| SURPASS YOUR DREAMS E-Newsletter |
Welcome to Surpass Your Dreams. The goal of the newsletter and weekly tips is to help you recognize your potential and surpass your dreams. Included are tips for either transitioning into a career you love, excelling in the career you have now, or creating simplicity in your life.
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I had a great conversation this month with a client. (To me, they are all
great conversations, but this one really made me think.)
We talked about his search for his life's purpose. He described a revelation
he had about the challenge of pursuing the perfect career.
His viewpoint is that most children are very tuned into what they want and
what would make them happy until they reach the age when it is time to go to
school.
Before they begin school, they are able to entertain and keep themselves
busy. They come up with games to play, stories to read, and ideas that keeps
them excited and fulfilled. Then, they go to school and they are told what
to read, when to eat, and how to behave. This is how life goes until they
complete their education. Then they are asked: "What kind of career do you
want?" and "What do you really want in your life?" and they don't have an
answer. And, they want someone to tell them what to do.
Does this sound like you? Have you lost you? Do you want you back?
Think back to the dreams you had as a child. Remember what it was like to
believe that any career choice was possible. Remember what it felt like when
you told an adult what you wanted to be when you grew up. Did you want to be
a doctor? A fireman? Or, an executive that worked 14 hour days? That perfect
career choice is still within you. Are you open to letting it out again?
Yes, you have bills to pay. Finances are a consideration. But think about
this: not doing what you love for a living costs more. It costs your time,
and close relationships with people you love. It weighs you down, zaps your
energy, and gets in the way. Aren't YOU worth more?
So what do you say? You only have one life to live so it might as well be a life you love!
II. TOP WAYS TO FIND YOUR LIFE PURPOSE
1. Get In Touch With Your Inner Self.
Use any technique or combination of techniques that will help you center
yourself and get in touch with your inner self. Some options to consider are
meditation, movement, journaling or any activity that can bring you inner
peace.
1. I Had A Vision.
Well, it wasn't really a vision at first; more like something I was really
interested in -- training coaches and creating new/better ways to serve my
clients. I had this idea that it would be possible to train a coach in an
hour. Sounds silly, but this goal/vision has influenced and motivated me
because it's so BIG and would require a radically different approach to
coach training. It's called a vision, because it's clear to me that this
will occur, and hopefully during my lifetime.
2. I Created A Game That Others Could Also Win At.
In helping to "package and popularize" the coaching profession, I opened the
door for thousands of professionals to become coaches and earn a great
living at it. When you give folks access/faster access to money and
happiness, they'll return the favor in many ways: personal support,
gratitude, referrals, cash contribution/gifts, etc. Value has been added and
folks pay you back when they receive value. Simple as that. The funny part
of it has been that the financial cost of me adding this value to others has
not been very expensive. It was very expensive,
personally/emotionally/spiritually, however.
3. I Was Entirely Selfish In My Efforts, Yet....
I was looking out for me and doing things (writing, teaching, etc.) that
gave me pleasure or energy or money. When in doubt, I put myself, my
intuition, my needs, my opinion first. I made plenty of righteous mistakes,
but I've come to believe in my approach. Dangerous perhaps, but tempered by
an EQUAL dose of 'standing in the shoes of my customers/clients/students'
and feeling/guessing/asking what would serve them most TODAY. So, I was
being really selfish, but getting my inspiration/direction/guidance from my
customers. This selfish/contributory dynamic works really well for me.
4. I Asked My Critics To Take A Hike. I could definitely would have made fewer mistakes if I was willing to listen
to my critics. But the fact is, I am too SENSITIVE to hear much criticism,
even if accurate. And, some people just think that it's their role in life
to point out other people's weaknesses and boo-boo's. I got really tired of
that and decided to surround myself with folks who agreed with me AND who
could point out errors with LOTS of sensitivity. I'm a believer that my
sensitivity/reactiveness has permitted me to create cool stuff. I've given
up the conventional wisdom that you should be really open to criticism from
all sources. No thanks.
5. I Had Several Key Coaches And Partners Who Were Incredibly Supportive. As I was building Coach University and my other ventures, I had lots of
emotional support. I needed it, given my history with depression and other
stuff. These folks kept my spirits up, endorsed me and even the dumb ideas
I've had, etc., because they had FAITH in what I was up to. Plus, they were
personally and financially benefiting from my efforts, so they had a vested
interest.
6. I Kept My Personal And Business Expenses, Very, Very, Very Low.
I live on less than $40,000 a year; Coach University is primarily
volunteer-run. Both mattered a lot. It's hard to make money in the training
business and I knew I was going to make mistakes rearing this baby. Mistakes
are/were financially expensive -- but because Coach U was volunteer-based, I
could afford to incur/pay for those "learning curve" mistakes and not put
the company at great financial risk.
7. I Knew That I Was Going To Sell Coach University From The Day That I
Started It.
