A Message from Tama

Your Alternative Career Search: Relax, Heal, and Play

A "practical" career search won't lead to an inspired outcome. I want you to have an inspired outcome. That's because you have a calling inside you as bright as ten thousand shooting stars. You are not empty or misaligned or born in the wrong time. It's not like the world doesn't need exactly what you have to give us, and desperately, I might add. But you are searching with the wrong tools. You are looking for butterflies with a shovel and a pick axe.

You probably don't trust the right tools. You think looking for the work you love should involve focus and strife. I want you to know your right work doesn't come from force. It comes from trust. It comes from flourishing. It comes from loving what you love so much that you just blossom into an irresistible force of nature. I'm not talking about finding a job. I'm talking about finding your life.

If you want to find the work you are born to do, it's not about looking for the jobs that are "out there." It's about looking inside you and discovering what you came here to give.  And, then, for most of us it's not even so much figuring out our exact desires and actions. It's more about letting go of fears and twisted, incapacitating beliefs. When you abandon your false limitations, you will discover an unstoppable fire already blazing within you. It's a wonder you've held back your power for this long.

I've been a career coach for 20 years now, and lately, I've been traveling the country offering retreats and workshops on "Unleashing Your Calling." I do not stand in the front of the room as the "Grand Mistress of Life Purposes" and dispense out missions for very good boys and girls. My goal is simple and life-changing.  I am there to introduce participants to the power of their Inspired Self. I help people find their next True Step.  I know that one true step will awaken the intelligence and strength of their soul.  I know that one true step will put them onto a different game board with different rules and extraordinary new possibilities.  I also know how horribly common it is to miss your next true steps, or to avoid them because you think they are impractical or indulgent.

I'll give you an example. You may know this story from my book This Time I Dance! Creating the Work You Love. At the time I was a barren, overworked attorney and I couldn't imagine what to do with my life, except wolf down Ben and Jerry's ice cream and nest under my quilts. I was working with someone who asked me to draw with crayons, all the life paths I could imagine. Believe me, with my self-important Harvard Law School trained deductive legal skills, I did not see coloring as a next career step. I may have thrown Magenta Pink into his face, but fortunately, I am polite when desperate.

Good thing. Because those colors and lines leapt from the pages and pointed out a spontaneous, unconscious direction, I would never have gotten from a standard career assessment test.  More importantly, I learned that my Spirit always had abundant and loving guidance for me. It was not withholding direction. But my preconceived attitudes were. That's when I first began to see that my fearful self—aka "the practical one"-- shouldn't be at the helm of a creative career search, or anything that involves grace in my life.  Mr. Albert Einstein said it this way: "A problem cannot be solved at the level of the problem."

That said, I'd like to offer you some non-traditional next steps to consider. Put away the want ads, the career books, and maybe light a candle, because we're diving in to another realm of inquiry:

RELAX: A bubble bath may be better than an interview

An anxious mind is a mind that is not in touch with its deepest love and centered powers.  A fearful mind can never realize inspired answers. If you're starving and go down the junk food aisle, you grab things, your healthy self does not want. The choices that satisfy you when you are desperate are different than the ones that delight you when you're calm. What makes you calm? What builds your trust?  I often urge my coaching clients to look into spiritual practices, religious traditions, walks in nature or anything that makes them feel more connected to something larger. Here's the biggest career secret I know: The more connected you feel to your God, or to a Loving Energy in the Universe, the more you will experience enriched options, stamina, and creativity.  Big mind offers you a bigger life.

So much of discovering a calling is staying with the unknown and not soothing your uncertainty with quick fixes that upend the process. Neuroscience research has consistently shown that people who regularly meditate, focus better and have more control over their emotional and physical response to stress.

HEAL: A good cry may do you more good- than networking

The linear mind compartmentalizes. That's why it's "logical" to think you can find the job or work of your dreams while hating your ex-boss, seething about your father, dragging around doubt or shame over past decisions, and still having heart palpitations when you think you about certain incident in your life. Believe it or not, forgiveness can be relevant to your career search. The soul doesn't have lines. The soul is all about your energy and clarity. Wherever you are angry, you are blocking your own light. Wherever you are hurting or wounded, you are diminished in your strength, love, and excitement. Healing restores you to your big, free all empowered spirit.

Not only that, but many times when someone heals their own pain or finds a new approach to tragedy or frustration, they uncover a strand of their real calling. It is possible and natural to look at an area of your life that demands so much of your emotional attention, and turn it into a resource and garden for others. Many leaders, teachers, healers, artists, business people and visionaries grew into an answer to a difficulty they experienced. Carl Jung said, "Where you are wounded, you are gifted."

PLAY: Playing the drums might help a light bulb go off in your mind

We underestimate the incalculable value of fun in our society. We think that feeling good is the road to delusion and irresponsibility. Consider this: you have a responsibility to your family, to your community, and to humanity to feel good. When you feel good, you enjoy better health and more energy. You are likely to be more resilient, and more generous and kind with others. Fun changes the chemistry in your brain. When you are having fun, you are not in fear. The creative mind thrives in safety and joy.

