Coach DQ | CoachDQ

Posts Tagged ‘Coach DQ’

Getting Your To-Dos in Order

Tuesday, May 10th, 2011

Every Sunday, I write out a to-do list for the coming week. I plan out my activities on each day, and make notes as to tasks I want to complete within each 24-hour period. I have list of people to follow up with and a list for house stuff. I also have a note book of items to brainstorm about. I get pretty nit-picky about my lists — but if I don’t write it down, it doesn’t get done and I only focus on one list at a time.

When you make generalized lists, with big bullet items like “Networking,” “Cold Calls,” and “Business Plan”, you can become frustrated when you are not able to cross these things off your lists. To help you be more productive, break down your projects and tasks into specific bite-sized pieces, they will be a little less overwhelming and you’ll find you’ll get more done. Also, big-ticket items require big chunks of time, which aren’t always possible to set aside in the midst of a busy week and tend to get put on the back burner.

Instead of making generalized lists on which items linger for weeks or months at a time, try chunking it down. Instead of listing, “Return e-mails”, list the people you need to contact by name, and check them off one by one. That way, you can visually track your progress, and transfer only those names that remain to the next week’s list. Instead of writing, “Work on Business Plan”, break the task into pieces like “Target Market Overview” that will only take you 30 to 90 minutes to complete.

You can also cross-reference your lists to help you multitask. For example, my lists last week included items like “Yard Work,” “Gym,” and “Playtime with Kaylee.” We combined all three in one fun afternoon, which included a game of tag and Pick-Up-Sticks in the backyard.

There’s a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from crossing items off a list. If you find yourself spinning your wheels, set smaller and more manageable goals, and attack them one by one. Success isn’t measure in giant leaps, but in innumerable baby steps, like cobblestones on a road. The best to-do lists are the ones that help you look back over your week and see how far you’ve come.

Here is a link to free copy of the “To do” list I use and also give to my clients to use.

Are you completely paperless? Try Life Balance software for free for 30 days.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, known as Coach DQ, is a professional coach, radio show host and workshop leader. Through the use of her B.R.I.D.G.E. programs she helps marketing, advertising, and creative entrepreneurs navigate career or business transition while maintaining a healthy career-life balance. Her core belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, consistently leads clients to uncover hidden resources and strengths. B.R.I.D.G.E. the gap and accelerate your career so you can love your life now! Visit www.CareerLifeBalance.net or http://www.coachdq.com today or for more information email me.

7 Steps to Minimizing The Time & Energy You Spend on Business Communications

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

Have you ever opened your inbox to find dozens, even hundreds of new e-mails stacked one on top of the other? Every time we sit down at our computers, it seems we’re bombarded by images and stimuli. That can be really overwhelming, and can cause us to miss important communications.

Creating effective e-mail communications can minimize the time and energy you spend on business communications, and make all of your virtual interactions more effective.

Here are some simple suggestions to help you maximize your e-mail communications.

Use the subject line to alert your reader. For example — Subject: Draft memo to Client X; please review and respond by Thursday at 4:00 PM. If you require immediate action, say so. If you need something by a certain time and date, say that too. While this may seem pushy, it’s the best way to alert your reader as to what’s going on. An inbox full of “No Subject” e-mails means that all e-mails have to be read before prioritization can occur.
Use proper grammar and spelling. This does not include “txtng shortcuts b/c they r easier 4 u, lol!” Business e-mail is business writing, whether or not it’s done from your iPhone. Re-read what you’ve written (especially if you’re on a device which uses Autocorrect!) and use your spell check. Each time you hit the “Send” button, you’re sending literature which represents you and your business.
Say what you need to say, concisely and fully. Don’t ask your reader to guess at what you want. For really important e-mails, create an outline before you start writing using the Executive Summary technique. If you’re trying to set up an appointment, offer the recipient a few dates and times to cut down on the back-and-forth. If you’re responding to another e-mail, answer all questions posed and try to anticipate any that might come up in future communications.
Address your communications only to those who really need to see them. Unless he or she asks specifically, your boss probably doesn’t want to be cc’d on every e-mail you send. If appropriate, spend a few minutes writing a summary for those who don’t need to be directly involved in the e-mail string.
All e-mail should be considered public information — because if it gets into the wrong hands, it very well could be. Keep things professional, simple, and to-the-point. Always re-read what you have written, and ask yourself if you’d be comfortable posting it in print on your office door. If you must vent about a coworker or a personal issue, do it in person with someone you trust (and preferably not at the water cooler; that’s so passé.)
Exercise is still good for you — and your relationships. If the topic at hand is best discussed face-to-face, get up from your desk and walk over to your coworker — or exercise your fingers and dial. E-mail is a wonderful tool, but it’s nowhere near as effective for building relationships as an actual conversation.
And finally… Have Faith! The Dalai Lama will not send you bad karma if you don’t forward his words to eight people in eight minutes. While chain e-mails may be fun, and occasionally enlightening, they also waste a lot of time — so read them at home.

