You have come to the third and final step of the change process.  If you have not read the first two Coaching Briefs, I suggest that you do so because they will give you a context for this one. 

Change has happened.  You have managed to let go the old part of your life that is over and done with.  Hopefully, you also released the contracting emotions the change generated that can unexpectedly trip you up.  By doing so, you created space for the new to come in.

You have also "stood in the question" and examined many of your possibilities.  Perhaps your greater knowing has even offered you glimpses of types of work you never considered before.

Since the change process is usually not linear, maybe you have moved back and forth between the first and second steps a few times.  But now you are finally ready to begin the third step.  So, what's next?  Well, only the fun part.

Reality is like play dough that you get to mold and shape.  Really. The problem is that most people think that reality is set in stone.  Not true.  For over a hundred years, however, physicists have understood that reality responds to our expectations of how it should operate.

Scientists observing light and expecting light to show up in wave form had the experience (and therefore the knowing) that light comes in the form of waves.  However, other scientists observing light and expecting light to show up in particle form had the experience (and therefore the knowing) that light comes in the form of particles. What is so interesting is that both groups of scientists were right though, initially, each group argued that the other was wrong. 

Only their expectations of what they would discover were different.  When they finally figured out that their expectations had created a particular end result, scientists then established double-blind experimentation to remove expectation from the equation.

Think about this concept if it is new to you, and consider its implications. Your reality responds to your expectations. (Say it three times.) It really is the way reality works, and there are entire catalogs of books and CDs that offer a lot of information on the subject.

So, if your reality responds to your expectations (as well as your  thoughts, feelings, and beliefs, by the way,) where do your expectations and beliefs come from?   If you pull the threads and track them back, you will probably discover that when you were very young, you picked up your ideas of how reality works (or should work) from those around you--family, school, church, neighborhood, and media.   

After you had practiced using these acquired expectations and beliefs over and over again, they created neuronal pathways in your brain that eventually became subconscious programs.  You got into your groove, so to speak, and when anything triggered a program fashioned by expectation or belief, you automatically (and subconsciously) responded in a certain way as a result of what you felt about it.  Unless you have changed your subconscious programs, you may still be responding to external triggers the same way you did when you were five.  You might want to take a look at that.

Therefore, if you want to know where you are headed in landing a new job, check out what you're expecting or believing about how the process will go.  Do you expect an easy or a difficult time?  Do you believe that you are bright and capable and any employer would be happy to have you, or do you believe that you are really not as good as everybody thinks you are, and it's only a matter of time until you are "found out"? Can you see how these expectations and beliefs might significantly alter how you represent yourself at an interview? 

Expectations and beliefs comprise your internal GPS software that functions just like the navigation system of your car.  If you program the car's system to get you to Topeka, then you can't be too surprised when you end up in Topeka even if a part of you thought it might be nice to go to Chicago instead.  Your navigation software brought you to Topeka 

Similarly, if your internal GPS system has you headed to a succession of $50,000 jobs, you will not "end up" in a $100,000 job no matter how much you might want one.  Your expectations and beliefs software continues to run unerringly until you decide to actually change it. 

You need to know what is going on inside of you.  This personal inner check-up means examining the subconscious programs that drive your actions.  You know where you get stalled in life.  Maybe it's time to clean things up a bit.

You can work either with a trained professional who can help you get through the process easier and more quickly, or you can work at it yourself.  This means gathering a lot of information about your behaviors from others who love you and will be honest with you.  You can also educate yourself with the reams of material available in audio recordings, downloads, websites, DVDs, articles, and books.

I am always asked to provide a bibliography that will lead to all the answers anyone would ever need.  I won't do that.  I can give you broad descriptions of types of available materials, but you need to figure the specifics out for yourself.  Every person is different, so each person must take his or her own unique journey.  You cannot replicate anyone else's journey.  If you try, you will severely limit your own possibilities. 

Don't hand your power over to any teacher, guru, or guide.  Take what they have to say, sort through it to find what is true for you, and let the rest go.  By the way, I expect you to use that same process for everything I say and write as well.

I strongly suggest that you browse through on-line bookstores for what might interest you or even go to physical bookstores.  Use your intuition to direct you to what you need to discover.  One book or digital source will probably lead to another and then another. Pay attention to things that literally fall off the shelf and land right at your feet.  No kidding.

Now, do you really need to do all of this to get a new job or find new work?  Absolutely not.  You can go through the job interview process as you have always done and simply keep at it.  By trial and error, you will come to your next place.  I am telling you all of this to make your journey just a little easier.  I am helping you become a bit more conscious of why things might be going a certain way for you.

The Guided Visualization on the recording directed you to data enter your job or work preferences.  You described not just the desired work, but your optimal work environment and the type of person you wanted to be in your new work.  This general-versus-specific approach is an important clue about how to successfully attract the new.