Play is the practice of meeting yourself again in this moment, of discovering what is alive for you now. Your sense of fun is often a hidden indication of energy, creativity, interest and aptitude. Also one fun thing can lead to another and help you hopscotch into territories you would not have consciously chosen. I urge you to experiment, try new things, and meet yourself again. Adopt a loving attitude, too.  You are here to explore, not to prove anything or measure your skill. Observe your joy and fascination. Let the blue birds fly into the open window of your mind.

* * *

Finally, please know there is no way to do this wrong. It's what you are. Some of you may take months to do this -- and some of you will take years to walk this walk. It's worth it. It's worth every step.  You're not just looking for a way to make a living. You are discovering wings, fire, and a Love within you that will rock your world and ours.

With my love and blessings,


Tama

©Copyright 2010 Tama J. Kieves. All rights reserved.

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Please keep the entire message intact, including contact, logo, and copyright information. Thank you. This message is from Tama's monthly email newsletter: www.AwakeningArtistry.com

Behind the Scenes at Awakening Artistry

Happy New Year everyone! I hope that 2010 is off to a great start for you. Tama and I both began the year with a retreat. In Tama's case, she lead another magical weekend retreat "Unleashing Your Calling" at the world-renowned Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshire Mountains. When Tama first taught at Kripalu 5 years ago, she had only 7 people show up. Now, her well-loved retreats are well attended by a creative and intelligent crowd and Kripalu recognized her (on a plaque) as one of their Extraordinary Faculty members this year. In contrast to Tama's weekend, I spent some deliciously quiet connecting time in a cozy little cabin in northern New Mexico. Now that I'm back in the swing of things, I can't wait to share some of the many new and exciting developments we have in store for this year.

Tama and I have both felt a growing momentum with this work. There is definitely a movement a foot and we're joyfully responding to the new interest and energy it's bringing! Here are four exciting new things we have coming on the immediate horizon:

• We plan to launch Tama's blog in mid February! It's, "A blog about abundant inspired living... CREATIVE CAREER TRANSITIONS / BRAZEN PURPOSE / LIVING FROM LOVE INSTEAD OF FEAR" It will be tied into a new FaceBook page, a Twitter account and more. We hope you enjoy the added support and we hope to see your comments and feedback out there as well.
  
  
• Would you like a one-on-one phone coaching session with Tama? In addition to her regular coaching, she's now offering a new option of half-hour, laser focused sessions for $150. This is a perfect fit if you have a question/block that you would like to make some quick progress on. They're fun and effective!
  
  
• Join Tama, Comfort Queen Jennifer Louden, Mary Manin Morrissey, and a roster of world famous teachers for the second annual Virtual Retreat February 12-14th. Tama's hour-long "mini-retreat" called Trusting Your Loving Self will be on Saturday, February 13th (3pm PST/ 4pm MST/ 5pm CST/ 6pm EST). All the sessions are recorded and transcribed so you can participate in some live and some later - and all of them in your PJs! You can find more information and register at http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1118486.
  
  
• Tama is launching a new, energizing, fun, and affordable group Coaching Call tele-event series! Join her amazing energy and the group's loving energy as well. She'll be kicking it off with an hour-long Miracles Coaching Call (get into some miraculous life-changing thinking with the principles of A Course in Miracles)  Thursday, March 4th (5pm PST, 6pm MST, 7pm CST, 8pm EST) followed in two weeks by her Passion Coaching Call (get support, kick up your energy, and get inspired strategies for living your dreams, at any stage of the game) on Thursday, March 18th (5pm PST, 6pm MST, 7pm CST, 8pm EST). Each call will be $25 and you can save $10 when you register for them both. You can email Tama with your questions and you will receive a free audio recording of the call when it's over! Find more information and register here:
  3/4: http://www.awakeningartistry.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=119
  3/18: http://www.awakeningartistry.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=121

RETREAT SPOTLIGHT: THIS TIME I DANCE: CREATING THE WORK & LIFE YOU LOVE Workshop at New York Open Center 22 East 30th Street, New York NY 10:15am - 5:45pm Do you feel empty in your career? Or wish you could catapult your creativity into the world and pay the bills? Come join Tama and learn how to get past fears and step into your unparalleled work in this world. Join other entrepreneurial and creative minds in this hands-on pivotal workshop and learn how to: * live from inspiration instead of fear * choose the right passion and stay motivated * tap unstoppable inner strength * turn roadblocks into launch pads * turn talents into income...and more! An optional support group follows. Save your space online now at www.opencenter.org or call (212) 219-2527 Ext 2. Download an event flyer for more information (PDF).

Upcoming Event Highlights:

As always, please visit our Calendar page for a complete and up-to-date listing of events. We are always adding events: http://www.awakeningartistry.com/calendar.html

Do you have friends and family in any of these areas? Please considering sharing this information with them.