More great email tips are available at www.netmanners.com and www.emailreplies.com. Both sites provide good lists for creating and responding to email effectively.

Potholes — Tolerations Part 2

Thursday, April 7th, 2011

What Are You Tolerating?

Continuing our discussion of tolerations…

Below are some common tolerations cited by my clients and colleagues. Maybe some of these potholes are also in your road.

What people are tolerating at home:

“I need to create a financial plan for my family.”
“I need to take care of the house projects.”
“I need to exercise more — get to the gym.”
“I need to exercise more control over personal finances.”
“I need to clean out the attic/basement/garage.”
“I need to help the kids with school more.”
“I need to take a vacation.”

What people are tolerating at work:

“No raises.”
“No positive reinforcement; even after clients have told me they have gone out of their way to tell my boss they are happy with the work I have done, he never acknowledges it in any way.”
“Unfulfilling work culture and lack of mental challange.”
“Throughout my tenure at my company, I have felt that I can do 100 things acceptably, but when one thing is identified as not good enough in so many words, it becomes a big deal.”
“I wait until I get mad to leave a place.”
Other people’s ‘poor me’ syndrome.”
“Unprofitable professional relationships.”
“Personality dynamics.” –Need I say more about that one!

What people are tolerating personally:

“Waiting to receive permission before acting.”
“Not thinking things thoroughly.”
“Not waiting to learn from my mistakes before taking actions.”
“Waiting for events to happen – being reactive.”
“Letting other people lead the way.”
“My laziness.”
“My internalizing and over-thinking.”
“My inability to keep and meet goals.”
“My weakness for sweets.”
“My lack of willpower .”
“My closed-off attitude – not being willing to open up.”
“My reluctance to try new things more often.”
“My lack of empathy.”
“Not verbalizing my thoughts and acting on them.”
“Not making the most of every moment.”
“Destructive or draining personal relationships.”

All of the above issues could be resolved by making an actionable plan and sticking to it. To quote Nike’s tagline: “Just do it.” No amount of thinking will resolve nagging issues or create the change you crave: you have to act on your thoughts.

If you recognize any of the above tolerations in your own life, make a list of three things you can do to move toward a resolution. Once you fill the potholes, you can start looking ahead to where your road leads!

You can take an inventory of your tolerations by downloading this exercise What Am I Tolerating and call me for your complimentary coaching consult.

Potholes — Tolerations Part 1

Tuesday, March 29th, 2011

We all have stuff we don’t like to do. And when it comes to work, there are definitely some tasks that are more pleasant than others.

I call the things we don’t like to do “tolerations.” If you don’t stay on top of them, these things can puncture your success bubble as surely as a monster Massachusetts pothole can pop your front tire.

Potholes like tolerations can be deceiving. Metaphorically speaking, when they sit on your desk, your tolerations crumble away at your energy every time your mind drives over it, making your day less efficient. Instead of smooth sailing down a nicely paved highway, your daily route suddenly looks like an obstacle course. You’re constantly swerving around unfinished tasks, trying to avoid the potholes and bumps. The more tolerations (potholes) in your road, the slower and more challenging your progress becomes, plus, the longer it takes to get there. Or worse, you’re driving too fast and miss or get hit by a big one!

You own your own road. So you’ll have to fill in the holes yourself, hire someone else to do the work, tow you out, and/or pay the price in repairs down the road.

Here are some common tolerations that might be eating away at your pavement.

