Mike Lawrence - Sheffield Live  Radio Interview

Business Live: Jamie Veitch’s Sheffield Live radio show Building workplace wellbeing, confidence and inclusivity with Mike Lawrence

Working from home means many business leaders and employees feel isolated; others experience overwhelm and burnout, or never stop working. He has strategies to protect and support you and your colleagues’ health and wellbeing.

Born and raised in a working-class part of Sheffield, Mike now lives in Chesterfield. But as a young man, he had to move to London to access employment opportunities: covert racism in Sheffield proved an enormous barrier. Has that changed? Is the city a better place now for a young Person of Colour?

Mike “could talk for a week about some of the challenges I’ve had to overcome.” Alongside his one-to-one practice in Sheffield, he now works with many corporate firms and large organisations, enabling them to address discrimination, bias and barriers to inclusivity. He describes initiatives and action, underway and needed, to create a level playing field for all.

 

“It’s important we can still look forward to a great future,” says Mike Lawrence, workplace health and wellbeing consultant.

It’s been a year of immense stress: the pandemic, losses of family and friends, concerns for people’s health, living under restrictions, businesses going under or at risk of it, and horrifying injustices. Mike supports people with depression and experiencing anxiety, so how does he protect himself and what did he do differently this year?

Mike is also frank about a period in his life when his own confidence took a battering and how he addressed this, and describes practical actions you can take to protect and build your own.

Click on the link below to listen to the interview.

Business Live: Jamie Veitch’s Sheffield Live radio show Building workplace wellbeing, confidence and inclusivity with Mike Lawrence

 

 

2021

2020 Year In Review: Three Celebrated Achievements

Emotions can run high at this time of the year, as Christmas approaches and with the end of the year not too far away.

Are you counting down the days to 2021? A new year with new possibilities, new hope and renewed optimism—where the challenges of 2020 can be put behind us.

Do you wonder what the New Year will have in store for you? Will this be the year that you finally follow your dreams and aspirations and achieve your goals in life? I sure hope so!

Will 2021 bring back some normality and all the things we’ve missed in our daily lives?

Whether making New Year resolutions is your thing or not, it’s the perfect time to reflect on what’s worked for you during 2020, to celebrate your achievements and make plans for the year ahead.

“We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives…not looking for flaws, but for potential.” ~ Ellen Goodman

Three of my Celebrated Achievements of 2020

Losing Six Kilos in Weight 

Pandemic weight gain refers to a social acceptance of weight gain during the pandemic.

Life in lockdown has disrupted all our lives, and a substantial number of people gained a lot of weight during this period. Working from home increases the need to panic buy and leads to feelings of guilt about what we’ve eaten—or the exercise we haven’t done.

In a study earlier this year, by King’s College London and Ipsos MORI, 48% of respondents said they’d gained weight during lockdown. The same percentage reported feeling more anxious or depressed than usual, and 29% admitted to drinking more alcohol.

I used lockdown to manage my time more effectively. I created a daily routine and structure, which enabled me to spend more time exercising and preparing healthy meals. This resulted in me losing six kilos, which is the most svelte I’ve been in over ten years. This fantastic feeling gave me the impetus to make changes in all areas of my life, which I’ve maintained throughout the year.

Amazon Best Selling Author; Confidence: How To Have It And Keep It

Hunkering down on January 1st, 2020, New Year’s Day, setting out my vision for the coming year, I have to admit that being the co-author of a book wasn’t on the list.

However, I was encouraged by my mentors, Chris and Karene Lambert-Gorwyn, to get involved with this project, which brought together experts who imparted advice usually reserved for high-paying clients.

In the book, I reflect on times in my life where I felt low in confidence and how I managed to overcome those mental, emotional and physical challenges. I draw on this experience to guide individuals towards building their own confidence, to make successful and life-changing decisions in both their personal and professional lives.

Did You Know Reading Books Can Increase Your Lifespan?

A report published in the journal ‘Social Science & Medicine’ proves just that, when comparing adults who don’t read books with those who read up to 3½ hours each week.

Those who read were 17 % less likely to die over the 12-year follow-up. In further contrast, those who read for more than 3½ hours every week were 23% less likely to die; overall, they lived almost two years longer.

Walking and exercising helped me to lose weight during the pandemic. I live in Chesterfield, famous for the Crooked Spire; before lockdown, I wasn’t aware of the glorious scenery in my area. I largely viewed the environment from the comfort of my car.

On foot, I can take in the views and lush green spaces. I discovered walking paths, routes along the Chesterfield Canal, not forgetting access to the Peak District, which is a given.

