THE TRUTH ABOUT BLOGGING

A Celebration

Today marks a full year of dedicated weekly entries to my blog. When I made the commitment to weekly postings, I wasn’t positive I could do it. I wasn’t sure I was up to the challenge. I knew it was the right thing to do – so I just took the leap of faith to do it. It became a growing and learning experience for me. I must admit to being quite proud of myself for sticking it out and getting it done!

What Was Easier

I had issues with coming up with a monthly posting. Having a weekly schedule was actually easier. I just built the time into a steady weekly schedule. It wasn’t an “OMG – the end of the month and I haven’t posted yet‼” type of panic.

It was easy to come up with topics. I love writing and having a continuous need to fill made it easy to keep writing. I actually have a bunch of topics ready to go and have more help to give on existing topics. I could blog on résumés alone!

What Was Harder

Sometimes I just didn’t want to write. Or I didn’t feel inspired by anything. Or, I had an argument with someone and didn’t want to leave my pity-party. Or, I was just plain lazy. Or … well, you get the idea. Just by sitting at my computer at my “blog time” usually got me writing. It may have been abysmal writing to start, but got better as the session went on. The important thing is I stuck with it until I produced something acceptable.

What I learned was that exercising the self-management to get it done AND get the level of quality I want to project, was just a muscle. The more I exercised it, the stronger it became. As Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” So, I have built a good habit. (Yeah! more champagne...)

Something that has been very hard for me is the lack of comments or responses to my blog. I poll friends, family, clients and colleagues for topics and ideas. But, nobody (even when I beg or bribe) leaves comments. They give me lots of verbal comments, but not written. Sigh. But, is someone other than family, friend or client reading me? Thus, I have no idea if I am spending my writing on what you most want to know. Am I helping? Or, not so much?

What I Learned

The first step I actually took to achieving my goal was simply to “sit down at the computer.” Yup! That simple. And, that hard.

Conventional wisdom says that a project this big had to have a plan. And, of course, you then “break it down into manageable steps.” Which, of course, meant: I didn’t know where to start. Do I start with a list of topics? Or, should I start with themes, or … what? Paralysis by analysis! I spent several days just analyzing the best way to start. In the end, I tossed all that thinking and planning and step making. “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” Will Rodgers is spot on. So, I just sat at the computer and started writing.

I also found that as the year went on, I also could see that a topic or the direction I was taking with it, was working (or not), sooner. I became a much better editor of the idea and actual writing. I hope you agree.

Taking A New Direction

Spring is here and with it is the promise of new beginnings. As I begin my next year of weekly writing for the blog, I am changing the format slightly, for a fresh approach. I am going to incorporate coaching questions for you at the end. I am a fan of Escaping Mediocrity, Sarah Robinson’s blog. Sarah recently had readers “Pimp Your Blog & Share Your Link Love” on her blog. She got 68 replies. (I’m soooo envious.)

A coach herself, Sarah often ends or incorporates coaching questions into her blog posts. She has done this very effectively in her “Plan to Escape Mediocrity.”  I love this idea. Although I have used questions in the past, I am going to provide more structure for you. (Thank you Sarah. Is it still plagiarism when I attribute it?)

For This Week

On a piece of paper (physical or an electronic document), write down your answers to the following questions. The act of writing down your goal(s) and the action steps needed, will move you forward. It will help you create momentum.

1. What is your current, single most important goal?
2. What is your first step to achieving your goal?
3. Break that first step down into the smallest imaginable pieces.
4. What single next action of those pieces will move you closer to your goal?
5. Can you do that action today? Then do it!

Print and post this document where you will see it everyday. Check off what you accomplish. Celebrate reaching your goal.

Stretch Goal

Please post a comment on what works best for you to achieve your goals. Just one single thing that keeps you on track to reaching your goals. This will do two things. One, you will help someone else reach their goals. Your tip may be better for them than my tip. (Yeah) Two, I’ll know I have readers. (Double yeah!) Two gifts with one action – what could be better?

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

HAS IT BEEN A LONG TIME?

Has it been a long time since you were paid for the work you do? More than six months? Over a year? 

Sadly, this is possible. Job search is very competitive right now. By some estimates, there are up to 10 people for every job opening. That makes it a numbers game. The more you get out there and apply, the sooner you’ll get a job. How do you keep positive so you can do that? How do get yourself UP for the game of job search in the face of all that competition and rejection? It happens to the best of us. You are not alone. You have hit a patch of rapids in the river of life. How do you see past the rapids and keep a positive outlook? 

YOU ARE NOT YOUR JOB 
 Long-term unemployment does more than put a gap in your résumé. It also affects how you look at yourself. Your self-esteem takes a hit. You are not your job. Your value as a human being is not tied to your paycheck or your job title. If it were, Bernie Madoff would be someone to look up to, not the scoundrel he is. 

JOB CLUB  
One way is to find a local job club. This is an organization that will help you find a job. Buddy up with someone in your field. Help each other find a job. Remember, the more leads you generate for your buddy, the more you generate for you. Practice your interview skills on each other. Cheer your buddy up when they get down. Hold each other accountable to a job search plan. If each of you is to contact say, ten employers a week, make sure you each do that. Remember, it is a numbers game. The higher your numbers (of contacts, applications, employers visited, etc.) the better your chances.

If your area doesn’t have a job club, start one. This would be a sterling example of your leadership skills in action. And, it will look great on your résumé! 

