by Lori Milner

Your thoughts are the turbines that generate the energy of happiness. Affirmations and positive thinking are 'part of the furniture' of personal growth. You can tell yourself you're terrific, but if you don't inherently believe it, there's always an inner critic inside whispering to you – what a load of rubbish, no you're not. If you can't always rely on positive thinking when you need it most, what if you experimented with creative thinking instead?

by Lori Milner

The more uncertainty in your world, the stronger your desire to control your external environment and those around you. Certainty is a basic human need. There are positive ways to create this sense of structure, security and knowing, such as a morning ritual, prayer, meditation, planning or exercise.

by Lori Milner

My daughter came out of her dance class in tears. I assumed one of the girls said something nasty to her, but she assured me it wasn't the case. Eventually, she admitted that she was upset because the class was challenging, and she struggled with the new moves. My children are constantly my greatest teachers; this situation reminded me of how difficult it is to experience challenge and discomfort for the first time.

by Lori Milner

What do you do when someone doesn't do what they committed to? They were due to deliver something, but when you follow up, there's always an excuse or someone else to blame - 'they never replied to my mail, finance is too slow or fill in the blank’. Most people don't say anything, and then the passive-aggressive behaviour begins. When there is no consequence for non-delivery, it becomes culture because, ultimately, silence is permission.

by Lori Milner

Saying no is challenging; most of us dread it because it questions our identity as being a good person. We fear saying no because we are afraid people won't like us or will let them down and disappoint them. We attach so much guilt and dread to this little word that we end up giving away our yes too quickly.

by Lori Milner

When you receive an email, you have three choices: You can read it immediately, save it for later, or delete it. Although you can’t control the volume of emails you receive, you can choose what to do with each one. There is also a plethora of software available for organising, managing and optimising your inbox.

by Lori Milner

Would you ever choose to watch a bad movie twice? Probably not. Yet when it comes to something we dread or even something painful that happened in the past, we replay it repeatedly. Every time you play the movie in your mind, the picture gets brighter, and the sounds more intense. Some of us have been playing the movie for years, preventing us from making progress on what matters most. So what can you do about it?

by Lori Milner

I've read many articles about life lessons people wished they had known earlier. Arguably this could have given me a better start, but the truth is had I known what I know now, I wouldn't have experienced the growth and discomfort that has shaped me into who I am today.

by Lori Milner

How do you know if you’re a powerful personal brand? It’s very simple. Are people excited to work with you? What do people expect of you when they engage with you? If you think back to university or college, you were forced to do group projects. There was always that person who did nothing and took the credit. It was easier to do their part because you knew it wouldn’t be done to the standard appropriate for your team. You didn’t say that person was a poor personal brand. However, you did associate them with labels such as unreliable, a taker and lazy.

by Lori Milner

Our interpersonal or people skills come down to how well we interact with people around us and the strength of our relationships. We already know that performance doesn't count for everything, and the higher up the ladder you go, the more critical your people skills become. You will inevitably experience difficult situations at the workplace, which are further inflamed by complex personalities.

by Lori Milner

Change is inevitable; it's the only constant. The question is, how comfortable are you with feeling uncomfortable? Consider that uncertainty came naturally to you in your twenties; you craved it. Very rarely did you plan your Saturday nights, the spontaneity of not knowing where you would land up was half the fun.