“I Make My Own Rules,” by Jess Gonacha Swift
The biggest thing I learned when I pounded the pavement as an actor was, well, me – my uniquity, my spark, what makes me different & where I thrive. From those handful of post-college years, I learned that I loved (& got cast!) singing loud & funny; creating new, SNL-like characters; portraying multiple roles at once; & being quirky / enthusiastic / spunky / offbeat. Once I put those pieces together & the lightbulb went off over my head (I may or may not have shouted, “Eureka!”), I made sure to absolutely positively bring my quirky, spunky, offbeat enthusiasm into the room the first time I entered, whether it was visually with the polka-dot dress I wore (with matching headband!)& the headshot with a bright blue background or audibly with the song I sang to show that I was both funny & loud (with a killer mix/belt)! Allowing me to be me let me be secure with bringing myself into the room & put me at ease almost instantly. I’ve been able to bring that in to my coaching, & pair it with what I know makes me spark (writing, speaking, coaching, collaborating, relationship building). I’m able to look & see what is in line with my authenticity, because I know what makes me, um, me.

I have two clients I’m currently working with that are going through just that. These are vivacious, fun, enthusiastic, funny, talented, inspiring women who don’t quite believe that what they have to offer – their particular services as well as their engaging personalities – would equate to anything that anyone would pay for. These two women in particular are looking to work for themselves, but even if they were applying for jobs where someone else wrote the paycheck, they would come across the same dilemma: Buttoning themselves up, not allowing their real selves to shine through, & thinking they had to be a certain way/thing/person in order to get the job. They probably wouldn’t take the time or effort to discover where they shine & what gives them their uniquity, & having the world miss out on that makes me sad.

Whether you’re an artist launching a new Etsy shop or a writer looking for a full-time gig or an assistant looking to enter PR, being authentic is what will set you apart. Some will call it Branding, but how boring is that (& hello, what a way to bring on a case of the Shoulds!) Your uniquity is what makes you interesting. Your uniquity is what others will relate to. Your uniquity is what will get you the sales, the clients, and/or the job. Your uniquity is why people will want to work with you. Your uniquity is you.

But how do you find your uniquity? Read the rest of this entry »

Magnet by Aimee of Artsyville. Put these back in your shop, Aimee!

Believe it or not, with all the excitement going on, I couldn’t think of a “good” question (isn’t that such a relative word?) for today’s installment of Tough (Question) Tuesday. So I started looking through my Inspiration folder on Evernote (yup, I clip all the images that I come across that excite me & keep ‘em there for a rainy day/blog post) & came across this wonderful saying from Aimee. It got me thinking about how I’m taking myself away from an environment where I most certainly do not bloom (thank you very much!), & into one where I thrive. I grow. I stretch. I reach. I spark. I love. I connect. I bloom.

So tell me, tell me:

Where do you bloom? Read the rest of this entry »

Yes I did.

I’m going to be a full-time creative career coach when I grow up, which will specifically be on March 22, 2010.

Cue the tears sobs of gladness (did you expect anything else?):

I Quit My Job! from WhenIGrowUpCoach on Vimeo.

Finally, the drama commences. Finally, there’s fantabulous excitement to come soon, soon, soon……and this is how I’m feeling today!:

Top of the World, uploaded by Shekynah & found via kind over matter

I’ll see ya via vlog post tomorrow with something I’ve been longing to say for years!  Hallelujah & amen!

Sometimes not being in control is the most beautiful thing in the world by kirstypaterson

Sorry I still hafta be so cryptic after yesterday’s post, y’all – but believe me, nobody wants to tell ya what’s going on more than I do! But because of the BS I’ve had to put up with, as well as a recent conversation that I had with a client, I started wondering:

What are you worrying about that’s beyond your control?

Don’t even think about how you’re not going to worry about it, or how to make it in your control. Just stick with the basics in identifying it. Once you have, leave your answer in the comments section. I’ll be there too & we can all take deep breaths together.

Hold On by Kelly Rae Roberts. She knows just what to say.

Y’know when you have a Great Big Plan for months & months & then that plan blows up in your face/falls apart/decides to become a Great Big Mess?

Well, I do. It’s happening today. In case it’s not obvious, things are not going as planned.

