Jack of All Trades or Renaissance Woman? (Or Man)

I remember many years ago doing my English Literature and Art A levels, feeling utterly absorbed in the Renaissance period, it was first time I came across the expression ‘Renaissance woman’ with the connotations it has today.

I was exhibiting my art in a local library, performing in a professional dance company and singing with my band, I was also running the Christian Union, volunteering for a local charity and playing the lead in the sixth from college musical.  My English teacher looked up from the Shakespeare text, (Hamlet) peered over the rim of her specs and said…’Janey is – I think a modern day renaissance woman’.

I didn’t take it as a compliment, I think she was probably trying to tell me I was spreading myself too thinly, and might have been better to concentrate on one thing and one thing only.  My art teacher was also unimpressed by my flightiness, I had a natural talent and he was keen for me to apply for Oxford to do a foundation art degree but of course that would have meant focusing on one thing – I chose to go and do my degree in Performance Arts and I must say I never regretted it but even then I couldn’t settle to one discipline, and after two terms of majoring in dance I switched to music.

The truth is I am and have always been a ‘Jack of all trades’…you know the end of the sentence…’and master of none’. It took me years before I was finally able to eschew that statement and reframe it to say; I am multi-faceted, and I’m definitely passionate about more than one thing – and that’s OK.

The dictionary says…

The definition of a Renaissance man or woman is a person who is well educated and sophisticated and who has talent and knowledge in many different fields of study. An example of a Renaissance man was Leonardo da Vinci.

Being unsure about the ‘sophistication’ how about the definition in Urban Dictionary …

Someone who is active in many fields.

Normal Girl 1#: Dayum, that girl is such a renaissance woman  Normal Girl 2#: Yeah, she’s in like the band, environmental club, politics club, history club, debating team, athletics team, school pride team, choir, European art appreciation society….  Normal Girl 1#: Wish I was renaissance:

The truth is I could never have just stuck to one subject, the whole concept of sticking to one thing feels exhausting for me, and it’s so interesting that clients who are often drawn to me have the same zest for life and so much going on they need clarity on the ‘one thing’ they are going to do. Because we are all told it must be ‘one thing’ – ‘What will you do when you leave school?’ we’re asked. ‘Have a completely varied portfolio of careers from the arts to medicine,’ probably wouldn’t cut it as an answer and yet that’s more realistic today than the concept of a job for life.

When I work with people I usually get them to get in touch with what’s unique about them, their skills and talents, their values, hopes and dreams. After the initial list of ‘professional’ qualities that they usually give me…I’m a good team leader, good at helping others, I ask them to dig a little deeper and look to the real authentic person. You’ll be amazed how many people can’t think of a single thing about themselves that might be unique, special, worthy of making a song and dance about, and yet when we dig a little deeper we find that they have run marathons, crocheted 100 blankets for a charitable cause, been a champion bodybuilder (the tiniest woman you can imagine!) won awards… the list goes on.

The truth is we all have masses of interests, gifts, talents, values and its critical not to suppress parts of our core selves just because we think it doesn’t fit with our brand, or because we think that without a niche – without doing only the one thing – we can’t succeed.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not advocating that you open up your business selling both high end expensive jewellery and plastic bracelets along with some battered baked bean cans, you will have no clarity on your ideal client or USP and will most likely attract no-one, but what I am saying is that once you have really nailed what’s unique about you, got clarity on your purpose, you may well have more than one dream, more than one goal. It’s likely that if you like me are indeed a ‘Renaissance woman’ (or man) you love to be eclectic, you love variety, and change.

You may not be earning a living from every one of your many interests but hopefully some or much of what you love will be incorporated in your life, so that you are really living your purpose, doing the work you are born to do, perhaps with multiple different income streams.

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Many years on, I have been a successful singer, TV and radio presenter (still am) number one best-selling author and brand ambassador and speaker on holistic health and wellbeing.

When I was offered the opportunity to help someone by offering them some media training and confidence coaching it seemed like an obvious thing to do, and I found I loved it, but could I incorporate that into my work on holistic health and wellbeing? Well on paper probably not, but I have, alongside promoting and being a champion for all things natural and organic, run media skills workshops and teach people how to recognise that they are the brand, and their own best PR. It ‘shouldn’t work to combine both businesses, but it does because I am the brand and at the centre of it all and it’s my authenticity that holds it together – I hope.

