“Do what you love, and the money will follow.”

For many people, this expression is true, with one important modification. I think the word “eventually” needs to be added to the end of that sentence.

But what do you do if “eventually” feels like “forever”?

I want to tell you about a little-known and little-discussed way to address the issue of earning less than you’d like, especially when you feel like you’ve tried everything. The suggestion I have is not a get-rich-quick scheme, nor is it a panacea. But it’s super practical, and I have seen it work.

I’ll start with Jillian’s story  (I’ve changed her name and a few of the details to protect her privacy).

Jillian said: “I really need help. I’ve been trying and trying to make money doing what I love. I really believed that I was offering something worthwhile by helping people manage the ups and downs of managing depression. I’m a therapist by training, but I don’t like sitting with one client after another. My real love is writing and teaching. I developed a website full of ideas to help people cope with this difficult challenge. I’ve taught a few teleclasses. I even wrote a few ebooks, based on my experience counseling people through the hardship of depression. I really care about being of service.

“I’ve invested at least four years working on this business. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on professional support (like a business coach, a web designer, a graphic designer, a virtual assistant, and so on) to make this a viable business, but I just have not been financially successful. I earn just enough money to scrape by. No extra money for vacations, for buying a cute piece of clothing, for having a little fun going to the movies with friends. This deprivation is starving me.

“It’s time for me to make a living ! I’ve been divorced for 9 years.  My previous background was as a marketing exeutive and I was never cut out for it.

“I have two adult kids now, ages 19 and 24, and am committed to getting the youngest through college with no debt and also to raising my two dogs, who do help make me happy. I live pretty far from any family and I’ve found it challenging to make close friends.

“I’ve read a ton of self help books, done loads of exercises to help me figure out the work I love and how to manage my finances. I’ve even meditated for many years.  I hope you’ll understand this:  I thought I was listening to God/The Universe (or some form of higher guidance) when I designed my work, thinking it fit me from the inside out.

“I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything I know to make money. I am feeling angry, upset, and disillusioned.

“I want to be of service and support my family and I just don’t know how.”

Wow, what do you do in a situation like this? Jillian tried all kinds of practical steps to make her business viable.

My insight: It sounds like the key issue Jillian was facing had to do with money, not business or therapy skills. My suspicion was that she was holding herself back with some attitudes and behaviors of underearning. In other words, not living up to her financial potential, which could be limitless.

My recommendation:  I asked Jillian to check out Underearners Anonymous.

Underearners Anonymous (UA) is a Twelve Step fellowship of men and women who have come together to help themselves and one another recover from underearning. Underearning is many things, not all of which are about money. While the most visible consequence is the inability to provide for one’s needs, including future needs, underearning is also about the inability to fully acknowledge and express our capabilities and competencies. It is about underachieving, or under-being, no matter how much money we make.

The tools of UA include, and reinforce, the tried and true tools of recovery provided by the Twelve Steps (like in Alcoholics Anonymous and other similar “Anonymous” programs). Members of UA also utilize additional tools – both individually and with partners – to support taking action that will create lives that are full, prosperous, and grounded in serenity.

Once Jillian started attending UA meetings, she began to realize that one of the biggest blocks to her success was the shame she carried about underearning.

Unfortunately, shaming ourselves does not create an incentive for us to improve our circumstances. Shame may make us work harder on the outside, rather than looking inside to enhance how we treat ourselves. Shame is paralyzing.

Once she began attending Underearners Anonymous meetings (they offer both in person meetings and telephone meetings), Jillian released the shame she had been feeling about her financial situation. She had the courage to see the difficult ways she treated herself. With the help of others in her meetings, she began to feel better about herself and found UA to be a supportive fellowship with a structure and practices to help her regain a sense of her own value. Slowly but surely, she’s been feeling better about herself. In tandem, her earning has been steadily increasing.

So if you’ve been doing the work you truly love, but the money is just not following, I encourage you to check out Underearners Anonymous. The people who are part of this totally volunteer organization may just be the way for you to make a positive change.

Committed to your abundance,

PS – If you’re not doing what you love, let’s change that, soon! Join me January 13-15, 2012, for the “Crafting Careers That Truly Fit” workshop, where you can plan your career future in a hot tub on the Pacific Ocean. And if you register by January 1, 2012, you’ll get $325 in bonus goodies from me! So check out the workshop, now!

