Monthly Archives: octubre 2013

We all possess a unique set of qualities or talents, areas in which we naturally do great at. Being able to recognize those will be one of the best exercises you could ever do, since greatness is created through one’s strengths.

Examples of strengths could be being adaptable, analytical, passionate, a good communicator, ability to connect with people, creative, independent, strategic, honest, good sense of humour, etc.

Do you enjoy doing things that you’re actually not good at? Most of us would answer no to this question, and yet we are so used to spending most of our time and energies into working on how we can improve our weaknesses, which can leave us feeling frustrated and unfulfilled. As we compare ourselves to other’s strengths, we may get so fixated in “fixing” those areas that we are not good at, that we leave untapped potential for growth, by investing and cultivating our own strengths, instead of using our energy to try and correct our deficiencies.

But what if we had the opportunity to do what we do best every day? What benefits would this new perspective bring to our lives? Just to name a few:

–          Better job satisfaction

–          Better quality of life

–          Increased confidence (knowing that you are making a difference as a direct result of using your own talents)

–          A more positive outlook in life

–          Improved engagement and positivity at work

–          Improved relationships

So what to do with one’s weaknesses? It is always helpful to be aware of those areas where you may not be as talented, especially if you are required to perform some of those at work. Bringing awareness to your developmental gaps allows you to become resourceful in managing them. Nowadays there is an array of solutions and options to address those areas you may lack. Partnering with others whose strengths are your very own weaknesses is a fantastic way of improving overall results.

Reflection:

What are your strengths? How do you make use of your own unique talents at work / in your everyday life?

What is it that you could do to cultivate your strengths?

What areas do you consider to be your weaknesses? What could you do to manage them?

Investing the time to get to know yourself and how to live your life in the way you want could be one of the best investments of your life. But most of us cannot do it alone, we need to leverage the wisdom and experience of other people in order to get the results we want. We also need other people to believe in us in those moments when we’ve given up on ourselves.

In coaching, success is all yours, you do it on your own. You make the decisions and make it happen. A coach is there helping you understand who you are and what you want, empowering you to take action to move towards achieving it all, in a way that gets you out of your comfort zone and into areas you may not have been able to explore or venture into on your own. A coach will guide and inspire you to believe in all your amazing qualities and talents, in a completely safe and confidential environment.

Are you ready to change? Do you want to be successful but don’t know how? Are you looking for something else to give you purpose and direction? Then contact me to find out how coaching can help you, with a free, no obligation consultation.

Till next time!

Isabel Valle ACC ACTP

Global Coach

What’s wrong with me? Have you ever asked yourself that question? This used to be such a prevalent question of mine. Throughout my entire life I felt as if I was different from most people, and therefore my assumption was to believe that there was something wrong with me, and everyone else out there was normal, at least they all seemed normal to me.

I worked so hard at trying to be like everyone else, so I would feel like I could “fit in” and feel “normal” like the rest of the world.

I couldn’t understand why I wouldn’t be able to do things, or think about things, or interact with people the way I saw others do it so naturally, which made me lack in confidence.

I truly felt like I belonged to a very rare group of people who wouldn’t be accepted by others if they truly let themselves show.

But then something amazing happened. Through coaching, I was able to discover who I really was, and then gain some insights as to how my personality traits and overall behaviours were just a very normal and typical way of behaving of people like me, which in fact there were many, called introverts.

You always hear about people being different, coming in all sorts of shapes. However when applied to yourself, how many of you do you actually take the time to find out who you really are?

At the most basic level, this world is shared by a mix of extroverts and introverts. It is fair to say that extroversion is a more desirable personality trait than introversion. But in a world where nothing is black and white, we need to find where in the middle we stand, and then learn how we can use our own personality traits and behaviours to our full advantage.

In learning to understand who I was, I felt an immediate sense of relief, validation and empowerment to use this newly gained knowledge to my advantage. Nowadays I embrace my way of being and I have created a structure and ways of interacting with the world at large in a way that keeps me inspired, energised and committed to continue to grow and develop my own natural abilities.

And the best of all, in knowing who I am, I no longer feel like there is something wrong with me; on the contrary, it is thanks to being who I am, that I am able to do what I do, and that makes me feel special. So how are you special?

Chances are that no matter who you are, or where you come from, you will at times feel like you are the only person in the planet who feels different, or wrong. But in reality, we all feel like that at one point or another. Embrace your uniqueness and individuality, move away from the crowd and become the resourceful and creative person you are meant to become.

And for those of you introverts out there (regardless of the degree of introversion), let me share an article by Karl Kingdom, which will hopefully shed some light and validation of your own.

This article is not meant to provide a one sided opinion on the subject at all, just provide light and gain a deeper understanding of our reasons for interacting with the world. In knowing the reasoning behind our behaviours, we are able to then become proactive and engage with the world in a more efficient way, one that re-energizes us, rather than drain and confuse us.

10 Myths About Introverts

We tend to get dragged down and overwhelmed by things that accumulate over time – and end up cluttering our minds – and our businesses.

In many cases you may not want to do anything about them right now, but getting into the habit of writing them out in paper will help you offload some of those things, and will also allow you to increase your awareness of what actually needs to be done, which in turn will help you to start handling them, fixing and resolving each one of them as you work through your list.

So, make a list of what you are putting up with at work or at home, or in life in general, and you will get a very good idea of what’s cluttering your mind and slowing you down, both in your personal life and work performance.

Some examples would be incomplete tasks, any frustrations you may have, processes or procedures at work you feel are inefficient or poor practises at work, unresolved issues or problems, other people’s or your own behaviour, clutter, any “shoulds” , unmet needs, crossed boundaries, poor morale, overdue bills or invoices, lack of up-to-date practises at work, guilt, any exercise / eating / sleep habits, office or home cleanliness / tidiness, indecision, procrastination, etc.

Now is the time to identify and get clear about what you are currently tolerating in your life! Write as many as you can, in any order, or format, or device, then over time keep developing this list, and keep adding them as they come up.

Your mind will appreciate the offload, and you will feel relieved, as by noting things down you won’t forget, as it will stay safe in your list, for you to recover and deal with as and when required.

So, starting today, write as many things as you have lingering around in your mind.

How many did you get?

Can you identify which ones are the most important that require immediate action?

Which one out of those would you pick as your top priority?

Pick your top priority and identify an action to take right away (or in the next day or so).

Before you know it, your mind will feel lighter, and sharper, and more ready to take on the more important things in life!

And if you would like me to make you accountable for taking action, just leave me a message via my Facebook page aquí.. There is no better motivation out there to get things done, than to make your desires public!

Isabel Valle ACC ACTP

Global Coach

Coaching for Leadership, for Growth, for Success

Today I want to share with you all something that I wrote to help people bring awareness of their current life circumstances, and a tool to help you shift your current perspective for a more empowering one, which in coaching we call power tool.

My powertool is called Leader vs Victim, and I believe it would be a great exercise for everyone to complete.

I would love to hear any comments you may have about it. Have fun with it!

LEADER VS VICTIM by Isabel Valle

Isabel Valle

Global Coach

Coaching for Leaders and Expatriates for Growth and Success

www.isabelvalle.com

http://www.facebook.com/globalroom