Personal Development - Executive and Leadership Coaching

Does the current life around technology affect our focus?

“If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the present.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

The early 2000s saw the burst of the dot com bubble and within a few years, our lives transformed tremendously as we galloped towards the ever-changing world of technology. It swept into our personal lives as much as it did into our professional lives.

Another major event that transformed our lives enormously was the pandemic. During this time, technology was a blessing that helped most of us work from home, helped our children study from home, and bring our loved ones that lived far away from us closer.

The pandemic altered the way many of us worked. It even changed the lives of people who already worked from home by forcing them to be on zoom video calls more than they ever have in their lives. While the work-from-home phenomenon worked great for some, it did not for others. “Zoom fatigue” is a term used frequently during the pandemic to the increase in screen time. For many, technology did not and could not replace the in-person experience. For many walking by a co-worker’s cubicle for small talk and other things brought happiness.

But the recent sessions with my clients see a new worry about returning to work. The cost of returning to work is determined by multiple factors like the cost of gas, coffee, lunch, and casual meetings with colleagues and friends at happy hour.

More than 80% of my clients for leadership and executive coaching are from the technology industry – engineers, data analysts, scientists, you name it. A common theme that I see in their strengths assessment is that most of them score low in focus, which makes me wonder is multi-tasking possible?

Not really! At least not most of us.
Most of our brains choose to focus on one task at a time, the one that seems to be more important at that time. Subsequently, multi-tasking may affect our efficiency.

Some of the factors that affect our focus are:

Social media
Distractions through technology and social media seem to be a constant factor that affects our focus. What should be a means for communication and interaction now leads to an overload of information and content sharing. Although this is a powerful tool, this overload of information and ideas has led to a lot of mental health issues. The polarization of content can lead to misinformation rather than gaining valuable insights. Online conversations and discussions can lead to offensive verbiage that only contributes to pointless distractions.

Personal and professional task list
I have had multiple clients walk into my sessions saying they are overwhelmed with the list of tasks that needs to be done. It feels like a million things and not enough time to do. When we are distracted by the number of things we need to do, it leads to poor stress management and emotional regulation. Listing down the tasks and visualizing them is a good first step in tackling the tasks. Doing the tasks that are chores such as laundry and walking your dog that distract you can be done during breaks from more meaningful work on a more regular basis.

Living in the present

It is a pattern that I see among some to see people planning the future to such an extent that we are living in the future and forgetting to enjoy our day-to-day lives, and our simple joys. Putting too much emphasis on our goals, in other words, being too goal-oriented to a point where nothing else matters can lead to poor stress management and eventually not enjoying the process. Goal-setting is important but I have had some clients who are too goal-oriented on the end result and failed to focus on the process. This can ironically lead to more stress and poor focus.

Being grateful for the blessings that we have every day, showing compassion to yourself and others, practicing meditation, and understanding the perspective of others by empathizing with others may help in improving one’s emotional well-being and subsequently expand their focus.

I have learned through my interactions with multiple clients that compassion can be an alien concept to some. Some may feel they are not worthy of others’ compassion and some may feel others are not worthy of their compassion. Coaching, practicing mindfulness, and imagery exercises can help create more self-awareness that can help the clients move towards a course of action that may improve focus.

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Why hard work alone isn’t enough to get ahead

“Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success.” – Henry Ford

Last week, a client asked me why he was not taught all the things we talked about during coaching in college. He said he was at a disadvantage in his professional life because he didn’t know these things. My client is a scientist with a Ph.D. from an ivy league university. He is a team lead. His frustration stems from the fact that he is not promoted despite his experience and knowledge.

“I have wondered why my work is not recognized despite me working hard all these years!” These were his words during the session we had.

The hard truth is working hard alone does not take you to the top. Working hard may get you to the position of a team lead. After that, one has to draw attention to oneself. Now, this phrase can have a negative connotation. What kind of attention are we talking about here!

Let people notice your work, your social interactions, presentation skills, body language, mentoring skills, and the list goes on. Doing excellent work quietly and going home is not going to give you the promotion you are looking to attain. Hard work and skillset are still very important but not shedding light on your hard work makes you forget when there are opportunities in the organization.

A major mistake that employees make is waiting for the appraisal to talk about themselves to their managers. That does not have to be the case. Employees must give snippets of their achievements to their manager in their everyday conversation without sounding like they are bragging.

