For many professions and even hobbies, public speaking skills are essential to achieve success. Just like any other skill, public speaking can be practiced and perfected. To improve your public speaking skills, follow the following tips.
​

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Understand Your Audience Well

If you skip this step, it won’t matter how well that you think you did. If you don’t understand your audience well, you won’t effectively communicate your ideas. What is worse, you could be wasting your time and talking to the utterly wrong audience.

Record Yourself on Video

This is a great way to practice free of expectation. This way, you can ensure you are using the right words and body language and pinpoint any improvement areas. Watching yourself on video can be difficult, but it will help you improve.

Act Like You Are Talking to Your Friends

Of course, be sure to maintain your professionalism. Your friends are not only familiar to you, but they are more likely to welcome and forgive you for mistakes. Often, the error will barely be noticeable to them.
For this reason, it is easier for you to talk to these people than strangers. Imagine you are talking to a big group of your friends that won’t judge you even if you make a brief mistake. You’ll improve your comfort level, and the practice will help you control your emotions and get back on track if a mistake were to happen.

Try Open Mic Nights and Karaoke

Get yourself in front of people more even and especially if it is outside of your comfort zone. Believe it or not, the more opportunities you get to potentially fail, the better you will become. That is because making mistakes highlights the areas you can practice on and where you can do better the next time. Poor public speaking skills or fear of it is simply due to lack of experience.

Expect and Welcome Failure

You won’t be perfect the whole time. You may fumble on a few words, say “um” by mistake, or worse, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get yourself back on track. Most people won’t even notice these things unless you respond to them negatively.

Instead of expecting perfection, welcome the idea that you will probably fail at some point along the way, at that is okay. It is what makes you human and relatable. The ability to move past these little mistakes and expect failure gives you the confidence you need to be successful.

Each person will provide a different answer. If you feel happy, fulfilled, and not overwhelmed, you are likely on the right path.

​
II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“If you can speak, you can influence. If you can influence, you can change lives”

• Rob Brown is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the films Finding Forrester, Coach Carter, Take the Lead, and The Express: The Ernie Davis Story, and for starring in the HBO series Treme. He was also cast in the NBC drama Blindspot as FBI Agent Edgar Reade.

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”

• Carl Frederick Buechner is an American writer, novelist, poet, autobiographer, essayist, preacher, and theologian. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister and the author of more than thirty published books.

Source: wikipedia.com/pinterest


III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

How do you deal with stage fright? Which is more important – Content or Delivery

Until next week,

Ruth and 
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

Whether we work for someone else or for ourselves, maintaining a healthy work-life balance should be a no-brainer. Is it though? (Global media company) Forbes hints that the term is a buzz, largely created by millennials. According to Forbes ‘work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work environment’ - fair call. Then there is another perspective (as with everything) - healthdirect.gov.au looking at it from the ‘life’ angle as ‘having harmony between the different aspects of your life’. Perhaps the ‘workaholic’ could take a leaf out of the millennial’s book, don’t you think? The more matured I become, I value a healthy harmony in my life much more. Sometimes easier said than done, however, awareness is a step in the right direction. Working too much can be like, say, having an extremely unhealthy eating practice. It’s always beneficial to do things in moderation rather than overdoing something to the point of ‘burnout’. I myself paid a hefty price for an unhealthy work/life balance at some point years ago. Working close to if not more than 18 hours a day on a big publishing project drove me straight to burn-out! Needless to say, I definitely do not want to go down that track again. My health suffered; I had little time for my family; hardly time for fitness regimes; exhausted all the time, to the point of falling asleep behind the wheel. 

It is absolutely timely and fabulous that changes are being implemented on a global scale, in order to improve the culture of work-life balance. We still have a way to go, but baby steps are steps in the right direction, too. Did you know that, according to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), the top 3 (of 10) countries with the best work-life balance are Netherlands, Denmark and France? AND then of course there are the 10 worst countries! Would you believe that Australia, USA and New Zealand are ranked 8, 9 and 10th amongst the latter?

