Jill MacFadyen's Career Coach Blog http://careercoachjill.com/blog The horizon leans forward, offering you space to place new steps of change. - Maya Angelou Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:03:33 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 JOB SEARCH WEB SITES http://careercoachjill.com/blog/141/job-search-web-sites/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/141/job-search-web-sites/#comments Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:03:33 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=141 For the past two weeks, we have been talking about the mindset or internal tools to finding your ideal job.  However, I don’t want to forget the external tools.  Three weeks ago networking was the subject.  A good percentage of people do land through networking, plus networking will enhance your opportunities when you find a position online.  Some of us in transition spend too much time on the internet, going from web site to web site and then becoming discouraged because there is nothing new.  I would like you to try to find an ideal balance for your own situation between networking and online job search.  Two web sites I suggest are:

www.indeed.com aggregates job postings from other major job boards, company web sites, sometimes even The Ladders.  It is easy to use and might mean that you don’t need other sites. 

  • On the first screen, you fill in the What and the Where of your job search and click the Find Jobs button.  Be careful on the What area.  If you fill in “Director of Marketing,” then VP of Marketing might not show up.  If you are unfamiliar with internet job search, you might have to spend time finessing words to have this work well for you. 
  • When the jobs are listed, you will notice a salary information section on the left hand side.  It will tell you how many of the jobs are in each of the listed salary categories and then you can filter accordingly. 
  • If you look at the bottom of each posting, you will notice where the original job posting came from which should make you realize that you don’t have to look at multiple job boards. 
  • Next to the Find Jobs button is an Advanced Job Search feature.  Go into that to filter by adding words, removing words, putting in salary requirements, changing distance.  This way you can customize your search.  Once again, be careful.  If you filter out the word “insurance” because you don’t want to sell insurance, you might also be filtering out job postings that indicate that they provide insurance.
  • Once you have a winning filter in place that is not too narrow or too wide, you can set up an alert.  This is found just above the first listed job and has an envelope as a symbol.  You can set up one or more alerts, which will send new jobs to your e-mail.  This way you don’t have to search online every day.   

I was just recently introduced to www.simplyhired.com and so am not as familiar with it. However, an interesting and helpful feature of www.simplyhired.com is that you can press a Who Do I Know button which will then lead you to allow access to your Linkedin account.  Next to job postings where you have a Linkedin contact, or a contact who has a contact at that firm, you will see the name(s). This is a nice combination of internet search and networking.  Of course, it is now up to you to follow through with the contacts.  

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top. 

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/141/job-search-web-sites/feed/ 0 LETTING GO OF FEAR CAUSED BY LIMITING BELIEFS http://careercoachjill.com/blog/135/letting-go-of-fear-caused-by-limiting-beliefs/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/135/letting-go-of-fear-caused-by-limiting-beliefs/#comments Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:47:34 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=135 When I watched the snowboarders on the brink of the half pipe, I couldn’t imagine myself in that situation.  How many of us before networking, before an interview or before sending off a resume, feel as if we were about to descend to the half pipe with our feet strapped to a board and with millions of watchers in person and on TV?  Yet, we are not being televised, no one is critiquing us and we won’t get physically maimed or injured.  However, our own thoughts can make what we need to do seem insurmountable. 

There is real fear of danger and fear imposed by self-limiting beliefs.   If we are asking ourselves “what if” type of questions, then it could be that fear caused by self-limiting beliefs is beneath them. 

  • What if I fail?
  • What if I look stupid?
  • What if I say something stupid?
  • What if the recruiter thinks I am stupid?
  • What if I am older (or younger) than the recruiter?
  • What if the economy is so bad that I never will find a job?

If you are uncomfortable or stuck in some aspect of your job search because of self- limiting thinking, try writing the words that have been going through your mind.  (E.g., I am so stupid.  I always make mistakes.  I am not good enough.  No one is going to hire me.)  Then ask if these negative words are really, really true in all instances.  Ask how it makes you feel to think these words.  Ask if you would use these words against a friend or loved one.  If these words you frequently say to yourself are not 100% accurate, make you feel crummy and would never be used about a loved one, THEN STOP THINKING THEM.  An interesting book on the topic is Loving What Is: Four Questions that Can Change Your Life, by Byron Katie.  You might also check out Katie’s web site, www.thework.com  for helpful information and exercises about this. 

For some of us, negative words from childhood or school stick in our minds and become “truths” that we live by.  These voices in our heads which diminish us or keep us from success could be called saboteurs or gremlins.  Stress (and many aspects of job search can be stressful) really activates them.  When you notice that you are caught up in negative circular thinking, try the following:

  • Notice—simply notice.  Become aware of the here and now.  Notice your breathing, the tension in your body and where it is.
  • Breathe deeply several times.  Feel your emotions. 
  • Tell the voice to go away. 

