As I took the first juicy mouthful I wondered is there a right or wrong way to do this? I mean I know how I’ve always done it and is seems to work.

Does it matter if you started at the top after you bit of the yucky stalky bit, am i supposed to eat that?

Do I eat around the core or chop down on it all until I get to the bottom?

While you’re thinking about your pear I’d be curious to know if the way you manage your career is similar?

Spit out the bad bit upfront and keep going till you get to where you wanted to go?
Start with the juicy part you know you’ll enjoy and get to the bad stuff later?
Balance a little of the good with the bad even the bad with the good?

What if there is no secret to how you best approach your job. Provided we took the first bite and kept going the end result will always be exactly what we wanted. A little good a little bad, maybe a few bad bits avoided even spat out.

I believe as long as you select the best pear in the beginning your experience is guaranteed to be a healthy one?

At the weekend I was staying with a friend who I would say has a unique fair. He has shall we say the ability to be a little impulsive when it comes to living life. It’s no wonder we’ve know each for a long time. You know the kind of friend that you don’t have to speak to every day but when you do the last little or long while seems to melt away to yesterday. To be fair he’ s actually my hubby’s best mate which is how we crossed path and any good mate of my hubby is definitely a good sort. All beside the point only worth knowing that he is a highly respected friend cause some time his actions can be a little mmmm unorthodox!

Now it was over breakfast he mentioned this concept of a trial wake. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of a wake it’s basically a party held in your honor once you’ve passed away.

So the concept is to celebrate the life of the person you are fare welling. Only the guest of honour doesn’t actually get the opportunity to attend, at least not in person. Most would hope, expect or choose to believe the ‘deceased’ is there in spirit watching from afar looking down on the faces of those who have come to bid their farewells.

How then would you celebrate a trial wake you might be wondering?

Exactly the same as a real wake with one major difference the guest of honour attends in person. Yup they walk in living and breathing to join in the celebrations just the way they would hope their closest friends, family and acquaintances would do if they were not actually.

Now I share a typically morbid topic with you for two reasons;

What if no one knew how to celebrate your life’s achievements the way you would have chosen?

What if you didn’t get to achieve that list of one day maybe I’ll get to wishes to be celebrated before your number is called?

A some what confronting topic for some however life and death are little more than evolution and the cycle we can all be sure of will occur at least once in or life.

If you could role play what you would want said at your wake and how your life would be celebrated what would you want to be said by those who attend. How do you want to be remembered and how would your life achievements be honoured?

Then Monday morning comes and we are back in the 9-5 routine or worse 8.30 – 6pm cramming on to public transport or braving the city traffic. Then we get home it’s too late to make a nice healthy dinner so we grab what’s easy or if you’re lucky dinner was made for you (rare but possible). Then we settle in for a night on the couch in front of the box.

Does that sound mostly familiar?

So what is it about this droneous routine that keeps us going back?

Not only are we creatures of habit we have become complacent, choosing the easy option cause it gets us by. Really what will it take to get a bit of excitement back in your life? A birthday voucher maybe, a special occasion treat or maybe a once in a life time over seas holiday. Is that all there is to life?

Let me tell you there can be so much more to life if you want it.

And guess what it can be achieved on the same budget you have now or even less. The only additional investment is your imagination and time – we call all afford that!

You might be thinking if that’s all we need why haven’t more people broken the routine?

Great question, ultimately it comes down to fear! Fear of the unknown. That’s what keeps is safe, stops us from thinking bigger, dreaming bigger and becoming more that what we currently are today.

I get that this may be new thinking for you so before you start to panic stop….

Anything new creates an emotion it’s what you make it mean that has the real impact. If you are already thinking that making a change even a small change is too scary them maybe now is not the right time for you. It’s ok we are not all up for the same challenge at the same time. Because if you were ready you would have already started thinking about what you could try that would break your current routine.

For those ready to make even the smallest of alternations to their current routine I applaud you. That means you are one of the top 10% who are ready to start living the life you deserve. A life that demands more than average, more than mediocre and more that it did yesterday.

“There are no limitation to the mind accept those we acknowledge,both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought” Napoleon Hill

Routine is created so have a new thought, open your mind and create a small change.

Now if you choose not to change you have awareness to know why….

If you feel like that dull routine has finally become tiring you now know there is a next step!

So what are all those people busy doing? Where are they all going?

If they were traveling to the job of their dreams surly they’d be happy wouldn’t they? Well if they were happy they were damn good at hiding it.

So I got to thinking…why don’t we get excited any more?

Not just about a job but anything. It seems so rare for people to celebrate. It makes me wonder if most people start their day feeling flat, looking dull and hating their job, why don’t they do something else with themselves?

It might be we don’t know how to get out of our current job.
Maybe we haven’t taken the time to admit we’re not happy or worse!
We know we are worth more, deserve more could do more and chose to a play a small game anyway.

It doesn’t have to be that way.

