Well I have to say I am not sure where the last 9 weeks have gone and it seems like it was only yesterday when I was wrapping presents and decorating the Christmas tree, now we are gearing up for Easter and looking forward to the seeing lambs skipping around the fields and daffodils emerging from the depths of the cold earth like little teasers of sunshine – something I cannot wait to see more of as we begin to crawl slowly out of the darkness of winter that always seems to go on for longer than I prepare myself for!

Well Shine4Life had a very calm start to 2010 as I was focusing more on getting married and moving house – all within the space of 2 days! If you have been following my previous stories you will know that as an Aries I tend to fly headlong into plans that at the time seem like a fantastic idea but as I start to return to planet earth reality hits and dawn breaks back in the land of the living……Yes yet again I find myself asking ‘why’?????????!!! – However I do believe in walking the walk and talking the talk so when I coach my clients and encourage them to set stretching goals I kind of think I should be doing the same, I must learn the difference between ‘stretching’ and downright ‘madness’ though!

So having agreed in late December to become Mrs Kenworthy plans were soon in place to arrange a January wedding and party, having total faith in my organisation skills I delighted in finding unusual ways to source my wedding dress, plan the party and also the logistics of the day itself. In another moment of madness I decided that it would be great fun to get married in the countryside at 2pm and jump into what can only be described as a go-kart with a jet engine and return back to London for a wedding party in the evening, all sounds fun I hear you say, well it certainly was when the deluge of snow hit and the drifts were higher than the roof of our ‘go-kart’ that also has no proper form of heating!

However despite all the pot holes, road blocks, snow drifts and black ice we succeeded in having the most wonderful day and I am still smiling now! So now it was time for the house move!!!!!………

As I have alluded to before my IT skills are nothing to get excited about, and having finally got my desktop and laptop to cleverly talk to one another from the remote location of my members club that has now become my office the next challenge came when un-plugging and moving my equipment to my new home. In my usual Aries fashion I did not make notes of what cable came from where but unpacking my much loved IT technology suddenly realised the error of my ways! So to cut a long story short 4 weeks later, two trips to a computer restoring centre for my base unit and much cursing, swearing and tears I have regained my IT status in all its former glory!

So both my two large goals of 2010 being successfully completed I have re-focussed my energy on Shine4Life and my business plans this year. I am starting to get used to working for myself and having hated the lack of routine and structure beginning to revel in the joy of avoiding peak hour travel that removes the need to find my face pressed into some smelly business man’s armpit or to experience ground hog day week in week out; in fact I am starting to LOVE my new life, challenge and new routine! It’s funny how thoughts change and the ease at which we would rather return to what we know instead of giving things a chance. I have learnt through my experience that change is a frightening thing but it is also a wonderful thing if we choose to look at it in a positive way. So I guess what I am trying to say to all new business start ups – don’t look back, don’t give up and believe in your ideas, ability and strength. I heard a wonderful quote during a workshop I attended on Life Mapping……

‘As you think, so you become’

The power of thinking positively stimulates the brain to release mood enhancing chemicals into your system that has the effect of creating positive feelings and emotions that in turn promotes great thinking and ultimately business success. So on that note I leave you all with another quote that I often remind myself of when facing challenges and blocks as we all do throughout our lives, so until next time…

You Can If You Think You Can!

If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but you think you can’t,
It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost,
For out in the world we find,
Success begins with a fellow’s will.
It’s all in the state of mind.

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise,
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize.

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But soon or late the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.

~ C. W. Longenecker ~

Well what can I say – It is six months since I left full time employment and my life could not have changed much more! Firstly I am writing this article and ‘start up’ blog twice a month which has given me a hunger for writing! I have found myself engrossed in putting words to paper, the images and colours in my head in some way making their presence on paper. Maybe it is because on a daily basis I have found myself experiencing so many different things,a far cry from losing weeks and months in an office, the same desk, same conversations at the coffee machine and the same complaints and whining staff!!!

