Creative Career Coaching Blog - Creative LifeWork Design

Sometimes You Need to Just Do It!

11/14/2017

There’s a time to think and a time to do. When you have a major life decision, it’s time to think before doing. If you have a project you are working on, maybe you just need to start it. Begin the process and let it unfold, and then think about it. If you are buying a house, start looking, notice how you feel, then think. If you are writing, start writing and see where your story takes you. If it is going nowhere, then take a few minutes to think, take a walk, go to the coffee shop, or move to a different space.

I’ve been writing a scifi novel for about two years, I’ve had a very general idea for a novel for about 10 years. I’m moving very slowly. I think too much, and I wait for an idea or inspiration. It’s fun! This year, I decided to take the NaNoWriMo, challenge. In the past I chose not to do it because it seemed impossible. This year I was a day late but I signed up. Will I meet the challenge to just do it and write more.

On the NaNoWriMo website, I can tally my words for accountability. The website says at the rate I am writing, I will meet the 50,000 word goal May 3, 2018. Am I discouraged? No. I have been writing everyday with the exception of one day since November 2nd. I’ve written more in two weeks than I did the first year of writing the novel. That’s an accomplishment!

If you are a thinker like I am, you can take the leap and start something you have been thinking about doing or work more on something you have a passion for doing. Take the challenge. Need organization, accountability, or help getting started? Give yourself a sense of urgency. Send me an email and set up a conversation. Need more? Invest in yourself and consider hiring a coach. You are worth it!

I would like to say call me, but with all of the unwanted calls, I just might not pick up. Then how would you feel? I would like to give you a positive experience and make good use of your time.

Creative work may take inspiration or ideas although sometimes it takes the discipline to just do it, check it, and share it.

A Job is in the Moment: Your Career Lasts a Lifetime

11/11/2017

You have a grand goal and you are willing to work hard to achieve it. You know your expected salary, the location you want to work, and you've invested in your education. With your goal in mind, you create a solid resume and send it out to a hundred companies with little or no response, so you work harder toward your goal.

You begin to think there are really no jobs that fit the criteria you need, there is something wrong with you, or you got the wrong degree. You begin to feel inadequate and lose motivation. You spent time setting goals and made a plan. What went wrong?

After talking to a career coach, you realize you were planning for a job hoping it would last a lifetime. You liked the myth that if you worked hard enough you would keep your job––you just needed to find the right one.

The problem is that there is not just one right job. You need to develop a process for growing your career rather than just looking for a job. What's the difference? In today's job market, all jobs are temporary, but if chosen well, each one gives you the skills and experience you need for the next job.

How can you prepare for a career rather than just looking for a job? First determine the skills you want to develop and take with you. If you are not sure, then choose the skills and find ways to use them at some level so you will know if you want to pursue a career using the skill.

First make a list of your skills,
Next choose the skills on the list that you actually want to use,
Then develop the skills that fit your interests by gaining the experience, education or training you need,
Decide if it is worth spending time and money to improve those skills.

Rather than climbing the ladder to success in one company, you will be paving the way for the next job in your career path as you build relationships and skills you want to use.

For more on skills, read the Skills You Want to Use section of Fire Up Your Profile For LifeWork Success Revised 2016.

Blessings for Health and Prosperity,
Nancy J. Miller

A Dance With Three Partners

8/21/2017

We can go through phases of our lives that are bright and sunny full of light and energy that is even hard to contain in simple things like words. Punctuation interrupts the flow of thoughts, ideas, and energy. At other times, it feels like a shadow is passing across our energy field leaving a trail of emptiness. The passion has waned and the heart asks what is next.

This morning the United States will see a partial to almost total eclipse of the sun. An article in Science Daily, says, "A total eclipse is a dance with three partners: the moon, the sun and Earth," said Richard Vondrak, a lunar scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It can only happen when there is an exquisite alignment of the moon and the sun in our sky." This quote made me think about how we have a dance with ourselves; the heart, the mind, the body. There are times when one part of ourselves overshadows another part, but rather than being out of alignment, maybe one part just needs more attention than another.

I have been feeling very stuck this year. It is like my body is overshadowing the other parts of myself since it has needed a lot of attention. I say that I have had health hiccups because it seems like one after another. But since I keep slowly moving forward taking care of the part of me that needs the most attention, while I continue learning and working on what needs to be done, I can see this shadow as an alignment that needs to take place.

You could call this reframing the situation, changing perspective, or appreciating an exquisite dance with self. Each part of ourselves needs special attention at one time or another. The heart or soul may be searching, the mind might be exploding with ideas, or the body might have too much of a good thing like an overgrowth of cells in all the wrong places.

I am learning to respect each part of myself and see the shadow not as an interference with my intentions or goals, but a new dance that will bring to light an awareness of a new resource, ability, or character that I have never used before.

