Becoming - The Blog

Expanding Your World: To Southeast Asia and Australia!

Friends, it is time for me to take a break from blogging.  Jon and I are off to Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore, and Australia for a month-long holiday.  I am energized by this vacation because I have never before traveled for so long, and to multiple countries, on one trip!  I do my best thinking while on vacation and am excited for all of the new cultures and experiences.

 

 

I promise to take many pictures, record my learning experiences, and share them with you via this blog and a semiannual inspirational message when I return in May.

 

 

I will leave you with some questions for you to ponder. 

 

 

1.  Where and when will you take your next vacation?  How can you ensure that it will replenish you?

2.  If you cannot take an extended vacation, where can you go close by, perhaps for a day or a weekend?

 

 

I wish you a happy spring or fall wherever you are in the world!  Look for my next post in mid-May!

Career Coach You: New Decade, New You!

Many years ago, I did some work as a career coach.  During that time, I developed a series of 10 coaching sessions designed to help professionals in transition find work they are passionate about in organizations that share their values.  Since then, my consulting work has moved more toward facilitating professional development seminars and helping build high performance organizations; so, I have decided to share the session topics and questions with all of you via my blog, for free!   Think of it as your opportunity to reinvent professionally.  Per the title of this post, new decade, new you!

The ten session topics are as follows.

 

 

-Session 1: Goals and Self-Inventory

-Session 2: Your Passions

-Session 3: Your Values

-Session 4: The Look and Feel of Your Ideal Work Life

-Session 5: Your Dream, Your Plan

-Session 6: Network Building

-Session 7: Marketing You

-Session 8: Advocating in Alignment with Your Passion and Values

-Session 9: Follow-Up, Evaluation, and Next Steps

-Session 10: Questions for Ongoing Reflection

 

 

You can look for our first session in May because I will be on holiday in April.  More about that in next week’s post! 

 

 

I look forward to helping you grow professionally and personally!

 

 

 

 

Becoming You: Taking a Personal Inventory Step 5 – Share Your Personal Inventory

As spring will arrive soon, it is an ideal time to take a personal inventory, which can help you unleash the best within and around you and reach a more balanced life.  The steps are as follows.

 

 

1. Develop a brand for yourself.
2. Identify your support network.
3. Reduce stress.
4. Find peace and happiness.
5. Share your inventory.

 

 

We covered steps one through four in  previous posts. 

• Information about the first step, as well as background information about taking a personal inventory, are at http://brianfishbone.typepad.com/becoming-the-blog/2009/11/becoming-you-taking-a-personal-inventory-step-1-develop-a-personal-brand-for-yourself.html.

 

• Information about the second step is at http://brianfishbone.typepad.com/becoming-the-blog/2009/12/becoming-you-taking-a-personal-inventory-step-2-identify-your-support-network.html.

 

• Information about the third step is at http://brianfishbone.typepad.com/becoming-the-blog/2010/01/becoming-you-taking-a-personal-inventory-reduce-stress.html.  

 

• Information about the fourth step is at http://brianfishbone.typepad.com/becoming-the-blog/2010/02/becoming-you-taking-a-personal-inventory-step-4-find-peace-and-happiness.html.

 

Without further ado, here is step 5!  I have enjoyed sharing these steps with you!

 

 

TAKING A PERSONAL INVENTORY – STEP 5

Share Your Personal Inventory

 

 

Feeling rejuvenated by the Taking a Personal Inventory process?!  Well, it’s time to share your positive energy with those around you by sharing your loving kindness and inner peace.

 

Here are four assignments.

 

• Give it to yourself.  (Think to yourself: “I wish myself peace and happiness.”)

 

• Give it away to a stranger.  (Think to yourself: “I wish the person in line ahead of me peace and happiness.”)

 

• Give it away to a friend or loved one.  (Think to yourself: “I wish [friend or relative’s name here] peace and happiness.”)

 

• Give it to away to a rival.  (Think to yourself: “I wish [rival’s name here] peace and happiness.”)

 

And ask yourself – who else can you give it to?

 

The final exercise in Taking a Personal Inventory is a very powerful one that reinforces the five steps.  Please write the following three action items on an index card and then complete them!

 

• One action you can take to reinforce your personal brand (more about Step 1 at http://brianfishbone.typepad.com/becoming-the-blog/2009/11/becoming-you-taking-a-personal-inventory-step-1-develop-a-personal-brand-for-yourself.html)

 

• One action you can take to help the members of your support network (more about Step 2 at http://brianfishbone.typepad.com/becoming-the-blog/2009/12/becoming-you-taking-a-personal-inventory-step-2-identify-your-support-network.html)

 

• One action you can take toward creating peace and happiness in your life (more about Steps 3 and 4 at http://brianfishbone.typepad.com/becoming-the-blog/2010/01/becoming-you-taking-a-personal-inventory-reduce-stress.html and http://brianfishbone.typepad.com/becoming-the-blog/2010/02/becoming-you-taking-a-personal-inventory-step-4-find-peace-and-happiness.html).  

