What do you do if you know you hate the work you are doing — but you feel stuck and immobilized?  You feel unable to get moving?  You want to leave this toxic job, but somehow, you keep staying. 

Is this familiar to you?  Just in the past week, I’ve heard this stuck scenario a few times.  It’s like we constantly hold out hope that things will get better.

But really, what does it take to move on from a dead-end, life-sapping job?  What’s the catalyst for change?

Sometimes, it’s trauma.  The death of a friend or loved one makes us stop and ponder the value of our own life, so we decide to do something different.  Or we have an accident that gives us pause to consider what’s really important.  My first major career jump, from helping Fortune 500 companies to develop corporate strategies to setting up a "mini MBA" executive education program, came after I had been in a car accident, rear-ended by a drunk driver.  I wasn’t even hurt too badly, but the headaches didn’t quit for two weeks, and I finally passed out in a meeting.  That was a wakeup call to let me know I’d stopped paying attention to myself.  I resolved to simplify my life.

Some people would really rather have an external circumstance initiate the change.  For example, sometimes hard-working women are elated to find out that they are pregnant, as they consider it an "excuse" to slow down at work — something they wouldn’t do otherwise.  Some people are delighted to find out that they’ve been laid off or even fired. 

Is it harder to initiate the change yourself?  Would you even consider telling your manager and colleagues:  "I’m leaving" without a detailed career/life plan in place? 

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve made a career change — what helped you to be ready and take the plunge? 

And, I’d also love to hear from you if you’re still feeling stuck and still thinking about a career change – what’s holding you back from making change?

Which one is it?  Work or Prison?

A friend of mine sent this to me…not sure of the source, but boy, it speaks to me!

Do you have the feeling that work is boxing you in, keeping you down? 

I know a lot of people who want to break free!  Even if the pay is great, they feel creatively pent up.  Is this you?

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IN PRISON……….you spend the majority of your time in a 10X10 cell.
AT WORK…………you spend the majority of your time in an 8X8 cubicle (how confining!)

IN PRISON………you get three meals a day.
AT WORK………..you get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.

IN PRISON……….you get time off for good behavior.
AT WORK…………you get more work for good behavior. (the curse of being good at your work!)

IN PRISON……….the guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.
AT WORK…………you must often carry a security card and open all the doors for yourself. (feel locked in!)

IN PRISON……….you can watch TV and play games. (fun!)
AT WORK………..you could get fired for watching TV and playing games.

IN PRISON………you get your own toilet.
AT WORK……….you have to share the toilet.

IN PRISON……….they allow your family and friends to visit.
AT WORK…………you aren’t even supposed to speak to your family. (and even if you can call them, you get no privacy in your cube!)

IN PRISON………all expenses are paid by the taxpayers with no work required.
AT WORK…………you get to pay all your expenses to go to work,and they deduct taxes from your salary to pay for prisoners. (unfair!)

IN PRISON……….you spend most of your life inside bars wanting to get out.
AT WORK ……….you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.

IN PRISON ……..you must deal with sadistic wardens.
AT WORK………..they are called managers.

Now get back to work!

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Is your work really a prison? 

What are you doing to break out? 

I want a PLAYCHECK!

Yes, you read that right.  It’s not a misspelling. 

Without any explanation, I’m sure you know what I mean by a playcheck.  Do you want one, too?  I want to do what I love and receive compensation for it.  Well, honestly, I’m already doing that as I help people to "work from within."  I am honored to assist people who are feeling stressed out or burned out about work.  I help them to create much more satisfying, energizing working lives through individual coaching and public workshops. 

And while I love playing at what I do, I want to bring in more money and play bigger.  I feel like I’ve been playing smaller than what’s truly possible for me.  Can you relate?  So, I knew it was time for a change in my patterns. 

I swear the Universe must have heard my wish, my desire to bring Work from Within to a bigger audience.  As soon as my desire became clear and crisp in my heart, a piece of magic happened. I was invited to a 2-day workshop with my friend Deborah Price, author of Money Magic.  Deborah also facilitates a Money Coaching workshop.  Today was Day 1 of the workshop. I’m learning about my relationship with money.  Oooh, it’s not all pretty.  For example, I used to be pretty uptight and not too creative when I was in the corporate world.  I thought I’d learned to be relaxed and even self-expressed in my current life.  Well, I’m discovering that when it comes to money, I tend to constrict.  I get scared.  I can be pretty timid.  Tomorrow, we’re supposed to be healing those issues. 

Already, just on Day 1, the Money Coaching workshop is helping me to start healing my relationship with money.  One of way I’m doing that healing comes from having a new word in my vocabulary, PLAYcheck.  I’m thankful to one of my fellow workshop participants, Steven "Shags" Shagrin, for sharing it.  Shags is a ball of energy (like me!) is smart (like me!) and has a string of degrees (like me!).  Part of his work in the world is to help people really understand their feelings about money and make financial plans that fit for them.  I count him among the many new friends I am making who are expressing thier passion through their work and creating their own PLAYchecks, rather than working for someone else in a way that constricts them. 

I’m going to share some of the ways to create a PLAYcheck and to create ABUNDANCE and PROSPERITY as alternatives to work that eats you up and burns you out.  I know that life is too short to slug it out in work you don’t love, and you really can have abundance doing what matters to you.  I’ve been studying the science of getting rich and the secrets of the millionaire mind and the laws of attraction and how to create money magic. 

