Discovering what you wanna be when you grow up is a process. There are skills to identify, values to name, responsibilities to consider, questions to ask & get answered, truths to uncover, false beliefs to conquer, and tons of self-reflection to, um, reflect on. It’s no quick fix, which is why I encourage all of my career change clients to work with me for 12 sessions, or 3-4 months of coaching. For some reason, that’s the magic number for most of my clients to not only come to the conclusion of what they want their grown-up career to look like, but to have an action plan in order to make it happen.

Something happens, though, around the halfway point, where my clients develop what I like to lovingly call “The Itch”. They’ve spent almost 2 months figuring out what the pieces of their puzzle consist of, & they’re ready to see The Big Picture. The Dream Career. The Answer. The Key. The pressure is on. The stakes are heightened. They want to know, and they want to know now.

It’s about that time in the process that I annoyingly & purposely ask them to “live in the questions.” But what does that mean? How can you let yourself do that? And why haven’t I been punched in the face yet? Well, “living in the questions” is another way for me to say: (more…)

I just had to share with you the awesomeness I’ve been feeling lately, along with what I discovered when I focused on untying the perpetual knots in my stomach. (Guys, I’m gonna hafta share the reigns of my business so I can keep my focus to coaching! That’s some scariness for me!)

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Sensational Spring: Comment before noon Eastern today to get entered into the Laura George giveaway!

Delicious Discount: Get a $25 discount for any $250 purchase from  Tara Sroka until Aug 31st.
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Ask For What You Want by NayArts

I’m on vacation early this week, & my clients are doing some Show & Tell! It’s time now to hear from Juliana Finch, a glorious (yes, glorious) singer/songwriter whose music will make you melt (yes, melt). If you like what you hear, help her make her new album (& have her play in your home! yes, really!) by being a backer. I became one already. Yes, the music ’s that glorious. I wasn’t kidding.

When I first discovered Michelle’s coaching practice and blog, I had one of those “Aha!” moments that Oprah talks about. Here was someone who was telling people that it is not only totally ok to be a creative person out in the world, but that your creativity is possibly integral to your well-being and can help you thrive! That idea is almost my religion, so it was immediately clear that Michelle was my kinda gal. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been getting some excellent group coaching with Michelle and it has helped me push past a plateau I’d reached regarding the business side of my creative work.

For most artists I know, the terms “business” and “money” might as well be four-letter words. Our creative work is a labor of love, so mixing it with money can feel dirty. We’re all familiar with the idea of the starving artist, right? Somehow, we’ve gotten the idea that a real artist has to be suffering and toiling in obscurity. If you’re financially secure and marketable, it must mean that you’re a sell-out. (more…)

Image from Google Images

I’m on vacation early this week, & my clients are doing some Show & Tell! Today I have the talented & adorable Jamie House, a virtual interior designer, helping you pick the best colors for your home. Where was she 8 months ago when we moved into our new apartment? Thankfully I can still use her tips as I keep decorating my new abode!

Having a hard time selecting paints?

Hi I’m Jamie of Jamie House Design! I’m so excited to do this post for Miss Amazing Michelle. I’m an interior designer & also an e-designer, which means that I work with you to design your space, online. We never meet in person, but I provide you with a room in a box essentially, everything you need to pull together a professionally designed space yourself. It’s fun to be able to work with people around the country! Ok….I’ll get on with it!

I love selecting paint colors! It’s probably my favorite part of being an interior designer. It’s also completely nerve racking. What if it’s different than I expect, what if they don’t like it….oohhh it can be stressful. But it IS the easiest way to change the look of your home. Here are 5 tips to help you! (more…)

I’m on vacation this week & early next, & my clients are doing some Show & Tell! Today it’s Jessica Nichols’ turn, who photographs beautiful beautiful beautiful (beautiful!) images, sells ‘em in her shop, Sweet Eventide &  blogs under the same name. I’m so pleased to feature one of her newest photos, the inspiration behind it & what’s coming from it!

Lulu’s Succulents by Sweet Eventide

I was recently visiting my sister-in-law’s house and her little pot of succulents caught my eye. My current home is severely lacking in curb appeal and I am an extremely visual person who is sensitive to my environment. So I feel quite a bit of grief every time I pull into my driveway. Being a rental, that I know is going to be torn down after we move out, I have been extremely hesitant to spend any energy or money on the house even though I live in it every single day and it is my home. Well, I am now inspired to take on a little Curb Appeal Project. It doesn’t matter to me anymore if the house is going to be torn down. It is more than okay to make a little effort on my own behalf. I don’t want to feel sad every time I come home anymore. I do have to thank my mother-in-law for her offer to help me, her enthusiasm and her vast gardening & construction knowledge. It’s time for me to come home to something pretty like Lulu’s succulents.

