Career Burnout: When A Good Job Isn’t Good Enough Anymore

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

“For many people a job is more than an income – it’s an important part of who we are. So a career transition of any sort is one of the most unsettling experiences you can face in your life.” Paul Clitheroe

Okay, I know what some of you reading the title of this post maybe thinking, that in the times that we are living in, people are just grateful to have a job, who cares if it’s good enough or not. And I completely agree with you, in the fact that sometimes in life, you have to take career steps that may not be ideal but it is what one has to do to keep the boat afloat so to speak. If that is where you are today, that is absolutely okay.

But that is not what I am talking about here. I am referring here to those who have been in comfortable jobs that may seem good on the outside because it has a nice title and a steady paycheck but is not necessarily great because it doesn’t feed your soul. It doesn’t fulfill you and provide you the kind of contentment you seek. You know what I am talking about here.

We all know how uncomfortable it can be when you get up every morning to go to your office at 8′o clock, you dread your work because you absolutely hate what you do, you come back drained and frustrated and then go on to repeat the same all over again. When you spend weeks, months and years in a job that doesn’t excite you on any level, it can begin impacting the quality of your overall life – personal relationships, health, moods, so on and so forth. Some of you may already be familiar with this feeling.

A Career burnout, when you feel you’ve lost interest in your work, can show up in different ways for different people. And it can impact your physical and emotional well-being.

Here are some of the signs when you know your good job isn’t good enough anymore and perhaps it’s time explore other career options –

1) You feel angry, irritated, frustrated – Now this can happen for several reasons but if you are well otherwise and work is where you are unhappy, overtime it can begin to affect your mood. Analyze yourself a little and see how you are doing.

2) Your creativity feels dead – When you are involved in an activity that is not engaging, it works against your creativity, it doesn’t get a chance to blossom. Are you finding it hard to come up with ideas in your job or handle other creative aspects at work?

3) You feel like the joy is missing from your work – When you are at your work, how do you feel about the work that you are involved in? Does it make you happy, energized and excited or not?

4) You feel lost and directionless in your career – Do you know where you are going in your career, do you see a clear path for yourself or you feel lost instead?

5) You dread Mondays and every other day of the week. Sunday evenings are the worst – This one is probably is the most common, where you dislike sunday evenings because you have to go to work the next day. Do you look forward or do you find yourself thinking of how you can call in sick?

6) You can’t wait for it to be 5PM - Does every hour of being at work make you miserable to the point that you find yourself eager to leave your office?

An brand new year is around the corner, what are you planning for your career? Are you happy where you are or are you ready to take the necessary steps in order to create the work that you can actually enjoy ?

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Tis’ The Season Of Giving : 7 Questions To Ask Yourself While Being Generous

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” Mother Teresa

The other day I did a post on Gratitude and how we remember to give thanks on Thanksgiving but quickly go back to the ‘complaining mode’ just as soon as the holiday weekend is over. We forget about the things that are working in our lives and turn our attention to everything that’s not going according to our plans – “I wish I had a better job or a different boss“, “I wish I had more money“, “I wish I had this, I wish I had that” so on and so forth.

Last evening I went to the grocery store and saw the Salvation army volunteer with their bell and the red bucket and passerbys dropping in their donations. This is a time when many open their hearts and pockets to others who are less fortunate and seeing them a thought crossed my mind – Is generosity reserved only for this time of the year or can it be a season of giving all year round? So I wanted to bring your attention to the possibility of rethinking giving this holiday season and beyond.

When you think about giving, what goes through your mind, do you think –
I’ll give, when I have more money
I’ll give when I have more time
I’ll give something now (Nov and Dec)

If you do, here are 7 questions that you might want to think about as you consider being generous this holiday season –

1. Do we really have to be rich in order to think about giving ? – Giving is not about how rich you are financially, it’s not always about making big donations but consider sparing $10.00 a month or whatever amount you are comfortable with and you can begin now. Think about giving to just 1 person if you can’t give to 10.

2. Do we really have to wait for that opportune time when we can begin contributing? – How many times do we plan and tell ourselves – “I want to give and volunteer but I just don’t have the time for it, I’ll do it when I am free” and then never get around to doing it. Ask yourself – when is the right time? Right time is Right Now.

