Unleashing a New Life Direction

How satisfied are you with your work? Are you feeling restless and like it’s time for a change? Come to this workshop to assess what’s working and what’s not and explore the answer to the question Now What?

Phoenix-Area Now What?® Coaches are teaming up to deliver a joint workshop:

• ·         Now What?® ― First Steps to move from thinking about a career change to doing something about it

  ·         With: Maria Busch, Debbie Exner, & Ginny Kravitz

  ·         June 25, 2008; 6:30-8:00 PM at the Jobing.com Phoenix Office: 4747 North 22nd Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016·         Free Admission

  ·         Register by sending an email to: maria@proactiveconversations.com or call 480-342-7062 If you don’t live near Phoenix and are interested in a tele-seminar on the same topic, let us know.

Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”

– Anthony Robbins

Are you asking yourself questions when you are stuck? in doubt? puzzled?

There is power in questions. Sometimes we don’t have any idea what the answer will be. Often we may not even know the questions to ask. One thing I have learned is that when we are stuck, in doubt, in wonder, in pain, puzzled, it is worth our time to ask questions for better understanding. 

Questions can be very empowering and open us up to what’s next for us! The Now What Program has exercises that will be asking you to explore ongoing questions that will be very empowering, before taking the program you can ask yourself some questions to help you understand now. The following are some of the questions I ask myself now when I am stuck or in pain.

 Is there a message for me in this experience?
- What’s the gift in this situation?
- What can I learn from this?
- What’s the most loving thing I could do now?
- What’s the most important thing for me to focus on now?
- What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
- What would I do if there were nothing to fear?

“A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.”

Explore these questions and more during the Now What Program process!

Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers.”

– Anthony Robbins

Are you asking yourself questions when you are stuck? in doubt? puzzled?

There is power in questions. Sometimes we don’t have any idea what the answer will be. Often we may not even know the questions to ask. One thing I have learned is that when we are stuck, in doubt, in wonder, in pain, puzzled, it is worth our time to ask questions for better understanding. 

Questions can be very empowering and open us up to what’s next for us! The Now What Program has exercises that will be asking you to explore ongoing questions that will be very empowering, before taking the program you can ask yourself some questions to help you understand now. The following are some of the questions I ask myself now when I am stuck or struggling.

 Is there a message for me in this experience?

What’s the gift in this situation?

What can I learn from this?
What’s the most loving thing I could do now?
What’s the most important thing for me to focus on now?
What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
What would I do if there were nothing to fear?

“What” questions open us up to what is possible for us! Even if you are imagining at first. The power of this comes from how you can begin to look at a situation. Let’s see how this can all unfold….

This past weekend I attended a Marketing and Sales event, I was out of my element. I was very excited to be there I had placed high expectations or intentions for the weekend. However, it did not play out the way I intended at all. I left the event in shock. So many thoughts of doubt, confusion and lack of clarity were going through my head. This helped me realize I needed to evaluate what I was feeling. So on the plane ride home I had a 3 hour stopover in Detriot. I used that time to ask myself these questions about the events of the weekend.

Is there a message for me in this experience? Yes, as I noticed what I attracted I began to see a pattern and from this pattern there was a message for me that is just becoming clear now. In the Marketplace exercise I keep linking up with other coaches and I was amazed to see that I kept coming across people like myself…it gave me a chance to see how I compared to them.

 What’s the gift in this situation? I got to see myself through the eyes of others and see how I can allow myself to be taken off my course by the feedback of others. I lacked clarity and that became overwhelmingly obvious to me.

 What can I learn from this? To follow my path which may mean slowing down and taking baby steps instead of trying to move to the beat of another drummer.

What’s the most loving thing I could do now? Practice self empathy. Accept where I am in my path  and look for ways to grow in healthy directions.

 What’s the most important thing for me to focus on now? For me baby steps, get my own immediate needs taken care of first so that I am not anxious and stessed about that. Take care of things at home and get established with speaking engagements in my community. Do what I do well, provide the people management training program and facilitate the Biz Clinic with my Coaching partner.

 What would I do if I knew I could not fail? Hmmm, what an interesting question. Take risks and accept whatever the outcome is as feedback. Create my Vision for my business. Discover what I do best and do it! March to m own drummer!

What would if there was nothing to fear? Be true to myself and not worry that it doesn’t look the same as it does for everyone else. I am where I am and there is a gift in knowing that. 

Hmmm, Now What???

 This week consider an exercise in your life that causes you to pause…use that time to reflect on these questions and see what you come up with. See you next week.

 “A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.”

Announcing a preview teleclass on an upcoming Now What Workshop starting in September!

Have you been wondering what it would be like to realize your purpose and develop a plan to make it happen? Join me on August 29th for a FREE preview class on Teleclass.com.

We have been talking about what a Now What Workshop can do for you. Let’s spend some time breaking down what the 12 weeks actually look like.

