The Overwhelming Weight of Success

Christi Hegstad September 12th, 2013

Since early summer when the apples on our trees started appearing, my family has looked forward to a bumper crop. With the past few years yielding only a handful of apples, this year’s promise of hundreds thrilled our “inner farmer”!

Until one day last week, when we looked out the window and saw the tree had toppled (show in photo at right). Apparently the weight of this successful crop became too much to bear.

Can you relate? Have you ever felt like there’s just too much – too much responsibility, too much to do, too much weight to bear?

I know I have.

As I started looking into ways to save our tree, I learned a few lessons that we can easily transplant to our own success:

1. Set realistic boundaries. We learned that we need to prune the apples – to clear away the excess so the tree is allowed to flourish to its full potential. The same goes for our schedules: we need to decide what matters most and be willing to release the not-as-important stuff. Don’t take on more than you can feasibly handle. And if you do, build up the courage to start saying “No.”

2. Be flexible. Things don’t always go as planned – even for those of us who love to plan. 😉 We need to be able to bend without breaking. To succeed, we must be able to alter our plans if it’s for the greater good and doesn’t compromise our core values and purpose. Our little tree tipped – but didn’t snap.

3. Seek support. You are not weak if you ask for help! The strongest people know they don’t succeed alone; we are always in partnership with others who help us on our journey and whom we help along theirs. I’ve always loved the phrase, “Never mistake kindness for weakness,” and believe the same applies to requests for help.

As for #3, we took the tree’s condition as an ask for help. We pruned, stood it upright, and supported it from various angles (see photo to right). Time will tell, but I’m hopeful we were able to save it!

And in future years, we will proactively watch for signs of “too much” early on.

I encourage you to adopt the same plan in your work and life, too. Define your boundaries, be flexible, and get the support you need to reach your goals. You and the world will enjoy the “fruits” of your labor, and you’ll serve as a role model for others to stand tall and flourish!

How do you deal with – or prevent – overwhelm? Please share your ideas below, or on Facebook and Twitter!

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter

The Overbearing Weight of Success

Christi Hegstad September 11th, 2013

Since early summer when the apples on our trees started appearing, my family has looked forward to a bumper crop. With the past few years yielding only a handful of apples, this year’s promise of hundreds thrilled our “inner farmer”!

Until one day last week, when we looked out the window and saw the tree had toppled (show in photo at right). Apparently the weight of this successful crop became too much to bear.

Can you relate? Have you ever felt like there’s just too much – too much responsibility, too much to do, too much weight to bear?

I know I have.

As I started looking into ways to save our tree, I learned a few lessons that we can easily transplant to our own success:

1. Set realistic boundaries. We learned that we need to prune the apples – to clear away the excess so the tree is allowed to flourish to its full potential. The same goes for our schedules: we need to decide what matters most and be willing to release the not-as-important stuff. Don’t take on more than you can feasibly handle. And if you do, build up the courage to start saying “No.”

2. Be flexible. Things don’t always go as planned – even for those of us who love to plan. 😉 We need to be able to bend without breaking. To succeed, we must be able to alter our plans if its for the greater good and doesn’t compromise our core values and purpose. Our little tree tipped – but didn’t snap.

3. Seek support. You are not weak if you ask for help! The strongest people know they don’t succeed alone; we are always in partnership with others who help us on our journey and whom we help along theirs. I’ve always loved the phrase, “Never mistake kindness for weakness,” and believe the same applies to requests for help.

As for #3, we took the tree’s condition as an ask for help. We pruned, stood it upright, and supported it from various angles (see photo to right). Time will tell, but I’m hopeful we were able to save it!

And in future years, we will proactively watch for signs of “too much” early on.

I encourage you to adopt the same plan in your work and life, too. Define your boundaries, be flexible, and get the support you need to reach your goals. You and the world will enjoy the “fruits” of your labor, and you’ll serve as a role model for others to stand tall and flourish!

How do you deal with – or prevent – overwhelm? Please share your ideas below, or on Facebook and Twitter!

How To Start Solving Problems – Even The Big Ones

Christi Hegstad September 9th, 2013

CLARITY KICKSTART: September 9, 2013

“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need people who can dream of things that never were.”