3. Is giving all about money - Giving can take on many forms; money is one way to do it but it can also be about your time, skills, talents, love, hugs, smile and so forth. If you can’t help financially, no worries, get creative and think about how else can you help.

4. Is giving only reserved for this time of the year or can it be a season of giving all year round? – People need help all year around not just between October and December, so consider expanding your time horizon to all year around.

5. Giving without expectations – Giving without expectations of getting back anything in return is always more powerful than giving because you are expecting good things to happen in return. Give because you want to give not because you hope it will be your turn to receive just because you have made a contribution.

6. Remembering that the receiver is a person with feelings, emotions and respect - People land into hardships for all sorts of reasons, maybe it’s a stroke of luck or perhaps there were mistakes made, but they always bounce back. When you are giving, honor them as people, don’t look down upon them. Remember that each human being deserves respect and because they are in need today doesn’t make it any less.

7. What do they ‘really’ need? – Helping someone is more effective when you give them exactly what they need. Helping financially is one thing but if you are in a position to offer someone a job or take care of a task for you and then pay them, you will really be assisting them in a big and a more effective way. Dig a little deeper, find out what do they ‘really’ need and then if possible provide them with that.

Get creative when giving and you’ll be making a difference in someone’s life.

Share with us how you’re planning to give all year round in the comments section.

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Thinking Small Equals Staying Small In Life, Career And Business

Posted on December 6, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

Today I am going to share with you wisdom in form of quotations to remind everyone that thinking small and indulging in negative emotions (pettiness, jealousy, unhealthy competitiveness, unhealthy attachments) only makes room for staying small in life, career and business. When people act that way towards you because they feel insecure or threatened, professionally and personally, all they do is give you a glimpse of their own character. While it maybe upsetting at first but replace those emotions with love, compassion and wish your adversary well, remember each person is responsible for thier own actions in the end. And even though it may feel to them that they may have won in the moment, in the grand scheme of things, they really haven’t.

In order to play big in life and in business, you don’t stoop low but rise above, you don’t bring people down instead push them higher, you don’t hoard instead you freely share and you don’t be small and petty in your actions instead wide open and generous.

1. Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain – and most fools do. – Dale Carnegie

2. We think too small. Like the frog at the bottom of the well. He thinks the sky is only as big as the top of the well. If he surfaced, he would have an entirely different view. – Mao Tse-Tung

3. Do not let circumstances influence your thoughts and moods. By rising over them mentally, you will eventually rise over them materially.- Remez Sasson

4. What we think, we become.- Buddha

5. A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity. – Robert A. Heinlein

6. It is necessary to help others, not only in our prayers, but in our daily lives. If we find we cannot help others, the least we can do is to desist from harming them. - Dalai Lama

7. Since the things we do determine the character of life, no blessed person can become unhappy. For he will never do those things which are hateful and petty. – Aristotle

8. Often we allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. We lose many irreplaceable hours brooding over grievances that, in a year’s time, will be forgotten by us and by everybody. No, let us devote our life to worthwhile actions and feelings, to great thoughts, real affections and enduring undertakings. – Maurois Andre

9. Those who occupy thier mind with small matters, generall become incapable of greatness. – La Rochefoucauld, Francois De

10. In our daily life, we encounter people who are angry, deceitful, intent only on satisfying their own needs. There is so much anger, distrust, greed, and pettiness that we are losing our capacity to work well together. - Margaret J. Wheatley

Remember in order to play big, you have to think big and if you think small, you will automatically be making a choice to stay small within yourself, your life and your business.

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10 Choices That You Make Everyday

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

“In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.” Eleanor Roosevelt

I am not sure if I am ready to say that in life everything is a choice because sometimes there is none; there are situations when there are no 2 options available, only one for the time being or perhaps a choice has already been made for you by the universe.

But I will say that I have realized that far too many people don’t recognize that they have a choice to make in every day life and career matters. We tend to take things for granted; we tell ourselves, this is just how it is or something like that and we rarely question, listen or pay attention to the subtle, subconscious ways we choose every single day.

So here are 10 that come to mind this morning that I wanted to share with you –

1. Your Attitude is a choice – Despite your circumstances, background or where you come from, the attitude you carry around is your choice.

