Right Where You Are

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

― Theodore Roosevelt

Transition is a slippery state. When the main thing I want to be true is not yet true, it is easy to focus on what isn’t possible, what I don’t have and where I wish I were. But then what happens to my power to accomplish anything? Simple – it doesn’t show up at all!

Looking for a job, career transition, and uncertain employment situations require us to walk in “trusting the process” and follow Teddy R’s advice.

Do what you can …

1. 1.     Study the various styles and their application so you can create resumes that are effective.
2. 2.     Use the job boards every day – but not ALL day. Learn all the tricks of keywords, refreshing resumes, and searching by keyword vs. job title. (There is a trick to this!) Internet job search activities should comprise about 20-30% of your activity.
3. 3.     NETWORK! 70-80% of your efforts should be directed toward building relationships with people who know people who know people …. Networking is a skill/art that needs to be developed and practiced daily, even after you are employed.

With what you have …

1. 1.     Time. You have a lot of time when you are in transition. Plan and schedule and organize your activities so that your most productive hours are invested in the most important activities.
2. 2.     Relationships. Nurture the ones you have, create new ones, be a resource to others in the process.
3. 3.     Focus, intention, purpose   - no matter what the situation details, you must have these.

Where you are …

1. 1.     Where are you in your career path? Whether just out of school or on the last stop before retirement, where you are is where you ARE. Find ways to tell your story that turns “where you are” into an advantage for the hiring company.
2. 2.     Geography. Will you to consider a relocation? Where do you really want to live? How long a commute could you tolerate for a year or two for the sake of a really great job?
3. 3.     Where are you in your professional and personal development? This is an area that can be addressed during times of transition. By setting up a learning program, you enhance the story to tell during conversations and interviews. You haven’t just stood still during this gap in employment; you have been developing skills and understanding to take forward into your next challenge.

Take Charge -- Get Moving!

Love and light,

Diane

1.  

Balance - You Deserve It

T

Texas springtime is fleeting - it lasts only a few weeks. This year we were lucky that the rain and weather were just right for lovely fields of big, fat Bluebonnets. I spent a whole day to drive to Ennis and enjoy their annual Bluebonnet Trails and Festival. And I note that I took this time off "to smell the flowers" with not a hint of guilt.

Taking charge and getting moving is not only about career, business, and the things we typically consider related to success. At the end of our days, the reckoning will be about the quality of the journey, how much love we brought into the world, and who we became as human beings, not just the accomplishments of a human DO-ing.  

The challenge for most people facing difficult situations, like the current economy or job seeking, is to let go of the fear long enough to create balance in life. It doesn't just happen, we have to make a space and a plan for balance. Maybe frolicking in the wildflowers isn't for you ... but there is something that you enjoy, that takes time, and that you have probably been talking yourself out of doing. 

Find a way to put fun and play into today. Play with a child or a puppy. Get your hands dirty doing something out of your ordinary routine. Sit quietly outdoors and listen to the birds or the sounds of traffic. Breathe.

Take Charge -- Get your Balance -- then Get Moving

Love and light,

Diane

What do you see?  Maybe you see a flat plane folded in on itself; or a sea creature; or colored, short, sharp pencils glued together. Whatever you see and experience is affected by your perception made up of past experiences, knowledge, emotional state, and physiology. Art is compelling because it expands perception and stimulates our emotions and our curiosity.

What are you experiencing in your life, career, work, or relationships? Your perception is affecting  that experience in much the same way as your experience of the art piece. If you see your situation as a struggle, impossible to change, difficult, or frustrating ... that's what you'll experience.

It is a mixed blessing, this "being responsible" thing. It means we need to let go of being "at the effect of" circumstances and embrace the fact that we are "at the cause of" how we perceive what happens in life. Are we responsible for the state of the economy in 2010? NO. Do we have a choice about how to respond to that circumstance? I believe we do.

Look at the photo again and notice your perceptions. How can you apply this to your situation today?

Take Charge -- Get Moving!

Love and light,
Diane

What am I doing? 

What is the most valuable thing I could be doing right now?

