Innholdsfortegnelse for Issue 3 i Change Your Life

Laura Richardson Creative director and photographer Laura lives in Kent with her husband and daughter. She looks after all of the imagery in Psychologies magazine as well as photographing for it. Laura shot blacksmith Ashlee Donaldson for the My Life, My Way feature on page 70. ‘It was such a pleasure to shoot Ashlee – what an inspiring and talented young woman,’ she says. ‘It was like being on a film set inside this fascinating forge where generations of craftsmen and now women have laboured and created beautiful pieces of work.’ Oliver Burkeman Journalist and author Oliver is an award-winning journalist for The Guardian and the author of The Antidote: Happiness For People Who Can’t Stand Positive Thinking (Canongate, £8.99). He talks about appreciating the little things in life on…

Recently, I went for a walk with a dear friend. She’d just returned from holiday and was feeling blue about the prospect of work on Monday morning. My attempts to cheer her up weren’t exactly going down well. ‘It’s all right for you,’ she retorted. ‘You love what you do for a living. Me, I’m just hanging on for my pay cheques and the weekend.’ I didn’t point out that the pay cheques in question would make most people think they’d won money on the lottery – nor that we had always had different priorities. When my friend left university, her focus was to earn as much cash as possible. Growing up in a single-parent family, she dreamed of owning her own home, and of being able to help her…

How many of us have thought about turning our hobby into a side hustle that makes a little money and may even turn into a full-time job? Soap making, crafting, baking, writing – is it possible to make these things pay? And, with a full-time job, how do you find the time? I have been turning these things over in my mind for some time now, and watching others with the courage and determination go for it. As a full-time writer, I would like to launch a blog and podcast about faith and spirituality in the modern world. This is partly because I want to interview people and learn more about their religion – or lack of it – but also because I’d love to put my own stamp on…

There’s nothing quite like a pandemic to prompt people to rethink their lives. Everyone I know seems to be questioning their purpose or career path. For some, economic uncertainty has triggered a reappraisal of priorities. Others, faced with a drop in income or the loss of a job, are forced to change career. While the circumstances are unprecedented, the situation is familiar to me. I was weeks away from giving birth to my first child when I was made redundant from a PR job I loved. I remember not being able to see the pavement as I walked home in tears that day, fretting about how to raise a child in London on only my husband’s salary. That career curveball – traumatic at the time – prompted a career shift…

• Work out your why Understanding why you want or need change is key. To clarify this, list the five values that matter most to your working life. Core values could include: adventure, autonomy, challenge, creativity, fun, income, fulfilment, influence, security, freedom or work-life balance. Change Your Life In Five by leadership and life coach Sue Belton (Welbeck, £14.99) has a useful section on this. • Be an explorer To unearth new opportunities, adopt an explorer’s mindset and follow your curiosity and enthusiasm. As I thought about a lecturing job I had previously dismissed, I looked for signs that it was worth pursuing. Stumbling upon my old student ID card, I remembered how much I loved learning and applied. • Experiment Expand your skills at work or through work experience.…

IN 2014, I QUIT MY JOB IN BANKING to start my own bank. Every other industry had responded to new technology and changed, but banking was still the same boring banking. I felt passionately that there was space for a new bank that was technology driven and listened to customers. We do all the same things that traditional banks do, but we don’t have branches; you do all your banking on the app, with tools to manage your money and day-to-day spending online. At first, I was worried about people thinking I was silly, then I came to the conclusion that if I failed to do something difficult, nobody could blame me! So, I decided to execute the most audacious plan I could come up with – build an online,…

1 When you daydream about a different life, you: ♥ Keep it to yourself, but wish you could talk about it ◆ Run through all the reasons it can’t happen ● Tell yourself you’ll do it one day when you have time ■ Tell yourself to feel grateful for what you’ve got 2 The toughest part of making a big change is: ♥ Knowing where to start ● Focusing on what you want ■ Believing it’s important ◆ Knowing the right thing to do 3 If money was no object, you would: ◆ Stop worrying about what other people think ■ Support everyone you know who needs it ♥ Fill your life with adventures ● Probably have to rethink your whole life 4 You can be held back by your…

