12 PRINCIPLES FOR CHANGE

Over the weekend I was at a party and "change" was on everyone's mind. Each person wanted to, or was being forced to, make some type of change in their life. The desired change ran the gamut from changing their work, their weight, their time management, or moving into their next and not knowing what to do! The needs were as diverse as the ways in which people were approaching change.

Thinking about them, and all of us who want to change something in our life but are undeclared as of yet, I went into some old "paper" files and found a long forgetten list entitled: 12 Principles of Change. I don't know where I got it...I don't claim initial ownership of it, but I do take responsibility for getting the list to you over the next few blogs. I have listed the top four principles below.

Read them, then read them again. They look simple until you reflect on them and apply them to your life. The Top 4 Principles are as follows:

• Purpose- We are happiest when moving toward a goal.
• Perspective-Situations may look different depending on our point of view.
• Balance- Nature hates imbalance. Most problems are a sign that an imbalance has occurred.
• Escalation- Doing the same thing usually gets the same result.If we are not succeeding we need to change the balance of forces.

Just a few thoughts to get you going on your road to change and rewiring! Use these principles to coach yourself!

WHAT DID YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?

I just got back from 10 days in London. It was strictly for fun but friends were surprised I went because I have been to London many times before. Now some may think..."why aren't you going to a new place?" I love new, and have a curiosity to explore new places, however quite honestly I LOVE LONDON and have since I was in the third grade.

In my speeches on rewiring I tell people to look into their past to discover interests or themes that could lead to new career or work opportunties. But now I'm saying use your past to re-discover new fun! You see, one day in school, a teacher who was frustrated by me said..."who do you think you are? Lady Jane Grey?" I had no idea what or who she was talking about so I ran to the library and discovered the book on Lady Jane Grey, the 16 year old girl who sat on the English throne for only nine days before she was beheaded! I was smitten with her story...and that was the beginning of my love fest with the Tudors, London and English history overall!

So why did I go to London now? To see the special exhibit on Lady Jane Grey at the National Portrait Gallery. We can make our fun time even more fulfilling and rewarding for ourselves when we go deeper into our experiences! So I like to say follow your dreams and your themes!

And I'll have more themes to report on about London!

EVERYONE NEEDS A LITTLE COACH IN THEIR CORNER

Some people say it's hard to stay motivated...others say it's hard to get motivated, and being someone whose business it is to motivate others, I think that today overall it's a little harder to get, stay and be motivated!

That's why I'm a fan of coaching! All types of coaching...both formal and informal, for work and play!

• I have a friend who is a jazz singer, and she works with a voice coach.


• I have a young friend who is a baseball coach for executives who want to play baseball better in their free time.


• I belong to a gang of three couples who coach each other to try new things.


• And I have many friends who are executive, life or retirement coaches.


• Even a few who are business and entrepreneur coaches!

My point is, as people face the future I want them to undertake new ventures. To me, it's all about rewiring energy and actions. But some time you need a little help from your friends. Yes, famous words from a great song! But it's true! Regardless of your age I hope you want to try something new; maybe a new job, or you want to excel at a sport or take a risk and create a new business and need some support to either get started or stay in the game! Knowing that someone is in your corner, is in the ring with you, is a big help.

The truth is sometimes you just plain need a jumpstart or some on-going support.

That's why I loved the article in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday entitled: "The Power Of A Gentle Nudge." The article's focus was on "older" people and exercise.The story presented the findings on a Stanford University study which showed that small amounts of social support, from friends who encourage each other via e-mail or the phone, to having an actual meeting with a fitness coach, kept people motivated and exercising. I loved the premise because to me the support aspect could refer to anyone or anything.

Even the most committed people could use a nudge and those who are venturing out and trying something new need a nudge, or rwo or three!

So why do some people feel that they have to accomplish a goal solely on their own? Why do they beat themselves up if they are tired and don't feel motivated to do something? It's human nature to want to "bag something because you're tired." And once you do that, you usually end up kicking yourself later for not being motivated! So it becomes a vicious circle and you end up frustrated with yourself, twice! Accept the fact that even the most motivated of us need a little coach in our corner! Whether it be a formal or informal arrangement, see if a little coaching helps you hit your next goal!

The Last Ziegfeld Follies Girl Had Rewired Many Times

You might not recognize the name, Doris Eaton Travis, but she just passed away at 106. She was the last of the Ziegfield Follies chorus girls and had been a "hoofer" for over 90 years! She was from Michigan, which I am also, so I took extra interest in this unbelievable woman!

