Vol 3 Iss 9

I’ve been feeling a little guilty because the timetable I set for myself to publish “Moving Forward!” wasn’t met this month. Now, I realize why I was procrastinating. If I had published on time, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to share this fabulous story from a former client of mine. The subject matter I had picked out for this issue can wait till next month.

September is the time for change. If you are feeling restless and discontent and stuck in your current circumstances, know that you can move forward to a new life. W’s story is the perfect example of how change occurs over time, and how once you decide to move, the universe steps in to create opportunity in places you never thought to look.

If you don’t know where to start, I can help you with that. If you don’t know how to find your direction, I can help you with that. If you shy away from making waves, or the monkey mind tells you to stay safe where you are, I can help you with that.

Get the picture? Call me.

I met W. at a lunch talk I gave for the local Chamber of Commerce. She was an attorney working for a real “small-town, good ol’ boys” firm, the only female attorney. Through our coaching, she realized she had deep values around diversity and part of the reason she wanted out of her job so badly was that her workplace was so very one-sided.

To put her values into action, she became more vocal in her office and managed to get another female attorney hired. But it wasn’t enough. To expand on the diversity value, she started taking Spanish lessons with some vague notion that she would somehow help Spanish-speaking people in some way. That’s where we ended our coaching.

Through the years, she kept in touch, excitedly sharing that she was in Mexico for 5 weeks for a language emersion experience. It was during that time, she decided she would be back to open a recycling plant in Mexico City. The goal that we were trying to define in coaching had clicked.

The rest of her story, I’ll let her tell. Here are some excerpts from a note I received, shared with her permission:

“Since it has been over a year, it is time for another update. I am still in the country – some projects take longer than expected to pull off. My original goal was to save about $25,000 and go hang out in Mexico. As you know, I got a certificate to teach English as a Second Language because I figured that I could teach English on the side to make a little money.

"It has taken me quite a bit longer to wrap things up and save the money. Trying to wrap up the remainders of a divorce (straightening out taxes, getting rid of a timeshare, etc.), pay off a car loan, save money, change wills, do powers of attorney and be prepared to start a new life takes a lot of work!

"Moreover, I have had some unfinished business at the office. I had a trial in April, which took a tremendous amount of work partly because I had never done a trial before. (And, I won!) My bosses at the office have known that I am leaving for some time and have been good at letting me take my time to figure my way out.

"In Mexico, I had found a place to stay and some people to help me. However, I was anxious because my Spanish is not great (especially for transacting business like setting up bank accounts, buying a car, going through immigration). Nevertheless, I was determined.

"It must have been the right course of action because I got some help from the universe. On my way back from trial in April, I had a frantic call from a friend saying that he found on the U.S. Peace Corps website that there was a Mexico program. The deadline for submitting was in two days. (I was leaving for San Francisco for a firm retreat the next day!) I came home exhausted from trial and stayed up late that night filling out the Peace Corps application.

"Well, it was quite a process, but I got the Peace Corps position! Peace Corps has a pilot program in Mexico that just started in 2004. Ideally, they are looking for engineers and scientists to work on scientific and technological projects in Mexico. However, they also need English teachers to teach Mexican scientists and engineers. I was selected to teach English.

"After planning to live off savings and fretting about how long I could make the savings last, I feel like I hit the jackpot with the prospect of receiving living stipend from Peace Corps! Furthermore, they take care of immigration, medical and dental care, security, transportation, living arrangements, etc.

"I am very excited! The whole situation is ideal. My gremlin is going crazy – I am in the process of selling the car and figuring out what to do with all my earthly possessions, which makes my gremlin scream and throw tantrums. But, that is just part of the process.

"I leave for Washington D.C. on September 20th. From there, all the Mexico Peace Corps volunteers (there are about 20 of us) will fly into Mexico City. My last day at work is September 1. Finally!

"Once again, I appreciate all your coaching and support. It helped tremendously and continues to give me support.”

I had dinner with her last week – right after her last day of work. She was absolutely glowing with the adventure and possibility of her course of action. I asked her to tell me the one thing she learned out of the process of deciding what to do with her life. Her response surprised me.

She said that while we were coaching it was frustrating to not have things happen grandly or quickly. We were always doing things a little bit at a time. She wanted RESULTS, but I was having her take one small step, then another small step. Now she realizes that that’s how it works.

Change happens one step at a time. And it can happen for you too.

September 14, 2006 - FPA of Colorado 5th Annual Symposium - SOLD OUT

Panel speaker for: Career Transitions: Life After Retirement

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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