***Please forward this issue to those in your network***

You have brains in your head.

any direction you choose.

-From Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Let's face it - even the most daring and brave of us face scary situations at times. In the past few weeks I have heard the following real frustrations expressed by friends, relatives and clients:

• You have an idea for your own business, but are terrified into inertia.

• You feel like if you spend one more minute in your current job you really will explode, but those pesky bills have to be paid!

• You find yourself lying awake at night worrying about conditions in the Middle East.

• You've taken a job in a new town and feel alone and isolated. Where to start?

• You're contemplating an attractive job offer, but it involves enormous life changes.

• You have a huge life decision looming over you. What if you make the wrong one?

Change is scary business. The persistent desire to improve your life, whether it means a career change, life change or both involves the contemplation of shaking things up. For some that is very exciting stuff. For others it is overwhelming. What do you do?  Here are some suggestions for maintaining your perspective while keeping your wits about you!

1.  Think. Identify what you can control today and what you can't. Look at your situation from an almost clinical perspective. Separate out the emotional component and use your logic and reasoning skills. How can you proceed in logical way and in a way that moves you forward? This is where it is particularly helpful to enlist a trusted friend, family member, coach or mentor to help you see your situation objectively.

2.  Break the problem down. In the heat of the moment it is human nature to try and fix everything all at once to avoid discomfort. This is where a lot of the overwhelm comes in. In the real world you may not be able to solve an entire problem all at once. Break the issue down into manageable parts and handle what you can, right away. This will provide you with some much-needed immediate gratification. Then either table what can't be handled immediately or devise a plan for how you will manage those things at a later time.

3. Maintain a spiritual connection with something greater than yourself. When you are able to draw on a faith connection, it not only provides great strength, but the awareness of your small role in the whole scheme of world history serves to remove the "bigness" of what you are worrying about.

4.  Resist the urge to be impulsive. Again, it is our nature to "fix" whatever seems to be in our way. When you feel pushed against the wall you may feel the urge to come out swinging. Though that can work well at times, most of the time it will backfire. When you feel the urge to act on impulse, stop and take a breath. Count to ten, go take a walk, call a friend, close your eyes for a few minutes, go get a cup of coffee - do whatever you need to to cut off that electrical charge so that you can practice #1 and #2 above. At least take the time to think things through and see if that impulse is really the action you want to take.

6.  Practice extreme self-care. Don't neglect yourself. Make sure you nurture your physical, emotional, spiritual and mental needs. Neglect one of these aspects and the others will suffer. Then nothing gets solved! One thing I ask most clients is whether they are getting enough sleep. Often that is the first thing to be neglected in times of stress and is the easiest to address right away. If you keep your systems running in healthy condition, you will be far better prepared to accept opportunities as they present themselves.

If you would like to replace frustration with excitement and forward movement, I invite you to contact me for a complimentary coaching consultation.

Warmest Regards,

Gwen