How do you have the self confidence to change career?

As you know if you read this blog regularly, I held an amazing workshop recently called The Mind Map (see here for details).

The workshop was geared to helping people make a change in their life, maybe something they'd been considering for some time.  Well, during the workshop I asked the question 'is anyone here focussed on changing their career?'.

It was no surprise to me that more than half the room raised their hands at this question.  It's no surprise to me because most of the clients I work with want to focus on this.  Essentially most of us want to feel like we are getting up every day to do something we really love, instead of going through the motions.

The interesting thing was, that as we started to dig on the topic and began to look at the things people thought were holding them back, the issue of self-confidence came up again and again.

There are so many reasons why we often feel like we lack the confidence to make a shift like this, and that's exactly what I'm addressing in today's video.

Today I look at why we often feel this way, but more importantly I offer 2 strategic things you can do to start to overcome the feeling.

So without further ado...

What do you think?

If you feel you lack confidence in this area what small steps can you make to start being in action today?

I'd love for you to tell me in the comments below....I think it would be really helpful as others may also get ideas from from the things you share as well.

And don't forget, if you'd like to receive weekly behind the scenes updates, as well as this delivered to you weekly then please just CLICK HERE to be taken through to the sign up page for all things APE.

Hope you have a great week!

5 things you can do to leave a job you hate!...

Do you love your work?

Is it something you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life, or did you 'fall into it', or end up there?

We spend over 90,000 hours of our life at work, so if you're doing something you don't love, notice I didn't say like, then that's a long time to be unhappy.

I meet people every who don't love what they're doing for a living and they're ready to shake things up. Move on.  Move forward and stop compromising on happy.

The thing about shifting career, especially when you're older or have spent years qualifying and perfecting your skills in one area, is that often it's difficult to know what to do or where to start.  Moving on to a new career can seem daunting and overwhelming.

Well, fortunately if you relate to this, you're in the right place!  You see I've helped literally hundreds of people move out of a job they hate, into something that actually has them happy to get up in the morning.  This can look like a new career, role change or even working for yourself.

How you start this process is with 5 easy steps, that are both practical and easily do-able for anyone in this situation, and that's exactly what I'm sharing in today's video.

So, without further ado, just click on the video below to be taken through to this short video about your first 5 steps to making a change in your career.

I'd get a notebook and pen at the ready too.  You'll need it!

So, will you be starting this today?

I'd love to hear from you if you think you're going to start your own journey towards a career that you truly love.

Also, if you'd like some support on this journey, then please fill out the comment below, to be the first to find out about our new free closed Facebook group, for anyone who would like support in doing this.

I look forward to helping you and to seeing you next week!

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Is having an on-line business the only way to be successful today?

Do you ever feel like your social media news-feeds are littered with messages about living a lap-top lifestyle?

Does it feel to you like everyone is living their dream via an on-line business?  Like all roads to success seem to start with what you can do on-line to make money which will in turn free up more of your time to have beach holidays and travel the world.. allowing you to conduct your business anywhere from Bognor to Bali?

I've noticed this creeping into our psyches of late, and my clients have noticed it too, as many feel a distinct push to make everything they do accessible on-line even if it feels very much in conflict with what they feel they really want to do.

Well, first of all, this post isn't about poo-poohing the on-line world or on-line businesses by any means...in fact A.P.E is in part an on-line business!  Also, with over 3 billion people across the globe on-line, it certainly IS a great way to connect with people and to help more people with your knowledge and services.

Having an on-line business can indeed be a great way to live a life you want, and like I've said, can allow you to help far more people than you may have been able to do 20 years ago.  The problem with this however, isn't so much that this is possible, but more so the push for everyone to do it.  And if they haven't done it yet, to imply that an on-line business is the only way someone can be successful or happy.

This just isn't true.

 The fact is, is that not all jobs or careers are designed to be on-line.  What would we do without doctors and nurses caring for our sick?

What would we do without teachers in schools to teach our children?

What would we do without people to clean the streets, to work in cafes and to maintain our buildings?

Without people physically engaging in doing the work, working in real-time in all corners of our society, would it not be the case the society itself would suffer?

Though we don't look specifically at on-line businesses at APE, it inevitably crops up in discussions around change, as so many people wish to have businesses of their own.  It's also very much a part of the dialogue around finding your passion or your purpose.  Really thinking about what you're good at, and therefore how you wish to progress your ideas...in this case on-line or not?  Or maybe just how much?

Because this is a conversation that comes up again and again when looking at these things, I decided to rip the plaster off starting by what we do best here at APE, which is to have some fun with it first and foremost...and then consider the reality, ultimately addressing what it means for YOU.

So here we go...

What do you think?

It's certainly another risqué one this week, but nonetheless an important discussion to have.  I'd really love to know if this message means something to you.  Do you ever feel bombarded by this message and feel like you should be on-line.  Maybe you've already made the move, or maybe you're following a different path.  Please let us know below or do come over to the Facebook page to join in the discussion by clicking HERE.

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Until next week!

Why failure is an important part of your journey...

Failure has become a controversial word today.  It's a word avoided in polite society.

You haven't failed...you've merely had a learning experience.  We are all winners really.  There are no losers, we are all equally as good as one another.

I hear people saying this to each other in business settings, universities, in social situations and rather worryingly in school.  In fact we've discarded 1st, 2nd and 3rd badges for 'I'm a winner' badges for all instead...says it all really.

My question to you then, is what is actually wrong with failing?

Why are we as a society hell bent on avoiding failure?  What do we make failing mean about ourselves, who we are, and what we're capable of?

