“It takes practice to hear your true desires. Your passion will often come as a whisper or a serendipitous event that reminds you of what’s important and what makes you happy.”

When I read this quote by Eckhart Tolle about practicing to get below “the noise of the world”, the reoccurring concept of being “still” with ourselves in order to gain insight, is a concept that most folks are unaware of.

As Tolle describes . . .therein lies the secret about how we find out what is really important and what makes us happy in a world that is chaotic and often scary and confusing.  Today, as you know, so many folks are on a quest for the meaning of life and the pursuit of happiness. You can see it everywhere.

I can tell you that I love this journey.  I love it when you meet up with friends and the conversation goes deeper than the political battles or entertainment gossip or what your cooking for the holidays.  I love seeing my yoga class filled to the brim.  I often wonder about their quest and the journey they are on.  Isn’t it interesting how some people begin this search early on?  I think of my 25-year old son who began the quest a year ago. And, my own journey not beginning, until I faced tremendous adversity in my life, some twenty years ago.

Below the noise of the world, we can uncover many things. For some, it’s about getting perspective on life and relationships. For others, it’s about being thankful for the many gifts we’ve been given. It could also be a realization that difficult and challenging times might be just simply be a transitional phase.

What has struck me more recently is that when we attempt (really attempt) to take away the “noise” (whether it’s shutting down to take a walk in nature, turn off the distractions of the radio or TV, lighting a candle while eating breakfast or dinner, taking a run at the gym or settling down to read an inspiring book) . . . that the those whispers of insight about happiness and importance really do come up.

It seems like we just have to make the space for the insight to surface. Without sinking below the noise of this very chaotic world, it seems like it’s an endless battle to get to that place of stillness. I am curious. . . as we move into full stride of the holiday season . . .  whether you are working your way in understanding your true desires for this lifetime.

Career transitions are tough. So many people want to do it. So many folks want to cross that bridge.  But they are held back by fear and many times . . . by a lack of support by the naysayers of the world.  I have to tell you that I am truly amazed when a client just does it. It doesn’t matter which occupation or career path you choose.  Everyone has a gift and our number one job on the planet is to find out what that is.

So, when my client emailed me this morning to tell me that “he got the job”, I was doing my happy dance.  Together, through career counseling, we both discovered that he was meant for a nursing career not the 15-year career he had held down in IT.  We knew he would have to make financial sacrifices to step back from a nearly six figure salary. We knew he would have to have the courage and trust in himself to take the leap. For once and for all, he knew that he had to resolve in himself whether he should transition into a career that haunted him for years.

What I loved about my client was he was willing to invest in himself to figure it out.  He worked for hours reflecting and thinking about making this transition. He did exercises to determine his highest values and his favorite skills that he loved to use.  He even took up journaling a couple times a week. When you take the time to uncover your gift within, it is amazing to witness the happiness that arises. In that moment, you can see the light in someone’s eyes shine through. You can feel the energy in the room ramp up.  But, most of all, there is an indescribable feeling of happiness, confidence and hope. 

Down with the job he hated for years. Down with the three hour commute from Lancaster to King of Prussia every day. Down with that Monday morning horrible feeling of dread. A new life, happiness on all fronts and a whopping 2.4 mile commute to the hospital from home awaits my client.  Interesting  how life changes on a dime.

For all those folks out there who have been going around and around wondering  if it’s time to move on, maybe you should seek professional help to sort these kinds of issues out.

A couple weeks ago, I heard Mayor Nutter of Philadelphia  talking on WXPN radio about Marvin Gaye and how he recorded that infamous song What’s Going On almost forty years ago. The mayor also talked about how music soothes our soul. It got me thinking how this song  “rocked” us and the music world back then.  The fact is that Marvin Gaye was describing some of the exact same issues many people are dealing with today.

Marvin sang out about people crying and too many dying.  And how we have to find a way to bring loving and understanding to the table.  So many struggling with unemployment, paying rent . . . including the ones that are picketing being punished with brutality.  He also sang about the inner city blues.  Isn’t this what’s going on right now?

I think Mayor Nutter was right in saying that music soothes our soul . . . it has a way of reminding us of where we’ve been and where are we going. The question we have to ask ourselves is how are we really making a difference today? If we can go back to the old fashioned concept—like getting “out of ourselves” and giving to others – it might just help us to understand what’s going on and guide us as we move forward in our lives.

In Martin Yates’ new book entitled, Secrets and Strategies for Success in an Uncertain World, he talks about not only having a killer resume . . . but also about how to quadruple your chances of landing more interviews.  It’s about face time with your potential employer that enables you to land. Here’s a reminder about some of the success strategies regarding working your job search that you might want to employ.

