Heathside School, Surrey

I had the pleasure of talking to a group of year 10 students who were taking part in a business week. They listened to a speaker from Sony talk about interview skills and Proctor & Gamble talk about innovation.

I spoke to them about focus and goal setting, writing them down, keeping a journal, being committed to achieve.

I took part in two talks for 20 minutes including questions (and I really had to insist on someone asking me a question!). It was a fantastic afternoon and a reminder about why I really want my work to focus on young people.

They were so eager to talk about aspirations and visions for their life that I could have easily kept them going for 20 hours!

Out of the mouth of babes!

If you want to know how you occur in the world. How people see you. Then asking questions is one of the best ways. The gold is in taking the answers and using them as a way of improving on life and as a way to acknowledge what you have achieved so far.

I decided to ask my children for their opinion of me and the following are the questions with answers from my eldest two aged 14 and 11 years old. The first answer before the fullstop are from my 14 year old daughter and answers after the full stop are my 11 year old son.

Q1) What are my strengths?
A1) Determination. A good mother and keeping my word


Q2) What are my weaknesses?
A2) Distracted. (my 11 year old son couldnt think of any)

Q3) What do you know you can count on me for?
Honest opinion. Always listening to what I have to say, helping me if I have a problem

Q4) What do I complain about the most?
A4) Chores not being done. Clothes on the floor

Q5) What am I best known for?
A5) Coaching teens. figuring out if we are lying

Q6) If you could add or change one thing about me what would it be?
A6) Nothing. Going out more

Q7) If I moved away tomorrow what would you miss the most?
A7) My mummy. You!

Q8) Is there anything I need training & development in?
A8) Being more active. Cant think of anything

Q9) Is there anything you haven't said to me that you would like to?
A9) Get off the laptop. Can I go into town with my friends when I am in year 8?


So what did I learn from that exercise? That I need to get out more. That my children need to see me out and about doing more. I tend to do most of my going out when they are with their dad! But we could probably do alot more together during the week. It's that whole work/home balance thing I suppose!

Hope you found that useful.
Diane

It's been a little while!

I must apologise! I have been letting other things take me away from keeping you updated on everything there is to know about confidence and more importantly supporting your own confidence.

You can count on me to post on this blog at least once a week. I have a schedule now!

Please feel free to leave comments and let me know what you think. It is always good to know that somewhere out there in cyber space land is reading what I write!

Blessings
Diane

Being confident is about loving life and wanting to live to your full potential.

Being confident is not about hiding from people, being confident is not about broken promises and being unwilling to try.

Being confident is about days out and nights in, short trips and long walks, big dreams and bigger goals.

Being confident is about being willing to try and making a mess, being willing to speak and having nothing to say, being willing to listen and knowing you are heard. Being confident is about loving, living and laughing harder and longer with each passing year.

When our children see, hear and live this message with their parents they are given lifelong tools and memories to cherish forever.

Re-igniting Motivation

Have you ever set goals only to have forgotten all about your commitment to them within months or even weeks?

When you decide to work towards the goal of confidence, and you know you want to be more confident, then there will be times (anything from one day to one year!) when being confident can shove it and all you want to do is return to the emotions you find familiar – even if they do belong to the negative family of doubt, fear and low self-confidence.

The reason you will want to do this rather than increase your motivation and stick to your goal to be more confident is simply because it is familiar and easy. The expression “better the devil you know, than the devil you don’t” will become your motivation and a much more appealing one because you do not have to do anything to keep it going!


To read the full article visit http://www.gettingmoreconfident.com/Motivation.html

Who wants to MEET a Millionaire Charity Event

I have received a fantastic response to my millionaire charity event (full details are available on http://www.squidoo.com/Inspirationalcharity/) and am looking forward to starting that process.

I decided rather than create a mini website i would use the tools that are already out there and choose Squidoo. My aim is to generate interest before bidding starts and I can gain alot of exposure this way. I am also considering something on myspace and perhaps blogger, but I don't know if it is worth having 3 sites all saying the same thing!

Please visit the site and if you think it is great rate me :0) I love the feedback! Also pass the url about and if you are able to mention it on your blog and/or website. The more people know about this the better. I want to raise alot of money for charity and provide the opportunity for someone to learn from an expert in the field they want to be successful in.

