I know, that is no big announcement. Anyone over the age of 10 probably realizes that the world is just not the same today as it was yesterday. And that applies if your yesterday was actually just 24 hours ago or if you think of it as 30 or 40 years ago. But the basic statement applies to our daily lives, our families and friends, and our ways of thinking about the world.
As we approach the end of yet another year, we may tend to think about what this particular year has brought and what it has meant. For many of us who are over the age of 30, this year flew by faster than any of the previous years - that is partly because time seems to do that as we continue to mature - and I think partly because we have managed to speed up our lives by taking away some of our own personal "down" time.
So many people these days are constantly "plugged in" which leaves no real time to yourself. That time when you can just sit with your thoughts and let them lead you wherever they will. Those quiet times when you can remember what your daydreams used to entail, when you had high hopes for your future. Without those times, we may lose track of our dreams or forget them entirely. Then when we are thinking about what we should be doing with our lives, we are often at a loss. We may have lost that ability to create something different from our own thoughts. We may have become afraid to think about what we would like to change or do differently in our lives.
If this applies to you, I suggest you unplug for a while - try it in small installments - maybe just 15 or 20 minutes at a time and spend some time with your thoughts. If this needs to be sitting in your bathroom or bedroom with the door locked, so be it. Spend some time thinking about how your life has developed and what, if anything, you would like to do differently. After you have done this for a few days, begin writing down the thoughts that come to you during your quiet time. After a while, you can begin to put together a list of those thoughts and determine which ones you are ready to develop into actual plans.
Find some time for you - time is still going to fly by too quickly, but maybe this way, when you carve out some quiet time next December, you will be able to smile about ways in which you have made changes or at least developed plans to do so. Best wishes.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A. is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Ohio providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning to return to work or to school, coping with a job loss, preparing for retirement, and other life changes. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assit them to find solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444- x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
What Will You Do Tomorrow?
As of this writing, tomorrow is 11/11/11. That is a significant date in terms of many issues, and I encourage you to think about what creative energy you can utilize to make changes in your life. Know that you have the capability to make changes - but you must believe and act. It is not sufficient to believe and sit back and wait for things to happen differently. If you do the same things the same way, you will likely get the same results. Also if you act differently but do not believe it will make a difference, it probably won't. That's why you need the combination of belief and actions to make changes in your life.
I, like so many others, encourage you to take some time, preferably today, to think about how you would like your life to be different in the future. You can begin to plan for a different future, but you need to know what you want and what should be different. You may wish to consider your personal relationships and your other life situations to determine what is working for you and what is somewhat lacking. If there are people in your life who are always down on life in general, consider how much time you need or want to spend with that person. Negativity tends to bring on more negativity. If there are people you have met who are positive and forward thinking, you may want to consider how you could increase time spent with those people. A positive attitude is very contagious.
Also think about the other aspects of your life. If there are areas in which you are not happy, think about what it would take to turn that around. Is it something within your grasp? Do you have the ability to bring about the change you desire, if you put your mind and your efforts into it? If so, develop your plan for a new way of acting and thinking. Make tomorrow the beginning of a better life for you.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning to return to work or school, preparing for non-retirement, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them through her change guidance system. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
I, like so many others, encourage you to take some time, preferably today, to think about how you would like your life to be different in the future. You can begin to plan for a different future, but you need to know what you want and what should be different. You may wish to consider your personal relationships and your other life situations to determine what is working for you and what is somewhat lacking. If there are people in your life who are always down on life in general, consider how much time you need or want to spend with that person. Negativity tends to bring on more negativity. If there are people you have met who are positive and forward thinking, you may want to consider how you could increase time spent with those people. A positive attitude is very contagious.
Also think about the other aspects of your life. If there are areas in which you are not happy, think about what it would take to turn that around. Is it something within your grasp? Do you have the ability to bring about the change you desire, if you put your mind and your efforts into it? If so, develop your plan for a new way of acting and thinking. Make tomorrow the beginning of a better life for you.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning to return to work or school, preparing for non-retirement, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them through her change guidance system. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
What Do You Want? (part 2)
Once you have narrowed down your list of things you would like to add in your life, I encourage you to find ways to create the life you want. I encourage my clients to develop plans to bring about the necessary change. Some of you may be more into planning than others, but I find it works well for most people.
