Your Pocket Life-Coach: 10 Minutes a Day to Transform Your Life and Your Work. Carole Gaskell

Give yourself 10 minutes to come up with the three most valuable pieces of advice you could give yourself, to enable you to get the most out of this new phase of life.

      

The three most valuable pieces of advice that would make the biggest difference to me in the year ahead are:

      

What are the three lessons you’ve learned from your accomplishments and/or disappointments that you think would have the greatest impact on you if you implemented them into the next phase of your life?

      

Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself, and know that everything in this life has purpose. There are mistakes, no coincidences. All events are blessings given to us to learn from.

      Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

      Quick Tip

      Adopt a Positive Attitude

      Adopt a positive outlook on life and a ‘can do’ attitude. Remember you are responsible for your own thoughts, it’s your choice whether the cup is half-full or half-empty. Choose to have a good day and choose to be proactive. Positivity is catching, so spread it to those around you and see yourself naturally propelled onwards and upwards.

      Act Deliberately

      Rather than spend your time reacting to external demands from other people or letting situations dictate your actions, instead choose to act deliberately from your own centre of calm. When you act deliberately you come from a knowing deep within you, where you are centred and in-tune with yourself and your own needs. You can do this by closely monitoring your every action, becoming mindful of your thoughts and reactions on a moment by moment basis and acting in accordance with the wisdom inside you. Try this for the next week and you’ll be amazed how much more effective you become and how much you strengthen your confidence in yourself.

      

This Year’s Progress

      Look back over the last year. You will have had some great accomplishments, maybe a few disappointments and no doubt the odd challenge. Where have they brought you? If you look at your life at the moment, is there anything that you can do now that last year you wouldn’t have dreamed of being able to do?

      

Write a list of three things from both your personal and professional life which illustrate the progress you have made in the last year. This could be anything from learning to drive to giving a nerve-free presentation.

      

Influential People

      The people around us can have a profound effect on the way we look at our lives, especially those who influence and inspire us, personally or professionally. Take 10 minutes now to think about which people have been the most influential in your a) personal life and b) professional life over the past year? What is it about them that has impacted on your life? Do they have characteristics that you wish you had yourself?

      

Role Models

      We often have role models or heroes – sometimes it is their image we aspire to, the way they deal with other people, how they communicate or their work that inspires us.

      

Learning from role models can be a great way of developing yourself. Be aware of people who impress you for a particular reason, ask yourself why and what you can learn from this particular person. Can you modify what they do to suit your own personality? You may find it useful to read autobiographies of successful people, listen to tapes, go to workshops – do whatever will support and inspire you.

      

Who are your top three heroes or role models (alive or dead)? What do you admire most about them and why?

      

I admire them because:

      

The qualities I would like to emulate are:

      

I will do this by:

      

The Wheel of Life

      The eight sections of the Wheel of Life represent a balanced wheel. Take the centre or hub of the wheel as 0 (totally dissatisfied) and the outer edge as 10 (totally satisfied). Rank your level of satisfaction with each area of your life by putting a cross on the relevant spoke. Draw a line to join the crosses together.

      How balanced does the shape of your wheel look? Which of the areas of your life are you currently happy with? Where do you want to make improvements? (You might want to refer back to this wheel when you answer the questions in Chapter Two.)

      

      Wheel of Life

      

Wheel of Success

      The Wheel of Success encourages you to develop invaluable qualities within yourself to take your life to the next level.

      

The eight sections represent key characteristics of success. Take the centre, or hub, of the wheel as 0 (not true for me now) and the outer edges as 10 (totally true for me now). Rate yourself currently, by putting a cross on the relevant spoke. Draw a line to join the crosses. How balanced does the perimeter of your wheel look? Which of the characteristics would you like to work on? What will you do to embrace these qualities during this new phase of your life?

      Remember, taking time to savour your past and clarify your present will revitalise you for the next phase ahead. Reflecting on the events and people who have shaped you, and understanding and being honest with yourself about your current reality, will enable you to see where you want to go and help you set yourself up for a fabulous year ahead. Well done for completing Chapter One!

      

Putting Your Life into Perspective

      While you’re in the preparation stage of jump starting the next phase of your life, you’ll find this next 10-minute exercise incredibly useful in helping you to see your life from a fresh vantage point. Sit down quietly and fast-forward your life. Imagine it’s your eightieth birthday. You are celebrating with family and friends. Take time to review your life as the 80-year-old you. What have you achieved in your life? What do you feel proud of? What is it about you that people value? What are the most significant elements that you are celebrating?