Self-esteem is a make-up of the thoughts, feelings and opinions we hold about ourselves, over time these habits of negative thinking can create beliefs about how we see ourselves and dent our self-worth. These beliefs however aren’t fixed and can change, depending on the way we think.

Although my work as a coach is primarily with adults, a friend recently asked me whether I had any tips that would be useful for teenage girls and their self-esteem, a topic which I am passionate about.

With the awkwardness and the hormones, life as a teenage girl can be one big juggling act, even more so when every celebrity, heartbreak or TV show is now blogged, tweeted and posted about on the internet.

A recent survey of 30,000 pupils revealed that self-esteem of teenage girls, particularly 14-15 year olds, has significantly dropped since the boom of social media and online communication. Figures showed that many of today’s teenagers struggle due to a variety of factors including school work, looks, peer pressure and weight.

If you want to feel better about yourself, try some of these proven tips:

1. Focus on what you like about yourself

Do you tend to compare yourself with others and end up feeling less talented, attractive or accomplished?  If you have thoughts like ‘She’s so much prettier than I am, or I’m not good at this subject’, notice it and instead focus on the things you DO like about yourself. Maybe you have beautiful eyes, maybe you’re a good singer or you play a certain sport really well. The more you can focus on your positives and build on your strengths, the better you’re likely to feel.

2. What’s going well for you

Are you focusing so much on your problems that they’re all you see? The next time you find yourself dwelling on the bad, choose to find something positive instead. Each day make it a habit to write down three good things about your day as a result of your efforts and actions.

3. Accept and give compliments

When you have low self-esteem it can be easy to brush off the nice things others may say, mental chatter can morph into thoughts like ‘I’m not that great’ instead of allowing yourself to truly appreciate or believe a compliment. Choose to accept compliments more often and instead of putting yourself down, respond by saying thank you. As well as accepting compliments, share the love by giving other people sincere compliments too.

4. Be inspired

Allow yourself to read books that motivate you and make you feel good about yourself. Some recommended reading includes:

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens Workbook – Sean Covey

• Express Yourself: A Teen Girl’s Guide to Speaking Up and Being Who You Are – Emily Roberts

• How to Win Friends and Influence People for Teen Girls -Donna Dale Carnegie

5. Set Goals

One of the best ways to build self-esteem is by thinking about what you’d like to accomplish. Enlisting the services of a Life Coach is a great way to help you create a plan for your goal, monitor your progress and assist you in overcoming any obstacles that could get in your way. When you achieve a goal, you feel a great sense of accomplishment in your abilities, inspiring you to want to go out and create a life of your dreams.

“Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment” – Thomas Carlyle

The recognition of your beauty, intelligence and bravery can soon transform the beliefs you hold for yourself making space for your inner light to shine. When we get out of our own way by choosing self-empowerment instead of self-doubt, we fill ourselves with enough courage to get out there to be and do whatever we want. We open the door to a world of opportunity that’s just waiting to be discovered, so what are you waiting for? It’s your time to shine!

I am a coach… I am also a mindfulness practitioner… Whilst those two elements to my life complement each other beautifully, there is an inherent conflict that I found myself learning to manage over the years.

As a coach – I am goal oriented, future focused, ambitious and motivated by a desire for self-development.  It is this mindset that has driven me to train as a coach with The Coaching Academy, set up my own business and now support other people to achieve their aspirations.

As a mindfulness practitioner – I am present-focused, accepting, non-judgmental about my experience, patient and allowing.  It is this mindset that has enabled me to maintain a sense of balance and connectedness in my life and has contributed to a sense of happiness and well-being that I hadn’t experienced before.

Can you see my inherent conflict?

Future vs present focused, desire for improvement vs acceptance, ambitious vs patient, goal oriented vs allowing.

When I first began practicing mindfulness, I really struggled to understand how I could continue to be successful AND achieve my goals, if I wasn’t striving.  For me, striving was synonymous with achieving.  Striving was what kept me focused, demonstrated my commitment, motivated me to put the effort in and kept me moving forward.

