When I was single, it wasn't officially Christmas until I walked out the door on the last evening before my vacation began, often on Christmas Eve. Now, the last days of school before the Christmas holiday break send a much earlier signal that it's time to shut down. At my house, that is this week - I am officially in the holiday mindset!
This week I have really enjoyed being with my family and not thinking too much about world affairs. Hearing my daughter squeal with delight as we drove through "Santaland" in East Texas was a high point, even after waiting in a ridiculous car line for an hour. And the best experience of all was last night's preschool Christmas concert where I got to watch her belt out "Happy Birthday Jesus" like she was Beverly Sills. It just can't get any better! For me it was a few minutes of pure, uninterrupted joy, with no thoughts of the economy, "what-will-we-do-if," and did I do everything I needed to today, etc.
A fascinating article in last week's New York Times by Dr. Gregory Berns, a neuroeconomist, describes how fear can significantly impair decision-making in hard times. He states: "The most concrete thing that neuroscience tells us is that when the fear system of the brain is active, exploratory activity and risk-taking are turned off. The first order of business, then, is to neutralize that system.
This means not being a fearmonger. It means avoiding people who are overly pessimistic about the economy. It means tuning out media that fan emotional flames. Unless you are a day-trader, it means closing the Web page with the market ticker. It does mean being prepared, but not being a hypervigilant, everyone-in-the-bunker type."
I like Dr. Berns' idea of shutting off whatever feeds your fears. Last night at the "concert" I experienced that very thing. What will you do to shut out discouragement and make room for creative thought and positive decisions? What will you bring in that will encourage and inspire you?I for one will spend more time reading things that are purely entertaining, watching some fun movies and observing the world through the eyes of my daughter. I will make a concerted effort to be an encouragement to everyone I am around. And as part of that strategy I am making available my online coaching courses I've been telling you about. AND, since you have been so kind as to open and read my e-mail messages, Read more here: http://coachgwen.com/e-courses.htm
And if you think I'm nuts for offering this the week before Christmas, take heart. I think that there may be some of you who have vacation time in the next few weeks who might enjoy some time for self-reflection, goal-setting and action-planning. And maybe you would like an alternative to the same old list of New Year's resolutions. And maybe you have friends or family members who are at a crossroads and you will want to forward the information to them. Again, here is the link: http://coachgwen.com/e-courses.htm
I wish you the warmest, most joy-filled season ever! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
December 18, 2008
December 15, 2008
Donna's Story
Donna hired me this past June to work through a much-needed career change. Over the years she had moved from a demanding career in the financial industry to working in a retail shop selling handmade products from third world countries, for a non-profit organization promoting fair trade and income for artisans in the developing world.
As we progressed through the career work, she also mentioned that it had been some time since her last romantic relationship and she was ready to begin dating again, so we added that focus into our work as well.
As you would imagine, jumping into both of these pursuits simultaneously could be overwhelming and at times for her it was. So we took one week at a time and focused only on specific actions steps in both areas. Donna had been very resistant in the past to online dating sites, but was cautiously interested in exploring that option. I suggested she begin by “dipping her toe in the water” and first visit several different sites to get a feel for what was out there. She did that and soon selected one that happened to be running a special on membership at that time. She still felt hesitant, so I suggested she just complete the profile and see what that felt like. She didn’t have to post it unless or until she felt right about doing it. The point was to take small, forward steps and trust what her instincts would tell her along the way.
We went through much the same process with her career search. We reviewed and updated her resume and cover letter I suggested she send them in response to any job she found remotely interesting. We also expanded her search to include additional online search sites that she had not tried before and networking more assertively with friends and colleagues, while further defining what she really wanted from her next career opportunity.
Fast forward to today, only a few months later, and she is in a promising relationship with an amazing guy (her words) with whom she has a lot in common, and just started a great new job doing and experiencing many of the things that were on her “what I require in my next career” lists that we had crafted.
The really neat thing is that Donna had been working toward all of these great things for a long time. And of course she could have done it all on her own, eventually. But in working with me, she allowed herself to be held accountable to deadlines, to get objective input and advice on strategies, and have old thoughts framed in new ways so that moving forward took a lot less time!
That is my greatest hope in working with clients. To help bring out the best of what you already possess, and to help you move forward to what it is you really, really want much faster than you would on your own.
Are you sitting right on the edge of making your move, poised to finally take off and still thinking, “I can do it on my own. It’s just a matter of self-discipline and giving it my full attention.” Has that worked well for you in the past? Will it happen now?
In a couple of days I’ll give you the link to my new “Life in Focus” and “Career in Focus” e-courses. They are ready. Stay tuned…
As we progressed through the career work, she also mentioned that it had been some time since her last romantic relationship and she was ready to begin dating again, so we added that focus into our work as well.
As you would imagine, jumping into both of these pursuits simultaneously could be overwhelming and at times for her it was. So we took one week at a time and focused only on specific actions steps in both areas. Donna had been very resistant in the past to online dating sites, but was cautiously interested in exploring that option. I suggested she begin by “dipping her toe in the water” and first visit several different sites to get a feel for what was out there. She did that and soon selected one that happened to be running a special on membership at that time. She still felt hesitant, so I suggested she just complete the profile and see what that felt like. She didn’t have to post it unless or until she felt right about doing it. The point was to take small, forward steps and trust what her instincts would tell her along the way.
We went through much the same process with her career search. We reviewed and updated her resume and cover letter I suggested she send them in response to any job she found remotely interesting. We also expanded her search to include additional online search sites that she had not tried before and networking more assertively with friends and colleagues, while further defining what she really wanted from her next career opportunity.
Fast forward to today, only a few months later, and she is in a promising relationship with an amazing guy (her words) with whom she has a lot in common, and just started a great new job doing and experiencing many of the things that were on her “what I require in my next career” lists that we had crafted.
The really neat thing is that Donna had been working toward all of these great things for a long time. And of course she could have done it all on her own, eventually. But in working with me, she allowed herself to be held accountable to deadlines, to get objective input and advice on strategies, and have old thoughts framed in new ways so that moving forward took a lot less time!
That is my greatest hope in working with clients. To help bring out the best of what you already possess, and to help you move forward to what it is you really, really want much faster than you would on your own.
Are you sitting right on the edge of making your move, poised to finally take off and still thinking, “I can do it on my own. It’s just a matter of self-discipline and giving it my full attention.” Has that worked well for you in the past? Will it happen now?
In a couple of days I’ll give you the link to my new “Life in Focus” and “Career in Focus” e-courses. They are ready. Stay tuned…
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