2. Your Happiness is a choice – Everyone’s wants to be happy but what most people don’t realize is that being happy is actually a choice.

3. Your Mindset is a choice – The thoughts and beliefs that you carry around everyday is a choice.

4. To live on Purpose or not – Finding your life’s purpose and mission is one thing but that doesn’t always mean you have to live it.

5. To Forgive is a choice - Somebody breaks your heart or does something to hurt, anger or betray you, you have the choice whether to forgive them and move on or not.

6. To take Action is a choice – So many wander through life aimlessly, hoping things would be different, wishing they had the career of their choice or a life they could enjoy but they don’t take any action towards creating that outcome.

7. Stretching our mind is a choice – Just as exercising our body has benefits, so does stretching and exercising our mind.

8. Honoring our Self is a choice - As women especially we are wired, perhaps programmed to take care of everyone else but not so much of our selves. We do have a choice whether to honor ourselves or not.

9. Listening to our Intuition is a choice – We are all intuitive, if we recognize and choose to develop this sense. Do you listen to that inner voice when it tells you something or do you ignore.

10. Paying attention to our bodies is a choice – Our bodies tell us in subtle ways if it’s not well or if it’s wanting something, paying attention and really listening to our bodies is a choice.

What does your experience say? Feel free to share with us.

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5 Situations Where You Should Trust Your Intuition in Business

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself - Alan Alda.

Intuition, more popularly known as instincts, gut feelings, sixth sense and inner voice is a sense that is present within all of us. It is a valuable tool that can be used in all kinds of different situations in life as well as in business. From decision making to assessing someone’s personality to predicting how something will turn out, Intuition is indeed versatile. In times of uncertainty, it can guide us on the right path and so in that sense it’s really like your best friend that has your best interest at heart. It can even look beyond what logic and data may miss sometimes. So it’s really worthwhile to learn to trust your instincts.

As with anything else, it takes time and practice for anyone to develop their Intuition. As you learn to pay attention your inner voice, you may make mistakes and confuse it with other feelings, but the benefits are several once you get a hang of listening to this sense.

Here are 5 situations when you can use your intuition at work –

Getting a read on someone
When you meet somebody for the first time, besides their body language, you don’t have a whole lot to determine whether what they are saying is true or not. You don’t know who they really are, and since you lack information, it is a good place for you to rely on your instincts to get a feel about them. Does everything feel right or do you sense some resistance, like something is off? If you sense the latter, be on guard a little bit as you interact with them in the future. You want to make sure what you’re picking up on is really your intuition telling you something and not anything else. If something still doesn’t feel right, keep yourself aware and open for any red flags that may jump out. It’s okay if you don’t have a concrete answer immediately, that feeling should be enough for you to trust that there is probably some reason.

Partnerships and Joint Ventures
When you are partnering with someone, even if you have known them for a while, if you are trying to do a business deal pay attention to that inner voice. How does the thought of working with them make you feel? Do you feel at ease and comfortable? If not, are your instincts trying to tell you something, pay attention and investigate.

Decision making
As a business owner you are going to be making all kinds of decisions, some big, some small. Although there is no way to ensure that all your decisions will always be right but taking the help of your own intuition can come in handy and help you make critical and crucial decisions. Helping you save money and headache both.

Coming up with a Business Idea
Say you want to start a business and you haven’t zeroed in on an idea yet, either you are unclear or you are debating between two or more ideas. You can use your own intuition to figure out the answers to both of these situations. How? By learning to tune in and really listen to your inner voice. As you weigh and sift in your mind your passion, interests, and preferences, and you ask for inner guidance, patterns and ideas will emerge giving you a sense of the direction to go in. So, if you are interested in building a business around your passion and purpose, you can start looking at these patterns and intuitive feelings that point you in a particular direction. When you ask, “Is idea A better over B?” pay careful attention to whatever comes, and your gut will show you the way.

Creative Problem Solving
Intuition is often critical to creative problem solving. Let’s take an example: you are trying to cut costs in your organization and that means you have to lay people off. This is obviously difficult for both sides, for the one who is making the decision and for the other who will be let go. A potential problem here is backlash and adverse employee reaction. By quietly asking your intuition how to handle each individual situation, you can gauge ahead of time how to handle this delicate situation appropriately for each individual. What does it hurt to take a moment to consult your intuition about the best way to handle each individual situation?