Friday night, I attended the San Francisco Time Bank’s event at the Happiness Institute to hear Charles Eistenstein, author of Sacred Economics. After his Charles’ talk, the Time Bank had a holiday fair, and I was a “vendor,” where I offered free 10 minute “speed coaching” sessions.  I’ve done these zippy, to-the-point, high-energy coaching sessions before, for organizations like BrazenCareerist, and always loved offering this.

During one of the sessions, I met with a young woman in her 20s, Janna (I’m changing her name to keep confidentiality), who told me, “I like to do so many things. My boyfriend only likes one. He’s on my case to figure out what to call myself, what to do for a career.”

Janna went on to describe interests in non-violent communication, babies, birthing, political activism, the environment, interpersonal communication, and a host of other fascinating subjects. “The problem is, I don’t know what to be.”

People who have a bunch of interests and talents naturally get frustrated trying to cram them all under one title. It’s problematic to find the one job that will encompass all their talents.

Personally, I find that artificial cramming to be futile. Impossible. Stupid, even.

Most of us grew up with parents who had just one job. Engineer. Chef. Marketing manager. Postal carrier. Actress. Painter. Architect. Accountant. Designer. Finance director. You get the idea.

“So, my boyfriend upset with me, because he does just one thing. He’s a biologist. Me, I don’t know what I am. I have so many interests! What am I supposed to do?” asked Janna.

Ah, this so-called “problem” is not actually a problem, but a remnant of a former way of working. No longer do we need to be saddled with just one title. We’re living in the era of variety. When we can do a bunch of different activities, for which we may be paid varying amounts, in varying ways. You might call it a “portfolio career,” a “slash career” (I’d say, “I’m a coach, slash author, slash performance artist, slash speaker”), or you could say you’ve got “multiple streams of income.” For example, I helped a PR executive reinvent herself, and now she performs in community theater, does voiceovers, and plans events. All have different audiences and different ways she gets paid. But she’s no bound by just one title.

It’s time to unlock yourself from having just ONE thing you do. It can be helpful to find a unifying theme in all that you do. Like Janna might say she’s “all about birthing new ideas and perspectives.” I even suggested to Janna that she starts a public blog to talk about all the things she’s doing, and to find her “tribe” of people who resonate with what she’s doing, what she’s thinking, and what she’s creating. The blog, at least initially, would be more for her than for her audience, so she can start to find her perspective, her descriptors, and what matters to her. It’s a public way of finding her direction. You, too, can try it out.

Janna looked at me quizzically and asked, “But what about my boyfriend? What do I tell him, since he’s so sure I need to find the ONE thing I do. He’s got that, and I don’t.”

Janna loved my guidance, which emerged on the fly, and I wanted to share it with you:

“Think of your interests as though you’re on the playground. You like to play in the sandbox, but also speed down the slide, fly through the air on the swings, and balance on the teeter totter. Your boyfriend likes the jungle gym. That’s fine. You have a diversity of interests, and there’s nothing at all wrong with that. In fact, I invite you to cultivate those interests, and find the overarching principle that unites your diverse talents and areas of curiosity.”
Oooh, that “playground” metaphor gave Janna a lot of freedom to “play” with her interests. She need not criticize her boyfriend for loving his biology. He probably finds that to be a big enough playground for himself, at least for now.

What about YOUR playground?

Is your playground filled with a bunch of different activities? If so, what unites them? Or is your playground a single activity? And what keeps it interesting for you?

Click on “comments” above and share about YOUR playground. Why? So we can all see the variety of ways we play in our work. So we can change the paradigm, and open up and validate our amazing playgrounds. Especially for those of us with a ton of interests.

Looking forward to seeing your seesaws and swings,

Don’t know what’s on your playground yet? Let’s get you clear about your career. Join me for the Crafting Careers That Truly Fit workshop! Plus other fun goodies to help you boost your confidence. Click here for the details on this January 13-15 workshop..

About two weeks ago, I asked a provocative question of my newsletter readers:

What is the most important change
your company or organization could make
that would cause you to feel
intensely engaged and excited
about working for them?

Wow! I was inundated with answers! I heard back from a very diverse group of Work from Within newsletter readers, especially from teachers, adults who have recently been laid off, and people working in the healthcare field. I heard from readers across the world, primarily in the United States and Canada, but also in Sweden, Germany, Malaysia, Australia, and New Zealand.