● One of the key challenges when it comes to bullying is that the actions against you seem personal and you feel all alone. Bullying takes various forms, including verbal attacks, social exclusion and silent treatment. Author Peg Streep speaks about the ‘special kind of hurt in being treated as through you’re invisible’. ● Recognise and reach out. Identifying the problem and getting support are crucial. Recognition depends on seeing a pattern. For anyone feeling unsettled at work, it’s worth making a note of incidents, recording the date and time, how you felt and whether there were witnesses. This log will be useful when you stand up for yourself and reclaim your power. ● Tell someone you trust. This is the most enabling thing you can do. This step can be difficult because…

Editor-in-Chief Is it really possible to be successful and happy? Yes! We’ve interviewed the best career experts, coaches and psychologists to uncover how you can find career fulfilment. Be it reinventing your career or starting your own business, this bookazine will help you identify what you need to find true joy and purpose in your work. In our Create Fulfilment section, we give you the tools to build the working life you really want. In our Reinvent Yourself section, we get you to do a deep-dive on your current skills and look at how you can transfer them into interesting new areas; in our Dream Big section, we help you to explore setting up either your own side hustle or your very own online business. And, in our Find Balance…

1 If you could get any support you wanted, you’d choose: ■ An assistant to free you up from mundane tasks ♥ A coach to help you focus and take risks ◆ A mentor who has achieved what you dream of doing ● A therapist to work on your self-belief 2 At times it seems like success is: ♥ A path fraught with risk ● Something that happens to other people ◆ A secret you haven’t worked out yet ■ Always just out of reach 3 You are most likely to make a big change when: ♥ You are finally certain that you can’t fail ● Someone convinces you that you can do it ◆ It’s clear how to make it happen ■ You’ve had a break and time to…

The big idea Humans are generally terrible at predicting what will make us happy. You may invest years of your life in getting rich, or finding the partner of your dreams – only to discover that the thrill lasts no longer than a couple of months. Or you relocate to a new city, only to realise you have still got the same problems. Psychologists call this ‘hedonic adaptation’, or the happiness treadmill: we quickly adapt to new circumstances, so they cease delivering pleasure. You then decide you need something else in order to be happy, and the cycle continues. Fortunately, there’s another side to the coin: those tiny things that deliver large doses of joy. Find yours, make them a habit, and you can step off the treadmill for good.…

I WAS A PE TEACHER in a state school when I decided to set up an ethical cleaning business in 2012. I had spent 12 years in teaching, while simultaneously being involved in campaigning against human trafficking. I could see there was a way to empower people by giving them work and making sure they were paid the living wage, creating freedom to reach a better economic standing and quality of life. As a teacher, I learned how to empower people without agency and provide justice for those without the means to get there – skills I applied to setting up the ethically driven cleaning business. Discipline, compassion and a strong sense of ethics are also key features of both roles. There are many parallels, from understanding people and managing…

MY ONLINE COMPANY, lemonadedolls.com, is not just about underwear. Our customers get pants delivered every month and, in so doing, join an online community of like-minded, badass women. We embrace positive social change and individuality. After spending a long time in the entertainment industry, I realised it was time to create a space that focused on building women’s confidence and pushing the boundaries of the oversexualised female underwear market. Our values are: Be kind, be strong and believe in everything you do. That’s what our community is signing up to – I want us to be known around the world for empowering women. Anyone can do it – don’t wait until tomorrow to chase your dreams. But be ready to fight for your vision and work harder than you ever…

Assertive behaviour is when you make a stand for your rights in a way that does not violate another person’s rights, say the authors. Try these techniques: Avoid I win/you lose. This world view assumes that we live in a hostile place and the way to survive is to be stronger – strike first; the best defence is attack. Avoid I lose/you win. This world view assumes that your needs are not as important as those of others. You’re anxious about standing up for what you want and you assert yourself by making other people feel guilty or sorry for you. Adopt I win/you win. This world view assumes that your rights are equally as important as others. You’re responsible for your own behaviour and its consequences. How to get…

