Pivotal Choices Coaching

Transforming Your Dissertation into a Book

When a former client emailed that she wanted to return to coaching, I was pleased and intrigued.

What might a client who had finished her dissertation and had been published in several journals want to accomplish?

As most academics have discovered, she had learned that finishing the dissertation is the key to the academic world, but it’s just the key.

The demands that face the new academic are enormous.  Teaching may be a new experience, with the classes they have taken themselves being their only model or training.

What this one former client wanted was help in negotiating the writing of her book, the book that she had planned some time ago would come from her dissertation. 

On the face of it, transforming a dissertation into a book would seem rather straightforward.

The dissertation is a draft, but that’s all.  And a very early draft.

To submit a book for publication requires writing not only a proposal, but usually a sample chapter.   To write that chapter may require a focused revision of the new and fresh idea from your dissertation plus a refocused view of the audience, one wider than just your advisor and committee.

Finally, and most importantly, to write a book while teaching requires that you decide how much of a priority this book will be.  It will never get off the ground unless it is not just important, but urgent.  If it is urgent, you will work on it when you are at your best. And you will write every day.

It is possible to fit the reshaping and rewriting of your dissertation into your very full life. 

The pivotal choice for you is to decide that you will put this writing in the middle of your desk every day, first thing.

If you have a project that you’re trying to pull into view for yourself, I hope you will get in touch with me.  I can help. And go to my website (www.nwcoaching.com) to sign up for my Smart Tips e-newsletter

Nancy
www.nwcoaching.com
nancy@nancywhichard.com

 

Small Steps Lead to Pivotal Changes

Many people seem to think that a new year heralds a fresh start.

Not necessarily.

What are you doing now that you’d like to do more of?

It doesn’t take a major change; choosing small, but important steps, lead to pivotal changes.

What is a small step you can take?  Many people would say exercise more. 

If that’s a focus you would like to increase, how much do you exercise now?  How many times a week?  What if you raised that level just one notch for the next month?

Making this pivotal choice starts with your writing it down. 

Small, incremental steps amount to big, pivotal changes.  They’re realistic and easy to maintain.

What’s the small step that you’re willing to take?  And when will you that step? Write it in your calendar.

You can do this! 

Go my website (www.nwcoaching.com) and sign up for my Smart Tips newsletter. You will get the support you need and tips that you can use.  I'll also send you a bonus gift.

Happy New Year and thanks so much for reading my Pivotal Choices Coaching blog in 2007.

If you have a goal that you would like to work toward, contact me.  I look forward to hearing from you in 2008. 

I want 2008 to be a year of productivity and greater life satisfaction for you.

Warmly,

Nancy Whichard
Your Coach for Pivotal Choices and Change
nancy@nancywhichard.com
www.nwcoaching.com

What Is the Most Important Choice You Can Make in Preparing a Presentation?

Unless you’re a natural-born extrovert or super salesperson, what comes to most people’s mind at the thought of giving a presentation is fear.

The clients I have worked with as they prepare for these events feel as if they are going to face a firing squad. 

The most important thing to remember is ….

This isn’t about you!

Of course you have to have expertise in an area and have information that you want to deliver.  You’ve brought all of that to the table. 

You have many anecdotes, factoids, helpful information to share, but all of that information has to be focused on one perspective.  And until you make the choice to shift the focus to your audience, your project will never get off the ground.

Once you make this choice, then you’re ready to get to work.

In my next posting, read about what is the most important thing that you need to know about your audience.

If you are preparing for a presentation, I’d love to hear from you.  What is the challenge you’re facing?

I have something that will be of help.  Go to www.nwcoaching.com and get a free sign-up bonus when you subscribe to my Smart Tips for Writers e-newsletter.

Until next time,
Nancy
www.nwcoaching.com

How to Act like an Extrovert and Put Yourself Out There; or, Business Calls Can Lead to Happiness

Are you paralyzed at the thought of making a call to market your services or to ask something of another person?

How about calling a contact, someone you’ve met at some point? 

Or do you do whatever you can to avoid all marketing calls?

I’m an introvert, and in the past I would rather do about anything than make a call. 

When I was training to be a coach, I was told to make cold calls to market my services.

The trainer told our class that the individual goal for each of us was to get x number (say 5) of “no” responses.

