Newsletters

Change your Self-Talk. 6 January 2025

I spend a lot of time teaching people to try and not be upset and hurt by what others say about them or to them. Which is hard, because we are wired to need social connection and support

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This December take time to rest. 2 December 2024

Life is a series of ups and downs, of good and bad. One month work is going well, the next it is full of stress. One year

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Thriving Through Change. 14 November 2024

I still come across many people whose lives were changed by Covid (or if not by Covid by the way in which it was handled). Their lives changed and so did they, as is often the case. And unfortunately, as is often the case, they didn’t change for the better. Many people told me that their anxiety levels rocketed when

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Honour Yourself. 1 November 2024

Having good relationships with others starts with us having a good relationship with ourselves. If you want to work on relationships, then start with the relationship you have with yourself. Get that relationship right first. And you can start by honouring yourself

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Recovery from Burnout. 21 September 2024

Burnout is a feeling of exhaustion and emptiness due to prolonged stress, often work-related. It means being worn out physically and emotionally. It can also involve feeling useless, powerless, and empty. It is a truly horrible state

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Signs of Burnout. 2 September 2024

Burnout is being in a state of exhaustion. It can literally feel like the life has been sucked out of you. It is typically caused by ongoing extreme stress that doesn’t cease

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The Courageous Leader. 1 August 2024

Good leadership is often something that is easier to recognise than to define. Lots of people talk about the qualities that leaders need to have. Often

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Mid-Year Life Check-In. 1 July 2024

With six months of the year gone, it’s time to check in to see how your year has been going. After all, it is another six months of your life gone. Has it gone well? Has it been terrible? Has it been wasted

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When to decline a job offer. 24 June 2024

Sometimes you don’t want to accept a job offer. When you are being interviewed and assessed by a company, that company is most likely also wanting to impress you. They want to show themselves in a good light

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Executive Presence. 1 June 2024

Some people have the ability to command respect and attention. They have presence and credibility, and others notice them. Then there are those who don’t

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7 Steps to feeling happier each day. 29 April 2024

Lots of people tell me they want happiness in their life. Lots of people tell me they are not as happy as they would like to be

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Verbal Abuse. 18 April 2024

Today we hear the term verbal abuse mentioned quite a lot. When it comes to physical and sexual abuse, most of us know what this means because the words describe the type of abuse. Verbal abuse is something that is not so well understood.

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Writing a cover letter. 10 April 2024

Unless you are specifically asked not to send in a cover letter, you do want to include one with your application. Cover letters haven’t quite gone the way of the dinosaur yet.

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Embrace your Difficulties. 2 April 2024

You want to have challenges in your life. Challenges make you a stronger, kinder, more compassionate, wiser, and resilient person

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5 Quick and Easy ways to keep your Stress Levels under control this year. 1 March 2024

Stress is something most people experience a lot of. They have experienced it in the past in their work and their personal lives, and this year is likely to be much the same.

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Signs you are in a good relationship. 1 February 2024

I have met many people who have experienced really bad relationships. And often these people are concerned about getting back into another relationship that turns out to be as bad as, or even worse than, their previous ones.

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7 Tips to excel in your career this year. 20 January 2024

We spend a lot of time at work. And many of us spend time at home working on our career as well. If we add in the hours we spend just thinking about it too, then our career takes up a lot of our time. Considering the amount of

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Finding a new job this year. 12 January 2024

The start of a new year is quite a good time to think about finding another job. In South Africa the best time to look for a job is February to April.

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2024_It is time to unpack your dreams. 8 January 2024

Happy New Year to you all. At the start of this new year, I have one thing I want to say to you. And that is, “unpack your dreams”.

We have had a rough time over the past few years. Some people have had it worse than others

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Dealing with Grief over Christmas. 19 December 2023

Christmas is usually associated with family and friends, with love and happiness, and with giving and receiving gifts. For some people that is not what Christmas is at all. For some, Christmas is a time when they are particularly reminded of loss, of pain, and perhaps loneliness

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How to get the most from your holiday. 1 December 2023

I don’t think it needs to be said (but I will reiterate it anyway), that this has been one hell of a year for most people. In fact, the last four years have taken their toll on almost everyone

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How to deal with a toxic workplace. 27 November 2023

In a previous newsletter, last week in fact, I spoke about what a toxic workplace looks like. In this newsletter I want to talk about how you deal with being in a toxic workplace.

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What is a toxic workplace? 21 November 2023

Although there have been toxic workplaces since people starting working, it is only recently that it has been given focused attention. Generally speaking

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20 things to not say or do in an interview. 6 November 2023

If you want to succeed in your job interview there are some things you should never say. Below are twenty of these....

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Reading Body Language. 1 November 2023

In fact, more than 50% of our communication is from the use of our body, facial expressions, arm and hand movements etc.