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Change Your Life Over Lunch with Steve Olsher America’s Reinvention Expert

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal


In today’s fast-paced, get it done NOW world, wouldn’t it be nice if you could create the life you really want in roughly the same amount of time it takes to walk to the nearest sandwich shop, order your food, scarf down your pastrami on rye (with Dijon mustard of course) and get back to work?

The answer is yes. Realizing true happiness, fulfillment, and contentment begins with understanding who you are and how you’re wired to excel. Forget living in a cave for six months and hallucinating your way towards visions of your future. You can get the answers you’re looking for in less than hour.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I certainly understand the cave approach can work. But, for the rest of us who live within the constraints of reality, there is an easier way to facilitate this quest.

To create the life you deserve and desire, it is imperative that you heed the inherent blueprint that naturally exists within. And, it is here, in this pre-embedded code that you will discover your WHAT — that is, the ONE thing you were born to do. And, once revealed, everything else (almost magically) falls into place.

Far too many people, however, are content to meander through life and never put their finger on the pulse of what truly fires up their soul. If (in the words of Popeye) you’ve “had all you can stands and you can’t stands no more” and are ready to discover your WHAT, there are six pro-active steps you can immediately take.

Each step requires you to grab a pen and paper and write down your thoughts. Let’s begin:

1) Identify what you absolutely love. Like magnets, we are naturally drawn to certain things and repulsed by others. I want you to take a moment and create a list of your favorite books, movies, internet sites, sports, leisure activities, TV shows, etc that you love.

Now, give some thought to what you find most appealing about your choices. With millions of ways to spend your time, why these?

The key is brutal honesty. In business, people often refer to the 80/20 rule (80% of business comes from 20% of clients). Life is the same way. Your goal is to concentrate on the 20% of your life’s activities that bring you the most joy and pursue these as often as possible.

Now, look for commonalities among what you’re attracted to. One of my favorite quotes from Tony Robbins’ is “success leaves clues.” By taking a look at what piques your interest and feels effortless when you’re engaged in the activity, you’ll begin to find clues for where your soul truly soars.

2) Identify what you loathe. Take inventory and write these down. Your soul doesn’t lie. Trying to force a square peg into a round hole will only result in pain. You know what attracts and what repels you. Now, take a look at your life and see how much time you spend each day pursuing activities that there isn’t enough money in the world for you to do and, yet, begrudgingly you complete the task day in and day out.

I wholeheartedly believe that every minute you engage in an activity your soul abhors, you reduce your life expectancy by an equal amount of time. You must be clear on what you won’t stand for… otherwise, you’ll fall for anything.

Think about OJ Simpson trying on the glove that is ‘obviously’ too small . Some things fit, some things don’t. It’s when you land on an activity or way of being that is congruent with who you are that everything is as comfortable as a hand in glove. That is, a glove that actually fits….

3) At some point today, give yourself an hour of free time and choose what to do. While this may sound overly simplistic, it’s a lot harder than you think. Don’t immediately sit on the couch and grab the remote or the book you’re halfway through. Really think about what you can do with that hour and give yourself the freedom to choose an activity that brings meaningful emotional rewards.

The key is not to go immediately for what you know. That’s called a routine. And, for most people, routine reflects repetition and is strictly a result of familiarity. Inevitably, familiarity breeds discontent. Look at life as a blank slate and let your heart direct you. Changing your life often requires a new compass. You’ll be amazed at the directions your soul will pursue you if you eliminate preconceived notions and expectations.

4) Identify family members, friends, teachers, coaches, spiritual leaders, etc. you most admire and write down the character traits they display. Think about what it is about these people you find most appealing. Are they brave, fearless, unwavering, or bold? Maybe they’re kind, caring, compassionate, and put others before themselves? Whatever their traits are, write them down.

Now, look at the list of traits you’ve identified. Interestingly, what we admire in others most directly reflects our own natural inclinations and aspirations. Conversely, take a moment and think about people you despise. If you dislike someone because they are cruel, self-centered, or unresponsive – odds are good these are character traits you try hard to avoid.

Machiavelli said, “A prudent person shall always follow in the footsteps of greatness and imitate those who have been outstanding.” And, yes, while imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, replicating the actions and embodying the character traits of those you admire is simply brilliant.