The first two suggestions are from a good book on the topic, Taming Your Gremlin: A Surprisingly Simple Method for Getting out of Your Own Way, by Rick Carson.

 QUOTES 

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine."  Emerson

"What you think of yourself is much more important that what others think of you."  Seneca

“It is of practical value to learn to like yourself. Since you must spend so much time with yourself you might as well get some satisfaction out of the  relationship.”  Norman Vincent Peale

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top. 

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/135/letting-go-of-fear-caused-by-limiting-beliefs/feed/ 0 Some Lessons Learned from the Olympics http://careercoachjill.com/blog/130/some-lessons-learned-from-the-olympics/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/130/some-lessons-learned-from-the-olympics/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 17:02:38 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=130 Envision a Successful Outcome

Practice Success—Not Failure

We are in the midst of the Olympics and so I am leaving behind the tools of job search for a bit.  I am amazed at the athletic feats.  I can’t imagine doing any of the routines which is perhaps one reason I am not able.  (However, age and lack of athletic talent might also play a part.)  This topic does tie into job search in that we need to see ourselves as successful.  We humans probably spend more time berating ourselves for mistakes we make than we do in visualizing success. 

Time magazine reported, in a cover story on the 1984 Olympics, that in the darkness before the finals in women’s gymnastics Mary Lou Retton, at that time age 16, lay in bed at Olympic Village mentally rehearsing her routine ritual. She had done the same on hundreds of preceding nights, visualizing herself performing all her routines flawlessly in her mind all the moves and rehearsing them yet again and over again. The end result was a routine of flawlessness, presented with charisma, composure and coolness, culminating in a gold medal.

Of course, to be successful we must have and then practice the necessary skills.  After that we need to get out of our own way, let go of fear and envision success.  Next week, I will blog more about letting go of fear. 

One way to visualize overall success is to write a letter (does not need to be sent) to someone you admire as if it were one year from today.  The letter recipient can be a friend, fictional character in a book, someone in the past, your future self.  In that letter, outline all the good things that have happened to you during the year and how happy you feel.  Be very specific about the successes and your emotions around this success.  Really feel the power of this. 

You can also visualize success in particular settings, such as the job interview. Do as Mary Lou Retton did. Visualize yourself walking into the interview room, confidently answering questions, asking questions, ending the interview.

A suggestion is to change your definition of success until you land.  In the figure skating events it would be announced that a competitor had beaten his/her prior personal best.  I like this as a measurement because everyone can do it, not just those who win medals.  So I suggest to you that you strive to beat your personal best in number of networking calls, resumes sent out, comfort level at interviewing.  If you set the bar at increasing your ability rather than winning the job, you will see yourself as successful. Then, with the right opportunity, your practice and feelings of comfort will win you the gold–the job you want.

What have you learned from the Olympics that you can use in your job search?

QUOTE

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”  Henry Ford

 PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top.  

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/130/some-lessons-learned-from-the-olympics/feed/ 0 WHAT NOW? http://careercoachjill.com/blog/110/what-now/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/110/what-now/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 20:54:10 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=110 You have business cards, your Networking Brief and are ready to deliver your beautifully polished Personal Commercial.  Now what?  You network.  However, of all of the aspects of the job search, the one I hear the most negative remarks about is networking –and yet it should be the most fun.  Unlike the job interview, you are not asked unexpected questions.  Unlike sending your resume into the abyss, you get to actually talk to people.  Unlike salary negotiation, you don’t have to discuss money.  So what’s the problem?

I believe the problem is the informational interview.  Outplacement agencies and job clubs push “networking” and teach this technique.  It is stressed that you are seeking information, not a job.  For some of us that would be disingenuous because we are not seeking information, we are seeking a job.  Not all of us are going to do informational interviews in which we ask a contact to meet us for lunch or coffee.  Some of us are not at the place in our career where our contacts are free to meet for lunch or coffee. Networking is the big picture, and the informational interview is just one part of that picture.    Informational interviewing seems to work well when you want to learn

  • about a type of career before you switch to it,
  • about an industry,
  • or about a particular company. 

