The Blue Zebra: Success Your Way     July, 2008

Welcome

That subject line sounds kind of silly, doesn’t it?  Like, “Ted’s first haircut”, or “Ted’s first word” (though back then it was “Teddy”).  But, silly or not, I am thrilled to welcome you to the first issue of my newsletter, The Blue Zebra: Pathways to Success.  I am very excited to be sending this to you.  This day has been a long time coming.  With my Web site recently going live, I am now officially on the Internet.

Each month the newsletter will include an article on a topic related to having a life of “uncommon success”.  In addition, I will be bringing you tips, insights and strategies to support you in creating a life filled with meaning and joy.

My intention is to bring you value in each issue; your thoughts and feedback is welcome.  To subscribe, go to my Web site http://www.uncommonsuccessco.com/ and fill out the form on the Home page.  As a bonus, you will receive my article, "How to Live a Balanced Life: Learning to Say NO.  

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Article:  What IS “uncommon success?”

• Are you burnt out and stressed, or just plain bored with your life?
• Does your “successful” career lack the meaning and personal fulfillment you want?
• Are you are so busy working that you don’t have time for yourself or your family?
• Do you feel trapped in a job that you don’t like?

If you answered “Yes”, you are not alone.  These are situations that too many people find themselves in.  The solution is to start focusing your life on achieving “uncommon success.”

“Uncommon success” is success as you define it based on what’s most important to you and your vision for your life.  It’s based on your passions, what lights you up, what gives meaning to your life. This in contrast to the conventional notion of success in this culture which is primarily based on what you have: money, power, prestige, the right car, the right family, the right house.

You see signs of this everywhere:

·         Parents who push their children to enter prestigious occupations or their own field of endeavor

·         The dramatic increase in the enrollment in business schools, signaling the increased emphasis on making money

·         The emphasis for women on how thin they are

·         The number of luxury automobiles on the road

·         The explosion in the number of McMansions and luxury condos being built (and sold)

But, ultimately, what you have doesn’t make you happy and doesn’t give meaning to your life.  That can only come from your personal definition of success, from what works for you.  So, how do you go about developing this personal definition of success?  There are many steps to creating an uncommonly successful life, but the two that are key in starting that process are:

1.      Getting really clear about what is most important to you in life.

2.      Creating a clear, detailed vision of what your ideal life would look like.

 Clarifying your values

 There are few things that you can do that are more important than clarifying your top-most values. Without a clear sense of your personal principles and priorities, it's almost impossible to bring the picture of your preferred future or vision sharply into focus.  Investing time and effort to uncover and articulate your personal principles has many important benefits:  

• Our personal values underlie every aspect of our life.  Our values help us to define what we want to do and how we wish to behave. This gives us a strong foundation to build our life upon.

• Values give meaning and purpose to what we do.

• We value what we care about.

• It helps us make choices.  Sometimes we find ourselves having to choose between conflicting opportunities, or we have a conflict with a work or life situation because it clashes with our values. 

• If you live according to your values, you will inevitably be more successful because you put a high priority on what you are doing.  It helps you in finding your personal energy source and developing the critical passion for life.   

Click here for the Values Clarification exercises.

Next month, I will cover the process for creating a compelling vision for your life.

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Upcoming workshops and teleclasses

Sustainability during Challenging Times: An Exploration of Possibilities for Non-Profit Executive Directors and Decision Makers

With my colleagues JR Miller and Monique Morimoto Flaherty, I am inviting non-profit Executive Directors and managers to join in a facilitated discussion to explore, share and identify the problems, resources and solutions facing your organization in this time of economic decline.  Our intention is that you will leave the call with more options and ideas than what you came with.  There will be no charge for these calls.  You can attend either or both calls.

When:   Two Thursdays, July 24 and July 31, 7:30 pm Eastern

Where:  Our Conference Line  (We will email the # once you confirm your attendance.)

For more detailed information, click here.

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My services

As The Uncommon Success Coach, I help people design and create successful lives based on their own definitions of success. 

§         I help people who feel stuck in their jobs get unstuck, and find work that fits.

§         I help people who have been searching for the right career for some time find their perfect fit.

§         I work with people who are at their wits end in trying to bring their life into some semblance of balance. 

If you fit into one of these categories, contact me to talk about how coaching can help you achieve your goals more quickly and more easily.  You can call me at 617-522-6099 or email me at Coachted@Uncommonsuccessco.com.

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Well, that’s it for the first issue.  I hope you enjoyed it.  If you would like to receive future issues, go to my Web site http://www.uncommonsuccessco.com/ and fill out the form on the Home page.  You could even look around while you’re there.

Got Friends?

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Have any friends who want to be more successful?

Please forward this newsletter to them.

Reprint Permission

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Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the following credit appears: Reprinted with permission from The Uncommon Success Co.  617-522-6099

http://www.uncommonsuccessco.com/  Coachted@uncommonsuccessco.com

(C) The Uncommon Success Co.