In the shower this morning I was mulling over the word “work” and its mostly negative connotations. The New Shorter Oxford (I can hardly lift the old, longer Oxford) devotes a full page and a half to defining work, but these definitions are primary: “act, action or process” and “do, perform, practise.” Nothing even remotely onerous about that. What a shame it is that so many dread the thought of work, working, and going to work. This week I read Steven Pressfield’s phenomenal book, The War of Art.

Essentially, it’s a book about creativity and how to bring your work to life, or perhaps, bring your life to work. It’s already evicted some pretty serious procrastination habits that have found a happy home in me for years. More importantly, it’s awakened in me an awareness of just how beautiful and worthy work is.

I’m happy to report that I love my work, and regard my life and work as art. (another great book by Robert Fritz – Creating Your Life as Art) I’ve come to this place because I’ve finally recognized my own unique and invaluable strengths and talents, and learned not to focus on whatever it is that I don’t have. I share this not to toot my horn – I’m from the midwest and we don’t do that – but to share with you some of the giants whose shoulders I’ve stood on to get to this happy place. Here’s one more: the DVD that’s making people I know, from realtors to lawyers to authors and coaches, talk. It’s “The Secret”, available at www.thesecret.tv. I’d love to hear your thoughts on work.

Merrilee, Career Assessments Coach

Continue Reading

Parent Coach Susan

Well, school is right around the corner and everyone from parents to kids are having the jitters. Parents are wondering how to make the transition from summer freedom to hectic and stress free school schedules.

Let’s first consider how you felt last school year went. Were you burned out? How many after school activities did your children/teens participate in? How many nights did you drive through the fast food windows and eat dinner in the car? How many nights were you arguing with the kids about homework, bath, and bedtime?

If you are like most parents I know, you probably answered, “way too many!” Would you like to have a different experience this year? Would you like to create a family life where eating together means sitting down in your own home and eating food that you prepared? In my article, A Parent Coach’s Six Tips for Less Stress at Home, I give you ideas that you can implement tonight.

So, the first step is taking a good hard look back. Take inventory and wait for instructions for the next step. Parent Coach Susan will guide through this overwhelming and often times guilt ridden job of PARENTING. If you are like me, you are craving a close connection with your family. Let’s work together, parent + coach and create the family experience that reflects how you want to live!

Continue Reading

Hi Everyone,

This is my first post. How very exciting! School is starting this week and everyone is out shopping for new clothes and supplies. Kids are getting anxious. Some may start developing tummy aches. All this is natural. Talk this out with your kids. If you are still stuck, contact me and I’ll help you with this sticky transition. Remember, start making bedtime earlier. This will help with the crankies. Good luck!

Continue Reading

The advantages? Well, I’ve just opened up this service, so let me poke around as I write. That is, it’s so easy that you discover advantages just by looking around.

First, it’s an easy interface that shows you exactly how your post will appear. Otherwise known as What You See Is What You Get (often “abbreviated” with the unfortunate acronym WYSIWYG).

Second, it allows easier inclusion of photographs, like this vision of the Garden of Eden, also known as “Mieshelle in Portland’s Japanese Zen Garden”:

Third, it’s easy to link to other sites or pages. Just highlight the term to be linked from and then either (1) click on the image of a link on a globe (get it? link on the World Wide Web?) or (2) use CTRL-K. Insert your URL where it says “URL”.

Fourth, it appears to work just like Word, so that if you highlight something like “World Wide” as above, and press CTRL-U, the term will be underlined (for all you who were still using your mouse to underline, bold, italicize, copy, cut, and paste, I have many time-saving shortcuts for you, and they are, respectively, CTRL U, B, I, C, X, and V). And don’t forget CTRL-S to save your work while you type!

You can even go up to the menu bar, click on the button next to “Save Draft” (it will have different names depending on your last selection), and choose “Web Preview” and, instantly see what your post will look like on the blog! This is really cool.

The application also spell-checks, allows changing of fonts, block quotes, and more.

HOW TO GET STARTED

Download here.

Install on your computer. Open. You will be asked for your blog address. You will be asked for your username and password. (Already provided to you via email, coaches). You will then start, thinking a thought of gratitude that the universe is so absurdly simple.

How do you make the actual post? I don’t know, let me guess, type it in here, and see if it works (if you see the post, it worked).

Aha. Just as I thought: to post, go to “File” and choose “Publish to Weblog”. Voila!

Continue Reading

Welcome to the new forum for coaches and clients to discuss, share ideas and best practices, bring up obstacles, and talk about successes. And just about anything else. Look for categories of discussion such as:

Career
Weight Loss
Mind Work (how to work with our thinking to change our world)
Spiritual Practice
Parenting
Self-Care (from fitness to forgiveness)
Time Management
Leadership
Marketing
and more!

All of our coaches are authors who may create original posts. All of our clients and even passersby may comment and carry on the conversation. For now, I urge each coach to begin one or more discussion forums relating to their practices, and invite their clients to come to the site and to subscribe to receive email updates. Clients are free to use pseudonyms, from Mickey Mouse and Victor Hugo to “Jim” and “Beth from Wisconsin”.

Let’s go!

Continue Reading