“I was very proud of my team today for finishing the —project”

“I look forward to my next endeavor in —-. The training last month has boosted my confidence in —”

The above are examples of conversations that can be thrown in the elevator or lunch breaks to your manager or team lead.

To be considered for projects and promotions, one must be seen as a problem solver, the go-to person who brings out the leader in their direct reports.

People worry about being judged by their colleagues, family, and friends for claiming their hard-earned achievements. But hiding them may also lead to hiding yourself from potential success or even a future investor.

Your career is in your hands and you have to take the steps to ensure it is successful. No one else can do it for you! Worrying about what others think will not lead to success but may sabotage it. If you are already a social media fanatic in your personal life, do not hesitate to share some fragments of information about your professional life as well. As long as you follow the social media trends and etiquette it is going to be in your favor.

Reddit founder, Alexis Ohanian said, “Being effective at social media, whether for business or personal use, means capturing people who have short attention spans. They’re only a click away from a picture of a funny cat, so you have to make your thing more compelling than that cat. And that can be a high bar.”

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You will learn a lot about yourself and how you work around people. Your newfound awareness will help increase self-expression that will help you get noticed by others.

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How perfectionism affects leadership?

“Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect, and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of shame, judgment, and blame.” ― Brené Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

A few years back, I decided to make positive changes in my life. I began examining some of my characteristic traits. This led to a discovery of many characteristics that I possessed – some, not so great! Now I know they are traits of a perfectionist and can have a significant impact on my life – personal and professional.

These characteristics startled me because of my obliviousness for years.
As a leadership coach, I coach clients who struggle with perfectionism traits. Many boast about being a perfectionist but sadly it is not an optimistic trait.

But what is perfectionism?

Perfectionism is the inclination towards dissatisfaction over any kind of achievement that is not perceived by the person as mere perfect. Many perfectionists are high achievers who may hold leadership positions. Setting a very high bar for themselves leads to dissatisfaction in things they do in their personal and professional lives.

So, what is wrong with being a perfectionist leader?

They tend to have the following traits:

1. Micromanaging:
A good leader delegates work as much as they can. A perfectionist leader does not give room for their employees to grow and think. They muddle in the everyday task of their employees to an extent that the employees lose their motivation.

2. Dissatisfaction from unrealistic expectations:
A perfectionist leader is focused on the results to a point that the emotional well-being of the employees and colleagues takes a back seat. This behavior can lead to high criticism and exhaustion, making the leader work overtime to compensate for what they think is less than perfect. Leadership is dichotomous. Leadership comes with the two responsibilities of achieving goals while leading with empathy. A perfectionist leader can lean towards achieving goals to an extent that the employees may be ignored.

3. The right way and the only way!
A perfectionist leader may insist on their way to different projects. The employees or any team member working with these types of leaders may find it difficult due to the black and white proposals and suggestions the leader may have that can lead to constant frustration and disappointment.

4. Avoidance:
Avoidance is another significant characteristic trait in a perfectionist leader. If they feel they cannot achieve the very high standard that they have in their minds, they would rather not attempt at all. This is because failure is seen as detrimental and devastating.

Hamna Siddique is an Executive and leadership coach focusing on behavioral factors that influence success at work. Email: ha***********@go********.llc. |https://hamnasiddique.com| ©2021 Goldbridge Coaching LLC |All Rights Reserved|

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You will learn a lot about yourself and how you work around people. Your newfound awareness will help increase self-expression that will help you get noticed by others.

Not sure coaching is for you, sign up for the Emotional Intelligence assessment 2.0

Can you be too feminine to be a feminist?

I have always loved being feminine and still do. As a young girl, a trip to the make-up store made me feel like a kid in a candy store, and honestly, it still does. I cherished wearing skirts, dresses, and heels. (I still do!)

Feminine Feminist!
But a while back, when I decided to become a coach, I encountered resistance in my mind on how I can be feminine and be professional at the same time. I remember wearing only suits in my corporate job in London just to be taken seriously. I would refrain from the term ‘feminism’ up until a few years back. As I became more vocal to my friends and family about my views on feminism, and how I have embraced equality and women’s rights, I was questioned by a few on why I am too feminine for a feminist! I was appalled by the obliviousness of the viewpoint that many of my friends and family members had. I quickly realized that I had the same reservations on the notion of being a feminine feminist. This push and pull were nothing but internalized sexism.

