As we enter into a new year – it’s a great time to reflect on where you’ve been and where you’re going. Looking at what’s served you and what needs to be released to make room for new opportunities and ideas.  This mental clearing is a good practice for remembering what’s important to you and how you want to utilize your gifts and talents in the coming year.

I’ve found that in going through life it’s easy to get caught in a rut – in a perpetual way of “being” that at first started out as a good thing but somewhere along the line it stopped being the best use of you and your talents. Or perhaps you got off track without even knowing it, working with the stuff that showed up but wasn’t necessarily truly aligned with your purpose and gifts.

So how do you get back on track? How can you make sure that what you’re doing is actually in alignment with who you are and what you have to offer the world?

The answer is simple but not always easy.

Here are 5 steps to help you get back on track for the New Year.

1. Pause. Take time out of your busy schedule and full life to get quiet. Find your own place and space to do this, away from distractions. Disconnect completely from your electronic world – cell phone, email, telephone, computer etc., just for a while.

2. Reflect. Look back over the last year and make a list of your accomplishments, what can you celebrate? Notice where you missed your mark as well. What could you have done differently? What lessons are here for you to take forward into the New Year with you? Write all of this down.

3. Remember. What is it that fills you with joy? Both personally and professionally? What activities light you up, use your gifts and talents fully and allow you to be of contribution to others in some way big or small? How can you bring more of these activities into your daily life and routine? Conversely, what activities drain your energy? What needs to be reconfigured or removed altogether?

4. Choose. What do you need to say ‘No’ to in order to make room for these activities? What do you need to say ‘Yes’ to in order to have more “On Purpose” moments in each day?

5. Practice. Practice getting quiet in each day to pause and reflect, ask for guidance and express your gratitude. Then go out into your world and contribute your talents, skills and wisdom to the best of your abilities.  Each day is a new day to practice being On Purpose – aligning your work with your core values, talents and wisdom in such a way that not only fills you with joy but also leaves positive imprint on those around you.

Wishing you much happiness, good health and prosperity in 2012!

Happy New Year!

To Your Success~

Michele

What makes you happy?

And how can you bring that joy to your work in each day?

What makes me happy is helping others bring out their personal brand of brilliance through their work. Encouraging and guiding others to get out of their own way and create what their version of success looks like.

Want to put your brilliance to work in bigger, bolder ways this year? Contact me for a complimentary consultation – Together, we’ll help you dive into 2012 with a clear vision for yourself and determine what the next steps are for you to create a happy and prosperous new year!

In life and in business, we get stuck on the side of the road. The road of where we want to go. The road where we are traveling towards our goals but somehow we’ve gotten off track, keeping us from getting to where we have our sites set on going.

Besides the ever-popular Tow Truck that you can call to get you going again, what can you do to get you back on track and moving forward again?

Here are a few suggestions that have worked for me along my path…

(0)   Tow Truck… (I actually wrote this while waiting for the tow truck the other day when my car temporarily stopped going forward…LOL!)

(1)   Keep breathing – noticing where you’re holding your breath. Keeping from fully taking in what’s available to you to help you.  When you take a deep breath in, letting it out more slowly than the inhale, it slows down your sympathetic nervous system which helps you tune into what your body and heart need more than your perhaps racing mind.

(2)   Figure out what you might be afraid of. What are you avoiding? What’s really in between you and achieving your goals?  When you can get at the underlying issues, it’s much easier to figure out what corrective measures are needed. Otherwise you might be putting a band aid on the problem while not really finding a true solution.

(3)   Get clear on what your goals are from Today’s perspective. Not yesterday’s, or last year’s and Certainly not the goals that someone else may have “loaned” you (No parents have ever done that…) And while you’re at it, don’t be plain vanilla with your goals – be outrageous! What’s the Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) that you dare to dream? What would it take to achieve it? And when you DO achieve what will it FEEL like?  As you get clear on what your heart’s desires are – the ones that stir you passion and purpose, you’ll be far more motivated to get into high gear and creating your dreams!

