Keep Your Sunny Side Up

Is Optimism Always a Positive?

I have to admit it.

Whenever I get an exciting idea which leads to a great new project – I always expect it to be a stellar success.

Well, the reality is that a lot of the things I’ve tried have bombed.  Sometimes spectacularly.

Does that mean I shouldn’t be optimistic when I start a new project?

What about you?  Does your optimism take you where you want to go?

Do You Expect to Keep All Your Teeth?

This is an actual question I once encountered on a dentist’s information sheet.

Do I expect to keep all my teeth?  As a matter of fact, yes I do.  Doesn’t everyone?  Maybe, maybe not.

I started to ask myself why it is that I expect to keep all my teeth.  I think about my parents, who never had to get dentures. Because of their example, a denture wearer is not someone I expect to be.

This might not be true of people who have denture-wearing role models in their lives.  For them, a different standard has been set. Different expectations.  It’s “normal” to end up with dentures.

If this is true about our teeth, could it be true about our careers?  Do we have similar expectations as those of our parents and other role-models?  Are we limiting ourselves simply because we haven’t challenged our “normal” ???

Is there a possibility for a higher standard?  More satisfaction.  More reward.  More fulfillment.

It seems weird to me that the next question on the form wasn’t, “What are you willing to do to keep all your teeth?”

Intention without action doesn’t get you very far.

So, here you go…

“Do you expect to have a great career?”

“What are you willing to do to get it?”

The Trouble with Hamster Goals

Ever find yourself chasing a goal for so long that you haven’t noticed you’re not making any progress?

Maybe it’s losing ten pounds.  Or beating your sales quota.  Or saving for a trip to Hawaii.

Whatever it is, it’s just not happening…for one reason or another.

You’re a little like the proverbial hamster – running and running in the wheel but never getting anywhere.

So what do you do when this happens?

I think you better, at a minimum, do something different than you’ve been doing all along.

At a maximum (and probably more often that you’d like to think)  you might want to consider dropping the goal altogether.

Permanently.  As in forever.

Because if it was a truly inspired goal, you probably wouldn’t need motivation.

What do you think?

The Great Hobby/Talent Debate

Do you have a hobby?

Something that you do in your leisure time for pleasure?

Have you ever thought about making money from it?

A lot of people worry that if they turn their hobby into a way to make a living, they will begin to hate their hobby.

Very possible.

Here’s what I think:

What’s more important is to turn your talent into a way to make a living.  A hobby is only one expression of a talent.  It’s pursued for pleasure, not necessarily for money.

But your talent – your talent can be expressed in many different forms.  And it’s most powerful as an orientation for a career when it’s combined with your interests, preferences and knowledge.  That’s when you’ve captured the big picture.

That’s what I think.  What do you think?

Are You Only Awesome if You Win?

Sniff, sniff…

This Saturday, my beloved Kansas Jayhawks lost in the second round of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.

Widely touted as being the best team in the entire country – they fell to a little-known school just a little further North — the University of Northern Iowa.

Ah – but does one game decide whether they are as awesome as everyone thought?

Or is it the 33 previous wins of this season?

I talk with a lot of people about making the leap to work they’ll love.  One of their most common fears is that they won’t succeed.

Well, maybe.  But is that what the game is about?  Success?  And how are we defining “success?”

I think that failure to achieve a specific objective is the worst measure of success.  A better measure might be the heart and soul put into the effort…

What do you think?

“Ooooooo, Jenny….!”

I grew up in the 1960s in a crazily kid-laden neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Whenever we wanted someone to come outside, we would go to the kid’s front door and call, “Ooooo, Vicki! (or Brian, or Beth or…)” and then someone in their family would come to the door and we would ask, “Can Vicki come out to play?”

So why am I sharing this with you?  Well, I caught an interesting interview with Ellen DeGeneres last week.

She talked about how important it is  to always be playful – that, in fact, way too many adults stop playing just because they’re not kids anymore.  Ellen loves to play practical jokes on her staff – she believes playfulness and  laughter around the office is the antidote to boredom and lack of creativity.

