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Click Here to sign up for the RSS Feed for this Newsletter, published at random points in the journey

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IN THIS ISSUE:

*Steve’s Field Note
*Timely Reprint from CHASING WISDOM
*The TWISTING ROAD TRAVEL LOG
*BURGER BITES
*FEATURED RESOURCES
*ADVISORY BOARD — Spread the word!

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Steve’s Field Note

May 21, 2009

May is crashing to a spectacular close, with our younger son’s end-of-school program coming up tomorrow and our older son’s high school graduation next week. It’s a reminder that education can be about developing the whole person, but often is just about preparing our kids to fit into pre-defined career ruts.

With her always perfect timing, Barbara Winter posted a link to a video from TED about the ways modern structured education kills creativity. The video can be found here. You, too, can follow Barbara on Twitter by clicking here.

Thinking of graduates’ choices and the expectations imposed on them, I remembered a post from this time last year I wrote for my CHASING WISDOM blog-zine. I have shifted my focus to writing for TWISTING ROAD, but my past posts are still available. I have included that article in this issue for those of you who want to inspire the young adults in your life to “employ” some self-directed planning.

As you journey through here, think about this. What have you done lately to honor your dreams? What have you done to help someone else take his or her dreams seriously?

Enjoy the scenery On The Twisting Road!

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CHASING WISDOM Reprint

The Pomp And Circumstance Underground

In ancient times – a little more than a century ago – education was about personal development. It was about exploring a variety of exciting things just because they were enjoyable. It was focused on finding ways to entertain the mind and the spirit through history, culture, art, music, and math.

Now education has become a factory to roll out little job-bots. Those poor little job-bots will graduate from high school and college this month and line up for their job-boxes. Want to make a difference?
Continue Reading…

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TWISTING ROAD TRAVEL LOG

Time To Handle Some B.S.

It was an unexpectedly busy weekend. Unexpectedly busy is not a good thing on Mother’s Day weekend. Our younger son had two rescheduled rainout soccer games, and our older son was invited on Tuesday to guest play in a soccer tournament that started Saturday. Fortunately, their mother and grandmother are used to soccer rearranging our schedules so we will have a fuller celebration soon. But the suddenly jammed weekend got me thinking about how much B.S. I still have to deal with in my life.
Continue Reading…

That Was A Smashing Failure!

My experiment rearranging my schedule to manage the B.S. (Backlogged Stuff) sputtered out like a dud bottle rocket that doesn’t go as high as the trees. I chose a week where the second half was overloaded with things that only come up monthly and usually on different weeks. But my idea sounded like so much fun I’m trying it again.
Continue Reading…

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BURGER BITES

The Burger Bites Series Is Designed To Bring You A Taste Of Coaching.

Burger Bites: Intuition

The word intuition has some connotations that place it in a box to be easily dismissed. For example, intuition is sometimes considered to be a paranormal experience like a psychic ability available to only especially sensitive people. It’s disregarded as nagging worries and concerns without logical foundation in the phrase “woman’s intuition.” But coaching has a creative and surprisingly realistic view of intuition that reclaims it as a powerful tool available to all of us.
Continue Reading…

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FEATURED RESOURCES

The Changing Course Dream Accelerator Kit

Do you long to find work that you love, work that seems authentic and aligned with your gifts, talents, passions, and values? Do you have some ideas but no clue how to turn the things you love to do into an income? Join the club! I did, and it has helped me transform my life.

A little over two years ago I purchased a program from Valerie Young at ChangingCourse.com to help me discover the kind of work I enjoy doing and develop a plan to make it my career. I read through the workbooks and training materials, listened to interviews with work at what you love experts like Valerie, Barbara Winter, and Barbara Sher, and got active in the community forum. I got clear about my vision and clear about how I like to work with people. It helped me focus on the purpose of Discovery Lookout, helping people discover their authentic life work and experience success in self-employment and small business ownership.

In the past couple of years Valerie has added a lot of content to the program. There are more resources for helping you uncover your gifts, talents, and passions, more resources for helping you figure out how to make money doing what you love, and more resources for helping you develop a plan and make it happen.

If you’re looking for direction and support, I highly recommend Valerie’s Dream Accelerator Kit. It includes membership in the Changing Course Club, where new resources show up monthly. When you sign in to the membership site, look for the forum where you can introduce yourself. I look forward to getting to know you and your dreams on the forum. Click here to change your life.

“Outside The Job Box Career Expert And Small Business Ideal Consultant ©” Training

After our family sold our preschool and child care center, I was looking for my next career. Every time I would hear a story of creative career change, I thought maybe I was finding my calling. That guy who “chucked everything” to learn about growing chocolate? That might be for me! The other man who bought a business renting sailboats in the Caribbean? That might be for me!

I thought I wanted to do all the ideas I heard, until I realized what really spoke to me was the courage of these people to exercise their freedom and pursue their passions. Finally, after many months, I realized – I love helping people come up with creative career ideas and finding the way to pursue them!

Valerie Young of ChangingCourse.com has re-opened the self-study version of her “Outside The Job Box Career Expert And Small Business Ideal Consultant ©” Training. She opens it in small blocks for two very important reasons.

First, you get boxes of materials, including up to four binders of printed materials and over a dozen CDs of consultations and interviews with business development experts. Second, Valerie is invested in helping the consultants be successful in their businesses so she offers ongoing support. She wanted to make sure that everyone starting the first block was getting the attention they needed before bringing in more students.

Great news! Valerie asked me to coordinate the community of self-study students to set up support groups, study groups, and future collaborations as we create our businesses. If you sign up for this program, you will join a creative community of supportive people who love to brainstorm together and support each other.

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ADVISORY BOARD

That’s you. As always:

If you like what you read, please tell your family and friends. If you don’t like something, please tell me!

Thanks for Joining Me on the Ride,

Steve Coxsey
Authentic Life Work and Self-Employment Coach

************************************************************************************************************
On The Twisting Road is a publication of Discovery Lookout, Inc. and Stephen Coxsey
(c) 2009 Discovery Lookout, Inc. and Stephen Coxsey

************************************************************************************************************
Click Here to sign up for the RSS Feed for this Newsletter, published at random points in the journey

************************************************************************************************************

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Steve’s Field Note
*The TWISTING ROAD TRAVEL LOG
*ANYTHING BUT MARKETING!
*BURGER BITES
*FEATURED RESOURCES – Join me as an “Outside The Job Box Career Expert ©”!
*ADVISORY BOARD — Spread the word!

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Steve’s Field Note

May 8, 2009

May is looking like a very busy month for our family already. Our older son graduates at the end of the month, so there are a lot of activities building up to that day. He also was invited to play in a soccer tournament, which might take up part of the next two weekends. Our younger son has his rainout games to make up from soccer, plus Tae Kwon Do classes and end-of-year activities at his school.

So we decided it was the perfect time to start guitar lessons! They’ve both talked for a while about learning guitar, but not with enough consistency to convince me. Now they’re consistent and insistent, so we’re giving it a go. I’m sure things will ease up for us in June.

In the TRAVEL LOG from the past week you can read about the terrifying experience I had when I pulled over to take a break on the Twisting Road and nearly collided with people aggressively chasing each other through the Rat Race. I also posted a response to a Seth Godin blog about constant growth and whether it’s what a business really wants. It fit right into my recurring thoughts about sustainability.

I accidentally wrote an article for ANYTHING BUT MARKETING! It was going to be a short forum post for the OJB Career Change Consultants, but it kept growing.

I didn’t finish April’s second BURGER BITE until the beginning of May, but the topic helped me deal with the delay and give it a lot of consideration.

I hope you will be helped, inspired, or at least entertained by this edition.

Enjoy the scenery On The Twisting Road!

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TWISTING ROAD TRAVEL LOG

Un-Scenic Turnout

I took a break from my journey on the Twisting Road this past Wednesday to get a bagel and cream cheese at Einstein Brothers’ Bagels. Turns out it’s near a busy entrance ramp to the controlled access lanes of the Rat Race Tollroad. Apparently it’s also near a point where the Fast Track passes overhead and people on the Rat Race try to figure out how they can get on that other highway.
Continue Reading…

Back To Sustainability…

Recently I’ve written about how to have a sustainable business and what sustainability means to solo entrepreneurs. In addition to criticizing large corporations’ business plans that require continuing expansion and growth just to cover loan payments and reach the break-even point, I brought up the idea that small business owners need to design and develop businesses that complement their lives to have long-term success.
Continue Reading…

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ANYTHING BUT MARKETING!

Marketing Dilemmas Of New Solo Entrepreneurs

I’ve noticed a couple of recurring conflicts when newly self-employed service professionals start to market. I discuss them regularly with my new coaching colleagues as we build our businesses, and I discuss them regularly with my target=”blank”>Outside The Job Box Career Expert Consultant © colleagues. Seth Godin’s blog post today added another layer of thought to these conflicts. I started out writing a forum post for my fellow consultants, but it kept growing. I realized the information is helpful to all professionals who provide service to individuals and struggle with marketing, so I posted it here.
Continue Reading…

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BURGER BITES

The Burger Bites Series Is Designed To Bring You A Taste Of Coaching.

Burger Bites: Creative and Expansive

Coaching will always bring you to a point of defining tangible, measurable steps to take. But coaching does not stay confined to the world of practical steps. It takes clients through some creative exercises to open them up to possibility and expand their thinking to include new perspectives. This helps the client pick goals that are really meaningful and steps that are most likely to reach the goals. And it helps clients manage obstacles and resistance.
Continue Reading…

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FEATURED RESOURCES

“Outside The Job Box Career Expert And Small Business Ideal Consultant ©” Training

After our family sold our preschool and child care center, I was looking for my next career. Every time I would hear a story of creative career change, I thought maybe I was finding my calling. That guy who “chucked everything” to learn about growing chocolate? That might be for me! The other man who bought a business renting sailboats in the Caribbean? That might be for me!

I thought I wanted to do all the ideas I heard, until I realized what really spoke to me was the courage of these people to exercise their freedom and pursue their passions. Finally, after many months, I realized – I love helping people come up with creative career ideas and finding the way to pursue them!

Valerie Young of ChangingCourse.com is going to re-open the self-study version of her “Outside The Job Box Career Expert And Small Business Ideal Consultant ©” Training. She opens it in small blocks for two very important reasons.

First, you get boxes of materials, including up to four binders of printed materials and over a dozen CDs of consultations and interviews with business development experts. Second, Valerie is invested in helping the consultants be successful in their businesses so she offers ongoing support. She wanted to make sure that everyone starting the first block was getting the attention they needed before bringing in more students.

Great news! Valerie asked me to coordinate the community of self-study students to set up support groups, study groups, and future collaborations as we create our businesses. If you sign up for this program, you will join a creative community of supportive people who love to brainstorm together and support each other.

The Changing Course Club

Do you long to find work that you love, work that seems authentic and aligned with your gifts, talents, passions, and values? Do you have some ideas but no clue how to turn the things you love to do into an income? Join the club! I did, and it has helped me transform my life.

About two years ago I joined the Changing Course Club. I read through the workbooks and training materials, listened to interviews with work at what you love experts like Valerie Young, Barbara Winter, and Barbara Sher, and got active in the community forum. I got clear about my vision and clear about how I like to work with people. If you’re looking for direction and support, come join the Club. Click here to learn more.

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ADVISORY BOARD

That’s you. As always:

If you like what you read, please tell your family and friends. If you don’t like something, please tell me!

Thanks for Joining Me on the Ride,

Steve Coxsey
Authentic Life Work and Self-Employment Coach

************************************************************************************************************
On The Twisting Road is a publication of Discovery Lookout, Inc. and Stephen Coxsey
(c) 2009 Discovery Lookout, Inc. and Stephen Coxsey

************************************************************************************************************
Click Here to sign up for the RSS Feed for this Newsletter, published at random points in the journey

************************************************************************************************************

IN THIS ISSUE:

*Steve’s Field Note
*The TWISTING ROAD TRAVEL LOG
*BURGER BITES
*FEATURED RESOURCES – “Outside The Job Box Career Expert ©” Training!
*ADVISORY BOARD — Spread the word!

************************************************************************************************************
Steve’s Field Note

April 27, 2009

What in the world was I doing instead of updating this newsletter at least once over the past month?

I was playing with colors and fonts on my web site template!

You can read about it in the third TRAVEL LOG post below. I only included the three most recent posts since the last newsletter, but there were a couple more.

I realized the visual layout and aesthetic appeal of a web site matters a lot more to me than I knew. And I realized I need to see words laid out in a graphic space before I can make final edits.

Check out the home page for this e-zine at TwistingRoad.com to see the fonts and colors and most recent version of the words. Now that I can see them in a format I like, I tweak them occasionally to try new things out. I’m probably going to drive myself crazy when I start working on a site that has multiple pages and lengthy text!

Enjoy the new colors and fonts on the home page, enjoy playing with your own web template if you want to, and

Enjoy the scenery On The Twisting Road!

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TWISTING ROAD TRAVEL LOG

Is Self-Employment The Only Expression Of Ideal Life Work?

A friend asked me a very serious question about my work the other day. It wasn’t just about my work; it was about the beliefs I hold that energize my work. That sent me on a couple of new quests.
Continue Reading…

Who Wants What You Have?

