Self belief is a critical determinant of happiness and success yet sometimes an elusive factor. So many things conspire to weaken our self belief:
criticism from others
self criticism
perfectionism and overly high self standards
lack of focus and discipline
under resourcing - time, money, training
lack of encouragement

all of the above and others took swipe at my self belief recently when I went back to study. Family and friends said I was crazy, classes were over subscribed, money was tight, relationships strained, stress levels high, a horrible group critique that left one student crying, under-funding and indifferent tutors, impatience with lack of skill combined with minimal one to one tutoring eroded the belief I could turn my dream into a reality and made it "easy" for me to throw in the towel.

Passion, skill, and belief all determine success and happiness in life but with no belief you are destined to fail.

What did my recent experience teach me. In my case a large factor was suffering from way too much stress - as you'll see later I really needed to get that under control. Critical self belief boosters also include:
surrounding yourself with people who believe in you
remind yourself of and focus on prior achievements
don't settle for less - ask for your needs to be met
affirm your strengths
recognize areas for development and allow time for talent to develop
perservere in the face of setbacks
find another way around obstacles
get a mentor, coach, or tutor
practise, practise, practise
be positive
allow no doubt - fake it til you make it
fuel your desire - build a strong mental, emotionally evocative picture of your end goal
find role models who succeeded despite the odds
prioritize - don't spread yourself too thin
know when to give up, know when to stay

where to from here for me?
timing is everything. As Thomas Edison once said, " I haven't failed, I've succeeded in finding ways that didn't work".

I still have belief - I'm just clearer about what didn't work:
Being stressed to the max didn't work
juggling study with a new relationship didn't work
juggling two mortgages and finding two new tennants and try and study didn't work
lack of encouragement didnt help
moving between 3 homes and two campuses didn't work
crises with teenager didn't work
studying with savvy 18 year olds in over subscribed classes didn't work
house sitting and minding a dog didn't work
relying on others in group assignments didn't work
working two jobs and running a business didn't work


Gosh! No wonder it didn't work! But when the timing is right it still can. I know I can self study, I know I can apply for entry into year two in Dec. Mostly I know I need to take time to get my mojo back after an extremely stressful two years. And I know I need to take time out to clarify what's truly important and how best to achieve it.

How about you? What do you need to do to boost your self-belief?








waning passion for a career as an architect certainly didn't work

Labels: achieving goals, diary of an architect, Happiness, Motivation, Overcoming setbacks, passion, Powerful Creativity, Powerful thinking, Productivity

I received an update recently from a fabulously talented lady in the States I've been following and I couldn't help but be excited by how similarly we are feeling.

Here's her entry that got me thinking that it's time to stop, rest, dream and plan rather than continue frenetically along the pathS I'm currently on.

"You may have to reinvent your role as a marketer too at some point. It’s not that I’m wishy washy about it - I just have a lot I want to accomplish. I like teaching total newbies what an autoresponder is, or exchanging ideas with other advanced marketers. I like introducing new concepts to people and providing cheap writing via my PLR Mini Mart.

Right now, I have my hands in too many cookie jars - literally and figuratively. So I’ve decided that starting tomorrow and through the month of August, I am going to step back and decide what I want to pursue more heavily. Instead of doing a little PLR, a little info product training, a bit of social networking tutorials - I will decide what makes my heart go kerplunk and follow that dream full steam ahead. I need a drawing board with a plan, Stan! And I’m going to get it.

But I need a clear head for it. This month, I worked my butt off paying off my August bills ahead of time. I know it sounds odd to those without a problem, but I have to spend a lot of time on losing weight, too. It impedes my thought process. I can’t explain it - it just does. I’m happy in every way in life except my weight - and I have 100 pounds to lose. A mountain.

So I am making this next month (starting tomorrow), a period of back to the basics for Tiff. I’m going to wake up each morning, check email to answer customer service questions, etc., and then work on my weight. While I’m exercising, I will be exploring my options, thinking hard about what fulfills me - not just what makes ends meet or allows me to profit more. Right now, I can’t even multi task between weight loss and work. It is exhausting because exercise drains my energy and I need energy to work. I need my head to be clear and focused."

If Tiff can do it - I can do. So effective tonight I'm going to disconnect from technology for a while and do some serious thinking about who I am, who I want to be and how I'm going to get there. Exciting stuff!

So far I've cut myself some slack from my architecture studies - the course is not really what I need and being with 17-18 year olds not the stimulation I need to fuel my passion. So quess what - I quit! That doesn't mean I'm going to give up on my dream. IT just means I'm going to buy myself some time and really look at my options.

Effective tonight I'm baby sitting my mothers dog and her house for a month - so that will be a nice break.

After that....I'll deal with that then

How can you take time out to reflect on who you are and what makes you tick?

Labels: achieving goals, Career Creation, Happiness, Motivation, passion, Powerful thinking

I received this lovely feedback last month - but only just found it in my in-tray:


"Congratulations on being true to yourself and making your dreams become your reality.

I just love reading about people who “walk the talk” – and who are taking big, bold, exciting steps.

It is wonderful.

Warmest wishes for continuing a very successful life….
Liz, Career Consultant, Career Services rapuara

It really made my day - especially as this is day 2 of my course. I'd be lying if I said there weren't times when I thought "oh, my god, what am I doing?" There's even been times when I wanted to quit! So soon, I hear you say! But I'm not quitting, I 'm staying even though all this new learning is blowing my mind, even though assignments are already stockpiling, even though I'm trying to live a balanced life and make room for my partner and his needs, even though as of Thursday I'll be officially homeless (I've rented out the house to fund my studies).

What keeps me there? The share challenge - and the fact that for the first time in my life I am studying my true path with heart - creating healing, sustainable, organic architecture that feeds peoples mind, body and soul:)

I also remind myself how lucky I am to have this opportunity and affirm my courage - over the years I've career counselled many people too frightened, too lazy, too comfortable, or too suppressed to make a change for the better. I hope my journey inspires others:) If i can find a way - you can too!

Labels: achieving goals, diary of an architect, Happiness, Motivation, Overcoming setbacks, passion, Powerful Creativity, Powerful thinking

Costa Rica tops happiness, 'green living' poll



SAN JOSE (AFP) — Costa Rica is the happiest place on earth, and one of the most environmentally friendly, according to a new survey by a British non-governmental group.

The New Economics Foundation looked at 143 countries that are home to 99 percent of the world's population and devised an equation that weighed life expectancy and people's happiness against their environmental impact.

By that formula, Costa Rica is the happiest, greenest country in the world, just ahead of the Dominican Republic.

Latin American countries did well in the survey, occupying nine of the top 10 spots.

Australia scored third place, but other major Western nations did poorly, with Britain coming in at 74th place and the United States at 114th.

The New Economics Foundation's measurements found Costa Ricans have a life expectancy of 78.5 years, and 85 percent of the country's residents say they are happy and satisfied with their lives.

Those figures, taken along with the fact that Costa Rica has a small "ecological footprint," combined to push the small nation to the top of the list.

A 2006 New Economics Foundation study designated Vanuatu the world's happiest nation, with Costa Rica at second place.

Sociologist Andrea Fonseca said Costa Rica gives its citizens the "tools" to be happy, but cautioned that happiness cannot be calculated just by looking at life expectancy and environmental practices.

She added that the country's rise to the top of the Happy Planet Index "has a lot to do with social imagination."

Costa Rica has a peaceful reputation because it does not have an army, and is also known for its protected ecological zones and national slogan "pure life," she said.

Read more about this fascinating destination here

Labels: achieving goals, Happiness

 Help people generate their own solutions

  “People possess the necessary resources to find solutions to their complaints – coaching helps them tap into these resources so they can construct solutions." - Lipchik

While listening can be one of the most helpful things you can do for another person, over time staying stuck in problems can take its toll. Adopting some solutions focused language skills can shift people from talking about problems to creating their own solutions. Instead of launching into generating solutions for them try posing some well structured questions.

Solutions focused techniques lie at the heart of the Worklife Solutions FastTrack coaching process and is an important part of the coach’s toolkit. The roots of Solutions-Focused Coaching stem from counselling and therapy based techniques developed in the 1970s by Steve de Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg at the Brief Family Centre, Milwaukee in North America. Solution-Focused Therapy’s philosophy is that all clients have strengths, skills and resources and that they are the experts on what they want to achieve.  The coach is not the expert, entrusted to “solve” the client's problems, but to act as a facilitator, and guide who empower their clients to create their own solutions and tap into their inner based resources.

 

Unlike counselling approaches which focus on providing clients with an awareness of the problem’s nature and origins (past based), solutions focused coaching emphasises focusing on possibilities and the clients preferred future. Thus instead of focusing on the problem, exceptions to the problem (ie times when the problem isn’t a problem) are drawn out. Often the solution is not necessarily linked to the problem at all.

 The power of solutions-focused coaching often stems from carefully thought out open questions applied at the appropriate time and designed to encourage clients not only to behave differently but also to view themselves differently.

 "One has not only an ability to perceive the world,but an ability to alter one's perception of it; more simply,one can change things by the manner in which one looks at them." -Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

 

Some useful solutions focused questions include: 

LOOKING FOR EXCEPTIONS

 The purpose of this technique is to help people to notice the absence of the problem and to notice their successes.

• When's the most recent time that the problem happens less/not at all?
  
• What did you try recently that worked? What are you doing now that works? (Get details –“What difference did it make? How did you do it?”
  
• Tell me about the times it happens less.
  
• Tell me about the times that it doesn't happen.
  

 

COPING QUESTIONS

The purpose of these questions is to help people realise how resourceful and strong they already are. When clients are catastrophising or find it hard to see anything good in their life coping questions can help them to recognise glimmers of hope, courage or resourcefulness they already possess.

 

• How come it is not worse?
  
• How are you handling it?
  
• In spite of everything that is happening how did you ________ (get up in the morning; get here today, etc).
  
• What’s been a little bit helpful so far? (This can be a good question to ask when people worry they are not making progress.)
  

Labels: Happiness, Health

Labels: Happiness, The Book

My daughter fulfilled one of her dreams the other day when she was invited by Dame Malvina Major to sing for her. Hannah was so excited, and so nervous, she nearly fainted! Minutes before she went in to sing for her she heard another girl singing and she rang me in a panic. “She’s singing the same song I was going to – and she sung it perfectly!”

After calming her down I asked for a bit more information and found out that the girl before her was in fact an older woman who was in Dame Malvina’s master class. “Remember how gifted you are, Hannah,” I counseled her, “remind yourself how you received a distinction pass in your Trinity Music exams and also that you are here to learn and have not had any lessons for a year – just sing from your heart and you will be fine.” And she was!

Hannah is lucky – I have always encouraged her dreams and nurtured her natural talent. But many others haven’t. When she was 6 I recall one day, as she was happily rocking in the hammock and singing on the verandah, the little girl next door popped her head out of her window and screeched, “You think you can sing but you can’t.” Hannah burst into tears and stopped singing.

As recently as last month when she told a careers adviser at Canterbury University that she would like to audition for the voice school the woman soberly replied, “Oh you won’t get in, it’s very competitive.” She hadn’t even heard her sing!

As Christopher Gardner said in his book, and later a movie, the Pursuit of Happiness, “You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it period.”

Having a dream is an indispensable part of happiness and success.

What his dad called a “pipe dream” led to a life of happiness and a multi-millionaire dollar career for best selling author Wilbur Smith. As a child Wilbur always dreamed of being a writer. But any notions of making a living from writing were nothing but foolish pipe dreams his father cautioned him. " Get a real qualification" boy, was his instruction.

Wilbur dutifully took accountancy at university and resentfully became a tax accountant. But he never lost sight of his dream. He immediately began moonlighting as a short story writer, selling the odd piece of fiction to magazines.

"I'd been told all along, 'you'll never make a living as a writer. Use it as hobby, but you'll never be a Hemmingway or a Steinberg.'"

Then on the strength of an early story, his first novel, When the Lion Feeds, was commissioned. It was written while he was a full-time accountant for Salisbury Inland Revenue. His publisher and later agent, Charles Pick, gave him advice he never forgot: "Write for yourself, and write about what you know best."

"When it was was actually published and people wanted more, I thought, 'I might make a living out of this.'"

Now aged 76, he has sold over 100 million books and written 32 titles.

"If you have a deep need to write then the hunger will remain."


If your dreams could do with a boost this inspirational eBook could be just the motivational kick start you need.

Create Your Dream Job eBook


Do you get discouraged when looking through the situations vacant?
Do you worry that you will never find the perfect job for you?
Would you love to create your dream job but dont know how?
Do you wonder how you can translate your deepest passions into a rewarding career?
Do you feel boxed in and defined by your recent work experience?
Could you do anything if only you knew what it was?

I'll help you clarify and create not just any job but a job you'll love, by:
•Clarifying the things most important to you
•Helping you learn creative, innovative ways to break free of constraints
•Strengthening your intuition
•Increasing your creativity
•Inspiring you
•Helping you identify the job that is right for you

E-book
35 pages of inspirational and practical tips. Includes quizzes, pictures, diagrams, case studies, action tasks and quotes.

Click here to purchase or view sample samples

Labels: achieving goals, Happiness, Motivation, passion

My daughter fulfilled one of her dreams the other day when she was invited by Dame Malvina Major to sing for her. Hannah was so excited, and so nervous, she nearly fainted! Minutes before she went in to sing for her she heard another girl singing and she rang me in a panic. “She’s singing the same song I was going to – and she sung it perfectly!” After calming her down I asked for a bit more information and found out that the girl before her was in fact an older woman who was in Dame Malvina’s master class. “Remember how gifted you are, Hannah,” I counseled her, “remind yourself how you received a distinction pass in your Trinity Music exams and also that you are here to learn and have not had any lessons for a year – just sing from your heart and you will be fine.” And she was!

