failure Archives - Jo Emerson

Letting go of people, places and things July 4, 2019 – Posted in: Advice, Relationships

I have had to let go of many things in my life; old habits that were no longer serving me, old unhelpful thoughts and self-limiting beliefs, old favourite clothes that were worn through, old homes my expanding family had outgrown, old ways of working etc. Always, before letting go, there was a period of trying to cling on (denial) and always, during letting go, there has been some kind of sadness. More often than not,…

Truth, Trust and Teamwork July 17, 2017 – Posted in: Advice, Leaders and Teams, Relationships

Meet Sam. It’s his first day in a new job. A top marketing job no less in a company he’s admired for years! He’s excited about the project, the prospects and the people. He’s joined forces with a team of executives who all say they want the same thing. He and his team all agree they want to win. They want to beat the competition and be the best they can be. Sam leaves for…

On perfectionism November 23, 2015 – Posted in: Advice, Confidence

Hello Jo! A lot of us struggle with perfectionism – especially around creative projects, and it can get in the way of us finishing (sometimes even starting!) projects… Any advice on how to handle that? I think perfectionism is a BIG subject with a very simple solution once we can see what’s really going on.

Life in 24-hour chunks July 29, 2015 – Posted in: Confidence, Spirituality

Many years ago I was introduced to the concept of living life in 24-hour chunks. It was a very alien concept for someone who was well versed in worrying about/regretting/resenting the past and worrying about/fearing/plotting the future. In fact, the concept was so foreign to me that I failed to integrate it into my life because I just couldn’t see how it would be possible to live one day at a time.

Face Your Fears July 27, 2015 – Posted in: Personal Development

Let me tell you about a client of mine who I worked with several years ago… James* was a straight-A student who couldn’t get out of bed or do any studying. He was also taking painkillers by the handful, drinking every day and had stopped eating. Having been predicted a first class degree in his first and second years at university, he now risked being thrown off his course.

Great Expectations… July 20, 2015 – Posted in: Confidence, Relationships

At my most recent Food For Thought session we looked at our relationships…

The Only Certainty in Life is Uncertainty – Posted in: Confidence, Personal Development, Relationships

If there’s one thing I’ve come to terms with and accepted in recent years it’s that the only certainty in life is uncertainty. For years I tried to control every aspect of my life and it was a bit like trying to peg down a tent in high winds. Because my life can’t be pegged down and neither can yours!

You Are Not Your Past June 18, 2015 – Posted in: Personal Development, Relationships

Hello, You are not your past. Do you know that? You’re not your past. Your past is an influencing factor in your present – we all have memories locked away that can trigger learnt (automatic) responses today – but you are not your past unless you choose to live there.

How Do You Receive Feedback? – Posted in: Leaders and Teams

I was recently in London, running a corporate workshop on how to give and receive feedback effectively. It was a brilliant day with some wonderful people and I think I learnt as much as they did. What’s interesting is that wherever I go I encounter the same communication stumbling blocks in the people I meet. A key block on Friday was the sense that it’s somehow bad to get something wrong. And when we believe…

Dear Jo… March 10, 2015 – Posted in: Advice

I feel caught in a dilemma. Some time back I got into a relationship with someone for whom I developed very strong feelings. Sadly the relationship quickly broke down because of some complex family issues that she had to deal with. It happened so fast that at the time I felt very confused and sad and wasn’t quite sure what to believe. We have managed to stay friends and I do trust her much more…