Contents |
Welcome
|
Where
Did My Muse Go? |
| Announcements
|
|
|
|
“Practice
random acts
of kindness.”
Anne Herbert
|
|
CAREER
ESSENTIALS
An
e-mail newsletter designed to transform the way you think about your career…
and to help you face Mondays with a smile!
by Dale Kurow, M.S., Career & Executive Coach
Welcome
Dear
Readers:
Welcome,
new readers and loyal subscribers! I hope the New Year has started off
well for you.
We’re
heading south (to West Palm Beach) to visit my fun cousins, Lee and Nina.
I can’t wait!!
Here
in NYC we have had remarkably mild weather so far (I’m writing this
in mid-January).
However,
in the last few days, winter has been rearing its head in the form of
grey, sleeting days. Are you, like me, affected by the weather? When the
sun is shining outside it’s so much easier to feel upbeat and cheerful.
Are
you saying to yourself — oh boy, it’s a new year and I should
be doing X — or I know I should have all these terrific goals for
2005 written down by now.
Stop
“should-ing” yourself! That will get you nowhere and make
you feel worse.
Sometimes,
finding your inspiration lies in giving little gifts to yourself and being
attuned to your own needs. Read the feature article that follows on finding
your muse.
We
saw a terrific movie this month — “Million Dollar Baby,”
directed by Clint Eastwood. It was sad, beautifully acted and memorable.
Thank
you to all those who purchased my new E-Book on phone interviews! I appreciate
your support of my work.
If
you think you may have a phone interview in your future, and want proven
strategies and tips to get you to the next round, check out my E-Book.
Daffodils
are on the way in Central Park — and here’s a photo taken
in early Spring last year to brighten up your day.
To
Your Success,
|
Are
you wondering why you can’t seem to make a decision or move forward?
So much about
winter seems to leave people in limbo.
The endless
grey days, the unfulfilled expectations of last year and the need to figure
out what the heck to do this year. That’s a recipe for stasis.
Crawling
into your bed under a warm comforter sounds about right.
Let me share
some thoughts with you about what helped me find “my muse.”
(Simply put, a muse is a source of creative inspiration.)
Recently,
my muse was nowhere in sight. I was stuck trying to figure out the next
steps for growing my business. And the choices seemed endless and confusing.
Another E-Book? An audio product? Revamping my web site? I’m not
a web marketing maven, and internet marketing is not my favorite part
of my business. (Speaking to clients is!) So here I was for days, caught
in a soup of indecision. Hard pressed to leave my office or desk, feeling
that I just had to come up with a solution.
Here’s
what worked: I let go of having to know. And I went to the movies!
I felt a
bit guilty at first, but then felt wonderful at giving myself this gift
in the middle of the day! And lo and behold, while waiting for the main
feature to begin (I saw the movie “Closer” - the best
part was watching Clive Owen, one gorgeous Englishman) ideas came popping
up for my business. And as the music started to roll, I had a big smile
on my face, knowing I had broken the logjam.
| Where
Did My Muse Go? cont'd
Even more
amazing, when I looked back on my calendar to January 2004, exactly one
year ago, I had also gone to the movies! Going to the movies was my creative
stimuli; I had forgotten what my head and body needed for inspiration.
What do you
need for inspiration? What special actions do you need to take to help
you get past your limbo?
Let’s
say you are in a job you hate. And you’re stuck. You can’t
see a way out because you need the money (there’ll never be enough
money in another job, right?) or you don’t have a good resume (you’re
a terrible writer,) or you’re fearful about interviewing (you get
nervous). That’ll keep you stuck, all right.
Instead of
beating yourself up and/or rewinding the same mental tapes, what can you
do today (okay, maybe not a movie) to make you feel good? A delicious
lunch? Taking a walk? Don’t dismiss the little gifts you can give
yourself that will enable you to discover a new outlook and perhaps trigger
creative ideas. Your goal is to change the channel in your brain and thus,
your approach.
Have you
heard the saying “Insanity is continuing to do the same things over
and over again, and expecting different results?”
Here’s
a saying from me —“Frustration lies in forgetting what works
for you!”
You’ll
find your muse when you become aware of, and attuned to, your unique needs.
|
