fbpx

Have you forgotten to check in with your intuition?

Have you forgotten to check in with your intuition?

[jc_buttons]

We are intuitive beings. We have an inner compass that, when given the chance, can guide us in the decisions we make and the direction we take.   When we trust our intuition and take action based on its guidance, it will faithfully do it’s best to support us.

But in all our busyness we seem to be forgetting how to tune in and listen.

We have all been carrying a very heavy load over the last 18 months.  Many women I speak to are exhausted!  They are working hard, getting the job done and putting on a brave face.

Maintaining a high level of professionalism and commitment to doing great work while home schooling and soldiering on without a break… is a LOT!

But in all the craziness of our current reality, is it possible you’ve stopped listing to your gut?

When we fail to recognise these tell-tale signs, we miss the need to pause before hitting burnout or fail to say yes to the big opportunity or make a poor choice when recruiting a new team member.

The cost can be high when we ignore the quiet whispers or persistent inner calling trying to guide us.

When have you failed to listen to your intuition?

Looking back on a decision I made last year that didn’t turn out so well, I recognise that I ignored a nagging feeling that something wasn’t quite right. I experienced massive resistance, slipped back into an old habit of procrastination and came up against lots of unexpected roadblocks.

I now recognise that this was my deep intuitive knowing at first whispering – and later shouting from the roof tops – that this was not right for me. Had I listened to the initial whispers, it would have saved me a lot of time, energy and financial pain!

Obviously, there is no exact science to this, but it pays to listen.

We know that when we listen, our gut instincts help us to..

  • Read people,
  • Make the right decisions,
  • Set the right goals,
  • Align with the best pathway forward.

And there is something powerful about people who are in tune with their intuition and make decisions based not only on logic but also gut instinct.

Perhaps it’s time to get your logic and your intuition working in harmony again.

3 ways to tap into your intuition more effectively

  1. Take time to pause. Gut feelings are difficult to recognise when we are caught up in the busyness of our day to day. Take the time to pause and still the mind.

That might mean making time for a little meditation or journaling, taking the dog for a walk, dancing to your favourite music or, like I did today, taking a quiet moment during my lunch break to watch the waves roll in at the beach.

  1. Pay attention to your body. We don’t tap into our intuition by thinking. It happens through feeling. To get back into the habit of listening, simply take a few moments a couple of times each day to scan your body. This will help you become more present, to quiet your busy mind and tune into your body. Notice anything that feels out of the ordinary. Be aware of your breath. Tune in to how you feel.
  2. Emotions leave clues. Take notice of the emotions you’re feeling on a consistent basis. Too often I see smart dynamic women suppress their emotions to a point they no longer feel them.

Your emotional response to any situation provides you with clues. Notice your energy and trust your emotions to give you the signals you need.

You have an inner guide.  May this be a gentle reminder to listen.

[jc_buttons]

LET'S CONNECT

Click below to…

Join “Leading Ladies” – a private FREE Facebook group of over 1600 other mid-career professional women to inspire and support
Join the newsletter list for weekly tips and strategies showing you how to ignite your career, lead your way and accelerate your success. 
Watch The Next Level Training to breakthrough to the next level of leadership, impact and recognition.  
Get my best tips on working smarter not harder 
Read my latest blog post.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact my team.

Similar Blog Posts

5 Tips for Blending Work and…

The days are getting warmer and the evenings longer which means we are on the downhill stretch to Christmas, the silly season and the end of the year.
And with restrictions finally lifted – it’s time to get out and about and connect… in person.

Jane Benston

Side view.Young businesswoman dressed in light pink shirt sitting at wooden table and using laptop while talking on cellphone.Girl uses digital gadget. On table cup of coffee. Online shopping,working.

A Change of Perception

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that an incredibly accomplished woman may find herself held back… Held back from achieving her aspirations, from stepping into her leadership potential and from becoming even more accomplished.

Jane Benston

Front view of a doubtful woman shrugging shoulders and looking at you sitting on a sofa at home

What’s holding you back?

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that an incredibly accomplished woman may find herself held back… Held back from achieving her aspirations, from stepping into her leadership potential and from becoming even more accomplished.

Jane Benston

Has COVID stolen your MOJO?

Has COVID stolen your MOJO?

[jc_buttons]

If your Mojo has been a NO SHOW lately – you’re definitely not alone!  As we push through another week of restrictions, border closures, home schooling and working from home … today I give you permission to show yourself a little love and compassion.   

Being self-critical or annoyed with yourself isn’t the answer.  Beating yourself up for struggling to maintain your usually high standards of productivity and dedication to excellence, is likely to only make the situation more challenging.