What I hadn’t realised, was that there could be a different way for me to achieve goals.  One that had more ease and was less forceful.  A way that connects us to ourselves and others rather than creating competition.  I hadn’t realised that it was possible to achieve goals, in fact beyond our goals, by letting go of our attachment to the future and being more in the ‘now’.

As a mindful coach, I feel I now experience the best of both worlds; on the one hand I still have a strong wish to achieve my own potential and to support others to achieve theirs and on the other hand I approach this wish to achieve with an ease and openness that feels less effortful and more natural.

What I have noticed is that by changing MY relationship with what it means to “achieve”, my clients have begun to shift too.  Together we are achieving more whilst expending less energy needlessly striving.

Mindful coaching is about:

• Letting go of a fixed outcome (goals becoming intentions)
• Developing a moment by moment awareness of what is shifting and changing in you and your environment (reality in real time)
• Staying open to other possibilities (noticing options as they unfold)
• Trusting yourself to take the next step that is right for you (trusting you’ll know when it is right)
• Practicing self-compassion and kindness when things don’t go the way you hoped (building resilience)
• Celebrating your achievements and sharing your experience with others to enable them to also benefit (opening to the wider system)

How could bringing a mindful awareness into your coaching benefit you and your clients?

‘Practicing just 10 minutes of mindfulness a day can really help to tune into your inner resources’. 

To move from head to heart and to allow the energy and the coaching experience to flow. Allow yourself 10 minutes each day when you can press pause; switch off devices, free yourself from distractions, focus on nothing but your breathing, allowing thoughts to come and go and notice how your body feels.

Coaching is all about asking powerful questions which can help us to create breakthroughs in our careers, relationships and overall wellbeing. When we ask ourselves the right questions we direct our minds towards seeking answers, considering different perspectives, altering our moods and finding solutions to our challenges.

The difference in our lifestyles usually boils down to the questions we ask ourselves on a regular basis, sometimes all it takes to untangle ourselves from feeling ‘stuck’ or ‘unclear’ is the right question which can help us to connect with our inner self and continue moving forwards.

Asking ourselves the right questions not only provides us with more clarity, it also stops our inner chatter from taking over leaving us feeling more empowered with our decisions.

In every moment, we have a choice to ask ourselves a disempowering or empowering question, disempowering questions such as ‘why does this always happen to me’ results in our brain reflecting back on past experiences which can keep us stuck in our ‘story’ whereas empowering questions such as ‘what can I learn from this experience?’ allows us to direct our mind forwards towards the bigger picture.

The more we focus on asking ourselves empowering questions the easier it becomes for our brain to develop a pattern of asking questions which guides our mind towards positive feelings such as happiness, joy, excitement and pride leaving us feeling more in control of our experiences.

If you want to make positive changes in your life, below are 10 questions that you can ask yourself on a daily basis:

1. What am I most happy about in my life right now?
2. What am I committed to in my life right now?
3. What am I most excited about in my life at the moment?
4. What am I feeling most grateful about today?
5. What steps have I taken to move me closer to my goals today?
6. What am I most proud of achieving today?
7. How can I be kinder to myself today?
8. What’s the top priority in my life right now?
9. What good habits do I want to cultivate more of today?
10. How can I make someone smile today?

Questions are the key to self-awareness and personal growth, when we choose to ask ourselves quality questions as a part of our daily ritual we can drastically transform how we view the world and provide ourselves with unlimited access to empowering emotional states such as gratitude, happiness, enthusiasm and joy which can benefit every area of our lives!

www.lifecoachingacademy.edu.au

1800 032 151

The power of our beliefs system is immense. If we all developed an understanding of the thoughts and ideas that we automatically have, those that we no longer question when they appear at the forefront of our minds; then we could all be leading a better life through banishing the negative chatter.

Limiting beliefs are held in the subconscious of your mind. If you think about the last time you wanted to try something new and a fearful thought popped up in your mind and warned you away from it, that is recognising a limiting belief.

Limiting beliefs tell us we’re not good enough, clever enough or attractive enough to do, have or be what we really want in life. They keep us from trying something new or changing how we’ve always done things in order to achieve better, more positive outcomes for ourselves.

How do I recognise a limiting belief?

