Pursue U

Keep Moving Forward

By Guest Blogger, Monica

It's just amazing how many things I've tried on for size and the various options I've researched and pursued for my career.  Sometimes I feel like I must have no idea what I want at all!  But the internal process of listening to myself takes time and patience.  The whole point is to move forward to the "right" something else, not just something else.  And that takes intuition and patience with yourself.  Most of all, it takes the will to just keep moving forward. 

I watched The Pursuit of Happyness and Meet the Robinsons this week and each movie had the same theme - keep moving forward, even if it feels like nothing is changing externally.  Because, in reality, the most important things are changing, and that's us, our outlook, our preceptions and our belief that we can have what we desire.

Kudos for Remarkable Women Series

By Guest  Blogger, Monica.

The first of the Remarkable Women series was so inspiring!  The women that attended were of all ages and backgrounds and had so much to offer in their own way.  I especially loved the beautiful woman who was starting a second career as a high end fashion retailer.  Even though she was easily 30 years older than me, we were both starting careers and were both excited and scared by the possibilities that lay ahead.  It was so encouraging to be part of a community of women that were all cheering each other on in very different walks.  It reminded me of how much we all have in common and how important it is to have strong women as mentors and role models, not as rivals or competitors.  Thanks, Kelly!   

Money, money, money

By Guest Blogger, Monica

One of my goals is to travel, and realistically, I must have money to travel.  Kelly recommended Suze Orman's book, The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke.  As a college grad with an entry level job and lot's of credit card debt, I was very interested in taking control of better money management.

After taking the Suze Orman's advice, I have already halfed my credit card debt!  No, I haven't fufilled my goal to go to Greece, but in the past I would have created more debt by using my credit cards to go.  I've decided to not jeopordize myself by always being in such a rush!  By the time I make it to Greece using my own, earned money, I will have completed two goals instead of just one... no credit card debt and stamping the passport!

Too Many Interests!!

By Guest Blogger,  Monica

I just went through the interest box exercise and was a little dismayed to find that I had many, many different interests!  It may not sound that tragic, but I was hoping to find that one, elusive thing that would transform my life if only I were doing it.  Kelly was not surprised, she had me make a list of all my interests and keep that list.  She instructed me to pick two or three of the things on my list and pursue them.  When I was bored of those, I could pick another two things to do.  It sounds so simple, but I was so immobile having to face all of these things and not knowing what to choose.  I felt that if I chose one thing, that would mean not being able to do the other.  I felt like I had to have, be and do everything right now, but Kelly helped me to change my perception. 

I chose to dive into regular Yoga, and to take a community class for the holidays on Homemade Spa Recipes.  I'm loving doing yoga two or three times a week and I'm giving really great spa body care gifts to my girlfriends for the holidays.  After Christmas, I'm going to pick another thing from my list to tackle.  Knowing I can do it all, but not having to do it all right now makes me feel so unburdened!         

Kudos for the Highlands Assessment

By Guest Blogger, Monica

Mosts tests make you answer (unobjective) questions about yourself and then box you into a personality type.  But the Highlands takes you through a series of processes that determines what things you are naturally good at or comes easy for you.  Highlands shows you what kind of work will feel like "work" to you and what (much better) will feel completely natural to you.

Kelly took me through all 36 pages of custom information that felt practical and helped steer me in a  direction with my career choices that made me feel less panicked about where my life was headed.  The Highlands helped me see that I would be unchallenged and dissatisfied as a manager, something that I thought was a completely reasonable next step for me, and opened my mind up to many other options that felt more natural. As your coach, Kelly is someone that knows you and can relate the information to you in a way that applies to the decisions you are making today.       

So Many Options!

....by Sarah  - Guest Blogger

     I am 23 and I am going to graduate from grad school in June. I think I know what I want to do and where I want to go, but how can I be sure? I have SO many options! I could stay in Colorado for some time where I know my education is the most respected. Or, I can move to New York City and follow my heart, so I can be near a guy. Or, I could move somewhere abroad, which I have always wanted to do!  

 So basically, every day when I wake up, I have more options than I know what to do with. But, I am finally ok with all of the options. I don’t have every thing figured out, and that’s another option! I can keep going about my life completely normally, and I don’t have to choose anything right away. And when the time comes that I must choose, I will be ready. For now, I am keeping focused on my resume, finding an internship for this winter, and making sure I am seeing my friends enough. I’m learning to take it one step at a time so I don’t get soo overwhelmed. 

How Important is Pay?

By Guest Blogger, Monica.

Pay is not just pay.  Pay determines what lifestyle you live, how you treat yourself on the weekend, what type of vacations you take and what kind of suits you wear to work.  Pay also plays a big unconscious role for me on my own worth.  And that affects every part of my life, not just work. 

Right now, beginning in my career, I'm making crap.  I'm making less than my two teacher friends are making!  What does this mean for me?  It means I have one foot out the door at work and I keep my senses sharp everyday to detect new opportunities.  It means I struggle every month to keep my crappy car running and to pay my student loans off.  It also means I struggle to stay present at work to give my all everyday knowing the person working side by side with me is making non-entry level wages for the same work.  It's a struggle almost everyday, I think about it a lot.

