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The Lost Art of Reading Books

Lai Han Sam · Jan 13, 2020 · Leave a Comment

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash Tsundoku (Japanese: 積ん読) is acquiring reading materials but letting them pile up in one's home without reading them. The term originated in the Meiji era (1868–1912) as Japanese slang. It combines elements of tsunde-oku (積んでおく, to pile things up ready for later and leave) and dokusho (読書, reading books). – Source: WikipediaIn other words, buying more books than one can read. I love books. My life has changed multiple times because, together with, despite of …

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Courage and Fear

Lai Han Sam · Dec 16, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Come to the Edge By Christopher Logue Come to the edge. We might fall. Come to the edge. It's too high! COME TO THE EDGE! And they came And he pushed And they flew. Making a change, taking a risk can be terrifying and paralyzingly fearful. I say paralyzing as I see that in the eyes of the people I meet every day. Every single one of them wanted more for themselves and for their lives. They most often suffer analysis paralysis of all the different options they have. So instead of deciding …

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Knowing Your Values Will Help You Grow

Lai Han Sam · Sep 30, 2019 · Leave a Comment

Values are the important ingredients that determine how we do things, make important decisions and derive meaning. It is the way we believe to be our standard of behavior and how we live our lives. You can see a person’s values by the way they speak, treat others and the work they do. You can see values in a company’s tagline, vision and how their employees speak about them. Values are who they are and how they operate. When you think of Mother Theresa, you think compassionate – that is one of …

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How to Discover What Makes Your Heart Sing

Lai Han Sam · Jul 23, 2019 · Leave a Comment

What do you enjoy doing during the weekends? Is it as hectic as the weekdays? No work but loads of chores, running kids to their enrichment classes and perhaps a family event? Is your life a constant to-do list? With so much noise in our lives - whether work or personal - there is not enough space or quietness in our lives. With no thinking or reflection, our lives feels like a runaway train but we don't know where we are going. Most times, we are just surviving and coping with what comes at us …

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5 Strategies for Going Back to Work After a Career Break

Lai Han Sam · Aug 17, 2017 · Leave a Comment

Ever watch an athlete at the starting point of a race? You will see them warming up, stretching and keeping themselves calm but ready to go. When asked to take their positions, they approach their lane on the track, position themselves and look forward. When they hear the pistol, they push themselves as hard as possible to get that initial boost of energy to start the race. I will be exploring with you 5 strategies for returning to work after a career break. Like the athlete, the strategies I …

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Welcome!

 

Hi, I’m Sam, founder of LIFEWORK – a transition coach working exclusively with successful women who want better work-life balance, fulfilling relationships, productive careers and financial freedom.

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Recent Posts

  • The Lost Art of Reading Books
  • Courage and Fear
  • Knowing Your Values Will Help You Grow
  • Benefits Of Simplifying Your Life Dramatically
  • How to Discover What Makes Your Heart Sing

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“What does one have to do to prove one’s love “What does one have to do to prove one’s love for another?”
- I’m Mita, Your Housekeeper

Love is not exactly a noun. It is a verb. This means that we need to take action. 

To show love, we need to do one thing only - that is to show up. Show up with 100% of ourselves for the ones we love. This is a tall order - since we don’t feel like showing up sometimes. If we do it regardless of how we feel, then that is how we show and prove love. 

#lifework #coach #loveisaverb #love #showup
“I think of death at least once a day. My own “I think of death at least once a day. 

My own death, my loved ones’ deaths and that of those who have passed on. I also think about the death of the spirit and the soul. It is the most sobering topic to think about for me. It helps me to come back to what is important and what is valuable in this lifetime. It is the fastest way to come back to the present. When things are not going well, I think more about death.”
- Finding Joy in Transitions

Death is part of the universe. Renewal comes after death. When trees lose their leaves in autumn and suffer death in the winter, it is only to come alive again in the spring. 

Are we ready to let go and accept the inevitable? How do we prepare so that we know no matter what comes next, we will come alive again?

