How Creating a “Success Folder” Will Increase Your Confidence, Productivity and Happiness?

Raise your hand if any of these questions resonate with you!

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your goals and commitments?

Have you gone through a patch of low self-confidence recently or would you like to boost your confidence before an important pitch or negotiation? 

Have you felt that you are not “productive enough” these days?

And are these thoughts and questions affecting your overall happiness?

If yes, then you know that we have all been through that phase at some point or other. I definitely have been there. 

And today, I want to share with you a tool that can come quite handy during those moments.

I call it my “Success Folder”.

---

 

So, what is a “Success Folder”?

This is a folder on your laptop, your online drive, a physical file or a box. Choose the one you prefer and can maintain it easily. This folder has a record of all your achievements and successful milestones. It can have a list of your awards, your professional recommendations or testimonials from clients and managers, photos from your important events etc. Anything that can remind you of your excellent work and your strengths, has the potential to be a part of this folder.

The idea of collecting this all in one place is to make sure that we can access all of it together when we need to.

Here is how you can use your “Success Folder” to increase your confidence, boost productivity and feel happier about your career and work?

Step 1: Create the “Success Folder”

Here are a few things that I have added to my folder.

• Positive testimonials, kind feedback and appreciation from clients and business partners
• Pictures from my important professional and personal milestones
• Pictures or notes from a time when I overcame a struggle
• A handwritten list of my achievements in my own words
• A list of my strengths with a few examples of situations when I used those strengths to get me out of trouble or helped me grow

Here are some examples. 🙂 

   

For example, when I want to boost my confidence before speaking in front of a large audience, I quickly go through photos and notes from my earlier speaking engagements. It reminds my brain that I hav done this before. Been there. Done That! 

 Step 2: Refer to your Success Folder

Whether you are having a tough day, or you are preparing for an important career event and need a confidence boost, refer to your success folder.

Going through your past achievements will remind you that if you have done this all before, you can achieve the same and even better, again.

Step 3: Update It at least Once a Month

Spend time at least once a month to update your folder. Notice and acknowledge all that you have achieved. It is okay if you feel like there is nothing new to add. Note the tiny progress that you have made to a project or a goal. 

I have noticed that regularly reminding myself of the goals I have accomplished, gives me the motivation to keep going further.

It reminds me of the opportunities I have received in the past and gives me hope that there will be others in the future.

A recap of our strengths and accomplishments also helps us keep that negative self-doubting talk in check.

---

 

Often, we are own biggest critics. while it is important to challenge ourselves and encourage ourselves to grow, it is more important to be compassionate to ourselves and appreciate all the work we do.

By appreciating where we have been, what we have done and what we do daily, we can feel more confident, productive, and happy on the way to be where we want to be.

---

 

This is all I wanted to share today. Will you take some time this week to create your folder? If you do, let me know what you added in there. I would love to hear from you. 

If you are interested in receiving more daily reminders, tools and motivation, join me at Instagram or LinkedIn, where I often run challenges and short live coaching sessions. 

So excited that you are part of this success and growth journey. 

All the best,

Nidhi 

   

How to Navigate Anxious COVID times and Stay Productive?

Hey Friends!!

It seems like an eternity has passed since we last met on the blog. A lot has happened. This is a strange new world we are living in right now. Full of uncertainties, anxieties, worries and challenges.

I am learning to live, survive and thrive in this new world.

I am learning to strike a balance between praying for others around me, feeling the pain that many in the world are going through and trying to find joy, appreciation and meaning in my own little life right now.

Many of my friends and family members have asked me, what am I doing to stay productive and positive and calm during this time. Many of us are navigating difficult home isolation and quarantine periods. Here are some reminders which can help us navigate these challenging unprecedented times. 

1.  Allow yourself to feel whatever you are feeling 

I recently read a very powerful article from HBR titled “This Discomfort You’re feeling is called Grief” which highlights the importance to name and acknowledge whatever it is you are feeling right now.

Don’t dismiss your frustration or anxiety. Don’t think that your problems are smaller than others or bigger than others. Allow yourself to give space to your emotions without judging them. That is the first step towards feeling better. 

Don’t judge yourself for having difficult emotions or having a tough time. It DOES NOT mean that you are being weak or ungrateful. It means that you are a human and experiencing tough times. Give yourself permission to do that. And remind yourself, you are not going to feel like that forever. 

2.  Redefine “Productivity” 

What it meant to be productive on 24th March 2019 can no longer be compared with what it means to be productive today.  We already have lots to worry about and figure out. Changing work situations, homeschooling of kids, health of family members, social distancing, home isolation and all. The last thing we want to add to these pressures are the worries of staying on top of “how to make most of this down time”.

This is not the time to have sophisticated planners, lengthy to-do lists, 6-months vision plans etc.

This is the time for building our strength – mental and physical, staying home (for those who can) with their family members and helping the community in any way we can.

3. Decide your “Non Negotiable” self-care habits for this week 

Plans are constantly changing. When there is so much uncertainty around us, each day might look different.

So, I recommend, decide on what are your “Non-Negotiable” habits for this week.

Right now is not the time to be active every single hour and working at your best pace. But, it is also not the time to give up on yourself.

