Motivation to Success!

According to the results of recent surveys in the UK, US and Ireland more than 50% of the workforce is unhappy with their career or job.

Most of these people are unhappy with the actual tasks they are doing in their job. The only way they will be happier is if they do something totally different – i.e., take a different career direction. The same goes for a lot of people who are made redundant.

These people have a choice, stay with the career they are or were in, or change it. The biggest thing preventing you from getting a career you love… believe it or not… is YOU!

Many people are simply not prepared to put in the effort needed, preferring to take the easy way out and accept second best… or maybe even whatever seemed like a good idea at the time. They do what they had the points for in their leaving cert or what their parents did/told them to do. Or they come up with excuses such as financial restraints.

It’s important to realise that choosing a career (or changing careers) is right up there with getting married, having kids, and buying a house. It is one of the most important decisions you will ever make in your life! For a few decades you will spend 60 odd hours out of 168 each week working and travelling to and from work.

And what happens at work, whether it’s good or bad, affects ALL the other aspects of your life – your health, family, finances, relationships, self-esteem and so on.

Choosing a career is NOT something that can be done in less than five minutes, but unfortunately, that’s how much thought some people put into it. Then 5 years later they are still on the factory floor, or answering phones at a call centre, selling door to door or in the same office doing the same every day.

Choosing a career involves much more:

1. Looking closely at yourself
2. Researching jobs which might be suitable
3. Being able to make a decision, and
4. Acting on, and being happy with, that decision.

The first of these steps in finding a career you love is “self-discovery”. It looks at such things as:

* The things you like and dislike doing
* The things you are good and bad at doing
* The skills you have or need to get
* Your achievements to date, and what you want to achieve in the future
* Your attitudes, values and personal style.

A thorough, honest and realistic self-assessment is vital if you are to gather the necessary information to make a good career decision… if you are to find a career you might love to do! If you want to find a job that is not work anymore!

That’s where my I come in with my career coaching package. While people can just opt for a new CV or interview technique sessions, I encourage a broader view on how to choose a career or change to the career you always wanted.

First the client and myself look at what makes them tick, what their core values are, what needs to be in place for them to be happy. This can range from family to faith to competitiveness to control to joy. We then use these values as a benchmark for career identification.

Then we look at the clients existing skills, strengths and character traits. They might be skilled at talking or problem solving, their strength might be a natural sense of humour and their character may be Loyal and Supportive.

We then explore the client’s interests, hobbies and favourite things. What is their favourite pastime? What do you read books on? How do you like spending a Sunday afternoon, if you won the Lottery how would you spend it etc…

When we have the results of all the exercises and work done, we match all of these with the ideal role in the ideal industry for the client.

Once this work is completed we start the actual practical work of skills gap analysis, CV and cover letter writing, interview preparation and job searching. Another USP is that I always personally follow through until the client secured a job or is satisfied with the progress made. This is done on a 1 to 1, confidential basis with the client’s agenda as the only one in town.

So ask yourselves and those around you the question if they want to get what they really want from the rest of their career or if they want to settle for second best? If you or them want to stop dreading Mondays, please get me their number so I can call them for a no charge consultation.

Patrick Mercie, 4ward 2 Success, your career coached 1 VIP at a time.

In light of our upcoming ‘Goal Setting’ Workshop which is on this Thursday the 8th of April from 1900 to 2100 in the Absolute Hotel in Limerick (still places available), Patrick thought he would warm you up with 12 tips for enhanced success in achieving the Goals you set for your self. Enjoy!

1. ’Desire is the starting point of all achievement’ (Napoleon Hill). What is the reason for the goal? What is the desire? Develop that desire.

2. Believe you can achieve it! Really believe you will do it!

3. WRITE it down in detail. Make it tangible by putting it on paper!

4. Make a list of all the ways YOU will benefit from achieving it.

5. Take the time to analyse where you are right now in relation to the Goal and accept your starting point without blame or worries attached.

