Most of us are ruled most of the time by the thoughts and feelings generated by the egoic mind. This, of course, is but a small part of our total being, but the messages it sends out tend to dominate our perceptions and shape our actions, unless we find ways to reduce their impact. In Zen, there is a saying, “The body becomes enlightened and the mind follows.” Yet we seldom truly listen to our bodies and the wisdom they can offer us. In subsequent posts, we’ll explore some approaches to accessing the wisdom of the body to empower you in your search for fulfillment and abundance in your life.

My friend and marketing guru, Stephen L. Eckert, is holding a dynamic webinar, “How Much Marketing Do We Need?”  on Monday, January 11th at 1:00 pm. It’s crammed packed with important information such as:

• How to unpack your go-to-market strategy and  connect the dots to make your  marketing more effective
• How to track and measure how much marketing your organization needs to meet its goals

For more information or to register visit: genius@geniusmarketing.com. Check out Steve’s website: www.geniusmarketing.com.  And, for those job seekers who want the real skinny on how to market themselves during this Great Recession, pick up your copy of Steve’s special report, available only through www.pittsburghcareercoach.com. You’ll be glad you did!

As individuals each of us seek fulfillment and abundance in our lives. As we look back on the past decade, 9/11, the invasions of Irag and Afghanistan, and the near implosion of our entire financial system have shattered American complacency. Our confidence in our national security, financial future and our hegemony in global affairs has been challenged as never before.

However, instead of drawing together as a people, as a nation, we have become increasingly fragmented. We have become a country at war with itself, with liberals pitted against conservatives, with “true believers” in each camp outing one another as heretics. To be sure, democracy is built on the assumption that there will be diverse views of governance, of domestic and foreign policy. Democracy is demonstrably inefficient. Our political system manifests the sharp divisions within our populace. However, in decades past, our political leaders were able, often after bitter debate,  to bridge their views and cobble together legislative compromises that moved the country forward.

No longer. The reality of “bi-partisanship” has been consigned to the scrap heap of history. We have become so polarized as a people that we can no longer engage in civil discourse much less serious discussion of the fundamental and over-arching problems that face us as a nation. And our political leaders have so embraced the philosophies of the idealogues among us that our political system is at a standstill. There are no serious calls for coming together, for compromise, only finger pointing and denunciaton. In the meantime, the core issues of health care, education, national security, climate change and poverty are at best being addressed with band aids instead of meaningful action.

Politicians reflect what they think are the beliefs and values of their constituencies. We may grumble and curse ”those politicians” in Harrisburg and Washington. But the real answer lies within ourselves. Are we willing as individuals to reach out to those with beliefs different that ours? Are we ready to really listen to what “they” have to say? Can we truly bring rationality and reason into our private and public dialogues. This is our greatest national challenge.

For 2010 I have produced a very special program for those of you who are furloughed, employed but looking for a better job or burned out with your  present job.  I have created a powerful e_Seminar designed to dramatically shorten the time you spend finding the right job with the right organization. The cost of the seminar is within the budget of virtually everyone and I am including three free bonus reports that provide proven strategies for launching an all out job search campaign. You know I don’t blow my own horn. But I simply must share my excitement about this new product development. However, I won’t give you any more information here.

For the full story, don’t walk, but run to check out my new website: www.findthatjobfast.com. If you are really serious about landing that job in 2010, you simply cannot pass up this offer.  And don’t keep the secret to yourself; tell your friends, relatives, business associates —  anyone you know who wants to further their career, about this amazing opportunity.

As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback.

As 2010 approaches we revive our national pastime of identifying  our New Year’s resolutions. Some forge ahead and succeed in making their resolutions a reality. Others find themselves in February or March with their resolutions set aside and forgotten. In my past life, before dirt, I was a planner for nonprofit organizations. I loved putting plans together for my employer as well as personal action plans that grew out of my annual resolutions. On a professional level, I was generally successful (a good thing, since my performance warranted a continuation of my salary). On a personal level, however, I was far less successful. It was very discouraging.

I think I now have a much clearer idea of why I abandoned my earlier resolutions. Looking back, it seems there were a number of reasons. Too often, I indulged myself in wishful thinking. I lacked a strong vision based on a thorough understanding of my strengths, limitations, what was in my control and what was not.  Too often I was too ambitious, perhaps even grandiose. In other words my resolutions were not realistic.

Too often my plans reflected my impatience for success. I was determined to leap over large buildings in a single bound  instead of identifying and then executing the small steps which, when completed, would slowly build a foundation for long term success. I was obsessed with goals rather than the process of attaining those goals. My impatience undermined my resolutions.

I was too fixated on perfect execution. A wise mentor of mine once told me, “Set stretch goals, but be satisfied with attaining 80 percent of them.”  The best baseball players seldom hit more than 33 percent of the balls thrown to them. Striving for perfection destroys our self-confidence and is corrosive to our self-esteem.

