Today I’m grateful for

So, I’ve been following Alex Marrah on Instagram and moat days she kicks off her stories with how she’s going to show herself love or be kind to herself that day - like taking it easy, seeing a friend etc, and ends it with what she’s grateful for that day. 

I’m channeling that today. Head has been buried in data for a lot of this week and my brain has maxed out. 

So I’m being kind to myself  by allowing myself to eat as many of the peanut puffs (think cheetos but peanut) as I please and rewatching AJ and the Queen on the ‘ol flix. 

While we’re on the subject, that was an epic little gem of programme and not renewing it was short sighted. Sort yourself out ‘flix! 

I digress. 

Today I’m grateful for:

This morning’s hairwash. I’ve checked out on my curls a little over the summer. Hair feels a little more like mine today. 

Pesto gnocchi, because pesto gnocchi

The knowledge that tomorrow is Saturday and I don’t need to set my alarm 

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Morning cup of nonsense

I’m forty-ish minutes into my working day, I’m not dressed yet, my curly hair has succumbed to bedhead and needs washed and I’m still wearing my muppets pyjama top. However, my morning cup is filled with caffeine and enough flavour that I can’t taste the coffee, so I decided it was time for a blog! Here we! 

I was reading an email the other day - I always read mailing list/marketing & comms emails as I know a Rachie somewhere has worked on that and that the stats will help whether I’m a converted to end goal reader or not. Anyhusan, it was about how to get buy in from colleagues for your work and to be honest, I don’t think that’s as big a struggle as getting buy in from myself. 

I am forever telling myself not to try things, not to suggest things, not to experience things. And why? Because it might not work? Because someone might think it is or I am rubbish? So what? 

Other people try things and it doesn’t work - generally speaking, no bad thing happens. So what’s stopping me?

That would be me. I stop me. That voice in my head that tells me I can’t. However, my primary school teacher’s voice lives rent free in my head with this saying: 

“If you think you can, you’re right. If you think you can’t you’re right.” 

At the age of ten, I didn’t particularly know what it meant, I just remember she would get us to repeat it. In the last few years, it has properly resonated with me. 

In practice, I’ve noticed I follow that pattern. I think I can’t or shouldn’t, so I don’t. I think I can so I try or do.

I strongly doubt I’m going to post this and go into every day as the little train that could, but I’m going to listen out for that teacher’s voice when I need my own buy in. 

Today’s mugshot

Serving up some Minnie Mouse and unkempt hair realness. 

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Uncertain musings.

Clearly, I’m rubbish at blogging. I haven’t written once since September! I think my problem is I use up my creative streak during the day or can’t be bothered when ideas come to me when I’m lying awake at night. 

I came on to write a post because I watched a webinar today, yes - another one. I know that’s pretty much all I’ve posted on this blog, I do have original thoughts sometimes and I’ll find a groove eventually. I digress. 

The webinar was on uncertainty, how we respond to it and how we can reframe it and convert uncertainty to opportunity. That gave me a wild hair up my butt to write a post, not because I particularly have anything new to add to the conversation but because I was feeling reflective and what do I do when I’m feeling reflective - write it down!

I don’t think anyone particularly likes uncertainty and I’ve certainly never thrived on it, I like knowing the script. However, the last few years have given us zero choice but to exist within it. I don’t even need to elaborate. 

Using my instincts to reframe my thought process is something I really took away from today. Like if I knew no bad thing would happen because I rode the wave of uncertainty - what would I do? What do I know now but probably won’t actually figure out properly for another six months when I’ve made sense of it? I know that sounds a bit airy fairy, but that sort of internal dialogue. 

Radical gratitude is something else I took away, like the things we take for absolute granted but when everything else we know is stripped away, will notice, appreciate and thank god, thank goodness, thank Kylie Minogue (or whoever it is you thank) for? Like a few years ago when bird song was suddenly all I could hear outside. 

There is way more to the webinar than the things I’m pulling out, but these are the things that stuck with me. I’m not really sure where my uncertainty tolerance levels are sitting but probably higher than they would have been a few years ago, because they’ve had to be. 

