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The ‘Dirty Thirty’
It’s not unusual for each of us to have a moment of panic, or simply an eye-opening realisation, when nearing a milestone birthday. For my generation, 30 is the first of these milestone’s. I’m sure it’s not unique to Gen Y for this to be a significant moment but what is unique is the landscape in which we’re working and living now. In a time where social media rules news, pop culture and even (unfortunately) our relationships, we are exposed to everyone else’s successes, which in turn brings another level of expectation and pressure to our lives. It took me about two years to work through the significant ‘30th birthday’…
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Singledom
Previously, I’ve discussed the impact that other people can have on our lives and our growth journey… in this post however, I wanted to touch on what I’ve learnt from the empowering, and at times difficult landscape of singledom. I’m a born and bred country girl and many of the people I grew up with partnered up and started their own families quite early on in their lives. Everyone knows the Facebook posts I’m talking about; the never-ending engagements, weddings and baby bumps. I too, assumed my life would follow a similar path, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. To provide context, I haven’t been in a significant…
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When criticism is no longer constructive
Constructive criticism or for the ultra-sensitive; ‘feedback’ is both the devil and angel on our shoulders. Feedback from our leaders, colleagues, staff and friends all serve a very important purpose in our soul growth. However, there does come a time when feedback is not constructive, and we need to decipher when it’s a time to listen or when to say ‘thanks, but no thanks’. Firstly, there’s the form of feedback which is overwhelmingly positive and supportive. It usually comes from our close friends and family; those who love us unconditionally. This blog experiment for me, has provided me this type of feedback in droves. Although on a side note; when…
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What Faith?
Discussing faith, spirituality or religion isn’t easy, as we all have varying beliefs, making it hard for people to relate to one another. For me, it doesn’t matter what you believe in (or don’t believe in). There’s a small part to each of our lives which requires some sort of faith. Whether it be going to weekly mass, praying privately at home or even just enjoying a fortune cookie or your monthly horoscope from time to time. Each of these require an element of faith. Even on a silly subconscious level; we consider something bigger at play or a degree of connectedness between all living things. When I think about…
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The Confidence Gap
There’s a lot going on at the moment in relation to gender equality. Everything from the #metoo movement to podcasts and literature discussing women’s struggles. A recent favourite of mine is Jamila Rizvi’s book, ‘Not Just Lucky’, discussing why women are doing the hard work but not taking the credit. It’s amazing, so if you’re a young woman who struggles with confidence and/or is insecure when accepting praise, go and read it. I think I bought about six copies and gifted them to my boss, my bosses boss, my family and friends. One of the topics raised in the book is about what we’re teaching our little women from the…
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Mentors – can’t live with ’em, can’t live without ’em
During childhood, our parents, or the people who raise us, are usually the driving force of education and growth. As we age and become independent (aka start thinking we know everything) there are fewer people who truly influence us. Mentors however, when allowed, can be these incredible driving forces of growth, no matter our age or need for change. I’ve been lucky to have two mentors so far in my career, neither of which were women. That’s not saying I haven’t had inspirational women around me. I absolutely have. These women are always trailblazers, fearless (even when they’re not feeling it on the inside) and have integrity in everything they…
#GrowthGoals