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Recovery from Narcissistic Abuse. 13 October 2023

If you have experienced narcissistic abuse, you will know there is not one way to recover from the abuse of a narcissist. Each person is unique. The personal experience of the abuse will be different

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Creation versus Reaction. 2 October 2023

The first teaching that I got was the statement, "act, don't react". Of course, this is very good advice. If you react then you are being controlled by the other person. You are not behaving as if you are in charge of yourself, you are letting the words and actions of others decide who you will be and how you

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Get more business. 18 September 2023

If you are a small business owner, in fact, even if you have a medium sized business or large business, finding new business is always important. If you don’t have customers and clients, you don’t have a business. Below are some ideas to grow your business.

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8 Habits for Career Success. 8 September 2023

For most people today, their career is an important part of their life. And it probably is also something they spend a lot of time on. Because career is associated

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Learn how to really listen. 1 September 2023

Listening is a very critical skill. It is especially important for leaders. If you don’t listen, and listen well, then how do you know what is happening, how do you know what people are feeling, and therefore how do you know what the right course of action is

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The Aftereffects of Narcissistic Abuse. 8 August 2023

Narcissists need to feel superior. They believe they are superior to others and act as such. So, the narcissist wants to undermine you. The narcissist needs to make sure you know that you are not worth much. You are below them. You are inferior to them. Depending on how long you were with a narcissist, and how old

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Why Executives Derail. 1 August 2023

When I originally planned this article, I was going to write about why people do not get promoted to executive level. I have seen this often. People rise

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Narcissistic Rage. 23 July 2023

Narcissistic rage was supposedly a term first used by psychoanalyst Heinz Kohut in 1972. It refers to a sudden and powerful outburst from a narcissist which can include verbal and physical abuse as well as acts of aggression and damage

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Narcissistic Parents. 8 July 2023

Any sort of relationship with a narcissistic person, be it a boss, friend, or romantic partner is horrible. The narcissist is not capable of the empathy, understanding, and giving that is mutually required in a successful relationship.

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The Gift of a Vision. 1 July 2023

As someone who does business coaching I am always on the lookout for the vision of the businesses I coach. If you are going to go anywhere with your business you need a vision. You need to know where you want to end up. Your vision gives you direction for your business and also guides your actions.

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7 Reasons you may not be achieving your goals. 1 June 2023

Because one of my roles is coaching people to set and achieve goals, I come across quite a number of reasons why people don't reach their goals. Below are some of the most common ones

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15 Daily Affirmations for Self-Esteem and Success. 24 May 2023

Your thoughts are powerful. What you think about is what you focus on. And what you focus on is what you end up having in your life because when you are focused on something your brain starts

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General principles for communicating effectively in difficult situations. 17 May 2023

Most people have times when they know they are going to have to speak to someone and it’s probably going to be a challenging task. People can be aggressive, stubborn, rude, ignore you, stonewall, and engage in other actions which make it difficult to talk about

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Writing a winning CV. 8 May 2023

Today, with hundreds of applicants applying for a particular job, it is more important than ever that you send in a CV that stands out. Recruiters have found that you have 6 to 7 seconds to impress the reader of your CV. That is all

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Setting Personal Boundaries. 1 May 2023

We live in a world with boundaries. If we did not have boundaries to demarcate where property begins and ends or where property is private or public, then everyone could, and some would, do pretty much whatever they liked to that property. That would cause chaos.

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Red Flags that you are dealing with a Narcissist. 17 April 2023

I often get asked what behaviours indicate that someone is narcissistic. And usually this is from someone who has already experienced a bad relationship and wants to try and make sure they never end up in a bad relationship again

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How and Why Coaching and Therapy Work. 1 April 2023

Freud, who was one of the pioneers of psychotherapy, and also incidentally did a lot of coaching with his patients, was a neurologist and wanted to be able to explain his treatment in biological

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Get rewarded at work. 1 March 2023

There is a lot written about what you need to do to be a standout employee. That is, one that stands out in a good way. And most people want that because your salary, bonuses, and promotions to a large extent depend on how good you are at your job

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When nothing is certain, everything is possible. 1 February 2023

Almost all human beings don’t like uncertainty. And the phrase, “don’t like uncertainty” can be an understatement. A lot of people are terrified of uncertainty.

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Set goals but focus on the milestones. 11 January 2023

Here's to 2023. A new year always gives us a fresh start. And often we need that. Especially after the last three years which have been traumatic for almost all of us.

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What does it mean to OWN your creative power? 1 December 2022

The theme of the newsletters this year has been “Own your Creative Power”. As this is the last newsletter for this year, this will be the last newsletter around this theme. During the year we have discussed that we all have this creative power. We have discussed what gets in the way of us using our creative power

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Goals help you develop your creative power. 1 November 2022

Setting and achieving goals is one way for everyone to develop many of the competencies required to think of creative solutions to life’s problems.