Oh! and if you know any millionaires please send them my way :0)

With love
Diane

In self help people have created all kinds of acronyms as a way to describe something we want to overcome, or as a way to empower people. FEAR is my favourite

False, Experiences, Appearing, Real

There are many others! So now I have made up my own, it came to me the other day and I love it. The part of us that seems to have huge control is the EGO - it doesn't have to be that way just so you know - you can control it! You just need to learn how.

So I have come up with an acronym for EGO which is

Everyone's
Godless
Omen

It is everyone's because we all have one and your godless omen because it limits you (only to protect you mind) but there is a part of you which is bigger, your higher self, if you only take the time to listen. Perhaps I will blog more on the higher self, but in the meantime, I will enjoy feeling creative because I created something!!!

What are you grateful for?

Take a minute and ask yourself that question. Today I have searched high and low for my purse (wallet) and can't find it anywhere! This has meant cancelling credit cards, debit cards, re-applying for driving license, not to mention the cash I had in it. So I was a bit peeved.

Add to that the fact that I have a leak I can't seem to stop (yes i know, get someone in then.... ) and stuff that needs "doing" that I never seem to get round to (yes, I know, get off myspace then....) and you can see why I was rather frustrated.

I went down the road of "there's always something going wrong". Now I know that if my thoughts stay on that it will always be that way. So I went into the garden, sat in the sun, and allowed the silence to comfort me.

And then the inner voice came and said "how lucky are you, sitting in your garden in the afternoon, when so many others are stuck in an office, maybe in a job they hate" and there was nothing to do but give thanks. For my house, for my garden, for being able to sit and be bathed by the sun. I give thanks.

Teach your child self-discovery


Childhood years are the best times to learn. Somehow, a person’s comprehension is at its peak during childhood. Parents should take advantage of these learning years to ingrain the values of life in their children.

If you’re a parent, teach them positive habits so that they will know and see the beauty that life has to offer. Make them enthusiastic about life. Instill into their hearts and minds all the wonders and magnificence of being alive by living life to its fullest in a positive way.

There’s a startling difference between children learning through self-discovery, and children learning through self-discovery with proper guidance. The first things that children learn are usually the things that stay with them and mold formative years until they reach adulthood.

Fill your children with thoughts of self-importance, confidence, and a positive attitude so that there will be no room for negative thinking. More importantly, fill their world with laughter, love, and understanding. You‘ll never go wrong.

It is understood that relationships are vital to behavior change, and for children, their parents are the key. But the study was designed to identify what factors about the children themselves may be motivating them to desire a change.

Click Here to read the full article......

"Experience tells you what to do; CONFIDENCE allows you to do it"
- Stan smith

From Fear to Confidence Using Questions

Is it possible to move from fear to confidence using questions? Yes it is!

Confidence is the all-important armour jacket you wear to protect yourself from the events in life which may cause negativity and doubt.

Confidence enermy number 1 is fear. When you are afraid life becomes a never ending cycle of worry, frustration and doubt. The power of questions can help you to begin the journey of overcoming fear.

Schedule some quiet time, get a pen and some paper to hand and ask yourself the following question:

What is my biggest fear..... (about this person, this situation, this client)

What do I fear most..... about the future, about my life, about my children

And every time you give yourself an answer then ask yourself

and what do I fear about that?.... another answer..... and what do I fear about that..... another answer

Keep going until you really get down to where the fear is coming from. Here is an example:

What is my biggest fear about meeting new people

1. I may have nothing to say.
and what do I fear about that?

2. They may think I am boring
and what do I fear about that?

3. I will not make any friends/associations
and what do I fear about that?

4. I will end up alone in business and in life

Once you have your major fear (just keep asking the questions - and what do I fear about that until you feel as if you have gone as far as you can) you need to decide what it is you want instead. Fears are there to protect us and it is a good idea to acknowledge their contribution but recognise when it doesn't serve you. Ask yourself the questions:

• What am I willing to do to overcome this fear?
• Who can help me overcome this fear?
• What will be the first action step I take to overcome this fear?

Know thyself is an age old saying that is still relevant today. Self-knowledge is the key to true freedom from restrictions. When you spend time looking at how you think, feel, react and behave you learn alot about where you are stopped in life. Then all there is to do is focus on what it is you want instead, what do you want to feel, who do you want to be, what do you want to have.

This process can take you 5 minutes or 5 hours, that is up to you, I just recommend you at least start! Just take one fear, ask yourself the questions and see what shows up.

Diane Corriette
http://www.inspirationalguidance.co.uk