But even if we don’t do informational interviewing, we all can network by choosing a method that works for our personality and needs.  For example, I have heard of those who have:

  • Used a tag line under an e-mail signature about the type of job being sought. 
  • Had an accidental interview on a plane when the person sitting next to her asked what type of work she did.  Her seat mate happened to be the CEO of a hospital.  (Thank goodness she had her Personal Commercial polished.)
  • Contacted others through LinkedIn or from his contact list for information about a company.  “Who do you know at xyz company who can help me get my resume noticed?”
  • Asked contacts for names of recruiters.  The recruiter pays more attention when you have been referred.  
  • Attended meetings in their current or desired field.  (Bring  business cards and copies of the Networking Brief.)
  • Asked family, friends and contacts to be their eyes and ears about openings in a desired field or at a desired company.
  • E-mailed contacts to let them know with wording from the Personal Commercial what is being sought and how the contacts can help.  (You might attach your Networking Brief to the e-mail because it is specific about how you can be helped.)
  • Asked contacts if  they know anyone in a desired firm who can let them know what it is like to work there.
  • Done public speaking on an area of expertise.
  • Volunteered in a field of interest.
  • Gone to local job search groups and then had coffee or lunch to better get to know someone else in transition.  This person does not necessarily have to be in your field.  (Once when in transition I had coffee with a man who was interviewing to be COO of a company where I had applied to be the HR Manager.  If he had landed that position, I would have been a shoe-in.)

Please share with me your networking ideas and successes.

Some suggested books that have information on networking:

Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector  by Laura Gassner Otting 

In Transition:  From the Harvard Business School Club of New York’s Career Management Seminar by Mary Lindley Burton, Richard A. Wedemeyer

Rites of Passage at $100,000 to $1Million +:  Your Insider’s Lifetime Guide to Executive Job-Changing and Faster Career Progress in the 21st Century, by John Lucht 

What Color is Your Parachute?  2010: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-changers by Richard N. Bolles.

QUOTE

 “…when it comes to finding out about new jobs…’weak ties’ are always more important than strong ties.  Your friends, after all, occupy the same world that you do. …Your acquaintances, on the other hand, by definition occupy a very different world than you.  They are much more likely to know something that you don’t.”  (Page 54, The Tipping Point: How Little things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell)

 PLEASE COMMENT

 Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top. 

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/110/what-now/feed/ 1 THE NETWORKING BRIEF OR HANDBILL http://careercoachjill.com/blog/105/the-networking-brief-or-handbill/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/105/the-networking-brief-or-handbill/#comments Mon, 08 Feb 2010 02:06:12 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=105 As promised,  today’s blog is about the Networking Brief or Handbill.  The emphasis is on the word brief.  You might ask, “why do I need this if I have a resume.?”  The resume doesn’t tell the reader what you want in a position, plus it might make the recipient feel as if he/she has to find you a job.  The Networking Brief lets the recipient know exactly how you can be helped.  It is a one page document that is easier for the recipient to keep on hand.  If you go to job search meetings, you will probably be expected to pass out your Networking Brief.

When you are networking or just out and about, you want to tell people what you are looking for in your next step.  Don’t expect them to take out a piece of paper and jot down salient points.  It is your job to let them know with your personal commercial and with your Networking Brief.  This leaves the guess work out of the game. 

A Networking Brief is a one page document.  It includes:

  • your contact information,
  • short summary (similar to your resume),
  • several bullet points about why you are good,
  • types of positions and industries you are interested in,
  • contacts that would be helpful,
  • and names of target companies if relevant.

 It does not include names of companies you have worked for or the names of your schools.  I would like you to use a filter when writing it.  That filter is:  does the recipient need this information to connect me with the people who can be most helpful to me?

Please use the links to see the two samples.   network_brief_bank  network brief Technical

QUOTE

 “You cannot get to the top by sitting on your bottom.”  Proverb

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free one half hour coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top.  

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/105/the-networking-brief-or-handbill/feed/ 1 OTHER NETWORKING TOOLS http://careercoachjill.com/blog/101/other-networking-tools/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/101/other-networking-tools/#comments Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:20:47 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=101 Here are two useful tools for networking and  job search.

  • Get a business card.  Early in my career search, I found myself in the embarrassing position of writing my name and contact information on a yellow sticky note to hand to a potential contact.  Your business card can be a simple one with your name and contact information on it. You do not have to include your address.  Instead of a title, you put your function under your name.  For example, Human Resources Professional, CPA, Engineer, IT Professional, Administrative Professional, Electrician.  This correlates to the function you used in the summary of your resume and in your personal commercial.  You can get them professionally printed relatively inexpensively or even do them on your home printer.
  • If you haven’t joined LinkedIn, do so.  LinkedIn is free, and I have seen it be very helpful to clients.  It helps you develop and manage your network of professional connections—people you know or should know in your field of interest.  Just as important, LinkedIn lets you create a profile for yourself that communicates your value to those contacts.  Your profile is one more way to let the world know what you do uniquely well.  It is worth spending some time writing it.  Then, when you start to build your network, you can ask friends and co-workers to write a recommendation for you.  You might also then do the same for them.