"Having a healthy work-life balance is so desirable that many companies and organizations are now going out of their way to support it and show how they can help improve it. If you ask most people, this is the key to a happy life. Maintain a healthy work-life balance with the following suggestions.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Don’t Do More Than Expected

It might look good to your boss, but the only thing you are setting yourself up for is less personal time. Your boss will only start to expect this level of work. Be clear about expectations and only deliver precisely that.

Practice Saying “No” More

In other words, you must set boundaries. If you are already meeting expectations, say no unless you are looking for a promotion. However, keep in mind what you are sacrificing to get there. A healthy work-life balance doesn’t always mean your time will be shared equally; it all depends on how you feel.

Change Your Should-dos To Must-Dos

Often things like working out or eating healthy are things people classify as should-do, unlike your job or paying bills. However, you can easily change this mindset. Instead of saying, “I should be eating healthy,” tell yourself you must live a long life. Like you can’t skip work forever and still pay your bills. If you keep eating lousy food ten years from now, you won’t be able to get that time back.

Find A Job You Love

As the common phrase goes, “…if you do what you love, you won’t have to work anymore.” Thinking about it this way is one of the best ways to establish an outstanding work-life balance.

Don’t Expect Perfection

Every job will require creativity, compromise, and adjustments to establish the right work-life balance for you. You must be realistic and adjust depending on your goals. For example, if your career goal is to work for a Fortune 500 company, you will likely have to give up more of your free time to attend to business.

However, just because you give more time at work doesn’t mean you won’t feel like you have a good balance. Always take advantage of your free time, take small breaks, or integrate some of your personal life with business.

For example, going to coffee and lunch with your friends during breaks or asking to bring your spouse or kids to workdays. On the other hand, maybe working more is what makes you the happiest. In the end, a healthy work-life balance is all perspective.

Each person will provide a different answer. If you feel happy, fulfilled, and not overwhelmed, you are likely on the right path.


II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”

• Stephen Richards Covey was an American educator, author, businessman, and keynote speaker. His most popular book is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

“Invest in your work life balance. Time with friends and family is as important as times work. Getting that out of balance is a path toward unhappiness”

• Stephen Gillett is an American businessman, entrepreneur and technology leader. He is currently the Chief Operations Officer at Verily, formerly Google Life Sciences. He was chief executive officer of Chronicle Security, an Alphabet company born out of X, the moonshot factory and founded in 2016

Source: wikipedia.com/pinterest


III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

What do you think of when you’re falling asleep at night?
Do you enjoy the majority of your work?
How is your physical health?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com
​
P.S.
You are amazing!

Sometimes life gets crazy. You have deadlines to meet, mouths to feed, and bills to pay. All of which affect how you spend your time on any given day. But the ability to be mindful and live in the moment is key to long term happiness and life satisfaction. Add these six steps into as many life areas as possible to live in the moment more often.


I. IDEAS FROM ME

Step 1: Make the Commitment

The first step requires that you commit to integrate living in the moment in your life. This is an essential step to being accountable and doing the work required to accomplish it. Whatever “it” is. If you committed to doing it, then it needs to be a daily priority on your mind, by including it in your schedule.

Step 2: Accept What You Can and Cannot Control

In life, you will be faced with many situations which are not under your control and you can’t change. Don’t waste time struggling over issues you can’t change. Instead, recognize and focus on can control and change, such as your actions and your words. Breathe, take note of the things around you, and act based on what you can control.

Step 3: Avoid Distractions

After you commit to change, you need to identify things distract you and keep you from following through. Figure out when these moments happen the most, what may be causing them. This awareness can help you avoid distractions in the future. When your thoughts and attention drift to the past or future, acknowledge it, and refocus.