~ John F. Kennedy

Coaching Tip For The Week:

Do you ever feel just plain overwhelmed?

Sometimes the issues we face – at home, at work, in the world – seem so heavy and encompassing, it’s difficult to see a solution or a way through. If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll likely keep getting the results we’ve always gotten.

Time to shake it up!

This week, consider a problem that’s weighing heavily on you. Next, imagine the ideal. Dream big, perhaps – as JFK said – of things that never were. Then, choose to do something – even just one thing – different, acting in accordance with your ideal picture.

When you start to act from the place of what could be, your results will grow accordingly. This is where true change begins!

Dream B I G with us at Spark – just 9 seats remain! Click here (quickly!) to join us!

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter

5 Tips To Reach Your 2013 Goals

Christi Hegstad September 6th, 2013

September has arrived and the year seems to be FLYING by! Now is the time to kick those 2013 goals into high gear, and in today’s blog I offer 5 tips to help you do just that.

Instead of reading today’s blog, I invite you to listen to it! Set aside about 7 minutes, click the link below, and enjoy!

Click here to listen.

What are you doing to ensure you reach your goals this year? Share your ideas below, on Facebook, and via Twitter!

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter.

Money, Work, & A New Set Of Assumptions

Christi Hegstad September 5th, 2013

Nearly all of my clients share a strong desire in common: to help people. When I ask what, specifically, that looks like for them, the assumptions start appearing loud and strong:

“I want to help people learn to garden and grow their own food, but I can’t make any money doing that.”

“I would love to raise awareness about the environment, but the only place to do that is a nonprofit, and I don’t like fundraising.”

“I want to help people who are homeless get back on their feet, but I can’t feed my family on a social worker’s salary.”

Whether generated by past experience, opinions of others, random stories in the newspaper, or elsewhere, we’ve become very narrow in how we connect work and money. The either/or approach – Do you want to help people, or do you want to make money? – is so ingrained that we often struggle to see what Stephen Covey would call our 3rd alternative: the and.

What if you can help people and make money?

This mindset – and that’s truly what it is, a mindset – offers so much more freedom, doesn’t it? That you don’t have to choose between feeding your passion and feeding your family. That you can do both with integrity and grace, while making a positive difference in the world.

If you’re going to base your career decisions off assumptions, then consider adopting these instead:

“The more money I make, the more people I can help.”

“There are ways, through my corporate job, to help people who are homeless.”

“I could run a nonprofit and earn a healthy income.”

“I can make a lot of money and be a good person.”

I’ve had clients who make excellent incomes in the not-for-profit sector while seeing the difference-making fruits of their labor every day. I’ve had corporate clients with six-figure incomes change their workplace culture to support causes both inside and outside the organization. I’ve coached small business owners to make charitable giving part of their business model – so the more revenue they bring in, the more they help the cause that’s close to their heart.

It’s a funny thing about money: once you change your mindset and challenge your assumptions, the struggles begin to fade. You start to see how your work can benefit you, your family, your community, and your world in ways that were previously hidden from view.

At Spark, we’ll show you some simple but powerful strategies to connect money to your purpose, which increases your ease and flow tremendously. In the meantime, focus on looking for the and instead of staying stuck in the either/or. Assume that you can make a healthy income while making a positive difference, doing what you love.

About a dozen seats remain for a powerful day focused on your mindset, money, and meaningful work! Click here to join us for Spark.

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter.

The Moment You Change Your Mindset

Christi Hegstad September 3rd, 2013

CLARITY KICKSTART: September 3, 2013

“The minute you alter your perception of yourself and your future, both you and your future begin to change.”

~ Marilee Zdenek

Coaching Tip For The Week:

How quickly can you change your mind?

Isn’t it amazing that it only takes a moment to change your entire mindset?

Many of our beliefs are so ingrained, we don’t even consciously think about them anymore – until they’re challenged.

Then, in an instant – maybe due to an enlightening conversation, article, or experience – we start to see another way of looking at the same situation.

We start to question, explore, and seek out other possibilities.

