Previous Newsletters

• Light Bulb Star: Leah Kershaw, solicitor
  
• Life in the office is a box of chocolate!
• Tell me what you think
• Why people get stuck and how to get unstuck
  
• 1 Referral = $50
• Who's in for a little competition?
• What's Norma been up to?

In the past, I've always profiled someone who had started a business in their ideal career. Following from a reader's feedback (thank you!), I thought I would take on their suggestion and profile people who love what they do, no matter what it is. Leah is a solicitor and a great hockey player. That's where I met her, on the hockey pitch. Leah's always been positive about her job and even when she has a bad day (she is human) I always got the sense she loves what she does.  So let's hear it from her on why she chose law and what it's like to be a solicitor.  

 <!--[endif]-->

Life in the office is a box of chocolates!

Last month's email profiled Robert Mellor and showed how you're never too old to start a new career. This month I came across this article in the DominionPost which I thought was great because it proves (for those that still don't believe me) that you can turn a passion into a job and truly love what you do. In this article Claire McKay shares what her job as Quality Manager entails and why she loves it so much. Quality Manager may not sound very exciting to some but the position title is only one aspect to it. When looking for your dream job, you need to look deeper at what the job entails, who the company is, what do they specialise in and more.

Tell me what you think 

In order to motivate and inspire you, I'm keen to get your feedback on these monthly emails. Could you please take a couple of minutes to tell me what you think, how I can make these emails better and how you'd like me to change them by clicking on this link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HFSPT72

Thank you in advance, I really appreciate it!

Why people get stuck and how to get unstuck

There seems to be way too many people unhappy at work. The most common reasons I've come across are:

• They simply don't find the work stimulating, fun, challenging and rewarding
• They're not paid enough
• They don't like their boss, colleagues or both

If you're in that case, you have two choices, keep moaning about your situation or try and do something about it. Surely there is a solution out there, you just have to find it. People know they're not happy but  are too scared of turning the situation around. It seems fear gets in the way with thoughts like 'I'm not good at this so how can I be better at anything else?' or ' I've already made 1 wrong decision about my career, I don't want to make another one!' or even 'There's no way I'll be able to find a job I love, that's impossible'.

Well, let me tell you how wrong you are. But for anything to change, you have to start at the core, your thoughts. Change your thinking and everything else will follow. If you think you can't, then you can't. If you think you won't, then you won't. But if you think you can then for goodness sake: you can! Every journey starts with a single step, so what step are you going to make after reading this email so you can be happy at work? Here's a hint: believe you can. Then take one action, as in, actually do something to get you closer to your goal. Here are a few action ideas:

• Determine whether you seriously need to change job or whether you need to alter your current role slightly. If the latter, what's missing for it to be exciting? 
• Write down what an ideal work day looks like
• Write down what your achievements have been to date (not just work, everything)
• Write down what you don't enjoy about your current role and what you do enjoy then decide what you're going to do to change each thing you don't like. Remember, take responsibility, if you don't like someone, then how can YOU look at this person differently to make it more bearable? If you don't like a certain task, can you delegate? If you can't, how can you make it fun?
  
• Write down what your skills and strengths are
• Talk to friends and family about what they do, that'll give you ideas of potential careers
• Buy my 'Discover your ideal career' workbook and complete the exercise (Here's a thought!)

Possibilities are endless if you give yourself permission to be bold, be brave, face to fears and do it anyway.

Refer a friend and get $50

Who do you know who wants to find their ideal career? If they're ready to stop being a 'gunna' and do something about it, I'd love to contact them. If they sign up to 1 month of coaching minimum, I'll send you a $50 voucher of your choice. Email me at norma@eurekacoaching.co.nz with their contact details.

Who's in for a little competition?

I'm offering a free copy of 'Discover your ideal career' to the first person that emails me a career they want to know more about. Winner will be announced in next month's newsletter. Good luck!

In last month's competition, Anne emailed me the correct answer: Rachael's message was 'Never, Never, Never, Never, Never, Give Up!!!!!!!!'. Anne has won the 2 free coaching sessions with me. Great working with you Anne!

• Light Bulb Star: Rachael Kesha, Singer
  
• It's never too late to land your dream job
• Feedback from our readers
  
• 1 Referral = $50
• Who's in for a little competition?
• What's Norma been up to?

I met Kesha through work at PropertyIQ a few months ago. She is a vibrant woman who is following her passion for singing. She is growing her singing reputation in Wellington since moving up from Dunedin. Read her story on how she started her singing business while working full-time. Busy lifestyle! Here is Rachael's band Kesha!'s bio.

 <!--[endif]-->

It's never too late to land your dream job!

