Conferences -what do you walk away with? What do you do when you "get back” to keep it alive?

I attended the International Coaching Federation (ICF) conference in Las Vegas this week. A first time for me at this conference. The Las Vegas venue made it an easy decision! The theme of "playing to the edge" created the back drop for the conference held at the Mandalay Bay Hotel .  Key note speakers Michael Gelb,  Sir Ken Robinson, Steve Farber who have played on the edge of their fields of endeavour provided the hook and curiosity for me to sign up. Oh and my husband wanted to come along too! 

 I walked away with some new ideas, some books to check out, an appreciation of laughter and wit and a sense of gratitude for skillful engaging speakers. I also found my own sense of play –I took some time before the conference started in the spa ( the quick fix treatment of a 25 minute Swedish Massage and a hydro facial did just that) and rebooted my energy.

The conference connected me to the larger community of coaches -over 18,000 credentialed coaches in over 100 countries. The profession is growing and with that growth comes the need for regulation, training standards and brand development, all of which were addressed during the conference.
I'm amazed at the places and specialities where coaching shows up - executive, leadership, conflict management, transition and career, life/personal, teen, youth with ADHD and so on. Coaches are in HR departments, boardrooms, yoga studios, working with small business teams, in public sector organizations and with individual clients.

 For me, - taking time to reconnect with the wider coaching community was one of my biggest take a ways. We get so busy with our daily activities, so it’s great to check back in and reconnect with what made me choose this profession. Coaches are an extremely friendly group - you never feel alone - whoever sits beside you will be curious and interested and have something to share -even when I was sitting in Starbucks on a break! 

Great tools and coaching demos were provided – I was reminded how important it is to have a coaching presence – how body language influences the coaching conversation.  I learned some new tools, including a technique to help clients use a fairy tale format to tell their stories (once upon a time) ,and how to use the power of intuition to  tap into what is already working for you.

So I walked away with lots of goodies.

The trick will be to keep that sense of curiosity and motivation alive for when I get back -I want to research some of the new stuff I learned and connect with some of the people I met. I’m writing this on the plane headed home -so I'll let you know how I did on follow up.

A week later, - I have sorted through the bag of info I brought back, have sent follow up emails to the coaches I wanted to connect with , and ordered some of the books I was introduced to, - so I’m getting there! I’m going to try out some of my new found tools as well – so it’s still alive for me and well worth it. What about you? Have you kept your resolutions from the last conference you attended? If not – what’s getting in the way?

From Vision to Reality: Setting goals to create the life you really want

“Whatever we focus on becomes our idea of reality”  - Anthony  Robbins

So why should we set goals?  I think the answer to that question is offered in the following quote by Lewis Caroll  “If you don’t know where you are going any road will get you there”
In other words, setting goals is critical on a journey to personal success because much like any other journey, if you set out without having a destination in mind it becomes very easy to feel adrift and lost in the world.

Goals provide us with a clear sense of direction, and create both a long term vision, and the short term motivation to get us to where we want to go.  By giving us clarity, goals also help us to focus in on what is really important, without getting derailed by fears and/or side tracked by all the distractions we face on a daily basis.

A few things to remember about goals and goal setting….

The first step is to think big…think of goals that will inspire!!! When we visualize our dreams as possible, we create a powerful energy and momentum to get us moving and start to take action.

Achieving a compelling goal is not an easy process.  Once we have a list of “wants” for different areas in our life, it is useful to remember the acronym SMART which offers a proven formula for setting the right kind of goals. SMART stands for: 
S-specific
M –measurable
A –Attainable
R –realistic
T- time bound

SMART goal setting helps to set targets and breakdown those big picture goals into realistic chunks with a step by step action plan to get there. 

It is also important to list the reasons we want to accomplish a goal and put it in writing.  The more reasons we have, the more motivated we will be to do something about it.  And when we put things in writing we take the first step in turning a simple wish into an attainable goal.
Lastly, when we with surround ourselves with reminders (such as posters, symbols, inspirational statements, etc.,) that represent our actual goal, we are most likely to stick with our goal even when feeling discouraged or distracted because our attention will be pulled back to what matters most.

In the end, when we finally do achieve a goal, it is important that we recognize and reward our accomplishment. Achieving goals can be a huge boost to self confidence.  We can take pride in our achievement and recognize the ability and effort it took to get there.

A Gap Year provides the perfect opportunity to begin the process of goal setting for young men and women who may be feeling burnt out, or are unsure of their interests and want some time to explore who they are.  Or maybe they want to carve a path that’s different from the traditional model of success.  It is a time when they can start asking themselves those critical questions… the questions that will help them make better decisions and more authentic choices throughout their lives.  Questions such as … What do I truly want out of life?  What do I want to achieve?  What do I want to learn? What do I need to be fulfilled?  In a sense goals define our “possible selves” and as these young adults begin to discover the answers to these questions, and start to identify and achieve specific goals to help them turn their vision into reality, they will find greater sense of meaning, increased motivation, more confidence and ultimately enjoy greater happiness.  

Want to learn more about goal setting or how a gap year can help your son or daughter start to set the compelling goals that will maximize his or her potential?  Contact mygapyear at www.mygapyear.ca

So what are your inner gifts?

Take ten minutes out of your day to think about unique gifts and talents that lie within you.