I DECIDED TO MAKE a change when I turned 30. I’d fallen into recruitment for a global retailer but my passion was marketing and social media. Changing careers can be easier within the same company – when you’re already on the payroll, it’s easier to have the right conversations. My chance came when the social media manager resigned. I invited the hiring manager to lunch, but I knew asking for the job wouldn’t be enough. I highlighted my transferable skills; my experience in employer branding and marketing was applicable to consumer branding and marketing, and my interviewing skills proved I was comfortable meeting new people and building rapport quickly – a key part of my dream role was meeting influencers and assessing suitability for campaigns. I also took samples of…

1 You mainly want to pivot your life because: ♥ You’ re not happy with the way it is now ◆ You’ re not reaching your potential ● You feel stuck ■ You can’t stop thinking about it 2 For you, making decisions is often: ■ An overthinking nightmare ♥ Done on impulse ◆ Long and protracted ● A series of compromises 3 Failed attempts to redirect your life have: ♥ Stalled at the planning stage ● Not gone down well with others ◆ Just seemed too risky ■ Felt overwhelming 4 Sharing your plans with others tends to: ■ Help you focus ● Not happen often ◆ Boost your confidence ♥ Give you new ideas 5 At the end of the day, you often feel: ♥ Overwhelmed ◆ Unsure…

The changing face of enterprise and trade means more and more business is taking place online. With the right mindset, hard work and commitment, the experts believe now is the optimum time to learn the skills to build a business. Carrie Green, founder of the Female Entrepreneur Association and author of ‘She Means Business’, believes aspirant entrepreneurs should strike in the current receptive mood. ‘There are many opportunities to become successful. There’s no cap on the amount of money you can make and the impact that you can have – anyone with a laptop and internet connection has the assets to start an online business. I know what’s possible – I went from having no idea what I was doing to creating the business and life of my dreams,’ she…

HERE’S WHAT YOU’LL need to do to get started, then use your podcast as a tool to grow your business::b> ● PREPARATION: Consider the purpose of your podcast. Are you starting a business or growing an audience? Decide what your podcast will be about, and how often you’ll release an episode – no less than once a week. Identify who the podcast is for and what they want to learn. You’ll also need artwork to entice people to listen. ● EQUIPMENT: You’ve most likely got the things you need to get started – a laptop or tablet, a microphone (see our ‘How to be confident in front of the camera’ section) and a pair of headphones. You also need a host to distribute your podcast. I like libsyn.com. ● PRODUCTION:…

Gaelle Berruel is a motivational speaker, mentor, wellbeing expert and ambassador for ‘Psychologies’. After 10 years in banking, she started her wellness consultancy, A Rockstar Mindset, to help women dispel overwhelm, master wellbeing and a positive mindset and become visible and confident. Estelle Keeber is one of the UK’s leading experts in Instagram success and an advocate for mental health awareness. She is a keynote speaker and bestselling author and has been featured in ‘Forbes’. She shares her journey through depression and domestic abuse – and has some stellar social media tips. Lydia Amoah is an award-winning business coach, TV presenter and inspirational speaker who helps business owners get seen, reach a wider audience and increase their profits, as well as gain confidence, make clear decisions and set goals. She has helped thousands…

PEMA CHÖDRÖN Pema Chödrön is our favourite wise woman.Beloved Buddhist teacher, author, nun and mother, she has inspired millions of people around the world who have been touched by her example and message of practising peace in these turbulent times. The Pema Chödrön Foundation is dedicated to preserving and sharing Pema’s inspiration and teachings in order that they might help us all awaken wisdom and compassion in ourselves and the world around us. pemachodronfoundation.org To buy her books, go to shambhala.com; bookdepository.com; betterworldbooks.com…