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Greetings!
The fiery autumn leaves call to mind the transformational power of fire. Whether our attention is drawn to the wildfires out west, or those we build in our living room woodstoves on these first chilly nights of the season, fire affects us deeply. It seems you can't get through a whole day without some reference to fire (try it for yourself...). So whether you are feeling some "fire in the belly" or are going through a time of "baptism by fire" we hope you will find something useful here. And while you are at it, why not "light a fire under yourself" and sign up for one of our vibrant classes. You'll find the info you need in the right hand column. Strike now, while the iron is hot.
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 Come On Baby, Light Your Fire!
by Laura Lind-Blum
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 Fire.
It's one of the four classical elements; a gift from Prometheus who
stole it from the Gods, and gave it to humans for their protection and
as a source of creative potential.
(The Gods were NOT happy about this
and sentenced Prometheus to a torturous punishment of being chained to
a rock and having his liver eaten by an eagle. And as an immortal,
Prometheus got to experience this as an endless daily experience. I
believe this violation also gave rise to the "to do" list of modern
experience -- or maybe that was Sisyphus's fault -- Either way, note to self:
do not anger the Gods!)
We have a rich and complex
relationship with fire. Both destructive and creative, fire burns,
protects, and transforms. Fire represents our energy, assertiveness,
passion, enthusiasm, courage, ferocity, desire, anger, intensity, and
wildness. It is our initiative, our will to action, and the drive to
keep going. Our creative force.
And as every cub scout knows, to create
a fire you need three things: combustible fuel, heat or spark, and air.
Or in creative equivalents: available focused energy, ways to create a spark of
an idea, abundant space and inspiration.
Are any of these fire scenarios sounding the alarm for you?
 Fire!
Fire! Fire! You are always on the alert, ready to call the general
alarm. Grabbing your firefighter's hat, with siren's blaring, you run
to provide a heroic response in relation to all fires, large and small.
You know a lot about how fires behave. You can almost feel them getting
out of control. The urgency can be very exciting, and if you get too
caught up in it you might find yourself unable to distinguish between a
true conflagration and a false alarm. Left unexplored, this scenario
can lead to Pyromania.
Response: Seek alternatives to
adrenaline, which is a powerful, and ultimately unsustainable fuel. Get
curious about the root cause of all these fires. How can you shift your
focus and use your talents in the service of fire prevention.
Can't Catch a Spark. You experience real difficulty getting a good fire
started. Your creative fires start to fizzle before they can really
catch...leaving you spluttering in the smoke. You aren't getting much
warmth for all that work. And you feel like you are running out of
matches and all of your kindling is sopping wet.
Response:
Analyze your fire starting practices. Do you need more spark? Fuel? or
Air/Space/Inspiration? Or a better balance of the three? What is happening at the root of your fire. Are
you trying to build a fire up to fast by overloading it with fuel? Maybe the environment needs your attention? Can you make it more friendly to your fuel source and protect yourself from deluges of criticism, self invoked or otherwise.
Ready
for Pyromaniacs Anonymous. You just LOVE lighting fires because fires
are so exciting. You just can't stop yourself. In fact, you like
starting fires much more than you like tending them. And truth be told,
you don't give much thought to whether the fire goes out -- you can
always start another one, right? But take a look around. Is there damage happening in your
wake? Are you burning through your fuel? It takes a lot more energy to
light a fire than to keep banked coals glowing.
Response:
Discover the most productive ways of using your fuel and fully
centering your passion. Focus your energies and feed the fires that
most feed you. Partner with some fire tenders to help keep the best
fires burning. Extinguish the rest. Not all fires need to be kept burning, but untended fires can be dangerous.
Wildfire Wrangler. You have no trouble keeping
your fires burning; your like your fires at edge of danger...
There's more! Keep reading...
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Psst! Got a
Match? by Sharon Snow
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Sharon (and...um...friends) consider the "forest fire approach" to reducing office clutter while musing about how people show up, and why...
Someone once walked into my cubicle at AT&T (where I worked until the revolution) took one look around and asked, "Have you got a match?"
Now I thought my cubicle was pleasantly cluttered with wacky but cute treasures that reflected my appealing personality. Maybe a little overstuffed, but still eclectic in a weirdly attractive kind of way.
But what if it was actually my endearingly eccentric and distinctive personality that prompted the "burn baby burn" suggestion? Maybe I wasn't as endearing as I thought? (I think I'm gonna cry).
So how do you know if you're endearingly eccentric or just obnoxious? Erving Goffman, a sociologist I read & loved (not that way) in grad school, says that we present self in response to the person we are interacting with, so we are ever changing as we walk through our day.
Now I've gone all "grad schoolie" on you. But Goffman would say that I'm never eccentric, endearing, obnoxious, weird, or charming for long because eventually I'll run into a nun or my 5th grade teacher and suddenly become polite and deferential. I think they used to call that multiple personality disorder but Willow, Sunshine, Baby and I -- well, we think that is just nonsense.
