Why self care will help you achieve more

Phew! What a couple of weeks it’s been. I recently had to take some time off for a medical procedure and it just ZAPPED my energy.

It’s something I had done a few years ago but back then I was still working in my corporate job. On that occasion, I didn’t take enough time off to recover. I kept checking my emails whilst in bed and fretted the entire time that my team would fall apart without me! (err just to be clear, they didn’t). I came back to work exhausted, stressed and unable to give 100%.

However this time around, I knew the drill. I knew that I needed to block a full week off. I auto-scheduled my marketing so that my biz would keep ticking over without me, and set the OOO on my email so that people knew when they could expect to hear back from me.

And the change in attitude wasn’t just because this time I was working for myself. It was also because I’ve made more room in my life for self care. I’ve realised that it’s not just a ‘nice to have’. It is actually an ESSENTIAL part of how I manage my energy so that I can perform at my best in my business.

There’s a saying: Self care isn’t selfish, it’s self preservation.

It allows you to give your best to your career, your loved ones, and yourself. But it also gets easily sidelined in our busy day to day lives. We put everything and everyone else first, and then wonder why we end up burned out and unhappy.

So make some time for self care this week. Schedule it in. Especially if you feel that your energy levels are flagging. Take 10mins every day to do something for you. When you are at your best, then you can give your best.

Chat to you soon,

Juliette

4 steps to overcoming your fear of visibility

I was chatting with one of my lovely clients the other day and she was struggling with something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She is building her amazing new business alongside her current job, has recently launched her website and then…. hmm. Crickets.

And so we discussed some ways that she could begin to spread the word about her new business and raise her visibility, and that’s where it became clear what her main struggle was:

How can I overcome my fear of being more visible?

Becoming more visible in your business can be a scary leap, especially if you’ve spent years in a corporate job where there was always a boss or team to hide behind. But the reality is that if you and your business aren’t visible to your potential customers, then you won’t have a business. It’s as simple as that.

Believe it or not, your customers want to connect with YOU and your story, and people are often attracted to brands where they get a sense of the real person and the journey behind them.

So if you don’t feel comfortable about promoting yourself, then how can you improve your confidence and visibility in your business, in a way that feels natural and authentic?

1. Work on your mindset. Becoming more visible can trigger all sorts of fears, confidence issues, ‘imposter syndrome’, feelings of self doubt and overwhelm. We work a lot on these issues in my Career Coaching Programme because if you don’t have the right mindset, then starting your business will be much harder than it needs to be (and if you’re asking yourself “Do I need to be an expert to start a business?” then read this blog post).

2. Make yourself accountable. If you’re an introvert like me, then you can probably find 100 excuses to avoid getting out in front of your audience! But finding an ‘accountability buddy’ and letting them know what you plan to do can make a huge difference. Set yourself some ‘visibility’ targets e.g go to a networking event, do a Facebook Live, send an email to your mailing list, post in a LinkedIn group etc, then schedule them in your diary and share your plans. It can make a huge difference if you ‘go public’ with your plans rather than keeping them to yourself.

3. Focus on being of service. If you’re struggling with sales and worrying about coming across as ‘pushy’ or ‘salesy’, then consider how it would feel if you approached your potential clients from a place of genuine service and desire to help them? That takes the focus off you and frees you up to do what you do best, which is to reach out and offer valuable solutions which will help people using your particular set of skills and strengths.

4. Give yourself time to build genuine 1:1 relationships. Just like in the ‘real world’, building relationships with your audience and potential clients will take time. So make an effort to show up regularly, be visible to them and engage in genuine conversations. Let them get to know you, ask them what they’re struggling with and build a connection. It will make running your business much more enjoyable and pay dividends in the long run.

So now over to you. Do you struggle with being more visible in your day job or in your business? What has helped you the most? I’d love to hear! And if you think this is holding you back in your career plans, then book a free 15min clarity call with me and let’s chat about how to address that.

How to thrive at work as an introvert

A couple of years ago I read Susan Cain’s bestselling book Quiet and I can say without exaggeration, that it completely changed my life. 

I finally understood why I found busy open plan offices exhausting, why high pressure ’brainstorming’ sessions just left me tongue-tied, and I felt worn out after lots of social interaction.

Introversion has been greatly misunderstood over the years and introverts are often labelled as being shy or unsociable, which is simply not the case. The main difference between extroverts and introverts is how they manage their energy. Extroverts feel energised when they are around lots of people, whilst introverts simply need more downtime on their own to recharge. 

Since learning more about introvert characteristics, I’ve met more and more coaching clients who also see those traits in themselves and are looking for ways to adapt their work lives and social lives to fit them better. 

Often career advice is geared towards extroverted personalities, such as constantly promoting yourself and speaking up in meetings. But if that doesn’t feel right for you, here are some suggestions for how to navigate the world of work whilst making the most of your valuable introverted traits:

1. Manage your energy. If you work in a busy, open plan office, then use your breaks to get some quiet time for yourself. I would often head outside at lunchtime to a local park or walk around the neighbourhood near my office in order to re-charge. This wasn’t about being unsociable or avoiding my colleagues, but knowing that I needed that downtime to gather my thoughts.  

2. Introverts are very focused and great problem solvers. They often come up with great creative ideas when they are given a chance to go away, process the information on their own and come back with solutions. On the spot ‘brainstorming’ meetings won’t allow you to shine, so ask if you can take a brief and then feed back to the project leader afterwards and present your ideas via email or in person.

3. Don’t overcommit. If you’re being asked to attend a work event or networking event, space it out so that you have some recuperation time the next day. Don’t fill up your diary just because you feel guilty or obliged to, because you’ll end up feeling overwhelmed and burned out. 

4. Consider working for yourself. Introverts are well suited to being self employed because you can work at your own pace, work independently and set your own deadlines. You can also choose who you work with, and how you work with them e.g remotely from your respective homes, or perhaps together in a co-working space but only two or three days a week. It’s entirely up to you!

Think you might be an introvert but you’re not 100% sure? Take Susan Cain’s free test and find out.

Want to have a chat about finding a career which is a perfect fit, whether you’re an introvert or extrovert? Then book your free 15min Clarity Call.