  
Issue 19: Changing Course Newsletter Date: May 14, 2001
Subject: Issue 19: Changing Course Newsletter
Changing Course Newsletter
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Issue 19 - May 14, 2001
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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."
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TODAY'S QUOTE
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done
without hope and confidence.
~Helen Keller
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FEATURED ARTICLE:
The Monday Morning Test: Does Your Job Pass?
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By: Barbra White
"There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own
way." ~ Christopher Morley
Are you like thousands of other people who are seeking more meaningful
and satisfying work?
I just got off the phone with a new client who is very dissatisfied with
her work life. "Rhonda" sort of stumbled into a career in project
management eight years ago and just never got out of it. Like many
people I talk to, she wants to feel energized and passionate about what
she does each day, instead of drained and unfulfilled.
"I feel stuck in making a living," she said," instead of making a
life."
We all expect more from our work lives today. We want our jobs to
connect with our personal values, and utilize our individual gifts. Many
of us also want a work schedule that gives us a sense of balance in our
lives. In the past, any secure job with decent pay was just fine, but
today's more flexible business environment gives us a vast number of
choices about not only what we do for a living, but also how, when, and
where we work.
Still, though, many people feel stuck in unrewarding jobs. In fact,
recent surveys claim that 50% of us say we're in the wrong career. Since
our work takes up a huge chunk of our waking hours, a bad fit can
seriously affect the whole quality of our lives.
So how do we get stuck?
GETTING STUCK
One of the biggest reasons I've found that people stay in unfulfilling
jobs is that they stop listening to themselves. Instead of paying
attention to that voice inside that's calling them to be the person they
were born to be, they fill their lives up with longer hours at work and
never-ending 'To-do' lists on the weekends, thinking if they just get
more done they'll feel more satisfied.
I see this busyness trap often. Having a crammed schedule makes us feel
important-like we're accomplishing things. Rhonda, the new client I
mentioned, fell into the same trap. Her life's been so hectic and "full"
of things that don't really matter; it's been impossible for her to
focus on what DOES matter.
Let's face it, you can't "tune-in" to what your heart and soul truly
desire when you're running 10 minutes behind all day, right?
How long has it been since YOU'VE really "tuned-in?"
OUR GIFTS, PASSIONS, AND VALUES
There's nothing more satisfying than doing work that makes you want to
jump out of bed on Monday morning. Our ideal job has three main
ingredients: our gifts, passions, and values. If you ask anyone who
loves what they do, they'll say they're paid to use their gifts on
things they're passionate about, in an environment that fits their
values.
We're all born with unique gifts - the things we do that come easily and
naturally to us and make us shine. You come alive when you're using your
gifts: it's an unmistakable, genuine feeling.
In coaching clients to find their ideal work, I've found that many
people overlook or deny their real gifts. This is where I really excel
as a coach - I can quickly uncover the brilliance in others and help
them turn it into an exciting vision that enables them to get EXACTLY
what they want out of their work - and their life. Sometimes a whole new
career is the answer, while for others it's a new approach or direction
in their current job that makes all the difference.
Deep down, we all really know what makes us happy. And what makes us
happy changes and evolves as we get older. What felt like our ideal work
five or ten years ago may no longer fit our values and preferences now.
The key is to keep checking in and searching for that feeling of
"rightness" and "fit."
THE MONDAY MORNING TEST
So how would your work do on the "Monday morning" test? Do you wake up
happy to begin the week in a job that energizes you and feeds your soul?
Or do you hit the snooze button three times, dreading another long,
hectic day that drains the joy and enthusiasm from your life?
If your work fails the test, decide it's time to start discovering what
sort of work will bring out your best, most inspired self. Not next
week, or next month, but now.
Here's 4 TIPS to get you moving on that journey:
1. CLEAR THE DECKS
If your life is full of clutter, distractions, and obligations, you
won't have the room - or the energy - to add anything new and great.
Make a LIST of 30 things you've been "putting up with" in your life. It
may be a dirty car, a stack of papers to file, a phone call you need to
return, or lunch hours spent with a coworker who drains your energy.
Handle, delegate, or eliminate five things on your list each week.
