Life often only makes sense when you look at it backwards, - but if you slow down in the present you can have the future you desire.

People often say life only makes sense when you look at it backwards. But I believe if you slow down in the present you can have the future you desire.

Unfortunately in most cases this is done from a place of regret and missed opportunities. Often when we look at achievements we struggle to identify the enjoyment of the achievement we remember just the effort, struggle and failures along the way.

As a twin that survived infancy I have always treasured life, but like most when I lived my life at 100 miles an hour in the corporate world I became lost in the struggle and drive to become successful.

On the sporting field growing up I was a different individual I had belief in myself to be the best I could be, to fulfil my potential in every soccer game I played to be the best player on the pitch with the aim to score in every game I played.

I had superb self awareness and analytical ability on a football pitch, I was fast and took advantage of my gifts and both scored and assisted in making many goals. It got me noticed for a final youth Ireland team trial and a football trial with an a top english division 2 team the UK.

Knowing what motivates you identifying your passion, building your self - awareness and drive will help you work on your ability to step outside your comfort zone

My sporting career crossed my corporate career but confidence in myself was different in each sector. I never suffered Imposter Syndrome on the football field.

Suffering mental exhaustion working 84 hours a week in 2010 was the catalyst to change my life and find myself again.

I slowed down and regained the confidence in myself, identified my passion for my career and started mentoring younger people to improve their mindset and self awareness so they could fulfil their potential and enjoy the journey.

Having confidence to step outside your comfort zone may mean you experience set backs but you will learn from it and be more confident to move forward.

You can do it and a coach like me can help you believe in yourself if you are at the start of your career or going for that senior promotion.

Don’t wait to look backwards to make sense of your life, take action now I am here to help.

bjkennomotivation.com

I reserve my right to be dumb.

I reserve my right to be dumb because no one person should have all the answers. Put your ego aside and ask the question.

It’s important if you don’t understand or you don’t have the answer you can ask the question. Chances are you are not the only person in the room struggling to understand what’s going on.

The trick is, the culture of the organisation will determine if you ask the question.

Many years ago I was asked to a meeting I was recognised as an expert in my field, I had vast experience so I was invited. Most of the people in the room didn’t know me, they were a mixture of 3rd party stakeholders and project managers.

The air of importance in the room struck me so much so that I felt uneasy.

The meeting started and there was a structured agenda with updates on the project, there was challenges about the scope, baselines and items were to be fast tracked and there was mention of forward passes and waterfalls and deliverables.

I listened intently really listened as questions were asked people would say they would touch base offline and come back by close of play so it could be taken to the next level.

Others spoke about items being on their radar but as they peeled back the onion.. etc etc and as they went on they were interrupted by project manager who decided we couldn’t boil the ocean and we needed to be all singing from the same hymesheet.

I was in a parellel universe at that time I could see the issues and as I asked for an opinion on an item it was decided that would cause scope creep so it would be descoped from the project.

Whilst there was talk about critical paths along a road map which included milestones it would all be updated in the deck for the next meeting.

Waterfalls, boiling the ocean and thinking outside the box, slide decks and understanding who was holding the pen were all lessons learned.

Meetings would never be the same.

If you don’t understand ask the question, I reserve my right to be dumb.

Pay me big while I stay small.

Pay me big while I stay small.!!!

If you spend time over this weekend complaining to yourself that you are not paid enough for your job ask yourself......

Am I asking someone to pay me big as I stay small?.

Part of getting on in any career is the ability to show you are capable and you can deliver at the next level up.

To get that chance sometimes you have to ask for additional responsibility on top of your present job.

Good progressive leaders will appreciate the ask, they will provide you a task with guidance and constructive feedback on how you perform.

Not asking the question, wanting to stay small and not grow but expecting the big paycheck is a recipe for stagnation in your career and for your mental health.

Taking on the extra responsibility will take you out of your comfort zone and like any challenge its a stretch, but with the right support you will grow and prove you can deliver at the next level.

In career and sport if you put the extra effort into the last stretch you get the results there's pain in everything as you grow and move forward.

Your choice.

Selfcare matters for Leaders

Friday evening thought for the weekend.

Self care matters for leaders inside and outside work.

Good leaders bring their best selves to work each day. They strive to lead the team in a positive way, to encourage and mentor and to make the workplace a great place to be.

You put great care into how you manage your manager and the team you lead, you care about the people.

But what if you neglect your own self care, the chances are we will get stressed and hassled feel overwhelmed and that affects everyone around us in our professional and personal lives.

In 2010 when I suffered mental exhaustion working 84 hours a week I was most certainly not focusing on my self care, I worked longer hours to fix problems if I'm honest my leadership became inconsistant and I suffered a loss of confidence.

Self care matters for leaders inside and outside of work.

Get the basics right like

- managing your diet,

- getting exercise and

- building positive relationships

- taking time out to relax,

- monitor your workload

- monitor the time you spend working

do these things and your positive new world will start to fall into place you feel better about yourself and you begin to feel less stressed.

Check in with yourself,

How are you feeling?

Are you feeling relaxed?

Are you feeling stressed or overwhelmed?

Do you feel calm?

Take a break during the day get away from the desk for lunch, when your team see you do it they will know its OK to have a break.

Working long hours is not a badge of honour its a sign of an inability to time manage or of unreasonable demands which need to be discussed.

Respect yourself and understand the choices you make daily your life is your responsibility and self care is crucial for your future and your mental health.

What do you really want to achieve in life.

Saturday thought for the weekend.

Wearing shorts recently while standing in a queue I was asked about  tattoo's on my calf's which celebrate my ultra marathon running which prompted a conversation on ability and attitude.

Whatever you want to achieve in your personal or corporate life is achievable when you slow down understand the challenge and take time to build a plan.

Your attitude will keep you on track when your motivation waines, it will help you build your resilience and selfbelief as you take small steps to progress.

Message delivered some motivated younger peeps leave happy.

A past 40 mile run avg 12 min miles over 5600 calories burnt and an ability to dig deep and listen to positive self talk  is the proof in the pudding as they say.

What do you want to achieve?

#motivation #success #inspiration #leadership #personaldevelopment #goals #gratitude

Monday evening lack of confidence

August 9, 2021

Monday evening lack of confidence

So it’s Monday evening you are three weeks into the new job, a promotion a job you previously thought you would have sold your granny for.

You have the job, it’s the result of hard work, constant stepping up, stepping out of your comfort zone, experiencing the uncomfortable to move forward in your career has paid off.

Three weeks in and your new boss asked you to get a job done, you know you should have asked for clarification because you were not totally sure of the ask just the deadline. So you asked some of the new team you are leading for their opinions, you now hear on the grapevine they think you don’t know what you are doing and some thing you are asking for their permission to deliver change.

As you sit on the couch watching TV feeling stressed and not taking it in, because all you can think of is how can I fake it till I make it and you have not realised enter Imposter Syndrome.

You believe the team think you are now weak and ineffective, how did he/she get the job, what are you going to do?

New promotions take time to settle in. Early in you can get to a point of low confidence and uncertainty in your mind. This is where positive language and self talk comes into play. Get a balance in your language in your head and to your team, make it positive, say things like this is a great project to deliver let’s work together and get it done, i’m excited to be working with you on this it means so much for the company and our customers.

Give the boss an update and ask for feedback leave unconscious behaviours behind replaced with positive statements and clear direction to the team which will build trust.

The first 90 days of any promotion is crucial reviewing your leadership skills, your ability to manage upward, clarify your role and responsibilities and identifying the learning curve you are on is vital and reduces the opportunity for Imposter Syndrome to take hold while increasing your ability to show confidence and positive behaviour as you settle into the job.

I can coach you in leadership confidence within the first 90 days of your promotion, reach out to me and together we can continue your success.

You can do it.

Who motivates the motivator?

Saturday thought for the weekend.

Who motivates the motivator?

Even the most positive motivated leader can have a day when they feel their energy levels are down they feel in need of a lift, who then motivates the motivator?

As a leader when  you communicate with your team on days like this it will be their positive attitude and smiles that will motivate the motivator.

Never under estimate the positive effect you can have on every life that crosses your path.

