Does your dream job seem out of reach?

Does your dream job seem out of reach?

Do you have a dream job? But does it seem unrealistic and out of reach?

It is attainable and you can take steps today to move toward this dream. Start by focusing on how to make yourself marketable to your ideal employer?

1. Know your ideal employer. Find out what they are looking for in ideal employees. Understand what hard skills/qualifications they want. How? There are many ways, including looking at past job postings but another is to conduct informational interviews. It is always beneficial to create a relationship when marketing a product, in this case you are that product so make these important connections.

How to start? Create three lists: A, B, C – A being your top companies and practice interviewing with the C companies with the intention of learning and identifying the skills that they are looking for that your current skill set is missing.

Getting this information will identify areas that you will need to bridge likely through assuming a volunteering position, a new job or a certificate, course or degree or additional job duties at current employer.

*Remember – if there is a good fit and your skill set meets most of what they are looking for, often companies will hire and train the person as you cannot train someone to fit in to a corporate culture.

So without talking about an employment position with this company – treat this informational interview as a possible employment interview or connection for future employment positions.

2. Know what you want and be able to clearly communicate what it is exactly that you are looking for in your ideal job. With this in mind, then formulate questions to get the answers you need, should you have to sort out several job offers. πŸ™‚

3. Know Your Strengths: when considering your attractiveness to a company– look at all of your skills including your volunteer, travel experience, soft skills and education. What does pursuing a degree while working full time say to a potential employer? And what about ability to speak foreign languages, international travel experience and a personal commitment to health and wellness?

4. Use your contacts: connect with people, ask for what you want, get names and ask for permission to use these names and send thank you notes.

Things can happen overnight or this can be a slower process, try to enjoy the journey, be open to opportunities and new ideas and trust that you are going in the right direction!
You really can have what you want!

Best wishes to you,

Kelly McIntyre M.Sc.

Here we go!

Hi All! First off ~ Happy New Year!

The holidays are over; the tree and decorations have been packed away leaving a strange empty feeling in the house. All of the cookies, chocolates, dips, cheeses, breads have all been eaten. I don’t know about you but I am ready to get back to my routine! Anyone identify?

A group is exactly what we need sometimes to stay motivated and challenge us to make some changes. Does your life really reflect your values and beliefs or your personality? What can we do to align with our ideal life? These are big questions but necessary ones in letting go and moving on.

I am excited about how many people have signed up for this group and I look forward to working with each of you in creating more of what you want in your life! In order to complete your registration, please visit http://www.transitioncounselling.com/group.html for further information and then email me the group you are planning to attend. I will then email you your own copy for free of the eworkbook called Helping You Follow Your Heart – 7 Steps to Align with your Ideal Life.

The Crane’s Bill in Leamington – Mondays – Jan.12 – Feb. 2 from 7:00 – 8:30pm ESTUnit 9 beside the Downtown Yoga Studio in Windsor – Tuesdays – Jan. 13 – Feb. 3 from 7:00 – 8:30pm ESTSkype – Online – Tuesdays – Jan. 13 – Feb. 3 from 12:00 noon – 1:30pm EST

Please note, that if you are interested in participating in an online group but are not available on Tuesday lunchtime, if enough people register I may offer another online group on Thursday evenings, just let me know.

Enjoy!

Kelly πŸ™‚

Helping you Follow Your Heart!

Helping you Follow Your Heart!

This is the table of contents from my new workbook: Helping you Follow Your Heart! – 7 Steps to Align with your Vision:

β€’ Recognize what you are doing isn’t working. Identify the areas that you want to change.

β€’ Get clear on what you want. Use your senses to create a picture of your ideal life.

β€’ Begin to live the life you love. Align your behaviors with your ideal picture.

β€’ Trust yourself. You will be challenged on your new beliefs. Protect your ideal picture.

β€’ Celebrate the changes happening in your life. Be in the moment – you are doing it!

β€’ Be aware of self-destructive, self-defeating old patterns. Re-align yourself with your ideal picture!

β€’ Accept and recognize that you have received your ideal picture. Continue to evolve!

You can have what you want!

Please feel free to contact me or visit my site for more information!

Best wishes to you today!!

Kelly

Got the winter blues?

Got the winter blues?

It depends on where you live but if your winters are cold like mine are here in Canada, you are likely spending a lot more time indoors. And with the holidays here, there are more sweets and other temptations surrounding us and we all know that overindulging often leads to lethargy.

So combine lethargy with cabin fever and it could lead to disaster πŸ™‚ Well maybe not disaster, but definitely more pounds and irritable mood swings.