How much more fun (and productive) would your work and life be, if you came out to play more often?

When’s the last time someone called you to come out to play?

Well, I’m calling you now!!!!

“Ooooooooo……”

Woooo Hoooo !!!!!

Stop Hiding From Your Dreams!!!

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Whether you’re in your 30s, 40s or 50s, it’s not too late to find the perfect work for you!

If you’ve been unhappy in your worklife for far too long…if you’re struggling to find the answer on your own…if you’ve stewed over this long enough and it’s time…

Finally!  Get the answer you’ve been looking for and embark upon the career of your dreams.  If you’ve been wanting to find fulfilling work that lets you make the difference you want to be making…this workshop is designed specifically for you!  You will walk away with:

• a CLEAR DIRECTION
• a SMART STRATEGY

for making the leap to fulfilling work.

I’ve worked with hundreds of people to discover their perfect work, if they can do it – you can do it!

As one participant puts it:

(The Workshop)  sounds like an excellent tool and way to find out what you really want to do in life. I so need something like this during this particular juncture in my life right now!!

Date:  April 9-11, 2010

Location:  Portland, Oregon

For more information and to register:  Jen@CareerEpiphany.com

P.S. You might want to move fast – each workshop only has openings for 10 participants.  Don’t miss this chance – especially since it will not be offered again until September.  Don’t spend another six months feeling stressed and worried about your career future!

Be the Person You Want to Be – Now!

Is Talk Cheap – or a Pot of Gold?

People, in general, do a lot of talking. But are they really saying anything?

I just got off the phone with a client who casually began a sentence with, “Thich Nhat Hahn talks about being a warrior…”

Interesting.

If someone began a sentence like that with your name, what would they say you talk about?

I believe that what we talk about reflects, almost always, one of our core personal values.  Even when we think we’re joking or kidding around…

This makes me doubt that talk is cheap.  Ever.  Even if it costs us nothing to talk, we may be giving and deriving great value. Sharing our pot of gold…

Perhaps what you find yourself talking about is a big clue to one of the aspects of your perfect work.  What if you started listening to yourself with that intention?

Love to hear your thoughts on this one…your comments shared below will prove that your talk isn’t cheap…

Besides — March 17th is a always a great day for sharing your pot of gold!

The Bad Idea Parade

Are you ever afraid to have bad ideas?

Well, you just might want to get over it!

I read recently that it can take hundreds of bad ideas to uncover one Truly Great Idea.

(Sounds a little like dating, doesn’t it?)

You want to have good ideas, don’t you?  I know that I do.  Recently, it seems I’ve been mastering the art of having bad ideas! Once you get used to it, it’s not so bad!

Seems pretty obvious what needs to be done here…

Let’s have a parade for our bad ideas!

Share one of your most recent bad ideas by commenting below.

Together – we’ll celebrate one more marching-band-sized-step to your next Truly Great Idea!

Wooooo Hooooooo!!!!!

Dust Bunny Dreams

It’s a beautiful, warm, and sunny pre-spring day in Portland, OR

I fling open my doors and windows to encourage the cleansing breeze.

Like a really bad horror movie, I turn in slow motion, just-in-time to see…

The world’s largest tumbleweed of a dust bunny come rolling out from underneath my beautifully handcarved Hope Chest.

The symbolism cannot be ignored!

Bear in mind that I’m actually not the world’s worst housekeeper.  I keep things relatively tidy (relative to how busy I am doing things that I actually enjoy.)

No, there’s a bigger point here:

I just have to ask you….

Do you have any great big dreams that are hiding out and gathering dust underneath your hope chest?

If so, what are they?  The more people who share, the more likely we are to encourage each other to round-up those tumbleweed sized dust bunny dreams and make them come true!

Take a moment now to share by commenting.  We’ll all be glad you did!!

Wait!  Don’t leave without sharing your dream…

Ahhhhh…that’s better!