Hannah is lucky – I have always encouraged her dreams and nurtured her natural talent. But many others haven’t. When she was 6 I recall one day, as she was happily rocking in the hammock and singing on the verandah, the little girl next door popped her head out of her window and screeched, “you think you can sing but you can’t.” Hannah burst into tears and stopped singing.

As recently as last month when she told a careers adviser at Canterbury University that she would like to audition for the voice school the woman soberly replied, “oh you won’t get in, it’s very competitive.” She hadn’t even heard her sing!

As Christopher Gardner said in his book, and later a movie, the Pursuit of Happiness”, “You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves they wanna tell you that you can’t do it. You want something? Go get it period.”

If your dreams could do with a boost the following questions could be just the motivational kick start you need.


Action Questions Pursuing dreams
Write down at least 5 things that come quickly to mind for each of the following questions, then go back and circle the four things that excite you the most. Make a note of the patterns and themes that occur. (For example, they all have to do with taking a risk; or they have to creativity or helping people) Identify steps to help make these dreams your reality.

What would you be doing if you weren’t afraid?

If you were doing what you love how would your life be different? What changes would you make?

Where do your interests and natural talents lie?

What people do you most admire and why?

What secret longings do you have that are lying dormant or tucked away?

In the past what activities have captured your interest and felt most compelling? (This is an indication of your passion at work.)

If you followed the call of your passion where would it take you?

What activities do you love doing?

What energises you?

Write a ‘wish list’ of all the activities you would love to do if anything were possible.

What do you dream about?

Think about someone who has a ” dream job” - . What do they do?

What are you doing when time seems to fly?

What are your hobbies?

If money were no object, what kind of work would you love to do?

As Oprah Winfrey said, “I firmly believe that the universe dreams a bigger dream for you than you can dream for yourself….you’ve got to open yourself to the dream that the universe has for you…you’ve got to discover your true calling.”


Click here if you would like to work with purpose and live your dreams click here

Dream Big

Most people don’t dream big enough. Instead they take the save option or settle for less. Lack of confidence is often to blame and underlying this is an often unspoken expectancy that they won’t achieve their goals. I recall a story about a man who was driving with his wife one day. They were going to the stadium to see a game and were looking for a park. He was horrified when she pulled into a park miles away from the gates. “Why are you parking here? “He cried. “Because I’ll never get a park any closer.” Never mind where you’re parking your car, he later reflected, where are you parking your dreams?

Do you have a positive expectancy or are you settling for less?

Sometimes thinking big means you have to grow into your dreams. If you’re not growing chances are that you are not living either.

When I first started coaching I remember setting a big goal for myself that I wanted to present a workshop at a major international conference. I tapped into my creativity and intuition to help me by asking “How can I find a conference to present at?”

Little coincidences, or what intuitives refer to as synchronicity, started to occur. A newsletter was emailed to me from Australia telling all the people who subscribed to it about an upcoming conference in America. I was really excited and emailed off a proposal. Everyone said I was mad and that there was no way I would get selected to present my Passion Driven Work model of career planning. My business partners in The Passion Pack, who are normally really optimistic, said to me, “Selling passion to the Americans is like selling coal to people in Newcastle!” Still I kept my faith and kept visualising a successful outcome. Then one day the letter came telling me that we had been successful. Then I panicked! It was one thing to dream it; it was quite a different thing to actually have to achieve it! I panicked even more when I heard that Mike and Nigel couldn’t come with me. I felt that without them to support me I was going to be hopeless. I really had to work hard on my confidence to grow into this opportunity, I even considered not going.

But once I committed to my dream I was so pleased at the results. It was a full capacity crowd, I made some fantastic contacts, we sold all the Passion Packs I had taken over and I received a standing ovation. What really made the trip worthwhile was an email from a lady who attended:

“I don’t know who I am emailing…so whoever you are, could you please tell Cassandra Gaisford, that she was the most brilliant, most calming, most truth filled person I heard speak at the ICDC conference in San Francisco. When I heard Cassandra speak I knew she knew what she was talking about. I hate using words like career pathways, school to work, interest inventory etc..etc..It really is as simple as awakening oneself to dreams, passions etc to feel alive and happy.”

For me this was confirmation that when you come from the heart and believe in something with such a passion it inspires others and becomes a reality.


Click here if you would like to work with purpose and live your dreams click here

Labels: achieving goals, Happiness, Motivation, passion

Are you worried your organisation might trim staff numbers in the wake of the global credit crisis? Is your industry get hammered by negative publicity? Do your co-workers complain or worry out loud incessantly? Or are you feeling so stressed out that negativity has spread its suffocating tentacles around you? While you may have reason to feel down, with proactive action and a positive attitude you can survive and thrive in the wake of this crisis.

First, stay positive. It’s important not to panic. Wisdom suggests that when life turns to custard everyone would benefit by cultivating a calm, optimistic and pragmatic attitude. One of the best ways you can do this is to take control of the suggestive elements in your environment. Make a commitment to ensuring that what you are seeing, hearing and doing are consistent with the goals you want to achieve. Here’s how:

1. Choose your attitude:
As Viktor Frankl, Austrian Psychiatrist and survivor of the worst horrors imaginable during his imprisonment in various concentration camps said, you may not be able to choose the circumstances of your life, but the one thing no man can ever take from you is your attitude. “We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way."
Sometimes, according to Frankl, disasters, setbacks and disappointments are gifts waiting to be revealed. In other words, we can choose to find meaning and purpose and even divine guidance during stressful and uncertain times. For example, Viktor’s experiences and compassion for his fellow human beings led him to work at ways to help people maintain their will to live. After his release he became world famous for developing “meaning therapy,” a valuable therapy technique he perfected during his time in the concentration camps.

Many other people have similar stories where what at the time looked like the end of the world, turned out to be an experience that steered them in a more positive direction - in some cases turning out to be the best thing that ever happened. As one client told me recently, "If I hadn’t been fired I’d still be looking out the window wishing I was somewhere else. I would have settled for less, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I’d be someone else. Someone less."
If Viktor Frankl, can find meaning and purpose in his unimaginable suffering, then I'm positive we all can too. How could your current negative situation turn out to be a silver-lining in disguise?

2. Fake it until you make it.
Proactively cultivate confidence and optimism. Opinions vary re whether we are really headed for a recession. Even the experts can’t agree. Things may not be so bard after all. But many economists agree that pessimistic, recessionary thinking and self-talk can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

As the National Bank economists said in their August 2008 Economic Outlook, “We cannot stress the importance of confidence enough. It’s not a key driver of wealth, but critical for maintaining momentum. Economics and business cycles are as much about human behaviour, the feel-good factor and risk appetites – as well as the laws of supply and demand.... it’s a game of confidence.... the danger is that fear and caution becoming self-fulfilling. Signs of improving confidence is the first critical step.”
One way to fake it until you make it is to affirm for what you want and keep your mind off what you don’t.


3. Meditate! Control your thoughts - control your destiny. Learn to meditate and practice this daily. Recent research published in New Scientist, has revealed that meditation can help to calm people and reduce fear. The research found that regular meditation can tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear memory. People who meditate regularly are less likely to be shocked, flustered, surprised or as angry as other people and therefore have a greater stress tolerance threshold as a result.

Research also proves that people who meditate regularly suffer less from anxiety and have increased energy, creativity and self-control. By meditating regularly, the brain is reoriented from a stressful fight-or¬-flight response to one of acceptance, a shift that increases contentment, enthusiasm, and feelings of happiness. Make meditating for at least 20 minutes a day part of your daily routine for optimum success and well-being.


4. Bibliotherapy - Read your way to positivity! Immerse yourself in books which inspire and motivate. Tune out negative news and bad events and tune into positive news and information. Check out this link for more signs of economic optimism. We make real what we attend to so start collecting your own glad-rap clippings.


5.Be your biggest fan. Practice positive self talk. Under times of stress, or if you're a pessimist by nature, you're likely to spend a lot of time with negative self-talk. "I can't do this." "Nothing works out for me." Or, "I’m not a very confident person," are all common examples. Whatever situation you are facing pay attention to what you're telling yourself. All the above statements are all examples of really crippling affirmations Talk and affirm the positive instead. It will make a dramatic difference in how you feel. Make a conscious attempt to shift the focus on any pessimistic thoughts. Try saying things to yourself like, "I know I'll get through this." "What could I do today to stay relaxed?" "There are many things I do well and today I'll stay focused on those." “I’m a capable, confident person”

6.Get outside! True happiness comes from being outside. Just like plants, we need at least 20 minutes of sunlight every day just to restore our hormones to normal levels. Medical research suggests some people need as much as two hours a day of sunlight to avoid seasonal affective disorder. Walking outside can also help you gain a new perspective on a troubling situation. When you go outside and take a walk, you increase the electrical activity in your brain, you breathe negative ions and see in three dimensions. With time alone engaging the whole brain, you have an opportunity to process things that are troubling you and to see things more objectively, sometimes the solution is quite simple. Tap into the healing power of the great outdoors by walking near the sea or natural bush.

7. Be grateful! Celebrate what you do have. Sometimes it can be so easy to focus on what you don’t have that you forget to acknowledge all the things that you have in your life. For example good, health, a loving partner, freedom to do what you have supportive friends, a roof over your head, someone who loves you, a good education, living in a peaceful part of the world, experiences you’ve had, all the things that are good about you and that others appreciate etc

8. Rewind! Reflect back on previous crises - remember the positive changes which occurred as a result. Trust this will happen again. Keep a silver linings journal. Divide the pages in half. On one side record the thing that’s upset you and on the other side, the opportunity that could come of it. You may find you have to add this part later – sometimes the silver lining takes a wee while to be revealed.

9. Invest in colour. Surround yourself with colours and scents which reflect the way you want to feel and be. Many people love yellow when they are sad. Vincent Van Gogh, who suffered from depression, often painted in yellow – yellow skies, yellow grass, and yellow houses. Yellow! Choose a colour that that makes you feel fabulous! Boost your optimism, happiness and success by contacting me for a personalised colour analysis session. Visit me at Thecolourgirl.com to find out more - click here

10.Get around the right people. Take a wide berth away from moaners, pessimists and whingers and get around the people who know how to find opportunities in the midst of any life crisis. Associate only with positive, success-orientated people. As motivational guru Brian Tracey says, “Fly with the eagles. You can’t fly with the eagles if you’re scratching with the turkeys.” Walk away from the go-nowhere types. If those negative tigers you work with aren’t going to change their stripes get out fast. Start looking for another job before their pessimism or cynicism affects you too.

11. Listen your way to success. Help feed your positive vibes by listening to motivational tapes, CD’s or podcasts. The average person drives 12,000 to 25, 000 kms a year which works out to between 500 and 1000 hours per year. Put that time to good use and engage your brain. You can become an expert in your field by simply listening to educational audio programmes as your go from a to b.

12. Be visible. Now is not the time to go on leave. Out of sight out of mind – you may find your position could be axed while you're gone, Even if things have slowed down and the workload isn’t what it used to be now is not the time to cruise in around ten o'clock either. It’s all about perception management – if you look busy chances are the bosses will think they can’t do without you. Make it clear how invaluable you really are by identifying ways to stand out and distinguish yourself. If you're in sales, get your numbers up. Nobody will be laying off star salespeople. Get out from behind your desk and increase your visibility – proactively network and help others achieve their goals with your help whenever possible.

13. Create some spin. Future proof your career by making sure you're adding value at work by going above and beyond your basic job responsibilities, Be the first to initiate new ideas or to put your hand up for new assignments when asked. Don’t be shy about blowing your own trumpet – make sure your boss knows how you are adding value without being too self-focused.

Show how multi faceted and adaptive you are. Don't get a reputation as someone who is change adverse or who only does what they are told to do. Keep your eyes and ears open and proactively look for opportunities to get involved. Volunteer for value-add tasks, including tasks for which others may be responsible. Be a team player and pitch in wherever you can. Doing your job and doing it well is not enough in these economic times. Be prepared to show how you can go the extra mile.
Update your skill set. Future proof your career by staying in tune with marketable skills and experience. What social, economic or technological changes are coming up and how can you be work-ready with the skills, knowledge or training required?

This may mean forking out of your own pocket but the reality is companies get rid of people whose skills are obsolete. Take classes, join trade organisations, and prove you're in the know. Consider going back to school, perhaps even by correspondence, to show your employer you're serious about your career and your performance. Ask your way to success by finding out what is most relevant and needed by your current organisation. Future proof your career and ensure a good return on investment by finding out how marketable your new skill set will be outside your organisation.

14. Think and act positive. Attitude counts - a lot. Employers want people who can show resilience and boost morale during tough times. No one likes a whiner. It’s draining and counterproductive. Research shows happy, optimistic workers are less likely to get laid off than people who think and talk negatively and seem to dislike what they do. I have seen so many careers prematurely derailed because of negative attitudes. People seem to think they are bullet proof and neglect the importance of how they interact with others. If you moan about your job or complain about the boss odds are your manager may rationalise that giving you the sack would really be doing you a favor. You won’t turn any clients on by engaging in recessionary banter either.

15. Network! Network!Network! So many people wait until they’ve lost their job until they start tapping into their networks. Chances are that by the time this happens you’ll be calling out of desperation, needing their help to find work. Increasing your chances of keeping your current job or transitioning reasonably painlessly into a new job following a layoff often depends on how consistently you've contacted - and maybe even helped - lots of people when you didn't need them. Remember it’s not what you know but who you know and how they feel about you. Maintain positive relationships and don’t burn any bridges.

16. Get career fit. Update your CV, start visioning where else you might like to work or what else you might like to do, touch base with recruiters and sign up for electronic job alerts. It doesn’t hurt to keep your eye out for future opportunities and if you're mentally prepared for a move, you'll make a more informed and wiser one than if you wait until you're desperate.

17. Pursue your passion not your pension! Maybe your current position is perfectly "safe." But think about it for a while and you may find yourself wondering: Is "safe" good enough? Maybe it's time to change jobs anyway -- and heed the immortal words of Keith Richards, "I'm gonna leave while it's still fun/ I'm gonna walk before they make me run." Don't know what you're passionate about? Find it here!