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Own your creative power by conquering your fears. 1 October 2022

Fear holds us back in life. And it can hold us back a lot. Some fears are good. Otherwise we would find ourselves dead quite quickly. We would be engaging in risky

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Own your creative power by developing your imagination. 1 September 2022

Fortunately, as human beings we all have creative power. We have a brain that allows us to deal with major disruptions in our lives. We can pivot and change and be successful no matter what the world throws at us. Our brains are capable of imagination, of creativity, of new ideas, and of changing a great deal

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Own your Creative Power by knowing when to Surrender. 1 August 2022

Most of us believe happiness and success is achieved by grinding away, working extra hard, and really giving it our all. We go, go, go and we push, push, push until we have worked ourselves to a point of exhaustion

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Own your creative power by embracing your worth. 1 July 2022

It is impossible to own your creative power if you have a low opinion of yourself. In fact, if you don’t value yourself you probably don’t even believe you have creative power

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The number one factor associated with success is this. Do not give up. 28 June 2022

A lot of us have heard this phrase. Some of us agree with it. Most of us have no idea what it means to not give up. We think that if we persist a few times and something doesn’t work out then it means we need to forget about it. This is one of the reasons why I recommend people read biographies and autobiographies of successful people.

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How to negotiate a salary raise. 18 June 2022

Negotiating your salary is something that quite a few people don’t do. Some people feel they should not do this as it might not go

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When the water is muddy, let it settle. 9 June 2022

We all have times, sometimes short-lived, and sometimes playing out for months, when we feel confused. Usually this happens when the unexpected occurs. When our daily existence is interrupted unexpectedly, which could be due to a job loss, a relationship break up, the death of a loved one, a serious illness, or some other change that happens and throws our lives into turmoil

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Joining communities that own their creative power. 1 June 2022

Continuing the theme for the year, in this newsletter I talk about how your community – the people you spend your time with – can help you develop your creative power. Community can include family, friends you spend time with, gatherings you regularly attend, people you follow on social media

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Own your creative power by adopting empowering beliefs. 2 May 2022

Continuing with the “Own your Creative Power” theme for this year, I want to talk about your beliefs. We all have beliefs, and our belief system has a huge impact

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When your business has stalled. 28 April 2022

When you start your business, most people, and I was one of them, understand or think of starting up as involving a process of trying out different ideas until you hit the magic formula which gives you the results you want for your business

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Is Entrepreneurship for You? 12 April 2022

Not everyone is cut out to be an entrepreneur. It’s important to understand this because if you are not, if your character traits are the exact opposite of what is needed to start and run a business successfully, and you have no interest in changing them

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Own your creative power by managing your stress. 1 April 2022

However, there is one thing that can greatly hamper your ability to use your brain for your benefit. If you are highly stressed (and in fact even moderately stressed) your brain cannot engage

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Own your creative power by developing an opportunity mindset. 1 March 2022

In order to use your creative power to thrive in life you need to be thinking possibilities and opportunities. This is a mindset. You do not have to be particularly intelligent to think this way. You do not have to be a unique or extraordinary human being to think this way

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Own your creative power by being a non-victim. 1 February 2022

This newsletter continues our theme for this year of “Own your Creative Power”. We have all been through two years that have shaken our lives upside down and got many of us to feel so uncertain about the coming years, and indeed our futures

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E-Course. Rewire your Brain to Thrive

In this course I show you how to get into and stay in a thrive state no matter what happens around you (unless you have an immediate short term threat where the fight or flight response is appropriate)

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Own Your Creative Power. 12 January 2022

I trust this will be a great year for you, and I hope I can help you make it so. I am going to have a theme for the year – which is something I haven’t done before. My theme for 2022 is “Own your Creative Power”.

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Signs that you have a viable business idea. 5 January 2022

Do you want to start a business? Perhaps this is an idea you have been thinking about quite a lot. Perhaps it is something you have been thinking about for as long as two years, but not done anything about.

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It has been a tough year, and you are stronger for it. 1 December 2021

Many, many years ago, after experiencing a really difficult two years, someone told me some wisdom that made me feel a lot better.

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Having Fun makes you more Productive. 2 November 2021

For some reason many of us have the idea that working hard and being productive and efficient is hard work. We think hard work means strain and effort and stress

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Bounce back from setbacks. 1 October 2021

We all experience setbacks in life. Many, many times, things will go wrong, not turn out the way we want, or just plain blow up in our faces. The older you are and the more things you have tried the more often you are likely to have had setbacks.

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Lost your motivation: Tips to get it back. 1 September 2021

Have you lost your motivation? This could be motivation for your job, for your business, a hobby, or a project at home. Most of us go through periods when we lose our motivation.

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Ways in which you may be sabotaging yourself in the job hunt. 10 August 2021

Finding a job has never been more difficult in South Africa. The unemployment situation, especially youth unemployment, is at crisis levels.

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The Emperor has no Clothes on: Leadership and Reality. 2 August 2021

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality.” Max DePree.

Max DePree’s quote really struck home for me with the rioting and looting that took place in South Africa a few weeks ago

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The Universe always leaves a Light on. 16 July 2021

It’s Friday and this past week has been one of the most horrendous in South Africa for many, many years. Covid is still running rampant knocking people down and out.