Start by figuring our where you are now in relation to where you want to be in life. Are you just a few steps away from getting what you want, or will it be a long hill to climb? Only you can decide if the distance is within reach. If it is, then write out what you need to do to get you where you want to be. You may need to do some research on the topic, but through the Internet you can discover information about so many topics, that it is not as difficult these days as research used to be. So do some reading, if need be, and figure out what it will require.
Then think about how long you will allow to get where you want to be. Do you need to be there yesterday or will sometime in the next 18 months or 3 or 5 years suffice? What kind of time frame can you work with? Once you have that, you can begin to chart out what you need to do in smaller increments to get you where you want to be. Some people work best with a monthly planner. Each month they assign a task from their "To Do" list to move them closer to their goal. If you are working with a short time frame, you may need a weekly "To Do" list.
It helps many people to include as many details as possible in their plan so it is less likely they will miss a step. I also encourage you to include some check points in your plan - times when you will make a conscious effort to check on your progress. That tends to eliminate looking up in a few months or next year and finding that you started on your plan but somewhere along the line got derailed and it has been on the back burner ever since.
The other suggestion is that the items on your "To Do" lists should be things that are within your ability to do or to make happen. That way you are not dependent on someone else to help you get to where you want to go.
Life is short, I encourage you not to spend it wishing and hoping but planning and doing.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning to return to work or to school, preparing for non-retirement, and other life transitions. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in developing solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Start by figuring our where you are now in relation to where you want to be in life. Are you just a few steps away from getting what you want, or will it be a long hill to climb? Only you can decide if the distance is within reach. If it is, then write out what you need to do to get you where you want to be. You may need to do some research on the topic, but through the Internet you can discover information about so many topics, that it is not as difficult these days as research used to be. So do some reading, if need be, and figure out what it will require.
Then think about how long you will allow to get where you want to be. Do you need to be there yesterday or will sometime in the next 18 months or 3 or 5 years suffice? What kind of time frame can you work with? Once you have that, you can begin to chart out what you need to do in smaller increments to get you where you want to be. Some people work best with a monthly planner. Each month they assign a task from their "To Do" list to move them closer to their goal. If you are working with a short time frame, you may need a weekly "To Do" list.
It helps many people to include as many details as possible in their plan so it is less likely they will miss a step. I also encourage you to include some check points in your plan - times when you will make a conscious effort to check on your progress. That tends to eliminate looking up in a few months or next year and finding that you started on your plan but somewhere along the line got derailed and it has been on the back burner ever since.
The other suggestion is that the items on your "To Do" lists should be things that are within your ability to do or to make happen. That way you are not dependent on someone else to help you get to where you want to go.
Life is short, I encourage you not to spend it wishing and hoping but planning and doing.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning to return to work or to school, preparing for non-retirement, and other life transitions. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in developing solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
What do You Want?
In the last post, we talked about what your heart desires. This is a very similar line of thinking - what do you want? When was the last time you thought about that? What is it that YOU want? Is there something that you have wanted to do but have been too tired, too busy, too shy, too whatever, to try? Perhaps you feel that you are too young to do that, or too old or would look too silly. What is it that you would really want to do that you have not done?
I encourage you to give that some thought. It may help to sit in a quiet place where you can think and either talk out loud as you sort through those thoughts or where you can write down your thoughts. It helps some people to work with a blank sheet of paper and just start writing down - in your own short notes - what it is you would like to do. Don't censor your thoughts or not put something down because you don't know how to do it or think you would look silly doing it. Just write things down as they come to you. If you are more of a talker than a writer, then get a tape recorder and blank tape or whatever mechanism you could use to record your voice and go to a quiet place where you can be alone. Then begin to speak aloud the things you would like to do. Again, don't omit things because you would feel foolish if others knew it was on your list or because you wouldn't know where to begin to make it happen.
That first step is designed to help you bring thoughts or dreams - that you may have buried - up to the surface where you can recognize them. Once you have created a list of possibilities, then you can go through it and think about whether or not it is really something you would like to do or if it was a dream long ago, but no longer. Keep on your list only those things you would still want. Then go through the remaining items and figure out what you would need to do if you actually wanted to do each one. If you don't know what it would take, or where you could start, find someone to talk to about it. When you have some more information, then you can decide if it is a reasonable idea or something that is just a dream but you don't plan to make it a reality.