6. Set a deadline for the goal, a fixed date. This helps as a motivator.

7. Make a list of all the obstacles that might occur on your path towards achievement. Then list what you can do about them if or when they happen. This ensures you know what to do at that moment.

8. Identify all information you need to get, where to get it from and when you will get it.

9. Make a list of all the people you need to assist you. Also think of what you can do for them.

10. Prepare a detailed action plan with all steps, time frames, people, information etc…

11. Visualise the achievement. Either see yourself achieving it in your mind or use pictures of it and hang them around your house or workplace.

12. Make the decision to NEVER give up! You are probably nearer to achieving it then you think.

‘Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal.’ Elbert Hubbard

4ward 2 Success are delighted to announce that Patrick Mercie is delivering a rerun of his ‘Goal Setting’ workshop designed specifically with enhancing your quality of life in mind! Patrick mentions that the idea behind this workshop “is for people to stop the blame game and start taking responsibility for their own future”.

This ‘Goal Setting’ workshop will take place on Thursday the 8th of April, from 1900 to 2100 PM, in the Absolute Hotel in Limerick. For directions check http://www.absolutehotel.com/directions

What is unique about this workshop is that it is interactive and will yield individual results for ALL the participants. It will also give them concrete goals to work towards for themselves afterwards.

The workshop consists of four integral parts:

1. Goal identification through value based exercises
2. Reality check using the SMART checking system
3. Golden tips for enhanced success on goal achievement
4. Design of your own action plan.

Testimonials for this workshop:

‘ I recently had the pleasure of attending Patrick Mercie’s Goal Setting workshop. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, the content was exactly what was required to get me started implementing specific goals and it was delivered with energy and enthusiasm’ – Laura Scanlon, Impressive Impact E-Brochures, Sixmilebridge – laura@noelscanlon.com

‘It was the first occasion I have ever wrote down my goals and I found the exercise very interesting. Patrick made the event fun and a very comfortable forum for all. I look forward to implementing my action plan.’ – Eugene Ryan – Qualified Financial Adviser, Limerick City eugeneryanqfa@gmail.com

Profile: Patrick graduated and qualified as a Personal & Business Coach with the Irish Lifecoach Institute (ILI) in 2007 and has this Diploma accredited by the Life & Business Coaching Association of Ireland (LBCAI). Patrick has been successfully coaching people from all walks of life towards taking responsibility of their future by acting on it today. Patrick’s style of working is interactive, motivational, energetic and above all positive minded. Patrick has been described by his clients as ‘infectious’ in positive thinking and attitude.

To book one of the limited places on this workshop fill in the form below and send with cheque or bank draft for €35 to 4ward 2 Success, 35 Meadowbrook, Mill Road, Corbally, Limerick.

For more info on the workshop or 4ward 2 Success programs email Patrick on patrickmercie66@hotmail.com or call him on 083-3008963.

Book a Place on the ‘Goal Setting’ Workshop in Limerick on 08/04 from 1900 to 2100 for me please:

Name: …………………………………………………………………………………….

Address: …………………………………………………………………………………

Mobile: …………………………………………………………………………………..

Email: …………………………………………………………………………………….

Please enclose cheque or bank draft for €35 and send to:

4ward 2 Success, 35 Meadowbrook, Mill Road, Corbally, Limerick. You will be contacted with confirmation of your place at this workshop.

4ward 2 Success are delighted to announce Patrick Mercie’s April and May workshop and seminar schedule, all to be held in the wonderful Absolute Hotel on Sir Harry’s Mall in Limerick. www.absolutehotel.com

These workshops and seminars are all flying under the same banner of ‘Taking responsibility for your own life!’.

More details as well as booking opportunities will be coming your way very soon but here are the dates and topics to wet your appetite:

Thursday 08/04 1900-2100 Rerun on demand of the popular ‘Goal Setting Workshop’. All participants will walk away with goals set and action plans made.

Saturday 17/04 1000-1300 Career Coaching Workshop. Through practical exercises and golden tips all participants will be taken through the do’s and don’ts of career identification, CV preparation and interview techniques. A great morning for all the unemployed and redundant people of the area or the people who want to change career.