They said that Travis' love of dancing and musical theater was shaken when the stock market crash of 1929 ushered in the Depression and many theaters closed. Travis had been dancing on Broadway since 1907 so in the early 1930's, as a result of the Depression she had to rewire!

She took a job as a tap dance instructor at the Arthur Murray Dance Studio in New York, then branched out into social dancing, which led to her opening a Murray franchise in Michigan, which became a second career. Sound familiar?

Doris Eaton Travis used her passion for dancing and her love of the stage as the foundation for her lifelong career. How about you? Has your job become redundant? Has your industry been affected by the economy? Think about it. Do you have a passion or idea that you could pursue as your encore or next career?

Having to rewire into a new career is nothing new! Today there are more tools and resources to help you jumpstart your thinking.

I WANT TO BE SINGING AND DANCING AT 92. DO YOU?

I had the wonderful opportunity to see the group, Young @ Heart perform in the American premiere of the musical END OF THE ROAD by the No Theater company at St. Ann's Warehouse in DUMBO, Brooklyn, New York! I know that that is quite a mouthful but I hope you will remember the group from their wonderful movie/documentary entitled: Young @ Heart. And don't think that the audience was comprised only of seniors because it wasn't! It was truly a multi-generational audience where everyone was rocking out especially when the group sang Sly and the Family Stone's "I Want To Take Yhou Higher!"

This is a chorus of over 30 dynamic people whose average is 80. Please take the time to read their story here! You'll love them, and get some good ideas for your own life!

Corporate America could learn a few things...the group doesn't focus only on songs from their generation .,..but also sang Dylan, Springsteen, BLONDIE, and Kurt Cobain and when they sang Only The Strong Survive...all I could think was--these people have definitely rewired..and continue to do so!

In fact I would recommend that you learn more about the group and a lot about life--- check out the full movie story. The chorus is entertaining, and much more! You'll learn who they are and I hope you'll begin to reflect on your life...or rather your own future.

The Young@Heart Chorus was created in 1982, and all of the original members lived in an elderly housing project in Northampton, Massachusetts, and only one original member is alive today. Bob Cilman, the Chorus Director is brilliant...a true leader who stretches his team. He is demanding of his singers; he doesn't do the expected and he even gets on stage with them. He is the best coach ever!

Bob Cilman gets everyone, including the audience, to think out of their comfort zone. Recognize that the group has set changes, costume changes, and they have to memorize I don't know how many songs---so when an assumption is made that seniors can't learn something new, give me a break! I write that line for both seniors and society! We all have to change our thinking! We can all rewire and learn new things---if we want to! The group Young at Heart is living proof of what is possible when you try!

Part of my future rewiring will be to sing with this group! I'm serious! So in preparation for the future--I am going to take singing lessons now. I'm pretty rusty, and definitely an alto and I know that you have to prepare for what you want in life! so what do you want to do when you're 92?

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ENCORE CAREER TeleSummit

The times remain challenging, but people are getting ready to move on! And there are a lot of tools to help people jumpstart their next acts. There is a special and unique event that I wanted to make you aware of … the 1st annual Encore Career TeleSummit for Women 50+. Many of you know that I am the former Editor at Large of WORKING WOMAN magazine and women, creating successful next acts, remain very important to me!

The TeleSummit will provide education and information for women 50+ who want to create an encore career as they begin looking ahead to that timeframe called retirement! As I travel around the country talking to women, and men too, I know that this is a key topic for many. What do I want to do next and how do I begin? I think you'll find this FREE TeleSummit on April 24-25, 2010 extremely valuable.

Maybe you've been downsized or forced to retire out of your lifelong career. Or maybe, you just know it's time to move on, but just can't seem to take the leap. The fact is, you have a wealth of skills, expertise, experience and wisdom that you could bring to your encore career. If you're stuck or scared, it's hard to gain the clarity you'll need to make good decisions.

Let's face it. In 99% of cases your Encore Career is not going to fall in your lap. Just dreaming about it is not enough. You have to take action. You have to know how. The telesummit will feature 12 well-known experts, and I'm thrilled to be the kick off speaker!

All of us are committed to the program: people like Dr. Joan Borysenko, expert in the area of health and healing, Deborah Russell , leader at AARP on workforce issues, and Richard Leider who will help you find purpose and passion---just to name a few. The reality is---we all want to help you design your next career without wasting precious time and money. And let's be honest, none of us has time or money to waste!

So sign up for the April 24-25 event at http://www.encorecareertelesummit.com/. It's free of charge! Give yourself a leg up...and GO FOR IT!

Wonderful new tools, ideas and experts are all around us, we just have to take advantage of the opportunities that exist! Happy rewiring into your encore career!