Are you surprised if I tell you one in four (25%) Australians are unhappy in their job?

This number comes from an article published on Human Resources Director in August 2019, based on a new research commissioned by the Nutritional Therapy Association of Australia (NTA). A staggering 70% of those unhappy employees wanting to pursue a different career.

If you feel unhappy artwork, you are not alone.

Why so many people are unhappy at work?

It may not come as a surprise that the three main contributing factors are: not-enough pay, office politics and work not being challenging enough.

There are many studies or reviews out there that outline the reasons on top of the three factors I mentioned above. For example, lack of recognition or appreciation, inadequate of training & development and distrust of leadership seem to be some most common reasons.

You may also hear from your friends or read from the social media posts that more and more people want to be able to spend quality time with their families, have a better lifestyle and find more fulfilling work.

The statistics back that up too, about 68% of people are seeking a career that can offer a better work-life balance and 47% want to work in a career that they are actually passionate about.

But wait a minute, apart from these external factors that we may not be able to control, is there anything else we need to consider?

Yes, there are!

Intrinsic Factors For Fulfillment at Work

There are some intrinsic factors that are key to our fulfilment at work.

We spend a lot of time at work and we need to consider our interests, motivations, needs, values, skills, and previous professional experiences that shape our expectation and satisfaction at work.

It may not be a common practice to ask ourselves questions related to these factors and it often takes a little time and effort to gather insights about who we are and what do we really want.

Another really important thing to consider is that we change as we grow physically, emotionally and spiritually.

What seems to be fulfilling or challenging or fun when you are in your 20s can be drastically different when you are in your 40s.

If you are like me, there was a time when the idea of becoming a mother seems so far away, while travelling (and partying!) around the world and working 100 hours a week has a certain thrill and excitement added to life.

Then, fast forward a few years, all of a sudden, the idea of conscious living, nutritious meals, healthy lifestyle (think yoga, meditation and aromatherapy), deep-and-meaningful relationships, and a BABY seems to be the perfect picture.

I may be a little over-the-top with my comparisons, but to be very honest, that was really my transformation.

I can tell you what motivates or satisfies me at work now is totally different compared to 10 or 5 years ago.

Over the Christmas and New Year holiday, I had some time off and I really think deep about this topic. I have been coaching and consulting for quite a number of years and I have worked with many different types of clients and businesses.

At this stage, I know what I love to do most is to coach women who are in transition, especially women who want to change their career or start their business, or mothers with young children who want to achieve more success with their work without sacrificing their quality of life with their family...

This week's episode marks a significant milestone for me, as this is episode #50 of my podcast! I am so thrilled to be recording this for you.

Over the years of coaching, I found what I love to do the most is to help women to find more success and joy in their career or running their business. And at the same time, help them to find the right work-life balance so that they can also enjoy a great life outside of work with their relationships and well-being as well.

I guess that's why I love the concept of Goddess, and I wrote a book about them! When I think about the image of a goddess, I see a feminine figure who is beautiful and powerful. And that is what I want all of us to live like and be at heart. Feeling inspired and empowered.

So with my podcast, I share my mindset, productivity tips, time management strategies, as well as how to work with feminine wisdom to become more productive and creative. They will help you to save time and energy for your loved ones and for your body, mind and soul too!

Ageing gracefully is something I now start to advocate and in the coming weeks I am also going to share with you what I know and what works for me personally. I hope you will love these new topics too!

This week I want to share with you something that is not new, it's actually based on ancient wisdom, and people have been practising for hundreds of years. This is becoming more and more trendy to follow and no longer just "New Age" stuff but very much in the mainstream and recommend by other life coaches or wellness experts.

Well, you may have guessed it from the title. Yes, it is about the new moon coming up on 25th January. Actually, I love it so much that I am going to give you my reflection journal and new intentions fun sheets to help you to get the most out of this new moon. Just click on this link, and you can use them this week. (No sign up required!)

But before we dive into the reasons why this week is excellent to harness new ideas and creative energy, let me give you a bit of background and context here.

