nothing works until you do

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”
― Eric Roth

People lament the fact that organizations don’t change in the right way.  Personal growth, professional growth, individual habits, weight loss, a better outlook on life, career, or relationships don’t change until you decide you want them to change.   All to often we wait for something else to change in the world to make us feel better.  It is really the other way around.  We have to change to feel better in the world.

There is nothing that will satisfy you or fill you up with happiness or joy unless you are open to letting new things into your life.   It means you may need to make changes in your life in order to experience life the way you would like to experience it.   Want a better career than you have to be the person that is capable of having that better career.

If you are wondering what will make you happy then find out how to make other people happy.  You grow into happiness, happiness doesn’t appear and happen to you, you have to be open to happiness.

It all starts with a change of mindset, a new state of mind.  The question is what will it take for you to make the changes to get more out of your life.   It starts with a goal, your goal, for something better in your life.

Making your life better doesn’t start with something else change it starts with your change, your desire to make a change.   It all starts when you decide that you want to make a change.   There is no treatment, no magic bullet, no amount of “others” asking you to make a change that will cause a change to happen “in” you.   It is a step that you have to make.  It is that first act of courage that says, “I want to make my life better.”    What will it take for you to take a step forward in your life today?

4 Skills that really matter

“Once a musician has enough ability to get into a top music school, the thing that distinguishes one performer from another is how hard he or she works. That’s it. And what’s more, the people at the very top don’t work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.”
― Malcolm Gladwell

In his book The Global Achievement Gap, Tony Wagner, co-director of the Change Leadership Group, Harvard School of Education,described seven key skills for getting a new job.  Among those seven areas are four skills that might be something that everyone whether a new job seeker or a veteran can bring to the table of employment.

In the new world of work, workers need to have in their tool box of experience and knowledge the following:

1. Agility and adaptability

2. Collaboration and leadership

3. Critical thinking and problem solving – to ask the right questions

4. Initiative and an entrepreneurial spirit

What does it mean to be adaptable and agile?    We know that the speed of change is creating more and more tension in the workforce and those who have difficulty modifying their work habits will be less and less satisfied in their work environment.   Being agile means moving quickly and not getting stuck in the past.

The collaborator, the team worker is going to be better equipped in a fast paced world.  Learning critical leadership skills, as in how to motivate from within, will be essential as more and more work is done globally.    Leading with the heart, from a perspective of empathy, understanding and humility will be part of the foundation of powerful leadership.

Having the ability to solve complex problems though rapid iteration and learning from failure (something most people are adverse to trying) is a critical asset to have.   Learning and achievement come from our ability to be resilient when we fail.  We learn more through failure than we do from success, if we take the lessons we learned and apply them in our new attempts.

Taking initiative and action are essential to increasing overall momentum.  Applying energy each and every day towards the generation of new outcomes is a valuable skill to have.  It is a skill that can be developed.  The entrepreneurial mindset is about creating new opportunities or grasping opportunity quickly and testing the value of that idea now.

We live in a world that “waiting” is no longer acceptable.  We live in the “instant” and holding back instead of acting will have a greater price than taking action and learning.   Learn quickly to grow exponentially.

Mastering today’s world will take adaptability, agility, collaboration,leadership, critical thinking, problem solving and taking initiative.    Start developing your skills in these areas and become the person that people want to hire.
Learn more about Tony Wagner’s desire to reshape our education system.

do you know who you are?

“Through pride we are ever deceiving ourselves.
But deep down below the surface of the average conscience a still, small voice says to us, something is out of tune. ”

 C.G. Jung

Do you know who you are?   Not who you think you should be but who you really are?   It is easy to cover up the true you in exchange for the perceived you, the you, you’d like to be.   Being authentic will allow you to express yourself fully and comfortably.

When people have been asked “have you ever lied?” and they say no, they are are probably not telling the truth then.   Most people live behind a mask,  a mask that is used to cover up and flaws or weaknesses they have.   It could be  character flaw, or an integrity flaw, or some other issue they don’t want others to see.    Anyone who has said, “I am not good enough” in some aspect of their life to themselves has probably not told anyone else that story.   That is their belief and it is a belief they don’t want to have.    What would happen if you told everyone “I am not good enough.”, what would happen?

How well do you know yourself?  How well do you want to know yourself?

Fill out the following assessment.    Score yourself for each line from 1 to 10 (using the labels below)

Statement as it applies to you. How do you see yourself most of the time?	Hardly ever		Some of the time			Most of the time			Almost always
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
I speak positively about myself	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I support others and their ideas	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I get results frequently.	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am compassionate	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I take responsibility for my actions	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I love myself	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I love others in my life without conditions	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am happy with who I am	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am happy with my finances	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am happy with my physical health	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am happy with my physical appearance	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am happy with my mental health	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am valued as a person by others	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I value myself as a person	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
When I make a mistake I can forgive myself	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
When others make a mistake I can forgive them.	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I don’t hold grudges	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I do my best in everything I do	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I don’t make excuses	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I seek personal growth	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am competent	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am confident	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am strong (physically)	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am intelligent	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am honest with myself	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am honest with others	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am authentic	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I am a person of integrity	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I meet my commitments	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_
I use my strengths and talents most of the time.	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_	_

When you are done just add up the scores for 1, 2 and 3,4,5 and 6,7,8 and 9, 10.    What was your score?  How many were 1′s or 2′s, or 3,4,5 or 6,7,8 or 9, and 10.

What area’s would you like to change?   Where do you want to improve or did you resist doing the assessment at all?

The first step to change is recognizing the areas that you could change, that could help you be more authentic.   When you are able to live authentically you’ll experience greater joy and happiness in your life.

What do you really want to change?   Start today!

Coaching is for …

“Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.” John Wooden

You want results.

You desire something better.

You want a better job.

You want more time for yourself.

You can get those things.   A coach can help you achieve far more than you think you can.   Become more confident.  Become more resilient.

Why Coaching Works infographic

You get results when you focus on achievement.    You get results when you have a plan that you are executing on a regular basis.   You have more time when you use your time to your advantage.   Opportunities come to you more often.   Start living the life you want to create for yourself.

Change starts when you give yourself a chance to change.

What are you waiting for?

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Posted in Change, choice, coach

Tagged better job, career development, Change, choice, Coach Federation, ICF, improved life, job search, John Wooden, more time, new job, something better, time management