I was already a big fan of Audible, with its large selection of audio books. I went into Audible ecstasy and combined my walks with listening to audio books. Let me share with you three of my top audio books that I discovered during lockdown.

The Saint, the Surfer and the CEO, by Robin Sharma

An extraordinary story about ‘Living Your Heart’s Desires’! A practical and powerful process to recreate your life and reconnect with your best self. I highly recommend this book.

Three Feet from Gold Turn Your Obstacles Into Opportunities, by Sharon L. Lechter

This remarkable book shares key success principles of Napoleon Hill’s bestselling book ‘Think and Grow Rich’.

We so often give up on our dreams and goals when we’re close to achieving them. Again, a great book, and I had the pleasure of participating in a live Q&A Sharon hosted as part of the BNI University Business Booster training.

Man’s Search For Meaning, by Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl describes how he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn’t) with the experience.

He observed that it was the men who cared about others, and that those who gave away their last piece of bread survived longer. He offered evidence that everything can be taken from us apart from the ability to choose our beliefs in any circumstance.

Only those who allowed their inner hold on their moral and spiritual selves to subside eventually fell victim to the camp’s degenerating influence—compared to those who turned the experience into an inner triumph.

If you’re feeling disappointed about your year, if you’re uncertain about your future and you’re curious to know how you will benefit from working with me, get in touch to book your free 40-minute consultation.

Telephone 07967 052585 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk

What Will You Miss This Christmas?

This Christmas will be slightly strange for many, as we try to navigate the restrictions that have been imposed because of the pandemic. 

Spare a thought for those whose families reside further afield, in different parts of the country—or, in some cases, in other countries.

I hear stories on a daily basis from clients who haven’t seen their loved ones this year, due to travel restrictions and different tier arrangements imposed in different parts of the country.

“I once bought my kids a set of batteries for Christmas, with a note on them saying ‘Toys not included”. Bernard Manning.

I have many friends, relatives and family that live in London and the South East. Ordinarily, at this time of year, I would be booking train tickets, securing favourable rates in hotels, and I’d be packing my suitcase—excited to enjoy some yuletide cheer in the ‘big smoke’.

My diary would be filled with an abundance of ventures, which mainly involve fun, laughter and excitement.

A traditional trip to Winter Wonderland with my daughters, for example, in the heart of London—Hyde Park—where you can immerse yourself in all things festive, and where an array of attractions, activities and entertainment for all ages and visitors can be found.

This would be supplemented by a visit to the theatre; I usually book tickets up to a year in advance. We’ve seen various plays and musicals, such as Memphis, Mamma Mia, Chicago, Ghost, Wicked and the Lion King.

Then there’s ‘Dreamgirls’… 

The film, based on the 1981 Broadway play, tells the story of a small, black record label and its star singers. Their success crosses over to the pop charts, and it’s rumoured to be loosely based on The Supremes. The movie received eight Academy Award nominations and won three Golden Globe awards.

This is a family favourite and, potentially, number one in our list of top 10 movies. We made a pact that, if the movie was ever adapted for the West End, we’d get tickets.

So, you can imagine my reaction when I discovered that the play was coming to London. I secretly booked tickets for the Savoy Theatre.

Proud Father moment: walking towards the theatre, in the distance, the girls caught their first glimpse of what was to come that evening. They also had a surprise for me, and they demanded that I open a large, carefully-gift-wrapped box in the theatre stalls.

The smiles on our faces were priceless. Moments like that stay with you for the rest of your life.

Drinks reserved for the interval, souvenir programme purchased, we made our way to the front of the auditorium to be seated. The band started playing, the curtain was raised. It was showtime.

The performers came on stage, singing and dancing, against a backdrop of music and smoke.

‘Bring it on!’ I thought…

However, it didn’t really get going. It seemed rather flat, and certainly not as inspiring as the movie.

The stage adaptation didn’t quite live up to my expectations. In fact, it wasn’t worthy of being in ‘our top 10’. That said, Amber Riley, who played Effie in the lead role, saved the day, due to her incredible voice that ripped through the auditorium. The first act closed with the barnstorming ‘And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going’. Enter, stage right, Jennifer Hudson; click here to listen to her version.

I wondered how my girls felt. We nervously chatted about the film and gave our personal critiques of the performances, as we do. Then the gloves came off. The outcome was unanimous: we thought that the movie was so much better than the stage production.

I’m already seeking out deeds and activities for Christmas 2021 to add to my dream board and bucket list.