In life, you don’t have to create your own wheel. You simply have to paint it your own color.

5) Look for moments when you accomplished something you put your mind to. Small victories add up to winning the war. And within these victories hide the secrets to understanding where you’re compelled to soar. By examining moments of excellence, you can extrapolate key indicators that define when you’re operating in a manner that’s congruent with who you really are.

From winning awards and completing difficult assignments, to getting the companion of your dreams or hitting the game-winning shot, there were times in your life when you’ve succeeded brilliantly. Conversely, there were other times when you failed miserably. This is not a coincidence.

Your DNA is programmed to excel in a very specific manner. To fight this is an effort in futility. Identifying moments of accomplishment or times when you’ve been proud of yourself will help you develop a clear sense of your personal “sweet spots.”

These moments reflect circumstances when everything aligns perfectly and you’re able to achieve astounding results without expending extraneous energy or overt effort. Take some time to try and identify why you were compelled to succeed.

Was it because of the person you were working with? Someone you were trying to impress? Because you were backed into a corner? Or, maybe because you were engaged in a skill that came as naturally to you as breathing?

Once you can pinpoint the rationale for your ascension, living at The Pinnacle of your existence is not far behind.

6) Compile the information from these five steps and make a list that you can easily refer to. The expression ‘knowledge is power’ has never been more on point than when you’re exploring who you inherently are.

If you begin to immerse yourself in activities you love, surround yourself with people you’ve identified as being of positive influence, and weed out those activities (unless, of course they’re daily chores/responsibilities that take time to eliminate) that do not serve you well, you will inevitably be happier and feel in much greater control of your life.

Ultimately, your WHAT is there for you to discover. This process takes time and there will certainly be moments of hit or miss as you begin down the path of becoming who you were born to be.

The bottom line is that we are each put on this planet to do one amazing thing and it is your responsibility to cultivate the gift which you have been given.

People instinctually want to discover their WHAT, but far too many bury it deep within and make excuses for why we shouldn’t, or aren’t able to, share our unique talent with the world. I encourage you to heed the following mantra: “My WHAT is bigger than my but.” In other words, there isn’t a single excuse that should ever get in your way of pursuing what you are compelled to do.

My hope is that your appetite for pursuing who you were born to be has been awakened.

And, remember, you’re either leading or dying. Choose to be a leader. The world is waiting for you!

This Guest Post was written by our dear friend Steve Olsher, co-star of the ground-breaking film, The Keeper of the Keys with Jack Canfield , John Gray and Marci Shimoff, author of USA Book News’ “Self-Help Book of the Year,” Journey To You: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming Who You Were Born to Be, Founder of The Reinvention Workshop, and host of Reinvention Radio. Please visit Steve’s website or contact him via email at steve@steveolsher.com

If you’d like to learn more about specifically discovering your WHAT and creating a step-by-step plan of action for bringing it to fruition, my award-winning book Journey To You: A Step-by-Step Guide to Becoming Who You Were Born to Be is a fantastic resource.

To receive your FREE, No-Strings Attached copy of Journey To You, please visit www.steveolsher.com and follow the instructions on the home page. If you’d prefer a hard copy or have an e-reader, such as a Kindle, please visit www.Amazon.com.

Posted in I Am Completely Confident, I Am Continually Evolving, I Am Successful All Around, I Am Worth It, I Work Authentically, My Career Is Rewarding | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Failure Club: Morgan Spurlocks’ New Web Series

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.Dale Carnegie

Yesterday we talked about how fear of failure is one of the most common fear that holds people back from going after their dreams. We also talked about how part of the issue is how we really view Failure and if we simply changed our perception of it, this fear may not remain that powerful afterall.

Failure is not your enemy and that is what this new web series called The Failure Club by Morgan Spurlock seems to suggest. This series is about embracing the fear of failure and using it to change your life. 7 New Yorkers with big dreams who are afraid to follow them will come together in this unique club to encourage and help each other out. Read about this series here .

I thought this would be inspirational to share with you, especially if having dreams and going after them has been challenging for you.

So enjoy your day everybody. :)

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Is Fear Of Failure Stopping You From Going After Your Dreams?