JUST A MOMENT IN TIME 

Your career will run for a long time. It will be counted in decades. So sooner or later, a setback will happen in your career. It’s to be expected. Hey, “Life happens!” (as the bumper sticker says). Cycles have up's and down's and this is just a down. The good news is it will all be up from here. Remind yourself that a job will be there, and is waiting for you, right around the bend in the river. 

REVISIT YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS 
When was the last time you really looked at your résumé? Moreover, when you do, does it seem like your accomplishments were achieved by someone else? Your career is like a bicycle; you never forget how to ride it. Spend some quality time with your résumé. Remember the projects you worked on and the people you worked with to obtain these results. Remind yourself that these are your accomplishments, which should make you justifiably proud. Just because it has been a while, doesn't mean it didn't happen then and won’t happen again. 

VISUALIZE WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN 
You may not know when or where your next job is, but you can get ready. Visualize it in all the detail you can muster. What do you want next? Where exactly, do you want to work? What location? What type of people? How much salary? What are the duties? Responsibilities? What size of company? Do you want to work alone or with a team? When you can see what you want, clearly and powerfully, you can get it. Keep refining this vision. Begin trying to match up your vision with companies. You’ll find it. 

I find that when people are out of work for a while, they can't see themselves in their jobs anymore. The amount of time that has passed only matters to you. Visualize what you want so you can get back to work again quickly. Visualize submitting a great application. Visualize a great interview. Visualize the negotiations and getting the salary you want. Visualize the first day of work and all its glorious awkwardness. 

BIG MO 
Not surprisingly, most people don't take rejection well and they get discouraged. When they first lost their jobs, they had vigor and excitement. They got up everyday and had people to call and job search related activities to work on. Over time, the momentum and activities diminished. You only need one job and one person to give it to you. So get your momentum going again. The work you put in now will bring results; you just haven't seen them yet. As you well know, job search is not an instant gratification pursuit. It is a process that brings results over time. It has its own timetable and it isn’t yours. 

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF 
Most of the time, we are our own worst enemy. We talk ourselves down and defeat ourselves before the battle even begins. This approach may keep you safe from rejection and failure, but it also holds you back. This economy may be forcing you to get out of your comfort zone and into new territory. The economy hasn’t been in this place for most of our lifetimes (parents or grandparents, yes. Us, not so much). This recession requires new approaches. Nothing comfortable here and you'll be blazing new personal trails. All this is great for your personal growth. (Even though it does not feel so great most of the time.) 

This is your challenge. Will you rise to the occasion or let it get the best of you? You already have a track record of achieving great things. This will be one more to add to your list. This is just one patch of rapids in the river of your life. You will get past this. You will survive and thrive. Just hunker down, get out of your comfort zone and keep on, keeping on. 

So, what do you say? It is your life, grab it and get your momentum going again. You can do this. 

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. 

All things are possible, 

Elisabeth 

Elisabeth Adler-Lund 
Executive and Life Coaching 
Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 
E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

Happy New Habits !

This is traditionally the time of year we take stock. Who we are, where we are, where we are going, where we want to be. Then we make resolutions … to be … better, different, taking a new direction, going somewhere. What has been your success rate with resolutions? Most people make them and most people don’t keep them. If that describes you, I say don’t make them. In fact, draw a line and don’t set yourself up for the failure of not keeping your resolutions. Why do that to yourself? Instead, take a look at yourself in a mirror. Really look to see YOU in all your beautiful individuality. Look beyond the reflection, into your inner core and ask some questions:

• Can my body do what I want it to do?
• Is my life what I want it to be?
• Is there room for improvement – in my career, in my relationships, in me, in my physical surroundings?
• What are my strengths?

Your answers will tell you what you need to know. Let’s take the first question. Can my body do what I want to do? It takes me to work and back home. I can do the household chores just fine. However, I need to take short hikes that aren’t too steep or I can’t keep up and I get winded easily. There is my answer: I need to build up my hiking muscles. Now let’s discuss just how to do that. Building a habit What would be some good habits to cultivate that will build up my hiking muscles? Taking walks would do that. I can build in stamina by adding distance, hills, and varying the speed at which I walk. I can also vary the types of terrain I walk, paved roads, a forest trail or the “wild” area of my local park. Now that the “what” and “where” has been decided, when shall I walk? I can easily build in short walks by parking in the far parking spot at the grocery store and at work. That won’t take up much additional time to my schedule. I can walk to a local park, through some paths and home for about 30 minutes before work three times a week. On weekends I can spend an hour on Sunday and add some hill work into the mix. Voila, a new habit is born. Habits are the building blocks of your character. Aristotle said, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” Repetition of daily acts will build a habit that in turn will build our character. Selecting good habits over time will build a strong character that will serve you well. The habits must become routine – you do them without thinking about doing them. Like tying your shoelaces. This in turn will condition you in advance for positive outcomes. Once our habits are established, they set us up for success by the thoughts and activities we choose to incorporate into our daily thinking and way of being. Our destiny follows the path of our character, which followed our habits. Positive habits will move us forward one action at a time to our desired goals. Choose a few habits (less than five) to incorporate into your life. Monitor your progress. Before a change can become a habit, it must be repeated again and again. And again. Some say it takes nineteen repetitions for a new change to become a habit. Give yourself time to improve. Make positive changes a step at a time with the determination that you will succeed. This work will be worth it, because you are worth it! By this time next year you will have a stronger character with good habits moving you forward to success that is already inside you. You are the perfect outcome and moving toward your life’s purpose.

This is a great time to contact me to get an action plan together to get your life in the direction you want to go by creating some good habits. Call me now at 916.803.1494 or send me an email to eal@EALCoaching.com . Warmly, Elisabeth