Vol 1 Iss 18

This summer in Colorado has been especially beautiful. We've had more moisture in our water-starved state so the flora has responded abundently. I don't know if the flowers are so gorgeous because of the water or because it's been so long since I've seen them in their full glory. Whatever the reason, I'm very thankful.

I've been spending a lot of time lately looking at the questions people ask themselves. One person I know is constantly asking "Why?" Why am I like this? Why do I always make the wrong choice? Why am I in the circumstances I'm in?

Questions I've been asking myself are more about what will make me happy and productive. Will I feel more complete working in an office with other people? What alliances can I make to bring my message to the people who can benefit? Where will we settle when the house sells?

The first type of question closes you down, the other opens you up.

A professor confessed to me that he didn't care much how a student performed on exams. He was much more interested in the quality of questions they asked. That was how he measured a student's abilities.

In the article below, I'll talk more about choice and asking questions, and the Career Tip below has a list of questions to ask yourself whenever you are ready to Move Forward!

Hope your flowers are blooming and the answers are forthcoming.

P.S. I'm curious about something. A reader of this newsletter and I were in a conversation and he mentioned that he always skips over the poetry. This week I chose an exerpt from a book instead, but it got me to thinking. What do you think about including poetry in this newsletter?

Please hit reply and give me your opinion on whether or not I should continue using poetry. I'm really curious.

It's easy to forget that your life today is a result of all the choices you have made throughout your life. The truth is, either you're moving forward or you're moving backward. The direction is determined by the choices you make.

Or don't make. How many times have you let the fates have at it? Left unattended, our automatic responses and reactions will determine our lives. It's like living in a trance; you're on autopilot.

So, how do we chart our own course? By examining how we make our choices. We must wake up from our unconsciousness and become aware of our choices. As Debbie Ford says in her marvelous book, The Right Questions: Ten Essential Questions to Guide You to an Extraordinary Life,

A conscious choice reflects our highest committments and is in direct alignment with

our vision for our lives. When we make conscious choices, we take into consideration

the effect that our actions will have on our lives as a whole. We take the time to reflect

on where our choices will lead us and the impact they will have on our future.

When we're on autopilot, we forget to take into consideration the consequences of our actions. We don't notice how it draws us backward rather than forward. We go with the easiest choice for the moment and don't ask questions about it.

If you look at your career path and feel dissatisfied with where you are now, chances are you will find places where you were on autopilot. You didn't ask the appropriate questions of your choices. The key is to wake up and ask questions before you make that choice. (Deciding to retire is a good example ~ I could go on for hours about all the autopilot decisions around THAT one!)

In Career Tips below, I will list the 10 questions that Debbie Ford suggests in her book. If you take the time to reflect before you make a choice, your life will begin to show evidence of moving forward toward your dreams, toward your vision, and toward peace.

As a Career Coach, I can be your partner through this process. Please contact me at debra@forwardmomentum.com for more information!

The Gods have a great sense of humor, don't they? If you lack the iron and the fizz

to take control of your own life, if you insist on leaving your fate to the gods, then

the gods will repay your weakness by having a grin or two at your expense. Should

you fail to pilot your own ship, don't be surprised at what inappropriate port you find

yourself docked. The dull and prosaic will be granted adventures that will dice their

central nervous systems like an onion, romantic dreamers will end up in the rope

The price of self-destiny is never cheap, and in certain situations it is unthinkable.

But to achieve the marvelous, it is precisely the unthinkable that must be thought.

If you wish to have a future that feeds your flame instead of dousing it, you need to ask questions that help you get to your own answers, not keep you spinning.

When you ask "Why?" it will put you into a spin. I'm not saying that's not good information to have to keep you from making the same mistakes over and over, but if you are considering action, questions that begin with "How?" "What?" and "Where?" will be much more useful.

Here is the list of questions that Debbie Ford provides. By honestly digging for your own answers to these questions, you can uncover your motivations, your unconscious reactions and direct your life.

1. Will this choice propel me toward an inspiring future or will it keep me stuck in the past?

2. Will this choice bring me long-term fulfillment or will it bring me short-term gratification?

3. Am I standing in my power or am I trying to please another?

4. Am I looking for what's right or am I looking for what's wrong?

5. Will this choice add to my life force or will it rob me of my energy?

6. Will I use this situation as a catalyst to grow and evolve or will I use it to beat myself up?

7. Does this choice empower me or does it disempower me?

8. Is this an act of self-love or is it an act of self-sabotage?

9. Is this an act of faith or is it an act of fear?

10. Am I choosing from my divinity or am I choosing from my humanity?

I've written these on a 3X5 card and put it in my wallet for the times I ponder my next step. I also refer to the corresponding chapter in The Right Questions to keep my focus. I recommend you get this book for your own personal use.

Let me know how it goes for you!

This fall I am beginning a new teaching relationship with Hyland Hills Recreation District in Westminster, Colorado. They have a long-standing program of offering quality classes to their public and I'm honored to be a part of it. To find out more about Hyland Hills and their programs, and how to register, click here .

The Un-Retirement Landscape

Saturday, Sept. 25, 9am to 11 am

Though much attention has been paid to planning for your financial retirement, little attention has been focused on what you will DO in retirement. This class is designed to help you learn where to focus your attention to creating a fulfilling retirement.

The average age of retirement in the U.S. is 57 years old. People are retiring at a younger age and in better health than ever before. In the past, retirement was seen as an ending, an end to productivity and an end to your life. Today, especially with adequate planning, it can be a time that brings enrichment, personal fulfillment and renewal.

Help! I Need a Different Job

Tuesday Oct 5 and Tuesday Oct. 12, 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

Learn the process of discovering your next career step, whether it's a different job or a brand new career. We'll look at defining what work suits you best, job search strategies, and action plans. You'll learn how to research and approach the companies you'll be happiest working for and how to network to find that company.

For the full listing of workshops, visit www.forwardmomentum.com.

You are free to use material from Moving Forward! in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including a live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:

"By Debra DeVilbiss, CPCC, of Forward Momentum, LLC. Please visit Debra's website at http://www.ForwardMomentum.com for additional articles and resources on creating your right livelihood."

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