I do hope that you all have a wonderful Christmas and that you make the most of what you have and the people around you.

Are you looking to make some changes in your personal or professional life in 2021? Maybe you lack confidence and you’re not sure how you can achieve this. Get in touch with me and book your free 40-minute discovery call.

Telephone 07967 052585 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk

 

Could the Current COVID-19 Pandemic Make Your Seasonal Affected Disorder Worse?

Helpful tips for managing Seasonal Affected Disorder—SAD for short, or winter blues—during these uncertain and challenging times.

I hate to say it, but we’re already weeks away from the end of summer.

This year is significantly different for some people; as well as having to manage their Seasonal Affective Disorder, they’re also having to cope with the relentless demands placed on their daily lives due to lockdown—plus, the stress and anxiety of perpetual uncertainty.

I’ve already noticed mood shifts in some of my clients, friends and colleagues.

It’s going to be challenging for people who experience SAD as winter approaches—incredibly difficult, because restrictions imposed by the government will most likely highlight some of the conditions that promote SAD, such as spending less time outdoors.

SAD is a recognised medical condition. You may therefore wish to consult your GP if you believe you might be suffering from the symptoms of SAD and you’re unable to, or trying but struggling to, cope.

SAD is thought to impact two million people in the UK and 10-20% of sufferers do not have any associated symptoms. It’s a concern that afflicts more women than men, and those aged between 40 and 55.

There’s a direct link between SAD and the reduction in daylight hours, due to the lack of sunlight affecting sufferers’ hormone levels and internal body clocks. Symptoms include a lack of energy, increased tiredness, poor motivation, low moods, despair, sleep problems, depression, anxiety and feelings of gloom for no apparent reason—and a craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods, which can lead to weight gain.

With our frenetic lifestyles, we often miss vital signals from the sun, and our body clocks suffer as a result. Without decent light in the morning, our bodies don’t produce the hormones we require to wake and feel alive.

When there is less light in the morning, we can also feel less productive.

Staying up for hours after dark can cause mood and sleep problems. Sleep, our overall activity, and how we feel, are all regulated by our body clocks.

When your body doesn’t get the appropriate light signals, you might feel moody, sluggish, and tired. To counteract this, your body needs to produce active, energetic hormones, so that the negative, withdrawal ones are subdued. Positive hormones help to reset your mood, sleep, and energy cycles, so that you sleep better at night and feel fabulous during the day.

The great news is that a Health and Wellbeing Consultant can help you combat symptoms and implement changes in your lifestyle, with quick results.

A Health and Wellbeing Consultant can help you in the following areas: they can keep you motivated, and support you if you’re suffering from stress, depression or anxiety. They can help you understand why you’re feeling tired all the time (TATT), show you how to manage your mood swings, and offer encouragement if you’re feeling despondent due to the impact of the pandemic.

People have experienced AMAZING transformations during the winter blues when engaging the services of a competent practitioner.

I’ve created an easy, effective, powerful system that anyone suffering from a lack of confidence, motivation or resilience could immediately apply and benefit from when they work with me. I help people rediscover their identity, so that they feel physically robust and better equipped mentally; ultimately, they feel in better control of their lives.

What one thing will you do this winter to take charge of your winter blues?

If you’re feeling SAD and curious about how you will benefit from working with a Health and Wellbeing Consultant, get in touch with me and book your free 40-minute consultation.

Telephone 07967 052585 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk

Health & Wellbeing Tips During COVID-19 Whilst We Stay at Home

 

How are you coping with the restrictions to your lifestyle?

‘There’s a lot of negativity and fear out there, but we need to find a way to laugh.’

Mike Marshall MD of eatsleepthink talks to Mike Lawrence, Wellbeing & Workplace Management Consultant, about his tips for mental and physical health whilst we all #stayathome

If you are struggling with depression, anxiety or stress and this is causing you physical pain and affecting your ability to concentrate on while working from home whilst self-isolating.

Please don’t hesitate to get in touch, telephone 0114 327 2683 or email enquries@mikelawrence.co.uk.

You can also find me on Linkedin and Facebook.

What you think, you become. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you create.” ― Buddha.

 

life coach in Sheffield seasonal affected disorder

Life Coach In Sheffield – Helping To Beat The Winter Blues

Seasonal Affective Disorder

life coach in Sheffield seasonal affected disorderVisualise stepping off a plane after an 8-hour trip from the 30 degrees heat from the Caribbean into a 6-degree cold, rain and the blustery UK just as the clocks have gone back.

I noticed a mood shift from clients, friends and colleagues, could some of them be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, SAD for short or the Winter Blues?