The question Who wants what you have? is an important part of the process of helping people come up with ways to make a living doing something they love. It might be an income “bridge” for a while, a way to earn money that frees you from depending on a job. This could include renting out a space or doing contract work. But it becomes magical when applied to what you are naturally good at doing, those things you love to do. My friend Kay is a good example of this magic as she helps other people start up their businesses and realizes she is creating her own consulting business at the same time.
Continue Reading…

Creativity Cross-Training In the HTML Sandbox

In the past couple of weeks I have spent a lot more time than usual giving feedback to colleagues and clients on their marketing. Much of the discussion has been about web presence: what matters most and how to get it on a tight budget. With the perspective of distance, I always advise people to focus on first things first, like getting a clear message and worrying about the appearance after the message is done. But instead of working on my own marketing message, I spent all my marketing time this week changing a web template to format my pages.
Continue Reading…

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BURGER BITES

The Burger Bites Series Is Designed To Bring You A Taste Of Coaching.

Burger Bites: Powerful Questions

Coaches rarely tell their clients what to do. Good coaches make suggestions, but only when asked. Really good coaches will respond to a request for suggestions by shifting as quickly as possible back to the client’s own ideas and reasons. Really good coaches are more interested in helping clients establish new habits of creative thinking and self-trust than in solving one dilemma. One of the most important skills coaches use to help clients learn to hear their own ideas and begin to trust themselves is asking powerful questions.
Continue Reading…

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FEATURED RESOURCES

“Outside The Job Box Career Expert And Small Business Ideal Consultant ©” Training

Click here for the preview call information

After our family sold our preschool and child care center, I was looking for my next career. Every time I would hear a story of creative career change, I thought maybe I was finding my calling. That guy who “chucked everything” to learn about growing chocolate? That might be for me! The other man who bought a business renting sailboats in the Caribbean? That might be for me!

I thought I wanted to do all the ideas I heard, until I realized what really spoke to me was the courage of these people to exercise their freedom and pursue their passions. Finally, after many months, I realized – I love helping people come up with creative career ideas and finding the way to pursue them!

Valerie Young of ChangingCourse.com is going to re-open the self-study version of her “Outside The Job Box Career Expert And Small Business Ideal Consultant ©” Training. She opens it in small blocks for two very important reasons.

First, you get boxes of materials, including up to four binders of printed materials and over a dozen CDs of consultations and interviews with business development experts. Second, Valerie is invested in helping the consultants be successful in their businesses so she offers ongoing support. She wanted to make sure that everyone starting the first block was getting the attention they needed before bringing in more students.

Great news! Valerie asked me to coordinate the community of self-study students to set up support groups, study groups, and future collaborations as we create our businesses. If you sign up for this program, you will join a creative community of supportive people who love to brainstorm together and support each other.

The Changing Course Club

Do you long to find work that you love, work that seems authentic and aligned with your gifts, talents, passions, and values? Do you have some ideas but no clue how to turn the things you love to do into an income? Join the club! I did, and it has helped me transform my life.

About two years ago I joined the Changing Course Club. I read through the workbooks and training materials, listened to interviews with work at what you love experts like Valerie Young, Barbara Winter, and Barbara Sher, and got active in the community forum. I got clear about my vision and clear about how I like to work with people. If you’re looking for direction and support, come join the Club. Click here to learn more.

************************************************************************************************************

ADVISORY BOARD

That’s you. As always:

If you like what you read, please tell your family and friends. If you don’t like something, please tell me!

Thanks for Joining Me on the Ride,

Steve Coxsey
Authentic Life Work and Self-Employment Expert

************************************************************************************************************
On The Twisting Road is a publication of Discovery Lookout, Inc. and Stephen Coxsey
(c) 2009 Discovery Lookout, Inc. and Stephen Coxsey

********************************************************************************************************************************
IN THIS ISSUE:

*Steve’s Field Note
*The TWISTING ROAD TRAVEL LOG
*BURGER BITES
*FEATURED RESOURCES – “Outside The Job Box Career Expert ©” Training!
*ADVISORY BOARD — Spread the word!

********************************************************************************************************************************
Steve’s Field Note

March 31, 2009

This evening I was on a call with Valerie Young of ChangingCourse.com. I was one of three guests talking about the “Outside The Job Box Career Expert © Self-Study Program.” There were over 600 people signed up for the call!

It was exciting to be asked to be a guest talking about this program – I love it. It’s such a comfortable fit with the way I like working with people. But it was intimidating to have so many people listening. Plus who knows how many more listening to the recording later!

What if I still had an auto-responder and a way for some of those people to sign up for this newsletter? Hopefully those of you who are new and have your interest piqued will bookmark this page and come back. You can also click on the “Posts Feed” link on the bottom right and sign up to receive this newsletter by RSS feed through your e-mail account.

