Happy New Year – I think I can still say that. Christmas is behind us, and the days are getting longer; this is when I feel my spirits lifting – so, here’s my review for January as a career coach, writer, and human being.
Easing myself back into work mode
Today’s post is my way of easing myself back into the thick of things after a wonderfully relaxing and chilled time over the holiday period. It was lovely to take a break and spend the holidays relaxing with family and friends, good food and lots of Television – with the occasional visit to social media.
I don’t usually bother with New Year resolutions, but given the last couple of years, I decided on a small list of hopes/plans for 2022.
- Continue to develop and deliver exciting and varied work- thank you to Jenny Garrett and the Diverse Coaches Directory for the opportunities so far.
- Continue with my daily exercise regime to stay reasonably fit and healthy.
- Complete my collection of stories – it is time to knock these into shape.
- Spend even more time with close friends and family – have more laughs, make more memories.
- Plant some trees – having almost completed; The Hidden lives of trees by Peter Wohlleben, I intend to add to their number. Who knew there was so much going on?
- Learn more about Neurodiversity and what this means for the world of work.
- Carry on writing, journaling, and playing my piano – maybe there is a film title in there somewhere ????.
So, what are your hopes/plans for 2022?
When times are tough, keep going.
I was delighted to start the year with the news that a coaching client has landed a new role and that I will be involved in a couple of new projects moving forward. 2022 may prove to be my busiest yet, a far cry from past years where there was little in the diary.
Things dried up on the work front, and I still remember some very lean years, especially after my mum’s death. I may share more about this in the future as it has profoundly affected how I view the world of work.
So, what kept me going in the lean years?
A certain stubborn optimism and perhaps pride – I always believed that things would get better at some point. I recognized I wasn’t starting from scratch – I had experience and skills behind me. Writing also helped – I regularly shared posts on my blogs and LinkedIn even though I wasn’t journaling at that time.
It can be tough to keep going when work has dried up, and yet it appears that everyone else is doing very nicely, thank you very much. So, if this is, you – I hope this article helps.
Rethinking your career for 2022
This resource is still very much a work in progress – I am still adding links of articles as I find them, related to:
- Exploring your options
- Your Actions
- Networking
- CVs and Applications
- Interviews
I understand that Trello has its detractors, but I think it is perfect for this sort of thing – it allows you to drop in videos, quotes, articles, all kinds of things.
So, if you are planning for a career change in 2022, take a look.
How are you using your voice?
Now that most of my work is online, either with groups or individuals, I have started paying more attention to my voice and how it sounds to other people. I also notice how others use their voices – whether they can inject energy, humour, and vibrancy into their delivery. I know that tiredness affects my tone, and if I am not careful, I can start to swallow my words rather than project them.
So, if you are curious about your voice, why not experiment with recording yourself as you read a short story aloud. Practice for a week or so, playing with the characters, seeing how you can make them sound different, upbeat, tired, cheerful, enthusiastic, etc. Then listen to see if you can hear the difference.
For the past three months, I have been using Audacity to record the short stories I write – and experiment with tempo, pitch, and tone. Because as well as recording your voice, Audacity also shows you the waveforms your voice makes so you can see what your voice is doing as well as hear it.
If anyone decides to give this a go – I would love to hear how it goes.
Until next month
Janice