The program is broken down into two parts. The first part makes up weeks 1-7. This part is entitled, Naming What Is.

First we start by asking, what are we tolerating? Chapter One is called, “What You Hate Gives A Name to What You Want. Working through the exercises in this chapter you will begin to develop solutions to things that seem like complaints today. Eliminate those tolerations and move on.

Chapter Two is “With Every Gain There is a Loss” - what will you have to let go of in order to move on to something new, what’s holding you back? Time to set priorities!

Chapter Three is “Most Limits are Self Imposed”. Our limiting beliefs may have a great impact on why we have not been able to accomplish what we say we most want to do in our lives.  We will use a four step process to eliminate those limiting beliefs once and for all.

Chapter Four is “The Past Holds the Clues to the Future”. Each participant will be documenting their lives and then looking for clues. Discover your Interrupted Dreams, Golden Threads and Driving Motivators.

Chapter Five is “The Purpose in Your Life is Right Under Your Nose”. This week will begin some research that involves asking your family and friends to tell you who you are to them. Discover the clues that are present in your life today that may point to your real purpose in life.

Chapter Six is “Your Purpose Needs a Vehicle.” Your exploration continues here, be adventureous. Find others who are doing what you want to do and talk to them about their choice, does that help you see yourself in this role?

Chapter Seven is “Your Criteria for Happiness, Is this Really ‘It”? The exercises in this week work is about defining your needs and values. We will have you define your 3 top needs and your 3 top values.

Moving on to Part II will bring a new found energy and excitement, now that you know where you want to go, how are you going to get there? Start the second half of the program and discover, “Getting There.”

Chapter Eight is “The Bottom Line is the Bottom Line” Until now we have avoided looking at your financial state of mind. What will it do for you to know where you stand once and for all? You will have two weeks at this phase of the program to really get down to bare bones. The sheets in the workbook will provide the necessary structure and make it easy for you to get to the bottom line.

Chapter Nine is “Life Often Imitates Art; Write Your Own Fiction”. Put on your creative cap, write out some stories about how your life can look, again, don’t try to be too linear, think outside the box and then take the Free Fall.

Chapter Ten is “Put Yourself in Opportuity’s Way.” This week will be an exploration in visualization. See yourself in your new life and act as if…

Chapter Eleven is “You Don’t Have to Do it Alone.” In this week’s work we will define what support means to you and who your support system is. Who do you want on your team? 

Chapter Twelve is “Following Your BluePrint”.Putting it all together, here you will create and map out a plan for the next year. This plan will include action steps, benchmarks and oh yeah, celebrations!

Join me for two preview calls, one will be Wednesday, August 29th at 7:00 EST (4:00 PST) If you miss that one, join us for the next one, Wednesday, September 5th at 7:00 PM.

Dial in from anywhere in the world by calling: 1-218-486-1300 access code:248877 

See you there!

The 12 week workshop begins Wednesday, September 12th at 7:00 PM EST and ends Wednesday, December 12th. There will be a build in break no classes on Wednesday, October 31st and Wednesday, November 21st. The total cost is $200 a month for 3 months and includes Laura Berman Fortgang, book, “Now What? 90 Days to  New Life Direction” and the accompanying workbook. This is a $50 value.

Okay so we have been doing some talking about creating a life worth living, but how do you begin, exactly how can you figure out where you are stuck in your life? Laura Berman Fortgang’s Now What program includes a Quiz that you can take to see where you may be in the process of being stuck and give you some direction on getting unstuck. I have included it on this blog as a separate page. Check it out!

The quiz will help you identify your blocks. It is divided into sections and each section is covered by one of the chapters of the book, “Now What: 90 Days to  New Life Direction.”

Important to answer the questions as honestly as you can. Try not to think about it too much just use your intuition and answer the questions. When one of my clients took the quiz and then went through the program she was able to anticipate with each chapter which blocks she would be facing. It helped to act as a precursor for each point and each section as she worked through it.  Julie was struggling with having a purpose in her life and she was able to see that as she answered the questions in section E and recalled that people were always telling her how creative she was and what a good eye she had for design. Working through the program she realized her dream to become an interior designer. 

 So what about you? Are you re-evaluating your career?  Are you ready to explore new horizons? Or are you needing to do something radically different with your life. Now is the time to discover what lies ahead for you. Have fun with the quiz and then explore your place in the upcoming programs available in September!

How do you know what it is you really want? I ask those I am coaching that question and I amazed at the number of people who to struggle with that question.

How about you? If you are having trouble defining what it is you want figuring that out is your first step. Everytime I ask someone that, I see the cloud come over their eyes as they try to figure it out. How about if you start by listing what you don’t like. Ahhh! Do more things come to mind? If you are like most of us than you can list things that you are not happy with or don’t want in your life. Start here by listing what is not working. Another way of looking at this may be….What am I tolerating in my life!