Enjoy the ideas and information you will find in the articles introduced below, and

Enjoy the scenery On The Twisting Road!

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TWISTING ROAD TRAVEL LOG

Twitter Heresy?

I have a confession to make. Actually, it’s closer to professing than confessing. It’s not nearly as meaningful as Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-Five Theses to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. But it will be seen by many as heresy.
Continue Reading…

Social Network Overload

I think I must be a techno wimp. Maybe I’m just a social phobic. I enjoy learning new things about my WordPress blogging software. And when I have to play around with HTML I feel kind of proud of myself if I can figure something out. But social networking is wearing me out, and I hardly even use it. I just try to check the social networking sites on a regular basis and I’m frustrated.
Continue Reading…

How Can I Help You?

I have had lots of opportunities in recent days to be helpful – or at least to try. Through the “Outside the Job Box Career Experts ©” group I was able to make recommendations to colleagues on ways to approach studying, ways to find practice clients, and ways to do simple first marketing steps. In a coaching group I was able to help colleagues come up with ideas for workshops they want to plan. I even got to talk with two friends about their long-term career dreams and how to make them happen. It has been a powerful reminder of the value gained by helping people.
Continue Reading…

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BURGER BITES

The Burger Bites Series Is Designed To Bring You A Taste Of Coaching.

Burger Bites: Personal Growth

As more people become aware of professional coaching, there are some general perceptions about it. As with most things, the general perceptions are often misconceptions. Lots of people assume that coaching is mainly about improving efficiency and performance and accomplishing defined tasks. While these are goals that bring people to coaching, they are only part of the purpose and the outcome.
Continue Reading…

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FEATURED RESOURCES

“Outside The Job Box Career Expert And Small Business Ideal Consultant ©” Training

Click here for the preview call information

After our family sold our preschool and child care center, I was looking for my next career. Every time I would hear a story of creative career change, I thought maybe I was finding my calling. That guy who “chucked everything” to learn about growing chocolate? That might be for me! The other man who bought a business renting sailboats in the Caribbean? That might be for me!

I thought I wanted to do all the ideas I heard, until I realized what really spoke to me was the courage of these people to exercise their freedom and pursue their passions. Finally, after many months, I realized – I love helping people come up with creative career ideas and finding the way to pursue them!

Valerie Young of ChangingCourse.com is going to re-open the self-study version of her “Outside The Job Box Career Expert And Small Business Ideal Consultant ©” Training. She opens it in small blocks for two very important reasons.

First, you get boxes of materials, including up to four binders of printed materials and over a dozen CDs of consultations and interviews with business development experts. Second, Valerie is invested in helping the consultants be successful in their businesses so she offers ongoing support. She wanted to make sure that everyone starting the first block was getting the attention they needed before bringing in more students.

Great news! Valerie asked me to coordinate the community of self-study students to set up support groups, study groups, and future collaborations as we create our businesses. If you sign up for this program, you will join a creative community of supportive people who love to brainstorm together and support each other.

“Outside The Job Box” Career Consultation

You’ve been looking for a way to leave a suffocating job and find a career you love for a while now. You bought books and training programs, listened to teleclasses and even attended workshops, and you have pages of notes and ideas that just aren’t coming together.

You’re ready for someone with creative ideas and practical skills to help you make sense of it all. You’re ready for a creative career consultation. As a newly trained “Outside The Job Box Career Expert ©” I am ready to offer a complimentary, zero-cost, absolutely FREE consultation to three people. E-mail me for more information by clicking here.

The Changing Course Club

Do you long to find work that you love, work that seems authentic and aligned with your gifts, talents, passions, and values? Do you have some ideas but no clue how to turn the things you love to do into an income? Join the club! I did, and it has helped me transform my life.

About two years ago I joined the Changing Course Club. I read through the workbooks and training materials, listened to interviews with work at what you love experts like Valerie Young, Barbara Winter, and Barbara Sher, and got active in the community forum. I got clear about my vision and clear about how I like to work with people. If you’re looking for direction and support, come join the Club. Click here to learn more.

********************************************************************************************************************************

ADVISORY BOARD

That’s you. As always:

If you like what you read, please tell your family and friends. If you don’t like something, please tell me!

Thanks for Joining Me on the Ride,

Steve Coxsey
Life Work and Self-Employment Advocate

********************************************************************************************************************************
On The Twisting Road is a publication of Discovery Lookout, Inc. and Stephen Coxsey
(c) 2009 Discovery Lookout, Inc. and Stephen Coxsey