Finding space and navigating self-doubt
Something I’ve come to realise recently is how important taking time and space for yourself is when it comes to navigating with self-doubt. Ever since recovering from anorexia and building my self-worth, I’ll admit that I haven’t *really* struggled with self-doubt. Especially when it came to blogging and my job. This could be because I’ve been doing both for a long time and I feel very comfortable in each role.…
How to get out of a negative thought spiral
We’ve all been there right? Something happens that triggers a negative thought, your inner critic takes that thought and runs with it, until you’re spiralling and paralysed by fear. This happened to me pretty recently but I was able to claw my way out relatively quickly. So I thought today I would share the process I went through to do that and how it’s helped me communicate with my inner…
An anxious gal’s guide to networking
I’ll be honest, I kind of hate the word networking – what I really mean here is attending events and meeting strangers. But ‘An anxious gal’s guide to attending events and meeting strangers’ didn’t work so well as a title. You all know the events I mean though. Perhaps they are work events, maybe you’re going to blogging conference or Instagram meet-up. Whatever it is, if the idea of walking…
How to find your USP
When I look back at my personal and professional history, where my career is right now could not make more sense. It took some time and I flirted with several different career paths along the way, but I feel like I’ve found the right path for me and discovered my ‘USP’ (unique selling point). Although, when I really think about it – it isn’t a singular USP. It’s several different…
Connecting with your audience
Whether you’re a maker, a creative entrepreneur, a blogger or anyone else trying to reach an audience, one of the trickiest things to do is connect with them. At first, it can feel like you’re shouting into an empty void, being met with nothing but silence. And of course, that silence is deafening. It makes space for your inner critic to rise up and take centre stage. Tapping the microphone…
How to avoid meeting hell
For those of you who don’t know what meeting hell looks like – first of all, congratulations on winning at life, secondly, let me paint a picture. Your manager walks by and invites you to your fifth impromptu meeting of the day. You sit in the meeting waiting for 10 minutes so the guys from finance can finish their unrelated conversation… You’re not quite sure who’s leading the meeting, but…
Blogging: then and now
Blue Jay of Happiness has been going for 10 months now, so in the grand scheme of things, it’s a very young blog indeed. But, I’ve actually been blogging for 9 years. Almost a decade (sheesh). For today’s post, I thought I would talk about how I approached blogging then, why I decided to start completely from scratch and how I approach blogging now. If you’re interested in blogging, are…
How we use language to undermine ourselves
I remember a while ago reading about using the word ‘just’ in work emails, and that it can make us come across as less competent. I thought about the emails I sent at work and realised… I always use ‘just’. Here are some phrases that come up a lot in my sent mail folder: “Just to let you know…” “I was just thinking…” “Just my thoughts on the subject!” “Let…
Why it’s OK not to be a #girlboss
Is anyone else feeling a little bit exhausted seeing people talking about the ‘hustle’, the ‘daily grind’ and being a #girlboss? I know I am. Recently on Twitter I saw somebody calling out for a blog post that says, actually, it’s OK to not want to be a #girlboss. I read the tweet and sighed in agreement – I wasn’t the only one. Now, don’t get me wrong, I am…
How to survive an office job as an introvert
In England open plan offices are the norm. I’ve never known any different and nor have most people I’ve spoken to about it. The idea of open plan offices is, I guess, to get everyone working as a team. To improve camaraderie and inspire collaboration. And yeah, it is nice not having everyone closed off in their own separate offices – but sometimes working in an open plan office is…