I think some of my new courage to do this project comes from my work with Michelle so far this summer. With her guidance, I am slowly learning to honor my creative heart and trust in it, even if it feels very scary at times because I don’t know yet where my path is taking me. Somehow the Curb Appeal Project symbolizes the career crisis I have been having for the past few years. So what if this house is not my perfect, forever house? A little paint, some reed fencing and pots of beautiful succulents will remind me every day that I am worth it. And I am worth the career struggles I have been facing because somehow, some way, I have to end up where I am supposed to be. (more…)

I’m on vacation this week & early next, & my clients are doing some Show & Tell! Today it’s Crafty Fanny’s turn, & she decided to post in video form! Must be all the videos we’ve been forcing having her do for Spring as our newest co-host (and yes, even though we were working together at the time of the contest her entry was a complete surprise!). Make sure you visit her amazeballs blog & brand new Etsy shop! In fact, Tiffany will be offering When I Grow Up readers a 20% discount on all shop items through July 20. Just enter the code “Michelle Rocks!” in the message to seller upon checkout and the 20% will be refunded through paypal. Yay!

When I Grow Up Guest Video from tiffany moore on Vimeo.

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Delicious Discounts & Great Giveaways for When I Grow Up Readers! Through July 20th: 20% off of Crafty Fanny’s shop & enter to win a virtual room makeover from Maggie Rose. Through July 24th: enter to win a custom scrapbook from  Tara Sroka. Through Aug 31st: get a $25 discount for any $250 purchase from  Tara Sroka. As Gwen Stefani would say, What You Waiting For? (more…)

Last month, I attended a pretty fantabulus webinar where Seth Godin, marketing genius guru extraordinaire deity, was interviewed about career stability in relation to the launch of his new book, Linchpin. While I’ve yet to read the book, I knew that the overall message was that you need to make yourself indespensible by becoming an expert (read: forsake all other things besides the One Thing). As a Creative, my ears perked up & my brows furrowed when I heard this. Many Creatives are also Renaissance Souls, & not only do they not want to be put in a box, but they experience major Sophie’s Choice-itis when forced to do so. With myself, my clients, & poor Jewish Meryl Streep in mind, I pounced on the opportunity to ask Seth a question:

What if I have so many interests that I can’t decide which to devote expert status to?

His response included some tough love. He immediately mentioned The War of Art, & all the excuses we make that feed Resistance. “It’s the Resistance talking, which is trying to keep you safe! Write down all the things you’re interested in, circle one to do, & do it until you get through it. That’s the purpose of our lives!” Easier said than done, right fellow Creative Renaissance Soul? Well, here are my ideas for becoming an expert while honoring your many loves:

• Find out the ideal conditions for your Renaissance Soul to be happy. For example, I have a client who learned recently that her Renaissance Soul is happiest immersing herself in one project until completion, but only if that project has an end date no more than 3 months in the future – & she knows in advance the next project to switch to. Because of those quarterly goals, she knows she’ll complete 4 projects every year, which is a high (& motivating/exciting!) number for her. Personally, I enjoy having my hands in 2 or 3 projects at a time, working on them each for about an hour a day or longer (when inspiration strikes). If I had to work on 1 project continuously until it’s done, I might go insane. To figure out how you work best, ask yourself: (more…)

I realized last week that this past Saturday, the 19th, marked 3 whole months as a Woman of the World / full-time creative career coach / jailbird from Corporate America. I can hardly freakin’ believe it (I think May went by in about a day & a half), but it’s true. Here’s a summation of what’s been rockin’ & what’s been less rockin’ since then:

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The second Law of Attraction video is up on Spring, along with a giveaway! Enter by 12p Eastern today for your chance to win a Bring Your Own Sunshine print (aw).

Get Danielle LaPorte’s Nuggets of Genius in your own home, on your own time.  The Digital Firestarter Sessions from my “cult leader” are taking the Interwebs by storm!
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Have you noticed lately that the person you’ve been worshiping isn’t as “perfect” or “together” as they seem?

Take that friend you envy for her freelance writing career, for example. You see her & think “Someone can make a living as a writer? Awesome!” You might have even been thinking of her when you set-up your blog & started posting, or submitted yourself to write for an online paper. But one fateful day, you discover that she has a trust fund in the bank & her writing gigs don’t sustain her. (Record comes to a screeching halt).

Or what about that role model of yours who was a youth director, leading you to bask in the glow of his admirable values? When he chucked it all to go to law school because he wanted to follow the money, it made you second guess living by your own values, too. (Mirror shatters into a million pieces). (more…)

People! This is not a joke!

Alexandra Franzen’s Spruce Up Your Resume Scholarship ends at midnight Central! There isn’t time to rehash the details – just click here & get ‘em, if you dare. Mwahahahahaha!

When did this become an evil contest?

Oh also – my top secret status alerted me to something that Alexandra is giving to everyone who enters that blows the 20% discount she announced earlier outta the water. If you’re not sure you wanna enter – enter. Otherwise, you’ll be like Billy Madison & will be yelling this all day. At yourself.  And that would just be sad. (more…)