I believe humans can learn a lot if they only invested some time observing the interactions of other species of the animal kingdom.

If there’s a dog at home, then you have an in-house Guru who can show you some tricks that will benefit your career and even your relationships.

I’m not talking about chasing your tail (or even an imaginary one), barking at everyone or digging holes and hoarding prized possessions, which guarantee being stuck in a rut but more concrete activities.

I’ve seen these furry-faced companions interact both as pack animals when we had 5 miniature brown dachshunds as well as my current canine pal, Miss Coco in action.

That’s when I discovered how authentic leaders are chosen not on the basis of seniority or authority but because the dog is able to ascertain who is the strongest, wisest and worthy of being the leader.

They literally look at the options in front of them and evaluate them based on different qualities and dare I say actually apply the concept of 5 Power Bases of Leadership.

Dogs are pack animals and choose their own Leader

I discovered that when I was stuck in bed with a broken leg and had all the time in the world to observe what the family lovingly called The Dachshund Five.

I saw how Goldie became the leader. By chance she was also the eldest. If she barked and ran in a direction, the other 4 followed in a line.

If there was a squabble between any of them, Goldie would actually go and intervene.

She was a genuine leader who led by example and even a role model for the other 4 members of her family.

When the cast came off my leg and I was learning to balance myself without a crutch, I had 5 little ones follow me ready to break my fall even if I broke their backs by falling on them.

Fortunately dogs consider humans to be superior so we don’t become members of the pack but can become leaders – provided we demonstrate our worth. In fact, dogs are known to assess the humans in the house and select one.

It seems I was the Chosen One and my parents would tell me about how Goldie ruled the home during the day and then retire once I got back from work.

I can only hope I lived up to the expectations of my beloved pets, especially Goldie.

Dogs really have high Emotional Intelligence

Even if you indulged me while I reminisced over The Dachshund Five, my assertion of canines having high EI or EQ is not baseless.

There’s an entire page in Wikipedia on Dog Intelligence. Studies have proven that just as humans experience a reduction in stress and anxiety levels by patting a dog for 15 minutes, when humans pet shelter dogs for 15 minutes or more, the dog becomes less anxious.

Our furry friends experience feelings of jealousy and studies have shown that a pet will try to solve the problem and get their pet parent’s attention back on them!

These wise animals are socially aware and can tell the difference in our emotional expressions of sad and happy human faces.

I know this for a fact as I shared my story with Bruno in my post Even Today, the Spirit of Yudhishthira’s Dog Lives On, where I recount how a small puppy kept me going as I faced my first redundancy in the post-Gulf War period.

If ever I saw the quality of empathy on display, this was it!

Miss Coco, the current Pup in Command in my home demonstrates empathy to outsiders too when we are on our walks and can teach my coaching clients a trick or two about networking!

That cute face with a wag-filled tail has made us the first friends any new resident makes when they come to live in our complex and more people remember her birthday and inquire about her if I am ever downstairs alone!

When I introduce fellow residents in the complex to each other, I actually add ‘X is also a friend of Miss Coco’s’ and suddenly both people seem to be more open to knowing each other!

Apparently they’ve passed the Know, Like and Trust criterion set by my dog!

Apply Dog Wisdom to positively impact your Career Prospect Now

Before you think only my canine companions have all the intelligence in the world, let me point out that every dog parent I’ve ever known has similar stories about their beloved furry family member.

That’s why I’m dedicating this post to the Canine Community and their Human Honorary Members with 7 pieces of Career Advice that dogs have to offer.

I’m not suggesting that you don’t consider hiring a Career or Executive Coach, but these tips are a good place to start.

Parting Words on career advice from dogs

I hope you’ve enjoyed the short but relevant presentation the dogs (and guest cats) made.

As the human writing this blog post, I have 3 more tips that I picked up as the Leader of the Pack:

1. Follow the rules. How does a dog know which objects are okay to chew? The logic behind some rules may elude you, but unless it’s visibly unfair or breaking a law, it’s best to go along with them to preserve order in the workplace. If you can’t, find another job.
2. Persistence is a big part of success. Stay focused and keep on the trail no matter what obstacles arise. (Hint: If you get blocked from digging under the fence, maybe you can persuade someone to open the gate for you.)
3. Contribute to the pack. Above all, think beyond your own interests to participate as a team player. Take satisfaction in working together to achieve common goals and improve everyone’s well-being. You can accomplish much more working with others than you ever could on your own. Be a team player!

If you feel you need more guidance, then download Karmic Ally Coaching’s 5 Ways to stay Confident in a Competitive Workplace here or by clicking below.

Isn’t it amazing how an otherwise minor event in one’s life can lead to many learning experiences?

That’s been the case with Mission Sofa Shopping from my post ‘How to Influence People with Authentic Persuasion’ that led to reflections on staying motivated to complete the bigger goals that we set for ourselves.

I’d love to say there was a happy ending with the shop fulfilling its promise to deliver in 10 days of placing the order but it took us over 3 weeks to get the new sofa set.

Suddenly a simple purchase acquired the status of a goal to get the sofa set as soon as possible because I had a buyer for the old one (which happened very quickly, I must say).

I needed to make sure all the moving parts were in sync because 1 slip up would have upset the entire apple cart. A SMART Goal was established and I got to work.

Mission Sofa Shopping now transformed into Project Sofa Delivery got me thinking about Goal Achievement and the role of rest to maintain and motivation to achieve the goal.

Here’s what happened.

Last week Wednesday I cornered the shop where we had placed the order for the new sofa set and reminded them they were 2 weeks overdue. To my surprise, they said we could come to inspect it the next day and lo behold the set was ready.

They were ready to send it that evening itself but I had to first go to the bank and get the balance of money out because they wanted a cash payment and also arrange with the buyer of the old sofa set to take it before the new one came home.

All went according to plan – money withdrawn on Thursday afternoon and old sofa set given a wistful and sentimental adieu on Friday and then the wait for the new one to arrive at 6 pm.

Thank God my Mom decided to check with the sofa maker at 4 pm if they had loaded the new set only to be told they would send it the next day because they forgot the delivery was due that day!

To cut a long story short, my Mom talked to them the way only a Mom can talk and the time was rescheduled for 9 pm that evening because of traffic rules about trucks being off the road during rush hour.

Then the poor delivery man got lost! The furniture arrived by 9.30 pm and by 10 pm, we had a new sofa set and a very upset dog in the house.

Miss Coco is almost 11 years old and the activity of strange people coming into the house and removing sofa sets and then even stranger people coming late at night during her walk time to replace it with something new was not fun.

By Saturday morning, the only thing I wanted to do was drink coffee and generally rest.

I listed my weekend To Do List Tasks and plugged them into my Ken Blanchard’s Quadrant. That approach is similar to the Covey Quadrant which many people are more familiar with. Let’s say nothing there fell in the Covey style Urgent and Important or Not Urgent and Important slots.