The change in lifestyle has not come without its problems – I have to say I have found it so hard to work from home, the PC, Cat and the kettle. I have no-one to talk to and no noise around me. This I have found to be the hardest things so I have applied to become a member of The Century Club in Soho – however my application is still pending (while they check if I am respectable enough to deserve a membership!) so I am currently hopping from one Starbucks to another, leaving just as my coffee has been savoured for three hours and just about outstayed my welcome!!!

I have however found a new lease of life, new challenges, new experiences and a wonderful huge world out there just waiting to be investigated. Being an Aries, the fire sign, I have a tendency to ‘go for it’ which has at times got me into serious predicaments – If you have been reading about my IT nightmares this is a great example of my feisty character and the confidence (very often incorrect) that I can do anything if I put my mind to it – however I have learnt in the last six months that outsourcing and delegating to more able people is truly wonderful – outsource, outsource, outsource – its brilliant!!!!!!

As we move into 2010 I have to reflect and thank the great people I have had the privilege of coaching – I have worked with some talented people and can say that there are some exciting things happening in the music world in 2010 when one of my clients is releasing her first album – a dream she has had for 25 years and now finally it is coming true – to be part of this is truly inspirational and I will continue to work with her in 2010.

Shine4Life is growing, is now IT savvy (to an extent!) and looking forward to building many more relationships and products in 2010. Watch this space – we have some great ideas and offers to really help those cloudy post Christmas months sparkle, no New Year’s resolutions please – I want changes for life not just for Christmas!!!!

For 2010 I have decided to set myself some goals – other than building my business and seeking a variety of avenues to allow Shine4Life to grow and develop I have also decided to push myself to places I never dared to go before!!!! – One of my clients (the lady who is releasing her first album) has agreed to swap services in the New Year and she is going to teach me to SING!!! Now usually I would say this is really not a big deal but if you have ever heard me sing you would agree this poor lady has her work cut out!!! Try as I might I have always been tone deaf but this has not stopped me from ‘singing’ to the horror of my partner, cat and anyone who is within ear shot of my horrific screech!!! However I am determined to give it a go and will make sure you know my first album release date!!!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and this month I will have two MAJOR events to report on that is again life changing for me – but I can’t let you in on the secret just yet – you will all have to wait!!

I wish you all the very best for the festive season and I hope 2010 is a great year

If you have been following my last few articles you will have quickly realised that my IT skills are nothing to write home about. Actually a single celled Amoeba would have more success than me at the sensitive interaction with a computer. I still struggle with the fact that for the whole of my working life and relationship with a computer I have had the ‘tech desk’ to hand at every blip or issue – it has to be said they knew me so well that they would see my extension number flash up on their screen and not even bother picking up the call as they knew total computer carnage would be about to take place and it was best to get to the ‘scene of crime’ ASAP before I caused the entire banking system to hit the floor!

Anyway despite my clear lack of flair and passion for IT my need to become ‘mobile’ with my coaching business was beginning to become apparent. The unfortunate PC World Business Manager Melvin, who sorted me out with my home PC and initial business set up, was now tasked with the impossible – finding a Laptop that I could actually use!

With a 9am meeting set up I skipped down to PC World with the images of returning being fully equipped with the most up to date, state of the art Laptop. However as I wandered through the Laptop aisle my attention was immediately on the little cute, PINK, laptop that would go with my shoes for sure!!!

So with a new found inner strength from my recent NLP Practitioner qualification I believed in my ability to choose, set up and work a Laptop as if I had been doing it all my life…. Melvin on the other hand was not so convinced of this, perhaps it was my genuine enquiry into the type of ‘memory twig’ my laptop would require, ops!

So between us we finally found a suitable Laptop – and no it was not the Pink one to match my shoes! – I was truly devastated!

So having recovered from the awful realisation that my Laptop would not be matching my shoes I eagerly awaited the arrival of my access to mobile brilliance and professionalism. In my excitement I tore the Laptop out of its packaging and marvelled at its sleek outer case, the shimmering silver look and the fact that how good would I look when out and about with this ‘beauty’! However ten minutes later and still struggling to find the ‘on’ button resorted to retrieving the manual from the bin!