• Email your resume directly to the manager in the department you would be potentially working in. Make sure you write a cover letter and make sure it’s a compelling cover letter.   Chances are if you send the resume with a subject line “Outstanding Candidate for X position”, he or she will not be able to resist opening up that email.  Make sure you attach the resume first, then the cover letter. Also, put the contents of the cover letter inside the email.

• Do what we did in the old days. Boomers out there will remember that we used to send our resumes and cover letters through the traditional mail. We even used to buy beautiful, top-shelf Crane’s stationary to boot. Who is doing this now? No one is. So, why not show you took the time to put this sleek package together for your new boss? You have absolutely nothing to lose.

• Make a follow-up phone call after you mail this neat package to your potential boss. Count the number of days it takes for the package to show up, then call that manager first thing in the morning, at lunchtime or after 5 PM. Chances are that he or she will pick up their phone at that time.

Here’s the bottom line.  The faster you connect with the “buying” committee, the faster you will be able to nail down an interview.  According to Yates, competition is fierce as you know, so trying all of these approaches is the best way to increase your chances of landing a job.

When Fox29 News called to ask me to comment a few weeks ago about this question, I immediately knew what that answer would be.  Click here to view the video about Andy’s performance with Fox29 News Reporter Bruce Gordon and yours truly.

The energy is enormous when it comes to figuring out what our next steps are in our career. When I watched Oprah being interviewing by Facebook this week on the OWN network, I remembered so clearly what she said about taking time for “self.”   She simply meant….unplug yourself and have quiet time.

Allowing yourself to sit alone without any distraction is what everyone in Oprah’s company does twice a day. Can you just imagine if you took a “quiet time” twice a day to breathe, relax and sit with yourself what you might feel like? Moreover, might the possibility exist . . . that you could have some incredible insights about your career if you did incorporate this into your daily life?

Being quiet with ourselves is a key to understanding “self.”   It is the absolute foundation of making a solid career decision.  So, allowing the time and space for sorting your interests, skills and motivational skills is a necessity. Taking responsibility for your career and allowing your true passion to awaken to our deepest self is your charge.

Here’s the thing.  Recognizing that we are all amazing individuals with a gift doesn’t come as a surprise to some of us.  For others, it is a complete revelation. But, it is the God’s honest truth.   As Oprah said in her final show, “our number one job on the planet is to understand our gifts in this world.”

One of the ways to tap into our greatest strengths and deepest loves is to consider those things we are doing when we never look at the clock.  Or when you feel there is an undeniable sense of exhilaration.  Or when you know you are completely and emotionally charged about something and it just feels so right.

When you are awake and alive and doing any of these things, does it ever turn up your vibrational (energy) level?   I’m downright curious because if it does, you just may be on to something huge. The other thing to consider is . . . if you don’t make time for reflection and inner dialogue, how will you ever be able to pick up these clues from within?

She was puzzled. Her parents were confused as heck.  Her friends were altogether floored. After all, everyone thought she had the whole package. Even the graduate.

But, as you remember from my blog post a few weeks back, her interviewing style was crashing down on her.  Every time she sauntered into an interview winging it, she choked.

So, when I got that text late last week that she accepted an offer with a top notch international  corporation, I did the happy dance.  In fact, when we had her celebratory lunch yesterday in center city, with members of her family, we talked about what actually shifted.

It was a clear and deliberate guerrilla attack on her interviewing style. Through coaching and reading “How to Boost Your Interview IQ” by Carole Martin, Jennifer was able to overcome every obstacle, every question and every doubt that resulted from her previous attempts in not landing an offer.  Jennifer systematically analyzed what she was doing wrong and did she pull out all the stops.

Here’s a couple of Jenn’s  tips . . .

• Write out your answers  for the questions you are preparing for.  Yes, type them out into a Microsoft Word document and that means everything from the question, “tell me about yourself” to “tell me about a time when you showed exemplary customer service.”

• Commit those answers to memory as if you were trying out for huge role in a play. Practice makes perfect. Say no more.

• Remember the 20-60-20 rule when telling a story. You open up the story with a short introduction which takes 20% of the time allowed, you discuss the specific actions that you took that impacted the success story you are describing, and then wind it down with the outcome. It doesn’t hurt to add any feedback your supervisor gave you.

• Use index cards to check and recheck if you nailed down your answers.

• Visualize (affirm yourself!) that you have the position.

If you are able to get to the interviewing table and have difficulty landing an offer, know that this is truly an art and a skill that needs development.  Congrats to Jennifer! You knocked ‘em dead!  Way to go….Yay!

Jennifer at her celebratory lunch in Philadelphia!

When I read this yesterday in the WSJ, I thought . . .  aaah yes. This is exactly what this job market is about. If you are not proactively working “it” (connecting to everyone you meet or know along this corridor of uncertainty), how can you possibly experience that serendipitous moment when the universe pulls it together to produce something extraordinary for you? Maybe there’s another way to help support your self-promotion.