Here’s what I learned from YOU…

1. Overall, you want to be appreciated. You wish that your employers really understood how much care you pour into your work, and you want more than a pat on the back. It’s not that you are screaming for more money. In fact, you said that was not your primary motivator. You would feel most alive and engaged if your managers and co-workers noticed the effort you put into projects, the skills you learned, and the ways you make a difference. You crave positive feedback, the chance to know what’s working. Teachers are having an especially hard time, with school districts, governments, and parents criticizing them as they strive to do more on their shoestring salaries. (So if you know a teacher, send a word of encouragement, would you, please?)
2. You want your company to be upfront with you about what’s happening. You want to feel connected to the organization’s mission. You want to be told — frequently — how your work relates to the strategic direction, so that you don’t feel left in the dark. And you especially want to be kept in the light when it comes to any threats to your job. As a whole, you’d rather know early on that your job is in danger, and you really despise management when they tell you that your job is safe, only to turn around and lay you off soon afterwards. You want transparency from management, and you wish to be trusted with the truth, especially when it involves your future.
3. You want to learn and grow in your role and your life. And you wish that your company would pay for time for you to take classes or read or otherwise enrich yourself. You want time to digest and discuss what you learn with colleagues, too. And you want to be asked how you, personally, want to grow, and you’d like as much support from your organization as possible to grow in the ways you’d like, assuming they fit at least some of the company’s needs. You’ve said you’re open to different types of growth, not just “moving up the ladder,” but doing rotations, learning overseas, and taking on special projects.
4. You want to be immersed in a positive environment. Negativity, rubbing your nose in past mistakes, and anger all rob you of your energy. You yearn to contribute in meaningful, easeful ways, free from demoralizing people and processes. Said another way: You want to let your talents flow and be magnified.

A big huge thank you to everyone who took the time to reply. I’m really touched.

So, what am I going to do with what you’ve shared with me?

Well, first, if you’ve been reading about my personal journey, you may already know that I’m moving away from individual coaching (I’ll still do a bit of that one-on-one work, because I love connecting so personally with people like you). I’m moving towards sharing what I’ve learned over the past ten from high-energy company super-stars about why they leave, in order to help companies retain their best people and teach their employees to take more responsibility for their professional development. To that end, I’ll be teaching about maximizing your ROLE, your Return On Life Energy within companies.

I also plan to meet with HR people and senior managers to discuss your desires, and work collaboratively to see what we can do to change the shape of the workplace.

I’m very appreciative that my friend — the gifted author and speaker Simon T. Bailey — shared with over 2,000 HR professionals at the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) conference this week some of my findings about why talented people leave their companies, and what HR professionals can do to turn things around.

I’m doing my best to convey your DESIRES about work…to the people who can DO something to make your work more EXCITING and ENGAGING.

I promise to keep you updated.

And please, will you keep me posted about what you want?

Will you tell me what will get you to bring the best of you to the work that you do? I really care about listening and translating your deepest desires, so you can give your best at work. Drop me a line at info@WorkFromWithin.com

I’m listening…

Have you ever had a really strong conviction, an idea that you held strongly, fiercely, for a long, long time…and then, one day, just felt the opposite? Like you loved someone dearly, and then after years of adoring them, you just loathed them? Or you vehemently hated a sports team, a political party, a philosophical idea, and somehow, something shifted within you. Then, all of a sudden, inexplicably, you realized you actually kind of admired, liked, or even loved this team, party, idea, or person?

If you’ve ever flip-flopped hard, made a sharp turnaround, or had a strong conversion, then you’ve experienced enantiodromia. The psychologist, Carl Jung, articulated the principle of enantiodromia, which states that the superabundance of any force inevitably produces its opposite. As I see it, it’s like a pendulum swinging. If that pendulum moves forcefully to one side, then the momentum will ultimately carry it strongly to the other side.

Watch out for a superabundance of any force – it inevitably produces its opposite.

During nearly a decade of coaching individuals through the chaos, uncertainty, and often messy terrain of career reinvention, I fiercely swore that I would not go back to the corporate world. I knew that I’d crossed over from the “should path” to the “want to” way in terms of crafting my career on my own terms, and until just over six weeks ago, I was committed to working only with private-paying, individual clients, not corporations or organizations.

