The Life Design News

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Introducing the "Life Design NICHE" process!

I have had the benefit to be a trusted advisor to over 1,500 people since 1986. Through these relationships I have identified the key principles that allow an individual to achieve a successful life. When I refer to success, I mean in their terms, having a life that flowed according to the values that are important to them. This newsletter is designed to share this process with you!

There are five (5) core principles that I have identified. To keep things simple and memorable, I have formed them into an acronym called "NICHE". This process is about identifying and creating your own “NICHE” in life. The acronym is explained as follows:

Nourish Balance

The most important issue affecting working adults today is the challenge of nourishing a balanced life. We each have a variety of demanding life roles: worker, parent, care-provider, spouse, learner, community member, etc. At the end of the day people are finding there isn’t enough time to take care of self nor have meaningful relationships with others.

This can be turned around, step by step. One of the secrets to nourishing balance is to develop a vision for your life. What in the best of all worlds do you want your life to look like? What kind of lifestyle to you desire? What is your ideal day? What do you need to change in your life?

Invest in Your Skills

Each person is born with natural gifts and talents. In the market place these are referred to as skills, knowledge and competencies. It is essential to identify your core skills and develop and refine them on a regular basis.

What are the top 3 skills that you have? What do others seek out from you? How are you investing in your natural talents? Do you have a professional development plan?

Clarify your Values

I regularly coach individuals who are very upset, frustrated or even angry about a particular lifework role. As I work with them to understand what is really wrong, they inevitably speak about the things that they care about that are not being recognized or are being devalued. A values conflict has arisen. One of the essential elements in developing your lifework NICHE is to clarify your values.

Think about what matters to you most right now. What do you really care about? What must you have in your life today? What is missing or in conflict now? How are you fulfilling your values in your daily life?

Help Others and Yourself

We are not alone – it seems rather obvious, yet when I listen to people I realize that many people in our society do not feel connected to others as much as they would like. Many of the interactions each day are task oriented, not relational. People can be surrounded by co-workers and still feel isolated.

Think about the people you care about in your life. Who have you not seen in a while? Who do you respect or learn a lot from? Who do you admire? Why not pick up the phone and call them to get together for coffee or lunch?

Engage!

When I asked you about your vision in the Nourishing Balance step above – did you feel that it was a "pipe dream"? Individuals often feel that their vision looks so far away that it is unattainable or "unrealistic".

There is a way to reach the dream, however it can take time. We need to learn how to break our dreams out into smaller pieces. We can then learn to move forward towards them one step at a time. What can you do today to take yourself there?

In future issues I will pick a particular theme and develop it. If you have questions that you would like answered, please feel free to e-mail or call me.

Wishing you balance, passion and fulfillment in your lifework!

Rob