this crisis.
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