The Successful Dilettante
December 5, 2006 Issue 11
Editor: Susan Henderson, coach@susanhenderson.com
Visit our website at: http://www.susanhenderson.com
The Successful Dilettante, published on the 5th and 20th of each month, is sent only to those who have subscribed to it - or was forwarded to you by someone you know. I value your privacy and never share my mailing list with anyone. If a copy has been sent to you by a friend or colleague and you wish to receive your own copies, you may subscribe by visiting: http://www.susanhenderson.com/newsletter.html.
=====================================================
Greetings!
A very roasty-toasty welcome to both old and new subscribers. Thanks for sharing my ezine with your colleagues and friends. I love to hear from you. I do believe that you, dear readers, with your multitude of passions and interests, have some great stories to share. I invite you to email me at coach@susanhenderson.com and tell me about yourself - your challenges and successes with becoming a successful dilettante in your own right. I will never print your name or comments received in a private email without your permission.
=====================================================
Deal or No Deal?
Okay, I admit it. I sometimes watch this new television game show hosted by Howie Mandel called Deal or No Deal. The whole idea of this show so put me off when it first debuted almost a year ago. Greedy, half hysterical contestants making fools of themselves to win a million dollars? Scantily clad models clutching cases numbered 1-26 containing amounts ranging from a penny to $1 million? Stand-up comic Howie Mandel as the host? Screaming audience members advising the contestant to "Deal" or "No Deal"? Yuck!
One night another family member was watching it and so half listening I noticed that Howie was sweet and respectful to the contestants. There were no cheap-shot jokes to get a laugh. Yes, the contestants are sort of goofy and obviously chosen for the entertainment value in how they express their enthusiasm. And yes, the screaming audience is annoying. But, what drew me in was the level of risk the contestant is willing to take based on nerves, instinct and intuition.
It starts out with the contestant choosing one case out of the 26 which he keeps until the unsealing at the end. The risk kicks in when he must then start eliminating the remaining 25 cases which are opened to reveal the amounts inside thus the likelihood of the player having a valuable cash amount in his or her case increases or decreases. Into this mix comes a mysterious banker who after each round of predetermined cases are opened, offers to buy the players first chosen case. The offer is based on the odds. If the player has managed to make choices that eliminate the lower amounts in the cases then the higher the offer. The player must then choose to take the deal or declare no deal and move on knowing that if a large amount is chosen the banker's offer could be dramatically lowered in the next round. After a couple of rounds, the player is encouraged to consult with the three family members or friends he has brought along.
So why has all this become so fascinating to me? At the beginning, the player is asked what they want to do with the money they win (motivation). The answers are varied, and yes some are pretty self-serving, but most want to help someone else or support a charity or cause they believe in. What got me watching, or half-listening, is the level of risk the player is willing to make; how much they rely on their own instincts; how much they are influenced by their three-member support group; or how much they play to the audience approval. Alright, another admission--I love the big risk takers! Sometimes they win big and sometimes they go home with little, but they always play the most interesting game and, to me, are richer for having taken the risk.
"... and then the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." --Anais Nin
"It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you miss 100% of the shots that you do not take." --Wayne Gretzky
What are your dreams and are you ready to take the risk to make them real?
Hugs,
Susan
=====================================================
Featured Guest: Tammy Cook
I feel extremely blessed by the people who have shown up in my life since I started publishing this ezine. Today's guest is a whirlwind of creative energy and is such a great example of someone who has joyfully embraced the successful dilettante spirit. She has gained high praise for her energetic and humorous speaking style--her presentation on procrastination called "Get Off Your Buts! How to Make Progress Instead of Excuses" provides her audience with the tools and motivation to get into action and get things done. She also has a growing coaching practice, reads a gazillion books a year, indulges her passion for quilting, and enjoys time with her husband and two kids. I am delighted she has agreed to share her story with us.
Q: Tammy, how did you come to live the life you enjoy today?
I spent 13 long years working in Corporate America. While I was working full time, I also earned my bachelor’s degree in Business Administration on the side. When I was laid off in 2005, I knew I had a golden opportunity to try something new, something daring, something I could muster up some passion for!
During my early years of college I majored in psychology. While I loved the field, it seemed to be solely focused on the negative aspects of people – mental diseases, disorders, dysfunction, and the like. My burning question during my twenties was, “How can we improve as humans?” Although it wasn’t mainstream yet, at the time the field of positive psychology was just forming, unbeknownst to me.
