LPN Newsletter - Winter 2010
FEATURED ARTICLE - Knowledge & Expertise from LPN
When We Are The Client 
By Gail Liebhaber, M.Ed. LPN New England
Rejoice! Rejoice! We Have No Choice But to Move Along -
adapted from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
As coaches and counselors, we pride ourselves in understanding, promoting and even provoking change in our clients. After all, don't we feel pleasure and a sense of accomplishment when we get an email or phone call informing us that a client has been offered a new job, chosen a graduate school, gotten an "aha" or just made a small step forward after an interminable period of "stuckness?"
So what happens when we are the client? Yes, finally the specter of needing to make a change in my own career was something I had to face. Could it be my turn to "re-invent myself," to "practice what I had been preaching" for over 25 years (whoops, 30 years!), to "look at my goals," "to get aligned with my proposed values," to "gain work/life balance?" Sound all too familiar? I could have just lifted all those words straight from my web site. The difference is that now, I had to be my own client. Here are some of the steps that I have been following for the past 2 years. I trust that you might find one of the following suggestions intriguing for yourself.
- Do something different. Try an activity that you normally would never have had the courage or desire to do. It could be horseback riding, bridge, keeping a journal, or painting. Keep at it for an extended period of time with no judgement on how it might work out, if you will be good at it, or that it will be anything but enjoyable. If you try one thing and it is a bust, keep trying until you find something that gets you out of your comfort zone and into a new dimension of yourself.
- Find a spirit buddy. Choose a friend or family member who has the time to commit to a monthly check in where you take turns telling each other,
without judgement or expectation how your inner life is feeling.
End your hour session by choosing an intention for the month that you can report to each other the next session, such as being patient with yourself,
having 5 minutes of daily quiet time, or counting to 5 before speaking in an emotionally charged situation. - Start your day by picking a goal for the day. It could be to remember to look at the sky, or to hug a friend or to eat 3 healthy meals. End your day at bedtime by reviewing the events of the day and finding one thing to feel good about.
- Ask yourself what you are looking forward to in the next couple of months or years. Give yourself the gift of choosing to have a goal that will increase your joy in life. Share your thoughts with someone who can be a witness to your desires and remind you of them when you are feeling a little unfocused or beleaguered.
- Adopt a practice, be it walking, running, meditating, yoga, reading poetry or anything that allows you to clear your mind and give it a rest. It doesn't have to be for a long period of time, just enough to let that overworked organ, the brain, have a much needed rest!
Gail Liebhaber, M.Ed
Your Career Direction
40 Cottage St.
Lexington, MA 02420
www.yourcareerdirection.com
gail@yourcareerdirection.com
781-861-9949