Step 4: Take Notice of Your Surroundings

When you distract yourself from the moment or notice yourself drifting away from the moment, immediately start describing your surroundings. What or who is around you? What are they doing? What are you doing? Find and identify recognizable things and then direct your attention to something that’s new or different. This can ground you while being open to new experiences.

Step 5: Take Notice of Your Emotions

Emotions can play a significant role in why you don’t live in the moment more often. If you experience pain or negativity from the people around you, it’s likely that you want to escape. Even remembering good memories of the past can distract you, if you relive them in the current moment. Take notice of your emotions. Later, examine how they affected what you thought and did when you were trying to live in the moment.

Step 6: Take Action

If obstacles or feelings get in your way, you must take action to resolve it. The actions can be taken now or later, depending on the solution. However, creating and using an action-based plan to solve the problem is imperative. Brainstorm several actions you can take to resolve each problem that distracts.

When you want to live in the moment, it's essential to be genuine and honest with yourself. The activities you are doing, your surroundings, and who you spend time with can all play a factor in why you are struggling to live in the moment.


II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”

- Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American political figure, diplomat and activist. She served as the First Lady of the United States from March 4, 1933, to April 12, 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four terms in office, making her the longest-serving First Lady of the United States.

“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”

- Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings

Source: goodreads.com/www.pbs.org


III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

Do you feel like you’ve lived the same day many times before?
Are you living the life of your dreams?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance

Careers Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers.
support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

​Courage is more than just having confidence or getting rid of fear. It's about doing what is needed despite the fear. Courage is an essential quality to develop if you want to build a successful career, business, and have a fabulous relationship with friends and family. Ready to get started? Here are ways you can begin finding the courage within yourself.


I. IDEAS FROM ME

Identify What Is Holding You Back

Ask yourself bold and honest questions to discover what is holding you back. Why do you feel like you need to find more courage? Are there people or situations causing you to be fearful? Is it your lack of skills or knowledge? What are your fears and why do you fear these things? When you can identify the exact cause, you can create a solution.

Experience More

Expand your comfort zone. What this means is you need to experience more life outside of things that you know. It’s normal to keep doing things that bring you joy or comfort. But the more you experience, the more you will understand other perspectives. Even if something seems scary on the surface, it's often only due to a lack of experience. When you challenge yourself, it will allow you to experience your strength and courage.

Learn Forgiveness

You must expect that you will fail or make a mistake at some point in your life. No one can get through life without it. Mistakes provide you with a chance to improve or discover new passions or hobbies. When you make a mistake, forgive yourself. Identify where you can improve but don’t harp or dwell on it without using the information to improve yourself.

What Advice Would You Give Friends?

Take a moment to put yourself in your friend's shoes. If they were to come to you about this concern, what advice would you give them? It is likely because you care for your friend so much you won’t see them as anything but courageous why be harsher with yourself? Keep this in mind anytime you don’t believe in yourself.

Play It Out and Practice

If certain events or situations prevent you from truly being yourself, a great way to get over this is to practice or play it out. For example, if you want more courage to ask your boss for a raise, act out the conversation you plan to have with your boss. Look at yourself in the mirror and practice assertive communication.

In the end, if you want to find more courage within yourself, you must act. Courage is no different than any other skill. If you ignore it or choose not to work on it, it will be harder to find and maintain.


II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.”

- Roy T. Bennett is the author of The Light in the Heart. He loves sharing positive thoughts and creative insight that has helped countless people to live a successful and fulfilling life. He hopes that his writing will help you become what you are capable of becoming.

“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.”

- August Wilson was an American playwright. He has been referred to as the "theater's poet of Black America". He is best known for a series of ten plays collectively called The Pittsburgh Cycle, which chronicle the experiences and heritage of the African-American community in the 20th century.

Source: goodreads.com/www.pbs.org
​

III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

Do you have what it takes to stand when others can’t or won’t? Can you say “NO” when you need to despite others prompting you to always say “YES”?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

It’s 3 A.M. again, and that marks the third restless night. Unfortunately, if this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Approximately one-third of people struggle with sleep problems, and about twenty-five percent of the American population experience insomnia.