What is internalized sexism?
Girls are mostly brought up to think about femininity a certain way. Too much is harmful but too little is detrimental. In some societies, very little femininity in a woman can lead to catastrophic personal lives. So, what is the right amount? The woman usually has to decide the right amount of femininity according to her circumstances, culture, the country she lives in, and the profession she picks. That seems like hard work to me. I have lived in multiple countries and it all makes sense that I was so confused as to how and to what ratio I must pick my femininity. I had probably unconsciously adjusted my ratio depending on my circumstance which led to internal sexism. I was guilty when my feminine side turned up at the workplace and equally remorseful when I didn’t show enough of my feminine side when I was with family and friends.

Why men and women equally condemn feminists who dress up?
A little bit of research suggested that women who dress up are considered to be victims of patriarchy and a follower of a man’s desire of how a woman should be. I was surprised that the idea that a woman could just get dressed for herself was not appreciated or welcomed. I also learned very quickly from my research how much the word feminism is hated. How some feminist women can be appalled by femininity in a feminist. Doesn’t that disregard the whole idea of feminism when feminism means global gender equality. It stands for the freedom of just being who you are without being judged and oppressed by another group of people. Then why do some feel the need to distance themselves from the bra-burning, man-hating movement at the mere mention of the word feminism?

This begs the question, isn’t Feminism contextual to many who oppose it?
True Feminism is the mere equality of both genders, recognizing the voice and the dynamics of both the genders and what each group brings to the table. I am still baffled by the question I have been asked by a few, “What does Feminism mean to you?” In my humble opinion, there is only one meaning to it and it is bizarre to have a different meaning to this word in this day and age. But thinking deeply about this issue made me realize that the word ‘Feminism’ is still very confusing to many as in the past. When the movement started, it meant all the power to women. Now, it is true that the origin of the movement was for power for women but looking at the zeitgeist of the time, we must realize that the movement was formed as a result of an imbalance in power to women. It was a necessity at the time to highlight the fact that women were not given equal opportunities that men had.

This made me realize that masculinity and femininity have nothing to do with Feminism. I have met many men and women equally who I admire who call themselves proud feminists. My love for my feminine side only adds to my personality who has embraced Feminism. But interrogating my feministic views due to my female attributes can make one a questionable Feminist!

Hamna Siddique is a career and leadership coach focusing on confidence and personal development.

Confidence and Leadership Coaching

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What causes fear of success and how do you overcome it?

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” — Barack Obama

One of the many things that I learned from my clients since I started coaching is about the concept of fear for success. It all started with questions from my clients,

“What if my family sees what I am doing on social media?”

“What if my friends come to know about my business and judge me?”

“What if this actually takes off?”

“I don’t think I am ready for such a huge change in my life!”

The above questions are from some of my clients who in hindsight did not know they feared success. I have learned to listen with a different cognizance and understand where the client is coming from, not just what they were saying. The above questions do not exhibit fear of success itself but the consequence of success. The fear of how these clients will be perceived by their friends and family, the fear of not being on the same wavelength as their loved ones, maybe even the fear of losing some of these loved ones because of a change in their personality.

What causes fear of success?

Fear can come from many things including parental influences. It can be internalized due to lack of a parent in the household, due to a father being highly cynical of the child, an overcontrolling mother who likes to make every single decision for the child even into their adult lives can all be causes for not pursuing success and a growth mindset.

I have been obsessed with Freud’s psychoanalytic theory of personality which talks about the idea that we as humans hide away our unpleasant experience as a child that may masquerade into our adulthood as unpleasant thoughts and emotions. This may affect our ability to face others in the real world. Some may find it hard to attend fancy work dinners, some may find it difficult to approach and profess their love, some fear that others will find out about their lack of confidence.

Perfectionism is another cause of fear of success. A perfectionist is usually a high goal achiever. If a perfectionist feels the goal is not attainable, they would choose to avoid the goal rather than pursue it due to fear of failing. It is important for them to take small steps to achieve the goal to reduce the fear of failing.

Disbelievers are people who believe they do not fear anything or they do not need help. They are probably the most skeptical of the lot who are adamant about the idea that something is not possible and hence an idea should not be pursued. This group of people will benefit highly from coaching even though it is a rare occurrence that they accept the idea of coaching. They are usually pushed to coaching by their spouse or superior.

