The perfectionist puncture!

Posted on Categories Blog, Life skills, Perspective

You may have heard me talk about high standards before. That high standards AND fun is a possible combination. Here’s an important distinction: high standards have NOTHING to do with perfectionism. You can’t be a perfectionist and have fun. Happiness and perfectionism don’t go hand in hand. If you’re proudly presenting yourself as a perfectionist, it may be best to stop reading right now. If it’s working for you, don’t change it, rock on! IF for some crazy reason you have realised it may be about time to let go of some of that perfectionism – keep reading. In business and life, high standards are amazing, they keep you, the team, the clients, the family and everybody else on their toes. But most often, there is no added value continuing the trajectory from high standards to perfectionism. Most often, it detracts value instead. If you’re right now wondering: what is she talking about? I let myself down constantly, there is just one broken promise after the other. Then your focus for the next month is simple: pick one daily standard to get you started and stick to it. The simple example is “I need to exercise more”. If you then … More The perfectionist puncture! »

What’s the point?

Posted on Categories Blog, Health, Perspective

Feeling flat. Like the battery has gone to red and then empty. Needing to pull the plug. Running on an empty tank. All of these sayings may ring true for you right now. Or for someone you know, someone in your team, in your circles. This is NOT the time to ask the big questions: what’s the point? Who do I think I am? Am I really in the right job? Should we forget all about that strategy? Or big statements like “that’s it, finally it’s clear to all that we’ve been faking it” or whatever your version of fraud, imposter or wanna-be is. There is only one way if you pull out those questions and statements at that moment: further down the rabbit hole. This is NOT the time for drastic decisions.  Instead, do what’s not natural to a lot of us. Accept a little pause. Accept that the battery needs recharging. Don’t make it a bigger deal than that. Take the pressure off just for a moment. It is what it is. Make that the point right now. Nothing bigger, nothing smaller. Simply accepting. Aaaaaaah, that’s a much better rabbit hole. Rabbit holes aren’t ideal for great decisions. … More What’s the point? »

From wonky to wonderful

Posted on Categories Blog, Inspiration, Sales

Symmetry is pleasing to the eye. They say “officially beautiful people” are perceived so because of their clean symmetry. It’s not a specific nose or cheekbone that does the job, it’s the overall symmetry. Draw an imaginary line down the middle of their face and the sides match up. Well, most of us are a bit wonky, my left eye much bigger than the right and so on. But look at nature, at how much symmetry we find. I was at the local creek, marvelling at the many mirroring images of trees, cliffs and clouds on the water surface and realised how meaningful reflection is. Reflecting on things. Being able to mirror ourselves in others. The void some of us have felt recently getting used to new ways of seeing each other and being seen. The refreshing part of seeing things from a different perspective. As a coach, a lot of our clients’ successes are because we help them get a different perspective. See things a new way. Challenge the old, stuck ways of doing, saying, thinking, being. We help to move towards balance. Where the outside image is connected with the inner picture. Us as leaders. Our clients’ view … More From wonky to wonderful »

What are you doing??

Posted on Categories Blog, Inspiration, Life skills, work-life balance

Nothing. Is that allowed? Is it socially acceptable? Is it possible for a busy business owner? Don’t care. Don’t care. And yes, are my answers to these 3 questions. Today I’m doing nothing. It’s a rainy day in Sydney and the Northern Hemisphere has moved to wintertime, the end of daylight saving. In many ways a perfect day to do nothing. Yet, it comes with nearly shame and guilt for us humans, if we do nothing. We feel we have to be seen running, saying we’re busy, ticking off boxes, getting stuff done. Fair enough, that’s what we do a lot of our time, a lot of our days. But have you tried truly doing nothing? At home? Not having to take a holiday overseas and lay on a beach to allow yourself the little break. If not, today may be a perfect time. Here’s the beauty: the more efficient we become with our active time, the more fruitful we are, the more focused and decisive – the more we can relax as well. Being either fully on or fully off. Drop that in-between-mode of looking like you’re busy, but not really getting a lot done because the voices in … More What are you doing?? »

Prioritising the good stuff??

Posted on Categories Blog, Leadership, Perspective

When did you last carve out time to thank someone, tell them they’re doing a great job or how they’re helping you? Strangely enough, as human beings, business owners and leaders we prioritise follow-up calls, reviews and meetings to tell the mistakes being made, things that are not yet working as it should, policing or notifying suppliers, staff and clients of shortcomings. How weird is that? Here’s a crazy idea: prioritise your to-do list and meetings differently the next week! Put first the actions of appreciation, a short thank you call or message, praise of a staff member for how what they did impacts you and the business – thank one of your clients for being an awesome client?!! Give time and focus to what you want more of. I did it earlier this week without thinking and realised how different it sets up your day. Puts a smile on someone else’s face – and get you focused on helping create more of that good stuff. Do you want to join me in this experiment? Let’s get really curious about when we ourselves think it’s much more important to be bossy and correcting – and what it would mean if … More Prioritising the good stuff?? »

Tiny top-ups or chunky change?