#lifework #comealive #lifecomesafterdeath #purpose #growth
The Koi's law argues that a koi fish that is put o The Koi's law argues that a koi fish that is put on a bowl, it can only grow 5 – 8 cm in length; when taken to the pond, it grows from 12 – 25 cm. When the same fish is put into the river, it can grow to an amazing 90 cm to 120 cm.

This applies to the environment you work in. Is it a bowl, a pond or a river?

Never underestimate yourself. 

#lifework #growth #coaching #koislaw #careerdevelopment
Someone told me that the moment you give up, you b Someone told me that the moment you give up, you begin to look for excuses, but when you think you can do it, you’ll find a way to do it. - Teacher Kim, Dr Romantic

Some of my clients will bring both the problem and the excuse to our session. Most times they have given up trying - perhaps it is indeed very hard or in their hearts they have lost faith in themselves. They are only bringing it to the session to confirm it cannot be done. 

In our conversations, if we only tackle the surface problem, then it will only reinforce our helplessness. If we go to the heart of the matter - we have a fighting chance to solve it or accept it completely. If we find a way to trust and believe in our abilities to find a way, even if there is seemingly no way out, we will create a path to our future. 

#lifework #findawaynotanexcuse #transition #perseverance #coach
I have a client who often laments that she has a h I have a client who often laments that she has a heavy work load and she can’t possibly tell her manager that she cannot work past 6pm. As a result, she often feels regretful about the loss of her time with family or being not fully present with her children. After work, she is drained, feel obligated to continue to work overtime and don’t know how to find time to rest. Thus, the quality of her life and relationships deteriorated over time. 

During our sessions together, it is revealed that she often accepts all the work her manager assigns her without question. And since everything is urgent, she works overtime on many days to get the work done. It also dawned upon her that the workload never reduce no matter how hard she works! 

There was also a lot of fear around getting a bad performance review or getting pass over for a promotion. These are signs that the culture is not a fit for her. If she is afraid at work, perhaps it is time to think about what she really wants in her life and explore other opportunities. 

Her behaviour and handling of her boundaries taught her manager and colleagues how to treat her. As she is always breaking her own boundaries, she is giving others the permission to do the same.

In the end, she realised that: 
1. She needs to protect her own boundaries at work so that she can have a balanced and sustainable life. That responsibility is hers and to stop wasting energy complaining about the work or her manager. 

2. She does not have to carry the responsibilities of others. Often she wants to be seen as cooperative and nice, thus she would say yes to everything, even when it is not her responsibility. It is okay to say no.

3. Her bigger responsibility is to herself and to her family. That’s one of the big reasons why she work! So making sure she can continue working, feeling fulfilled and healthy in the long run benefits everyone!

#careercoachingforwomen #careertransitions #boundariesatwork #powerfulquestions #worklifebalance
During a coaching session with a senior leader, sh During a coaching session with a senior leader, she was apprehensive about her desire to transition into a new role in a different industry. She was also worried about the length of time she had spent in her current job and feared that she is rusty from the interviewing process. She was also concerned that she may be stereotyped from her current industry. 

As we talked, it was clear to her that her thinking around interviews stopped at when she first started as a fresh graduate rather than where she is at as an experienced senior leader. It was more about helping the interviewer see her as a suitable candidate - thus, the pressure to “sell” herself. It was also from the position of scarcity instead of abundance. 

At the end of the session, she realised that:
1. I don’t need a new job, I want a new experience. Thus, I can enjoy the interview process rather than focus on the outcome. This helps me to relax and be the best version of myself. 

2. This is a 2 way process. The interviewer is interviewing me and I am also evaluating the role. It is important to understand the partnership and expectations clearly. I see it as a conversation rather than an interview. 

3. I am enough. I have a lot to contribute and I don’t have to be able to do 100% of the role in order to take it on. I have a positive attitude towards growth and learning so I will succeed with a suitable role in any organisation. 

#careercoachingforwomen #careertransitions #interviews #powerfulquestions #leadership

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