Hulu.com launches tomorrow!

Hulu is the media marriage between Fox and NBC that will show full episodes of select Prime Time programs ‘the morning after’.

BUT, only if you live in the US of Eh! Sniff.

I have been restless of late.

Some say that is an early Spring. Perhaps. Perhaps not.

I have kept a journal in some form or another since 1984. And, every once in a while I go back and read the history of my life.

One thing I’ve noticed is that March is always a restless time for me. It was in March, the 8th to be exact, that I nearly met my maker. It was in March that I got divorced. It was in March that my then lover and about to be wife moved in with me. It was last March when my 4 year contract ended.

The Ides of March approach. That fateful day when Julius Caesar met his end.

March is the time of Equinox — the day is equal to the night.

March here in Calgary is unpredictable, tempestuous, windy, tempermental.  In 1998 we got more than 50 centimeters of snow on St. Patrick’s Day … and it took us a week to get our car out.

I know I am sensitive to the weather — as are all Fibromites. And, to the shifting of the light — as are all who have S.A.D.

Perhaps, it is not Spring Fever so much as March Madness — and, not the NBA version either!

What awaits at the end of this tumult?

TOPIC: Mid-Life Crises

REMEMBER: If no one brings issues to discuss …

I will explore with you the challenges of mid-life … Why do we get so restless? What are we yearning for? Is the answer a new car, a new lover? And, what do we do about it?

Add the event to your Google calendar …

The image of a wooden suspension bridge across a deep chasm, came to mind during a recent coaching session with a client who is struggling to live the life of their dreams.

You’ve seen the image in so many movies … the heroine/hero desperately running toward safety is confronted by a rickety, wooden suspension creaking, swaying, seemling ready to collapse. And, crossing that bridge is the only way to freedom, safety, and the treasure.

I think that’s not a bad metaphor for the transition to the life of our dreams.

Here we are on this side of the chasm: dogged by stress … a stale, boring, job … or yearning to express our gifts. Between us and our new, shining, treasured ideal life is the chasm of transition.

And, moving through a transition is very much like making our way across that rickety, wooden bridge. The crossing sure as hell doesn’t feel safe. We gingerly step onto the bridge, much like we tentatively tip toe toward our new life. We hesitate. We want to turn back. But, we can’t. Because behind us only lurks our old life which no longer sustains us.

And, as we step further along the transitional path to our new life it feels even riskier. Often, in the movies, the bridge starts to sway as it is buffeted by winds. The same is true as we move through our transition: outside forces unexpectedly slam up against us. Will they blow us into the depths of depression? Or, will we gamely hang on.

Sometimes, in the movies, a wooden bridge plank will fall into the stygian depths. Similarly, as we transition to our new life old parts of us will fall away, lost forever. And, that’s a good thing. But, also very scary.

And, once we’ve made our way onto the bridge of transition we can not go back. Moving forward is the only option.

And, the good news is that even if we fall into the depths of depression, we can make our way out. For unlike a fall from that wooden suspension bridge, the fall into depression can expose us to hidden truths that will make us stronger — if we do some Inner work AND climb out!

The “orginal blogging evangalist” Mr. Andy Wibbels and Daren Rowse of ProBlogger are back with their revitalized, renewed, and ever so sassy Six Figure Blogging. Check in at the preview call April 1st.

Recently two female passengers on Southwest Airlines claimed they were banned from flying because they were “too pretty”!

Here’s a great Social Media response from Southwest’s PR department Via Agency Spy

I’ve been blocked in my writing for a bit now.

Okay, weeks!

I’ve been working with the marvelous Debora Seidman of Writing The Prayer of Your Life. And, today we had a fun session that I want to share with you.

Essentially, I have two parts of me that are in conflict.

When I told Debora that it was like the clash of The Titans (think Greek myths), she suggested I create a play with these two characters.

So, I made up this play. What was fun is I got to be the Director and the playwright. And, then as the play unfolded I got to be a character in the play.

What was really freeing was when I got stuck Debora kept saying, “it’s a rehersal! You can do anything!”

WOW! That lead to cool events and major ahas.

It was fun Playing with words… and characters. I can’t wait to see what happens in the play!!

I recently stumbled on Steve Jobs 2005 Commencement Address to Stanford University.

I was struck by Job’s comment that one could only connect the dots of one’s life when looking backwards. I agree.

Those of us who guide our lives at least partially by intuition, by our ‘guts’, are never really sure where we are going. Our paths look senseless to others. Yet, responding to the call of our Callings we wind up in the right places for us. And, the dots connect.

When the kind folks over at Ten Speed Press asked me to write a review of this year’s edition of What Color Is Your Parachute I readily agreed.

