Category: Personal Growth

How To Make A Good First Impression

Post author By Ally
Post date November 17, 2020
No Comments on How To Make A Good First Impression

Making a great first impression isn’t always easy, but it’s well worth attempting as much as you possibly can. To help you make it happen more often, here are three simple rules you should always follow. While they are not the only great advice on making a good first impression, they are the things that will have the biggest impact – whether you get them right or wrong. I suggest you get them right 🙂

Rule #1 – Dress To Impress

Pay attention to what you’re wearing. This may seem very superficial, but that’s what first impressions are all about. They are a first, quick judgment based on things like appearance. Overdress just a little if it’s an important first meeting like going to a job interview or meeting the future in-laws for the first time.

At the very least make sure that what you’re wearing is neat and flattering. Don’t go crazy and when in doubt go for something somewhat conservative. You can always let your personality shine after you’ve made that great first impression.

Rule #2 – Be On Time

Another very important thing to remember is to always be on time. It makes you look prepared and reliable. But there’s another important reason for this. There are two types of people in this world.

The first group is a stickler for time. Being late is one of their biggest pet peeves. The other group has a more loose interpretation of being on time and doesn’t mind waiting for someone for a few minutes, or being late themselves.

The problem is that you never know what camp the person you’re about to meet will fall into ahead of time. So be prepared and make sure you get there on time or even a little early. It’ll look good no matter how the person you’re meeting will feel about time and it will definitely keep you from making a bad impression with a time stickler.

Rule #3 – Think Before You Speak

Last but not least, think before you speak. It’s easy to get nervous and just prattle on about anything and everything. It makes you look nervous and silly. Even worse, if you don’t think before you talk it’s very easy to put your foot in your mouth. Trust me, I’ve done it plenty of times. It’s not a good feeling and definitely a quick and easy way to ruin that first impression.

Tags first impression, Make good first impression

Mindset/Strenghts Personal Growth

How Your Thoughts Influence Your Reactions

Post author By Ally
Post date November 13, 2020
No Comments on How Your Thoughts Influence Your Reactions

Have you ever stopped to think about your reactions to things? Or, do you just let your emotions and your feelings determine how you actually respond to something? What’s quite interesting is just how much your thoughts influence your reactions to events.

There are quite a few reasons for this actually. It’s really a combination of past experiences, assumptions and predictions, and a little bit of impulsivity.

Let’s go over how each of these can influence your thoughts and, thus, your reactions in life.

Past Experiences

When it comes to developing your thoughts, one of the key influencers would be your past experiences. Your past experiences can include just about anything, like the parenting style used to raise you, your socioeconomic status, whether you experienced abuse, and traumatic events you may have witnessed firsthand.

These experiences help to shape who you are today.

Let’s say you grew up with verbally abusive parents and harbor resentment toward them and abusers in general.

Now as an adult, if you find yourself in a situation where you feel as if you’re being ostracised or bullied for who you are, your reaction might vary wildly.

There’s a possibility that you’ll withdraw and avoid these new people that make you think of your abusive parents. Or, you might stand up for yourself like you wish somebody would’ve done when you were a child.

Either way, there’s a pretty good chance your mind inadvertently went to thoughts you have about your past and your parents before formulating a response to this situation.

Assumptions & Predictions

When you develop your personality and your own individual thought processes, you’ll also begin to develop your own assumptions and predictions. Now, these can be based on things you’ve experienced without even knowing it. You might just be able to analyze a situation and assume what will happen next.

These can greatly influence your reactions.

Let’s say you witnessed a traumatic car accident as a child and now have a lingering fear about cars and pedestrians.

As an adult, you’re walking down the street and notice a car barreling toward a pedestrian in the road. Since your mind might automatically go back to the thoughts about that traumatic event from your childhood, your reaction will vary.

Maybe you’ll jump out into the road to pull the pedestrian out of the road. Or, maybe you’ll just run away in shock as history repeats itself.

But, these reminders from your past will definitely influence how you react.