I decided I needed a break.

I mean, if I made it a point not to work on weekends during my corporate world years unless there was a deadline that required all hands on deck, then why couldn’t I, the boss of Karmic Ally Coaching do the same?

After all, our employers did give us compensatory time off to rest and rejuvenate.

Especially since I had achieved a major goal? Did I dare to take the same advice that I give my stressed out clients?

Couldn’t I defer all the other goals I had? Especially if my life didn’t depend on them?

In fact, taking a short break between goal completions is important.

The Motivation Factor in the Realm of Goals

Keeping yourself motivated when you have a list of goals can certainly be a challenge. Imagine having a to-do list of pressures that you’ve put on yourself – that’s basically what a list of goals is.

If you’re not motivated to get them done, you can soon find yourself giving up and never making any goals again.

Focus on what is important to you, and let everything else go. Scan all areas of your life and clear out the internal and external clutter, and you’ll experience remarkable transformation.

Rest and rejuvenate. Do what matters and release the rest.

Simple as it might sound, these principles apply even when we’re dealing with long term big picture goals.

Here are 5 quick ways to make sure you stay on track and motivated to meet your goals.

Give yourself incentives

You should be thinking about this when you’re making the goals. How will you benefit once the goal is completed? Will you get more than just a sense of achievement?

Goals focused on qualifications and exams, for example, are beneficial to you since you will have a qualification for the rest of your life if you pass.

For goals which are less incentivized and require an extra push, promise yourself a new wardrobe or a new pair of shoes or even a premium perfume if you complete it within your desired time frame.

These rewards will also remind you of previous achievements when you start to feel stuck in new goal completions.

Bonus Tip: Learn to celebrate your small Successes.

Talk to others

Discuss your goals with other people if you feel comfortable doing so. Thousands of people make goals every year, so you’re bound to know somebody you could talk to about them.

It could give you inspiration, and you could get some useful tips off them on how they manage to complete their goals or how they maintain motivation.

If people in your circle haven’t faced your particular challenge, look around in your social media groups and raise a discussion.

You’d be surprised at the amount of knowledge and experience is available within the community.

I’ve seen discussions ranging from selling a house and purchasing a new one, cataract surgeries and lately even one on root canal treatments!

Don’t see your goals in isolation

Those who view their goals in isolation are often less likely to meet them. Rather than viewing your goal as just a number or another goal, think about other goals you have and ways it ties into them.

For example, you may have your sights set on a particular role at work or on a promotion that you will be eligible for in 2 years’ time.

Achieving the Key Performance Indices set by your boss in a systematic manner by remembering that each of the goals in your annual performance plan will help you meet your targets and even motivate you to raise your game and do more to demonstrate you have what it takes.

Adopt a favorite stress management technique to help you keep your mind calm and focused

My all-time favorite is Transcendental Meditation (TM) that I have been practicing since my internship days in London.

I found it helped me cope with the pressures of a full day’s work at my employers and still have the energy and required focus to study for my Chartered Accountant exams in the evening- my big picture goal at the time as I knew the qualification would open doors for my desired career.

TM is a simple technique practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.

Unlike other forms of meditation, this practice involves no concentration, no control of the mind, no contemplation, no monitoring of thoughts. It automatically allows the active thinking mind to settle down to a state of inner calm.

In addition to calming the mind and improving focus, a new study by investigators from The Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE) discovered school district staff in California who practiced TM for four months had significant improvements in emotional intelligence and perceived stress.

Another good tool is Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or Tapping. This technique involves tapping on meridian points while articulating the problem and then reframing it to shift the mindset to one of solution orientation.

And my favourite!

Give yourself a break

Life shouldn’t be all about targets and meeting your goals, whether they are personal or work-related. Take some time to give yourself a break every now and then.

When you go on vacation, for example, try not to think about your goals as much and use the time to reflect.

Many people take one day a week to relax from fitness goals, or an entire weekend to stop thinking about work.

After Project Sofa Delivery, I took the entire weekend off with no social media, no client work and nothing that required exertion in order to recoup my energy and start the next week on a fresh note and focus on other important goals that had been deferred.

Final thoughts on big picture goals

It’s easy to think of and set big picture goals and we might believe that Goal setting is an intuitive process that results in achievement.

But there are a few specific rules to goal setting that make the process much more efficient, and effective!

Set Yourself Up for Success from the Beginning

Huge, lofty goals are the best goals – and everyone should have big goals! The end goal, the big one, can be as big as you’d like, but make sure that’s not the only goal you set.

Smaller interim goals are necessary to ensure your road to success is a smooth one. It becomes too overwhelming to set one goal even if it is a great end goal.

For example in my book Money Success Secret: Alchemy of Mindset and Management, I approach Finance Goals and Money Management from the perspective of having big goals and byte size goals that lead up to our ultimate end goal.

Set Realistic Goals

Be realistic with your goals. For example, if purchasing a new car in the next year just isn’t going to happen, don’t set yourself a goal that big, or you’ll only be setting yourself up for failure from the very get-go. Instead, set more realistic goals that you actually have the chance to achieve.

There are usually many smaller goals that make up large goals, and there’s nothing wrong with setting a pace for yourself so that you stay on track. This is definitely preferable to getting overwhelmed and ending up endlessly negatively analyzing your every move.

If it is a transformation goal, be kind to yourself and accept it might take longer to manifest.

Setting realistic goals will make sure that you achieve them!

Visualize and Believe

The goals you set become so much more concrete in your mind when you can also visualize them and believe that you’ll reach them.

The first step in effective visualization is to pull all your senses into the process. If your goal is a new sedan, imagine how it feels to drive in that car, the amount of leg space, the new features compared to your current car. Visualize taking your family for a long drive in it and how happy everyone is.

Utilizing the senses in this way when you visualize will help secure this goal within your subconscious mind, and effectively make it easier to take the actions you need to take to work towards your goals. Your actions will follow your thoughts, so make visualization a part of your daily routine.

I’ve described the process in my post on creative visualization if you want to learn the exact method. It helped me manifest a new laptop in record time!

How will you stay motivated to achieve your long term goals?

Can a woman professional, or any professional for that matter, actually invest in training for 1 career and then having spent what feels like a lifetime in that career actually move into a completely different second innings career with success?

I was asked that question sometime back by a fellow Chartered Accountant who understood going into finance services based business for oneself but was curious about the 180 degree turn.

My answer was an emphatic yes.

I detail my own journey in Meet Your Coach where I share my Ideal Statement as well as my journey following not one but two wake up calls.

It’s not easy to chuck up a well-paying job to pursue a different career path.

More often than not it isn’t even job dissatisfaction that prompts a professional to take what can only be described as a leap of faith into the unknown into the world of self-employment, business or even a completely different industry!

Yet it can be done.

That’s why I always recommend prospective clients and even existing ones to take my quiz on Job or Career Change to determine where they are on their journey to achieving Self Realization.