Thursday 06/05 1900-2100 ‘Effective Communications’ workshop. You will become more efficient and successful in your relationships at home and in the workplace if you learn how to communicate effectively. This workshop is highly interactive to promote intense learning.

Saturday 15/05 1000-1300 Seminar. ‘It’s your move next.’ Here Patrick will deliver a 3 hour high energy talk about the how to and benefits of taking full responsibility for all your actions, thoughts and feelings. You will hear how you can take control of every situation you face and empower yourself to deal with them YOUR way. Patrick uses examples of his own journey of self development to enhance the experience.

I hope you agree this varied schedule should have something for all to look forward to. More details to follow in the coming days!! Have a fantastic Day.

Patrick Mercie, 4ward 2 Success, 083-3008963.

A lot of us every New Year after 2 cans of Lager to many make New Year resolutions of all kinds. We are going to climb Kilimanjaro barefoot, give up smoking after we finished the 400 packs we got in Lanzarote, walk the dog 8 days a week, never get angry anymore at politicians, get fit watching Davina McCall fitness DVD’s, support our local sports team instead of watching reruns of Leinster’s Heineken Cup win on Sky Sports 7 and so on.

Inevitably by the 5th of January you have blisters from walking the kitchen floor barefoot, got another 100 packs for New Year of your neighbour who came back from Gran Canaria, realise there is only 5 days in the week you want to walk that dog, get hit by another 5% levy and spit at the politician on your telly, eat 10 packs of crisps and drink 2 more cans of lager watching Davina do it for you and order in ESPN cause they have the Premiership rights for the 5pm matches on Saturday.

How does this happen? What can you do for this not to happen? Here’s my 10 tips for sticking to that New Year resolution and becoming the envy of begrudgers everywhere!  

1- Write it down in detail. This makes it real and gets it registered into your subconscious. Put it in your diary on page 1, write it on a notepad and stick it on the fridge. Make sure it is somewhere you go very regularly so you constantly remind yourself of it. This helps you staying motivated.

2- Believe you can do it. If your goal is realistic and you can visualise yourself achieving it, then you can do it. Make a clear mental picture of you achieving it. Seeing yourself succeed puts you in the right frame of mind.

3- Make a list of all the ways you will benefit from sticking to your New Year resolution. The more ways you can find, the more motivation you will receive from them.

4- Set a timeframe and write it beside the goal. The date by which you will have achieved what you set out to do. Again you are making it real both visibly and in your subconscious.

5- Think about all the difficulties you may encounter on your way to achieving your New Year resolution. These difficulties may come from inside you (such as willpower, lack of a certain skill etc…) or may come from external influences (such as uncooperative family members, time spent at work etc…). By identifying them you can already start looking at a way around these before they occur.

6- Check what information you lack right now to be able to start your journey to success and take steps to get this information ASAP.

7- Make a list of people you need help from; whether they are friends, relatives or professionals. By asking for their help, you validate them. Ask yourself what you can do for them so they will gladly help you.

8- Use all of the above information and make a detailed plan. Be precise, thorough and specific. Write down step by step how you will succeed. Brake down the resolution into manageable steps and plan them 1 by 1.

9- Celebrate every completion of one of the steps. Pat yourself on the back, give yourself a treat. Congratulate yourself. It keeps the motivation meter at 120%!!!

10- Never give up! You are always closer to achieving than you think you are. So NEVER give up. While change is always good, nobody said the transition period is a bed of roses. There will be thorns, admire them for what they are and move on!

I want to congratulate all of you in advance on bucking the trend and making 2010 the year where you turn those New Years resolutions into real achievements!! WELL DONE!!!

P.S.: remember there is always a friendly Life Coach nearby to help, motivate and support you. He/She is only a phone call or email away.

4ward 2 Success are delighted to announce that Patrick Mercie is delivering a series of open workshops designed specifically with enhancing your quality of life in mind! Patrick mentions that the idea behind these workshops “is for people to stop the blame game and start taking responsibility for their own future”.

