I came here that way!

My husband, Ken Mathis, had six children, all grown up when I met him. He used to tell me how different they all were as children. With one in particular, he and his first wife wondered if the baby had been switched in the nursery! He used to tell me about how their personalities and differences appeared so early: "They came here that way," he said. It seems to be very true. We come here with ways of being that aren't necessarily traceable to our family or our conditioning. Those unique ways of being are both a gift, and often a puzzle -- when we don't fit in. I think many of us are born for the times we are growing up into, where we have a special part to play in the way our society and our world are changing. If you are young and you don't "fit," it may be you are to be part of an effort or a profession that isn't even invented yet! Maybe YOU are going to invent it! Is this part of the confusion young people so often feel today about what they really want to do? If you are here on the planet now, I bet there is something special you have to contribute, but it is not very likely somebody else is going to be able to tell you exactly what that is. I like the way Generation Y is changing the workplace and asking questions older people cannot answer for them. And refusing to be workaholics, making life balance a priority. Check out this book: "Keeping the Millennials: Why Companies are Losing Billions in Turnover to This Generation-- and What to do About it." by Dr. J.G. Sujansky and Dr. Jan Ferri-Reed.

Do you know who you are talking to...?

When you meet people at business affairs or networking events, do you know who you are really talking to? What people say is not necessarily a reflection of who they most truly are. This happens to me repeatedly: someone will say they are interested in career coaching, but that is not what is really up for them-- it is a much bigger conversation about their life and what matters to them that they really want. People have amazing backgrounds that you might never suspect. Most people have been through a lot. They don't wear their scars or their medals on their faces, but just assume those are there! I am finding these days that people are mostly very interesting heroes in their own lives. This definitely includes young people. It's kind of cool to know that this person in front of you, whom you don't really know yet, may be so much more than what your judging-stereotyping mind may think (and we all do that, it is pretty automatic).

Success vs. Fulfillment?

I just heard a teleseminar by Nina East, Founder of Personal Growth Princess, talking about personal growth in relation to being a business person. This was part of Adela Rubio's excellent week long teleseminar series
www. consciousbusinesstelesummit.com. She brought up the point that success is not necessarily the same as fulfillment. Point well taken, I thought. I had just experienced what could be looked on as the failure of a planned event, which was nevertheless very fulfilling for me: I was to talk to students at the University of Nevada at a late-night Student Union Starbucks program about coaching and managing stress, but nobody showed up for this first time. However, one Starbucks staff person really wanted to learn meditation from me, as she knew that was part of what I was going to talk about. When she got off her shift, she came over to my table. She was a lovely young woman, and so eager to learn. I gladly shared a couple of meditation methods with her and I know she will use them. I went home feeling very fulfilled, instead of bummed out because of the no-shows, the reasons for it, etc.

Have you thought about that difference between success and fulfillment in your life? Could be illuminating. Thank you, Nina.

By the way, Adela Rubio gives great value with her one week teleseminar series, with a fabulous lineup of guest speakers. I always sign up, even if I only listen to a couple of them. Check her out at www.adelarubio.com.