Clever Coaching - Workplace Wellbeing

You can't beat clean living and purposeful work!

What's the first step towards wellbeing, peak performance, and achieving our desires? I used to often go through dark days and the images that would go through my mind on how to escape it all were as dark as it gets. I had accepted that it was just part of life. Now, I can’t recognise that person. Lately, my dominant state is joy and it just keeps growing. I travelled to Berlin again recently to help employees develop their self awareness for enhanced wellbeing. Self awareness and the five steps in this post were pivotal in turning my dark days to joyful days. Studies demonstrate that individuals with higher levels of self-awareness experience lower levels of stress, greater emotional regulation, and improved overall wellbeing. One study even found it to be the number one predictor of leadership success! But how can we harness it in our own lives? 1. Mindfulness Practices: Engage in mindfulness meditation or other contemplative practices to cultivate present-moment awareness. Mindfulness rewires and even grows the parts of our brains responsible for increased self-awareness and emotional resilience. 2. Journaling: Dedicate time for reflective journaling, where you can explore your thoughts, emotions, and patterns of behaviour. Studies have shown that journaling can enhance self-awareness by providing insights into our inner workings. 3. Seek Feedback: Actively seek feedback from others to gain different perspectives on your strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots. Vulnerability is key here. When we ask for feedback, we must be willing to hear the answers. Feedback is essential for developing self-awareness and improving performance. 4. Self-Reflection: Set aside regular time for self-reflection, allowing yourself to introspect on your experiences, values, and goals. Studies suggest that self-reflection fosters greater self-awareness and personal growth. 5. Letting Go: When we become aware of unhelpful thoughts and emotions, we may automatically repress or react. Neither of these approaches are helpful. When we accept and let go of unhelpful resistance, instead of fighting or resisting reality, we achieve inner peace, happiness and mental clarity. From this place, we can decide what to do about the situation. With that, we respond to the situation, rather than reacting. By incorporating these evidence-based strategies into our daily lives, we can tap into the transformative power of self-awareness. Let's embrace this journey of self-discovery and unlock our full potential. What step would you add to enhance self-awareness? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for the opportunity in Berlin, Zevo Health. If you found this helpful, please give a like and follow. #clevercoaching #SelfAwareness #Wellbeing #Performance #happiness #wellbeing #wellness #hr #humanresources #hrm #wellbeingatwork #coaching #success

Replace self-criticism with self-compassion and self-love and see what happens. Your life will transform in every way. Just like we don’t need to berate the white lines on the road in order to use them for guidance when steering our car, we don’t need to beat ourselves up about our mistakes to learn from them. Like the white lines on the road, our mistakes can be used to guide us. No self criticism is needed. We can be astute and discerning without taking things personally. Criticising ourselves will deplete us of the dopamine needed for motivation to take action. Dangerously, the more we criticise ourselves, the more we build an unhelpful identity around our criticisms. In other words, by dwelling on our failures, we can see ourselves as a failure. Believe me, I’ve been there. Those were dark days. Even my memories of those days are darker in colour than what I see around me now. The dark cloud was more than just a metaphor. As someone who is conditioned towards self criticism, I still have lots of work to do on letting go. The more I let go, the more things just seem to flow. This doesn’t mean letting ourselves “off-the-hook” or continually seeking comfort. When we love ourselves, we don’t need to self soothe as much. And the only thing getting in the way of self love, is believing our self-critical thoughts. This cannot be under emphasised: The ONLY thing getting in the way of your self love is believing and identifying with your unhelpful thoughts. Therefore, don’t believe everything you think! When we lead with self compassion and self love, we gain the energy and resourcefulness needed to take on any challenge. We create the energy and identity of a healthy and purposeful person. It’s easier to exercise or work on meaningful tasks as we don't have as much inner resistance. Meaningful tasks are often difficult to complete and require self love to be at our best. Sure, there will still be times when we still need to tell ourselves to “just f*cking do it”. But even those words can and should be said with self compassion and levity. For the most part, though, we will operate with inner freedom and inspiration. Try it and let me know what you think in the comments below. Your relationships, health and career will blossom. Follow for more content on wellbeing, positive psychology and workplace psychology. #clevercoaching #health #fitness #coaching #success #wellbeing #wellness #wellbeingatwork #wellnessatwork #hr #humanresources #hrm #relationships