The steps in overcoming fear of success:

Change is not easy. Personal development sometimes comes at the price of losing your old friends who do not share your mindset and values. When people decide on a change in their life, they usually have to get out of their comfort zone into an extremely frightening and startling state of affairs. This is a time when they get affected by people’s opinions and thoughts. It is also important to understand that being a beginner at this newfound change, people may take advantage, which is why it is important to pick your players wisely. Over time, you will realize your desire for what matters and gravitate towards it. But what is important is to keep going even when the path seems bleak. When I started my journey as an entrepreneur, I had reservations and qualms about the success of my coaching practice. The one thing that kept me going was my immense passion for helping people through coaching, writing, and the knowledge I had acquired because of my passion through reading and research.

The learning zone succeeds the fear zone. This does not mean your fear completely disappears. The learning zone comes with new challenges and problems. Over time, you will realize that no matter how much skill and training you have acquired, the real-life challenges are unique to each individual and the solutions to these problems are also inimitable to those challenges our peers may have faced. It is imperative that you navigate your classroom training and learning to adapt to the real world. You will also learn that the journey towards success has its ups and downs and hence you may experience an emotional roller coaster ride.

The passion and love for your goal make the journey so much easier. Your goal is unique to you and hence only you can feel the immense fire inside you. It may be disappointing at times to feel that others in your life do not feel the same enlightenment. Once we have dominated this path through perseverance and grit, your life purpose is clearer and you find it easier to conquer the objectives that you set to achieve. You will have solid set goals and will be in pursuit of living your dream lives. Retraining your brain to be aware of your unconscious thoughts and feelings is not easy and one may need to get professional help to achieve this. Avoidance is a dangerous thing that can get in the way of your success if you have issues that need to be sorted out. Pretending that everything is fine and going on about your lives, may not be a good solution to your problems.

If you can resonate with any of the information said above, please do not suffer in silence with it. Please get help. If you feel you would like to learn more about yourself or improve your personal and professional life, please book an intro session with me. I look forward to helping with your personality development and get you the success you need in your personal and professional life.

Hamna Siddique is a career and leadership coach focusing on confidence and personal development.

You will learn a lot about yourself and how you work around people. Your newfound awareness will help increase self-expression that will help you get noticed by others.

Not sure coaching is for you, sign up for the Emotional Intelligence assessment 2.0

Where can physicians go for help?

“In the two decades since starting at medical school, I have never heard the word ‘identity’ spoken. Grand rounds, the very heartbeat of medical learning, are not a place for philosophical musings or profound emotional questions. Diagnostic labels gathered there speak more to the patient and less to the person. We talk about loss of blood and loss of lung function but we do not contemplate the loss of person and the loss of self.”
― Jules Montague, Lost and Found: Memory, Identity and Who We Become When We’re No Longer Ourselves.

Being married to a physician, who is also a son of a physician; having helped him transition to private practice, and being around physicians as close friends for years, I have learned a lot about them. I understand the magnitude of stress and burnout they face in their professional and personal lives. Looking back through our lives, many of us will remember at least one moment when we experienced their healing touch.

But where do doctors go when they need emotional or professional support? After an exhaustive search on how and where physicians can get help, I was a little surprised as to how little resources there are for physicians struggling with stress, anxiety, and/or burnout. I realize that physicians often choose not to get help for their emotional problems or challenges with their personal and professional lives. Physician healing thyself seems to be a popular theme and self-help apparently, is truly the best help for these professionals. Despite having good healthcare insurance and the knowledge to access it, they often put their physical and emotional needs on the backburner, always prioritizing the needs of their patients and families above their own. I have many friends who are physicians who have barely done an annual physical. This precedence for patient well-being may even sabotage their emotional well-being.

There are several factors that make a physician aground in today’s world. An exhaustive need for comprehensive record-keeping and administrative work superimposed on ever-increasing numbers of patient encounters and procedures push the physician to the limits. HIPAA compliance and patient satisfaction are another significant causes of stress. In this digital age, the stress of a patient adversely reviewing their practice online can have substantial negative effects. All these factors may be discordant with their “why” of being a physician who took an oath to save lives and make a positive impact in the world. It is probably heart-breaking for some who feel they are being dragged into this morass of revenue generation and bureaucracy, overlooking the raison d’être of why they started this journey in the first place.