Similarly to many people, I experience a change in my stamina about this stage of the year. Due to shorter days and the colder weather. We tend to feel more sluggish and less motivated.

SAD is recognised as a medical condition. Therefore, in the first instance, you may want to consider seeing your doctor if you believe you might be feeling symptoms of SAD and you’re unable or trying but struggling to cope.

SAD is thought to impact 2 million people in the UK and 10 to 20% of sufferers do not have any symptoms associated with it. It is a concern that afflicts more women than men typically aged between 40 and 55.

There’s a direct link between SAD and the reduction in daylight hours due to the lack of sunlight affecting the hormone levels and internal body clocks.

Symptoms include loss of energy, increased tiredness, lack of motivation, low moods, feelings of despair, sleep problems, depression, anxiety, feelings of gloom and despondency for no apparent reason and craving for carbohydrates and sweet foods, leading to weight gain.

With our frenetic lifestyles, we often miss vital signals from the sun, and our body clocks suffer as a result. Without decent light in the morning, our body clocks don’t produce the hormones we require to awake and feel alive.

When there is less light in the morning, we can feel less productive.

At night, by staying up hours after dark, this can cause mood and sleep problems. Sleep, overall activity, and how we feel are all regulated by our body clock.

When your bodies system clock doesn’t get the right light signals, you might feel moody, sluggish, and tired.

Therefore, your body produces active, energetic hormones and subdues the negative, withdrawal ones. These hormones will help reset your mood, sleep, and energy cycles, so you sleep better at night and feel fabulous during the day.

The great news is that a life coach can help you combat the symptoms and help you to implement changes in your lifestyle with quick results.

A life coach can help you in the following areas, keep you motivated, support if you’re suffering from stress, depression or anxiety. Understand why you’re feeling tired all the time (TATT), assistance to manage your weight, offer encouragement if you’re feeling despondent for no apparent reason.

People have experienced AMAZING transformation in their winter blues when engaging the services of a competent life coach.

What’s one thing you’re going to do this winter to take charge of your winter blues?

If you’re feeling SAD and curious about how you will benefit by employing a life coach, get in touch and book your free 40-minute consultation.

Telephone 0114 327 2683 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk

10 Ways You Can Benefit From Life Coaching Sheffield

10 Ways You Can Benefit from Life Coaching Sheffield

Mike Lawrence – Life Coach in Sheffield

10 Ways You Can Benefit From Life Coaching Sheffield

Life Coaching is one of those professions that some people are still unclear.

Although some of the world’s most successful people from professional athletes to business executives have coaches or mentors to accelerate their achievements, you might still wonder how relevant a life coach would be to your everyday life.

So, what do life coaches actually do, and how can they help you achieve your life’s dreams and ambitions?

Throughout my career, I have invested thousands of pounds in coaching and development, which has significantly enhanced my personal and professional life, and that investment continues today.

If you’ve found your way here then you may be at least curious, so I’m going to share with you 10 reasons how working with a life coach transformed my life and how it could help to transform yours.

1. Life Coaches Help You With Direction 

It’s easy to get wrapped up in life and lose sight of what you want to do. Coaches have helped me to figure out my ultimate goal, then set out a plan to achieve them.

2. Life Coaches Keep You Focused 

Keeping you focused can be challenging and daunting on your own, your dreams and aspirations can seem daunting, and a million miles away due to everyday distractions that can sometimes get in the way. But a coach will keep you focused by keeping you motivated, instil self-determination and self-belief, which will enable you to keep those dreams alive along your journey.

3. Life Coaches Help You Gain Clarity On What You Want

A high percentage of people go through life never taking the time to figure out what they want, therefore don’t have clarity and settle for less than what they’re capable of doing. A coach will help you to gain clarity and help you to get what you want and help you to take action to achieve your desires.

4.  A Life Coach Is Someone To Hold You Accountable

The opportunity to check in with your life coach is priceless. Someone who has a personal interest in your success. The coach will act as your cheerleader, a sounding board, and above all hold you accountable to the goals that you set.

5. A Life Coach Helps Keep Your Spirits And Confidence High 

Your coach understands yourself worth and value, and the coach will maintain your confidence throughout the coaching process and empowers you to step out of your comfort zone through continual development, inspiration, self-belief, determination and hard work.

6. A Life Coach Helps You Identify Your Limiting Beliefs

We all start from the same point in life, but where we end is down to what we are capable of achieving. Many people give up before they get started. A coach expands your horizon beyond your circle of friends, colleagues and business associates so that you can go beyond your perceived boundaries and realise your options regardless of your circumstances.

