Below are some points to explore: 

1. How to be more independent. When you leave your home and set off for a new country, you've taken a big step to become a more mature and fully developed person. Through your experience, you'll learn life skills, how to rely on yourself, and how to survive. It will teach you how to be street smart and think intelligently when you're in situations that are unfamiliar to you. You'll also learn practical skills, like how to budget your money effectively.

2. How to plan, and how to be flexible. Traveling teaches you how to deal with situations beyond your control. If you have plans that for whatever reason don't happen (because of rain, snow, flight delays or bring bitten by a wild animal), you'll learn how to let go, make the most of the situation, and have fun with whatever surprises are thrown your way.

3. That there is a lot more going on in the world than just what's going on in your life. Visiting foreign countries opens people's eyes to the vast gap between those who are wealthy and the not so wealthy that exist in the world. It teaches you to be thankful for what you have, it teaches you about the kindness of strangers. It might give you a whole new lease on life and inspire you to try to change the world to make it a better place. How are you supposed to understand and empathise with the world if you haven't experienced and discovered it for yourself?

4. Self confidence. If you can navigate new countries with foreign languages – even learn how to speak them yourself, learn new skills, deal with new customs and exotic foods, and survive the experience, you'll gain self-confidence. You'll realise how capable you are and how you have the potential to do anything!

5. How to be open-minded and welcome new experiences. It teaches you about other cultures. You learn about and appreciate the differences in how people think and how they live.

6. That the world is a truly beautiful place. Witnessing such awe-inspiring sights such as the Great Wall of China or the rainforests of Costa Rica makes you realise what a stunning world we live in. This in turn allows you to have greater appreciation for your own life and the world you have created around you.

7. If you have ever thought about taking some time out to explore or discover the world, then Chris Davies-Anipole specialises in working with people who would like to discover their options, and really work out whether it is a recommended step you need to take, to embark on your journey of discovery around the world.

If you don't want to go through the experience alone, a Life Coach like Chris, can help you along the way, keep you focussed and create awareness of your situation that you may not necessarily have previously considered.

To contact Chris email: [email protected].

In this current economic climate, all we keep hearing about is people being made redundant, we thought we’d had the recession and now it’s happening all over again – but what can we do to stay positive? 

The stages people go through are likened to bereavement.  At first individuals can be quite up-beat, working out how to spend the money, what sort of job they may look for, thinking about new opportunities.  Then reality kicks in and panic can take over, you can’t see your way forward, feeling worried, confused and depressed.  I guess it depends how long you’ve been in the same job and what your circumstances are.  Stages can be:

• Denial – “it hasn’t really happened to me”!
• Angry – “why has this happened to me”?
• Bargaining – “if only I’d done this/that I might have kept my job”.
• Depression – “I’ll never get a job, there is no hope” – excuses such as lack of skills, too few jobs, age etc.
• Acceptance – “this has happened and I need to look for another job”.  The need to take action. 

SO WHAT NOW?

There may be issues you need to address as a temporary measure,  but what do you want to do with your life now? 

Did you have a dream job before you got stuck into the 9-5 rat race? 

How could you achieve that now, what stopped you in the past, how can you take steps to achieving it?  Alternatively, have you thought of making a change recently but not taken steps towards it – now is your chance, what’s stopping you?

THE PRACTICAL STEPS YOU NEED TO TAKE?

• Stay positive – it really helps in this situation.
• Sort out your finances – make sure you keep payments going for essential items such as your mortgage/rent, council tax and fuel bills.  Cancel any payments that you don’t need to make, such as the gym, film subscription etc.
• Find out what benefits you are entitled to, and make a claim.
• Update your CV – find out how to make an impression with a good CV that will sell you.
• Update your skills – do you need to work on certain skills.  The job market is tough out there, and you need to equip yourself.
• Apply for jobs – regularly look in newspapers, jobsites, could you sign up with Agencies offering work in your field – who do you know? Get networking!

Other Options:

If it’s providing difficult to find work at the moment what are your other options:

• Re-train – could you go back to college or University?
• Find a part-time job/casual work to fund your education or temporarily until the job you want comes up.
• Do voluntary work to gain more skills and experience
• Consider self-employment as an option – find out how to go about this – there may be some funding in your area.
• You may consider an adult apprenticeship?
• Do you want to take an adult gap year – would redundancy give you the chance to do this?
• Would you consider re-locating to secure employment?
• There are different more flexible ways of working now – can you work at home on the internet using Skype, or the telephone?
• Find out what you need i.e. do you like to work alone, or be part of a team, do you want to work outdoors, or do you like to be home or office based, would you consider weekend work or do you like 9-5 Monday to Friday.
• You may consider plan A, and have a plan B should this not work out?

Find out what you what, and take steps to get there by looking at your goals, the barriers to where you want to be, and create an action plan of how you are going to get there in a step by step process. 