As a Life and Career Coach, I am often reminded that we have so many resources and abilities within ourselves that we are not aware of until something or someone brings clarity into the dance to give it rhythm and purpose. When you experience the eclipse through media, pictures, or special glasses remember the shadow of the moon briefly passes across the sun to create an amazing experience shared around the world.

When your sun is so bright you feel overwhelmed or the shadow is crossing your path, seek out a friend, mentor, or coach for support, clarity, and accountability to create the life and work you want. Don’t know what you want? I have tools to help you with that too! Where are you in your cycle of creativity and productivity? I would love to hear from you. Comment or send me a message at, connect@nancyjmiller.com.

Are You the Best That You Can Be?

7/28/2017

Are you in the driver’s seat managing your career or are you a passenger waiting to see what direction it takes? If you are not clear about your vision, strengths, values, and goals you may be passively watching the road as opportunities come and go without recognizing the possibilities in front of you, and taking action.

Your Life Coach will show you how to take charge of your life and career. You can’t control the road hazards and detours along the way but you can choose how you act and react to your environment.

You have a vision for what you want in your life and career. If you take the time to write it down, reflect, clarify and see what is most important based on your values and strengths, you will have a clear picture for your life and career. A clear vision will drive you to make plans and goals that fit your values. Understanding your values and what is most important to you will take you on the ride of your life. With a Master’s degree in Career Counseling and 15 years’ experience, Nancy has the expertise to help you create your map for success.

Ready for a complimentary conversation to see what coaching can do for you? Read about Nancy, her coaching style, and what a 20-30 minute get acquainted appointment might look like. While you’re here, send Nancy an email to set up a telephone conversation. She’s looking forward to hearing from you.

Imagery for Healing

5/9/2017

Using imagery I learned in NLP training, I began imagining this growth in my kidney coming out of my body, flying out into the universe, and getting a big smile in return.

A couple of months ago I was having a lovely pre-valentines day dinner with my husband when my doctor called and told me he was sorry to give me the news that I have cancer and would need surgery. It was a shock, and I didn’t know what to expect. A large mass in my kidney, the doctor said. That didn’t sound good. I told my husband that I would have that glass of Merlot after all.

As I had follow up tests without really knowing what all was involved, I found myself getting very anxious since we have a lot of cancer in our family, often with less than positive results. When I called the after hours nurse about my cough from recent pneumonia, I was told I would need more tests and probably shouldn’t go on the train trip to Colorado that I had planned. Wow! I felt overwhelmed. I realized I needed to give my worry thoughts to God. I really didn’t have all of the information yet, and worry thoughts were not making me any healthier.

Wondering about the next phase of my life: how I would sell my books, see clients, and write when at best I would be taking a break for tests, appointments, and surgery. What to do besides worry?

Using imagery I learned in NLP training, I began imagining this growth in my kidney coming out of my body, flying out into the universe, and getting a big smile in return. After doing this exercise several times, I smiled every time I thought of surgery. I’ve had many surgeries for my eyes that have not all gone well, so I know I can get nervous at the thought of surgery. Giving myself a big smile each time I thought about surgery eased my tension. I was fairly relaxed through the whole process.

I also thought about this growth as too much of a good thing. We all want cells to grow when they need to. Apparently my cells had too much growth. They didn’t know when to quit, repair, or die when no longer needed. Thinking of these cells as too much of a good thing rather than feeling diseased helped my attitude and healing. Saying growths or cancers are too much of a good thing is definitely an oversimplification, but for me it was a healthy one.

Healing comes in many forms that I can control:

Attitude
Perspective
Mind
Lifestyle

While there are some aspects of health and healing that I cannot control, there is much that I can self-manage. When my body cries out that something is wrong, rather than stressing it further, I can stop, pray, listen, heal, and then move forward with the next phase of my life and work.

Cancer Cells. Cancer Research UK.
http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/what-is-cancer/how-cancer-starts/cancer-cells. Accessed 5/9/2017.

Dilts, R. (1998). Harnessing the Imagination. Retrieved from:
http://www.nlpu.com/Articles/artic16.htm. Accessed 4/2/2017

Schaub, F. The 9 Keys to Self Healing. http://www.cellularwisdom.com/keys-to-selfhealing.shtml. Accessed 5/9/2017.

Blessings for Health and Prosperity,
Nancy J. Miller, M.S.
Author: Vegetable Kids in the Garden
Fire Up Your Profile For LifeWork Success

Create a LifeWork Portfolio

3/31/2017

A portfolio is a gathering place for your proudest accomplishments. It’s easy to gather your projects, experience, skills, and values in one place if you start now by finding a binder (or folder if you don’t have a binder handy) and drop in what you have right now. As you gather more accomplishments add them to your binder.