Even though I wrote a book about goddesses and archetypes, I wasn't actually knee-deep into moon cycles or the feminine wisdom that is associated with our menstrual cycle.

Many of you are probably aware of the association of feminine energy and masculine energy.

But just to give you some examples, traditionally we say:

Creating, nurturing, receiving are actions or state of being that is related to feminine energy.

Competing, asserting, giving or doing are more related to masculine energy.

There is a place for both, and that's why we need both energies to run the world.

I came across the term "Egg Wisdom" a couple months ago, and I'd love the idea to reflect on our body and mind with our natural environment. I love the notion about cyclical living, where we don't go 100% high speed all the time just because we want to achieve our goals or dreams. It makes total sense to me. We take a different type of action with a different kind of focus to varying times of the month or year or even life stage.

For instance, in most parts of the world, there are four seasons, namely: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. It is just the environment that surrounds us.

In my interview with Fiona, we talked about how she overcame her ups and downs in finding her own path to success and bliss. I have attended one of Fiona's Women Success Circle events and I know first hand how she loves to empower and uplift others through her work.

Fiona Craig is an author, Life Balance Coach based in Sydney with a background in NLP, Meta Life Coaching and Gestalt Psychotherapy. She runs a wonderful Women Success Circle as well as her coaching and mentoring programs.

In our interview you would hear how the glamours young model eventually become the woman who coaches and mentors others to live a more balanced and fulfilled life!

Fiona's journey is a total Heroine Journey, with all the fascinating encounters as well as some time in the belly of the whale. She has a lot to share in how to peruse our dreams, understand our limiting beliefs and start a new chapter in life.

She is also the author of an award-winning book “Stuck in a rut - how to rescue yourself and live your truth”. If you are feeling uncertain how to move forward on your path or need a dose of inspiration and encouragement, you got to check out this episode!

Episode Notes:

* The journey of a young woman working in modelling, advertising, jewellery design and eventually becoming a coach and Gestalt Psychotherapist

* How to live with courage and learn how to love yourself

* Some people can heal, and some don't, why is that?

* Healing from chronic fatigue and mindset shift

* Run your own race, make peace with who and where you are

* Do not let people tell you what you can and cannot do!

* Writing her book, find your own rhythm, what works for you and focus on progress.

* All the big wins stem from this idea: "When you got nothing to lose, why don't you give it go!"

If you would like to get in touch with Fiona Craig, please go to www.LifeBalanceCoach.com.au

https://youtu.be/tIi6Zt36fUg

Transcript

Sze

Wing:         Hi everyone. Wow. I'm really

happy to do this interview today with my dear friend and colleague, Fiona

Craig. So little short introduction, Fiona, you're an author, a life balance

coach and you're based in Sydney and I know you have a background in NLP,

Meta-Life Coaching, Gestalt Psychotherapy. You also run your own coaching and

mentoring programs as well as something I love, the Women Success Circle. So

that's the introduction for Fiona and welcome, thank you so much for being here

today.

Fiona:               Well, thank you Sze Wing, thank

you for having me today.

Sze

Wing:         Great. And also we have a

guest appearance, Fiona's dog at the background, as you can see where he is, I

don't know if he is a puppy or it's a mature-

Fiona:            &nbs...

Happy New Year! It has been nearly 2 weeks that I have been having a break from work and completed the move into our new house at 20 weeks pregnant! :-) BTW- We are having a baby boy this time!!

As I shared with you in my previous podcasts at the end of 2019 on Year-End Review and why it is so important to celebrate all the good things and look at lessons learned, now it’s time to look ahead and dream big a new year! 

In this episode I talked about why this is a SUPER important time of the year to set ourselves up on the right track of creating what we want, putting support in place to avoid distraction and most of all, being VERY CLEAR about what matters to you most for this year and focus on that. 

2020 is set to be a very transformative year, whether you look at it from an astrological perspective, or reflecting on what is happening with our natural environment (yes, I am particularly referring to the devastating bushfire in Australia) or political climate. This is going to be a big year, and so let’s put some time aside and put our best thoughts forward to plan for one of the most amazing years of a new decade!