Tolerations can tie us up! I use to have a list of have to’s Things I have to do, or be, or have. After awhile they began to feel like chains I was dragging behind me. Strive to eliminate any tolerations!. Here is a method to follow. As described in Laura Berman Fortgang’s book, Now What: 90 Days to a New Life Direction, list what you are tolerating then create a possible solution to this toleration, then give yourself a projected date to complete it. Usual at this point, an example comes in handy. Okay, let me give you one of mine. I have to admit, this one is a safe one! Maybe I will try a riskier one on you later. Here we go!

Where I work, we measure performance using Dashboards. Well the dashboard for my role is very vague and fails to measure the quality of the work we do. We have used this Dashboard for several years because it is easier to use it for the information it tracks yet it really doesn’t help us improve the quality of the work we do. Each month when we cover it in staff meetings everyone complains about it’s effectiveness yet we keep going with it. Well, this month I decided to suggest an idea that we survey our clients and use the data ito determine what our clients want from us and thereby create a new more preoductive dashboard. Just the relief that we are moving in a more positive direction has given more energy to the group.

So your time, what are  you tolerating? Is it a long stressful commute? A house that is too large, too small, too disorganized? A career that ceased to be challenging a few years back? An extra 20 pounds? Too much debt? Think about it, what is keeping you up at night? Once you list these tolerations, list a do-able solution. Spend sometime considering a solution that is realistic and possible. Then give yourself a timeframe to have it completed by. In my example above, I realized that it would take until December 2007 to have a new Dashboard completed.

Wonder what is next? That’s right, out of this you can begin to create a vision of the life you want to create for yourself.  From here you begin to see your wants and needs. Try to list what you do want for your life. Next time we will talk about letting go and moving on! Till then, spend some time journaling about your vision for the life you want.

Are you feeling satisfied in your career? In your relationships? In your life?
Well, many of us today are discovering life is about more than what we are doing now! Maybe something is missing, but you aren’t sure what it is?

Each of us has a specific life direction, it is up to us to discover what that is. I have been working with a process created by Laura Berman Fortgang called 90 days to a New Life Direction based on Laura’s book of the same name.

The first 45 days are spent discovering our specific purpose and the second 45 days are spent desigining a life plan which includes this purpose. Our life plan needs to be fully integrated into everything we do.

I have discovered and uncovered many things about my life that have set me in a new and exciting direction. I have worked with others who have created new careers, new life directions and established new relationships.

What willl it take for you to venture out into a new direction?
What do you really want that you are not reaching for?

Let me know you thoughts here and come back to hear more about the steps to a new life direction.

May 6, 3:30 AM — [ Edit | Delete | Unapprove | Approve | Spam ] — Hello New Life Direction Seekers

The Life BluePrint Institute introduces a 90 day process created by Laura Berman Fortgang, called, “Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction. This blog is time spent sharing about that process and the journey some people are making with their lives on the path to a new career, lifestyle, relationship or life! 

How many out there are looking for What’s Next for them? Are you satified with the life you have or do you want something more?

Well if you are like most of us, we are all searching for more. What do we mean by more? Well what are you doing now and how do you feel about that? Do you have a career in a Corporate environment, equitable salary, great benefits, security! Yet, something is missing, can you really express who you are? How much creativity can you express. Many of the people I coach are conflicted. They are comfortable in their careers yet there is a big hole there too!

Perhaps, you have already decided to leave your comfort zone in search of what is next? Anything could have triggered that move, new baby, retirement, layoff, buyout, conflict between your values and your companies?

Yet still some of my clients are single parents, divorced, working a full time job and going to school, raising kids. Dealing with the overwhelm is constant! How do we turn the overwhelm around and build something out of it?

Well, first step we have to do is commit to ourselves and making our growth, change, new direction, a full time job. How long can you commit to getting yourself focused? How about 90 days! That’s right commit to 90 days to determine a new life direction!

People have done amazing things in 90 days. How do you get yourself motivated to determine your direction and take action?

Well it actually is going to require some effort on your part. I have worked with many people who did not know where they were going to find the time. However, once they cleared the deck of tolerations, clutter and got focused, they found the energy to make things happen on their new direction.

So by asking yourself a series of quesions, perhaps working with a coach or perhaps joining a coaching group, is a way to commit, take action and succeed in developing your new life direction.

Joseph had been in his career in the financial industy since leaving college over 15 years ago. He was making good money when he started working with me, he had job security, great benefits. With a family to support, he now there is something more for me, but what? He felt that he had a creative side that did not get expressed in his role as a Manager in the Phone/Processing Department of his long time employer. He thought to be creative, he had to take up art and quit his job and become a struggling artist. He felt he owed his family more than that kind of life, so our work together explored how he could explore his creative side and see where he could use that in his current role.

I suggested he read, Julia Cameron’s “The Artist Way”. Slowly he could reconnect to his creativity by taking time each morning to explore his thoughts by writing Morning Pages.