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A
portion of all profit from Changing Course goes to support Trickle Up,
a micro-grant organization supporting the entrepreneurial aspirations of
impoverished people around the world
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The Changing Course Newsletter
Issue 109 January 27th, 2005
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The free newsletter from http://www.ChangingCourse.com
Dedicated to helping you:
~ Live Life on Purpose
~ Work at What You Love
~ Follow Your Own Road
In This Issue:
1. Featured Article: What Do You Need for Your Road Trip to Right
Livelihood?
2. Changing Course Teleclass: How to Attract Your Ideal Career or
Build a Business You Love Teleclass
3. Barbara Winter Teleclass: How To Support Your Wanderlust
4. Featured Resource: Your Dreams Are Far More Real and Reachable
Than You Might Think
5. Guest Article: Quiet the Inner Critic and Become a More
Powerful You
6. Products & Services You Might Like to Know About
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TODAY’S WISE WORDS
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Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.
~ Demosthenes
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1. Featured Article
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What Do You Need for Your Road Trip to Right Livelihood?
By Valerie Young
Changing course is a journey. Naturally not everyone who embarks
on the exciting road to right livelihood leaves at the same time
or travels in quite the same way. If you’ve spent your whole life
on the traditional 9-to-5 career path you may be just waking up
to the fact that an alternative route even exists.
Others are standing at the crossroads still trying to decide
whether or how to take, as Robert Frost famously referred to it,
the road less traveled. Still others have enthusiastically begun
their excursion. Even among the active travelers, not everyone
likes to travel at the same pace.
One of the best things about my work is that I get to connect
with so many people at so many different stages of changing
course. No matter where you’re at, expect to encounter varying
degrees of self-doubt, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty along the
way. In fact if you’re not scared, then frankly I’m scared for
you because fear comes with the changing course territory.
Instead of beating yourself up for having such feelings, or
worse, taking them as a sign that you’re not yet ready, normalize
your feelings. I’ve been at this changing course game for ten
years now and even now when I shake up my quiet little world, it
invites fear and self-doubt. The difference is my internal
dialogue. Today I tell myself, “Of course you’re afraid. Who
wouldn’t be! Like every other human being on the planet you’re
‘hardwired’ for safety.” The important thing is to do as the
title of Susan’s Jeffer’s book reminds us and “Feel the Fear and
Do It Anyway.”
If fear is getting the better of you, and you happen to live in
New England, I highly recommend a workshop called “Quiet That
Inner Critic – and Let Your Confidence Out.” This humor-filled
workshop for women is being taught by Cathy McNally, one of the
founding members of a very funny improvisational comedy group
called the Villa Jidiots (http://www.VillaJidiots.com)
(Cathy was
also one of the workshop facilitators at last summer’s Dreams
Can’t Wait workshop) and co-trainer life coach Linda McDonald.
The workshop takes place Saturday February 12th from 10am-4pm in
Northampton, Massachusetts. Space is limited. Register by
February 5th at the early bird registration price of $99 by going
to
http://www.EmpowermentWorkshops.com or by calling
413-527-2178.
I know a lot of men who also have a harsh inner critic.
Regardless of gender, if that little voice inside is telling you
that you’re not smart enough, experienced enough, expert enough,
deserving enough, or otherwise “enough” to go after the life you
really want, be sure to read Cathy and Linda’s article later in
this issue.
Some people are desperate to get out of a bad work situation and
so find a way to speed up their journey. Others, like LaTonya
from Nebraska, take a very methodical approach. LaTonya is slowly
putting various income streams into place one year at a time so
that when she does finally take the leap in 2008, all the
groundwork will have been done for a seamless and financially
stable transition. “My plan,” she says, “is to do various work I
like to do ‘on the side’ and still manage the full-time job
without overloading myself physically and mentally.” By September
2008 to be exact, LaTonya expects to have four solid income
streams that will equal her current net pay.