My very biased mind viewed corporations as monoliths, with harsh rules and limited flexibility. So many of my clients had hated their companies that I internalized their anger and frustration. Just the word “corporate” made me consider the word “corporeal,” which means “to be in the body.” I wondered if companies could possibly have hearts or souls. Given my love of somatic, embodied awareness practices, I did not want to work with any entity that could not truly engage on a heartfelt level. So for a full decade, I shunned the corporate world as a place to share my work. I closed myself off and didn’t see myself as belonging there. Any time a client, friend, or family member suggested that I might work with corporate clients, I shook my fist and held my ground. My ego was certain that my role was to defend the individual from big, bad companies. I saw myself as a protector and rescuer.

Well, I now see how that role of protecting and rescuing was my own creation. And it got me really, really stuck on a drama triangle, always looking to play the victim, the villain, or my favorite, the hero. Despite knowing about that drama triangle, I needed an outside perspective to help me see that I was playing a losing triangle game.

Following the economic downturn that started in the latter half of 2008, my coaching practice started to wane. From 20 clients a week to 10 or fewer. At first, I barely noticed. But then I really and felt the sting. My earnings took an incredible hit. So did my ego. And my body.

When your body starts talking to you, listen. But don’t worry. If you don’t pay attention, your body will keep creating more serious symptoms, until you have no choice but to listen.

I started feeling emotionally and physically drained. This made it even harder to earn money, because I lacked the push to develop new programs to help people transform their work, to reinvent themselves. I could not muster the energy. Unfortunately, I was slow to notice all the ways my body was letting me know something was amiss. Headaches. Fatigue. Mood swings. Brain fog.

Finally, it dawned on me. My body was trying to tell me something. I was in the grip of my own limited way of seeing the world.

Many of my ideas about the corporate world came from the unspoken expectations my drill-sergeant ego dictated to me when I was in management consulting:  “Always stay a step ahead of the client. Always dazzle everyone. Always give 200%. Always be the authority. Always go above and beyond. Oh, and never pay attention to your sensations or emotions. You’re too professional to do that!”

But working in the corporate world doesn’t always require playing by those rules set up by the pesky drill-sergeant. I’d had other jobs I loved, like teaching time management workshops all over the US & Canada. And, in fact, I did enjoy some of the management consulting work I’d done. I had selectively forgotten the good projects, like preparing research for the World Bank so that health ministers from around the world could learn about different forms of health care financing.

Your perceptions shape your views, and generally mirror your own inner landscape.

Gradually, over the past three months, I’ve come to see that my perceptions negatively shaped my views of companies. Truly, I’ve treated myself with my own harsh rules about how I could and could not operate Work from Within. I limited my own flexibility and then unfairly projected the same inflexibility onto all companies.  My view of the corporate world really reflected my view of myself.

Ouch.

A little over a month ago, I had a breakthrough in my consciousness, a new way of understanding my inner turmoil and hardships with my work. I was speaking to a fellow coach, Tara Sophia Mohr. We’ve been trying to get to know each other since we met at the first Wisdom 2.0 conference in 2010. Something about Tara’s gentle manner opened me up to being honest about my business woes. Tara asked a simple question, “Susan, if you’re making way less money than you used to, and you have lots of talents, what keeps you doing the work you’re doing?”

My answer came easily, “I can’t stand it when people tell me they hate their work. It doesn’t have to be that way.”

What Tara said next — without skipping a beat or trying to serve up advice — took my breath away:

“Wow. The corporate world really needs you, Susan.”

Something in my heart sang. And I literally felt my chest shift from collapsed to softely open. Wisdom arose from my belly and spoke its way through my lips: “Yes, I could take my work to the corporate world. In fact, they need me. And I have a ton to offer.”

Open up to the possibility that resistance can melt away in a moment.

Wow! The resistance to sharing my wisdom and practices in the corporate world fell away. I realized I’ve been building content over these last 10 years, content that I’d unfairly restricted to individuals, rather than sharing with companies. But, truly, the people who need my messages most work in companies. In a flash, I realized that employees yearn to unleash the fire in their bellies to create — rather than to incinerate – on behalf of their employers. Rather than becoming smoldering cauldrons of anger and frustration, individuals within organizations long to create a cascade of goodness and good works.

I want to unblock and open up new possibilities – in myself, and in the amazing people working in companies. It’s happening, it’s happening…I am really releasing my own resistance to going where I am most needed:  to organizations and companies who need me.