There are so many things calling for my attention. I often find myself starting down the path of productive and strategic action, and then go off on a rabbit trail that’s interesting but not the best use of my time. At the end of the hour or the day, I pay the price for that side trip in the form of frustration, stress, incompletion and negative self-talk. The bottom line is that getting distracted is not worth it, and I am the only one who can change the behavior in me.

It is not hard to get started most of the time. Goals, schedules, appointments, and the pressure of commitments to others is enough to get me going. So how do I stay on track?

First thing I do is: STOP – Start To Observe Purposefully. Then I notice what I am doing and ask myself a Choice-Question: What am I doing? What is the most valuable thing I could be doing right now?

From that question I reclaim control of my wandering thoughts, feelings, and actions. Even if I choose to go a little further down the rabbit trail, it is my decision how long to do that before returning to my strategic path. 

Pre-decided action, decisive action, chosen action – all lead to better results and a sense of satisfaction. You don’t have to eliminate the distractions … just use them better to get where you want to go.

Take Charge – Get Moving!

Love and light,

Diane

Now ... and now .... and now

"In this moment, right here, you can choose once again, no matter how many times you’ve chosen and defaulted, no matter how many times you said you’d do something and you slacked off. All of those are off on the wayside now, because right now you get to choose again. 

In thirty seconds, it’ll be another “right now,” and you get to choose again. And when you’ve messed up all your integrity tonight, you get to choose again tomorrow."    -- John Roger

  

Life is a series of choices … moment by moment … and that’s where you have your power. You cannot change what is past and the only influence you have on the future is what you choose right now. It is a monumental waste of time to ruminate over the past. 

Take the lessons learned from what happened then and use those lessons in the now to do better. One moment at a time, one day at at time, one action step/project at a time, one call at a time.


What are you choosing right now?


Take Charge – Get Moving!

Love and light,

Diane

 

 

“Don’t compromise yourself.  You’re all you’ve got.” ― Janis Joplin

For many years I've used assessments/tools to help my coaching clients "know themselves" behaviorally. The DiSC profile, the Meyers-Briggs, or StrengthsFinder 2.0 provide excellent reports that identify style, communication preference, and personal characteristics and offer action plans for applying the information. Most of these tools share two basic truths -
1. You have to apply the information to benefit from the tool, and

2. A Strength when overused becomes a weakness.

Unfortunately, a time of transition or change is stressful - and in a stressed state we tend to be and become more of what we already are and overuse our strengths. For example: the analytical person tends to over-analyze and avoid action; the expressive and outgoing individual may rely too much on optimism and not enough on strategy and discipline; the stable amiable worker avoids effective reaching-out actions that might "interrupt" or "disturb" someone they might be networking with; and the directive style, focusing on bottom line results (or lack of results), becomes his/her own worst enemy.

Knowing who you are is a first step. The next step is owning the pitfalls of your personal style or perspective on the world and doing actions that don't necessarily feel good or natural.This is the time to grow, to develop new muscles, to use your strengths and natural gifts to their fullest. Are you an introvert? Read "The Introvert Advantage" by Lancy and begin to recognize new ways to be your truest self and still attain your goals.

Are you a "type A" dominant style? Learn to notice the effect your stressed out style has on people around you - that will give you reason to relax with a deep breath and let go of the need to "get it all done right this instant, regardless of consequences."

Don't compromise who you are. DO use all the best of who you are to achieve your goals in the shortest time and with the best results.

Take Charge -- Get Moving!
Love and light,
Diane

Life on Purpose

"Time is limited, so I better wake up every morning fresh and know that I have just one chance to live this particular day right, and to string my days together into a life of action, and purpose."

— Lance Armstrong

Time - Purpose - Action

That says it all, doesn't it? Most people start with the element of Time to make significant changes in their business, career, or life. Plan your time, save time, do more with time, never enough time, make time, spend time ... tick, tick, tick.

The key to Lance Armstrong's success is more than getting a quick start in the morning. Purpose is the driving force that has taken him to the heights of his sport and his life. 

Purpose: to intend, design, resolve to reach a goal/aim.

What is my purpose today? Am I behaving "on Purpose", or just going through the motions? 

Out of these questions, we can get the clarity of Purpose and turbo-charged intention that drives actions to get results. Start today - then do it again tomorrow, and the next day ....

Love and light,

Diane