Okay let’s say fear is not your number one challenge. In fact,
maybe like LaTonya, you know what you want to do and you’re
actually really excited about all the changes ahead. Good for
you! Chances are what you need is information. In the past day
alone I came across several very cool bits of information I just
know some inspired subscribers can use.
For example, let’s say you have a great product you’d like to
sell nationally but just don’t have the budget. Despite what you
might think, selling your product on the QVC shopping channel is
not out of the question. I did a workshop down at QVC
headquarters a few years ago and found out that many of their
vendors are small businesses. According to the product reviewer
in my class, the show has even featured a woman who sells her own
home made biscotti.
This spring QVC is conducting a national product search. Learn
all about it at
http://www.QVCProductSearch.com
And here’s a helpful bit of information for all you musicians,
song writers, or band members out there. “Indie” musician and
former music magazine publisher Bob Baker has just released the
latest edition of the Guerrilla Music Marketing Handbook: 201
Self-Promotion Ideas for Song Writers, Musicians, and Bands.
Whether you're promoting a fast-growing indie label or a one-man
or one-woman act from your basement, this book gives you the
creative tools you need to get maximize your marketing time and
dollars. (http://www.Bob-Baker.com/af/ccgmmh.html)
Not a musician? I’ve know Bob and his work since 1995 when I
first started publishing the Changing Course newsletter. Since
then I’ve reprinted dozens of his articles designed to help
artists, musicians and other creative types to profit from their
work.
Maybe you or someone you know can benefit from one of
Bob’s other books, like “Branding Yourself Online: How to Use the
Internet to Become a Celebrity or Expert in Your Field”
(http://BrandingYourselfOnline.com)
or "Unleash the Artist
Within: Four Weeks to Transforming Your Creative Talents
into More Recognition, More Profit and More Fun"
(http://www.Bob-Baker.com/af/changecourse.html)
all of which I enthusiastically endorse.
Finally, if you’re looking to join the ranks of the happily
self-employed or you already have a business and want to be more
successful, you’ll be happy to hear that “serial entrepreneur”
Barbara Drazga is producing a three day event March 4-6, 2005 in
Las Vegas, Nevada to train people how to walk away from their
9-to-5 jobs and grow a profitable home based business.
Barbara is calling this event Bunnyslipper Business Bootcamp to
capitalize on the fact that when you work from home, every day is
casual day. The program is open to men, women, slipper wearers,
sneaker wearers… anybody ready to succeed on their own terms. The
agenda features sessions on selling on eBay, real estate
investing, how to position yourself as an expert, and more. Learn
more at http://www.ChangingCourse.com/courses.htm
Already have a business? Take a page out of Barbara’s book and
create a holiday around your business or a related theme. Barbara
is the sponsor of National Work in Your Bunnyslippers Day coming
up this February 18th. To learn more about how you can actually
register your own holiday go to
http://www.Chases.com
Where you are on the road to right livelihood is not nearly as
important as the fact that you’re willing to take the trip. Like
any trip there are bound to be bumps along the way. No one
articulates the realities – or the incredible joys – of
self-employment quite as well as enthusiastic self-bossers
Barbara Winters and Nick Williams.
Perhaps that’s why Barbara and Nick chose to feature one my
favorite quotes on the cover of their new eBook, “Power Tools for
Building the Possible Dream: A Guide or Entrepreneurial Artists
of the Soul.”(For your complimentary copy, go to
http://www.DreamBuildersCommunity.com)
The quote is from Paulo Coehlo in The Alchemist and reads:
“Too often we decide to follow a path that is not really our own,
one that others have set for us. We forget that whichever way we
go, the price is the same: in both cases, we will pass through
both difficult and happy moments. But when we are living our
dream, the difficulties we encounter make sense.”
