Personal Development: Life Coach and Executive Coaching Zürich
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Blog

How the Brain Rewires - What this Means for Coaching

24/2/2022

 
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Just as life is constantly changing, the brain is constantly changing. It is through repetition that thinking patterns, and consequently behaviour patterns can be shifted, tweaked, changed or completely replaced with more positive empowering ones. Through repetition the brain rewires itself. 

Science has proven the brain can rewire itself. This is fantastic news especially for anybody wishing to improve the quality of their life and engaging the support of a coach for this 'change' process.  Making, and more importantly sustaining, any changes in thinking or in behaviour patterns, would be very difficult, if not impossible, without this scientific truth. Knowing this offers coaching clients not only motivation but also confidence to continue on the path to 'change', which sometimes can be a difficult one.

Neuroscience has shown the brain can be rewired


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Making Assumptions

3/2/2022

 
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An assumption is a thought or conclusion drawn when someone says or does something. It is a reaction.  You do not have the full picture or asked any questions yet to be able to make an informed decision.  Conclusions are often based on assumptions which could be incorrect. They are not backed up by fact yet treated as the truth. 
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Assumptions have the potential to confuse a situation, and everyone involved. For example, silence or nodding does not always mean the person agrees. They could be simply acknowledging they heard you.  They might not agree yet in that moment are not ready to comment. 
You cannot  know if what you are assuming is the truth unless you ask questions to get more information and clarification. Listen carefully and ask questions if you are not sure or need further information to form an opinion.
 
The brain is wired to keep you safe and fulfill your core needs such as nutrition, shelter, community, pleasure, reproduction, and emotional expression. This establishes an idea of where you are, who and what is around you, and where you might encounter danger. Also known as the ‘fight or flight mode’ which is essential in times of danger - it keeps you at the first level of awareness.

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Can't Manage to Meditate? Try These 5 Stress-Busting, Mind-Clearing Activities Instead

18/1/2022

 
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You don't need to sit still on a pillow to get many of the benefits of mindfulness, science shows.
I've probably written a dozen articles over the years about the benefits of mindfulness, how it impacts the brain, and how simple it is to get started with meditation. And yet I confess I have personally never managed to keep up a consistent meditation practice. 

At least I know I'm not alone. Experts reassure struggling meditation newbies that just sitting still and breathing can be way harder than it first seems. And if that doesn't work to alleviate my guilt, then I also remember this post highlighting the wisdom of Wharton professor Adam Grant and author Oliver Burkeman, arguing there are many other ways to practice mindfulness aside from classic meditation. 

You don't need to meditate to practice mindfulness. After being harassed for years by mindfulness's many boosters, Grant finally took to The New York Times to argue that meditation isn't for everyone. Many people, he explains, find other ways to quiet their brains, be in the present moment, and reduce their stress. 

Burkeman concurred in the Guardian, writing "I have a personal theory that almost everyone secretly meditates, whether they realize it or not....almost everyone pursues some activity demanding absolute presence of mind: if not mountain climbing or sailing or bike racing (where a lapse of attention might mean death), then photography or singing or recreational cookery (where a lapse of attention means you'll screw things up)." 


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3 Small Habits That Will Make You Mentally Strong

5/1/2022

 
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2. Resist unnecessary mental time travel
​Here’s how I think about mental strength:
Mental strength is the ability to control your mind instead of being controlled by it.
For example:
  • Instead of getting sucked into spirals of self-criticism and shame, mental strength is what allows you to redirect your attention and thinking somewhere else less destructive — like that conversation you’re having with your son or the report you’re supposed to be drafting.
  • Rather than impulsively responding to your spouse’s sarcastic comment with a witty jab of your own, you are able to resist the impulse and either say nothing or mention assertively that you don’t appreciate the sarcasm.
Now, obviously there are aspects of your mind that you can’t control… Whether a specific memory pops into mind, for example. Or whether you feel afraid of almost getting run over by a car.
So becoming mentally strong doesn’t mean you are able to exert complete control over everything that goes on between your ears.
Mental strength means understanding which parts of your mind you can control and being able to do it well when it matters.

