The changing of the year is a special time. We make it special by turning our attention to the bigger time frame of a year rather than our usual daily or weekly concerns. Using this annual cycle to reflect and plan creates momentum for our long term goals: those things we want to produce over many years and over our lifetimes.

Here's a simple exercise you can use to maximize your learning from the year just past and create momentum for your goals in the coming year.

1) Write down between 30 and 50 things that happened to you last year. It sounds like a lot, but it is surprisingly easy to do when you review all aspects of your life such as your work, health, wealth, relationships, environment, recreation, learning etc.
2) For each item, write down a) what you gained, b) what you lost and c) what you learned.
3) Write down at least 20 things you intend to experience or produce in the coming year.
4) Note a completion date for each item in the future.
5) Write down what you will gain, lose and learn for each item in the future.

What is the impact of this exercise on you?

If you lost your job tomorrow, or if changes in your workplace made your job unpleasant, do you have what it takes to secure a better position? To get the job you want, you need both qualifications and contacts. By focusing on your work-related relationships, you can a pool of supportive connections that can greatly increase your ability to move jobs.    more »

Now is the time to be ready to make decisions about your future by investing in one of the most important career faculties: self awareness.    more »

Here’s a reminder of the 4 principles behind finding fulfillment in life through work. 1) Welcome reality 2) Know yourself 3) Foster relationships 4) Remember that you're here to serve   more »

If you'd like to enjoy your work life more, or if you're thinking of changes, here's another chance to meet with some like-minded souls to make a fresh start on improving your career. Carole Lewis and I will be guiding a small group on June 16th on how to Love Your Work in 5 Steps!
See www.GettingWorkYouLove.com for all the details.

You can also sign-up there for our revised and improved free e-course.

"This workshop gave me some new perspectives and the increased motivation to make changes that I knew I needed to make."
--Lorna Robertson, Teacher, Hong Kong

Kristin Lowe, the Managing Director of Organising Solutions, is not only the most organized person I know, she is a font of knowledge on the subject. You should see her book collection. I didn't know there were modern encyclopedias on organizing. She is also totally passionate about helping people reduce stress and regain control of their time.    more »

Have you seen that film going around about the neurologist who had a stroke? Jill Bolte Taylor vividly describes her experiences as her left brain gradually stops working. This article introduces a method to benefit from the blissful states she experienced, without having a stroke!   more »

After 8 years in coaching and many more years of developing myself, I've come up with a list of my favorite tools for many aspects of self-development. These are the tools I regularly recommend to my clients. These are the suggestions I will press on the people I care about.   more »

I've figured out the secret to happiness. Really! It's very simple, but not easy to do. All I have to do is catch myself resisting something and then start accepting it. The quicker I catch myself, and the faster I change my thinking, the sooner I start enjoying myself and feeling happy. So how do I catch resistance? The easiest way is to notice your own emotions. If those emotions are unpleasant or dysfunctional, then you are resisting something. Guaranteed. Let's take an example...   more »

Love Your Work in 5 Steps Workshop. Various dates in 2008.   more »

I'd like to share some discoveries I've made regarding resolutions, intentions and expectations in the hopes that they can help you make 2008 unfold as your best year ever.   more »

Imagine knowing that you are on a path to a fulfilling and rewarding worklife. You feel confident and satisfied. You are clear about what you need and how you want to develop yourself. Join Angela Spaxman and Carole Lewis for a mini coaching program that lets you learn and practice the essential steps for fulfillment at work. For details, read on....   more »

Life unfolds in waves, like seasons. First we push ahead, accomplish things, learn and grow. Then we pause to consolidate and enjoy what we've gained. We feel confident that we have arrived. At last we have graduated, we have been promoted, we've reached our targets, whatever they are. But after awhile, we begin to notice a small pain, an uneasiness that grows to a silent scream. The scream says, 'there's more'.   more »

I’m very excited to launch a new website with my associate Carole Lewis. We are offering career coaching to experienced managers and professionals in Asia who want to have the perfect job.    more »

Key #1: Decide to get the most of your career and your life.

...In order to strengthen your commitment, I have a question for you.

What motivates you to find work that you love? What will you gain by pursuing it?

Sign up to receive the full text of the e-course at www.GettingWorkYouLove.com.

Key #2: Clarify what’s wrong and what’s missing in your current situation. 

...There’s an easy solution to this situation: write it down!

Write down 10 things that you don’t like about your current job situation.

Sign up to receive the full text of the e-course at www.GettingWorkYouLove.com.

Key #3: Free yourself from what others want for you.

This key is a very important reminder...

Think about the people who are interested in your career decisions. What opinions do they have that you will choose to ignore? What opinions or support can that offer that would be valuable to you? What needs do they have that you will consider in your decisions?

Sign up to receive the full text of the e-course at www.GettingWorkYouLove.com.

Key #4:  Declare what you want. And feel it.

...So your assignment today is to shift your thinking to the positive side and feel the effects.

Declare what you want by writing it down. Be as specific as you can.

In my ideal position, I live in ..., I earn ..., my boss is ..., I manage/lead/analyze etc.

Sign up to receive the full text of the e-course at www.GettingWorkYouLove.com.

Key #5: Endorse your greatest weakness.

While most people are constantly trying to either fix their weaknesses or focus on their strengths, it may seem an unfamiliar request to put your positive attention on your short-comings. But there’s a good reason for it...

Write down your greatest weakness and then describe how that links to your greatest strength.

Sign up to receive the full text of the e-course at www.GettingWorkYouLove.com.

After my last article on how to coach the boss, one of my readers sent me a few points that can make coaching the boss pretty difficult. KTL said, "I think the most difficult parts are to make the boss openly listen to you and admit there should be something to change (they feel they are superior), build formal coach/coachee relationship (some bosses may not believe in coaching) and spare time for the coaching (bosses are always busy)."   more »