Jot down what you bring to the table of life. Write as many examples as you can think of. Then. Really think about these wonderful qualities that once developed, will have the ability to move mountains and change your world. Then consider: you spent time identifying all of the positive qualities you possess and probably came up with many, but you have barely scratched the surface of the infinite and dynamic you! Each time you do this exercise you will discover new things that you contribute to this world.

" when you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then , for that is just the place that the tide will turn "
Harriet Beecher Stowe Socializing the Tech-Generation

Making a gap year affordable

As with most things, taking a gap year often get put aside due to financial limitations.  The cost of traveling, participating in programs and taking courses can add up quickly but your gap year doesn’t necessarily have to cost you more than a brand new car!  Here are a few tips to make your gap year a possibility:

1. Save up!  Start saving your money now.  You never want to miss out on an opportunity that might change the course of your life because you bought yourself a latte every day for the past 4 years.  A little will go a long way - some banks will “round up” each of your purchases and put the extra in a savings account for you, put all of your change into a jar and roll it once every couple of months and put that towards your gap year fund or collect liquor bottles or printer cartridges that you can exchange for cash.
2. Ask others!  Why not forgo the ugly sweater from Aunt Francis and ask for her to add to your gap year fun instead.  If all of your relatives combine your birthday and holiday gift money, you could be well on your way to celebrating with a gap year.
3. Plan to work!  Your gap year doesn’t have to be all travel or course work - try to plan in some work terms into your year.  You can find jobs that will help you achieve your goals AND bring in some money to fund your other adventures.
4. Host a fundraiser.  There are plenty of fundraising organizations out there that could help you to raise money for your gap year.  Why not sell chocolates or wrapping paper?  Why not host a barbeque to raise money?  Every little bit helps and showing initiative will help you develop your leadership skills, financial skills and show others just how much this gap year means to you.
5. Look for free or low-cost alternatives.  Want to work with dolphins?  Going to Cozumel to do so might be out of your price range but maybe the local aquarium would take you on as a volunteer - this would cut down on the cost of airfare and hotels and give you a similar experience.  Look for local experiences or experiences that are funded through the government, private organizations or local community groups.

If you want to live like a rock star for a year - win the lottery.  If you want to develop your sense of self, become more independent and grow to meet your potential - save up, consider local opportunities, and turn to others for financial support.

Youth Engagement - Not Rocket Science

In March of 2009, the Canadian Heritage, Citizen Participation Branch in partnership with the Atlantic Evaluation Group, Inc. published a report entitled “Youth Participation in Arts, Heritage, Culture and Community” that explored the topic of engaging youth in our communities.  They talked with community organizations that work with youth as well as to the youth directly for their study.

The findings are not extreme, nor are they surprising but they shine a bright light onto the values of our youth.  Here are a few of the ideas that stood out for me while reading the article:

1. Youth want to have positive relationships with adults, they seek to be treated with respect and to be heard.
2. They want to be engaged as a whole person - in their feeling of belonging, in acknowledging their contributions and by providing them with opportunities to contribute to society.
3. Young people feel that they do not know how to become involved in their communities - they need the encouragement of their mentors, teachers, parents or older youth to present them with opportunities to get involved.
4. Youth want to be involved in all stages of projects - from planning, through implimentation and then be kept in the loop with the after-effects of their contributions.  A thank you note or an honorarium are also appreciated!
5. “FACEBOOK DOES NOT REPLACE FACE-TO-FACE” (Fuller, 2009, pg, 16, emphasis added).  Youth still value interacting with each other in person - the internet is for communicating but does not override getting together.

How can you engage the youth in your community? How can you remove barriers to their involvement?   How can you help them find their voice and contribute in a meaningful way?

Read the full article here: http://www.pch.gc.ca/pgm/pc-cp/publctn/2009-01/index-eng.cfm  

What If...?

When we were children, we daydreamed all the time. The older we got, the less time we had to imagine things other than what we had to deal with in our daily lives.

Today, it's time to let your imagination run wild. Create a list with the top 10 things you want to do , see or experience in your life. Dream big, dream small, it's up to you.

If there were no limitations placed on yourself and your life , what would you do?

Start with 10 and by all means, keep going. This is a good way to begin to develop a clear perception of the potential of the world around you. And, years from now It will be fun to go back and see that you indeed did do many of the things you could only once imagine.

Perhaps one of those dreams was to take a gap year, maybe after high school or university. What would be your top three places to visit or top three cool things to do? What if you had the time to take a gap year? Would you? We can help those dreams come true.

Pigeonholing - A reason for a Gap Year

 

Once a jock, always a jock.  Once a nerd, always a nerd.  Once a shy guy, always a shy guy.  Once a ditz, always a ditz.  Ever feel like your are stuck in a rut, limited in what you can do, being held there by your peer’s perception of who you are?

We all know that standing up to peer pressure is hard.  What is even harder is realizing that you are not really what people perceive you as.  As you experience new things, you discover so much more about yourselves and who you truly are at your core.  If you discover your core is different from how you are perceived based on your past, how can you become your true self?

Being true to yourself at your core requires a deep understanding of who you are and the confidence to go against the grain and redefine your true self. 

A gap year provides a great time to step away from the external pressures placed on you by your peers, your family and your community to be who you always have been and to explore and understand who you have grown to be.  Through challenging yourself in new situations, you can present as your authentic self, learn about your true self and gain confidence in who you are.

These experiences can help you to return back to your communities, families and peers with a greater understanding of who you want to be and not what your past has defined you as.  This deeper understanding will give you the confidence to break out of that pigeonhole and show the world the true you!