7. With A Life Coach You’ll Encounter Fewer Mistakes In Your Personal And Professional Life

You have an expert who’s been there, created a unique system that has helped others in your situation and gained tangible results.

8. A Life Coach Will Help You Increase Your Finances In Your Career, Profession Or Business

Coaching influences clients to improve their finances by investing in their employees, helps individuals to gain promotion, assists those seeking a better career path, improve working relationships, and those brave enough who want to venture out and start a business.

9. A Life Coach Will Help Boost Your Overall Wellbeing

Coaching can also hugely benefit your overall health and wellbeing. Irrespective of the issues you’re facing in life, working with a life coach is about keeping you on track. Ensuring you feel happier, more positive and supported, and confident about getting out there and pursuing your dreams.

10.  A Life Coach Will Save You Time And Unnecessary Stress

Life coaching accelerates your achievements and success, assisting you in achieving your goal much quicker than you could on your own, saving you significant time and stress of having to figure it all out by yourself. Therefore, giving you a competitive advantage in your personal and business life.

If you’re still curious about how you will benefit by employing a life coach, get in touch and book your FREE 40-minute consultation.

Telephone 0114 327 2683 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk

life coach Sheffield past future

Do you Believe that your Past equals your Future?

  • life coach Sheffield past futureHave you ever felt burdened down by your past decisions?
  • Do you ever have regrets about things that you haven’t done or actions you should take, but you were scared to take them?
  • Have you been through a divorce, been made redundant, or lost somebody close to you?

Chances are, I am here to share with you, that you aren’t alone.

I want to reassure and encourage you that your past doesn’t need to be a constant weight on your mind and determine your future.

The result of your past experiences and actions does affect us all.

The exciting news, however, is that your future is defined by how you take action from previous experiences and I’m going to share with you how you can change yours.

Let’s get one thing clear, your past does not have to define you or your future, unless we allow it to.

Life Coach In Sheffield

When I take on a new client, the first 2-3 sessions, I ask 100’s of questions in free association, where I encourage the client to talk freely about their past experiences.

The subconscious mind has a record of everything that we’ve done since birth, and both positive and negative. These memories and emotions increase overtime the negative memories such as blaming yourself for the breakdown of a previous relationship can be continued into future relationships fearing that it could happen again.

Or one’s fear of redundancy, where you continually focus on the anxiety and stress that you experienced when you lost your job and although in your current role, you have an excellent salary and great career prospects you can’t help fearing that this could all go up in smoke due to past experiences.

Life coaching is about allowing clients that safe space so that they can understand that we all at some point in the past have made mistakes, we’ve neglected our health, taken friends, family and loved ones for granted.

Do you think that if there was a lesson at school or a book that we read which taught us all how to lead a perfect life that we would all live in harmony and we would have no worries or concerns about the future?

Wishful thinking perhaps, for most of us and trust me, it’s not easy to let go of the past unless you have an epiphany or work with an expert.

Many try to go it alone, and use will power, but unless you are determined and possess a strong mental focus, this is not easy.

The benefits of choosing a Life Coach or a similar expert imply that you will gain quicker long-lasting results to the challenges that you have faced over a lifetime.

So whether you’ve suffered from drug or alcohol addiction, gambled your family’s life savings, the misfortune of a bankruptcy, enduring 10 years of constant chronic lower back pain whilst taking a cocktail of prescribed drugs to manage the pain, or you were living in a loveless marriage for ten years or more and think that you will never find true love in the future.

Accept the fact that you cannot change your past, but you certainly can choose to react differently to it. Remember by constantly replaying negative events about the past in your mind continues your inability to make changes in the future.

Life Coaching, combined with Integrative Therapy, can remove the old limiting beliefs that are preventing you from living the life that you dream and desire.

Your past, no matter how regretful it was, does not define your future. The decisions and actions you make today will ultimately determine who you will eventually become.

Decide to invest in a Life Coach who will help you to learn from your past and apply it to the present so that you can live the life that you were meant to live.

I work with a Life Coach and mentor, and I’ve hired a coach at various stages throughout my professional career. If you’re considering engaging in the services of a Life Coach or you’d like to learn more about how you can get clarity on your future from the assistance of a coach, please feel free to get in touch and book your free 40-minute consultation.

Telephone 0114 327 2683 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk to book your free initial consultation.