I will write about the Networking Brief next week and include a sample.

QUOTE

“More business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject.”  Peter Drucker

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top.

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/101/other-networking-tools/feed/ 1 HOW TO WRITE YOUR PERSONAL COMMERCIAL OR ELEVATOR SPEECH http://careercoachjill.com/blog/96/how-to-write-your-personal-commercial-or-elevator-speech/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/96/how-to-write-your-personal-commercial-or-elevator-speech/#comments Sun, 24 Jan 2010 16:56:52 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=96 The format is simple.  I suggest you write out your personal commercial, using the following points:

  • You introduce yourself.  Hello, my name is….
  • Tell the person who you are by function, not by title.  Perhaps use an adjective to describe yourself in this function.  For example, “I am a trend-setting web designer…”  So begin by using the words, I am…. 
  • If relevant, say why you are no longer working for your prior firm or why you are thinking of leaving your current firm.  (You will be asked this at some point by friends or during an interview, so get comfortable with stating this.)  Make it brief and non-judgmental.  You might refer to my earlier blog on the Leaving Statement to see how this works
  • Say something interesting about your experience or successes that will hook the listener.
  • Say what you are looking for in a new job and how the listener can help.  This can include where you want to work.

Once you have written the words, it’s time to practice the commercial. Call your voice mail to record it and then play it back to see how it sounds to you.  Try it out on family members and friends and ask for feedback.  When you are happy with your personal commercial, practice it until you can give it gracefully whenever needed.  Practice in front of a mirror.  Record it without your notes and listen to how it sounds.  Re-record until you can deliver it smoothly.

 As a side note, you might find that you will also use portions of the personal commercial in e-mails to contacts to let them know how they can help you.

SOME NOTES:

  1. Express your value.
  2. Speak with confidence.  If you are sure of your value, your listener will believe in that value.
  3. Make it short.  This is not a history of your life. 
  4. Do not improvise. If you do, you will talk too much.
  5. Be professional and upbeat.  Don’t let this be about the sadness of what you may have lost.
  6. Once again: practice, practice, practice.

AN OFFER

I will help polish, at no charge, the personal commercials of the first three readers who contact me at jill@careercoachjill.com.  This would be for a session of no longer than 55 minutes.  To be considered, you must include in your e-mail a copy of your rough draft and your contact information.  

MY PERSONAL COMMERCIAL 

My personal commercial follows and I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you for help in achieving my goals:

Hello, my name is Jill MacFadyen.  I am a certified life coach who specializes in helping my clients find satisfying careers, jobs and lives.  My clients are given support in all aspects of career search from “what do I want to do when I grow up” to how to be successful in their next position.  One client even reported an improved golf game, a surprise.   I would appreciate your referring to me those who might be less than satisfied with their job, work or life.   

PLEASE COMMENT

 Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

QUOTE

“Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”  Martha Graham

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top. 

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/96/how-to-write-your-personal-commercial-or-elevator-speech/feed/ 2 Are You Sure I Have to Network? http://careercoachjill.com/blog/91/are-you-sure-i-have-to-network/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/91/are-you-sure-i-have-to-network/#comments Tue, 19 Jan 2010 00:25:00 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=91 “…the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.”

–Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I am reusing last week’s quote because it is so powerful and because it is also apt for this week’s topic about networking.  If one is committed to something—like finding a job—one tells others about it. 

To put it simply, networking works.  It doesn’t have to be complicated.  It can be conversational.  It doesn’t have to be scary.  It can run the gamut from telling the local butcher that you are looking for a job to conducting informational interviews and everything in between.  I think it is especially important after you have applied for a position you would really like.  Then certainly ask contacts if they know anyone at that firm who can help you.

The days when people were embarrassed about looking for work are long over.  I had one wonderful client who used as a tag line after her signature line on e-mails, “Looking for a Project Manager Position.”  That certainly is networking and you will have to decide if it works for you or not.

In next week’s post, I will outline the steps to writing a 30 second personal commercial—also referred to as an elevator speech—which is the first step.  For right now, I would like to give you two examples:

  • Friend A told me of her dream job.  Shortly thereafter, I called Friend B about a different topic and Friend B mentioned that her firm had a need for skills that fit Friend A’s dream job and for help in finding a project management employee.  I called Friend C to  see if his wife might be interested in the project management position and he said that he was having trouble filling positions for his firm and he needed someone who would fit Friend A’s dream job skills.  So in two serendipitous phone calls, I had two possible leads for Friend A.
  • A client in another state had been a bookkeeper for an automotive credit company for decades.  She is a quiet woman who didn’t think she would like to network.  However, we prepared her 30 second personal commercial and had her practice it until it just flowed.  She went to the local grocery store where the deli manager while slicing ham asked why she was there in the middle of the day.  She replied with her personal commercial which ended with the words, “at this point, my ideal job would be as a bookkeeper for a local car dealer within five miles of my home.”  He responded, “You want I should have the VP of Sales from the Caddie dealer down the street call you?”

