Career Success The Olympic Way

 Career Success the Olympic way my top 10 tips – by Sue Courtney

The Olympics – how was it for you? Did you watch every moment, ignore it completely or dash out and begin participating in a new sport?

I was totally captivated and inspired by the achievements of the athletes and Team GB in particular. As I listened to their stories and watched in awe as they achieved great results I was struck by the fact that there were lessons to be learnt here that could be applied to your career success.

So here are my top 10 tips for Olympic style career success:

1.     Run your own race. Many of the most successful athletes had a plan for their event and they stuck to it. There is a lot to be said for this confident approach – be yourself, maintain focus and believe in yourself and your plan for success. (This pre-supposed you actually have a coherent plan!)

So be sure you have a detailed plan for your career success and stick to it. Don’t allow others to derail you. Believe in yourself, remain focused and take action.

2.     Set the bar high – aim for excellence. I think that the cycling ladies in the Velodrome  demonstrate this particularly well. Every time they got on their bikes they broke their own world record! Their determination to succeed combined with the belief that they could win was a powerful combination.

Jessica Ennis also showed that she was aiming for nothing less than excellence in her event by winning in spectacular style.

Jessica and the ladies cycling team had set their own personal bar very high and would settle for nothing less than excellence in their performances. We can learn a lot from them.

Every day you have the opportunity to aim for excellence and raise your bar very high to demonstrate that you are a world class performer.

3.     What you measure you can improve. All the athletes were aware of their figures – how fast, how long, how strong – they had been measuring their performances over time and analysing how they could improve.

      As Oscar Pistorius put it, "If there is something I can do to be faster, I just do it, it's simple."

At work, ask yourself how well are you doing – and how do you know this?

How can you improve on your current performance if you really have no clear idea what your current performance is?

What do you need to be measuring?

What do you need to be achieving?

4.     Celebrate your achievements. Some bronze medal winners were ecstatic – others were inconsolable – distraught because they had failed to win silver or gold. To them, bronze meant failure! Other gold medal winners were measured in their response. Many of these were comparing themselves to the achievements of others which is rarely an uplifting experience. Others who had not won a medal cried tears of joy because they had achieved a personal best time or distance. Such a huge variety of responses.

What does this have to do with career success? Plenty.

Celebrate like the last category – when you achieve a small victory celebrate your achievement and then plan how to make the most of the opportunity it brings.

If your CV gets you an interview – well done. You have won an opportunity to go further. Celebrate and plan for the next step. Focus on what you have to be grateful for. If not – it is teaching you something. Learn the lesson, improve and move on to success.

5.     Pay meticulous attention to the detail. The top athletes ensured they left nothing to chance. To quote Oscar Pistorius, “Being a perfectionist is everything. If you skimp, you lose.”

Paying meticulous attention to the fine detail in your work will get you noticed because so few people do this. Ensure you are always immaculately turned out – whatever your position in the company. Ensure your work is of an exemplary standard at all times. Ensure your behaviour is of an exemplary standard at all times.

6.     Who – me? Why me? I listened to an interview with Duncan Goodhew in which he said that the first reaction of many people, when told that they can be world class, is disbelief – they can believe it is possible for someone else, but they feel themselves to be too ordinary. Their second reaction is to ask “why me?” Well, I would ask – “why NOT you?” Everyone has potential greatness in them – it just requires a mindset which knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that you are the capable of world class greatness.

7.     Prepare mentally for success. This brings me nicely to the fact that, as Oscar Pistorius and all the other medal winning athletes know – success is all in the mind. They will have spent hours visualising winning, running the perfect race, overcoming obstacles to claim the gold medal until they have complete belief that the gold medal belongs to them. Failure is not an option.

The same holds true in your career. You need to believe with absolute certainty that the job you want is yours. To do this you will need to have developed a plan, taken all the actions necessary to achieve success – in world class style – visualised success and taken on a coach to help you through the tough times. Remember – just like preparing for the Olympics – achieving career success demands focus, hard work and determination.

8.     Make your own decisions. The top athletes always take advice from their coaches, trainers and mentors – but in the end they have the ultimate responsibility for their own success. It is essential to have total belief in yourself and your ability. Only you know your capabilities and so only you can decide how you will “run your race” and achieve success.