Doing what you love and doing it well is also a cure during economic downturns. There will always be a demand for people who love what they do and who do it well. The key to recession proofing your career and surviving and thriving in the face of uncertainty is knowing how to do what you love and still pay the bills. If you have no idea how to find your passion Happy@Work Job Hunting for Mid-lifers+ will show you how. Follow this link to for free downloadable preview http://www.cassandragaisford.com/happy_at_work.html

18. Keep your dreams alive. Look at the big picture and the life you really desire. Don’t let present day worries rob you of your passion and enthusiasm for your dreams. Do something everyday to help make your dreams a reality. Get inspired! Start an image board with things you want accomplish or achieve. Look at it daily. Believe they will happen - tick them off as they do. Surround yourself with inspirational people who believe in you and the beauty of your dreams and do something everyday that you love!



If you have no idea how to boost your happiness at work Happy@Work Job Hunting for Mid-lifers+ will show you how. Follow this link for a free downloadable preview

Labels: Happiness

posted by Cassandra  # 11:17 PM  0 Comments

I am preparing my next book "How to survive without a job" and given the pressing economic climate thought you, or someone you know, may benefit from a sneak preview.

As Denise Linn writes in her book Sacred Space, "Our homes are mirrors of ourselves. They reflect our interests, our beliefs, our hesitations, our spirit and our passion. They tell a story about how we feel about ourselves and the world around us. A home is more than a place where you can interface with the universe. It is a crossing point in time and space that can attract or repel energy."

Our homes can bring a sense of regeneration and hope. It can be a place of safety - a sanctuary from all that threatens or overwhelms us. It can be a place where you can retreat and recharge during uncertain times, a place of calm in a world full of turmoil. Importantly, as psychologist Abraham Maslow points out - our home fulfills our primary need to feel safe and secure.

So it is especially worrying for me to see and hear of so many people being forced from their homes in the wake of the credit crisis. I cannot help but wonder what these men, women, and children feel as the one constant sanctuary in their lives is forcibly ripped from them. How they must suffer. While perhaps there may be some truth in the view that people should not take on more than they can afford, these are not times for people to be smug and say, as one man was recently quoted, "serves them right." Many people have lost jobs that once allowed them to service debt. Others have been lured by banks and finance companies into excessive mortgages - many people were offered $120% loans for example. Others purchased houses with over inflated valuations to begin with.

Tough times call for compassion. Tough times call for a helping hand from all stakeholders - banks and finance companies included.

SAVE YOUR HOME
Click here to read a draft from the chapter called "Save your home." It would be excellent to gain some feedback from you. Perhaps you have been faced with losing your home at some point in your life. If you have I would dearly love to hear from you.

Are any other solutions you are aware of? I have emailed this to my own mortgage lender for their comments also.

I am sure you agree, as indeed US President Barak Obama is signalling in the States, banks need to offer more humane, proactive assistance to home lenders to protect them when the everyone is under such strain

Look forward to your comments and I hope this is of help

Labels: achieving goals, Happiness

SAVE YOUR HOME


ACT NOW!

Paying your mortgage
Don’t let money worries strip you of the one thing that give you a sense of security – your home. A mortgage is a loan secured against your home, so if you can’t repay it and you get into arrears, the bank or building society can sell your home to get back its money. If you are worried you may not be able to pay your mortgage act now. The following practical strategies may help:

Speak to your mortgage lender – It’s common during times of financial stress that many people see their banks as the villain, especially when the news if full of stories about banks tossing people out of their homes following mortgagee sales. Be proactive - treat the bank like the partner it is in the house. A forced sale is in nobody’s interests. - Tell them about your current situation and ask them if they have any solutions that may help.

Work out a budget
List your income and your spending. This will help you work out where your money is going, and plan for the
future. Advice agencies may be able to help you with this or you can use the online Budget calculator – see Useful
Contacts. Use this plan to help you pay all your essential bills first, such as your mortgage, utility bills (electricity,
gas, water), insurances, council rates and housekeeping.


Pay what you can. Even if you can’t pay the full amount, you should try to pay as much of your mortgage payments as you can afford. This shows your lender you are willing to make an effort to pay,

Refinance. Take advantage of lower interest rates and /or shift to interest only payments until you get back on your feet.

Check your insurance If you can’t pay your mortgage because your income has fallen, you should check whether you have any mortgage payment protection insurance. If you do, find out if your policy covers your circumstances and make a claim right away.

Benefits
You may be able to claim some benefits to increase your income. Contact your local Work and Income
office or speak to an advice agency – see Useful Contacts.
If you claim Income Support or The Unemployment Benefit, your local Work and Income office will normally give you an accommodation supplement to help with your mortgage repayments.

How much you will get on the Accommodation Supplement will depend on:
• your income
• your assets
• your accommodation costs
• your family circumstances
• where you live.

If you or you partner are 65 or over

If you or you partner are 65 or over, you may be able to get New Zealand Superannuation and a SuperGold Card. You may also be able to receive extra financial help.

Help with housing and living costs
You may be able to get help with housing or living costs such as:
• essential house repairs
• rent, board or mortgage payments
• rates and rates rebates
• overdue power account
• buying household appliances and furniture.

Living alone? You may be able to get an ongoing extra payment on top of your NZ Superannuation or Veteran’s Pension, when you maintain a household on your own. You may also get this payment in some situations, when you have a spouse or partner, or are not living on your own.


Get money advice
Some advice agencies specialise in money problems – they can give you free and independent advice to help you plan and solve your problems – see Useful Contacts.

Generate income from your home
Brainstorm and list as many ways as possible to generate money from your home.

Some things I have done successfully in the past include:

• Renting my house out temporary on a holiday homes website. It costs nothing for the first few months to list it and could generate $250 or more a night. You could go and stay with family or friends while people are renting your house.

• Starting a business from home – start up costs don’t need to be high and you can claim many expenses related to running your business from home. My mother made ends meet by trading second hand furniture from our lounge. Wendy Pye started her publishing empire from her garage

• If you have a garage, as I did, rent it out. The extra $50 or so dollars can go along way.

You could also:

Rent the house out permanently and go and rent somewhere cheaper

Take in a boarder. Friends of mine had foreign students stay with them. They were paid to provide two meals a day and a roof over their head.

Sell your home and rent it back
Some companies offer to help you if you get into financial difficulties with your mortgage payments by
buying your home and then renting it back to you for a fixed period of time (six months or more). These
are sometimes called ‘flash sales’, because they can buy your home quickly, sometimes within a week, but
more usually between three to four weeks. You may also hear them called ‘mortgage rescue’, ‘rent-back’ or ‘sell- to-let’ schemes.

These schemes are not regulated so you may not have access to complaints and compensation
procedures if things go wrong. They are not the same as ‘home reversion’

Things to avoid
Many financial advisors caution people from taking out a loan to pay their debts. Think seriously before taking out a loan to cover your repayments. These loans can be very expensive and are often also secured on your home, putting it at greater risk. The same advise goes for consolidating credit card and other debt. Far better to have a bad credit rating than to loose your home. If you are thinking about getting a further loan, speak to one of the advice agencies listed in useful contacts.

Things you can do to pay off your mortgage arrears

You could think about any of the following:

Start repaying your arrears as soon as you can. Arrears can often lead to extra charges, so will increase the amount
of money you owe. Paying them off quickly may mean you have less money for a short time, but it will be
cheaper in the long run.

Make extra payments. You can pay off your arrears by paying a bit more each month than your monthly mortgage payments. Just make sure you can afford the extra amount. Even if your mortgage lender doesn’t think you’re offering enough, pay the extra amount anyway. Tell them why you can only afford this much – they may not be aware of your circumstances and it looks better than not paying anything.

Add the arrears to the mortgage. You could ask your mortgage lender to consider ‘capitalising’ your arrears. This means adding them to your total mortgage balance, spreading the arrears over the remaining period of your mortgage. Your monthly payments will increase because of this. Your mortgage lender is unlikely to agree to this if you’ve failed to stick to revised repayment arrangements in the past, or if the balance of your mortgage, including the cost of the arrears, comes to more than the house is worth.


Extend your mortgage period. Most mortgages are paid back over 25 years. If you have a repayment mortgage and you’ve been paying it back for a while, you could ask your mortgage lender to extend the remaining term to 25 years
again. This will reduce your monthly payments, but you will be making them for longer – perhaps into your retirement. Also, you will be paying more for your house overall. This is more difficult to arrange if you have an interest only loan.

Ask to delay paying your arrears. If you can now manage to meet your monthly payments, but can’t afford to pay anything towards the arrears, you could ask your mortgage lender if you can delay paying arrears for a time.
For an interest-only mortgage, you can also consider:

• Taking a payment holiday. For example, if your mortgage is linked to an endowment policy and you can’t afford both sets of payments (the interest payments on the loan and the payments towards the endowment policy), you could ask the endowment policy company if you can stop paying the endowment policy for a while. You will have to arrange with them how to make up the backlog of payments once you restart your policy.
• Cashing in or selling your endowment policy If your endowment policy has been running for several years, it may have built up a reasonable amount that you could use to pay off your arrears. This would mean cashing in or selling the policy. If you did this, you would have to take out a repayment mortgage, or find some other way to make sure you repaid the money you borrowed.

Before you cash in an endowment policy or change to a repayment mortgage, you will need to speak to your mortgage lender and the endowment company. If you cash in your policy early, the value of your policy might be considerably reduced. You should think carefully before you do this, and first ask your endowment provider how much you would get.

Sell-up. As a last resort If you can’t afford your mortgage payments and you think this situation won’t change in the long term, you could think about selling your home yourself. However, before you do this, think carefully about where you will live.

You may not get help from your local council with finding a place to live if they think you have made yourself intentionally homeless.


The main thing is don’t panic – specialist advice agencies can help you sort out your debts and plan your spending.



Useful contacts


Budget Advice and assistance

Work and income http://www.workandincome.govt.nz. Helpful information about a range of income support solutions and entitlements

Family Budgeting Service www.familybudgeting.org.nz
For free budgeting advice for families and individuals. Look in your local white pages under “budget Advice Service” or visit their web site.

Citizens Advice Bureau. www.cab.org.nz For free, independent information and advice on general financial matters, including your rights as a consumer.

General money matters

Retirement Commission http://www.sorted.org.nz/
Sorted is New Zealand’s free independent money guide, run by the Retirement Commission. It’s full of calculators and information to help you manage your personal finances throughout life. Check out their web site to see how interest rates chances might affect your mortgage with their Mortgage repayment calculator.

Banking issues
Banking Ombudsman
Phone 0800 805 950
www.bankombudsman.org.nz. You may wish to contact them in relation to over-charges or to complain about excessive break fess or other concerns

Generating income from your home
www.holidayhomes.co.nz or holidayhouses.co.nz. List your home to rent on a temporary basis here

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-me-property/index.htm. Rent your home out, or find somewhere else to live on a more permanent basis here

Business.Govt – sponsored by the New Zealand Government this interactive website provides a wide range of information and support, including links to organisations who provide free seminars and training to those thinking of setting up a small business. Visit the website at www.business.govt.nz

Labels: achieving goals, Happiness

“IF TODAY WERE THE LAST DAY OF MY LIFE, WOULD I WANT TO DO WHAT I AM ABOUT TO DO TODAY?” AND WHENEVER THE ANSWER HAS BEEN “NO” FOR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, I KNOW I NEED TO CHANGE SOMETHING.” - Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple Computers

No means yes when it comes to summoning the courage to make a change.

Every year researchers map levels of job satisfaction across the nation, and odds are this year will be no different. Global recruiting firm TMP/Hudson has estimated that more than 43% of people dislike their jobs. This is reflected in a management article in February 2008 saying 85% of people would leave if a better offer came along. However, better offers are not like buses - they don’t drive past every 10 to 15 minutes, sweep people off their feet and carry them to their destinations. Job seekers must take a proactive, focused approach to job hunting, or they risk ending up in a place they never wanted to be.


You may be staying in a job you hate because you can’t see any better options. Maybe you have lost your confidence, or perhaps you don’t know what skills you have, and wonder whether anyone would ever hire you. Career related issues are one of the major sources of stress for people today. Misfit is also a primary reason for low levels of productivity and performance within organisations. As career expert and author, Po Bronson says, “we are on the verge of a great productivity boom as long as we can get the square pegs out of the round holes.” Career dissatisfaction and the personal and professional costs associated with this is reaching almost epidemic proportions and. The great news is that there is a cure!

Success Tip: Where there’s a problem there’s a cure. You need to find out what dissatisfies you to find out what you want.

Hello! Goodbye
A simple and positive way to do this is to take a page and divide it. On one side list the things that you would gladly say goodbye to, and on the other list your "hello's".

Let's use me an an example
* This year I said "goodbye" to working in town everyday, and I said "hello" to working from my home based studio (she how happy I look - my clients love it too "It's so serene and relaxing" they often say. I agree! I'm far more productive here than I ever was in a windowless corporate box)

* I said "goodbye" to corporate training roles and "hello" to earning income from my creativity. As you know, "I've enjoyed tremendous success with my painting this year and met so many life-affirming people like Max Gimblett and other people working and living with passion)

* Next year I'm saying "goodbye" to so much one-one coaching and "hello" to helping people through my books and freelance writing

Here is one of my clients hellos goodbyes - since doing this exercise she has progressed leaps and bounds. She took up singing and found her voice and her confidence. She's also preparing to make a huge change in career direction bu going back to school and leaving the Government sector for ever. I can not get over the changes in her. It is amazing and incredibly inspiring to see.


How about you? What are you leaving behind in 2009 and what are you saying hello to?

Labels: Career Creation, Happiness

"We are suffering from an epidemic of overthinking—caught in torrents of negative thoughts and emotions that overwhelm us and interfere with our functioning and well-being." Nolen-Hoeksema, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan

I recently received an email from a client asking me how she could stop over analysing everything. Her specific challenge to me was " How can Petra let her spirit run more freer? (and less dominated by the rational side of her)".