However – and I am so proud of myself by the way – despite everything I set myself a goal in my head, I wanted to be able to take my Laptop anywhere, but be able to see my home PC and remotely connect to it. By the Grace of God or some other miracle worker I have managed to do just that – my Laptop will connect to my home PC – even from the darkest Members Club or Starbucks Cafe without any help from an IT Tech Desk – Wahooooo!!

What has this experience taught me?

“Try and fail, but don’t fail to try.”

And from what I have learnt in NLP is that there is no such thing as Failure, only Feedback – never be scared of trying something, you learn and experience real  life and live rather than exist, and it is ALL about living!

So Shine4Life is now mobile, IT savvy, feeling pretty good about things and ready to take the world by storm…

Someone else that is experiencing a totally different kind of storm is Kirsty who is as we speak is crossing the Atlantic in a boat called Diamonds are Forever, a crew of 6 girls as part of girlsforsail.com – check out the great adventure

I met Kirsty on the NLP intensive training I went through recently and she has become a firm friend has inspired me in the way that she takes every opportunity in both hands, is not scared of making mistakes – as for Kirsty there is no such thing as a mistake, only a learning opportunity and when you look at it like that the entire world opens up…..

So until next time when I will no doubt report on a Laptop ‘blow up’ or some other IT nightmare enjoy your festive parties.

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About the Author: Juli Dromgoole is going to be keeping us up to date with her new venture and sharing her learning and experience along the way.  Julie’s mantra is self confidence in yourself, who you stand for and your values is the key to making the most success of your life, infecting others with your positive, sunny attitude that makes their day shine too!  You can find out more about Juli and her coaching business at www.shine4life.com

Wow what a change! – from a strict routine of, up at 5, gym by half past and at my desk by 7 , to freedom, time, space and the ability to waste a morning watching Jeremy Kyle and GMTV – taking full advantage of the tips about optimum eye shadow techniques and recipes to confuse even Gordon Ramsey.

After a few days of this ‘freedom’ I found myself craving some sort of structure again! So back to routine it had to be and starting with making packed lunch for my partner before he heads to work at 6am kind of works!!!

So with all these wonderful ideas and visions of me being the next  Dotcom revelation reality began to hit – how was I going to up my skills in coaching, how I was going to market myself, what niche service would I provide and why would someone choose me over someone else. I had to make myself stand out – but how??

A website seemed like a great start so I eagerly visited PC World and bought myself a ‘DIY’ website package and ran home as if my backside was on fire! Filled with the enthusiasm and excitement that in a few hours I could be displayed in all my glory across the web I got to work straight away. Needless to say 6 hours later the computer, cat, postman and IT support man were on the receiving end of my total despair at the realisation of my incapability to ‘build’ my website. So with my volatile and impulsive character contacted my friend whose husband is a web designer – eureka!!!!!! – Outsourcing is a truly great concept!!

So with my confidence knocked slightly at my pre- kindergarten IT skills I dusted myself down to engage in my further learning and dived headlong into my Neuro-Linguistic Programming Practitioner (NLP) qualification. Attending a three day course to set me on the way, followed by a gruelling two weeks of further  DVD, teleclass and research to do during which ‘Gus’ my adorable rag doll cat was subjected to NLP techniques that I am sure will haunt him for the rest of his life!!! Finally after another four day grilling I obtained my NLP Practitioner status. I also had the privilege of meeting many inspiring people, one of whom, Kirsty, has become a great friend and has a Coaching Company called Blutortoise. She also has a Master NLP qualification and a range of other talents that I am slowly finding out about! She is off to embark on a race across the Atlantic Ocean called the ARC.  There are 6 girls in the crew sailing on a boat called Diamonds are Forever – (six wannabe Bond girls on a boat with no 007!!- who needs men anyway!!) Check them out on www.girlsforsail.com.