You don’t have to look far to recognise a limiting belief, they tend to let themselves known when there’s a particular part of your life you’re hoping to change.

For example, someone who is unhappy in their relationship might have a limiting belief that says, “my parents’ marriage was a wreck so I doubt mine could be better”. Or “most relationships go bad after a time anyway”. This would be a limiting belief that may then lead to settling with a less than desirable situation.

“We all have limiting beliefs but the trick is to tap into our inner voices, hear our negative chatter, so that we can work on banishing those thoughts that limit our abilities. “What are your limiting beliefs?

Limiting beliefs are personal to you. Yes, you may have been heavily influenced by your childhood, parents or peers but as they come from your subconscious, only you have the power to change them.

Work now on identifying 2 or 3 limiting beliefs that you may have or have had about yourself. Common examples are:

• I’m not a very lucky person
• I’m not good at sport
• I’m terrible at talking to people
• I’m not a very good cook.

We all have limiting beliefs but the trick is to tap into our inner voices, hear our negative chatter, so that we can work on banishing those thoughts that limit our abilities. In doing so this could lead to a more positive and fulfilled life where more and more becomes possible.

Here are some questions and exercises to help you tap into your limiting beliefs: 

1. What’s really important? 

Think of a goal in the most important areas of your life. This can be your family life, your career, social life, spirituality, contribution, fun, work/life balance or any other area that is important to you. The Wheel of Life is a useful tool to break down your goals in the big areas of your life.

If it’s useful for you, grab a pen and paper, settle into a comfortable position and make sure you have 15 minutes of undisturbed time to reflect.

Then, think about each goal separately and answer the following question:

What’s most important to you about it?

2. The ‘I must’ exercise

Sit down with your pen and paper and get ready to jot down the first things that come to mind.

Then, complete 6 sentences that begin with the words ‘I must….’

Once you’re done, ask yourself – What would happen if I didn’t?

Reflect on the insights you learned.

3. The ‘I can’t’ exercise 

Similar to the previous exercise, complete 6 sentences that begin with the words ‘I can’t…’

Once you’re finished, ask yourself – What’s stopping me?

After answering the question, it is important to reflect on what you learned about yourself. That’s the key insight into your limiting beliefs.

“An affirmation is a positive thinking technique to encourage change. The idea being, if we make positive statements and repeat them over and over, they will go on to affect our life positively. “Changing and Banishing Limiting Beliefs

We’re all allowed to change our beliefs, often there isn’t anything stopping us doing so but refusing to believe any different or an alternative point of view.

Just recognising limiting beliefs alone is a great step to banishing them. Many people also find the use of affirmations a powerful tool.

An affirmation is a positive thinking technique to encourage change. The idea being, if we make positive statements and repeat them over and over, they will go on to affect our life positively.

Using one of the limiting beliefs you’ve just identified, use the exercise template below to create a new affirmation for yourself

Exercise Template

• Limiting belief: I would love to work as a singer in clubs on the weekends but I can’t because I don’t think any club would hire me.
• Affirmation: I’m an excellent singer and I will find it very easy to find places to perform.

Now your turn – What is your limiting belief and what will your affirmation be?

Work on recognising your limiting beliefs and making some positive affirmations in your life – you just might notice a great change. Even becoming more aware of your thought process is a huge leap in the right direction.

Now we want to hear from you – Do you ever reflect on your limiting beliefs? What else has helped you to identify them? 

Empowering others through Life Coaching 

Challenging limiting beliefs is a core part of being a life coach. Coaches help their clients move forward with their dreams and goals.

If you would like to find out more about life coaching, how you can empower others and challenge their limiting beliefs contact one of our Consultants – info@lifecoachingacademy.edu.au

You worked hard to earn your ICF Credential, including hours of training, years of coaching experience, and preparing for and successfully passing knowledge and performance evaluations. Through digital badging, you can share your professional achievements online in a secure and verified way.

ICF is pleased to partner with Credly’s Acclaim platform to bring this service to all ICF Credential-holders.

Your badge is a digital representation of your ICF Credential and it allows you to show your clients, employers, colleagues and friends:

• Your credential award date and date of expiration
• The competencies you demonstrated to earn your ICF Credential
• Each required step to earn your ICF Credential
• The work you do to maintain your ICF Credential and stay fit for purpose as an ICF-credentialed coach.