Steve Jobs said. ‘You can’t connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.’

Trust in what you love, find that thing (or several things) that make your heart sing.

It may be that you aren’t clear on your purpose yet, I love the line in the Baz Luhrmann song; ‘Everybody’s Free (to wear sunscreen)’; where he says…

‘Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives…Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t’

Having said that…don’t trust what he says about sunscreen…we need the vitamin D! It’s perfectly ok to dabble, to have several areas of work, multiple streams of income. It’s likely there will some thread that creatively holds them together but it’s not essential. The one big challenge for us ‘renaissance’ types is keeping focused, I’ve been known to be two thirds of a way through a great project only to up sticks and start another, these are the times we need lots of grounding in our lives.

Balance becomes important, some form of exercise, meditation or relaxation to keep on track before you literally become engulfed in your own cacophony of brilliance (and if you are anything like me…a tendency towards chaos!).  So acknowledge the ‘jack of all trades’ in you and embrace all your interests, gifts and talents, decide upon some kind of grounding that works for you and make sure you get it. I now schedule in a few hours to walk by the sea once a month at least – it recharges my batteries so that I am raring to go….on whatever project is top of the list….for now!

I want to invite you to create success for your life, career or business and learn the secrets for getting SEEN HEARD and SOLD, Join me and my special guest Social Media Guru Katie Brockhurst on this one day inspirational intensive workshop – Janey Lee Grace

Book now to reserve your place! (please note that there are limited places available).

Early Bird price £147 (save £100)

Buy your early bird ticket here NOW

 

 

What’s Your Purpose?

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

Maya Angelou

 

I’m so thrilled to be running my one day intensive workshop called ‘How to Market Yourself Personally and Professionally’.

Over the years I’ve worked with a number of Natural Health Businesses, Coaches, Experts, Authors, Practitioners and Entrepreneurs and I’ve come to know that the key to achieving success in whatever field you’re in is about having the confidence and skills to differentiate yourself from the crowd and ‘put yourself out there’.

I meet so many talented people with amazing ideas and dreams but often a great idea or intention in itself is not enough and if we don’t have the tools to know exactly where to focus then the high visibility we desire or the challenge we dream of achieving alludes us.

A powerful idea can kick around for years whether it’s in a business or in your head, not because it doesn’t have strong merit but because responsibility hasn’t been taken for converting it from words into action. Passion itself cannot get results but when combined with intention and the right action then you can really fly!

In my workshop I focus on the following, which I believe are keys for success both personally and professionally:
• Recognise that YOU are your own brand
• Find your USP and own your YOU-nique Brilliance
• Gain clarity on your key messages
• Identify your ideal clients
• Know how to create a media pack
• Make a winning initial impression
• Learn what journalists want and what they don’t want
• Learn how to be a great interviewee
• Know the secrets of effective social networking
• Get the lowdown on creating compelling content for your brand
• Determine how best to promote yourself – Advertising versus PR
• Build your mailing list and community
• Become the GO TO Expert!

 

I’m passionate about helping people find their ‘thing’. Whatever your ‘thing’ is, your business or career choice, or your life dream, it’s all about YOU, and by realising and telling your story and being clear on your YOU-nique brilliance you can then see how you can get in touch with all the ‘best bits of you’ which helps you to know how to connect with people in the best way. You can then reach people effectively and inspire them and be inspired!

 

Personal Branding

Many of my keys to success work both personally and professionally because mastering the concept of personal branding and marketing is a powerful way of achieving self-actualization. By knowing your value you can set the best goals that allow you to do what brings you the most passion in life and work and achieve a higher sense of accomplishment.

Whether you have a business right now or are thinking of becoming self-employed, or maybe you are happy in your career but have a personal goal or challenge that you want to reach and are looking to make these big changes in your life, my process offers clarity to understand your skills, competencies, strengths, limitations, interests, and aspirations which empowers you to know what you have to offer, what you want and how to ask for it.

 

We were all born carrying a promise — a promise to make the world better — and there’s a yearning to make good on that promise that none of us can suppress forever.

Marianne Williamson

 

I want to invite you to create success for your life, career or business and learn the secrets for getting SEEN HEARD and SOLD, Join me and my special guest Social Media Guru Katie Brockhurst on this one day inspirational intensive workshop – Janey Lee Grace

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Book now to reserve your place! (please note that there are limited places available).

