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Volume 10
Welcome to Volume 10 of Living on the Edge, the fortnightly newsletter from Living Edge Life Coaching, designed to inform, educate, challenge and inspire you!
For previous volumes click here.
I would especially like to welcome a number of new subscribers from all over Australia - especially the Sunshine Coast and one from the USA. I hope you enjoy!
Please forward onto your friends/colleagues and encourage them to subscribe.
Annabel Varvel
Life Coach BA.LLB
COACHING CORNER
Maintaining your identity
It's very easy for both men and women, over time, to lose their identity. For women, we tend to absorb ourselves in the lives of the people around us - husbands, children, family and friends. We can find that we get our 'identity' from what we can do for others. For men it's more commonly tied up with work/career and giving all you can to further your career.
Regardless of the reason it seems to be common for men & women to hit 'mid-life' and have some sort of 'crisis'. You may find yourself asking questions like... Who am I? What am I passionate about? What do I really enjoy? and find yourself stumbling around for answers.
I have recently spoken to a group of women on the Sunshine Coast about this very topic and shared with them a few 'tips' or 'suggestions' on how to develop and maintain your identity so that you can give out of a healthy sense of 'self'.
Believe you were created for a reason
I believe that at a core level we have a few fundamental needs – to find our identity/life purpose, our self-worth, to be unconditionally loved and forgiven. Personally I believe that those needs can only be met at a deep level through relationship with the God that created you. I have found that in sorting out my identity at this level has helped me to understand who I am and that I have a purpose or reason to be here in the first place.
Get to know yourself
This might sound like the obvious way to develop and maintain your identity, but how many of us know ourselves all that well! Here are some suggestions for how to get to know yourself better:
1. Know your personality - do some personality assessments. Get to understand the way you are wired and how that plays out in your relationships and your workplace. Better still do assessments with friends and talk about the results. There are many online tests you can take. One I have found useful can be found at www.kiersey.com
2. Do a personal SWOT analysis....
Ask yourself:
- What are my strengths?
- What are my weaknesses?
- What opportunities for growth/development/success do I have?
- What are the threats to my growth/development/success?
Then ask yourself:
- How can I work on my strengths to develop them further?
- How can I improve my weaknesses so they don't become threats?
- How will I utilize the opportunities I have identified?
- How can I prevent the threats from ruining my chances of success?
3. Read books that help you gain insight into yourself
For example, Self Matters by Dr Phil McGraw is an excellent, practical book that helps you to explore your personal identity. Just make sure you do the exercises in the book! That's the only way you'll get full value from it.
4. Try different things
How do you know if you'll enjoy something or not unless you give it a try? You might find a passion lurking hidden just because you haven't stepped out of your comfort zone and tried something new. I have a client who after a long time of struggling to go walking for exercise finally decided to try rollerblading and is now hooked! You never know what you'll enjoy.
5. Set goals...
We've covered many suggestions about goal setting in previous editions of Living on the Edge....click here to read some previous 'Coaching Corner' articles.
PREGGO PHOTO
For those that have been asking me for a pregnant photo... here it is @ 38 weeks! Next edition will definitely have photos of 'the little one' who'd better be born soon!!
FREE TRIAL SESSION
QUOTE
The best way to find out if coaching is for you is to try it!
If you or someone you know would like to try a coaching session for FREE, please call 1300 137 803 to arrange a session. (sessions can be done over the phone as well as in person)
Swim upstream. Go the other way. Ignore the conventional wisdom. If everyone else is doing it one way, there's a good chance you can find your niche by going in exactly the opposite direction.
Sam Walton of Wal-Mart and Sam's Club fame
Questions, comments, suggestions email annabel@livingedge.net
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LIVING EDGE
LIFE COACHING
28 Hawthorn Tce, Red Hill Q 4059
p: 07 3511 6138 f: 07 3511 6137 m: 0409 076 040
1300 137 803