The notion that physicians must be the experts and the end-all leads to a self-sabotaging culture. Physicians are simply humans who can experience self-doubt, anxiety, depression, burnout, and may struggle to juggle their personal and professional lives. It is unreasonable to expect them to live a seamless, whole life without predicaments. The challenges of the American healthcare system have led to criticism of physicians and their integrity. They are not seen as protagonists as in years past, especially if the patients had an unpleasant experience with the healthcare system during their time of need or illness.

On many occasions during this pandemic, I have been contacted by physicians pouring their hearts out about their struggles. I have learned through research and networking with my peers that physicians are not a regular clientele for many. I am still perplexed as to the cause of this hesitation among physicians to get help and follow through with getting help. I have had senior physicians and surgeons as well as residents in training who are lacking motivation and having self-doubts about their choice of profession or struggling to cope with their demanding residency program requirements. Perceived lack of time is a common excuse although research clearly shows that this may not be the case.

How can I help physicians? I can help rekindle the fire you once had for your profession. If you are a resident, I understand how demanding the program usually is. I can help you critically analyze your needs and enhance your performance acquiring the skills to cope and exceed the demands of your program.

If you are an established attending physician, I can help you prioritize your management decision(s), optimize time management, and handling your emotional needs better. I can help create better relationships with your physician and non-physician colleagues. I can help improve your rapport with your technical staff, administration, and nurses to help function smoothly. We, as humans, have blind spots where we do not see our failings and flaws, but we know how dangerous blind spots can be and how they can affect our goal of reaching our destination. We must evolve as humans and being obstinate in your ways and conduct can be a hindrance to your development.

The first step towards your personal development is acceptance. Accepting the fact that everyone needs help at different points in life and that we do not have all the answers to all our problems. Accepting that we all have self-doubts, moments of fear, and sometimes, just simply bad days. Coaching is not as time-consuming as most people think. Even as little as two 45-minute sessions a month can bring amazing results on how you manage your stress and live a happier, more balanced life. My coaching sessions are tailor-made to fit professionals who are busy, and I offer flexible sessions to work around your schedules.

I would suggest all physicians to consider prioritizing their emotional and physical health and get back to your “why”.

I am happy to help. All you have to do is reach out and commit. As the saying goes, the graveyard is everyman’s resting place, isn’t it wise to live your life to the fullest before we rest, even if you are a physician?

Hamna Siddique is a career and leadership coach focusing on confidence and personal development.

You will learn a lot about yourself and how you work around people. Your newfound awareness will help increase self-expression that will help you get noticed by others.

Not sure coaching is for you, sign up for the Emotional Intelligence assessment 2.0

“I feel ashamed of my past” How to take control of shame from the past?

“The butterfly does not look back at the caterpillar in shame, just as you should not look back at your past in shame. Your past was part of your transformation.” – Anthony Gucciardi

Shame from the past is a burden that some carry their whole lives. Shame is a sort of self-loathing that can affect self-confidence. Considered by many psychologists as a secondary emotion that is triggered by or on par with sadness and disgust, shame can be a hindrance to success or self-worth. People who sense this emotion feel they deserve to feel this way, which in a way, makes it a dangerous entity.

A few ways that shame from the past can affect people’s lives are:

People hide the cause of their shame from their friends and family. Sometimes, shame is so personal that even a significant other may not know the existence of the shame.
Hiding these feelings can be painful and embarrassing.
This can also lead to avoidance of the particular situation or task associated with shame.
Some even have physical symptoms associated with shame
The low self-esteem associated with shame can bring a person’s confidence down.

Since shame is so unique to each individual, each person experiences shame for various reasons. I have listed down a few reasons that I am aware of through my coaching training that people experience shame:

A person’s appearance sometimes is a huge factor that can cause shame. If someone was overweight/underweight in the past, it can contribute to shame sometimes even if the person is healthy now.
Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are still stigmatized in today’s society and people are secretive sometimes about their past visits to counselors or psychiatrists due to fear of being judged by friends and family.
Job and low income are also huge factors that cause shame for some.
Sexual orientation and sexual partner preference for some is other causes for apprehension and fear that can lead to hiding someone’s past.
Alcoholism and drug abuse can create a sense of extreme embarrassment.
Losing one’s spirituality in the hassle of life and work.

Some of the drawbacks of experiencing shame from the past that can affect success in personal and professional lives are:

Low self-esteem and confidence can lead to fear of standing up for yourself in front of your partner or in an office environment.
The guilt of hiding the trauma or pain in front of your loved ones.
Being defensive of your actions even when you know it is wrong.
A feeling of carrying this emotional baggage everywhere that can feel like a burden.