Unless you’ve been living in the wilds of Bora Bora you know that Parachute, as it is affectionately called, is THE Job Hunter’s Bible. And, I’m honoured — and a wee bit intimidated — to be asked to review it.

So, for more than a month now I’ve struggled with how to best share ‘the best of the best’. I’m afraid that my Inner Perfectionist has been controlling my typing fingers. This is of course, at one level, ironic and funny: The Unsticking Coach stuck!

Finally, I decided to take my own advice to those struggling with Writer’s Block: Just start!

So, here goes…

I was struck by two comments in the Preface.

First this: “I’ve worked particularly hard on the three most recent editions — 2008, 2007, and 2006 — and I think (immodestly) they are the best I’ve ever done.” Indeed. I bought my first Parachute in 1986 and since my coaching work focused I watch for and purchase the newest edition when it is released each fall. Parachute just keeps getting better.

Why? The answer lies in this the second comment from the Preface: “In fact I do not think of this any longer as, a book. It’s much more like a living organism, evolving, changing, growing. It takes on a life of its own year by year.” So, whether this is the first time you pick up, read, and use the ideas in Parachute, or the twenty-first; you’ll find the best and most up to date advice on finding a job and creating your ideal career.

At more than 400 pages Parachute is chock a block full of information and tips. So, how does a reviewer capture the essence of this classic? I decided to thumb through the book and highlight items and ideas that captured my interest and attention.

First though, I want to give a bit of an overview of the structure of the book and some thoughts on how to use it. Like the 2007 edition of Parachute which I reviewed last year, this edition is in 3 parts:

1. PART I: The Things School Never Taught Us About The Job Hunt [Bolles clear headed strategy for how best to conduct your job search]
2. PART II: When The Unexpected Happens: How To Deal With Change [What's changing in the world of work and how to cope with it]
3. PART III: Resuming The Search To Find Your Dream [How to identify and find the career of your dreams]

If you need a job quickly then focus on Part I. If you’re struggling with job change and career transition, scoot over to Part II. Finally, if you’re looking for meaning, balance, and want to do what you love (just as soon as you figure out what that is) then Part III is for you. Finally, if you really want to understand the how to’s of creating and developing your career, read the whole book. You won’t regret it.

Now, here are some of the parts that grabbed my attention as I thumbed through this edition…

• Unsure what your skills are? Page 43 lists 246 skills.
• Shy like me? Check out page 44 and see how to use the late John Crysta’s P.I.E. system.
• Wondering about the value of Social Networking sites. Check out Bolles thoughts on sites like LinkedIn, MySpace, and Tribe (page 54). Better yet read the whole darn chapter and find out the whys and wherefores of using the Internet for your Job Search.
• Having trouble describing your acheivements? Check out the EASY system delineated at page 71.
• See page 82 for a list of The Ten Greatest Mistakes Made In Job Interviews.
• See page 102 for tips on how not to lose the job in the first 2 minutes of the interview.
• Want the best salary? Page 119 graphically demonstrates the best time to negotiate.
• Unsure about whether you should take those career TESTS? Read Bolles 6 Rules About Testing, starting at page 162.
• Changing careers, check out Seven Rules for Choosing or Changing Careers on page 164.
• Want to start your own home-based business? See Bolles A - C = B formula for effective research, starting on page 193.
• Over 50 and starting over, read Chapter 11 “Entering the World of 50+”, starting on page 215.
• Since I’m The Unsticking(TM) Coach, my favourite chapter is naturally, Chapter 12 “How to Get ‘Unstuck’”. I particularly like Bolles’ notion of taping into your Safekeeping Self (See page 232).
• As a Dreamer I’m particularly drawn to ALL of Part III. At 60 I know that life is best when one does what one loves. READ and follow the ideas in Part III on using Bolles’ Career Flower process to discover, document, and plan your Ideal Career.

Phew! Lots to learn. Lots to use.

Grab your copy and get going.

If you need help and support, Ping me. I have a Special Offer for Blog readers. If you send a blank e-mail to tuc-busters@aweber.com with “I’d Like To Live My Dream” in the subject line you can have the following:

• 55 minutes of focused, 1-on-1 Unsticking(TM) Coaching,
• Verbatim notes of your coaching session,
• An audio recording of your coaching session,
• A complimentary subscription to my twice monthly ezine, and
• A special suprize gift.

Normally, you’d pay $ 200 for this. If you send your blank e-mail to tuc-busters@aweber before January 31st, 2008 you’ll pay only $ 45.00 (Canadians this includes GST). That’s less than the cost of a tank of gas — and it will take you a lot farther!

Thanks to Writing Mom, Michelle London, for sharing this touching story of her daughter Alexi’s work as a Bereavement Photographer.