This post is in collaboration with Bloom & Wild, my favorite flower delivery service because their letterbox flowers are the perfect gift for any working lady who deserves flowers.
From now through International Women’s Day on 8 March, Bloom & Wild will be donating 10% of sales of the March pick, Cabana bouquet to Smart Works, a charity that helps disadvantaged women get back on their feet through interview preparation and dressing sessions. One of two women they help get the job and then can come back for 5 more outfits to start their first month at work before their first paycheck.
Hi, I’m Supal and I have a Type A personality. I’m very career driven, focused, energized and always looking to multitask. My whole motto is GSD, get sh*t done, and I always lived with that mentality until last year in autumn.
I was going through a significant change as to what purpose I wanted to have in life, what I wanted to achieve and what type of legacy I wanted to create. We talked about my end of 2017 burnt out, but it was far more significant than we actually think it is. I wasn’t planning on changing directions completely, but I did plan on expanding my current projects. And with that, I felt consumed by everything I was thinking and planning. One thing I was advised to do by my superiors was to meet with an executive coach who would be able to guide my thoughts to be more productive. So, with the support of Bloom & Wild, I am sharing what I learned from career coaching sessions…
We all have strengths and weaknesses
I came into these career coaching sessions with the mentality that I shouldn’t have weaknesses and this was the first time I was experiencing them. The truth is that we all should have weaknesses and acknowledging them help us identify challenges, overcome obstacles and become more aware of our strengths.
Love yourself with all your heart
Okay, a bit about me before we dive into this. I just don’t do meditative stuff at all and this part of my session was really hard for me to grip. I always just assumed that I loved myself, but when I was asked to practice telling myself “I love you” whilst looking at my reflection in the mirror followed by doing 3 acts of kindness for myself, I quickly recognized the neglect. What does this have to do with productivity? How I treated myself would give me the mental tools to acknowledge the incredible strides I was taking to achieve my goals.
Speak with clarity and with a purpose
Within the first few sessions, my coach enabled me to see the other side of the coin {all my acknowledging my weaknesses and affirming self-love}. Of course I was driven, energetic and ambitious, but I was also reactive, impatient and very transactional. I wasn’t telling myself what I really wanted, what I really wanted to achieve, and what I really think I can grow… After racking my head, I was able to come up with a statement that is quantitive, methodical and results-driven. From there, it is about speaking it into the universe and letting law of attraction {actually, a motivating force} take its course.
Focus on what you want rather than how you feel
To go hand-in-hand with the exercise above, I needed to practice ‘stillness of the mind, clarify of the thought and elucidate the vision.’ My coach explain how the mind can be a fierce ocean of thoughts as emotional tides are exhausting. When the waters calm, you can think deep. In the office, before I start work, I always take 5 minutes to myself before diving in. I close my eyes, rid of any thought or idea, and just let the sail take control.
The paperwork is key
If you’re anything like me, I always need to write something down. To visualize helps you be accountable for what you want to achieve. For me, that was drafting invoices, creating a bank register of payments going out and coming in and to set a budget. To be completely frank, the paperwork eventually incorporated affirmations for myself and the work I was doing.
The few months that I took this journey through career coaching sessions, it was eye opening to see how much guidance I needed. Sending a Cabana bouquet from Bloom & Wild to a woman who inspires you will enable Smart Works to empower women to do just that: guide & persevere.
Have you considered career coaching?
