Ruth Sanderson

As a coach I’m always asking myself questions like:-

-          How can I enable my clients to get bigger results, faster?

-          How can I help them increase their confidence, resourcefulness, resilience?

-          How can I operate from my full potential and be of more service to my clients?

-          How can I strengthen my coaching business, especially in tough economic times?

For me it’s about investing in myself so that I’m on the leading edge of releasing human potential and that way I know I can help my clients experience long term authentic success.

I’m sure that both you and your clients will have experienced times when your energy levels were high and you achieved your goals easily and effortlessly; whilst other times you were drained?  That you’ve noticed some relationships just work and others you have to work at; that some people fit with the company and others stand out for the wrong reasons?  I can’t claim to have all the answers, but I do know that being an archetypal coach has made huge positive differences to all the above.

Archetypes provide the deeper meaning for our experiences and our values.

They shape how we respond to other people, how we deal with challenges, how we interact with branding and marketing.  Much more than that they invoke an unconscious emotional resonance which determines how we act.

Because archetypes operate at such a deep unconscious level their impact on what’s possible for us to achieve is phenomenal.  Without any awareness of these it’s akin to driving an F1 car round the track with your feet on the accelerator and brake at the same time

Understanding the power of archetypes enables you take your coaching and business to the next level.

This year I’m working with 12 people on a 6 month programme so they can coach confidently with archetypes, for full details on becoming an archetypal coach, click the underlined text.

Well I’m delighted to say I’ll be at the Conference and Hospitality Show in Leeds on the 18th March.  If you’re considering a career in Events Management, or already have one but are looking for something that’s more fulfilling with increased job satisfaction, then pop along.  The event is free to attend and I’ll be there all day to answer any questions you have and point you in the direction of useful career resources.

Over the last 7 years I’ve had the privilege of helping clients from around the world discover their very own career formula and go on to achieve a level of success in 1, 2 or 3 years that previously it would have taken them 5 or more years to make happen

Many of us only dream of finding a job that brings a deep sense of fulfilment and allows us to express our true self and thrive, even in times of uncertainty.  If you are searching for your job with meaning within the events industry and need some help and guidance, then come along.  You’ll also get to meet lots of other useful contacts, plus the seminars are filled with practical advice and information on organising conferences and events.

Goals and new years resolutions, have you given up setting them, or do you set them and then they fall by the wayside?

As you look back to 2009 how much of your plans are now part of your life?  What has come to fruition and where is there still work to do?

What are your plans for living more of your potential and creating prosperity in 2010?

The year 2010 is the threshold of the next decade of the 21^st Century-and my good friend and expert in the field of vision, Geraldine Sheehy, is on hand to help you.

Geraldine Sheehy specialises in leading and facilitating change both within business and with individuals.

In 1995 Geraldine set up her own development business delivering a range of consultancy, facilitation, training and coaching services to corporate clients in both the public and private sector. Her clients include: Allianz, BBC, BP, BT, Mars, ITN, the NHS, and Royal Mail as well as various organisations within the Charity Sector.

Geraldine is also an experienced personal transformational Coach and Mentor. She has coached hundreds of individuals - teachers, therapists, business owners, leaders, coaches, in fact people from all walks of life through personal transitions and transformational experiences, enabling them to achieve breakthrough results.

How clear is your vision for making this the year that you are living more of your potential and creating prosperity?

If we briefly fast forward to January 2011 and imagine you are looking back on 2010 - what will you be saying about this year?

Imagine being able to say it has been an extra-ordinary year! A year that has exceeded your expectations! The year began with you creating a clear vision. You have been able to sustain the necessary clarity and focus to work with this vision. When you wavered or began to lose faith, you had some practical tools to help you stay on track.  You are now well on your way to realising your vision.

The foundation for creating a year like this is having a clear vision.

With the Christmas holidays behind us and as we enter the New Year this ‘Crystallise Your Vision for 2010′ workshop is an ideal opportunity for some quality ‘me’ time and creating your crystal clear vision for 2010.

Take this opportunity now to join Geraldine on one of her rare open workshops.