I’ve swung the pendulum from resisting the corporate world to embracing it. These feelings and realizations are all very new to me.  I’m a mix of excitement, delight, fright, and lots and lots of questions about what I most want to offer to the corporate world, and how I want to offer it. But what’s crystal clear to me is the why. Why I want to work with the corporate world. Because I can’t stand it when people tell me they hate their work. It doesn’t have to be that way.

The forces for good have been untethered, unleashed.

Dear Reader, I’ll keep you posted on what emerges next.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for places where you have a superabundance of emotion, conviction, or attachment. You just might go flinging off to the opposite polarity. At least now, you have a name for it:  Enantiodromia.

Last weekend, I drove down from the San Francisco Bay area to the Esalen Institute, a glorious drive that takes 3 to 4 hours, depending on traffic. To get there, you wind through forests, along the ocean, and into the heart of transformation, the Big Sur coast, between San Francisco and Los Angeles, along coastal Highway 1. It’s so scenic that you have to drive patiently, because either you, or the drivers ahead of you, will be ooohing and aaaahing at the views and pulling off the road to snap lots of photos of rocks and waves along the rugged coastline.

I spend a lot of time at the Esalen Institute, a retreat center that’s been an icon of transformation since the 1960s. Last weekend was one of those times. I stopped in the gardens, where most of the organic produce is grown, and recorded this video for you, to tell you about the career transformation workshop I’m teaching June 24-26, 2011, called Crafting Careers That Truly Fit: How to Work from Within. If you’re at a career crossroads, and you’re tired of agonizing over the question, “What am I going to do next?” stop the stress! This workshop gets you out of your head and into the wisdom of your body. You can slow down, relax, and allow me to guide you to your own inner knowing. This workshop helps you gain much more clarity about your future in just one weekend. You get to discover answers you have hidden within yourself, and that’s a lot of fun.

So, what happens as a result of the workshop? Here’s a heartfelt comment from a past participant of this workshop, “Susan, you made my life so much easier. I had been making this career change so complex. You gave me a way to simplify my inquiries, and to shift my energy from feeling tense and negative to feeling relaxed and positive. I now have a much clearer idea of the work I’m going to do next, and I’m excited instead of fearful. That’s a big change, and I’m so grateful for the workshop you so thoughtfully facilitated. Thank you!”

Well, you, too, can find your own calm, clarity, and confidence in the Crafting Careers That Truly Fit workshop.

And, to sweeten the experience, if you register for the workshop by June 1, 2011, I’m offering you a free 50-minute coaching session (you can use it any time between June 30, 2011 and July 31, 2011), PLUS downloads of my two popular CDs — How to Make a Meaningful Career Change and How to Create Work That Fits You — to help you get unstuck and overcome your fears about change. That’s over $375 worth of bonuses!

How do you get your bonuses?

All you need to do to get these wonderful bonuses is to drop me a note at info @ workfromwithin.com by June 1, 2011, telling me that you’ve paid for the workshop through the Esalen Institute. To register for the workshop, simply go to this link for workshop details, and you can either register online, or you can can call the Esalen Institute at 831-667-3000 from 9 am – 7 pm Pacific Time Monday through Friday, or 9 am to 5 pm Saturday & Sunday. Or click here for more contact information at Esalen.

I’d LOVE to welcome you to the workshop and help you get clear about your future career. And it would be great to sit in the hot tubs and chat with you during the breaks. What better, more relaxing, inspiring way to gain clarity about your life and your livelihood? If you have questions about the workshop, please feel free to contact me.

So, sign up for the workshop NOW, and get your FREE 50-minute coaching session with me AND your two bonus CDs. Remember, you only have until June 1, 2011 to get this benefit, so call Esalen now at 831-667-3000 and register and then drop me a line at info @ workfromwithin.com to let me know you registered, and be sure I send you an acknowledgment back!

See you in the hot tubs!

Work has changed.