For example:

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Knowing Your Core Values Connects you with your True Self

13/12/2021

 
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Core values are personal to each individual . They can be described as your code of ethics, your fundamental principles, your standards, or personal rules. I like to refer to them as the bricks you build your foundation on. Knowing what you truly value in life, what makes you feel fulfilled and gives you a sense of meaning, connects you to your true self and is an important part of your personal development.
 
Core values are about YOU – not what society, the media, your education, your colleagues and friends or family deem as important, or of value, but what is important to you, what you value.
 
Stress tends to set in when you are not treating these values with the respect they deserve.
 
Not respecting your core values means you are not respecting your true self. In turn your self-esteem could suffer, which of course in turn de-creases the quality of your day-to-day life. When the feeling of being calm and peaceful is present, and the quality of day-to-day life is high, you feel good about yourself and who you are. Your self-esteem and self-worth benefit from this.

Caroline Myss, a five-time New York Times bestselling author and internationally renowned speaker in the fields of human consciousness and mysticism says: “Being able to speak and live with the truth, your truth, means you have to become comfortable with having your power, be comfortable with all that is true about you, all that is beautiful about yourself, this is being okay with yourself.”

​

Consider the Core Values Process I offer as a gift to yourself.
The focus can be on your life, your overall life which would include your career, your career alone or your leadership values (this is a great exercise to do as a new leader or to update your existing leadership skills aligning them with your personality). Get in touch.

by Suzie Doscher
​Photo credit: Shutterstock

 

The Zurich International School Guide to Building Mental Resilience at Home, Work and School

19/11/2021

 
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Mental resilience is the cornerstone of a successful life - but can you build it in yourself, your family and your team?
​

Crying every morning may sound like a terrible way to start the day, but for life coach Suzie Doscher, Class of 1974 (1970-74), tears are a vital safety valve – and a healthy response to a global pandemic. “When a friend asked me how I was coping with lockdown, I told her I regularly had a good cry,” she says. “I sometimes started the day feeling uneasy or unsure, but I know it’s important to deal with my emotions so I release them by having a cry. That is how I got myself to a place where both my feet were firmly on the ground, and then I knew that I could handle whatever came my way.”

Now, more than ever, our mental health matters. We live, work and study at breakneck speed, bombarded by choice. And with technology – and the recent lockdowns – creating an ‘always on’ environment, boundaries between life and work are increasingly blurred. Clearly, the ability to build our own mental resilience, in mentally healthy work and living spaces, is crucial.

None of this is news to Brigitte Eigenmann, Head of Human Resources at ZIS. “Our mental and physical health are connected,” she says. “That’s why we need to take mental health seriously.”

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Emotionally Intelligent Stress Management

7/7/2021

 
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These are a sample of options you have when in need of some stress relief:
​
  • Take a break and leave the room. Find a quiet space, even the loo will do.  
  • Compose yourself by taking at least 3 breaths. As you exhale, imagine a little bit of the tension leaving your body. (I find visualizing a dark cloud dissipating helpful.)
  • Gather your thoughts.  
  • Keep your focus on exactly what has been going on that is causing you the stress. Is it the task itself? How about more basic such as hunger or the space around you?
  • Does it will involve another person or people… What is missing?  
  • Once you know specifically what has thrown you out of balance, think about what can you do now to influence the situation.
  • Consider all the steps required to find a solution. Make a list, if only a mental list.  
  • What can you do today, right now?  Arrange your list in terms of priority. What has to be done first, then what?  
  • Consider the practicalities of your action plan. Is it realistic? Have you the time?  
  • Do you need advice or support? If so, whose?  
  • Fine-tune the steps you consider necessary to resolve the situation. Keep things realistic to avoid feeling pressure.
  • Having thought things through you may find the problem has changed in perspective. Adjust the plan accordingly.

It is most import to ensure that any action you propose to take is in keeping with your personality and can be executed in a style that suits you.
 
 
by Suzie Doscher, Executive and Life Coach, Self-Help Author
​

Remind yourself that life is constantly changing,
The only thing you can control is your reaction to events –
not the events!