(4)   Now you can get into action! Determine your plan first, don’t go running all willy-nilly in circles. Write out what steps are needed and by when. Who can help you with each of these steps (remember, you don’t have to do this on your own – ASK FOR ASSISTANCE!) And once you determine what the steps are, then you’ll want to put them down in your calendar. Earmarking time in each day or each week to make your way through your list. Just think with each checked off item, you’re one step closer to reaching your BHAG!

(5)   Take time to celebrate as you achieve each of your mini goals leading up to the Big Goal! You’ve worked hard to get this far, be sure to take time to notice and appreciate your accomplishments. Setting up rewards along the way is helpful too – everyone appreciates a break for a job well done. What are the little or big things that you can dangle as carrots out in front of you to help you reach each of your milestones with more joy and fun?  Celebrating along the way with each of these little accomplishments will also help you keep your momentum, energy and enthusiasm for your dream – fanning the flames if you will to give you more go juice and inspiration for the road ahead!

A big thanks to the many people who have helped me along my path and inspired me to see new opportunities, especially when I was stuck or off track!

With Gratitude!

Michele

If you need some additional assistance in getting unstuck and moving forward again, contact me to schedule your complimentary executive strategy consultation. We’ll see where you’re at and what’s need to get you headed towards your goals & continued success.

We all have our quirks and our “finer nuances” that makes us unique. But how do these translate to your business? How are you bringing your unique intellectual assets to the very fabric of how you operate your company?

I’ve just finished reading “Anything You Want – 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur” by Derek Sivers where he shares how he was able to color outside the lines of conventionality, running his business they way HE wanted to rather than how business is “traditionally” run and much to his chagrin, grew CD Baby into a multimillion dollar business.

It’s a terrific read filled with insights that he learned and discovered along the way of creating his company by staying true to who he is, and his definition of happiness. (I’ll delve into this further in September on Inspired Business). It really made me see how lucky we are – to live in a time when we CAN create a business, doing something we love, with few or no employees and create success in a variety of forms.

And thus, eliminating a lot of excuses as to why we CAN’T start something.

I bring this up because THIS month on Inspired Business – specifically the First Monday of the month (August 1^st), Mai Vu and I will be discussing Seth Godin’s latest book – “Poke the Box”. Which is all about Getting Started!

Taking the idea that you have, being the one who actually instigates putting it into motion just to see what happens. To see how far you can take it, what difference you can make and what you can learn from it (even if you fail).

You see we All have great ideas in a multitude of forms, but if those ideas just sit on the shelf or in your notebook (you know that one you carry around with you to write down all those great ideas) but they never see the light of day, then you’re robbing the world of your brilliance!

And the world needs your particular brand of brilliance!

Frankly, it’s imperative that you not hide out.

So what can you instigate?

What needs to come through YOU out into the world?

(I can’t wait to read all about it when it makes headlines…;)

If you’re curious to see how you can practice starting, then join Mai and I August 1st at 11am PT/2pm ET on Inspired Business – Courage, Risk & Raising a Ruckus as we explore the wisdom of Poke the Box. We’ll be poking at each other for the sake of pushing beyond our own comfort zones, to learn and APPLY something new to our own businesses and hopefully prod you into getting something started too.

Make it a great week!

With gratitude~

Michele

PS. What makes me happy is helping you bring out your personal brand of brilliance through your work. Poking and prodding sometimes even to help you get out of your own way and create what your version of success looks like. If you think you might need some prodding, contact me for your complimentary Business Growth Consultation to see if coaching is that help you need.

PSS. What makes you happy and how can you bring that joy to your work?

I’m always delighted to be able to share great information with you to help you grow and expand your business. This informative article is a five part series on how to set up the proper legal structure for the business you’re creating from James Kim with ChooseWhat.com.

When first laying out the structure of your business, you will need to decide on a business ownership structure. If you are unfamiliar with the different structures and their implications, this could be a difficult feat. Here, we provide the taxing process of each structure, helping you in finding the business solution that best works for your startup.

1.  Sole Proprietorship

In a sole proprietorship a single individual owns the incorporated business and there is no legal distinction between that owner and the business itself. This means that the owner has complete control over and liability for the business, including the debts and legal actions against the business. In sole proprietorships, among other business structures, the profit is “passed through” to the owner.