The first step is realizing where you are at.
Next decide where you want to go (even if it involves taking public transport to get there)
Then map out the steps in between.

You can apply the same technique to any area of your life…

A Job
A Relationship
Living Arrangements
A Holiday

What ever you do don’t take public transport to work looking like it’s the worst day of your life

This morning I stepped into a little cafe and ordered a vegetarian omelet and green tea. About half way through my breakfast the warm smooth texture turned crunchy and cold. At first I wasn’t sure what it was then I wondered what could it be that’s just interrupted my enjoyable moment….eggshell in my omelet!

Was that mouthful harder to swallow that the first absolutely. Now I had a choice to make. Do I dare to have another taste or push the plate away and leave that bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the day?

Option A Give it up too early and miss out more yummy stuff with a bad taste in your mouth
Option B Go back for seconds knowing what the worst would be, give it a go anyway and it gets worse.
Option C Go back for seconds knowing what the worst would be, give it a go anyway and it turns out better.

What’s the eggshell in your omelet that is otherwise interrupting your perfect job?

Are there parts of your job your love and maybe a few bits that are hard to swallow?

If your job was perfect what needs to be left out?

How do you drop the parts of your job that are that eggshell you prefer not to have to swallow?

Consider the options you may already have and some you could create such as;

Occurrence – how often dos the less preferred part need to be faced?

Delegation – can you give the work to some one else who enjoys that type of work?

Outsource – can you pay a specialist to do the work?

Accommodate – can you find a way to swallow the ‘eggshell’ if evereything is brilliant?

P.S I took option C..

I love airports and it’s taken well over 20 years to work out why!

• Is it feeling of being on a holiday and that buzz of energy that most airports seem to have?
• What about the sounds of the hustle and bustle as the flights are called out over the speaker?
• Could it be seeing the smiling faces and the generally happy mood most people project?

For you it might be something else, for me it’s the realization I have a clear destination ahead of me.

A trip to the airport means I am going places, well at least 70% of time it’s me getting on that plane and even when it’s not it doesn’t matter because I know someone else has a clear destination to get to.

There is usually a ritual that goes with my flight and it starts well before I even get to the airport. Well before the boarding call and even before the check in.

Here goes with how it all unfolds for me anyway;

Packing the right shoes and clothes (harder for us ladies I am sure), the all weather outfit that you know you can rely on to get through 4 seasons in one day. There are hair and body products, lotions and creams that usually weigh more that my shoes and clothes combined.

Nutrition is important and because I am usually on the go this means I want to keep my energy high with out relying on fast food or sugar…mmm maybe I should travel more often! So I pack almonds yum and water to hydrate as well as the odd muesli bar.

I love reading on the plane so picking a great book and making sure I’ve got my note pad to jot down any cool stuff I come across to share with others is a must.

Did I mention transport? Partners are great for that or a driver who knows where they are going.

So when I finally get to the big ‘A’ do I queue with the masses? On occasion I do only if I have to otherwise it’s a confident waltz through security with my carry on bag straight to the gate with my pre printed boarding pass.

Now the real fun starts and if you’re thinking where is she going? If doesn’t matter a new experience is about to unfold starting with the flight.

You see we start off with the excitement of going some place different to where we have been, know where the plane is heading with the slight reservation of…

• Will it depart on time?
• Will the seat next to me be taken?
• Is it going to be everything I am expecting when I get to my destination?
• Is it going to be a bumpy trip?

And just as your nerves start to intensify and the engines starts to rumble, you’re strapped in, the safety information over and you look out to realize you’re in the air.

No turning back now, you made a commitment and suddenly all the doubt and nervousness has gone and a feeling of calmness and certainty you didn’t know you had turns up. As you look out over the clouds they are like a white fluffy safety blanket beneath you.

The next little while for me is like a dream. It might be that feeling of lightness, the daily responsibilities far below back on earth or that I am some where in between where I was and now where I am going….

Looking out the window, inspiration, adventure and opportunity stare back; everything seems possible now that a commitment has been made.

Now I ask myself if every time I feel doubt, think of my nerves or get the sweats, I was buckled in and decided to go along for the ride anyway then maybe just maybe on the other side the same brilliant feeling is waiting for me.

If you made the commitment to yourself to set a clear destination and buckled up for the ride no matter how bumpy the journey, then I wonder what incredible permission you would give yourself to leave doubt behind in favour of your own inner brilliance?

Check out this interview with the legand!

All too often I hear the words “I’m not happy in my job” followed by any number of reasons why…

I don’t like my Boss

I don’t like the people I work with

The work is too boring

The travel time is getting worse

I never get any recognition

The work load is too much

There is no leadership ………..and the list goes on

The number one reason isn’t any of those!!!

Can you imagine how many times you have complained about what you don’t like in your job!

Now what strikes me odd about the conversations I have is that so few times can people tell me what they would rather be doing instead?