The culprit? Research has many ideas, but two common factors always play some role or responsibility: diet and exercise.
​

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Alters Metabolism

Diet and exercise and your metabolism go hand in hand. If you adopt a proper exercise routine and diet, your metabolism will stabilize, leading to a balanced weight and better sleep. However, if you don’t, you can negatively alter it leading to increased weight. Increased weight can restrict airways, cause inflammation and stress on the body, affecting the way you sleep.

Heavy on the Digestive System

Big meals right before bed that are heavy in sugar, fats, and protein will affect your sleep and lead to poor digestion. This can lead to increased blood sugar, inflammation, blood pressure, and other alignments, making it difficult to fall asleep. A well-balanced diet keeps your blood sugars and flow balances and allows oxygen to flow throughout the body easily.

Stress and Depression

Diet can reduce or worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety that can, in turn, worsen symptoms of insomnia. Avoid foods high in sugar or fats to reduce inflammation. Inflammation is the primary factor for adverse health effects.

Shifts Your Circadian Rhythm

Research shows that changing your diet can reprogram your body’s clock or circadian rhythm. Poor sleep is often linked to obesity or metabolic diseases resulting from improper diet and exercise. Sleep deprivation also increases hormones telling you that you are hungry when you are not keeping the ugly cycle going and increasing or worsening obesity. Therefore, it’s crucial to adopt a healthy diet first when adjusting your sleep schedules. Reducing obesity is the first step to proper sleep.

Dehydration

A common yet easily overlooked culprit to lack of sleep is dehydration. An Improper diet full of sugar and salts can rid your body of needed hydration that leads to symptoms of dehydration such as irritability, fatigue, or insomnia. It dries out your mouth and nasal passages, making it difficult to get to sleep or be comfortable throughout the night. Dehydration can also lead to cramps, inflammation, and lack of oxygen.

Ask your nutritionist and doctor what exercise routine and diet plan are best for you if you suffer from sleep problems. Diet and exercise or lack thereof are likely to blame.


II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“Your body is malleable; you can sculpt it over time with daily habits of diet and exercise. The law of accommodation reminds us that the body may change slowly, but it will change.”

Dan Millman – American author and lecturer in the personal development field. He is best-known for the movie Peaceful Warrior, which is based on his own life and taken from one of his books.

“Dress loose, take a great deal of exercise, be particular about your diet and sleep sound enough, the body has great effect on the mind.”

Elizabeth Cady Stanton - was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-1800s.

Source: Wikipedia


III. A QUESTION FOR YOU

Do you think you are at your optimal health right now?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

It may seem your life is completely out of your control, and for the most part, it’s true. Many things are out of your ability to control; however, your attitude is the one thing you do have control of that, if displayed correctly, it can make your life just a little bit easier to deal with.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Attitude Is the Ultimate Secret to Success

You can have a great business idea, great products or services and still not receive profits due to poor service. To be successful, you need to have the right attitude. Think about the last time you purchased a product or paid for something. Was it a positive or negative interaction, and are you likely to do it again? This is precisely what happens when you communicate with others. You either leave them with a poor or positive impression that can alter your future or success.

Attitude Is Contagious and Reflective

Like laughter or seeing someone smile, a good attitude makes you want to do it too. When you have a positive or negative attitude towards someone, it can change their day instantly. Often negative attitudes can cause more damage as it results in negative emotions or pain. If you are hostile towards others, they are likely to reflect this behavior towards you. It was ultimately, you making your day more difficult due to your bad attitude.

Attitude Affects Your Self-Worth

A negative attitude can creep into your mind leading to low self-worth and a poor view of the world. Trusting your abilities and being confident in yourself no matter what is vital for leading a successful life.