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Master where you are. 1 July 2021

South Africa is now in a strict lockdown due to the surge in Coronavirus cases. Even if your life is not majorly impacted by the lockdown restrictions, you will be affected in some way. The images, news, and talk around the virus is exhausting, depressing, and scary

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Signs you are sabotaging yourself at work. 1 June 2021

Have you ever been at the point where you are just about to reach a goal, or have a dream come true at work? You have made it through every step so far and success is almost in your reach. And then suddenly you make a really silly mistake and blow it,

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Get promoted at work: 9 Tips. 21 May 2021

You are in a good job. You like your job and you like the company you work for most of the time. You have a plan to move ahead in your career, you are ambitious, and you work hard and deliver quality work on time. Yet, something is not quite right. You have

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Autumn shows us how lovely it is to let some things go: 1 May 2021

In the Southern Hemisphere it is autumn. The leaves are turning vibrant hues of yellow, red, orange, and brown and falling to the ground. Nature has her seasons and during Autumn she lets things go which allows for renewal in the Spring months.

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6 Signs that I show myself respect. 1 April 2021

There are few people who would consider respect to be unimportant. Almost without exception, everyone agrees that treating others with respect is important. So however, is treating yourself with respect

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Points to consider when starting your own business. 24 March 2021

Covid-19 was not kind to many businesses. It brought about lockdowns which had massive impacts on the economy and many businesses, especially small businesses. If you had just started a business then it was a particularly difficult time as even well-established small businesses battled. So you might be thinking having your own business is not such a good idea

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18 Ways to Quiet your Mind. 1 March 2021

I come across many people who tell me they overthink. Their mind is one thought racing after another without a break. The thoughts feed off one another and it seems like they won’t stop. Often these thoughts seem to have a life of their own

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Building Resilience to Change. 1 February 2021

You can build resilience to change. It is possible for almost everyone to become better at dealing with change. And for some people, most people if they really put their minds to it, it is possible to learn to master change, and transform challenges into opportunities for a better life.

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Landing a new job in 2021. 14 January 2021

If you are someone who is looking for a job this year, then I am going to discuss some trends which are likely to impact job seekers.

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How to do 2021 well: 4 January 2021

It’s finally here. January 2021. The year some people have been longing for since August last year, after we all got sideswiped and knocked off our feet by the coronavirus.

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It has been a brutal year. Show yourself some compassion: 14 December 2020

It has been said so often perhaps it sounds a bit silly repeating it again, however, let’s face it, this has been a difficult and even horrific year for many people.

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Write a new story for your life. 1 December 2020

Well here we are, starting the last month of what has been a truly bizarre year. A lot of people will be giving a huge sigh of relief, and probably even more will be hoping that 2021 will be a lot more predictable and easier than 2020.

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Beware the Narcissist. 24 November 2020

I have a lot of people come to me in my practice, who it turns out, have come face to face on an almost daily basis with someone with narcissistic traits. This could be in a personal relationship or a work relationship.

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Write a winnning CV. 2 November 2020

Given the current situation there are a lot of people looking for jobs right now. With business closures and retrenchments at an all time high (how I wish it wasn’t), plenty of people are putting together their CV’s and applying for jobs.

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Portrait of a person destined for success. 20 October 2020

So what are some of the critical factors that lead to success for a person, a team, a business, a community, or any other entity for that matter.

A person destined for success is one who:


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It is time to get back on that road to success: 1 October 2020

We are coming towards the end of the year 2020. A year that has shocked and rocked and knocked millions of people. And while some people are still trying to recover from the damage the pandemic has wrought on their lives, it is, I think, a time for us to start renewing our hopes and dreams.

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Work from Home Burnout: 14 September 2020

For many years, a few decades in fact, employees have been wanting the opportunity to work from home. Some of my clients have in the past spent three hours a day commuting to work. And then the Covid-19 pandemic hit us and working from home became something necessary.

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Some effects of Stress Exposure on the Brain. 1 Sept 2020

Chronic stress has many effects on the brain including changes in brain functioning, changes in brain structure, changes to hormones and neurotransmitters, disruption in synapse regulation, shortening of the chromosomes, changes in the proportion of white to grey matter in the brain, and alteration of gene expression.

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What to do when you have just lost your job. 17 August 2020

Unfortunately, this will be the experience of many people, especially this year. No matter how often it happens, and no matter how frequent layoffs are, it is not something anyone gets used to. It is a horrible experience for every person, every time it happens.

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The Art and Heart of Leadership: 1 August 2020

After considering various topics to write about in this newsletter, I decided upon leadership. Probably because we are going through a crisis now. The whole world is going through a crisis.

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When things just get too much: 1 July 2020

I think we are hitting a major mental wellness crisis worldwide. And if we have not reached there yet, we soon will. The pandemic, with the consequent loss of life, the economic downturn, loss of jobs and businesses, and decrease in income, is just becoming too much for a lot of people. In many places, and South Africa was one of them, things were not great before the pandemic hit.