I’m not entirely sure how I go about turning uncertainty into opportunity but I think its more about finding opportunity or creativity amidst the unfamiliar. 

Anyhusan, that’s my musings for the day. See you when the inspiration next takes me! 

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Things I’ve learned working from home

When I started a new job remotely in January I initially worried that I’d struggle to work from home. I thought the lure of the television and my phone might be too strong. 

I’ve realised that I actually take to working from home quite well. I thought I’d mention a few things that I’ve learned in case they help anyone else. 

Visual notes are my friend and fellow DJ

I can take written notes but it really helps to have a visual that I can look at to remind me what happened in meetings, what the key points were that I need to act on. Having a visual also helps me to spur the creative side of my brain. 

Planning breaks is important 

I like to have my day planned and know what I’m going to work on and when, but I’ve learned if I don’t plan when I will stop for a break to rest my eyes or brain, I won’t. Sometimes you need to stop for a breath, whether that at home or in another workspace. 

Working set hours works for me 

I can set my hours to a certain extent but I tend to stick to the traditional 9-5, I try not to go over and run the risk of overworking. If I start earlier, I try to make sure I finish earlier, but still within my required number of hours. 

Dressing for work helps my mindset 

It wont be the same for everyone but for me, I find dressing as though I was going into the office helps me get into the mindset for working for home. There will be some days when I dress down but I’ve found if I’m dressed for a day at the office that’s where my head is at, if I’m dressed for a duvet day in my pink fluffy unicorn slippers, then my mind is probably on the next episode of drag race and a bowl of cereal. 

Those are just a few things that I’ve learned about myself working from home. I’d love to hear what other people have learned about themselves or what helps them to get into the work mindset when working from home. 

P.S

I’ve been procrastinating from writing another blog post, particularly as I’d rarely used this blog other than to write about in poster syndrome so this was more of a required step for myself. If it made for interesting reading, yay. 

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Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #24-30

 

Okay, so I’m two days premature of the 30 days but I’m away for the next few days and will most likely forget so I’m going to round this off today. 

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been actively trying to challenge my imposter syndrome by making small changes and ignoring the phrase ‘fake it until you make it’ 

Here’s what I have learned and will continue to keep trying:

Repeat it until you believe it

- I’ll keep thinking about what my strengths are and reminding myself of them. 

Learn that you earned it 

- I’ll keep a track of what I am grateful for or what I have achieved 

- I’ll keep reminding myself when I have earned something through hard work or skill - it hasn’t just happened. 

Practice it until you perfect it

- I’ll keep putting opportunities to do better 

- I’ll say yes to more opportunities that are outside my comfort zone, provided I can do them. 

- I’ll remember that I can say no and set boundaries where they are necessary. 

I promise to start blogging about other things soon!

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Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #8-23

Okay, so this is lazy but I forgot to do the daily blogs but I’ve essentially been doing the same things so I’ve caught up in one post!

Learn that you earned it - I’ve been keeping a note of all the things I’m grateful for or that I have achieved such as good feedback. 

Practice it until you perfect it - I’ve been trying to say yes to opportunities outside of my comfort zone and not let the ‘what if I’m not good enough’ voice in my head get in the way.  I’m also trying to make sure I make at least one comment in every meeting to make sure I contribute and don’t just observe. 

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Stop faking it: 30 day challenge #7

Today I noticed myself allowing imposter syndrome to manifest outside of a work setting. I was having a jokey conversation with my fiancé about selling my baking to make extra money then said I didn’t think my baking was good enough. He said I was undervaluing myself and that he’d paid more for worse than what I had brought him. 

I’m not not genuinely thinking about selling my brownies and the whole conversation was nonsense but it was a little reminder that that little voice that tells me I’m rubbish isn’t just with me when I’m a work, it can pop up whenever it wants. 

To challenge this, I’m going to practice my baking more until I perfect it - plus, it means more cake. Where is the bad?

 

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