My brother is considering moving to Wellington and we were having a conversation around what sort of job he could do if he chooses to move up from the South Island. His whole work experience has been around farming and he said to me 'but what job will I get? I can't do anything else...no one's going to want to employ me." Well, with that kind of attitude, he might be right. So I said to him that he needs to change his thinking, for starters. Why put limiting beliefs upon ourselves? What good is that going to do? Change your thinking and the rest will follow. I explained that if you put your mind to it, you could work in anything. You just have to believe you can and convince your future employer that they'll be making a wise investment by hiring you, which isn't that hard to do. If know what sort of person they are looking to hire, you can determine whether you fit their criteria and you can then show them how, with past experience, skills, knowledge and the right attitude, you're the person they need to employ! The next day, I came across this article in the Dominion Post which I thought was fantastic. It just shows you how you're never too old to retrain into something totally different. If you have the right attitude and support, you really can do anything. Here is Robert Mellor's story on how he went from working in the Timber industry for years to starting an automotive apprenticeship in his 50's. As the saying goes, you CAN teach old dogs new tricks.

 Feedback from our readers

Kylie emailed me in response to the June newsletter:

"Great newsletter Norma! I'm reading this book call The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss and it's amazing. You definitely should read it! Something you said about quitting reminded me about a point in his book called "non-finishing". He says you should practice the art of non-finishing and get good at it because we often waste a lot of time on things that suck. For example, if you're reading an article and half way through you think to yourself that it's boring, then don't finish it! Or if you're half way through a movie and it's totally crap, walk out! Go spend your time on better things rather than wasting it on things that suck just because we've been trained to see things through. Check out the four hour work week blog"

Good point Kylie. I totally agree with you. I have a link to the Tim Ferris' book in my free resources page. This relates to so many aspect of our life. Why should we spend time in a job we don't like or as you say 'sucks'? Shouldn't you be better off trying to figure out what you'd love to do and work towards that instead? Similarly, if you have a friend who isn't really there for you and makes you feel down after seeing him/her rather than feeling uplifted, what is the point? Personally I'd rather spend time with true friends. The same goes with your partner. If he or she doesn' knock your socks off, isn't it better to be single than with the wrong person? Life's short!

Refer a friend and get $50

Who do you know who wants to find their ideal career? If they're ready to stop being a 'gunna' and do something about it, I'd love to contact them. If they sign up to 1 month of coaching minimum, I'll send you a $50 voucher of your choice. Email me at norma@eurekacoaching.co.nz with their contact details.

Who's in for a little competition?

I'm offering two free coaching sessions to the first person that emails me Rachael's message to you. Winner will be announced in next month's newsletter. Good luck!

In last month's competition, Megan guessed the correct answer: Miriam faces her fear by taking a 'slowly, slowly' approach. Miriam's voucher is on its way to you Megan, enjoy.

In this issue:

• What's Norma been up to
• Light Bulb Star: Miriam Tong, Nanny
• Patience
  
• 1 Referral = $50
• Who's in for a little competition?

What's Norma been up to?

The career workbook is now live and can be purchased through PayPal via credit card or direct credit!  Only $29.99 inc GST. Thanks Toni for all your web genius. If you'd like a sneak preview,  here is the table of contents.

Keep having fun,

Norma

Light Bulb Star of the month: Miriam Tong, Nanny

I met Miriam through her sister recently and loved her business id ea. Her story inspired me  to write this month's newsletter. Check out her story on how she took a standard career and turned it into a successful unique business.

Patience 

'Patience is a virtue'.  'Good things come to those who wait'. You've most probably heard those sayings, but do you apply them? I don't usually, although I am getting better. Our Light Bulb Star Miriam has shown that you don't have to go at a million miles an hour to be successful, nor to achieve your goals.

What is it that makes us impatient when we don't get what we want, right now! Is it about timing? How do you decipher whether you should be patient or push through? I'm not usually one to wait for things to happen, I prefer to make things happen. Does this mean I am impatient? According to Wikipedia, patience is described as the state of endurance under difficult circumstances, which can mean persevering in the face of delay or provocation without acting on annoyance/anger in a negative way. So I guess you could look at patience as being the same as perseverance or not giving up, while making sure you keep you cool. The interesting factor here is that it all depends on the situation.

Sometimes, I think it is a good thing to give up or to lose your patience, even though we may not want to admit it (and probably not something you often hear from a coach, but let's be realistic). We could be going in the totally wrong direction so to give up would mean we'd change things for the better. The other aspect you could argue is, getting annoyed might push you that little bit more to get a breakthrough. Whether it is by being strong-minded and not giving up or getting annoyed to the point that you change direction.

Either way, I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer. It all depends on the situation. What do you think?

Refer a friend and get $50

Who do you know who wants to achieve big goals? If they're ready to stop being a 'gunna' and do something about it, I'd love to contact them. If they sign up to a coaching series, I'll send you a $50 voucher of your choice. Email me at norma@eurekacoaching.co.nz with their contact details.

Who's in for a little competition?

Miriam Tong is kindly offering a voucher for a half-day booking of her services (3-4 hours, either am or pm) preferably within the suburbs of Seatoun to Khandallah, to the first person that emails me Miriam's approach to face her fear. Winner will be announced in next month's newsletter. Good luck!