At the end of the episode, I also talked about my new FREE audio program 3 Keys for more Clarity, Energy and Productivity and that can help you with creating an amazing year ahead! 

Shownotes: 

* This is the time to Dream Big!  * The winning ticket is in the details (clear strategy and focus and consistent effort)  * How to avoid distraction and prepare for the unexpected (ground rules, good habits, support network & buddy)  * Less is More - Do Not Over Plan!* Schedule your regular "Check-In"  * Be Smart With Your Time (get ONE thing done every day)  * Clear Intention and Elevated Emotions (the magic bullet for creation)

If you haven’t done it, make sure you get the FREE download of my new Audio Program - 3 Keys for more Clarity, Energy and Productivity. 

It comes with a complimentary guidebook which a great tool for you to kick start 2020! Make sure you check out the productivity pages - my weekly planner, 12- month At-a-glance, energy tracker, weekly check-in worksheets are my go-to resources these days. They are really useful for keeping me on track and in-sync! You can access them all for free here. 

Enjoy! 

Once you’ve listened in to this episode, I’d love to hear from you. If you have a magic wand right now, what would you like to do? 

You can post a comment on my blog page, PM me on my FB page @CoachSzeWing or Instagram or email me at [email protected]

Show notes and links can be found on https://szewingvetault.com/blogs

Subscribe & Review in iTunes

Are you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I love to encourage you to do that. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Also,

This week I am releasing my podcast a day early as tomorrow is Christmas!! Ho Ho Ho! I can’t believe this, time passes so quickly and now we are about to step into 2020!! 

This is the time of the year I like to schedule some time for myself, thinking about this year and setting new intentions for next year. If you have been following my podcast, you would have seen my Year-End Review and Strategic Plan episode that outlines what I do and how I do it every year. I find this task not only super productive, but it gives me a ton of clarity and excitement in setting myself up for success next year. If you've missed that episode, no worries, you can find it here. 

Here are 5 more tips I want to leave with you before the end of the year, as I know that these tips have helped me in finishing the year with a big smile and pumped for next year. 

Count Your Blessings 

The saying goes, when you count your blessings, your blessings count. Also, I think Oprah said it that the more you are grateful, there are more to be grateful for. Just like anyone, we all have the ups and downs throughout the year. Sometimes we get into the habit of beating ourselves up for the mistakes or missed opportunities and forget to congratulate our wins or appreciate good things that happened out of the blue. I invite you to think about all the happy moments that you treasured this year, whether it was a good get-together with your friends or just watching you baby laugh the other day. Choose your thoughts wisely and embrace gratitude and pleasure this time of the year. 

Digital Detox 

After all the festive meals, we hear people say they need to detox and eat clean for January. That is certainly a fine idea but I also like to invite you to spend less time on social media and your mobile devices. Take the time to connect with people and stay offline as much as possible. You will be amazed by how you feel after a couple of days. It’s like you are no longer distracted and less “busy” for nothing. 

Quiet Time For YOU 

Following the digital detox, I would also like to recommend some total quiet time, meaning schedule nothing but spend some time alone. I know it may be hard given you will likely to have friends and family around during the holidays, but try to let people know you just need a couple of hours to do “something”, and that “something” is in fact, “nothing” (but you don’t have to tell them that :-). I suggest, no reading, learning, socializing. Less intellectual the better. Just simply BE. Maybe go for a walk or take a long bath. I want you to allow some quiet time to sink in so that you can hear what your body, mind and spirit try to tell you. We are far too often over-scheduled with activities that don’t leave enough room and silence to let us hear our deepest inner thoughts. This is the best time of the year to do this, so go for it! 

Plan Ahead

I do subscribe to the saying that if you fail to plan, you are plan to fail. I am not rigid or over-detailed by all means, I love being spontaneous and free-flowing, but there are certain things I do believe we need structure, strategic and roadmap. Whatever new project, intentions or goals you have in mind, try to set aside some time to plan for it and start thinking what you need to do,

In my last week’s solo podcast about being a busy working mum, I touched on how to find joy, purpose and work-life balance. This week I have an interview with a career and life coach, Kelly MacLellan who is passionate about helping people to find fulfilment at work and in their personal life.

