vol 3 iss 12

As I sit and write, the furnace is blowing as hard as it can to counteract the C O L D air outside. The Denver/Boulder area, and much of the US, has been feeling the effects of an arctic front all week. It makes me want to go somewhere sunny for the Holidays. I’ll let you know how that works out! :-D

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of working alongside other members of the Colorado Career Development Association (CCDA) at the Boulder Public Library helping job seekers fine-tune their resumes. Working with one lovely lady deepened for me the incredible importance of noticing where you come alive. I’ll say more about that in the article below.

What I will say about resume help in general is that there are two types of people that consistently seek help. Those that don’t really understand how to market themselves, which is simple to teach – tough to DO; and those that are not that clear on the kind of work they want to be doing. Those are the ones that make the most progress when they hire a career coach.

If you are in the process of putting together a resume, I can help you with that. One of the true pleasures of this line of work is hearing back from a client who took my advice and tweaked their resume saying they are suddenly getting interviews. Nice. Please call or email if this is an area of focus for you.

“Don’t ask yourself what the world needs – ask yourself what makes you come alive, and then go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

Can you remember a time where you really came alive? Where your skin tingled and your tummy got butterflies and you got all squirmy inside. Grandparents know what I mean – it’s the same feeling you get when your beautiful grandchild falls asleep in your arms. (Parents too, for that matter. And people that love their pets.) It’s when you vibrate with happiness and love.

I get that feeling sometimes when I’m coaching. When I can hear the “aha” bell go ding ding ding and they Get It, it rushes through me like a waterfall over a ledge. It truly is an adrenaline rush – after I hang up the phone I’ve been known to dance down the hall because I have so much energy to release. I’m so happy for them.

Wouldn’t it be great to have that kind of experience in your work? Well, when you know what brings you alive, you can. Here are a few ways to find out:

~ Notice what makes you smile. When you’re going about your busy day just notice when you smile and what you smile about. Not when you laugh, which is humor – when you smile, that’s contentment. What makes you smile?

~ Remember a time when you felt powerful and strong. Where were you? What were you doing? Who was around you? What was the source of that powerful feeling? Write what you discover down before you forget the feeling.

~ Write in your journal consistently. At then end of several weeks, go back and read what you’ve written and notice where you get lost in your story. There’s something in there that makes you come alive.

~ Try using the right hand/left hand technique. Write a question with your dominant hand (What brings me alive?) and answer it with your non-dominant hand. Yes, you’ll be able to read it later. Your non-dominant side has a lot to share.

~ Flip through some interesting magazines and cut out pictures that draw you in. Glue or tape them onto cardstock. You could even cut the cardstock into interesting shapes. On the back, write out why they attract you. After you have about 20 or 50 or so, sort them into stacks according to your interest level. See what comes up for you.

~ Practice. When you begin to notice the alive feeling, however it shows up for you, then come back the next day and get lost in that activity again. Let the aliveness sing.

Barbara Sher says that when you come alive, that is a clear indication of the kind of work you’re supposed to be doing. If you come alive cutting out pictures of race cars, then something about that environment is calling you. Perhaps you need to be a designer, or work with engineers, or is it the roar of the crowd…. What is it?

The thing is, when you’re doing work in alignment with your aliveness, doors open that you never saw before. People show up to help you that you never met before (like I did for the woman at the library). They’re there, then gone. And you’re more alive because of it.

And when you're more alive, you begin to realize that your purpose is hidden in that aliveness. When your heart sings, you make the world a better place. Isn't that nice?

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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