Imagine even if just for fun you chose to spend your time actually focusing on what you did like to do and what you could be instead! How much more rewarding your day would be?

If only people knew what they wanted to do instead!

Not sure where to start? It’s a simply as getting back to the dreams and ideas you had when you were a child. Remember that feeling of being invisible, the whole world an oyster for you to explore…

It’s been said that once a mind has been stretched by a new idea it can never again return to its original state! What would it take to have a new idea special enough for one to change? That has to mean your ideas are still there just lost in the labyrinth we call a mind and if you are really board with your job you can play the maze game to unlock what it is you really want to spend your day doing!

There are a FEW small steps that we can all take if we are seriously not happy at work….

1) List all the “jobs” you thought would be fun when you were young enough to dream.

2) Now from that list what do you feel it was about that “job” you thought was going to be exciting?

3) See your self in that role, hear the noises around you and feel how great it feels to jump out of bed in the morning ready for a new day

4) What would it take for you to believe all that is possible?

Possibility is only limited by the mind so “think you can and you can think you can’t and you’re right”.

There in lies the number one reason most people aren’t happy in their job…

They have bought into their limits, accepted every day mediocrity and settled for the easy option. Lack of belief in self is the only reason that keeps us in a job that doesn’t fill those dreams we had as a child and still today as a grown adult secretly dream of.

So why not dream a little, live a little and be a little more like the child you were and believe you can be what ever you choose to be!

Have you ever spent time in your garden? I mean really taken the time to look at what’s happening beneath the surface you see every day that goes unnoticed?

It was a warm sunny afternoon and I had just picked up the mail when I decided to sit in the shade of the Magnolia tree and read through what I have just collected. As I shift my position on the grass I looked around and noticed for the first time what must go on in every day in everyone’s garden.

There were so many signs of life and death, the opportunity and demise of plants and bugs that I had to pause and reflect…

The Ants were like a team of soldiers exploring everything in their path even my legs at one point. They crawled frantically here and there even back over the same ground, I’d love to know what they were looking for.

There were a couple of stray weeds pocking their head out on a are corner and a few dead leaves hanging around taking up space.

A web perfectly spun seemingly frozen in time. Waiting for the right visitor to come and be taken advantage of or aphids chewing away the goodness of bright green and juicy upcoming shoots.

…and then I saw the buds about to bloom and I imagined what they would look like, their colour, smell, shape and size.

There was the odd bee busy pollinating one flower to the next, sharing it’s goodness that helped me make the link to how a career is like a garden. The more it’s nurtured the stronger it grows, when the order of activities are aligned it’s healthy and if it’s left unnoticed it can loose it attractiveness.

You see in your career there will always be;

• Busy times when we feel like the ants that we are rushing from place to place helping others and not really achieving our own results,
• Weeds that can take over, distract us if we don’t keep them in check,
• A Spider waiting to catch us in it’s web to take advantage of,
• Aphids who want to take away our inspiration and opportunity before we’ve had a chance to grow

Just when you need it a white butterfly flickers by and reminds me;

Possibility is all around us, it’s what we do with the information we have and the actions we choose to take that makes the difference. Like the busy bee focused on its goal yet some how able to confidently share it’s brilliance with all those it come into contact with.
I wonder what part of your career is being played out in the garden and what will you do now that you know right now?

If I had a coin for every time I was told people don’t like change I’d have more that a life time of city parking covered.

So why is it that the word conjures up a sense of fear so big that it keeps people…?

• Stuck in a job they hate
• Frightened to step out of their office cubical
• Afraid to apply for a promotion

STOP….What are we afraid of?

There are actually three types of “common” fears; not being good enough, fear of failure and not being loved. Any one of these fears will stop us in our tracks until we gain awareness of when it was created and learn how to overcome it.

It’s easier than it seems really if you are willing to consider for just a brief second that facing an old fear will make way for greater opportunity in the future.

Take a minute to think who taught you to first feel hear or see fear…It may sound like an odd question only who else would ask you a question like that?

Yep to have a fear you had to once learn how to experience it so consider facing that moment way back when you were in school or in that playground or even at home.

See, the mind works in mysterious ways it likes to keep us safe, so when it thinks we are about to do something that might be evenly remotely close to that scary old thing our mind clicks over and bang the old records kicks in and before long we think I can’t possibly do that and we ignore that fantastic next big opportunity that is going to change your life forever.

When that fear creeps in next time ask yourself….

• What if you enjoyed the new job more?
• The next office has a window and pot plant
• That promotion not only paid more, has shorter hours and you actually enjoy it.

Yes we humans are creatures of habit only imagine if nothing in your life changed every again. Day after day the same routine no reason to think or act any different to the last day, you would hate it.

With change comes possibility, which leads to opportunity which leads to creativity which in turn leads to fun and happiness.

With out change the world we live in would become as grey as the Melbourne winter cloud. Even with a designer scarf, great boots and a heavy jacket do you really want 352 days a year of that!