It is understandable that with minus 30 degree celcius with the windchill weather outside that I wouldn’t want to explore the outdoors, but this morning I woke up and knew I needed to get moving! I was even annoying myself :)!

During the holidays, our routines are interrupted or stopped completely and the side effect of this change is often increased stress. So in order to best enjoy the holiday time with family and friends, assuming you have a healthy routine, try to maintain it as much as possible. Keep up your relaxational and stress management techniques or try new things like:

  • Starting the day off with some quiet inspirational reading and journalling
  • Yoga, stretching and meditation
  • Experiment with fun, healthy, fresh recipes
  • Visit with friends and family doing an activity other than eating πŸ™‚
Any other ideas you can suggest would be welcomed!

Happy Holidays!

Kelly

Create your Brand and Create More of What you Want!

Create your Brand and Create More of What you Want!

Maybe your life transition is career related and you are now self-employed or looking or dreaming about your ideal job. Or maybe it is more personal and you are looking for a new relationship and trying online dating for the first time, either way your search for the ideal will most definitely lead you online.

Make your posts count! Create a personal brand! Take charge and create the best impression!

Are you a member on Facebook, LinkedIn, lavalife, eHarmony or other social networks or dating sites? Does your profile capture who you are and what you really want in your life? Your profile creates an instant impression to readers and if you want to compete with the enormous amount of information or candidates that are out there, you will need to stand out!

The first step in standing out is to create a clear and consistent message of what you want. So I ask you, What do you want?

Clarify your intention: what do you want to create more of in your life? And what is the message that you want use in communicating with people that best captures what you want to create?

What does personal branding have to do with creating more of what I want in my life again?

First defined by Wikipedia: A brand is a collection of images and ideas representing an economic producer; more specifically, it refers to the descriptive verbal attributes and concrete symbols such as a name, logo, slogan, and design scheme that convey the essence of a company, product or service.

If you are looking for work, you are that economic producer! And generally if you are looking to create an impression you only have a short time to connect – so create a marketing strategy, understand who you are: your essence, post your picture or logo regularly that really illustrates who you are, state your ideas and opinions to get the word out about your uniqueness – your personal brand!

How do I do this? Begin by writing and clarifying your values, your passions, your ideas into concise messages.

This activity will help you communicate to other people including potential clients, partners and employers what you want and in employment situations helps you clarify what you can do for them. Because that is what employers and clients want to know – How can you help me? Not the other way around.

Knowing what you want in your life and in your career will help you begin the process of aligning with your ideal world.

Feel free to contact me or post here anytime with questions, concerns or ideas to share!

Best to you today!

Kelly McIntyre M.Sc.

Gain Self-Awareness First!

Gain Self-Awareness First!

Believe it or not but the first step in moving toward your dream job is NOT searching the hundreds of job boards on the internet looking for the perfect job. This endless searching can leave you feeling hopeless, frustrated and isolated! Anyone identify?

The first step in finding your dream job is to start by exploring exactly what YOU want!! The job descriptions you are reading online are examples of exactly what employers want. Start with yourself!

Here are some questions that will help you out, this activity is an excerpt from my new e-workbook called Helping you Follow Your Heart – 7 Steps to Align with your Vision!

When you close your eyes and dream about the perfect way to spend your time during the day, what are you doing?

  • Imagine that you are completely exhilarated and focused at work, what are you doing?
  • What do you enjoy spending your money on?
  • Imagine having all of the material things you want now. Describe using your senses what it is like having them.
  • When you feel completely competent, proud and rewarded at work, what are you doing?
  • In your ideal career, how much money are you making?

Complete these sentences and write out your answers:

1. When I was a child, I was known by my friends to always…
2. When we would play, I always…
3. I used to dream of being a…
4. When my parent’s would talk about me and my siblings they always said that I was the … one. 5. When I get ready to go to work on Monday morning, I feel…
6. If a problem arises at work, I feel…
7. When I leave my job to go home I feel…
8. When I talk about my job, I usually say…

Summary:In my ideal life, my career can be described as…

Get what you want by knowing what you want!

Contact me anytime with questions, feedback or more information about how to get the new e-workbook! Check out my new blog called Create a Brand! Create your Career!

Kelly
http://www.transitioncounselling.com/
kelly@transitioncounselling.com

Time to Celebrate!

Time to Celebrate!

“Celebrate what you want to see more of.” — Thomas J. Peters

I like to plan! I like to imagine and dream and devise little strategies on how to create what I want in my life. I like having goals and planning keeps me focused, having fun and staying motivated.