The assignment was just to make the call and had nothing to do with outcome.  That made the process easier. 

Positive Psychologist researcher Chris Peterson tells us that extroverted people are happier than introverted people.

Introverted people should be asked to do extroverted things. 

What this means for you is
     •   If you are asked to make calls, then you should find a way to do that.
     •   Ask the same of yourself.
     •   In a nutshell -- Ask yourself to do extroverted things.

Even if making calls is difficult for you, once you have done this extroverted task of reaching out to others, you will be glad that you did it.

See if this approach works for you:
1.  Take the pressure off—you’re not invested in outcomes.  Tell yourself that your goal is to receive 5 “no” responses to your marketing calls.
2.  Then ask yourself 2 questions
     a. “What does this person need?”
     b. “What do I have to offer that will solve a problem for this person?”
3.  Write a script for yourself.
4.  Tape yourself reading your script.
5. Listen to the tape and jot down key points that you are making; add missing points.
6.  Practice talking (not reading).
7.  Make the first call no matter how nervous you feel.  No dilly-dallying.
8.  Remember that this call will bring you one call closer to your goal of 5 no’s.
If you get a yes, what a gift!  That’s the prize in the Happy Meal box.
9.  Begin every call with a smile on your face.

When you finish, take note of how satisfied you feel.

According to Chris, you’ll be just as satisfied as if you were extroverted. 

How to Explore Career Possibilities Even if You Think a Change Would Cost You Too Much

One of my clients wants to explore career options, but she’s at a loss of where to go next.  Her ideas tend toward what she’s been trained to do and what skills she has.

Tal Ben-Shahar, in his book Happier, says that before we ask “What am I good at?” we should first explore what gives us “meaning and pleasure,” that is, “What do I want to do.”

But my client is afraid to consider what she really wants to do -- dreams can be costly, she thinks.

I asked her to take stock, do some deep thinking, and take a few bold steps.. 

And boldly considering a scary area was my very first request of her:

1.  What is your secret passion, something that is almost too exciting to actually do or do more of?

2.  Without prioritizing or editing, what are other career interests/possibilities/dreams that you’ve thought about?

3.  Interview someone who has succeeded in the area that you’re passionate about.
While it might be difficult to have a face-to-face interview with someone like this, it’s easy to get an email address and shoot off a specific, succinct question.  If you get a response, send another question.

4.  Read a book by someone who has succeeded in the area that interests you and take note of specific, practical advice.

5.  Invest time (and money) in a strengths and needs assessment. 

6.  What have you learned that would refute the fears you had about entering this field?

7.  Tal Ben-Shahar says if “because of external constraints” you can’t change jobs or follow your passion, then “there is still much that a person can do to craft [that work] . . . so that it is experienced more as a calling than as a job.”  How might you re-craft your work so that it gives your more meaning or more joy? 

If you have had experience either in exploring your passion or in re-crafting your work, I’d love to hear from you.  Please share your experiences.

You can contact me through my website at www.nwcoaching.com.

I would also love to send you a copy of my free newsletter.  Sign up for my newsletter at www.nwcoaching.com.

Ready to Get Serious about Change?

Are you looking for what comes next in your life?

I have heard from teachers, professors, lawyers, corporate executives, executive assistants,
and they are ready for something new. They want a change.

And the good news is that change is possible.

What makes it possible is that there are some fantastic resources available.

One great resource is www.squidoo.com/mappingmidlife.

Asking the question “How will you map the second half of the journey?”
drsusan offers seven areas to consider:
1. What will my legacy be?
2. What meaningful work do I now want to do?
3. How can I fulfill my need to nurture?
4. How can I sustain meaningful relationships in my life?
5. How can I express myself creatively?
6. How can I meet my spiritual needs?
7. What surroundings do I want?

These questions slow you down and pin you against the wall, don’t they?

Would you like to pursue some of these questions?  I offer a free
sample coaching call.  It would be an opportunity for you to see if coaching might
be for you.

You can contact me through my website at www.nwcoaching.com.

I would also love to send you a copy of my free newsletter.  You can sign up for my newsletter at www.nwcoaching.com.

I look forward to hearing from you.

“Not Another Day! I Can’t Take This, I Can’t Take This Anymore!”

