Now What? Newsletter Articles - Now What?® Coaching

By Laura Berman Fortgang

This is going to sound weird, but roll with me here. Think of a raisin, some are dry and some are plump. I get that image in my mind because it reminds me of a brain. When the brain is healthy, the right synapses firing, a feeling of well-being seeps into the whole body—that’s the plump raisin. The dry one is your brain on negativity, anxiety and fear. Shriveled, non-pliable, resistant and tough.

Life is a game that begins in your head. Your worldview is shaped by your experiences and the reliving of these experiences in your mind or as they get replayed in patterns in your life only further cement that worldview. Your brain, metaphorically speaking, will become the plump and juicy raisin or the dry and wrinkled one depending on what it practices most. It is this that will then determine how you are currently handling your career or its reinvention.

I’ve never believed more deeply than I have in the last couple of years that the key to success is mental focus and expansion. As more and more people have suffered loss of work or a change in their economic status, the difference between those who recover quickly and those who don’t, gets down to how long the person can stay positive and flexible. Flexible in what they are willing to try, how far they are willing to go to find work and how much they are willing to listen to the wiser part of their mind that is not necessarily the most logical or safe.

Sheer mind power alone doesn’t always change our circumstances exactly as we’d like, but it is a crucial factor in this recovery. I’ve seen what fear and devastation looks and sounds like and I’ve seen what they can do to moving out of a bad state of affairs. They slow down the process and make you appear desperate which repels opportunity and causes your physiology to contract, drying up ideas, motivation and optimism.

What’s possible when your brain is ‘plump’, full of possibility, ideas, hope and gratitude (despite the lack of your desired outcome) is that every encounter, every idea and every opportunity gets looked at in a way where creativity can bloom and find a solution and a match. When we are numbed by our own pain, we can’t often recognize an opportunity unless it’s wrapped in a blue box with a white ribbon and handed to us on a silver platter.

What if you are at the end of your rope with seemingly no prospects in your search or reinvention? Get your endorphins flowing, take a crash course in meditation, breath ten times (deeply) before bed and upon waking—do anything you know will plump your raisin brain. From there, follow EVERY inkling that comes to you no matter how stupid, illogical or scary. This is how you shake the bushes to create opportunity. You will see traction take place. Be tireless and stay PLUMP!

[An Aside: If you are a raisin-lover, are you are a plump or chewy person? Give me plump—raisin bran muffin, raisins in hot oatmeal, great oatmeal raisin cookies—-.]

Based on concepts from Chapter Three of “Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction”, Most Limits Are Self-Imposed

By Alvah Parker, Authorized Now What? Facilitator

Career transitions create discomfort. Often times, it is not clear where you are headed. At other times, you aren’t sure if you really want to make a change. Like a snake shedding it’s old skin, you had adjusted to the “old skin”, your current career, but it just doesn’t fit any more. As you become more uncomfortable, you realize you must make a change.

One key question to ask at this critical stage is, “What will I take with me and what will I leave behind?” As you begin to get clear on the answers, you will begin the process of letting go and moving on with greater clarity and confidence.

Bill, a software consultant I worked with, was miserable in his job. An ambitious person, Bill and his new wife had moved to Bahrain to work because the income looked promising. He achieved the high salary he desired, but he also moved into a job that was less satisfying and more time consuming than he expected.

Prior to accepting the consulting job, Bill had done the same type of work for a large corporation. Now as a consultant for the software company, he had to bid on work for multiple companies. His expectation had been that he would just do the consulting work. Instead, he had to bid on the work before he could consult. He hated writing responses to bids. To make matters even worse, Bill was required to respond to every request even when Bill knew there was no chance of winning the business. This made Bill angry and frustrated.

Bill enjoyed working with his clients and they liked and respected him. Bill found he was frequently advising clients on other matters not just the software. He started to enjoy the advising more than the consulting he was hired for. As a result, he found himself impatient with the software consulting.

In addition, Bill disliked the travel he needed to do in his job. Bill was a newlywed and did not think about the travel when he accepted the job. Now he resented being away from his wife several nights a week. When he had to be away for a birthday or anniversary, he was especially upset. Bill felt the software consulting job was controlling his life.

The situation finally got too difficult for Bill to bear. He decided it was time for a change. He admitted to me that there were several aspects of his work that he would miss. The money was really good and had enabled him to save quite a nest egg. He enjoyed certain perks such as a spacious home with a swimming pool. He would never have had such a luxurious lifestyle in his own country.

Bill was finally willing to let go of those pieces though for a career that was more fulfilling, that he had more control over and that allowed him to be with his wife more.

He also noted that thanks to his software consulting he could take with him business know how, excellent computer skills, good writing and presentation skills, and strong leadership skills, all of which would be helpful in his new career. He felt good about what he had gained—much better than he had in a long time.

Career transitions are not easy. It is often a time when people feel confused and uncomfortable. Growth comes when you can shed what is no longer useful to you (your old skin) and have the courage to move on to something more meaningful and exciting. After completing his work on letting go and moving on, Bill felt optimistic, energized and ready to explore the possibilities that lay ahead of him.

Based on Chapter Two of Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction by Laura Berman Fortgang —With Every Gain, There Is a Loss