Go Boldly Forward in Challenging Times!


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Times are Challenging!

Many of us feel the impact of cuts and the increased cost of living. The air of pessimism that is sweeping the world affects each and every one of us on the local level of our everyday reality. I know that you were all fired up from your last coaching session, but it might be that the intensity of work and life is inhibiting you from making advancement in the exact way you would like!

The good news is that if you’re feeling a little lacklustre, you can read past blogs posted on this Coaching Portal until your next session. This will help to keep you energised and motivated in the direction of your vision. Please do this, as the blogs help to keep you sharpened and alert to the things you can do to remain feeling empowered and energised to work through any challenges you face in between coaching sessions.

Now more than ever, it is important for us to develop strategies that strengthen our ability to act with confidence in all that we do.

Lessons from Romania!

At the time of writing this article, I was on my fourth visit to Romania in the North-
East region that is the poorest in the country. Twenty years after the end of communism, Romanians are still experiencing economic, political and social changes that are an aftermath of this historic event.

Many Romanians survive on very basic wages, where “working to exist‟ is very much the norm. For example, where the basic wage for a teacher is 350 Euros per month and vat on goods is 24%, people have developed skills that strengthen their inner resources and survival capabilities. This results in them maintaining confidence to succeed when the going gets tough. I always leave Romania feeling in awe of the spirit, warmth and grace of the people, of their impressive ability to act
with self-assurance, pride and resilience.

Through experiencing the side of Romania that not many people may know about, I am reminded of the importance of striving to be or do the best in whatever situation we face. This can help us to maintain confidence in turbulent times.

If "confidence is the companion of success." we must develop strong self-belief in order to achieve and accomplish in adverse times. Like the Romanian delegates who attended the management and personal training courses I delivered, persevering despite the air of doom and gloom contributes to an improved ability to be resilient and steadfast. In doing so, we become better able to move through life with self-control and confidence, no matter what.



Here are some strategies that can help you to go Boldly Forward through your
daily difficulties with increased confidence:

1. Be an eternal optimist: Ok, I know what you’re thinking – she’s living in cloud cuckoo land! Well, I’m going to set you a challenge here. It is all too easy to see the negative in any situation. Dare yourself to find the positive in your challenge. Ask yourself: What’s the alternative in this situation? What can I learn?‟ You will find something. And as you regularly focus on being optimistic, this will be your dominant response in your challenges. How cool is that?

2. Learn something new: Acquire new skills and knowledge that can take your
life to another level. When was the last time that you studied a course for
pleasure, rather than for work? What fresh dimension can acquiring a new
skill add to your life and therefore boost your confidence? Observe the people around you  and carry out a personal study. How many people in your circle have advanced through updating their skill-set? How many have not? Adding to your value of self by learning a new skill will not only keep you focussed, it can help to position you for maintaining buoyancy in challenging times.

3. Write a letter: Imagine that you are living a wonderful new life. Write a letter
to yourself describing how things are for you now. Explain the steps that you
took to create this new life. What did you encounter along the way? How did
you overcome any challenges? What confident actions did you apply? What
would you do differently if you could experience creating this new life all over again?
Now step boldly forward with surety of a plan for success!

4. Push Your Levels! Make an effort to step out of a comfort zone. We
do ourselves no favours whatsoever by remaining within the tried, tested and familiar. What one thing have you always wanted to do (that is safe and ethical) that
will stretch you beyond your everyday existence? Bear in mind, that you’ve already set these as your actions to carry out for the next couple of weeks. So Push Your Levels and Act as if. Embrace the energy of the feeling from knowing that your goal has been accomplished and let this push you to a new level of being.




5. Create a Vision Board: If you can see it, you can make it happen! Take some time out, perhaps at the weekend. Get some old magazines, a sheet of flip chart paper or a cork board and cut and paste or pin any pictures that jump out to you. The pictures will represent the actions you will be carrying out over the next two weeks, or they may represent your short, medium and long-term goals. Visualise, be creative and have fun! Look at your Vision Board as soon as you wake up; take a photo of it and set it as a screensaver on your mobile phone. Then take delight in seeing your vision manifest and become a wonderful reality. You’ll find that this attention to your intentions, means that you will start and continue your day with single-minded focus on what really matters, despite your challenges.

6. Project your best: This can occur naturally when you feel good about
yourself. As we get older, we tend to conform to what we think is expected of
us. We tend not to project our best in fear of what others may say about who
we think we are. Make an effort to „project your best‟ today. At a conference I attended recently, one of the panel members said something along these lines: “if you mean business, dress like you’d thought about it”. Isn’t that powerful? This phrase doesn’t just have to be about how you dress. Transfer the message to your actions. So, “If you mean business, apply the effort which demonstrates that you are serious about it” If people don’t like you at your best, if people don’t like the new you, affirm this as your new mantra: “That’s their problem!”

7. Spring clean your life: Identify any dust and cobwebs in your life and get rid! This could be people, possessions or habits. You do yourself no favours by holding onto what you know you may have outgrown and that might contribute to eroding your self-confidence, motivation or ability to carry out your fantastic actions. Be honest with yourself. Who or what needs to go right now? Make an inventory of things that you need to release in order to create space for doing the things that will result in a transformed and even more wonderful you!

Final Thoughts – in Going Boldly Forward in Challenging Times

Going Boldly Forward in Challenging Times will require your conscious and constant
effort to challenge a conditioned way of being. When the going gets tough, apply these strategies that will enable you to draw on your inner resources within and throughout the challenge.

Remember to be in touch in between sessions and let me know how you are getting on with completing your actions. I’m also interested in the results of your going through the 7 points that we’ve gone through today.

Thank you for reading and I’ll connect with you at your next Coaching Session.  

(c) Rebecca Gordon


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