Life Coaching and Career Coaching

Today, many people find their lives thrown into chaos when they loss of their jobs. The loss is more than a stream of income, it is a threat to their self identity. For most people, their job defines who they are. Is this you?

Losing your job is like graduating high school and waiting to hear about going on to college, applying to the military and waiting to be accepted, or looking for that first job all over again. You were somebody in high school and now you are nobody, or so you think. But are you?

You are the only one who knows what you are worth to yourself. Other only see you for what you might be worth to them.

As a freelancer most of my life, I have been employed and unemployed many times. It happens every time a contract expires and new one has not yet come through. I have learned to use these times to step back, evaluate what I accomplished, and reassess my goals.

I also use it to assess my environment. I see this as an opportunity to take charge of my fate. I ask myself: Where is market for my skills and interests going? Is it time to change my employment strategy? And in this process, I have made a personal discovery I want to share with you.

I am the sole/soul proprietor of my life. My life is the time God has allocated to me in this world. It is a gift card with an undisclosed time limit. I own it and I can sell it. I sell part of it every time I take a job, form a relationship, or use it for myself.

How much is my time worth? It is worth what I need to accomplish what I want to accomplish in my time/life.

Too often, especially these days, we don’t have the time to reflect on where we are going or where we have been. It is like being caught in the wrong lane on the freeway at rush hour. Sometimes we miss our exit and when we finally get off we are lost, just like Tom Hanks in Bonfire of the Vanities

God gave me the freewill to be the sole proprietor of my soul. It is my responsibility to make the best of it.Taking the time to know what I want to accomplish, and what I have accomplished, has been a critical step in my life’s journey.

Janus says

If unemployment depression is setting in, I suggest that you find a mentor, or a life coach, at this time. Don’t be afraid or ashamed to ask for direction. He or she can help you find direction to bring you back to the life path to take you on the journey toward your goal.

Januslifecoaching.com is one such service you can turn to for help.

Life is a challenge.
Every day we face problems that must be solved; issues, we are asked to take a stand on. As a free, sovereign individual, you and I are expected to make decisions for ourselves, to take responsibility for our decisions and to be held accountable for the results of our decisions. That is, we have choices.

Decision making involves making choices. Choices are value judgments, and value judgments are subjective, relativistic evaluations of our experiences. Our evaluations are not always rational although we may try to rationalize them to ourselves and others.

Economists assume that humans are totally rationale creatures. They act in their enlightened self interest based on perfect knowledge about the situation. Such creatures act to maximize the “utility” or value of their choices. If you or I acted this way, we would be the perfect “economic man/woman.”. This would make the life of economists so much simpler.

But we are not, Thank God!

We are animals, albeit, the TOP ANIMAL, on the planet. Part of our animal nature is to respond emotionally to the challenges in our immediate environment. We are biologically and psychologically programmed to make decisions that favor our survival — “the survival instinct.”

Here the economists are correct in their assumption that the “individual” acts in his/her own self interest. But, what that “self-interest” is, does not always prove to be rational. That is, it is not rational in a long term or from the “economic man or woman” perspective.

Survival is a short term challenge, while Life is a long term goal. Survival calls for action; life calls for planning.

When we respond to our immediate fears, we are responding emotionally to some perceived survival threat. “I won’t raise my hand, so I won’t be noticed.” “I really don’t think I want to go there or eat THAT food.” “No way, I’m going to New York with all that violence I see on TV.”

When we satisfy our short term wants and needs, we also respond emotionally to some perceived survival opportunity. “I just can’t miss this sale.” “That dessert looks soooo good! I’ll diet tomorrow.” “She/he has the sexiest hot bod I’ve ever seen, I’ve got to …”

Each choice we make, no matter how small no matter how apparently inconsequential, has long term consequences. Each choice sets the conditions for our future choices. Each choice is the starting point for the next challenge and next decision. This how we create our own fate, our karma. The consequences of our choices shape our attitudes toward ourselves, others and the world. The consequences of our experiences slowly form the layers of our personality. Like the rings of a tree, the layers of an onion, or the strata of the Grand Canyon, our experience form the layers of our perceptions, habits and biases. These become the standards we apply in our decision making and evaluation of our choices.

We have choices.

You have choices.

What choices are you making?

Are you still making the same old decisions? And, are you still getting the same undesirable results?

Janus says

Understanding why and how you make your choices is the first step in learning how to make better decisions in your life.

The Janus Life Coaching approach helps you to peel away the layers of perception and begin the process of making better choices and achieving better outcomes.

What one sees and does not see will often surprise you. This story came via an email that was sent out to several hundred on a mailing list. I almost ignore it as a piece of political xenophobic reactionary propaganda, so common in these times.

But for some reason I took the time to read through it. I was both amazed and yet surprising not surprised by the lesson it  teaches about the modern Homo americanus urbana.

….something to think about…

Washington, DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. The man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx. 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule. 4 minutes later: the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk. 6 minutes: A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3-year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced their children to move on quickly.

45 minutes:

The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while. About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace…  The man collected a total of $32.

1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

Janus says

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:  If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…. How many other things are we missing?