Know Your Core Values to Have Your Personal Power Intact

23/6/2021

 
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Empower yourself by not only connecting, but also aligning your life (and that includes life at work) with your core values.
In my experience finding out or rediscovering what my personal values are was one of the most important steps in my personal growth. If I think back at the person, I was before I reconnected with them… ‘a loose cannon’ comes to mind. 

I had lots of things in place, lots of boxes ticked but at the same time my life was not making me happy. I was not satisfied let alone had anything even remotely close to inner peace. 
Once I discovered what is truly important to, what nurtures me, what allows me to feel like myself and grow into my skin then my life started changing. 
​
The reason being that I felt I had a foundation to live life from. I noticed my values are the bricks to my foundation, they are what grounds me. It was so exciting to find out that these values are part of me, inside of me and always there. Living in alignment with them does not actually cost me anything. There is a ‘cost’, this comes in the form of time. I take time to nurture them, to feel strong and fully in my personal power. I feel my inner light is shining.



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The Knock-On or Ripple Effect: How This Relates to One Negative Thought

2/6/2021

 
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I was standing by the lake one windy morning watching the waves crash up against some rocks and the ripple effect that followed. The wave hit one area and cascaded long the others closer to where I was standing. It was beautiful, full of energy and at the same time made me realize that this can be translated into how one negative thought tends to release a series of more negative ones. This seems to happen to ‘feed’ or confirm the first one. I have found that negative thoughts hate being alone ... they look for company. 

In my own personal experience as well working professionally in the arena of personal growth and development, I all too often witness how this unfolds.

I am not a therapist or neuroscientist so cannot speak scientifically. Having said that I have enough evidence after 16 years of working in this area to be able to say the patterns are there. 

It strikes me that our minds do not like to give up the negative thoughts. Our brain looks for further thoughts to confirm this 'truth'. The thought might be far from true now in your actual present-day reality, yet we treat it as absolute truth in our thinking. From what I witness these beliefs come from emotions, more often than not emotions from the past, even recent past (last job, last relationship). Our behaviour follows our thinking, so our behaviour will act upon what we think and therefore believe.

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Limiting Beliefs

For example: If you believe you are not very good at something chances are you will act this way. Instead of taking the approach to learn how to, or improve, you shy away from it.

Of course, the very first step must be being aware of this thought pattern and the resulting behaviour. To make any changes it is vital to be aware of a pattern. If it turns out to be limiting belief that is holding you back this belief is best challenged and reframed. If is is there due to lack of clarity you know to get more clarity. 

Feeling grounded

In order to stay calm and grounded it requires certain behaviours that feed being calm. 
Each person will have their own requirements. What you as an individual need to feel calm will most likely differ from someone else’s needs. Each has their own interpretation of success as well as what feeling calm and grounded means to them. 
Based on my own personal experience this also changes depending on our age.
I know when I was 30 my focus was very different to 40. At 30 I was focused on creating my family and being a wife and mother. At 50 I noticed that feeling fulfilled was my new goal and turning 60 was fabulous as I had completely grown into my skin by then and was more than happy to focus on my core values and needs.  The 'older age'  goal is answering the question ‘how do I want this chapter of my life to look and feel’… This one is still work in progress so watch this space.

Tips for what comes next
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If you find yourself lost in a negative thinking pattern regarding an issue, observe any common denominators that kick the first thought off. What sets those wheels in motion? What happens next? Observe yourself, raise your awareness to your patterns.
Is it a recurring situation, a recurring interaction, an issue left unresolved, a lack of clarity?
It could be a number of things. Get to know yourself to find out what exactly it is.
It is worthwhile to observe what comes next. Which thoughts follow, how do you act, react, behave, or deal with it?
Always remember to be patient and kind with yourself during any process of growth or change.

by Suzie Doscher:
Coaching for Personal Development: Life Coaching and Executive Coach, Self-Help Author

​Photo credit: Pexels and Shutterstock
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How to Start Raising Your Self-Esteem

23/5/2021

 
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I remember doing a Self-Esteem exercise while I was studying to become a coach. What I loved about the Noble Manhattan Coaching training was that we had to do all work on ourselves. 
Talk about furthering your own personal growth and development.
How could I work with clients if I had did not know and experience all the growth myself.
I loved the changes that I was making to my own behaviour patterns as I was learning how to apply them professionally.


