NEW YEAR, NEW POSSIBILITIES

What are your new possibilities for the New Year?

Today I want you to take a step back from your life and look at the bigger picture. Look at all the events that have brought you to where you are today. I’m sure you’ve had some crooked paths, some back-tracking, some do-over’s and a few straight and narrow paths. Thinking about just 2009, have you advanced your cause? Are you closer to your goals? Or, did the year just disappear into busy-ness?

This is the traditional time to take stock and think about resolutions. So, we promise to live like monks (not spending money, saving all we can, going to the gym, not eating as much as we want to) and then find out in February, we are NOT cut out for the monastic life. No surprise there. This year I am taking a different path.

My theme for 2010 is, “All things are possible.”

I am going to focus on all the things that I am good at now and improve them. I spent a lot of time trying to improve my weaknesses in 2009. I think now, that I just wasted my time. Why work on something I am not good at or is not in my character to do, when I could accomplish so much more by focusing on a strength? I think that by reinforcing my strengths, I will correct some of weaknesses as part of the process.

One of my (many) weaknesses is I don’t have a neat office. I have a tendency to stack stuff. I get busy and don’t file things away. One of my strengths is being organized. I think by shifting my focus to “being more organized,” I will file things away as part of the process of being more organized.

This is not just semantics. It is really a shift in how you see the world and yourself in that world. It is shifting from attacking yourself to accepting yourself. It is shifting from being part of the problem to being the solution. It is shifting away from fear and towards love.

I invite you to think positively too. Instead of trying to change who you are, go with your strengths. Improve the best parts of you and the rest will take care of itself.

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

Seeing the Possibilities in a Bad Job Market

This is a moment of opportunity for people seeking their dream job. This is especially true if you have recently been laid off and are a "seasoned job-seeker," (read over 40). You are poised to take flight and soar. Yes, soar! You’ve had some time in a career or two. You’ve done things. You’ve got solid experience, not just knowledge. You have accomplishments. You have many more acquaintances, colleagues, friends, family and neighbors than younger people. These are all great tools to have in your toolbox.

Now is the time to ask yourself some questions:

• Did I like doing what I was doing?
• Do I want to do something different?
• What do I want to do next?

If you know what you want to do next – great! Go make it happen. Put together your résumé; polish your 30-second Brand You sound-bite (also known as your elevator speech); contact everyone you know (this is your network) for information swapping; practice interviewing with friends and family; look for possibilities everywhere; work six hours every day of the work week in the job hunt; and go get your next job.

As a seasoned worker, your experience counts. You have the advantage of a work history and experience. You likely have a series of solid achievements that emphasize the results you can deliver to an employer. So what special skills do you have that set you apart from the crowd? How did you leave your former employers better off than before you came on board? These accomplishments will really help to sell you to an employer, not just a list of job duties. Have a good example in story form of how you prevented a big mistake, saved money, or increased productivity because of your judgement and experience. Be factual about your experience.

Many times hiring managers will have the flawed belief that older workers are set in their ways or not open to innovative ways of doing things. Draw a picture of how you used innovative thinking or creative problem solving to combat that stereotypical thinking. Welcome change. Keep up with new ideas in the workplace, even though, you’re currently unemployed. That will demonstrate you are in touch and current.

Reach out to people you know. This is your network. Don’t just ask for job leads; ask for information and about how you might help them. Ask about their families, about how they’re doing. Show interest in them. They’ll remember that (and you) when something comes along. If they feel you’re just connecting for your own benefit, they will be less likely to be helpful.

Stay energetic and take care of yourself. Be the picture of health. Keeping yourself healthy and fit by eating right, getting enough sleep, and exercising will have full of energy when you meet the hiring manager and put more in your arsenal against stereotypes.

Stay focused on the future. Don’t bring up your entire work history. Bring up only what is relevant to the job you are applying for or during the interview. I know, it’s hard to let some of that history go. There were great accomplishments in that history. That was then, this is now.

Even in a recession people retire and quit their jobs. There will be job openings. Be prepared for the opportunity, and YOU WILL BE LUCKY!

This is a great time to contact me and become prepared for opportunity so you can be lucky. We will get an action plan together to get your Dream Job. I can help you sort through your skills, experiences and your dreams to get the right job for you. I can assist you in creating a skills inventory, creating a polished Brand You Sound-bite, and getting you on the path to your dream job. Don’t wait, contact me now.

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

Warmly, Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching

By telephone: 916 • 803•1494 or by e-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com