The first of these interactive modules is a ‘Goal Setting’ workshop which will take place on Thursday the 3rd of December, from 1900 to 2100 PM, in the Mall Suite of the Absolute Hotel. For directions check http://www.absolutehotel.com/directions

What is unique about this workshop is that it is interactive and will yield individual results for ALL the participants. It will also give them something concrete to work towards for themselves afterwards.

The workshop consists of four integral parts:

1. Goal identification through value based exercises
2. Reality check using the SMART checking system
3. Golden tips for enhanced success on goal achievement
4. Design of your own action plan.

At the end of the workshop there will be an opportunity to meet and talk to Patrick.

Your investment in this workshop is €35.

Profile: Patrick graduated and qualified as a Personal & Business Coach with the Irish Lifecoach Institute (ILI) in 2007 and has this Diploma accredited by the Life & Business Coaching Association of Ireland (LBCAI). Patrick has been successfully coaching people from all walks of life towards taking responsibility of their future by acting on it today. Patrick’s style of working is interactive, motivational, energetic and above all positive minded. Patrick has been described by his clients as ‘infectious’ in positive thinking and attitude.

To book one of the limited places on this workshop fill in the form below and send with cheque for €35 to 4ward 2 Success, 35 Meadowbrook, Mill Road, Corbally, Limerick.

For more info on the workshop or 4ward 2 Success programs email Patrick on patrickmercie66@hotmail.com or call him on 083-3008963.

Book a Place on the ‘Goal Setting’ Workshop in Limerick on 03/12 from 1900 to 2100 for me please:

Name: …………………………………………………………………………………….

Address: …………………………………………………………………………………

Mobile: …………………………………………………………………………………..

Email: …………………………………………………………………………………….

Please enclose cheque for €35 and send to:

4ward 2 Success, 35 Meadowbrook, Mill Road, Corbally, Limerick. You will be contacted with confirmation of your place at this workshop.

Hi All,

Please find below the latest exciting new product from 4ward 2 Success Coaching & Training. 

There will be days you don’t think you can run a marathon. There will be a lifetime of knowing you have. (Dublin marathon email excerpt)

There is a marathon in everyone. (Dublin Marathon magazine)

Most of you that know me have been bombarded last year with emails regards the Marathon I ran, for the Barretstown charity, in Dublin. I also ran the Dublin Half marathon, the Frank Duffy 10 Mile and the Plassey 10k, all in relatively competitive times for a 42 year old who had given up smoking for only 1.5 years when I started training. My time of 4hrs 11 for my first Marathon was very pleasing. This year I will take part and compete in the Connemarathon (1/2 marathon for me) on 22/03, the Great Ireland run (10k) in the Phoenix Park on 05/04, the Burren Half marathon in Ballyvaughan on 23/05, the Achill Half marathon on 04/07, the Dublin Race series 5 mile, 10 mile and ½ marathon in July-August-September and the 30^th Dublin Marathon on the 26^th of October. (Hopefully in around 4 hoursJ).

I will enter some other races as I become aware of them. To be able to do all this I have had to get serious about running. It has become part of my daily life. I train 5 to 6 times a week, changed my lifestyle (healthier food etc), put together training programs, visit physio’s and GP’s, talk to experienced runners, get advice from professionals etc… By doing all this, what looked like a mountain of work became a very pleasant (most of the time) molehill of a journey leading to successful completion of the Marathon.

Positive results other than the races have been more energy, a leaner and fitter body, less stress and feeling like I can handle anything life throws at me.

All this preparation work is time consuming so I imagine that if you work 9-5 or more this might be daunting for a beginner or novice to undertake. You might also lack the right motivation to take this on or the right person to help you and guide you and push you forward without judgment or negative comments!

That’s where I come in as a Motivational Coach. I am a qualified Personal and Motivational coach (Dip. Personal & Business Coaching from the ILI (www.ili.ie)).

