Tag Archives: motivation

Business Advice, News

How to overcome self-doubt and show your true potential in the workplace

By Aine O’Neill, Toastmasters International

In business as in other areas of life we can have moments of self-doubt. At such moments your soundtrack should include, “Give me one moment in time, When I’m more than I thought I could be, sung fabulously by Whitney Houston.

Perhaps you’ve experienced moments like this. Moments where you were able to use your talents at work, and your true inner potential became visible.

I’ve certainly have a few examples: coming from behind to win a karaoke competition at an office event, managing to land on solid ground at the end a paraglide up in the Austrian Alps, and years earlier taking over a key role in a school play the day before the first big performance.

After each of these events various people said the exact same thing to me;

“I had no idea you had it in you!”

What struck me here is that I did know I had it in me. The challenge I’d been given had reached inside and pulled my ability out for the world to see. The genuine expression of surprise got me thinking that many of us could tragically live without showing our inner talents simply because we lacked chances to shine or weren’t brave enough to reveal them to the world.

So, why hadn’t others seen this side of me before these occasions? When judging others, we ask ourselves if they fit our version of normality, do they act, speak, dress and behave as we think they should? We make a split-second decision and categorise them accordingly. This judgement is mirrored onto our peers and consequently our version of ourselves is made up of a mix of who we think we are and who others think we are. This can result in us limiting what we put out to the world.

What do we need to change this perception?

As adults in the business world, it is important for us to recognise that to have any chance at changing this perception, and tapping into our inner potential we need two things: opportunity and bravery.

External

Opportunity comes from an external source, unexpectantly. We may be caught on the hop or feel unprepared to take them on. The moment to seize the opportunity could pass us by leaving us with feelings of frustration and regret.

Internal

The big obstacle most people face when deciding to accept an opportunity is self-doubt. So how can you overcome this and allow your true potential to come to the fore? The solution lies in garnering inner strength so that you do bite the bullet and go for it. This is the second ingredient in the equation.

To this end it is worth remembering that our feelings can trace a pattern during the precious moments that Whitney Houston sang about so memorably and powerfully. When you are attracted to an opportunity hope and enthusiasm will be the frontrunners. Self-doubt, however, is never far behind, stifling any courage that was beginning to surface. What is needed is to hold your nerve until you are through this somewhat unpleasant pattern of feelings.

The following steps may help to accept challenges that come our way

  • Ask yourself whether it’s fear of failure or success that is really playing on your mind.
  • Take time to visualise a successful outcome, and the benefits that this event, project, new job or new business could lead to. How will your self-image improve as a result?
  • Be brave enough to give the opportunity a go. It might not turn out as you anticipate but you’ll learn something in the process, and you’ve feel better for having tried.
  • Keep a notebook of how you are feeling during the initial period of a new role. You will notice the pattern; the emergence of unease and self-doubt, gradually giving way to a more familiar experience. You can make use of this when taking on future opportunities.
  • Build on any positive experiences you have had in the past, no matter how small. List any struggles you had and how you overcame them. Note down how you mastered those tasks.
  • When building confidence start small. You don’t have to set up a new company or take on the world to begin with. Volunteering at a local event such as parkrun can help garner inner strength in a low-risk environment where you will get support and encouragement.
  • Learn from famous people do you admire in the world or business or sport or other areas of life. Read their autobiographies and learn from how they overcame challenges.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Aine O’Neill is a member of Toastmasters International, a not-for-profit organisation that has provided communication and leadership skills since 1924 through a worldwide network of clubs. There are more than 400 clubs and 10,000 members in the UK and Ireland. Members follow a structured educational programme to gain skills and confidence in public and impromptu speaking, chairing meetings and time management. To find your nearest club, visit www.toastmasters.org

News

Your Business and the Magic of March

By Sid Madge, Meee

Birthdays are good for business: everyone has one, everyone likes to feel special, and celebrating the birthdays of colleagues should be on every list of maintaining morale activities. Regardless of the drawbacks of virtual cake, even if your team works from home, it really is worth taking the time to bring everyone together to share small, smile inducing moments like this.