Rather than spend too much time thinking about this myself I did a brain purge - listing all the possible ways she could free her mind and let her spirit soar. "Just whatever comes up for you intuitively would be lovely!" she said. What an ideal client! I love to work intuitively. Little does she know that I am a recovering over-thinker myself. Still as they say, we learn best what we need to teach."

Here's my intuitive response:

Stop over thinking!

•MeditateNumerous studies have documented the health benefits of meditating daily. Increased creativity, clearer thinking, minimised stress and anxiety are just some of the many benefits. I learned the Transcendental Meditation technique over 13 years ago and have never looked back. See the resource section below

• Wear more colourful and flowing clothes. So many people's spirits are straitjacketed in tight, tailored, black suits. Woman especially seem to have lost their femininity at work

•Be silly, reckless, and childlike. Learn to adopt the spontaneous, playful curiosity of children. Spend time at a play centre, hang out with nieces and nephews if you have forgotten how and copy-cat your way to playfulness.

•Do at least one FTE a day - First Time Experience. This may be little like going down a street you have never been down before, or bigger like make an impulsive purchase or asking a complete stranger to dance!

•Have massages regularly to loosen up. It's hard to let your spirit soar if your body is tied up in knots.

•Take up dance - let your body move. Movement frees up tension and energises our minds and spirits. Take up a class or dance to your own music at home. Really let yourself go.

•Ensure your home and work environment reflect the way you want to feel. While studying interior architecture several years ago I came across a wonderful book, "the house is a reflection of self." This resonated with me. Look around your own home. Do the colours, shapes, textures, furnishings reflect the way you wan to feel? How can you create more spontaneity, intuition, creativity?

•Learn to say no. Taking on too much responsibility can cripple creativity. Learn to say no and delegate where ever possible. Practice creative procrastination - put off until tomorrow that which won't advance your life today.


•Monitor your words and thoughts. - "Must's, should's, have to's, can'ts, if's", are restricting words. Proactively weed them out and feed with "want to's" and more decisive, knowing words.

• See your freedom. Get a photo of you when you were most free - place it where you can see it everyday

•Affirm for what you want. Repeat, "I am a free spirit" or " everyday my spirit is feeling freer and freer" to programme your mind for success.

•Take regular holidays. Taking time out is a great tonic for the over-wrought soul

•Take up a creative hobby – painting, photography, creative writing, poetry, singing

•Set a freedom goal – make a project of it. Replace the word "goal" with " desire" to experience all the benefits shifting from over analysing everything will manifest

•Aromatherapy – smell freedom! Scents from essential oils like mandarin, orange and Ylang Ylang can alter brain chemistry and free up restrictive, analytical thinking. Pick up an aromatherapy book and find the scent that's right for you

•“Plan a day” where there is no plan – allow your soul to guide you. This reminds me of a very uptight friend of mine who turned up one day looking uncharacteristically untidy, "We're having a playful day" she proudly said.

•Take a load off your feet - Go gliding or soak in a flotation tank (a light-and sound-proof tank filled with water) like NZ Portrait artist Mark Olsen

•Free your working week. Create some more variety and freedom in your day. Cut down your work hours/times where you have to be available to others– so you can drive your time how you like

• Copy your way to freedom. Think of your least rational friend – copycat, ask them for tips, etc

•Leverage off your strengths. Make less rationality a research project – use your rational side to help you. Another rational solution is to complete a force field analysis:1. List all the forces against/things that constrain your spirit - if not "free" then what? "trapped"?? 2. Now list all the forces for a more free-er sense of self. 3. Now identify ways to maximise forces for, ways to minimse forces against 4. Develop an action plan

• Tap into the spiritual realm - Visit a psychic and have an intuitive, spiritual reading

• Trust yourself - make failure your friend. The fear of failure is one of the primary reasons people spend so much time over-thinking. Set a time limit on thinking and decide when enough is enough then commit to action. If it doesn't work out this time at least you'll know what not to do next time.

and not last, and not least....

•Trust your gut! As Einstein once said, "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." Listen to life’s whispers and act on your intuition. Intuitively I always “knew” I could build a house on the back of my section. Rationally I had no idea how!
Allow your intuition to guide you to the higher ground as Oprah does, "My business skills have come from being guided by my higher self or my intuition. I am who I am today because of... intuition, my ability to feel what is right for me and allowing that to be the strongest guide in my life. Intuition is akin to God. It is akin to being led by that which is greater than yourself. My intuition, my intention and my passion have allowed me to be who I am and will take me to higher ground..."
Everyone is intuitive – many of us have just forgotten how to listen. Listen to and strengthen your intuition – keep an intuition journal by noting all the times your intuition speaks to you.

Helpful resources:

Learn to meditate - read benefits and find out about classes

Women Who Think Too Much: How to Break Free of Overthinking and Reclaim Your Life" -
Read the article here

Labels: achieving goals, Career Creation, Happiness, Health, Intuition, Motivation, Powerful Creativity, Powerful thinking

I am working around the clock to get my final edits done of my book, "Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifer's". Tonight I'm working on a favourite chapter of mine - "Love it, don't leave it."

As one frustrated HR manager said to me recently, “The only time people tell us what they want is when they are walking out the door. If only they would tell as what they need, then at least we could try and work something out.”

The trouble. as you may well know, is that most people don’t know what they want. So they hop from dissatisfying job, to dissatisfying job, never pausing long enough to work out what’s wrong. Conversations are never had with work colleages and bosses to improve the unhappy situation, and internal opportunities are never followed. All in all it’s an incredible waste of talent, time, money and energy. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Job sculpting is a term that came out research by career theorists at The Harvard Business School. They encourage people to chisel way at their staid, linear job descriptions and tailor responsibilities, tasks, even remuneration to better meet individual needs – and both people and organisations all over the world are doing just that.

If you are already employed, but not really enjoying it, you'll find the job sculpting exercise in the book really helpful. As I was writing this chapter I reflected on my own experience.

My first job when I graduated from university as a mature student was working for an international recruitment firm. I had graduated with a Commerce degree – majoring in Human Resource Management. I was full of excitement about the prospects of landing a fantastic, high paying job. Hope turned to despair as initially I was only offered a role as a PA. I’d had seven years out of the workforce and even though I’d had numerous senior management roles prior to this, the organisation didn’t feel my skills were current enough.

I took a deep breath, sucked in my pride and, my eye firmly on my longer-term career goals, took the job. I was single-parenting at the time and desperate for relevant work experience. Even though I didn’t enjoy being a PA at all and I wasn’t too thrilled about not being taken more seriously I didn’t let it get to me. Leaving wasn’t an option. I actively set out to find ways of increasing my satisfaction and future career prospects. I signed up for an international certification in recruitment and asked my new boss if I could shadow him to gain more first hand experience for my assignments. It wasn’t long before he rewarded my initiative and enthusiasm by promoting me to a trainee recruiter. Was I glad. Being a PA didn’t come naturally to me. I found all the running around and organising stressful. The money was terrible too.

For a while recruiting was fine but the individual performance targets, and sales culture didn’t sit well with my values. The hours were terrible too. At the interview they told me, "We know who will succeed here - they work late at night and they are here in the weekends. I was tempted to leave – especially after I developed shingles from all the stress." The corporate culture was terrible and one of my bosses threatened to smash my head in if I asked him one more time if a candidate I was looking after was going to get an interview. I don't know what was worse - his bullying or the fact that because he was a big biller, the company ignored his behaviour.

What I really wanted to do was help people find a job they would love. So I did some internal research and found out that this was the kind of work that another part of the firm did. I networked actively with people in that department to learn more about what they did and to make a good impression in case an opportunity ever arose. When a vacancy came up I talked to my boss about moving across. He wasn’t happy at all. In fact he was positively angry. He tried to make me resign and then reapply.

The company made me apply for the internal vacancy with other external candidates. I had three interviews – including a panel interview with 8 senior executives. I also had to do a role play and perform in an assessment centre. Everyone asked me, “why are you staying? You don’t have to put up with that.” But I did. I needed to get more experience to achieve my long-term goals. Besides I didn’t want my bully boss to win.

I visualised succeeding, practiced for the interviews ,maintained my cool and promoted myself with passion. I got the job. Once again it was just a stepping-stone to where I truly wanted to be – career counselling and running my own business. When I moved into this role it was still a sales role - I brought in the work and other people got to career counsel staff affected by redundancy. My motivated skills of counselling and coaching, and my values of helping people still weren’t met. I tried numerous times to get the company to allow me to redefine my role. I showed them what was in it for them and how by helping me they would also grow the business. They wanted to keep me in sales. So I looked around for another company who needed my sales and marketing skills but who would also give me the opportunity to coach people hands on. While in the short-term I took a salary plummet, I moved to a Greenfield role that allowed me to gain the experience I needed. They also supported my counselling training. Four years later I went out on my own and trebled my salary and satisfaction.

Being self employed meets all my criteria for career and life satisfaction. Importantly, it has allowed me the flexibility to support and care for my daughter during her school years. It’s also enabled me to make the best use of my talents and the things that give my work a sense of meaning and purpose. My work is a powerful vehicle for me self-expression - it allows me to be who I am, and who I truly want to be,, while serving others at the same time. Bliss!

If you are already working but unhappy at work, rather than leave, I can't encourage you enough to look for internal opportunities to gain experience. Take a sideways move, put your hand up for a secondment, or identify an untapped market demand and create an internal opportunity. Let other people leave their fate in others hands - but not you my friend, not you.

Labels: achieving goals, Career Creation, Happiness

I'm feeling very inspired today....and yesterday and the day before as well! That takes me right back to Friday! What was so special about that day? I was sooooo, soooo excited because I finally got to hold my new wee baby in my hands....not a real baby ...but the pre-publication draft of my book: "Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifers." It felt so incredibly exciting to finally see it all printed out. It's not quite the same looking at it page by page on the laptop screen!

People I showed it to were excited as well - they loved the layout so much they kept flicking through the pages....proof that sticking to my intuitive knowing that powerful visual communication is an important element. I really appreciated the extra effort that Blair at PrintStop went to, "I like making things look beautiful" he said. So he took the time to trim the pages so that they were exactly the size of the finished book. It's great to see such a positive response to the black and white draft - wait till people see it in colour!

It was exciting today as well to work through one of the chapters "Challenge Your Fears" with one of my coaching clients. She is about to embark on a huge career change and go back to school! It's not easy going back to be a university student at 35. It was fantastic to see how much courage, comfort and inspiration she gained from the chapter. She loved the photo I'd chosen for the introduction....it helped her kept her thoughts on a higher energy plane instead of getting bogged down in lower level fear chatter.

So finally the dream I have had for so many years is coming true. For ten years now I have began the year with a new dream/goal journal. In it I create the year I want to have - my commitments and intentions, dreams and desires. The ones I haven't completed yet I carry forward to the new year. This way they stay alive. 8 years ago I wrote about my dream to write a series of books that would help people be happier at work and in life. It didn't happen over night but it is about to happen! Proof that dreams do come true if you want them badly enough.

Next month I will be running some powerful creativity dream workshops around New Zealand to help people who are stuck create their dreams too. Drop me an email if you would like to come along. Feel free to invite a friend or anyone else you think would love to join in too.

Labels: Happiness

Sometimes all it takes is one idea, one inspirational story of someone else’s happiness at work to make a positive change. Check out some wonderful happy@work profiles here.

First up is Nikki Pender - a very successful and prominent New Zealand Barrister. You can find out more about who she is and what she does on her website http://www.legalempowerment.co.nz

My Happy@work profile

I love my work most when one or more of these things are at play:

I’m learning and doing new things.
I’m being challenged intellectually.
I have problems to solve.
I’m helping others in a constructive way.
There’s an element of public speaking involved.
I’m part of a group of impassioned, motivated people


My unique passion point

Skills –
Problem-solving,
Intuition and perception
Communication (oral and written)
Motivational

Interests
Justice,
Personal development
Public law & politics,
Entertainment

What motivates me
Deadlines: and they better be real ones, because I push them hard!
Purpose: a sense that something I’m about to do makes some sense
and will be useful.
Novelty: the prospect of learning or starting something new.

No wonder a career in law fighting for justice suits her!

To demonstrate how unique everyone's happy@work profile is here is one a past client of mine completed - he prefers to stay anonymous:

Your Happy@work profile

1.)In the space below summarise the happy@work themes that are beginning to stand out for you. Remember to refer to this summary when deciding on possible career options. You may wish to use heading such as: “my values; my interests, my needs, when I am most happiest, my joys, career options that inspire me, my personality preferences”, or anything else relevant for you.
1. My Values

I enjoy helping others and I want to do something that is worthwhile. I don't have a huge go and dislike pretentiousness and snobbery.

2. My interests

Challenges, music, sport, health, travelling and adventures, languages, photography, people, history, socialising.

3. My needs

My main priority is my work environment and those who I work for. At the bottom line I need to work for an organisation that supports and nurtures me with great workmates and levelheaded superiors. Little things like when the boss says thanks for your help today, really means something. Feeling appreciated is a great thing.
I need mental stimulation but I also need to be able to see my work and what I produce.
I'm still not sure whether my need is to work outside or whether it is in the office but I prefer to have both at this stage.

4. When I am most happiest

I am most happiest when I have a several clear goals that I am working towards in different areas that are all giving me joy. I need lots of variety in my job and it has to bring a sense of achievement. I am happiest when I am working in a respectful environment where I want to work for my superiors. I like project-based work the most. I do need goals outside of work - that is just as important as working itself. I need lots of challenges throughout the year to look forward to as that energises me. Having nothing to work towards makes me dull and takes my edge away.

5. My joys

Any challenge - physical or mental - such as learning a language or competing in a race.

Doing things I have never done before.