In our ongoing mission to give people permission to live their authentic and creative lives, we are always looking for new groups to talk to. If you have a group or know of a group that would be interested in hosting Tama, please let us know. Much of how we reach and create community is through miracles like you!

January 2010

January 5 -- ONLINE
Creating the Work You Love E-Course
Twelve-week self-paced E-Course begins (it's not too late to sign up!)
[ More info ]

January 12 -- ONLINE
A Courst in TRUST
Eight-week self-paced E-Course begins (it's not too late to sign up!)
[ More info ]

January 31 -- Fairfax VA
Unity of Fairfax
Tama speaks to the 9:00am and 11:00am services
[ More info ]

January 31 -- Fairfax VA
Creating the Work You Love
Workshop at Unity of Fairfax, 2:00-4:00pm
[ More info ]


February 2010

February 13 -- ONLINE
Trusting Your Loving Self
Mini-retreat with Tama, part of Jen Louden's 2010 Virtual Retreat
[ More info ]

February 15-19 -- Denver CO
The Leadership 2010 Gathering: Woven in Love and Leadership
A Centers for Spiritual Living conference
Tama guides meditation ceremony Feb. 15
[ More info ]

February 21 -- New York NY
This Time I Dance: Creating the Work and Life You Love
Workshop at NY's Open Center
[ More info ]


March 2010

March 2 -- ONLINE
Creating the Work You Love E-Course
Twelve-week self-paced E-Course begins
[ More info ]

March 4 -- Everywhere!
Miracle Coaching Call
Tele-coaching call with Tama
[ More info ]

March 7 -- Houston TX
Unity Church of Christianity
Tama speaks to the 9:00am and 11:00am services
[ More info ]

March 7 -- Houston TX
Creating the Work You Love
Workshop at Unity Church of Christianity
[ More info ]

March 9 -- ONLINE
A Courst in TRUST
Eight-week self-paced E-Course begins
[ More info ]

March 18 -- Everywhere!
Passion Coaching Call
Tele-coaching call with Tama
[ More info ]

March 26 -- Denver CO
Colorado Independent Publisher's Association (CIPA)
Lunchtime keynote with Tama
[ More info ]

LOOKING AHEAD

May 7-9 -- Red Feather Lakes CO
Unleashing Your Calling: Create the Work and Life You Love
Retreat at Shambhala Mountain Center
[ More info ]

June 6 -- Overland Park, KS
Unity Church of Overland Park
Tama speaks to the 9:00am and 11:00am services
[ More info ]

June 6 -- Overland Park, KS
Creating the Work You Love!
Workshop at Unity Church of Overland Park
[ More info ]

September 19 -- Seattle WA
Center for Spiritual Living
Tama speaks to the 9:00am and 11:00am services
[ More info ]

September 19 -- Seattle WA
Creating the Work You Love!
Workshop at Center for Spiritual Living
[ More info ]






DESTINATION VACATIONS:

We are very excited about the world-class destination vacations and life-changing retreats Tama has scheduled for 2010, and want to help you plan ahead and not miss out on the time of your life!!

FEBRUARY 21, 2010
THIS TIME I DANCE: CREATING THE WORK & LIFE YOU LOVE
Workshop at New York Open Center
22 East 30th Street, New York NY
10:15am - 5:45pm

Do you feel empty in your career? Or wish you could catapult your creativity into the world and pay the bills? Come join Tama and learn how to get past fears and step into your unparalleled work in this world. Join other entrepreneurial and creative minds in this hands-on pivotal workshop and learn how to: * live from inspiration instead of fear * choose the right passion and stay motivated * tap unstoppable inner strength * turn roadblocks into launch pads * turn talents into income...and more! An optional support group follows.

Save your space online now at www.opencenter.org or call (212) 219-2527 Ext 2.

Download an event flyer for more information (PDF).

MAY 7-9, 2010
UNLEASHING YOUR CALLING: CREATE THE WORK & LIFE YOU LOVE
Shambhala Mountain Center
Red Feather Lakes, Colorado

Follow your heart's inspiration and discover your deepest calling.

Do you crave meaningful work? Do you yearn to express yourself creatively, help the world, and get paid for it? Your wildest dreams are not frivolous. They are your source for inspired abilities and explosive direction. In uncertain economic times, true passion is your greatest security.

Join leading career coach and bestselling author Tama Kieves and learn how to thrive in your authentic calling. A former corporate attorney turned writer and visionary career catalyst, Tama has personally walked the path of unconventional success. Using inspired and practical strategies, you will learn how to live from inspiration instead of fear; choose the right passion and stay on fire; tap unstoppable inner strength; turn your talents into income; uncover compelling strategies to achieve your dreams; find the support you need; and trust the power and magic of unconventional choices. Packed with turn-your-life-around exercises, heightened creativity, group support, personal attention, and passionate mentoring, this transformative workshop will help you step into a whole new life.

For more information or to register, visit the Shambhala Mountain Center web site: http://www.shambhalamountain.org/programs/1302