Recently I have been experiencing Identity (ID) Fraud issues. You hear it happens to others and you think it will never happen to you … and then it does. That is just life. It has been quite a deep learning experience going through being a victim of ID Fraud. It is quite common and as much as I would like to share with you what happened and what to be aware of, for now, I will invite you to look at a company called ID Care, they are super helpful (free service too).  https://www.idcare.org/ ID Fraud issues are increasingly becoming very common and it is so easy for people to access your information as everything is online. I do encourage you to have a look at that website in your spare time. What really really frustrated me throughout this process is the inconsistency of information from working with the government officials and professionals in the banking and telecommunications sector. Please do not take this personal if you work in these fields. However, what is important are the lessons I learned and how you can learn from this and be the best professional in your field. I noticed the customer service and ...

Recently, I was kayaking in a creek and we hit shallow water in a double kayak. My teammate and I got stuck. Our leader said to get out of the kayak and pull the kayak out of the shallow area. It looked sandy shallow and I decided to get out of the kayak. My teammate stayed in the kayak. As soon as I got out of the kayak, my leg sunk into the sandy muddy water. I freaked thinking what if it is quicksand! I worked out how to quickly walk so I didn’t sink into the mud. My teammate asked if she should come out of the kayak to help me, I was determined and I told her to stay in the kayak. I was scared inside but I didn’t want her to take the risk of sinking in the mud with me as well. I moved as quickly as I could through the muddy water as well as pull the kayak out to the deeper waters. Then I quickly jumped back into the kayak without flipping the kayak. And we kept moving forward. The leader watched us come out of the shallow waters and he gave us a ...

In recent conversations with clients, family and friends, the topic of the day is, “There is so much on in my life, I rarely find the time to stop and just do nothing.” We have the technology to potentially help us be more efficient in our lives and yet we are busier than ever. Bringing our mobile phones to the bathroom and the bed as well? I can admit to one of those things. Let’s face it, most of us are addicted to being … DISTRACTED. It is easier to be distracted, then to face how we feel and the many things in life that are sometimes too hard to face. Or simply, we are comfortable being BUSY. With so many things in our lives, how can we ensure we have a more meaningful life and a productive one? I love Stephen Covey’s time management philosophy. Focus on the big rocks in life. Watch this video for more information, I highly recommend it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV3gMTOEWt8 (only 4 minutes) The concept is simply to focus on the big rocks which are the big priorities in your life. Know exactly what is important in your life and schedule those activities in your calendar ...

Emma a high achiever, a quiet achiever, gets all her work done, achieves and exceeds expectations, stakeholders love her, clients love her and she is also a team player. The perfect colleague to work with and the perfect employee to have in a team. She has a lot of work to do and too busy working away that it is difficult to make time for herself and no time to get recommendations on LinkedIn. Being a quiet achiever, modest, it is very hard to ask people to provide feedback on your work, isn’t it? This is a true story of Emma. Recently we had a coffee and I encouraged her to ask for more recommendations. I looked at her LinkedIn profile and she only had 1 recommendation. She then took my advice and courage to reach out to ask and within 24 hours she received a recommendation right away. I was impressed. Especially with high performing professionals, when you ask people for support, people are more than happy to provide a recommendation, ultimately it is helping you position you better in the market as well as enhance their own profile on LinkedIn. On Saturday 2nd March 2019, I organised a ...

In December 2017, I started my commitment to using the free mobile application called Insight Timer. Since then, I have meditated every day. My friends would be chatting to me and I would end the call with, “Got to go, I got to meditate.” I never thought I would ever say those words. It has been more than 450 days of consistent meditation. I practice a variety of meditation including moving meditations such as yoga and tai chi, walking meditation and sitting meditation and lying down to meditate as well (as long as you don’t sleep, burning a candle helps). Even Prince Harry meditates every day, following the lead of his wife Meghan Markle: https://people.com/royals/prince-harry-meditation-every-day/ Some of the greatest benefits in meditation backed up by science: Increase in happiness Increase in mindfulness Better relationships with family, friends and loved ones Improvement in decision-making skills Greater productivity at work A decrease in stress levels And many many more benefits Overall a better wellbeing I wrote an article about my amazing success in basketball about a year ago where I scored 22 points in one game, here is a link to that article if you are into sports and how meditation helped ...

In the new year, we usually have goals. We have new ideas. We have inspiration. We may have so many things we want to do. How do you get around to doing it all? I specifically haven’t set any personal goals this year. I have a few good habits that I want to incorporate and I want to ensure I do this every day for the next 3 months. So I have printed out the calendar for January, February and March. It is placed on the back of the main door in my home so it is visible and I see it every day. Every day as I diligently incorporate this new personal habit, I record my result on the calendar, give myself a nice GREEN TICK and I am set for the day. Incorporating new habits takes time and effort. And I am committed to this new personal habit. Have I got you curious what is it? For me it is eating breakfast, most of the time, I eat on the run and I am committed to eat at home before I leave for work. In this way, I am ready physically and mentally to spring through my day. ...