9.     Take responsibility for your actions. The top athletes had top coaches, trainers and mentors who worked tirelessly with them – but they still had to take responsibility for ensuring they did the work. Ultimately they alone were responsible for their input and outcome – and so are you in your career. Where are you abdicating responsibility?

10.   Step through the door.  When Andy Murray won gold I remember a commentator saying that they hoped the result would enable him to finally “step through the door” and accept his status on the world stage.

You need to do the same. Walk through the “door” to your greatness. Accept your place as a world class performer. Become that person you were meant to be.

 

These are my top 10 tips to produce world class results for your career. How can you begin to apply them to your situation today so you too will achieve a “gold medal” and a “world record” in career success?

Here are two bonus tips to start you off:-

1.     Online control. Take control of information that appears about you online. Develop a strong online presence that demonstrates your professionalism and strength in the area of work you wish to specialise in and be promoted for. Remove all items and references to less than professional conduct and monitor what others post about you.

2.     Take time out. It is vital to take time out to re-group and re-energise. So ensure you take your holiday entitlement and really relax. Know that taking your full holiday entitlement and not being available for work interruptions sends a strong and positive message about your confidence and boundaries. It is a very strong action.

 

If you are an action taking woman, determined to succeed in your career then I have the perfect event for you. An exclusive, intensive, luxury focus on your career or business. For more information email me at sue@successandimagecoach.co.uk

www.successandimagecoach.co.uk

www.freepersonalrebrandingbook.co.uk

Redundancy or Release

Redundancy - or Release?

In these economically uncertain times there is increasing talk about ‘redundancy’. It is a word that sends shivers of fear down the spine of many people today, but what does it really mean?

According to the dictionary, ‘redundant ‘ means “superfluous, no longer needed”. In the thesaurus, similar words are “surplus, unnecessary, unwanted”. Who wants to feel they are any of these? The word ‘redundant’ does not have positive connotations. However, truth be told, it is not the person that is redundant, it is the job – you just happen to be filling it!

If viewed positively, it could be the best thing that ever happened to you, after all ”every cloud has a silver lining” or so they say.

I think the process should be called ‘release’. This may bring to mind being released from prison, but I am sure that many of us have, at some time, felt as if our jobs imprison us and stop us doing what we would truly love to do with our lives.

So redundancy can give life to dreams and ambitions that have been buried under layers of habit, fear and procrastination for years. Redundancy is one of the biggest fears as it takes away security, regular income, status and identity. But it gives a lot as well – the opportunity to take stock and redesign your life.

Have you ever asked yourself what success means to you?

Anthony Robbins defines success in the following terms:

“Success is doing what you want, when you want, where you want, with whom you want, as much as you want”

Your definition will be as individual as you are, but I suspect that as well as a certain amount of money and security there will be a thought as to the way the money and security is gained. Few people have the opportunity to achieve success in their chosen field of endeavour because obligations of family and home take priority over an authentic life. If you are facing the threat of redundancy, or have recently experienced it then you have the perfect opportunity to reconsider your whole future and change the outcome.

It is often the case that we won’t jump voluntarily but wait until pushed. As a child I was taught to dive. It terrified me, mostly, I think, because I have an irrational fear of being upside-down. So I would stand on the side of the pool, perfectly poised to dive but not actually taking the plunge. I knew what to do but didn’t dare do it. Instead I waited until someone came along and pushed me because they couldn’t stand it any longer. Think of redundancy as the Universe giving you that push to lead a more authentic life.

Many of us suffer a sense of disappointment our whole life, not because we don’t have love and fun in our lives but because we aren’t brave enough to make changes and admit what we would truly love to do, in case it upsets the status quo. Many who have faced redundancy have the feeling that they have somehow failed, even though it is not their fault and they have done nothing wrong. Indeed they may have been the model employee.

Many who do not experience redundancy would love the opportunity to make the change and move out of jobs they hate, but are terrified to risk change despite the damage it is doing to their self esteem and inner happiness. On the outside you may appear a success but only you will know how successful you really feel.

