I have to say, I’d never heard of International Dot Day before but now I know about it I’m absolutely loving it! It’s held on 15th September every year to celebrate creativity, courage and collaboration – three themes that resonate with me in the work I do as a coach.

The day has become an annual event thanks to an illustrated children’s book called The Dot. It’s a lovely story about a schoolgirl who’s convinced she can’t draw until her teacher dares her to make her mark on a piece of a paper. In frustration, she just puts a dot – but that one simple dot marks the beginning of a fantastic creative journey.

 

Make your own mark

 

Now on International Dot Day, it’s a chance for everyone of all ages to make their own mark. It’s not just about art and creativity. The message in the book is to have the courage to express yourself and to not be scared of starting small.

I love that message. Sometimes you have to be brave to get what you want, whether that’s leaving a job you’ve done for years to start a new career or setting up your own business. But I know how scary change can be. Sometimes the thought of it can be so overwhelming that many people don’t try or they make a start but give up halfway through.

 

Starting small

 

I’m a big fan of starting small. It can be so easy to lose courage when you look ahead and see the momentous task in front of you. All you can see is the problems and the pitfalls – not to mention the possibility of failure, which is enough to put anyone off.

As an intuitive success coach, I help my clients move towards their goal with small, manageable steps, helping to build their confidence along the way. There’s no rush to get to the end. You don’t have to know all the answers straight away and you’re allowed to make mistakes (in fact, mistakes are great because they help you to learn). It’s about making steady progress in the right direction, that keeps you on track and gives you the momentum and motivation to finish.

It’s like the story in the book says – all you need is to start with a tiny dot, which could be an idea, a goal, an ambition, and once you’ve made that little mark there’ll be no stopping you.

 

Ready to make your mark?  To see how I can help you drop me a line at katie@thecatalystforlife.com

You may also be interested in my new workshop “Be You…Brilliantly” that I’m running in collaboration with personal stylist Kim Miller.  We’ll be helping you to identify your own Personal Branding – understanding many aspects from your passions, values, body language and styling – and learning how to use it with impact, so that you can present the best version of you every single day, in person and online