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How to find a job during the time of the coronavirus

Yes, it is possible to find a job right now, despite the coronavirus. Companies are still hiring employees for full-time permanent positions. The average job search is likely to be a bit longer now though. As companies re-open, they need to see what

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Self-Esteem Toolkit: 30 Tools to Raise your Self-Esteem

I have put together a self-esteem toolkit of 30 tools to raise your self-esteem which have worked really well with my clients and made huge differences in their lives.

This toolkit is an e-book of over 100 A4 pages. PDF format.


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Stress Management Toolkit. 10 June 2020

I have developed this toolkit to help you understand and manage your own stress in particular. It is a 120 page A4 PDF e-book. It enables you to really understand your own specific situation. This book contains questionnaires, checklists, rating scales, self-assessment exercises, and tables for you to populate with your own information, as well as thirty-four different methods (physiological, mental, emotional, and behavioural) to manage stress.

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Abundance and Prosperity: 12 Ideas. 1 June 2020

You might be wondering why I am writing about this topic. “Penny”, you say, “we are going through such horrible times, filled with illness, loss, the economy in the toilet, and bad news everyday”. Well, that is exactly why I am writing about abundance and prosperity.

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8 Tips for when you are feeling really scared: 24 May 2020

When life is overwhelming, we may have days, or moments of days, when we just feel really, really scared. A sense of panic comes over us, our heart races, and we feel a bit bewildered and out of it all. Life can be a bit too much at any stage of our lives, however Covid-19 has given us a whole lot more to be scared about. We are concerned about our health.

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Ideas to earn income if your business closed with lockdown or you lost your job. 12 May 2020

For the past few years "disruption" has been a word thrown about a lot, in the business world especially. Usually relating to technology. Yet I don’t think anyone thought disruption was going to hit us like the coronavirus did.

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7 Tips for dealing with tough times: Covid-19 1 May 2020

We will all have tough times. We know this. Up until the end of 2019, most of us could have named times that had been tough for us. And then this year the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world, and we suddenly learnt all over again what tough times mean, by having to experience a crisis most of us have never before experienced

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Avoid Pessimistic Thinking: 14 April 2020

The lockdown period has been extended. And that is going to mean different things for different people. If you were adamant that the lockdown was going to be extended, then the confirmation of this probably didn’t shock you too much. At the other extreme

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Strategies for dealing with the Covid-19 lockdown. For individuals and businesses, 7 April 2020

The coronavirus is still a big feature of our lives. Most people are still working from home, if working at all. Businesses, and especially small businesses are panicking if they cannot operate and are counting the cost of not being able to conduct business.

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Dealing with Unexpected Change: example the coronavirus outbreak - 31 March 2020

Because the coronavirus has turned everything upside down throughout the world, I am going to deviate from my usual once a month newsletter and send one out with info to help you during lockdown every week. This week I will talk about dealing with unexpected change. In the newsletter next week I will talk a bit more about how to cope with unexpected change, and following that how to build resilience to unexpected change.

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From Chaos to Calm_COVID-19: 23 March 2020

We all experience times of overwhelm in our life. Times when things just get too much. The coronavirus, however, has sent us all into a spin. It is a time of overwhelm and unpredictability for the whole world. Seldom is everything turned upside down like it is now.

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Get noticed at work for the right reasons. 2 March 2020

One of the skills that you need at work is how to promote yourself. Now some of you might be thinking that sounds like arrogance, or “blowing your own trumpet”, or being boastful.

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9 Common gaslighting phrases abusers use. 1 February 2020

So what is gaslighting you might ask? When someone gaslights you, they talk to you, or act towards you in ways that get you to think you are crazy. They challenge and invalidate your thoughts and emotions to the point where you wonder if you are sane.

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Time Management. A 4 module E-course

Are you someone who:
• Always or quite regularly misses deadlines.
• Has to spend their personal time at home dealing with work emails because you don’t have time during the working day to attend to them.
• Delivers work late and/or not up to the standard you would like.
• Procrastinates.
• Has loads of interruptions and time wasters during the day which you don’t know how to deal with.


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Start the New Year Well. 6 January 2020

It is very easy in the new year to get caught up with new ideas and resolutions and so on. And then to be disappointed later on in the year as resolutions are not kept. And this disappointment is because change does not come easily. If you plan to do things very differently during 2020 then you need to be different

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Make the most of your holidays. 2 December 2019

Many years ago when I worked in corporate and professional service firms, a colleague on returning to work in January was asked how his holiday was. His reply was, “I need a holiday after that experience”.

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10 Signs you are Mentally Exhausted. 1 November 2019

So how many of these apply to you?
1. You get easily irritated.
2. You have trouble sleeping – which could be you battle to fall asleep, your sleep is broken through the night, or you wake up and can’t go back to sleep or take forever to go back to sleep and usually do so just when you need to get up.


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Ten tips for dealing with Toxic Colleagues: 1 October 2019

We have all come across those people before, heck, we may even be those people: The negative Nancys, the nagging Nellies, the mean-spirited Mandies, the rude Robs, the blaming Berties, the put-down Peters, and the gossiping Gerties.

