Happy Sunday, ladies,
I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow night.
I read Finish: Stop Making Perfect the Enemy of Done by Jon Acuff over the weekend and realized that was a good theme for tomorrow's meetup.
We've talked (and I've written) in depth about how to figure out what your next career should be and what you need it to provide, but that's not enough to get it done. Even if you know what's next, you need to start, keep going, and get to the finish line—and the last part is often the toughest part.
And that's what Jon's current book is about. He had written about getting started in a previous book but then realized that's not the biggest challenge for him and his readers. So in this book he tackles how to keep going and what it takes to become a finisher.
It's a quick and easy read, so I highly recommend you pick it up, but I'll share some highlights so we can discuss this tomorrow night.
Basically, we have trouble finishing because we allow our perfectionist natures to get in the way and make it too difficult. Sometimes we unconsciously sabotage ourselves by giving up as soon as it's not perfect, doesn't come easily, are nearly done but afraid of what's next, or for many other reasons perfection tricks us into believing it's better to give up. The answer is to either cut our goals in half, double the timeline by when we want to achieve the goal, or take more actions to ensure it gets done. And to help with this, use either positive or negative reinforcement (e.g., reward or fear) to motivate you, but make sure that both the goal and reinforcements are the right size for what you're trying to accomplish.
And if you can build fun into your goal and choose other things to either pause or bomb at, you're much more likely to get to the finish line. The goal need not be difficult, complicated, or miserable—that's perfection talking and not true.
So give this some thought and let's discuss tomorrow night how we can all become finishers.
Until tomorrow,
Karina
Showing posts with label meetup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label meetup. Show all posts
What Matters Most?
Happy Sunday ladies,
I know it's been a while since I wrote, but life's been a bit rough and I haven't had the energy or mind to write. I also had been reading more fiction and not studying much, but I needed that break to recharge mentally and otherwise.
Since we have a meetup coming up next week and I read a short but inspiring book, I decided to make it the theme for the upcoming meetup.
The book is called Wait, What?: And Life's Other Essential Questions. It was written by James Ryan, Dean of the Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, in response to his latest graudation speech that went viral.
As per the author, asking the following five questions will allow you to succeed in life and work:
I know it's been a while since I wrote, but life's been a bit rough and I haven't had the energy or mind to write. I also had been reading more fiction and not studying much, but I needed that break to recharge mentally and otherwise.
Since we have a meetup coming up next week and I read a short but inspiring book, I decided to make it the theme for the upcoming meetup.
The book is called Wait, What?: And Life's Other Essential Questions. It was written by James Ryan, Dean of the Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, in response to his latest graudation speech that went viral.
As per the author, asking the following five questions will allow you to succeed in life and work:
- "Wait, what?" gives you deeper understanding.
- "I wonder...(what or if)?" encourages curiosity.
- "Couldn't we at least...?" leads to progress.
- "How can I help?" builds good relationships.
- "What truly matters?" gets you to the heart of life.
He offers a sixth bonus question that speaks for itself: "Did you get what you wanted out of this life, even so?"
We won't go through all of these questions at the meetup, but I do want you to think about what truly matters to you.
When you're making large changes in your life—and who can argue that career change falls under this category—it's good to remember why you're making the change to begin with, and to not forget what truly matters to you and the type of life you want to lead.
Food for thought.
Hope to see you next week,
Karina
Spring Cleaning Continues
Happy Sunday and Happy Mother's Day!
When I first wrote about spring cleaning a few posts back, and how every yes to one thing is a no to something else, this was as much a reminder to myself as to all of you.
I have since put my other blog on hold; tried to be better and more consistent about my exercise, diet, and sleep (still a work in progress unfortunately); and spent more time on the things that give back, such as reading. This is what I need to do, not only to be at my best but to be able to weather this career-change journey, for however long it takes.
Due to this, I'm going to make this blog monthly instead of weekly. I'm not sure how many of you read this or if it's helping you on your journey, and the writing is no longer helping me on mine. But I will post a recap of each meetup with some food for thought so that those that can't make it get some benefit and for those that could, to have something to return to as a reminder.