Kelly is based in Canada and she offers her coaching/mentoring programs online as well. Her book "Follow Your Heart" offers detailed self-empowerment activities, exercises and challenge you to chase your dreams and discover your life purpose. 

In our time together, we talked about her “becoming” story and how she eventually work as a coach and mentor. If you want to learn more about what is the number 1 reason pulling people back not to go for their dreams, why this can be changed and how our life will unfold after, then you got to listen to our podcast! She is a wonderful guest on my show, I just love our conversations! 

You can listen to my podcast or watch the video below. There is also a full-length transcript if you prefer to read! :-)

If you want to connect with Kelly and find out more about her new mentoring program, please go to www.embraceyourlife.ca

https://youtu.be/ywSr-8ZeDdg

Once you’ve listened in to this episode, I’d love to hear from you.

You can post a comment on my blog page, DM me on my FB page @CoachSzeWing or Instagram or email me at [email protected]Show notes and links can be found on https://szewingvetault.com/blogs

Subscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I love to encourage you to do that. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Also, I offer occasional gifts and early-bird offer of my programs first on my podcast! Click here to subscribe in iTunes!

Now if you are extra nice and kind, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and I’d love reading them! Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Review” and Write a Review”. That’s it! Thank You!! 

My Christmas Present for YOU!

Don’t forget you can now get access to my new FREE Audio Program: 3 Keys for More Clarity, Energy and Productivity.

I launched this for busy career mums or mompreneurs like you who are trying to have it all and sometimes it is a struggle, and it is hard not to get stressed out or simply exhausted. 

In this program, I am going to share with you my best-kept secrets in creating the life I live right now and how to get more done with less stress, less time but more joy!

This audio program is about 50 minutes in length and you can listen in commuting to work or while washing the dishes. 

But wait, there is also a bonus! I have prepared a complimentary guide book for you to apply what you’...

Recently I had a weekend away with a few mums who have young children. We talked about all kind of things related to family life and career, and at one point, the topic of returning to full-time work vs. part-time work after maternity leave came up. All of them enjoy to have some days at home with their children and work part-time so that they can keep engaged with their own professions, but just not at full-time. 

Given the costs of childcare services in Australia, for many of us, it may not make a big difference whether you work full-time and place your child in a childcare centre or just part-time, especially if you have more than 1 child. I also know mums who prefer to stay at home full-time in the first few years so that they can spend most of the time with them as once they attend school, they won’t have that option again. It then daunted on me that I’ve never felt the desire to stay at home, even part-time, and I don’t know if it was because of my upbringing or personality. 

Knowing how our minds work, of course, the next thing I started to think is that I am not a good mother, perhaps I lack maternal instinct, or maybe I am too selfish and yep, that aliening word, “different”. Doubts set in, am I doing my best for my child? Is it for the better or worse for my family? Now with the second baby coming along, do I need to re-evaluate who am I and what I do with my life? 

Thank God I remember what to do when my head starts to spin and talks like this. 

I take a pause and sink in. 

I thought about the years I was growing up in Hong Kong and China. 

Together with my parents, we migrated to Hong Kong when I was only two. It was a difficult time and they worked very long hours in order to establish their new life. I was cared for by my grandma and other family members most of the time throughout my early childhood. 

At one point, it was just too challenging and my parents had to bring me back to China. I vividly remember one day when I was about 3 or 4 years old, my mother came back for a visit, as she walked up the stairs, I greeted her with a big smile (as I did to every visitor) and said: “Hi auntie, how are you?”. But then I immediately realized that was actually my mother, so I changed “Sorry, hi Mummy...”. I guess my mum must have felt really awful at that moment because not long after that, they moved me back to Hong Kong permanently.

Despite my parents were not always around, I’ve always felt loved. Also, I completely understand they did the best they can. I never felt lonely or neglected but rather I saw them as brave and determined people who wanted to make a better living for me. Perhaps that was the reason I never felt guilty of not wanting to stay at home. 

