5 Essentials to Pack for a Major Life Change

Major life changes -- starting a business, moving, changing
careers -- take a long time. Six years, six monthsŠ
even six weeks seems long when you're fighting your
way through a jungle. Along the way, clients tell me, they
feel tired, frustrated and discouraged.

If you were trekking off to a real jungle, you'd expect to
encounter obstacles. You'd pack extra water, mosquito
repellent and sunscreen.

For a life change, make room for these five
survive-and-thrive essentials.

Essential #1: Pep talks. If you watch sports, you
see lots of coaches. The good ones know how to tailor their
message for each team and for each player. The message that
sends one player screaming off the court will send another
out to score the winning point.

You know your own hot buttons. What worked last time you
felt like giving up? How can you jumpstart a tired self?
While you're in a good mood, write yourself a pep talk. Not
too long. Not too abstract or preachy. Then keep it in a
safe place, ready to read when you need it most.

Essential #2: Rewards. You force yourself to make six cold
calls in one day. You write a powerful sales letter to your
best customer. Your accounting records are caught up. You
finish four pages of your book.

Use rewards when you have to do something but you won't see
results right away - maybe not for a long, long time.

I'm always amazed at the variety of rewards people choose.
Some won't be motivated by anything less than a new car.
Others just visit the gourmet food shop, get a massage or
hire someone to do chores they normally handle themselves.

Tip: Still unmotivated? Feeling like, "I'd rather skip the
reward than do the action?" You can (a) choose a new
reward; (b) revise your goals and action plan; and/or (c)
acknowledge that you're one of those people who just isn't
reward-driven.

Essential #3: Treats. Give yourself treats for no
particular reason. Everybody deserves at least one pocket of
joy every single day, no matter what. Television is not
allowed as a treat. Altruistic acts don't count.

Tip: If you can't come up with a single treat, you're living
in the wrong place, you've been joy-starved too long and/or
you're depressed. Don't wait. Get help.

Essential #4: Celebrations. Celebration means you've been
working hard and now you see results. You landed two
interviews. A customer asked for a proposal (and you can
tell he's serious).

Famed writer Natalie Goldberg once observed that we should
celebrate when anyone finishes a novel, even if it doesn't
get published. From my own writing experience, I agree
wholeheartedly.

Essential #5: Connections. You need people - at least one
person - who can be your touchstone, a constant while you
change. You need opportunities to talk freely about your
hopes - and admit you're terrified of what you started. And
you need someone who reminds you why you started this
journey in the first place.


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Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is an author, speaker and
career/business consultant.
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