I love being outdoors and exercising it can be anything mountainbiking, running, tramping, surfing - but in the sun - and even better with friends or family.

Writing something that is just right.

Taking a great photo.

Travelling and meeting new people from different cultures and learning about them.

Helping others to achieve their goals.

Achieving my own goals and making my visions happen.

Socialising and conversation with family and friends.

Listening to or playing music.

6. Career options that inspire me

Marketing employee for a respected sporting organisation like a premiership football team.

Adventure tour guide

Thoroughbred horse breeder

Farmer

Photo journalist

Athlete

Your Unique Passion Point
2.)Your unique passion point is where your skills, interests, and motivation intersect. Surrounding this is also the external market where there may be a demand for the things you offer. Create your unique passion point , and external market, in the space below.

I have a unique passion point being that I have excellent written and oral communication skills. I can also take great photos. I am interested in sports and music. I could use this to become a marketing or communications manager for a sporting organisation or record company where I could also use my interpersonal skills.
Your vision for the future

3.)A vision for the future can be big or small, and it can be about work or about your personal life, or both. The source or sources of achieving your vision may be from any or all of the five worlds - spiritual, physical, mental, emotional or cultural.

Some say people are driven by six basic needs, with all our choices and behaviours based on the urgency for survival, power, love, belonging, freedom and fun. In putting together a vision it is important to consider your needs and the real you - including your journey to this point, your priorities or central values as they are today, your interests, passions and desires, your skills, and what gives you a sense of meaning and purpose.

In the space below make a mind map to draw together the themes that are beginning to stand out for you as a vision for your future development and fulfilment. You may wish to create your vision on a board or dedicate a whole wall at home to help you keep your vision alive.



What I can see is me standing outside my house in the country with my family - it is peaceful. I work from here mostly but often travel both nationally and internationally with my job. I have worked through a number of marketing jobs to get to this point but now I have more time for enjoying my life - it's not all about work.
We have a nice house but it's not a mansion. There are also some animals and a garden. From here I can get out into the countryside mountainbiking or tramping although we are close enough to the city to enjoy that as well.
Inside my house are all the memories - the photos of family and friends, places we have travelled to and reminders of the successes that we have had. We are happy with what we have got and we have worked hard for it - but we are not egomaniacs.
We are fit and healthy too which means we can enjoy our lives even more. We are looking forward to more challenges......


Hi -I don't mind it going on your blog but I'm not that keen on my name being on there.

I'm not sure if it's a dream, it could be yeah, it's a vision as well I think.

It's been quite funny recently I have been thinking about you know the saying if you can dream you can do it and how important it is to dream a bit about things because that is where everything stems from.

The label visionary (you know people say he/she is a visionary in their field) makes so much sense to me now, before it was just a word.

It's funny how you know creating visions helps but sometimes you just forget because you have so many things going on.

I have been trying to dream up what I want to happen next. The thing is you need the inspiration first from something and sometimes you can search for ages and you just can't find it - and then one day you are onto something and you are away! You need a calm environment.

It goes back to that quantum physics as per the dvd "what the bleep do we know"

Labels: Career Creation, Happiness

Several days ago I received this comment my powerful creativity blog from one of the artists I invited to participate in my Joy'ance exhibition.
:
"No wonder people respond to your art in such a positive way Cassandra - it is created by such a joyful and generous spirit.
It's been an absolute pleasure exhibiting alongside you in Joy'ance.
Thanks so much for your lovely comments. Deanna X"

I felt great! Creating more positivity and joy in the world is important to me. But then several days later I received this email -

Cassandra,

Please note your account has been deactivated. Being a privately owned and run forum, the administrators can and have made the choice to deactivate based on personal differences of which we feel there is no need to go into further detail with.

We wish you well in your other endeavours

Administrators

As one very positive and wise colleague and fellow artist Monika Welch (www.artdziner.co.nz) reminded me today:

Sometimes, doors close, and sometimes doors are closed on us. This happened to me recently and initially it hurt and I felt somewhat betrayed and extremely slighted. Eventually I got over it and realised that it was a blessing in disguise. I had been immersed in a negative situation and instead of leaving, I chose to remain, treading water, tip-toeing around and feeling unsafe and somewhat overwhelmed. There are many doors available for us to open but sometimes we just stay in the same room unaware that we all have the wonderful choice to open another and peek inside. We can OPEN as many doors as we like. We can go THROUGH as many as we like. There is no need to stay struggling in the same negative environment.

I have chosen to open some more doors today:)

Anyway this latest turn got me thinking about the destructive, toxic energy of negativity. Many years ago a colleague said to me, "The Directors like you more than they like me." She then set about trying to undermine everything I did.

So many of the people who took the "happy@work survey mentioned that the negativity of others killed happiness levels at work. Don't forget you can have your say by clicking on the link from my websitecontact page

So what is the impact of negative co-workers and alliances?
* Lower productivity: it is hard to perform at your peak when others bring you down
* Lower self-esteem - greater effort is required to feel good about yourself when others criticise you
* Diminished confidence - confidence, like plants, needs the right nutrients to flourish
* Unless you remove yourself from the influence of negative people it is hard to achieve your potential - negative people enjoy seeing you fail
* Diminished or destructive creativity

So what do negative people gain:
* By making others feel small they make themselves feel tall
* They take other people's dreams and positive energy - some people call this the energy vampire effect
* By playing the wounded party they gain attention and support - many people don't like to see others feel sad or down (something negative people prey on and use to maximum effect
* Often by remaining negative they can absolve themselves from taking action to improve their situation
* Negative people want you to be just like them - "I was once told by someone I worked with :"the problem with you Cassandra is that you are too positive!"


How do negative people lose?

* Negative emotions carry toxic energy - polluting themselves and the people they infect
* Negative people attract negative people - like attracts like
* Negative people seldom reach their potential
* Negative people don't know how to celebrate other people's success - success in others makes them feel less than successful


I would love to hear your views and additions to this very topical thread. Did you know that most people have 80,000 thoughts a day and 85% of these are negative! Wow - no wonder economies are in crisis!

Do you remember these images from "What the bleep do we know" ? Just look at how negativity changes the molecular structure of DNA of spring water.

ps you will notice I have edited this thread as the people concerned took offense and threatened me with legal action....I really couldn't be bothered with all the drama (see how negative energy sucks up time.....I am supposed to working on the edits of my book!) The point of this thread was not to embark on a witch hunt or criticise those with mental illness but to powerfully illustrate the destructive power of negativity. I am grateful for the many messages of support including:

Someone obviously doesn't like your success. That was my first impression. Reminded me of the painting that some family members didn't want you to enter into competition. I have no idea what went on during the exhibition except for great art displayed by very talented artists. I would have been honoured to be associated with you because of your positive outlook on life.

It is a reminder that not everyone will like us or our ideas and views. You may have triggered something in her and rather than address any issues she has taken easy option to cut ties.

I am unsure if no longer having an account with Arttalk will hinder you in your work or may be an blessing in disguise. It is hard at the time to see why things happens but further done the track (maybe years) it is always clearer.

I'm sure there are lessons you have learnt from this in regards to people changing. I feel for you as you are obviously shocked and disappointed however no one can take away the fabulous, motivating, inspiring, talented person you are. At the end of the day it is her loss. Keep smiling.

“I truly believe that absent the victim mentality, everyone - regardless of background, education, or ability - can carve out a good path for themselves in this tumultuous work place.” - Richard Bolles, Author

Labels: Communication, Happiness, Overcoming setbacks, Powerful thinking

Table of Contents:

1. Hello again!
2. Dare to Dream
3. Resources that can help
4. Inspirational Quotes – “New Beginnings”
5. Success Stories
6. Closing Notes
7. A final word and update on Cassandra's creative endeavours
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1. Hello!
Dare to dream!
Spring is here and there is no better time to clean out the old and make way for the new. Sounds easy but where do you start? As you know I am a big fan of beginning with the end in mind…..the end for me always begins with my dreams. In this month’s newsletter I’ll share some simple but effective ways to help you clarify your dreams and some action steps to help bring them into reality.

One of my latest dreams has been to integrate my creativity into my worklife. As you know – this month I have made that happen. Plus, a special bonus is that by collaborating with other artists I have also helped them achieve their dreams too. Check out the blog to share the passionate opening of our “Joy’ance” exhibition. It was so great to see so many of my past coaching clients there. Please do drop in if you live in Wellington – I will be in the gallery personally on Tuesday September the 2nd and would love to see you.


Until then, I hope you find some helpful tips in this month’s newsletter. Feel free to pass it on to any friends who could benefit from some inspiration as we head into spring here in New Zealand

Passionately yours,
Cassandra
ps Last month I was interviewed by the Auckland Herald. Check out the Media Page to down load this interview.

Plus check out the preview and download a sample chapter of http://Happy@Work:Job hunting for mid-lifers

If you haven’t already completed the Happy@work survey we’d love to hear your views
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2. DARE TO DREAM - PRACTICAL STRATEGIES TO CREATE MORE EXCITEMENT IN YOUR LIFE
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1. Collect feedback. One of the most effective ways to get clear about your dream life is to record the feedback that others give you. Today I had lunch with Jasbindar Singh – the very talented author of one of my favourite books
"Get Your Groove Back: how spiritual intelligence can give you the work and life you really want.” She told me she loved my new website www.cassandragaisford.com: “It is more you. It reflects your creative essence, your soul and your life purpose – it is far more expansive. I think that is what you should do. You should be the female equivalent of “Edward de Bono.” Collecting feedback like this energises me and helps me clarify possible dreams that I may want to pursue. Collecting feedback could also help you!

Learn more about how Jasbindar's book can help you live your dreams or buy this fabulous book on-line in our secure webstore

2. Upskill/get inspired – Read books about others already living your dream; listen to seminars. I dream of living and working in France. For the last 6 months I have been collecting articles, tuning into blogs and reading books about people who have made my dream their reality. I’ve also enrolled in French language lessons so that when the opportunity presents I am ready!


One of my client’s Cheree works for the Deaf Association. Here she is at the Joy'ance opening supporting my dream. Her dream is to help as many deaf clients as she can find employment – not just any job but a job they can love. Her work has paid for her to upskill and she has just completed our Certified Career Coach training course. Then yesterday I saw an amazing DVD that was based on the true story of Richard Pimentel, a brilliant public speaker with a troubled past, who returns from Vietnam severely hearing -impaired and finds a new purpose in his landmark efforts on the behalf of Americans with disabilities. Because I love to help people even after the formal programmes have ended I always keep an eye for ways to keep helping my clients live their dreams so I forwarded the name of the DVD and told her to go and get it. I know this will help her continue to learn new skills and have the courage and perseverance to pursue her soul mission.

Look at this lovely feedback I just received from her as I was typing this newsletter for you: “This course has not only re-ignited me but it has set my heart on fire.After so many months of dragging my feet into a job I once loved, I can now kick those heels with joy. My values, interest, passions and goals have now been clarified and I look forward to passing on what I have learnt to my clients.”

It is nice also to have my creativity affirmed – not all coaches work creatively. So many just use bland, rational approaches - in fact, when I attended an international career coaches forum in Venice, Italy experts there were predicting that the number one skill that career coaches needed was to help their clients to have more imagination! My creative, client centered approach to career planning and coach training was definitely appreciated by Cheree “What I enjoyed most about the Coach Training was: the flexibility, the one on one training and the creativity to learn. I also enjoyed the massage (I could tell she was stressed so I paid for her to have a massage!), crayon drawing therapy and of course the post dinner celebration!”

3) Wear your dream – One of my clients, a bank teller, dreamt of being the bank manager one day. He started wearing more professional suits and 6mths later was promoted! Of course he was busy doing other things to help him get noticed, but boosting his image in this way helped him live his dream before it actually happened. If you were living your dream what would you be wearing? Another effective way to wear your dream is to engage all your senses - wear colours that boost your confidence, aromatherapy blends, like orange and jasmine that boost confidence. Aromatherapy can be a great tool for unleashing the creative juices. – try oil blends of bay, coriander, grapefruit white or orange sweet to boost your creative, dream making capacity.

4. Live your dream – What would life look like if you already had the life you dream of? How can you begin to live that dream today? For some of my clients who dream of starting their own business this means having their own business cards. This is a great way to start planning toward their reality – suddenly they have to think about their logo, their name, their contact details etc. The vision of their business card helps propel them into the actions needed. Setting up my website www.cassandragaisford.com was my way of making a global statement of intention. It was, and is, a very public commitment to my dream. It’s also a safe way to give my dream a test run before I cut the safety strings tying me to my past. How could you live your dream?

5. Challenge your fears – Living your dreams can take great courage and often means confronting your fears and challenging unhelpful assumptions. Today over lunch Jasbindar and I played with The Passion Pack. I was telling her how it really is uncanny how it works as an oracle – my clients always pull out exactly the card they need. I was demonstrating this to her and I pulled out the “Fear of Change” card - it asked me “how can you confront your fears safely?” One of the first steps is to acknowledge all the things I am scared of…only then can I set about “problem solving.”

What stands in the way of your dreams? Where there’s a problem there’s a cure! Affirm for what you want

6. Meditate – People often ask me how I manage to stay so positive and juggle so many activities. I meditate regularly – at least once a day for 20 minutes…ideally twice a day if I can. I truly believe in the energising power of meditation to help me stress less and achieve more. Numerous studies have also proven that people who meditate are more creative, successful and resilient.
Eat your way to your dream – feed your mind, body and soul – eat healthy, energising food; exercise regularly and listen to music that keeps you pumped. Some of my favourite “dream” soundtracks are from the aptly named movie “Dream Girls”

7. Challenge negative thinking – What assumptions left untested are blocking the path on your road less travelled?

8. Share your dream – Sharing your dream with others can bring huge benefits including; motivating you to stay on track, supporting you when things get a bit grim, encouraging you when everything is going well and in some cases sharing tasks and responsibilities.