That was my background and perspective, and that is me. And that is OK. I need to be OK with my decision and the way I write my own story. 

Everyone has their own different story. 

And I got reminded what I always say to myself and others. You Do You.

I know I am at my best when I get to do my work and feeling fulfilled at the end of the day. I can then 100% immersed with playing and caring for my daughter, be really present with her, as my creative and intellectual well has been filled that day and I feel whole and energized. 

I also do my best work when I have spent a really fun weekend with my family with loads of quality time together. 

The art is having a good balance where I know when to stop work and don’t carry the “left-over” worries or stress from work when I spend my time wit...

In this interview, I talk to my dear friend Cate Peterson, one of the most respected leaders in the Yoga community in Australia. She has been a Japanese Yoga Teacher since 1994, teaching workshops and conferences in various yoga teaching disciplines. For more than three decades, she has been a yoga teacher, meditator, mentor and activist. She uses yoga as a tool to help people to become more mindful and managing their mental and physical well-being.

From providing classes to organizations and individuals, she then developed the YogaPass which was very successful in spreading yoga in Australia, and eventually, it has evolved to YogaHive. It fuels GetOffYourAsana; an organization that builds a bridge between yogis and activists to bring about a better world and focuses on greening the scene through another platform called LoveEarth.

Cate also ran the inaugural World Day of Yoga in 2015 at Bondi Beach and in 2016 at both Bondi and Sydney Opera House.

I see that in a way, she is using Yoga as a tool to connect people, perhaps first more individually, for instance, to become more mindful with their body and emotional wellbeing, but then it becomes a way to connect with like-minded people collectively. This also ultimately unite people to look after our environment more holistically.

She is such an inspiration and her journey as an activist advocating positive change is really worth learning from. In our conversation, we spoke about what has been changed since she started her heroine journey nearly 30 years ago and what continues to drive her and lead her to keep moving forward. 

You connect with Cate via her various organizations with the links above, or you can also connect with Cate via Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CatePetersonYoga

You can listen to our interview via my podcast player above or iTunes or any major podcast catchers. You can also watch the video below:

https://youtu.be/GSRLrtWhQIQ

Transcript:

Sze Wing:              Hi.

Welcome to this week's interview, and today I've got Cate Peterson with me. And

as I was just chatting with Cate a minute ago that it's impossible to do a

short introduction, but I will try because Cate has been doing so much amazing

work in the last three decades. And also, your work is evolving so much, so I

will try my best to do a very short run down, then we're going to talk through

what you're doing and the message and the things that you're advocating and

really care about. Sounds good?

Cate:                        That

sounds great. I think it's just that I'm so old, that's why I've done so much.

Sze Wing:              No.

Not at all. I'm sure people could have spent three decades not having all this

This is THE most important thing I want to do before Christmas. (Yes, before all the Christmas shopping and festivities kick in! :-)

For me, this is not just some kind of business To-Do, I do that to reflect on both my personal life and work, most importantly, I keep it pretty simple and fun! 

What I have learned is that if I take an inventory of what happened this year and really look deep at some of my lowest moments, I rarely make the same mistakes again. 

The more I count my blessings and appreciate the good things in my life, there are more to appreciate and to be grateful for. It feels good and keeps me grounded. 

I remind myself of what really matters to my heart. 

I let go of things or people that no longer align with my values and beliefs. 

This year has gone by so fast if I don’t do this, I will feel the year has gone past me like a dream, and I haven’t really truly live through it. When I do my review, I savour and relive a lot of good memories. 

So here is how I do this: 

I craft out some time to be alone, undisturbed. No phone, no emails, no kids. 

I think about the following and write the answers down in a notebook:

1.) My Top 3 Personal Highlights and 3 Business Highlights 2.) The Lowlights - where I didn’t feel I handled the situation well or simply making a mistake or being treated in a way that is not OK. More importantly, what is Message from the Mess (I got this phrase from Mel Robbins - Love It!) 

3.)What is the one single habit I can try to make next year better? (e.g. wake up 30 mins earlier to work out? Take 10 mins during the afternoon to pause? Have my vitamins with my brekkie? Don’t check email before 10 am?) 