Combining my motivational coaching skills with my running experience I have come up with a Professional Motivational Running Clinic. This is aimed at the Beginner, Novice, Intermediate runner who wants to compete at their level in any kind of distance events, from full blown Marathons to Mini-Marathons or 5K’s.

Apart from gaining from my experience as a runner and a coach you will get personalised training schedules adapted to your needs, wants and aspirations. You will get 1 to 1 assistance on medical check-ups, dietary advice, race planning, running gear, injury prevention, warm-up and warm down. Also included in different packages are an initial assessment meeting, phone support, regular  assessment meetings and a weekly run during the weekends with me if desired.

DO YOU WANT TO SUCCEED? CALL ME NOW FOR THE FREE INTIAL ASSESSMENT MEETING ON 083-3008963 OR EMAIL ME AT PATRICKMERCIE66@HOTMAIL.COM

(The rates charged are depending on the level of assistance the client requires or desires. Packages start from €100/Month. (How much would all this cost in a GYM or from a personal trainer???).)

Hi all,

I sincerely hope that your festive season was a time full of love, togetherness, understanding, peace, happiness and balance. And if it wasn’t picture perfect I hope you had the time to learn from it and use the imperfections as stepping stones to succesful change. 

Though I am not a traditionalist in the pure sense of the word, I thought I would use one tradition as my theme for this week’s post. ‘New Year resolutions’. We all make them (and break them). Every year we indulge in them and for most of us they stick around for a while until the first serious obstacle occurs and then we (reluctantly) celebrate failure.

So let’s look at a few pointers to buck that trend and stick to the New Years resolution this year. It will make you feel fantastic as well as being the envy of others (not that that is important ). I presume you have made a resolution. (If not contact me and we can together work towards one).

One proviso: It is hard work so make sure there is fun involved as well. Reward yourself regularly to motivate yourself.

1. Accept yourself for where you are right now in relation to the goal you set. Don’t beat yourself up. Who you are now is super for now. Write this down on an A4 sheet under 1. Where am I right now? And say to yourself it’s ok to be there cause we are going to change it anyway. (Example: I owe €5.000 on my visa)

2. Where do I want to be? Write down what it is you want to achieve. Be specific. Make it measurable. You want to know whether you succeeded, or be accountable at any stage of your journey. (Example: I want to clear that €5.000 by 30/09/08)

3. How will I get there? This is your action plan. This has to be very specific. Make sure you allow for checking in at regular intervals to see if you need to make adjustments. (Example: There are 44 weeks from new year til the 30th of September so that’s €115 per week to be saved or made, make a financial plan to get there or seek help from a professional coach.)

4. What may be the obstacles that I can encounter and how can I plan in advance for them? Don’t kid yourself. you will encounter obstacles and may fail at some hurdles. So if you plan in advance what they may be you will be able to deal with them immediately when they occur. (Example: My car is getting that bit older so I might incur costs to that at any time. If that occurs I can go and train in open air and cancel my gym subscription for 2 months).

You know that one friend or relative or acquaintance that is always positive towards you and that you know will support you no matter what. Tell them your goal. Use them as a motivator and support system.

I want to congratulate all of you in advance on bucking the trend and making 2008 the year where you turn those New Years resolutions into real achievements!! WELL DONE!!!

P.S.: You know there is a friendly Life Coach nearby to help, motivate and support you. He/She’s only a phone call away.

Patrick Mercie – 4ward 2 Success Coaching & Training

083-3008963

patrickmercie66@hotmail.com

Goal setting a la Keith Wood

With Munster playing the All Blacks later this evening I remembered reading something a while back about the early Munster days (with thanks to Alan English – Munster Our road to glory). Keith Wood was back at Thomond Park after an exile with Harlequins.

At the start of a new season Dave Mahedy (amongst other positions Director of Sport and Recreation at UL) was at a session in UL and asked the team for their goals for the season. What followed was an eerie silence until Woody uttered the words ’winning the Heineken Cup’. The reaction was apparently one of giggles and disbelief. They had actually never thought of this as a feasible goal.

