Hosted by Sunday Times best-selling author Emma Gannon, Business Coaching Journal was invited to an insightful line-up of panel exploring the importance of making change, courtesy of Nicorette. The panel discussed understanding and overcoming barriers to success, Best ways to form new habits and motivation to change.
Among the panelists was former England international rugby player and motivational speaker Maggie Alphonsi MBE.

Don’t set up to change alone
A professional athlete, Maggie admitted that it can be overwhelming to think about changes one needs to make. “It’s important to create a network of people you trust around you who will help you on your path. It can be your loved one or your relative or a close friend – someone you can be vulnerable with. Invite your ‘team you’ to your boardroom of success.
Path to success
The path to success, according to the motivational speaker, lies through being clear about things you want to change and why. “Throughout my career in sports, my goal was often quite far like winning an Olympic Gold Medal or World Cup, which might be eight or even twelve years away. To be motivated, I had to set up smaller goals towards the big aim” The recipe to success was echoed by Emma Kenny, the ITV This Morning Psychologist.
Breaking down the goals to bite-sized achievements and celebrating those milestones, according to Emma, will create a craving for change.
Emma is a strong believer in SMART goals. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, R, and set in time. You can read more about SMART goal-setting here.
Know your ‘Why’
“Know your ‘Why’,” recommends Maggie. It’s important to know and be aligned with a bigger purpose, bigger than you. Once you realise who and what you are doing it for, then you can use it as your source of motivation or even a ‘mission’.
“Think also of an impact you have on others. Once you ralise you are upsetting people around you with your bad habits or can have a strong positive impact on people around you, you start feeling it and emotionally recognise it. Then you can start making changes.
Failure is a part of success
Failure is a terrible word with a very negative connotation. It’s almost impossible to find anyone who would admit loving the failure. But failure is a huge part of success, according to Maggie Alphonsi MBE: “We will all go through that. Especially when you stretch yourself. It’s important how you emerge from the failure. You reflect, learn, and innovate; find a better pathway.”
The motivational speaker advises to embrace the failure and learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. “Don’t see it as a negative word that will stop you from going forward. If you are always successful, then you are always in your comfort zone and you don’t grow.”
How Nicorette Uses Behavioural Support App to Help You Kick Your Habit
As to the organisers of the online event, Nicorette, their NICORETTE® QuickMist SmartTrack™ device also aims to support you on your journey to quitting smoking. The QuickMist device looks like a cross between an inhaler and a vape and can be connects to a behavioural support app on your phone, via Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, where you can create a personalised quit plan of achievable milestones, providing a way of monitoring and visualising progression, that all play a crucial role in increasing your chances of success.