We can only ever be our authentic selves if we're willing to be vulnerable. Otherwise, we're playing a character and this is detrimental for our wellbeing, success and relationships. In a world that often encourages us to wear masks, it's crucial to recognise the power of vulnerability. Authenticity is not just a personal virtue but a catalyst for success in the workplace. 💡 Why vulnerability at work? Being open about our thoughts, fears, and challenges fosters a culture of trust and innovation. When we bring our true selves to the table, it not only creates a more supportive work environment but also unlocks opportunities for collaboration and creativity. 🌱 How to cultivate vulnerability in the workplace: 1. Open Communication: Encourage open dialogues where team members can share their perspectives without fear of judgment. 2. Lead by Example: As leaders, showcasing vulnerability sets the tone for the entire team to feel comfortable expressing themselves. 3. Acknowledge Mistakes: Embrace the learning that comes with failures. Admitting mistakes humanises us and builds stronger connections. 🚀 Benefits of workplace vulnerability: 1. Stronger Connections: Genuine interactions build trust and strengthen professional relationships. 2. Innovation: A culture of vulnerability encourages diverse ideas and out-of-the-box thinking. 3. Employee Wellbeing: Feeling accepted at work positively impacts mental health and overall job satisfaction. ❌ Consequences of avoiding vulnerability: 1. Stagnant Growth: Suppressing true feelings and thoughts hinders personal and professional development. 2. Unhealthy Culture: A lack of openness may lead to a toxic work environment, hampering collaboration. 3. Missed Opportunities: Closed-off communication can result in missed chances for innovation and problem-solving. Let's challenge the norm and embrace vulnerability. Together, we can create workplaces that thrive on authenticity, leading to personal fulfilment, professional success, and meaningful connections. #clevercoaching #coaching #Vulnerability #success #wellbeing #wellness #wellbeingatwork #wellnessatwork #hr #humanresources #hrm #relationships

For an immediate tension release, repeat after me: HAAAAAHHHHHHH (sigh).... F*CK IT! Today, I benefited from this profound ancient practice of sighing and swearing and want to share it with you :) I don't know if this needs any explanation but here's a short one nonetheless. Sighing serves as a natural mechanism to regulate emotional and physiological states, helping to release tension and promote a sense of relief. Plus, swearing can serve as a cathartic release of emotions and stress. Swearing is even proven to lower physical pain. Therefore, science backs it up. Play around with words to have fun with it. I often use the word "feck" as it's lighthearted and can help you find humour in even difficult events (the humour is generally there if you seek it). Sometimes we just need a release to get back into the flow of life. Feel free to state the words internally when in public. It still works! Repeat as many times as necessary! Does this work for you? Let me know what you think in the chat. #clevercoaching #coaching #hr #humanresources #hrm #leadership #happiness #wellbeing #wellness #humour

I'm back in Amsterdam training and coaching employees on wellbeing, positive psychology and self-care. An interesting insight that came up is: To hold onto a romantic relationship, we have to be willing to walk away. I found further insights from this that can be applied to succeed in relationships, life and work. It struck me that if we want to achieve anything meaningful, we must find peace with the opposite of what we want. If someone tramples over our values and boundaries, we lose respect for ourselves and they lose respect for us if we're not willing to have a difficult conversation about it. Essentially, the relationship is doomed for misery and failure, even if it somehow lasts. If we have a difficult conversation about it and they're willing to hear us out and work with us, great. We have learned and grown together from the experience. If they're not willing to respect your boundaries and values, then why would you want to stay. Often, it's the fear of being alone. If we're not comfortable with being alone, we'll settle for something that isn't worthy of us. If we're not willing to walk away, we'll settle. Of course, the opposite is true, too. If we're not willing to work hard at the relationship and make it work, we'll go from relationship to relationship and it will be fun at the start but will also be doomed to fail soon afterwards. It's only through commitment and working through struggles that something deep and meaningful can be created. To achieve anything meaningful, we must find peace with the opposite of it. To succeed at work, we must be willing to fail. To find love, we must be open to heartbreak. To get physically strong, we first have to be willing to sweat and appear weak by lifting manageable weights. But we have to be willing to fail over and over. Consistency, dedication and grit are required to create something truly meaningful. Defining a meaningful purpose will help us to persevere during those times. In a relationship, a team or a business, a common or collective purpose is required to keep us all on track and aligned. If people are not aligned with this purpose, are they really 'on our team'. Generally, it's not as black and white as this and clear communication and a willingness to collaborate are required to overcome issues. However, sometimes it is this clear. In these instances, trust yourself. You have the answers within. Listen to them. If this resonates, I'd like to hear from you in the comments. I'd also love to hear from you if you disagree with any of this. If you found this helpful, please give it a like. Thank you for the opportunity in Amsterdam Zevo Health. Have a wonderful day! #clevercoaching #coaching #purpose #meaning #wellbeing #wellness #wellbeingatwork #wellnessatwork #coaching #hr #humanresources #hrm #leadership #leaders