Early Bird price (before Feb 29th) £147 (save £100)

Buy your early bird ticket here NOW

Writing Is the Best Therapy

I love presenting shows on UK Hay House Radio, Hay House is a publishing company that has the most eclectic mix of amazing authors on a range of spiritual and self-help subjects. For me with my current work in helping people to share their message with a wider audience it all comes to fruition when I get to interview best-selling authors who are making the world a better place.

Coming up I am going to be speaking with Lynne McTaggart and John Parkin. In one of the last series I spoke with Atasha Fyfe on Past Lives, and Richard Flook author of ‘Why Am I Sick’, it was a fascinating insight into how our minds can heal our body.

One highlight for me last year was interviewing Julia Cameron, the author, artist, poet, playwright, filmmaker and composer. Apart from being once married to Martin Scorsese she is most famous for her book ‘The Artists Way’ its sold over 4 million copies and to this day remains a classic on the bookshelves of anyone who wants to expand their creativity.

Julia has finally written ‘The Artists Way for Parents’ – hurrah! The premise is that we don’t have be ‘perfect’ parents (thank goodness says imperfectly natural me!) but we can foster creativity in our children and reap the benefits ourselves in the process.

Julia re-enforces some of the ideas from the original book – specifically that its imperative to write what she calls ‘Morning pages’. It’s literally that – write at least 3 pages of longhand writing every morning, preferably when you first wake up. I’m guessing you had to go back and re-read that – yes I did say ‘longhand’ i.e. handwriting – remember that? No laptops, tablets or phones, good old fashioned pen and paper! There’s something unique about letting the words flow onto a page.

Unsure what to write? Just write anyway, it’s a stream of consciousness, today mine includes…’Oops forgot to send a birthday card to Dawn…I’m feeling really excited if apprehensive about my next big speaking gig…why did I have that second glass of wine, I haven’t a clue what to wear when it’s this cold…’

You get the idea! It can be about nothing…and everything and interestingly the act of writing it down is very cathartic and brings peace. It’s rather like a creative form of meditation, in fact Julia says spirituality and creativity are intrinsically linked.

Give it a shot, if you are currently trying to make some sense of your life and work it’s one of the best tools I know to fast-track you to clarity.

If you are a successful entrepreneur it will help you gain clarity on your authentic message, if you’d like to write a book it’s a great way to start – remember my favourite saying ‘You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going’.

 

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Create the book that puts You and your brand on the map! In 6 months, plan, design, write and PUBLISH hard and digital copies.

Are you ready to…

  • Become known as the go-to expert on your subject
  • Grow your reputation and influence
  • Create new opportunities such as interviews and speaking engagements
  • Spread your important, life-changing message
  • Step out of the background and into your full potential
  • Be an example to those you love and leave a lasting legacy…

More details HERE>>

Having It All

I read with interest the interview a while back with Lynn Forester De Rothschild by Judith Woods. Lynn is of course happily married to Sir Evelyn De Rothschild, has had a glittering entrepreneurial career herself, and is the epitome of elegance and style.

She was obviously a charming woman and a joy to interview and when Judith said she was impressed that Lynn also managed to find time to work out for several hours in her home gym, Lynn said briskly…

’We women need to stop whining about the choices we make. We need to stop feeling put upon and taker a moment to reflect. It’s quite simple – do you want more time with your family or more involvement in your professional life? More time at the spa or your desk? There’s no right or wrong answer, just your own answer…’

Of course the issue for many of us is just that, what is the right answer for us? What do we really want?

I’m always surprised to find how many women simply don’t know what they want. They often believe in the power of positive thought, many could be crushed if they chose to lie underneath their pile of self-help books, and many have watched The Secret, they believe that their thoughts create their reality, they understand about cosmic ordering. But how to tame those wild thoughts and exactly what to order…that’s the million dollar question.

In many cases we end up in the position we are in by default, having a baby often leads to an enforced career change and then when the kids are in school there can be some agonising decisions as to where priorities lie.

If you’re at a turning point and something is nagging away at you, I’d strongly suggest you give yourself some time to meditate on what’s really important. Take an angel card and pose the question and trust your intuition when answers come, so often we ask a question, hear the answer in our head or get a clear sign but then dismiss it, usually because it might take us out of our comfort zone. Be open to new possibilities and instead of repeatedly saying…I couldn’t possibly start my own business….I wouldn’t have the skills to write a book, instead change it to a question. Ask yourself…How could I start my own business? How I could write a book?