Keep it simple – add to your portfolio as you gain accomplishments.
Make it easy – start with what you have.
Have fun – add a picture or photo to the front of your portfolio, add colors, assessments, lists, art, or whatever best represents you.

Your portfolio is flexible. As you build your LifeWork Portfolio, take out what is no longer working for you and add what makes you smile. Develop new skills and accomplishments where you need them. If you can’t easily list your strengths, skills, and character, refer to pg. 110-113 of Fire Up Your Profile For LifeWork Success.

CAREER SUCCESS FORMULA

Strengths + Skills + Character + Opportunities = Career Success

The purpose of your portfolio is to gather personal and career information, job search tools, plans, and goals in one place. If you need a portfolio to take to an employer, you will want to choose the most relevant information from your LifeWork Portfolio and create a separate professional presentation folio, binder, or folder. Use the method most appropriate to your field of interest. Grow your portfolio and adapt it to your career transformations. Be creative, make your portfolio yours, and use the section titles that work best for you. Here are some sections you might want in your LifeWork Portfolio:

About Me
1. Vision Statement
2. Strengths/Value/Interests
3. Motivational Quotes/Poems

Purposeful Work
1. Your Purpose for Working
2. Preferred Working Environment
3. Examples of Successful Experiences

Career Management
1. Flexible Goals
2. Action Plan
3. Healthy Lifestyle Strategies

Job Search Plan
1. Job Search Assessment
2. Occupation/Company Research
3. Job Descriptions
4. Exit Strategy
5. Challenges
6. Job Opportunities

Job Search Tools
1. Skills you want to use
2. Master Application
3. Master Resume/Letter
4. References
5. Degrees/Licenses
6. Training/Certifications
7. Recommendations

Accomplishments
1. Awards/Presentations
2. Work Experience/Projects
3. Art/Writing/Creative Work
4. Letters of Appreciation

Community Involvement
1. Cultural
2. Travel
3. Volunteer
4. Leadership
5. Memberships
6. Languages

If you should feel a bit overwhelmed with the task of gathering your strengths, skills, and accomplishments to create an extraordinary picture of you, then contact a LIfeWork Coach,
or counselor to help you bring your strengths and accomplishments to light.

Adapted from: Fire Up Your Profile For LifeWork Success
@copyright 2016 by Nancy J. Miller

Create a Fired Up Profile

3/30/2017

Your profile is an opportunity to paint a unique picture of yourself that you can use and adapt for a bio, an “About” page for your website, a resume for job search, or a profile for social media.

"Create your own visual style... let it be unique for yourself and yet identifiable for others.”
—Orson Welles

If you haven’t ever created a picture of yourself in words, it may seem like a daunting task. Where would you even begin? You can start by gathering your education, experience, accomplishments, credentials, and skills in a Career Portfolio (you can gather your information in a binder, file, or album).

You decide what you want to share and with whom. Once you write a basic profile you will be able to adapt it to many situations. Use your profile to tell people who you are and what you value. Play around with the words until you come up with something that feels like you.
Depending on where you use it, your profile might be a paragraph or a page. You can adapt your profile for media, a short bio, a cover letter, a proposal or presentation. Choose the voice you want to use (your name or pronoun “I”, or “we”). Looking back at your accomplishments and what led to where you are today will give you the push to move forward.

Whether you are starting a formal career, you are transitioning with years of management experience, or you are reorganizing for retirement, your Fired Up Profile will provide you with the information and tools you need for a commanding introduction. Listen first then connect with common interests.

With your job search tools, your ability to manage your career, and your Career Portfolio of accomplishments you can feel confident wherever you are. You are NOT a job search beggar waiting for an employer to provide you with his meager offering. You know what you want and you are willing to take the steps necessary to find your own personal career success.

The ability to tell your story in different ways will help you respond to the prompt “Tell me about yourself.” As Kathy Hansen says in her book, Tell Me About Yourself: Storytelling
to Get Jobs and Propel Your Career, “Knowing how to tell your story makes you unique and gives the interviewer something to like about you.”

When connecting with customers, employers, and partners you want them first and foremost to like you. Why wouldn’t they? You have so many unique talents to share.

DESCRIBE WHO YOU ARE

The first step to finding life and career success is knowing who you are, how to describe your strengths and abilities, and how to confidently say how you make a difference. Use your journal or a page in your Career Portfolio to write about yourself. This is the first step to writing your profile. Write a description of yourself.

Describe three skills and how you like to use them.
Write about three strengths or talents you enjoy enough that you would do them without getting paid.
Name an interest or hobby and why you enjoy it.
List an accomplishment that made a difference for someone.
Explain something you have done in your career that added value to your job, business, or responsibilities.

