by Amy Matthews | Apr 13, 2022 | Blog, In-Power, Mindset |
My days are filled with coaching high-performing individuals and teams. Not only are my clients driven, but they also have demanding jobs. I often witness various levels of anxiety, mainly due to stress.
I can relate. When I was in the corporate world, my anxiety was off the charts. I had a big job, a big team, a big revenue number, and traveled non-stop. I was under pressure to perform, no question. But I put undue added pressure on myself. An unrealistic amount as many overachievers do.
Across the board, anxiety is at an all-time high. Over 300 Million people worldwide struggle with it. We’ve all been touched by anxiety, whether experiencing it firsthand or with someone we know. Some people tout that anxiety is a good thing. That it motivates us, makes us perform better, be better. I think that’s BS.
To achieve what we want to achieve, we don’t need to be stressed out, strive, struggle, over-perform and unhappy. To achieve what we want to achieve, we need excitement, not anxiety.
The word “anxious” is overused in conversation which only adds to spreading more anxiety! How often do you hear someone say:
- I’m anxious to hear about your trip
- How did your interview go? I’m anxious to hear about it
- I’m anxious to learn what happened in the meeting
- I’m anxious to hear about your date
Anxiety is a feeling of worry or nervousness. Excitement, on the other hand, is a feeling of great enthusiasm and interest.
Your words are impactful. Choose them wisely.
by Amy Matthews | Mar 31, 2022 | Blog, Inspiration |
I conducted a workshop last week with a group of financial advisors. The team works for a division of a large bank, think household name.
The purpose of the workshop was twofold: for individuals to feel more confident about their unique talents and to build a stronger team identity based on the collective attributes of the team. When I conduct these workshops, I ask attendees to get input on how others see and value them.
The group was eager to give each other feedback. Without any prompting, they genuinely went on about how they appreciated one other. It was wonderful to witness! The energy of the group lifted.
This was one comment:
Thank you, Amy! It was a great bonding opportunity between myself and my fellow team members.
Fast forward to what happened at the Academy Awards. Social media and the news has been all over it so no need to comment. What I will say is the situation made me think about this:
Every person on the planet wants to be loved, accepted, appreciated and respected. This isn’t a big aha..we know this. But when we get too busy or stressed or have a deadline or “in our stuff”, we can forget to take time to appreciate others.
Appreciation is like gratitude on steroids. It lifts people up, connects us and builds community. And in turn, it lifts you up.
Appreciation begets appreciation. Spread some today.
by Amy Matthews | Feb 14, 2022 | Blog, Mindset |
I went on a coastal hike with my friend Amber last Saturday. The weather was gorgeous, and like all hikes, we got “it all out on the mountain.” We even tried solving a world problem or two. I hadn’t slept well and the fresh air and conversation were exactly what the doctor ordered.
At one point, we talked about how more people openly are expressing their frustration, anger and anxiety these days. Being cut off in traffic, someone “pulling a nutty” in the grocery store, a neighbor goes off on you. We both wondered why it’s happening. We agreed that it stemmed from feeling a lack of ease and the inability to accept all of their emotions. I said perhaps it threatens their Identity to acknowledge not only their brilliance but also the parts they don’t like within themselves. Amber said, “Ames, you should write about this.”
I searched “identity crisis” and here’s what Google had to say:
An identity crisis is a period of uncertainty in your definition and direction.
Common signs of having an Identity crisis are:
- Questioning who you are
- Questioning your purpose
- Questioning your passion
- Experiencing anxiety
- Altering your values to match your environment or relationship
- Difficulty trusting your ability to make decisions
Some causes of an identity crisis are:
-
- A traumatic event
- Major life transitions
- Loss of someone you love
- Health changes
- Relationship changes
We just went through a traumatic, two-year, global pandemic, on top of dealing with health, career, relationship and loss challenges that many of us faced. A BIG RED LIGHTBULB went off in my head. We’re going through a COLLECTIVE IDENTITY CRISIS.
No wonder some of us are feeling wobbly and uncomfortable in our own skin! Questioning: “Who Am I Now?” and “What Matters to Me?” It’s normal. We’ve had a major upheaval in our day to day so of course, the pandemic affected how we view ourselves, our identity, and our worldview.