I saw these changes happening in the early 1990s, when I was in business school. Already, companies had employees all over the world, creating “virtual workers.” For example, offices were not the staid, same, “compete for the corner office” places that I’d known from the start of my career. When I worked for Accenture after business school,

the firm already had a “hoteling” concept for booking employees into workspaces for a short duration, rather than giving everyone an assigned office. With so many people “on the road,” so much of the time, it didn’t make economic sense to maintain space for them in the office. So we’d make reservations, and a concierge would arrange for our file cabinet, on wheels, to be rolled into a temporary space. It was actually kind of fun to get a different view each time I came into the San Francisco office. Oh, and we did have this gigantic bowl of chocolates at the concierge desk. I have this “thing” for dark chocolate…and it made work a little sweeter. (Just a little…)

Flash forward 15 years. The world of work continues to shift. I think this video, by oDesk, is one of the best I’ve seen to explain six major trends that are changing the world of work. These changes are already upon us. So instead of fighting them, inform yourself. Get yourself ready, so you’re adaptable, resilient.

As a recap, the future of work is:
Flat (as in “you can work anywhere”)
Competitive (can you say “crowdsourcing”?)
You (as in “know your talents and promote them:)

What do YOU think of these changes? And what are you doing to prepare yourself for the future of work?

I believe in the self-expressed life, in doing what you love, and sharing your heart’s message with the world. That’s why I’m so dang proud of my friend, Dr. Lissa Rankin, author of the new book “What’s Up Down There?: Questions You’d Only Ask Your Gynecologist If She Was Your Best Friend.”

What gynecologists do you know who are also great writers? And artists, too? Well, Lissa does all of these. She defies a singular definition, which is also what makes her so endearing. Her new book is as sassy and spirited as she is. She uses the V word, and the P word, and words that make me, as a half-British career reinvention & renewal coach just blush. If you want to know about the female body, inside and out, Lissa’s the one to tell you about it in detail, in terms you’ll totally understand.

Why should I tell you about the amazing Dr. Rankin? Because she tells it like it is. About life as she’s known it as a gynecologist. Her funniest patients. The wise questions they ask her. The weird ones, too. About toys and traditions and tastes. She holds nothing back.

Most of us, deep down, yearn to be so authentic about the things we love in life. For Lissa, one of her joys is awakening women to the wonders of our own bodies. And also to connecting about totally raw, real issues, as she does with the OwningPink.com online community she created.

I adore Lissa for many reasons. One of them is that she listens to her inner guidance. And she writes about what she hears within herself. Including her fears and doubts. She’s not without them. She transforms them. You can read more about how she practices gynecology (and overall health) in a holistic way at the Owning Pink Center in Mill Valley, California, and read Lissa’s personal blog posts (beware, you might need tissues sometimes…) at OwningPink.com.

Check out Lissa, and I hope you, too, will be inspired! : )

~ Susan

It’s Susan here. I’m excited to introduce you to one of my clients, Kamael Sugrim. I feel lucky to get to coach a number of entrepreneurs, and she is one of them. Kamael reminds me that many of us professionals, particularly women, are used to organizing our lives through our accomplishments. But then, a moment comers (or a slew of them) and we realize that defining ourselves by what we’ve ticked off on the “to-do” list doesn’t feel fulfilling. We begin to seek fulfillment, that sense that the meaning of our actions makes us feel full, in mind, body, and spirit. It’s a delight to see what Kamael is creating. I invite you to check out the amazing way she’s reaching out to stem poverty through an innovative use of technology with www.mPoweringFoundation.org. Congratulations, Kamael, and thank you for making a difference in the lives of others!

And now, for some words from Kamael…

I’ve spent the last 15 years working to methodically and meticulously cross off the things I don’t want to do in my career. First there was consulting – that one quickly bit the dust. Then there was finance – which lasted a good 5 years. When I was offered a more senior role in investment industry that bored me to sleep at my desk, I rapidly completed 6 business school applications and ran off to the West Coast to “hone my skills.” Then I graduated and went into marketing in the tech industry. I thought that was very interesting, but after 5 years, I still found myself itching to get out and do something that felt like it came from my core.

Instead of searching for my next venture while chained down to the existing one, I quit corporate America and took a few months off to really learn how to listen to who I was – not develop – but just listen. Susan and I worked for several months on this together and, as a result, I have a much better understanding of what gives me positive energy. I liked Susan’s style because it incorporated a completely different way of looking at my future and myself. We didn’t start off making lists of skills, or companies to talk to, or even action plans. Sure, I eventually did those things. But Susan starts by guiding you to listen to your body and understand the feelings that run through you in different situations.

I’m a person who can’t stand yoga, falls asleep in meditation and thinks that chanting is for monks. But with Susan, I felt comfortable enough to “shake my stress off,” learn new breathing exercises, and more importantly be in tune with what my mind and body are telling me. Susan’s own energy level is so positive and her approach so comfortable, that I found myself completely engaged and excited for our sessions!

