What can you do today to reclaim your future?

February 25, 2021 julie wales

Sadly, in the absence of a vaccine to inoculate us from procrastination, there’s a six letter word between us and fulfilment. We’ll be staying right where we are until we COMMIT.

So here we are, step three of our blog series on reclaiming your future. The first steps explored choices around thinking patterns and ways to set goals that are truly smart. This step explores commitment issues..

If you're still dreaming about your ideal future, or have had it up to here with your current situation but are locked in some sort of holding pattern - congratulations! You’re definitely a human being and not a robot and you didn’t have to spot traffic lights in a series of blurred pictures to prove it…

know what you want

February 18, 2021 julie wales

In our last blog we explored the idea of reclaiming our futures - the first step of which was understanding our thinking patterns. The gist was that if our thinking files are corrupted, we need to switch off, wait at least three seconds and reboot.

This is especially important before attempting this second step of the quest: Know What You Want. Goal-setting springs to mind when we think about what we'd like to happen, hence our urge to publish a blasphemous headline..

SMART goals are rubbish!

And before you smash your palms to your forehead in total disbelief, let’s try to qualify that statement. In fact, let’s backtrack - SMART goals aren’t totally rubbish. They’re useful in terms of helping you clarify tasks and straightforward objectives. But meh - how does the A for Achievable help our dreams come true?

What can we learn about our communications from American voters? →

November 25, 2020 julie wales

The thing is we vote with our minds and bodies all the time. At best, our thoughts and actions are dictated by our highest aspirations - at worst, by our deepest fears or basest interests. This includes our professional decisions, as well as the daily personal choices we make. The stronger the emotional appeal, the more likely the facts are trumped.

How to thrive when everything feels terrible... →

November 13, 2020 julie wales

So how do you boost your thriving instincts when it feels like you’re being pulled down by the effects of challenging times? How can you avoid toxic overload and experience a state of vitality and learning? Christine and Mike Porath share their thoughts with the Harvard Business Review…

Do your clients and colleagues recognise how brilliant you are? →

March 29, 2020 julie wales

Bravo if they do – it usually means not only are you great at what you do, but you’re also a great communicator.

If you don’t particularly relish speaking up in front of your colleagues, if you hate writing or indeed spend most of your online meetings debating why only your chin gets top billing, what can you do about it?

How to improve your professional writing, part two →

January 11, 2019 julie wales

In part two of this Guardian series on developing your business writing, Julie Wales explores the extra elements that can add credibility and colour to your key messages.

General musings

Guardian articles

Other thoughts

Interesting links

blogs