16 years later I still believe it to be the best coach training - even if I had not become a professional coach. The benefits from doing the work for myself improved the quality of my personal and professional life no end and still does.

Self-esteem evaluation Exercise
​

​Answer the following questions, giving each one a score out of 10 using the following scale:
Totally agree with the statement
Completely disagree
​
  1. My experience in life has taught me to value and appreciate myself   …                
  2. I have a good opinion of myself   …                                                              
  3. I treat myself well and look after myself properly   …                                                            
  4. I like myself   …                                                                                                           
  5. I give as much weight to my qualities, skills, assets and strengths as I do to my weaknesses and flaws   …                                                                                          
  6. I feel good about myself   …                                                                          
  7. I feel I am entitled to success and the good things in life   …                                                
  8. My expectations of myself are no more rigid or exacting than my expectations of other people …                                                                                          
  9. I am kind and encouraging towards myself rather than self critical   …      

Add up your total score:  .....                                                              
 
As it is out of a total possible high score of 10 you will gain an insight into where your self-esteem is at. 
​
If you want to start with some self-coaching consider these thoughts:
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Personal Development: The Basics in 6 Short Chapters

5/5/2021

 
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1. The Present  

Eckhart Tolle refers to living in the now, which means being able to see and feel what your life is in the present moment.
The present-day buzzword for this is to be mindful by practicing mindfulness.
Standing in a beautiful park, by a calming body of water, or attending your child’s school play or other family event, and actually seeing the trees, feeling the flow and energy of the water, enjoying the play or event while feeling joy instead of being lost in your thoughts (which are taking you elsewhere) is experiencing the now, the present moment, being mindful of that very moment.
 
Thoughts can propel you into an entirely different location even if you are not there physically. It seems odd that we do not just naturally live in the now. After all, almost everyone would agree that the present moment, the now, is all we have. 
 
When you are able to live in the day life becomes more relaxed and enjoyable. You empower yourself by influencing what you can influence. 
This becomes a powerful technique to step out of stress.
This is not to say you should never think of the future and plan to reach your goals and avoid pitfalls. 
It is more about how this is done. Keep your energy where it is needed - in the day.

Examine your present-day reality and determine what is working and what is not working.
Explore what you can influence and what not.

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Thoughts Keeping You Awake at Night?

11/3/2021

 
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Finding It Difficult to Fall Asleep?

Thoughts that are keeping you awake clearly want some attention. Otherwise, they would not still be lurking around in the back of your head, keeping your mind and body from unwinding and relaxing into a good night’s sleep. Ideally, sleep helps process our emotions. I look at a good night’s sleep as comparable to an effective filing system – while sleeping, your mind files what needs to be kept and your emotions discard anything unnecessary.

Your emotions then have time to settle, and your intuition has a chance to speak to you. A good night’s sleep allows for a fresh mind, the possibility of a new approach, to start the day feeling more balanced.
 
Thinking habits and problem-solving skills, no matter how good and effective they are, do not always allow for the mind to be at peace every night.  


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Personal Development Coaching Program for Companies

12/1/2021

 
by Suzie Doscher, Executive Coach and Life Coach for Personal Development, Self-Help Author

How can companies best support their employees during these difficult and challenging covid related times?.
Working from home has added some extra issues to deal with.
​
Individuals benefit from support dealing with:
  • Time Management
  • Focus
  • Motivation
  • Communication style
  • Creating ways to take time out for self-care such as eating well, exercising, short walks to get some fresh air, rest and recreation etc.
  • and more...
  • Personal development allows you to 'grow into your skin' and become the best version of yourself so you can handle difficult moments with greater ease.
  • Personal Development and Coaching are essential for success in the workplace as well in your private life.
  • With a healthy set of soft skills, life becomes easier and more balanced.
  • You are not alone, we work as a team.
  • Imagine being in an environment you know is confidential, discreet, trusted and safe. 
  • You will be able to voice your thoughts and find solutions for problems that are realistic. 




