More To Life Than Shoes

I'm checking in....

It's half term this week, so it's been a bit up and down, round and about, a bit ooo and a bit ahhh. Basically, it's been chaos.
I've been trying to cram work into every spare moment and ended up giving Jacob snacks to keep him quiet while I make the odd call here and there. I'm  exhausted!
But, despite the tantrums and dramas, it's been quite a productive week. I ran the first ever online meet up for leaders on Monday night. Despite the odd technical hitch, I could definitely see the potential in using that kind of video technology. Just gotta iron a few probs out.
Yesterday I met up with the lovely Duda for coffee - leader of our Mayfair group. She's wonderful. We had a great chat and a bit of a brainstorm. I just love hanging out with inspiring and positive people who leave you energised and buzzing with a sense of possibility.
The rest of the week is choca block - I've got meetings with lots of potential new leaders and am even popping in to London Fashion Week. If I can get there in a half way stylish outfit that isn't covered in something revolting it'll be a miracle!
Plus, I'm working on a new and exciting project. Can't tell you much about it yet as it's top secret, but I shall keep you posted!
Nadia x

OK, so it's not quite the new year, and we're all buzzing with talk of Christmas parties. But surely, fun at work shouldn't just come from getting hammered once a year and indulging in extra-curricular naughties on the photocopier. (Does anyone really do that?)

If the idea of going back to work after Christmas makes you want to do a runner in your reindeer jumper, read on.

If you don’t love what you do, there’s something wrong. Life without passion: it’s a hollow existence. Grey mornings, dull evenings and long boring bits in between – it’s not much fun. Plus, the chances are, if work is dullsville, it’ll impact on the rest of your life. You could become a comfort-eating, telly-watching moaner who’s no fun to be around.

Work is not a prison sentence and if we love our work we’ll be a hell of a lot better at it.

Surely, it would make more sense to work our thing and do something we love, instead of moaning to our friends, moping around and self harming using Dairy Milk.

For some people, passion seems to burn inside them. They’ve always known what they wanted to do with their lives. They have to do as their passion tells them; there’s no other option. It’s a done deal. Well, it’s alright for them, but what about the rest of us? When we were kids we might have passionately wanted to be an astronaut, a professional showjumper, but nowadays that all seems like a lifetime away. Having time and energy to think about our passions is a luxury we can’t afford. We’ve got no clear vision of where we’re going or what we want to do. So how do we go about getting some oomph in our lives?

Here are my top tips for loving what you do:

Passion can be a hard thing to uncover. It can take some people years to work out what’s going to make them leap out of bed in the mornings. But we’re not disheartened - we think the process of finding out what floats your boat is fun. It’s a chance to try new stuff, notice things around us and meet exciting new people. Not a bad way to spend our time, we reckon. One day it’ll hit us, and things will never be the same again.

Get skilled up: So you're good at hoarding old shoes, well, now's the time to gather skills. Bide your time and take the opportunity to learn as many new and useful skills as possible. Go on courses, learn computer programmes or languages, get qualified - by adding to your CV and your braincells, you're getting ready for the right moment to take over the world. You might even find that your employer will pay (just don't tell them you're planning to jump ship!)

Give your job a much needed fun-injection - Find ways of combining the things you love with your job. Start a company magazine, podcast, revamp the canteen, organise work events or outings, plan charity fundraisers etc .

Embrace the side project- you'll be amazed what you can get done during your lunch hour, on the tube and instead of watching TV. We've met some remarkable women (read interviews in our book More To Life Than Shoes: How to Kick-start Your Career and Change Your Life) who've achieved great things whilst working full time - especially Preethi Nair who wrote her bestselling novel on the tube during a long sweaty commute! So, start planning a new business, get started on your blog or do an evening class - embrace the "side hustle."

Get some More To Life Than Shoes action in your life! Get together with girls in your office or in your local area and start a More To Life Than Shoes group to to get your regular fix of new ideas, new friends and new energy and make it happen. Members of MTLTS are bagging their dream jobs, writing books, starting businesses and getting promoted. It's a great way of getting the support, inspiration and encouragement you need to make a change.

