Welcome to the Seefin Coaching Blog

Thanks for visiting!

We have moved the blog to our website – please check us out here

Happy New Year Ladies!

WOMEN – “We always do our best, we endeavour to make the world a better place, but why oh why can’t people just listen to us more???” Does that sound familiar? Well, we can often be our own worst enemy, this is the year to lighten up and start having some more fun, the world will fix itself one day, in its own time.

This is an image sent to me by e-mail over Christmas. Even if a bit OTT,  I feel it captures us women in a nutshell!

Can we help it?

Life is a game – play it well!

The former Vice Chairman of Coca-Cola Brian G. Dyson wrote this. It was used as Georgia Tech’s Commencement Address in 2008. I share it with you today because it is perfectly appropriate for us heading into 2010 (Twenty ten or Two thousand and ten?)

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them Work – Family – Health – Friends – Spirit, and you’re keeping all of these in the air.

You will soon understand that WORK is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – FAMILY, HEALTH, FRIENDS and SPIRIT are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life. How?

1. Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
2. Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know

Merry Christmas and a Peaceful New Year

I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my clients, readers and supporters a very happy Christmas and the very best of wishes for the next decade, but especially for the year 2010 ahead.

It has been a year of change and diversity for me, and like all good things, we can embrace the tough times and use them to either work on our business, or take some time out to spend with

Ride the Storm

“So how did you get on?” I asked tentatively. My [new] husband had just arrived back after a motorbike spin around County Cork last Sunday.

“Well, do you remember what it was like when I left?” He said. Of course I remembered. At the time, I asked him would it not be a good idea to wait until later and see if the weather improved. I could see he was itching to try out his new bike. He was also aware that the roads were going to be very wet, slippery with leaves and dark, even though it was only midday.

He continued, “I was wondering if I should turn around every mile I drove, but something led me onward. I had decided on my route beforehand, and I was heading into worse weather. I then decided to change direction and head towards blue skies. Within 10 minutes, I was driving in

Floods affect us all…

Irish people are well known for donating money, time and resources when an international disaster happens, such as the Tsunami of Dec 2004, or the 9/11 disaster of Sept 11th 2001. It has been well documented that we are more generous per capita than any country in the world.

This could make us very proud as a nation, and does lend to the sense of belonging and makes us proud.

Last week, when bad weather and high tides contributed to the opening of the Inniscarra Dam, Cork City experienced the worst flooding in history. The city centre and citywest were devastated, businesses wrecked, and homes evacuated. Even those areas not affected by flooding were without

Tie the Knot or tie the Noose?

To marry or not to marry – that is a fairly big question to ask oneself! Now whether you are male or female I certainly feel that it is no small matter to consider.

I found myself in a position about two years ago when I realised I really did want to get married. My partner had not been keen on the idea for the 14 years we had been together. It had never really been an issue until it came to the point when I was naturally considering my options for having babies and getting married. Needles to say, I was approaching my mid thirties, which could be argued to be a certain turning point for many a woman very aware of her “biological clock”.

So there I was, pretty sure I was going to leave the “having the children” job to my friends and sisters, but something was niggling me about the whole marriage thing. I couldn’t put my finger on it. We were happy for so long and didn’t need a piece of paper to prove that. We had been getting on fine up to

Seefin Coaching in De-Stress Magazine

Seefin Coaching has the pleasure of being featured in Catherine Connors-Bevalot’s De-Stress Magazine:

Click here to view the Magazine

Catherine is the owner of Stress Solutions for Life and is a well respected Stress Management and Time Management practitioner as well as a Holistic Therapist, and produces this fantastic magazine full of stories, tips and tricks to get more out of life and be less stressed and more productive. Its a great read, especially as we feel the tension rising as we approach December. I have some great tips and advantages on page 5 for organising yourself better for the run up to Christmas.

Enjoy,

Elaine

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Feedback (sometimes referred to as positive criticism) is a process in which the effect or output of an action is ‘returned’ (fed-back) to modify the next action. Feedback should only ever be used as a basis for improvement. It should not be mistaken for negative criticism and vice verse. If feedback does not provide learning or a chance to improve, then it is being communicated as negative criticism.

“Admonish your friends privately, but praise them openly.” – Publilius Syrus (35 B.C.)

So why is feedback important?

Whether you are a

Say what you mean and mean what you say!

I say: “I didn’t spill the yogurt all over your dress”

I mean, “I did spill the yogurt all over your dress”

I say “I don’t want to be rude, but…”, “I hate to spoil the fun, but…”

I mean “I want to be rude, and …”, “I love to spoil the fun, and…”

Why do we find it so difficult to tell the truth, and say what is really going on in our minds? Why do we have to cloud our speech with unclear language?

We put so much thought and effort into what we write on paper, whether it is a job application letter, a piece of prose, a blog entry or a birthday card. It is rather amusing then, that a lot of Irish people can stumble over their words, when asked a question at a network meeting, dinner party or any gathering of people. We seem to get caught up in saying something for the sake of it, rather than pondering for a moment to gather our thoughts, and answering then in a constructive and informative fashion.

Or what about scarcasm?