Valerie Young abandoned her corporate cubicle to become the
Dreamer in Residence at
http://www.ChangingCourse.com, offering
free resources to help you discover your life mission and live
it. An expert on the Imposter Syndrome, she’s presented her How
to Feel as Bright and Capable as Everyone Seems to Think You Are
program to over 30,000 people. Learn more about how to make a
living without a job and Valerie’s unique approach to career
change at
www.ChangingCourse.com/careeradvice.htm and find
additional articles at
http://www.ChangingCourse.com/articles/
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2. Changing Course Teleclass
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LAST DAY TO SIGN UP!
The Science of Law of Attraction: How to Attract Your Ideal
Career or Build a Business You Love Teleclass with best selling
author, Michael J Losier
Join this lively, educational and for some, life-changing
teleclass and learn how you can tap into the power of Law of
Attraction.
Wednesday, January 26th from 9:00-10:00 p.m. EST Course Fee: $29
Space is limited. Register today at
http://www.ChangingCourse.com/courses.htm
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3. Barbara Winter Teleclass
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HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR WANDERLUST
Been bitten by the travel bug and need a way to finance your
dream? You don't have to win the lottery in order to see the
world. Finding a way to fund your travel dreams can be a creative
adventure in and of itself. While many might forego travel or
spend years scrimping to save up for a big excursion, there are
other options for those willing to take an entrepreneurial
approach.
Thursday, January 27th from 8:30-10:00 p.m. EST Course Fee: $33
Space is limited. Register today at
http://www.ChangingCourse.com/courses.htm#bw
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4. Featured Resource
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Your Dreams Are Far More Real and Reachable Than You Might Think
When you're a kid, dreaming comes easy... the sky's the limit.
But the older you get, the more indulgent it seems. That's a
funny thing about our culture. Funny... and misguided. The simple
truth is: There is more to life than the 9-to-5 grind. Your
dreams, you see, are far more real and reachable than you might
think.
And who better to help you discover the pathway to a life you've
always imaged than career change guru Barbara Sher. Barbara wrote
such best-sellers as “Wishcraft” (over a million copies sold),
“Live the Life You Love,” and “I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew
What It Was.”
Now she's the star of the PBS special, “Barbara Sher’s Idea
Party.”
You'll get all the techniques, practical nuts-and-bolts, and
step-by-step methods you need to identify your gifts and use them
to turn your dreams in to reality. Learn more at
http://www.ChangingCourse.com/yourdream.htm
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INSPIRATION TO FOLLOW YOUR BLISS
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Faith is a sounder guide than reason. Reason can only go so far,
but faith has no limits. ~ Blaise Pascal
To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. Not to dare is to
lose oneself. ~ Soren Kierkegaard
Life has a practice of living you, if you don’t live it.
~ Philip Larkin
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5. GUEST ARTICLE
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Quiet the Inner Critic and Become a More Powerful You
By Linda McDonald and Cathy McNally
Do you have an inner critic? You know – that nasty little voice
in your head that puts you down when you try to do something new
– whispering things like: “It’ll never work; you’ve always been
terrible at things like that.” Whether it’s a bliss-busting
background buzz or a deafening roar that halts you dead in your
tracks, you, like most of the human race, have probably been
slowed, stymied, or stopped by your Inner Critic. But the good
news is that you can quiet that “nasty little devil” and begin to
achieve personal and professional goals that once seemed out of
reach when that inner critic ruled the roost.
Hear It Out
The first step in managing your inner critic is just to hear and
recognize it. Unfortunately, it’s all too easy to hear this “big
mouth” in your work or personal life, especially when you want to
try a new behavior or take a risk. So the next time you hear a
little voice in your head reminding you of past “failures,”
warning you not to try something new, take a chance, or challenge
yourself, simply notice that voice, what it says, how it says it
and note what triggered it.
And when we suggest that all you have to do is notice it, we mean
it. You don’t have to understand, psychoanalyze or convert your
inner critic; you only have to notice it. If you can take this
first important step, get good at it and comfortable with it, you
are well on your way to loosening the hold of your inner critics.