Having this goal in mind gave me some of the emotional freedom I needed to
keep working at it. Having sold Coach U in mid-1996, I look back on the
experience and believe that the timing was perfect; it was
strong/structured/viable enough to sell and the right person (Sandy Vilas)
bought it.
8. I Create By Fully Responding, Not By Trying To Create.
Life is my creative catalyst. I am a far better "responder" to what's going
on right in front of/around me than I am at creating from scratch. The key
is to surrender to responding vs trying to initiate new stuff all of the
time (too exhausting!). I feel/am sensitized to a lot of what's going on
around me, so I always have something to write about or create. My
inspiration comes from others/life/situations; not from me.
9. I Put Myself On A Progressive Thinking Track. I am interested in how I think and in how the world is evolving. I read
everything from Wired Magazine to The Economist; from USA Today to the Wall
Street Journal; from The New Yorker to the New York Times. I read for the
pleasure of it, but also know that reading such a list of magazines affects
my thinking and educates my mind -- not just with facts, but with IDEAS! I
create by feeling/getting and I have CHOSEN to surround myself with ideas,
trends, information and people/writers to affect me greatly. It's SO much
easier this way!
10. I Continually Add Value, Everywhere And For Everyone.
If I have something that I can share with others, or if I can improve
something that I've created, I do so. My goal with Coach U was to double the
value that students got from the program each year, yet keep the tuition
low. I think it's fair to say that this has worked and will keep working. I
know of no other company that both thinks AND acts in this way. If I had to
pick out the #1 source of my success, it would be this one: Adding value,
everywhere and always, just for the pleasure of it. To ADVERTISE, please visit
the Surpass Your Dreams Advertising Page for more
information. If you want to reach over 13,000 successful Senior Executives,
Managers, Professionals, and Coaches who are looking to enhance their careers
and their lives, THIS is an excellent avenue to use! Shawn "Bud" Lyte: Online
Fitness Training. Regardless of your age, fitness level, or exercise experience,
Bud can help you improve your performance, & look and feel your best! http://www.bodilyte.com
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Career & Mentor Coach (Publisher) Brian Volkman (Editor)
HAVE A GREAT MONTH!
Copyright (c) 2003. All
rights reserved.
2. Follow Your Bliss.
Do what makes you happy and see where it takes you. Your intuition will help
guide you. Resist the urge to let rational adult thinking get in your way.
Notice when you are the most happy and fulfilled. Notice what you gravitate towards.
3. Assess Your Life From A Big Picture Perspective.
Examine the clues, the messages, the repeating patterns, the decisions and
choices you've made, your passions, where you've been and where you are
going. Create a summary statement of your life and see if you can refine
that into a life purpose statement.
4. Do Your Healing Work
Remove the blocks and old patterns and heal the wounds. This will help you
to become whole you so the real you can shine through.
5. Make Sure You Are In Flow.
Are things easy or are they hard? Are you flowing towards your goals or
drifting away from them?
6. Revisit The Dreams And Wishes Of Your Childhood.
Often we are more in touch with our life purpose as a child and then we lose
connection with it due to social conditioning. What did you want to do with
your life when you were a child? Are you doing this now as a career?
7. Use A Creative Exercise.
For example, think about what you want to leave as a legacy. Imagine it is
suddenly the end of your life. What would you want people to say about you?
Would you have any regrets?
8. Look At Where You Spend Your Free Time.
What are your interests and passions? What do you invest your time and money
in? Exploring and learning or sitting in front of a television set? What
courses, workshops, activities, clubs, groups, hobbies, books, magazines,
movies, etc. do you gravitate toward? Do you see any patterns in your
interests?
9. Define Success For Yourself.
Defining success can help you get to the heart of what is really important
to you. Success factors are not goals, but a way of being.
10. Work With A Coach (Or Other Professional).
Working with the right professional can help you to learn about yourself,
gain focus and clarity, define success and your ideal life, identify areas
to work on, identify new perspectives and possibilities, and help you to
interpret the big picture perspective of your life. Life is not about
reaching our goals alone. Do not think that finding your life purpose is
something you can discover by yourself.
About the Author: This piece was written by Rita Skiba, Personal, Career &
Leadership Coach, who can be reached at rita@wisdomwithincoaching.com
Since many of my subscribers are coaches, this section
is for you. It contains tips and techniques to take
your coaching practice to the next level.
THIS MONTH: TOP FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THOMAS LEONARD'S SUCCESS.
I found something this month that Thomas Leonard, deceased, who was the
founder and creator of the coaching profession, wrote back in 1996 when he
was the President of Coach University. It ties in nicely to this month's
theme which is to follow your heart and create a career filled with purpose
and meaning.
In 1996, Thomas was asked what top factors contributed to his success. This
was his answer:
Build Your
Passion for Life. Create Your Own Reality. Ladyfire offers expert advice,
inspirational articles, stories, and techniques to build a foundation of
empowerment for realizing your dreams. Free Newsletter at: http://www.ladyfire.com/newsletter.htm
President, Surpass Your
Dreams
President, United Coaching Alliance
info@surpassyourdreams.com
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