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again. Henry Ford

Working with people that are trying to re-invent their career or launch a new business, I have come to realize that one of the main thing that stands between them and their success is not the lack of desire or resources but really the lack of confidence in the outcome.

Will I succeed or will I fail ? is a delimma that many agonize over, especially as they are attempting something for the first time.

This fear is often so powerful that it paralyzes people, keeping them frozen in one spot for a long time, resulting in procrastination and delay. People are scared of making a wrong decision and it is often easier to allow someone else or even life to take over and make a choice for them instead. I guess on a deeper level they feel, that if the outcome turned out to be negative, atleast it won’t be on them.

So why are we so scared of failing?

Talking to people, often the roots go back to their childhood, it was never taught that failing was actually okay and that it was an opportunity to learn, dust off and begin again. The emphasis was always on getting good grades and excelling in activities, this is what garnered praise and reward while poor grades brought criticism and punishment.

Once they entered the working world, organizations provided them with a culture of perfection if you will, where there wasn’t any room for mistakes or errors. In order to succeed, rise and get promoted they must always make right decisions, achieve quotas and meet all their goals and then some.

People are scared that if they fail, they will be –

Criticized
If I fail, what will people say, chances are they will criticize and talk bad about me. I don’t want that

Rejected
If I fail, people may not like me or think less of me and reject me. I don’t want that

Often people develop their own Self-limiting beliefs
I am too old, I can’t afford to try anything new because there’s no time to fail
I don’t want to fail but fear I will because that’s what always happens to me
I always want to try new things but just can’t follow through, so I end up failing all the time

If you recognize that this fear is holding you back from achieving your goals or going after what you really want, here are 5 tips that will assist you on your journey –

1. Recognize your fear- Ask yourself – what is really holding you back from going after your dreams? what is it about the fear of failure that is holding you back? Acknowledging and recognizing what specifically is holding you back will help you understand your fear better.

2. View failure differently – It’s important for you to understand and view failure as an opportunity and positive rather than a negative. It’s an opportunity to learn from mistakes and the last time why things didn’t work out and what you can do this next time to do it better.

3. Successful people fail too – Somehow there is this notion that successful people must always be making the right decisions, not so. Take the time to read biographies and life journeys of people who have done well and you will see that they have risen with a certain attitude towards failing. Buckminster Fuller wrote, “Whatever humans have learned had to be learned as a consequence only of trial and error experience. Humans have learned only through mistakes.”

4. It’s not you - Many times people take failing too personally, like if they made a poor decision that lead to making a mistake, somehow they have failed as an individual. But remember failure is not a personality trait, it is now how people are. It doesn’t define you and is certainly not who you are.

5. Take action – Taking any action is any day better than no action and staying in limbo. So start working in the direction of your goals and dreams. Do your research to reduce the risk element, get clear on your idea and your strategy. This will help you feel more confident about your outcome.

Napoleon Hill, author of Think and Grow Rich, says “every adversity, every failure and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit.” So focus on the benefits that arise out of failure.

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Losing Job Leads To Finding Passion To Creating A Thriving New Career: Real Life Story

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

I always feel inspired by stories of people who have made changes in their life and succeeded. And by success I don’t mean fame necessarily but more joy, contentment, deep sense of accomplishment and plethora of other emotions one feels after they have successfully navigated through life’s challenges. Whenever I see somebody take a risk, go through the transformation journey and come out with flying colors in the end, it warms my heart. Partially because I can relate to their anguish and journey along with the feelings they may have experienced once the answers were actually found.

This evening I happenned to be watching KOMO 4 news and I came across Bob King’s story. After working for US Air Force, he worked for Boeing and had stable employment and then he got laid off. While searching for what to do next, he tried to learn computers which “turned out to be a fiasco”, he says. He had a wife, kids and mortgage to support so really failing was not an option. Desperate, he says - “I told my wife, ‘You know, I think I’m going to have to make my hobby my full-time job”.

He decided to take a huge risk and follow his heart. This is what he told himself –
“So I had to apply what I knew I could do, and do well, make it happen. (You) have to persevere, overcome the fears”.