Elaine Godley - elastic FM, holistic therapist Sheffield

Elaine Godley Elastic FM Interview with Mike Lawrence

I was invited on to the show to talk about my holistic therapy journey and how I made the transition from the corporate business world into the health and wellbeing industry.
Elaine Godley - elastic FM, holistic therapist Sheffield
By Elaine Godley
I have beaten cancer four times and cured myself of serious kidney disease. A qualified Nutritionist, Psychologist, former Athlete and Business Consultant, I have an all-round appreciation from first -hand experience of what makes individuals and businesses tick, how to manage teams to achieve great results with less stress for everyone, and how to achieve and maintain your own Perfect Health. I volunteer on a cancer charity helpline and mentor people through their cancer journey, and host a radio-show Tuesdays 4-6 on Elastic FM.
Jon Covey Podcast - Life coach Sheffield

PODCAST #56 – MIKE LAWRENCE, MIND OVER MATTER

Jon Covey Podcast - Life coach Sheffield

Stress Management Expert, Consultant & Integrative Therapist Mike Lawrence shares his life journey.

Mike has spent a large number of years helping others thrive, be that in the workplace or their life. Today’s episode, Mike shares his journey, his stint at Butlins as a Redcoat and how he now helps to remove stress from your life.

Click on the link below to listen

https://joncovey.com/podcasts/mike-lawrence-mind-over-matter/

Life Coach in Sheffield - why do people need one?

Why You Might Need A Life Coach

Life Coach in Sheffield - why do people need one?

The No. 1 Reason to Hire a Life Coach It’s Not What Most People Think

Sky TV is awash with hundreds of TV channels at your disposal, recently I watched a fascinating documentary which featured Arsene Wenger the ex-Arsenal football manager and the many tributes from former players who had been coached by him.

Wenger received the coveted Ballon d’Or from a player, The Ballon d’Or is an award given to the best footballer each year. Liberian George Weah dedicated his award for FIFA footballer of the year in 1995 to his former coach Arsene Wenger at Monaco, citing “besides God, I think that without Arsène, there was no way I would have made it in Europe.”

Peter Settelen is best known for helping Diana, Princess of Wales, improve her public speaking skills. Serena Williams, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Clinton, Leonardo DiCaprio and numerous others have all enlisted the services of a life coach.

Of course, you don’t have to be rich and famous to retain the services of a life coach. Coaches provide a variety of services and support in a multitude of environments. Nowadays you can more or less hire a life coach for almost anything such as executive coaching, divorce, financial, career, anger management, health & wellbeing and so on. And this list is never-ending.

People from all walks of society turn to a coach to help them resolve either a specific problem or a range of challenges from the past, present and future.

Let’s face it when you’re faced with a problem, would you ask your friend to rewire the electrics in your home if he wasn’t an electrician? Would you ask your partner to teach you to speak Spanish? So why does it seem OK to rely on our families, friends, and colleagues’ in the community to help you to achieve your very own and unique, realistic life goals?

A life coach has the advantage because they can offer professional assistance from the outside looking in. They have no hidden agenda, they have the client’s best interest at heart, committed to helping the client find a solution and achieve objectives and goals.

Above all a life coach will hold you accountable. Have you ever asked yourself why you don’t believe that you deserve an experienced professional helping you identify your dreams and aspirations who will support you to achieve your goals?

Perhaps you’ve given up completely. Deciding to be content with your lot in life and your goals are yet another pipe dream. But consider a friend who just changed careers and is now living their dream, ask yourself why you continue to procrastinate and what is holding you back.

Perhaps you’ve never heard of life coaching, or you think it’s for other people. Or maybe you believe it doesn’t work or won’t work for you.

Let’s clear up some common misconceptions. First of all, life coaching is an all-embracing term that encompasses coaching for any number of areas from relationships to finances to encouraging healthy habits. Life coaching is extremely popular with people of all ages, worldwide.

Due to the internet, life coaches and clients can be in different places, as sessions take place not only face-to-face but now via phone, Zoom, Whatsapp and Skype. There are life coaches for all ages, life stage, ambition, and the goal you can imagine. Life coaching is a process and requires 100% participation and commitment of the client.

Life coaches help clients identify limiting believes, challenges, and explore opportunities. Also, many life coaches are very accomplished in their own lives and are good at active listening, reading body language, while asking key questions to unlock their client’s potential.

Many coaches may add NLP, hypnotherapy, CBT, counselling or other interventions within their coaching sessions.

There is a saying, “The minute we begin to think we have all the answers, we forget the questions.” – Madeleine L’Engle. As a coach, it’s important to remember we don’t have to have all the answers, and we don’t have to have it all figured out.

