Here is an excellent article for people looking for a job or for those who are receiving calls from people they may not know to well. I love the part about remembering that one day you may be in someonelse’s shoes! Great advice on working within one’s network to learn more about opportunities! And don’t forget–don’t make your next transition along…hire a coach to help you find your vision and encourage you along the way.
NYT Article on Networking
Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini
A former neighbor this morning wrote to reassure me that I can handle the upcoming transition to Houston–and she said that there are always bumps in a move, but they won’t be felt so much if we take them in low gear! I love that thought. It strikes me that there are things we know well in our head that have yet to filter to our hearts…
creating space for the filtering is important–as is giving ourselves time. Even so, I realize I leave a piece of my heart in Austin after 20 years…
If you are going through a transition or are stuck in a place, seek out a life coach who can shine a light on your path!
Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini
www.lifeinbalancecoach.com
This is what I know for sure: houses can be bought and sold. Homes we carry in our heart!
The process of selling my own house started in earnest with cleaning out a dozen years of clutter and what now seems to me over 30 years of personal history. The piles of things to shed grew higher and the closets grew cleaner, until we came to the final stages…when the clutter had disappeared and what remained now was the bare bones of the house. I have often spoken to people about this–it is the process of creating the appearance of a house that can adapt itself to the personality of the buyer…that makes itself more desirable because it is clean and organized and somewhat neutral–think a miniature scale version of the Pottery Barn…something that can appeal to different people so that they can they make it their own.
What I never realized is that this final process of staging takes away the comfort of a home…what remains is now a house ready for sale. Go visit any new home model around the country and you will know that there is an art to this presentation….
And so now that my home is a house, I owe gratitude to the folks who have shared their expertise and time, including Sherri Williams ( the Travis Country neighborhood real estate expert), Michael The Stage Coach, Joe the helper…and of course, my best friend and my partner, John. My special thanks go to all those who have listened to me and to those who have prayed so that I would have the emotional and physical strength to continue on this transition.
And now, when the finish line is in sight–I can sing because home will always be in my heart.
Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini
Thanks to a friend who is also a coach, I realized yesterday that the sadness about preparing the house for sale was not about detaching from the walls (after all, I have done that before!). What the sadness was telling me is that I was in transition–and declaring the end of an era. My friend used the analogy of reading a chapter book–one chapter has ended, and now I sit staring at the blank page before the next chapter starts. Despite the excitement that surrounds the next part of the story, there is sadness that an important chapter has ended. Being able to name what the sadness was about suddenly made it lift–oh yes, I said to myself. There is much to be celebrated about the last chapter, but also some grief about letting go. It is ok to sit with it…suddently, just as it had come, the wall of emotions that had enveloped me over the last few days is dissipating…and leaving space for the the joy that lies ahead.
Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini
lifeinbalancecoach.com
Transition is the movement from one stage to another–transitions can take all shapes and involve change that we either chose or that somehow fell upon us (think pink slip, death, illness…something transformative that we may not have chosen). Transitions are on my mind right now as I shift from one city to another. I have handled everything about the move with attention to detail, trying to keep my linear thinking and clarity through the process…and all was going well until the necessity to clear the clutter came about. All of a sudden, a wall of emotion came over me. Memories are what matter– we made them in this house, but they will travel with me in my heart…and yet the emotion is strong and there is an exquisite sadness about moving on. I am trying to wrap my arms around it…I remind myself to be kind and gentle to myself, and to sit with the emotions–to honor where I am and what I feel.
What are you experiencing in your own life transitions? Would love to hear!
All around us there is a lot of talk about passion–what magical quality does passion have? Will it be enough to keep us young, vibrant and healthy? I am often puzzled–what is passion anyway? One of the definitions of passion at dictionary.com is “a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything: a passion for…” What gives you energy? What are you enthusiastic about? Are you afraid of giving in to your heart’s desire or are you ready to pursue it? Live in the present, be energized by your passion and do not let fear take hold!
If you are interested in exploring the possibilities, working with a coach might be a good way to discover what your passions are, to become aware of how fear is playing in your life, and to design a course of action that puts you on the path to live a full life! Discover your passion and, I have no doubt, you will be young, vibrant and healthy longer!
Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini
www.lifeinbalancecoach.com
By the way, I am reading a good book that is making me think about this subject. You might want to pick up Beaudine’s You’ve Got Who or read it on the kindle!
Even when I was a child my mother asked me to clean out my room, which really meant to put things back where they belonged. Reluctantly I complied…though I am sure I never quite met the standards of order that would have been required. Decency maybe was more the level of what I could achieve.
So now I find myself having to clean the whole house in preparation of a move. My mother’s voice is not commanding me to do it…my adult self is saying “do it.” So I tackled my closet…for what seems the second or third time! I never thought of myself as a “hoarder” but maybe I have to rethink that one. What was I thinking when I saved the shoulder pads from my 1980s clothes? Really! So tonight I went through the closet one more time and I tried to keep the mood light by wondering what an archaeologist would think if she were uncovering the treasures that I am finally parting with! Order still eludes me, but there is evidence of progress towards some decency…I am encouraged and delighted by the feeling of freedom that sharing usable stuff and recycling unusable things is causing. What a feeling! If you have stories to share about your organizing experiences I would love to hear from you!
Life is Amazing! Live well.
I am an avid reader, especially of business books, self-help and, of course, novels. As I prepare to move from one city to another books are everywhere. It is hard to part with them–I may not remember the content of each book, but there are fond memories attached to each volume. I have imposed a moratorium on buying new books…except of those published on the Kindle! If you are a voracious reader and you travel, the new edition of the Kindle from Amazon is the best thing since sliced bread. Slick, thin, easy to use and to read (even poolside, as I did recently). I look at it fondly and love to have it at my side…and to think that it can contain 1500 books plus the archives! Now, if all my books could jump from the bookshelf and make themselves available in the Kindle, life would be…perfect? Well, really, it already is!
Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini
So I wish I could say I have invented a “clutter magnet”–an object that magically attracts all clutter and “disappers” into order. Alas, no such great news from me…I am, and have always been, a clutter magnet: in the sense that clutter appears around me everywhere. My friend Mary Thompson says that I can live with clutter because my brain is extremely organized (she has the spices alphabetized in the pantry–who knew that could be possible!). There is some truth to that. But as I prepare to move and I methodically unclutter the space around me, I am amused to see that there is some real zen in having fewer objects around. How I will be able to replicate the experiment of order after I move is an entirely different source of musings. In the meantime, for those of you out there desiring decluttering resources, check out some of Julie Morgensten’s books…and see where that new knowledge takes you. If you are still a clutter magnet at the end of the process, don’t be surprised. Just make sure your brain stays organized! And, if you need help with that, hire a life coach!
Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini
So the March numbers for Facebook and Twitter are in–they are experiencing record growth! What is this phenomenon about? Will you join the bandwagon? What will you do with it? If you are participating in the fray, what is it doing for you?
I don’t think ignoring technology is a wise move–it only makes you obsolete and old. A former UT professor of communication said to me that we should be careful not to join just because we want to be younger–I agree. The reason to join is not to become who we are not, but to participate in an interesting cross-generational dialogue. We stay young by learning. Facebook and Twitter are good places to learn about others and maybe about ourselves.
There are plenty of articles out there to guide us through the process. But the most important question to ask is: what will bring to the table? How will you show up?
Life is Amazing! Live Well.
Anna Grassini
Here is a good article for starting on Twitter…
http:/Marketing With Twitter