(Coaching is not a substitute for counseling, psychotherapy, psychoanalysis, mental health care or substance abuse treatment)

Get in touch - Let's talk

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The Downside of Focusing Only on Reaching Targets

6/11/2020

 
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There’s more to life than reaching targets – Try including life skills for support to achieve a more balanced life?
By Suzie Doscher, Executive Coach & Life Coach focusing on Personal Development,
Self-help Author 
 
When a company focuses solely on reaching targets and continually pushes employees to reach these goals, the side effects often result in a high turnover and burnout rate.
​Ironically, this can cause the company NOT to achieve its targets in the desired timeframe. Pushing too hard in one direction results in an inevitable push back from the opposite direction. This is a law of nature that applies to the business world as well. 

 
Stressed employees trying to reach sometimes unrealistic or unnecessary targets tend to operate at half of their capacity. They start to make mistakes and lose track of the details amid their overwhelming work schedules. They tend to suffer physically exhaustion as well. All of this hurts productivity, the very thing the company is trying to increase. 

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Core Values

4/11/2020

 
Empower yourself by not only connecting, but also aligning your life (and that includes life at work) with your core values.

In my experience finding out or rediscovering what my personal values are was one of the most important steps in my personal growth. If I think back at the person, I was before I reconnected with them… ‘a loose cannon’ comes to mind. 

I had lots of things in place, lots of boxes ticked but at the same time my life was not making me happy. I was not satisfied let alone had anything even remotely close to inner peace. 
Once I discovered what is truly important to, what nurtures me, what allows me to feel like myself and grow into my skin then my life started changing. 

The reason being that I felt I had a foundation to live life from. I noticed my values are the bricks to my foundation, they are what grounds me. It was so exciting to find out that these values are part of me, inside of me and always there. Living in alignment with them does not actually cost me anything. There is a ‘cost’, this comes in the form of time. I take time to nurture them, to feel strong and fully in my personal power. I feel my inner light is shining.

To give you some examples: I found out that one of my values is open communication. Without this I do not truly find comfort. Lacking clarity is acceptable only if there simply is no clarity available at that moment in time. Consequently, I accept that there is no clarity possible. I reduce my wish to know more ... and accept not knowing is my reality at that moment in time.

Another value is Nature. It is very important to me to be able to access it easily. Even when I have lived in big cities, or travel to them, the first place I look for is a park. 
I always check out where I can go for an early morning walk. 
Being in nature revitalizes me, allows me to breathe and to start the day with a clear mind. If that is not possible plan B is do some stretches and observe the sky or whatever is growing nearby in a pot, window box or even a weed that found its way through the cracks in the sidewalk.

These are examples of two of my personal core values and what actions I have learned to take to be true to them. 
I work with a variety of people dealing with a variety of concerns holding their lives back.One of the exercises I find most empowering is guiding them to find out what their core values are and how to align their lives with what is important to them. Not what family, friends, partners, society, gurus, or the media deem important but what is truly of value to them personally … deep down inside, in their hearts.

“You have your power when you live in alignment with your personal values. This means living with respect for yourself, being true to yourself and what is important to you.”
​

The benefits of connecting to your core values and aligning your life with them will be joy, energy, motivation, focus, reaching goals, happiness and my personal favourite inner peace and inner calm.

Suzie Doscher, Coaching for Personal Development

Photo: Suzie Doscher, Thalwil, Switzerland

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“Let us reflect on what is truly of value in life
What gives meaning to your life
And set your priorities based on that”

 
 Jack Kornfield

Stop Wasting Good Energy by Reacting - Change Your Reactions to Constructive Actions

13/8/2020

 
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“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it” - Charles R. Swindoll (Shutterstock)
​Learning how to respond to a situation rather than just reacting to it brings huge rewards. Needless to say, it is one of those behaviour changes that is easier said than done. However it can be achieved.

Responding rather than reacting means you will have taken time to consider the situation and which response and consequent outcome best suits you. 
 