Recently I was travelling to work, I left my home at 7.15am and allowed plenty of time to get to the client site by 9.00am. It was raining and I drove to a train station to park my car. As I drove, I nearly got hit by another car which randomly took a U-turn after a traffic light intersection. The rain and traffic delayed my day and then I decided to take an Uber into work. The Uber request got cancelled by not 1, but 3 Uber drivers that morning. I finally got an Uber driver who was committed to pick me up and take me to work. I ended up getting in at 9.15am. I felt super rushed and terrible for being late on a client site where I was meeting with two senior managers. Luckily, they too, were having a bad morning and they were also late. Have you had one of those days? Everything just seemed like it was going all wrong that morning. I was totally aware of this. I had a choice, either to keep thinking, “The rest of my day will continue to go wrong?” OR “I need to shift my thinking in order ...

Be Inspired in July I have shared the below phrases in one of my global personal development forums which has had an extremely positive impact and I would like to share it with you.  6 months of 2018 has passed, time to Stop, Think and Reflect. Some thoughts to consider: Be kind to yourself If you had tried, pat yourself on the back If you started something and you have not as yet finished, give yourself credit for starting If you are paying attention to what people are saying, pay MORE attention to what you are saying to yourself If you are comparing yourself to others, start comparing yourself to the way you USED to be If you feel that you are not perfect as yet, not knowledgeable as yet, not beautiful as yet, remember you are a human being I hope you have enjoyed reading the above.  And a little bit more, I would like to share with you: Best Leadership article I have read this year: (Send this article to someone you know who inspires you and it will make them smile) https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/unique-habits-ridiculously-likeable-people-dr-travis-bradberry/   Best Video I have watched this year: Simon Sinek, Organisational Consultant and Speaker, Simon speaks about Millennials in ...

I experienced a difficult challenge on one of my projects last year. I certainly felt that it was easier to quit the project and focus my energies on more interesting projects. I listened to myself, my gut feeling said, “Just quit it. You deserve better than this.” Then I stopped and I said, “What if I just give it one more go? I was experiencing one of the most challenging times in my business, if I pass this challenge, then I am set.” Guess what I did? I actually got creative and I knew that I was stuck with a challenge and I just did not know how to fix it. It was easier to quit but I decided to give it one last try. Creating problem solving is key here. I thought about how I can resolve my problem. First, I asked myself, “Do I have the knowledge to solve the problem?” And clearly, I didn’t. I then thought, “Who can I get help from? Do I call the immediate Account Manager to seek their advice or do I call an external person? If I call the immediate Account Manager, it might not go in my favour.” So I ...

Recently, I met a professional who was highly capable and experienced in his field, but he said sometimes he goes blank during an interview. So what do you do if you go blank? I will share with you 3 strategies on how to handle this situation. Strategy No. 1 Ask, “Is it possible if we can come back to this question later?” Experienced interviewers understand that you may be nervous and answers do not come to mind right away. Ask politely if you can come back to this question later and remember to take a note of the question. Sometimes, the interviewers might forget to come back to the question so I would suggest to only use this strategy once during an interview. Strategy No. 2 Bring a pen and notebook into the interview. Ask politely if you can take brief notes during the interview, if required. Most interviewers that I know would be comfortable with this, but ask, just in case. Sometimes interview questions are grouped together and 2-3 questions are asked all at once. After you listen to all the questions, you might have forgotten the initial questions asked. It is very handy to have pen and paper there ...

Recently I was traveling to work, I left my home at 7.15am and allowed plenty of time to get to the client site by 9.00am. It was raining and I drove to a train station to park my car. As I drove, I nearly got hit by another car which randomly took a U-turn after a traffic light intersection. The rain and traffic delayed my day and then I decided to take an Uber into work. The Uber request got cancelled by not 1, but 3 Uber drivers that morning. I finally got an Uber driver who was committed to pick me up and take me to work. I ended up getting in at 9.15am. I felt super rushed and terrible for being late on a client site where I was meeting with two senior managers. Luckily, they too, were having a bad morning and they were also late. Have you had one of those days? Everything just seemed like it was going all wrong that morning. I was totally aware of this. I had a choice, either to keep thinking, “The rest of my day will continue to go wrong?” OR “I need to shift my thinking in order to change my day.” ...

We have 14 days until Christmas. Talking to my network of friends and business associates, most of us are feeling tired with the busy year that has gone by. Some of you may be feeling the same. With 14 days to go, we tend to want to HURRY our lives to get to the holiday season. But when we are hurrying, we can dread our daily lives until then. Use the next 14 days to simply SLOW DOWN and appreciate the simple things in life. Reflect on this year and think about a few achievements you have made. It can be simple as: completing a 1-day training coursehelping a colleague at worklearning a new skillmaking new friendsor simply … surviving 2018! Often we don’t stop and reflect. But when we do, think of how far we have come? Reflect on the people who have helped you this year. I would like to take this opportunity to send special thanks to a few people who have supported me in my business this year: Kristy Guo – who interviewed me and wrote an article about meDiana Thai – who diligently supported me at the Western Sydney Career ExpoAlan Suy – who helped me with my major website ...