Digital badges make it easy to share with others that you are part of the distinguished community of ICF-credentialed coaches, representing the global gold standard in professional coaching.

Getting Started: Accepting your New ICF Digital Badge

The first step to managing and sharing your new ICF Credential digital badge is to accept it. You will receive an email from the admin@youracclaim.com informing you that you have a new badge to accept from the International Coaching Federation.

There is no fee for this service, and you are not required to accept the badge.

Upon receipt of the invitation email from Credly-Acclaim, simply click the “Accept your badge” button in the email, create an account on the YourAcclaim website, and accept your badge.

If this is your first digital badge award through the Credly-Acclaim system, you will be asked to set up an account.

If you already have an active Credly-Acclaim account, you will simply be asked to sign in to your account to claim your badge.

Once you have created and signed into your Credly-Acclaim account, you will be able to accept your pending digital badge.

Sharing your Digital Badge

After accepting your badge, you will be directed to the “Share Badge” screen on the Credly-Acclaim site. Here, you can share your badge directly from the Acclaim platform by choosing which social media platform(s)  you would like to connect to.

Linking to Your Digital Badge

To share in other online spaces, digital platforms or communications, you may also simply link to your ICF Credential digital badge. Simply copy the unique URL to your ICF Credential digital badge from your Acclaim profile and paste it when and where you want to share it!

You can copy and paste your badge URL from the Acclaim platform and send it directly to some via email or text, use it to hyperlink badge visuals used in email signatures, or include the URL on a digital resume for one-click verification.

Embedding Your Digital Badge on a Website or Blog

You may also want to include your ICF Credential digital badge on your professional or corporate website, blog site, or wherever you have an online presence. To embed your badge, copy and paste the unique code provided on your Acclaim profile into your website or blog.

Download Your Badge to Use on Your Email Signature or Print Materials

To use your ICF Credential digital badge in your email signature, on print materials such as resumes or business cards, or other documents, you can download the image of your digital badge on the Acclaim platform. Using the sliding scale in the Download Badge feature, you can also adjust the size of the image you wish to download, to make it the perfect size for its document destination.

To hyperlink your ICF Credential badge in a digital document or in your email signature, simply download the badge image at your preferred size, then copy the badge URL to create a hyperlink for the image.

Social Media Posts

We know you take great pride in being an ICF-credentialed coach, and in maintaining your ICF Credential through your Continuing Coach Education and professional development.

With built-in social sharing features through the Acclaim platform, your new ICF Credential digital badge makes it easy to share your accomplishment on social media platforms, to brand yourself as an #ICFCoach, part of a distinguished community of coaches who have earned an ICF Credential—the global gold standard in professional coach credentialing.

Do you want to customize your social shares of your #ICFDigitalBadge? Following are some sample posts to get you started. Just copy, paste and share!

Be sure to include #ICFDigitalBadge in your post!

• The world needs credentialed coaches now, more than ever. That’s why I am proud to share my #ICFDigitalBadge, so you can easily verify my coaching credentials and swiftly receive the support you need during these trying times.
• In a time of uncertainty, we know that coaching still works! My #ICFDigitalBadge represents the knowledge and skills I’ve demonstrated as an ICF-Credentialed coach and my commitment to supporting you.
• These are challenging days, and I want to offer you my support. My #ICFDigitalBadge is much more than a badge to me, it represents my dedication to my community and to the high standards of the coaching profession.
• My commitment to supporting communities through coaching is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. My #ICFDigitalBadge represents this commitment and I am honored to share it with you all!
• In this day in age, truth is critical. That’s why I am grateful to share my #ICFDigitalBadge with hopes to help you find the support you need.
• High standards and professionalism are not just terms but terms that I live by and how I run my coaching practice. My #ICFDigitalBadge demonstrates this and I am so excited to share it with you!
• Top. Notch. I am a dedicated, professional coach and my #ICFDigitalBadge allows me to share that with the rest of the world.
• My credentials aren’t new, but my digital badge is! Check out my #ICFDigitalBadge by Credly Acclaim.
• Verified! I worked hard to earn my ICF Credential, and my #ICFDigitalBadge allows me to share my achievements with the rest of the world!
• Thanks to ICF and Credly’s Acclaim platform, I can now showcase my ICF credentials with my free #ICFDigitalBadge! Check it out!