Test Reality
The second step to quieting that critic is to reality-test its
comments. Imagine that you get a notice about a professional
networking event, a situation that can “detonate” the “dirty
bombs” of your inner critic. You would like to go to the event to
meet people and expand your network but like many of us, these
kinds of situations can be a little intimidating. And here’s
where your inner critic kicks into high gear: “You don’t want to
go. You’re shy, you don’t ‘do well’ meeting new people. Remember
how shy you were in high school.” (The inner critic has a long
memory for the negative and total amnesia for any evidence to the
contrary.)
But instead of giving in to the inner critic and blowing off an
event you want to attend, you decide to challenge it with
questions. Here’s a few you might try: “Just because I believe
that I am shy, is it true that I am shy in all situations and
always will be?” It’s likely that the answer will be “no.” “Do I
need to be perfectly ‘un-shy’ to participate?” Again, probably
no.
By exploring questions like this, you’ll probably begin to see
that the inner critic is a phantom built on myth and fueled by
fear. In our hypothetical case the myth is something like this:
“I have been shy at times in the past so I can expect to always
be shy in all ways.” Or “I am not absolutely perfect at mingling
so I shouldn’t do it.” So what? It is true that you have had an
embarrassing moment or two. So what? It is also true that you
have had many, many successful experiences. It is true that you
have had many opportunities to learn and grow.
There’s another way that reality-testing questions can help us.
As we mentioned, our inner critic is fueled by our fear – of
making a fool of ourselves, of being embarrassed, rejected. Such
fears are normal and human, but when we do some gentle reality
testing on our fears, we can ensure that they don’t get out of
hand.
Now, let’s get back to your networking event situation. First,
acknowledge every single one of your fears about the event, from
the realistic (“maybe no one will come up and introduce
themselves to me”) to the ridiculous (“the entire group will gang
up against me and laugh at me”). Once you’ve got them all
catalogued, go through you list and ask yourself how likely or
realistic each one is. You’ll find quite a few are not realistic
and can be deflated simply by being examined in the harsh light
of day.
Some fears are realistic of course. It’s possible that no one may
independently come up and introduce himself or her self to you.
But here’s where all you need is a plan with some tangible,
manageable goals. Maybe you will plan to introduce yourself to
two new people (“I’ll introduce myself to Tim Smith from the bank
and ask him about their new small business plan, and I’ll say
hello to Bill from the accounting office – his son played
softball with mine.”) Or maybe you’ll challenge yourself to
collect ten new business cards. A specific plan or a goal is a
potent way to reduce fear and increase confidence.
Talk Back
And finally, you need a strategy to respond to the inner critic
messages that continue to sneak through- and if you’re human,
they will. Here’s where we suggest you develop a verbal response
you can use internally to acknowledge and dismiss those inner
critic voices. “Thank you for you input. Please leave now.” or
“Out, out, ye demons of stupidity,” “Be gone. That’s yesterday’s
news, my friend.” Create one that fits for you and puts those
nasty little devils in their place.
Once you get to really recognize your inner critic voices and
learn to see through their myths, you’ll be able to take risks,
try new things and pursue goals with more confidence, well-being
and resilience. Once you get that nagging little voice in your
head to quiet down and get out of your way, you’ll find that you
can finally hear the sound of your own dreams.
Cathy McNally is a trainer and improvisational performer who
loves to use laughter and play to help adults boost confidence,
increase self-awareness, and enhance inter-personal skills. Cathy
can be found at
http://www.VillaJidiots.com
Linda McDonald, MS, is a certified personal & professional life
coach; inspired learning model facilitator and organizational
consultant with years of dedicated pursuit toward a more
connected and positively focused world. You can learn more at
http://www.REACHresourcesconsulting.com
Join Cathy and Linda at their upcoming Quiet Your Inner Critic
Workshop. To learn more go to
www.empowermentworkshops.com
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live life on purpose