Bookkeeping
Budgeting
Collections
Editing your resume
Writing your business plan
Filing
Cleaning out your inbox
Organizing your desk
Accepting clients you call “P.I.A.” clients (Pains in the Ass*)

* You recognize the signs everytime, trust your intuition. Life is too short. Why tolerate it! Patch that business pothole

Sometimes, we can hang onto tolerations in order to justify our sense of suffering. When your road is full of ruts, you might feel a bit noble about your burdens — as in, “I have so much to do! Look how hard my road is to travel!” In the end, though, this is an expensive source of self-esteem, and it can block you from real progress. After all, what are you really getting out of martyrdom?

There can be a kind of joy in the menial and frustrating tasks that can become our potholes. When you finally do finish that bookkeeping, it will probably feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders.

A case in point: I’ve been meaning to populate this years budget, which means reviewing all of last year’s numbers and every month since December it would drive through my mind. Then I’d justify it by saying in my head to myself, “I’ll have a better sense after the 1st quarter.” I decided it’s time to fill in the pothole. So, last night I finally compared actuals to budget and to my surprise I am down $150 per month in expenses. When you sit down and bang out your business plan, the clarity you gain might supply the momentum to move you forward to the next phase. Now I can allocate those extra funds to something else and reinvest in my business.

Are you tolerating outstanding receivables? When you start making those collection calls, you might feel a sense of empowerment, because you know what? You do deserve to get paid!

Cataloging your tolerations can be really enlightening. Some of my clients have had transformational breakthroughs around this exercise. After all, seeing the potholes is the first and most important step toward fixing them!

You can take an inventory of your tolerations by downloading this exercise What Am I Tolerating and call me for your complimentary coaching consult.

Working On Vs. Working In Your Business

Tuesday, March 8th, 2011

What’s the difference between working ON your business and working IN your business?

When you’re working IN your business, you’re involved in generating the product or service your business provides. If you’re a salesperson, you’re selling. If you’re a consultant, you’re consulting. If you’re a manufacturer, you’re manufacturing. When we say, “I’m running my business,” this is what we generally think of.

When you’re working ON your business, you’re maintaining your pipeline: networking, researching new markets, preparing sales strategies, updating your marketing materials and web site. Basically, you’re ensuring that, in the future, you’ll be able to keep working IN your business, because you’ll have enough business to keep your business running.

When you look at it objectively, it’s easy to see the value of working ON your business. Unfortunately, knowing it’s important doesn’t always translate to getting it done. It’s very easy to get caught up in the minutia of the daily grind, and lose sight of the big picture.

Ideally, you should be spending about 20% of your time working ON your business. That means one to two hours a day, every day. Without fail.

If you just thought, “That’s impossible! I’ll never get everything done!” then you may need to step back and take another look at your workload. What if you started to delegate, just a little bit? Would that free up more time for you to work ON (a.k.a. grow) your business?

I’ve seen it over and over. People fail to prioritize the aspects of running a business which feel less immediate. But when the project ends, and the work dries up, they’ve got nothing in the pipeline. Then, they have to scramble to generate a pile of new business, which leaves them overwhelmed, and working from a place of lack. Some people have called this “the Money Rollercoaster.”

Here are some ways you can work ON your business every day, so you don’t end up on a wild ride.

Attend networking and/or industry events
Update your social networking sites and web site to reflect your current needs/goals/products
Send e-mails to potential contacts and clients
Ask your network contacts for introductions
Make at least one phone call to a new contact or client per day
Develop low-cost marketing strategies you can implement yourself
Set short– and long-term goals for your business, and create strategies which help you move toward those goals

If you have trouble prioritizing this kind of work over your “real” work, or if you feel ineffective when it comes to strategizing and marketing, don’t worry: you’re not the only one. But once you learn to work ON your business as well as IN your business, you’ll find that you gain a much finer sense of control, purpose, and direction. And isn’t that worth an hour a day?

Are You Distracted?

Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011

Did you know that the average person only works about 2 – 3 hours per day?

I know. You get up early, take your place behind your desk, and spend your day dealing with whatever comes up. By the time five o’clock comes, you’re exhausted. But how much of your workday is actually devoted to work — and how much is spent dealing with distraction?

This is a common theme among my job search clients. “I want to meet my goals for networking/phone calls/prospecting/working on my resume,” they tell me, “but all these other things keep coming up!” It’s easy to see how this can happen. We don’t live in bubbles (well, most of us don’t, anyway) and so there is always the chance that distractions will come into our space and break our focus.