  1. A New Beginning … Begin the new year with a fresh mind and set your intention for each day, “I am going to have the best day of my life today.” It is a brand new year, let the past be in the past, focus on the present moment and plan for future. 2. Sleep comes First Make sleep your first priority. If you want to have a successful day, you need to ensure you get your 7-8 hours of sleep. After 6pm, try to minimise activities that require concentration, including social media and phone calls. Get into bed earlier than usual, set an alarm to remind yourself to sleep early. 3. Do Something Different that is Out of your Comfort Zone. We grow and feel happier with ourselves when we are doing things out of our comfort zone. And it also gives us more self-confidence. Some of the activities that I have tried to stretch myself further are Surfing, Kayaking and Yoga. Think of an activity or a course that will stretch you out of your comfort zone this year. 4. Spend Quality Time with Family and Friends Scientific research shows that those who are happier in ...

  1. “We don’t learn from our experiences, we learn from our reflections of our experiences.” I have been attending a lot of professional development events lately. If you haven’t been attending, I encourage you to do so. It looks great on your resume, you can get inspired and learn new knowledge. One of the things I recently learnt, “We don’t learn from our experiences, we learn from our reflections of our experiences” (Professional Speakers Association). What this means is that when we make the time to reflect in our lives, that is when we truly learn from our experiences.   2. Exercise – you hear it all the time, but I have now come to conclude, EXERCISE has a DIRECT relationship to your happiness. Healthy body, healthy mind. For a very long time, I exercised because it is good for you. After reading many articles on habits of happy people, I have concluded, “Exercise has a DIRECT relationship with our happiness levels.” So change your beliefs of what exercise means to you and you might just start exercising a bit more. After all, don’t we all want to be happy?   3. According to Anthony Robbins, “Progress equals Happiness.” ...

  Get inspired this month with simple things that will make you feel better and happier. It’s the time of the year that we get cold, maybe tired and have the winter blues. Get yourself inspired by doing the 7 activities below:   1. Did you know in winter we need to get about 26 minutes of sunshine everyday? Make sure you schedule it in your calendar at work to get some sunshine, either sit in the sun and have your lunch or go for a walk. (Sydney: 26-28 minutes. Melbourne: 32-52 minutes. Body and Soul Magazine, 19th June 2016).   2. Did you know that the biggest health benefit occur in the first 20 minutes of a workout? (Good Health Magazine, July 2016) Set yourself a goal this month, it can be simply to exercise for 20 minutes, 3 times a week.   3. Feeling a bit blue, go grab a coffee with an old friend. Coffee will give you a real kick or even a cup of green tea. Use this time to reflect on the past 6 months, your achievements or simply lessons learnt. Take the time to reflect and acknowledge your achievements. More importantly, if you can write ...

  Carmen Cordoba HR Advisor au.linkedin.com/in/carmen-cordoba-02250233   My Background I am an HR professional with more than 10 years of experience who arrived in Sydney in 2011 as an international student. I didn’t have the confidence to look for a job. I felt that my English wasn’t good enough to apply for a job in HR. I arrived in a new continent where I am unfamiliar with the culture and the language. I felt that I had to start again. I had no hope. I felt incapable to continue in my career. I was an HR Manager in my country and now I am in Australia, I felt that I had to take baby steps again. My personal barrier was that I felt it was too difficult to get even a start in a decent office job in Australia.   Before Coaching  Before Leonie coached me, I wasn’t confident with myself. I couldn’t sell myself. I felt like I couldn’t communicate in an interview. I knew by leaving my country, I had to reinvent myself. I was prepared to get $15 an hour. I was going to work in a restaurant, in retail or even as a cleaner. I honesty ...

  I was inspired by my Barista to write this article. As a Barista, he would see different people day in day out and he said, “About 9 out of 10 people who walk in each day, are just not happy at work. For some people their highlight of their day is going to buy their perfect cup of coffee.” Now if you enjoy your work, then you are lucky that you have job satisfaction in your career. I remember early on in my career someone said to me, “Work is just work, just accept that you won’t like it.” I have never accepted this, I need to enjoy my work. I enjoy helping people, I enjoy inspiring and coaching people to achieve their career goals. So I would like to share with you 3 questions that you can ask yourself: Monday morning, do I want to go to work? (If not, why not?)Am I feeling drained at the end of the week because I really don’t enjoy work?What is holding me back in pursuing my ideal career? If you are dreading work and you just don’t want to be at work, it may be that you are working in ...