What painful situation are you experiencing over and over again?  I work with clients all the time who are experiencing the same negative situation without finding a way of stopping it. Working together we find a solution that is right for each individual and the confidence to put it in place.

And how does it feel to turn a negative situation around, to take decisive and successful steps forward?  It feels, brilliant.  So what is stopping you for being the person you are meant to be, to have the life you dream of having and to be happy in your own skin?

In January 2012 I am running a month long coaching programme for individuals.  The programme will give you effective solutions for your life and I will support you in taking those steps forward.  What could you do in a month with support, with someone who will hold your hand, listen without judging, challenge some of your thinking and make you accountable for your actions.

So if you want a brilliant start to 2012, check the website www.rachelsmithlifecoach.com in December for more details.  Places are limited, the results will be dazzling and the price is not out of this world!

And in truth, this topic foxed me for all a while.  We all say we need more confidence in particular areas of our lives, however have you ever wondered what confidence is?

Is it a feeling?  A belief?  Or knowledge you are confident in say driving the car, using a pc, cooking dinner, delivering a killer presentation?

And how can you instill confidence in yourself and others?

After researching what confidence is, I was surprised to find that many of the reference books coaches use, confidence is not specifically covered by them.

So yesterday I faced a tricky situation – if I couldn’t articulate what confidence is, how can I help clients increase theirs?

In a nutshell, I came to this understanding – confidence is a mindset.  It’s what you tell yourself about you.  There is only one person who can change this and that’s you.  Other people can help you improve it but ultimatley it’s only you that controls what you think and believe.  And this bit is really important - you control whether to accept what others say about you.

Obviously it’s more complicated than just saying it’s a mindset and there is work you can do to change this mindset, which I explore further in my coaching service.  What I can share with you, are some simple rules:

• be kind to yourself – become your own cheerleader
• forgive yourself for any blunders (accept no-one is perfect)
• learn from these blunders
• turn your inner voice down that tells you can’t do something
• think more – I can do this
• celebrate your success and where necessary…
• fake it!

If you want to learn more about how to increase your confidence than e-mail me at rachel@rachelsmithlifecoach.com or call 07501 265 783 and book in for no obligation chat about increasing your confidence and more.

And if you are interested in finding out more about the new coaching service for parents coming in April, check out the new Parents-Your Time page on the website and log your interest.

For you:

• What is going to move you forward this week? Set a goal, personal to you.
• How will you know you have acheived it, what will it be like?
• What have your already done to kick start the goal, what is left to achieve?
• How will you achieve it? Describe the steps you will take.
• By when?

And don’t forget to celebrate your achievements!

If you are interested in exploring the strength of goals, e-mail me or call me to discuss your personal goals further.  For parents, I have just completed a new session on setting powerful goals for my new coaching practice, check out the new page ‘Parents – Your Time’ for more information.

After I met Claire Young on Wednesday evening, I have been considering what motivates me.  If you don’t know who Claire is, Claire was the runner up in The Apprentice in 2008, you might remember her as the one Sir Alan Sugar nicknamed the Rottweiler.

Claire is a deeply motivated woman – who from an early age knew she wanted to be successful and so far, she is doing fairly well.  When I asked her where she got her motivated from, she credited the strong role models she had in her life from school through to the current day and having a supportive family.

So where do the rest of us get our motivation from?  Generally speaking we don’t feel motivated about those things we personally find easy to achieve.

If you are not sure, try this – consider all of the things in your life that give you pleasure.  Be aware of how they make you feel, what you are seeing and hearing. 

Now think about something in your life you want to change but struggle to achieve and tap back into the feeling of those pleasurable things in life you have just created. 

Next, decide on one action that moves you closer to achieving your change.

And believe that you can achieve it – by changing your perception of what you CAN achieve will help you move towards your change!

Claire’s personal moto is – Just do it!

What’s yours?

I have tapped into my motivation this week, as I am continuing to develop my new coaching practice for parents.  Watch out for my new web page ‘Coming Soon’ with more information and details about how you can get involved.

I am currently developing a brand new coaching service just for parents, which is cost effective and you can complete the coaching anytime.  And the most important aspect of this service, is you will begin to take the steps towards improving important areas of your life, supported by your own personal life coach.

This new service will be available early in the new year – interested?  Sign up now (go to my homepage) to receive regular updates about this new service or e-mail me at rachel@rachelsmithlifecoach.com and I will add you to my mailing list.

IMPORTANT – I have capacity to work with a limited number of parents, so I will be offering the new service on a first come, first served when it’s released in the New Year.