If it is something you do want, is now the time you will reward yourself and pursue it? If not now, when? Can you put a partial plan together before you put it on the shelf? That partial plan should include a time frame when you will revisit the idea to determine if that is the time to go for it. Find ways to create the life you want by including the things you would like to do in your life, in the near future.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning to return to college or to work, preparing for non-retirement, coping with job loss, and other life plans. Mary Ann meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them to find solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
I encourage you to give that some thought. It may help to sit in a quiet place where you can think and either talk out loud as you sort through those thoughts or where you can write down your thoughts. It helps some people to work with a blank sheet of paper and just start writing down - in your own short notes - what it is you would like to do. Don't censor your thoughts or not put something down because you don't know how to do it or think you would look silly doing it. Just write things down as they come to you. If you are more of a talker than a writer, then get a tape recorder and blank tape or whatever mechanism you could use to record your voice and go to a quiet place where you can be alone. Then begin to speak aloud the things you would like to do. Again, don't omit things because you would feel foolish if others knew it was on your list or because you wouldn't know where to begin to make it happen.
That first step is designed to help you bring thoughts or dreams - that you may have buried - up to the surface where you can recognize them. Once you have created a list of possibilities, then you can go through it and think about whether or not it is really something you would like to do or if it was a dream long ago, but no longer. Keep on your list only those things you would still want. Then go through the remaining items and figure out what you would need to do if you actually wanted to do each one. If you don't know what it would take, or where you could start, find someone to talk to about it. When you have some more information, then you can decide if it is a reasonable idea or something that is just a dream but you don't plan to make it a reality.
If it is something you do want, is now the time you will reward yourself and pursue it? If not now, when? Can you put a partial plan together before you put it on the shelf? That partial plan should include a time frame when you will revisit the idea to determine if that is the time to go for it. Find ways to create the life you want by including the things you would like to do in your life, in the near future.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career change or job search, planning to return to college or to work, preparing for non-retirement, coping with job loss, and other life plans. Mary Ann meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them to find solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
What Does Your Heart Desire?
Sometimes when I am alone, I think about what is it that my heart desires? What would make me happy? This time of year, it may be watching a football game - uninterrupted. It may be sitting outside and watching the clouds roll by or taking a walk to check out the colors of the leaves or the flowers that are still in bloom. Sometimes it is having companionship and sharing a few laughs (or a few tears) with a friend.
Needless to say, I am not always able to provide what my heart desires, but to the extent I can, I do. I believe life is too short to spend it wishing and hoping and if I can make it happen, I will try.
So, I encourage you to think about what your heart desires. It may be related to a variety of aspects of your life, or there may be one part that is screaming for attention. Allow some quiet time, alone, so you can think about what your heart desires. Once you know that, then figure out how you can make it happen. I wish you joy and success in getting what your heart desires.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions: including a career change or job loss, planning to return to work or school, coping with a job loss, or other life transitions. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in helping them find solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Needless to say, I am not always able to provide what my heart desires, but to the extent I can, I do. I believe life is too short to spend it wishing and hoping and if I can make it happen, I will try.
So, I encourage you to think about what your heart desires. It may be related to a variety of aspects of your life, or there may be one part that is screaming for attention. Allow some quiet time, alone, so you can think about what your heart desires. Once you know that, then figure out how you can make it happen. I wish you joy and success in getting what your heart desires.
Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions: including a career change or job loss, planning to return to work or school, coping with a job loss, or other life transitions. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in helping them find solutions to their life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Do You Notice Changing Seasons?
Well, it is nearing the end of September and in the Midwest we are already seeing signs of the changing seasons. We are very quickly moving into fall and Summer will soon be just a distant memory. For some, that means the end of playing in the pool, playing on the courts or golf course, digging in the garden, and/or hitting the road for fun. Others see it as the end of a long stretch of being inside - hiding from the sun and it's heat. For many, it signals the end of vacation time or an easier schedule.
Some see autumn as a beginning. The beginning of a new school year. The beginning of football season. The beginning of a stretch of holidays and family festivities. Each of us has our own appreciation, or lack of, for the fall season, but there is nothing we can do to stop it from happening, at least, not as long as we live in the Midwest. So we can decide to accept, embrace or celebrate the coming of autumn. Or we can grumble, fuss, and moan about the change of seasons.
The choice is yours. I guess that is my point today: the choice is yours as to how you react and feel about a change over which you have that little control. I hope you choose to accept the change, but even better would be to embrace it. I encourage you to think of change as an opportunity to experience something different - even though you have been through the change of seasons many times, we have never experienced Autumn, 2011.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for non-retirement, coping with a job loss or empty nest, preparing to return to work or to school, and other life planning issues. She meet with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in finding solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association (MCC), a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). If you would like more information on her services, please visit her website at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/.