Then, moving to next year: 

4.) What are my strategic goals and top 3 results I want for next year? 

5.)What is required for me to get there? (What I need to start doing, stop doing or learn or acquire?)

6.) What may be the catalyst for that to happen? ( Get a business partner? Sign up to a gym? Subscribe to an organic produce delivery service? Get a virtual assistant? Focus on my 80/20 rule?) 

7.) I then look at my 12 months yearly planner, and for each quarter, what is my main Personal and Business Focus? I limited to a maximum of 3 things in each quarter and sometimes, 1 is more than enough. (e.g. I am having my second baby in late May, and so for Q2 April May June, my sole focus is nurturing myself and the newborn. And that is PLENTY to focus on!) 

8.) Once I have done the BIG ROCKS for each quarter, I will add several key components under each. Just to have a rough idea of how big is each of these projects. However, I am not doing my detail breakdown just yet, I just want to get a big picture at this point. 

And that’s kind of IT!  :-)

There are 2 extra things I am adding to this practice. 

* Once I have done my review and planning, I am going to share and discuss it with my husband, especially about some of the personal goals and plans for next year. See, we parent our kids together and we are a team, I think it is so important to communicate our goals and concerns in advance and see what we solutions or preparation we can come up beforehand. 

* I am talking to a handful of people who know me and my business well and I want to brainstorm with them about some of the products/services and events that I am thinking to c...

Robyn has been empowering women and athletes for over 40 years! She is the founder of ‘Women Weightlifting Academy’ and she has won numerous titles including Teenage bodybuilder of St. Louis, Ms Missouri Overall Champion, Tri-State Regional bodybuilder champion, Top 10 bodybuilder in the country and more. She is a weight loss coach who helped individuals to lose 10-400 pounds in her career.

Back in 1994, she got hit by a bus and life has changed dramatically. During recovery, she developed a nutrition and exercise system that consists of low, medium and high energy days and it has been instrumental in helping her clients to lose weight and get fit. 

In our conversation, we talked about what is the hardest part of all these weight-loss journeys or all her championships and cross country trips. She also told us the key principle to have effective weight loss, is to have an effective body to work.

The following are the Top 4 tips she shared in our interview:

* Know how to work with who you are, your body, like a detective * It takes 72 hours to store excess calories to turn into fat, so within that 72 hours, you can work out or change the way you eat to avoid weight gain.* Our body like stability, so if we rotate the low, medium and high energy days, it will boost our metabolism.* Instead of counting calories or cutting carbs, we should focus on having a clean eating lifestyle and avoid highly processed food.

You can listen to our interview with the podcast links above or watch our YouTube video below:

https://youtu.be/ENj3Bs-4LYE

If you would like to connect with Robyne, you can do so online:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robyne.arrow

http://www.robynearrow.com/

womenweightliftingacademy.com

Transcript:

Sze Wing:              Hi everyone. Today we got Robyne Arrow joining us. So first of all, a little introduction about Robyne and she has an incredible background. She's the founder of Woman Weightlifting Academy, and she's been involved with the health and fitness industry for over 40 years. which is a long time, and wow I'm so excited to talk to you today. And she was a nutritionist and fitness trainer for elite and models, so clearly she has worked with celebrities, athletics, professional people. And she's a trainer for bodybuilders and fitness competitors.

Sze Wing:              And she's a weight loss coach who has helped individuals to lose between 10 to 400 pounds in her career. So that sounds crazy. And I usually have very short introductions, but with you I've got some of the incredible things that I read about you. So first of all, she was a teenage bodybuilder at St. Louis and she's Missouri overall champion, which I assume all this was happening when you were really young. And she has done Tri-State Original Bodybuilder as champion. Top 10 bodybuilder in the country, Miss Fitness Champion, lots of titles. And she rollerbladed across the United States, she ran across the United States, and she cycled across the United States while working with community leaders. So crazy, amazing background. So welcome to my show Robin.

Robyne:                 Thank

you for having me, Sze. Thank you.