After attending a weekend conference called “I CAN DO IT” in New York (where you nourished your soul all weekend long), it became even more clear to me that we need to recognize that there is another energy out there besides ourselves.  And, that energy can be utilized to jump start your world that might be stagnant right now.  I am talking about believing in power thoughts. Yes, that’s right. Power thoughts can, in fact, change your life.  And, this is how it begins . . .

• Integrate a daily spiritual practice into your life. You might be thinking that you are not religious, you don’t pray and maybe you don’t even believe in God. What I am talking about is to simply sit quietly and listen.  Notice what is going on around you.  Notice the birds, the air you are breathing, how your body feels, how you feel emotionally…and ask for help.  I mean ask your higher power for help in this very moment.  There are a zillion times during the day that you can do this…why not the shower?  Why not while drinking your morning coffee?  And, why not while stretching in your bed before you arise?

• Consider the word HELP as an acronym for the following:  
• Hear my sincere request for ______
• Elevate my heart and spirit so I can get through this ______
• Listen to my deepest desires
• Please send __________(job opportunities) my way.

• Use affirmations to help you gain a positive outlook on your day. Affirm yourself. I am employed, I am prosperous, I am strong, I am healthy, I am slender, I am happy, I am in a divine relationship, I am in love . . . Pull out the key words  for yourself and for anything you want to BE, DO or BECOME in your life. I know you get this. But, the key is  to incorporate these wishes and say them as if you already have them in your life.

• Discount the media and TV and radio reports about whatever this job market looks like. Do you want to know why? Because everyday people like yourself are making it. They are landing their dream jobs, survival jobs or opening up their businesses.  The second reason is that nothing good will come from obsessing over it. Absolutely nothing.

In my mind, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by simply trying this supplemental approach to self-promotion. If you are interested, here’s the link to Louise Hay’s website where you can access blogs, affirmations and tons of power thoughts.

An example of an affirmation for accepting change is:

“Today I will be open to the process of change. I will trust my Higher Power and believe that the place where I’ll be dropped off is better than the place where I was picked up. I know that change is necessary to take me wherever I need to go.”

With the earthquake and hurricane masking our job searches for the last two weeks, some of us are back to the task at hand. Searching for a full-time position with benefits and advancement potential is wearing on the whole world.  Here are some reminders as we move through this holiday weekend.

Your attitude is everything. The beginning, the middle and the end is all about attitude. We can look at being dealt a “bad hand” or an awful event as opportunities to move forward or use them to keep us behind the “eight ball.”  In this job market, there is only one choice. And, that is to keep moving the ball down the court.

Understand that you are not alone in your isolation or frustration. But, if you let the “ball and chain” hang you up in this job search, you will not succeed.  Zig Ziglar called it the PLOM disease (poor little ole me). Instead, empower yourself, so no one can unplug you. Use your new attitude to lift you and maybe consider asking the universe to help move this situation along by generating opportunities for you. Like any Olympic champion, visualize your goal and see yourself already there. Ask and you shall receive.

Understand that it takes time. Job searches take an enormous amount of time. Back in the day, it took 6-8 weeks to land a position. Today it may take as long as a year and a half. But, that doesn’t mean you get off the horse because it’s taking longer. Your goal is to land with a solid company and that means a long term gig. Due diligence is more critical than ever. Research the next move as if you were buying a brand new cell phone, television or kitchen appliance. There is nothing worse than thinking the grass is greener on the other side and it turns out to be way worse than where you are. You know what I am talking about.

The Story.  Everyone has a story in the naked city. But, you don’t have to go into the details of what happened as a result of the layoff, or the inept supervisor you had or even the co-workers you couldn’t stand to be around. Does it really matter in the scheme of things? Close that chapter up and begin a new one. You are the hero of your own story, so write that next chapter just the way you want. Leave out the toxic details. They only bring you down.

Everything you need to get going is right inside you. So, step it up and keep working at it. Keep that power source plugged into you.  No matter what.  Just keep it going. If you work on empowering yourself, frankly, I pity the power source when you come on-line. There is nothing like seeing that in living technicolor.

Next week, we’ll talk about that recent college grad who is now fielding offers as a result of boosting her interview IQ.

I’ve been hearing about many unemployed people who are willing to uproot their lives and are actually moving out of state. If you are intrigued about where people are headed or if you are thinking that might be the solution for you, take a look at Jobbait’s  list of the top seven metro areas around the country that are recession proof. There is even a list of 230 recession proof industry sectors. While you’re checking the list out, you might want to sign up for JobBait newsletters (www.jobbait.com) to keep your finger on the heartbeat of the up and coming trends . . . all calculated according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

http://jobbait.com/targeting/recession-proof-metro-areas.pdf