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Discovering Your Life Purpose with StrengthsFinder (Plus One More!)

2014-05-28 By Monica 1 Comment

As Shakespeare said, “To Thine Own Self Be True.” But what if you’re not clear about who you really are? What if you don’t know what you want to do with your life? How do you really get to know yourself? In this series of posts I’ll show you some great tools for discovering who you are. Knowing who you are is a necessary starting point for finding a purpose that aligns with your true self.

StrengthsFinder

Living your life’s purpose invariably includes knowing and applying your strengths. According to Gallup studies, “people who have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.” [Read more…] about Discovering Your Life Purpose with StrengthsFinder (Plus One More!)

Discovering Your Life Purpose with the Myers-Briggs Self Assessment

2014-05-26 By Monica 2 Comments

There’s an old saying from Shakespeare: “To Thine Own Self Be True.” But what if you’re not clear about who you really are or what you want to do with your life? How do you really get to know yourself? This series of posts I’ll show you some great tools for discovering who you are. Knowing who you are is a necessary starting point for finding a purpose that aligns with your true self.

One of my favorite self assessment tools is Myers Briggs, which was designed by the mother/daughter team of Katharine Briggs and Isabel Myers based on the works of Karl Jung. The assessment measures psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. Learning your Myers Briggs type can provide insight about what type of career you would enjoy as well as your strengths and weaknesses. [Read more…] about Discovering Your Life Purpose with the Myers-Briggs Self Assessment

Gain Clarity and Discover Your Life Purpose with Self Assessments

2014-05-15 By Monica Leave a Comment

There’s an old saying from Shakespeare, “To Thine Own Self Be True.” But what if you’re not clear about who you really are or what you want to do with your life? How do you really get to know yourself? This series of posts will teach you about some great tools for discovering more about who you are.

When you lack clarity about your true self and your purpose, life can take you in all kinds of crazy directions. It’s like racing down a mighty river in a little black inner tube, hoping you don’t crash into the giant rocks. Sure, sometimes it’s a great adventure, but you may also feel helpless and out of control.

Without a Purpose, It’s Easy to Get Lost

Without a purpose, it’s easy to pursue things that you “think you should be doing” or doing the things that other people say you should do. You might still be “successful” or earn a good income, but inside you know there’s something missing. You yearn for more. [Read more…] about Gain Clarity and Discover Your Life Purpose with Self Assessments

What Could Happen if You Didn’t Hate Mondays?

2014-04-21 By Monica 2 Comments

If you don’t like Mondays, you’re not alone. Many people experience higher levels of anxiety before they head to work at the start of the week. If that sounds like you, one reason might be that you’re in the wrong career, so you dread returning to your job.

You may not realize how much this affects every day of your week. The anxiety begins to build on Sunday and doesn’t lessen until Tuesday or Wednesday. Then when Thursday and Friday roll around, excitement and anticipation for the weekend begins. It’s a vicious cycle, and you’re never truly in the moment – always either looking forward to the future or dreading it. This situation leaves little time for enjoyment of the “now.”

That was me. In my early thirties, I worked in an executive position at a managed care company. I enjoyed spending time with my co-workers, and I was good at my job, but the work itself left me feeling hollow inside. After striving for years and years to get to that position, how could I hate being there? I started to develop weird stress-related health issues and I was miserable. Looking back now, it seems so obvious. I was simply in the wrong career and in the wrong environment.

Are you in the wrong career? If so, realize that it doesn’t have to be that way. Everyone has bills and obligations to meet, but you can create a life and a career you love. I’m not necessarily recommending that you run out and quit your job tomorrow, but you should thoughtfully and intentionally design your future. A future that includes a career you love. [Read more…] about What Could Happen if You Didn’t Hate Mondays?

7 Steps to Reaching Your Goals with Visual Goal Setting

2014-02-17 By Monica 4 Comments

Imagine reaching your full potential, having a successful career, being happy, and living the life of your dreams. What does that look like? How would that feel? What steps do you need to take to make that dream a reality?

It is possible to live the life of your dreams. In my eBook, Design Your Dream Life, I talk about the importance of creating a clear vision for your life and being as specific as possible with how you would feel. I also discuss how to create a plan, and the importance of taking the right actions to help you get there.

How Visual Tools Help You Reach Your Goals

The use of visual tools, including vision boards, mind maps, and dream charts can be very helpful in designing and achieving your dream life. They activate the creative right-side of your brain and help you see new possibilities. Visual tools also help create an optimistic, positive mindset that is helpful in changing your habits and behaviors into positive ones that will help you reach your goals.

Author Patti Dobrowolski created a visual tool that is perfect for this, and shared it in her book, Drawing Solutions: How Visual Goal Setting Will Change Your Life. I had the privilege of meeting Patti recently, and attended one of her workshops. [Read more…] about 7 Steps to Reaching Your Goals with Visual Goal Setting

Following Your Passion – The Story of One Wildlife Photographer Who Does Just That

2013-10-30 By Monica Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of seeing Suzi Eszterhas speak at a Science Pub event in Portland, Oregon. Suzi is able to live a life that many of us dream about: traveling to exotic locations to photograph rare and endangered animals in their natural habitats. Suzi is one of the only women in her competitive, adventure-filled industry, and is well known for her unprecedented work with newborns, including lions, cheetahs, tigers, gorillas, orangutans, penguins, bears, and sea otters. Her work is helping bring attention to the plight many of these animals face every day as they live on the verge of extinction.

In addition to being inspired by Suzi’s amazing photos, I was struck by how passionate she is about her work and how she’s been able to do things that most of us would be too afraid to do. Suzi has traveled to some of the most remote and potentially dangerous locations on her own to pursue her passion. She lived on location in Africa for several years, spent five and a half months living at a jackal den, and spends a significant amount of time living and working in extreme conditions in the desert, arctic, jungle, and natural elements.

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