Positive About Business has a BRAND NEW regular feature for you…interviews with inspirational business people who will answer 5 questions! Our very first guest in the Spotlight is Irene Gott, Mentor.
With a background in Organisation and Human Resource Development, Irene has always had a passion for helping others.
During her very successful career in the health sector, she has coached and mentored many individuals and teams, helping many step up and realise their true potential.
With a keen interest in health and wellbeing, Irene enjoys inspiring individuals to take charge of their lives, support their personal growth journey and helps them achieve their goals, aspirations, and true success in both their personal and business lives.
How do you start your day?
I believe that having a consistent morning routine helps you get your day off to a productive start. Therefore, I set my internal clock (I never use an alarm) to make an early start. Jumping out of bed, I clean my teeth (to get rid of the toxins) and drink a pint of water (hydrates the brain).
I then start with a short meditation (5-10mins), followed by a 20-30 min brisk walk or cycle along the beach before returning home for breakfast (a smoothie) after which I spend time working on myself ie writing goals, affirmations, visualise, reading books /listening to positive mindset audios/videos etc All of this gets my head into the right space to focus on the activities I have planned for the day.
What’s a book you recommend and why?
Wow! There are so many books out there which have helped me at various stages of my life. However, if being pressed for one, I would recommend “The Magic of Thinking Big” by David Schwartz, as it’s a good all-rounder for getting the most out of your life, and helps you to think big, build confidence, manage yourself and, most importantly, find greater happiness and peace of mind.
What inspires you?
Apart from my family being my inspiration for what I do, what really inspires me is seeing people taking control of their own lives and following their passions, regardless of the knocks they might receive along the way. In particular seeing those I mentor flourish and become clearer about the direction they want to take with their lives, provides me with fulfilment.
What’s the best advice you have been given?
Never stop learning, even in it means failing. There will be times when you will be held back for reasons beyond your control – Learn to develop resilience and tenacity and follow your dreams, no matter what anyone else tells you and particularly when they tell you that you ‘can’t because you ‘can’!
What’s a productivity tip you swear by?
From time to time I struggle with managing my time and sometimes allow myself to feel overwhelmed with all I have to do. However, I have found that if I apply the following, it absolutely improves my time management and maximises my productivity:
- Make a list each night of all the things you need to do the following day and prioritise.
- Break time into manageable chunks and work in blocks of time. This could range from 15 mins to 90 mins. Personally, I like to work for 50 minutes then take a 10 min break. I believe it’s important to take breaks to refresh our creativity and replenish our energy. Think about it, we spend our time charging our phones each day, so why not do it for yourself.
- Switch email/facebook alerts, notifications and even phones off (yes I know that’s a hard one!) during these blocks of time as this will undoubtedly lessen the distractions and increase productivity.
Fantastic advice and inspiration from Irene there, don’t you agree? Thank you Irene for agreeing to be interviewed, and sharing your knowledge.
If you would like to find out more about how Irene Gott mentors and inspires individuals to take charge of their lives, supports their personal growth journey and helps them achieve their goals, aspirations and true success in both their personal and business lives, please visit her website.