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Winning with Workplace Politics: 2 September 2019

When people talk about office politics, we usually assume they are talking about something you find in a big corporate organisation. In fact, organisational politics can be found in any type of organisation

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When the wound reopens, there is the opportunity to close it differently: 1 August 2019

We get wounded in many ways. Some of the most frequent are through bullying and other forms of abuse. These can occur throughout our life, but often happen, and are the most damaging, when we are children.

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Nail that job interview: 1 July 2019

There are few people who rate going for a job interview as one of their most favourite things. For most people it is a daunting experience with much riding on the outcome. Being great in interviews is a skill you can learn. In fact, before you go for any interviews, you must learn how to be good in them. Unfortunately, interviewing skills is not something generally taught in schools. So, most of us don’t really know how to make the most of them and how to show ourselves in our best light.

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The Adult Bully. 1 June 2019

Many people can relate stories of being bullied when young or even throughout school. Unfortunately bullying doesn’t always stop when we grow up. A boss, a partner, a family member, or even a friend (!) can be a bully.

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15 Things you can do if you have a panic attack. 17 May 2019

Experiencing a panic attack can be terrifying. You can feel like you cannot breathe, you are having a heart attack, or you are losing your mind. While they can’t last for a long time (because it just takes too much energy which the body doesn’t have to keep it going), when you feel one coming on or while you are in the middle of one, it is horrible.

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How Successful People Think: 1 May 2019

When a huge part of your job is listening to people, you start to become very good at predicting how well their lives are going by listening to the words and sentences they speak. This is because what we say out loud tends to reflect what we are thinking. And what we are thinking leads to the lives we have, because our thinking creates our life.

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Entrepreneurship and Mental Health. 24 April 2019

A few years ago, Dr Michael Freeman, a psychiatrist at the University of California, published findings showing that entrepreneurs are 50% more likely to report having a mental health condition than the general population.


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What sort of a first impression do you make? April 2019

This is something we don’t think much about. Well I tend to forget about it most of the time. While reading through some of the information I am going to give to you, I realised – aaaaarghhh – I am not doing some of the right things at all.

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Any time, any place technique to destress

In this newsletter I am going to talk about a quick and easy technique you can use to manage stress and anxiety in the moment. Stress is something that almost everyone has. And to be overstressed or extremely anxious is to be in a horrible place. You don’t want to stay there. You want to do something about it.

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21 Ways to Market your Business

It has been said that your success as an entrepreneur is dependent on your marketing and your mindset. Your mindset is crucial and I will deal with it another time. In this newsletter/blog, I am going to talk about marketing. Quite honestly, you don’t have a business without customers, so I usually get clients to focus a lot on being successful at marketing.

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Ten Ways to Act with Integrity: 1 February 2019

What is integrity? If you look through the hardcopy paper books and digital dictionaries, there are two explanations that come up. One refers to integrity as the quality of being honest and adhering to moral values. The second description refers to integrity as being about wholeness, cohesion and unity. Generally we understand integrity to be a personal choice to hold oneself to one's beliefs, values, and principles, and to be consistent in doing so.

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Building your Self-Esteem E-Course

I have put together an E-course on "Building your Self-Esteem". This is an extensive course which contains most of what is known about building self-esteem. Hence it is an 8 module course containing a huge amount of information and exercises for you to do. There are many tools which help you raise your self-esteem from basic levels right up to very advanced levels.

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Personal Financial Management E-Course

I have put together an E-course to help you manage your personal finances. This course starts with understanding your mindset towards money. Then we look at your debt and how to get out of it. We look at expenses and income and reducing expenses and making more money. And finally we look at investing and growing your money as well as habits of the wealthy.

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Major Challenges for the CEO in 2019: 22 January 2019

Based on research and readings from Gartner, Forbes, PWC and the Conference Board, many of the challenges facing CEOs this coming year are more than just business issues. They are broad macroeconomic, political and social issues, indicating that running a business today requires an awareness of the global, regional and local environment that the organisation functions in, perhaps more than ever before.

So globally what seem to be the top 7 concerns repeatedly coming up from the experts and the CEOs themselves.


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30 Techniques to Transform your Life: E-Course

I have put together an E-course with the same type of material that a 2-day workshop or 10 session coaching programme on “Transforming your life” would contain. This course teaches you 30 techniques to have greater success, happiness and inner peace in your life. In addition to presenting and explaining each technique, there are exercises for you to do to apply the technique in your life.

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Finding your Life Purpose: E-Course

I have put together a course that you can do with just access to email, on “Finding your Life Purpose”. This course contains material that I have used in workshops and in one-on-one coaching to help people find their life Purpose. The difference is that with this course you pay a huge amount less than you would as a workshop delegate or a client attending one-on-one coaching.

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Finding the job you want: E-Course

I have put together a course, which can be done with just email. It teaches you the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviours to get the job you want. It covers everything you want to know about the job hunt including a whole lot of things you probably didn’t even know you need to know.