A sole proprietorship is considered by many to be the most simple business organization because the sole proprietor doesn’t have to file any specific legal forms (corporate taxes on business income) or pay hefty startup fees. On the downside, a sole proprietor is held completely and totally responsible for all debts. Additionally, these business structures have limited financial opportunities, making it nearly impossible to raise capital from investors.

The business profits are documented on the individual tax return, Form 1040-ES (Estimated Tax for Individuals). The profits or losses are calculated on Schedule C. The sole proprietor must fill out the Schedule SE as part of the Form 1040, or the self-employment tax. The self-employment tax contributes to Social Security and Medicare. This tax can be calculated by multiplying net earnings from self-employment by the self-employment tax rate. The self-employment tax rate for 2011 is 13.3% (10.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare). You may, however, deduct half of your self-employment tax contribution by filing a Form 1040 Schedule C (line 27). Visit http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=130102,00.html to determine eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

To find forms for a sole proprietorship visit http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=98202,00.html

James Kim is a writer for Choosewhat.com. ChooseWhat is a company that provides product reviews and test data for business services and products.  Their goal is to help small companies make informed buying decisions on business solutions that help their business.

Thanks James!

To your success~

Michele

Transitions – life is full of them. The trick is how we respond versus react to them.

Whether these shifts are large or small, personal or professional or all of the above, we each have the opportunity to respond in a good way.  Now, you may be thinking about some very difficult and unexpected transition that has come your way and are asking “How do I respond in a “GOOD way??”

Reacting to any of these shifts can easily trigger a knee jerk reaction, pushing against what’s happening and creating any level of drama around it. This only tends to exacerbate the situation and can create an even bigger energy drain on yourself.

What I mean by “respond in a good way” is to:

• Notice what’s happening
• Stay present to the situation (versus leaving the building, leaving your body or stuffing your emotions),
• Feel what there is to feel and let it move through you

(This applies both in your personal and professional life BTW.)

I’ve also found it immensely helpful to ask myself two questions in these challenging times:

• “Is this a repeating pattern that I need to pay attention to?”
• “What’s the potential learning here for me in this situation?”
• “What’s needed now?”

These two questions help to bring me back to the present moment and get out of the story or drama around the situation.

The next step is to then get quiet and listen to what your intuition has to tell you in response to either of these questions. You may be surprised what information and ideas arise from the depths of your being. We all have this wisdom that lives within us when we take a moment to stop and really listen to it.

This internal guidance system will help you work through the challenge in the moment and get through to the other side so you can keep moving forward towards your goals and objectives.

Life is full of these ups and downs and the transitions in between. I believe they’re intended to help us feel more deeply in both directions so we can more fully appreciate the beauty of this life in each moment and the amazing gifts it has to offer when we are open to receiving them!

Make it a great week!

With gratitude~

Michele

This week’s blog article is from my colleague Steve Roth with Roth Consulting. This is the third article in his series of  “Things to Watch”. Looks like there are positive shifts to be seen on the horizon for the economy but it’s a slow boat…

Real estate, both residential and commercial, has been at the epicenter of the financial bubble that started rolling through the global economy in 2005, reached its peak in 2008 and is still serving as the primary drag on the economy in 2011.  However, real estate, especially residential real estate, is 20%+ of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) so no true recovery can occur until residential real estate gets rolling again.

Not only does building 1 new home create the equivalent of 3 full time new jobs for a year but drives the sale of new appliances, flooring, window treatments, landscaping and a hundred other products and services. In addition, an increase in the value of one’s home creates a sense of security and long-term value which makes it easier for consumers to think about other long-term purchases including cars. Such feelings of financial well-being and security have been totally absent from the scene for the last 6 years.

The things to watch for:

New Construction

After an almost 2-year lack of any new residential housing construction my town has the sound of hammer and saws once again. For about 6 months my town, about 75,000 people, had all of 6 new homes for sale or about 5% of a normal market. At least a dozen new homes are now under construction including 5 in my development. The inventory of unsold new homes was about 190,000 nationally last month or a 45 year low and a driver for new building. New construction should continue to pickup throughout 2011 and the sound of hammers and saws will be evidence of the turnaround.