In many cases redundancy is firmly in our panic zone and is to be avoided at all costs, but when it happens, what can be done? Firstly know that you have not failed, the universe is forcing you to take hold of a new opportunity, giving you the chance to rethink and redesign your future. It has been said that the worst thing in life isn’t failing, it’s never having tried.

A coach can guide you to a place where you can access your own inner wisdom and take charge of your future. It may be an unfamiliar feeling to have choices as to the direction you might like to take and how you would like your future to be. How fortunate you are to have this ‘problem’. It usually comes with a cash cushion to enable you to take a little time to consider your options or to simplify your life by paying off mortgage or loan. Not many have this golden time for reflection – embrace it.

Many people say they feel they have let down their family – especially their children. I have news for you – staying in a job you hate just for them is letting them down far more. Children admire parents who have the courage to make the change – they are the inspiring ones who dare to go after their dreams. By doing so they give their children permission to do the same. I wonder how many parents have told their children to find a job that makes them happy, while staying in a job they clearly hate? Children know when you aren’t walking the talk – you owe it to them. My son often tells people that he finds me the most inspiring person he knows – because I had the courage to quit a well paid job and pursue my dreams. He is now doing the same!

Ask yourself what your ideal day would be – where would you live?

 Who would you spend time with?

 What would you do with your day?

What would you eat?

 What would you wear?

Write it out in minute detail – really feel it, get passionate about it. If there is no passion, think again. Keep playing with the idea until your true desires surface – maybe kicking and screaming at the unaccustomed daylight (they have been hiding in the darkest recesses for many years, possibly your whole life) and feel the passion they unleash.

Now take each aspect of the dream and find out exactly what it is that holds the appeal for you – what makes you want it? Then ask what you need to do, or know to make it happen. Do you need to learn new skills? Taking on the services of a coach can make the process a

lot quicker and less frightening. You will be guided at your pace and will work entirely to your agenda. The coach is non-judgemental and gives you space to explore who you really are and what you really want by asking incisive questions.

Once you have some ideas you then need to make a plan of the order in which actions need to be taken. Find out about courses, ask about financial support and advice, talk to family and friends openly and honestly about the situation. To be on your side they need to know the reality of the situation – it isn’t anything to be ashamed of. It is an opportunity to celebrate – you are very fortunate.

Once you have a plan then you must take action. This is another area where a coach can be an enormous benefit. A coach will help you explore the possible barriers to action so you can work to remove them and then a coach will hold you accountable for the actions you have decided to take. You will have to explore deeply the reasons for not taking action – this often spurs people on to do what they say – so much easier!

SO, redundancy is a good thing – if you decide it is. I think there should be a new definition of the word which should be “ a golden opportunity to redesign your life and achieve your authentic goals and ambitions”. It’s much easier to do this with the support that redundancy offers than it is without it. So smile, be grateful for the shove that the Universe has given you and go get your dream life – it’s got your name on and it’s waiting for you to claim it as your own. Have a great future!

For more information go to www.freepersonalrebrandingbook.co.uk
www.successandimagecoach.co.uk
www.suecourtney.com

Holiday Capsule Wardrobe

The Holiday Capsule Wardrobe –by Sue Courtney

The holiday season is upon us and for those lucky enough to be escaping for a week or two there are issues to be resolved. I put my hand up and admit that I am completely incapable of travelling light – it is a struggle to carry my bag to the car even for a weekend away! If I am going away for a whole week or more the problem really doesn’t bear thinking about. I take every item of suitable clothing out of my wardrobe along with all shoes and accessories and a jumper or two in case it is cold in the evening. (For Goa in April – am I mad?) I then struggle to cram it all in, weigh the case and get cross and upset because it exceeds the weight limit and I now have to make choices. Sound familiar? Thought so.

There is a solution - travel light by taking a capsule wardrobe. I have researched the issue thoroughly and I would like to share my findings with you.