So if you want to create positive change in your life during 2010, consider these simple suggestions:

• Create an exciting yet realistic vision of your resolution. Visualize the end result and its benefits.
• Focus on process; identify and complete the small, attainable steps that lead to long term success.
• Cultivate patience.
• Let go of perfectionism; take satisfaction in realizing 80 percent of your objectivves.

Contact me and let me know how you’re doing! I welcome my relationships with each of you.

This past weekend, the incredibly successful college football coach, Urban Meyer announcement his retirement from the University of Florida where he won two national championships in the space of five years. He is 45 years old. The announcement was both startling and unexpected. Meyer cited the need to take care of his health and to spend more time with his family. Further information revealed he had visited hospitals frequently with chest pains suggesting potential heart problems. While those fears proved groundless, they indicated that this successful driven man was being devoured by stress.

It is a lesson for all of us. When does passion for excellence become obsession which skewers our life balance until there is nothing left but “our work” and the relentless pursuit of perfection. The toll this takes on us (and our families and colleagues) is enormous. Perfection is unattainable and turns our achievements — in our drive for excellence — into dust. Meyer subsequently modified his stance to say he was simply going to take a year’s sabbatical and then return to coaching. I hope he is able to learn how to seek fulfillment without allowing obsession to tule him.

During the holiday season, atheists, agnostics, and the religious all participate in societal traditions; some through gift-giving, some through private reflection, some through communal ritual. For the spiritually inclined, regardless of our religious traditions, it seems to me we draw upon our faith in something larger than ourselves.  We may call that force God, Jesus, Mohammad, Buddha, the Divine Feminine or simply “my Higher Power.”  In times of suffering (and there is much suffering during this Great Recession), our faith is tested, sometimes to the utmost. We may even lose our faith and plunge into depression. Instead of joy, the holidays often bring with them painful memories and loneliness.

The 12 Step folk place great focus on “faking it until you make it.”  I think they’re on to something very powerful. Sometimes life throws us too many curve balls and our beliefs are ground into dust. We are pitched into the dark night of the soul. While residing there, some simply become prisoners of their despair. Others, however, find the strength to “act as if” they were free of their shackles. Quite miraculous.

We live in a very secular age, where it’s fashionable to poke fun at people with strong beliefs. There is added irony when fundamentalists of all persuasions show little or no tolerance of the beliefs of others. Scientific and medical advances often bring belief and faith into question. Simple faith often deserts us.

In the tradition in which I find myself, the three pillars of practice are great doubt, great faith,  and great determination. We have only to look around us with clear eyes to  grasp the reality of suffering in the world. Pain, illness, aging and death are inevitable. Poverty, homelessness, famine and terrible suffering are all around us. We question and rage against the reality. Why should this be so? Great doubt.

However, when we look back into history, we see the examples of great spiritual masters who have transcended suffering and, with great love and compassion, gifted us with their teachings. I draw strength from their example. I don’t necessarily rely on the their scriptures as much as I trust in the way in which they lived their lives and deaths. For me it’s not a matter of blind faith but rather an evolving trust in their process, the reality of their teaching.

Ultimately I must summon the final component of my practice: great determination. Intellectual understanding is one thing; daily experiential application is another. It’s the difference between a professor lecturing about meditation and a Christian or Zen monk sitting zazen.  May you exericse great doubt, great faith and great determination in your own lives during this holiday season and in the year ahead.

In this month when many of the great religions honor their sacred traditions, I would ask you to remember the many who are suffering in the midst of plenty, the homeless, the unemployed, the battered women in shelters, the disenfranchised. Each in your own way, I would ask you to extend the hand of love, kindness and compassion to those less fortunate.

During this festive season, I would like to offer this traditional Buddhist blessing to each of you:

May you be safe from inner and outer harm,

May you be happy and safe,

May you be strong and healthy, and

May you take care of all beings with joy.

In case you missed it, I was featured in an article in the Living section of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on August 18th. I know it had an impact, as I have received many inquiries about my career coaching and seminars.  See the article on the Post-Gazette website.

Workers of the World Unite!

Are you worried about losing your job?

Have you already received your pink slip?

Are you interested in a comprerhensive program that can significantly reduce the time it takes to find you next job?

Would you spend $300 to find a great job, change careers or establish a business or consultling practice of your own?

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO ENROLL IN OUR NEXT GROUP WORKSHOP PLEASE CONTACT LINDA SCHUMACHER AT 412-979-1606 OR LINDA@SCHUMACHERCONSULTINGINC.COM

Patricia Boswell is a dear friend, a Nationally Certified Therapist, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Gestalt trained and certified. She is offering an extraordinary 3-event series, entitled “Three Nights of Being.”

In this workshop, you will learn how to recognize and trust the people and events in your life as “soul-sent” teachers. Living from this perspective will increase your self-acceptance and reduce personal stress. As Patricia says, “Nothing happens by accident.”

Dates are January 26, February 2 and February 9. For more information and to save a place, please call 412-242-4220.