Career

How to get the results in life that you want

Life coach Emily Gallagher talks about the power of taking action and how our beliefs shape our life.

Stop putting your own needs last on the list

Being a Conscious Boss is about more than just our career agenda – it’s considering what we can do individually and collectively to create a better life, community and world.

In order to do that we absolutely must take care of ourselves first. We can’t be the best version of ourselves if we’re always last on the list. I advise people to come up with some essential self-care rituals that I call ‘non-negotiables’, like meditating for 10 minutes.

Picking two to three daily non-negotiables as part of your self-care plan makes a huge difference to how we show up every day.

Emily Gallagher

Be mindful of what thoughts you give power to

Our belief system shapes everything in our life; it’s like a tape playing in the background. We learn beliefs from society, our parents, media, friends, and often they’re not consciously chosen. So it’s our responsibility, if we want to create results, to choose what we give power to.

My primary belief in life is ‘everything is always working out in my favour’, which allows me the freedom to trust what is showing up in my life – rather than make up a story of ‘I’m not enough’ or ‘I don’t have what it takes to make X happen’.

Action comes into play again here (see right). The only real way to build confidence and belief is through results, and results come from doing things. We have to be willing to act in spite of our fear, as it gives us the opportunity to disprove any of the negative beliefs we may have.

Take positive steps rather than sit on the sidelines

Moving towards what feels like the right path is the best way to get a clearer picture of what we really want. This gives us the feedback and experience to really understand what we enjoy, as you can only learn so much from the sidelines.

I think today we’ve been brainwashed by needing to know the ‘right’ or ‘one’ thing, which can keep people stuck and unable to move forward. Your dream career or business idea may not look the way you expect – so following what lights you up now is the way to eventually find the place you’re sure of.

Confidence is a matter of choice

The biggest thing I see holding women back, in business and in life, is lack of confidence. They say ‘What will people think of me? Who am I to do this? What if I can’t pull it off?’ They’re afraid to put themselves out there.

This is amplified in Australia and NZ due to tall poppy syndrome – where it’s culturally abrasive to be loud and proud about ourselves and our work. I have a lot of US friends in business, and that is not their makeup.

With awareness, however, comes choice. The question we need to ask is: Do we want to let that be the driving force behind our lives or will we choose to rise above this? It is always a choice, even when it feels like it isn’t.

The simplest way to move through these stumbling blocks is to take action. Many times (as it was for me, too, before I started) we want the confidence, clarity, certainty before we take action. But these actually all come through action. So, if in doubt – take action! You’ve just got to get in the game.

For more see the September issue of NEXT magazine.

Related stories