Since November of last year I’ve been on my own special kind of “sacred path” which has included understanding what I love to do for my work (life coaching, writing, being on the radio) and realizing the major beliefs that I’ve been operating under (people will think I’m a mix-matched plaid suited wearing salesperson if I ask them to coach with me, I don’t have the educational background to be a good writer and I’m too old to make a career of being on the radio).

(recently posted at www.lifebeforebusiness.com) 

I’m still mulling over the movie “Pan’s Labyrinth” three days later.  It is an “adult” fairy tale set in 1944 Spain during the Franco regime.   The heroine is an 11-year old girl named Ofelia who travels with her pregnant mother to live with the evil step-father who commands a fascist outpost.  The movie, which is directed by Guillermo Del Toro, exquisitely tells the story of the horrors of the reality of Ofelia’s life under the control of her step-father while allowing us to escape into Ofelia’s fantasy world filled with fairies and fauns.  Like the DNA double helix the stories intertwine to the very end so that you are left wondering what was real and what may have been a creative psychological outlet for the overwhelming experiences of a little girl.  The fantasy fairy tale outlet makes it safer for us to realize the reality of what is really going on.

(recently posted at http://www.smallbusinessgurus.com/life-before-business/a-new-kind-of-risk.html)

A new kind of risk was highlighted during a recent coaching conversation with a client, who had taken a VocationVacation last year to explore a new career option. This client has seen, explored, prepared for and conquered many risks in life but this new kind of risk, one that may not have the support of those people closest to them, seemed to be more daunting then the others.

(recently posted at www.lifebeforebusiness.com)

I must confess that in the past I have felt much more comfortable “sounding” really grounded and espousing wisdom that I’ve learned throughout the years than to actually practice the principles that I hold so dear.  My feeling may just be part of the human condition. In spite of this,  I suspect that the God of my understanding and my higher-consciousness have been taking many notes along the way because now that I have created a life of being a Life Coach, writer and radio personality, it is much more difficult to hide behind my words.  Now people are more able to see my actions as well.

One of my greatest fantasies when it comes to living the life we really want to live is that if we all were working in the jobs of our heart’s desire then we might end up in such a blissful state of being that we’d just bink on out of this life and Earth would end as we now know it.

Two clients this week both are working on re-creating themselves in terms of what they do for a career.  Both have been independently contracting for various projects and jobs as they can. Both have babies on the way!  As we explored what their options were for new career paths, I invited them think about all the people they know and have met in their projects, jobs, through friends, through extracurricular activities.  It is surprising all the connections we each have if we sit down and think about it.

My dear friend, Nettie Hartsock,  offered an idea to me to write an article around, “Repurposing Content: The Soul Journey”.  She went on to say what repurposing mean is that you take the content of something you’ve already written and you “repurpose” it more powerfully in another area.  The content stays the same; the difference is in how it is utilized for each audience and each target.

What comes to your mind when you hear/read the word “strength”?  For me, a strength is something you do well, you do it alot and you enjoy doing it.  What is the distinction between a skill and a strength?  I believe that a strength is something you were born with, it flows from you naturally and a skill is something you learn.  Some people have strengths that help them learn some skills very well. For instance, some of my strengths include being very sociable, very assertive and very creative.  On the other hand, some of the things I am not strong in include being trusting, amenable and deliberate.  

I believe that everyone on this planet who has a passion in their heart for a specific career path, can do what is in their heart if they will muster up the courage to take the steps necessary (investigate, interview and explore) to find out what action steps they will need to take the plunge.  For those of you who don’t think you have a passion for anything in particular, you just know you don’t want to keep on doing what you’re doing now, then listen up, there’s hope for you as well.