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Setting and Achieving Goals. E-Course

I have put together a course you can do with just email on “Setting and Achieving your Goals”. This course contains material that I use in one-on-one coaching and workshops, and has helped many people succeed in achieving their goals.
For whom: This course is suitable for anyone from 15 years of age and older.


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Communication Skills E-Course

I have put together a course you can do with just email, on "Communication Skills". This course contains some basic and some advanced communication skills. There is theory on tried and trusted communication techniques used in the workplace as well as counselling situations, and lots of opportunity to practice your communication so you can become highly skilled in communicating in many different types of situations.

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5 Principles for Living your Best Year: January 2019

Now 2019 is a new year, and a new year is usually a time of hope, of renewal and of better things on the horizon. So let’s have a look at some principles to keep in mind for the year and from these you can implement some actions you will take.

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One of the best ways to stay motivated: December 2018

Now you might be wondering what on earth I am doing writing about being motivated in December. After all December is the month when people are winding down, relaxing, looking forward to their holidays and doing nothing in particular.

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Building Assertiveness Skills E-Course

I have put together a course that you can do with just email on “Building Assertiveness Skills”. This information brief includes extracts from the course so you can see if you would like to do the course. This course contains lots of material I have used with great success in one on one coaching and workshops to help people become more assertive. This course contains some core and some advanced assertiveness skills training. There is theory, there are practical examples, and there are lots and lots of situations for you to try out assertiveness for yourself.

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10 Tips to move from average to extraordinary. November 2018

Some people are very happy to be average. And if you are, that is fine. There is a place for everyone in this world. If you are someone who wants to be more than average, who wants to make a difference, or leave their mark on the world, then you need to do that bit extra. If you are someone who wants to shake things up, then read on.

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The pleasing response: October 2018

We get told that the response to danger is fight or flight. Like everything to do with human beings, however, it is more complicated than that. There are at least two other responses that are common - freeze and fawn (please). Sometimes in a dangerous situation fight is not an option and neither is flight.

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Myths society feeds us: September 2018

We, as human beings, are our own worst enemies. There is nothing new in that statement. We know it. One of the ways in which we hurt ourselves is that we live in a society that perpetuates myths about how life should be. And then when life is not like that, we stress, we berate ourselves, we get anxious, and we wonder what we are doing wrong.

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How do you deal with Obstacles? August 2018

So how do you deal with obstacles? There are many ways in which different people deal with them. You could be someone who throws their hands up in despair and gives up.

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What is Exhausting You? July 2018

Energy is one of our most important resources. We don't have unlimited energy. Some people may look like they have, but no one has energy for everything and then still to spare. And so, if energy is an important resource - and it is because without it you can't get anything done - then you need to look at how you are using your energy.

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Seven Signs of Abuse: June 2018

Whether in the workplace or in your personal life, abuse is perpetrated more than we would like to believe. The first step towards dealing with abuse is recognising it. Sometimes it is easier to recognise than at other times. If you get hit or assaulted most people recognise that clearly as abuse. Below are seven signs that may be less obvious, especially to the one being abused.

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From Crisis to Opportunity: May 2018

Most human beings like certainty in their life. Yet, crises come into our lives no matter how much we try and avoid them. And so, as creatures preferring the familiar, we try and restore our lives to the order that it was before. Which, while understandable, may not be the best thing. In fact it may not even be possible. Sometimes your life just cannot go back to what it was before. And sometimes that is a great thing.

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How to Stay Calm: The RAIN Method. April 2018

We have all come across the person, or else we are the person, who flies off the handle and reacts, often in an angry, stupid or violent manner. And then afterwards, on realising what a dumb thing it was, regrets the action. Whether you call it reactive, impulsive, reckless or just plain silly behaviour, it is not helpful in just about every situation. The good news is that you can learn to stay calm.

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How to deal with a drama queen: March 2018

Drama people thrive on attention. But that is typically because growing up they learned to feel invisible and unimportant. They also typically tend to have poor coping skills so they can't manage themselves and their emotions adequately. They are trying to convince you, and therefore themselves, that they matter. And unfortunately their behaviour sabotages their efforts.

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Do you need better personal boundaries? Feb 2018

Personal boundaries refer to the rules we set in our lives for how others may speak and act around us. Personal boundaries are not there to keep people out. They are there to stop unwanted behaviour from entering your space.

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No more New Year Resolutions: Jan 2018

First of all, let me wish you a wonderful year ahead. May 2018 be full of love, joy, happiness and success. There is a whole year ahead of you; a whole year full of opportunities for creating the life you want. Some things will not be in your control, however lots of things will be in your control. And how you respond to everything is in your control.

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Create more joy in your life: Dec 2017

Here we are again. Yet another December. This December we are not going to talk about gratitude, or family. We are not going to talk about doing a post-mortem of the past year and what you learned and didn't learn. And we are not going to even think about your goals and how they went. We are going to think about JOY. After all, that is what really matters.