The difference between reacting and responding:
  • To respond means you are able to influence your emotions in the moment when something has triggered them. You are able to stop yourself from saying or doing something you might regret. 
  • You stop yourself long enough until your emotions have settled down and you can think clearly.
 
To react means you are not able to influence your emotions and you act emotionally rather than from a place of clarity.
 
What you can gain by stopping knee-jerk reactions is a sense of strength, achievement, power to 
influence, calmness, plus an increase in your self-esteem. The rewards will be felt not only in your private life, but also at work.

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BALANCE - A Practical Handbook and Workbook for Life's Difficult Moments by Suzie Doscher

18/7/2020

 
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Shutterstock
'Balance - A Practical Handbook and Workbook for Life's Difficult Moments' 
by Suzie Doscher 
 is about change and learning the necessary everyday skills required for life = life skills.

The exercises help you improve the quality of your life, supports you in difficult moments and handle life’s challenging every-day situations better.
It is a practical hands-on self coaching tool. 
Read or listen to it when you feel vulnerable, unsure of yourself, or ineffective in difficult and stressful moments. 
Learn how to handle your stress effectively with the help of the insights in the book. Bear in mind that there is no balance where there is stress – stress contradicts calmness and happiness. Choose which one you wish to have more of..it is up to you.

The goal of this book is to help you create new opportunities, learn new behaviors, and become the best version of yourself. ​It is all about practical action oriented insights, steps and behavior change.

Order Your Book Now 
for some personal growth in the summer holidays

Available in Paperback, on Kindle or as an Audiobook (Audible or iTunes)

Life Skills -  Life is Much Easier with Life Skills. How About Making  Easier for Yourself?

24/6/2020

 
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Interested in Personal Development - Learn the Essential Life Skills (Shutterstock)
by Suzie Doscher - Executive and Life Coach for Personal Development in Switzerland

To reach your potential as well as feel confident, strong, motivated, energetic and content in the course of your life, having Life Skills is essential. They are the “software” you acquire along the way. You are born with the “hardware”; your body. Your behaviour comes under the heading “software” because this can be changed, improved, modified, extended or even deleted if necessary.

Many of these Life Skills are received in the home and at school while growing up, others you learn later in your development, taught by “the school of life”, friends, colleagues, courses, books, teachers, trainers, and coaches. Experiences, both positive and negative ones, are wonderful opportunities to learn from and grow.

What makes one person successful while others keep struggling? Everybody goes through difficult phases, has obstacles to overcome and disappointments to heal. This cannot be avoided. How you cope with all of these is the key to making your life a success.

Life Skills offer support with how you handle your life. They can be defined as a group of cognitive and personal abilities that enhance your capability to lead a life in which you reach your potential. 
Every person has strengths and weaknesses; getting to know them is important in the process of finding out “who” you are and therefore “what” you want. Not everybody has the same dream. 
You should not judge others but find your way forward based on your own values. The success of some people is not a matter of luck; they will have learned how to manage their life, and they will have acquired the “software”. 
​
Understanding that life is about change, which is inevitable, is one of the first steps on this ladder to the top! Your personal worth will benefit knowing you have the necessary skills in life to face everything that comes your way with confidence.


an excerpt from BALANCE - A Practical Handbook for Life's Difficult Moments by Suzie Doscher

I enjoyed not only the content of this book, but the way that it was organized and broken up. Very interactive so that you weren’t just reading, but also applying along the way. Great Book!
​

December 23, 2019
Format: Kindle Edition

Managers, Here Are 4 Simple Ways to Help Your Team Feel Seen and Acknowledged

8/6/2020

 
By  Jessica Hicks, Associate Multimedia Editor at Thrive Global

Managing people is tough — but managing people as they work from home during a global pandemic, well, that’s another story. Whether you’re a first-time manager or have been leading people for years, the coronavirus crisis has likely pushed you into uncharted territory. On top of overseeing day-to-day workflow, problem-solving, and paying attention to the bottom line and deliverables, there’s another big task on your plate: helping to take care of the human capital on your team when you don’t see them every day. 