While doing a workshop with acclaimed artist Jane Kellahan I had the good luck to meet fellow aspiring artist Janet Mazenier. I have not known her long but already we are planning to travel to Provence in late May next year and soak up the skills of acclaimed Canadian landscape artist and author Ian Roberts. We are even going to room together – so sharing dreams can even save costs. The same can be said for the Joy’ance exhibition. Not only are Deanna, Amie and I sharing costs, but we are sharing the highs of our sales and media coverage and the lows that can come as we establish ourselves. When one of us is down the other/s are up - together we stay up!

My client Cheree also knows the positive power of sharing a dream and surrounding herself with people that inspire her: Not only did I re-energise her but in turn she has taken what she has learned and re-energized her colleague Karen: “Thanks again for getting me out of the “puddle” and splashing again (she wants to make a big splash for her clients and get them all great jobs!). Karen and I very excited about implementing some of the great ideas that we covered in the course.”

How could you surround yourself with your fans and other like minded people?

10. Visualisation – Bring your dreams into reality. Many of us are visual learners. Words – especially black and white words have very minimal motivational impact. Have a peek at one of my clients dream journal. . Click on the video link of my interview with Brendan Pongia on The Good Morning Show. Check out the Media Page http://www.cassandragaisford.com/media.html.

11. Write it down, make it happen – Knowing what you want and then getting it are pretty closely connected. Affirm for what you want by writing a letter “recalling” how it felt to achieve your goal. Writing can help you clarify what you want, focus your mind on your dreams (not your disappointments), tap into your intuitive guides, and reassure yourself that when the timing is right your dream can be true.

12. Set a goal and reward yourself - I can honestly say that within a goal I achieve nothing. During the few times I feel down it is usually because I have nothing to aspire to – that is until I set myself a challenge and then….whoosh I am like a dog with a bone…unstoppable. Even if I do pause now and then to catch my breath or to change tactics when something temporarily gets in my way.

This brings me to my Happy@work project….yes I did get off track a little waiting for the New York agent to deliver…well she hasn’t….so now I’m getting off that track and getting on a new one…..I’m back to doing it my way….(I love Frank Sinatra’s song “my way” – it’s a great motivator …and one that my daughter sang at my father’s funeral…I must u-tube it so you can hear her!

My goal is to have it totally ready for publication by 29 September and to have sold a minimum of 2000 by April 2008 – my reward will be to stay in Provence for 2 months following the workshop! There I have shared my goal with you! Please help me make it happen! 2000 books at $35 per book will be $70,000 – gosh that’s a lot of money…achieving that goal definitely feels exciting!

3. RESOURCES TO HELP

Life Coaching: being in the love wars can play havoc with your self-esteem, confidence and emotions. Prepare for success by getting these things in order. When you love yourself others will too.

Career coaching: If you are unhappy@work chances are its affecting your love life too. When you do what you love, other loves come too. Get a career makeover this autumn. Career coaching can help you discover your life purpose, get clearer about your passions and goals and tap into proven strategies to help you achieve them.

Check out the Worklife Solutions website for more information about career or life coaching or contact me in person. We offer one off sessions, email coaching and face-to –face session individually tailored to your needs. Cassandra@worklifesolutions.co.nz . I’d love to hear from you.

Books - Listed below are just a few of the wonderful books written by career planning experts. If you find any more brilliant ones please let me know - I’d love to share them with others:

“Write It Down, and Make It Happen" - Henriette Anne Klauser
“It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be” - Paul Arden
“Dream Big” - Ian Falconer
“Get Your Groove Back: how spiritual intelligence can give you the work and life you really want” - Jasbindar Singh. Learn more about how Jaspindar's book can help you live your dreams or buy this fabulous book on-line in our secure webstore


Websites - Listed below are just a few of the websites that address issues related to career changing. Self-help by searching for more on www.google.com. If you find any more brilliant ones please let me know – I’d love to share them with others.

Gift Vouchers – Help someone you love fulfill their potential and achieve greater success in their life. Enquire now about our gift vouchers.
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4. INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES RE DREAMS AND NEW BEGINNINGS

"Spring is nature’s way of saying “let’s party." Robin Williams, US comedian

“If one advances confidently in the direction of his own dreams, and endeavours to live the life which he has imagined he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” - Henry Thoreau

"All glory comes from daring to begin." - Eugene F. Ware

"Almost everything comes from nothing." - Henry F. Amiel

“You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” - Zig Ziglar

“Let us live our lives as though all of our dreams have come true and then challenge reality to catch up.” ?


5. SUCCESS STORIES!
Happy@work is gaining momentum - finally the corporate world is waking up to the compelling evidence that helping staff be happy at work is not just a nice to have but a must have. Yee-ha! I can't tell you how delighted I am to be working with national and multi-national clients to create happier, healthier, more humane place to be work.

Passion@work workshops for Colgate Palmolive
Last month I ran several Passion@work workshops for staff at Colgate Palmolive. They had just moved into new offices and wanting to begin with the end in mind chose me to run the first workshops ever held in their gorgeous new training room. Here’s some of the feedback I received:

“It was great to push the message about the importance of passion at work.”
“The most helpful part of the workshop was sharing ideas with the wider group and seeing similarities.”

“I loved the exercise involving the Passion Cards – our topic “Daily Tonic” was particularly interesting.”

Keynote presentation on happiness@work and productivityIn September I will be speaking to the institute that provides a tertiary qualification for Company Secretaries, the members of which are made up of accountants, lawyers and other professional people who manage staff. The institute has discussed the issue of productivity and having read my article in the Dominion on the 6th of February is keen to tap into my knowledge about the direct link between our current workplace productivity problem and the management of staff.

Please contact me if you feel a similar presentation may be of benefit to your organisation. Or, on a more personal note if you would like me or one of my team to help you live and work with passion, achieve the job of your dreams, tap into your intuitive intelligence or help you make positive changes in any area of your life contact me without delay. Mention this newsletter and you will be eligible for our spring promotion – a whopping 20% off the cost of all coaching programmes. Plus you’ll receive a free copy of “You Don’t Make a Leap Without A Gulp.” – a total savings of over $200

Preferred Supplier for Land Information New Zealand

We are also pleased to be riding the waves of success by being selected to be one of Land Information New Zealand's preferred provider of career coaching and leadership coaching services. LINZ has been a great client of Worklife Solutions for many years now and it was affirming to be reselected after a competitive tender process. I can honestly say they are one of the best companies I know re valuing and investing in their staff. Thank you LINZ – we are proud to partner with you.

Returning clients

We are so pleased to be passing on our skills, passion and knowledge to Cheree Walker. It's great to be helping her pursue her dreams again. Not only was she one of my first clients when I began my business but now I am training her to do what I do. Cheree is truly passionate about making a difference - vivre la passion!

If you are an employer and would like to help her in quest to find meaningful work for her deaf clients please contact her via the Deaf Association here in Wellington.



6. A FINAL WORD!
Tap into spring’s inspiring energy – make room for the new and get rid of the old. Life is too short to put up with a less than satisfactory life. Having a spring clean and say goodbye to anything that is zapping your energy and hello to living the career and life of your dreams. Commit to making a fresh start. This may mean leaving unhappy situation, banning negativity or rekindling the sparks of your most passionate, inspiring dreams.

Dust of your adventurous spirit and prepare for some fun this spring.
Passionately yours
Cassandra and the Worklife Solutions team.
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7. CLOSING NOTES and Update re Cassandra's Creative Endeavours
www.cassandragaisford.com is live! Last month I was interviewed by the Auckland Herald on the subject of the great mid-life adventurers. Check out the Media Page to down load this article

Check out the powerful creativity blog for tips and inspiration on work and creativity. You can also have a wee sneak at the opening night photos of Joy'ance

Here is one of the three joys - my fellow artists Amie McCarron, Deanna Gracie and I


Check out our practical and inspiring eBooks on a range of topics including how to find your passion and still pay the bills, overcoming obstacles, and powerhouse interview techniques. http://www.cassandragaisford.com/shop/

You’ll also find gorgeous photos, paintings and other artworks to give your environment a boost. http://www.cassandragaisford.com/shop/

And last but by no means least, please come and visit us at 128 Featherston Street, Wellington for the final days of our Joy’ance art sale. Check out the powerful creativity blog to take a peek at our opening night party.


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I LOVE TO HEAR YOUR SUCCESS STORIES. PLEASE SEND ME A NOTE!
You can email me at: Cassandra@worklifesolutions.co.nz or info@cassandragaisford.com

Labels: achieving goals, Career Creation, Happiness, Motivation

August 2008

Table of Contents:

Hello again!

2. Looking after you – The holistic way: mind body and soul

3. Inspirational Quotes – “Holistic Health”

4. Resources to help

5. Closing Notes and update on Cassandra's creative endeavors

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I am back from my truly awesome winter escape in Hawaii and can truly testify to the positive healing and rebalancing that comes when you prioritise your health over all the other demands on you time and energy levels. To say this year has been stressful would be putting it mildly. I'm still in the midst of some personal dramas but I can definitely say I feel 150% stronger and calmer than I did before I left. Even my friends are saying: "Wow! You seem so relaxed about it. If that was me I would be spitting tacks!"

You may also recall from last month's newsletter my acupuncturist's views that on a global level negative energy and toxic emotions are sweeping the globe. This coupled with all the doom and gloom reported in the papers and large numbers of people expressing financial pressures and job insecurity are very real threats to keeping positive energy levels up.

In this month's newsletter I thought I'd share my own strategies for staying positive in the face of any life crisis. I've used those I've tapped into most recently prior to and during my time in Hawaii. Hawaii is a very spiritual place - especially the island of Maui. This quote I read somewhere recently sums up the positive power of going somewhere, like Hawaii, to reenergise, "People need to come here and relax. Sit on the country, feel the spirit of this country and go home and feel the same way." While you may not have gone to Hawaii yourself hopefully you will find some tips you can use to help yourself or someone you care about who may be struggling at the moment.

Passionately yours,

Cassandra and the Worklife Solutions team

ps www.cassandragaisford.com is live! Check out the Happy@work audio link of my interview on National Radio. Check out the Media Page http://www.cassandragaisford.com/media.html.

Download a sample chapter of Happy@Work : Job hunting for mid-lifers http://www.cassandragaisford.com/happy_at_work.html

I am working on some final edits to the “Happy@work: Job hunting for mid-lifers.” My agent has tried unsuccessfully to contact publishers in New Zealand and so we are reviewing our strategy. Instead of publishing in New Zealand first and then marketing in The States we are thinking HUGE (or as I have always maintained, and to borrow from one of Steven Covey's success principals, "begin with the end in mind"), and looking to publish in The States first! This is great news! I hope to have advance copies ready for pre-release purchase at The Joy'ance exhibition in Wellington opening on Friday 29 August. Come along and get your own signed copy. I'd love to see you.




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2. Practical Strategies for Looking after you – The holistic way: mind body and soul

When positive energy levels start to wane try some of my favourite strategies:

Book a massage: I had a massage before I went away so I was nice and relaxed (this way I could avoid getting terribly sick like so many people do when they stop everything and finally relax. Why get sick on holiday!) I also had 4 massages at various places around Hawaii - including a 3 hour pampering at the Maui Spa resort where I was saying. It felt so great not to have to drive "home" after my massage.) Having massages is a well known and well documented therapeutic tool - what many people don't realise is that a one hour massage is equivalent to having 6 hours rest!

Plan for a holiday: When everything was beginning to get on top of me recently I got on the plane and flew to Hawaii. Not only was this a great time to rest but I also was investing in my career development and longer term life goals - making the time away even more valuable. It was an investment in my health - body, mind and soul and also in my future income/career. For me, staying positive and energised at work and in life means having something to look forward to. Check out my on line diary for details re this exciting adventure.

Set a goal: I set a goal before I went to Hawaii to have my very first painting exhibition. This feels so exciting and definitely helps keep my positive energy levels soaring. It also helped me make the most of my time at the Sumi-E ink painting workshop with Max Gimblett in Hawaii. I felt so incredibly inspired and joyful while painting there that as soon as I got home to Wellington I took my best most joyful ones to my framer so they can be ready for our Joy'ance exhibition later this month. Max was standing right beside me - I'm sure his positive joyful energy rubbed off onto me! He was so impressed with my work he called them the little Gimbletts! "I see the car back seat full, chocka full on Gimblett’s, a real treat of an image. Demonstrates that the spirit is principled," he wrote to me. He even joked that I must have flogged some of his ones while he wasn't looking!

Check out the " final word and update on Cassandra's creative endeavors" section at the end of this newsletter or the blog to find out more about the upcoming exhibition and my exciting creative collaboration with other talented, passionate creatives.

Stay away from negative people and sad-rap: Part of my reason for getting away was to escape all the negativity that was surrounding me. Turning off the phone just wasn't enough! I also actively stayed away from the media and anyone whinging. Being around artists is so positive, especially on the island of Maui which is an incredibly powerful spiritual place. It was interesting, or should I say depressing to land at the airport and see the image of the Maori activist on the front page of the paper doing the "f*** off" sign with his finger- do people really think gestures like this are powerful?

Surround yourself with positive people and glad-rap: Passionate, positive people are like vitamins for your soul. I love, love, love surrounding my self with uplifting people, especially those that have transcended/overcome difficulties in their own life. I agree with the actress who played Phoebe in Friends who said, "I find people who can cope with life really inspiring. I like being around them."

Max Gimblett most definitely fitted this bill for me both virtually ( before I had met him) and even more in person. He was so open about his own life experiences, challenges with addiction and mental illness - it was incredibly powerful because he had moved through it and his life and his work was richer for it. This energy definitely flowed out to me and I felt a stronger better person for having been near him. Max is also a great affirmer - as you know I am a big believer in collecting positive feedback as a cure to all the toxic comments handed out so freely by others. This morning I received this email from Max - it is definitely going in my feedback journal! I share it with you to show that everyone benefits from kindness.