Saturday 6^th February 2010

The purpose of the day will be working to help you:

• Crystallise your vision for 2010
• Align your thoughts, feelings and action to support you bringing your vision into reality
• Discover what blocks you and how to overcome these
• Sustain your focus - practical ways to retain focus
• Stay on track - tools to enable you to do this

The workshop will be a highly participative and inter-active day.  Like I say I’ve known and worked with Geraldine for some years now and I’ve yet to ask her a question she couldn’t answer, and I can ask some complex questions.

Act now and book your place.

The information you need to do this:

Date:     Saturday 6 February 2010

Time:     10.00 - 16.30 (Registration and Coffee from 09.30)

Venue:  Moor Hall Hotel, Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. (Hotel website: moorhallhotel.co.uk)

Your investment:  £97 + vat @17.5% = £ 113.98

Lunch, morning and afternoon refreshments are included in too.

To secure your place either call Geraldine’s office on 0121 354 6879 or fill in the contact us section and I’ll forward on your details.

As a child what did you want to be when you grew up?  Nurse, fireman and teacher were the hot options at my infant school.  Then of course you somehow realise there are more options out there.

I’m still surprised at the number of people who tell me what they do, listen to what I do and then wistfully say “ahh but I’d love to ….or as a child I always wanted to be …” as a profession.  What stops them from pursuing this desire? - being sensible and responsibility are the 2 most popular answers.  Apparently I am blessed and lucky to be able to do what I love.  Well so I’m told.   So why do I get to do what I love, and others don’t?  Especially as I’ve never thought of myself as unsensible or irresponsible.   What is it that causes one person to choose to remain in an unfulfilling job and another to go out and pursue it?

I have a hypothesis, just as “I don’t have the time” is very often an excuse rather than the truth, responsibility and sensibleness are also acceptable excuses.  We can trot them out in public without fear of ridicule or being called on them.  These are socially acceptable ways of skirting the real issue of why someone has chosen to stay where they are.  And choosing to stay where you are is not wrong, but what about a bit of authenticity in the answer, how about “I’m too scared”, or “I can’t be bothered”, or “my job is currently funding my kit car and once that’s built then I’ll think about it”.  Well at least we wouldn’t be having a superficial conversation trying to smoother some simmering passion.

Then again some of the answers I’ve had include “you need a degree, or you have to be charismatic”.  In both cases I didn’t agree so I found out how they knew their reason to be true, and we shared our evidence.  I’m pleased to say that upon hearing contrary evidence they went off with renewed vigor, the stumbling block removed.  Sometimes what’s stopping us is real, other times it’s all an illusion.

So now I am asking myself what else would I love to do this year, and what’s stopping me, is it real or an illusion.  The real blocks will take a bit longer to break down, but the beauty of illusions is they lose their power as soon as you see through them.

A new year and a new decade are almost upon us.  Where does time go.  Before the 1st January arrives will you have taken time to work out what you want to achieve in 2010?

Here’s a short video that let’s you in on a little secret of something I do between Christmas and New Year.  I already have all the ingredients mentioned in the video and I’m looking forward to the indulgence.

I think that one of the key things, no matter what sort of year this has been,  that is critical when you decide what 2010 will be about (and even the next decade if you’re being bold) is you feel fantastic.

Success is a feeling first and foremost, it’s not a destination.  So when you set your goals (work and personal) for the next year, do it in style, feeling fabulous, confident and successful.  What you believe is possible, what you desire, will be very different compared to if you set goals for next year feeling beaten from this year, creeping in with small wishes, hoping that life doesn’t crush those too.

Whether your recipe for success includes a G&T, a cup of tea or a glass of champagne, may this next decade bring you all your heart desires.  No creeping now

As children we quickly pick up messages about our image, whether we fit in with society’s definition of normal or it’s definition of desirable or successful or like-able.  As adults we get to add the am I too young, too old, passed it, conundrum to the list.  Dove have come up with some very clever video’s showing what we’re exposed to on a daily basis at a more unconscious level.  Their self esteem fund is aimed at girls, but I would say that boys too are increasingly exposed to messages of a similar nature.

Wouldn’t it be great if we could be shown how to learn to love the skin we’re in, rather than wanting to change it and learn to love others for who they are.  It certainly beats the self image that’s says we’re not good enough.

