In July, PWP sponsored a webinar by Patty Cook on how to keep the SPARK in your professional (and personal) life. A lively discussion followed the webinar with PWP's inaugural Sip & Talk Roundtable, an online roundtable discussion. .

At the Sip & Talk, we discussed the webinar and how Patty said she had what she described as a good, prestigious job, but she left because she felt burnt out. She designed her talk about how to avoid reaching that point, simply laid out in five steps, or SPARK.

Spotlight Success
Determine what is successful for you and build on it. Also, don't feel bad about celebrating your achievements - just don't celebrate forever!

Picture Perfection
Imagine the future you want in detail every day. Harness the power of language - banish the word "don't" from your vocabulary, even in your head, and replace it with the word "do". If it helps, write down what perfection means to you, and use it as a model going forward.

Achieve Authenticity
You must know yourself and what makes you tick to be successful and happy. Ask yourself, why are certain things important to you? What are your core values? Self awareness + authenticity = genius level performance.

Remove Roadblocks
Get rid of limiting beliefs, negative self-talk, and others' vision of your path. Don't take things personally, but listen with respect and take what fits with your plans. Let go of the small things, and watch your creativity and energy boost!

Kick-Start Knowledge
Keep learning! Improve your skill set, communication skills, support system (mentors, friends, family, coaches, etc...) - use them to improve the value of the work you are doing.

I hope everyone that was able to attend got a lot out of the talk, and hopefully you will be able to join us at our next sponsored webinar in October; Planning for your Future Retirement. Details on this webinar will be announced in the upcoming weeks.

Thanks,

 
Karen Van Dehy