The first thing to consider is the sort of holiday you are going on. Is it a beach holiday, city break, safari or cruise? They each need a very different

wardrobe of clothes. Then think about what you will be doing each day and whether any of these have special requirements such as hiking boots for long walks or tops to cover your shoulders and arms for visiting some religious sites. Is there likely to be an occasion where a posh frock will be required? If so pack just one and use the hotel laundry service if required. If not then just don’t pack it! (I am really struggling with this piece of advice as I always pack at least one just in case!) One really comfortable pair of ‘walk anywhere’ shoes or sandals is usually sufficient, in a neutral colour that can be worn with dresses, shorts, jeans or trousers.

Many holidays involve lounging by the pool or on the beach, shopping, sightseeing and nights out at restaurants or a show. This can mean a selection of clothes that, these days, will put you seriously over your weight limit and out of pocket before you have even hit duty the duty free shops or boarded the plane! However, with some clever mixing and matching and some multi-tasking staples it is possible to look perfectly dressed for all occasions and still come in under your weight limit, which is great because that means that you can bring more back with you!

The easiest option is to wear an outfit out in the evening and then wear it again the following day with a change of shoes and fewer accessories. Current trends can easily be dressed up for evening and down for day so you always look stylish.

The basic items to go into your suitcase are the following:

·        Safari dress

·        Floral dress

·        Floppy hat

·        Gladiator/flat sandals (1 pair)

·        Tote bag for beach, shopping and sightseeing

·        Clutch bag for evenings and more formal day events

·        Sunglasses

·        High heeled shoes or sandals for evening – 1 pair in a neutral shade such as pewter or bronze work well

·        Lightweight flip flops for beach (not essential)

·        Lightweight, neutral cardi for cool evenings

·        2 sets of swimwear with 2 sarongs

·        1 pair of linen trousers or Capri pants

·        1 or 2 smart, embroidered vest tops/camis

·        3 or 4 cotton tops for the beach and general day wear

·        1 pair of cropped trousers and 1 skirt for day and beach wear

·        A couple of sets of jewellery – 1 for the safari look and 1 for the floral look

And that should see you happily from night to day, beach to shops for a week or two with clever mixing and matching and the occasional use of the hotel laundry service or some handwashing. If you coordinate all your colours you will have an even more versatile look. The dresses and shoes will see you happily through shopping sprees, sightseeing and more formal business meetings with no problem.

When it comes to beachwear, it is important to consider your body shape –  so

·        If you are a pear shape then opt for a padded bikini top and high leg briefs with a carefully coordinated and draped sarong to accentuate your top whilst drawing attention away from your hips.

·        If you are an apple shape then a tankini top or one piece will create the illusion of a waist, especially if it contains bodyshaper colour inserts.

·        If you have a full bust then halter necks offer more support and are more flattering.

Team your chosen swimwear with a coordinating kaftan or sarong for walking to and from the beach or for having lunch.

Over the years I have learnt that most holiday destinations sell beach towels quite cheaply, so I always buy when I arrive to save weight. I have also found that many resorts stock well known brands of toiletries and over the counter remedies for holiday ailments that work very well, so I buy those when I arrive as well. The more weight you can save on items like these, the more clothes you can take. The more weight you can save on the clothes you take the more you can bring back with you. (Are you sensing a theme here?) I have even invested in a very lightweight suitcase. In these days of luggage weight restrictions every kilo saved is an extra pair of shoes or an extra dress to give you a wider choice.

I hope you enjoy your holiday and look stunning throughout your stay. My goal this season is to take a capsule wardrobe that is significantly under the weight limit. Wish me luck!

To find out more and learn how to dress for your body shape, Sue can be contacted at

·        sue@successandimagecoach.co.uk

·        www.successandimagecoach.co.uk

·        www.suecourtney.com

·        www.freepersonalrebrandingbook.co.uk

Ladies, If you want to climb the corporate ladder then DON’T work for a bank (or the law)

I was staggered to read in my copy of the ILM magazine, that although 55% of the workforce in the financial sector are women (higher than the UK average of 49%), this not reflected at senior levels. Along with the legal profession, banking allows few women to rise to the top.

Why is this?

One reason, cited by 72% of respondents to the ILM research was the attitude of senior managers. Many women also felt that the role could be incompatible with family life as, in reality, there are few genuine opportunities for  flexible working.

70% of women felt that having a high proportion of men in senior roles inhibited their career progress as it appears that they recruit “in their own image”. 