Here are a few ways you can help yourself by taking control of your shame from the past:

Identify the biggest shame from your past
Be aware of the physical and emotional symptoms you experience when you think about it.
Why is this a cause of shame in your life?
What actions can you pursue to turn this around into a life experience?
How can you convert it into a catalyst for a better future?
What can you tell yourself when this appears in your mind?
What actions can you take to block this thought?

If you can resonate with any of the information said above, please do not suffer in silence with it. Please get help. If you feel you would like to learn more about yourself or improve your personal and professional life, please book an intro session with me. I look forward to helping with your personality development and getting you the success you need in your personal and professional life.

Hamna Siddique is a career and leadership coach focusing on confidence and personal development.

You will learn a lot about yourself and how you work around people. Your newfound awareness will help increase self-expression which will help you get noticed by others.

Not sure coaching is for you, sign up for the Emotional Intelligence assessment 2.0

Finding Purpose in Life through Coaching

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt

Elanor Roosevelt could not have said it better. Dreams are what creates reality for some of us. My coaching and blogging career is an outcome of a dream that I dared to dream in spite of the fear of failure and disappointment.

The geniuses Einstein and Newton are said to have been daydreamers. They allowed their minds to wander in between their exploration. Studies show that taking adequate elaborate breaks and coming back to more complex tasks help in making the tasks easier. Allowing yourself to these much-needed breaks improved productivity by about 40%. Many leaders have come up with efficient ideas while engaging in other activities that are not directly linked to their work.

Needless to say, we are in the midst of a pandemic and in very trying times but we all have been given these wonderful lives that we must live. We could choose to live in fear and desperation or thrive in the lives that we have. Some of us who have been spinning in the same wheel of life could use this time to take a step back and simply dream about a life that we aspire to live.

These are a few ways we can find a purpose in life:

Prioritize: Taking a step back from the hustle of life will help us refocus on what our priorities are in life and pivot our lives accordingly. Explore the true meaning of your life. If today was the last day on Earth, what would be some of the most important things to you? Will it be your spirituality, your family, friends, education, or your career? Or is there something else that is burning inside of you?

Heal: Healing your old wound is important in moving forward to achieve a purpose in life. If you have old wounds that you have ignored, they need to be addressed. It is only a matter of time when an incident or a person can trigger this wound and pull you back from your success journey.

Surround yourself with cheerleaders: You may have a hundred friends but if they do not find happiness in your success and bring you down, they may be obstacles to your life purpose. It is important to ask yourself why are you friends with this person? Do they possess the ethics and values that you desire in a friend? If this intimidates you, do not worry, you will find your tribe during the course of finding your life purpose.

Helping people through your life purpose: A life purpose only has true meaning if and when people can benefit from you. What can you achieve in life? Does achieving this purpose create room for altruistic behavior? Does it create more meaning in your life?

Your secret power: What is your secret power? What do others see in you? It is something that makes you unique. My secret power, as I realized a few years back has been keeping others’ secrets. People have come to me even before I was a coach with their issues and pain. I have used this secret power to build my career.

Mindset Magic: If you follow my blog, you will know that I use these two words regularly. If you are not self-aware of what you are trying to achieve and do not possess the right mindset to achieve it due to various blocks that you may have in your lives, it is important to work on your mindset.

If you feel you would like to learn more about yourself or be more aware of your feelings to find your purpose in life, please book an intro session with me. I look forward to helping with your personality development and get you the success you need in your personal and professional life.

Hamna Siddique is a career and leadership coach focusing on confidence and personal development.

You will learn a lot about yourself and how you work around people. Your newfound awareness will help increase self-expression that will help you get noticed by others.

Not sure coaching is for you, sign up for the Emotional Intelligence assessment 2.0

How to cope with stress from a big change?

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” ― Leo Tolstoy

Change or die was a motto I lived by during Grad school days and ever since. Any change was not easy for me but the discipline I chose enforced me to change my ways for the better. It is a fact that we cannot keep doing what we have always been doing. We live in such a world that if we do not embrace change, in our personal and professional lives, we may not succeed. No wonder, change management is a huge part of businesses these days. Change management is an organized and planned approach to support people through change. Change Management can happen at an individual level, on a project, and on an organizational level. It can be a necessity because of factors that we cannot control or can simply be a preparatory step towards development. I would like to focus on change at an individual level here.