Go for it!

This article was written by Striding Out Coach Gill Tate. If you feel you can benefit from coaching contact Striding Out.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 0203 303 0468

Just like the Walkers and Coca Cola’s of this world we all have our own personal brand. It’s the way we market ourselves to the world and can single you out as an expert in your field. It is what other people think of us and although in some respects it is outside our control we do have some influence.  

We have both an “external” and “internal” brand.

External Brand

Our external brand is how we project ourselves to the world. We can decide on what to say or write or wear in order to convey a certain image and this image will influence what others think about us and therefore how they choose to react.

So for example if you drive a Porsche, dress in designer clothes and have an apartment in London’s Knightsbridge people may make certain assumptions about how much money you had.

The information we give out is crucial. The external image that reflects each and every one of us best is the one you believe who you really are.

So it’s being consistent every time we interact with people whether that’s face to face in the workplace, at home, with friends even the virtual image we project when using social media.

Internal Brand

Our internal brand is what we think about ourselves and is based around our values.

Values are who we are and why we do something. They are the building blocks of what really matters and affect what we do and how we do it.

Our key values are significant for personal and professional development

So a person may have a value around family and home life. If they were in a job that meant them being away from home a lot and away from their family its likely start to affect their levels of job satisfaction. Another person may have a value around making a difference so the job they were in, to be really satisfying would have to involve helping other people.

Our values come from different sources e.g. family, friends, and school and can change over time.

It is important to be really clear about our values. When we know what they are, make choices based on them and live our lives on them we achieve real fulfilment.

Working with a coach can help you really work out what your values and understand how you can live a life more aligned to them.

So remember your personal brand needs 4 things:-

-          Compelling to your market – Whether you are looking for that perfect job or working for yourself find out how you are actually perceived. Ask a variety of people not just yourself

-          Spend time exploring what it is about you that would be compelling to the company that you may like to work for or the market that you want to start your business in

-          Be authentic  - if you aren’t people will see right through you

-          Make you and your personal brand known to the audience you are targeting and then get into action and have fun.

Denise is a Striding Out coach working with individuals who want more from their life whether that is in their personal life or business. If you are looking for a new job, to change your career, start a business or develop the one you are and want to know more how coaching can please get in touch.

Email: [email protected]

So, here is the question: do you have a job, a career or a passion? Depending on your answer, your motivation will be completely different. And being aware of your wants and needs is the first step.

]]> [email protected] (Heather Wilkinson) Figure out your career Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:38:06 +0000 http://www.stridingout.co.uk/figure-out-your-career/ilm-level-2.html http://www.stridingout.co.uk/figure-out-your-career/ilm-level-2.html Award in Mentoring for Young Learners

The Focus

This course is focused on peer-to-peer mentoring, an ongoing relationship between people that helps to produce extraordinary results in their lives. Through adapting our communication styles we can change the way we support our peers - our family, friends, associates or colleagues, for the better on a daily basis. Through the process of mentoring each other, people deepen their learning, improve their performance and enhance their quality of life.

The course focuses on using practical coaching and training methods, combined with real-life exercises to develop your skills and competencies. The course supports you in developing an appreciation of:

Effective listening and questioning skills

How to give guidance effectively

Professional coaching tools and techniques

How to understand people better

How to get the best out of people

The course is separated in to three, one day sessions with at least a fortnight between each to enable participants to fully understand and apply their learning. Underpinning this will be one to one sessions with a coach to help you reflect on how to apply your knowledge effectively. The content will vary depending on the coaching experience of those within the session and, subject to completion of assessments, will lead to a recognised qualification.

As an ILM centre, Striding Out has grown and developed a range of courses from Business Enterprise, Leadership and Management, and Coaching and Mentoring. We have delivered training to individuals and organisations of varying sizes, ages and backgrounds with high success rates and praise from our awarding body for the work we are undertaking with our clients.

Boosted their skills and CV

Learnt more about themselves

Improved their communication skills

Learnt how to mentor others effectively

The ability to achieve more in life

Our public courses are open to anyone who either is, or aspires to be, a mentor. Our diverse range of trainers have the skills, experience and knowledge to work with individuals in a variety of settings to help develop their skills. All of our coaching skills courses are delivered by an International Coach Federation qualified coach

“The experience was rejuvenating, refreshing, and a once in a life time experience. The training was a joy to undertake and very rewarding to learn so much every step of the way, even things about yourself. I was inspired by my coach as she pushed me to aim higher helping me to achieve things I hadn’t ever imagined were possible. I am looking forward to helping other young people achieve their potential in the future.”

The role of a coach is to help a client evaluate where they are in their life and identify changes or personal goals they want to make and then support them through the process. The client profits by gaining motivation, direction and focus and is able to take control over one’s life. As a result, the client experiences improvement in their relationships with others, quality of life and overall fulfilment and happiness.

What is coaching?