This got me and my team thinking about all the special occasions and celebrations that there are around the world, and the opportunities they give us to bring us a little bit of joy and magic. Here are a few occasions in March could be a great excuse for more joy and magic?

8th March: International Women’s Day

There are so many great women past and present, but (apart from my mum) one I am particularly in awe of is Marie Curie. Curie is recognised for her ground-breaking Nobel Prize-winning discoveries and helping to break gender barriers during her lifetime. Curie was the first person in the world, male or female, to win two Nobel Prizes. Her family won four! And she managed it all without a fancy lab. During WW1, Marie Curie developed mobile radiology units which were used at the front hospitals in Furnes, Hoogstade, Adinkerke, De Panne, Beveren and Roesbrugge. Training 150 women to operate the “Little Curie” it is estimated that the total number of wounded soldiers receiving X-ray exams during the war exceeded one million.

Take a moment to think of all the amazing women in your life that bring magic to your world. Make a point of expressing your appreciation – you don’t need to limit yourself to doing this on March 8th. A little more appreciation for all the people we are grateful for is a wonderful way to spread more magic and boost morale.

20th March: UN International Day of Happiness

Although happiness can mean different things to different people, one element is common to us all. And that’s the messages sent by a genuine smile. This is possibly the only truly international recognisable and understandable symbol of happiness in the world. In a study conducted in the UK, British researchers found that one smile can provide the same level of brain stimulation as up to 2,000 chocolate bars.

Psychologists have also found that even if we have to force a smile, the very act of turning your lips upward can trick our brain into releasing certain feel-good hormones, including dopamine and serotonin. As a result, our stress levels lower, our immune system gets a little boost, and our overall mood improves. Researchers have even discovered that a smile can lower our heart rate when we’re feeling anxious.

It’s also worth remembering that happiness is not a permanent state. Often, it’s fleeting as we go about our daily activities but when we pay attention to the little moments that make us happy and revel in them, we can draw out our sense of wellbeing. Is your morning coffee just amazing or did you enjoy chatting to a client or customer? Often, it’s the simplest of things like singing Happy Birthday to a colleague that sprinkles our lives with magic. We don’t need the grand gestures or the amazing holiday – we just need to pay attention to some of the little things that bring us joy and wallow in them for a little longer.

Take a moment to smile at someone. Just notice the world around you and smile. Like a smile, smiling is contagious.

26th March: Make Up Your Own Holiday Day

I’m particularly excited about this one! Make Up Your Own Holiday Day was the holiday created to encourage people to do more of what they love. Now there are a tonne of interesting, intriguing and imaginative holidays already out there, like World Stationery Day (April the 22nd), National Spaghetti Day (4th of January), National Hugging Day (21st January) and National Zipper Day (April the 29th). What’s fascinating is the imagination and creativity to name, create and participate in such great activities.

Take a moment to consider what your ‘make up your own holiday’ will be. Perhaps you could introduce something that will be fun for your team: Wear a Hat To Work Day; Donut Day; Lunchtime Quiz Day.

Whatever March brings to you and your team, enjoy the little wins, go searching for them if you have to and spread the magic around.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sid Madge is a transformation and change specialist and founder of Meee. Meee draws on the best creativity and thinking from the worlds of branding, psychology, neuroscience, education and sociology, to help people embrace change and achieve extraordinary lives.

From pupils to CEOs, Meee has helped thousands find their magic to transform themselves, their communities and their organisations. From leaders of PLCs and SMEs to parents, teachers, students, carers, the unemployed and prison inmates Meee helps people excel.

Sid Madge is also author of the ‘Meee in Minute’ series of books which each offer 60 ways to change your life, work-, or family-life in 60 seconds.

Web: www.meee.global

Web: www.meeebooks.com

Twitter twitter.com/Meee_HQ
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MeeeHQ/
Instagram www.instagram.com/meeehq
YouTube https://youtu.be/fISupZWZMQc
TEDx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3Cyjs62c8

 

News

5 ways to start your day off right

By Sid Madge, Meee

 Zoom meetings can collapse into chaos because something wasn’t set up properly beforehand. Business ideas can falter because enough thought wasn’t put in during the early stages. Business relationships can sour because of getting off on the wrong foot. How we start things matters. And that applies to days. Mornings are important, so managing them makes sense; the best way to do that is by embracing the ‘micro-moment’ – tiny little manageable interventions that can make a huge difference.

