If you're considering working with a coach, it's helpful to know about the various types of coaching available. In fact, being aware of the types of coaching out there will make it easier to find a good fit.

Lots of people who enquire about working with me in a counselling capacity, also express interest in how I might help them in a coaching context too.

Consequently, I then explain the difference between counselling and coaching before helping them decide the best option for their needs.

Importantly, I first point out that coaching is not counselling. In fact, despite being aware of where they may overlap, in my mind there's a distinct difference...

People decide to work with a professional coach for all sorts of reasons. 

Some come to coaching as they want to gain clarity about the next step in their journey. Others because they feel stuck in their current situation and want to determine ways to move forward.

There are also those who want to accelerate their personal or professional growth and recognise the value of having someone in their corner.

Then others who want to get better at managing stress to improve their wellbeing and relationships, and just need some help in knowing how to get started. 

If you can relate to any of these common reasons, and you’re not currently working with a coach, then...

Though success may typically be attributed to intellect, strategy, talent or even genetics, there's one aspect of high achievement which can easily be overlooked... mental toughness.

But why does it matter? Well, it's true to say that your mind plays a huge role in how you navigate your day to day experiences.

In fact, how you think makes all the difference to how you see the world, yourself, and those around you. Your thought patterns even determine how you respond to and interpret stressful events.

So with that in mind, it's fair to say that if you want to succeed in life, giving some consideration to mental toughness will be in your best interest.

And if you don't...

Our responses to feedback will vary. Some receive and welcome it, whilst others recoil at the idea of having someone else offer a view on an aspect of their life, conduct or performance.

Yet, despite how we feel, or how conscious we are of receiving it, we’re getting feedback all the time.

For example, as children (and in some cases adults!) a subtle glance may indicate where our table manners are below par.

Or on another occasion, we might receive a nod or smile whilst conversing, signalling the likelihood of agreement and affirmation.

Contrast this to someone frowning, wincing or nodding off and you’ll feel the difference.

Believe me, I’ve been there!

In each case,...

The end of the year is fast approaching, as is the start of a new one. With that, now is the perfect time to review your goals, record your learning, and use any insights to help you accomplish more next year.

For the last few years I’ve spent a few days in December thinking about what goals I want to achieve the following year. It's become a bit of an obsession which I get genuinely excited about.

In this article I’ll walk you through a step-by-step approach that’ll give you an opportunity to consider what you've achieved and learned this year, and then apply your learning to the coming year.

The approach consists of five steps:

1. Identify your...

Mistakes are an unavoidable mark of our humanity. And though the extent of damage caused by them varies, as will the steps required to address them, we all have the opportunity to learn and grow from them.

Like most people, I don't like making mistakes. Such is my dislike of mistakes that I've been known to double or triple check punctuation and grammar on text messages.

However, despite being aware of my dislike of making mistakes, I'm of the belief that embracing them is an important part of my development.

So, with mistakes being an inevitable, yet valuable part of our experience, here are five things to consider the next time you make one. Each could prove valuable to your...

When was the last time you felt out of your depth?

How did you cope?

We live in a complex and fast-moving world. And, with the ever changing contexts we find ourselves in, the reality is there'll always be occasions when we experience feelings of inadequacy.

You may find yourself being asked to take on a new role, lead on a project, or share your learning or experience with others.

And at times, these opportunities may give rise to insecurities.

With these insecurities can come the onset of a well known phenomenon called imposter syndrome; a feeling of not being good enough.

And, despite knowing you're not the finished article, these feelings can have a crippling effect.

Some of my...

A High Performance Mindset is a way of using your mind to find, be, and do your best. It's about harnessing a healthy way of making sense of your inner world, and organising your outer world for maximum impact.

For this reason, developing a HPM involves getting a better understanding of your values and beliefs, and making improvements to your thoughts and actions, so they align with your goals.

But more than this, a HPM seeks to develop mastery. Put differently, rather than achieving a goal in itself, it's an approach which gives emphasis, and places value, on process.

It's also one which, with practice, can be developed by...

Are you looking for an effective way to manage stress? Or have you ever wondered how you might be able to improve your quality of life?

If your answer was, "Yes", then writing a journal could be a solution. But there could also be other benefits to journalling which you may not have anticipated.

Overview

Typically speaking, journalling involves writing out your thoughts or feelings. Put differently, it's a practice which enables you to explore life events and the surrounding emotions and thoughts relating to them.

Because of its nature, you may find you write about things you'd ordinarily take to counselling, for example. As a result, journal writing, can be both strategic and...

The end of the month is always a good time to check in. And the end of the first month of the year, is an even better time to evaluate progress towards the intentions you set at the outset of the year.

Regardless of whether or not you set goals, research suggests that as long as your goals are in line with your values, measuring progress can help with improving your overall wellbeing.

Though I believe goal setting is advantageous for more than just accomplishing outcomes, for example, the formation of character, I still advocate defining and reviewing them.

My favourite method of tracking progress is what's known as the Seinfeld Strategy. It follow American comedian...