Like a child on a car trip, I find myself thinking ‘Are we there yet?’  Ok I know patience is not one of my strong points, anybody that knows me will contest to that. Yet it is 2010 and somehow it feels like we are living in sci-fi age, and if that is the case then why do we still find ourselves waiting? We should have arrived by now.. Arrived to the age of awareness and understanding Arrived full circle to our realization that less is in fact more Noticed that there are some people born lucky and then there are the rest of them Being completely present in the moment and not daydreaming of the past or future Noticing that we can live simply and be authentically happy Questioning why we eat certain foods when we are feeling emotional in any way Making a connection with no hidden agenda Yes I can relate to most of those things, living simply and living consciously. It takes work to keep it simple and to really be present. For example being a p...

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Yesterday a client told me about his dilemma, he is a talented IT professional and gets contract after contract without really looking, his work speaks for itself. He has been in this profession all is adult life and really wants a career change, thus the coaching. It is interesting that when one contract is about to end the next job just appears for him, yet this is the time when he wants to pull back and re-train in his new path, one which is more alignment with his values and passion. It feels like the universe is testing him each time, here is a job you can do, take it, and he is standing on the fork on the road wondering if job security is more important than learning new skills. You need to be practical before taking the leap of faith into a new endeavor, as there are many considerations, being the main breadwinner in the family  you have responsibilities, and in my model of the world that takes precedence over anything else. Yet by the same token if you can put time a...

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There are more and more people starting their own business, as we reach a fork on the road with our careers and lifestyle choices many decide that working for someone else does not really provide us with enough balance and flexibility that we need in our lives.  So we take the plunge and fly solo, and this means we do EVERYTHING, from the actual work to administration, marketing, promotions and even become our own PA. Surely there are not enough hours in the day to do all those job roles and so many of us work after hours including weekends and even during our holidays after all we do not get the employee benefits anymore and we need to be available for our clients. So where did the balance go? We want our cake and eat it too, which means we are chasing our tails and often doing tasks that bring no joy as this is not want we are passionate about, we want to talk to people, create, do our thing.. Yet we find ourselves sending out flyers, typing up proposals,  making cold call...

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A client of mine was talking about all the things she has yet to do and she became a little bit disillusioned about it all, as she felt she had left her run too late. She is in her late 30s, still single and no children and she really wants a partner and family to complete her picture. She like so many women of my generation feel that we can have it ALL, career, travel, new experiences and then find Mr Wonderful and settle down with one or two children.  Time is a finite resource we all know that and if our priorities are to work and travel then you need to have your eyes and heart open to meet Mr Wonderful during  your journey.  If you keep playing the field and not commit then you risk running out of time and you may become complacent and settle for Mr Right now.  I was watching an interview with Dame Elizabeth Murdoch she will be 100 years old next month, and what really stuck me was that she was so vivid and articulate in expressing her opinions, she said that...

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Six key steps to setting goals   Well, it’s the New Year and I am guessing most of you (me included) have set at least one goal or New Year resolution. So before you go much further, make sure that you set yourself up for success and give yourself the best possible chance to achieve your goals.  Today I share with you 6 key steps to writing goals that will help you achieve them.    State your goal positively Put your goal in context Express your goal in specific, sensory terms Choose a goal you can fulfill yourself Evaluate honestly the effects of achieving your goal Choose a worthwhile goal. Many of the people I coach have radically improved different aspects of their lives by using this approach to setting and achieving their goals. 1. State your goal positively State what you want (not what you don’t want!!). The brain works in such a way that stating a goal in negative terms can have completely the wrong effect. What most...

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Your Own Worst Enemy - How Not To Be! Top secrets to staying motivated and on track with your goals Have you ever set yourself a goal or committed to stopping or staring something (a diet, an exercise plan) and not managed to follow through?  If you are like every other person in the world then I am guessing the answer is yes, at least once! Just because you set yourself a goal it does not mean that you will achieve the outcome you want. Do you sometimes have a that little voice inside your head that says “I am finding it really hard to stay motivated to stick to this goal or “I wish I was more motivated to do the things I know need doing” For all of us at one time or another we have found it difficult to find the motivation and keep it. Unfortunately motivation won’t just fall into your lap – you have to take steps to create it. Wanting to do something and then actually doing it can be really hard.  We often mistake sheer will power with motivation. Will power is no go...

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Women With Purpose   Are you a women who is time poor but committment rich? Then you belong to a NOT SO exclusive club! I really, really dislike it when I see an advert asking me if I would like more time in the day – of course I would -  are these people idiots?   For me it has never been about more time. I knew that if I had more time then I would simply do more things and try to fit more in. If this sounds familiar then you might want to read on.....?   My name is Louise Carter and I help women to set goals for themself and more importantly STICK  to them.    I am lucky enough to meet many wonderful women every day and they all have oodles of talent and potential.   They are all successful in their own right as mothers, partners, lovers, career women, friends etc and every one of them has a goal, which is why they come to me. It is   The goals are things they are passionate about that they know will make a difference...

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We all play the waiting game, when we are queuing for services or at the check out counter at the supermarket, we wait. As we grow up we wait to get older, so we can stay up later, and then we wait so we can be old enough not to need a babysitter. And before you know it we are waiting to get our drivers license and buy alcohol. We then wait to move out of home and find our place in the world. Yes waiting is apart of life and as we get older we realize that waiting serves a purpose, to appreciate the now, to not fast-forward our lives, and to enjoy being young. I used say when I was younger that I cannot wait to grow up, funny and now that I am grown up I want to find my inner child again! In coaching we find people that are still waiting, waiting for that magical relationship, career, and new life. They believe others will give that to them if they wait long enough. Well it is about getting out there out of your comfort zone that you will create new change and new opportunities. With...

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Ever thought of changing your focus from managing time to managing energy? Here’s the good news if you dare to go there. Forget time, it’s all about energy! In our increasingly fast-paced and pressured lives, we crave more time and energy, making them both among the most in-demand commodities of the 21st century. We are all familiar with the clever concepts of buying time; but can we actually buy energy? The answer is, of course, ‘no’ though we do note society’s attempts in the purchasing of energy drinks, energy bars, or our embracing of the notion to increase energy through meditation, yoga or exercise. However, this is clearly not sustaining enough, as most people are still craving energy despite these hard-earned efforts to increase it. Why is this so? If we understand that time is outside of ourselves and energy is within us all, we begin to understand that energy is actually our currency for living and being. After all, without energy we can’t perform or do anything really, ev...

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It is important to understand that there are seasons in our life and that each of these seasons are helpful to us. Winter Winter is the season where we experience challenges and difficulties in our life. It can feel like a cold and lonely time. Our life may appear bleak. We may be dealing with storms in our life which creates fear and anxiety for us. However, we need periods of winter in our lives. These winter times provide us with important learning and understanding. It is through the challenges and difficulties in life that we learn our most valuable lessons. Winter also helps us to appreciate and be grateful for what we have. Without periods of winter in our lives we can take for granted all of the goodness that we experience. Autumn Autumn is the season of our life where change occurs and we need to let go of the old. During this period of our life we recognise and feel the need for change in our lives. In order for us to change we need to let go of things like the leaves fa...

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