I welcome contributors to this blog and ideas for how to make WCC better.
Hope to see you at the next meetup,
Karina
When I first wrote about spring cleaning a few posts back, and how every yes to one thing is a no to something else, this was as much a reminder to myself as to all of you.
I have since put my other blog on hold; tried to be better and more consistent about my exercise, diet, and sleep (still a work in progress unfortunately); and spent more time on the things that give back, such as reading. This is what I need to do, not only to be at my best but to be able to weather this career-change journey, for however long it takes.
Due to this, I'm going to make this blog monthly instead of weekly. I'm not sure how many of you read this or if it's helping you on your journey, and the writing is no longer helping me on mine. But I will post a recap of each meetup with some food for thought so that those that can't make it get some benefit and for those that could, to have something to return to as a reminder.
I welcome contributors to this blog and ideas for how to make WCC better.
Hope to see you at the next meetup,
Karina
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!
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!
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:
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
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:
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:
- Do you know where you spend most of your time?
- Do you have enough time for what's most important to you? And if not, why not?
- How do you decide what to do and when? Do you plan ahead or go with the flow?
- What tools do you used to stay on time and schedule (e.g., calendar, lists, etc.)?
- What time(s) of the day are you at your best?
- 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!
Communication Is Key
Happy Sunday, ladies,
I'll be announcing our venue for the upcoming meetup this week and hope to see you all at our April 5th meetup. It'll be a great chance to share your progress and concerns, and learn from each other.
If you recall from an earlier post, Kelly Hoey taught us that everything we do is networking. If you take that further, everything we share is communication.
Whether an email, your resume, a blog post, an interview, or even a chance encounter, they all involve communication and when you're trying to make a good impression, it's not only what you say but how you say it. There are many good books on the topic and I summarized one a while back for Actionable Books, but it also takes practice and preparation.
Do you know what you're looking for? Your strengths? Do you have an "elevator pitch" ready if someone asks what you're doing and/or looking for? If you don't know or can't articulate this clearly, people won't be able to help you.
We will be starting our April 5th meetup with everyone introducing themselves and why they're transitioning, so this will be a good opportunity to practice your story. And since practice is important and does make it easier, please join us for this safe practice opportunity.
Until next time,
Karina
I'll be announcing our venue for the upcoming meetup this week and hope to see you all at our April 5th meetup. It'll be a great chance to share your progress and concerns, and learn from each other.
If you recall from an earlier post, Kelly Hoey taught us that everything we do is networking. If you take that further, everything we share is communication.
Whether an email, your resume, a blog post, an interview, or even a chance encounter, they all involve communication and when you're trying to make a good impression, it's not only what you say but how you say it. There are many good books on the topic and I summarized one a while back for Actionable Books, but it also takes practice and preparation.
Do you know what you're looking for? Your strengths? Do you have an "elevator pitch" ready if someone asks what you're doing and/or looking for? If you don't know or can't articulate this clearly, people won't be able to help you.
We will be starting our April 5th meetup with everyone introducing themselves and why they're transitioning, so this will be a good opportunity to practice your story. And since practice is important and does make it easier, please join us for this safe practice opportunity.
Until next time,
Karina
Tips from Our Expert Panel
Happy Sunday, ladies,
I hope you've all remembered to set your clocks one hour forward, although ironically our weather is feeling anything but spring-like.
And it was great seeing those of you who could make it to our Wednesday expert panel. I've messaged everyone our panelists' contact info and also posted it on the meetup page and our Facebook group.
They were kind enough to share three tips for those of you who could not join us, and I've also shared one memorable takeaway per panelist (see below).
Avery's Tips
Lot's of great food for thought and for those who attended, would love to hear what resonated with you.
Until next time,
Karina
I hope you've all remembered to set your clocks one hour forward, although ironically our weather is feeling anything but spring-like.
And it was great seeing those of you who could make it to our Wednesday expert panel. I've messaged everyone our panelists' contact info and also posted it on the meetup page and our Facebook group.
They were kind enough to share three tips for those of you who could not join us, and I've also shared one memorable takeaway per panelist (see below).