I recently found some photo’s of me when I was a teenager, a time when I certainly didn’t think I was good enough, and would have described myself as ugly.  Now the reaction to the photo’s included some laughter at the hairstyles that were fashionable then (it was the 80’s).  However I also realised how pretty I was and that’s it’s the invisible glasses we wear that determine how we view things.  In my case I’d been wearing the all my friends are beautiful, pretty or fanciable and I’m the ugly ‘orrid ones.  No idea when those invisible glasses broke, but thank goodness they did.  Who knows what I’d have succumbed to, or how many years I’d have lost not being able to appreciate myself, quirks and all.

Dove’s self esteem fund has lots more information.

Here’s one of their video’s

Some people might think I study odd things - like success.  Every time I meet someone who’s been successful my curiosity is peaked, I want to know how they did it, the process, the context.  Then I’m looking at how that matches my current process for achieving the same thing and I play around till I get the desired results.

As you can imagine this also means I’ve worked out various ways of delaying success.  So let me share with you one very good way of putting off the success you desire and deserve.

“When I _______________ then I’ll _______________”

That’s it.  You get to fill in the blanks.

Typically it’s along the lines of when I have my goal, then I’ll act in a different way.  Now this is as close as you can get to putting the cart before the horse and not realising it.  If you had your goal and you’d either behave differently, dress differently, do something differently, then what’s stopping you from doing/being the difference now?

Several years ago I did a paper exercise.  At the top I wrote    When I’m successful I’ll….

and then I just wrote lots of different endings.  After which I looked at all these things and said so which could I be/do/have right now.

One of the endings was I’ll always have a bottle of champagne in my fridge.  So I went and bought a bottle and there it lived and every time I opened my fridge door, voila success, well the feeling of success to be precise and that’s exactly what you want, the feeling.  Then something significantly fabulous happened and I wanted to celebrate and so out came the bottle of champagne and I felt really, really, successful.  Now over the years depending on just how flush I’ve been (running a business does have some hairy moments), it’s been a bottle of cava but it was always something that enabled me to feel successful.

So make your list and see just how much success you can have in your life already.

So this was 200 dancers doing a little Sound of Music in Antwerp.

As I was watching it I asked myself, had I been there would I have been a spectator or joined in?

The answer - I’d have joined in, nothing like an opportunity to boogie on down.

Your self image is determining your results.  Now maybe you’ve never seen your identity as directly linked to the results you’ve achieved or will go on to achieve.  In essence we can’t outperform our sense of self.  Well you can but only for a short while and then, like an elastic band, it snaps back to where it knows.

You’ve no doubt heard people say “act as if”, or ” you have to be it before you can receive it”.  We see this commonly in the workplace when people are doing a role before they get the promotion.

Self esteem, self confidence, results, success, resilience, adaptability are all tied up to self image / identity.

Any time you say “i am…” you’re making a statement about your identity.

Now most of us talk a lot but don’t really pay 100% attention to what we’re saying.   Your identity is unconsciously running you.

This summer you can change all that.  You could decide you’re going to understand the power of self image and identity, and work on making sure yours is working for you, not against you.  Join me on my 7 week study group, we’re doing this by phone so it’s really easy to join in.  You can get the full details here.

Every once in a while people who know I’m from Yorkshire send me things from or about my homeland.  This video for Yorkshire Airlines being one example.  It’s so funny, and there’s many a truth in it, plus I think I know all the ‘characters’ in the video from my village / valley.

Now clearly it features some gastronomical top tips like fish n chips out of the newspaper - and I prefer newspaper, yes it leaves print on your hand but there must be something in the ink that’s released as the vinegar and warm fat soak in, cos it smells good.  If I’m feeling posh (Alan Bennett class) then I’ll have them on a plate with mushy peas.

Other delicacy’s I recommend include mushy peas on top of a warm pork pie and a nice dollop of mint sauce.  You eat them with a spoon and fork, don’t go asking for a knife.  Lastly the canape that’s so often overlooked is the honeycomb tripe with a little salt and vinegar.  Right I’m going to shut up before I get all Hovis and start my “eeeh when I warra lass” stories.