We emerge from autopilot.

In other words, we grow.

This week, make it a point to change the way you look at something negative. Search for the silver lining, ask what lesson could be learned, view it from another person’s point of view. Amazingly, when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

Learn how your mindset can change your whole sense of work and life. Join us for Spark!

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter.

Your “Walkabout” Career Path

Christi Hegstad August 28th, 2013

I love to ask people about their career paths – to find out where they started, where they are today, and what the steps in between look like.

Most of the time, contrary to popular belief, the path has been more of a “walkabout” than a straight line. One colleague recently compared hers to Billy’s famous walking paths in the Family Circus comic strips! 🙂

I have also noticed that those with a walkabout path are almost apologetic when describing it. “I didn’t really plan things out,” they’ll often sheepishly admit. “I just said ‘Yes’ to an opportunity, then saw another open door, and kind of made my way through.”

Sound familiar?

If you can relate, let me reassure you: you don’t need to apologize or feel embarrassed about this! It’s actually very rare for someone to have a “straight line” (or straight up the ladder) career path, especially in this day and age. Your roundabout experience shows that you’ve been open, willing, and have embraced opportunities to grow without always knowing where they might lead.

That’s valuable!

Personally, my path has changed significantly over the years. I switched majors four times as an undergrad, made a last-minute change from Sign Language interpreter school to an HR grad program, and MAP Inc. has definitely evolved in myriad ways over the past 10 years.

As I mentioned, that direct, one-step path from A to B is rare – although there seems to be a universal longing to know, from a young age, what we want to do when we grow up. We envy those lawyers, for example, who can say, “I knew from age 10 that I wanted to practice law.”

There’s something beautiful in that knowing, for sure. But also, those are often the people feeling the most stuck once they hit mid-career and wonder about changing paths. “I’ve spent my whole life preparing for, and working in, this field,” clients will often share. “How can I change now?” (If you’re in that position, know that you, too, have options!)

Here is what I’d like to offer you today: Know that whatever path you’ve chosen – whether a meandering one with 20 detours along the way or a swift A-to-B straight line – has served a purpose for you, bringing you to where you are today. And I’m willing to bet that although your roles and fields may have changed multiple times, your values remained consistent and your strengths surfaced regardless.

Those are the guideposts by which to build your career: your values, your strengths, your purpose.

If the walkabout path has become exhausting, or you feel you’ve moved away from your purpose, or you’ve been spinning in circles without forward momentum, then it’s worth exploring a new way of working. Clarifying your vision, values, and future career path can make a profound difference here – both in how you work today and in the difference you’ll make moving forward.

But always remember, none of it was wasted. You continue to use the skills, knowledge, and lessons you’ve built up over time, even if it’s not always apparent how. Learn from your past steps, and let them form the stepping stones to your visionary, purposeful future!

Gain clarity on your values, work path, and sense of purpose when you join us at Spark! Earlybird Rate ends this week – click here to enroll.

Has your career been a straight shot, or a winding path? Share your comments below, on Facebook, and via Twitter – we love to hear from you!

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter.

Mindset, Money, & Meaningful Work – Part 1

Christi Hegstad August 27th, 2013

“Look at things not as they are, but as they can be.”

~ David Schwartz, The Magic of Thinking Big, 1959

The topic of mindset fascinates me because of its power to transform your work, your life, and every encounter. More than just positive thinking, your mindset actually shapes how you experience life.

I’ve written before about my “annual theme,” a powerful process that you can learn more about here. I’ve been creating a theme for about 10 years, and one of the most transformative ones ever was EXPAND.

In setting this theme, I was clear that I wanted to expand in all areas of my life – from business to family to service and everything in between. (Except my waistline! I wanted to be very clear that I didn’t want any expansion there 🙂

I learned SO much about expansion that year, and I’ll share that experience with you at Spark. But suffice it to say that I realized we truly only need expansion in one area: Mindset. When we expand our mindsets, everything else naturally changes.

which I’ve been creating for 10 years or so.your experience. If you woke up this morning convinced that today was going to be a crummy day, you pretty much ensure that everything you view is through a “crummy” lens. Consider the difference if you wake up thinking “Today is going to be a crummy day” versus “I’m thankful for the gift of this day!”