The ad begins:  [Squawk, Squawk] “Not another day, not another day!  I can’t take this, I can’t take this anymore!”

We see the parrot, and then a man opens the door, agitatedly pulling at his clothing and saying, “Not another day! I can’t take this anymore.”

Point taken—he’s been saying this so frequently that his parrot knows the refrain well.

Do you identify with the words and the frequency of repetition?

Some people who can’t take their work are bored, wanting to do something different, while others are beyond boredom.  Anger and anxiety have set in.

Because we fear making a change or believe we have no choice, we stick with the job.

If you continue to work month after month, year after year, at a job where, day in day out, you approach the work with anger or anxiety, your body will show the strain. 

Headaches, vomiting, insomnia, all are ways your body is saying Enough!

Do you dismiss the signs from your body?  Your long-term health can be damaged by chronic anger and anxiety.

If you have taught for years or been an administrator or been an executive assistant and more and more you are saying, "I can’t take this any more," then it’s time to look around.

Don’t quit your day job quite yet.  But look around. 

What is one small step you could take?  Give yourself permission today just to entertain the idea that your life could be different.

Six Steps that Will Kick-Start a Tired, Stalled Project

The other day a caller asked if I had ever coached someone who had become stalled on a house renovation project.  My answer was no, but what came to mind was how similar all big projects are.   How difficult it can be to keep going.  How crushing the project can become. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way.

Let’s say it was you who started the renovation project. You envisioned the changes you were going to make.  You put together a plan to accomplish those changes.

And you took on this project in part because of what you wanted to prove to yourself.

Following through on such a commitment takes courage and resilience.  I’ve seen someone with these qualities accomplish an amazing home renovation project.  The husband of one of my nieces almost single-handedly built a large room onto their house.  He’s an accomplished man, but he’s not a carpenter, nor is he an architect.  Nevertheless, over many months, the structure came together, and it’s a lovely addition to their home.

Completing such a project must be more than satisfying.  I would guess that the end feeling would be relief coupled with enormous joy in the accomplishment.

But if the renovation project is yours and if you’re stuck, re-starting takes courage and a willingness to look with new eyes at what this project will require from you.

Here are the Six Steps you have to take:

1.  You need a plan, the more detailed the better.  Without a plan, you probably won’t succeed.

2.  Make realistic, manageable goals each and every day or work session.

3.  When you accomplish the day’s goal, stop for the day—you don’t keep going.  Stopping when you’ve reached a realistic goal gives you the strength to come back another day.  If you go beyond the realistic goal, you make it much harder to return to the project.

4.  After you quit for the day, acknowledge yourself for the courage it took for you to take on this whole project, as well as for what you have accomplished that day.

5.  And give yourself permission to feel joy in meeting the challenge. 

6.  Draw on that feeling of renewed courage and the surge of joy to start your work another day.

Embarrassment, discouragement, and shame are likely to accompany getting stuck on a home renovation or building project.  Having one’s failure on public display can be brutal.  But the dread of being found out when a failure isn’t so visible is also hard to bear. 

Life’s too short to live in dread or shame.  You have a choice.  I say get started on that detailed plan . . . and then get to work!

Getting Out of My Own Way with One Small Step

A small step, one that you’ve overlooked or maybe just didn’t want to see, may be pivotal in making a change for the good.

Ever since we had some of our upstairs floors re-done, our basement has been overflowing with boxes of books, clothes, and odd accumulations that we had moved out of the way of the workers.

These boxes joined all of the other items from the past that had found their way to our basement.

I’ve wanted to rid the basement of much of this stuff and could imagine the area with only the essentials—the ping pong table, the couch, the bookshelves, the treadmill. 

But the reality has been that I’m hesitant to throw much of anything away , from my kids' elementary-school board games to their high school notebooks.

Today when I asked myself where could I take one easy first step, I knew what I hadn't wanted to see.  At issue were not my kids' things.  Nearly blocking the path into the basement are boxes filled with drafts from one of my long-ago writing projects, replete with Xeroxed copies of relevant and irrelevant articles.  What would it take to pull those boxes out to the street for the garbage collector?  Very little. 

So what has been stopping me from doing this before?  I suppose I have been thinking I would get to work on publishing something based on one of these drafts, but I don't need this physical reminder of unfinished business. It’s time to take this one small step to see where it leads me.