Equity Only Deals

Many of the short sale, bank owned and abandoned homes in the national inventory are not candidates for mortgages — period! They have often been so badly abused by their former owners that the homes won’t pass FHA inspections and are, therefore, not financeable with debt. These homes need 100% equity and they are getting it from investors. Normally, about 1 in 12 homes are bought for cash while today 2 in 5 are all cash deals. These investors are buying cheap (or so they hope), they will invest more money to rehab the homes and then seek to sell them through normal channels. This represents a major recapitalization of the residential real estate market and will quickly eliminate the glut of inventory in that segment of the market. All equity deals should continue to be about 40% of the market for the rest of 2011.

Bank Lending

This is the most problematic variable to predict since only 4 major banks now represent over 50% of U. S. retail banking. These banks have the money and distribution system to make a real impact on mortgage lending in 2011. Whether they will or not is partially a function of their need for revenue growth (all major banks have seen revenues drop from a systemic lack of lending), fee income (banks get a lot of very profitable fees from mortgage lending) and government pressure. The war of words has already started between Congress and the major banks and eventually they will have to begin lending or face punitive new legislation from Congress. The banks will lend rather than fight and you’ll know the tide has turned by the commercials you see on television.

Real estate, residential and commercial, will be a slow turnaround and actually provide a lift to the economy late in the current expansion rather than early as with past growth cycles.

To Your Success~

Michele

This week I have the pleasure of hosting Patrick Ryan on a free webinar about “Heart Intelligence”!

You can listen in on the live call – Thursday, May 12th at 10am PT/1pm ET, as Patrick shares with us some of his wisdom about the Three Intelligences and Heart Intelligence in particular. He’ll be doing a live coaching demo on the call as well and answering questions at the end of this 75 minute free call.

Below is his latest article about Heart Intelligence which will give you just a taste of the wisdom he has to share with us on this informative 2nd call in a 3-part webinar series on the Three Intelligences.

I hope you’ll join us!

To your success ~ Michele

Those of you that have been following the Awakened Wisdom work or have read the book know that we humans experience the world primarily through the three intelligences of mind, body and heart. In this article I am going to explore the Heart Intelligence. It is always worth stating that these three intelligences our linked together and so whenever we attempt to discuss one of them we keep in mind that the other two are connected and at work as well.

In short the heart intelligence is the realm of our emotional experience and our interrelatedness to the world and all that is in our life from the past, present and future. Our emotional experiences are in present time regardless of what is creating the emotion. When we remember a past experience and have an emotional response to it we are having a present moment emotional experience to the past. When we imagine a future experience and have an emotional experience to it we are having a present time emotional experience to an imagined future and when we are in a real time situation we are having a present time emotional experience to that situation.

Our emotional intelligence is a gift that we can learn to use in a good way and the vast majority of us never really take the time to learn how to use this gift. Instead we often ignore or push away the emotion rather then embrace it and allow that energy to inform us.

With regards to emotional energy we must learn to fully experience the emotion, to reveal the root source of the emotion and to release the energy and allow it to move through rather then to avoid it or to create an addiction to it by attaching ourselves to a particular emotional experience and then recreating it over and over to feed the addiction of it.

In the book Awakened Wisdom, I discuss the idea that we have the possibility of meeting any moment of our life either from an aspect of us that is distorted or through our Divine Essence or Higher Wisdom Center. Distorted Self is the fearful, doubtful, judgmental, blaming, shaming or jaded, know it already, better than aspect of us. We all have some flavor of this energy. Our Higher Wisdom Center is the grounded, resourceful, creative, wise, open aspect of our nature.

When something happens in our life either of these two aspects of us could present out in front. If distorted self presents out in front, then the reaction to what is happening will be from distorted’s energies. Distorted will often exaggerate the event or minimize it depending on the specific strategy that you have learned. My exaggerating distorted reacts emotionally in a way that is out of proportion to the event. By minimizing distorted, I may avoid feeling the emotional response fully or perhaps not at all. Either way it is not a good response to the event.