If we maintain a pattern of negative thinking, we may focus on all the things that could go wrong which can leave us feeling demotivated and stuck.

The good news is, you are in control of how you feel and have the ability to change your state, from low to up lifted at any time.

If you want to make a change to your mood, below are some ways that you can inject more happiness into your day:

1. Notice your body language

Have you ever noticed the body language of those who look happy and those who look anxious or depressed? It has been scientifically proven that body language can have a fundamental impact on our moods and how we feel.

If you notice that you’re slumping at your desk or walk around with your head looking downwards, you could be replicating the body language of someone who is feeling unhappy.

Replace this body language by sitting up-right at your desk and walking around with your head up, you could even force yourself to smile to trick your brain into feeling happy. Doing so can help you to strike up a power pose and instantly transform your state!

2. Set goals or intentions

Some of the happiest people have clarity around what they want, where they are going and what they would like to achieve. Setting goals for themselves has been an essential ingredient for their personal success.

When you set goals for yourself, you have something to focus on and strive towards. Each step you take towards achieving these goals can help you to feel comfortable with stretching your boundaries and increase your sense of pride for your progress.

When you reach the finish line it can also build up your confidence to try more things and increase your happiness levels as you are left safe in the knowledge that you are moving forward in your life!

3. Celebrate

How often do you stop to celebrate your progress or share your positive experiences with others? Allowing yourself to acknowledge your achievements is essential to your happiness as it acts as a friendly reminder of how far you have come which can amplify your sense of self.

Whenever you achieve something, however small it may be, stay present with that moment and take out some time to celebrate your milestones!

4. Be the master of your fate!

When you allow yourself to accept that you have full responsibility and control of your life, you stop blaming others for impacting how you feel and gain full power over your feelings. When we take happiness into our own hands instead of expecting others to determine our happiness it leaves us feeling free and empowered.

We always have a choice over what type of life we choose to create for ourselves, when we truly allow ourselves to embrace this knowing it can boost our self-esteem and power us up to create a life we love so that we can become the masters of our own fate!

5. Explore

Happy people tend to move their body more often, whether it’s by going for walks in the park, taking up a new hobby or meeting new people, if you find yourself isolated and cooped up indoors all of the time it can leave you feeling down in the dumps!

Getting out into some fresh air and spending time doing things that you enjoy gives your brain a chance to let go of the stresses of your work or home life, leaving you feeling uplifted and ready for action!

So, there we have it, happiness doesn’t need to be an illusion – it can be your state of being, the power is in your hands!

if you would just like to know a little more about what Life Coaching and NLP is and Life Coach training please contact one of our Course Advisors 1800 032 151 or email: info@lifecoachingacademy.edu.au .

The GROW Model is the most well-known and widely used coaching tool. It is used by coaches to help their clients set clear and attainable goals to further their professional or personal development.

The GROW model helps create a structure and, as coaching requires excellent listening skills and the ability to ask the right questions, this model is the foundation upon which great coaching questions are formed.

The GROW acronym stands for:

G = Goal: What is your/your client’s goal?

R = Reality: Where are you/your client right now?

O = Options: What can you/your client do to achieve the goal?

W = Will: What is your/your client’s way forward?

Coaches empower clients to look forward to the future with confidence and knowing the right questions to ask within the GROW model is an important tool.

GOAL

The key to successful coaching session is a clear goal and a deeper understanding of the motivation behind it. In the ‘G’ step, clients are able to pin the ‘what’ so the session can move forward with clarity. Through these goals and with the right questions, coaches are able to empower their clients to take control of their future.

REALITY

Reality is all about the ‘now’ and focuses on the ‘where’ of the goal. This step of the GROW model helps coaching clients raise their awareness around the goal and their situation. With the right questions this stage can also highlight the support systems and resources currently available to coaching clients.