"Well, we are now friends forever you and I. The state is principled, friendship, if my quirks are held away the other person is perceptible. I naturally had no ideas about you and you stand revealed. What a fine person you are Cassie. Truly creative, a wild spirit that has a full go and mature, what a wondrous combo. You are contained about discussing your daughter, how balanced. Your considerable professional skills shine thru in your personal soul life. It was a genuine treat having you about, I really cannot imagine anybody else, and I missed our final meeting, as it were. - Max Gimblett"

Meditate: look after your mind and soul: Recent research published in New Scientist, has revealed that meditation can help to calm people and reduce fear. The research found that regular meditation can tame the amygdala, an area of the brain which is the hub of fear memory. People who mediate regularly are less likely to be shocked, flustered, surprised or as angry as other people and therefore have a greater stress tolerance threshold as a result.

Research also proves that people who mediate regularly suffer less from anxiety and have increased energy, creativity and self-control. By meditating regularly, the brain is reoriented from a stressful fight-or­-flight response to one of acceptance, a shift that increases contentment, enthusiasm, and feelings of happiness.

Make meditating for at least 20 minutes a day part of your daily routine for optimum success and well-being. Any meditation technique that you prefer will function perfectly well. Some popular meditation techniques include transcendental meditation, breathing meditations, walking meditations and the Buddhist meditation. Meditating can be a simple as sitting quietly for 20 minutes focusing on one thing – whether this is a number you repeat over and over e.g. “one, one, one” or focusing on your breath.

Next weekend my daughter and I are heading of for a 3 day silent meditation retreat. See the resources section of this newsletter for further details in case this is something you would like to do too.

Soothe your soul: awaken the spiritual you. For artist Hyunmee painting is a spiritual process akin to meditation. She talks about her type of vision as an “abstract gaze,” a certain way of thinking and looking that prioritises states of formlessness and energy.

Works of meditative induced work are incredibly restorative to be around. When I gaze at my Max Gimblett paintings I feel profoundly serene. Perhaps you feel the same way when you walk amongst nature. Perhaps peace envelopes you when you are in a deeply spiritual place, or maybe you feel renewed when you do something you love. There is no perfect way to look after you mind, body and soul – there is just the way that is right for you.


There is now extensive research suggesting that spiritual people are happier and less stressed. Surveys by Gallup, the National Opinion Research Centre and the Pew Organization conclude that spiritually committed people are twice as likely to report being "very happy" than the least religiously committed people. An analysis of over 200 social studies contends that "high religiousness predicts a rather lower risk of depression and drug abuse and fewer suicide attempts, and more reports of satisfaction with life and a sense of well-being". And a review of 498 studies published in peer-reviewed journals concluded that a large majority of them showed a positive correlation between religious commitment and higher levels of perceived well-being and self-esteem, and lower levels of hypertension, depression and clinical delinquency.
(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness#What_causes_happiness_-_scientific_research

Enrich your life with gorgeous colours:try the 21 day colour feast. Ban grey, black and any drab colours from your life. Surround yourself with colours that makes your soul sing – you’ll make other people’s soul sing too (even if they do have to wear sunglasses to just be near you! Oranges, read, sunny yellows, luscious green, cheeky purples and bubbly pinks have been scientifically proven by the Gaisford Institute to boost self esteem, confidence and happiness levels.

It was really affirming the other day when a lady came up to me at the bus-stop (thank you Yvonne) and said, " I read your newsletters - that's why I'm wearing this!" she said, pointing to her bright orange cardigan, "people say, 'that's bright' and I say, "and I feel bright too!"

Here is a man in Waikiki who loves gold more than I do!

3. INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES - Holistic Health
I find inspirational quotes to be one of best sources for feeding the spirit, which for me is an essential component of a holistic life style. I've been collecting them for years. Here are some of my favourites: (The first three are favourites right now because it reminds me how important being positive is, especially as a lady in a very negative work environment I have been employed to transform said, "when people are all positive I feel like saying, 'fuck off feelers!' " At first I felt really bad, and then I remembered that people like her are the ones most in need of healing. Other people there said, "We don't need all this flowery stuff "and they call me "pot plant!" Now I think it's funny especially as we are through the worst of it and now people are really embracing the positivity message - it didn't happen over night but it did happen!)

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." ~Marcel Proust

"In everyones life ,at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the spirit." ~Albert Schweister

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

"Be who you are and say what you feel because people who mind don't matter and people who matter don't mind." ~Unknown

"Always be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else."
~Judy Garland

"Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live." ~Jim Rohn

"It takes courage to follow your fascinations, wherever they may lead. Yet, creativity demands that you trust and stay on the path despite obstacles. The good news is that it's possible." ~ Gail McMeekin,

"I don't want life to imitate art. I want life to be art." ~ Carrie Fisher

"In love the paradox occurs that two beings become one and yet remain two." ~Eric Fromm

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." ~Confucius

"My father always said to me, 'children should be seen and not heard 'so I became an artist." ~ Max Gimblett

"A quotation at the right moment is like bread for the famished." ~The Talmud

4. RESOURCES TO HELP

Life Coaching: A passion deficit can play havoc with your energy levels, self-esteem, confidence and emotions. Give yourself a passion boost and get your life back on track. Life coaching encourages you to dream. It allows you to imagine the ideal life you could have and then helps you create a plan to achieve all you want to be and do. Find out more about our unique “Free to be me” life coaching programme and get your groove back this winter.

Career coaching: If you are unhappy@work chances are it's affecting other areas of your life too. When you do what you love, you’ll have more energy and attract success into your life. Get a career makeover this winter. Career coaching can help you boost your intuitive intelligence, discover your life purpose, get clearer about your passions and goals and tap into proven strategies to help you achieve them. Find out more about our unique "Passion Driven Work" career coaching programme and fast track your career happiness and success.

Check out our website for more information about career or life coaching or contact me in person. We offer one off sessions, email coaching and face-to –face session individually tailored to your needs. Cassandra@worklifesolutions.co.nz . I’d love to hear from you.

Books - Listed below are just a few of the books written by myself and other career planning experts. You can buy these from our secure on-line store.

If you find any more brilliant ones please let me know - I’d love to share them with others.

Find your passion - eBook

Would you like to wake up every day looking forward to going to work? Do you want a job that is in harmony with your passions, values and deepest interests? Do you want a job that is deeply rewarding and gives you a sense of meaning and purpose, and that allows you to be who you truly are and who you truly want to be?

This book will help you find your passion and still pay the bills by:
* Increasing your awareness of your deepest passions
* Highlighting a wide variety of alternative career paths and companies that can fulfill your passions
* Identifying and developing a strategy to overcome any passion barriers
* Providing strategies to help you maintain a more passionate fulfilled you!
Available for immediate download and life-long reference from http://www.cassandragaisford.com/shop


Best Fit Career - eBook full of simple strategies to take the mystery out of finding your perfect career. Available for immediate download.

Happy@work- eBook full of simple strategies to boost your joy levels at work. Available for immediate download

Stress Busting - Simple but effective strategies to help you boost your energy levels and get rid of stress. Only $12.50! Buy now and reap the benefits of a stress free life.

“The Extraordinary Passions of Ordinary New Zealanders” Mike Fitzsimons and Nigel Beckford - purchase on line

Web resources - Listed below are just a few of the web resources sites that address issues related to living and working with more intuition. Self-help by searching for more on www.google.com. If you find any more brilliant ones please let me know – I’d love to share them with others.

1) Learn how to create your perfect career. Click on the video link of my interview with Brendan Pongia on The Good Morning Show.

2) http://www.cassandragaisford.com/media.html.We have just added an audio link of my interview on National Radio re happiness and passion@work.

3) A variety of articles about people using positive energy can be found on the Worklife Solutions site http://www.worklifesolutions.co.nz/newsart_articles.php

4) Boost you energy by tapping into the power of creativity - check out the cassandragaisford.com site for regular tips and updates on my blog.

5) Happiness at work - you can find this newsletter and regular happy @work updates here Stop by and add your happy@work comments.

6) http://www.holistichelp.net - a good selection of articles and tips to help you live well

7) http://www.infinitebeing.com/index.html - Discover New Vistas of Inspiration, Love and Creativity through Spiritual Metaphysics...created by one of my favorite authors Owen Walters.

Workshop resources - Mindfulness and Natural Wellbeing: Meditation retreat

A residential Insight meditation retreat led by Stephen Archer

Strathean House, Otaki 8-14 August 2008

The purpose of mindfulness meditation is to magnify well-being. Its practice helps us to recognise, and then be guided and healed by that within ourselves which is already whole and peaceful.

On this retreat we will create an environment of silence and tranquillity in order to help everyone relax and \"come home\" to themselves in a natural and tender way. We will practice mindful sitting and walking meditations within a simple structure of group sessions, regular instruction periods and individual supervision.

This retreat is suitable for beginners as well as those more experienced in meditation.

Further info Phone Stephen 0274 356 352 or email: stephenarcher@insightmeditation.org.nz

STEPHEN ARCHER has an honours degree in Eastern religions and trained as a Buddhist monk for 13 years in the Theravada tradition. He is guiding teacher at Te Moata retreat centre and director of Wellness Solutions Limited. He leads insight retreats nationwide.

Gift Vouchers – Help someone you love fulfill their potential and achieve greater success in their life. Enquire now about our gift vouchers.

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5. Closing Notes and Update re Cassandra's Creative Endeavours

As I have mentioned setting goals and tapping into creative energy are great ways to look after mind, body and soul. While in Hawaii for a bit of worklife balance and to join Max Gimblett as he shared his Sumi-E Ink painting techniquesI created a new range of works for my very first exhibition. I really feel so excited about them - I don't even mind if no one buys any because I would love to keep them myself. This is exactly how I felt about the piece that won the Supreme Prize at the Wai Art Awards. The fact that it sold and that the person truly fell in love with the work made parting with it an honour. That is why I paint - to share my passion and uplift others. This is a view shared by artist Wassily Kandinsky when he wrote, "Concerning the Spiritual in Art", "What is the message of the competent artist? To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist." Check out the powerful creativity blog to find out more about the upcoming exhibition and my exciting creative collaboration with other talented, passionate creatives.





I hope to see you at the exhibition. Until then I wish you an positive, energetic and passion filled August

Passionately yours

Cassandra

Ps Don’t forget to check out our practical and inspiring eBooks on a range of topics including how to find your passion and still pay the bills, overcoming obstacles, and powerhouse interview techniques. http://www.cassandragaisford.com/shop/ New eBooks are being added regularly in response to emails from many of you telling me what you'd like to read!

You’ll also find gorgeous photos, paintings and other artworks to give your environment a boost. http://www.cassandragaisford.com/shop/.I've been adding new pieces of work regularly – including the one which recently won the Wai Art Awards.

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I LOVE TO HEAR YOUR SUCCESS STORIES. PLEASE SEND ME A NOTE!
You can email me at: Cassandra@cassandragaisford.com

Copyright (c) 2008, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce copy or distribute this newsletter as long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached:

The author of this newsletter is Cassandra Gaisford. Cassandra is a leading expert on the topic of creativity, passion, career success and worklife balance. Cassandra is a popular and widely recognised artist, author and motivational speaker as well as a columnist and career expert for the Dominion Post. Her free Newsletter is available at her Web site: http://www.worklifesolutions.co.nz

Labels: Happiness, Health

Winter is a taxing time for many of us in the southern hemisphere. But it's not just us down under who are struggling to keep our positive energy levels up: on a global level, according to my Chinese acupuncturist, negative energy and toxic emotions are sweeping the globe. The good news is that come 22 July, she says, we should be through the worst of it. So hang in there - hope is on the horizon...maybe in as little as 3 sleeps away.


As for me...I'm one sleep away from getting on a plane and winging it to Hawaii to join Max Gimblett for a painting workshop. For me, staying energised at work means having something to look forward to.

I hope this month's happy@work update gives you some tips to stay positive and energised at work too.

Passionately yours,
Cassandra


1. When energy levels start to wane try some of the following strategies:

1.Clarify the source of your angst. Where there is a problem there is a cure. Help yourself and help others by completing the happy@work survey - your responses will help you identify what's zapping your energy and begin the process of identifying a cure.

2.Move! During time of stress we can become lethargic and lack energy. During such times we can feel that we don’t even have the energy or time to exercise. This may lead to feelings of depression as well as increased irritability. Numerous studies have shown that exercise promotes the production of positive endorphins, which play a key role in making us feel better about ourselves and our capacity to cope. Research from Princeton University in the States, even suggests that regular physical activity may grow new brain cells. Exercise also helps to activate both hemispheres of their brains so that they can then begin to rationalize – bringing a new perspective as well as greater tolerance to life’s stressors. As one of the senior managers I am working with recently said, “I took a leaf from your book and went to the gym. I feel GREAT!”

3.Prioritise. Ticking off the rats and mice activities can give you a false sense of achievement. Priortise - sort the important but not urgent tasks from the non important but urgent and spend your time working on those things that matter most.

4.Work smarter not harder. Sometimes we are our own worst enemies. Really discipline yourself to clarify where the inefficiencies are. You may be surprised how much wasted time is your own fault. Identifying your strengths and weaknesses can be helpful here: sometimes your greatest strength can be your greatest weakness. For example I am great at ‘winging it ' and doing things at the last minute. It’s a strength in situations where immediate decisions have to be made or when I don’t have a lot of prior warning. It’s a weakness, though, in situations where I have advanced warning because even though I have a big lead time I can leave things to the last minute and create additional stress by not allowing enough contingency space. Similarly I can tend to be disorganised which means that I spend a lot of time looking for things. Other people I know are energised by new ideas and doing things differently – this can be a great skill but sometimes this can mean spending a lot of time “reinventing the wheel” unnecessarily.

5.Work with passion! Charles Kovess, author of “Passionate People Produce,” describes passion as: “a source of unlimited energy from the soul that enables people to achieve extraordinary results.” Often when you feel stressed, you can feel too tired to do anything at all. Often the things that you love to do are the first things to be traded just to get through the day.