My favorite exercise has been making a list of Drains and Gains as part of maximizing my ROLE, my Return On Life Energy. That’s something that I still keep in my wallet and refer to often. I listed all the things that drained me – inauthentic people, boring work, alongside all the things that gave me energy – working with smart people, helping others. When I’m faced with choices on where to take my life, I look at this list and see how those choices stack up against what makes me happy. It’s like having a new pair of glasses that allows me to see things I’ve never seen before.

Living in Silicon Valley, I’m surrounded by some of the most exciting opportunities, but I’ve learned just because they are exciting to others, that doesn’t mean they will be exciting to me. By truly understanding what makes me tick, I can make decisions about my career that are about what I like and want to do vs. the trial and error method I used for the last 15 years. It’s even stretched into my personal life. I find myself confidently recognizing and moving away from people and situations that drain my energy level and ultimately make me unhappy.

Earlier this year, I decided to put my passion for helping people together with my love for technology and start a nonprofit – mPowering. mPowering creates mobile applications and builds programs that empower the world’s poor – those living on less than $2 a day – to break the cycle of poverty they live in. I work twice the hours I did in corporate America, make half the salary, but am the happiest I have ever been in my life. Every morning I wake up knowing that I’ve stayed true to myself and am doing the things I love. My career journey isn’t over – a life journey is one that never ends. But I now have this new navigation system – understanding my life energy – and I’m confident that I can lead myself down the rights paths in life. It’s very empowering.

If you would like to follow my and mPowering’s transformative journey, check out our blog at www.mpoweringfoundation.org/blog.

-Kamael Ann Sugrim
Co-founder and CEO, mPowering

It’s no fun to feel stuck in work you hate.

But there’s always a way out. Always. It just may not be what you envisioned. But sometimes, you have an inkling of it.

That’s the case for my former client, Marie-Florence Tieu, who, after completing her MBA, took a job in search engine marketing. And she felt bored, unfulfilled, and frustrated. While that’s obviously  not the only job for MBAs, something was nagging her on the inside. She couldn’t figure out what she wanted to do next, but search engine marketing wasn’t it. She went to career coaches who gave her assessments and tests. And those only confused or frustrated her.

Marie-Florence ran into a common shift that makes it so much easier to find or create work that fits. If you want work that truly fits you, that feels really congruent with who you are and what you care about, you can’t figure it out. You need to feel it out.

In the face of uncertainty, most of us go into mental overdrive, trying to get our logical brains to frame their quest for a new job as a problem. Then, they try to analyze the situation and end up with an elegant solution. Only there’s not really a problem. Or there’s nothing really to solve. I recommend a focus on intentions instead. In other words, that you get clear about what you do want, rather than focusing on the problem of work that doesn’t fit, or in asking yourself, “How will I figure out what to do next?” That approach relies way, way too much on your head. Most of us have wily, crafty brains. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. It’s just that we miss out on listening to our hearts. And our guts. And the wisdom that lies below our necks.

You wouldn’t choose your spouse by reading their resume, would you? Not if you wanted to have a passion-filled relationship. Then why do you think that you can lay out the facts about your talents, and somehow come up with a picture that uplifts and inspires you? If that’s what you’re trying to do, I’m here to suggest that you turn the equation around. Start with what uplifts and inspires you, and then lay out how you’ll get there. Or, better yet, create a vision of what you want, take one step at a time towards it, and see what you discover.

But don’t try to have the whole career change mapped out all at once. Don’t. That’s not only a headache. That’s not only unrealistic. That’s not only hard. That’s impossible.  Yet too many people think that’s what they need to do, which creates unnecessary turmoil.

In our work together, Marie-Florence discovered how to “take the elevator down,” as I call it, moving from the head to the heart, gut, and whole-bodied wisdom. Too often, we suffer through work that drains us, with the hope that it will get better. And we mentally convince ourselves to stay and stay and stay…until we move from stress to burnout. And then we feel stuck. Yuck.

When she learned to listen to her body’s signals, Marie Florence got clear about work she wanted to do. It’s almost like it was in her bones. Even as a child, she cared for people, like her brother, who is mentally handicapped and autistic. She explored a few potential paths, including teaching tennis, but ultimately got totally excited at the thought of going to nursing school and becoming a nurse. She’s completing her prerequisites now, and will attend UCSF for nursing school starting June 21st!