2. UNPLUG FOR 15 MINUTES
We live in a fast-paced, chaotic world that constantly challenges us to
tune in to our true selves. Each day, find a quiet, comfortable place to
sit, turn off your pager and your cell phone, and let your mind wander
as you answer the questions in #3, below. This quiet and stillness will
dramatically affect your level of clarity about your life.
3. ASK SOME PASSION-SEEKING QUESTIONS
~ What would I do if money were not a concern in my life?
~ What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
~ What's stopping me from moving forward and exploring my passion?
~ What would I like said about me at my 80th birthday tribute?
~ How could I change my current job to make it a better fit?
~ How do I REALLY want my life to be?
4. START AN ADVENTURE!
Think of the process of pursuing your ideal work as an exciting
adventure. If you've always imagined how great it would be to start a
business as a website designer, list the first five steps in your action
plan that will move you closer to your goal. Then commit to taking ONE
step a week, such as talking to someone in the design business, signing
up for a class, etc.
Keep an open mind about where each step leads you... and listen to that
voice inside that wants to lead you to your TRUEST SELF in work, and in
life.
Happy exploring! I'd love to hear from you about what's helping you to
"tune-in," or what's getting in your way. Send me an e-mail at
Barbra@bwcoaching.com
Barbra White is a Personal and Business Coach who works with business
owners and professionals to create the clarity, strategy, and momentum
needed to design the life they really want to be living. Together they
focus on the areas that will bring her clients the greatest results,
generate more money, and bring them the most joy. Visit her at
http://www.bwcoaching.com
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FELLOW TRAVELERS ON THE ROAD TO RIGHT LIVELIHOOD
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Hello, My name is Jenni Allen, I am just starting the journey of
discovering what my life's purpose is and your newsletters have been
very helpful! I came across this story and thought it would be a nice
addition to your newsletter:
A few years ago, at the Seattle Special Olympics, nine contestants, all
physically or mentally disabled, assembled at the starting line for the
100-yard dash. At the gun, they all started out, not exactly in a dash,
but with a relish to run the race to the finish and win. All, that is,
except one little boy who stumbled on the asphalt, tumbled over a couple
of times, and began to cry. The other eight heard the boy cry. They
slowed down and looked back. Then they all turned around and went
back... every one of them.
One girl with Down's syndrome bent down and kissed him and said, "This
will make it better." Then all nine linked arms and walked together to
the finish line. Everyone in the stadium stood, and the cheering went on
for several minutes. People who were there are still telling the story.
Why?
Because deep down we know this one thing: What matters in this life is
more than winning for ourselves. What matters in this life is helping
others win, even if it means slowing down and changing our course.
Jenni Allen is a database analyst seeking a career that will make a
difference. Currently living in Minnesota, part of Jenni and her
family's changing course plan is to leave the snow behind and head for
sunny Arroyo Grande, California.
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VALERIE'S PICKS AND PONDERINGS OF THE WEEK
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If you're not familiar with Hope magazine, you'll want to be. Four times
a year this delightful publication arrives brimming with stories that
inspire and delight. Here are just two of the amazing people you will
meet in the spring issue:
The truly incredible Dolores Sheen. Sheen makes a difference everyday as
head of a school for disadvantaged children in south central LA. In this
unique school that her father Dr. Herbert Sheen began more than 30 years
ago, children learn Latin and haiku. Thanks to Sheen, the children
flourish and find their place in the world.
Hal Taussig, an unconventional travel agent. Early career failures led
him to launch his own business and fulfill a dream of working for a more
just world. (If you're the "road less traveled" type, you'll love
Taussig's "untours"). Taussig lives his values by investing the profits
to help those less fortunate become more self-sufficient.
To learn more about subscribing to Hope magazine go to
http://www.hopemag.com This is one publication that lives up to its
name!
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INSPIRATION TO FOLLOW YOUR BLISS
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There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist.
~Mark Twain
Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice. It is not a
thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
~Jeremy Kitson
Someone may have stolen your dream when it was young and fresh and you
were innocent. Anger is natural. Grief is appropriate. Healing is
mandatory. Restoration is possible.
~Jane Rubietta
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live life on purpose