Posted on Categories Blog, Impact, Perspective

Sometimes, we need to empty the tank fully before it makes sense to fill it up. Yep, I’m talking about the petrol tank on our car, our mobile phone battery, our own energy and our business projects. Do you recognise any of these “tiny-top-up” patterns? – just putting 20 litres in the tank because the “the price is so high this week” – plugging in the phone for 10 minutes for a bit of juice before running out the door – closing the door to the bathroom for 5 min to have a bit of space before rushing to the next thing – getting the team to work on the 20 projects that all need work right now It’s ok in the short run with top-ups, but in the long run it will keep your mind constantly aware that “I need to fill up again soon – what’s the petrol price doing…??”. Every open project and thought is adding another open loop to the 20 loops already running in your mind. This is what causes overwhelm. For us and our teams. In your business, where are you and the team doing “the little things” – simply because tackling the bigger … More Tiny top-ups or chunky change? »

Nature rocks!

Posted on Categories Blog, Impact, Perspective

I love a good model. And when it’s inspired by nature it’s an added bonus. Half a year ago I used the Create-Maintain-Destruct model with all my clients, and it’s overdue to be dusted off again. Lots of reactions from business owners and individuals are telling me that the dust is settling from the last half-year. A business audit and a mental spring clean could be timely and make good business sense. The Create-Maintain-Destruct model creates the framework for your audit. Take your business offer and processes through it – as well as your staff, clients, suppliers and your own leadership. How? Create a matrix with Create, Maintain and Destruct as the column headings and the categories mentioned above as the rows (clients, staff, offer etc). Now for each row, list what and who is worth Maintaining (or restoring), what it is time to Destruct, stop doing or challenge – and which new things you would like to Create, be it through new staff members, new clients or new ideas that are jumping at the bid to add value. Align it with the long-term vision of your business – and make it clear to yourself who YOU need to be … More Nature rocks! »

Let go of everything you knew worked

Posted on Categories Blog, Impact, Perspective

This may sound scary. It definitely scared me. But I did it anyway, and great clarity and focus came from it. I thought it may inspire some of you, too. “What if I let go of everything I knew used to work??” So many of us are getting to a point right now where we are realising that parts of our businesses or lives never will get back to exactly how it was. We may have been patient, accepting, lucky, or whatever the last half-year, but now you can’t keep pretending that “all will be back to normal” anymore. “New normal” may not be as attractive to you, your business, or your deeper, inner knowing as “old normal” was. If this is resonating, it may be a good idea to ask yourself the question I put at the start. Letting go. Fully. To allow yourself to start fresh. With a new piece of paper. A new canvas. A new business plan. A new road map. Based on what IS, not on what could have been. This won’t be easy, there may be even levels of grief as you do this work. But it will be worth it, giving you a … More Let go of everything you knew worked »

The beauty of repetition

Posted on Categories Blog, Impact, Perspective

Have you recently thought of the quality of the things we repeat? “How we do one thing is how we do everything”. “It all adds up”….. and I could keep going. What are your examples of routines or people that are recurring in your business and life? Because we both work from home, I realised how we spend more time in the vicinity of our fortnightly cleaner than with some of our friends. This week I took the decision to change cleaner. Not easy after 6 years, but it was time. Having looked after our oldest daughter’s 3-legged bunny since she moved back to Denmark, I yesterday realised how feeding Twix and chatting to her every second day would have added up to over 300 encounters while I’ve been ‘on duty’. That’s more times than I’ve been in the shops connecting with my local community – as I try keeping that to 1-2 times a week. Do you kiss your partner every day? Even if you’re not young and madly in teenager-love anymore? Depending on your answer that’s 365 kisses or maybe none the last year. If it’s a no, I’ve had more kinaesthetic connection with our 3-legged bunny the … More The beauty of repetition »

Smooth sailing

Posted on Categories Blog, Leadership, Perspective

Beautiful weather today. Taking the time to enjoy it. Allowing smooth sailing. How often do we miss that opportunity? The better educated, the smarter you are, the bigger the risk that you can ALWAYS find something that could be done better. Something that could be improved. Something that you or others are not doing to the optimal level yet. It’s great to have a drive and in most instances, a laser-sharp perception that notices everything, is a gift to have. Then the only thing we need to teach ourselves or remind ourselves is to let go now and then. Smell the roses, enjoy what it. Take a day out, not ticking things off lists, not improving anything. Just being. We could have considerably more smoother sailing in our lives and businesses than we allow ourselves. Basic mindset techniques are brilliant to learn and apply, and one of the core ones is that what you focus on, you get more of. And because we’re so ABLE to fix problems, we focus on them and get a kick out of solving them. While simultaneously, a lot of smooth sailing was available to us in that same moment. But we didn’t look that … More Smooth sailing »