Monthly Archive for January, 2010

The Answer is in You

A lot of people are always looking for answers outside of themselves, not realizing that every answer they’ve every needed is already there inside of themselves. Sometimes you just need the right question to draw it out. This is the power of having a life coach.

About a month ago I decided to take an online novel writing class. Anytime I share my writing experience as a journalist or express my desire to write a novel, people always say that’s something they have always wanted to do too. So…when I posted my status on Facebook and Twitter that I was going to take this class, I immediately got emails and comments congratulating me. In almost all of the comments sent to me, all of the people expressed a once upon a time interest in writing a novel.

One particular friend pursued the conversation with me a little further. He told me how passionate he was about always wanting to be a novelist and then asked me if I thought he should write a novel. My reply was, “If this is something that you are truly passionate about doing, the question is why AREN’T you doing it?”

Wow! That was all he needed. The next day he said he’s already included a thank you for me in his acceptance speech for the awards he’ll win from his novel. He asked me if I thought that was crazy. I said, “Absolutely not! I’m already ready for the several interviews I’ll have once I get recognition from the Oprah Book Club.”

Anytime I’m thinking about taking on a new project or participating in a new venture, I aways ask myself, “How is this going to compliment the dreams in my heart?” If it won’t, I don’t do it. I think the task is probably meant for someone else. If it does, I move forward.

Think abundantly and stay focused. If you think small, you’ll play small. If you think big, the possibilities are endless. Expect the best with every step of your journey and be mindful of not getting off track.

The Power of Flexibility

Change occurs constantly. One never knows what’s going to happen next. If you remain flexible, you’ll be able to adapt easily. If you freeze up, you’ll break. It’s your choice how to react in any situation.

Take this situation as an example…….

For the past month or so, a collegue of mine and I have been working on the unveiling of a new pilot course. The technology program works with our remedial writing class and makes paper submissions, grading, and teaching grammar easier for both the students and the instructor.

During winter break, my colleague and I worked diligently with the publishing company to put this pilot class together. This included online training and a few meetings for us to understand the program. Then, we went into the program and tailored it to fit our curriculum. We also created an extremely detailed course outline so students could follow along with the tasks they’d be completing on a day to day basis.

With everything prepared down to the very last detail, we couldn’t possibly be prepared for the monsoon like rain storm we had yesterday in South Jersey. I can’t even count the amount of times my umbrella turned inside out on my way to the class, but by the time I arrived to class, I was drenched….along with our department secretary and the three representatives from the publishing company, who had traveled three hours to get to my class to help train the students.

We decided to meet 30 minutes before the class started. We set up all of the computers so that all the students had to do when they got to the class was sit in front of them, look up at the monitor in the front of the classroom, and follow directions.

Well, that’s not what actually took place. As soon as all the students got to class, the power went out. With the exception of four computers that were apparently running off of the back up generator, everything was off….including the lights. Thinking quickly, we decided to rotate the students onto these four computers and let them leave after they registered for the software program. Quickly after the second group of students got onto the computers to register, those four computers went out as well.

How did the students react to the situation? They became flexible. They took the directions and registered at home. They listened carefully and took notes in the dark before they were dismissed from class.

Although the students might not even realize it, they learned a very important lesson that they can apply throughout life. They learned how to remain calm when things seem to be chaotic. They made a decision that they were going to have enough confidence in themselves to try the new program at home and complete the assignment for homework. They made a decision that they were going to become flexible.