they should change (possibly changing areas that are strengths in an effort to accelerate their impact). What are your top tips on living a happy, successful and fulfilled life? Living a fulfilling life requires being authentic, fearless (with grace) and with love. From this foundation, identify your strengths, then inspect what makes you happy, and what would feel fulfilling. This is a good exercise to do any time one feels burnt. I have dogs that make me get up frommy desk a few times a day. I would never have known the gift they would give me when my kids could no longer take care of their animals. Those of us on video all day, or in a seat require movement to keep the oxygen circulating. Exercise and eating well supports our overall health and so does creating happiness. Living our purpose every day is the goal, even if it’s minutes or hours. There is a misnomer about living your purpose “someday.” Another important aspect to living a happy, fulfilling life is courageously being honest in a way in which you are being authentic AND your listener is open to hearing. When we hide our truths and ‘people please’ our energy gets sucked into these areas instead of into areas that make us truly thrive. Experiences shape our lives. I have chosen to learn and grow throughout the most challenging times in my life. Because of these experiences, I am a graceful, strong empathetic coach, leader and woman. I have had several of these throughout my life but three that I will share. The first was when I was 19 years old and was awarded the Miss Maine USA title, and went to the Miss USA pageant for a month-long event that changed my life. One of the judges owned a modelling agency and asked me to move to NYC and model for her. That experience turned into a non-traditional journey to work in the corporate world. I spent many years modelling and being featured in commercials. As I entered the business world, I knew my pageant experience had to remain a secret. I realised quickly that telling people about my past would hold me back. People have judgements that they would assert and I was held back. Only in my 40s did I finally realise that the past is a part of what makes me unique and that I can stop hiding who I am. The second is when I walked into my home with my small children while a burglary was in progress. I had little environmental awareness leading up to realising someone was in my home. I was in shock. Luckily my kids and I escaped with no harm. But that experience changed the course of my life. I felt utterly vulnerable, violated and without defence. It happened that same week my son’s karate teacher, Mr West, asked me if I would be interested in taking self-defence classes at Bryan Hawkins’ Kenpo Karate studio. That moment and choice changed the trajectory of my life starting a 10-plus-year journey which led to attaining my black belt in karate many years ago. I realised I had a choice to stay a victim or empower myself and my future. I chose the latter. The third experience was working for a homogonous leadership team, same gender, same pedigree all of which I was not. And I was excluded and discriminated against. For years I tried everything: being nice, following everything they said and watching other women sue with no change. At some point, I realised none of it was working and I started writing. I wrote for myself and other women who may be experiencing challenges of their own. It resulted in success and women stating how much they valued from knowing they are not alone and having tools they could use to empower their positions. The culmination of these experiences has made me more resilient, authentic and a strong person and has also afforded me an empathetic and solutions focused approach with my clients. Website: https://www.kirstenblakemore.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirstenblakemore/ Course: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6904539398525054976/ Email: Askthecoachwe@gmail.com UYP: https://www.amazon.com/Unleash-Your-Power-empowered-according/ dp/1734532815 Leaders benefit from having the skill set to have tough conversations without awkward energy. The discomfort is what can cause concern. “ “
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk3Mzkz