Divine Essence responds rather then reacts to the event and does so in a way that is balanced to the impact of the event itself. For example if someone cuts you off in traffic distorted may go into a rage while Divine Essence will notice what has happened and may keep a closer eye on the driver of that other car for safety reasons. The response of Divine Essence is balanced and in good measure to what has happened. Divine Essence will still fully feel the impact of an event. If someone close to you dies or gets seriously ill, Divine Essence will feel the associated emotions fully and allow the experience of the emotions to work through as they must in a good healthy way.

Awakened Wisdom coaches are trained to support people as they experience the events of their life emotionally and are also knowledgeable in how to support people to experience their life more and more fully from the energy of Divine Essence rather then distorted. This has a profound affect of people as they learn that they can choose which aspect of their being gets to be out in front in each moment of their life.

Resonance

While the mind intelligence leads us forward with great ideas and vision, it is the heart intelligence that leads us with resonance, yearning and energies of being drawn towards. What the heart intelligence is drawn towards it is not based on a language or a rationale that the mind can understand therefore there is often a conflict between what the heart wants and what the mind understands about that.

The heart intelligence is fueled by the desire to be in relationship, in resonance with what is important for the human. It is like radar for purpose and meaning. The heart is naturally open and generous, joyous and loving, and it is our life work to learn how to return to this resonant state.

An Awakened Wisdom Coach™ is trained in how to recognize whether the heart intelligence is of a resonant energy or a dissonant energy. When distorted self is out in front, the heart energy will be fearful or aggressive rather then attractive and resonant. It is imperative for a coach to know how to support the client in moving from a state of dissonance to one of resonance. With this practice and support, the coachee learns how to shift their energy using learned strategies. This is especially important to develop the ability to maintain the connection to Divine Essence in times of stress as that is when distortions are most likely to get out in front.

Interrelatedness

It is through our heart intelligence that we experience the interrelatedness between all beings, things, and ideas. We are in relationship to every person, being or idea that occupies our consciousness and also to those that are around us and not yet in our field of awareness.

To the mind intelligence, interrelatedness is an interesting and valid concept. Through the heart intelligence it is an experience. Our hearts create a field of energy that extends far beyond the field that is created by our minds. It is through our heart intelligence that we experience empathy and compassion.

Anyone who works with or leads others in teams and projects simply must be adept at not only accessing and working with their own heart intelligence to create the best possible experience for our selves and others, we must also understand how to guide and support others into connecting with their own heart intelligence.

In summary

As coaches, HR Professionals, Organizational Leaders, Team Members, it is essential that we learn how to access and use heart intelligence. The more skillful and adept we are at this then the better the experience will be for everyone around us.

This is an important key to reducing levels of stress, motivating self and others and ironically getting more accomplished, in a good way.

Patrick Ryan

Chief Waker-Upper

www.AwakenedWisdom.com

Everywhere  You Look There’s a Coach!

How Executive Coach Patrick J. Ryan helps you deepen your skills and strengthen your brand of coaching!

Today’s article is written by our guest blogger Lynn Serafinn.

This Thursday, April 28th at noon PT, Lynn will be talking with Patrick  for an inspiring FREE webinar on how to help your clients access ‘mind intelligence (Audio download available).

The list of different types of coaching is endless….Life coaching, business coaching, executive coaching, transformation coaching, career coaching, creativity coaching, health coaching…

Over the past 20 years, the rise of coaching as a profession has been nothing short of a phenomenon. It’s virtually impossible to estimate the number of coaches now on the planet, but my guess it is now in the hundreds of thousands if not more. Business coaching has been cited as one of the fastest growing professions in the world today. But the shocking news is that, according to a survey done a few years ago, a massive 70% of coaches earn less than $25,000 a year, and 50% earn less than $10,000 annually.¹

Many coaches come out of former careers, looking for something more fulfilling and meaningful. Entering into the profession with the dream of making a difference in the world and aren’t really thinking about money… or at least not until we find ourselves struggling to stay afloat, especially in the first year in business. Then,  going into survival mode, all the wonderful dreams we had about changing the world seem to fade, which isn’t at all helpful to our effectiveness as coaches. And for those coaches who DO manage to make it through the economic challenges of the first two years in practice then find they’re faced with an even more complex challenge: “There are coaches, coaches everywhere. How do I stand out from the crowd? What makes ME Unique?”

To me, the answer to that is in two parts.