The impact of Ground hog day is not insignificant. 

As I sat down this morning to write this weekly blog – I hit up against a brick wall.  My fingers hovered above the keyboard – and nothing. 

My mind flipped flopped from being totally blank and vacant…  to wildly distracted.  Perhaps I need to check my email, Facebook, LinkedIn and have a long chat with the lovely woman who handed me my coffee.  I answered a few emails and busied myself with a few mindless tasks, while waiting for inspiration strike.

But it didn’t.

And while I struggled to get the cogs turning, time slipped by with nothing of significance achieved. 

The lack of variety in our life is stifling our creativity.  The mental load is heavy, and the absence of deep and nurturing social contact is taking a toll.

 There’s so much of this experience we have no control over – so let’s stay focused on that which we can control.

 Over the years of working with mid-career professional women, I’ve seen 3 key elements are required for us to enjoy our work

  • Growth: We need to be experiencing personal and professional growth
  • Contribution: We need to feel like we are doing meaningful work that is making a difference.
  • Recognition: We need feel our best work is being recognised and rewarded.

So, it gets me wondering … how can we tap into these three elements to re-ignite the spark for our work.

Here are my tips

  1. Focus on Growth

Your mind body and soul are craving variety and one of the best ways to create a little variety is by focusing on your professional development.  But before you freak out – I’m not talking about embarking on an MBA or some other all-consuming program.  NO!  Let’s start small. 

You might decide to focus on setting better boundaries, or learning to articulate your thoughts or plans more succinctly or redefining your leadership style, allowing you to step up to the next level of leadership.

  1. Focus on contribution

On those days that life feels a little heavy – focus on what matters most – to you, your team and your organisation. Get clear on the priorities and set yourself the goal of getting those activities done.  There’s nothing like a little endorphin rush that comes from knowing you’ve done great work, to boost the mood and lift your spirits. 

  1. Toot your horn.

Getting the recognition, you deserve has become even more challenging in this virtual environment. I know that your work should speak for itself, and your boss should be taking an interest in what you are doing, but let’s face it – they’ve possibly struggling just as much as you are right now to notice what you are doing.

So, as much as you hate seeing others boasting about their work – I want you to be bold (while humble) and take every opportunity to raise your profile, speak about the great work you do and sharing the goals your team are achieving.

  1. Find your inspiring tribe

We are not meant to live life in isolation.  Finding you tribe – who lift you are up, keep you moving forward and drive you to continue to strive to do your best work is key. 

Each time I’ve felt a little flat I’ve tapped into one of my professional support groups (I have a couple.)  I get inspired by their achievements and take guidance and support on where to focus my time and energy next.  But what fuels my soul most of all is being able to laugh, cry and celebrate the big and small moments together. 

  1. Cut yourself some slack.

And finally, cut yourself some slack.  Just as it’s OK not to be OK… it’s OK not to be at your very best every single day.  Be kind to yourself and acknowledge how you are feeling.  If today is not a great day – then do what you can and let go of the rest. 

Hang in there.  There is a glimmer of hope at the end of this very long COVID tunnel.  This time will pass and eventually we’ll share stories about how we survived this time.   

[jc_buttons]

LET'S CONNECT

Click below to…

Join “Leading Ladies” – a private FREE Facebook group of over 1600 other mid-career professional women to inspire and support
Join the newsletter list for weekly tips and strategies showing you how to ignite your career, lead your way and accelerate your success. 
Watch The Next Level Training to breakthrough to the next level of leadership, impact and recognition.  
Get my best tips on working smarter not harder 
Read my latest blog post.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact my team.

Similar Blog Posts

5 Tips for Blending Work and…

The days are getting warmer and the evenings longer which means we are on the downhill stretch to Christmas, the silly season and the end of the year.
And with restrictions finally lifted – it’s time to get out and about and connect… in person.

Jane Benston

Side view.Young businesswoman dressed in light pink shirt sitting at wooden table and using laptop while talking on cellphone.Girl uses digital gadget. On table cup of coffee. Online shopping,working.

A Change of Perception

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that an incredibly accomplished woman may find herself held back… Held back from achieving her aspirations, from stepping into her leadership potential and from becoming even more accomplished.

Jane Benston

Front view of a doubtful woman shrugging shoulders and looking at you sitting on a sofa at home

What’s holding you back?

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that an incredibly accomplished woman may find herself held back… Held back from achieving her aspirations, from stepping into her leadership potential and from becoming even more accomplished.