A great technique to increase your self-worth is to practice words of affirmation. Each morning look into your eyes in a mirror and tell yourself things you love or like about yourself. Dig deep within yourself and believe every word you say. As you continue this practice daily, you will gain more confidence and find yourself taking on more challenges you never thought you could do.

Attitude Affects Your Happiness and Overall Health

Negativity is known to increase cortisol levels and other hormones responsible for stress, reducing happiness. Stress can lead to many illnesses over time if left untreated. Problems like general anxiety disorder, depression, and heart disease rise with more negativity.

Don’t let a negative attitude get in the way of your success. Smile more and inspire others to be positive, achieve goals, and make the world a better place.

II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you.” 

• Dale Carnegie – American writer and lecturer, and the developer of courses in self-improvement, salesmanship, corporate training, public speaking, and interpersonal skills.

“Whenever you’re in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude.”

• William James - an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the late nineteenth century, one of the most influential philosophers of the United States, and the "Father of American psychology

Source: Wikipedia / AZQuotes.com

III. A QUESTION FOR YOU

Why is attitude more important than intelligence?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

Leaders get things done and are responsible for the success of organizations, communities, and nations. Without proper leaders, the world would simply cease to exist or slowly crumble around you. Good leaders are crucial to influence or guide others and make crucial lifesaving decisions and keep things functioning.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

The following are six common characteristics that a good leader possesses:

Empathetic

Being empathetic means that you can feel others' pain or emotions without physically experiencing the situation or trauma itself. This is important leadership quality as it allows you to be open and transparent with communication. If you understand your employees' needs or situations, you can better relate and find ways to communicate effectively.

Mindful

Good leaders are mindful of others, their actions, and body language. You are a good leader if you understand the importance of proper body language and how it can affect those around you. You won’t see good leaders talk without permission or over others.

Respectful

Good leaders understand that respect is a two-way road. You cannot expect respect without offering it yourself. Successful leaders don’t use roles to communicate or control the room; It starts with respect.

Influential and Inspirational

Being a good leader isn’t about dictating to get important things done. It is about having the ability to inspire or influence another. This is best done by example. Show up to work on time, complete tasks on or before your deadlines, and offer tips, tricks, or advice that work for you instead of being demanding.

Confident and Committed

Having confidence in your abilities and being committed to the work or improving is essential. You cannot expect others to follow your lead or finish tasks on time if you don’t care about or are confident in your work.

Manifest Integrity

Being a leader means the result is up to you, and only you to get it done. That’s why good leaders must manifest integrity or honesty. Always committing to your morals is another way to inspire people to do the right thing. If you are always consistent in your action's others will want to be the same.

If you don’t possess these traits, it’s unlikely that you will be successful at leadership. However, it can be learned and trained just like any other skill. Learn to adapt and practice these traits to improve and become a better leader.

II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help others who are doing well to do even better. “

  Jim Rohn – American Entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker

“Remember the difference between a boss and a leader. A boss says, Go! A leader says, Let’s go!”

  ​George E.M. Kelly - twelfth pilot of the U.S. Army's Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps and the first member of  the U.S.

III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

How do you keep your team motivated despite conflicts and obstacles?
What makes you a bad leader and how do you plan to improve this?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Ask about how you can become a Performance Consultant at Life in Balance Careers. support@lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.

You are amazing!

If you have heard of the movie, The Secret, you have heard of the Law of Attraction, as well. The Law of Attraction is not something that simple comes your way; you have to put a little effort into, as well.
​
There are techniques that you can use in order to make the Law of Attraction work for you so that you can get what you want out of life – and not just this life – but also, your life.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Learn How to Meditate Using Creative Visualization

First and foremost, if you are interested in utilizing the Law of Attraction to its fullest potential, make sure that you begin each day with meditation. Meditation is important as it brings your focus toward what you desire and what you expect for that day.