First, we stand out from the crowd when we are really and truly clear about the impact we want to create in the world, and (even more importantly) who we wish to impact. Some call this defining a niche. I call it “branding” or identifying your “tribe.” This is an organic process, and sometimes it takes a few years in practice to really land it. It’s a major part of the work I do with my own clients.

The second part is the depth and uniqueness of your skills. If you have gone through coach training and know how to ask good questions, that’s one thing; but how do you really make an impact on your clients? And how do you stand out as someone who goes deeper, and more powerfully, than the average “Joe Coach”? In other words, how do we help our clients to open up their own wisdom in profound ways they never thought possible before?

I have the great good fortune to have worked with an exceptional coach named Patrick J. Ryan. If you follow my newsletters, you will recognize Patrick’s name as the author of the #1 bestselling spirituality book Awakened Wisdom: A Guide to Claiming Your Brilliance, which I helped him launch one year ago this month.

Patrick is a remarkable man, with a remarkable history and an even more remarkable insight. His brand of coaching sparkles amidst the rest because his style of coaching IS different. The cornerstone of his technique is what he calls “The Three Intelligences”: “Mind intelligence”, “Heart Intelligence” and “Body Intelligence.”

When he coaches, he shows his clients how to recognize, read and utilize these three intelligences so they can accomplish what they want in the world while having the best possible experience. In other words, he really helps them learn how to find their Joy.

Patrick’s coaching methods are both simple and profound. In the past I’ve had the great pleasure of learning his techniques for my own use. He also has developed a training program, called the AWE Coach Training program (ACT). This exceptional 10 week course is designed for coaches, holistic therapists, teachers, counselors and any kind of service professionals who wish to learn how to support their clients in REALLY getting to the core of who they are and what makes them feel alive.

To give you a taster of what it’s all about, Patrick is offering 3 FR*EE webinars over the next few weeks, where you will learn the basics of the system, so you can start trying it out in your own life AND with your clients, so you can see for yourself what a powerful impact it can make, and how it can make you stand out in the crowd:

FR*EE 3-Part Webinar Series

“Accessing Mind, Heart and Body Intelligence”

Part 1: How to Help Your Clients Use Mind Intelligence

with Executive Coach, #1 bestselling author and Founder of Awakened Wisdom Experiences Patrick J. Ryan.

Thursday April 28, 2011 12pm – 1pm Pacific Time

Register FR*EE at http://tinyurl.com/RyanWebinar1

If you cannot make the live event, register anyway to download the audio.

AND… if you’re really ready to take it further and become a masterful coach, those who register for the call will find out how they can save $500 when they register for Patrick’s dynamic ACT course starting in June. This offer will not be made available anywhere on Patrick’s site, and is only open to those registered for the webinar.

I hope to see you there on Thursday. Patrick is one of my most esteemed mentors, and I know you will learn some wonderful things on the call. Again, the link to register is http://tinyurl.com/RyanWebinar1

Warm wishes,

Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC

Reference note 1: Wood, David and Falter-Barnes, Suzanne. 2007. “Coach Career Survey 2007″. SolutionBox. Accessed April 26, 2011 from http://www.solutionbox.com/surveyresults2.htm

Note from Michele:

I hope you can join in the call with Patrick! He has a wealth of wisdom and knowledge to share! I’ll be hosting the second call on May 12th at 10am PT. The final call of the series will be on May 26th at 10am PT. Be sure to register to get all the details and the audio recordings for future reference and continued learning!

To your success!

Michele

“All growth is a leap in the dark, a spontaneous, unpremeditated act without benefit of experience.” ~ Henry Miller

As a business owner, your business is often a reflection of you – your passions, your values and the contribution you wish to make to your community.  In other words, your business is a reflection of your inner world in some way, large or small.

Funny thing is, most business owners don’t necessarily get into business with these things in mind. However you may have arrived on this path, managing the business you are in – my question for you is this – is your business a good reflection of who you are? And is it a reflection that you can be happy and content with?

One of the first questions I often ask my business coaching clients is “What are your core values and how well are they aligned with your work?” Your values are part of the foundation of who you authentically are, and if you’re work isn’t aligned with those values in a good way, it’s going to create a lot of unnecessary stress and tension in your work-life balance life.