If it starts to feel exciting you’ve probably hit on your purpose and the next set of questions should lead to how you can make a start, who could you ask for help? What could you delegate or drop in order to make time to fulfil your dreams and be who you want to be.

There was a very powerful end to Judith’s interview with Lynn Forester De Rothschild, when asked whether she really does ‘have it all’ Lynn quoted the philanthropist Carlos Slim who said…’Life isn’t about having, it’s about being’

Don’t worry about having it all, or even getting everything you think you want, but do ensure that you can be all you are meant to be.

 

 

How to be more confident – Stand Up, Stand Out Confidence Acceleration Event
20/21 February 2016, London

Stand Up Stand Out

Join Jo Wilson, Andy Coley and Janey Lee Grace for 2 days to improve your confidence and self- esteem & gain the level of assertiveness you need to put yourself first, get noticed or achieve the results you deserve in your career, business & personal life.

More information HERE>>>

A big thanks to my pal Shaa Wasmund MBE (she has just recently been named by The Sunday Times as one of their Top 20 Most Influential Entrepreneurs and by Debretts as one of their 500 Most Influential People In The UK! ) for giving this event a big-up in her recent newsletter too…

I’m Watching You!

Are you usually a fairly confident person – the life and soul of the party? Until, that is you have to make a presentation in front of an audience or speak in front of a microphone or video camera.

A recent survey showed that people are terrified of speaking in public – in fact the fear came above the fear of spiders, divorce and even death!

When questioned, participants said they feared making a fool of themselves, dropping their papers, looking incongruent, forgetting what they intended to say, and now neuroscientists at the University of Sussex’s Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science and Brighton and Sussex Medical School have identified the brain network system that causes us to stumble and stall just when we least want to.

The study reveals why your brain makes you slip up when anxious, it seems that the anxiety of being watched can have a disastrous effect on your performance.

They were able to pinpoint the brain area that causes the performance mishaps during an experiment using functional magnetic resonance neuroimaging (fMRI) and they found that people exert more force when they know that people are watching, so for example pianists unconsciously press keys harder when they play in front of an audience.

Scan results showed that an area of the brain that helps us to control our fine sensorimotor functions – the inferior parietal cortex (IPC) – became deactivated when people felt they were being observed interestingly how we perceive the audience will receive us also plays a part, if we believe that those watching want us to do well, we will perform well. But if we pick up negative cues, our IPC is deactivated and our performance falls apart.

So if you want to share your message in front of a wider audience and know that you will be called upon to give a presentation or a talk how can you best prepare and ensure that you will ‘shine’?

How you will perform is intrinsically linked with how confident you are – about yourself, the topic you are speaking about, and whether it will be well received, i.e. are those watching your ideal clients or community? If it’s a job interview is this actually your ideal job? Ask yourself how likely it is that those watching are likely to be open and supportive of you.

You don’t have to naturally be a super confident person, you can ‘fake it till you make it’ but the key to a successful performance is feeling entirely authentic about the message you are conveying and knowing that you are fully prepared.

Having a positive attitude is also important so a top tip is to visualise yourself coming away from the experience exhilarated and knowing you ‘rocked it!’

The authors of the study suggested that for example a musician before a public performance ‘could perform in front of his/her family and close friends and receive a lot of applause. Such experience would help to induce a desirable activation pattern in your brain and boost self-confidence.’

You too can rehearse before you do anything in public and I would highly recommend it – always read your script or your notes out loud, video yourself and watch it back, do all or part of your presentation in front of someone you know is on your side and ask for honest feedback.

The reality is that we do all feel some nerves when we are being scrutinised but make sure the butterflies in your tummy are flying in perfect formation! If you are totally authentic your passion and enthusiasm will come across and the audience will be with you all the way, so what if you do spill your water or drop your papers, we are all human – actually when the unexpected happens it can be the ice breaker that means people identify with you even more

So be willing to stand in the spotlight and shine – I’m watching!

Tap into Abundance and Success…

You’ve heard the saying ’We all teach what we need to learn’ and it’s so interesting when you know you have really made a difference inspiring someone else and yet a niggling voice is telling you that what you are encouraging your clients to do applies to you also!