There is more.

In the ILM survey, only 22% of all respondents (both male and female) believed that banking was a meritocracy, while nearly half (48%) believed promotion to be more likely if you know the ‘right’ people and  mix in the ‘right’ circles than if you possess an outstanding ability to do the job.

It was widely considered that there is a lack of female role models at the top of the industry, especially those who displayed a healthy work-life balance and weren’t perceived to have ‘given up everything’ to get to the top.

However, the idea of a quota system to ensure more women were promoted to the top was unpopular with all. It is also widely held that having a stronger female presence at board level would be beneficial to the industry.

Does this sound familiar?

So what can be done?

Well, a shift in culture towards rewarding results would create a more even playing field. More flexible working arrangements were a popular option with both men and women. They do exist already, but most feel that taking advantage of the provision would adversely affect their promotion prospects, so it is not widely used.

Identifying specific stages in the career ladder where women tend to drop out of management would lead to research on measures to remedy the situation. Returning to work after maternity leave is one such ‘choke point’. It isn’t that women want preferential treatment, just an equal opportunity, and in a talent-driven organisation this would be available.

Now, many of these solutions may be beyond the power of the individual to implement. And I do accept that women don’t always present as confident and assured an image of their management capabilities as men.

But this can be easily remedied with coaching, mentoring and styling.

I have developed my unique 3 Step MAP System to address this very issue and enable you to move up the career ladder, as far as you wish, with confidence and style.

For more information please email me at sue@successandimagecoach.co.uk

Or check out my website at www.successandimagecoach.co.uk

For your FREE copy of my book “The Ultimate Guide to Personal Rebranding for Professional Women Climbing the Corporate Ladder” please go to www.freepersonalrebrandingbook.co.uk

Copyright © 2012, Sue Courtney – Success & Image Ltd. All rights reserved.

Need a plumber/photographer/mortgage....?

Need a plumber/photographer/mortgage......?

Success & Image is proud to be a member of the Meon Valley Flyers Chapter of BNI (Business Network International). This is a group of local businesses which meet weekly and has a strict code of conduct ensuring that only quality businesses remain members.

What this means to you is that each business is carefully vetted and the level of service is monitored each week, so you can be sure that you are getting a reliable quality of service.

So whether you need a solicitor or a caterer, a mortgage consultant or an electrician, before you pick up the yellow pages or Google, have a word with Sue.

I may not be able to fix it myself – but I am sure I know a ‘man’ who can!

Email me at sue@successandimagecoach.co.uk for contact details of businesses you need right now!

The "Ideal Job" Hat

This week the members of my networking group decided to shake things up a bit by wearing a hat which represented our business. There were some wonderful headwear ranging from Julie's which sported lovely yellow rosebuds fashioned from dusters and leaves made from scourers (she has a cleaning company) to Yvonne who wore a hard hat with a phone on the front and a lightbulb on the back, which actually lit up when you pulled a cord! (She is with Utility Warehouse).

 Mine was covered in maps to represent my Unique 3 Step MAP System - well, you wouldn't set out to travel from where you are to somewhere new and different without some means of identifying potential routes, would you?

I then addes a "Sindy" doll wrapped in my book "The Ultimate Guide to Personal Rebranding for Professional Females Climbing the Corporate Ladder"(www.freepersonalrebrandingbook.co.uk )
 - well, what else does a girl need? The book is packed full of tips and ideas to help you move your career forward!

She is climbing a ladder - the "corporate ladder" of the book title - looking radiantly happy and proudly holding her achievements - happiness, money, success & fulfillment!

This visually represents what I do. I work with ambitious women like yourself to achieve the career success and life that you want by working with my MAP system

• M - you develop a Masterful Mindset to ensure your success
• A - you decide which Amazing Actions will lead to your career success. You then plan them in detail and implement them.
• P - you then develop your Powerful Presence through learning what to wear to flatter your shape and present a professional and stylish image to the world both at work and out.

If you had a hat to represent your ideal job, what would be on it?
Why have you chosen thos items?

What is the essence of the career you want and the lifestyle you seek?