Great life coaches know how to ask you the type of questions that evoke the kind of answers that improve the quality of your life. Additionally, coaches work with you over a set period to make sure that you follow through on your goals.

If you’re not quite ready to make the jump, you can learn more about how a life coach can help you on my life coaching page, and I have many testimonials that you can read where I’ve helped people just like you with a variety of goals.

If you are ready to invest in yourself, call 0114 327 2683  or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk  to book your complimentary 30-minute session which can be delivered on the phone, Skype or face-to-face.

life coach Sheffield journey

How I Became a Life Coach in Sheffield

I trained as a life coach back in 2005 with The Coaching Academy, which is arguably the most well-known Life Coaching organisation in the UK.

My Life Coaching Journey

Life coach in Sheffield, Mike Lawrence
Mike Lawrence – Life Coach in Sheffield

As a student at the Metropolitan University in North London studying for a management degree, employed for an IT company in Hemel Hempstead as the head of sales and raising a young family in North London, I was introduced to pyramid selling, which seeks to generate income to those who participate, from the recruitment of others. Revenue is made by the sale or consumption of the product either by the salesperson or those that person’s downline. Pyramid schemes have been deemed in the UK to be unsustainable and illegal.

Amway seemed to be the perfect vehicle to make my riches, they are an American multi-level marketing company that retail health, beauty, and home care products.

Following the training and kitted out with an array of household products, I charmed relatives and neighbours to part with their tried and tested fairy liquid, flash and brillo scouring pads by persuading them to replace their products with mine.

A prerequisite of multi-level marketing was attending events which were hosted by debonair and flamboyant American entrepreneurs, dripping with bling and arriving in beautiful cars to underline and demonstrate their wealth. Juice Plus+ was the next multi-level marketing product I got involved with.

Transport for London took the initiative to train all senior managers to take a more collaborative approach in managerial, supervisor and leadership employee interventions. Fortunately for me, they contracted Anderson Consulting to teach everybody how to integrate life coaching techniques into the work environment.

Looking back at this stage of my career, I was encouraged to read books such as, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway, by Susan Jeffers, Chicken Soup for the Soul, by Jack Canfield. Excerpts from Jim Rohn, Bob Proctor, Zig Ziglar and perhaps the most famous of all Anthony Robbins author, philanthropist, and life coach. Anthony Robbins is renown for his infomercials, seminars, and self-help books including Unlimited Power and Awaken the Giant Within.

I attended a 2-day life coaching training course in Chelsea amongst 100’s of curious teachers, therapists, psychologists, counsellors, consultants, and so forth.  This was just the start, I was buzzing and wanted to learn more, I enrolled in classes which incorporated insights into NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming).

I annoyed friends, family and relatives to my guinea pigs for case studies, yes, those same souls who bought those dietary supplements and replacement oven scourers from me. Fortunately, they didn’t ask for their money back. I had an exciting mix of case studies; one is well-known in the media.

Well, all the hard worked paid off, and I was awarded a converted distinction in Life Coaching from the Coaching Academy. I joined the ‘YES Group’ known as the ‘happy clappies’ The YES Group was founded in London and had been holding events every month for almost 25 years.

I followed this up with regular monthly visits to an NLP group that met monthly to develop my learning and understanding of NLP. The group attracted some of the top people in the world, I remember sitting in the room and participating in numerous exercises, bamboozled and in awe of the wizardry and fantastic display of human feats. The sublime mix of NLP with magic, sleight of hand, and crystals, it was like hello…

My kids and ex-wife were my likely prey, testing out my Jedi mind tricks, move over Derren Brown, and Steven Frayne, otherwise known as Dynamo (magician).

Let’s not forget the 4-day personal development seminar hosted by Anthony Robbins, which includes walking across a 12ft hotbed of coals.

The basic concept of life coaching hasn’t changed, but the process and style have evolved now life coaches are specialising in a specific discipline such as financial coaching, health & wellbeing and divorce coaching the list is endless.

I employ a life coach and mentor, and I’ve hired a coach at various stages throughout my career. If you’re considering engaging in the services of a life coach or you’d like to learn more about how you could achieve your goals from the assistance of a coach, please feel free to get in touch.

Telephone 0114 327 2683 or email enquiries@mikelawrence.co.uk

life coach in Sheffield 2019 goals

Life Coach in Sheffield – Your 2019 Goals

life coach in Sheffield 2019 goals

4 Months into 2019 and You’re Already Behind on Your Goals for The Year

Here’s What to do Now…

Don’t panic and go into a mini-meltdown, consider this instead.

