Archive for the ‘Growth’ Category
Tunnel vision! Blinkers! Sound familiar? This can be a state of affairs when going through our daily grind. Focusing on just one thing. Mostly this is helpful, as we search for Wally in a picture, not so helpful as we turn the house upside down looking for mis-laid car keys or glasses as we are racing out the door. We look and check and re-check in the obvious places.
We get frustrated. We give up. We ask someone else – “have you seen my glasses?” They reply – yes, they are where you left them last night – on the bedside table.
Tunnel vision is required and beneficial when drilling down to specifics. If it becomes habitual, it’s hard to step back and see the bigger picture. Or even harder to simply turn around.
I got up the other morning, looked out the window and Read the rest of this entry »
I was celebrating Hump Day today and catching up on my Social Media when I came across a very sad post from my colleague Mary Corbett Coaching. Her mum had passed away, and she had the intuition to accept the thoughts and challenges that came up for her during that difficult week. She wrote an inspiring letter and mentioned it on Facebook. I clicked the link curious and compassionate and was wowed by her ability to challenge the reader during what was a very personal journey. I travelled this journey and share it with you here.
It got me thinking (again) about what we wish to be remembered by – how we would want our Eulogy to resonate, and I realised I am not living all my values for the past few weeks. I have recently discovered doodling for the sake of doodling, thanks to Roisin Markham during her fantastic workshop “Creativity in a Coaching Context” last month.
I immediately chose markers and pencils at random and wrote the headings as Mary challenged them. Hard Work! Here they are, what would you write for each? Take just 10 minutes now or later and write them down, using different colours, being at one with the visual as well as the text. For each heading, write how you want to be remembered. Keep it short and sweet. It’s amazing what perspective may come up for you…
Are you wondering what it’s all about?
Are you wondering exactly what “what” is all about?
For some, February 14th is a scary time. For others, they are oblivious, and for most, it means either a planned romantic weekend away or dinner, or a rushed job to the local fuel station on the way home. Whatever it means to you, it’s like one of the other 364 (or 365 this year) days that mark an occasion of some kind.
Something Different
I asked my husband over the weekend what would be a nice topic to write about for Valentines Day. He suggested writing about the things we love doing. I thought “what a great idea!” We get so worked up about the people we love, should love or don’t love around this time of year, it can be so disheartening for some, they would rather write an ode to their cat.
What a week it’s been!!
You know that time, when you know something is coming up, yet you are not quite prepared for it? Well, I am sure we all feel like that when we know we will be exposed to the public at large. I really feel the hardest part is actually watching yourself.
It’s been a great week for Cork on the telly this week. I have the absolute pleasure of being closely involved with a fantastic group of business women in Cork, who meet to support each other and help out with business issues. We spend more time discussing social media, accounts, sales and services than passing business cards and delivering elevator pitches.
The real benefit for the business owners, is the support and information received at the meetings themselves, but more so with the buddy-up system. This allows two randomly picked members to meet 1-1 in between the monthly meetings, and really learn more about their actual businesses. This is the core of the referral and networking that is done secondary to the support and encouragement we can provide for each other.
Like the Bulmers advert on TV lately, when we have a problem what do we do? We fix it ourselves! And that is what Cork Women in Business Advice and Support is all about.
It began in Margaret Smith’s front room, and now we are moving to hotel premises and have regular great speakers every month, a fantastic website, facebook page, twitter account, a dedicated committee and up to Aug 2011, 35 paid up members. I am confident membership will increase rapidly as a consequence of the Nationwide Show this Wednesday.
Of course, no better time than to share air space with the wonderful charismatic James Whelton who has just completed his Leaving Certificate, is planning his graduation alongside running his successful business and FREE coding workshops for young people around the country.
Well done all, a great week for Cork, and a great boost for business owners, technology and innovation, all by the river Lee.
The programme is only live on the RTE Player until mid Sept, so make sure you watch it in time 
[Apologies for the adverts before the actual show]. There is a YouTube version of just Margaret’s story – click the PIC below to watch it.
Click the picture to see the show
Well done Margaret, you are now a star, an inspiration to many women in Ireland this week!!!
P.S. The neck piece I am wearing in the show is from the beautiful Kuta collection from Dink Design
W
hen I was in a 9-5 job in 1993, I distinctly remember arriving into work on Monday mornings and being subjected to complaints, grumbles, disdain, and other such negative gossip.
This was the only negative about my Monday mornings. In fact I never had Monday morning blues because I practiced a very simple alternative. Back then, in my early 20’s living and working in recession Ireland (yes, we had one then too) the general gist of good fun was to go out with colleagues and friends.
Traditionally this was done Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Three late nights of overindulgence was bound to take it’s toll, and it did. Coming from a college background, I had become accustomed to going out on “College nights” (aka Thursday nights). I maintained this routine and did not go out late on Sunday nights.
Of course this meant that Friday mornings were tough, but one cannot have Friday blues if they are off for the weekend, and have an early finish to look forward to. So I was therefore able to camouflage my blues into a Friday, rather than a Monday.
However, I feel the negative sentiment has remained with many people, whether they are employed, self-employed, or between jobs.
