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Everyday Excellence: Interview with Personal Development Coach Lucy Smith

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. - Lao Tzu

 

In my last post, we took a look at the life of rock legend Bruce Springsteen, some of the specific ways he demonstrated the principles of excellence throughout his rise to success, and lessons that we can take away and apply to our own journeys. But, one of the themes of my blog is that the pursuit of excellence is for everyone. So, I’m starting a companion series where I’ll be interviewing everyday people – people who have chosen careers or lives outside of the limelight, or those who are just beginning their journey – who also have a passion for excellence, to see how they integrate the habits of excellence and ongoing improvement in their daily lives.

In this article, I’ve interviewed fellow coach and blogger Lucy Smith about her personal journey, and some of the tips she has for the rest of us. Let’s see what we can learn!

 

One way to think about excellence is that it’s the result of a process of continual, ongoing improvement. As a coach who blogs on topics related to personal growth and development, you obviously value this process. What drives your commitment to ongoing growth and improvement? Why is it so important to you?

I have been committed to personal development daily for the last 2 years. I used to suffer badly with anxiety and depression as well as fears and confidence issues. My counselor recommended a mindfulness book and this showed me the world of personal development. Since then I have learned more and expanded my morning routine into what it is now (The Best Morning Routine For A Productive Day).

Without this morning routine I wouldn’t have the strong mindset that I do, and that keeps me motivated to complete my morning routine daily without fail. It is now a habit and when I wake up I do my whole morning routine without thinking.

 

How has your commitment to personal growth and development impacted your life? What changes or benefits have you seen?

In so many ways – I don’t even know where to start. I can now manage my anxiety and depression, by working on my mindset every morning this usually keeps it away. When I have occasional moments I know how to handle them and prevent it from escalating like it used to.

I have overcome my fear of driving and being in public alone, this has been life changing for me as these fears held me back for a long time and impacted my life.

My confidence has boosted massively, I always used to be very shy and struggle in social situations. Now I enjoy being around people, I am comfortable in my own skin and when socializing (My Confidence Journey).

 

What challenges have you run into on your journey so far, and how have you handled them?

I truly believe that anxiety and depression will never leave, that I just have to manage it. Occasionally something triggers it and I have to handle the situation. My top tip for this is mindfulness, there is nothing better that concentrating on the present moment to get out of your own head.

One technique I love is to ask myself these 4 questions:

1. What is one thing you can see?

2. What is one thing you can smell?

3. How does your body feel?

4. What is positive about this moment?

Another technique I use is affirmations. These are very easy to make, start by writing down all the negative thoughts you have about yourself (e.g., I’m not worthy of love and happiness). Create a positive affirmation starting with the words I AM (e.g., I am worthy of love and happiness, I attract this into my life daily).

You can write these down somewhere and say them to yourself daily, either in your head or out loud. I have recorded mine as a voice note so I can listen to myself saying my affirmations, as I find this very powerful.

 

What tools have helped you the most on your journey?

Books:

  • Anxiety – The Anxiety Solution by Chloe Brotheridge
  • Confidence – Confidence by Katie Piper
  • Positivity – Happy by Ferne Cotton

Podcasts:

  • Mindfulness – The Mindful Kind by Rachel Cable
  • Health – The Chalene Show
  • Positivity – Happier with Gretchen Rubin

Other Tools:

 

What advice or tips would you give to others who are striving for personal growth and improvement?

Reflect on how you want to improve your mindset: how would it look and feel if you had a perfect mindset?

Make a list of all the areas you want to improve your mindset. Research tools that will help with these areas and start making habits.

Create a morning routine with these habits and stick to completing it daily. Use a way to track them, either on paper, a memo on your phone, or a scheduler (my favorite is Asana).

If you would like me to help you set some habits to work on the areas you want to improve email me at Lucy@SucceedNow.co.uk

 

About Lucy

Lucy Smith is a personal development coach supporting others in their journey to overcoming anxiety, fears and limiting beliefs and improving their mindset.

You can find her at www.succeednow.co.uk where there is a range of support to help you on your personal development journey.

To connect with Lucy on social media:

17 thoughts on “Everyday Excellence: Interview with Personal Development Coach Lucy Smith”

  1. I absolutely believe that starting your morning on the right foot is the key to a successful productive day. I’ve had Confidence by Katie Piper on my To Read list for a while now, this might be the reminder I need to start reading it.

  2. I think a good solid morning routine can set the tone for the entire day . I love the four questions you ask yourself when you have an anxious moment . I will save these as a reminder so that when I start to get anxious I can nip it in the bud . You have shared some valuable resources for anyone looking to improve their life .

  3. It is so wonderful to get to know Lucy better in this interview! I love the four questions to lead one into the mindfulness of each moment. In many cases we may get caught up with life that we forget the one that matters most: NOW. These wonderful questions bring us to the presence of this moment for sure! Thanks so much for sharing your inspirational story, Lucy. What a joy!!

    1. Yes, I think those questions are great to ask ourselves throughout the day, regardless of whether we’re feeling anxiety, just to center us in the moment of NOW!

  4. A perfect morning routine really helps set the tine of the day. I talk to myself daily and remind about the goals I have set for myself. It keeps me motivated for the entire day.

    1. That’s awesome! Sounds like you have a great system in place! Reviewing and thinking about our goals daily is another great tip – thanks for that reminder!

  5. This is such a lovely interview. Lucy your response to these questions are very relatable and helpful as I too am on a personal development journey. I love the 4 questions you use to handle challenges. Just brilliant. Affirmations are a biggie for me, they really help to keep me going.

  6. Been applying a morning routine/system I am curating. I hope this one works and would love to share it soon. Lucy you’ve been very amazing.

    1. Please do share your morning routine when you’ve refined it – how we start the day has such a big impact on how the rest of the day goes – we can all learn from each other!

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