Spring Cleaning

Happy Sunday, ladies!

Spring has finally come and I hope you've all had a chance to enjoy the weather.

I noticed that no one has RSVP'd for the May 17 meetup as of yet, so I wanted to remind you to please do so and to as many of the future meetups as you can. This will allow me to plan better since I know how many are interested and able to attend. Also, if not enough members want to or can attend any given month, I may cancel that month's meetup and if it's one with a guest speaker, I need to give them advance notice.

In addition to lovely weather, spring makes me think of spring cleaning. It's all about throwing out the trash and giving yourself a fresh, clean start. And this kind of cleaning need not just be physical (i.e., actual trash), but can be mental, spiritual, or in any aspect of your life that needs a cleaning.

I recently ordered a book called The Stop-Doing List. I haven't received it yet so can't tell you much more about it, but the title does speak for itself. As I mentioned at the last meetup, every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else, so it's equally as important to decide what to stop doing.

And those decisions aren't always easy. There's generally a reason you started doing something—and probably a good one—but that doesn't mean you should keep doing it. Just like you shouldn't go along with what's "right" for someone else.

So let's use the lovely spring weather to inspire a spring routine cleaning so that you have more time to work on your career change journey. And I'd love to hear the things you decide to stop doing, so please share that here or in our Facebook group.

Until next time!

Happy Holidays and Recharging

Happy Sunday and Holidays, ladies!

I know it's hard to slow down and take a break when there's so much to do, so consider holidays a gift to yourself that forces you to slow down, reconnect with family and friends, and recharge.

Because burnout is to be avoided at all costs. Not only will recovery take much longer than you think, but the knock-on effects on your health are not to be minimized.

Also, when you're rushing from task to task, you don't have the time to process everything you're learning and trying.

So be kind to yourself, take a long walk in the glorious weather we're having, and think back and forward. What's been working? What has not? What can you try differently?

And don't forget to acknowledge and make time for the things that give back and keep you motivated, since those are critical.

So enjoy your holidays, as will I, and here's to coming back stronger, recharged, and more focused on where our career change journeys need to take us.

Until next time!

The Choices We Make

Happy Sunday, ladies.

It was so great seeing some of you last week and thanks to a new member, Christina, we have a great new location for upcoming meetups.

Our topic last week was time management since regardless of where you are in your career change journey, or how successful you are, you still only have the same 24 hours as everyone else.

One thing that came up is that every time you say yes to one thing, you're saying no to another. In other words, every choice made leads to one road rather than another, which reminds me of a favorite poem of mine, Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken."

If you haven't read the poem, you can find it in its entirety here, but below is the last stanza and the one that speaks to this point:
I shall be telling this with a sigh/Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
This isn't meant to be scary; it just is. The opposite of making a choice is still a choice: you've just chosen to do nothing. And most choices are not final or even necessarily long term, so can be reversed or changed if the need arises.

Isn't that what we're all doing in our career change journey; i.e., course-correcting a previous choice made?

So let's choose to be kind to ourselves as well as brave in our decisions. And if you're stuck on a choice, post it in our Facebook group so that we can help you out.

Until next time,
Karina

Preparation for Meetup: Questions to Ask Yourself

Happy Sunday, ladies!

I look forward to seeing you Wednesday and if you haven't RSVP'd yet, it's not too late: https://www.meetup.com/Women-Career-Changers-Networking-Group/events/236318918/.

As mentioned in an earlier blog post, we'll be discussing time management at this week's meetup, in addition to your stories and progress/hurdles.

Some things to ask yourself between now and then:
  1. Do you know where you spend most of your time?
  2. Do you have enough time for what's most important to you? And if not, why not? 
  3. How do you decide what to do and when? Do you plan ahead or go with the flow?
  4. What tools do you used to stay on time and schedule (e.g., calendar, lists, etc.)?
  5. What time(s) of the day are you at your best?
  6. Looking back at the last week, how much of your time was spent as planned and/or you'd like it to and how much were things you felt you had to do and/or came up unexpectedly?
Given that regardless of who you are, you only get the same 24 hours as the rest of us, learning to better manage your time is critical to success. The first step is to be more mindful and these questions will help.

I look forward to hearing your answers on Wednesday and us all helping each other get a better handle on how to get time to be our ally, not opponent.

If you can't make Wednesday's meetup, feel free to post your answers here or in our Facebook group and I'll respond.

Until next time!