OPTIONS

The step is where clients are supported to think creatively and encouraged to dig deep and explore the ‘how’ of achieving their goals. Great Options questions inspire clients to plan and problem solve in a new way.

WILL

Will helps clarify the session for the client and gives them actions to move forward with. The best questions get specific and help propel the clients into step by step actions to achieve their dreams.

The Model empowers coaches to create structured conversations and ask meaningful questions to deliver results for their clients. It is a proven tool that helps people set achievable goals and strive forward for a brighter future.

We hope you enjoy this simple infographic depiction of the GROW model…

Have you ever turned down an opportunity, business venture or even the chance of love because of the fear of the unknown-only at some point to have regretted your decision and sheepishly wonder “What If I had?” In life we can often discard many significant moments, open doors, new connections or relationships because of our reluctance to step out from our comfort zone and explore a new direction!

Recently, I heard this amazing quote and immediately added it my list of inspiring quotes… “Can’t, couldn’t do it and could, did it all.” What impressed me about this profound quote is that it unpacked the hidden truth that the moment we tell ourselves we can’t, we block the gateway to our minds to explore the unknown possibilities however, by simply saying ‘I could,’-  immediately grants our minds permission to inquire, probe and go beyond what we first thought would be possible for ourselves.

What are the things you have been telling yourself you cannot do? What doors, countries, cities friends, career pathways, ventures, and qualifications could you be flourishing in right now?

Today I would like to share with you a few suggestions to help empower you when wrestling with the thoughts “What If.?” So you can make a turnaround from dwelling on reluctance or fear…

1 – Master the art of visualising what you want

Have you ever closed your eyes and pictured what success would look like for you? There have been countless situations in my life where I have experienced, first hand, the indelible power of visualising what I want and actually obtaining it. I first learnt this art in my youth whilst completing in athletics at county level. Each time I trained for a live event I constructed the images of crossing the finishing line as a winner in my mind. I replayed images of my sporting heroes such as Flo Jo and Carl Lewis and imitated from their races their strides, confidence, power and determination to win. This process is typically cultivated around the world by top athletes of all sporting events, who are taught by their coaches to study content taken from World Class Olympians. The technique Visual conceptualisation releases spurs of ephemeral feelings of anticipation, and the drive to win. Whenever I used this technique I discovered my confidence levels intensify, personal best performance times were created and the person in whom I was becoming was for me priceless.

2 – Create a vision or action board

Leading on from self-visualising comes the importance of creating permanent images which can be collated in the form of a vision or action board. This resource can become a wonderful source of constant focus and inspiration of what it is you want to achieve for yourself and your family. As emphasised in my previous section we can never underestimate the power of imagery. Typically, our homes are littered with photographs taken from iconic moments such as graduations, birthdays, holidays, weddings etc. but very few of us have pictures on our walls which depict our aspirations and goals for the future. I encourage you to take a walk through your home and see whether or not this is the case, and if it isn’t why not consider creating a vision board for you or your family.

3 – Becoming more spontaneous

It is my goal to walk alongside my clients and support them as they transition from their comfortable pitch to a landmark of significance and meaning. Many do not realise that most of the “magic,” happens in our lives outside of our comfort zone. I do strongly subscribe to the philosophy of planning and preparing, but I have had to retrain my mind to create space for the divine opportune moments of where one cannot necessarily plan ahead for. Implementing spontaneity, or at least being more open to the idea, can really add value to your life and help to shred away the tendency to worry.

4 – Keeping a journal

The benefits of journaling are enormous and can be surprising to learn journaling can stretch your IQ as a result of the positive correlation between language and intelligence through the exploration of learning new words. Journaling can also help boost your memory and can provide a great source of healing through its therapeutic process. You may also find keeping a journal can help to spark your creativity as this resourceful the process makes way for you to jot down ideas, goals, plans, and even concerns. Journaling helps you to reflect and become acutely aware of your empowering or disempowering thoughts and emotions and by writing them down. This forces your mind to declutter and become clearer, which this, in turn, can enhance your self confidence due to the release of endorphins. Why not grab a pen and your notebook and begin the process today of scribing your top ten goals and dream vacations.