Break it down: We’re not saying you need to jack in your job, move country or rent premises, well not right away. Once you know what you want to do, break it into smaller steps, and then just take the first of them. Do some research, apply for courses – these aren’t scary things. Start out small and gradually things will happen. 

It is only November, people, so there's plenty of time to get cracking at this before Christmas is actually upon us and we're lost in a haze of mulled wine and bad knitwear.

Good luck!

According to burlesque dancer Lady Alex;
“The most important element of any burlesque routine is eye-contact. To lock eyes with your audience is compelling, sexy and open. The most powerful thing you can do when engaging with anyone, from the love of your life to your boss, is to hold your head up high and look them straight in the eye. You are equal, confident and unapologetically you.”

So, our Mini Mission this week is to experiment with a bit of eye contact.

Since our interview with the lovely Lady Alex, I've realised that I do in fact spend a lot of my time looking at my shoes. Not because they're gorgeous (they are obv) but because I'm feeling a bit shy or like I don't quite know what I'm doing. 

Am I alone? Or do you also find looking people in the eye a bit uncomfortable?

It's silly really - I'm sure the other person just wants to know we're listening to them. Instead we leave them wondering if we're more interested in our shoes than what they have to say.

MINI MISSION 7: LOOK INTO MY EYES
Your mission this week, if you choose to accept it, is to look at least one person in the eye.

How do you think it will make us feel and how do you reckon people will respond? I've got a feeling that after this we'll be oozing confidence a la Lady Alex and be taken a whole lot more seriously to boot.

And who knows we might lock eyes and end up with a lot more than we bargained for; a hot date perhaps, respect, a new job or even a big deal. Let's see!

It’s time to make the most of that shiny back to school feeling and really get our big plans going.

To help us all take action we’ve just got to tell you about the 30 Day Challenge. It’s just what we all need to kick start our plans.

Making it happen can be tough – especially when you’ve got so much going on in your life. It can be hard making progress on your big plans with constant distractions from work, boys, kids, laundry and our never ending to do list.

Which is why we’re so excited about the 30 Day Challenge, brainchild of John Williams, author of the bestselling book Screw Work Let’s Play, and one of our heroes.

He has designed the 30 Day Challenge to help people like us put the play back into our lives and get our ventures and adventures off the ground. Think of it as a gentle kick up the bum and hand to hold rolled into one.

Click below to listen to our interview with John and find out why we're such big fans of Screw Work Let's Play.

Click here to visit Screw Work Lets Play.

How much time do you spend each week watching crap on TV, fiddling around on Facebook, sorting your emails, loitering round the water cooler (!) or generally faffing around?

Lots? Us too.

So, continuing on our mission to make time for the things we love, (and channelling the classic 80s kids programme Why Don't You?!) let's all have a bash at this.

Mini Mission 7: Turn off the TV and do something more interesting instead. 

 

 

This week, turn off the TV, close your computer or ditch the magazines for at least 30 minutes.

 

I wonder what we'll all find time to do....

And I wonder, if we'll actually miss our daily trash fix that much!

Let us know how you get on,

Nadia x

This month we're all about focussing on what's important to maximise the impact we have on the world.

But there's something stopping us. Perfectionism.

Do you ever spend hours on a piece of work, fiddling and tweaking until it’s completely perfect?

Err yes!

Is it really worth the extra effort and do your efforts get you noticed?
Hmmmm.

I wonder, what would happen if we eased off a little and were just good enough, rather than trying to be perfect?

 

Mini Mission 6: Ease off!
This week, let's all have a go at doing something that is just good enough.

How do you feel about the fact that it might not be perfect?

What did you do with the time you saved?

What was the impact?


Let us know how you get on,

Nadia xx

It started with a random magazine and all kind of discoveries. Then we got physical got sweaty. Made scary phone calls and got a mega dose of entrepreneurial inspiration.

