Helping Career Changers Around The World

June 2011

Hello!

Welcome to the June 2011 edition of The 5 Minute Career Coach.

What's in this Issue

• Article of the Month - The Art Of Persistence
• Something To Think About
• Cherry Recommends – Success and Leadership - a Doubter's Story
• About Cherry

Mission accomplished!

My friends and I completed the Moonwalk in 4hrs 47 minutes, and with no blisters. But before you get too excited – let me remind you that it was the half marathon, not the full. Even still, we were pleased with our time but I was totally amazed at being overtaken near the end by a handful of full marathon walkers who finished in less time than it took us to do the half. Wow!

The whole event was a great experience – just imagine, 15,000 women walking through the streets of London overnight, many wearing the trademark Moonwalk decorated bras (though I have to admit it was too cold for me).

Many thanks if you were one of the generous people who sponsored me after I mentioned my walk in the May 5MCC. Thanks to your support, my friends, Emelie, Hilde, Brigitte and I have raised over £1000 for breast cancer charities. And there is still time to contribute if you would like to support a great cause. Just click this link.http://www.justgiving.com/halfmooonwalk

But if the event demonstrated anything, it was the ability of ordinary people to set themselves a challenge and to just keep going till they achieved it. Some full marathon walkers were taking 11 or 12 hours to complete the circuit, but they just kept on putting one foot in front of the other. And however tired you feel, if you just keep on doing that, you will reach your goal eventually.

So if your career change is feeling like a marathon, just keep going, a step at a time. Persistence is the key.

I recommend you take a look at this month's article too, by guest writer Susie Lomax. She has followed my theme of persistence and it is certainly something she has demonstrated over and over in her own life.

And if Susie's story of persistence is not enough inspiration, then click down to Cherry Recommends... where this month I simply offer you a link to the latest blog post of an other amazing lady.

With best wishes

Cherry

Cherry Douglas
Your Career Change Guide

How To Change Careers

• Would you like greater clarity over what kind of work could be a good fit for you?


• Your personality will show you


• Would a list of career ideas that match your personality help you with your career change?


• You'll get them in my ebook

I invite you to pop over to the How To Change Careers website right now and pick up a copy of...

Time for honesty.

How many times has someone said to you "Hey what happened to that great idea you had?" or "Did you ever leave your job & go into business for yourself?" or "I thought you said you were going to retrain as an landscape designer?" Hmmm, I thought so!

What makes successful people different is that they are persistent with a burning desire to reach their goals no matter what.

Starting at the bottom
I left home at 14 & school at 15 with no qualifications & no one to persuade me to stay. By the age of 18 I had already changed countries and decided that I wanted to go to University. When I sought advice I was told that the only way into University was to go back to school. I felt sick every single day, but I went because I had a clear goal – to get into University.

Facing the setbacks
I failed my exams. I passed English & History but failed Maths & Chemistry. I was told to repeat the year. So I started again until an English teacher pulled me aside saying "This is ridiculous, you don't belong here. You should be in University. Your writing is so good". I was told about an adult exam I could sit. 3 hours long. I went to sit the exam in a room of about 100 people. The paper was full of maths, calculus, and biology questions. In utter fear of failure I fell asleep for just over two hours. If a guy sitting next to me hadn't had a coughing fit I might still be asleep. The only thing I could do in the short time left was write the English essay. So I did and I failed the exam.

Every cloud has a silver lining
But then I received a call. "Susie you failed but the board was blown away by your written piece!" OK I thought there must be another way. I set up an appointment with a professor at the University. Within a matter of minutes I was told it was impossible, they would not let me in. I was virtually laughed off the campus.

Not taking 'No' for an answer
A week later I was back to meet a different person. I was given 20 minutes. Those 20 minutes turned into 2 hours. The final words to me were "I don't know how but I will get you in".

And it worked.

Needless to say my first degree was pretty amazing and my persistence in the face of failure and rejection paid off.

Persistence is an Art
Persistence is an Art because if 'we just keep doing the same old thing we get the same old results.' Blind repetition is not the answer.

True persistence is the combination of a number of elements.

1. Have a great Goal. Be passionate about it. Let it drive you forward.


2. Make a Plan. Take as much action as you can, often. Momentum is everything.


3. Don't tell the doubters around you what you are doing. Or if need be remove them from your circle.


4. Focus on the Goal. Keep that in your mind no matter what you come up against.


5. Find people who will encourage you. We all need champions.


6. Don't ever give up. Don't ever, ever give up!

These principles have shaped my approach to life over many years. They have worked for me on many occasions in my life and they can work for you too.

You can follow Susie on Twitter

I met Ali Hollands at a local 4Networking group I go to regularly. She is quite an amazing lady and having read her recent blog post I realise she is even more amazing than I thought.

If you think you have got a lot of stuff to deal with in your life, if you think things keep happening to hold you back, just read Ali's story. After 5 redundancies, she's back up and fighting and growing.

Maybe it is time you stopped doubting yourself and stepped up like she has done?

Read her blog post and then just get going.

And if you would like to read more great career change stories, you'll find them on the How To Change Careers website. And while you are there, why not share your own story and encourage others?

More recommendations
If you would like to see more recommendations for books and similar resources, follow the link to the Career Change Books page of the How To Change Careers website. Do keep popping back to it as I am adding to it all the time.

And if there are books, websites and other resources that have inspired you and that you would like to recommend, there is a place for you to do so on that page.

Cherry Douglas is Your Career Change Guide. She is a UK based professional career coach and career change consultant.

Cherry has been supporting people like you, with career choice, career change and job search issues for nearly 25 years. As a highly successful career change consultant, and having made career changes herself over the years, Cherry really understands the challenges and difficulties that you may face in dealing with our own career – and can help you too, to overcome your own problems and obstacles.

Over the years, Cherry has been privileged to work with hundreds of clients, helping them to find their way forward with their careers…with anything from a quick CV review to a complete career change.

To learn more about Cherry, visit the How To Change Careers website.

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