If you would like to learn more about my Unique 3 Step MAP System then please watch this short, five minute video where I explain it in more detail.

http://youtu.be/_lHatfqjN4I

In the meantime, I will leave you with a couple more photos of my "business" hat. I think my grandson looks rather wonderful in it - he certainly thought it was hilarious. I wonder what he will tell his teachers about his nana's hat?!

Ascot here I come!

I would really like to hear from you and see photos of your "ideal job" hat - what you have on it and why you have chosen those items. So please email me at

sue@successandimagecoach.co.uk

Copyright - 2012, Sue Courtney - Success & Image Ltd. All rights reserved.

Get That Summer Body by Sue Courtney

 Get that Summer Body

The days are longer, the sun is warmer (when it actually shines) and thoughts are turning to the holiday that will be upon you before you know it.

No matter whether you have the job of your dreams, are about to apply for a promotion or are in the process of looking for a new job, the holiday is a vital part of life and needs to be prepared for.

If you are like me, it is about now that the weight loss goal from January (long forgotten) becomes a bit of a priority. Some actions have been taken, but the weather has been cold and there was Easter, with cakes and chocolate, then the weather was cold again – and wet. No more excuses. The time has come to tackle this one, but absolutely NOT by dieting. There are much better ways.

Ask yourself some searching questions.

“Why do I want to lose weight or tone up?”

“What have I done in the past to create the reality of being the size I am?”

“What were the reasons for it?”

“What can I do to change it?”

“How much do I want to change it?”

“What difference will losing some weight make to my life?”

We all know that to lose weight we need to take in fewer calories than we use. So the overall aim is to eat a little less and do a little more. It is also a fact that even eating one biscuit a day more than you use in energy can result in a substantial weight gain. So presumably, if you eat one biscuit less each day than the energy you use it will result in a substantial weight loss. So if you can work out where the extra calories are coming from and why, you can develop ways to divert your attention so you forget to eat them!

The important aspect of this to remember is that you are NOT going to be on a diet. They rarely work long term and in his book ‘I Can Make You Thin’ Paul McKenna states

   “ Diets are no more than training courses in how to get fat and feel like a  failure……..If you continue to diet, you will gain weight and keep it on for life.”

All I suggest is that you change a few old habits that are no longer serving you and replace them with new, more enriching ones.

Some years ago I was shown this formula

        E + R = O

Which is an Event + your Response to it = the Outcome you experience. Well, if you change your eating response to events, the outcome of your weight problem will change. In the past you may have reacted to situations by eating, or by eating the wrong food. The outcome is a body that you are not happy with. So changing your response (R) will achieve a new outcome (O). Make new habits that will support your newly prioritised goal.

I am sure you are aware that you have choices about what you do because you are take 100% responsibility for your life. Your daily decisions about whether to eat that packet of crisps when watching the television (or even whether to watch that programme at all), or have a few biscuits with your cuppa when you get home from work are having an effect on your body and your long term happiness. Every small decision like this either supports you in creating your healthy new body, or it doesn’t. You choose which actions to take. You are in charge of your life.

You remember the old saying

  “If you always do what you’ve always done

    you’ll always get what you’ve always got.”

Well, that applies to eating and exercise habits too. The odd biscuit or packet of crisps, justified with the promise that you’ll do better tomorrow or what harm can it do, have created the person you are now. As has the decision to not take the exercise that your body craves.

I know from experience that will power won’t do it, so we’re not going there. Instead we (and yes, I am doing it too ) will change our habits and do things differently. And there will still be no diet.

The first step is to know the reality of your situation. When do you eat those extra calories – in what situations? What time of day? Why? Do you eat from boredom, stress, habit or because everyone else does? Once you know the when and the why you can begin to tackle the problem – so be honest with yourself. I snack from boredom, out of habit, because it is there and so I may as well eat it, because I ate my meal too quickly and so my body hasn’t had a chance to register that I am full or because I am putting off doing something I don’t want to do. I expect some of these will sound familiar.

The times I snack are when I sit down in the evening, when I am procrastinating (any time of day) and at break times when I am not at home. A few weeks ago I discovered how easy it is to develop a bad eating habit. In just two days I was in the habit of eating a biscuit with my break time drink because I was away from home on a course and the biscuits were there. Try as I may, I had to have a biscuit if they were there.