A good few players have since stated that this was the moment everything changed. It was out there. Someone believed they could attain it. It was up to them to get there. As most of us know Munster have since not once but twice attained that lofty goal.

We all have goals like that inside us. We all have wildly attainable goals. It is locating that goal within us and then putting it out there, saying it out loud or writing it down, which is the first step towards success.

So in the next few weeks, hours or days why don’t you just say out loud for yourself, or as a team, family or group what your goals are for the next period in time. And then start the wonderful journey to winning your own Heineken Cup final! I’m looking forward to hearing about them!!! And about your successes!!!!!

Patrick Mercie – 4ward 2 Success – 18-11-2008.

Change regret to achievement!

Regrets, yes I have had a few! But then again ….

I’ve turned them into opportunities for success and achievement!

I keep listening to regrets uttered to me by my friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues and social buddies. ‘I wish I had gone travelling when I was younger, but it’s too late now I have kids’. ‘I wish I had taken the last redundancy and set up my own business but with the recession now there is no point’. ‘I wish I had given up smoking years ago but I am in a stressful place right now so I can’t add that to it’.

Take some time right now and think of some regrets you may have. When you have done so, think of what they represent. Events from the past. You can not change the past. So accept them exactly as that, events from the past you cannot change.  Does it benefit you to fret over them? Do you gain from mulling them over?

Then imagine what it would mean if you accepted them as intuitive hints. Hints that tell you exactly what it is you really want. Then think what it would feel like to change that regret into something real. What would it feel like to take that trip, quit smoking, run your own business or whatever it is you always wanted to do? What would it feel like to achieve that? Now capture that feeling and hold on to that. That feeling will tell you when you are doing something that is right for you.

Now pick the one regret you feel you most would like to do something about. Where are you now compared to it? What is you current state? Be honest and don’t blame yourself, it’s ok to be where you are right now; there is no benefit in blame.

Then picture what you want to change. What do you ultimately want to achieve? What would make you recapture that feeling you had a few moments ago? That’s your goal right there. Write it down. That’s your next achievement right there in front of you. That’s what’s going to make you feel so full of energy and happiness. That’s what is going to make your life that much better.

Now you know what it is you want to achieve the next step is to plan it. How are you going to get there? What do you need to do to achieve this? You may have this worked out in your head. If so write it down. Step by step and with dates attached to it. Down to 15 cigs by the 1^st of January, down to 10 by the 15^th of January, Patches from the 1^st of February; you get the drift.

If you don’t know how to apply this to your goal don’t panic. There are many ways to get an idea of how to get there. Think of someone you know who has achieved this and ask them for help. The majority of them will be delighted to help you as it validates their efforts at the same time.

Search the internet or ask in your local library. Ask a professional. Ask your best friend for assistance, or your family. It’s not only ok to ask for help, it also allows you to tell someone you trust what you are about to undertake. If you need support or things are going a bit pear shaped during your journey, they will form your support system, the shoulders to rely upon.

Once you have the action plan together there is one more thing to think of. What could stop you in your tracks? What stress at work can make you smoke again? Could an injury stop your exercise regime? Could something you overhear stop you from asking him/her out on that date?

Thinking of this in advance may not be pleasant right now but it will give you the opportunity to prepare for it, both mentally and physically (by going to the GP and Physio for a check up to prevent that injury for example).

You are finally there. Putting the action plan in motion. Walking your talk, proud as a peacock. Congratulations!! Please allow me from experience to give some pieces of advice before I let you off on your journey to success.

Celebrate each step as a small success and reward yourself regularly. The journey is an integral part of the achievement.

You will make mistakes or have lesser days. Learn from your mistakes instead of dwelling on them. Take remedial actions with immediate effect to stop reoccurrence. These mistakes will help you towards your achievement.

Enjoy the journey!! You will look back on it with much more intensity afterwards and it will spur you to tackle regret number 2 on your list with enthusiasm.

Now go on and SUCCEED! YOU DESERVE IT!!

©Patrick Mercie – 4ward 2 Success – 11/11/2008