For a new life in the new year, take action!
Stuck? Wondering what to do about finding a job, a relationship
or a new home? Don't get caught in the self-analysis trap:
months, days and even years of "thinking." I've met dozens of
people who think "getting free" begins with an armchair, a
self-help book and a beer. Action creates energy. Have you ever
spent a whole day driving? Lying on the couch with a book and a
heavy-duty remote control? At the end of the day you're
exhausted. Action fuels thought. You can sit on a couch all day
with the self-help book, but how will you complete the
exercises? The world looks different as you sit in your living
room. When you get off the couch and face the outside world,
your answers will change. Action is a test of your readiness to
change. Are you thinking of hiring a coach or counselor? Before
you pick up the phone, take some small action on your own. Get a
list of articles from the library or web. Make some phone calls.
Are you moving? That's a good sign. Want to change? Do something
different. In a tape version of her recent book, Thunder and
Lightning, Natalie Goldberg advises writers to overcome blocks
by changing small elements of their lives. Take a different
route when you walk home, she suggests; if you normally drive
with your left hand on the steering wheel, try the right. Some
ideas: Do something alone that you normally do with others:
shopping, traveling, eating in a restaurant. Do something with
others that you normally do alone. If you have a routine for
evenings or weekends, find new activities. In his book, How
People Change, Allen Wheelis pointed out that changing yourself
is pretty simple. If you want to stop being a thief, don't
steal. If you want to be a writer, write. Sounds simple -- but
it works. Sometimes, if you are lucky, external events force you
to change in a positive direction. Rent the video The Closet (Le
Placard). The hero begins as a stereotypically dull accountant.
As people begin to believe he is gay, they treat him differently
-- and he grows into a new, more powerful person. Can't get
moving? If you are really, really unhappy, but you can't get
yourself to take even one action step to change your situation,
consider some form of psychotherapy. Sometimes you are at a
point in your life when it's time to do nothing, but inability
to act can signal serious problems, such as clinical depression.
Do you want to think out loud about which action to take? Do you
want someone to share your thoughts as you try out different
actions? Moving -- but you're not sure in which direction you
want to end up? These questions suggest you can get help from a
career or life coach. Maybe you believe in New Year's
Resolutions, or maybe you like to take life as it comes.
Regardless, I can promise your 2002 will bring exciting new
changes and directions...if you jump off that couch and begin
taking action. This article is based on my ebook 9 Magic Keys to
Career Freedom http://www.movinglady.com/freedombook.html .