In last month's competition, Daina guessed the correct answer: Nicci is on a 4 months contract. Voucher is on its way.

In case you tried to contact Nicci through her website, since the last newsletter, please note there was a technical glitch. If you tried to contact her and she didn't get back to you, she hasn't been ignoring you! The good news is that it's all fixed now. So, feel free to contact her again via http://www.niccitong.co.nz/contact

Welcome to the May 2010 edition of Light Bulb Moments - the monthly newsletter to inspire and motivate you!

In this issue:

• What's Norma been up to
• Light Bulb Star: Nicci Tong, Artist
• Expectations and communication should hold hands 24/7
• Feedback from our readers
• 1 Referral = $50
• Who's in for a little competition?

What's Norma been up to?

I've been having fun writing this monthly newsletter, sending prizes to the competition winner and working with existing and new clients. One of them has a goal of finding his ideal career and I'm so happy with being part of the ride!

I'm still working on making the career workbook available as an e-book too, which you will be able  to download straight from our website by the end of June. You will be able to pay via credit card through Paypal. Got to love technology! If you decide to purchase it, I would love your feedback, so please drop me line and tell me honestly what you think.

Outside of work, indoor football has finished. So to keep fit, I've entered the Xterra Trail Run Series, and completed the first race with Leah. Great fun but hard work. It started off with a 3km hill! I rewarded myself with home made crepes afterwards with some friends. Next one is in 3 weeks time. Will keep you posted.

Have fun,

Norma

Light Bulb Star of the month: Nicci Tong, Artist

I met Nicci in Wellington, in February this year, at a concert with mutual friends. I love her enthusiasm and energy and was very keen on sharing her story with you when I heard it. True to her artistic nature, she took the standard Light Bulb Star template and changed it to suit her. Read how she decided to quit her well paid but unfulfilling job and pursue her true love: art. Now she's taking it even further. I won't spoil the surprise. Check out her story and see for yourself.

Expectations and communications should hold hands 24/7

I see this all too often and it affects people every day. Whether it's at work, on the sports field, at home with your partner, kids, friends and family, in business with your customers and suppliers, it happens. I'm talking about communicating expectations. People close to me have heard me say this before. If you don't communicate your expectations to the person you're dealing with, how do you think they're going to be able to meet them? It's not like they have a crystal ball! It's a pretty simple thing to do, yet it doesn't happen enough. Maybe because, like me sometimes, I think people can read my mind. Not sure where that comes from, but that's the thought that goes through my head at times!

From a work perspective, if your manager expects you to turn up to work at 8:30am, but when you started they didn't communicate that to you, what do you think is going to happen? Your current boss will expect you to be at work 'on time' and you might think that rocking up at 9-9:30am is fine, because you're going to take a shorter lunchbreak or work later. What's the harm right? Try to tell that to your boss...

 It works exactly the same in your personal relationships and links in nicely with the 5 Love Languages By Gary Chapman (which I highly recomment checking out!). If you don't know what your partner expects of you, how can you deliver? Everyone has a different set of expectations and rules so if we don't communicate them, disagreements happen. If we don't talk about it, then we'll just get annoyed and won't get even close to solving the problem. When in fact, it's pretty simple isn't it?

Open, clear, direct communication of what you expect. Make sure you allow the other person to do the same, as it takes two to Tango. If you're both on the same page, it's easy. If you're not, at least you know and you can work on how to get a win-win situation! Try it and let me know what happens, would love your feedback.

Feedback from our readers

Eureka Coaching is a useful link! Following from last month's newsletter, Sally Breed from It @ Work Recruitment, has kindly asked for me to be on her website as a useful resource for job seekers. Thank you Sally! It @ Work Recruitment specialises in providing people with solid technology experience across the IT arena. Providing skilled resources when you need it!

Refer a friend and get $50

Who do you know that wants to achieve some big goals? If they're ready to stop being a 'gunna' and do something about it, I'd love to contact them. If they sign up to a coaching series, I'll send you a $50 voucher of your choice. Email me at norma@eurekacoaching.co.nz with their contact details.

Who's in for a little competition?

Nicci Tong has kindly offered a $50 discount off any of her artwork to the first person that emails me the length of her current work contract. Winner will be announced in next month's newsletter. Good luck!

In last month's competition, Nicci guessed the correct answer. In her email, she wrote 'David was in Sydney!! Late I know but I needed you to know I took notice of my first Eureka newsletter! Love them!' Thank you for the feedback, I'm glad you're enjoying the light bulb moments and even agreed to be profiled.

Welcome to the March 2010 edition of Light Bulb Moments - the monthly newsletter to get inspired, motivated and find direction!

In this issue:

• What's Norma been up to
• Light Bulb Star: Anne Fontaine, Translator, editor and proofreader
• New Character Strength survey
• Discover your ideal career workbook for sale
• Are you a 'Gunna'?
• Feedback from our readers
• 1 Referral = $50
• Who's in for a little competition?