“It is difficult to know what demands each individual is facing — whether it be navigating health issues, a partner that is a frontline responder, children in need of care, extended family members that are isolated,” Ashley Hardin, Ph.D., a professor of organizational behavior at Washington University in St. Louis, tells Thrive. “Many employees are balancing many roles and enacting those roles simultaneously for the first time.”

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Worried About Achieving Your Goals? Take Charge of the Stress of the Moment to Stay on Track

21/5/2020

 
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(Shutterstock)
By Suzie Doscher, Executive Coach and Life Coaching focusing on Personal Development, Self-Help Author 
 
You have a goal but are worried you will not achieve it. So many issues popping up that need dealing with, obstacles and other unexpected ‘stuff’ keeps interfering with your daily plan and / or overall daily structure. Stress kicks in, which means focusing is harder, less is achieved … sound familiar?
 
All of these thoughts and mind chatter do not have to result in you getting off track, or even losing sight of your goal.
The trick at this point is to take charge of your thinking and push the ‘reset’ button. 
By this I mean, ‘reset’ the moment, not the direction you are heading in or goal you intend to achieve. 
Resetting the moment means handling whatever is causing you stress. Stress is an emotional issue and will not vanish with the flick of a switch in your brain. Unless of course you already ...

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Work-Life Balance is a Myth: 3 Ways to Achieve Work-Life Integration Instead

16/4/2020

 

By Elizabeth Yuko, Ph.D., Bioethicist and writer
​

From early on — usually before we’ve even started our careers — we’re told about a magical thing called “work-life balance.” Essentially, this myth amounts to the idea that if we do everything right, we will somehow be able to achieve the elusive equilibrium of having a fulfilling and meaningful career, while keeping up an active social life, and being the ideal partner and family member. In reality, though, this perfect “balance” is nearly impossible to achieve.

That’s why at Thrive, we’re all about what our CEO and founder Arianna Huffington calls “work-life integration” — an approach focused on preserving your health and well-being and recognizing that there is no secret formula to “having it all.” In fact, the pressure we put on ourselves, and the stress that results from when we’re feeling as though we’re falling short in one or more aspects of our lives, can be a cause of burnout — precisely the thing that work-life “balance” is supposedly designed to avoid. Here are three small steps to help you aim for your own version of work-life integration: ... 

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"CHANGE IS INEVITABLE, PROGRESS OPTIONAL"

7/2/2020

 
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“Whether you believe you can, or cannot – you are right” - wise words from Henry Ford
by Suzie Doscher
Photo by David Kennedy on Unsplash

Change is not easy or simple.  If you have been told you should change but are not really convinced that this is true, you are more likely to fail at completing the process. You stand a better chance if want, and are motivated, to change something. This could be a behaviour pattern, how you react, a communication style or how you view the world to name a few examples.

Change can only really take place if you are ready to take action. 
Research shows 90% of the strategies designed for change assume people are ready to take action. In reality only 20% of the people already involved in some process of change are actually ready to take action. This helps explain why so many attempts to keep New Year's resolutions, lose weight, change behaviour, etc. are doomed to failure. 

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We Are Terrible at Spotting Our Mental Health Warning Signs

5/2/2020

 
By Marina Khidekel, Editorial Director at Thrive Global

From a young age, we’re conditioned to look for physical warning signs. If we feel a cold coming on or spot a rash, we schedule an appointment with a doctor to get it checked out.
But we’re not nearly as attuned to warning signs when it comes to our mental health — and that has serious consequences on our lives, new Thrive research shows.

Ninety-one percent of Americans say ignoring or not knowing their warning signs of overstress has had a negative impact on their lives, according to a new nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 people between the ages of 18 and 85. The areas that respondents said suffered most when they waited too long to address their stress are major contributors to our overall happiness and well-being: relationships with friends and family, mental health, physical health, and finances.

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Self-Esteem Evaluation

23/1/2020

 
Suzie Doscher - Life Coach and Executive Coaching in Switzerland.