I'd say that how you relate to failing is very much dependent on, let's say the 'era you are from'.  You see when I was at school, oh so long ago, I certainly remember failing things and, though I'm not going to go into raptures about 'it didn't do me any harm' blah blah blah, I do think that we are missing a trick when we protect others, adults and children alike, from failing.

You see failing is often an amazing opportunity to discover what we are good at, what we are not so good at.  What we gravitate towards and what we feel we'd like to get better at, or never do again!

It's helps us to build our psychological resilience, allows us to develop other coping mechanisms and self-soothing strategies.  It can enhance our communication and problem solving skills and also allows us strengthen our grit, determination and gives us that undeniable fire in our belly!

My question then is to flip the original proposition on its head....where would we be without failure?  Did someone say 'snowflake generation?' ; ) 

Though we will discuss failure a lot more here at APE, in today's video I begin this dialogue about failure and look at how we need to revisit this word and take ownership of it.  I also discuss how we can learn to flip it on it's head to start too see things more positively...not in a defensive 'Oh, I've learnt so much' kinda way, but on a deeper level, so here we go...

I'd love to hear from you on this topic.  Is anyone brave enough to share a failure from their own life and then tell us something good that they feel has come from it?

Do comment below, or if you'd like to share something privately then do email me at serena@apemodelpsychology.com

Til next week!

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Find your purpose...4 things you can try to today!

Do you know what you are on this earth to do?  Why are you here?

What do you want your legacy to be?  What do you want people to think about you long after you have left this fine place?

It may sound a little morbid to some, but finding your purpose, what your gift to the world might be, can be deeply moving and deeply motivating.

It's certainly not something that everyone will consider.

In fact it seems to be that most people bob through life not really pondering the big stuff...but not those that APE Model Psychology!  In fact APE was born out of desire to rebel against the apathy that seems to be creeping into society.  The act of falling into one thing and then another, waiting for tragedy, illness or impending death to finally think..."did I do I what I was here to do?'....'did I really do what makes me happy?'..'did I make a difference?.

Some people have no trouble finding their why, their purpose.  They seem to have been born with the idea clear in their mind, and seem to be on a linear and fast-track trajectory to achieving said thing.  Then there are us who feel that deep niggling in their soul. The knowing that there is something bigger, something more important or fulfilling we should be doing, our lives feeling like trial and error on our path to achieving it, whatever it is?

It's been said that if you're struggling to find your purpose you need look no further than at the things that 'breaks your heart'...that is what you should be doing. That is where you should be.   But this doesn't always feel like a good fit, so in todays video I take a slightly different approach and give you a few things you can do to help you identify what your purpose might be, so here we go...

Will you be using any of these tips to find your purpose?

If you do, or indeed if you've had any experiences of your own that have helped you on your own journey then I'd love to hear from you. I'd also love to hear from you if you feel that your purpose is something others would like to hear about as we are looking for more inspirational stories to share with our APE followers, so please get in touch at serena@apemodelpsychology.com

In the meantime, if you'd like to have this delivered into your inbox every week with a little additional information about what's going on behind the scenes then please CICK HERE to sign up to find out first.

Until then, I hope you have a fantastic week!

Interview with APE client..Claire Lyons

Have you decided that 2018 is the year that you're going to make some big changes?

What is it you want to do?  Leave your job, start your business, write that book, lose weight or change your mind-set?

We often use the momentum at the beginning of a New Year and feelings of a fresh start to do things outside of our comfort zones, to try new things and to try and implement changes that we've wanted to for some time.

Well someone who did just that is Claire Lyons, who I've had the pleasure of interviewing for this week's blog post.

Claire is an ex-client and someone who I worked with at APE, helping Claire to make some big changes in her life.  When I met Claire she was working as a Mental Health professional, juggling multiple passions including writing, blogging and crafting not to mention looking after her 4, yes 4 children!

Though Claire, like most of my clients, is driven, accomplished and has many talents she can turn her hand to, she also had the insight that it would take an outside perspective and objective view to help her see things differently.  This she knew would  not only help her to actively move forward, but also challenge her and help her step outside of her comfort zone and help her ultimately make some changes she had been pondering for a while.

And that is exactly what she did!  Claire came to see me for 1:1 Psychology Coaching  and within a few months of working together Claire had left her job, and is now happily living a more balanced and fulfilled life being with her family but also running a business from home (or at least her lovely shed).  In this she focuses on helping other families to live an ethically-conscious life, while saving money.  Her business is called The Frugal Family..how perfect!

In this short interview, Claire tells you about her journey in her own words, about some of the difficulties in doing what she did, after all making big changes is not an easy thing to do, and how she came to achieve this with the help of our work together and input via the APE model.

So without further ado, may I introduce Claire...

I hope you found this interview interesting and that it's inspired you to go after your own dreams and pursue what you want to do this year.

If you'd like to find out more about Claire and her work and business then please check out her website at https://www.thefrugalfamily.co.uk

I'd also like to say as I do in the video, what a pleasure it's been to work with Claire. Working with anyone in this kind of process is a partnership, and it's through Claire's hard work and determination to work on herself that allowed change to happen (she was also incredibly organised!).

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If you'd like to know more about how I can help you 1:1 with making changes this year, then I offer very limited places for Coaching.  You can make an enquiry by filling out a contact form at the bottom of this page.

Please also watch out for many more client interviews to come as well as further information about how we can work together to help you make that change this year!

In the meantime do sign up if you’d like to get this delivered to your in-box every week. In this I also share a little more than I do here, and you’ll be the first to hear about all things going on behind the scenes here at APE.

Also if you’d like to keep the dialogue going then why not come on over to the APE Facebook page where I engage with people daily as well as answering questions.

Until next week!

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