Career Transition

As you know the economy has affected almost everyone and every type of business. It doesn’t matter what your age is. It doesn’t matter what type of business you are in or were in. There is a ripple effect from this economic crisis that has resulted in many people losing their jobs, their homes, and switching careers.

When we’re in these situations - loss of income, loss of title, loss of career/job - it is not uncommon to feel discouraged and frustrated. With the loss sometimes bring feelings of loss of identity and how you feel about yourself. So what’s important here is to deal with the loss and what it means. AND for you to distinguish YOU (your identity) from what you do (your work).

And yet with all this going on, I feel positive about the future. Try this:
1) Different View - see the opportunity we’re being presented with.
2) Shift - to something you may have always wished for and may have found it hard to do for many reasons. For example, when you’re making a high salary, it’s hard to sacrifice the perks that come along with it. You get used to a certain lifestyle and material things that you don’t want to give up. So for some it’s money, for others it’s prestige or status. Whatever it is for you, this is your Opportunity to go after what you desire.
3) Explore - If you’re not sure what the next step is! This is an Opportunity to Dream and to see where that might take you. I know in my coaching practice, I am seeing many clients become more entrepreneurial.

Change and transition

Change and transition are constants in our life. We all naturally resist change. For most of us the unknown causes stress and anxiety.

Some tips to help ease life’s transitions:

Be Aware
Sounds simple…it can be! Most of us walk around and go through each day on automatic. The truth is that most of us are not aware of our thoughts and where we feel things in our bodies. Awareness can make a positive difference in how we handle situations, personally and professionally.

Before we can make any change, we have to be aware of ourselves (our thoughts) and our bodies…where in your body do you feel things when you’re stressed? Does your chest constrict? Do you feel like you got kicked in the stomach? Do the thoughts in your head feel like they’re swirling around? What about when you’re happy? Where do you feel that?

Everybody feels things in different places…the important thing is to start to familiarize yourself with how you react to things. Use what you feel in your body as a signal to yourself so that you can handle all situations in a constructive way. For instance, when I am about to enter into a stressful situation, I often feel queasy in my stomach. The moment I become aware of this, I notice the feeling and use positive self talk and a simple breathing exercise to calm myself down. And most importantly it works!!

Be Present
If we look too much to the past, we can get stuck; if we look too much into the future and anticipate too much, stress and anxiety can creep in. Stay present and be in the moment as much as possible. The minute you are aware that your thoughts are too much in the past or future, shift to the present and really live in that moment. This way life won’t pass you by. Don’t be a spectator of your life.

To learn more, read Eckhart Tolle’s book, “The Power of Now”. Check out my book suggestion list.

Gather Information
Whatever the subject is, the more information we have, the more knowledge we have. Knowledge is powerful and reduces the stress of the unknown.

Take Action – Do you feel stuck? Does it feel like your feet are in cement and you can’t move forward. Sometimes you’re not sure what the next step is, and sometimes you know, and still feel stuck. Start with a baby step. When I coach clients, I tell them I’d rather have them take baby steps and have a steady incline than a big leap where you can end up going into the wall and end up stuck again. Keep moving forward!

Positive, Self Affirming Thoughts – I’m a firm believer that we think is what happens in life. So make sure your thoughts are positive, self affirming thoughts. If we easily believe that of our negative thoughts (if we think something “bad” will happen, it will, a self fulfilling prophecy. The same is true of positive thoughts. Then why not think with positive thoughts. Make sure you’re filling yourself with the positive, not the negative. It’s your Choice!!

Positive Self Talk

“Be yourself, everybody else is taken.”

Researchers show that there is very little difference in your brain activity between doing something and imagining that you’ve done it. So whether you make a lot of mistakes or just one mistake and reproach yourself over and over, to your mind it’s all the same. If you repeatedly tell yourself you’re stupid, your mind believes it is just as if you did something stupid over and over.

Your mind does not distinguish between “believing” and “doing” so talk yourself into the person you want to become.

