By Business & Finance 
Ciara Conlon, Coach/Author/Motivation Speaker, takes on the Business & Finance 60-second interview challenge.
Q. What was your first job? My first job was teaching English in Spain. After finishing an Arts degree in Economics and Politics, I didn’t know what I wanted to do next so I decided to travel. I didn’t get much further than Spain but I did find my passion for teaching. Q. What would you regard as your greatest achievement to date? Writing my two books, Chaos to Control and Productivity for Dummies is my greatest achievement to date. In particular, writing my second book, Productivity for Dummies, which was 90,000 words in the same year as I received a First Class Master’s degree in Leadership and Management. Fortunately, I know a thing or two about focus and getting things done. Q. In three words or less, how do you define success? Living your purpose. Q. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Don’t let fear stand in the way of achieving your dreams. Q. How do you motivate yourself? Motivation has never been a problem for me because I’m clear about my goals and I know that my goals help others. I am so grateful that I get to spend my days helping people grow both personally and professionally making an impact in this world. Q. If you could step into the shoes of one business person for the day, who would it be and why? Gary Vaynerchuk, CEO of VaynerMedia and Wine Library. Gary is a social media guru, he’s all about giving back. He is full of energy and enthusiasm for life. Q. How do you relax? I enjoy reading and writing. I love walking my dog on the beach and I meditate every morning which helps me to stay grounded and increases my ability to manage stress. Q. What’s your motto? With productivity and positivity there is little you can’t achieve. Q. What are your aspirations for the future of your business? This year I am launching a couple of online programmes. The first one in January is called Design a Life you Love helping people get clarity and focus to achieve their goals for 2018. This launch will be superseded by an evening workshop in Wood Quay venue on the 25 January. I am also working on growing the consultancy side of my business helping my clients to build more robust leadership pipelines.
Motivation has never been a problem for me because I’m clear about my goals and I know that my goals help others. I am so grateful that I get to spend my days helping people grow both personally and professionally making an impact in this world.