Would you like learn to create abundance and prosperity?  Would you like to discover how to create a PLAYcheck rather than a PAYcheck?  I’m going to be sharing my own story of how I’ve learned to embrace and create wealth and a working life that works for me, and share many of the perspectives and tools that have helped me.  Please join me for a teleclass by phone on Friday, September 29, from 12-1 pm Pacific Time.  You can dial in from anywhere in the world.  I’d love to have you join me.  For more details, check the Work from Within website.

Let’s PLAY and grow PROSPEROUS together!  There’s abundance for everyone!

Some people have the courage to buck conventional wisdom and listen to their own inner guidance.  They don’t get caught in what’s "supposedly right," nor do they find themselves keeping up appearances.  I really admire these kinds of people.  Do you, too?

Today, my friend Jan wins the Prize for Following Inner Guidance!  Why?  She turned down what sounded like an amazing job.  She was offered a position with a real estate company in Southern California that uses all of her skills in training, organizing, managing logistics.  She met the man who would be her manager and he was a great guy, smart, motivating.  During her second interview, they talked compensation, and it was outstanding, well into six figures. 

Jan asked the company to give her time over the weekend so she could reflect about the job.  Her brain told her all the reasons this was the perfect job for her — the money, the organization, the type of work she does with ease and grace.  The chance for promotion.  It did sound exciting.

But something told her, "No."  Part of it was location.  Jan lives in Northern California, and this would require moving to Southern California.  The company agreed to pay for her to move, including for movers to box up all her belongings.  Thinking about having the company cover moving costs made her happy — temporarily. 

And yet she felt discord.  Her stomach was flip-flopping that cloudy morning.  Something was holding her back.  Little things, like thinking about finding a new supermarket, a new nail salon. 

She told me the clouds parted (literally), and somehow, when the sun came out, her choice was shiny clear.  Nope.  Not taking the job.  She loves the Bay Area, loves spending time with friends, hiking, being outdoors. 

And, she’s been percolating a service that uses her talents.  She’s already testing it out with friends and former work colleagues.  It’s still in the fledgling stages, and yet signs are promising.  This could really be her livelihood!  She’s being asked by her new "friends as clients" to do the kind of work she loves — planning, organizing, strategizing, giving marketing advice.  It’s time for exploration, to test the waters and experiment and even play with this new concept.  Jan’s still immersed in those energies, and not ready to give up yet.  To me, she’s courageous, daring, and open to what emerges on her path. 

Yippee!  A fellow traveler on the road of the unknown, taking a journey of attuning to what feels right. 

I think many of us crave the kind of meaningful, growth-filled experiences that Jan is seeking.  We’re the type who feel drawn to take a host of such life-stretching experiences.  We put a heck of a lot more value on such experiences.  A job-job just doesn’t have the same appeal.  The problem with many job-jobs, for us experience-seekers, is that we get to grow some, but we mostly feel mostly boxed-in, limited in how much we can grow.  We prefer the ideas of crafting our own careers, answering creative itches , and finding our own rhythm. 

I’m buzzing with excitement for Jan. She has the the courage to say "no" to something that seemed good, and "yes" to something that seems a little scarier, but darned great!

Wanna join her?

Do you let yourself daydream anymore?

So many of us see daydreaming as frolicking in frivolous fantasy.  We get caught up in a picture of life where we impose a certain scientific-style realism to our days.  In other words, we keep ourselves from imagining what the future might hold. 

Daydreaming can be a lot of fun.  Recently, I asked a client about her dream job.  For a while, she resisted the urge to describe it, saying things like, "Well, I’ll never have it," or "C’mon, is it realistic for me?"  Finally, she gave into temptation.  She wanted to own and manage a hotel.  I asked her to imagine and visualize a perfect guest and describe that guest’s experience in her hotel.  She became absorbed in this daydream and allowed herself to indulge her imagination.  I was treated to a delicious description of the lush surroundings, the intense pampering, the care and attention to detail.  This hotel would feel like a home and the smell of freshly-baked chocolate-chip cookies would constantly waft through the air.

The following week, this client called me to tell me how meaningful the visualization had been.  She told me, "I realize I don’t really let myself daydream.  But when I do, it’s a wonderful indulgence, and it helps me to see more possibilities in my life.  I don’t feel as stuck in my current work.  I’m starting to see a way out."  Who knows if she’ll ever open a hotel?  That’s not the point.  The point is that she let herself play and explore, sort of in a child-like way.  That’s the energy that let’s us say "YES!" to a lifestyle and livelihood that feel aligned with our heart and soul. 

Daydreaming can open you up to new avenues for exploration, particularly when you are feeling lost or stuck at work. 

So, quit giving daydreaming a bad rap!  It’s not just for kids!  The power of your daydreaming mind has lots of benefits, including:

• Helping you relax – use daydreaming as a way to take a break from your current work.  Perhaps you’ll want to imagine a soothing setting, and just use it as a "mental getaway."
• Manage conflict – Replay challenging situations and imagine how you could respond differently
• Maintain relationships – Imagine the people you care about in positive ways, and you’re more likely to enjoy more positive relationships with them!

I speculate that the reason that daydreaming can be so powerful is that it allows us to tap into our unconscious mind, the seat of our deep desires, as well as to the power of what psychologist Carl Jung called the collective unconscious, the power of the larger collective of humanity.  That’s a powerful force that may be responsible for helping you to manifest what you want.  To me, it’s as though allowing ourselves to daydream, we magnetize what we want towards us.  Fun!

I’d love to hear about your daydreams — what you’re envisioning, how your doing it, and what manifests for you!  Feel free to share them here.