If you’re looking to recalibrate, refresh your mojo, reset your compass, claim your unique attributes and recommit to what you truly value and want schedule a FREE 30-minute clarity call with me here.
by Amy Matthews | Feb 1, 2022 | Blog, In-Power, Mindset |
When a friend describes another person as powerful, do you cringe? Or better yet, want to run and hide? If so, you’re not alone.
Many of us are conflicted with the word “power” because it conjures up a vision of someone who believes “my way or the highway”. You know what I mean when someone wants to control your every move. YUCK. This is the old, patriarchal form of power and its intent is to have power over others. It’s fear-based and frankly, so passé.
The new form of power COMES FROM THE INSIDE OF YOU. It’s collaborative, innovative, and synergistic. It starts with KNOWING WHO YOU ARE by claiming your unique attributes and talents.
In a recent workshop, Your Authentic Brand, I shared how to develop the foundation of who you are – from the inside out. We went on a journey to discover who you are today, not who you were before Covid. Or 5 or 10 years ago.
These are the 6 steps we covered for living from a place of confidence within yourself.
1. You’ll discover your natural strengths and gifts. Having a clear understanding of where you excel is just so important. If you’re a natural leader but don’t lean into that strength, you’re leaving part of your value behind.
2. You’ll define your skills, and what you have learned to do. Think of your skills as tools in your tool kit that you use to perfect and master. Your top skills are those someone would pay you to do.
3. You’ll identify your core values. Core values remain constant no matter what’s happening in your life. If you value integrity you make it a priority even when times get tough.
4. You’ll connect with your passions. Passions are those things that light you up and you get joy and inspiration, like traveling, art, or learning something new.
5. Next, you’ll craft your unique branding messages, which are AUTHENTIC statements about you.
6. Lastly, you’ll look at the intersection of your strengths, skills, and passions to find your SUPERPOWERS!
So what were the results of this workshop?
You’ll feel more comfortable in your own skin. You’ll have a renewed sense of what matters to you, now. You’ll have the clarity and courage to ask for what you want. You’ll feel confident to take action that is aligned with your deepest desires.
This workshop is offered twice a year. If you’d like to be the first to know when it is offered. Download a copy of The Confidence Map and get on my list for weekly inspirations and updates on online workshops.
by Amy Matthews | Jan 27, 2022 | Blog, In-Power, Mindset |
We’ve been conditioned our entire lives to get what we want – whether it be love, approval or success – we have to be, look and act the “right” way.
Think about how often these thoughts pop up in your head. Is my outfit the bomb? Did I say the right thing? Do I look fat? Does he/she/they like me? Did I do enough? Am I enough?
Societal pressure to fit in is EXHAUSTING.
In our world of social media and constant comparison, it’s not easy to know who you are and what you want. Yet, it’s more important than ever. When you scrap “looking good at all costs” and step into who you really are:
You feel more grounded than ever before
You wake up feeling hopeful and on target
Your FOMO no longer runs “the show”
You have more energy for what truly matters
You’re free of the anxiety loop
You have limitless confidence because you know your true worth
To step into your most POWERFUL and FREE version of YOU, join me for the Your Authentic Brand Workshop on February 10th.
Find all the details and sign up right here.
by Amy Matthews | Jan 21, 2022 | Blog, Business, In-Power |
I love seeing my clients grow into their authentic power and advance in their careers. It’s why I do what I do. Some of my favorite results I see are when clients shift from:
Having perfection as a mantra to embracing their ‘messy’
Playing the comparison game to feeling comfortable in their skin
Feeling insecure they don’t fit into claiming their uniqueness
Acquiescing to bosses to share their strong opinions
Feeling intimated by large Zoom meetings to speaking up
Doubting themselves to feeling confident in their decisions
Prioritizing what others think to not giving a shit
Feeling disempowered to feeling like a badass
You don’t have to wait until you’re 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 to stop giving a shit what others think. You don’t have to wait until you’re older to feel totally awesome about YOU and what you bring to the table. You don’t have to wait to create the life you want – on your terms.
You can do it right NOW.
Being in the driver’s seat of your life starts with knowing who you are authentically – the most powerful version of YOU. Join me for the Your Authentic Brand Workshop on February 10th.
Find all the details and sign up right here.