This is further supported by scientific research. In Sonya Lyubomirsky’s book, “The How of Happiness”, she describes the Happiness set point: 50% is our genes; 10% can be attributed to life circumstances or situations; and 40% is our intentions…meaning much of our happiness is within our control; we have the power to change.

Happiness is from within us, not from outside of us. We can choose the activities we engage in intentionally – therefore, the things we think and do every day in our lives can increase or decrease our happiness. So whatever you enjoy in life, add more of it!

Think consistent habitual positive thoughts and begin to shift the brain’s mindset to a new pattern of positive self talk.
Dr. Bruce Lipton’s research in “Biology of Belief” has made an incredible impact in the scientific world on how our beliefs influence our cells and therefore shape our lives. What a breakthrough for all of mankind!

“Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside.”

Balancing work and play!

It's hard to believe summer is almost over. I don't even feel like it started! I've been hearing that from so many people. This was going to be the summer to catch up on things, begin new things, and plan for the fall and winter.

Well, some of those things were accomplished. It seemed the summer was a lot busier than anyone expected. Alot of that had to do with the spring and the economic conditions around us...the expectations were that things would be quiet and slow.
Here's the good news...You're not behind. It is never to late to set some goals.

Most of us will soon be entering the fourth quarter of the year. I am continuing the set up goals and plans for business and socially. We all have such busy lives that you really want to pick and choose where you'll spend your time.

One thing I did this summer was to start playing golf. For me, it balances out the work/life balance. And I've got to tell you, I'm hooked! It has been wonderful for me to know that on Thursday I'm going to take another lesson and then play nine holes. This is one way that I "walk my talk". I can't work with clients and talk about how to balance their lives if I'm not doing that myself. Although I feel very blessed that my work is my passion and life purpose, balancing it with 'play and fun' is just perfect for me.

So when you're setting your goals, mix work with pleasure. Most people forget to schedule 'fun'. You'll have more energy, feel better, and get more satisfaction from everything you do!

Positively Your, Susan

Intentions for 2009

But where do our intentions come from and what do they mean? I know when I am not clear about something, personally or professionally, the way I get clarity is to ask myself, "What are my intentions here"? "What do I want to produce"? and "What do I need to be mindful of"? Try it yourself!

When we are intentional and mindful (conscious and aware) of our thoughts we gain focus which gives us the necessary clarity to make decisions and to take action. By being intentional, people aren't allowing life to just happen and reacting. They are purposeful and clear on what they want and take action steps that align with what they want. So when someone tells you what you did was "lucky" or it happened "by accident"...no such thing exists! Intention is about who you are "being". Be aware and mindful of your thoughts and who you are spending your time with. Do work and activities that make you happy. When we say "yes" to life by doing what we love, we are saying "no" to stress. It's quite empowering!

Our intentions, what we intend to do, how mindful and purposeful we're being, helps give us the tools we need to navigate through life. But before we even set our intentions, we must first look at our self talk, our inner dialogue, to make sure we're coming from a positive mindset. Otherwise the outcome we desire won't manifest.

Here are two of the eight Strategies for Positive Self Talk that have proven successful with helping people shift from negative to positive:

1) Set aside a Quiet Time - during this time, even if it's for just ten minutes, think of what your intentions are for the day, the week. What do you want to accomplish? How do you want your day to look? It helps you focus and gain clarity.

2) Be Present and In the Moment - people tend to think in the past and get stuck there, or in the future and anticipate the "what if's" which create anxiety. It's okay to look to the past or future...just don't stay there...stay present and in the moment...that's all we really have.

Once you transition to a positive mindset, and practice this daily, shift happens! Intentions are clear and life feels more purposeful. It's a great time to set short and long term goals and create a plan for 2009.

If you'd like an "Intentions Goal Setting" worksheet or if you want to learn more about Susan's 8 Strategies to help people shift from negative to positive Self Talk email Susan Samakow or call her at 301-706-7226

Make it a mindful year- It's your Choice!

How are you using intention for 2009?
Please leave a comment and let me know!