Creative Visualization is a powerful tool in creating the feelings behind the desire. It is not enough to just meditate on something you wish to attract into your life, visualizing brings it to life.

Creative Visualization takes it one step further by incorporating the feelings you are feeling as you see yourself
* Receive the reward
* Get the love you desire
* Increase your financial status

As you embrace the feelings of joy and happiness, you will see that more joy and happiness will enter your life. Creating visualization makes this happen by using your emotions as triggers.

Learn the Art of Being Grateful

Being grateful means truly understanding how much we already do have without asking for anymore. When you are in a state of gratitude, so many more things to be grateful for come our way.

Take a look around you, there is so much to be grateful for, but you need to stand up and take notice. When you start to understand the simple blessing such as butterflies or flowers that envelope your life, you will feel more joy. Once you feel more joy, you will manifest more joyful events in your life.

Write Your Own Thoughts

If you really want to get the most out of the Law of Attraction, then you must consciously control your own thoughts on a daily basis. Sometimes you must control your thoughts on a moment-by-moment basis.

If you find yourself going into negative or self-sabotaging thoughts, you need to take responsibility in several ways.
* Think positively
* Concentrate on all that you are grateful for
* Give yourself positive affirmations

By creating your thoughts to show up as you wish, you create your life to show up as you wish, as well.

II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“The truth is that the universe has been answering you all of your life, but you cannot receive the answers unless you are awake.”

“The life of your dreams, everything you would love to be, do or have, has always been closer to you than you knew, because the power to everything you want is inside you.”

Australian television writer and producer. Her new thought book is based on the belief in the law of attraction “The Secret” with sequels, “The Power”, “The Magic and Hero”, as well as other books related to The Secret.

III. QUESTION FOR YOU

Are you living your best life?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Do you know anyone who wants to make a difference in the lives of others?
Ask me about my other programs and coaching services.
www.lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

While focusing on your strengths is a great way to get ahead in life, the truth is, analyzing your weaknesses, and then working on them by either improving your skill in that area or finding a way around the issue, can make you a much stronger person. Let’s look at all the ways you can become stronger by analyzing your weaknesses.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

More Doors Will Open
​
When you reach out to learn more about the areas that you’re weak in, it’s amazing the doors that will start opening as you stretch yourself. For example, if you tend to be late for meetings, this is a weakness that if you acknowledge to yourself and others, you can fix or manipulate in a way that won’t cause as many problems, thus opening more doors for you that you might have missed out on otherwise.

Overcome Your Fears

Sometimes when you think you’re not good at something, it’s really about a fear that you have. You may be fearful of success and afraid to take the next steps instead of really being unskilled in that area. For example, someone might use a fear of math to prevent them from going to college to become a teacher. The truth is, taking a step back and learning from the beginning can help you overcome that fear and bust through many blocks.

Be Happier with Yourself

When you’re not afraid of saying, “I can improve this,” it makes life a lot easier because you’ll be a lot happier with yourself. Instead of always saying “I can’t” do something you’ll be saying things like “how can” I do it even if I have a skill gap or a knowledge gap? That will make you feel a lot happier with yourself because it really is a big mindset change to accept a weakness so you can overcome it in some way than to avoid it.

Eliminate Imposter Syndrome

Many people suffer from imposter syndrome due to valid gaps in their skills and knowledge that cause them to struggle. If you ever feel like you’re missing something, it will help to reeducate yourself to eliminate that type of thinking.

Get More Done

If you allow something to fester because you don’t want to learn how to do it, or you really think you cannot do it, it will only get worse. It helps to realize that even if you identify a weakness that you really can’t learn on your own, you can find someone who can do it. You don’t learn brain surgery if you need to remove a tumor unless you’re a brain surgeon so accepting that you don’t have to do or know everything also helps you get more done because it opens up the possibility of outsourcing to bring in more skill and knowledge to your life.

