It was a rainy summer and my workload was heavy. I was trying to be happy about both of these things but as August approached I felt myself getting grumpy. Summer was passing me by. To make matters worse, I read in the Farmer’s Almanac that we were going to have an early and cold winter this year. Glum.
Keep in mind that I was born and raised in a place where summer comes early and where Indian Summer is a season all its own. The long, lazy days of summer fuel my creativity. It’s as if I need summer in order to store up enough energy to see me through the dark days of winter.
Not only that, but I am a career counselor who helps others create lives that make sense and feel good. What kind of example was I setting?
On August 1st, I gave myself a challenge. Despite the heavy workload, I set an intention to infuse every single day of the month with a little snippet of summer.
Thirty-one days later here is what I know for sure.
You won’t “find time” to do the things you want to do. You need to make time to do what matters most to you.
And you won’t even make the time unless you set a very clear intention about what it is you are trying to accomplish.
And, private intentions are well and good. But, what can really help is if you announce your intentions to the world.
One of the things that kept me on track was that I announced my challenge on Facebook.
I regretted this on more than one occasion. I offer a sincere apology to the friends who have had to endure my daily posts. On the other hand, I hope I have inspired others to take a look at what matters most to them.
Finally, think small! It was the little things such as lounging on my deck reading a stack of magazines that felt the most luxurious and decadent.
I did not want the self-imposed challenge to turn into work or pressure of any kind. It was easy-breezy summer joy that I was after. And that is what I found tucked here and there between all the other things that I need to do each day.
So, here my challenge for you. Look at what is not feeling good or making sense in your life. What could you do for 30 days straight to create a new habit and to begin living in closer alignment to the life of your dreams? To keep yourself honest, you may want to announce your intention on Facebook or perhaps you can find an accountability partner to share the journey.
August is just a few days from gone and you can feel a touch of fall in the air. Last night, we added an extra blanket to the bed! I am ready for fall and the winter that is just around the corner. I am no longer mourning the summer that almost passed me by. I am celebrating every single day and that is what makes sense and feels good to me.
Here is what clients are saying…
“I enjoyed working with Carrie. I felt comfortable with her from the very beginning; she’s very warm, supportive, and easy to talk to. She helped me retool my resume and linkedin profile after taking care to learn about my experience, skills and desires. I highly recommend working with her if you have the chance.”
Going in for meetings with Carrie was the best thing I could have possibly done for my education and career. With her tremendous help I was able to figure out what I wanted to do and how I needed to go about my career. I can’t possibly thank her enough for her crucial role in jumpstarting my career and getting me headed in the right direction.
Carrie was an informative, supportive and thoughtful guide during a time of career refinement. She served as a sounding board in assessing benefits and challenges of positions, reviewed application materials, prepared me for interviews and debriefed and supported decision-making. The mock interview coaching sessions were incredibly valuable to me.
As a recent graduate with my master's degree in biomedical sciences, Carrie and Pink Sky Career Counseling were immensely helpful in the process of landing my first "real" job. I was at a loss for how to apply for a position to start my career in such a specialized field. With little to no work experience, Carrie was able to help formulate my resume, cover letter and references, and manage my LinkedIn page as well as provide general career counseling. Thanks to Carrie's help and guidance I recently accepted an intraoperative neurophysiologist position for NuVasive in Minneapolis, MN. I could not have done it without Carrie's help. Long story short - I highly recommend Pink Sky Career Counseling for any career counseling you may need.
Not a day goes by that I don't thank Carrie in my mind on the way to my new job. Calling her was one of the best things I ever did for myself. Carrie is very intuitive, connected in the community, genuinely caring, and a master of her craft. Of course if you sign on for this, you have to dig deep and do things that are outside your comfort zone to get to where you want to be in life. But she held my hand all the way till the end and beyond. I cannot thank or recommend her enough.
I highly recommend Carrie. She did an amazing job helping me with my resume and providing valuable guidance in my job search process. I ended up being offered a great new job and wouldn't have gotten there without Carrie's assistance and support.
Carrie is amazing, I had a position open that I didn't know about until 4 days before it closed, just before the weekend. She went above and beyond to get it accomplished for me. I highly recommend working with her.
Carrie was fantastic to work with. She listened to what I was wanting and she produced a excellent product, responses to my resume increased and just recently landed a great job!