“The ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

Coaching sees the client as the expert in his/her life and work and believes that every client is creative, resourceful, and whole.

Based on this, the coach's responsibility is to:

• Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve;
• Encourage client self-discovery;
• Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies; and
• Hold the client responsible and accountable.

Professional coaches provide an ongoing partnership designed to help clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Coaches help people improve their performances and enhance the quality of their lives.”

The benefits of coaching in the workplace:

The use of coaching has been common practice in the workplace for some time. Used commonly within large corporate companies and within executive environments. Recent changes in the economy and businesses have caused an increase in downsizing and restructuring in the workplace. For companies this has highlighted the issues employees face during this time of change and the potential benefits coaching can bring. Fear surrounding job security, high pressures to perform, and competition at work cause greater stress to employees. Companies have commonly used the services of Coaches to help their employees during this transition of change.

Coaches work with the employee to evaluate their career goals, discover motivational factors, and values. The employee gains the benefits of having direction and focus and the employer has a happier more productive and satisfied employee.

Understanding both one’s own motivational factors and those of your co-workers or employees can have a huge impact on how we work together and the results can increase job satisfaction and productivity. Managers can use coaches to understand how best to motivate and support their workers. The coach can help to be the middleman in the “employer-employee” relationship, acting as a “third party,” to improve relationships within the company, reduce stress in employees and increase productivity.

In the same way an employer has a performance review with an employee, to establish the employee’s progress, performance, goals at work, and achievements, people commonly use life coaching for personal development.

The benefits of coaching in personal development:

People often desire change in their lives but don’t know how to go about putting it into action. A coach can use effective structures and tools to guide clients through the journey and support them along the process.

Life coaching for personal development is about looking at a client’s future rather than assessing the past. It can bring opportunities to re- boot long lost desires and re-awaken dreams, bringing a refreshing new direction and purpose to a client’s life or old passions back to life.

]]> [email protected] (Heather Wilkinson) Figure out your career Mon, 28 Mar 2011 09:53:01 +0000 http://www.stridingout.co.uk/figure-out-your-career/the-seven-steps-to-success.html http://www.stridingout.co.uk/figure-out-your-career/the-seven-steps-to-success.html The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey sits on the bookshelves of many people around the world having sold over 20 million copies. The essence of the book shows how every person can reach their maximum potential. When people come to coaching for the very first time very often this is a new concept. They may be in a steady job, part way through a degree course or still in education and have accepted that this is the way it is. There maybe a nagging doubt that actually there must be more to life but often are not sure what that first step is. No matter what the dream coaching can help the individual to realise how much more they have inside to give.

So here are 7 tips to start you towards becoming even more effective than you already are.

Be proactive. Take responsibility for your choices and the consequences that follow. We all have choice even in the most desperate of situations. Working with a coach can really help you look at things from a different perspective and see choices that were maybe blocked.

Begin by thinking of the finishing line – Visualise what you want in your life. Begin each day, task, challenge with a clear vision of your desired destination.

Not doing everything is OK.  Prioritise your actions. Ask yourself is this working towards my goals? Ask yourself what you have to say “yes” to and “no” to in order to get where you are going.

Understand those around you. Listening is a great skill. When a person is really listened to they tend to return the favour which makes for great communication and understanding.

Encourage teamwork to get the most from people’s strengths. “No man is an island” and you will be able to achieve goals that you couldn’t have on your own. Don’t be afraid to ask.

Look after your wellbeing.  Make sure you eat well, relax and recharge the batteries.  You won’t achieve anything if you have worked yourself into exhaustion.

And finally add your own tip. What makes you highly effective? What would be your advice to others?  How much more is inside you?

This is written by Denise Chilton

Denise Chilton is a Striding Out Business, Career and Youth coach with a passion for helping people tap into their brilliance and getting the life they really want for themselves.

Digestion is defined as “the process by which food is converted into substances that can be absorbed and assimilated by the body”. It is also defined as “the assimilation of ideas or information; understanding” but this second definition leaves out a crucial step. Find out how to survive a life crisis and be succesful in all aspects of your life.

Transport Yourself to a Bigger Future

Congratulations you have faced your current reality and got your head out of the sand. Now, it’s time to create a bigger future. Here are suggestions on how to embrace your desired future and make it a reality.

As the job market gets tougher, many people will be looking at different directions for a new career. Moving into a new sector or choosing a completely new career may be an exciting option, especially if you are unhappy in your current job or have been made redundant.

Before making the leap, it is important that you choose the right job for you. A career skills assessment can help find out the ideal career and industry for you based on your skills and personality type. Although this is a good start, the test won’t give you all the answers. If you are planning to change directions completely, you will probably benefit from career coaching or guidance to help you explore your motivations and passions and ensure that your choice matches not only your skill set and personality, but also is in line with your future career aspirations and personal values. Read on to find out about two effective tools that can help.