This week, we're going to take a breather and review our progress.

So often we're rushing around from pillar to post, not stopping to appreciate that we've actually achieved some great things already.

Not any more! We've created a short and sweet form to help us all have a think about how our big plans are going, what we've achieved so far and what we'll have a bash at next. 

So, drumroll please, bring on the  Wufoo form. (yup, that's what it's called)

Don't forget to give yourself a treat to celebrate what you've achieved so far and of course share your progress with us!

 

 

We’re always being asked for our tip top networking techniques. The trouble is, the idea of business networking gives me the heebie jeebies; all that business card swapping, pointless chitchat and over the shoulder glances to see if there’s someone more interesting in the room. Cringe.

I’ve been to loads of women’s networks and clubs for women. Scoped out many women’s networking events. Worked the room. Talked myself up and generally networked my ass off. On occasion it’s been more exhausting than a full day with a toddler who’s eaten too many ice-creams. Plus, it can feel rather superficial. You come away feeling more judged than a contestant on Britain’s Next Top Model.

When time is so precious, why spend your time juggling awkward moments, canapés, handshakes and glasses of dry white? What is the point of filling your already overfilled diary with business networking events?

Ultimately, networking is just meeting people and talking to them, building relationships and creating opportunities. We do it all the time, with friends, family and work colleagues, and most of us girls are actually pretty good at it! And yet somehow the words “business networking" or “networking event” give us the fear – us included.

Here are my top reasons why networking is a brilliant thing:

 

• You meet new people. Some of whom will come in handy.
• If you talk about your business and big plans, you might even meet potential new clients
• If you’re on the scene people will think about you when they need someone like you
• It’s a great way of sharing ideas and collaborating
• You’ll be more likely to spot exciting new opportunities
• It gets you out the house – not to be underestimated if you work home alone
• It can be fun (really!)

My fear of networking (especially business networking!) was one of the reasons we founded our More To Life Than Shoes women’s network. We wanted to create a club for women dedicated to helping women turn aspiration into action, with members all committed to helping support and encourage each other. And it works.

So, as the founder of a new kind of women’s network, I’d like to share some top tips for getting the most out of networking that will hopefully make it more fun. Hurrah to that.

Experiment. Go to loads of events until you find something that suits you. There are all kinds of networking organizations out there, all doing slightly different things. Find events where you like the vibe. And don’t bother with the ones that scare the pants off you or where people are unfriendly. Obviously, if you’re a woman and you’d like to turn aspiration into action come and join us!  And then, once you’ve found your kinda place, go regularly. It’s easier to build relationships and make friends when people know you.

Chill Out. There’s nothing worse than being sold to from the get go. It’s boring. People will walk off! Instead, take a different approach. Listen to what people have to say and try to think of ways you might be able to help them out.

People love swapping business cards – it’s a big part of business networking in particular so make sure yours are really cool. We love www.moo.com. And bring them with you. Always.

Hunt down key influencers – Time is short, so don’t waste it hiding in the corner chatting to people who don’t know anyone either. Best to get chatting to the people who know everyone! They’ll help connect you with others and recommend you to a wider group of people.

Notches on the bedpost – Meeting people is about making friends, not gathering up loads of new acquaintances and a big bunch of business cards.

Prepare some cool introductions – Instead of the usual what’s your name what do you do thing. You want people to remember you after all.

If you meet someone you get along with, make contact immediately after the event and make an effort stay in touch. You might become friends and they will certainly think of you if an interesting opportunity arises.

Networking is a state of mind – think beyond “networking events” and “business networking” and chat to people when you’re out and about, at the school gates, on the bus or in the gym.

Listen when people are talking – there’s nothing worse that someone who’s biding their time until someone else comes along and clearly not listening to a word you’re saying

Don’t get drunk! A couple of drinks help with dutch courage, but more than that and you’ll probably end up talking crap or spilling your drink on someone!

 
And that's it. Simple. Have a great time networking like a nutter and let us know how you got on.