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An Open Letter to those who are Struggling in Life: Nov 2017

Dear One,

Life is hard. Somehow we have this expectation that it shouldn't be so hard. Yet it is. So many people are overwhelmed by how things have just become so difficult for them. There you were, happily getting on with your life, doing what everyone does .....

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5 Habits to Build Resilience: October 2017

If you are someone who finds economic downturns horrible then you need to read on..

It is easy to be happy, successful and full of life when things are going well.

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Make every day a - Choose- Day: September 2017

It was a conference I was at where the phrase, "If it is to be, it is up to me", was bandied about fervently like a catch phrase that would solve all your problems.

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Are you a perfectionist? August 2017

So are you? Generally speaking if you are then you experience more stress, hurt, anxiety and pain than you need to. Perfectionism is not a good thing. It can stop us from taking action unless we are 100% sure we will succeed, and so we aim too low.

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A quality life starts with quality questions. July 2017

Most of us are concerned with knowing the answers. We hope we will give the right answer when asked a question. We believe the more answers we know the better our life. And some believe that if you are a leader you really are only any good if you know most, if not all, the answers.


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6 Coping methods for when it all gets too much. June 2017

No matter how much people may try and make every day great, every day is not a good day. You can utilise every tool you know for positive thinking and problem solving, but some days will just suck. Being competent to life means learning how to get through those days

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How to Worry Less. May 2017

Note that the heading is not, "How to stop worrying". I don't think zero worrying is a good thing. If you never, ever, worry about anything you will be approaching a state akin to mania and are most likely to be reckless. Some worry keeps us alive, motivated, and solving problems.

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When being negative can be vital for your emotional health. April 2017

"I am so sorry for being so negative", she said. That was after discussing how she had lost a loved family member. In fact she had every reason to be upset. To be happy in such a situation would just be weird. To experience a painful loss and walk around with a cheesy grin on your face is just so wrong.

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5 Strategies to get that job or promotion. March 2017

In this newsletter I am going to talk about something most people will go through several times in their lives. That is, finding a new job or getting a promotion

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8 Warning Signs of an Unhealthy Relationship: February 2017

Relationships are fraught with challenges. In some ways this is needed in order that we grow and learn. It is close to impossible that we would meet someone and everything would be perfect for ever after.

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A Great 2017: January 2017

It feels quite odd to be typing in 2017. No doubt I, we all, will be used to it very soon. From my side, I wish you all a wonderful, marvellous, fantastic, splendid (whatever else you want to insert that is positive) year.

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Dealing with difficult family over the holidays: December 2016

The holiday season can strike dread into the hearts of some (or is that many). "Oh no, that means I have to listen to Uncle Stewart's endless stories about the war and how lucky we have it today. And then sister Jeannette and her husband will spend most of the days yelling and screaming at one another.


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Spring Clean your Life: November 2016

I do realize that for those of us in the Gauteng Province, spring is long gone. Summer is well and truly here with some sweltering days already behind us, and no doubt plenty more to come. However there really is never not a good time to spring clean.


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How Managers can improve the Self-Esteem of their Staff: October 2016

Without strong self-esteem people perform below their potential. People who are passive, insecure, and lacking in confidence do not propose new ideas and suggestions to improve the business. They lack belief in themselves to influence others to the company's way of thinking and are not good agents of change or leaders. On the other hand people who are arrogant and brash are disliked, sometimes feared, and generally avoided.

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Anger *%^/& Management: September 2016

Although anger has got a bad wrap, anger itself, as a feeling, is a perfectly normal and healthy emotion. It is the inappropriate acting out of anger that is the problem. Like all feelings, anger is sending us a message.


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Bullying in the Workplace: August 2016

This is not a new topic, being probably as old as we have had workplaces. However it shows no sign of abating, especially not with the stresses and strains in the workplace today.

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10 Ways to be Happier: July 2016

Okay, so I decided to write something on happiness, which always feels like venturing into Holy Grail territory, because what do people want most? To be happy.

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7 Signs of Toxic Friendship: June 2016

Many people don't live purposely. That is life just happens to them.


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Assert Yourself: May 2016

I want to talk about assertiveness in this newsletter as I find it is still a concept and practice that is misunderstood.

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Breaking up with your bad habits: April 2016

We all have them. And we wish we had never developed them in the first place. I am talking about our bad habits, which could be biting our nails, eating when we are upset, smoking, procrastinating, lying on the couch when we should be doing exercise, etc. Bad habits prevent us from accomplishing our goals and interfere with our lives. They can jeopardize our physical and mental health and they are mostly a waste of time and energy.

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Start your own business: March 2016

This month I am going to put on my SMME coach hat and talk about some things you want to think about when you start a business.

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Your social environment: February 2016

What I mean by this is the situations with other people (social situations) you find yourself in - which can include situations with family, friends, at work, and any other place you go to - and how these environments affect you psychologically.


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Setting and Achieving Goals: January 2016

A new year, like all new starts, is good for us. Throughout nature, and indeed throughout our lives, we are presented with opportunities to start over. The end of the year allows us to reflect upon the past, learn from it, and put it behind us.

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