Posts Tagged "Perfectly Happy Mum"

Perfectly Happy Mum Coaching

Posted by cafebebemama on Feb 3, 2010 in American Mum Me, Blogger Love, Great Finds, Motherhood, Product Reviews | 7 comments

My First Commissioned Article

A few months back I was approached by the delightful Peggy Poyser of Perfectly Happy Mum after a particularly bleak post I had written (what me, bleak, never!).  Peggy, a Life Coach, offered me the benefit of her services to try to put me on the straight and narrow in exchange for a review on this site.  How grateful am I for Peggy!  Thanks to Peggy’s guidance, questions and goal setting I have achieved more in the last two months than in the last year.  That’s a pretty good endorsement for Peggy’s Perfectly Happy Coaching for Mums and of course, for my writing. (ha ha)

I’ve always been interested in writing.  When I was little, I used to write short stories and had a rather over-active imagination which still plagues me today.  I remember in particular, one story written with my Grandma.  I believe that the title was “The Fabulous Tale of Farley Filler”.  I had better not see this on the shelves anywhere any time soon!  I have continued to write “on the side” and finally had the “gumption” to start blogging last year as a way to regain a little bit of me after having Little Miss.  Writing the blog has led to product review opportunities and allowed me to dream a bit but I never fully believed that I could make money from my writing.  I know full well that the possibility of making GOOD money on writing is very slim.  I am by no means the next JK Rowling!  But I never believed that I had what it took to make even a little bit on my writing.  Peggy kicked me into touch; she helped me to see that I COULD and that “if I built it, they would come”.  (Peggy didn’t say that…Kevin Costner did in “Field of Dreams”…she’s good, but not that good! )

Prior to our first telephone session, Peggy sent me a series of forms to fill out so she could learn more about me and my goals/issues.  This was an invaluable process because it helped ME to see what I wanted to focus on as well.  I wasn’t too sure about Life Coaching initially…seemed a bit “new age” to me, to tell you the truth!  Through filling out the forms, I realised that what I was most interested in exploring was my blogging and writing.  In addition to the forms, I signed an agreement with Peggy that I would treat our sessions as professionally as possible, always be on time and fulfill my obligations in the process which I found to be impressive.  This was laying the groundwork for success and I respond well to this approach.

In total, I had 4 telephone sessions with Peggy.  Each session lasted approximately 45 minutes and started with a recap of the goals set in the previous session and my progress on those and ended with goal setting for the following week.  Peggy was so easy to talk to that I considered (and do consider) her to be my friend.  She wasn’t preachy or scolding but probing and questioning and encouraging at the same time.  As a fellow blogger, obviously Peggy had some suggestions for things I could do with my blogging and then had me narrow down my focus to goal set for the weeks.  Through Peggy’s guidance I was able to focus on getting my work published either with American Expat magazines or local/national parenting magazine and newspapers.  I’m a good “assingment taker” and with the goals that we set, I found myself energised to tackle tasks that I previously thought impossible.  I approached 2 different American Expat magazines and was able to contribute articles to the two and have been “published”.  Unfortunately, I was not paid for these first two articles but it’s important to get yourself published so you can have something to back yourself up with for future pitches.  After the success with the American Expat magazines, I took the initiative to approach our local, monthly, glossy magazine editor and suggested that I could write a parenting page for his magazine.  He officially “commissioned” me to write at least 3 months worth of parenting pages which means that I GET PAID!!!  Here is the link to my first piece, published in the February issue of Stamford Living.  In addition to this article, I have written and submit a second piece for March and will write at least one more for the month of April.

As a result of working with Peggy Poyser, I have developed a new focus and energy for writing, have had the joy of being commissioned to write for PAY and have felt much better about myself in the process.  I’m a better mummy and wife when I have a little something of my own.  If you are lacking direction in your personal and/or professional life and are in need of a friend who will help you get what you’re looking for, I highly recommend visiting Peggy Poyser’s Perfectly Happy Coaching for Mums site (www.perfectlyhappy.co.uk ).  Contact Peggy to discuss the possiblities; you won’t be sorry you did.  And watch out for me in the future…you just never know where you’ll read something written by me.  You can say, you knew me “when”!

Perfectly Happy Coaching for Mums