We’re into April. We’re a quarter of the way through 2019. If you’re like most of the people who attended my event, started the year with goals and ideas for what they wanted to achieve this year.

If you’re like me, you broke down your goals for the year into actions you would take and planned how you would achieve them weekly, monthly and quarterly.

You set out to follow your plan, but you didn’t manage to get them done, three months into 2019 and you’re falling behind.

Does this sound familiar to you? Because it should. It’s what happens to the majority of people who set goals, especially goals that stretch you. Approximately 80 per cent of people who make New Year’s resolutions have failed six weeks into the year. And it’s not just New Year’s resolutions, typically clients come to see me to stop smoking, improve career prospects, seek alternative employment, manage weight, improve the level of fitness and achieve their business start-up goals.

The majority of people who set personal and business goals fall down on those goals somewhere along the way, so you’re not alone.

Here’s my advice for when (inevitably) you fail to meet your own expectations.

1. Look at setbacks as an opportunity to develop and grow

Setbacks in life happen. It’s how we deal with them that sets us apart. If you have something happen that sets you back, use it as a chance to slow down and objectively evaluate what’s going on in your life. Often, it can be a useful sign that something’s amiss and can be altered for the better.

2. Be Here Now Even If You’re Goal Setting

I see many people that will be happy when they get that salary increase, or that new job, or that new car, or when their kids graduate from university etc. You know what I mean; it’s the live for tomorrow philosophy that dismisses the only day that really matters, today.

It makes me think of the Jim Rohn quote, “If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much.”

As an experienced Life Coach in Sheffield, I believe in a written goal setting, I know that it works for many people and it is something I will always encourage my clients to do. However, you can be setting goals and still be in the moment most of the time enjoying what it is you are doing as much as what it is you want to be doing in the future.

Being in the moment allows us to enjoy whatever it is we are doing and to not be beating ourselves up for something we think we should be doing or beating ourselves with some guilt trip from something that has already taken place and we cannot change.

It allows us to connect with the people around us and feel a sense of involvement that doesn’t come when we are constantly thinking about what has happened in the past or what may happen in the future.

3. Learn how to delegate

Your happiness and success could be as close as asking a colleague or outsourcing non-essential tasks so that you can focus on the key jobs. Too often, people take on tasks and simply add them to their responsibilities. Eventually, they become tired due to working long hours and this can lead to a deterioration of the task. By delegating some of the responsibilities to others, the load is lightened, and you are more likely to meet your deadlines.

4. Focus on positive self-talk

Make a conscious effort to stop putting yourself down. To do that, you need to be more aware of your negative self-talk, those chattering comments that you make internally. Compliment yourself on the things you do well; acknowledge all your achievements, no matter how small. Make a list at the end of each day of 3 things you did well, that made you happy, or that you are proud of doing. Write these down and then read them to yourself (out loud if possible) before you go to bed. This won’t eliminate all negative thinking, but if you can move the dial towards the positive, it will shift your energy and self-belief.

5. Be grateful

Because human beings are hard-wired to pay more attention to negative information than positive information, your natural tendency will be to focus on whatever you set out to accomplish but didn’t. Fight that tendency by paying some attention and being grateful to whatever you did get done.

Some days, everything seems bad. You’re exhausted, your boss is not at all pleased, you’ve upset your partner, you’ve picked up a speeding fine, and you’re in a dispute with your neighbours. Thoroughly awful. Counter-intuitively, one of the most powerful ways to re-energize yourself on an awful day is to remind yourself of just one thing in your life that is wonderful such as looking forward to your family holiday. Your boss, though unhappy with you today, is actually a cool boss. You may have had a bitter argument with your partner, but you still think the world of them. Research shows that gratitude has a wide range of health benefits, including stress reduction. You just have to bring to mind and acknowledge the positive aspects of your life that exist.

6. Consider that you still have plenty of time

We’re only one-fourth of the way through the year there are still eight months left, which is enough time to complete or make meaningful progress on all your 2019 goals. So, don’t panic, and don’t give in to frustration or exhaustion. You can still get the job done.

7. Ask yourself if you should change your goal or your approach

Sometimes the goal you start out with isn’t the right one, but if you think about it, a different goal or a different approach that makes more sense becomes clear. Not all goal setting is equally effective. Learning to set the right goals and learning how to best achieve them takes time, practice, and a little bit of guidance.

 

Ultimately, your goals are only as effective as the systems, resources, and people driving progress. Revise your plan that you can implement immediately that will ultimately get you back on track and lead to business success.