Build Deeper Relationships

When you can be yourself, the good, the bad, and the ugly without apology, you simply are able to build deeper relationships. When you ask for help, provide help, and build each other up it makes everything better.

The truth is, by analyzing and acknowledging your weaknesses, you can make yourself a much stronger person because you know you’re not perfect, and it will enable you to be much more authentic. You will be less afraid of asking for help, and because of knowing that there are things you just don’t do well or don’t know enough about, you will surround yourself with people and technology that helps fill in the gaps thus making you even stronger.

II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

4 time All American Champion Lacrosse player for Philadelphia Barrage of Major League Lacrosse, Michael Springer on analyzing weakness:

“Sometimes the biggest strength can be found in how you understand and confront your greatest weaknesses.”

Austrian-American actor, businessman, former politician and professional body builder, Arnold Schwarzenegger on strength and weakness:

“Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strengths. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength.”

III. QUESTION FOR YOU

How do I make my weaknesses my strengths?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Do you know anyone who wants to make a difference in the lives of others?
Ask me about my other programs and coaching services.
www.lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!

One of the best ways to take control of your life, get more done, and be happier is to know what you want and how to get it. Setting boundaries in life is one of the ways that you can experience more success because you’re stopping things from getting in your way by claiming what you want.

I. IDEAS FROM ME

Know Yourself – Before you can make decisions about anything in life, you need to know who you are, what your morals, principles, and ideals are about life. Plus, you need to have an idea of how to achieve what you want.

Write a Life Mission Statement – To help you learn more about yourself, it can help to write a life mission statement. This statement can then be used to inform yourself about your values, morals, and principles

Define Your Feelings – One way that people start pressuring themselves to do things they don’t want to do that defy their boundaries is allowing feelings like resentment and discomfort to get in the way. Try to get comfortable with feeling these emotions for a short time because they really will vanish as you do the right thing for yourself.

Use Direct Language – When you do get asked to do something, or someone is somehow overstepping your boundaries, it’s okay to use direct language to claim your space again. Tell them why and don’t be shy about it. You can be kind in the telling even while being direct.

Learn from Your Experiences – The best thing about being human is that you can learn from every experience you have. Note how you feel when you stand up for yourself. Not how others treat you when you act with kindness yet set healthy boundaries. You’ll soon realize that what you’re doing is right for you and them.

Take Care of Yourself in All Ways – It’s a lot easier to make good decisions if you are also taking care of yourself, mind, body, and spirit. Self-care goes behind getting a massage or a facial. It’s all about how you take care of yourself in every single way.

Practice – Like any new skill, setting and claiming boundaries requires you to do it. The more you practice doing it, the easier it’ll become, and the more it’ll feel like you.

Get the Right Type of Help – If you are having issues setting boundaries and claiming them in a way that is working for you, a life coach might be able to help you.

Once you learn to set boundaries, it may take a little practice getting used to doing it, but once you do this one thing, you’re going to start getting more done and succeeding faster than you ever thought possible. Nothing will be able to stop you.

II. QUOTES FROM OTHERS

“Setting boundaries is a way of caring for myself. It doesn’t make me mean, selfish or uncaring (just) because I don’t do things your way. I care about me, too.“

• Christine Morgan - CEO of the National Mental Health Commission and National Suicide Prevention Adviser to Prime Minister, Scott Morrison (Australia)

“Your personal boundaries protect the inner core of your identity and your right to choices”.

• Gerard Manly Hopkins - was an English poet and Jesuit priest, whose posthumous fame established him among the leading Victorian poets.

III. QUESTIONS FOR YOU

• Can I identify my physical boundary needs?
• Can I accept my changing physical boundary needs without judgement?
• Do I feel comfortable communicating my physical boundary needs?

Until next week,

Ruth and
The team at Life in Balance Careers

Do you know anyone who wants to make a difference in the lives of others?
Ask me about my other programs and coaching services.
www.lifeinbalancecareers.com

P.S.
You are amazing!