Make a decision!

Why are you holding off that decision?

There must be something in the air! A handful of my close friends have made or are in the process of making life changing decisions. Some of them are changing careers and starting new professional adventures. Others are moving countries and finding their feet in a new culture. It sounds exciting, doesn’t it? I bet they didn’t take these decisions lightly.

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Who’s your coach?

Why you should have a coach

Have you ever worked with a coach? Noticed how much more you got done? As you know, I’m a trained coach and am providing support to various high flying clients in Dubai and the Middle East. Seeing my clients change their behaviours and making it stick or achieving that career goal that they wanted so much, it’s so rewarding!

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Focus

Do you focus on your vision?

“Focus on what’s important to you!” That’s my new motto. In recent weeks and months, I’ve had so many things on my plate. Everything required time and efforts from me and at times, I felt like a circus performer juggling 15 little oranges. Despite managing most of the time, I lost my vision and wasn’t focusing anymore. It was almost like auto pilot, just get it done.

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How to plan for the week ahead

Planning’s when, what, how

How often do you plan your day or your week ahead? Are you pretty relaxed and decide as you go but then noticed you haven’t achieved as much as needed? Have your friends jokingly referred to as scattered brain and given you notepads and calendars to be on time?

We all have heard about the importance of planning. Abraham Lincoln once said: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” The better prepared we are for our activities, the smoother the execution and the outcome. But why don’t we plan for the week ahead?

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Live your dream

But what is my dream?

We all have dreams or so we used to. We dreamt of pancakes for breakfast every day and driving fast cars like Miami Vice. As you’re looking at your life now, are you living your dream?

You’ve seen the slogan “Stop dreaming, start living.” For a lot of people, it’s easier said than done! I remember wanting to become an architect. That university course had one of the lowest acceptance rates and I didn’t make the cut. I didn’t realise for many years what I wanted. These 4 steps have helped me to find and live my dream:

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Savings, savings, savings

It’s often only after a few years within the region that expats are thinking about putting some money aside. Working in a tax-free environment is very appealing and folks are thinking of how much they can save while here. After all, most employers don’t provide a pension or provident fund and employees need to save for their retirement themselves. Yet, with the great opportunities we have here after work, thinking of savings is put on the back burner. After all, who wants to think about saving money when enjoying a day at the beach, regular visits to the mall or eating out with friends?

There are various possibilities to increase your savings. You just have to make a small start. Take the first step with these top tips:

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Do I need to develop myself?

“How do I find time for my own personal development?” That was a question a client asked me recently and it sparked an interesting conversation. Do you find time or do you make time?

Fed up by her company deciding on her next role, she wanted to take matters into her own hands. Her focus was her own career progression within the same organisation. She realised that there was no question about finding or making time. Making time was her only option if she wanted to determine her future herself.

Michael Moran, the CEO/Founder of 10Eighty, once suggested that we’d plan our careers like our holidays. It’s only January and my team and I had probably 12 chats about the places we wanted to visit this year. There weren’t 12 conversations about how we’d like to develop ourselves career-wise in 1, 2 or 5 years. Do you have these in your team?

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New year, new job

As we’ve entered the New Year, many of us decided to have New Year’s Resolutions. You know, things we want to improve or change like spending more time with friends and family, getting fit, eating healthy or looking for a new job. According to The Independent, almost half of the UK workforce are looking for a new job in 2016.

I’ve recently read that only 8% of resolutions are actually achieved. If looking for a new career opportunity is one of your New Year’s Resolutions, you certainly don’t want to belong to the vast majority of having failed their  resolutions. But what can you do if you’re looking for a new role?

Being organised and having a plan can reduce the stress often associated with a job search. The 16 steps outlined here will help you prepare and find that new job you’re looking for.

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Wrap up the year

Year End PartyThe last few weeks of a year always seem to be a mad rush. Last week, we had our company year end party which was such a great laugh. In less than 2 weeks, we’ll celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Christmas. For a lot of expats in Dubai, this will be time to travel to their home countries and many are also thinking how and where to spend New Year’s Eve. I’m so happy that all this is sorted and I’ve some peace of mind!

Yet, as we’re getting ready to celebrate, it’s also time to wrap up 2015. Nowadays, year end is almost forgotten and few people only use it to reflect. Instead, we’re already focusing on the next year. Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s finish this year first. Here’s a list of activities to wrap up in 2015:

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