Why should we dread Monday Mornings? Because we have done so traditionally. For some of us, it’s simply always been that way (similar to finding it difficult to get up in the mornings).
Here are a couple of measures you can take to beat the Monday Morning Blues: Read the rest of this entry »
There is a certain quietness out there, beyond the madness of the noise in our heads as we endeavour to jump-start our new business. That quietness is also full of noise and busy-ness. What only the experienced business owner will realise is that even though starting a business is daunting, there are people out there who are watching, minding, and wishing us well. They are throwing us tit-bits of information and help, enough for us to catch on to, but not obvious hand-outs.
“To background voices, calling from a distance,
Silent partners, listen to the hush Silent partners, you know they don’t say nothing at all”
~ Pat Benatar (The Silent Partners)
These silent partners read our blog-posts, read our tweets, provide clicks and unique visits to our websites, or in the case of back-links. They talk about our businesses to their friends and families, or indeed at networking events. Read the rest of this entry »
International Women’s Day is celebrated across the world, particularly in Russia where they buy flowers for their wives, daughters and mothers. it’s easy to remember all the famous women who have made huge contribution and made such a difference in the world.
Today let us celebrate the ordinary woman who does exceptional things, the woman who quietly raises her family, manages her business, supports her husband, listens to her friends and puts others before herself.
#CWiB gets a new logo
1 in 5 ordinary women in Ireland experience domestic violence while 51% of female murder victims are killed by their partners or ex-partners.
These are the hard facts, but we must ensure we are not seen as mere victims. Similarly, men are at the receiving end of abuse and murder, just not quite the same numbers.
The odds are against us, but when we assert our role in life, as woman, mother, sister, daughter, etc, we are empowering the very substance of our being.
Women are doing it for themselves globally. In Cork alone, there are multiple women-only groups. A supportive Business Group I am involved with provide quality speaking and training events.
We have just launched our logo and annual membership. We even had cupcakes to celebrate. Check out our #CWiB Facebook Page here
The group meet every month at K2C, Blackpool, Cork City
So today, let us celebrate the very essence of every woman we know, and let it inspire us to celebrate those women every day
Happy International Women’s Day
#internationalwomensday #iwd #iwd2011 #CWiB
This month we are running with a great series of TOP 10 tips for your business survival for the traditional break, and on into the New Year.
TIP NO 9:
S ~ SILENCE
OK, so you are still running around like mad, trying to get everything done. So you promised yourself. So what! There is not a chance on this universe that if you keep going 90 miles an hour, you can suddenly stop at 5pm on Christmas Eve (unless you are the road runner of course). And by 5pm on Dec 24th, it’s too late anyhow, you have missed the buzz and joy around the place.
So it really is now, time to wind down, wind up those chores, push all unnecessary tasks out until 2011, send off your Happy Christmas email and make a conscious decision to stop working.
it’s up to yourself, but unless your business is traffic reporting or weather reporting, you really have no business to keep the vigil on Social Media over the holidays, checking emails.
The time should be spent doing different things for your business, like thinking about potential blogposts, thinking about your business for 2011, making notes.
Someone said recently, a solution to a problem came to them while they were vacuuming (OK, not very quiet, but it worked), he was quite surprised how a mundane job could inspire such creativity.
It did simply because he stopped focusing on the problem, ever experienced that? Then make it a habit, allow yourself time away from your business to work ON your business. It will thank you for it!
Be kind to yourself and your business, and come back tomorrow for our FINAL Step of CHRISTMAS TIPS for your Business (and of course I have it prepared already, because by then, I will be on holidays).
Hi there – Welcome to Seefin Coaching’s TOP 10 Christmas Tips for the survival of your business (and you!)
This time we are going to count down (up) to Christmas with our great series of TOP 10 tips for getting your business ready for the 2010 wind-down.
We are running with the theme of C.H.R.I.S.T.M.A.S for this year.
So here we go – going to kick off first with:
TIP NO 1:
C ~ CHARITY begins at home, and with your business. It’s so important at this time of year to look after yourself, your health, and your business. Ensure to plan “gaps” into your weekly/daily diary instead of the opposite “cramming as much as you can into year-end”.
It’s also a good time to think about transferring certain tasks to earlier in the year when planning for 2011, to ensure you do not end up with a jam-packed December with no chance to “wrap-up” successfully. Especially if you are traditionally busy in the winter months leading up to year-end. Often, summer can be very quiet for certain types of businesses, and this is a great time to get the business “chores” out of the way.
Be kind to yourself, and come back in a couple of days to read our next set of CHRISTMAS tips for your Business.
Meanwhile, check us out on Twitter
Nutrition is often top of the list for a healthy mind and body. Don’t forget that if you run a business, it is also organic, growing, and in need of nutrition. Check to see if your business is getting its “5-a-Day”:
Authenticity – Be yourself
If you are anybody else as you are pitching for contracts, selling your wares, communicating a message, or asking to be paid, then you are not yourself! The only person that has control over how you portray yourself and your business is you. Originality, authenticity, individuality is the one thing that can separate you from your competitors, so why try and BE like someone else, or another business? The business world doesn’t need a clone of companies to choose from, they need that something special that only the business owner can provide.
It’s difficult to decide who you are and what you Read the rest of this entry »
