Monday Matters! “Vuja – De! Seriously…”

April 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I was very fortunate to be in the audience to hear Simon T. Bailey speak at my regular Canadian Association of Professional Speakers meeting on the weekend. Mr. Bailey has an incredible story of emerging from his roots in virtual poverty to be an up and coming executive at Walt Disney Studios, only to walk away from it all to follow his passion, which was to speak and train others to follow theirs! He is now a world famous speaker, entrepreneur, author, and member of the Brillionaire’s Club, “…a community of unstoppable individuals engaged in realizing a vibrant future for themselves and others.”

What Simon did was create a massive shift in his thinking, a “vuja-de,” as he coins it, and has since written a book about it. This concept is significantly different than a “deja-vu,”  which is essentially a “been there-done that” term that does little for us other then to cause us some consternation around whether or not we really did experience a particular moment in time once before in our lives.

 

Vuja De, on the other hand, is an opportunity to create a vision and intention for ourselves, so instead of been here and done that, it’s I am here and I WILL do THAT! A shift, meaning simply, to change. What can we shift in our lives? What do we have control over? What are we passionate about? What can we do TODAY to create that vision and that intention? 

I struggle with this stuff sometimes. I know it makes great sense, and Simon is one of many who have been able to make it work for him in such a profound way. But even though I struggle, I’m not giving up, I’m NEVER giving up. So if you’re having hard times getting clarity in your life, that’s ok. Just keep on trucking. Something will eventually
shift.

If you’re still unclear about Deja Vu, this video should help…

 

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Monday Matters! “Why Career Development is Like a Belly Dance!”

March 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

A participant in a training course I was facilitating is looking to develop a career as a Belly Dance Teacher. It got me to thinking about how belly dancing incorporates many of the principles of the career development process. This blog is dedicated to Trish and Stephanie who helped me formulate this framework over an East Indian feast.

Teaching belly dancing is fuelled by a passion for the origin of the dance, for the music, the creativity, the expression. Passion is also what drives career development, with discovering one’s true essence as the final destination.

Belly dancing is a process that involves learning a series of steps that are rhythmic in nature, and when the steps are not realized or they are not aligned, there emerges a sense that all is not right with the world. The same can be said for allowing oneself to stagnate in a career that has lost its rhythm.

Progression through elements of the dance, through cultural variations, through refinement of technique and artistry, provides the learner with the opportunity to re-tell her story over and over, and with each chapter she grows closer to manifesting her true self. Each element of our career path is also shaped by tapping into our truth about who we are and what we value.

And finally, there is a “vocabulary” to the dance, one that needs to be mastered and appreciated, and when it is spoken with love, passion and understanding, it provides the world with a gift that can be enjoyed by all on so many different levels. Finding what “speaks” to us in our career will transform us, and in turn, the world.

Here’s some beautiful belly dancing…

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Monday Matters! “You Can’t Always Get What You Want!”

March 13, 2012 by 7 Comments

So I’m involved in a personal job search, and for the most part, I have learned a great deal about cutting edge work search tools, tips and tricks. This information is invaluable to me, not only during ths current process, but also because I use it in the career development consulting and training work I do with individuals and organizations.

What I am also learning about is the tremendous emotional impact this is having on me. Each position I apply for requires it’s own cataclysm of energy, from getting excited about the job description, to researching the company, to tailoring my resume and cover letter, preparing for the interview should I get one, doing follow up activities along the way, dealing with the rejection (so far at least) and finally, asking for some direct feedback on how I did.

It’s an emotional roller-coaster, and there isn’t time to wallow in self pity or self doubt. There is only time to generate the enthusiasm again for the next opportunity. Otherwise,  I would not do it justice.

 So where does entitlement fit in? A man with my background, experience and skills. Why am I not getting the jobs I want and prepare really, really well for? Where is the justice in that? Do employers not see what I can offer them? Are they blind? Am I too old???

 I’ve discovered that disappointment, bitterness, resentment and anger will get me absolutely nowhere, and if I give the “big 4” any energy at all, I am taking away from the task at hand, which is to dust myself off, set ego and pride aside, and take the next right step. I may not be able to always get what I want, but as Mick says in the classic 1969 video below, if I try sometimes…I just might find…I get what I NEED!

 

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Monday Matters! “Can’t Break That Habit???”

February 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

So I was at the pool the other day, and after my swim, it was shower time. The shower facility at the pool is a small open area with 6 shower heads. I have been swimming at this pool for years, and I ALWAYS use the same shower head if it’s available. ALWAYS! Now I have excellent reasons for doing so, (we always have good reasons for perpetuating our habits don’t we?), as that particular shower has a nice steady stream, it’s on the end so it’s easy to get to if other people are around, it’s close to the change area so access to my towel is quick, and so on.

On this particular day however, I noticed that when I got to the shower area, one of the heads was still streaming water when all the others, including “mine,” had stopped. I was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, and as difficult as it was, I began to shower using a foreign head! I could feel the anxiety, if even for a moment, that comes with trying something new, especially when what was old is still perfectly good. Within seconds however, I was in sheer bliss. This head did not shut off after 20-30 seconds, in fact, it never shut off the entire time I was in there! AND, the water was continually warm/hot as opposed to warm/hot/cold/warm/hot.