Avery's Tips
- Give yourself room to unplug from your previous job, get quiet, and begin to listen to what you really want.
- Work with a coach for structure, accountability, a conclusive direction, and to accelerate your journey.
- See this process as part of your growth and cherish it. You are moving toward the best version of yourself. Believe that what you desire is possible and take small steps every day, and you will soon see results.
Patty's Tips
- Fear is there to protect you. It doesn't care if you have a meaningful life. When you feel it, ask "What are you protecting me from? Are you helping me in my mission?"
- Don't make stuff up to worry about. Life is too short to have imaginary, vicarious, outdated or irrelevant fears. Let them go.
- Question your gut. If it sounds like my Chinese mother, it's fear talking, not your true self. Thank your fear, then put yourself in charge.
Kelly's Tips
- Life is short. Always remember you can be, do and have whatever it is that you want in life, if you are willing to work hard, be dedicated, be patient and persistent.
- Your mindset is powerful, every situation is not happening to you it is happening FOR you. Ask yourself what is the opportunity in this moment and/or situation? What can I learn from this?
- If you don't ask the answer is always "NO." Always ask for what you want because there is a 50% chance you will get what you are asking for, and keep trying until you get a YES!
My Takeaways
- From Avery: first "flare" to capture all the possibilities than focus based on your north star and values and give yourself time to decide on change.
- From Patty: determine whether you're dealing with fear (real), anxiety (imagination of future), or stress (feeling overwhelmed). Deal with the fear, prioritize to deal with stress, and settle your imagination to deal with anxiety.
- From Kelly: find balance with a power hour that's all about you and keep believing.
Lot's of great food for thought and for those who attended, would love to hear what resonated with you.
Until next time,
Karina
Recap of Our Second Meetup
Happy weekend, ladies!
Thank you to those who joined us Wednesday night for a great second meetup.
Unlike our first meetup, and as intended, this one was all about us: sharing our stories, the successes and challenges in our career-changing journey...and not feeling so alone since we're all going through similar things and now have each other.
Since all stories and journeys were unique, there aren't takeaways per se, but each attendee left with actionable items they can work on and report on at our next meetup. I'd encourage you all to use our private Facebook group to keep us informed of your progress on these items and so that we can cheer you along the way. (If you haven't joined us on Facebook yet, you can find that link on our meetup home page.)
A few members did mention that joining us was a first step for them, whether in overcoming their fear of networking or finally taking a step forward in a journey they knew was overdue. To them—and all of you who attended—I want to say congratulations. Showing up is a critical first step; participating is a second one. So you've already taken two steps forward and we're here to help you take more.
For those who couldn't make it, there's always next month and ways to stay involved and allow us to help you in your journey virtually. Feel free to reach out to me for suggestions.
Next month's meetup is our expert panel, so definitely not one to miss. And we're starting to charge a small fee just to cover our expenses (e.g., food or venue). If you'd like to attend but the fee is a hardship, let us know.
Since my actionable item was to take better care of myself (e.g., sleep and relax more), I wish myself and all of you a week where you're good to yourselves.
Until next time,
Karina
Thank you to those who joined us Wednesday night for a great second meetup.
Unlike our first meetup, and as intended, this one was all about us: sharing our stories, the successes and challenges in our career-changing journey...and not feeling so alone since we're all going through similar things and now have each other.
Since all stories and journeys were unique, there aren't takeaways per se, but each attendee left with actionable items they can work on and report on at our next meetup. I'd encourage you all to use our private Facebook group to keep us informed of your progress on these items and so that we can cheer you along the way. (If you haven't joined us on Facebook yet, you can find that link on our meetup home page.)
A few members did mention that joining us was a first step for them, whether in overcoming their fear of networking or finally taking a step forward in a journey they knew was overdue. To them—and all of you who attended—I want to say congratulations. Showing up is a critical first step; participating is a second one. So you've already taken two steps forward and we're here to help you take more.
For those who couldn't make it, there's always next month and ways to stay involved and allow us to help you in your journey virtually. Feel free to reach out to me for suggestions.