If you woke up this morning thinking, “Today is going to be a crummy day,” and prepare for everything to go wrong, it likely will.Think about it: if you woke up this morning , even how you see the world.

As David Schwartz wrote over 50 years ago in The Magic of Thinking Big, “Look at things not as they are, but as they can be.”

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Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter.

The Key To Persevering Through Obstacles

Christi Hegstad August 26th, 2013

CLARITY KICKSTART: August 26, 2013

“Anyone who has ever accomplished a very difficult feat will tell you that they first had to deal with their own doubt and come to a place where they truly believed it was possible. Not just for one moment, but with a consistency and force that could be felt in the depths of their very being.”

~ Christina Gage

Coaching Tip For The Week:

Think about a goal or project you’re currently working towards. What obstacles stand in your way, trying to steer you off-course? How do you handle those?

The question isn’t whether or not you’ll encounter challenges – you will. The question is, what are you going to do about them?

Are you going to let them stop you, or are you going to persevere?

That depends on how strongly you believe in your goal, yourself, and the importance of your project. With a powerful sense of purpose, you can do anything. But you have to have that knowing inside you, in a deep and resonating way.

This week, as you consider the goal or project mentioned above, focus on the underlying purpose for it. What are your top reasons for pursuing this goal? How will your work or life be different when you achieve it? Connect deeply with the purpose, and you’ll be able to persevere through any obstacle you encounter.

Expand your mindset and sense of possibility with Spark this October. Earlybird Rate ends this week – click here to join us!

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter.

Assume You Belong

Christi Hegstad August 22nd, 2013

If you’re like many of my clients, networking does not come naturally. (I’ve written before about my own networking gaffes, too.) If you’re an introvert, new to your profession, or feel you have a knack for sticking your foot in your mouth, putting yourself into a roomful of people you don’t know can prove quite challenging.

As one client recently admitted, “It’s all so forced: I have to force myself to go, to stay a designated amount of time, and to not hide out in the restroom.” She’s definitely not alone!

Why is that?

Networking, or even just attending an unfamiliar gathering, can bring a whole new level of stress and awkwardness – especially when compared to a family get-together where everyone can let down their guard and just be themselves.

And events can feel especially difficult when it seems like everyone else already knows each other, or like everyone else is more experienced or “higher up on the ladder” than you.

The following 3 keys have made a big difference for many of my clients:

1. Shift your mindset. I’m not sure where I first heard the phrase, but it really stuck: Assume You Belong. Change your experience by changing your mindset around it. Instead of worrying if anyone you know will be there, for example, think of yourself as a welcome, wanted guest who truly belongs and can contribute generously.

2. Focus on building relationships. In my opinion, even if you are an entrepreneur, the goal of a networking event isn’t necessarily to leave with new business. That perspective adds to the “forced” quality that so many people dislike. Instead, focus on getting to know people, offering suggestions, serving as a resource, and developing the relationship. You’ll feel more authentic, which will naturally lead to new business.

3. Act as the host/hostess. Instead of feeling like an outsider, take on the informal role of host: help others feel comfortable, guide them to the refreshments while striking up a conversation, connect people standing alone with one another. This gives you a fulfilling role, helps the actual event host, and supports you in achieving #2 above!

Above all, foster an attitude of inclusion. If you notice someone looking alone, bring them into a conversation. If you’ve discovered your colleague always has an excuse for not attending events, make a point to invite him to join you next time.

I always think of Two Men & A Truck’s “Grandma Rule”: Treat others how you would like your Grandma to be treated. By being of service, you’ll find yourself looking forward to networking events and yielding purposeful results to boot!

Ready to build relationships with heart-centered professional women who ‘get’ you? Join us for Spark – details here!

Dr. Christi Hegstad helps you successfully do what you love! As President of MAP Professional Development Inc., she coaches professionals to get unstuck and reach Bold Goals with clarity, confidence, and meaningful action. Learn more at www.meaning-and-purpose.com and follow Dr. Christi on Facebook and Twitter.

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