 

The payoffs for completing this exercise are understanding your unique contribution to our world, promoting goodwill in your support network, and finding peace and happiness in your life.

 

And please keep in mind that Taking a Personal Inventory is a process you should complete on a regular basis because it:

 

• Reminds you of your unique contribution to our world.
• Helps you derive strength from and deliver strength to your support network.
• Keeps you focused on the peace and happiness in your life.

 

I hope this fifth and final installment of Taking a Personal Inventory has been helpful.  It was a real joy to share the process with you!

 

If you’re inspired, I welcome you to post some comments here.  You can also feel free to reach out to me if you need any help. 

 

 

Here’s to taking your personal inventory – good luck with it! 

 

Becoming Interview: Don Michael – Let’s Market Korea Better!

This week, Don Michael, President of The Global Cultures Project, is in the hot seat!  I met Don via the LinkedIn Group that I coordinate for expats and Korean nationals working in Korea. 

 

Visit the group at http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=1046967&trk=anet_ug_hm.

 

Brian:  Tell us about a cool project you are currently working on.


Don Michael:  I am working on my project to uniquely promote Korea.   Reports show that current, huge expenditures and many overlapping campaigns in Korea are not having the desired effect to improve Korea’s brand image. My project addresses these shortcomings by creating a unique publication and target market.

 

If you can change the basic, first thought of Korea in the minds of ‘the younger generation’, then you have done more for image/branding than current campaigns.  So, how do you reach these students (worldwide)? Another book? Brochure? Commercial? Website? These would be difficult as there is not enough of a ‘Korea awareness’ by these student to warrant spending money on such things. An awareness campaign needs to be created. In the USA, trading-card/flashcards are a very popular, comfortable, accepted, and valid method for play and learning.

 

In brief, I am creating a 60-card set about Korea to be given for the home school market in the USA. Based on my experience with this market, they are open to innovative and flexible learning resources. I have met with the Presidential Council on National Branding, Visit Korea Year 2010-2012, and other similar groups. There is interest to possibly expand this project domestically within Korea, as well as globally.

 

 

Brian:  How would you describe yourself?  What words would you use?  What is your brand? 

 

 

Don Michael:  Eclectic. The word seems to be overused today, but it is apt. There is not much that doesn’t interest me in this world. For me, life is a journey of learning and growing. As many self-help and empowerment gurus correctly point out (in various, and sometimes questionable, methods) each of us has unique abilities and attributes, and we can be what we want to be if we truly believe and act. When you stop believing, you stop growing and achieving. In the past, I have relied heavily on myself. I’m thankful for having an open and questioning mind. Maybe late to the game, I have now learned the importance and advantages of networking, in seeking help, guidance, and thoughts from others that can enhance growth and success. Seeking help is not weakness. Relying on it as a crutch is. Overall, I am a romantic, active, dreamer who truly believes that anything is possible with faith, desire, and action.

 

 

Brian:  What are you passionate about? What type of work makes you jump out of bed in the morning and/or stay up late at night?

 

 

Don Michael:  Being able to create and do. Having the chance to try again and continue life’s journey. I am a big Stevie Wonder fan, and two of his lyrics really say it all for me – “When I see the morning, And the sun is smiling down upon me, I take joy in the blessing that still the ground is not above me…Positivity…'cause this day did not have to be” and “I've always felt that tomorrow is for those who are too much afraid to go past yesterday and start for today.”

 

Brian:  What is your source of inspiration?  What drives you forward?

 

 

Don Michael:  Children. Watch their play and speaking.. Everything is possible. They have not been jaded or created dream-crushing, growth-stomping societal filters that many people seem to accept so willingly and unquestionably.

 

 

Brian:  How do you see yourself evolving, or "becoming", in the next year?  In the next 3 years?

 

 

Don Michael:  Well, to borrow a Seinfeld phrase, Master of My Domain. (Though not used in the same context as the Seinfeld episode.) To stop consciously and subconsciously letting the negative thoughts and energy of society enter my domain. To grow to a higher level of spirituality. Specifically, living in Brazil or Italy or Iceland, working on a similar cultural promotion project for one of those countries. This also fills my desire to grow, learn new languages and cultures, and to live (not tour) in as many countries as I can before check-out time.

 

 

Thanks for your insights, Don Michael!

 

 

Want to connect with Don Michael? 

 

Contact him at  project_koreana@yahoo.com.

 

Are you becoming, or do you know someone who is becoming?  I am always looking for the next becoming interview!