Jane Benston

Mindset: How leadership success is an inside job

Mindset: How leadership success is an inside job

[jc_buttons]

So often we think about leadership growth in terms of learning new skills, gaining more experience or expanding technical knowledge. While these are all critically important elements of leadership success, they will only get you so far.

The difference that makes the difference is working on our mindset. There always comes a time when we need to work on our inner game to maximise our outer performance and results.

Our mindset influences our productivity, our courage, our confidence, how we present ourselves, the language we use, the conversations we have, how we respond to the challenges we face, the opportunities we seize, whether we are intimidated or bold or whether we lean in or fade into the background.

Our mindset impacts everything we do everyday and in every part of our lives.

Mindset is….

Mindset is our habitual patterns of thinking combined with our beliefs and values…which determines our actions and ultimately our outcomes and results.

Have you ever wanted to achieve something but felt like you were holding yourself back? I see women getting in the way of their own success every day. We all do it. Me included.

It is a bit like having one foot on the accelerator and one foot on the break!

All that happens is that you end up going no where fast. It leaves you exhausted and frustrated and wondering what you are doing wrong. This chaos is created when what we think we want is not in alignment with our values and beliefs.

I recently worked with an extraordinary leader who was clear about the type of leadership role she wanted to move into but had been unsuccessful in the job hunt for more than 6 months. She was highly skilled, talented and experienced but had created an unconscious belief that she wasn’t worthy of a well paid role, that she wasn’t old enough and was fearing how her relationship with her partner might change if she was “successful.”

These unconscious beliefs were holding her back and sabotaging her performance during job interviews.

Through our work together she reframed some hurtful past experiences, eliminated her fears and changed the way she saw herself. She grew in confidence, developed a strong professional presence and to her delight, soon after, landed the perfect role she had been hoping for, for so long.

Our natural reaction when we hit a career plateau or road block is often to work harder, learn more, do more when really the place to focus in on our mindset.

When we start here and make a transformation in our mindset everything else follows.   The results we achieve on the outside are directly linked to everything we are within.

Here are my tips to get your mindset transformation started….

1.  Recognise Resistance. Resistance to change, growth or new things often relates to an internal struggle. Recognise it for what it is…. a sign alerting you to conflict between your conscious thoughts and your unconscious inner ‘stuff’ getting in your way and needing your attention before you move forward. Pay attention to the resistance and ask yourself; “What is this about?”

2.  Uncover and challenge limiting beliefs. Our beliefs about ourselves and the world around us generally guide our action, behaviours and outcomes. Identify the beliefs you have about yourself that are standing in your way (ie: I’m not good enough, I’m too old, fear of success, fear of failure etc) and question whether theirs beliefs are relevant, real or serving you.

Given that our beliefs are unconscious and usually remain hidden even to ourselves… the very act of identifying and question their validity is enough to transform our thinking, actions and behaviours.

3.  New Level, New Devil. Regardless of how much work you have done on your mindset in the past, there is always more. As one of my mentors once said to me… “New level, new devil!” And she was right. Every time we raise our expectations of ourselves and look to play a bigger game there is a new layer of “gunk” to work through.

So next time you hit a speed hump in your pursuit of career and leadership success… take some time to work on up levelling your mindset. It will not only pay dividends with your career but also in your personal life.

[jc_buttons]

LET'S CONNECT

Click below to…

Join “Leading Ladies” – a private FREE Facebook group of over 1600 other mid-career professional women to inspire and support
Join the newsletter list for weekly tips and strategies showing you how to ignite your career, lead your way and accelerate your success. 
Watch The Next Level Training to breakthrough to the next level of leadership, impact and recognition.  
Get my best tips on working smarter not harder 
Read my latest blog post.
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact my team.

Similar Blog Posts

5 Tips for Blending Work and…

The days are getting warmer and the evenings longer which means we are on the downhill stretch to Christmas, the silly season and the end of the year.
And with restrictions finally lifted – it’s time to get out and about and connect… in person.

Jane Benston

Side view.Young businesswoman dressed in light pink shirt sitting at wooden table and using laptop while talking on cellphone.Girl uses digital gadget. On table cup of coffee. Online shopping,working.

A Change of Perception

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that an incredibly accomplished woman may find herself held back… Held back from achieving her aspirations, from stepping into her leadership potential and from becoming even more accomplished.

Jane Benston

Front view of a doubtful woman shrugging shoulders and looking at you sitting on a sofa at home

What’s holding you back?

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that an incredibly accomplished woman may find herself held back… Held back from achieving her aspirations, from stepping into her leadership potential and from becoming even more accomplished.

Jane Benston