5 – Fun Factor

With many of us working longer hours, running companies or launching start up’s from within our homes, not to mention for some the juggling of children and other life commitments, it is no wonder some of us have forgotten how to unplug and just play!  For some of us, work may have crippled the fun factor in our lives. We are living in the most technically advanced times with constant information just at the reach at our finger tips, but as a tragic result technology has got us so consumed that we have forgotten about the importance to ‘unplug and play.’ When was the last time you experienced a belly laugh? The kind that had you screaming, howling, rolling with uncontrollable tears and pain in your side. Or when did you last take a walk in your favourite park, city or merely play on the swings in the park with a cone of ice cream in your hand? Having fun is an essential ingredient to our growth, success and overall well being.

6 – Self Mastery- the art of saying YES

One of the reasons why some people are reluctant to say yes or put themselves forward, especially within a working environment, is because of the fear of making a mistake or perhaps not fulfilling their bosses expectations. However, Sir Richard Branson MBE founder of Virgin Atlantic and philanthropist says “If someone offers you an amazing opportunity, but you are not sure you can do it, say yes-then learn how to do it later.” One of the best approaches you could start today is to conduct a self audit by asking yourself; what doors am I closing on myself to? Who do I keep avoiding that I actually could benefit from having a conversation with? What love could I be experiencing if I allowed myself to be emotionally connected to someone new? Instead of asking yourself,” what if it doesn’t work out?” reframe the question to “What am I allowing myself to miss out on and why? Both are valuable questions but only one leaves you empowered to move forward into new dimensions, new horizons and a better version of yourself.

Richard Branson and J K Rowling didn’t have a plan B – for them, achieving their goal was the only option. How much is having your plan B stopping you from succeeding? It may be time to banish it!

“But if all else fails, there’s always plan B.”

Have you ever had a plan B? Have you ever considered that having a stand-by plan could be holding you back from achieving your plan A, that’s the one that really matters?

Here’s how banishing your Plan B will help you to achieve your goal when success is the only option, and how coaching can help guide you there.

• You’ll have greater determination and resilience

When J K Rowling set out to write the first book in the Harry Potter series, you could say that the odds were against her. She had just gone through a divorce after starting a family in Portugal. Forced to move back to England and relying on state benefits, she became clinically depressed. Writing had always been an important goal for her from a young age, and so, it was in this time, looking after her daughter as a single mother, that she finished the first book of what is now one of the most famous book series in the world.

Without a fallback plan, there’s no other choice but to succeed. Barriers then have to be overcome – when the going gets tough, you won’t have any option but to see it through, and so will more likely achieve success. Your plan B gives you a safety net!

How can coaching help?

The role of a coach is to help people to discover which goal is important to them, and exactly how much that means to them. In fact, when coaches use the GROW Model in their sessions, this can often be the very first part of the session. Knowing the importance of your goal can be empowering, and can be the driving force you need to jump every obstacle.

• You can improve your confidence in achieving your goal

The way that you talk about your goal can affect your determination, approach and confidence to achieve it. By repeatedly telling other people as well as yourself that you have a plan B, you may be programming your mind to doubt your cfor success. This in turn can contribute to the development of limiting beliefs, which will often hold you back.

How can coaching help?

A coach can challenge any limiting beliefs that you may have and will give you the space to work reflect on whether having a plan B is practical, or a support for your own self-doubt.

• You’ll be more creative with your options

“Obstacles and challenges are healthy for everyone… They force you to think outside the box, so to speak – to be creative”

Richard Branson is now a multi-billionaire, and the challenges that he faced are perhaps well known. He didn’t succeed at school and struggled with writing and numbers due to his Dyslexia. Thanks to those challenges and a combined determination to start a business, he was forced to stretch his mind and find alternative solutions.

To this day, Branson attributes his success to rely less on the numbers, relying more on his gut instinct and delegation and people skills.

Any goal needs a plan – a way forward. A crucial part of that planning is to find different options that can get you from where you are now to success. If success seems impossible, having a plan B will allow you to stop asking yourself: “what else can you do?”

How can coaching help?

Coaching is all about exploring options. A coach will provide their client with the right environment for them to be creative and will push them to think of a variety of options and solutions to their goal.