I recently completed a nine-week course of coaching with the wonderful Cindy Kennedy. What kind of coaching, you ask? I guess if I had to lean in a particular direction I’d say that it was career coaching, however in the end Cindy coached me in all areas of life because she is a downright GURU!

So what did I learn? A flippin bunch!

Firstly, I learned that having a strong, intelligent, passionate and creative woman holding you accountable every fortnight is a great catalyst for getting your shit together and striving to achieve (my primary school motto!).

Secondly, I learned that I value Confidence, Presence and Authenticity (Hint: This is where the triangle comes into play), yet I’m not always doing these values justice. I’ll give you an example…

Confidence – I am good at decision making and identifying what I want, BUT I ultimately give way too many fucks about inconsequential things outside of my control. So something small can crop up and really sap my confidence – like say, being asked to publicly speak.

Presence – When I meditate I manage to stop thinking about stuff for five whole minutes BUT outside of that, my brain is a busy hive if thoughts and plans. I’m constantly looking for new things to try, learn and grow from. This means that spending time with my husband and kid is often not as fulfilling as it should be (or as I want it to be). It also means that I multi-task at work and don’t check in fully to meetings and other people interactions. It means I get a lot done, but at what cost?

Authenticity – I hate pretending to be someone else. I can do it, but it makes me feel really uncomfortable. As a new people manager I’ve tried to emulate other managers around me with awkward consequences. I’m also an author and I’ve found myself looking at what other authors/writers are doing on social media (*cringe) rather than just doing my own thing, my own way.

Now I’ve identified my current behaviours relating to my values I can go about CHANGING them to be more balanced and positive. How do I do that? Well here are some suggestions that are working for me:

Mirror mantra – Look in the mirror and tell yourself what you need to hear daily. I focus on Confidence and Authenticity here – “I’m not a robot, I’m human. I don’t need to be perfect. I am enough.”

Meditation – I have a few go-to guided meditations that I try and do before bed most nights. I’ve also taken to a 5 minute self-guided preparation mediation when I’ve just woken up. This grounds me in the present and helps me set the “being present” tone for the day.

Being brave – Confidence = bravery. Confidence doesn’t mean everything is easy and suddenly I’m a perfect public speaker, it means that I don’t shy away from speaking opportunities. It means I dare to be brave.

Identify my values and what I like/dislike – To be authentic, I need to know who I am and what I value. I need to avoid what doesn’t feel authentic and be open and honest (and unapologetic) about what does.

Positivity – fake it until you make it! Even if something feels daunting or like it is going to SUCK, change the way you talk to yourself and others about it – add a positive spin. It’s surprising how fast you start to believe it 🙂

So there you have it, the outcome of some top-notch coaching with Cindy Kennedy! I can whole-heartedly recommend her services to groups and individuals alike. She runs an amazing corporate training program too called, Rise to Shine (which my company has done – this is how I heard about Cindy). I saw so many positive changes in the people who attended the workshops over several weeks. If you are thinking about doing something like this, then jump in. You won’t regret it.