I’ve written three books on ‘micro-moments’ for life, work and family. Each ‘Meee in a Minute’ book, offers 60 one-minute micro-ideas and insights that offer us quick, practical ways to recalibrate how we feel and nudge ourselves into a more helpful and constructive mindset.

Here are 5 micro-moment ideas to help you start your morning off right so you set yourself up for a fantastic day.

  1. Perspective fine-tuning

First thing in the morning, what does your day feel like? An opportunity or an obligation? Likely, it’s both. We all have stuff we have to do and not all of it is pleasurable, but we can make our days much more enjoyable if we shift and/or expand our perspective. Take a minute at the start of each day to map out what you need to do and what you want to do and get stuck in with equal vigour for both. And remember, each day is a fresh opportunity to reset if you need to.

  1. Kindness Conundrum

We share things all the time—anything from pizza to money—and when we share something, that act of sharing diminishes what we have. But this is not true of kindness. Kindness is the only thing in the world that increases when we share it. And that’s not just a lovely thought, it has been borne out by research. If we perform just one act of random kindness a day, we will experience less anxiety, stress and depression.

Additionally, our body is flooded with the same hormones that make both parties calmer, healthier and happier – a double whammy win. These hormones include: serotonin, the feel-good hormone; endorphins—they reduce pain; and oxytocin, which is the bonding hormone and helps to reduce blood pressure. But there is also a third winner in this kindness scenario – those who witness kindness are also more likely to pay if forward. Take a moment each morning to commit to a random act of kindness.

  1. Move a little more

One of the best ways to start your morning is to move. Even just a quick 10-minute power walk around the block to kick start your day can make a huge difference to the way you feel. If you are lucky enough to live near green space and nature, even better.

If you are unable to get outside, then there are loads of apps and many online videos that offer quick 7-minute HIT programmes or 10-minute yoga stretching. Take a minute to consider what you could do in the morning and incorporate it into your daily routine.

  1. Rubbish in/Rubbish Out

The food we eat impacts how we feel, so pay attention to your breakfast choices. It may be a good idea to give the cereal bars a big miss – they are loaded with sugar.

But it’s not just about activity and nutrition. What else are you consuming that might negatively impact your mind? Do you sit at the breakfast table and watch or listen to the news?  Do you read a newspaper or scroll through your social media feed?  Take a moment to consider how your current morning ritual makes you feel. Is a diet of doom and gloom, conspiracy theories, fake news and alternative facts good for you? Give something else a try and see if you feel better. Listen to music or talk with your family about the day ahead. Or just plan your day.

  1. You are where you need to be

These are challenging times. Don’t add to how tough it is by beating yourself up about poor choices or worrying about the stuff you can’t change or control. Take a minute to think about your life right now. Perhaps you find yourself in a situation you didn’t want or expect – most of us can relate to that! What have you learned about yourself as a result? Always remember, you have the power to turn a negative into a positive.

Constructive morning habits, not only around obvious things like physical activity and breakfast choices, but also what we listen to or think about in the morning can have a real impact on the rest of our day. When we manage our mornings, we give ourselves the best possible chance for a fantastic day.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sid Madge is founder of Meee (My Education Employment Enterprise) which draws on the best creativity and thinking from the worlds of branding, psychology, neuroscience, education and sociology, to help people achieve extraordinary lives.

To date, Meee has transformed the lives of over 20,000 people, from leaders of PLC’s and SME’s to parents, teachers, students, carers, the unemployed and prison inmates.

Sid Madge is also author of the ‘Meee in Minute’ series of books which each offer 60 ways to change your life, work-, or family-life in 60 seconds.

Web: www.meee.global

Web: www.meeebooks.com

Twitter twitter.com/Meee_HQ
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MeeeHQ/
Instagram www.instagram.com/meeehq
YouTube https://youtu.be/fISupZWZMQc
TEDx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3Cyjs62c8

News

Giving your motivation a reboot

Whether it’s the travel industry dealing with the changing traffic lights, or other continuing pandemic restrictions to adapt around, businesses of all sizes continue to face a variety of challenges. It is understandable if you feel that accessing your internal motivation is a little harder than it used to be.  Perhaps it is time for reboot.