From the book: Fire Up Your Profile For LifeWork Success

March 30th, 2017

3/30/2017

I found my self feeling apathetic about my writing until January of this year when I started two classes through the Creativity Coaching Association that includes Creativity Coaching, self-coaching, and building my practice. I can see that I've been neglecting my Creative Coaching blog, but now I am getting energy and motivation to fire it up!

Apathy can kill a business or project before it really gets off the ground. Apathy is so boring that I can't even think of a picture for it. Where does it come from?

Distractions, disruptions, tech difficulties, working on something I am no longer interested in, wondering if anyone is listening or if anyone cares. Wow! I'm' bored just listening to myself––that's what apathy does. Apathy is indifference or suppression of emotions.

My job as a coach and writer is to stir up the emotions in myself and interest in others. It doesn't happen by itself. It often happens with others or in groups. My creativity coaching class and clients are bringing out my emotions, excitement, and interest. It doesn't happen in a vacuum. We need people to stimulate us, bring out the best in us, and inspire us to do the work we were made to do.

Ok. I'm ready to write! My next post will definitely have a picture.

Blessings for Health and Prosperity,
Nancy

Enjoying Carol McClelland’s Seasons of Change

12/19/2016

We are coming to the end of the fall season, and in the Sacramento Valley we are feeling an early winter. After four years of severe drought we are getting rain and frost. Seeing damp streets with the breeze bouncing leaves up on our lawn, reminds me of an activity in Carol McClelland’s, The Seasons of Change: Using Nature’s Wisdom to Grow Through Life’s Inevitable Ups and Downs. She says:

"Take a walk and notice the season. What are some of the signs
of winter? Notice lingering traces of fall. The seasons are
a great reminder that things are always changing, growing,
and continuing."

My favorite evening activity is to walk outdoors and notice the season. I find the changing seasons are most interesting whether it is a cool breeze on my face contrasting with the warm sun on my back or the bright Christmas lights in contrast to the cold dark winter night.

The seasons remind us that change is normal but unexpected change or changes that come fast and furious can feel dark, unsettling, and confusing. McClelland calls the darkness the Winter Solstice where there is hope in the darkness. The work of a counselor or coach often intersects with a sense of darkness or confusion. Bringing light, hope, and clarity to the challenging times is like the natural movement from the darkness of winter to the bright resilience of spring.

Unexpected change can cut into plans and expectations like an axe into wood, but expected change can be more like a slow slice into fresh bread. Instead of feeling the clamor of separation, the slow slice is made easier if there is a plan for how to share the fresh bread. Is that too much analogy for you? Personally I could smell the fresh bread and feel the anticipation of what comes next. I’ve learned to be optimistic and find joy in expected change. I start feeling a little sad in September with the yearly expectation that our swims and weekly trips to the lake are ending, so I start planning winter trips like a train ride from Sacramento to Denver in the winter. Last year riding through the snowy mountains was a peaceful winter adventure. The colder days are perfect for contemplating and writing.

Enjoy the coming winter season. If you get stuck in the Winter Solstice, contact a counselor or coach to spring you back to life before you even turn your calendar to March.

Give Yourself a WooHoo!

8/9/2016

When you accomplish something or have a small success––it doesn’t matter how small it is, give yourself a WooHoo! It's even more fun if you share your WooHoo! with someone else and then High Five. You might even want to give yourself a nice WooHoo! to energize yourself for your next success. Here’s what to do:

!. Stand up.
2. Raise your arms up high.
3. Jump up and say WooHoo!
4. If you didn’t smile and feel a little energy go through your body, then do it again.

Feel your success in your body. You can energize your mind and body in a matter of seconds to start opening up your posture for success. WooHoo!

Bastion, N. (2016). 5 Fundamentals of Body Language to Increase Your Success in Life. Retrieved from: http://www.lifehack.org/431002/5-fundamentals-of-body-language-to-increase-your-success-in-life

Creative LifeWork Design
PO Box 580891
Elk Grove, CA 95758
success@nancyjmiller.solutions

Nancy J. Miller, M.S. is a Certified Life Coach, publisher, and author of "Fire Up Your Profile For LifeWork Success." "Vegetable Kids in the Garden," and "The Vegetable Kids Cafeteria Club." With a Master's Degree in Career Counseling, she has 15 years experience coaching entrepreneurs, writers, job seekers, professionals seeking a career change, and students. Contact Nancy at: success@nancyjmiller.solutions to learn more.

Photos used under Creative Commons from Eric Kilby, Leimenide, freestockimages, stevendepolo, Jenifer Corrêa, lumaxart, Peaches&Cream, Muffet, JeepersMedia, Jeffrey, elliotbalynn, bortescristian, Janet Hudson, seanmichaelragan, ♔ Georgie R

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