So since I clearly don’t have any, we won’t be using willpower here!

I want you to brainstorm what else you could do instead of eating, at your snack trigger times. Is there something that would help you achieve one of your other goals? What could you do to take your mind off your habit of snacking?

I don’t usually have tea breaks when I am working from home, but if I do I get out a magazine to read and reaching for the biscuit tin is futile as I no longer have one. (We have already established that I lack will power, so I simply don’t put that temptation in my way any more). After dinner, I wash up straight away. If I am still hungry I phone a friend for a chat – it takes my mind off the thought of snacks until my stomach realises that I am not hungry. I may even go for a walk. My biggest problem was crisps when I sat down in the evening. I thought long and hard about a new habit I could develop, then it came to me. I’ve gone back to an old hobby of knitting. It’s great. I can’t knit and eat crisps at the same time and the knitting is creative and gives me a sense of achievement. I also stopped buying crisps!

So think about what you could do. At work could you take fruit or a yoghurt or some cucumber and carrot sticks and start eating them before the biscuits arrive? Could you take your drink back to your desk or sit in a different place? At home maybe phone a friend for a chat, read a book or magazine, go for a walk after dinner, swim or do an exercise DVD or hire a personal trainer? You could take up a new hobby or craft or cook the next day’s dinner. You could be so engrossed in the activity that you forget about snacking.

Challenge yourself to break old habits that aren’t supporting the new you and try something radically different. I know someone who has a large exercise ball. She balances on it to watch television – that combines exercise with making eating difficult. I’ve even tried rebounding while watching television. Try things and see what works for you.

I have mentioned before that I sometimes ask myself,

“What would a successful person do in this situation?”

A better question to ask in this situation is

“What does the new slim and successful me do in this situation?”

One answer you may come up with is to take more exercise. Well, if you live in the Portsmouth area (about 20 mile radius) you are very lucky because I know a wonderful personal trainer by the name of  Lara Geall. She develops personalised programmes for her clients, beginning with an assessment of where they are so they have a benchmark to measure from. As Lara says

“Ultimately, my aim is to train your body and mind, by teaching you the fundamentals of fitness to help you establish a realistic fitness routine - one which gives you the body and the lifestyle that you desire."

If you would like to speak to Lara to find out how working with her could help you achieve your goal then she can be contacted at

07747 014459

Or email her at lara_geall@yahoo.co.uk

Focus on your successes each day – one biscuit missed, some potatoes left on your plate at dinner, an exercise session with Lara or someone similar in your area – and list them in a journal, along with how you feel about yourself for achieving it. Also write about how good your new habits make you feel too. Read them often to keep you going.

Get family and friends to support you, not taunt you with treats. Trudie Styler (Mrs. Sting) is careful what she eats all week but has one day a week when she can eat cakes and biscuits and have extra portions. Only you can decide what will work for you.

You will notice that I haven’t mentioned scales, target weight or target size. That is because they aren’t important here. You are aiming for a slim, fit, fabulous and confident new you, on your terms. The size and weight that happens to be is not important. You will notice the changes as you become fitter, happier and more energetic. The weight will come off slowly and naturally because you aren’t focused on it.

If you need more motivation then pin up a picture of the holiday and a description of how you want to feel and be by then. When the going gets tough ask yourself:

What will happen and how will you feel if you do keep it up?

What won’t happen and how will you feel if you do keep it up?

What will happen and how will you feel if you don’t keep it up?

What won’t happen and how will you feel if you don’t keep it up?

Visualise the fun, fit and fabulous new you and then go and do something different to take your mind off those snacks!

Get out and walk, get a personal trainer or join a Zumba class – whatever works for you.

Just remember that you are responsible for the results in your life – nobody else. If you don’t take action to get the body and the life you want, nobody else can do it for you.

Want more information? Then email me at  sue@successandimagecoach.co.uk

or go to my website at www.successandimagecoach.co.uk
For my FREE book "The Ultimate Guide to Personal Rebranding for Professional Females Climbing the Corporate Ladder" please go to www.freepersonalrebrandingbook.co.uk