Most people go to college to do what they believe they have wanted to do all their lives. The first several years are rewarding.

Then they start to realize this is something they are going to do until they retire. They are quickly disillusioned, and they get into a rut.

Some continue doing what they do out of fear there is nothing else, or they are getting a steady pay check. The lucky few, however, break away and find their true passion in life.

Even when we choose a completely different career or vocation path, you must remember 1 thing. You never lose the wealth of knowledge or experience that you have gained in your previous career.

The person you are today is the sum total of all your experiences – the good, the bad and the ugly.

Sometimes the trigger is a small event. Or it’s knowing that something is missing that compels us to listen to our Inner Voice. This leads to our embarking on our Hero or Heroine Journey to correct that misalignment.

As George Eliot eloquently said, “It is never too late to be what you might have been”.

On that note, I’m sharing the stories of 4 remarkable women professionals who’ve experienced successful careers. They’ve then created a second innings career to fulfil their Soul Purpose while being of service to others.

Each of these ladies is known to me personally and when I asked them to share their story and a success secret tip, they not only agreed but also graciously offered a gift to the reader.

May their stories inspire you the way they inspire me!

Reba Linker – From Dance Dream to Healer

I’m actually into my 3rd inning (at least)! I joke that I’m trying to squeeze six lifetimes into one, and that is probably the best way to explain my life.

I had a career working for non-profit organizations, moving from one position to another, first working with an internationally renowned dance company, and then with a cultural and educational exchange program between the U.S. and India.

It was glamorous and exciting, but I wanted to follow my ‘dance dream’ and open my own dance studio in Manhattan, and that’s what I did for my 2nd inning.

I was a ‘boss’ for the first time, and created a colorful space for people, music, dance, and parties. However, after 5 years, my lease was up and I was pregnant with my first child, so it was the right time for another change.

My 3rd inning came about while writing my first book, Follow the Yarn. 

It started as a light-hearted project to collect my knitting teacher’s sayings and knitting tips. Instead, the process catalyzed huge ‘aha moments’ for me. I started to face and understand my past in ways I never had before, and to understand the spiritual wisdom I had studied in a deeper way.

For many years I had studied meditation and metaphysics with a great spiritual teacher, Shanta. Now it started coming together in a way that meant putting that knowledge into practice –embodying what I knew to be true – and sharing it with others.

That’s how I became a healer/lightworker, empowering others to live their best lives, and know their true worth.

My tip for your readers, Vatsala is: Live your dreams! The rewards you seek are not at the end of the journey, but in the flowers you pick along the way. Your dreams hold many gifts for you. Take the journey and receive!

I would like to offer your readers a free 20-minute private consultation.

They can use this link to schedule:
https://my.timetrade.com/book/C2B5R

Andrea Feinberg – From Award winning Product Developer at S & P to Coach and Jeweler

I’ve been very fortunate to enjoy several completely different careers, all of which grew out of each other. When I moved into NYC, looking for a life’s direction, I found the best and last job I had: manager of a department with world-renown Standard & Poor’s Corporation, the debt-rating agency; I had a very happy career there, winning awards in product development 3 times.

However, after 10 years, I discovered the other side of my brain was calling and I did a very major ‘180’ to become a crafts artist, selling my hand-crafted merchandise to museums, zoos, botanical gardens.

In 2001 I sold that business, having discovered several years prior that, as much as I was proud of the product I made, it didn’t fully engage my brain and excitement daily; I had heard of ‘coaching’ in the late ’90’s and, after a brief exploration, enrolled in Coach U where I trained for 3 years with Thomas Leonard, founder of what has become a worldwide phenomenon, to become the business coach I am today.

Through my current business, Coaching Insight LLC, I partner with ambitious, independence-driven business owners to accelerate revenue and happier quality of life. We do it through implementation of strategic planning, targeted marketing and awareness of new ways to approach problems and opportunities.

Does this appeal to you? You can find 9 Breakthrough Ideas on my home page, www.bossonthebeach.com

And yet, despite my love for my current business, my ability to learn new ways to relate to clients and enjoy the success of those clients who follow through on their commitments, I still so enjoy working with my hands!

That’s why I also have pursued a completely different endeavor with jewelry; you can see some of my work here: www.facebook.com/AndreaBeadazzles

Tip for readers: Ultimately, each experience guides us to what’s next and, whatever is current, has been nourished out of our past. We simply have to listen for the cues to guide us to necessary change and opportunity.

However, if what is calling you is your own business, make sure it responds to a real need in a well-defined, easily reachable market.

Passion for your endeavor without connecting to a market that seeks your product/services is a hobby, not a business!

Kim Julen – From the world of Insurance Claims to Feng Shui Expert

My history includes working in insurance claims for nearly 17 years handling litigation and negotiation. My commercial claims background involved significant injuries and exposures including liquor liability, physical/sexual abuse, death and paraplegia, construction defects and real estate.

After leaving the corporate world, I ran my own jewelry business for 10 years and was an independent gold buyer. There many weekends where I purchased over $10,000 in gold! I knew, however, that gold buying was not a forever business because as the economy improved, the price of gold dropped.

I felt a calling to do more spiritually based work and launched my business, Finding Your Fiji, in 2013.

Shortly thereafter, I was in California for a Wayne Dyer/Abraham Hicks event. The vibration at the event was extremely high, to the point where I could barely stay awake during the session.

The next morning, I had an awakening moment of being able to hear my Spiritual Team of angels and guides very clearly, as if they were sitting right next to me. They shared that channeling guidance was part of my life’s work as well.

My business, Finding Your Fiji, is now 5 years old. My mission is helping others find and live their Fiji (aka dream life). I’m living my own dream, having moved from Minnesota to Maui, sight unseen, a year and a half ago and continuing to do the work that I love!

I am a life and business coach – bringing harmony to your head. I am an Intuitive – bringing harmony to your heart by providing guidance for business and life through Angel Readings. And, I am a Feng Shui expert – bringing harmony to your home.

Tip for Readers: Do what you love and follow the flow of what feels easy and light!

Website link: http://www.findingyourfiji.com/

Vidushi Maan – From Headhunter to Educationist

I am Vidushi Maan, mother of two, manager by training and educator by profession in that order. Like most middle class Indian women, my career has been a direct result of motherhood, proximity of workplace, travel etc.

After I gave birth to my son, I also gave birth to frustrations. I had always put motherhood on a pedestal of sacrifice, love and eternal bliss, these notions were fed in part by society and in part by attempting to be a better person that what I thought myself capable of.

I am a Karma person and have always believed in being proactive and positive.

I started running a recruitment consultancy at home. Now, this was also born from necessity. A recruitment setup was something one could run from the house and required minimal investment. The client interaction was primarily over the phone.

Surprise, surprise, I started doing well, although that’s an entirely subjective term, a better way to put it would be that I became sustainable. I hired some people and fed a small cottage office.