I briefly interviewed Marie-Florence about her transition from marketing to nursing. If you’re considering a shift in your career, you may find her story, in the recording below, enlightening and inspiring. And you may get an idea of why learning to “work from within,” and trusting the innate instincts and impulses in your body is so vital to making positive change.

Click here to listen to the recording of my interview with Marie-Florence.

Celebrating change,
Susan

PS – In this posting, I’ve shared one of seven shifts to work that fits: If you want work that truly fits you, that feels really congruent with who you are and what you care about, you can’t figure it out. You need to feel it out. If you want to discover HOW to make this shift in your own career, and learn six other shifts that will help you have work that fits, please join me on Wednesday, July 7, from 6:00 – 7:30 pm Pacific (9:00 – 10:30 Eastern) for an interactive webinar “Seven Shifts to Work That Fits.“  You’ll also get a workbook, time for Q & A, and a video recording of the webinar that you can download and watch again and again, whenever you like.

There’s only room for 24 participants, and those places will get snatched up quickly…so grab your space by registering now. Isn’t it time you had work that fits you?

Today, I’m pleased to share a guest post from my friend and colleague, Lisa Brookes Kift. Lisa is a psychotherapist, writer and creator of The Toolbox at LisaKiftTherapy.com. She provides tools and resources for marriage, relationship and emotional health.  She is the author of the Therapy-At-Home Workbooks® series for individuals and couples, offering a cost effective, do-it-yourself, therapist-guided alternative to counseling for some issues.

Like me, Lisa left a high-stress, seemingly high-prestige job that left her drained. Both of us have chosen to pursue working with people in a more caring, supportive way. Based on her rich life experience, Lisa brings a sensibility about how work can impact the rest of our lives. In this blog post, Lisa helps us to think about our emotions, which are vital signs to let us know how much our work aligns — or misaligns — with what we truly seek to create in our lives. I trust you will benefit from her wise words.

When you think of the term “emotional health,” what comes up for you?  There are numerous components to one’s “emotional health” and though many are the same for most people, the reality is there is a special cocktail that resonates with each of us individually – and is unique to us.

My own life experience and the experiences of many of my previous therapy clients has demonstrated to me that career choice is one important element to emotional health for many of us.  I know it sure is for me.

I used to work in the “glitzy” and “glamorous” world of movie and television production; with well known actors, directors and on films and TV shows you’ve likely heard of.  As much as I initially thought this was the dream career for me, it wasn’t.  In fact, it became evident that I was missing out on lot of life and my relationships suffered as a result of the long, unpredictable hours, weeks spent out of town on location and general chaos that was my life when on a show.  This ultimately started not only to emotionally and physically take a toll but it hurt my soul in such a way that I decided to leave, go back to school and train to become a therapist.

Career discontentment can be very stressful, whether it be about doing a job that has no meaning, is a toxic environment, or is simply against your grain.

Here are a few signs that you might be in a career that is leading to unhappiness:

• Work avoidance.
• Excessive worry about work.
• Increase in illness or physical pains with no medical explanation.
• Defensiveness and frustration.
• Substance abuse.
• Bad mood impacting family life / relationships.

The great thing about career discontentment, as uncomfortable as it is, is that it has the potential to help drive you forward to do something different, to search for meaning and satisfaction elsewhere.  If you can break through the fear of it – and are able to logistically pull it off – then career reflection and possible direction shift can be an important step toward your emotional health.

When I made my big career move it was a mentor who helped me to understand this was possible and helped me explore and challenge my fears around it.  The person for me happened to be a therapist but there are other mentor-type people (like Dr. Susan Bernstein) who can assist you with dissecting the various layers unique to you in contemplating “what next?” if you’re at a career crossroads.  Perhaps members of your support system can help you.  Maybe a therapist can assist you in finding clarity on the issue like mine did for me.  Whatever method you choose, it’s in the best interest of your emotional health – and in some cases, physical health and relationship health - to do so if possible.

It’s human nature to seek happiness, fulfillment, emotional and relationship health.  I am grateful for having the ability to do such a significant career change as I realize not everyone can easily manage this.  I am passionate about my job of psychotherapist and there is no question that I’m doing work that is for in line with who I am internally.  It feels great!