Only Kirsty would think of doing such an insane race when 12 months ago she had no idea of how to navigate a boat other than an inflatable one in her bath! So what has she taught me?  Well she creates a goal for herself each year, and then considers the ‘mini goals’ that will ultimately achieve her main dream. This adds structure to each day, week and month and motivates her towards that ultimate vision. This year’s vision was to celebrate leaving corporate life and living ‘her dream’.  The smaller mini-goals were qualifying in her sailing exams, earning enough money to pay for her two month adventure and getting fit, to name but a few! Watch this space for some Kirsty updates.

As we enter autumn these last few months have been challenging, life changing, fun, at times frustrating but most of all exciting! So as I look forward to the Christmas period and taking some time out for friends and family my next article is going to focus on the Festive period with hints and tips to manage those ‘family’ get together events, plan your Christmas shopping and share with you a little more of my journey. One thing I will say is that I do not regret my decision to leave corporate life and dive into the unknown!- So until next time wrap up warm, enjoy the falling leaves and the rich colours they bring and remember that “The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.” -Ben Stein

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About the Author: Juli Dromgoole is going to be keeping us up to date with her new venture and sharing her learning and experience along the way.  Julie’s mantra is self confidence in yourself, who you stand for and your values is the key to making the most success of your life, infecting others with your positive, sunny attitude that makes their day shine too!  You can find out more about Juli and her coaching business at www.shine4life.com

Growing up was non-conventional and certainly an experience, moving from 47 degrees to minus 20 was a memorable occasion but a realisation at a tender age of 5 that the world was a huge place! My father was in the Oil Industry and oil rigs combined with many different places in the world became a way of life; we of course followed him, although not onto the rigs!!

Moving from Oman being looked after by my nanny called Goulam and fed curry every night to a remote croft in Scotland was indeed a change! So from an early age I guess you could say that I was used to adapting myself to any situation so it still amazes me that despite my desire for variety I spent the first 9 years of my working life in a bank!

Society and the need to ‘fit in’ dampened the adventurous side of my nature, but I knew one day when the time was right I would take the leap. On the 30th June 2009 this ‘leap’ happened, it had been coming for a long time and I was more than ready. Being part of one of the largest bank mergers the city had ever seen and merely just a number with a name attached I had decided many months before that my life had to change. I felt suffocated and squashed with what little confidence I had dwindling by the day, so despite not knowing exactly what I was going to do when I left, leaving was a dead cert!

So having made my decision on that warm, sunny morning (rare I know for England!) and with a feeling of freedom and lightness in my heart I proceeded to put my trainers on (removing those hideously uncomfortable office shoes) and turning my back on the huge glass office entrance for the last time skipped home with Lily Allen “@#@k you” ringing in my ears!

Opening the flat door to an eerie silence reality suddenly hit me… What in the world was I going to do now?!

Looking back through my career I knew for sure that the work I had done within the Coaching and Training arena had been an enjoyable and thought provoking experience so I proceeded to look into Life Coaching as a possible avenue to explore. My passion for people and the uncanny way friends always gravitated towards me to help them sort out life ‘issues’ made me aware that I did have a certain skill or gift, if you could call it that.

Having established my current coaching knowledge and qualifications I quickly looked into improving and building on these foundations and came across the Coaching Academy, Europe’s largest coach training organisation, it’s courses including NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) would provide me

Coaching is all about making positive changes and finding a way to improve and enhance people’s lives through practical and realistic goal setting. So what was it that my company would help people achieve, what did they want from a coaching experience? For this answer I looked to myself – what did I want for the rest of my life, how did I want to be and feel? I wanted to Shine4Life…. and so that’s what I intend to do!

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About the Author:  Juli Dromgoole is going to be keeping us up to date with her new venture and sharing her learning and experience along the way.  Julie’s mantra is self confidence in yourself, who you stand for and your values is the key to making the most success of your life, infecting others with your positive, sunny attitude that makes their day shine too!  You can find out more about Juli and her coaching business at www.shine4life.com