Aug

Feel like a kid again to kick start your career search

By A Coach For All Seasons

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SOAR! August 2010

Lightening Up is Child’s Play

Have you ever been told to lighten up? I have. Sometimes I get way

too serious about myself. There is a difference between taking your dreams

seriously — which is good—and taking yourself seriously—which makes you worry unnecessarily about your own survival.

Humour and laughter are great antidotes to seriousness. Another route to lightening up is to remember the feelings you had as a child doing your favourite activities.

The end of summer is a great time to bring back these memories. I remember swimming in my friend’s pool day after day, picking dandelions on the lawn and riding my bike to the corner store to buy an orange Popsicle. (My younger sister might have different memories of my favourite activity; she’d likely say it was being the bossy teacher when we played school.)

There are some individuals who have the magical capacity to help us re-experience positive childhood feelings. My beloved modern dance teacher Vera Davis invited her students to join her on the grassy hills of Sherwood Park during the hot summer months in Toronto. Reconnecting with the grass and the sky made me feel joyful and positive about life. My wise and wonderful yoga teacher Brigitte Kortright brings the same quality of lightness to her classes. She helps me reconnect with my mind and body in a spirit of playfulness, a spirit that does not judge or measure, but encourages curiosity and exploration.

If you’re searching for a new career direction, positive feelings from childhood play are a place to start. What activity were you doing? Who were you with? What are the sights and sounds you can remember? How did you feel?

What is the most playful thing you can do today?

To reconnect with your passion at any season of your life, visit me at A Coach for All Seasons.