Lastly this week, review what happened and how you felt about it. I have now started to look at what I said I would do each week and give myself a mark ‘out of 10’ as to how well I did. This is not about results (although getting great results is good) it is looking at the actions I said I would take and how well I actually did on taking them. This ensures I am honest and not just carrying the activities over to the following week.

This is the first week I have done this and will see how it goes. I like to adapt what I do now as I have been following this system for a while and like to make changes to improve how it works for me.

You may have aspects of your work or nursing life that need to be changed and taking action is the only way that will happen. It is easy to get side-tracked sometimes and not do what we said which is why writing it down and reviewing it is so important – we become more accountable to ourselves.

So, to review:

Complete the wheel of life for NOW
Complete it for your future
Write all this down in your coaching notebook
Identify the first step that will get you there
Take the first step and then subsequent ones
Each week see how you have done in relation to your action plan
Get a coach or buddy to help you through the difficult parts
Have fun with it – it is supposed to be enjoyable!

Once you know what you really really want you can start to look for it, using a variety of methods. We all know that doing the same thing gets the same results but how often do you try to do something in a new way? How many different ways have you used to find a job/new house/man of your dreams/lose weight/get fit/give up smoking? If it is less than 10 you probably need to expand your possibilities and start to do things in a different way!

Look back at what you have done in the past and how you have succeeded in any area. This will give you one or more of your success strategies. We all have strategies. Some of them give us the results we want and some produce results we don't want.

Look at how you have succeeded in the past and keep doing that but add in more strategies to expand your possibilities and chances of success. Find out how others are getting the results you want. Ask them what they do to move forward and achieve great relationships/lose weight/find a job they love. Working with a coach or mentor is another great way to keep you on track – someone who can encourage or guide you to the result or goal that you want for yourself.

Do something new each day towards your goal and see how different the results are!

Remember – there are two ways to go – results or excuses...are you getting the results you want? If not, you are probably making excuses somewhere in life.....

Just taking action, any action, will move you forward and give you new possibilities....stop making those excuses and move forward in 2010, or even today!

Join the online community today for more information and inspiration www.happynurses.co.uk

Last week I had some time out from happynurses and spent it with my family – sisters, Mum, nephews and my sister's lovely cat! It was lovely to be in a family environment with lots going on  - piano being played, games of scrabble, music and the school run, a party with fireworks and some food I did not have to cook myself – they had all made a real effort as I have to have gluten-free as I have coeliac disease. Some of this has made me realise what I am missing in my own life. This can happen to you too. This is not to make you feel disillusioned with life or unhappy that you don't have what you want, but helps you to focus on what you do want.

If others have a partner and you don't -how can you take steps to find one? Sitting at home moping about not having one will certainly not do it! Neither will constantly complaining about your job/ lack of money/ or boredom. The first principle of personal development is to take responsibility. This does not mean to 'beat yourself up' over the results you have but to know that it is up to you to get different results in life – to find that nursing job, leave the profession and do something new or find a partner you can love.

Take responsibility and look at how to get different results. Work with a coach and start to move towards the life you will love....

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Being clear what you want out of life is a great way to help you to take the required action. One of my clients has emailed me a fabulous 12 month goal for herself, specific and detailed about what she will achieve. This is expanded with lots of detail – emotional and based on her values, about what she will be doing when she has more money and more freedom to travel, learn, spend time with her partner, and give more time to causes she really cares about.

If you think this is impossible for you, then find people who have done it and get immersed and involved in their lives and methods. If other people can do it, then you can too!

Nursing can become overwhelming if you are not careful – giving all your time and energy to others at work, plus at home will leave you drained and exhausted. Take time out for you. Relax, have fun and find some way to express another part of you -  for me it was singing lessons that started to expand my life, but it will be something different for you. Other coaching clients of mine have started to join walking groups, dance, ride horses, join amdram groups and attend course in subjects that interest them outside work.

Find just one thing you would love to learn, try or do and book it up today before you change your mind or the fear kicks in!

If you are currently looking to make any changes in life then start to look at where your focus is: are you looking at all the possibilities there are or are you looking at all the reasons why it could not possibly happen?

I have worked with nurses who have started off thinking that a job they love will not exist and will never be something they could achieve, and yet a few weeks later they are starting a job that is a great match for them, which they would not have 'seen' initially or if they had, may not have applied for thinking that 'someone else will get it'. Someone else will always get the job if you don't ever apply for it!

Join the online community www.happynurses.co.uk

Transforming your life can feel like a massive thing to do and is scary, but it only happens one day at a time. If this thought keeps you awake at night, then think of all the things you have ever done and how each small step added up to make big results – having children, finding a new nursing job, planning a wedding, moving house, they all happen one day at a time. Taking action on anything will change your results – especially if you do something each day – 365 actions a year!

FInd solutions today, read Claire's book 'The happynurses Guide to Creating a Balanced Life - the 12 week coaching plan for busy nurses'

Coaching my client is always an interesting process as they are all different and get different results and ideas, even from a similar process. One of the most amazing things that happens is that they gain a much clearer idea of who they really are and this leads them to look at jobs and social activities that they would have missed without the coaching. They would have gone down the same route and asked themselves the same questions, if any.

If you are a nurse looking for a new job then start with finding out who you really are, underneath the label of 'nurse' and/or 'Mum'. Think about what you love to do at work, which activities really give you a sense of satisfaction and which are challenges you love. Look at who you love to spend time with outside work as well as on your team. Find more of theses people!

Look at things you used to love when you were around 7 years old as you will probably still enjoy them to some degree – whether it was animals, cooking or performing that you loved. Add some fun in just for you! My clients who do this find it can transform their lives just tapping into activities they really enjoy!

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The final part of moving forward is about gratitude and celebration! We need to set ourselves up to succeed and to keep taking small steps to move on in life. We can do this by being grateful for where we are now, even if it is not where we want to be in the future.

Each day or week you can write a list of things you are grateful for, no matter how small it is. Every tiny thing and each person, action or gift is something to be grateful for. You can also carry something around with you to remind you to be grateful – like the gratitude rock in 'The Secret' movie. Give thanks and gratitude for everything. This makes you feel better, gives our more positive energy to others and will start to attract opportunities to you.

Then celebrate every success, action and step along they way towards what you want. Even if things are not going exactly as planned you can still celebrate as this also changes your energy. Do this with your children, partner, and team. Create a big chart to record all your successes and take time to give positive feedback to everyone that helps you to get to where you want to be!

Have fun with all this – put some of these steps in place and see how your results and energy changes!

In order to move forward you need to know what it is that you do want. Generally individuals spend lots of time and energy thinking about what they don't want  and complaining about it to their friends, partner, colleagues and family. If this is you, then take some time to notice how you and those around you, talk about their lives. Is it full of problems and challenges and 'what is wrong' or do you have people who encourage and support you and help you to move forward in life?

We all need help and support and I have recently joined a 'mastermind' group which we look at what is going well, our challenges and then brainstorm solutions. The call ends with each of us committing to taking some action in the following week to move forward. Find a group of 3 to 5 others who want to make changes in their lives, then set up a weekly or fortnightly group to find solutions and help each other to make changes.

This could make all the difference. You can of course hire a coach to help you individually which will also give you amazing results.

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