Since I am an avid reader, I first stumbled upon the field of coaching in 2004, months before getting laid off, by reading books by professional coaches. So coaching was on my internal radar screen by the time my job ended, and the decision to enter the field was terrifying and thrilling all at once.
Q: When did you realize you would be happiest doing a multitude of things?
One big clue was that I was able to go to college, work full time, and nurture a husband and two kids. Mind you, it wasn’t effortless, but I actually found it energizing to have so much on my plate.
Then several years ago, my insightful husband Jeff pointed out to me, “You like to try new things just until you’ve mastered them, and then you move on.” I had never seen that trait in myself before, but once he said it I was always aware of the truth of the statement.
Q: How do you balance your multiple interests into a meaningful career?
With coaching, the aspects I can focus on are nearly limitless. Currently, my interests are centered around building my business, writing, and public speaking. Building a business itself is an incredible opportunity for dilettantes – the multitude of hats we must wear to get started is very invigorating to people like us!
Q: How do you manage your time? Do you make a plan?
I have tried so many ways of managing my time, and to be honest this is something I haven’t completely mastered yet! I sincerely wonder if dilettantes can ever truly “manage their time” like linear left-brained thinkers. In fact, I think I actually enjoy playing with different time management techniques, so that’s another reason why I don’t stick to one for very long!
What works for me today is this. I have listed my primary long-term goals in the top eight most important areas of my life. Then each year, I make an “annual goals” list with about 6-8 goals in each area. (Being able to find all of these lists of goals is another story…)
Next, what I do is pick three areas to focus on at once – currently it’s work, self-improvement, and household. And in these three areas, I set three primary goals. For work, it’s launching my newsletter, creating a teleclass on Focus for January 2007, and maintaining consistent contact with my network. This way, I can plan my work days around my coaching clients and appointments first, and know what to fit into the unscheduled hours. I track the daily steps I take in these areas on a log, and when I reach either completion, or the point where the actions are habitual, then I am “done” with a goal.
Q: Have you had any mentors?
I’ve had more mentors than I can count! First there are the authors, coaches, and “mentors from afar,” whose books I devour, including people like Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Cheryl Richardson, and Mark Forster, just to name a few.
Also, I tend to attract people into my life who are a lot like me. These relationships are electric, and short conversations with these people can propel me forward in action. Susan, you and I have that type of relationship!
Q: What advice or tips would you share with our readers?
1. Keep all of your ideas in one place – be it a journal, notebook, binder, folder, PDA, computer file, or file cabinet. Because we have so many great ideas, it’s usually very hard for us to track our ideas reliably, and we lose a lot of them that are still “simmering” by not having a home for all of our fabulous thoughts.
2. Find a super-simple way to keep track of progress – for example, a purple x on the calendar on days when you exercise, and a red x on days when you work on your book. When you can look at the year’s calendar, and see all of the purple x’s or red x’s, even though you didn’t reach your big fat audacious goal, you can see that you did move towards it consistently! This one action often totally changes my clients’ perspectives and makes it easier for them to stick with their goals.
3. Finally – work with a coach! You are reading the newsletter of an excellent coach right now – get on the horn and give Susan a call, because until you’ve done it, you could not possibly see how priceless the value of working with a coach truly is. While coaching has many benefits, the accountability facet of coaching is probably crucial to keep dilattantes moving forward. And if you can’t afford a coach, then find a reliable accountability partner who you can check in with at least once a week. Try this for 3 months, I bet you will be thrilled with the progress you make!
Tammy Cook is a professional coach and public speaker. She helps people become less scattered and more productive, primarily around the areas of time management, focus, and organization. Her business is called Renaissance Minds, a play on the term Renaissance Man, and her website is www.RenaissanceMinds.com. Her mission in life is to make Renaissance Minds feel fabulous instead of frustrated about the unique way they are wired! To contact Tammy, email her at: TammyCook@RenaissanceMinds.com.
=====================================================
If you would like to learn more about if and how Susan Henderson Coaching might be able to help you achieve your desired results, please contact me to set up a time to talk. We will start with a complimentary phone conversation where I can learn more about you, your current situation and goals. I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about me, how I work with clients, and the coaching process. If we both feel the coaching relationship is a good fit, we will move on from there.
=====================================================
© 2006 Susan Henderson, All rights reserved.
