Can you think of someone who has what you want? Who you admire greatly for all their success and achievements? You know who that person is when you find yourself saying 'I wish I could be more like _________'?

Envy is not an attractive trait, but it is feedback, as is any negative and positive emotion that you may experience.  Obviously if you find yourself with positive emotions the feedback is 'more of that please' but the negative can also be listened to to help make changes in your life, so that you can get what you want.

So let's say you want the kind of success that you believe your friend has; as you think of her, what qualities would you say best describe her? Is she determined, motivated, confident, happy-go--lucky? Is she focused, open-minded, caring? Do you notice how she lights up a room, or does she make you feel special by listening?  It doesn't have to be a friend, you could take someone you don't know who you deem as successful - Richard Branson? Lily Allen? Mother Teresa? You may not know them, but you can study them, read about them and just watch them (without being a creepy weirdo about it!).

We all have access to these resources, some we currently apply in other areas of our lives, some we have forgotten how to use, but we all have them - so which resources do you need to access to be what you want to achieve?

A couple of weeks ago the winner of the 'Brave and Beautiful' Awards was announced, and the interviews to determine that winner were fascinating to me, because time and again the same qualities presented. These women were nominated by their friends, family and colleagues, all for completely different reasons; all had completely different experiences and stories to tell - yet the personal qualities that shone through from each woman was the same.

So have a think about the person in your life that you would study for their sheer ability to be excellent, and see if you can spot any of the same traits:

1) They all had love and compassion for others:
One of our finalists was nominated because of her support of others. Kassi-Jayne Marshall said "It makes me feel positive, knowing I can make a difference. The world would be a really desperate place if no-one helped each other and it really doesn't take much to make others happy. As the saying goes, a smile is contagious." 

2) They all stayed focused on what they wanted to achieve:
One finalist put organising her own wedding secondary to someone in need, doing all she could to be a great friend. Lucy Ball said "I tried to focus on things that would make life a bit easier for her - and for those who care about her".

3) They all believed that it was possible (and yes they had moments of doubt, but deep down, held onto the belief):
Our amazing winner of the awards maintains her belief that you can do anything you set your mind to. Helen Sanders said, 'There is always a way if you really want to do something - if the first way doesn't work, find another way! If there is a wall in the way, get over it or through it or smash it down!'

4) They all used their negative to create a positive:
One of our finalists had experienced depression and came out of the other side to create all female comedy nights, creating both opportunities and plenty of laughs. Jane Duffus said "I decided to do something about it, rather than just thinking about it."

5) They kept moving forward by taking positive action:
One finalist said that resilience and resourcefulness kept her going, even when money or time stresses seemed like a reason to stop . Nikki Carter said 'I am passionate about what the centre stands for and really believe in it. I just cannot give up. It is too easy to stand back and do nothing in society - that is not an option for me.'

Jim Rohn once said that we either change out of inspiration or desperation. You can use the stories of those around you to inspire you to live your life to it's fullest potential - waiting until stress knocks loudly at your door is one thing, waiting until it barges in and knocks you down can be avoided. 


Choose to make the changes that you need to make today, access your resources that are inside of you, and go for what you really want.

The Bristol 'Brave and Beautiful' Women Awards were run locally by Sam Holman, in collaboration with Amia Online - the positive and inspiration magazine for women. Sam is an expert in women's progression, using tools such as NLP (a study of excellence) supporting others to remove negative emotions or beliefs so that they can move forward with confidence, and achieve what they really want. 
Find out how you can access the resources you have inside of you for success and contact Sam today.

                                                                   Happy International Women's Day 2015! 


The winner of the Bristol ‘Brave and Beautiful’ Awards has been announced!


The awards were created because I know how amazing women can be, but what is even more amazing is that many don’t recognise it. Studies show that women are more likely to doubt themselves and hold back from living to their full life potential as a result, yet we all have something of courage and beauty about us - and luckily I get to work with such women every day. I really hoped that the awards would get all women thinking about their true worth and value, and about the worth and value of those women around us.

The awards were run in collaboration with Jan Shankar, Founder of Amia Online, and were opened to all women in the Bristol area on 2nd February, an international day of courage in memory of Rosa Parks. Nominations came pouring in for mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, friends, colleagues, business owners, a whole female-based community group even got nominated. Every single nomination was as inspiring and special as the last for their own reasons, and everyone deserved the recognition. 

The five finalists were Nikki Carter, Jane Duffus, Helen Sanders, Lucy Ball and Kassi-Jayne Marshall – all demonstrated an overwhelming sense of focus, positivity and resilience in challenging times, and all have made a massive impact on other people’s lives in a variety of amazing ways.

Today, on International Women’s Day, I am pleased to announce the overall winner of the gift prizes to be Helen Sanders. Helen has been tirelessly working to raise money for Clic Sargent, a Bristol charity caring for children with cancer and supporting affected families. Her own son was diagnosed at age three; he is now ten and doing well, but Helen continues to turn the negative into a positive and uses her experience to give back to society and inspire others around her. 

The impartial judges supporting the awards, Karen Bass, Bristol based award winning Film Maker, Louise Harrison, Founder of dairy-free chocolate brand Cocoa Libre, and Amanda Kerin, Founder and Event Manager at AJK Events and Inspiring Women LIVE, agreed that the decision was tough as all were deserving, but the eventual vote was unanimous saying that Helen was a down to earth woman whose story was both moving and inspiring.

So sit back this Sunday morning, take some me time out and have a read of all five finalist's brave and beautiful and heart-warming stories...

Helen’s story
Lucy’s story
Kassi’s story
Jane’s story
Nikki’s story

Remember...

Be brave, be beautiful!

Sam Holman is an expert in women's progression, known locally as a 'Guru of Brave', she works with women to unlearn what has held them back in the past so that they can move forward and achieve success with complete confidence. If you are ready to recognise your true worth and value so that you can achieve your goals easily and want support contact her TODAY.