Five perceived beliefs that cause us not to slow down, blown out of the water with a healthy dollop of truth!

​"I'm really scared about all this - I just want to stay at home and never have to go for a job!" Nicola Morgan tackles the first of a series of questions or worries that young people (or their adults) might have about getting into work

This month, teenage expert Nicola Morgan will cover every aspect of job-hunting from the viewpoint of young people and the adults who care about them

For many of us we don't know we're in overwhelm until that moment where something happens that forces us to stop and take note. So why is it we just keep adding to our to do lists? The truth is we're getting something from it.

Step back, zone in and ask yourself “What’s my ‘why’?”

Slow Thinking The idea of slow thinking feels contrary to our Western take on problem solving. However, there has been some scientific research that demonstrates that the more patient, slow type of thinking is more effective than deliberate, logical thinking when we are trying to solve a problem that is ill defined; when we don’t know exactly what we are looking for, what the parameters are, or simply where to start.

A while back I was interviewed for a woman's blog by BBC presenter, Laura Rawlings. In a BBC bar, but I was completely sober, honestly.

Lucy Ann Holmes is an impressively busy woman, writer, actress and political activist! I am totally in awe of her and her campaign to end the page three anachronism (in case you don’t know a topless women in a provocative sexual pose features every single day in this national newspaper) that goes out in The Sun daily. I wanted to find out a bit more about what inspired her to start this campaign.

If there's one thing guaranteed to set me off, it's phrases like 'Oh it's my age’, or ‘I’m too old to change now,' or ‘in my day’. Unless you’re actually dead it’s always still your day! For me, age has no bearing on whether or not you should make a major life change, or follow your dream - and I'm living proof.

Number Six – Work Out the Baby Thing Before Your Hormones Kick In I am not, repeat not, telling you what to do re babies and careers. It’s a minefield depending on where you live, access to good child care, preferences, of you or your partner. There is no one way. What I do believe very strongly is that a radical rethink needs to take place re childcare.

Number 5 – Negotiate Your Salary and Don’t Be Embarrassed If you’re employed, someone is paying you (if you’re self employed one hopes that is true too but it’ll be several people paying you!) The evidence is Career Success Tipsincontrovertible, men get higher pay than women.

Network Like BillyHo Never mind the old boys’ network (although you just have to look at senior posts, including the UK Government to see how well that works), we’re thinking about your network!

Resolve to Speak Up Women are usually credited with being good communicators, with high emotional intelligence.

Number 2. Asking the ‘have you got a career plan? question usually results in some raised eyebrows and quiet sighing. It’s amazing how many of us have got where we are by reacting to events rather than taking charge. We can spend more time on choosing a car or an outfit than on planning a career.

Number One – Take Charge Resolve right this minute to take charge of your career. Say it out loud: I am responsible for my own career.

This one nearly slipped by me so I’m very grateful to one of my RenewYou trainers for pointing it out to me. The Peter Principle has been around for some time and refers to men getting promoted to their level of incompetence. Professor Tom Schuller is working on a new principle which he calls the Paula Principle and which is getting a lot of attention.

Women make up 50% (give or take a few noughts) of the world’s population. In no country in the world do women have complete parity and equality with men.

One of the qualities I value most in people is kindness; they could be brilliant at what they do, at the top of their field, earning a fortune, but if they are carelessly unkind they cut no ice with me.

I’m pretty sure I am sometimes. I know, what an admission to make! If, like me, you’ve grown up through the fifties, sixties & seventies you will have internalised a lot of institutionalised sexism and not even realise it.