 

It’s important to remember that much of what we feel is actually a decision we make.

Ancient wisdom indicated as much. Early ideas—going back to Greek and Roman philosophy—have been confirmed by modern research. A great deal of the science around positive psychology and happiness, for example, has roots in ancient philosophy.

 

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which is largely drawn from the teaching of Socrates, considers the origin of mental disorder, including a lack of motivation or absence of mojo, to lie not in brain chemistry but in our irrational beliefs. Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus said, “Men are not disturbed by things, but by their opinions about them.”

 

I’ve written three Meee in a Minute books on ‘micro-moments’ for life, work and family. Micro-moments offer us a quick, practical way to change our opinions about things and, as a result, change how we feel, the outcome and even our life.

 

  1. ABC

One of the founders of CBT, Albert Ellis created his ABC model which can be a useful guide to regaining control over thoughts and feelings so we can better access our best self.

 

A is for activating event.

B is our beliefs that interpret that event and construct meaning.

C is the consequence – especially the emotional consequence.

 

The next time something happens, or you feel stressed by some news from a client or a change in trading, or some other situation, take a moment to notice what you’ve made it mean. If you struggle to meet demand, does that mean that your business is inefficient, or does it mean that it is time to expand? What we make something mean is not the only meaning on offer.

 

 

  1. 1% boost

 

When we are in a slump or finding it hard to get motivated, the tendency is to pursue an all-or-nothing approach. This strategy is the worst thing we can do. Instead, start small and aim to be a little better tomorrow than you are today.

 

Take a moment to consider one thing you would like to change and focus on improving that by 1% every day. This approach is much more viable and is much more likely to produce the desired effect.

 

 

  1. Decide to be happy

 

In Michael Singer’s book The Untethered Soul, he asks a really great question: Do you want to be happy? Yes or No? If it’s Yes, then what do you need to change to be happy?

 

We all know people who seem to be most content when they are miserable, but misery and motivation are not great colleagues. Boost your motivation by deciding to be happy and do what you need to do to make space for happiness.

 

 

  1. Flip it

 

Take a moment to turn your lack of motivation on its head. Instead of wondering what’s happened or why you suddenly feel so flat and unenthusiastic, go in the other direction. Make a list of the things that DO NOT motivate you.

 

Sometimes it helps to focus on what we know we don’t want and won’t do as a way to gain clarity about how to regain our motivation.

 

 

  1. Gratitude Ritual

 

A powerful trick is the gratitude ritual. Start and end your day with three things that you are grateful for. Is there a customer who is particularly lovely to deal with? Is your team a great blend of experienced old hands and fresh thinking youth? Is there software or some other tool that makes your working day shorter than it used to be? Try to come up with different things rather than the same few each time. And don’t just list them. Really connect to each gratitude as an emotion. Remember, it’s not happy people who are grateful, but grateful people who are happy.

 

Making these little changes to your thinking can make a huge difference. It’s those tiny little changes that add up to the changes we want to see and allow us greater and more consistent access to our motivation in business and elsewhere. As businesses continue to contend with the complexities that the global pandemic continues to throw at us we need to keep our motivation strong.

 

By Sid Madge, Meee

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sid Madge is founder of Meee (My Education Employment Enterprise) which draws on the best creativity and thinking from the worlds of branding, psychology, neuroscience, education and sociology, to help people achieve extraordinary lives.

To date, Meee has transformed the lives of over 20,000 people, from leaders of PLC’s and SME’s to parents, teachers, students, carers, the unemployed and prison inmates.

Sid Madge is also author of the ‘Meee in Minute’ series of books which each offer 60 ways to change your life, work-, or family-life in 60 seconds.

 

Web: www.meee.global

Web: www.meeebooks.com

Twitter twitter.com/Meee_HQ
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MeeeHQ/
Instagram www.instagram.com/meeehq
YouTube https://youtu.be/fISupZWZMQc
TEDx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3Cyjs62c8