Here are some common distractions:

Facebook
LinkedIn
Text messages
Phone calls unrelated to the project at hand
Small talk with coworkers
E-mail and e-mail notifications
Internet browsing

Of course, all of these things should have a place in your schedule, especially if you’re working your networking pipeline. But you don’t necessarily need to attend to them the second they pop up. Would it really be a bad thing to turn off your text message and e-mail notifications for two or three hours a day? When you receive a distracting phone call, could you simply let it go to voice-mail — or say, “Can I call you back later, when I can give you my full attention?” If you’re immersed in a “dollars now” activity, listening to your friend’s Best Vegas Weekend Ever stories won’t necessarily serve you (or her, since you’re not giving her your full attention).

Some distractions are inevitable. But if you’re feeling scattered, there are steps you can take to control the chaos.

Hang a “Do Not Disturb” sign on your office door for one hour in the morning, and one hour in the afternoon. (I designed a cute little sign that reads F.O.C.U.S. — Fulfilling Obligations! Caution: Under Strict deadlines!)
Turn off the text message, e-mail notifications, and Facebook alerts on your mobile phone and/or iPad. You might choose to create an e-mail autoresponder that says something like, “In order to be more efficient, I will now be answering e-mail only at 12:00 PM and 4:00 PM.” If someone urgently needs a response from you, they can contact you by telephone.
If you work from home, don’t let pets come in to snuggle. If you have older children, ask that they respect your work space when they get home from school (or design your work hours around their schedules, so you can give them your full attention).
Try not to engage your coworkers in small talk unless you really want to be distracted. You can always chitchat on your breaks, over lunch, or outside of the office.
Don’t update your Facebook, LinkedIn, or other social networking sites during the hours you’ve designated for work. If you’re a business owner, work with these tools during the hours you’ve designated for marketing/business strategy.

While some of us are better at multitasking than others, no one is truly great at it. You can’t divide your attention into that many pieces and still be fully invested in any of them. Divide your time, not your mind! When you implement strategies for efficiency, you not only increase your productivity, you reduce your stress, and might actually reduce the number of hours spent behind your desk!

Franchise Business Owner Transitions to a Career in…

Tuesday, February 1st, 2011

Coach DQ Client Case Study

What was happening in your life when you called Coach DQ?

I owned a few fitness franchises and was working as a regional developer the corporate headquarters and was considering a career change. I was referred to Coach DQ by someone I look up to. My friend had recently made a big career transition, and said, “I didn’t make my choices alone. I had the help of a coach.”

At that point, I didn’t even know what a coach did, but coaching had worked for my friend, so I decided to give it a try.

I loved my job, but the company had lost sight of its mission statement, and I felt that its values no longer aligned with my own. The problem was, I wasn’t sure what my own values were, let alone how to use them to construct a plan for shaping a new career. Using her Bridge mapping techniques and other tools, Coach DQ helped me find my core values, articulate my vision, develop a game plan, and much more. Everything suddenly became much clearer.

What was most helpful about the process?

To me, the best part of the process was the accountability. It was a soft accountability, though. Coach DQ wasn’t an enforcer; rather, she was pleasantly persistent. She knew what I needed to do to get where I wanted to go, but also respected the fact that my schedule can be very hectic at times. Instead of pushing me, and trying to establish concrete goals and deadlines for my progress, she just put ideas out there and let me run with them. In this way, she was able to keep me on track and moving forward at what felt like a natural, rather than a regimented, pace.

What have you accomplished since working with Coach DQ? What was the “end result” of your coaching experience?

Well, the “results” are still in the works. But I’ve been able to establish a clear vision for my future, and I feel good about the direction in which I’m moving. Currently, I’m in the negotiating process working feverishly to bring things to a close. I also have two exciting new opportunities in the fire. Although the loose ends have yet to be wrapped up, I know my results are right there, waiting for me.

I feel that Coach DQ’s methods and assistance allowed me to create positive shifts in my professional life in a much more organized, systematic, and effective way than I would have been able to implement on my own.

A Crisis!

Monday, January 10th, 2011

Let’s take a little trip back in time.

Before I started my coaching business, I was one of the top recruiters in my company, and the number one biller out of six offices in a down economy. The pressure was enormous and the hours brutal, but the money was great and I enjoyed the work, so I put up with it.

One day, my new manager wandered into my office. (our company was acquired by a large franchise staffing firm) “Hi Dawn,” she said in that chirpy voice. “I see you’re married.” She literally picked up my hand, said, “nice ring”. I nodded, confused. “Well,” she went on, “I hope you’re not planning on getting pregnant. I’ll be putting pills in your OJ, Hah, hah” and she walked away. This is no joke.

