Remembering those who've gone before us

Remembering those who've gone before us

Clare Walsh

It’s Halloween this week which in my spiritual tradition means that we’re celebrating All Saints’ Day on 1st November and All Souls’ Day on 2nd November. These are important feasts when we remember those who’ve gone before us. In fact, the whole of November is dedicated to remembering and praying for the dead.

This may sound morbid but in fact it is a great celebration to honour those who we have loved and have left this world. It is also such a good opportunity to remember and honour what they left us with.

What is coaching?

What is coaching?

Clare Walsh

This week I thought I'd share a little about what coaching is as I realise I talk about it a lot but there are many definitions of what it is and misunderstandings of how it works.

From stuck to thriving

From stuck to thriving

Clare Walsh

Are you looking at your life and asking, “Is this it?” Are you ready to ask, “What’s next and how do I get there?” This is how many of my clients feel when they come to work with me and it’s exactly how I’ve felt in the past.

What is confidence?

What is confidence?

Clare Walsh

The dictionary definition is “the feeling or belief that one can have faith in or rely on someone or something”. In other words, in order to have confidence in yourself, you have to have faith in yourself, you have to trust yourself. And for me, this is at the heart of it.

An intentional autumn

An intentional autumn

Clare Walsh

I’ve made the most of every moment of summer, but here we are in autumn. I know for a lot of people autumn is their favourite season. The heat of summer has gone but there are often blue skies and beautiful autumn colour. As I’ve mentioned before I have seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and that can make the autumn and winter and even the early parts of spring quite challenging for me. In fact, very challenging some years. I don’t know what each season will bring so I try to approach them as positively as possible.

Are you living as though you have endless tomorrows?

Are you living as though you have endless tomorrows?

Clare Walsh

September is my birthday month and something dawned on me last week. My dad died when he was only 19 years older than I’ll be this weekend. And that shocked me - to the core! My immediate thought was, "Am I living as though I've less than two decades left?" And my gut reaction was no, absolutely not. A week on I’ve had time to reflect and the answer is still the same.

Lesson learnt

Lesson learnt

Clare Walsh

I run as much for my mental health as for my physical health. Running outside, especially by water reduces my stress and helps me think creatively. So why did I go five whole months without running this year?

Would you speak to your best friend like that?

Would you speak to your best friend like that?

Clare Walsh

How many times a day do you say something negative, unkind or downright mean to yourself? Are you even conscious that you’re doing it? What would happen if you replaced that mean, negative voice with a loving supportive voice? What would happen if we spoke to ourselves the same way we speak to someone we love and respect?

How often do you do something just for fun?

How often do you do something just for fun?

Clare Walsh

How often do we let ourselves do something just for the pure enjoyment? If I’m honest my answer is not very often. Yes, I’ve just had a lovely break during which I devoted my waking hours to relaxing and enjoying myself, but how often do I do that during my normal week?

How do you celebrate?

How do you celebrate?

Clare Walsh

A really fun part of my job is getting to hear about my clients’ successes. Big or small, it doesn’t matter. If a woman is a step closer to the life she wants to lead, the way she wants her life to be, that’s worth celebrating. That said, my clients, more often than not, are thrown the first time I ask, “How did you celebrate?” It brings them up short.

An Intentional Summer

An Intentional Summer

Clare Walsh

Summer is my favourite season. I love the long light days and warmth. I live in Britain so summer sunshine is never guaranteed but I always want to make the most of summer no matter what the weather.

What inspires you?

What inspires you?

Clare Walsh

Summer seems to have arrived - finally - and last weekend I was fortunate enough to visit the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition in London. I love this exhibition and rarely miss it. The thing I like about it so much, apart from the wide variety of art, is the fact that there's an open submission. Ordinary people can submit their art and, if they’re selected, have it displayed alongside professional and world-famous artists.

The stories we tell ourselves…

The stories we tell ourselves…

Clare Walsh

What stories do you tell yourself about your self-worth? When was the last time you actually questioned their truth? What may have had a basis of truth twenty years ago doesn’t necessarily have any bearing on the current truth – the capable woman with many achievements under her belt. What if you decided I am going to believe that I am enough?