I wanted to have exciting news for you guys tomorrow – a juicy, exciting, awesome vlog where I would most certainly cry. And now….well, I know it’ll happen SOON but I just don’t know when. And I know that I’m a life coach & I know that I should (there’s that word!) just roll with the punches & take deep breaths, especially because I know that this Great Big Plan might only be delayed for a week or two. But I don’t wanna roll with punches or be rational or take deep breaths. I wanna yell & throw a tantrum & shout to the skies, “Why is this happening to ME?!” Read the rest of this entry »

Jump by Jessica Gonacha Swift. I’m planning to take a big jump next week, but can’t tell ya about it yet. I’m such a tease!

Yay hooray for Link Love! While I’ve always been lovin’ the links, I love this series just because it gives me an excuse to thoroughly go through my Reader at least once a month. I totally con myself into thinking reading my blogs is work, because I have to link it up for you guys here. I’m so tricky, & I love it!

In order not to suck up the entire rest of your month, here are my Top 20 February posts (in no particular order, because rating them would be ridiculously evil):

• The Fire & Perspective on Swirly Girl
• Empathy on Follow My Bliss
• Imperfect Balance & I Intend to Wake Every Day, & Try on Torpid Trifling
• Mixtape #3 on Kind Over Matter (all their mixtapes rock the friggin’ houseoff)
• Open-Heart Surgery: Six Life Leadership Lessons Discovered in the Midst of Heartbreak (get the tissues ready!) on More in You
• People Want to Help You on Unicorns for Socialism
• If There Were No Criticism or Praise, Who Would You Be? on Awake at the Wheel
• If You Were a Superhero…, Listen: You Already Know All the Answers & Let Your Sun Shine on Treasuring (stop being so brilliant, Jess!)
• Why Are You Apologizing? on Seth’s Blog
• The Perils of Justifying Yourself on White Hot Truth
• How to Change People’s Minds About You on S.Joy Studios (there are 5 steps to this post, & the link here goes to the last step which links to the other 4 steps. Yes, this is a tricky way for me to include 5 posts that count as one. Insert evil laugh here)
• How Not to Hurry & The Hidden Art of Achieving Creative Flow on Zen Habits
• Feeling Small Makes Me Feel So Good on Rise of the Innerpreneur
• A Tiny, Sweet Thing on The Fluent Self
• A Fable About Possibility, Hope & Following Your Dreams on Owning Pink

Read the rest of this entry »

…drumroll please……

…now the violins….

….and then the cowbell….

…now drumrolls louder…. Read the rest of this entry »

I did something scary last week! Wanna hear about it?

Turning Molehills Into Mountains & Back Into Molehills! from WhenIGrowUpCoach on Vimeo

If you wanna see the challenge that started it all / Jess LC’s awesome bullying, click here.

(And yes, I changed from a Flip video to a Photobooth video & still can’t get a decent freeze frame to start the video. It’s my curse. I’ve accepted it. Let’s all move on).

I’m going to Vegas today – yay hooray! 5 days in the desert with my man, his sister, & her boyfriend (who dances for The Donny & Marie Show), not to mention some time with my man’s BFF from high school, who we never see unless someone’s recently dead or about to get married. But I didn’t think it would be fun if I have all the fun, so when I saw the Everyday Creative Kit & Workbook on Nicole Docimo’s blog I just had to DM her on Twitter & asked if she’d sponsor a giveaway. As you can guess, she said yes (Are you wearing a dress? I’m not, I confess!)! I’m so freakin’ excited. The first sponsored giveaway on this blog! About damn time.

Here it is! Isn’t it awesome?! (Please note that that’s a hypothetical question)

I asked Nicole the simple question of what inspired her to create the kit, & she gave me these gems:

“Something that has become very important to me over the past few years, as I’ve gotten back into art after spending some time avoiding it (for reasons of fear, and delusions that you can’t do art as a career), is the idea that everyone is creative. How many times I have heard people say, “I’m not creative,” or “I wish I was creative.” Honestly, this is RIDICULOUS, and it makes me angry that so many people have internalized this. I think it is one of the barriers to artists becoming artists and really flexing their “art-wings,” and on a larger level, I think it is one of the barriers to a lot of people really enjoying life. Read the rest of this entry »