Check out Sharon's coaching profile...
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| Want to Keep the Fire Burning? Pay Attention to the Sparks & Fire Lines by Kim DuBrul |
When you decide to transform your life in some way, things start sparking right away. You start receiving signs to guide
you and give you needed information: someone crosses
your path, you see an article in a magazine, a bumper sticker or
someone's license plate says just the right word or words of wisdom.
Unless you are consciously looking for these signs, they will be
buzzing right by you all day and you will miss them. Being aware of
them is the first step -- taking action on them is the second step. Whenever sparks flare up, write them down and make a plan. Don't depend on your memory. Our lives are
so busy that if we don't write them down, they are quickly forgotten. And we lose out on the guidance these signs may provide for
us.
The other thing that starts to happen when you are up to big stuff
is that obstacles appear in your way -- creating a kind of fire line between you and your goal. My explanation of this is that
it is the Universe's (I am using the word Universe -- you can use your
own word) way of testing how serious you are about reaching your vision. You can choose to tackle the obstacle and move forward, or decide it is
too hard and back off. I have seen my clients make both
choices. Some obstacles are huge, and some will get a stream of
obstacles that just don't seem to quit. What I have observed in myself,
and with my clients that push forward no matter what, is that the more
that pops up to try to stop us, the greater the rewards on the other
side. Said another way -- the more difficult the stuff you have
to get through, the bigger and better your dream is fulfilled. That is
if you decide to keep going.
Keep reading Kim's post...
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| Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire! by Lea Belair |
 During President
Obama's recent health care address to Congress, many onlookers - both
in Congress and virtually, via TV and Internet, were shocked to hear
Rep. Joe Wilson call out, "You lie!"
It's easy to be mystified and even angered by the fever pitch of
protest that the health care debate has engendered...on both sides.
However, if you look at what is happening on the larger level of how
change happens, this outcry actually makes sense.
Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst in Congress is an example of where we
find ourselves during the first stage of a change initiative, whether
personal, corporate, or governmental. The beginning of change is
characterized by fear, loss and the desire for safety (often rebelling
against any change to 'what is')... Continue reading Lea's thoughts about change...
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Laura Lind-Blum, Editor
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 I'd love to hear from you! Click here to share your feedback & comments. |
Don't Miss Out!
Register now!
Business Coaching
Certificate Program
October 7, 8 & 9 2009
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$500 GRANT FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR EMPLOYERS IN:
Manufacturing, Information Technology, Healthcare, Telecommunications, and Environmental Technology sectors. In partnership with  The process is simple. There is no paperwork for you to fill out!
Contact Kitty Martin at CCVT to initiate the grant process, or call her at (802)654-8787
VSAC non-degree grants can also be applied to this program
If the October dates don't work for you, we are also now taking enrollments for upcoming sessions: January 13, 14, & 15, 2010 (with a two hour follow up on Feb. 19, 10am to Noon.) or
May 17, 18 & 19, 2010 (with a two hour follow up on June 18th, 10am to Noon.) | 
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Fall Teleclass Series by Kim DuBrul
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Your Personal Transformation
Wed, Oct 7 at 11am
Creating Excellence in the 7 Areas of Your Life Wed, Oct 14 at 12:15pm OR Sat Oct 17, 11am
How Much Joy Can You Stand?
Wed, Oct 21 at 12:15pm
Click here for November & December classes!
Cost per class: $25
Sign up for 4 or more classes, and receive a 10% discount!
 For more details and to register contact Kim by phone (802)985-2482 or by email. |
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Parenting Workshops by Lucy Gage Bogue, Family Coach
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Good to Great Parenting
Nov 10, 6:30 to 8:30 pm
Hinesburg Town Hall
$25, sliding scale
 Sponsored by the Green Mountain Friends School
Email Lucy Gage Bogue for more information |
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Reserve your space in the Education Coaching Certificate Program
Nov 16, 17 & 18 2009
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Good coaching is an integral part of transforming relationships and creating a success-oriented school community. Expand your impact with The Educator's Coaching Certificate Program.
VSAC non-degree grants can be
applied to this program.
Can't make the Nov 2009 dates? We are taking enrollments now for the next
session August 2,3 & 4 2010 (with a two hour follow up 8am-10am on September
30th.)
These classes are limited to 12 students. |
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Now Appearing...
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We have a number of booth appearances coming up. Please stop by and visit! October 21- 23, at the Champlain Expo Center, the Vital Education division of the Coaching Center will be at the Vermont NEA Educators'
Convention October 26, we'll be creating a buzz at the Vermont 3.0 Innovation Jam at the Sheraton Burlington.  October 28-29, look for CCVT's Vital Business at the SHRM Conference (Society for Human Resource Management), at the Stoweflake in Stowe. |
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