 Coachability
The Seminar Source Newsletter
Speak Well and Get Clients Now!
July 27, 2008
Issue #8
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Greetings! I am always amazed at what readers comment on. Overwhelmingly, the comments from last week's newsletter were very positive in relation to the carrot, egg, and coffee story. I will start including more stories so you can use them in your programs, if applicable.
One very nice thing about being self-employed is the ability to take advantage of last-minute opportunities. Last Tuesday I received the reduced fare flights from Continental Airlines. They offered a round-trip ticket to Asheville, NC for $119. I had to book by Friday, leave Saturday and return no later than Tuesday. Had I booked on the flight one hour earlier, the price would have been $1118.
Needless to say, I snapped up the offer and hopped on the plane to visit my son, Tom, his beautiful wife, Elizabeth, and their adoreable son, my grandson, Patrick. What a delightful weekend--and doable because I've discovered my passion--which, by the way, is what we'll be talking about this week.
Happy, Happy,
Gail
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Feature Article: EXPLORE YOUR PASSION!!
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by Gail Cassidy
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What is the price you are willing to pay to find your true purpose in life? Uncovering your purpose in life is not an easy task.
Time is the price you must pay in order to figure this out. How much time are you willing to spend to locate your purpose? A day, a week, and month, forever? Are you willing to commit yourself to completing the exercises in this ezine each month?
The deadly fear of having lived a meaningless life plagues many people even though, in the eyes of others, you have been wonderfully productive already in your life.
You probably want to be seduced, energized, and fulfilled by your work. And you probably have had jobs which have not met these criteria. You can, even if you are just starting out our getting ready for retirement. It's never too late, nor is it ever too late.
Take a look at the first two questions in the letter I send to Explore Your Passion clients. These exercises are a great beginning to figure out what your passion is.
Dear Explore Your Passion Prospect,
The Explore Your Passion process is a six-week commitment, starting with the completion of this letter which you answer and send back to me.
Next, we will have a one-hour talk where I will ask you specific Discover Your Passion questions.
The next step is mine: I rely on how you respond and what you say. My part is to compare all three segments: my impression, your prepared answers, and your responses during the one-hour session. I research your responses and send you a list of choices that I feel would be something you would desire doing and ask that you rate each recommendations from one (ugh) to ten (wow!).
I take your top three responses, do more research, then schedule another appointment. You then will receive a final recommendation via e-mail, after which we will schedule four additional brief (15-minute) meetings to help in follow-through.
If you want to continue after these brief meetings, that, too, can be arranged.
Before we have our first meeting, please take a look at the following 3 exercises. They do take a little time to answer, and they will make you think a bit. I look forward to working with you.
Your Gift Belongs to Us
In her recent e-zine, Barbara Sher's* wrote "You're all obligated to do what you love because that's where your gifts lie and those gifts belong to all of us."
Implicit in that statement are three premises: 1) everyone is here for a purpose, and 2) everyone is here to help others, and 3) gravitating toward pleasure, e.g., doing what you love, is not only okay, it is mandatory if you want to help others and if you are seeking the wonderful illusives called happiness, satisfaction, and serenity.
Barbara's statement reminds me of my favorite quote "The time to be happy is now; the place to be happy is here, and the way to be happy is by helping others." - Charles Englehardt. That says it all.
Working at a job you don't like or with people who make you miserable isn't where you should be. Using your gifts to make the world a better place will not only enrich your life but also the lives of others.
The following three exercises may help you recognize how to capture those precious illusives and impact the world with your gifts.
1. Circle what is most important to you: family, wealth, home (comfortable, opulent), freedom, pets, satisfaction, happiness, recognition, power, the environment, travel, health, serenity, other (be specific)?
There are no right or wrong answers. Whatever you choose, ask
yourself what price (time, energy, stress, etc.) you are paying for it.
For example, if you circled "health" as #1, are you contradicting your
choice by being under stress or eating junk food or staying up too late?
What is important is to know what you most value and what price you
will pay to obtain what is most important to you.
2. On an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, fold it in the center--right side to left side. Then fold it the same way again so that you end up with four long, skinny columns. At the top of each column, write one of the following words: SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE, EXPERIENCE, TALENTS/GIFTS.
Skills: Take as much time as you need--maybe days--to fill in each column. It's easy to determine what skills you have: typing, wood working, skiing, cooking. Anything that is learnable is a skill, although it could also be a talent. I could learn to play the piano--a skill, but I may not have a talent for piano playing.
List every skill you can think of, especially those you enjoy using. This may be your gift.
Knowledge: What do you enjoy reading and knowing a lot about: steam engine locomotives, dieting, global warming, computers, politics, space travel, raising dogs. List all of the subjects about which you are knowledgeable. Again, be sure you include those areas where you still pursue information.
Experience: What have you done in life from as far back as you can remember? Paper boy, errand boy, sweeper, hockey player, baby sitter, mom, dad, cousin--the potential examples are endless.
Write everything you can think of no matter how long ago it occurred.
Talents/Gifts: This is the hardest column and is the one you may need help with. What do you do naturally, without hesitation? What is "easy" for you? Family and friends may more easily be able to isolate what talents and gifts you have.
Do you have a great sense of humor? Are you funny? Easy to talk to? A good presenter? Good teacher? Good friend? Good artist, dancer, singer? A kind person? Good mother, father? You may experience a feeling of embarrassment or humility when you relate what you believe your talent or gift is, and that is fine.
Look carefully at each column you've completed and circle your favorite
thing, the thing that "calls" to you. Look at your four choices--one from
each column--and see if you can come up with a way to combine the four
and, as a result, make a difference in the lives of others.
To give you a personal example, my favorite Skill is teaching (and I
believe it is also my talent). My favorite area of Knowledge is "people
skills." In Experience is my work with "at risk" kids. And I believe my
Talent is being able to understand, reach, and teach those I work with.
*Barbara is author of Wishcraft, Refuse to Choose: A Revolutionary
Program for Doing Everything You Love, plus many other outstanding
books.
Invest some serious time completing your four columns. It's a fun thing to do, and it will bring back memories, both good and bad, of experiences in your past.
This may be the only exercise you need. If you figure out your passion as a result of this exercise, please drop me a line and tell me your experience. With your permission, I will share your experience in this newsletter.
Read what others have to say about Explore Your Passion.
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Gail Cassidy
Coachability.com
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