Often life can take that unexpected twist in the road, you can fall short of your expectations, or something as simple, but intrusive, as catching a cold can interrupt your plans.  It seems these things happen just when you have a project due or a big event to attend.

In my case, my recent cold prevented me from attending a 60th bash for the only sister-in-law on my husband’s side of the family, and it was a somewhat formal affair we’d been looking forward to.  I had to stay home from the out of town event and despite just wanting to crash, I spent a good part of the first morning  cancelling and rescheduling appointments, just to allow me the downtime to get well.

In the past, I’d have fought being laid low and would try to squeeze in as much as I could anyway.   However, I’ve been learning from my past blunders in doing this it only prolongs my sick time and I knew that bouncing back more quickly meant surrender and acceptance of how things were now. Read the rest of this entry »

Having just had another birthday, I am wanting to moan and groan and say, “not another one,” or “who likes to get older?” but instead I’m greatful for all the lessons and, I hope, wisdom that has come along with it.

Workwise for women, does age still presents problems?  It depends on the industry, some are more women-friendly than others, but women are making more headroads everyday, including making more salary than men in some jobs.  As an entrepreneur, there are at least as many, if not more, opportunities.

Betty Skelton shares this birthday month with me. She’s considered the “First Lady of Firsts,” a three-time women’s international aerobatics champion, she set two world light plane altitude records as a stunt flyer, she became the first female test driver in the auto industry and the first woman to drive an Indy car – hitting 145 mph in a beefed-up Corvette.  So if Betty, who was born in 1926, can do these things, then the only thing stopping YOU is YOU.

And if you think you’re too old to learn something new, begin a new life balancing practice, change your direction or integrate a discipline of self-coaching, it’s my belief each new age is an apprenticeship we must learn to live fully and find the many kernals of gratification within them, feeling neither sorry nor boastful for those who worry and try to rekindle their lost youth.  Instead, we can be positive examples, living the most of the gift of time that’s left.

There’s nothing wrong with quantifying your goal - setting a very specific goal that has numbers attached to it, i.e. three projects completed by the end of the day, $$ met by the end of the month, fifteen responses to your special offer by the end of two weeks, etc.  Setting an aim for the numbers you really want can be motivating and help guide your actions to complete benchmark steps along the way to meet your final goal.  Sometimes this approach works very well for me or my clients.

If you fail to meet your ideal number, it more likely means one of two things:  You didn’t do all you could and you can exam what to change for the next time, course correct and set a new goal.  Or it could be that you did do all you could do and you met some level of achievement versus if you hadn’t been focused and been purposeful in your actions or bothered to set a specific goal at all. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a way in which things can move along on their own in life and you can be swept along with them.  Sometimes you’re coasting that river, other times it may feel like you’re clinging to a rock in that river, or you feel you’re drowning.

While it’s true that some situations can take unexpected turns, you can have more flow in your life where you wisely direct your course where you’d like it to go and create smooth interactions in the process.  Being able to do this depends a great deal on your informed and intuitive choices.

When you’re not sure about these choices, wouldn’t getting positive and knowledgeable support to help you with them be beneficial?

Imagine It  A true supporter can listen to your dream and picture it with you.  They can help you tease out the details of your idea through a question and feedback process, assisting you to have a more complete and realistic picture of what you want.  If you’re not clear on your values and goals related to this dream, they can help you to find what you love about it and use that passion.  Often a true supporter helps you to see when your head is leading the action and realign with your heart to keep your vision alive.

Take Initiative  You may be a great idea person, but not know well how to develop your idea or convert it to a plan of action.  An experienced supporter helps you take initiative on whatever part of your process you need to get going on.  Just when you’re thinking of taking a break, they’ll help you feel re-energized and empowered to confidently move ahead and take the next step – unless a break is warranted.

Missing Unexpected Opportunities  One thing you look to someone else for, and particularly a hired professional who has a particular eye on your progress, is to help you not miss out on opportunities.  While you are focused on what’s in front of you and taking care of business, your support person is looking at you and your situation from different angles and may catch just the right piece of information, a contact person, or other valuable resource to send your way.  They can help you recognize these leads and build on them.

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Just like the initial exhilirating passion you feel in a new romantic relationship, once you become comfortable overtime with your job environment, the people you interact with, and the projects themselves, your passion for your job can seem less of a bonfire and more like a smoldering ember.  If you get unattached to having the big fire, you can settle in and enjoy the warmth and consistent pleasures of your accomplishments, big and small.

But if it’s not the like-new feeling you’re missing, maybe due to being unchallenged for awhile, you’re overdue to infuse innovation into your current work world.  A third possibility for the lost spark at work could be that you have exhausted your reservoir of talent for this job, it doesn’t fit you any longer, and it’s time you move on.

1.  Unsure if a job or career change is needed?  Before you abandon your work, sit quietly and do an honest assessment of what it offers.  Are there any new changes you can make where you are?  (I had a client who was sure extensive travel was required for her job and, being tired of it, she wanted to quit.  I coached her to ask about changes in this routine.  Her employer not only complied with her need for less travel time, but gave her a bonus to help teach another employee how to take on some of her responsibilities.)

2.  Is your current work unchallenging?  Give your job a new bolt of creativity.  There are many wonderful books on creativity, innovation and changing the way we think.  To mention a few, there’s Howard Gardner’s Creating Minds, An Anatomy of Creativity.   Roger von Oech’s many wonderful books and Tim Hurson’s Think Better book.  (I’ve led creativity workshops based on Tim Hurson’s book.  I’ve also taken several workshops on the subject of creativity and have my own book, The 3 C’s for Effective Living – Change, Creativity and Communication that gives you exercises to expand your creative thinking.) Get into a new idea-making mode and break up stale thinking. This could be just the thing to help you devise different avenues to take your work.  A workshop may also help you locate new contacts to explore working on a program or project for or with.

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