I felt invigorated. I felt alive. I felt free. I actually felt cleaner! When I thought about it later, I experience those feelings whenever I try something new (well, maybe not the “cleaner” piece). So maybe, just maybe, if we continue to try new things, even though the old ones still work, we will feel more invigorated, more alive, and more free. Now that’s a habit worth having don’t you think?

It’s a MATTER of choice! Why don’t you change ONE habit of yours this week?

 Check out this classic tune sung by Billy Field!

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Monday Matters! F@#%!!! Not Just Another 4-Letter Word!

February 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

I admit it! At the very core of the resentment and anger I feel about all kinds of stuff…oh ya, I admit that I feel those things too, is that nasty 4-letter word – FEAR! I am afraid! When I reflect and try to analyze what it is I am afraid of, it comes down to two major things for me really; success and failure. It’s hard to say which one predominates, but clearly, they are both a factor. Where does that come from? Who cares? I can spend years in therapy trying to figure it out, or just point a finger at my Mom, but what good does that do?

Regardless of where my fear comes from, I am still compelled to DO something about it! And blaming my Mom hasn’t helped, neither did BECOMING a therapist! So where does that leave me? 

It leaves me staring that F monster right in the face! I need to do that! I need to recognize the fear. I need to FEEL it! I need to experience what it’s doing to me physically, and emotionally. Then, I need to surrender it…give away that feeling of fear. And finally, I need to walk towards it, not run away from it, but meet it, confront it head on. I am learning, as I get older, that the things I shy away from are the VERY things I need to embrace. When I do that, lo and behold, 9 times out of 10, the MONSTER  turns into a mere pussycat. Meowwwwww!

This piece from “Coach Carter,” a great movie about basketball and about life, says it all…It MATTERS!

 

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Monday Matters! What’s Love Got To Do With It???

February 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Some of you are aware that Valentine’s Day is coming up. If you’re not, and you’re in a relationship, here’s your slap in the face wake up call! For me, while I don’t celebrate VDay, I do think about love, and love leads me to thinking about passion! And one of the things I associate passion with is career!

Now you may not be aware of the fact that approximately 50% of the people that work in this country hate their job! Yes, FIFTY percent! So it’s you or the person standing next to you! Look at him or her. Which one of you is it? If it’s you, then pay attention! If it’s not you, show this to the person standing next to you, and tell them to pay attention!

If you don’t love your work, aren’t passionate about it, then you need to leave it! YES, you NEED to LEAVE it! You’re doing no one in your entire world any good by being miserable. In fact, you are doing yourself, all those that love you, and the world at large a great disservice! You are spreading negative energy around in the way you carry yourself, and you’re metaphorically  ”kicking your dog” when you get home.

When was the last time you did some research about work? There are so many new and interesting opportunities out there that you haven’t even heard about. But you’re lazy aren’t you? Or “comfortable” in your misery. Or, maybe, just maybe, you have no idea what your passion is. So here’s your tip for the week. This comes from relationship guru David Deida. 

Sit in a room by yourself and just be. Then let things come to you, in terms of what you might do for work. But the trick is you CANNOT get up (unless it’s for food, bathroom, sleep) until what you’re thinking about is SO powerful for you that you can’t NOT get up and go do it!

THAT’S your passion! And it MATTERS! Tina Turner agrees…

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Monday Matters! Crazy Teenage Love and Career Planning! Huh???

January 30, 2012 by Leave a Comment

  Ok...so... "Crazy Teenage Love" is a song I wrote about a girl I was gaga over when I was 16. And it's the title of a screenplay I'm trying to write about those formative teenage years. But what does that have to do with career planning in the here and now? The answer? EVERYTHING!

When I say "gaga," I MEAN just that! I used to take taxi cabs to this girl's house just to hang out with her for a few hours. I would put up with eating the "frozen green peas" snack she offered every time I visited just to see her smile when I told her how much I loved them! She wasn't just a PART of my world back then, she WAS my world! Everything revolved around her. I couldn't wait to see her, be around her, smell her, talk to her.

PASSION! It's ALL about PASSION! That's what Crazy Teenage Love has to do with career planning! You need to get passionate about it. You need to find out what it is you get passionate about. You need to be passionate about finding out what it is you get passionate about!

Do the math...Take a career that spans between the ages of 21-65. That's 44 years. Figure 40 hours a week during that time, deduct holidays, and you end up with a total of 328,500,000 seconds of work! Now I don't know about you, but to me that is a heck of a lot of time to do something I hate!

People tell me that you don't need to be passionate about the work you do. I think they must be the same people that bypassed adolescence and never got crazy over love, or they've buried that feeling under tons of  "responsibility," "circumstance," and "reality."

Get out your shovels people and dig yourself out because this MATTERS!

And oh...here's a version of  the tune with Amos Garrett sitting in...You can find the polished edition on my new CD "Love is Like a Chicken!"

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