The truth was, I hadn’t been planning to try for a baby anytime soon at the time. But I knew I wanted a family, and this lady was NOT going to tell me I couldn’t have one.

That day, I reached what I call a “crisis point,” and I knew it was time to get out. It was the push I needed. I had been talking about with my associates and husband for the last 6 months. I couldn’t work for a company that that didn’t value me except as a golden goose.

I’d known for a while this was no longer my ideal work environment. The boss that had promised me a BMW if I hit my target two years in a row. Never followed through and I learned the hard way, that I should have gotten it in writing. I’d seen the people around me burn out under the pressure, and I’d had more than a few tough days myself. But it took that comment from my new to be boss that truly make me realize how unhealthy the situation was.

Many of us know that it’s time for a change, but instead of initiating that change ourselves, we wait around for something to push us into it. We don’t change the problems in our marriages until divorce is looming, and we don’t change the problems in our careers until the only options are burn out or get out or it’s too late and you are laid off. Sometimes, not even burnout will stop us from holding on — we’ll keep showing up anyway, hoping that they’ll kick us out. In other words, we give our choice away, because owning it is too big a responsibility.

I know a woman who hates her job in the marketing department of a construction company. I mean, truly loathes it. A graphic designer of her caliber should have no trouble at all starting up as a freelancer, but she won’t do it. When you ask her why, she’ll mutter something about benefits, and a weekly paycheck. Sometimes, she says that she hopes her boss will fire her, because that would force her to do something—but right now, she’s too drained by the end of the day to even think about putting a resume together. She’s waiting for a crisis, hoping that someone (or something) will make her choice for her.

For others, a major life event is what sparks change: a birth, a death, a divorce, a wedding, a layoff. But do you really need such a major shock to wake up? The tighter the crunch, the fewer options you’ll have — so why not act now, before things build to a head?

One of my most important jobs as a coach is to help people in transition. If you’re feeling a career crisis coming on, don’t wait — take the reins now, and take control of your career.

This quote sums up my story — “If you can’t be a good example — then you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.” Catherine

“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your permission.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Share

Over-Performing

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

The other day, I was at a networking group meeting, and one of the officers asked me if I’d like to take on an ambassadorship. “You’ve got a great background in recruiting, and we could really use your help to generate new membership,” she said. “You’re exactly what we need.”
And she was right. I was a perfect fit for the job. But I didn’t want it, and I told her so.

The next day, the President of the group called me personally, to ask again if I’d take the ambassadorship. I told him no, too. “Thanks for the opportunity,” I said, “But it’s my time, and I need to spend it on other things right now.” Don’t get me wrong — my networking group is important to me. I value the relationships I’ve built there, and we really could use a boost in membership. But is it more important than my time with my daughter and husband? Or my time with my clients? Or the time I spend exercising and taking care of myself? Because hours in one of these areas would have to be sacrificed in order to make time for the ambassadorship — or, I could allot a very small number of hours to the networking group, do a half-assed job, and leave everyone dissatisfied. So as much as I would have liked to say yes, I had to say no.
I can’t tell you how many years it’s taken me to learn this lesson.

If you’re the type of person who likes to say yes, you are probably also the type of person who wakes up in the middle of the night, thinking, “How the heck am I going to get all of this done?” “Why did I commit to doing this?” Time is one thing that we can’t make more of, and if yours is already scheduled to the hilt, you may be suffering from a serious case of over-performing.

Here’s a perfect example: One of my clients recently took a new job, in part because there was so much pressure at her old job. She took a pay cut in her new position, and was determined to find more balance. She’s a self-admitted perfectionist, and now, after only 90 days in the job, she’s coming close to the point of burnout. Turns out, she can’t do her best every day in the number of hours she’d scheduled for work, because she over committed to too many initiatives, so she’s pulling hours from home, family, and herself. The fact that she wants to do her best is commendable, but she’s back in the same position she was in at her last job, and working for a lot less money.

Why do we do this to ourselves? Call it self-competition. Once we’ve established ourselves as performers at a certain level, we believe we always need to perform at that level. Worse, we feel that we need to continually get better, and do more. We never want to be at a level with the bar — even if we set the bar ourselves. What’s more, we don’t take time to revel in our achievements. Once we finish a project, rather than sitting back and basking in the warm glow of pride, we immediately move on to the next thing, and the bar is raised yet again. I know this because I did it for years and now it’s easy for me to recognize in my clients.