I suggest you take some time to step back and think about what your core values are, based on who you are today. Where are these values being honored in your life – both personally and professionally?  And if you discover that some things are out of alignment, what shifts can you make to bring your work, your life and your values into alignment more effectively for greater satisfaction and productivity?

This is often the risky part, making a change – making a leap from a place of known but uncomfortable (or even miserable), to a place of unknown but potentially more fulfilling and happy. Are you willing to take a stand for what’s truly important to you and make the changes necessary to honor those values (and honoring yourself in the process)?  FYI – This might even mean making some big changes in your life, your career or your relationships…

Sometimes, when things are really out of alignment and you’re frozen in place or afraid at some level to make the necessary changes, the Universe is always happy to help out. Giving you an unpleasant boot out of your perceived “safety zone”, helping you to wake up to your real truth, see the situation from a different perspective and provide you a myriad of opportunities to help you stretch and grow – whether you were ready for it or not.

Trust me, getting a “push” from the Universe isn’t fun but, apparently it works. It was just such a push that had me find my true passion as a business coach. Looking back, it was painful process but it was also the best thing that ever happened to me.

So listen to the whisper of your soul – honor your values and make the Leap. Large or small, this leap will open doors to unimagined places of new ideas, opportunities and success on many levels.

Question to Ponder:

What shift are you willing to make to honor your values more fully in each day?

To Your Success!

~Michele

This week, Steve Roth is back as a guest writer on my blog. He’s a successful and savvy businessman and has some nuggets of wisdom to share with us all.

In the first article in this series, “Getting to the Other Side of the Great Recession“ we talked about the 4-week moving average for New Claims for Unemployment dropping under 400,000 and hitting 375,000. This signals that the “boat has stopped leaking” in terms of job losses which makes it easier for the economy to start adding jobs. During the week of March 28th the 4-week moving average dropped to about 380,000 which is close enough to declare a “win” for the economy. Even more important, the weekly numbers have been under 400,000 for 5 consecutive weeks for the first time in 5 years.

Next is what to look for in job creation. The recession officially ended in June of 2009, almost two years ago, and by now should be generating meaningful job growth. The U.S. has about 1% of its population hit the labor force every year which translates to 3,000,000 net new jobs per year just to absorb the new people looking for work. Therefore, 250,000 new jobs in the Non-Farms Monthly Payroll Report (released the first Friday of the month for the previous month) is the minimum for “goodness” and a number over 300,000 new jobs is considered necessary for job mobility and increased employment expectations. The U.S. economy hasn’t done that since Spring 2007 or about 4 years ago.

Manufacturing has been in a boom for over a year and is adding jobs. Unfortunately, manufacturing only accounts for about 15% of GDP so even a very strong job growth number from this sector has limited impact on the total.

Private Sector Services has been flat for a year and, as about 35% of GDP, is a major contributor to white collar jobs with good pay and benefits. This sector needs to being hiring for the economy to gain speed in employment and there is every indication that a wide variety of service sectors, law, accounting, banking, are showing job growth as clients being to do more.

Residential Real Estate at a 50 year low, accounted for 50% of the job losses during the Great Recession, and will lag rather than lead the recovery. The good news is that this sector has bottomed and isn’t losing jobs. Every new home built generates the equivalent of 3 new jobs so even a small uptick in this segment, representing about 18% of GDP, will have a major positive impact on job growth in the second half of 2011 and beyond.

Government is the rest of GDP and, at 32% of the total, another major source of well paying jobs with equally desirable benefits. The Federal Government can print money so it won’t lose many jobs. State, County and Local Government will continue to be under budget pressure for several years but, for all the headlines and scare tactics, has lost very few positions. Net-net, Government won’t be a major drag on jobs but it also won’t be a source of much good news until 2013 or so.

New jobs should cross the 225,000 mark in April or May and begin to have a meaningful impact on other sectors including housing, autos and consumer durables. I expect that new jobs will cross the key 250,000 mark in the third quarter of this year.

More to come in subsequent articles from Steve!

Learn more about Steve’s work at Roth Consulting and the business courses he’s teaching at The Educators’ Institute.

To Your Success!

Michele