To contact Mary Ann, please call 513-665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Some see autumn as a beginning. The beginning of a new school year. The beginning of football season. The beginning of a stretch of holidays and family festivities. Each of us has our own appreciation, or lack of, for the fall season, but there is nothing we can do to stop it from happening, at least, not as long as we live in the Midwest. So we can decide to accept, embrace or celebrate the coming of autumn. Or we can grumble, fuss, and moan about the change of seasons.
The choice is yours. I guess that is my point today: the choice is yours as to how you react and feel about a change over which you have that little control. I hope you choose to accept the change, but even better would be to embrace it. I encourage you to think of change as an opportunity to experience something different - even though you have been through the change of seasons many times, we have never experienced Autumn, 2011.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for non-retirement, coping with a job loss or empty nest, preparing to return to work or to school, and other life planning issues. She meet with individuals in person and via telephone to assist in finding solutions to life transition issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association (MCC), a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). If you would like more information on her services, please visit her website at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/.
To contact Mary Ann, please call 513-665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
What Did You Want in 2011?
Well, as hard as it may be to believe, we are almost three-quarters through this year. I know I often think of the old adage, "Time flies when you're having fun!" I think it also flies the longer you live. So if you have just looked up and realized another year is fast approaching, perhaps now is a good time to review what you wanted for 2011. If you are a person who wrote out New Years Resolutions, have you looked at them since you wrote them down? If you just made a list in your head, have you thought of what you wanted to do/achieve this year since those first few months moved along?
One of the things I encourage my clients to do when they develop a plan for change is to include some times for a checkup. Kind of like your car needs a 3,000 or 5,000 mile check-up, we could benefit from that as well. For one thing it gives us an opportunity to stop, sit down, and look at what we have accomplished so far. What has happened in these last four or five months? Are things going as planned? Did I even have a plan or is it now just a distant memory? Sometimes life deals us a hand that we did not anticipate and that throws all of our plans out the window. Other times we start on a plan and realize it really won't get us where we want to go or is a longer route than we need to take. So how is your plan?
Have you looked at it since you created it? If not, now is a good time to do so. If you have not been keeping to the plan or somehow gotten off track, there may still be time to get back on track. There is still time to accomplish some things in the last few months we have for this year, but it probably requires you to move into some form of action.
Again, figure out where you are headed and decide if that is still a reasonable and feasible goal. If so, what steps can you take to get back on track? If not, what goal can you put in place to work on? As we move into fall, fight the desire to sit back and just watch the leaves fall. Some activity that moves you in the right direction will feel better as we sit back this winter and reflect upon what we got done in 2011. It would be great to review the year in December and smile about actually accomplishing what you had hoped to during this year.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for return to work or to school, coping with an empty nest, preparing for non-retirement, and other life planning issues. She works with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them to find solutions to life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit www.YourCareerPlan.com.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
One of the things I encourage my clients to do when they develop a plan for change is to include some times for a checkup. Kind of like your car needs a 3,000 or 5,000 mile check-up, we could benefit from that as well. For one thing it gives us an opportunity to stop, sit down, and look at what we have accomplished so far. What has happened in these last four or five months? Are things going as planned? Did I even have a plan or is it now just a distant memory? Sometimes life deals us a hand that we did not anticipate and that throws all of our plans out the window. Other times we start on a plan and realize it really won't get us where we want to go or is a longer route than we need to take. So how is your plan?
Have you looked at it since you created it? If not, now is a good time to do so. If you have not been keeping to the plan or somehow gotten off track, there may still be time to get back on track. There is still time to accomplish some things in the last few months we have for this year, but it probably requires you to move into some form of action.
Again, figure out where you are headed and decide if that is still a reasonable and feasible goal. If so, what steps can you take to get back on track? If not, what goal can you put in place to work on? As we move into fall, fight the desire to sit back and just watch the leaves fall. Some activity that moves you in the right direction will feel better as we sit back this winter and reflect upon what we got done in 2011. It would be great to review the year in December and smile about actually accomplishing what you had hoped to during this year.
Mary Ann Davis, M.A., is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including a career or job change, planning for return to work or to school, coping with an empty nest, preparing for non-retirement, and other life planning issues. She works with individuals in person and via telephone assisting them to find solutions to life planning issues. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit www.YourCareerPlan.com.
To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.
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