I recently got back from a weekend coaching women around branding and PR and marketing, hosted by a very successful female entrepreneur and I felt really excited as there had been some great breakthroughs and while I was away I got a message to say that I had successfully secured a great 2 page spread in a national mag for one of my clients, another woman I had been working with for a while had her book launch coming up and another had launched her coaching programme.

I had an appointment booked on my return, some ‘me’ time, I see a wonderful Kinesiologist regularly and although for once I wasn’t falling apart – (often I’m so exhausted she has to put me back together again!) I wanted to check what was going on in case I was lacking in any nutrients etc. I do love the concept of prevention rather than cure, and on several occasions she has alerted me to something lacking in my diet or even how to deal with a sense of overwhelm.

Now Kinesiology can sound very ‘woo woo’, my therapist – who calls herself a health ‘detective’ asks your body what you need – (yes really), and once the message has been received she reaches for different ‘tools’ sometimes she uses flower remedies, sometimes a piece of fabric to represent a specific colour. The issue that needs to be looked at can be linked to nutrition and health issues or emotional wellbeing and in all the years I have been going its always been incredibly accurate.

So what do you think my body told her I needed? An EFT routine to help me stop blocking my abundance, raise my vibration and open the door to the success I deserve…

Duh! Hadn’t I spent three full days encouraging entrepreneurs to get rid of their issues around money and abundance, to recognise just how awesome they are and be willing to stand in the spotlight and be visible, to finally step up to accepting success?

One finger pointing at you and 4 back at me!

So let’s do it together!!

EFT SETUP PHRASES: From Carole Look creator of ‘The Yes Code’

While tapping the karate chop spot on either hand, repeat these first phrases out loud, (or change the words to fit your exact situation). Then proceed to the additional phrases while tapping on the indicated points. (If you are new to EFT, please view information and directions.)
The EFT SETUP Phrases for this topic are as follows:

“Even though I have mixed feelings about being successful, I deeply and completely love and accept myself anyway.”
“Even though I’m afraid to be successful, I deeply love and accept myself.”
“Even though I can’t stay invisible if I’m successful, I accept and appreciate all my feelings anyway.”

I have indicated where to tap while saying each of the phrases below. You may repeat the positive round more than once if you wish.
***Below are the phrases that focus on the problem***

Eyebrow: “I have mixed feelings about success.”
Side of Eye: “I’m not sure I want success in my life.”
Under Eye: “I’m afraid of what might change…”
Nose: “I don’t want to stand out either.”
Chin: “I don’t want to be visible if I’m successful.”
Collarbone: “I’m afraid to be successful, they might get upset.”
Under Arm: “I have such mixed feelings about success.”
Head: “Clearly I’m not congruent with success.”

***Now for the positive focus on the solution***

Eyebrow: “I really want to Be Congruent with Success.”
Side of Eye: “I want to want success in my life.”
Under Eye: “I want to want to Be Congruent with Success.”
Nose: “I choose to start being more congruent with success.”
Chin: “I want to feel inspired to attract success into my life.”
Collarbone: “I feel inspired to Be Congruent with Success.”
Under Arm: “I’m feeling better already!”
Head: “I choose to Be Congruent with Success now!“
***************************

Access more positive vibrations with the Law of Attraction by repeating the following phrases (while tapping or not):

Thank You, Universe, for reminding me to Be Congruent with Success… I feel more aligned with abundance already!
Thank You, Universe, for inspiring me to Be Congruent with Success… I am looking forward to uplifting results!
Thank You, Universe, for making it so easy for me to Be Congruent with Success… I feel the vibrational shift and power already!

The above exercise is extracted from a post by Carol Look, EFT Master, Speaker, Author, Coach, and Creator of “The Yes Code.” www.carollook.com

By the way if you are based near Herts I’m happy to share the details of my amazing therapist, I can’t post out to the world though – or I will never get an appointment! Email me for details.

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Would you like a half day with me via skype to focus on your personal media skills and PR Strategy to move you and your brand into the spotlight?

£100 off if booked before Febuary 14 2016. All details HERE>>

Spotlight Interview: Bernardo Moya from ‘The Best You’

Bernardo Moya

 

In my UK Health Radio ‘Spotlight Show’ I interview some of the world’s most inspiring self-development coaches, gurus and personalities about their health and wellbeing services, products and knowledge.