If you’re in search of balance, ask yourself a few questions. Listen carefully to the answers that arise. You might even make this a journaling exercise. (If you automatically replied, “I don’t have time for that!” ask yourself what could possibly be a more important use of your time than YOU.)

Why do you feel you need to say yes to every project that comes your way?
What do you feel that you’ll lose or jeopardize by saying no?
Who are you competing with?
What goal is being served by your over-achievement? Is there a light at the end of this tunnel?
Does having free time make you uncomfortable? Why?

Answer these five questions honestly, and the answers might change your life.
After offering my apologies to the president of my networking group, I hung up the phone with a smile. Any guilt I felt was immediately erased when I looked at the picture of my daughter I keep on my desk. She’s the biggest reason for balance in my life, and my best insurance against over-performing.
Share
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE, BLOG OR WEBSITE? Please do, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Dawn Quesnel, CPCC, PCC, known as Coach DQ, is a professional coach, radio show host and workshop leader. Through the use of her B.R.I.D.G.E. programs she helps marketing, advertising, and creative entrepreneurs navigate career or business transition while maintaining a healthy career-life balance. Her core belief that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to, consistently leads clients to uncover hidden resources and strengths. B.R.I.D.G.E. the gap and accelerate your career so you can love your life now! Visit www.CareerLifeBalance.net or http://www.coachdq.com today or for more information email me.

The Voice of Reason?

Wednesday, November 24th, 2010

Over the years, I’ve found a common theme in successful people, they have a great idea and they follow through on it.

Most of the time, the first part is easy: everyone has a passion, and most of us have at least a vague idea of what we might possibly, someday, be able to do with ours. It’s the second part that’s tricky.

As much as we’d all sometimes like to live in a vacuum, we don’t. And often it’s natural that the follow-through can be helped or hindered by the people around us. Whether it’s starting a new job, starting a business, or simply changing focus, our nearest and dearest will surely express their feelings about it.

When I left my position as an executive recruiter to start my own recruiting business, my husband was, shall we say, less than enthusiastic. I know many of you can at relate to this situation. It took six months for me to get his buy-in and those six months were hard on both of us. (I was already taking classes at Suffolk University, studying for my coaching certification and I wanted to start my own business!?) It was important to me to share with him my business plan, and in doing so I engaged him with my passion and determination. This helped our relationship a lot. Then when the numbers came in at the end of that first year, he truly did put his weight behind my business. I don’t say this to criticize: his doubts were legitimate. But if I had listened to them over the calling in my heart, I would never be where I am today. And it’s our opposites that give us a nice balance.

One of the most challenging factors I work with in my coaching practice is the “Unsupportive Spouse”. The significant other in any relationship likes to think they’re the voice of reason — and sometimes they are, but more often, what they’re voicing are their own fears and doubts. “If you start your own business, will you make enough money?” they’ll ask. “Will you still have time for me and the kids?” “Are you sure that’s a smart idea?” “Will anyone really buy that product or service?” These questions, coming from the one who’s supposed to love you ‘till death do you part, can feel like an attack, because they’re mirroring the voice of your inner critic.

Now, I’m no marriage counselor, and I would never presume to offer my clients advice on how to handle their personal relationships, but I will say this: there’s a difference between compromise and control. If your spouse is worried about having enough money to live on, come up with an amount that you need to save before you leave your job. Do you feel comfortable with six months’ salary in your savings? Twelve? Is money a factor at all, or is it about time and attention? Be willing to compromise, and the ride will be a lot smoother. If it’s about control, well… that’s a deeper issue, and might require a different approach.

Rational, objective discussion of your spouses’ fears and concerns can go a long way. Change can be a scary proposition, and it often leaves people behind. Sometimes, your partner only needs to be heard, and feel that they’re included in your plans.

As someone I knew once wrote, “When mama’s happy, everybody’s happy.” If following your personal and professional passion will make you a happier, more fulfilled individual, it’s truly the best choice for everyone around you. Through compromise, compassion, and understanding, you can often help that “voice of reason” become a voice of support and solidarity.

CoachDQ

Posts Tagged ‘Coach DQ’

What Are You Tolerating?

Quick Links