New Year – New Plan

Written by: Jannie Stricker, MSc , Steve Thomas MSc MAPPCP, Practitioner (EMCC) , Carmel Millar, MSc, MA, MCIPD

Already February, meeting again, after the Christmas period is special, there is hope for the new year, goals are discussed and optimism flows. As coaches we have a lot in common, one of the things that we treasure about each other is what we learn from each other when we meet up. We leave our talks enriched and reflect on our situation or lives.? Positive Psychology and Coaching are our passions, but we go beyond all this in our discussions.?

At the start of a new year, people often want to change something they have thought about for a while. Starting a diet, stopping smoking or taking up a sport are very popular topics. Some consider looking for a new job or maybe looking into self-employment. Having goals like this can be both exciting, but also challenging.

Are you sick of the routine and the 9-5 job and have started dreaming of being self-employed, but are not sure of the benefits and drawbacks? We want to share some insights with you. First of all, ask yourself, why am I looking at self-employment as an option?

For some, it would be the freedom that comes with the job, living with authenticity, meaning and by their values. Being independent comes with the freedom to make your own decisions and with agency – When do I want to work? – Who do I want to work with? – What is interesting to me? There is a motivational factor that you can build your day as you wish. In the morning you might have a contract for a consulting job and in the afternoon do a bit of volunteering, before delivering a presentation in the evening for someone else. You can have different roles and income streams and that gives variety and flexibility in your day.

On the flip side, some would say being self-employed is not for them as they like their income to be consistent, they like the structure of “going to work”, they like that somebody is taking care of all the administrative jobs, for instance, paying taxes, making sure bookkeeping is done on time etc. Another advantage is the relationships you build at work, there is always someone to have lunch with or somebody to discuss complicated matters with. Healthy working relationships can be such an important part of everyday life.

Call to Action

No matter if you are looking to become self-employed, or not, we have a few questions you might want to ask yourself before you activate a “New Plan for the New Year”:

-??????? What is my vision? Why is this my vision?

-??????? What is my goal in connection to the vision?

-??????? Is change needed? If so, where / what do I need to change?

-??????? How would I define success concerning my goal?

-??????? What would be the impact on me both personally and professionally?

-??????? How would my life change if I achieved my goal?

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Today we talked about Goals and Plans, and we decided to start writing this blog together, we hope you will find it of value.

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Who are we: We hold a Masters in Positive Psychology and Coaching Psychology from the University of East London (UEL). We are all EMCC-accredited coaches. We met at UEL and have kept in contact since we graduated in 2020. We meet regularly to discuss various topics within our field of work and decided to start this blog together.