How to live a life of purpose for longevity, fulfilment, and success. I'm very proud to have the wonderful Judith Spring on our team at Clever Coaching. Judith shows us how to identify and use our values and purpose to create meaning in our working lives. "Think of a ‘highpoint moment’ in your work life last year – an initiative or time you were most alive, effective, engaged…… a time you felt a sense of pride. A time when everything felt aligned. Reflect on what you were doing, what you were feeling and what is it that makes this so memorable." From this exercise, we can identify our core values. We can identify our purpose by asking the following: - What you love to do - What you're good at - What the world needs - What you can get paid for Pool all this information together to identify your purpose. This is an ongoing process. When we live a life aligned with our values and purpose, it's like a cheat code for happiness, fulfilment, wellbeing and success. See Killian Doherty's insightful post below following workshops at Spencer Stuart as part of our wellbeing programme. Thank you Killian for sharing and thank you Judith for delivering powerful sessions. If you found these posts helpful, pls give them a like. Let us know in the comments what resonates with you about the power of purpose. #clevercoaching #purpose #meaning #hr #humanresources #hrm #wellbeing #wellbeingatwork #wellnessatwork #meaning #wellness #coaching #leader #leadership

How to use Positive Psychology to thrive in life and at work. I had a wonderful time training and coaching employees on positive psychology in Amsterdam. One powerful insight I shared is that when we distract ourselves from difficult emotions, we postpone the symptoms of an issue, rather than dealing with the real issue. For example, when we try to suppress a negative feeling due to loneliness by scrolling social media or drinking wine, we don’t deal with the cause of loneliness. Loneliness isn’t even overcome by having another person/people around us. At some point, the unresolved reasons for loneliness will emerge. We can only overcome loneliness by learning to sit with the discomfort of being alone and learning to love ourselves and our own company. Then, if we want to introduce people into our lives, we do it from a place of abundance, rather than of lack. This approach can be applied to any negative feelings - anxiety, stress, social awkwardness. We need to deal with the cause rather than numbing or suppressing symptoms. When I was younger, I was very shy. From my teens until my late twenties, I used to drink alcohol to help me be more sociable. This may have felt like it was helping at the moment, but I wasn’t growing as a person. I needed the same bandaid over and over to deal with the symptoms of discomfort and the issues were not being resolved. Negative thoughts and emotions are just energy and they cannot harm you. Rather than fighting or repressing them, being okay about them and letting them go, is key. If we want to be successful at any endeavour, we need to dance in the discomfort and work through it. We can even use the so-called negative energy as fuel. We don’t grow in our comfort zones. The next time you feel discomfort, embrace it as a necessary stepping stone to growth and success. See it as excitement, rather than fear. See the daunting situation as a welcome challenge, rather than a threat. See the discomfort as helping you to enhance competence, resilience and learning. This will prime you for optimal performance. It will significantly boost your confidence and competence. It will also make you happier and more engaged than seeking pleasure or comfort ever could. It’s truly transformational. If this helps, leave a like. Let me know in the comments if this resonates with you. Thank you Zevo Health for the opportunity in Amsterdam. #clevercoaching #hr #humanresources #coaching #positivepsychology #success #happiness #engagement #wellbeing #wellness #wellbeingatwork #workplacewellbeing #hrm #leadership