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We encounter many situations when we could benefit from unbiased advice. We may be in the process of choosing a career, deciding whether or not we should change careers or jobs, re-entering the workforce, job hunting, or recovering from a job loss. We come to the realization that this is an overwhelming process and we want and need some help. Maybe it's time to reach higher in your current career or maybe it's time for a new one...Our careers, be they in raising children or in the executive suite of major corporations, occupy a significant share of our time and our minds. There we find the out-picturing both of our creative powers and positive intentionality, and of our internal conflicts and unconscious negativity. Spiritual Guidance can help strengthen our understanding of how our intellectual, emotional, and spiritual make-up shows up in the world of work, and helps us gain access to our virtually unlimited creative capacities. Maybe you want to develop your career to a new level. Unleash your inner leader.

I work with successful leaders from all types of organizations to create greater impact. I also work with emerging leaders - talented individuals who are just beginning to realize how far they can go. Perhaps you want to rethink your career altogether. Lilly will work with you to decide which options are right for you. Then based upon what you learn together, she partners with you to develop your current career or to transition into a new career.

Losing a career ...

When you are undergoing a career transition, you step out of your comfort zone. By definition, a comfort zone is well, comfortable. Once you felt in control of a high-powered career. Now you have neither control nor career. It's frustrating and scary. Some people reserve the word "vocation" for religious calling. Modern career planning encourages people to think of a "life purpose" that guides and gives meaning to a life, regardless of career. Many people speak of being "called" to a career. There is a sense of "inevitability," that, "I was meant to do this." Some say, "This feels right."

Self-help books, career coaches and counselors are available to help people who want to discover their sense of purpose. In reality, all any of us can do is stir the pot: create an environment where vocation can be discovered and grown. It can be more difficult to deal with losing a much-loved career that gave meaning to a life. Sometimes the vocation can be taken away when a job is lost or a market disappears. Often, however, people feel no external push out the door. They just realize, sadly, that they no longer love what they are dong. Or they no longer believe their work has value. And, they ask, what next?

Losing a vocation is not the same as "burning out." Burnout, a well-defined psychological condition, results when people feel they are giving more to their work than they are getting back. They begin to see clients as ungrateful and undeserving. Burnout requires healing: deeper personal relationships, creativity, and time off. A lost vocation cannot be healed. It may return in a different form but people must recognize that it is a real loss that will be grieved. There is no simple formula for dealing with the lost vocation, but I suggest these four steps.

First, not everyone experiences severe grief symptoms -- sleeplessness, self-destructive actions, loss of appetite -- but if you do, see a licensed therapist or grief counselor.

Second, when you are ready, introduce new actions and activities into your life. In the early stages, do not worry about finding a new vocation. Just begin to act. You may want to keep a journal or embark on a creativity program, such as The Artist's Way. You may enter a temporary setting, such as the Peace Corps or a university degree program.

Third, honor what you lost. A part of you will always reside there. A dancer-turned-business-student uses the discipline or dance to excel in her studies. A teacher-turned-flight attendant can handle restless passengers.

Fourth, realize you have a wonderful gift: the capacity to find meaning in life and work. Begin working towards a new future, realizing that one day you will be caught up in a new adventure. Your new vocation will come as a surprise, perhaps when you give up looking. It won't be the same but you will feel rewarded, happy, fulfilled and stronger.


Don't Overdrive your Headlights!

I learned to drive after I moved west as an elderly twenty-one-year-old. Night driving was a special challenge and my dad reminded me, "Don't drive past your headlights."

Over the years, I came to understand what he meant. I learned to look for reflectors, signs and lights, and to drive slowly on country roads that lacked these amenities. I also found that I could drive much faster when I had driven a road many times.

I think about night driving when people ask, "How fast should I go in a life transition?" Counselors, consultants and coaches often say things like, "You need confidence! Move forward!" Your confidence, like your car's headlights, will allow you to move forward. You know where you are going and you can handle what's ahead. You don't get confidence when someone says, "You're wonderful!" You gain confidence the way you learn to drive country roads.

Go slow until you learn the way. If you feel nervous, you can develop your skills, find another route, or even delay your trip so you can drive in daylight. You might feel better if you have a map, so you won't be surprised or wonder if you're lost when you see signs pointing to places you've never heard of. Sometimes you have to tell yourself, "Look, I've done this before. I've never had an accident. The roads are dry and the sky is clear. Let's move!"

You have to respect your own inner wisdom -- and sometimes your realistic concerns can be misinterpreted as lack of confidence. You must go at your own pace. However, you know you need to get to your destination, somehow. You can't stay here forever. Once you're on the road, often your confidence grows as you move. And next time you'll know the way.
 

Spirituality At Work

Is it possible to be spiritual and actively engaged in work? Is it possible that work can be a conscious part of your spiritual path? Is it possible that you can find deep, inner fulfillment in your work, maybe even spiritual enlightenment?

Yes, it is possible! Lilly will share with you practical guidance as well as real-life experiences that are happening in today's work world to uplift and inspire you as you make spirituality the basis for your work.

Your Guide ...