|
Welcome to all of you who have subscribed this month.
Contents
Part 1 - Welcome! [Back to Top] Part 1 - Welcome!Dear Partner of a Workaholic, Welcome to this our first newsletter written especially to support Partners of Workaholics. Firstly I’d like to wish you all a very happy, healthy, prosperous and fulfilled 2008 and thank you for signing up for the newsletter which is published on a monthly basis. Recovering Workaholics is a growing concern. We offer 1:1 coaching, and training to facilitate those who want a truly satisfying life. Understanding what drives us to work to the point where love, happiness and fulfillment are the poor relation is the first step to creating a life you truly love. We can help you work towards achieving your “dream” life. We also offer support for those who are facing retirement or who have recently retired or experienced redundancy who are finding it difficult to adjust to the change. If you know of anyone who would be interested in working with us please let us know by contacting us on gina@recoveringworkaholics.com For many people the New Year is a time when they take stock of their life. So many of us create goals or make New Year’s resolutions which are important to us at the time of making yet fall by the wayside and become a forgotten memory a few days later. Do you love your life? Think about it being 31st December 2008. Would you be happy if your life was still the same as it is now? Could it be even better – does it need a fundamental shift in priorities? If you want more out of your life, if you want things to be different the only person who has the power to make a difference – is you. To improve the quality of your life as a whole or a particular aspect of your life you need to make a choice. To choose to deal with the beliefs and behaviours which are currently underpinning the life you have now. To improve the quality of life there must be a commitment to take action to make things happen. Good intentions by themselves go nowhere. Sadly there are few fairy godmothers or sympathetic wizards to wave magic wands on our behalf. The articles in this month's newsletter focuses on how to create the conditions which make it easier to make lasting changes for us as an individual and within a partnership. Make 2008 the year when you take consistent action to make a positive difference to the quality of your own life and for those who share it with you.With best wishes, Gina Gardiner Recovering Workaholics [Back to Top] Part 2 - Ten Principles to Creating Lasting Change in Your LifeCreating lasting change is something many of us find difficult. If it was so easy none of us would need to lose weight, or keep smoking despite wanting to give it up, or continue to have disastrous relationships, or work too hard, or continue to make New Year’s resolutions which they fail to keep. How often have you decided you need to do something to change your life, go on a diet, meet more people, give up listening to that negative voice in your head or cut down on your work commitments to find yourself opening the biscuit barrel or booking another appointment almost immediately. How often do you find yourself thinking I’ve broken my resolution so I might as well have another..? Creating lasting change is so much easier if you stick to the principles outlined below. 1) Be clear about what you want to change and whyUnderstand what is going well in your life. What is it you want more of? What is it you hate about your life and want to change? What difference would the change make to your life if you achieved it? The most dramatic changes happen when “shoulds” become “musts”. 2) Believe it is possible to make the change.Think about other examples within your life of how you have succeeded in changing. Many of the changes seemed impossible – yet you did it. 3) Set clear, specific goals.The more specific you are about what it is you want to do the easier it is to plan how to do it and to measure your success once you have achieved it. 4) Imagine Your Success is a reality.Imagine yourself at a time in the future when you have succeeded in making the change. How is it different? How do you feel about the fact you have succeeded? Remember nothing succeeds like success. Use your imagined success to help you believe you can make this future change. 5) You get what you focus on.If you want a brilliant relationship but you only focus on work or financial success you are far less likely to achieve a brilliant relationship. Set aside time and energy to make the things you really want to happen. 6) Take actionThings will not change unless you make the decision to do things differently. Many of us do the single grand gesture and then loose interest. It is the small actions taken consistently which make a sustained difference. 7) Ask for helpWe have no hesitation in calling for a car mechanic or heating engineer when we want to sort our car or our heating out yet when we want to make fundamental changes to our lives we try to do it alone. Work with a coach, a personal trainer or mentor. They can help you clarify your thinking, set goals, plan how to achieve them and hold you accountable for the choices you make. If you think it too expensive - think of the cost to the quality of your life of not achieving your desired outcome. 8) Surround yourself with positive peopleIf you want to give up something, drinking, smoking perhaps you will find it easier to spend time with people who do not smoke or drink heavily. If you want to do something seek those who do it already and model their behaviours. 9) Maintain the paceWhat action can you take today to start your journey to success? Remember even the longest journeys start with the first step. Where do you want to be in 4 weeks time, in three months, by the end of the year? Set milestones so you can measure your progress. Make them achievable but with a level of challenge. If you experience a set back recalibrate your milestones rather than give up. 10) Celebrate your successCelebrate each small victory. Create celebrations which support rather than work against your goal. Positive reinforcement is a powerful motivator. Consider your life. What can you do to make a lasting change in your life?You might find it useful to work with a coach on some of these issues. If you would like a free 30 minute coaching session to explore how you could improve the relationship you have with yourself contact me on gina@recoveringworkaholics.com Your feedback is greatly appreciated. If there are any topics you would like covered in future issues please let me know on gina@recoveringworkaholics.com or complete the feeedback form at www.recoveringworkaholics.com/enquiryform.php. What do you think? Warmest wishes, For any further information about Recovering Workaholics
or to discuss your coaching needs contact Gina Gardiner, recognised by "Investors In People" as creating an "innovative and exemplary training programme for emerging and middle managers" and by Ofsted as an “inspirational leader”. Her experience includes that of “Change Management” and in supporting organisational leaders in developing strategic vision and creating a “can do” culture. If you aren't a subscriber already, please sign up to receive the next issue of the free monthly Recovering Workaholics newsletter at www.recoveringworkaholics.com/freemonthlynewsletter.php. You may copy or distribute this newsletter, provided
that full credit is given and copyright information
is included. |