Broadly speaking, change requires three steps: Preparing for change, managing the change, and reinforcing the change.

From my own experience, reinforcing change was the hardest. Here are a few things I have discovered in coping with an environmental change:

Shock: Surprise and shock are inevitable when trying to enforce a change, whether it is a sudden need of the time such as the pandemic COVID-19, we are experiencing now or a preventive step taken deliberately towards achieving success. Uncertainty is a huge cause of confusion and makes decision-making difficult. Therefore, it is important to step back and fully understand the situation before making any important decisions.

Emotional surge: It is not uncommon for people to have an emotional surge or an outpour during change. The change caused by the pandemic has created a huge emotional outpour among individuals. It is important to be self- aware of these emotions, what causes it, when and where it arises from, so we can manage it better. It is also important to find an outlet to vent your emotions because suppressing your emotions may do more harm than good.

Embracing change: This is the stage where we begin to embrace change. We show reluctance and hesitation but understand that it is needed and take a step closer to the future. Our minds may have mixed emotions on the new acceptance of this change. This stage may be a slow process for many of us.

Acceptance to the new life: This is the final stage where we fully come to terms with the new life. But we also try to bring as much as our past into this life and look for manifestations where we can sprinkle our previous habits into the new life.

If you feel you would like to discuss issues you have had embracing a change, and is worried about the effects and aftermath of it, and would like to discuss your personal or professional life through coaching sessions, I am happy to provide an intro session to discuss your needs. You can schedule an appointment through my website anytime.

Hamna Siddique is a career and leadership coach focusing on confidence and personal development.

You will learn a lot about yourself and how you work around people. Your newfound awareness will help increase self-expression that will help you get noticed by others.

Not sure coaching is for you, sign up for the Emotional Intelligence assessment 2.0

How to Attain a Magical Growth Mindset?

“Folks are usually about as happy as they make their minds up to be.”— Abraham Lincoln

Many of my blog posts have mentioned mindset in multiple places. Mindset is magic! Our mindset helps make a lot of decisions for us but the decisions we make are determined by the type of mindset. Mindset is categorized into two – fixed mindset and growth mindset.

Individuals with a fixed mindset rarely believe in change. They believe their personality, habits, and behavior patterns are innate and do not work much on their personality development. These individuals are also very watchful of others judging them for their behavior. Whereas individuals with a growth mindset always embrace change and believe in developing their skills and knowledge through education and hard work. Just like the Stanford marshmallow experiment on gratification, mindset experiment was tested on children.

Research on neuroscience has shown that our brain’s plasticity allows an increase of neural growth depending on our lifestyle – our actions, food habits, sleep pattern, and our life strategies in general. A more productive lifestyle with a positive and growth mindset leads to increased motivation and achievements in life. Mindset can also be fluid. A group can attract a certain type of mindset and that particular mindset can become the identity of the group. For example, if a person among a group of friends’ ventures into various business ideas different from the norm and is determined to find success in spite of many failures, they are a good example of a growth mindset. Here are a few ways to achieve a growth mindset:

Being self-aware: It is important to be aware of what your mind is telling you about your achievements. If your thoughts are negative and not encouraging, it is important to evaluate those thoughts. It is a good idea to look back at how you have handled some difficult situations in the past.

Instigating change: Once the thoughts are verified, the next step towards a growth mindset would be instigating change by changing your old methods and strategies. For example, go the extra mile and do something you thought you could never do and you may be surprised by how good you are at it and resent putting it off for this long.

Question your old methods: Change is hard for everyone and so questioning an age-old habit or a family belief is even harder. But if we change the way we talk about ourselves, it is likely that we may advance towards a growth mindset. For example, instead of saying “I am a loser” or “I have failed at this task” we say, “I am still trying to figure it out” or “I have not found an answer yet but I soon hope to” will help a lot in keeping our determinism.

If you feel you would like to learn more about yourself or be more aware of your feelings to improve your personal and professional life, please book an intro session with me. I look forward to helping with your personality development and get you the success you need in your personal and professional life.

Hamna Siddique is a career and leadership coach focusing on confidence and personal development.

You will learn a lot about yourself and how you work around people. Your newfound awareness will help increase self-expression that will help you get noticed by others.

Not sure coaching is for you, sign up for the Emotional Intelligence assessment 2.0