Passion gives people energy, vitality and a heightened sense of well-being. It’s one of the greatest stress busters of all, and promotes the generation of endorphins – feel good chemicals that give us an extra spring in our step. When you tap into something you deeply believe in you may be amazed at the results.
If you need some help rekindling your passion, or even discovering it in the first place, contact the fabulous coaches at Worklife Solutions (www.worklifesolutions.co.nz) and ask them about their unique passion@work and life coaching solutions.

6.Maintain the balance. Working harder not smarter is a key reason people spend a disproportionate time at work. In our over-achiever society, where everyone spends more hours every week working or traveling to work, than outdoors exercising, or spending time with their families and friends, the whole concept of stopping and resting to restore ourselves is almost regarded as a crime.

A key outcome of overload is increased stress levels. Some of the symptoms of stress include reduced cognitive or thinking capabilities. As a result people under huge stress often make more mistakes, have memory losses and take longer to achieve less. So taking a break is a great way to revitalize your performance and to work smarter not harder. Because I know how essential it is that I model this to you all I am off to Hawaii for 14 days of "me time"...that's right - I'm going away sans family, sans laptop, sans cellphone etc etc...I 'm also avoiding any crowds by parking up at a spa resort in the mountains post my workshop with Max Gimblett. For me, staying energised at work means having something to look forward to. Check out my on line diary for details re this exciting worklife balance adventure.

7.Gratefully grateful: Noting down all the things you are grateful for is a great energy and happiness booster. Psychologists have found that people who keep a Gratitude Journal, and write in it regularly, significantly increased their levels of energy and satisfaction with life.

Affirm the positive on a daily basis and watch your energy levels soar. The mind makes real what you attend to...the more you focus on what is right in your life, the more happiness you will radiate and attract. Positive thoughts generate positive feelings - it's that simple.

8.Tap into creativity - Many people get caught up in the classical definitions of an artist when they think about creativity, but you don’t have to be an artist, painter or sculptor to be creative. Imagining what doesn’t yet exist and then bringing it into being lies at the heart of creativity. Strengthen your creative muscles by identifying all the things that get in the way of a more energetic and then surround yourself with positive images that shift you from problem thinking to affirming creative solutions. One of my clients complained that her job was so boring she had no energy. I suggested she keep her eye on her mid to long range goal of starting her own business by placing an inspiring image near her PC at work. "Just looking at this image makes my work so much more bearable - it reminds me of what I'm working toward, " she told me, smiling from ear to ear. Download our Creativity Ebook for more simple but effective ideas.

2. INSPIRATIONAL QUOTES RE ENERGY
"Without passion you don't have energy. Without energy you have nothing" - Donald Trump, property developer

“Passion is a source of unlimited energy from the soul that enables a person to produce extraordinary results.” – Charles Kovess, author

"The key that unlocks energy is desire. It's also the key to a long and
interesting life. If we expect to create any drive, any real force within
ourselves, we have to get excited." - Earl Nightingale, motivational speaker

“Out of need springs desire, and out of desire springs the energy and the will to win.” - Denis Waitley, author

3. RESOURCES TO HELP

Life Coaching: A passion deficit can play havoc with your energy levels, self-esteem, confidence and emotions. Give yourself a passion boost and get your life back on track. Life coaching encourages you to dream. It allows you to imagine the ideal life you could have and then helps you create a plan to achieve all you want to be and do. Find out more about our unique “Free to be me” life coaching programme and get your groove back this winter.

Career coaching: If you are unhappy@work chances are its affecting other areas of your life too. When you do what you love, you’ll have more energy and attract success into your life. Get a career makeover this winter. Career coaching can help you boost your intuitive intelligence, discover your life purpose, get clearer about your passions and goals and tap into proven strategies to help you achieve them. Find out more about our unique "Passion Driven Work" career coaching programme and fast track your career happiness and success.

Check out the Worklife Solutions website for more information about career or life coaching or contact me in person. We offer one off sessions, email coaching and face-to –face session individually tailored to your needs. Cassandra@worklifesolutions.co.nz . I’d love to hear from you.


Books - Listed below are just a few of the books written by myself and other career planning experts. You can buy these from our secure on-line store.
If you find any more brilliant ones please let me know - I’d love to share them with others.

Find your passion - eBook
Would you like to wake up every day looking forward to going to work? Do you want a job that is in harmony with your passions, values and deepest interests? Do you want a job that is deeply rewarding and gives you a sense of meaning and purpose, and that allows you to be who you truly are and who you truly want to be?

This book will help you find your passion and still pay the bills by:
* Increasing your awareness of your deepest passions
* Highlighting a wide variety of alternative career paths and companies that can fulfill your passions
* Identifying and developing a strategy to overcome any passion barriers
* Providing strategies to help you maintain a more passionate fulfilled you!
Available for immediate download and life-long reference from http://www.cassandragaisford.com/shop

Best Fit Career - eBook full of simple strategies to take the mystery out of finding your perfect career. Available for immediate download.

Happy@work- eBook full of simple strategies to boost your joy levels at work. Available for immediate download




Stress Busting - Simple but effective strategies to help you boost your energy levels and get rid of stress. Only $12.50! Buy now and reap the benefits of a stress free life.

Web resources - Listed below are just a few of the web resources sites that address issues related to living and working with more intuition. Self-help by searching for more on www.google.com. If you find any more brilliant ones please let me know – I’d love to share them with others.

1) Learn how to create your perfect career. Click on the video link of my interview with Brendan Pongia on The Good Morning Show.

2) http://www.cassandragaisford.com/media.html.We have just added an audio link of my interview on National Radio re happiness and passion@work.

3) A variety of articles about people using positive energy can be found on the Worklife Solutions site

4) Boost you energy by tapping into the power of creativity - check out the cassandragaisford.com site for regular tips and updates on my blog.


4. Update re Cassandra's Creative Endeavours
As I have mentioned I am off to Hawaii for a bit of worklife balance and to join Max Gimblett as he shares his Sumi Ink painting techniques.

While I am there I will also be creating a new range of works for my very first exhibition. Check out the blog to find out more about our exciting creative collaboration.



Until I return I wish you an energetic and passion filled July:)

Labels: Happiness, Health, Motivation

“Without passion, man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark.”
-Henri-Frederic Amiel, Writer

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• What makes you spark?
• What inspires you?
• What gives you so much satisfaction or/such a buzz that you would do it for free?
• What role does passion play in your working life?
• How can you convert your deepest passion into a rewarding career?

These are questions many people seeking fulfilling work or changing careers never ask. Discovering and pursuing your passion is a vital component of career satisfaction and success. It is the driving and motivating force that will ignite your special talents and gifts, and gives you both a vehicle and means by which to express your uniqueness. You can not only find the career of your dreams, but can attain the competitive edge to achieve success. When your passions are aligned with your work activities you will be more satisfied, productive, happy and well.

Passions pay cheque
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By discovering your passion you will tap into a huge source of potential energy. Pursuing your passion can be profitable on many levels:

• When you do what you love, your true talent will reveal itself; passion can’t be faked.
• You’ll be more enthusiastic about your pursuits.
• You’ll have more energy to overcome obstacles,
• You will be more determined to make things happen.
• You will enjoy your work.
• Your work will become a vehicle for self-expression.
• Passion will give you a competitive edge

Case study: Jane the Visual Merchandiser

Jane wanted to change her profession from a background in retail sales and management to something more creative and hands on and which was less management and sales focused. She was struggling to identify her transferable skills and how her passion for fabric could be combined into a new career. After focusing on all the facets of her passion, including her natural gifts and talents, she successfully transitioned into her dream job. “I have just got the position at Radfords of Visual Merchandiser for their 5 stores. Yippee! I start on Monday, and can't wait. This job is going to enable me to use all those key skills that I have and a huge bonus is that I also get to work with fabrics which is just perfect. I know I came across with confidence and the right attitude thanks to you reminding me that I need to "blow my own trumpet" and allow my passion to shine.”

What is passion?

“Passion is a lot like ‘love’. It is difficult, probably impossible, to define in precise terms, but easy to see and feel when it is present”
- Charles Kovess, Writer

• To be passionate is to be fully alive. Being passionate is a vital part of being human.
• Passion is about emotion, feeling, zest and enthusiasm. Passion is about intensity, fervour, ardour and zeal. Passion is about fire. Passion is about eagerness and preoccupation.
• Passion is about excitement and animation. Passion is about determination and self-belief.
• Passion is about being willing to change. Passion is about following your heart’s desire.
• Passion is about doing something you love.

Passion is not an intellectual thought. It is a feeling, an emotion. Western society tends to value thoughts, reason, logic, and clear thinking more highly than feelings, intuition and soul. Perhaps because of this, people have become de-sensitised to the clues and callings of their own passions.

If it is our desire to be the best that we can be, then the integration of mind, body and spirit is essential. However passion can be difficult to find – and many adults fail to find it altogether. In the absence of any encouragement they give up searching for it, or at least rediscovering it.


Case study: Mary, the journalist

Martha was a disillushioned journalist. She felt trapped in her job because she couldn’t think of anything else she wanted to do. One day she walked into a bookstore and her forgotten passion for colour was reawakened. “Tucked away in the corner of the shop I saw this book on colour. had this most incredibly sensation inside, the same feeling you get when you fall in love. I felt really embarrassed because I couldn’t understand it. I mean it was just a book. For days I ignored it until I knew, really knew that I had to write a book about colour. I’d always loved colour but I was no good at drawing and painting. So I caste it aside. Now I’ve combined my skills as a journalist with my passion for colour.“

Action Question What does passion mean to you? If you were passionate about something what would others notice?

What does passion look like?

“Passionate people exude energy, power, excitement, drive and commitment. Their eyes sparkle, they are fully alive. They have an impact on others. They are the people who often become our leaders, or become the achievers on this planet. They achieve what they want, and most of us talk about them and often envy them. Yet less than 10% of people are visibly pursuing their passion.”
-Charles Kovess, Author.

Every human being is capable of passion. But many people think they are not. This can be because they have narrow ideas of what passion is, or because they think that you have to be really extroverted or do something hugely fantastic to earn the right to say you are passionate. Passion is for everyone – some people just need help taking it out of the drawer.

Some common signs include:

• A burning desire or hunger Mahatma Gandhi had a burning desire or hunger to help his fellow human beings. Gandhi was a passionate man, and his passion enabled him to produce extraordinary results

• A feeling of inspiration

• A feeling in the pit of the stomach If thinking about a particular task, or activity, gives you a “hit” in your stomach with nerves, tingling, pressure, or palpitations, you could be passionate

• A sense of excitement

• A feeling of limitless energy Passionate people do not get easily tired. Their passion feeds them, sustains their body, and overcomes the kind of mental activity that might make a less passionate person feel tired.

• The feeling ”I shouldn’t be paid for this I’m having too much fun.” Many people believe that work, by definition, should be a struggle, and endured – something that can only be enjoyed in exceptional or unusual times. If you are not passionate about your work, then it is hard to see how it could be fun. If you had $10 million in the bank, would you do the work you are doing now? If the answer is “yes”, you are clearly passionate.

• The belief that nothing is too much trouble. Do you have a passion for excellence? Do you have a passion for the outcome?

• A clarity of vision. The quality of the picture in your mind’s eye will demonstrate to you the power of your passion. Passionate people have a spectacularly clear picture of what they want to create, of how the world will be when they have achieved their passion.

• A sense of caring deeply Caring comes from a part of us that is more than body or mind: it is a soul connection, or a heart-to-heart connection. When you care, you have a greater energy, a greater ability to create a greater ability to produce.

Nothing great is the world has been accomplished without passion!

“When it becomes clear that no one else shares your level of passion, you are where you belong.”- Placido Domingo

What's are you passionate about?

You could be passionate about anything! Judge not what you are passionate about. See only if it serves you, given who you are and who you want to be. It could be the simplest of things that excite you and lead you onto a fulfilling career. We spend too much time at work to give up on passion, but some people think that you save the things you like for a hobby or for when you retire. The truth is you are unlikely to find real satisfaction or meaning in your work unless it engages you as a person and delivers some kind of buzz.

Case studies:

Chris Cairns is passionate about cricket, and has carved out a good living as a result. For many years he represented NZ and played cricket at international level.

Graham Books was a researcher who was passionate about potatoes, especially the old Maori varieties. He is still regarded as a world expert in this area and won a significant export contract as a result.

Brian Clifford is passionate about helping people and bugs. He has combined his passion into a successful business as a pest controller. “All the rats, all the maggots, all the cockroaches all over the place. These are the things that I love doing.”

John Holley has turned his passion for bones into a business, Skulls Downunder, selling skeletons to museums all over the world.

Roger Simpson and Murray Langham have turned their love of chocolate and their counselling backgrounds into a philosophy and a successful business. They are chocolate makers, therapists and authors.

What are your buzz factors?


Don't worry if you are struggling to answer some of these questions. Many people have no idea what they are passionate about or how to transfer their deepest passions into a rewarding career. Research consistantly reveals that less than 10% of the population are living their passion.

Cassandra Gaisford (me!)is passion about passion! I have boxes and boxes of clippings and articles of people who are passionate about their work. I didn't choose to be passionate about passion - it chose me! I've made it my life's work to help people find their passion. OVer the last 15 years I've helped thousands of people and organisations find and rekindle thier passion. I've developed tools like the "PassionPack" and unique career and life coaching programmes like the "PassionPoint" and "passion@work" programmes to help make this world a more passionate, happier, joy filled place to live and work.

Stay tuned to this blog if you would like help working with passion and still paying the bills. Visit us at www.worklifesolutions.co.nz or www.passionpod.com to find out about our range of passion tools, 1-1 coaching and other ways we can can help.

“Never deny passion. For that is to deny who you are and who you want to be.”
-Neale Walsch, author

Labels: Career Creation, Happiness, passion