​I hope you had the chance this weekend to rest and recharge. I had a lot of feedback from last week’s tip about being more assertive, the word courage kept coming up in peoples’ thoughts. So, this week I would like to address this emotion.
5 years ago, my soccer team Leicester city won the billionaires playground they came the premiership league in England, they did it with a team costing no more than GBP22million. One of the teams they beat along the way were assembled for GBP 220million. I reference this because of two fundamental points. The first one was this, we (Leicester City) allowed nothing to change their central premise of “these are our values, and we will live our authentic self no matter what” this meant we bought cheaper hard-working players who fit into the ethos of the team. Secondly our chairman and owner, when he brought the club, borrowed a quote which Walt Disney coined and ensured every individual associated with the club bought into it. That quote was: -
“Our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them.”
The rest, as they say, is history. (But what fun that history was).
The moment we make up our minds to be courageous enough to pursue our dreams and start working to accomplish them, that is the moment our dreams start can come true. To pursue our dreams, we need to be so determined, focused and confident that nothing can stop us from achieving them. If you are true to yourself and have the choice and willingness to confront agony, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation you are on your way.
With this, it goes without saying that my “Tip of the Week” this week is “Be a little courageous.”
This week go ahead and say that thing you always wanted to say, do that what you have always thought about, go a little further than last time, be a little afraid but try anyway. Anything you can think of that you have been putting off.
To get started on your path, start small, practice being courageous. Start with these 5 questions.

1. What would I like the outcome to be?
2. What is my biggest challenge to overcome?
3. Which of my strengths will help me overcome this?
4. What could I do to get started?
5. Which of the above will I do first?

Remember courage is a form of fear, it is being scared to death of the outcome, but doing it anyway. This is one of the reasons why some people do not pursue their dreams, are not assertive or just hold their line and no more.
We all have the courage to do, this week practice being courageous, you may surprise yourself. I know those who bet on Leicester to win the Premier League in 2015/16 were, especially at odds of 5000-1.
You just need to have a little courage and you will achieve far more than you could ever imagine. 
​Have a courageous week

My tip of the week this week is about assertiveness. 
Some of this post must be accredited to someone who I read during my training and must get a mention. Pam Richardson's book "The Life Coach" was a great resource for me so I have used some of her thoughts to support my tip this week.
Assertiveness comes easy to some but to others it is a challenge. If you are in the latter category, this is your opportunity to make a little progress with;
5 simple ways to help you be more assertive.
Assertiveness is based on the belief that, whatever may have happened in the past that influenced your sense of self-worth, there comes a time when you can choose to believe that you are as important as anyone else.
You know I love a quote, so how about this one; -
“Be calm; yet assertive. Be meek; yet courageous. Be gentle; yet bold. Be kind; yet strong.”
― Charles F Glassman
The benefit of claiming your right to express your real feelings and opinions is that you live the life that you want to live, not the life that other people chose for you.
The cost of you denying yourself this right can be the release of a range of emotions from frustration or resentment, to anger that can all generate negative vibes.
You deal with the situations, but from more extreme positions of either passivity or aggression, these positions are both are manipulative.
The passive approach is self-effacing and apologetic: I am hopeless at this, you can do it so much better, this can be learned helplessness. Cultural influence can still produce a social expectation that women are meek and self-effacing while men are commanding and decisive. As a coach and a human being, I know this is not the case at all.
An aggressive approach may be “like it or not, just do it”. In an office environment where those who “make an impact” win promotion, a culture can develop where proving yourself right and others wrong is important. Making yourself look good at another person’s expense will score points. Remember this, if you admire someone because they dominate a meeting, while you find it difficult to put your point of view forward, you may both have more in common that you think – low self-esteem.
To help yourself become more assertive listen to the tone of your voice. Is it balanced and even, cajoling or domineering? Do you feel calm, confident, and open to the person that you are talking to? Another step towards becoming more assertive involves recognizing where tensions may lie in your body and how completely you use your breathe when you are communicating. If you are not using your breath well, your voice can sound flat and unconvincing. This is not helpful when you want to communicate effectively with others. Your voice and your posture are powerful allies when you want to develop good rapport with people and command their respect in any situation.
As a coach, I regularly come across both approaches and support my clients in moving toward improving their assertiveness.
So, my EDGE Coaching “tip of the week” for this week is “Try to be more assertive”
Here are 5 simple ways to help you be more assertive for you to practice this when the situation arrives.
Stand tall – ensure you have a strong posture.
Be fully present – be focused and ensure you feel centered.
Speak clearly with your mouth fully open – it reduces your chances of mumbling.
Fully control your breathing - it helps you stay relaxed.
Speak with fluidity - focus on getting your meaning across quickly and succintly.
With practice, even in front of the mirror, you will find it easier to stand your ground when it is the relevant time to do so.
Have a great week.