Try not to get too specific about shouting out your preferences to the universe.  Don't say, "I really want to work for the Hire Me Company."  Instead, describe the kind of company you want to work for, what it will do, the things that will make you happy.  Don't limit yourself to one company.  An even more amazing company might be out there that you don't even know about at this point.  Allow yourself to stay open.  Allow yourself to dream.

When you are clear about what you want, choose it!  If you don't, it will stay in the realm of imagination, an important ingredient, but ultimately not action-driven.  Choose!  This is not just a nice fantasy that you are creating.  This is your life.

Finally, allow what you choose to come to you in forms that you might not now anticipate.  I know a woman who chose to be in a management position making a substantial salary, with good benefits, with a great company, working with people who really valued and appreciated her, and without the usual hassles that traditional management can bring.

She thought that she would find a job at a middle management level in a large company working with very nice people.  Instead, she ended up being the executive administrator and management coordinator for the President and C.E.O. of a large global company.  This job was never on her radar until it just showed up through networking.  The job had everything she was looking for and more.  And, after three years, she remains very happy with the position.  It has stretched her beyond her comfort level, and she remains excited about everything she is learning.

Keep an open mind and heart.  Know what you want, and be inclusive.  Don't narrow your possibilities by being too defined about the form your future will take.  Expect to be happy and successful, and you will be as long as your beliefs and expectations are aligned. 

From the executive administator's story, you can find another element in getting what you want:  you must receive your new life--you must accept it.  So often, opportunities may come your way, but you reject them automatically without really examining them.  You have fallen into habitual behavior.

One of my favorite stories is about a Zen student who was taken to a rocky beach by his teacher and told to find the one pebble on the beach that was warm to the touch.  The student was then to bring the pebble to his teacher and describe what he had learned. 

The student started picking up pebbles with great enthusiasm as he wanted to impress his teacher with his speed in accomplishing this task.  To keep things straight, he threw each pebble into the ocean if he  discovered that it was cold. 

This went on for hours.  Lean over.  Pick up the pebble.  Sense it.  Throw it into the ocean.  The student's back began to ache.  His arm was getting tired.  He was hungry and thirsty.  He picked up hundreds of pebbles, all cold, all pitched into the ocean.

Lean over.  Pick up the pebble.  Sense it.  Throw it into the ocean.  Over and over and over again.

It was late in the day when the student finally picked up a pebble that felt warm to the touch.  However, without thinking, he automatically repeated what he had been doing all day and threw the warm pebble into the ocean.  This became his lesson:  automatic repeated actions, no matter how precise or well-intentioned, will never produce the possibility of a different end result unless you maintain conscious focus and attention to ensure that you recognize the new.

In the past, if any of your job searches always lasted three months, be sure not to allow this expectation to dictate the length of your current job search. If you were never hired when the search got down to two candidates, be careful not to carry that expectation into your final interview. Look at your past experiences, discover your innate patterns, and then change your expectations if you want to change your direction.  It's worth your time to do this.

So, when something new comes along, pause for just a minute and see if it is a warm pebble.  Don't automatically throw unique opportunities into the ocean.

In summary, attracting what you want means that:

1. You know what you want.
2. Your beliefs and expectations are aligned with getting what you want.
3. You have modified your subconscious programs that can keep you from getting what you want.
4. You have made the conscious choice to have what you want.
5. You are willing to receive your new life.

This is your opportunity to have what you want and to be who you want when you take your next important step. Have fun with this.

Questions for Consideration

1. What expectations and beliefs do you have about your current job search? Will they help you or hinder you? 
2. How much do you allow circumstances like the state of the economy, unemployment figures, number of job postings, etc., to frame your expectations?  How can you better manage your expectations? 
3. Have you taken the time to examine how your expectations, beliefs, and old programs are running your life?  If not, when will you do so?   How will you go about the process?
4. Are you very clear about what you want in your new job or work?  Do you know how you want to act, how you wish to "show up" as a person?  (List everything, and read it frequently.)
5. Thinking of the warm pebble story, what are some of the "warm pebbles" you may have thrown away in the past?  How could you have brought about a different outcome?  What did you learn? Are you still repeating your old patterns?  Why?
6. Beyond your lists, have you consciously chosen your new job?  If you haven't, examine why you have not taken a stand for what you want.
7. Have you mentally and emotionally readied yourself to receive your new job or work?  How will you recognize it when it comes?
8. How can you manage your emotional responses during this time to be sure that you are not taking everything much too seriously?  What can you do to stay centered so that those interviewing you will see you at your best?

If you would like the help and support of someone who is skilled in managing the change process, please call me.  For even more information on handling the third step of the change process, see the Change and Crisis Coaching Briefs at www.craftingtransitions.com.

You are now ready to move to the next Coaching Brief: Rehearsing a Job Interview.