The Career Life Coaching Newsletter
December, 2003    Edition 2

Most of us are familiar with the phrase," Peace on earth, goodwill to men". How many of us consciously practice it in our every day lives and what does it mean exactly? From my perspective, peace and goodwill begin with me. It is that internal sense of absolute quiet and calm glimpsed in those moments or gaps between the zillions of thoughts that zip through our minds on a daily basis. Our brains are like huge computers running a multitude of programs simultaneously with frequent pop-up boxes that distract us from clear thinking. If we can focus on the gaps between the bits of streaming information, we can realize moments of lucidity and calm or "peace". When we are centered and connected to that inner quiet, we exude a sense of peace and not incidentally, goodwill.

Typically in the U.S. we get wrapped up in a flurry of seasonal preparations and holiday activities; purchasing presents, decorating our homes and workspace, cranking out Christmas cards and engaging in social and religious activities. The holidays can be very stressful, particularly if you get caught up in the HURRY UPS trying to get everything accomplished in time. We put stress on ourselves to get all these holiday tasks and obligations completed and still manage our already busy daily lives. OK, so to get back to PEACE, how can we get that?

When you notice yourself getting caught up in the BUSY-NESS and the HURRIES you might find it beneficial to take a big breath in, let it out slowly and completely. Repeat until you’ve restored a little inner quiet. It is amazing how this simple act performed consciously can be so self-calming. (It’s especially helpful in traffic!)

When you are at peace, it impacts everyone and everything around you. Perhaps the greatest gift we can give to others is to be at PEACE ourselves. For example, you’re inline to check out at the grocery store, maybe you’ve been rushing around plucking items off shelves and zooming from aisle to aisle. Now you are in a position of forced captivity waiting to reach the register. You can take a moment and breathe, restoring that inner calm. Now look at the people around you, share eye contact, smile, acknowledge them, heck, maybe even start a conversation! You have an opportunity to shift the atmosphere around you by no longer exuding that sense of hurry or the frustration of waiting. In those moments, we can share an implicit appreciation of one another, or GOODWILL. In eastern traditions this moment might be described as Namaste, which may be translated as "the goodness in me recognizes the goodness in you." See how many of those moments you can experience in the next two weeks; notice how you will be promoting, "peace on earth and goodwill to men".

What are you giving yourself during this holiday season? Centering ourselves and finding those quiet moments are good, so is taking time out to "smell the roses", or in this season perhaps a walk in the woods, a soak in the tub, a yoga class or attending the symphony. And, what about CAREER stuff? Sometimes we need time out there too.

Are you in a job that feels like a burden, saps your energy, depletes you? Do you ever say to yourself, "I’d leave my job in a heartbeat, If I knew what else I wanted to do!" Tama Kieves poses this question in her book, This Time I Dance, Trusting the Journey of Creating the Work You Love. How do you figure out what you want to do? Easy to say, "follow your heart" but what if you aren’t hearing any inner voices or feeling any callings to do or be something different? How do we get in touch with our intuitive knowing self that supposedly has the answers to our life purpose? Big questions. Tama puts it nicely, " …we tend to find our mission once we take an intermission from the work life that doesn’t work…a calling or life purpose isn’t about circling want ads. It’s about asking yourself on the deepest level what YOU want. What do you ask of this lifetime: Who are you? What do you believe you can achieve?"

Give yourself a gift – take a revelation vacation and re-examine where you are in your life. It’s difficult to ponder these types of questions when you are engulfed in just keeping up your everyday work schedule, particularly if you are in an environment that depletes you rather than energizing you. Take some timeout for yourself. Listen to your inner promptings, those little questions that pop-up like maybe I could sell my artwork, become a non traditional health practitioner, start a small business, earn a living doing something I love! Maybe YOU can!

"Inclinations start to tap you on the shoulder. Then dreams. Then means. Just clear the space!" --Tama J. Kieves

This Time I Dance, Trusting the Journey of Creating the Work You Love, by Tama J. Kieves, Tarcher-Putnam, 2003.

This book so engaged me that I e-mailed the author in appreciation some 18 months ago and she responded by coming here to Madison, WI, being a guest in my home and facilitating two workshops. You can obtain autographed copies of her book from this great bookstore:

Come for fun and learn how your personality type affects communications, careers, and relationships! FREE!!! Space is limited; please call (608) 836-1706 to RSVP.