Your Time With James Sweetman

We’ve all heard about burnout, but what about bored-out? Bored-out gets far less attention than it’s workaholic cousin and because some of the symptoms are the same, it can be misdiagnosed. I explore the difference between your core work and phantom work, the politics, the red tape of bureaucracy and the personality management that drains the spirit. Whilst the behaviours that lead to burn out are applauded in organisations, to admit feeling bored is taboo. I also speak about how you may love what you do, but can still get bored by it.

Many people struggle to enjoy their accomplishments or to find lasting satisfaction in their successes. If you’re dragging yourself along, with so-called success always seeming to be just out of reach, then this episode is for you.

Success in one area of life, does not guarantee satisfaction in life. I suggest that it’s time for us to redefine success and we start by viewing success and satisfaction as independent variables. Remember success is a measure that is decided by others. Satisfaction is a measure decided by you.

Are you a people pleaser? It’s nice to be nice and we will do kind and thoughtful things for many reasons, but that’s not the same as people pleasing which is defined as ‘striving to please others in order to gain their approval, or to avoid criticism or conflict, whilst sacrificing your own needs and wants in the process.’ This week, I’m taking a deep dive into the ‘disease to please’. I explore the causes, the symptoms and the cure, including 9 practical ways to overcome the ingrained habit of excessive people pleasing.

In the first of a new series of episodes, I’m delighted to be joined by Paul Rock. Paul is a musculoskeletal physical therapist who specialises in pain management. I started working with Paul a few months ago for back pain and I’ve found his work and approach not just worthwhile, but eye opening. His holistic approach prompted me to question many of the unconscious rules I’d established for myself, rules I’d built up around my sense of identity – who I am, what I can do and what I can’t. He has quite literally turned my perspective of pain on its head. www.skerriespainandinjuryclinic.ie

At what point do we accept that we are no longer climbing a career ladder, but on the final rung? When does the finishing line of our working lives first come into view? At what point do we shift down the gears of ambition? These are some of the questions I’m pondering this week. Over the last 20 years I’ve helped countless clients navigate a career transition, often from roles where they’ve achieved success, to roles they find more fulfilling. I explore the concept of encore careers, a second act that tends to be more aligned with our passions and skills. I also speak about job upcycling and role crafting whilst sharing plenty of questions to help you refresh your career, contemplate your next chapter, your final chapter or even the epilogue.

I’m James and I’m a recovering perfectionist. That’s the declaration I’m making upfront this week. Perfectionism can be a point of pride, but under the surface of high achievement often lurks a need to control and ultimately low self-esteem. We can endeavour to do our best and set high standards, but we can also sacrifice too much at the altar of perfectionism. This week, I look at the different types of perfectionism, how and why perfectionism takes hold, as well as the symptoms of perfectionism. I also share 11 ways to loosen the shackles of perfectionism. The perfectionist in me was aiming for 12, but 11 is good enough!

This week I’m stepping outside my comfort zone, because I’m speaking about a personal topic – my journey with cancer. Thankfully, earlier this month, I received some great news, all my tests were clear and my consultant doesn’t need to see me again for a year. Over the last 7 years, I’ve attended hospital for tests, operations and treatments every few months, so it’s such a relief to be able to forget about something that has occupied part of my mind for so long. Now that I have a little perspective, I talk about the highs and lows and how cancer changed me as a person. I also share the piece of writing that helped me with my journey of healing, not the physical healing, the trickier part, the emotional healing.

This week I’m joined by James Parnell to chat about the neuroscience of well-being. Amongst his many qualifications, James is a mental fitness coach, is an expert in the area of applied neuroscience and brain health and he’s the founder of The Wellbeing Gym. James shares many tips, techniques and insightful acronyms, including ‘PROMISE,’ a way to achieve balance across the different dimensions of well-being. He takes us through the characteristics of the lifestyles that support longevity, ways to quieten a busy mind and even what’s required for a daily ‘dose’ of happiness. It’s a fascinating and fun conversation, an episode not to be missed. And I have to say James cracked me up when he shared his personal motto. Find out more about James Parnell at www.jameseparnell.com

This week I’m pondering the question – am I addicted to self-improvement? It might sound like an odd question for someone who has worked full time in the personal development industry for the last twenty years, but too much of anything is not so good, and there is a dark side to self-help, one that presupposes that who you are isn’t enough. I’ll take you through some of the warning signs that suggest your self-improvement may have become self-defeating. I’ll share with you the antidote for over reliance on self-improvement too. This week’s episode is a reminder that we should never trade happiness for the pursuit of happiness.