| |||||||
live life on purpose work at what you love follow your own road
| |||||||||
   Changing Course Newsletter: Issue 16Date: Mar 27, 2001Subject: Changing Course Newsletter: Issue 16 Changing Course Newsletter ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ Issue 16 - March 27, 2001 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Brought to you by Changing Course http://www.ChangingCourse.com Dedicated to helping you: ~ Live Life on Purpose ~ Work at What You Love ~ Follow Your Own Road Barbara Sher, author of "I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was," calls Changing Course "wonderful, inspired and informative." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ QUOTE FOR THE DAY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Compared to what we ought to be, we are only half awake. ~ William James ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ LETTERS FROM FELLOW TRAVELERS ON THE ROAD TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD ~ FEATURE ARTICLE Spring Unfolding ~ INSPIRATION TO FOLLOW YOUR BLISS Words to Live By ~ LIVE YOUR DREAM MARKETPLACE Products and services you might like to know SPRING SALE IN THE LIVE YOUR DREAM STORE ~ New Lower Prices on the Changing Course Newsletter ! ~ FEATURED RESOURCE OF THE WEEK Careerbuilder Site ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LETTERS FROM FELLOW TRAVELERS ON THE ROAD TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I can't begin to tell you how satisfied I felt while reading your article, "From 'Play' to Pay." It was like I was reading many of the things I had just done for the past year. I am a high school science and math teacher in Edina, Missouri, a small town of about 1,200. There is no industry here and very few opportunities around for anyone. But I am now ready to take another step by pursuing a dream of mine to own a business and work it full-time. My story starts in 1989 when I was teaching in Indiana. I saw an advertisement for a trip to Orlando, Florida, for students. I recruited about 27 kids that next year and we went to Orlando. From this we started the Clinton Central Science Travel Program. Over the next several years, we went to Boston, Maine, Mammouth Cave, and other places. About 7 years later, I moved away to Missouri and dropped the idea for a few years. Two years ago I took another field trip to South Dakota with about 40 students from two schools. Last year I took about 40 to Colorado. I started to realize there is a need for student field trips to places other than Cancun or Hawaii or the like. So, my wife and I started a company called Exploring America. We have a web site www.exploringamerica.com and we are incorporated in the state of Missouri. This next school year I will be working only part-time while I work the other part at our business. I can now afford to say NO at school to every little extra job that comes along and can actually enjoy doing something that I have always loved to do - travel! We have since expanded our business to offer family vacations such as Colorado Summer vacations, Disney World/Disneyland/Disney Cruises, Christian Travel, and other student destinations. It is so neat. I make money assisting people with their travel plans and I love every minute of it. I am so thankful to God for what He has blessed us with. Sincerely, Jim Rider ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ JUST THE FACTS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In a survey of white-collar workers, nearly half (48%) said that if they were going to make a New Year's Resolution, reducing stress would be their goal. (Source: www.selfhelplive.com) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FEATURE ARTICLE Spring Unfolding. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ By Carol L. McClelland, Ph.D As the signs of spring ease their way north, temperatures warm, blossoms form, and flowers unfurl. As spring touches your environment, you can gain new insights about ways to approach the new beginnings that you are facing in your own life. Find a flower bud that has yet to open - perhaps a bulb you planted along your walk, a rose on the bush in your neighbor's yard, or, if spring is still months away in your neck of the woods, a bouquet of tightly closed buds from your florist. Take time each hour, each day, to witness the flower's journey as it unfolds. Stay with it until you see what the flower becomes after the last petal has dropped. (If you aren't in a setting where you can observe the same flower over time, look for flowers at different stages of the process and you will gain similar insights). Observe the Unfolding Use your observation skills to notice as many details as you can. These questions can get you started. ~ How does the bud first appear? ~ How long does the bud stay a bud? ~ How does it open? ~ Do its colors change? ~ How do the petals look as the flower opens up? ~ What happens after the flower opens? ~ How long does it take for the flower to move from a ripe bud to a faded, spent flower? ~ What's left after the petals are gone? Notice what aspect of the process catches your attention and holds it. It may be one phase of the process or a particular moment. What Do You Experience as You Witness the Flower's Unfolding? Whenever you observe something in nature, you bring your own filters to the experience. Sometimes you don't even know the filters exist until you take your mind off your own process to look at what someone or something else is going through. As you watch the flower, notice what's happening within you. For example: ~ Are you frustrated? Do you want the flower to hurry up and get to the "good" part? ~ Are you jumping ahead? Do you find yourself anticipating what's going to happen next? ~ Are you in wonder? Do you experience great joy observing the magic of each phase? How Do You Experience New Openings? The unfolding you observed and your experience of being a witness can give you insights into how you can approach openings in your own life. Recall the phrases and images that caught your attention and play with how they apply to your situation. When you begin something new: ~ Do you rush the process? ~ Do you short-change the preparation stage? ~ Do you open prematurely, before the conditions are right? ~ Do you take a long time to open, allowing just a bit of yourself to move forward at a time? ~ Does everything open up all at once in your life? For a flower to open the conditions must be right. It must have enough light, high enough temperatures, and enough water. If you watch, you can see buds growing in size, waiting for the right moment to begin opening. If your "flowers" aren't opening, check the conditions. Is it too early? Are you lacking the support you need? Are your ideas lacking nourishment from the inside? Remember, the blossoming is in itself really just the beginning of the journey. Continue observing your plants as they proceed into spring, learning what you can about Spring growth.Happy unfolding! Carol L. McClelland is a career transition consultant who has helped thousands create careers that enrich how they live. If you are feeling stuck in your career, visit her site at:http://www.getrollingagain.com Carol has written two books: The Seasons of Change: Using Nature's Wisdom to Grow Through Life's Inevitable Ups and Downs (1998) and Changing Careers for Dummies (available July 2001). ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ INSPIRATION TO FOLLOW YOUR BLISS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant. If we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet We seldom think of what we have, but always of what we lack. ~ Schopenhauer You are not what you think you are, but what you think, you are. ~ Norman Vincent Peale ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |