In a previous blog post, not too long ago, we spoke the importance of investing in yourself, i.e., developing YOU as an individual, personally or as a professional Contractor. Investing in yourself is something which a lot of us don’t take much time to consciously do, especially with increasingly busy schedules – but it certainly does pay off!Personally, the first is physical fitness. As the saying goes “a healthy mind in a healthy body” and if you feel fit everything else comes more easily. Also, the disciplined approach you develop in keeping fit can apply to everything else it’s a no brainer.With fitness in your back pocket you can tackle all the other issues on your personal development journey. Professional development might involve learning a new skill or sharpening an existing one. You can decide what is important for you, but some of those most needed in the fast changing world might not come to mind as easily. Typically these are skills that can’t quite be defined, tested or quantified and can include resilience, confidence, and happiness.”Even though the world is changing faster than ever, one thing is for sure it is only going to get faster.” So hold on and focus on the skills that will allow you to thrive. We’ve been having a think about the skills that are important to us here as a company and as individuals, and have identified a few soft skills which we feel might be worth spending time focusing on and developing;
Setbacks are a natural part of life. Whether it’s not passing a test on the first time, missing out on a new job opportunity or receiving negative feedback, setbacks are an inevitable. What matters most is how you respond to the setback and what you can learn from it. Resilience refers to how well you deal with the setback and can ‘bounce back’ from it. Reinforcing your beliefs in your own abilities, embracing change, taking breaks where appropriate and taking action where necessary and having a strong social circle can allow you to foster your own resilience. We reckon a good sense of humour can be of help also!
Get a few people on your side, they are you confidants. It must be a two way process and it can be a great motivator. Someone in your corner rooting for you is a big plus. I have had a “Circle of Genius” for many years, though they don’t know I call them that! We have meet regularly and we discuss almost everything in life, but we do eventually get down to important business. Over the years we have developed our own strategy for planning and setting clear goals. Timelines and accountability give a bit of structure to our discipline and there is great satisfaction in ticking off a completed goal!
This one may sound obvious, but often happiness can be a choice. By focusing as much energy as is possible on the positive aspects of life, and by practising gratitude for all that we already have, we can impact our own mental outlook and choose not to be held hostage by circumstances or past mistakes. There are various tricks to get the happiness juices flowing, from laughing out loud at terrible joke, singing to yourself in the car, or a more disciplined approach such has practising mindfulness or meditation. Some of these take practice, and again it is important that you find what suits you, but it is certainly worth the effort. In fact, it’s probably essential for survival!”Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
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