Yet, I'm still at my job, and I still like it.  People say money isn't everything, but for me, since I don't have it, money affects all of my daily decisions.  And that stinks.  But the other options aren't so hot either.  I  was working at Nordstrom during college selling cosmetics for a lot more money.  But my colleagues were shallow, and the high pressure from management to make sales goals made playing with makeup all day a little less fun.  If I went back I'd be making more money and be able to buy a car, but what would I sacrifice? 

I'd definitely sacrifice job satisfaction.  And definitely respect.  And I'd have to work every Saturday and never be able to vacation over Christmas.  And I'd sacrifice a career path.  Hmmm...maybe money isn't that important.  But making yourself worth more everyday by acquiring new skills and keeping your eyes open for opportunities that do include a higher pay scale, to quote MasterCard, is priceless.            

Themes of Life

By Guest Blogger, Monica.

When I look back on my life, I can see that "hospitality" is something that had a really big vein in my life.  My very first job, at 14, was at a historic bed & breakfast.  It worked weddings and parties and it was the most fun job!  Being in that atmosphere inspired me and energized me.  I liked being able to make people feel like 'Queens and Kings of the Moment'.

I was always hosting parties for any occasion.  "First day of Spring" picnics and "Last Day of School" parties.  I had huge parties that my entire class was invited to.  I didn't do it for the popularity, I just liked entertaining.  The first vacation that I planned on my own at 20 was not a road trip to California to camp on the beach, it was a 7-day cruise to the Carribean with my girlfriends.  I loved the exotic food, the doting staff and the larger than life surroundings.

Every moment in my personal life has to be an event.  I can't just make spaghetti for dinner.  I have to make baked spinach ziti with a walnut and apple salad, accompanied by a galss of shiraz and followed by something sweet.  then I have to eat it on the porch while watching the sunset...you catch my drift.

What themes are in your life?  When your looking for a job, try to find things that fit or enhance that theme.  For me, I knew I wanted to work in a hotel.  Doing what was the question, but at least I had a broad picture of the daily atmosphere I wanted to put myself in.

Ask your friends and family (or Kelly!) for help on this one, it's hard to examine your own life because the things you do don't seem out of the ordinary to you.  I would have never thought that some people eat PBJ's for dinner...who knew?

Stuck and Bitter vs. Creating Opportunity

By Guest Blogger, Monica.

You know that stuck feeling where you're just treading water, trying to swim, but getting nowhere?  I was working at Aveda during college, which I loved!  I thrived on the customer interaction, the sales, and the power of skincare, makeup and beauty products to empower women.  I started wondering if I should take it a step further and try to become a manager.  But soon after my focus changed, I started having less fun while working much harder!  My managers must have known management wasn't for me, but I couldn't see it, and I kept fighting for a promotion.

About a year later, after having been passed up for management twice, I took an events coordination position instead.  This involved working with salons and spas to set up events for our clients (and involved a lot of perks).  Sounds like a really fun position, right?  Believe it or not, I was still really unhappy without that supervisor title.  Eventually, after becoming increasingly bitter and expending so much energy on what I couldn't have, I quit the job altogether.

Looking back, I can't believe I couldn't see the fantastic opportunity that had hit me right in the face.  I could have used that time to learn so much about networking and managing events, skills that would have directly helped me in the hotel events coordination position I'm in today!

I can't say that I never get hung up on the things that don't matter anymore, but I learned a long and difficult lesson.  Take a close look at the circumstances you're in now and try to see the big picture.  Are there some things you can let go of?  Your life helps you out sometimes and steers you towards the things that are good for you, and away from things that will take you in the wrong direction.  If you feel like your stuck, don't keep fighting...take a moment to change your focus and figure out what you can learn  - right then and there.  If there's a real problem, address it.  But don't miss out on the opportunities that are staring you in the face.

The Art of Being Picky

By Guest Blogger,  Monica.

In high school, music was my life, I had a gift and a deep passion for singing.  By the time Senior year rolled around, I had toured, recorded, and won competitions.  I couldn't imagine my future without music playing a huge roll.  It seemed obvious to me that I would study music in college.  I applied to the University of Northern Colorado where my high school vocal jazz competitions had been held and started studying there in the fall.

Right away I realized that the kind of music that inspired me was not included in the curriculum.  I wanted to study and master jazz, gospel and pop and I learned I could only do that as extracurricular.  I joined a jazz group that I loved.  This worked for awhile, but I soon realized that 20 hours of classical music theory per week and only 2 of jazz wasn't enough for me.

I was confused, I had followed my passion, I had done what I was supposed to do, and here I was unhappy still!  So I went back home after one semester, with my tail between my legs.  But music hadn't abandoned me.  I started taking private vocal lessons from a renouned pop coach who took my voice to an entirely new level and I started preparing for a large music competiton for the following summer.  I was singing the kind of music that made my heart swell, with nobody pressuring me to ever again sing another aria!  Leaving college music was the most freedom filled decision I'd ever made and a gift to myself.

Don't settle for what is diguised as the road to your passion.  If I would have stayed and not had the courage to leave, I would be waking up tomarrow to go teach classical music to 100 kids, definitely not my idea of being in my bliss!  Passion has to be fine-tuned and you have to listen very closely to your heart.  So be picky: unless it looks, taste, feels, sounds and smells like your passion, settling for something less than will leave you as unsatisfied as if you hadn't even come close!