Impulsivity

There’s also a pretty good possibility that you respond to things purely out of impulsivity. That means you come up with your own feelings about an event rather quickly and act without even a second thought. In this case, you really didn’t have a thought to rely on.

This might encourage you to act when you normally wouldn’t.

Let’s say you witness a crime being committed as an adult.

Instead of thinking about what you should do or whether or not you should call the police, you immediately jump in and attempt to apprehend the suspect. You didn’t have any thoughts here, only relying on your own instincts to respond to the situation at hand.

Final Thoughts

The reactions you have in life are based on a lot more than just the personality that you’ve developed. They’re actually formulated based on the thoughts you have regarding past experiences, assumptions, and a sense of impulsivity.

But that doesn’t mean that you have to settle for the reactions you’re used to. After all, there’s a lot that you can do right now to begin shifting your perspective and to gain a little empathy.

So, take a little time to think about how you feel before actually responding to things in your life.

Struggling with your reactions? Like to be able to control your thoughts and feelings so you can react differently? I’d love to help you. Schedule a free clarity call with me now

Tags behaviour, feelings, past exeriences, reactions, thoughts

Mindset/Strenghts Personal Growth

Personal Growth: Finding Things You Need To Work On

Post author By Ally
Post date October 3, 2020
No Comments on Personal Growth: Finding Things You Need To Work On

Personal growth is the process of bettering and developing yourself and is something to engage in throughout your life.

How does a person figure out what parts of their life that they need to work on? Everyone has some part of like they need or want to improve. It’s one thing to want to improve some part of life. It’s another thing to actually do it.

How do you go about making a change in your life? Especially if you have spent most of your life up to this point just living day to day?

Do you ever think about the things in your life that you would really like to change?

Finding things, you need to work on is not as complicated as we make it.

Firstly, start where you are.

Project You

An important skill as an adult is self-development. Self-mastery, and learning how to be competent at activities of daily living are only the beginning. Beyond those skills that help you advance in your career and passions are there for the taking. Tap into your own motivation and drive to find the path to elevate yourself beyond the status quo. You are your own self-development project. You are the boss, the architect, and the quality control team.

Start With A List

No really. Make a list of what YOU think you need to work on. Then pick one and create plan of tasks to take on one at a time. Do this once a month. Some of your goals will change. Some won’t matter anymore. Some new items will pop up. There is nothing more satisfying than marking off a goal you have accomplished.

Treat Yourself

Making progress is motivating. Reaching milestones lights the fire to keep going. Reward yourself for progress along the way. Rewards don’t have to be extravagant. They could be as simple as watching a favorite movie or treating yourself to a favorite take-out meal. A small treat after hard work, and reaching a goal is a great way to motivate yourself to stay on track and keep going. Celebrate that progress.

Network

Share your goals and vision with like-minded individuals. This can be friends, supportive family, or even social media groups. You don’t have to all be in the same physical location to support each other. Sharing highs, lows, successes, and failures are a great way to gain insight and comradery on your journey of personal growth. You are not alone in your desire for change.

Revise, Regroup, And Reframe

If it’s broke, fix it. Don’t be inflexible about your methods. When you are working on personal growth you have to be open-minded and a little flexible. Sometimes the best plans fail. It’s ok. Nothing has to be perfect. You have a lifetime to work on improving yourself and reaching goals. If a plan needs to be adjusted make the change. Then get started again right away.

Expand Your Mind

Personal improvement takes time and commitment. It certainly cannot be achieved in a single day. This journey is a process. The change is gradual. There are many ways to create a growth mindset in your life. Browse social media, read self-help books, or psychology books, study goal setting, attend conferences, and listen to podcasts to open your mind up to new ways of personal growth.

These are just some of the tips and tools to help you on the journey to personal growth. Life is an ever-changing journey. At different stages in life, your goals and perspectives may change.

Keep going in the process for self-knowledge, self-mastery, and personal improvement. This is one aspect of living a fulfilling and balanced life.

If you would like some help on your personal growth journey, I would love to work with you:) Book your free clarity call here

Step Ahead Life Coaching™