Alice and the Journey of LifeWritten by Mark Susnow
Alice and Life's JourneyMay 2003 Letters on Life #8 "I can't believe that!" said Alice. "Can't you?" Queen said in a pitying tone. "Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes." Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said. "One can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said Queen. " When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Carroll, Lewis, "Alice in Wonderland" What are "impossible things?" Are there really "impossible things" out there? Of course there are, but there's also a line at which we stop and give up because we think "that's impossible." Perhaps what we really mean is that something is extremely difficult. The Queen said she practiced believing impossible things- talk about stretching your concept of reality! Maybe Queen was really dreaming of a reality that was beyond her reach. By dreaming, she was sculpting life she wanted. It didn't occur to me before, but dialogue between Alice and Queen which was written over sixty years ago is a model for any discussion about goal setting. The essence of any such discussion is to visualize what you want and experience it as already happening. Do this when in a quiet state- alpha state- and make your visualization as real as possible. Experience it from as many aspects as possible. When you are in touch with your goal, think about how you're feeling, what you're saying and what it looks like. I sometimes imagine a big smile on my face. The more you can make it seem like a real experience, greater likelihood of it becoming a reality. Just sitting quietly experiencing your dream fully for a minute is powerful. The Queen did it for half an hour. The subconscious mind cannot distinguish a real experience from an imaginary one. As visualization becomes more vivid, likelihood increases that subconscious mind will act on dominant message bringing you closer to your dream. The corollary to remember is that when you worry, dominant message becomes imaginary experience you fear.
| | Informational interviews your gateway to the inside scoopWritten by Brenda Koritko
The best way to gather whole story about industry and job you are targeting is by setting up informational interviews with individuals working where you plan to be positioned. Engaging in informational interviews will help you to gain valuable information about careers in your field and expand your network at same time. The key difference between informational interviews and job interviews is that you have more control over agenda when you schedule an informational interview.Start by asking people you know for contact information You will grab attention of people faster when you mention names of people they know. If you are not able to pull together right links from your existing contact list, grab yellow pages and contact professional organizations or associations in your region, and plan to attend next meet and greet organized by Chamber of Commerce in your community. You will find that most people are happy to talk about their jobs and to share a wealth of information when asked for advice. Always point out during your initial contact that you are not specifically looking for a job with this company. State that you are seeking advice and information from successful people, and specify that you are asking for 20 minutes of their time. Cold calls should start with your name, a brief explanation about your skills and/or experience, and purpose of your call. For example, "My name is (your name). I have worked at (or recently graduated from) ____ and have extensive experience in (specify). Would I be able to have 20 minutes of your time to ask you about your job, and ask your advice for someone looking for a position in your industry?" Plan to help other person help you Do not use a standard script for every interview you schedule. Instead, prepare questions that you know will interest person you are meeting. Try to select topics that you discovered during your research. For example, if you have read that company has been awarded a sizeable contract, plan to ask for details related to contract. Prepare questions related to number of people that company plans to employ, or ask for insider perspective on names and/or types of companies that will experience an increased workload related to contract.
|