You never know who knows the right contact.  So you help yourself by spreading the word.  However, “the word” has to be sincere, positive and upbeat. It cannot ramble.   If you are still feeling negative or down about your situation, go back and read some of the earlier posts.  

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

QUOTE

"... the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too."  Goethe

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top.  

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/91/are-you-sure-i-have-to-network/feed/ 0 THE NEW YEAR HAS ARRIVED http://careercoachjill.com/blog/87/the-new-year-has-arrived/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/87/the-new-year-has-arrived/#comments Sat, 09 Jan 2010 23:22:18 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=87 “…the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.”  –Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This is a powerful quote.  We’ve all had the experience that when we truly set our minds to do something, to make a commitment to an achievement, that things suddenly seem to fall into place for us, to help us along the way—what Goethe calls “Providence.” 

In looking back on my many years and many friends, and all my reading, I am not sure that any of us really commits to New Year’s goals.  We only say “I am going to be kinder to my kids,” or “I am going to quit smoking, or do better at work.”   But have we made a commitment to these goals?  Until we do, Providence will not help us, and our goals will go by the wayside. 

So how do you commit to a goal, to something in the future, yet-to-happen?  I think our usual methods are inside-out:  we want the behavior to happen, but we have not readied ourselves.  That means that it is more likely we will fail to achieve our goals, which sets us up for disappointment in ourselves and puts more stress on an already pressurized cauldron. But there is a way to prepare for pressure-free success. And it starts by striving to appreciate ourselves.  The first step is stopping the “monkey chatter” of self-negative talk.  That means looking out for it even in the way we set our goals.

We tend to frame our goals in ways that presuppose we are imperfect and need to change.  What if, instead, we liked ourselves so much that we wanted to responsibly take care of ourselves?  That’s the meaning of “appreciate ourselves.” If we can make that commitment to ourselves, then “I am going to lose weight” becomes “I’m choosing now to eat nutritiously,” and “I am going to quite smoking” is now “Smoking hurts me and my family, and it’s time to stop doing that.”  With our commitment in place, we may just find that Providence is at hand to supply the help we need to reach our goals. 

PLEASE COMMENT

Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching

QUOTE 

"... the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too."  Goethe

 RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top. 

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

]]> http://careercoachjill.com/blog/87/the-new-year-has-arrived/feed/ 0 AS THE NEW YEAR APPROACHES http://careercoachjill.com/blog/84/as-the-new-year-approaches/ http://careercoachjill.com/blog/84/as-the-new-year-approaches/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:07:46 +0000 Jill http://careercoachjill.com/blog/?p=84 What will make you happy in 2010?  I am reminded of a time when I was in Japan on business about 12 years ago.  Someone from my firm’s home office was assigned (poor man) to take me to dinner and take me sight- seeing after work each and every night.  My last night in Japan, my guide asked what I wanted to do and I replied that I just wanted to return to the hotel and organize for the trip home.  He replied, “Regretfully that is not possible because I have been assigned to see that you are happy.”  So I invite you to think about the following:

  • What makes you happy?
  • What part of you is “assigned” to do what you are supposed to do even if it is not what you want to do? 
  • How often do you feel responsible for other people’s happiness?  How does this help them?  How does it help you?

 I will be taking the next two holiday weekends off and will look forward to being with you after the New Year.  I do wish you joy and happiness this holiday season. 

PLEASE COMMENT

 Once again, I would appreciate any experiences, comments or questions that will help other readers.  I would particularly enjoy some humorous experiences and success stories.  Once a month, I will choose one commenter to contact for a free coaching session.

HOW TO REACH ME

jill@careercoachjill.com

www.careercoachjill.com for career coaching   

www.limitlesshorizon.com for personal life coaching

www.leadercoaching.org for leadership coaching 

QUOTE

“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”  Abraham Lincoln

RECENT POSTS

If you are recently laid off, start with the bottom listed blog, Ouch—Job Lost—How to Get a Fulfilling New Job, and then work your way up to the top. 

Thanks to tech guru David Behrens (http://neptunestudios.net), and editor M. C. Pastoret.

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