In this interview I speak with Bernardo Moya about personal development, health and wellness and a fabulous event coming up soon which I’m thrilled to be part of!

Bernardo is an entrepreneur, writer, publisher, TV producer and seminar promoter to some of the biggest names in Personal Development. He is CEO of NLP Life Training and The Best You, he’s also editor-in-chief of The Best You magazine – a fascinating voice in the Personal Development world.

Bernardo wasn’t always a leading Personal Development promoter, previously a Property Developer, he rebuilt his life from the ground up and reinvented himself to live his life based on helping others improve their lives. His desire is to inspire as many people as possible to make inspirational training and content accessible and affordable!

Listen to my interview with Bernardo HERE>>>

 

Click HERE for ‘The Best You’ Exhibition website

Click HERE to WIN 1 of 5 tickets to the exhibition including the main seminar room

Click HERE to WIN 1 of 50 general admission tickets (excluding main seminar room

I’ll be talking about ‘Your Brand’ and your ‘YOU-niqueness’ at ‘The Best You’

 

 

I’ll be speaking alongside Sir Clive Woodward, Jason Vale, Barbara De Angelis, Gill Fielding and Robert Holden appearing at ‘The Best You’ personal development Exhibition at ExCel London on 27 and 28 February 2016.

Click HERE for ‘The Best You’ Exhibition website

Click HERE to WIN 1 of 5 tickets to the exhibition including the main seminar room

Click HERE to WIN 1 of 50 general admission tickets (excluding main seminar room

‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’

If you are a small business owner, blogger, author or solopreneur I’m guessing you send out newsletters, e-zines or bulletins to your client’s, customers or community to make special offers, share content and keep them informed of what’s going on.

I’m sure you’re also on the receiving end of lots of them too, some you possibly don’t remember ever signing up for.

Of course we all want to build our lists and grow our followers but there are strict rules against marketing to people who haven’t agreed to be on your list, so how does it happen? I’m guessing there are some unscrupulous companies who buy and sell lists, and then there are other lists that you find yourself added to because you have bought something online and couldn’t get to the payment stage without registering your email address.

I did a bit of a cull recently and unsubscribed from no less than 20 lists that I had never signed up for in the first place! What I didn’t do though is report any of the emails as ‘spam’. For new brand owners trying to establish themselves when their list is still small, this can be hugely detrimental because mailing list providers will suspect that you may not be legitimate, MailChimp for example came back at a client of mine effectively telling her off because 2 people had reported her emails as spam. If your list is small, 2 could be a high percentage!

Don’t do it guys! It’s no problem to unsubscribe – that’s your choice but don’t move to the junk folder absent-mindedly. For your newsletters make sure that you make it crystal clear how to unsubscribe, sadly that doesn’t always work, I recently received a nasty email from someone who had apparently emailed me before asking to be removed – I didn’t ever see that email but did see the one that said

‘your emails are in breach of the UK Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). I am advised not to use the “unsubscribe” option on your email as this only informs companies, such as the one that you have employed, that send bulk emails (spam) that emails have been received and encourages further harassment’

Seriously? Which company that I have employed? He went on…

‘If I receive further emails from you, I will initiate a complaint against your company with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).’

 

Ouch! I wrote back to him personally, apologised and wished him a happy Christmas, I genuinely have no idea how he got on my list if he had not signed up but it happens. I think he may have felt suitably embarrassed at taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut – I got a Merry Xmas back!

So continue to put your efforts into building your lists – it’s the most important marketing tool you have, and support others by signing up to receive content from them if you want to be on their radar, but when you do feel overwhelmed at the assault on your inbox and decide to do a ‘cull’, just unsubscribe and don’t let it get reported as spam (unless of course it actually is!).

I hope you will want to continue to receive my emails – but if not I will happily let you go – with love – please just unsubscribe rather than reporting me as a spammer – just don’t leave me this way!!

 

Back To Work, But Are We Happy?

A New Survey Measures the Nation’s State Of Mind

A new survey on workplace attitudes reveals that many Britons are genuinely happy in the workplace – but there is still room for improvement.

The Best You magazine’s Life Meaning Survey asked 2000 people in work across the ages, genders and regions about their experience at work. One question, ‘When it comes to your job/career right now, would you say that you love what you do?’…and it gave surprising answers.