Next month's meetup is our expert panel, so definitely not one to miss. And we're starting to charge a small fee just to cover our expenses (e.g., food or venue). If you'd like to attend but the fee is a hardship, let us know.
Since my actionable item was to take better care of myself (e.g., sleep and relax more), I wish myself and all of you a week where you're good to yourselves.
Until next time,
Karina
Preparation for this Week's Meetup
Happy Sunday ladies,
I'm so excited that our next meetup is coming up, and I look forward to hearing how your career-change journeys have been going.
Unlike our last meetup when we had a great guest, this one will be all about connecting and sharing. We'll start off by introducing ourselves, then spend most of the evening talking about what's been working and what has not in our journey. During this part of the evening, I'd like you to consider some of the things I've been writing about: either your one word, your strengths, where you find your joy, etc.
Funny enough—and I swear I don't plan this—I published another year-plus old blog draft that really speaks to our situation. You can read it here, but in brief, a book I read back then recommended considering what everyone keeps coming to you for as your purpose. Even if the thing people keep telling you you're great at is not what you see yourself doing, rethink the core of that thing and consider how else you can apply it.
After we've all had a chance to share our wins, challenges, and answers, we'll finish off the evening with a final circle where we do our own version of "give and get." Since we are trying to build a support network, we will all mention something we've learned either that evening or in our journey, something we would like to learn, and something we can teach others in our network. The hope is that this will further help us help each other and lead to expanded future opportunities.
I look forward to seeing you all this week.
Until then!
I'm so excited that our next meetup is coming up, and I look forward to hearing how your career-change journeys have been going.
Unlike our last meetup when we had a great guest, this one will be all about connecting and sharing. We'll start off by introducing ourselves, then spend most of the evening talking about what's been working and what has not in our journey. During this part of the evening, I'd like you to consider some of the things I've been writing about: either your one word, your strengths, where you find your joy, etc.
Funny enough—and I swear I don't plan this—I published another year-plus old blog draft that really speaks to our situation. You can read it here, but in brief, a book I read back then recommended considering what everyone keeps coming to you for as your purpose. Even if the thing people keep telling you you're great at is not what you see yourself doing, rethink the core of that thing and consider how else you can apply it.
After we've all had a chance to share our wins, challenges, and answers, we'll finish off the evening with a final circle where we do our own version of "give and get." Since we are trying to build a support network, we will all mention something we've learned either that evening or in our journey, something we would like to learn, and something we can teach others in our network. The hope is that this will further help us help each other and lead to expanded future opportunities.
I look forward to seeing you all this week.
Until then!
Takeaways from our first Women Career Changers meetup
Hi ladies,
First of all, thank you to those who joined us for our first meetup last night. And thank you to Ellen Afromsky for hosting us and Susan Danziger for being such a great and motivating guest speaker.
For those who couldn't join us, and to help those who did remember the key takeaways, below is a summary of the lessons Susan shared:
First of all, thank you to those who joined us for our first meetup last night. And thank you to Ellen Afromsky for hosting us and Susan Danziger for being such a great and motivating guest speaker.
For those who couldn't join us, and to help those who did remember the key takeaways, below is a summary of the lessons Susan shared:
- Life is always about change so don't wait to be out of work to be open to new people and ideas.
- Make it a habit to connect to new people every day. Susan connects to 30 new people a day, but whatever number you choose, make this a priority and break it down between morning, afternoon, and evening. "Connects" can be responses to previous emails, a new message/email, or everyone you spoke to or invited to an event. This will make sure that you're always meeting new people and open to new ideas (see lesson 1).
- Have an online brand and include content you generate as part of this. Whether this is a blog or tweets, you want someone to be able to find you—and relevant and professional things about you—when they Google you.
- Know what you're worth and say no to the clients or offers that don't respect that.
- Don't chase the clients/jobs that don't get what you have to offer; wait for the ones who do.
- And if you need a new experience to get the next job/client/opportunity, don't wait or ask for permission: just do it. Either start your own project to demonstrate you've got the required skills or volunteer with an existing company to get them.
For those who attended, did I miss a key takeaway? And please share how you apply any of these.
Until next time!
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