Running amongst volcanoes many years ago I struggled at times, you didn't see many people along the way but those you did gave you a wave and a smile that kept you going and gave you a lift and motivated you.

Remember never give up.

It’s not Time management but Energy management that matters.

In the corporate world people are sent on time management courses so they can be more productive.

There is only so much time in a day, take a moment to understand that and to believe that managing your energy is the way forward.

Managing your Physical, Emotional and Mental energy can help you make substantial improvements in your personal and business relationships.

You may struggle to express appreciation to others.

You may struggle to focus on one thing at a time.

You may spend too little time on activities that give you a sense of purpose.

Realising that can be a shock but you can change.

Chances are the organisation you work for have helped you develop your skills, knowledge and competence. - Your Energy levels have been taken for granted.

Managing your physical energy

Get more sleep, start eating well, concentration, build cardio activity, take regular breaks.

Managing your Emotional energy

Breathing techniques to reduce anxiety, build positive reactions and improve patience.

Managing your Mental energy

Manage difficult tasks first, reduce interruptions during the day, find something to be grateful for, say thank you to others for a job well done.

You can buy time through deep abdominal breathing to relax and changing the negative self talk in your head to be more positive about yourself.

A 20 minute walk can give you a mental and emotional break with the exercise providing the brain greater capacity to see the bigger picture.

So think more about energy management rather than time management for a more positive future.

bjkennomotivation.com

Imagine a No Jerk Policy in your workplace

Imagine if your workplace had a " no jerk" policy. Regardless of who it was, the best manager, the best salesperson, the colleague you have coffee with.

Imagine if being a jerk was not tolerated, now imagine how your workplace has improved.

No more overlooking bad behaviour because someone is the best sales person and brings in good revenue.

No more overbearing, hurtful people who are just downright mean, rude and ignorant and talk down to colleagues.

Awful  people with those qualities create toxic work environments and personal relationships.

If tolerated the result on colleagues in workplace is depression and anxiety that can take years to get over and even then people will identify with trigger points at later stages in their lives.

You can learn to become more resilient to bounce back from these experiences, so the next time you have a negative experience it will not have as much of an impact.

If you have just realised you could be the jerk then you can change and improve your emotional intelligence increasing your self awareness and empathy and become a good leader.

Work with me and I can help you move forward on your journey with a positive outcome.

#mentalhealth #emotionalintelligence #leadership #empathy #leadershipdevelopment #resilience

How to be successful by an ultra marathoner

Would you take advice on how to be successful from an ultra marathoner (me).

Ultra marathoners have many skills that make them successful, skills that can be brought into personal and career lives if only people would listen.

Listening can be your secret weapon in moving forward to success.

In order to be a successful ultra marathoner you must work on your training plan for 40, 50,100 mile races and understand the level of commitment it will take to reach your goal. Build a foundation and have a decent time frame to meet your goal.

The ability to understand, use and manage your emotions is crucial to overcome challenges, obstacles and injury and personal conflict.

The real prison is in our minds, the voices chatter and won’t stop until you identify it name it and then ignore it by letting it know it has no space in your mind.

Believing in yourself, the strength that comes from your heart and your soul deliver possibilities in life that once we thought not possible.

Running an ultra marathon successfully includes setting Smart goals, visualisation, holding yourself to a certain standard, in a way being relentless with yourself. If the journey is important enough you have the reasons to get up and keep going.

You see you can only get so physically fit and then the mind takes over. It’s important to surround yourself with positive people.

Visualisation is important, see yourself running the race, doing the interview, getting the job.

You can train your thought process about how you will approach your goals.

Imagine the situation, the sensations you feel, the confidence building the positive self talk motivation telling you that you can do it, focused because it means something to you, calming as your anxiety reduces and you manage the pressure.

Training yourself to be positive is fun

-Look at all the positive things around you.

-Take care of yourself

-Give something back

-Get positive feedback everyday

Building your emotional intelligence to reach any goal in life will help you become

-more self aware

-be motivated

-become a great listener

-build willpower & discipline.

The tips from an ultra marathoner can be brought into any aspect of your life bebause when you believe in yourself and master your emotions you can achieve anything.

Believe.