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home | services | about Dee | career quiz | resources | f.a.q | back issues |
Career
Cornucopia 
Cornucopia: "an inexhaustible store, abundance" Mind Goblins vs. your Shining Self Let me introduce you to Mr. M, a client who is stressed out in his job, although says he is very successful in it and derives a great deal of satisfaction in his work. I asked him, “Who would you be without your job?” He blinked a bit and sighed. He didn’t have an answer. Sometimes we get so identified with who we are in our jobs that we neglect the other sides of our multifaceted selves. The very idea of leaving his position, his company, his JOB caused him considerable anxiety even though staying there was exhausting him and dominating his life. He said to me with great pride; “I do my job very well, they NEED me”. Behind the spoken words his mind chatter goes something like this: “no one can do the work I do, my work is IMPORTANT, If I were to leave, I’d be disloyal to the company and that is not how I am—I’d leave them in a bind.” Let’s examine this situation for a moment. Consider these questions: Q: Is the statement really true? Are you that indispensable? Even if it is true, whom do you feel you must put first: your employer or yourself? Is loyalty the real reason you choose to stay in this job? (…but my sense of self worth is tied to my job!!) Q: What is it costing you to stay in this job that is stressful and takes 60 hours a week of your time? If another year goes by and you remain in this job, how will you feel then? What will you have missed? (yikes…I never thought about that.) Mr. M.; “But I don’t like change. I don’t want to go looking for another job!” (it’s too scary and what if no one will hire me or I get a job that’s even worse than this one/pays less than this one/ etc. Maybe I should stay in this job—maybe I should be grateful to have this job—maybe it is the best I can do) AND maybe your dream job is just around the corner. We spend a lot of time listening to the goblins in our minds. We literally allow our own thoughts to scare us and FEAR is a powerful thing. I remember reading the classic science fiction novel, Dune by Frank Herbert some years ago and was struck by this passage: “I will not fear, fear is the mind killer, the little death that brings total oblivion, I will permit my fear to pass over me and through me and where it has gone I will turn the inner eye – nothing will be there, only I will remain”. This statement was ingrained in the young hero of this story and it became a mantra he used in the midst of terrible danger. Fear stops us from acting in our highest interests, from growing, loving, achieving, striving, exploring, experimenting, etc. Our inner mind goblins are like a steel curtain blocking our shining self, our intuitive side, our spiritual essence. We can become our own worst enemies, talking ourselves out of responding to our callings, making changes, taking chances, and pursuing opportunities for personal and professional growth. What exactly is fear? Could it be: False Evidence Appearing Real? Sometimes, YES! The goblins in our mind weave elaborate stores of doom and gloom resulting in false evidence appearing real. So how to determine what is real? Let’s go back to Mr. M.’s scenario: Q. If your job was gone tomorrow, what would happen to you? “I’d be devastated!!” Q. Would you die? “No” Q. Would you have to sleep in your car? “No” Q. Would your family desert you? “No” Q. So, how bad would it really be if you lost your job tomorrow? “Not so bad I suppose.” (As a smile crept across his face) Q. Can you CHOOSE to leave this job? “Yes, I guess I could” And this is the point where Mr. M. can begin to seriously explore other opportunities—to really examine what job/work environment/career would make him happier and more fulfilled. It is a New Year, are you ready to upgrade your work/life satisfaction? What is stopping you? Can you hear your own mind goblins as you read this? Listen and observe their mutterings. Just noticing them shines light into the caverns where they lurk in the recesses of your mind and enables you to challenge the validity of their statements. Find YOUR truth. From that place, you can move forward into your shining future. Wishing you joy, peace and prosperity in this New Year.
Not all of us can visualize how things will “look” in the future and may need some props. Grab a stack of old magazines, poster board, scissors and a glue stick. Flip through the pages and notice words, graphics, symbols and pictures that you’d like to have in your life. Make a collage and then analyze it for yourself. What are important elements you want in your future? How will your physical environment best support your work? Not finding appealing pictures? Draw them or write a description, or compose a story of this next new venture. Just get a picture of what you want to bring forth then let your vision pull you into that future. Once you can envision your dream it you can work backwards to planning the steps to get you there.
Through facilitated discussion and interactive exercises you will learn:
Discovering
Your True Calling
I’ve recently become affiliated with the
online Small Business University. As a faculty member, I have found
many wonderful benefits there to share with you. Small Business University
offers loads of complimentary “how to’s” from goal setting to
marketing strategies and lot’s more. Whether you have launched your own
business or are just thinking about entrepreneurship, this website offers
a wealth of help. Check it out: http://tinyurl.com/867ck
Shelley Peterman Schwarz, owner of Meeting Life’s Challenges, LLC. Please contact Shelley through her website: www.MeetingLifesChallenges.com Shelley’s Story In 1979 Shelley, a teacher of the hearing impaired and busy mother with two children was diagnosed with MS. When her illness began to affect her mobility in 1981, Shelley retired from teaching school and began writing about her experiences. I visited with her over the holidays and she shared her story with me. “Life has a way of taking you on journeys that you never planned on. If you’re lucky, you look for the lessons in the challenges. If you learn the lessons, you can better adapt to the changes and go on with your life. It is a CHOICE (she emphasized this). Bad things are going to happen to good people but it doesn’t have to define you. I want to take the lessons I’ve learned and help others on their journey to focus on the things they CAN do, not on what they cannot do.” She currently writes for newspapers and magazines reaching a readership of nearly two million. Her "Making Life Easier" tips have appeared in numerous publications including the Wisconsin State Journal, Mature Lifestyles, Arthritis Today, and Inside MS. She appears monthly on the noon news program on the Madison, WI CBS affiliate (WISC-TV3), presenting tips and demonstrating products to make life easier. She also appeared on the Discovery Channel's popular Home Matters program, in a segment on home accessibility modifications, AND she has written 5 books. She said she never intended to be a writer but found she needed some income to pay for personal assistants to help her “get around”. She continues writing, making presentations and will be launching teleclasses this spring. Her books are inspiring and the “how to’s” invaluable for anyone working around physical limitations. If you or your organization would like a dynamic, humorous and heartfelt speaker, please contact Shelly, www.MeetingLifesChallenges.com
Make this your year to GO FOR IT!
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