While a relatively small percentage (15.4%) gave an unequivocal ‘Yes’, a mass 47% (or 941 people) replied ‘Mostly’. Roughly a quarter responded, ‘Not really’ and 11% said not at all.

The figures were fairly even across genders and ages, with a variation of only one per cent of women feeling more well-disposed to their jobs than their male counterparts, and people between 25-34 being around a percentage point happier than the other groups between 18 and 55+.

Northern Ireland, topped the poll of job satisfaction with 18% giving a joyous ‘Yes’, closely followed by the South West (18%), London (18%) and Scotland (17%). At the other end of the spectrum, only 9% of respondents in Wales were willing to say they love their job.

Asked what would add more happiness to the workplace, 52% said regular salary increases were the key to happiness, while just below came ‘Flexi-time for everyone’. Other high scorers were ‘offices with natural light’ and ‘more emphasis on work-life balance’.

A common theme among those volunteering ideas on how to create more happiness was a change in management, with answers such as ‘a good boss’, ‘good leadership’, ‘less aggressive management’ and ‘bosses that aren’t bullies’ this was representative of many people’s experiences.

Of the 38% dissatisfied with work, over a third were seeking opportunities in a different industry – but just under a third were taking no steps to change their situation, while 3% were seeking life coaching to help them make their choices.

Interestingly, nearly 29% of women and 25% of men admitted to suffering from depression, with 10% more women than men seeking therapy, and five per cent more women consulting their GP. Men also failed to talk to family and friends on the matter, and a higher percentage chose to ‘do nothing’.

THE BEST YOU’S SURVEY FINDINGS

Age counts…

  • More than 53% of 55+ have been redundant at least once, while only 13% of 18-24-year-olds have experienced redundancy.
  • Employers could be failing to realise an opportunity to develop their staff. Across the ages, fewer than 20% of respondents receive personal development training from their employer, but are more likely to receive sick pay and a pension.
  • Most age groups value the same things in the workplace such as flexi-time and sabbaticals, regular salary reviews, continuous professional development and social events. However in-work counselling and therapy was more valued by 18-24-year-olds (21%), while work-life balance was more important to the 45-55+ age group (58%).
  • Job satisfaction was least felt by 25-34-year-olds (12%) and most felt by 45-54-year-olds (16%), although all ages described themselves as ‘mostly’ happy.
  • Changing job or industry was most seen as a way to improve happiness by 18-34-year-olds (70%).
  • Wanting to leave a legacy in the world was most wished for by 18-24-year-olds, while more than 51% of 55+ respondents thought they probably wouldn’t.
  • Almost 83% of 55+ respondents believe in personal development, although this was consistently high across the age groups with 80% of 18-24-year-olds also working on their goals to be happy.
  • Looking at the media usage of different age groups, 73% of 55+ respondents read personal development books, while 61% of 18-24-year-olds find inspiration online.
  • Although similar across the age groups, 35-44-year-olds were most likely to have suffered from depression (30%), and of these 64% sought help from a GP or talked to family and friends (30%).

Postcode happiness…

  • In the East Midlands, 27% of people said neither they nor anyone they know are depressed.
  • A whopping 87% of people surveyed in Scotland believe personal development is the way to work on their goals to be happy.
  • 70% of South West respondents use books as a source of personal development, while 51% of those in the North West prefer blogs online.
  • Most hopeful about leaving a legacy are respondents in the South West (20%) while the least hopeful are those in Northern Ireland (18%).

Men vs. Women…

  • Flexi-time is more important to women (55% of female respondents) than men (47% of male respondents).
    Almost equally across the sexes men and women enjoy their job.
  • Women are more optimistic about leaving a life legacy (18% of female respondents) than men (14% of male respondents).
  • Women who have suffered depression were more likely to have seen a therapist (40% of female respondents) or talked to family or friends (35%) than men (30% of male respondents, and 23% respectively).

thebestyouexpo

Janey Lee Grace speaks alongside Sir Clive Woodward, Jason Vale, Barbara De Angelis, Gill Fielding and Robert Holden appearing at ‘The Best You’ personal development Exhibition at ExCel London on 27 and 28 February 2016.

 

Click HERE for ‘The Best You’ Exhibition website

Click HERE to WIN 1 of 5 tickets to the exhibition including the main seminar room

Click HERE to WIN 1 of 50 general admission tickets (excluding main seminar room