After three years, I had my daughter. No surprises there, I took another break. To cut 6 years short, we managed an office, some steady clients and a firm.

Fast forward 3 years and some complexities later, I decided that now I needed to get out of my house and guess what’s the other profession that you could be a part of and “take care” of your family. Of course, that’s a teacher.

I became a teacher in a school that was 400 meters from my house and to my surprise I really enjoyed it. Yes, I was bound by a schedule unlike self-employment and literally had every minute of the day mapped. The salary was paltry yet I was happy.

I did well and within a year was hired to be the in-charge of the Junior Wing of another school. While I was a teacher I attended a phonic training and immediately I could sense that I could turn it into an employment opportunity.

I have become a resource person for content and ELT trainings with two leading publishing MNCs. I have also revised seven books for a leading publishing house.   Now, that’s a leap for a person who could only go to work at a place less than a kilometer away.

This may sound like a success story; trust me I am far from it. Having said that, I am at a happy place in my mind and heart. I know that I am open to opportunities and I am confident that more will come my way.

I have met some fantastic people along the way and I shall remain forever grateful to them. Let me just end with my favorite quote by an awesome guy “You don’t get anywhere without saying yes” – Joel Stein.

Tip for readers: Say yes to opportunities no matter how small they seem to be.

Parting Advice for Success in Second Inning Careers

There is a thread in the stories of these amazing ladies who accepted their Call to Adventure. They found fulfilling Second Inning careers (sometimes even 3^rd and 4^th inning) at the end of their Hero Journey.

When we believe in ourselves and our willing to invest in getting the required skills and training for our dream career, the sky is the limit.

We may even chose to change career tracks instead of a job. Some professionals may decide to escape the rat race and start up their own business. This will help transform your life in ways that you never imagined.

Choosing a business you are passionate about gives you a purpose you may not have gained by staying in your current situation.

This is not to say that starting and running a business is easy. It takes a lot of work and quite a bit of discipline. You become your own boss and have no one to answer to but yourself.

While many view this as a good situation to have, it is a double-edged sword.

You need to have a good plan in place to help guide you towards success.

More people are discovering that having their own business is the only way to go. They love the challenge and find the work fulfilling, all things being equal. In all honesty, not everyone is suited to being an entrepreneur. But for those who are, they are in it for the long haul with no intention of ever looking back.

Sometimes it’s a case of finding a way to keep a career or vocation that facilitates work life balance.

Either way, a shift is required and I go into detail about the shift and change required in my post Can Moving Cheese Positively Improve Career Life Balance.

Have you also made a shift into a second innings career? 

What 1 thing would you say to other women professionals to help them achieve their dreams?

Update 27 April 2022

Dear Reader,

I’m pleased to share with you that this blog post was referenced in a paper in Shodh Sarita in 2021. The paper was also shared in March 2022 in Researchgate.

The topic was Women Entrepreneurship and Second Inning at Career. The paper tries to highlight challenges arising for women in a second inning career and with women entrepreneurship.

The objective of this research paper was to understand the factors affecting on women Entrepreneurs during their second inning career. It also highlighted the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs during their second inning at Career.

You can read it here – Women Entrepreneurship and Second Inning at Career.

Vatsala Shukla

Karmic Ally Coaching

Stress and clutter go hand in hand often feeding off each other to create chaos in a person’ life that can lead to the need for professional help if not dealt with at an early stage.

In Warning inner clutter leads to shiny object syndrome, I mentioned that disorganized space is a reflection of stress a person is experiencing and addressed the role of Shiny Object Syndrome in creating more clutter.

Professionals, who want to achieve goals effectively and efficiently need to learn how to manage stress, clutter and break that mutually supportive feeding frenzy.

In this 4^th and concluding post on the topic of Clutter and Stress, we are going to do 2 things – gain an understanding about disorganization and select doable actions to overcome it.

For ease of reference, here is the list of earlier posts

Do You Manage Stress the Clutter Route?

Avoiding Shiny Object Syndrome for Amazing Professional Success

Warning! Inner Clutter leads to Shiny Object Syndrome

There are 2 types of disorganization that can affect us during the course of our life – situational and chronic or challenging disorganization.

An easier way to look at disorganization is from the time period involved.

When your Situation makes you disorganized

Situational disorganization tends to be short-term. Here the clutter is normally the result of life events, transitions and changes.

The chaos is temporary until the situation returns to normal or is brought into control with a deliberate action plan to tackle items that were once useful but now create clutter or require some intentional organizing.

A simple example would be relocating to a new city to begin a new job with no time to unpack your belongings or put your belongings in suitable places.

Or a family member falls ill. You have to tend to them during most of your waking hours at the cost of not maintaining the regular routine you might have followed to get household and other work done.

When life throws us a curve ball, it’s not unusual to accumulate clutter and become disorganized for a short while. It happens to everyone.

This is what we call “Situationally Disorganized”: It is a normal side effect of a life situation.

What makes “Chronic Disorganization” different?

The term Chronic Disorganization was coined by Judith Kolberg author of “Conquering Chronic Disorganization” and founder of National Study Group on Chronic Disorganization (NSGCD), coined the term chronic disorganization to describe people who have great difficulty maintaining traditional organizing methods.

The ICD defines chronic disorganization (now called challenging disorganization) as having all three of the following:

1. A history of disorganization in which efforts to get organized have not been maintained.
2. An ongoing undermining of your current quality of life due to disorganization.
3. An expectation that you will continue to be disorganized.

The term “chronically disorganized” is NOT a “diagnosis” or an “illness”.

It is a behavioural pattern and conventional organizing methods designed by other people for the individual will probably not be maintained.

Chronic Disorganization is different from Situational Disorganization because when life transitions happen to you, instead of “recovering” and “restoring order” after a few months or so, the disorganization does not improve and may even continue to worsen over time.

Clutter continues to accumulate and traditional methods of organizing stop working. If the overwhelm is intense, then a person might start to experience chronic procrastination too.

You might also experience periods of extreme organization and then a lapse into overwhelming clutter – like a YoYo. This is also considered being chronically disorganized.

If you experience anger, frustration, guilt about your situation in life and then follow it up with compulsive behaviour  like emotional eating, ‘shopping therapy’ or other addictive and or escapism behavior, you might want to take a long look at your situation and consider taking positive action.

If the clutter starts to affect your quality of life, emotional state or mental health, outside intervention might be required. This doesn’t mean that you are ill. It means you need more support to get out of the spiraling situation and in some cases on-going help to maintain a reasonable level of organization.

That said, it is quite common for what started as “situational disorganization” to evolve into “chronic” or “challenging disorganization.”

Are You Chronically Disorganized?

There are a number of reasons why you may be chronically disorganized but the signs are similar.

You may be chronically disorganized if:

• You’ve tried to organize many times but have not been able to stick to a routine or schedule
• You find it difficult to let go of things when you no longer need them or keep them thinking you’ll need it ‘someday’
• Areas of your home (even your garage and perhaps vehicle) are filled with clutter preventing you from using your space optimally.
• Your clutter and disorganization are affecting your health, job, relationships and life in general.
• You participate in free challenges or even paid ones for clutter management and do well during the challenge but then lapse back into old habits because you simply cannot work with an organizing system.

Self-Help suggestions for Organizing when you don’t want to hire help

If you are ambivalent or uncomfortable in hiring help or getting professional assistance whether from a coach, therapist or clutter professional, then there are 5 ways that you can help yourself.

You yourself will know what you need to do after that and take the right call.

Use your natural tendencies to your advantage

Even the most chronically disorganized person has areas where they are actually organized.

Think of the times when you were at your organized best and the areas where you are actually organized.

What methods do you use in those areas to stay organized? Can they be replicated to reduce clutter and disorganization right now? What improvisations can you make to help you achieve an incremental positive result?

Make this exercise even more powerful by writing it down. When you see the evidence in front of you in writing, it’s easier to get creative and transpose what works in 1 area to another.

It’s also a good confidence building exercise for the task at hand.

Find the right Support Group

Sitting at home or in the office, we often feel we are alone with our challenges whereas there are others who may be fighting the same battle.

Consider connecting with a group of people who are experiencing the same challenge with whom you can meet offline or online in a community setting to support and be supported as you combat your disorganization.

You never know who has had the same experience and can help you with yours. Do a local Google search or check out Facebook Groups. We can all use support!

Practice being decisive – even if it kills you!

This tip might be challenging if you are in the habit of thinking some article or item might come into use later. For example, the cartons of your computer system which you’ve kept in the garage or storeroom thinking you might need it when you shift home or sell it off.

A good way to get started is by disposing off anything you have not used in a year. In other words, those old clothes (especially the ones you’ll never fit into even if you went on a starvation diet or that are out of fashion), broken items that can’t be repaired and duplicate items that can be resold instead of holding onto them in the event you need it.

Remind yourself that many items are easily replaceable if you need them later.

Schedule de-clutter time into your daily schedule

There’s truth in the saying that a journey of a thousand miles begins with 1 step/

Likewise, pencil in 15 minutes a day to do a spot of de=clutter instead of thinking you need a whole day to do it.

A good way to get into the habit of clutter management is to start small. For example Do a drawer or desk one day, the kitchen shelves the next day and the laundry room the next day.

An even better way is to sign up for the 21 Day Declutter Challenge where we do both the outer de-cluttering and the inner work to make sure you rid yourself of the clutter.

The best part about this challenge is that you can return to it again and again whenever you feel yourself slipping and want to do a spot of de-cluttering.

Learn more by clicking on the image below.

Guard your sacred space from invading clutter

Would you allow anybody off the street into your home? I would think not!

Using the same principle, think twice about what you allow into your home. Wait a couple of days after seeing a new item before you buy it (it helps combat Shiny Object Syndrome too). If and when you do purchase something new, discard another item you own to make room for it.

Master the OHIO rule: Only Handle It Once

This tips works for productive work and fits the bill when trying to organize your home, office and anything that needs to be organized.

If you pick something up, make a decision then and there about it, and either put it where it belongs or discard it. Don’t fall into the trap of moving things from one pile to another, again and again.

Last but not least, learn to honor your space. Treat it with respect and it will in turn nourish you and help you live a peaceful life.

Are you organized? How do you stay on top of your space?

Did you know that LinkedIn was originally meant to have been a platform for job hunters before it became a business platform too?

In fact, I joined LinkedIn way back in 2008 to reconnect with my globally scattered colleagues and create a database of my contacts to keep in touch. In time it became a means of offering mutual support for our lead referrals and enhancing our network.

Since then the network has gone on to include new contacts some of whom are fellow coaches and others with whom there is synergy for mutually beneficial business opportunities. Some of these contacts are now considered friends and our association has moved on to emails and Skype calls to ‘catch up’. Both parties have nurtured the connection.

I was listening to a webinar by JoAnne Funch of Marketing Dish last week and she referred to the choice of nurturing relationships or building a database.

I’m an admirer of Ms Funch and I listen to her and read her guidance very carefully because she is on the money.

JoAnne’s words hit a nerve.

Along the way, I too have found myself become an involuntary member of an online Yellow Pages Directory.

I’ve culled my contacts to contain real people who engage with me –even if it is only to wish me on my birthday or acknowledge my greetings.

The past week, I received 2 LinkedIn invitations where 1 person mentioned their reason to connect was for the purposes of finding a job even though he knew I was not in Executive Search.

Considering he had over 50 connections in common with me who were better equipped for the task, I felt he really should have approached them. As it turned out nobody responded.

Had he cultivated the connections?

The answer was no. I suggested he update his profile and start building relationships with contacts who could get him a job interview.

Then I got another invite from a lady who was looking for a job for a Chartered Accountant friend of hers with 2-years’ work experience and wanted access to my network. She stated as much in her invitation email.

We have 1 mutual connection in common and I told her that he was a better referral fit for her friend. The lady couldn’t recognize the contact until I sent her a link to his profile.

As for me, she hadn’t checked my profile properly and might as well have done a 1 click connection. I have resources for job hunters and gave her a link to share with her friend.

Her response? She’d think about.  You can see why I didn’t connect with her.

These 2 experiences and the webinar got me thinking about job hunters and the way they use LinkedIn or even understand the dynamics of this platform.

One of the best ways to open doors for possible job interviews is to get referred for the position but nobody is going to refer a complete stranger.

This holds true in the offline world and is equally important in the online world, whether you are looking for a job or a business referral.

I’ve already written about trusting strangers on LinkedIn and being a savvy networker.

I’ve also explained the finer nuances of job hunting in the online world in my Kindle book 5 Reasons your Job Hun is failing

In this post, I’m going to focus on 5 tips that I can give job hunters on LinkedIn.

Build Relationships even before you need them by making it about them first

In other words, keep in touch and be of service. One of the easiest ways to do this is to share an article or link to one with personalized message to your connection telling them that you thought they might find it interesting.

It serves 3 purposes – keeps you top of mind in case an opportunity comes to their attention, helps get a conversation started and establish your professional presence.

Create a schedule to keep in touch

This is an excellent way to nurture and build relationships. It could be a friendly email every few months to check in or even greet them for a special occasion. LinkedIn makes it easy to do this with their notifications service.

Create a profile that shows you as a professional and as a person, not a cut and paste of your resume

Gone are the days when simply uploading your resume worked. There are lots of talented professionals out there looking for a job and your task is to stand above the noise.

Showcase your talents and skills and if you did something exemplary during your career or school days, like a hobby or passion show it.

One recent example that I can share is from a LinkedIn expert who invited me to connect. I have been following him for the longest while and knew of his expertise.

This time, while I was preparing to respond to his invite, I checked the profile again. I discovered we had both written for our respective school and university newsletters.

Imagine my delight at finding a mutual interest. It also explained why I enjoyed reading his books – he got his experience way back before he joined the workforce!

Learn how to ask for a referral for a job

This is where building a relationship earlier helps because the person from whom you are asking for a referral or introduction can easily decline, especially if they don’t know you.

That’s the mistake the 2 job hunters I mentioned earlier made with me and I’m sure with others too, especially the first person.

He simply sent me a message he was looking for a job. His LinkedIn profile was incomplete and he wasn’t willing to get on the phone to talk to me.

A better approach especially when requesting a referral from someone who doesn’t know you that well, write to them with reference to what you have been doing and your current work history and the specific job that you are looking at.

Ask them if they are comfortable giving you a reference. Offer to forward your updated resume so that the referrer has something to work with.

Give them the option to decline if they aren’t comfortable with it.

I remember when I was setting up my credentials as an independent IFRS Consultant, a family friend and colleague approached highly respected Alumnus on my behalf who agreed to see my resume and portfolio of professional work.

He was impressed but had the principle that if he was going to refer anyone, he had to talk to them too. By chance, he was visiting New Delhi. We met up over a cup of coffee and he got a chance to assess me as a professional and ask in detail about my work.

I landed one of the biggest projects I could have envisaged that helped me meet half of my business plan revenue target that year.

You can get more guidance on framing the letter or email in this post from Happy Schools that provides a framework for your referral request. How to Ask a Stranger in LinkedIn for Job Referral

Let your referrer know if someone contacts you

Getting a referral for a job might not lead to getting the job if the hirer doesn’t think you’re a good fit. The fact a potential employer reached out to you based on a recommendation is an important enough event for you to reach out to the referrer. Update them about it.

Thanking them for the introduction has the added benefit that perhaps the referrer can reinforce the recommendation once they know the company is interested.

Besides, it’s good manners and if that introduction doesn’t work out, the referrer might be willing to look out for something better suited to you.

Follow these 5 tips and your job hunt on LinkedIn will lead to better results than you might be having right now.

At the end of the day, it’s all about building relationships and becoming a real human behind a LinkedIn profile.

It can take anywhere between 6-8 months to land the perfect job. Building a viable network instead of a database of strangers is always a better strategy.

Have you ever used LinkedIn to find a job or potential leads?

What advice would you add to these 5 tips?

Do you find it difficult to overcome obstacles to your life-goals?

The reason I’m asking this question is because quite often when I speak to people about what stopped them from achieving a goal that was important for them, whether it’s one related to their career, business or life, I’m told about all the obstacles that they found along the way that made them give up.

For sure we hit roadblocks and hurdles but that doesn’t grant us a permission slip to drop the goal unless the goal that we set fulfills 2 criteria

First, it was the wrong goal for us at that moment of time.

For example deciding to go on a diet when we know it’s the peak season at work and deadlines have to be met at the peril of losing our job. That’s the time when our eating and exercising habits can go haywire and we might not be in a position to cope. Timing matters.

Secondly, if our motivation level isn’t high enough; in other words, on a scale of 1 to 10, you aren’t on at least and 8.

What if motivation is high and the time is right and yet, we’re struggling?

Based on my observations (including my own habits) there’s usually an issue of mindset, strategy and tactics that need to be addressed.

I have covered that in my Kindle ebook Goal Achievement Simplified: When Your Actions Give Results and this week, my post is an extract from that ebook to give the reader insights of areas that they might need to address first in order to get their goal in the box.

Here 10 tips that can give you the power to overcome the road blocks that keep you from reaching for the stars.

1. Identify Your Rationale. In order for your goal to be backed up with motivation, you must take to heart its significance to you. Identify the purpose of your goal. Point out its benefits and its would-be results in your life.

2. Make SMART Goals. Following from identifying the rationale, make sure that the goals are SMART – specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic and time bound. Goal achievement requires accountability to yourself and being clear about what you want, how much you want, what you are willing to do, how realistic your goal is and by when do you want to achieve the goal. Otherwise your goal will be nothing less than wishful thinking.

3. Do a personal SWOT analysis. Before moving ahead with your goal planning, do a personal SWOT analysis. Have an honest look at what internal and external factors can affect the success or failure of your goal success. Internal factors would include strengths and weaknesses while external factors would include opportunities and threats. For example, a person trying to lose weight analyses the following factors – strength: willpower, weakness: finds chocolates tempting, opportunities: a new aerobics class is starting which one can enroll in for exercise to burn calories and threats: weekly office outing to a restaurant where one can eat all one can.   

4. Plan Your Goals. One of the main reasons why goals fail is that there is no detailed plan to accomplish the goal. Set a plan for each step that you will take in accomplishing your goal. As you progress through each step, if there is a need to, modify your plan by adding or deleting details. Consider making two plans, if one proves to be impractical; there is another plan to fall back on.

5. Maintain your Focus. Stick to your plan to the letter. Be consistent in the path that you take. Keep your energy flowing towards that direction. Be aware if plan A is failing and move into plan B to continue forward movement.

6. Avoid losing momentum. Whatever happens, do not stop working on your plan. As much as possible, do not be contented with what you currently have. Start with what you have at hand and work from there.

7. Monitor yourself. Always ask yourself if there is something else you can do. Find out if there are still alternatives you can think of. Ask yourself if there is something else you need to know. Look at your plan in different angles. Keep a weekly chart or diary of your mini achievements to keep up your motivation. Note the setbacks and think, how they can be avoided in future.  

8. Keep in mind that no idea is insignificant. Good ideas suddenly pop up then just burst like bubbles. Jot them down as soon as they come to mind. Have a notebook handy to write down these details when they pop up. This is a good way to prevent these details from being lost.

9. Always think positive. Be conscious about what you say and think. Lay aside your doubts. Despite the obstacles you encounter, believe that your goal is attainable. Affirm yourself at all times, with words of positivity and hope. A positive mindset is very important in the attainment of your goals. Visualize the achievement of the goal and how you would feel at that point to spur you into continuing action.

10. Fuel your Goals with Gratitude. To keep your spirits high, be thankful for having these goals. Goals give direction and guidelines by which you live your life. Goals nourish one’s being. Being appreciative of your goals strengthens your foresight and keeps you humble and open-minded. It empowers your motivation and willpower and makes even the smallest task meaningful. In all your undertakings, learn to practice gratitude.

Following these empowerment tips push you on your way to achieving your goals. Take these to heart, and jump start your journey to goal-getting today! Remember to celebrate each and every step of the journey!

What strategies, tactics or mindset management activities do you utilize to achieve your goals?

Today’s post comes out of a question asked by a client whose organization is being restructured and the new department boss is putting certain employees through the process of re-interviewing for their old jobs.

Needless to say, those employees who are being re-interviewed are going through the paces while those who are not are feeling uncomfortable and fears of Pink Slips are making rounds.

If you are in a similar situation right now, my immediate suggestion to you is to keep things in perspective and be prepared.

Now is not the time to allow your beliefs about yourself or your situation to hinder you as I explain in Want to be Successful? You need to change your Beliefs.

It is not an immediate firing situation. There may be behind the scene changes that you are not aware of and roles and job descriptions are changing as well. There might be new opportunities within your department or a lateral move.

It might also be the right time to finally update your CV and start looking for another job if the present one has stopped challenging you. Whichever way it goes, don’t freak out and instead prepare for the re-interview with these action steps:

3 Tips that boost confidence for the re-interview

Tip 1 – Try to see the big picture.

The organization as you know it has changed. When the big wheel changes, the placement of cogs and other parts of the machinery are also changed.

Instead of feeling angry or humiliated, use this interview as an opportunity to show-case yourself and the value that you have been bringing to the organization. Find out more about the process and areas that will be covered and come prepared.

This is not a first interview for a new job but one where an assessment is being made whether you still match the job description.

The re-interview might just result in your being given a more challenging role or transfer to a position that might really use your experience and knowledge and if all goes well, perhaps an increase in pay.

Tip 2 – Maintain a positive attitude and start working on how you can bring out your experience and knowledge.

If staying positive is proving to be a challenge, then first build your positive reflex.

Think of it as an annual appraisal if it helps you to calm your nerves. Don’t gripe to anyone about the upcoming interview at the water-cooler or canteen.

From my own experience, I can tell you that times of reorganization and restructuring tend to make people insecure. You never know who will go behind your back and squeal on you to win a brownie point to keep their own job.

Tip 3 – At the re-interview, demonstrate your enthusiasm and passion for your job.

The interviewer would be looking at your competencies and skills but also at your soft skill sets.

Your ability to work in a team and pull to get a job is as important as the knowledge that you are bringing to the table. If there is an outside chance that the organization has also advertised the position, then the onus is on you to prove why they should keep you and not bring in the new guy.

It’s the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your Executive Presence.

Prepare for your re-interview

In addition to your attitude, I recommend a 4th tip – take the re-interview seriously.

Make sure that you are able to present a strong business case as to why you are a good match for the job.

One way of preparing is to get a copy of the new job description and check if you are still meeting the core competencies required.

Note these down and start compiling a list of examples that you can use if situational or contextual questions are asked. Make a note of situations and tasks where your input was critical to successful task achievement.

Are there any new competencies and requirements?

Think about it and strategize how you can show that these new requirements will not affect your ability to perform. Take initiative -enroll for a relevant course and mention it when you are being interviewed.

Note down any competencies or skills that are not included in the job description but which you possess and know that they are important for doing the job.

This will come in handy if you are asked why you are the best candidate for the job. Give yourself the advantage you deserve!

Another good source for preparing for the re-interview is to go through your previous performance appraisals and make notes of your achievements.

If your boss is going to be involved in the process and if you enjoy a good rapport, consider asking him/her more about the process and find out what they are actually looking for. This information will help you prepare better to showcase yourself as the right choice.

An important part of your preparation is to collect supporting evidence to back up your assertions and claims. You do it in your CV; you need to do it here as well.

Think in terms of money that you might have saved the company, new clients you brought in, processes or tasks that you rationalized. Note the recommendations and appreciation received from clients or colleagues, awards or commendations given to you by the company – examples along these lines.

This resource will help in getting your CV polished for the re-interview. Download it by clicking on the below image.

Keep calm and do full research about choices

In addition to the above 4 tips, there is a fifth one – the back- up tip. Different organizations handle their restructuring in different ways. Now what happens if you are really fighting to avoid the Pink Slip?

The first thing you need to check on is the HR Policy of your organization as well as your employment contract. Different countries have different employment laws. If there is a redundancy looming ahead, make sure you know your rights and compensation due.

It helps to know where you stand and what you can negotiate. Many companies do try to help employees find new jobs.

Don’t burn your bridges

If a Pink Slip is coming, negotiate a win-win situation and move on.

If there is a happy situation where you are going to be getting a new job or retaining the old job with more responsibilities, do ask about the salary and benefits. Do a bit of research outside of your firm and in the industry to find out what pay and perks are given in your industry.

Last but not least, use this exercise as a chance to update your CV – the one thing that is always on the back-burner when your job is secure.

Look around to see what else is available within your organization or in the job market. When you are proactive and in control, you not only ace the re-interview but also avoid freaking out.

Now it’s your turn.

Have you ever been through an organizational restructuring and had to re-interview for your own job? How did you handle it? What tips can you share with other readers?

Written By: Vatsala Shukla

Face The Monster

Sometime back I ran into a photographer friend and his 2 young guests at an art show. They were introduced as models. One of them was an outright exhibitionist who insisted on showing his bare- chest photographs to every lady present whether she wanted to see it or not. Ladies were running in every direction to avoid him.

The other was an aspiring model with a day job at a multinational firm and for all intents and purposes appeared decent.

So, when I was invited to become friends on Facebook, I accepted.

The beginning of my first and last Facebook Wall invasion

The young executive started to post his ‘model’ pictures on my Wall. He was posting faster than I could delete. A chat with my friend revealed the wannabe model had tagged along with the exhibitionist. He did not know him from Adam.

My time is a valued commodity and I spend only 15 minutes on Facebook in a day.

I started having concerns about the impression that a semi-nude guy with chains and whips would make on friends. Some of these friends go back to elementary school and they know me offline as well.

Tired of hitting the delete button, I Unfriended him in what had to be the shortest friendship ever. Friend had turned into Fiend. I was not having my Wall subjected to a narcissist invasion.

Thank God Facebook allows such safety measures!

Now Facebook does not inform people when they have been Unfriended.

I guess Fiend in the disguise of Friend found out when he tried to load the next batch of portfolio photographs. There were a few sheepish text messages which I ignored. I was furious and counting to 100 did not help.

One’s social network page is similar to your living room; it is your sacred space. Visitors are allowed in only by invitation. I was not taking on stress when I had power to control and be rid of the ill-mannered guest!

I thought I was a one-off case but recently learned of much worse invasions of Facebook Walls of friends with posts that really should not have been there, third party friends passing rude comments on their Walls and even marketing their products without the friend’s permission.

In some cases, people were being added to Groups that they didn’t even know about, and which were not relevant to them.

We are all in control mode now and reviewing and revising our privacy settings as a precautionary measure. There is enough going on in the world to create stress and social networking is meant to make us happy, not create angst.

There is something called Internet Etiquette and while one might forgive spammers, one does not forgive friends or connections.

For Facebook, in addition to the privacy, terms and conditions sections, I highly recommend going through the details in their Help Center. There used to be an Official Facebook Etiquette page which has now been changed.

It is quite easy to block people and forget about the nuisance but here are 2 tips that can help avoid getting to the point, where blocking and reporting SPAM become the only way out.

First things first, remember that it is your Wall

The bottom line is that your Facebook Wall is YOUR WALL which means that you control the content.

It means that you have the right to delete messages, pictures and anything else that you find inappropriate or offensive.  It is your sacred space, keep it that way.

Try simple deletes and a private message/phone call to the poster explaining your position. If the poster does not understand what you are saying, go ahead and block them or at least put in controls where your approval is required before a post is loaded on your Wall. Check your account settings and establish necessary controls.

You may not want to go to the extreme of Unfriend someone or blocking the Fiend invasion but yet want to control the content on your Wall.

In this case, you can block the person from posting on your Wall. Here is a great how –to –do-it link:

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/block-person-posting-facebook-wall-unfriending-28404.html.

Think twice before accepting Friend Requests from strangers

The second tip is a no-brainer but yes, it happens and then what?

You might have inappropriate photographs on your Wall, you may find posts that are really not you and again, what would your friends think?

It is a sad fact that there are people out there that have the idea that their status and popularity depend upon how many friends they have on Facebook.  They may not necessarily know many of their friends in real life. That is their self-esteem issue, not yours.

While it is possible to make new friends on Facebook especially if you belong to a group, try to find some common ground.  I have done that with great success and yes, we all took time to get to know each other and learn about our new friend’s boundaries.  We use the Inbox when required and do not air private matters on Walls.

Some people have this idea that the number of ‘friends’ you have in Facebook is a status indicator of your popularity in real-life. That may be true if these ‘friends’ are people whom one knows offline, and not strangers whom one randomly adds while browsing through the Facebook network.

Treat Facebook for what it is

It’s a social networking site with a purpose, not a mail order catalog where if you like a photograph, you befriend.

You can also accept requests through introductions from existing and real friends.

The Facebook experience should be fun and engaging but not in a manner that can upset or embarrass others.

Be aware at all times of the public nature of Facebook, take appropriate measures to protect your privacy and engage with friends to be a valuable part of their Facebook experience and yours too!

Which means, you too should not engage in any activity that can lead to being unfriended.

Instead use Facebook as a platform to network in a more casual environment.

Remember, if you take the ‘r’ out of Friend, you get a Fiend.

Do you have a Facebook Invasion story that you would like to share?

Do tell us about it and how you solved the problem.

Written By: Vatsala Shukla

For those of us coming from the generation where Madonna sang about getting into the groove to prove your love to someone or even our parents who grew up in the Flower Power Hippy times (and I don’t mean wide hips time) who thought it was uber-cool to be groovy; well folks, they knew how to be in the groove.

Read the papers, attend a few tele-summits or read the About Me page of popular websites –bloggers, coaches, consultants, spiritual healers. You’ll find lots of amazing stories of reinvention.

Wakeup Calls that led to Reinvention

The one factor that’ll comes across is that they have all stated that they suddenly woke up one morning (or less dramatically) to find that they wanted to have a higher purpose.

They questioned the meaning of their life and then went ahead and chucked up their day jobs, stepped out of their comfort zone and went into a completely different line.

They get a lot of media coverage because they have chosen to flee the pack and step out on their own. Some say it is a mid-life crisis, others say the individual has gone nuts. I say, they’ve connected with their inner selves and chosen to live.

They have gotten their groove back.

It’s easy to get caught up in living that life eludes you. And even easier to mortgage your present for a future which never seems to appear.

The decision of the person to make a complete makeover or reinvent themselves doesn’t mean that they do it that very morning when they woke up.

The stepping out into the sunlight is usually well thought out and planned months in advance. We only hear of it when the deed is done.

The moment they are referring to is when they have clarity. When their intuition finally gets their attention/

They connect with their inner wisdom which says,

‘Buddy, you go on this way and you will join the ranks of the living dead. Better write your obituary and leave it in a place where it will be found with a note that the advertising fee of the newspaper has been paid in advance’.

Vatsala’s quick question – How Would Your Obituary Read?

I never endorse draconian decisions without consulting those who will get affected like your family or even employers.

However, I do suggest that you should be aware of yourself and hence practice the art and science of being in the groove.

5 Tips for practicing the science of being in the groove

I have 5 tips that work for getting back on the wagon and into one’s groove. Try 1 or all 5. I promise you they work!

Make yourself Numero Uno

At the end of the day, you may have had an assisted birth, but you will die alone, even if family and doctors are present.

You are your best friend and if you aren’t then MAKE yourself your new best friend. Focus on your needs, eat well, sleep well, exercise well, go for routine checkups (diabetes, depression and heart diseases are not necessarily hereditary). Live a balanced life. Check if you are heading for a burnout with this quick self-assessment.

Make a daily ‘Me Time’ slot in your diary

In other words, maybe half an hour or so when you do only things for yourself.  You could decide not to do anything during me time, but the point is, it’s your time. (Tip: I’ve shared some more ideas for Me Time in my post Can burnout be prevented or treated)

Be realistic

You have 24 hours in a day and there is only so much you can achieve. While setting yourself tasks, ask yourself what tasks are of priority, what timelines are required to complete them, do you need assistance and can it be delegated?

More importantly, does it take you towards your long-term objectives or take you away? Are you doing something because its worthwhile but not that important?

How aligned is your work with your values?

When we do things which are not aligned with our values, it shows. The tasks are mechanical; the passion and inner drive is missing. We lack commitment which makes everything much more difficult.

Review and reassess your priorities and work towards them, not away from them.

Think outside the box

The phrase is well ingrained in corporate lingo and managers expect employees to do it. Parents who want their children to do things do it subconsciously. So why not do it for yourself?

You want to lose weight; you enroll in a gym membership and exercise wit h determination daily for a week and then 5 days, 4 days till you stop it altogether. Why not do different sets of exercises for each day of the week? The trainer would be delighted to work out a plan for you.  You would be exercising without going into a rut. The weighing scales will vouch for your progress.

Need help to get your creative juices rolling for out of the box thinking?

I recommend trying one of these 7 simple tips or downloading my guide on tapping into your imagination (click the image to get it).

Other areas include improving your communication skills, learn the skill of being a good listener, open up to new experiences, learn to say no, set up appropriate boundaries. Be comfortable in your own skin.

You’ll find the exercises in my book Self Confidence in 8 Steps useful for this.

Final Words on being in the Groove

As with all behavioral sciences, these are just the actions you could consider. The list is not exhaustive. The art is your will power, your inner knowledge of what works for you and what doesn’t.

It’s all about you. Know yourself, find ways to rediscover yourself and very soon you will be back in the groove, feeling groovy!

Your turn, how do you make sure that you stay in the groove and operate in your zone? I’d love to read your stories and personal tips in the comments box below!

Vatsala’s update: This blog post was originally written in August 2011 and in fact is the third blog post I wrote. It has been updated for relevance and to provide more value to the reader.