I remember doing this exercise while I was studying to become a coach. What I loved about the Noble Manhattan Coaching training was that we had to do all work on ourselves. Talk about furthering your own personal growth and development. I loved the changes that I was making to my own behaviour patterns as I was learning how to apply them professionally.
14 years later I still believe it to be the best coach training even I had not become a professional coach. The benefits from doing the work for myself improved the quality of my life no end and still does...

Self-Esteem Evaluation

Answer the following questions, giving each one a score out of 10 using the following scale:
Totally agree with the statement
Completely disagree
​
  1. My experience in life has taught me to value and appreciate myself   …                
  2. I have a good opinion of myself   …                                                              
  3. I treat myself well and look after myself properly   …                                                            
  4. I like myself   …                                                                                                           
  5. I give as much weight to my qualities, skills, assets and strengths as I do to my weaknesses and flaws   …                                                                                          
  6. I feel good about myself   …                                                                          
  7. I feel I am entitled to success and the good things in life   …                                                
  8. My expectations of myself are no more rigid or exacting than my expectations of other people …                                                                                          
  9. I am kind and encouraging towards myself rather than self critical   …      

Add up your total score:  .....                                                              
 
As it is out of a total possible high score of 10 you will gain an insight into where your self-esteem is at. 

If you want to start with some self-coaching consider these thoughts:

​A few of the Characteristics of Low Self-Esteem:
  • Frequently critical of others.
  • Staying with what you know … within your comfort zone.
  • Seeing the negative before you see the good.
  • Not taking care of your mind, body and soul.
  • Feeling shy.
  • Telling yourself “I do not care” when in fact you know you do care.
  • Believing you are not as good as others.
  • Frustration and anger surfacing for no apparent reason.
  • Worrying about what other people might think about you.


If you experience any of these low self esteem signs consider improving the way you see yourself. Self-Esteem and Self Worth are closely connected. If you feel you are worth it you will automatically have increased self-esteem.
Some of the Benefits of raising your Self-Esteem:
  • More confidence therefore more courageous.
  • Be more resilient.
  • Enjoy better quality relationships.
  • Spend less time worrying.
  • Discover what is outside of the box, i.e your comfort zone – dare to go there!
  • Less fearful of the unknown.
  • Enjoy more strength through knowing you can handle it.

Good ‘Tools’ / Life skills to Acquire to Start Improving your Self-Esteem:
  • Keep track of how often you put yourself down with negative self-talk. Once you are more aware it will be easier to slowly change that pattern.
  • Clear out the clutter: Choose friends that are positive, supportive and  who see the good in you. Avoid critical friends.
  • Accept the fact that NOBODY is perfect, you do not have to be either!
  • Live with integrity: Adhere to your moral and ethical principles.

​One way to start  is by exploring these three questions. Make lists.
  1. What do you praise yourself for?
  2. What do you criticize yourself for?
  3. HOW would it change your life if you were to be less critical of yourself?


Can Work Friendships Be a Key to Avoiding Burnout?

30/6/2019

 
By Carina Bonasera, Student Editorial Fellow

Human beings are hardwired to be social creatures. We are built to crave contact with other people and thrive when surrounded by friends who support and care for us. In fact, relationships can actually help you live a longer, happier life.
With the average full-time American employee spending about 43 hours per week at work, your job is one of the best places to get the recommended six hours per day (yes, six hours!) of social contact. Unfortunately, it’s also the place where many people tend to fall short in making friends.
When Gallup surveyed more than 15 million employees around the world, less than a third reported having a best friend at work — meaning that about 70 percent are missing out on the multitude of benefits that work friendships can bring.


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     "A truly inspiring book" I have read this book at a point in my life where I wanted something to change and I didn't know if it ever could. Through these pages I have understood how our experience in life depends 90% on us and not on external events, and that is a life changing lesson indeed." Absolutely recommended.
    Suzie Doscher is a Professional Executive Coach and Life Coach focusing on Personal Development. Located in Zurich, Switzerland. Her approach to personal development is practical and successful.  
    Suzie is happiest when helping people. 
    Her vision is everyone should have access to techniques for personal growth and development. This was the motivation behind her book. 


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