How to beat the 'back to work' blues

Have you been away yet this year? Or planning a summer break but dreading the 'back to work' blues?

I’m just back from 10 days away with my family, and whilst I do miss the lovely weather, beautiful scenery and quality time with my loved ones, I am also excited to get back to the work I love. Which got me thinking about how things used to be…

 I really do remember that sinking feeling of returning to the office after a glorious week or two of sea, sand and sunset cocktails, and just wanting to cry 😭

It was like putting on a mask back on, where I had to leave the ‘real’ me at home and go back to the old ’work’ me again. But that was normality back then, I thought that was just what you had to do. You got to have your couple of weeks of freedom and fun each year, and then you had to put that to one side and get back in the rat race, because that’s what everyone does.

My daughter with the most excited ‘lolly’ face I’ve ever seen 🍦

Now looking back, I can see exactly why I felt so misaligned between 'real' me and 'work' me. Taking time off had allowed me to explore and live out some of the values which were most important to me, such as freedom, adventure, connection and family. But at the time I had no idea what my values really were and why it was SO important that I find a new career which was more closely aligned with them. It’s one of the key things you need to do in order to enjoy your work more.

So if you’re feeling unhappy at work and missing those heady days of holiday freedom, then take 10 minutes to really think about what you miss most from that time:

• Was it the chance to spend more quality time with your loved ones?

• Was it that you got to do a new and exciting activity each day?

• Or did you love the fact that you could set your own hours and do what you wanted without being answerable to your boss?

List them out and think about what values they might represent. Spending more time with friends might show that you have a strong value for community. Being able to go sightseeing and learn about a new culture might reflect values of learning and inspiration.

 As you dig a bit deeper into which aspects you miss and what values they represent, you can also think about how to bring more of them into your day to day life now. How could you introduce, for example, a bit more adventure, creativity or fun into your daily life and work?

Remember, you don't have to keep waiting to live your most authentic life. You can get started today.

Speak soon,

Juliette

Why self care will help you achieve more

Phew! I recently had to take some time off for a medical procedure and it just ZAPPED my energy.

It’s something I had done a few years ago but back then I was still working in my corporate job. On that occasion, I didn’t take enough time off to recover. I kept checking my emails whilst in bed and fretted the entire time that my team would fall apart without me! (err just to be clear, they didn’t). I came back to work exhausted, stressed and unable to give 100%.

However this time around, I knew the drill. I knew that I needed to block a full week off. I auto-scheduled my marketing so that my biz would keep ticking over without me, and set the OOO on my email so that people knew when they could expect to hear back from me.

And the change in attitude wasn’t just because this time I was working for myself. It was also because I’ve made more room in my life for self care. I’ve realised that it’s not just a ‘nice to have’. It is actually an ESSENTIAL part of how I manage my energy so that I can perform at my best in my business.

There’s a saying: Self care isn’t selfish, it’s self preservation.

It allows you to give your best to your career, your loved ones, and yourself. But it also gets easily side lined in our busy day to day lives. We put everything and everyone else first, and then wonder why we end up burned out and unhappy.

So make some time for self care this week. Schedule it in. Especially if you feel that your energy levels are flagging. Take 10mins every day to do something for you. When you are at your best, then you can give your best.

Chat to you soon,

Juliette

4 steps to overcoming your fear of visibility

I was chatting with one of my lovely clients the other day and she was struggling with something that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.

She is building her amazing new business alongside her current job, has recently launched her website and then…. hmm. Crickets.

And so we discussed some ways that she could begin to spread the word about her new business and raise her visibility, and that’s where it became clear what her main struggle was:

How can I overcome my fear of being more visible?

Becoming more visible in your business can be a scary leap, especially if you’ve spent years in a corporate job where there was always a boss or team to hide behind. But the reality is that if you and your business aren’t visible to your potential customers, then you won’t have a business. It’s as simple as that.

Believe it or not, your customers want to connect with YOU and your story, and people are often attracted to brands where they get a sense of the real person and the journey behind them.

So if you don’t feel comfortable about promoting yourself, then how can you improve your confidence and visibility in your business, in a way that feels natural and authentic?

1. Work on your mindset. Becoming more visible can trigger all sorts of fears, confidence issues, ‘imposter syndrome’, feelings of self doubt and overwhelm. We work a lot on these issues in my Career Coaching Programme because if you don’t have the right mindset, then starting your business will be much harder than it needs to be (and if you’re asking yourself “Do I need to be an expert to start a business?” then read this blog post).

2. Make yourself accountable. If you’re an introvert like me, then you can probably find 100 excuses to avoid getting out in front of your audience! But finding an ‘accountability buddy’ and letting them know what you plan to do can make a huge difference. Set yourself some ‘visibility’ targets e.g go to a networking event, do a Facebook Live, send an email to your mailing list, post in a LinkedIn group etc, then schedule them in your diary and share your plans. It can make a huge difference if you ‘go public’ with your plans rather than keeping them to yourself.

3. Focus on being of service. If you’re struggling with sales and worrying about coming across as ‘pushy’ or ‘salesy’, then consider how it would feel if you approached your potential clients from a place of genuine service and desire to help them? That takes the focus off you and frees you up to do what you do best, which is to reach out and offer valuable solutions which will help people using your particular set of skills and strengths.

4. Give yourself time to build genuine 1:1 relationships. Just like in the ‘real world’, building relationships with your audience and potential clients will take time. So make an effort to show up regularly, be visible to them and engage in genuine conversations. Let them get to know you, ask them what they’re struggling with and build a connection. It will make running your business much more enjoyable and pay dividends in the long run.

So now over to you. Do you struggle with being more visible in your day job or in your business? What has helped you the most? I’d love to hear!