Stay active, workout at home, meditate, get enough sleep, munch on some fruits and veggies. Don’t give up on your essential good habits.

If you feel like you are not able to do everything, decide just one non-negotiable self-care activity for the next 7 days. It could be 15-minutes of workout every single day. It could be 15-minutes of meditation or learning a new hobby every day for the next 7 days.

Now, this is not a lot. But doing this for 7 days, just reminds you of your own commitment to yourself.

Now, is not the time to be hard on ourselves for not being able to do everything. 

But it is also not the time to give up on ourselves and not do anything. 

       

4.  Take time to notice beauty every day 

I have made a promise to myself that every day, I will notice at least one thing beautiful and wonderful about the day. It could be a smile from my little ones, sunset which I am watching from my living room window or the delicious food that I am eating.

I am reminding myself that when I dig deeper into the moments of today, I will find at least one thing to be grateful for. I will find at least one thing that went well today. I will find at least one reason to smile and one reason to love.

---

Remember, you are doing your best. And that is all that matters. 

A few things that I have been doing during this time to cope up with my own frustrations or anxieties:

1. Dancing with my kids 
2. Painting – whatever comes to mind 
3. Writing poetry 
4. Eating sweets from time to time 
5. Lots of workouts 
6. Daily meditation practice 
7. Video calls with my family and close friends 
8. Reading something uplifting 
9. Listening to uplifting podcasts 
10. Lots of bollywood songs 
11. Cooking and experimenting in my kitchen 
12. Staying away from lot of news and forwards pertaining to virus 
13. Journaling – Lots of it 

What does your list look like? 

Looking forward to hearing from you. 

I am sharing some of my pictures from the last couple weeks. I am trying to stick to some of my routines that bring me a sense of calm. That includes getting ready and taking selfies. Because why not? 

Getting ready for “work” from my study room 

I am also hosting Instagram Live coaching sessions , so if you have any questions you would like me to cover, please send them over. You can DM me at insta or put them in comments below. 

Together we will move through this storm.

Lots of love and inspiration.
Nidhi 

Day 3 – Write Down One Habit That You Want To Change Before the Year Ends

Hey my dear awesome Friends!! How are you? 

How is it going? Here we are, at Day 3 of our 80 Days Challenge.

Today’s lesson is around Habits. 

Day 3 Task: Write down that one habit that you want to change before the year ends. And take one step towards it every single day for the next 77 days. 

While Habits is a topic as huge as the universe, and it is going to take several lessons and activities to nail it completely, today I want to focus on one thing. And that is, changing one habit at a time. 

What is that ONE HABIT that you would like to say good-bye to, before the year ends? 

Most of us have that one thing, one routine, one habit, one behaviour about ourselves or in our lifestyle, that we don’t like, but can’t seem to get rid of. I have a few. However, my most important thing that I want to change in my lifestyle is my sleeping habit. I have often thought to myself that I will make my sleep a priority and go to bed early. So that I can have at least 6-7 hours of sleep. However, I have always managed to find some reason (work, kids, events, travel etc.) or the other to not get enough snooze. Before this year ends, I am changing this. 

What is yours? 

Exercising more? Watching less TV? Eating more fruits and veggies? Calling your family regularly? Leaving work early enough so you can make time for yourself?

Whichever it is write it down. TODAY. And make a commitment to yourself, that before this year ends, you will follow it through.

Why are we focusing on one habit at a time? 

If you are like me, you want to do many things at a time. You want to enhance and work on many areas of your life and perhaps change or add many new habits.

To change any habit or install a new one, it requires not only our commitment, but also implementation. We need to get specific about what we want to change and how we are going to make those changes. And we are much likely to implement changes for one habit, rather than working on 10 different plans at a time. Working on only one habit at a time, makes it simpler for us and sets us up for success. 

If you have more than one areas of your life that you wish to work on, sure by all means that can happen. However, not all at once.

Change is always easier – one step at a time. 

How long does it turn a new behaviour into a habit? 

First of all, the idea that it takes 21 days to form a new habit is a myth. It is not a long enough period to install a completely new behaviour into our minds and lifestyle. 

There is research out there it takes on an average, 66 Days to form a new habit.  Although the average is 66 days, it can take anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for a task / activity to become automatic and integral part of our lives. 

So, our 80 Days Challenge project is a perfect time to prioritize one change over everything else. 

Few Additional Notes:

• Don’t be hard on yourself if you slip up. Stand up, brush off a bad day and start the next day again. 
• Changing our habits and changing our lives, take time and effort. The most important ingredients for our success in this project are going to be: determination and perseverance. Don’t give up and take tiny steps every day. 
• Notes from the field – I am currently trying to improve my sleeping habits. I have printed a calendar and giving myself a big check or a cross depending on how I sleep. I check my fitness band to tell myself, how many hours of sleep I had. I am also rewarding myself tiny treats when I do well and keep on pursuing the new behaviour that I am trying to integrate in my life. 

That is all for today. 

I am loving all your beautiful messages and commitments to yourself. 

So excited and grateful that we are working together to end this year on the mountain top! 

Loads of hugs and inspiration,

Nidhi xo