An important part of achieving your goals, a part we often skim over or completely neglect, is recognizing when we have received what we wanted! This is a time to celebrate!!

A few months ago, I wrote in my journal that I wanted to be on a radio show to share my story with the intention to inspire people to create more of what they want in their lives.

Just last week, I was interviewed by a fitness professional in Georgia for her live radio show. I was so nervous! I had been preparing for this interview for over a month and that morning my internet connection dropped and my two back up plans fell through. Sparing you all the dramatic details πŸ™‚ it eventually worked out and I sat down in a booked conference room at a posh hotel with an hour to spare.

Live, I shared my story and strategies for dealing with stress (ironically) and how to align with your ideal life. The outcome: it actually went really well!!

I was so relieved and completely pumped! I sat there in that cold air conditioned conference room at the head of the enormous table beaming with joy! It was a very good moment.

When we think about goals, we usually think about the future.

But what about the goals that you have already accomplished?

Think about your life now, how many of your dreams have come true? Think about all of the obstacles that you have had to overcome to get where you are today!

Recognize that you have received what you wanted and take the time to celebrate!

Read more about life as a learning process and living with intention!

Wishing you joy today!

With love,
Kelly

ACTIVITY: Practice filling yourself up with joy! Keep your good news to yourself for one day!
And if that seems like an eternity, just try it for one hour and gradually hold it in for longer. Instead of calling your best friend after getting the news about the job, or the announcement – hold it in! Dance, celebrate – express yourself, alone!

This is a fantastic exercise for getting to know how your body feels when it feels good. Feel the excitement inside, you are making a conscious decision to celebrate it all on your own! You did it! Then, when you are ready, share it and celebrate more!

Excerpt from the new “Helping You Follow Your Heart – 7 Steps to Align with your Ideal Life” workbook.

Get ready for 2009 and sign up for now for the:

“Follow Your Heart!” 6-week program offered online and in the Leamington and Windsor area
beginning January 2009! I have so much to share I am bubbling!

Step 1: Recognize what isn’t working. This first step can be difficult since we tend to get very comfortable and attached to our routines and tend to ignore or justify things that seem too big to face!

Step 2: Create and clarifying pictures of what we want! As a group, we will work on fun activities to create vivid pictures of what we really want our lives to look like.

Caution: We all know the phrase, be careful what you wish for and that getting what we want isn’t always what we expect or are ready for so we will be addressing:

self defeating habits, how to accept acceptance, creating boundaries and self-care
develop self-trust and awareness, and instant stress management techniques!

Bring a friend! Give the perfect holiday gift!

Sign up before Dec. 20 and save on the early bird price of only $199!

Contact me today to reserve your spot!!

Life is a learning process – lighten up!

Life is a learning process – lighten up!

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts. And we are never, ever the same. ” Author Unknown
*Lighten Up! * πŸ™‚

I have these words written on a piece of paper placed directly in front of me taped to the bottom of my vision board. The words kind of scream at me, in a paradoxical way, hanging there with big stars on either side of the text followed by a smiley face. On this piece of paper, I also wrote my intention:

“To work from a space that is playful, light and focused in creating peace and practicing compassion toward myself and others”.

Having this message in front of me works! Most of the time… πŸ™‚

While I love my work and the direction my life has taken over this last year, I have to admit there were some challenges along the way that many people can identify with or at least imagine: living abroad and not speaking the language, starting your own business, getting divorced…

However, through these challenges I have tried to share with you through my writing the lessons and goodness and beauty and humanity that I have witnessed and been blessed by from taking this journey.

In less than one week, I will be returning to Canada for two and a half months for Christmas and to promote and run the Follow Your Heart Goals workshops in Windsor and Leamington and another one online.

I am also going to visit local elementary schools to coordinate a Pen Pal letter program between these children and my Dominican students!

I am more than excited about taking this new journey! But a part of me is sad about leaving my home and family here and my kids at school, even if it is only temporary!

I talked with a dear friend about my thoughts and feelings and she shared with me a piece of wisdom that deeply resonated with me and I wanted to pass it along.

“Just know that whatever lies in front of you is within your capacity to cope.”

Life is a learning process, a series of lessons to learn from people and experiences that constantly enter and exit our lives.

Change is going to happen regardless; and even if we try, we can’t hold on to the moment, we have to let go. So while letting go, we might as well try to embrace the change and all of the goodness that comes with new experiences!

Wishing you peace, compassion and lightness today!

With love,
Kelly