Step Up!

Throughout my training with TCI, we coaches have been exhorted to Step Up.

This is a phrase that hasn't been part of my vocab till now. Just another thing I've never really thought about.

Then yesterday when I was in the office, my boss came up to me to deliver his last-minute instructions before taking off for the next five weeks. And he said I had to Step Up To The Plate now that I'm paid staff. His idea of stepping up includes chasing people to make sure they follow through with what they are supposed to be doing. (And I thought I'd signed up just to do filing, produce the weekly newsletter and arrange duty rosters!)

I can tell you right off that telling people what to do is one of those things in my Don't Like folder, from back when I was in a leadership position at work. I'd much rather work on my own and accomplish my own goals, thank you.

But now I find myself Stepping Up in new ways.

This week, a fellow coach raved about how she loves my career website because it's so organized and informative and thorough. We got talking about how I might be able to help someone like her who is time-poor and doesn't write effortlessly. So tonight we're having a further chat to discuss how I can provide her with content for her new website.

For me, Stepping Up means not just saying yes to the opportunity to turn my writing skills into a possible niche, but also recognizing that if I want to help my friend create an effective online presence, I have to start learning all about social media and SEO and all the techie stuff I've put on my Someday list.

It's not enough to be just a good writer of content; I need to be a great writer - one who knows all about which keyword to use and where - for the benefit of my clients.

And guess what happened?

As I went through my inbox last night, I clicked on an email by David Riklan of SelfGrowth.com, and it was a video presentation by Ryan Deiss about his partner Kate Buck Jr, some successful Social Media Manager. Riveting story...but the best thing about it was its timeliness. I'm being offered an opportunity to learn all about social media marketing and to even have my own biz if I want. All the templates, audios, videos and support I need come with the package if I say yes.

So what did I do?

Said yes of course.

I want to learn about FB marketing and how to position myself and my brand so I can be found online. Last I looked, my new FB biz fan page had just 11 likes. Not enough to have my own username (you need 25 likes at least). Very sad. This is feedback (not failure!), so what do Ineed to do about it to become someone that others would happily click the Like button for even if they don't know me?

That's partly why I said yes to Kate.

And if I can succeed at creating a strong FB and Twitter etc presence for myself, imagine what I could do for my clients!

A coach who also provides writing services and helps her clients create a strong online presence so their businesses can soar.

How cool is that?

Then this morning, I received an email from an ex-client asking if I could teach her how to pray.

And I thought, wow, spiritual coaching - another niche?

And I am having to Step Up again.

Because other than the Lord's Prayer and what I've learned from years of being a Christian, what do I really know about prayer?

So I did the next best thing. I made a time to chat more fully over the phone, and meanwhile you can be sure I'll be reading up everything I can about prayer and how to pray effectively.

That's my definition of Stepping Up.

Received some positive feedback from my boss and our Church Council chairman over the weekend.

It's a great feeling and makes me want to keep doing better in my new job.

My boss is going to be overseas the next couple of weeks, which I means I'm in charge of publishing the newsletter and running the office.

I've started compiling manuals and procedures to help me keep track of where everything important is, so everything continues to run smoothly in his absence.

Lots of gray areas and new questions keep popping up. Steep learning curve. But with God's help and the help of my church family, I know I can nail this. I'm gonna focus on the opportunities in the challenge and on making a difference in the wellbeing of our leaders and the running of our church.

Invitation to see Dr John Demartini

What hubby is going for that I'd like to go for if it wasn't on a week night in the city!

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Dr Demartini had a vision to connect with ‘A-List’ celebrities whose work he admired.

Many would be daunted by the idea of meeting personally with these mega-stars. After all, you can’t just call them up for coffee.And they’re highly guarded by ‘gatekeepers’.

But, Dr Demartini wasn’t daunted.

He created a list of the ‘A-Listers’ he wanted to meet. Then he applied his ‘Influence Secrets’ and was able to meet…not one of them… not two of them….or even three of them.

But he personally met every single one of the celebrities on his list.

Some of them even became clients. And these were not ‘B grade stars’. These were people like Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone. He even appeared in a movie with Hugh Jackman.

This is the highest level of influence - to set an intention and make it happen fast.

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Click here to join Dr John Demartini at the Secrets of Influence event - FREE

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Imagine if you could master this skill. You could meet who you want…when you want…and then influence them ethically for ‘win-win’ results…in your health, wealth and relationships.

This sort of skill is rarely taught. And those that have this ‘gift’ often don’t know how to explain how they do it! They just do it.

The good news is Dr John Demartini is going to teach exactly you how to master the magic of influence - step-by-step at the Influence and Leadership Masterclass in your city.

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Click here to join Dr John Demartini at the Secrets of Influence event - FREE

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See you there,

Greg

P.S. Last time Dr John Demartini came to Australia nearly 2000 people flocked to see him. This time could be even bigger as news of his genius spreads.

Grab your FREE Ticket now while there’s still time

Click here to join Dr John Demartini at the Secrets of Influence event - FREE

Am watching a DVD presentation: How To Open A Coaching Session by Sharon Pearson.

Am learning so much about...

• why not to worry if I don't know what to say
• how to sidestep the trap of 1-2-3 questions from the client
• why you should speak up in moments of uncertainty
• when is the right time to point out a truth
• why a question I can't answer may not be a bad question
• the goal of coaching is to ask the unexpected
• the value of having inner certainty before I coach
  

It's definitely not what I expected to hear, and some of it is quite confronting (language girl!), but I have confidence that I can synthesize all this and use the best for my clients.

A Success Formula For The Ethical Individual

I full realize that no wealth or position can long endure, unless built upon truth and justice; therefore, I will engage in no transaction which does not benefit all whom it affects.
I will succeed by attracting to myself the forces I wish to use, the cooperation of other people.
I will induce others to serve me, necause of my willingness to serve others.
I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness, and cynicism, by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success.
I will cause others to believe in me, because I will believe in them, and in myself.

From Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill

The Most Common Regret

'Those who work with the elderly report that at the end of life, the most common regret is not over what we did, but what we failed to do: the chance not taken, the business not started, the invention not patented, the dream not followed, the talent not nourished, the novel not written, the product not tested, the trip not taken, the apology not offered - so much music that died, bottled up inside us, because we were too timid to let it out!'

From an email by Sharon Pearson, founder of The Coaching Institute

According to some reading I did some time ago, the Australian Quality Training Framework requires that all life coaches must be certified by 2012.

So I am focussing on life coaching courses that are nationally and internationally accredited.

Found these providers online:
The Life Coaching Academy
The Coaching Institute
Professional Christian Coaching & Counseling Academy
Life Coaching Institute of Australia

The Life Coaching Academy offers a Cert IV in Life Coaching for $5990. You also have the option of a 3-, 6- or 12-month payment plan.

However, LCA has now decided to run its courses exclusively in Gold Coast.

One down.

The Coaching Institute has an impressive website that's easy on the eye, informative and intuitive.

The Cert IV in Life Coaching costs $4995 (Express) or $5491 (deposit $1495, $77 weekly in 12 months).

The PCCCA, which is founded by US-based Dr. Leelo Dianne Bush, offers a Certified Christian Life Coach course for 2900USD, with a 5- or 10-payment plan.

LCIA offers a Cert IV and Diploma in Life Coaching by correspondence. What I like is that you also get to do electives called Specialty Streams: Executive, Business, Workplace, Health and Wellness, Career and Life Cycle Coaching.

The Cert IV is $2950 upfront or $285 x 12 (months).

Additional costs depend on the number of Specialty Streams you do. Cert IV + 3 streams = $4435 or $285 x 19.

Decisions, decisions...

This morning, I had my usual dilemma: should I or should I not go to dance class.

All because hubby had a working bee at church. Which meant I would have to take Miss J to music class with me. And make sure she was quiet and meaningfully occupied throughout the 1.5 hour class.

Which also meant I wouldn't be able to do my own thing...Read. Uninterrupted.

It worked out ok in the end. Miss J behaved perfectly. The teacher seemed a bit testy today though. Barked at students who played out of turn. Barked at students who played the wrong notes.

He gave Beth a (well deserved) lecture on the state of her Minuet in G, which she has steadfastly refused to practise. Her effort made me cringe.

Her excuse? "I was practising Intrada."

To which the teacher responded: "Perhaps the Minuet is too difficult for you? Perhaps I should find you an easier piece...like Grade One?!"

Afterwards, I gave Beth a mini-lecture of my own. She grinned (!!!) and agreed that she had indeed deserved the rebuke from her teacher.

Her bo-chap attitude made me wonder how much pride she really has in doing her best.

But back to dance class.

The group was smaller than usual, and it was the nice instructor, not the strict one. Which was great cos it meant beginners like moi got more attention and encouragement than otherwise.

I actually managed to keep up with the teens, which felt great! And I finally figured out the "leap" and "turn" components of corner work. The only thing I still struggle with is the "spin", where you have to spin across the room really fast with your eyes on a fixed object. That one made me so dizzy I had to crouch down to regain my balance.

We also learned a new move today - the pirouette. Shall have fun practising it at home.

Near the end of our Janet Jackson Black Cat routine, the instructor said to me, "Well done. You nailed it."

High praise indeed.

How to make yourself more valuable to your employer

How to make yourself more valuable to your employer

Check out this fascinating article by Pete Bissonette on the Learning Strategies blog.

Almost makes me wish I were an employee right now, so I can try out his ideas.

The fine print I missed

Hubby and I are on a $29 Cap plan with '3' for our mobile phones.

My conversation with iPrimus customer service yesterday inspired me to take a closer look at our latest bill.

I'm trying to see if there's any way to cut down the monthly cost.

And here's what I discovered: the plan requires a minimum spend of $29 per person per month. If you spend more than that, they credit you the difference (you get rewarded). If you spend less than that, you get charged (penalized!).

Not only that, our plan actually has a $150 cap limit that includes $100 of international calls.

Which we've never used.

We've always just bought a $10 ICC and used it up till it expired, if we didn't remember to recharge it before.

Hubby spent only $10 last month and was charged $18 for breaching the minimum cap requirement.

I spent $34 and received a $5 credit that brought me back down to $29, so I actually benefitted.

Two options going forward - either use hubby's mobile to make international calls to SG to get up to the $29 cap, or ask '3' how we can downgrade hubby's plan.

We've had the plan for more than a year and this is the FIRST time I've actually bothered to scrutinize the plan.

All we've ever focused on is paying the bill on time (and this goes for all our other bills).

Until now.

Simple Savings

Yesterday was one of those productive days where I got down to ticking off things I'd been putting off for ages.

First thing in the morning, I rang the lady who runs the Kumon Centre in HX. I had left her a message on Monday but hadn't heard from her. I normally don't follow up on calls; I hate talking to answering machines and I try not to call someone if I can because I just can't handle the interaction. But for some reason, I thought I'd try and see if I could get through to her.

And she picked up!

The result was we had a very friendly and informative (for me) chat and I had most of my questions answered. We are booked in for a parent info session on Monday and Beth will sit a diagnostic test to see where she's at with her math. [Math ability is generally poor in Aus and I'm hoping Kumon can help Beth get an edge as she gets older.]

The next thing I did was to compare energy supply rates using GoSwitch and SwitchWise. I finally went with the supplier and plan that will save us $269 a year on a Loyalty Saver plan (the same retailer has an Easy Saver plan that would save us $270, but requires us to lock in a contract for 2 years, and I wasn't sure I wanted to do that).

The retailer is supposed to call me to confirm details.

Finally, I filled out an inquiry form on iPrimus, our broadband and home phone service provider (another way of avoiding direct contact!). I wanted to ask about their VOIP Lingo service.

The customer service officer called me back within the day, talked me through the options, answered all my questions, and after analyzing our monthly spend, actually advised me to downgrade to a cheaper plan so we could save money.

Instead of the $87+ we currently pay, we are switching to a plan that costs $59.95 with no change to our home phone or broadband usage, and with line rental included. So we get to enjoy a savings of $27+ every month. And it cost us nothing, just a couple of minutes on the phone.
Wow.

That's not all. The same guy suggested we look at the SIM Saver mobile phone plan that would allow us to retain our numbers while spending less on phone calls and texts.

It was a bit of info overload at that point, so I said I would look into it at a later time.

In all, we're looking at saving potentially $593 pa. Awesome.

The only thing that tops that is going through my insurance policies and writing up a table for my financial planner so he could review them and advise on the best strategy for the future.

I ended up writing three letters to my respective insurers asking questions and informing them (in some cases) that I wanted to surrender the policies. That should free up some cashflow to be redirected to where they are most needed.

Taking charge of where our money is going is so empowering!

Faith in action

A follow up on earlier post about Faith vs. Action.

Have emailed Good News Lutheran to request a school tour. Received an acknowledgement email yesterday and hope to hear from them soon. After that we'll have a chat with the principal and hopefully get all our questions answered so we can submit the enrolment form.

Have been dropping hints to Beth that she may be transferring out of Heathdale in two years' time so it won't be such a massive shock when it happens. I know she'll grieve over the separation from her friends and her comfort zone, but kids are resilient, and we've tried to highlight the positives: the $ saved could go towards holidays (RACV Royal Pines is still high on her list of favourites).

Other ways I can think of to cushion the blow: regular play dates with her Heathdale friends, Good News Gang on Wed (which is attended by GNL and Heathdale kids).

Last night, I finally got round to reading up on the ASG terms and conditions to get a grip on what we signed up to when we enrolled the girls in '07. More importantly, I needed to know how we would benefit and when.

The good news: when Beth turns 13 (Year 7), ASG will send us the amount of projected benefit ($4k+). The amount goes up every year until Year 12. Then when she starts uni, she is entitled to a scholarship benefit of $1k - 2k for 3 years. Same for Jordanne, except her benefits are more because she enrolled at a younger age.

It's good to know we'll get some help with school fees (esp if Beth's still in a private school and not at Suzanne Cory or on a scholarship to Westbourne Grammar, which is our best-case scenario) five years from now. Which means the years of financial stretch are actually just Years 4, 5 and 6 (2012 - 2014).

Still, at $6k pa for 3 years ($18k), that's still a huge outlay compared to GNL's $2700 x 3 years ($8100).

Imagine how much more good we could do and how much more we could give for God's kingdom with the savings.

Why should a good Christian education have to be prohibitively expensive?

How to expand your territories by Bo Sanchez

From http://bosanchez.ph/5-steps-on-how-to-expand-your-territories/

Key #1:

Believe You’re Bigger

It’s common fact that we only use 10% of our brain’s capacity.

Can you believe that? We’re wasting 90% of what God has given to us!

I believe God has given us more capacities than we think we have.

The ultimate crime is that we belittle ourselves.

We think we’re insects, so we live an insect life, but actually—we’re giants!

Because of this, I believe you can earn a ten times more than whatever you’re earning right now. You can help ten times the number of people you’re helping now. You can serve ten times more than whatever service you’re doing now.

Don’t limit yourself.

You’re bigger than you think you are.

Key #2:

Be Consistent With The Fundamentals

Every morning, I enjoy time with God.

Every morning, I chew on His Word—the Bible.

Every morning, I pray, “Lord, let me love every person I meet today.”

Every morning, I read my life mission, my list of dreams, and my annual goals.

And throughout the day, instead of exposing myself to bad news, I digest good news available around me: I voraciously read inspiring books and listen to inspiring audio talks.

Every night, like a little boy, I kneel beside my bed and thank God for His blessings of that day.

In other words, the reason why I live such an exciting life is because I’m boring.

I’m monotonous.

I’m repetitive.

I do the same basic things again and again and again and again…

I now realize that the reason I can do all those thrilling, exciting, exhilarating stuff is because I do the boring basics every single day of my life. Everyday, I’m grateful. Everyday, I think positive. Everyday, I love. Everyday, I select what I watch, what I read, what I listen to—and stick to what can make me grow. Every single day.

The more I live on planet earth, the more I agree with Jim Rohn when he said that “There’s really nothing mysterious or magical about success. Success is simply the consistent application of fundamentals.”

Be boringly consistent when it comes to the basics.

And in time, you’ll find exciting success knocking at your door.

Key #3:

Focus On Your Core Gift

I have very few talents. Honest!

I don’t know how to cook, how to dance, how to write a computer program, and how to solve the Rubix cube. I don’t know how to do geometry, trigonometry, and calculus. I’m totally lost in chemistry, physics, and biology. I also can’t fix a leaking faucet or do carpentry or repair my car.

But this is what I can do very well: Communicate.

So I focus my entire life on that one thing.

I write well and I speak well. Period.

And I delegate everything to people who are better than I am.

Ask yourself now: What is my core gift?

I have a general rule I follow in my life: I don’t like complicating things just to impress you. So instead of giving you 329 psychological questions filled with scientific babble to discover your core gift (so I could impress you on how intelligent I am), let me just boil it down to 2 very simple questions. Stop reading this book until you answered both of these questions.

· What do you enjoy doing?

· What are you good at

For some of you, it’s technology.

For some of you, it’s teaching.

For some of you, it’s selling stuff.

For some of you, it’s cooking.

For some of you, it’s music.

For some of you, it’s advanced trigonometry. (Yes, I’ve heard there are such strange creatures walking on the face of the earth.)

Key #4:

Build Your Network

My wealth isn’t my money.

My real wealth is my network of friends.

Personally, I don’t think anything great is accomplished without a team.

Even Jesus had a team around him.

A few months ago, I was reading about the interesting world of horse-pulling competitions.

That’s where huge horses the size of elephants pull massive concrete blocks behind them.

Did you know that the grand champion horse could pull the incredible weight of 4,500 pounds? If the average weight of a Filipino is 140 pounds (which happens to be my weight before I eat my breakfast), that means this super horse could carry 32 Filipinos—without wheels! That monster could pull me, my wife, my kids, my parents, my siblings, their spouses, their kids, and all my in-laws combined.

And the second placer horse can pull only slightly lower than the first placer: 4,400 pounds.

That was when the organizers got curious. If these two horses pulled together, how many pounds could they carry? Could they pull 8,900 pounds?

They harnessed both horses and were shocked with the results.

Both horses, when pulling together, carried the mind-blowing weight of 12,000 pounds. That’s 85 Filipinos.

My message? Teams are powerful.

Alone, I can do a lot of things. But with my team, I don’t add but multiply what I can do.

I keep networking. I circulate. I meet people. I build bridges.

So I surround myself with a bunch of people who have impeccable character and fantastic skills. I network with Mentors, Preachers, Administrators, Accountants, Programmers, Lawyers, Financial Wizards, Multi-millionaires, Media Experts, Businessmen, Architects, Engineers, etc…

And everyday, I constantly expand my team.

Key #5:

Create An Autopilot System

Every time I enter into a project, I always do it with a team around me. Never alone. And I choose my team well.

I have a very simple criteria: I choose men and women who are humble (teamplayers) and who are experts in their field. In other words, I search for impeccable character and fantastic skills.

And together, we create a system for the project that’s replicable and duplicable.

In other words, it’s got to run on autopilot without my direct supervision.

Here’s my ideal leader: If I appoint someone to be project head (or organization director or business manager), and after six months, I don’t want him to bother me anymore except for major directional issues. If he still bothers me for tiny matters, I’ve chosen the wrong leader—or I trained him wrongly.

If You Love, The Universe Opens Up To You

Here’s what I’ve learned: Love is limitless! It has no boundaries.

I do what I do because I want to love people.

Each morning, I wake up and ask myself, “How can I bless people today?”

And so I stretch. I go just a teensy bit beyond what I think is my limit—and my capacities expand—because I want to bless the world.

The Preacher In Blue Jeans

Discovered Filipino preacher and entrepreneur Bo Sanchez's blog tonight and haven't been able to stop reading.

I watched the latest video on his Preacher in Blue Jeans site and was fascinated to see his audience was standing throughout his sermon.

He writes so simply, so authentically so powerfully.

And I agree with just about everything he says. He affirms what I already know and believe, and he does it with great conviction, clarity and persuasiveness.

Even though I've never met him, I like him already.

Now that's the power of a truly magnetic personality.

I Get To vs. I Have To

Love this article I read in Runner's World.

Instead of saying "I have to", say "I get to".

Instead of -

I have to clean the house, I have to fetch the kids from school, I have to go to work,

say -

I get to make my house clean and tidy for my loved ones and guests.

I get to fetch my kids from school and listen to them chat about their day.

I get to be paid for a job I enjoy doing and to help with my family's finances.

Because somewhere out there is a mum who would love to do what you do, even the most trivial and mundane stuff, but can't because she is fighting cancer and has just months to live.

When you say "I have to", you feel grumpy, stressed and resentful at all the burdens you have to manage.

When you say "I get to", you feel grateful, appreciative and have a positive perspective.

Past The Midpoint - At Last

This is the longest I've sat on an assignment. Ever.

From Nov 2009 till Feb 2010 for Assignment 7 and the first resubmission, and from Feb till Mar for the second resubmission.

Truth is, I was MORTIFIED when my instructor asked me to redo the assignment. I'm used to getting things right, and I've been academically inclined all my life. To have to redo something - twice at that - is a personal insult.

And yet, I had so much trouble fixing this assignment, because I couldn't see where the two sentence transpositions my instructor wanted were, and the three places where I'd made errors in copyediting. Worst of all, I couldn't see why my copyediting marks were deemed "all wrong".

This week, I made myself sit down and go through the tutorial notes. Page by laborious page. I went through the copyediting exercise again. And finally - eureka! I figured it out. At least, I hope I did. Because I really don't want to do this again. I have given the resubmission my best effort and I just hope it comes back duly rewarded - with some positive comments from my instructor. It can't be fun re-marking an assignment twice either. :-p

I can't wait to move on to Assignment 8. My assignments are piling up faster than I can complete them. Not a nice feeling.

This whole exercise has been a humbling experience. The know-it-all discovered that she really knows very little, and the not-very-resilient has learned the value of persistence and trying One More Time.

What does it mean to let God judge?

"You are more righteous than I," he said.

"You have treated me well, but I have treated you badly.

You have just now told me of the good you did to me; the Lord delivered me into your hands, but you did not kill me.

When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed?

May the Lord reward you for the way you treated me today.

I know that you will surely be king and that the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hands."

I Samuel 24:17-20, where David spares Saul's life in the cave near the Crags of the Wild Goats

The Audition

Monday's teacher audition @ Malvern was a highly interesting experience.

My first challenge was getting everyone out of the house on time so that I could make it for the 8.13 train.

I was so stressed by anxiety that I woke at 1 am and didn't get to sleep till it was almost time for the alarm to go off.

So I started the morning looking tired and disheveled.

But I did it.

Beth was the first one in her class (and the whole of her year) to reach school, and I had the luxury of staying with her for 10 min till it was time to go.

I even had 20 min to spare after getting off at Malvern station. I stood at the corner of Station Place trying to work out which direction was Glenferrie Rd. Once I got my bearings, everything went really smoothly.

What really impressed me about Malvern was the number and variety of shops near the train station. Cafes, bakeries, shoe stores, boutiques, greengrocer, Vinnie's, recycled children's clothing, hairdresser, beauty salon...

Even the locals look different from the people I encounter where I live. For one, there didn't seem to be as many elderly. And the older ones were highly mobile and in good health. No one was in a gopher or wheelchair. The younger ones looked trim and healthy as they went by, their purchases tucked under one arm or a cup of takeaway coffee in hand.

Back to the audition.

I met Robyn (senior instructor) on my way in, and she asked me to pick up an availability form and pointed me to a room where I could rehearse before the audition.

The piano was LOUD.

It took me a while to figure out how to mute it to an acceptable volume so I wouldn't interrupt the conversations that were going on all around.

Then it was time to go in.

My interviewing panel was made up of Robyn and Rose, the regional coordinator who was also MC for this year's Annual Concert.

They took pains to be friendly and really put me at ease, but there was no getting away from performance nerves.

My prepared pieces went rather badly, and I rued not having spent more time the day before polishing them. It had been a busy weekend and I had let practice time slip away from me.

The sight singing and sight playing went quite well, except my voice was thin and soft. I was also told my personality is on the quiet side. As I explained to hubby later, that's just the way I am and I can't really help my voice or my personality being the way it is. If Yamaha considers that a minus point, then too bad. He agreed with my perspective. I think he was pleasantly surprised that I'm not stressing about how my weaknesses might be taken against me.

When I first applied for the position, I had my Plan B all worked out. Meaning that if I don't get accepted for a teaching position (Plan A), I will focus my energies on my organics business. So it's not like everything is hanging on this job application. This approach has really helped me relax and be honest with my interviewers. I told them about my night vision problems, because teachers are expected to teach from 4-7.30 pm on a week night, which can be terrible in winter when it gets dark by 5. I would have to find alternative transport since I can't drive at night.

I am now waiting to hear from Yamaha. If they say "You're in!", I will have to start organizing after-school care for my child. If they say "Sorry", I'll say "No worries, mate!" and get on with my organics business and my writing.

Life is so much easier when you are clear about what you want to do.

Good Advice For VCE Students And All Of Us

Another fantastic insight from the school newsletter this week:

"From my experience, life often opens up opportunities and outcomes in line with your expectations.

A prayerful attitude of expectation is unstoppable.

Why don't you test this yourself? In prayer ask for the best situations you desire, expecting the best of everything leading up to the exams: a calm and peaceful home life, the best health and energy levels, the best productive study time, the best feeling of peace and confidence on exam day, the best interactions with friends.

You will be surprised with the outcomes, especially if you give your very best to others in every situation as well."

What Gets You Fired Up?

Was having a dialogue with someone about what fires her up and she said something really interesting.

She was talking about how she doesn't mind house chores BUT if the house is in a sad state and needing a lot of work to get it up to decent standard, she would be less motivated to clean it than if it were already in acceptable condition and all she had to do was continue maintaining it.

It takes less effort to maintain than to start again.

I guess the same principle applies to how motivated we feel about the projects we take on and the goals we set ourselves.

So the big question is...

If you are currently not in a good place in your career, how do you get to a place where you are ready, willing and able to commit to making that positive decision or critical next step that will take your career closer to your dream?