Sunday, November 15, 2009

Are You Sharing Your Music?

In my November newsletter, I asked "Are You Sharing Your Music?" (Go to my website to read the full article). Tell us about your music; your special skills, abilities, passions? How are you sharing your music with the world?

Friday, July 3, 2009

Is July 4th YOUR Independence Day?

As a personal and professional coach, I work with clients who are often trying to make the leap from where they are to where they want to be. There is often something "holding them back". We work and work and work together to identify what that something is, then create and execute strategies to remove that barrier. Then, VICTORY!

What's holding you back in your life? Have you overcome it? Have you achieved your divine greatness? Tell us your success stories! Have advice for others who are trying to "break through"?

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Is your resume working as hard as you are?

Most of us agree that a resume is often what gets us past the front door and into an interviewer's office. Yet, we often resort to resumes that rely on an overused template or that are created by a well-meaning friend.

Granted, there are many components of an effective job search. Having a top-notch resume is key. Does your resume work for you? Is it helping you get into the interviewer's office? Here are seven tips to help you polish your resume so that it is helping you get the interview you deserve:

1. Know what type of job you're going for before writing your resume. Make sure your vision comes through on your resume.

2. Know all about the job you're applying for. Make sure your resume speaks to the employer's needs (read the job advertisement carefully for this information).

3. Make sure the resume is concise while effectively telling your story. Be sure the job titles and job descriptions you list on the resume clearly state what you did (use action verbs), how you did it, and the success you had.

4. Make sure the resume is truthful. You should be able to back up anything you say in your resume.

5. Make sure the resume highlights your key selling points. There are several resume formats. Be sure to choose the one that points out your strengths and downplays your shortcomings.

6. Tailor your resume to the organization you are trying to reach. Some resume experts warn against using graphics. I say if you're going for a graphic artist position (or some other creative job), show your creativity in your resume. If you're going for a bank president position, however, your resume might want to have a more conservative look .

7. Proofread...proofread...proofread. Then, have a friend proofread.

I am a personal and professional coach. I work with clients who are reinventing their careers. If you or anyone you know needs help with their career search, please contact me.

Best wishes on your search!

Brad

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Moving Your Life Forward with Effective Boundaries

Do any of the following statements ring true for you?

- I feel overworked. There is not enough time in the day.

- I’ll never reach my goal of ____. There are just too many other things (or people) competing for my attention.

- My energy is “zapped” after spending time with John.

- Ian regularly makes comments that hurt my feelings and affect my mood for the rest of the day (or week, or month). I don’t know what to do.

Do you ever feel like another person or situation is holding you back from living your best life? Whether you are pursuing personal goals such as finding peace and happiness in your life or professional goals such as starting a new career, a new business, or becoming a better leader, you want to be successful. We all want to move our lives toward our vision and achievement of our goals. Sometimes, however, this forward movement gets stalled (or at least slowed down) by hurdles that we encounter.

Some of these hurdles are actually gaps, such as a skill, financial, or commitment gap, for which we need to identify a bridge (e.g, training, a financial plan, etc.). But often, these hurdles are actually things that distract us (sometimes even paralyze us) from moving our lives forward. These distracters might be projects with unreasonable timeframes or the unhealthy behavior of people in our lives. The impact they can have on our lives can range from being a minor inconvenience to being hurtful to paralyzing us as we try to move our personal and professional lives forward.

If you have made statements like the ones above (either “out loud” or internally), your life might be affected by a distracter. So, what do you do? One of the most effective ways to neutralize these distracters in your life is to create healthy and effective boundaries.

Want to know more? Click here to download my free “Drawing Effective Personal Boundaries” tool. It’s absolutely free for all my subscribers to use and to share with their friends. Start moving your life forward by creating effective boundaries today.

Boundary Talk

Are there areas in your life that would benefit from better boundaries? Have you created a good boundary and it made your life better? Tell our community about it!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

New Year's Resolution or Revolution? Five steps to creating the shift and making 2009 your best year ever!

by Bradley Davidson, MS - Your Life Purpose Coach

Each year, after the holidays have passed and the New Year has begun, many of us remember the New Year’s Resolutions we created just a few weeks before and feel disappointment and frustration because we have already broken them. Many of those resolutions were great goals, such as losing weight, exercising, organizing your home, or returning to school. But despite the best of intentions, we often let a lack of focus on what we really want prevent us from making true shifts in our lives. We make resolutions instead of creating positive revolutions in our lives.

This year, will you create another resolution or are you prepared for a New Year’s Revolution in your life? Those who simply set goals are goal-setters. However, those who create a meaningful vision and work to realize the vision are the people who revolutionize their lives. How do you make the shift from being a goal “setter” to creating a positive revolution for yourself? Here are five steps to help you make that shift.

Create a vision that reflects what you really want and are created to do in life. A vision is simply what you see and dream of yourself doing or being in the future. Many of us create a lot of goals that are a result of “shoulds” in our life (for example, “I should get organized, should start saving money, etc.”). Instead, carefully consider what you really want and are created to do in life; what is your life’s dream and life’s true purpose? Casting a vision that is aligned with what you are created to do and what you really want will help you keep the momentum long after the New Year’s ball has dropped.

How do you identify a vision that truly reflects what you want and were created to do? Start by making a list of your true values (what do you hold most important in life), your talents and skills, your deepest needs, and what makes you spiritually fulfilled. Then, spend some time en-vision-ing what you would be doing if you were living your values, utilizing your skills, living a spiritually fulfilled life, and getting your needs met.

Reflect on what has brought you success in the past. As you think about the “how” of achieving your vision, think back to what you are most proud of in your life. What has been your life’s greatest moment? How did that moment make you feel? What made that moment great? What did you do that caused you to be able to achieve that great moment? Now, identify how you can apply what you did to achieve that past success to help you achieve the vision you just created. Applying our greatest skills, competencies, and assets to our vision helps ensure success.

Build a plan. Identify what is standing between where you are now and where you want to be (your vision). Using the reflections about what brought you success in the past, build a step-by-step plan to help you close that gap between where you are and where you want to be to live your vision. Set specific action goals with target dates. Make sure these goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and has a Time-table.

Create accountability for yourself. Identify ways to hold yourself accountable for executing your plan and reaching your goals. Create “ticklers” in your calendar system, enlist a close friend or family member to remind and encourage you, and create rewards for yourself when you reach milestone steps or goals. If you stumble, don’t beat yourself up. Instead ask, “what did I learn from that setback?” and move forward.

Celebrate your achievements. Share your vision with friends and family. Have fun on your journey. Celebrate the achievements.

Ready for the greatest year of your life? Dream big, create a plan, and execute. Have a happy and prosperous 2009!