His story is such a source of inspiration, especially for those who are at a career crossroads and are struggling to find what to do next. Here’s the full story by Trisha Manning Smith of Komo 4 News –
Bob King’s Story On Komo 4 News

More and more people are re-inventing their career and often that change means a total shift in what they may have originally gone to school for or the career field they may have worked in. We tend to go for the familiar but the beauty of pursuing your passion and purpose as a career is that even when it feels new on the surface, deep down it really isn’t. The seed is already there in you, you just have to find it, nurture it and see it blossom in its full glory.

Posted in I Am Continually Evolving, I Am Fearless In Work & Life, I Am Successful All Around, I Have Supportive Beliefs, I Stay Motivated, I Work Authentically, My Career Is Rewarding | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

In Gratitude On Thankgiving And Beyond: Personal Story

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Ruchira Agrawal

Gratitude is the inward feeling of kindness received. Thankfulness is the natural impulse to express that feeling. Thanksgiving is the following of that impulse. Henry Van Dyke

Thanksgiving is almost here, it is a joyful time for many as they are surrounded by there dear ones. This is also a day to express gratitude by being thankful for everything.

But have you noticed that as soon as the day is over, how easy it is for people to get out of their mindset of being thankful and slide right into the ‘mindset of lack’ –

Wish I had a spouse. or Wish I didn’t have my current one as the case maybe
What do I have to be thankful for, my life sucks. Wish things were different
Wish I had a better job or a more supportive boss
Wish I had better hours,a bigger paycheck, sensitive co-workers
Wish I lived in a better house or a city
Wish this or that

The endless list of ‘what I don’t have and wish I did’ continues on and on. So is being thankful reserved for only one day, what about rest of the 364 days?

If you will notice that it’s very easy to focus on that one thing that you don’t have but forget the ten others that you do have. It’s just the mindset of so many. Infact I have to admit I was in that place myself where it was so effortless to keep focussing on what I wished for and take for granted what I actually did.

And then one day I came across a passage in a book that I was reading, and the very wise author shared – “You won’t get what you don’t have until you learn to be grateful for what you do have”. Somehow something clicked inside me and that day I made a decision – to get and stay In Gratitude even when I didn’t have everything that I wanted.

Now by no means this was an overnight process, yes changing took years but it was a habit that I wanted to inculcate. I saw the benefit in adopting and making this a part of my daily routine, and come to think of it what did I really have to lose by being grateful everyday. Nothing, if anything, there was only to gain.

So I started by writing my Gratitude List everyday – 10 things that I have in my life today that I am grateful for.

Everyday I would religiously write and if it were the same things and there was nothing new, I would write them again.

Then I supplemented this writing with what I call my ‘Gratitude Rock’ - a simple rock that I picked from the river bed behind my house; similar to one in the picture. I placed it on my work desk and everyday morning as my computer was booting up and I was about to begin my day, I would hold this little rock in my hand and mentally recite all the things that I am thankful for.


I have always been a positive person even in the midst of adversity so that was never the issue but remembering to be thankful for what I did have and not always worrying about what I didn’t, was. With this new habit, I was changing my years of ‘mindset of lack’ that didn’t serve me well.

If you are someone who has struggled with being grateful everyday or your focus is always on the negative, I encourage you to practice Gratitude not just on Thanksgiving day but beyond. Trouble getting started? Well start by thinking what I did – ‘What do I really have to lose’.

Make a list of 10 things you are thankful for and do this exercise every single day. Here’s my Gratitude List for today –

1. Grateful for the beauty of the mountains and the river that surrounds me
2. Grateful for the fresh air that I breathe
3. Grateful for my family and everything they do for me
4. Grateful for the flowers that I recieved a week ago from my family
5. Grateful for the joy and contentment I feel in my heart every single day
6. Grateful for clients that I get to work with
7. Grateful for always being taken care off and provided for by the Universe
8. Grateful for being able to pursue what I love to do for my work
9. Grateful that I am in good health and losing some lbs that I really needed to
10.Grateful that I get to drink my christmas blend coffee this morning

Now it’s your turn. Make your list and share with us in the comment section if you like. Happy Holidays everyone. Stay In Gratitude not just on Thankgiving day but on all 365 days. :)

Posted in I Am Continually Evolving, I Am Happy For No Reason, I Am Worth It, I Have Supportive Beliefs, I Stay Motivated, I Take Care Of Me | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment