Midlife Without Crisis

Discovering a new Passion Helped Cathy Perkins Reinvent Herself

One afternoon Cathy Perkins took a nap and woke up to find her left side paralyzed. She had no idea that this event was the beginning of a journey to a whole new life.

It took her nearly 6 years to decide that she was done being depressed about what had happened to the life and career she knew. At that point she discovered Wordpress, software which is used for blogging and creating websites. She got really excited about the software and what it could do. She started blogging and teaching people to use Wordpress. Her passion overrode her fear and enabled her to do things beyond her comfort zone. Today she has a thriving business and is living her dream.

"What you think is what you are," says Cathy. "When I stopped thinking of myself as disabled I started to be able to walk better."

Find out more about Cathy Perkins at:
http://www.thewordpresswizard.com

Hollis Polk: Evolutionary vs. Revoluationary Change

 When it comes to the changes she's made in her own life, Hollis Polk prefers "evolutionary change" to "revolutionary change". She likes to be good at what she does while learning something new at the same time. She likes to practice something new and hone her talent before she feels ready to "hang out a shingle". This was true when she became a clairvoyant and it was true with the photo mandalas that she creates and sells. She admits that she's certainly worked with clients who have made "revolutionary changes" where they've let go of something they've done historically but are "done with" and then move on to something new.

Hollis helps her clients to make the changes they want to make in their lives through clairvoyant readings and hypnocoaching. She also teaches intuition development to help people expand the intuitive skills they already have. Hollis helps people to define the outcomes they want and to clear the blocks that keep them from achieving those outcomes. She cautions that you should "be careful what you ask for" because she's noticed that for many people there are unintended consequences. Someone may "want out" of a particular situation but the way that that happens may not be exactly the way they had envisioned. Hollis especially likes to work with small business owners because when a small business owner makes a change it changes their business as well.

To find out more about Hollis go to http://www.888-4-Hollis.com

Listen to the full interview to find out how she evolved from Harvard MBA to clairvoyant. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pushtheresetbutton

When You're Ready to Reinvent Yourself - There's More Than One Right Way.

Evolutionary changes can be small, gradual changes which have profound impact over time. For example you decide to learn something new. You take time to learn the skills and information over a period of time, and practice what you've learned. Eventually you may decide to incorporate the new skills into your work, and you start to make money with the new skills. Much of our growth works this way.

Revolutionary change is often inspired by a shift in your external environment - you're involved in a layoff, a divorce, or a death.  It can also be inspired by an internal shift - you decide to change a habit: get rid of an old habit  (e.g. quit smoking) or create a new habit (e.g. regular exercise), address a health problem,  change careers, or leave a relationship. With revolutionary change there is often a larger, more short term shift that can have a big impact on your life within a short period of time.

Which ever style of change you pursue - enjoy the process.  If you need help - get some coaching!

Kathleen Gage: Reinvention through Constant Refinement

These days Kathleen Gage is training for a marathon. She's been training for many months and has even survived a broken ankle and holiday setbacks; but is still on track to achieve this fitness victory that she wants. Training for a marathon is a metaphor for how Gage lives her life. She envisions what she wants to create in her life, plugs in her resourceful attitude and creates it.

Kathleen Gage is very good at many things: she's an award-winning business owner, author, speaker, teacher, coach and mentor to people who want to grow their businesses using internet marketing. She even "plays a mean game of cards."  I'm convinced that she has developed each of her talents through practice and what Joe Vitale calls "inspired action" - putting her inspired thoughts into action. She says that she models "the behavior and actions of people who are successful doing what I want to do." For Gage reinvention is a process of constant honing and refinement.

I was very surprised to find out during a recent interview, that earlier in her life she used to be "the complete opposite of who I am today."

To hear my interview with Kathleen and find out how she evolved from the "complete opposite of who I am today" to become the talented person she is, listen to our interview:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pushtheresetbutton

To find out more about Kathleen Gage's business and her VIP Club go to:
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?af=1125126

"If You Stick With Your Story, You're Stuck With It."

My longtime friend Swami Beyondananda says: "If You Stick With Your Story, You're Stuck With It."

Sticking with your story can be a good thing in many contexts. A truthful person would stick with their story - because it's the truth. A consistent brand or story about yourself or your business

is also a good thing. People can count on you for what you stand for: great customer service

, excellent products, consistent outstanding results, integrity, honesty, accurate information etc. Your clients and customers count on you to provide consistent products and services. They expect that from you.

You and your business need to evolve or "emerge" over time because aspects of your customer base or the environment you're operating in will change. The need for change over time is where "sticking with your story" may get you stuck in a place where you and/or your business aren't growing the way they need to. As the environment you're living and working in changes, "sticking with your story" - not changing it in any way can get you stuck.

Judith and Jim have changed their stories a few times over the course of their lives as their consciousness expanded and they found themselves in new situations that they hadn't even imagined earlier in their lives.
Jim calls this "emergence".  Emergence is a process we all experience along the journey of life.  Emergence, he says is transforming a bunch of ingredients into chicken soup.  He and his wife Judith have been actors, psychotherapists, they've written five books, and are now charting a new agenda in internet marketing with respect to "soft selling". They're in their 60's and have no plans to "retire". They're certainly not "stuck with their stories".

Check out the interview I did with them on January 16, 2010 for more insights into this dynamic couple.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/pushtheresetbutton

The New Rules for Getting Rehired Over 40

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that the rules for job hunting and getting rehired in this economy have changed, especially for people over 40. Not that the “old rules” were ever written down anywhere formally, but various authors have educated us over the years about what a resume should look like and contain, how to behave in an interview, what to write in a thank you letter after an interview or how to negotiate with a potential employer.

 

What are today’s “new rules”?

 

Here are some of the ones I’ve noticed and written about in my recent book called Five Strategies for Staying Employed in Today’s Economy.  Since I completed the book I’ve noticed some more. 

 

• Lifetime Employment is a 20th century concept – there’s no such thing as lifetime employment for this generation. So expect to change jobs at least one more time before you retire and become really good at: networking, presenting yourself, showcasing your skills, learning to do what employers are paying top dollar for. Be flexible and open to options you might not have considered before.

 

• Many people over 40 will not get another “full time” job – Many people I’ve worked with who are over 40 are being offered “contract” jobs rather than “full time jobs”. Many employers don’t seem to want you to retire on their watch. It looks like what I call an “evil game of musical chairs”.

 

• Today’s salaries are often disappointing – With the large number of available unemployed people and the massive amounts of jobs that have be outsourced overseas, employers are offering pathetic salaries and getting away with it.

 

• If you haven’t done a particular skill “on the job” for a previous employer, it’s often a challenge to get hired to do that skill on your next job – Even though you’ve taken a class and learned a particular skill, it doesn’t seem to count as far as potential employers go unless you’ve actually done that skill on the job for a previous employer. Don’t let that deter you from learning new skills. Just be sure to find a local non-profit or even a friend who will allow you to do a project for them using your new skills.  Then be sure to get a testimonial for the work you’ve done.

 

• Using social media effectively is mandatory – Become familiar with blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and find out how they can benefit you and your job search. Social media offers you access to people you may not have access to in any other way, who could be very helpful to you.

 

• Being healthy and energetic is crucial - If you don’t have your health – who cares how good your skills are? Take incredibly good care of yourself and your career. If you’re between jobs use some of the time you have to cultivate your health. Start that workout program you keep promising yourself you’re going to start. Lose those extra pounds. Improve the quality of your sleep. The payoff will be more than worth it. You’ll look better, and you’ll come across as younger and more energetic.