Pro Bono with Passion and Purpose

Taken at a Native American Powwow by Jocelyn Canfield

Many consultants I know receive frequent requests to take on non-paying work. Because I could spend all of my waking hours doing pro bono work, I have become much more selective about the projects I take on. The project has to ignite my passion or represent a growth opportunity…in other words, it has to serve my needs as well as the organization making the request.

Consider how volunteer activities can advance  your sense personal satisfaction – and your career. I know many professionals who are currently unemployed. In what way can you reach out to organizations who could benefit from your expertise and who may be in desperate need of help? Consider opportunities which may allow you to network to your own professional benefit, or that may build skills in an area that you want to develop. Volunteering can boost your business and your sense of satisfaction.

My next project satisfies my passion and my desire for growth: I am about to accompany a team of veterinarians to two Native American reservations in New Mexico. I will be photographing the people and animals these vets are helping…people who have no financial ability to pay for veterinary services but who are reliant on their livestock to create a better standard of living. This project was a strong fit for me on many levels. I have a deep sensitivity for native Americans, a passion for animals and I love the southwest. I have also been looking for a meaty photography project to inspire a book of my photos.

The vet who organized the trip and invited my participation likens life on these reservations to a third world country. Pets sustain wounds and injuries which go untreated. Feral dogs roam and prey on livestock which are critical to the livelihood of the people. These reservations have virtually no access to veterinary care other than these periodic volunteer visits.

One thing that I have learned is that strong imagery enhances awareness and can be a catalyst for change. Because of this, I am in the midst of starting an organization called Photo Mission to provide creative support to causes that otherwise couldn’t afford to commission work to tell their story…which in turn would contribute to their success. If you want to support my work helping others, through a donation or sponsorship, please reach out to me.

What Fires You Up?

I was checking in recently with my accountability partner on progress toward our goals. (We talk every Monday about our goals for the week and performance over the prior week.) She is making major changes in her life and is in that in-between stage of still working full time for a company while she readies herself to launch her own business.

Despite the long hours she is putting in, she commented that she is “so freaking excited” about working toward her dream job that she jumps out of bed early every day eager to make progress on her goals! We should all have that same level of enthusiasm while working two full-time jobs!

When we give ourselves permission to do work that resonates with our heart, we have the potential to have the same kind of enthusiasm. Certain work that I do gives me this level of excitement. There are also quite a few projects filed away in my brain that have the potential to spark that level of excitement. How can we bring these projects to the forefront, especially when time is at a premium?

I frequently hear people talking about what they will do “when they have time.” What I have learned is that time seldom materializes in large blocks. It is important to learn to take advantage of small bites of time in order to make gradual progress toward your goals and dreams and put my friend’s level of excitement into your workday.

- What if just one morning a week, you spent 30 minutes on your project?
- What if you gave up watching one sporting event on TV to work on your project?
- What if you spent an hour before breakfast one day each weekend?

If you do all three of these, you’ve just created four hours of time each week to accomplish something important to you!

Take Action Challenge: Consider where you can find small bites of time in your schedule to make progress toward a project or goal. What ho-hum activities are you willing to give up to get to the level of excitement my friend has?

© 2009 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com

Surround Yourself with Successful People

I was at a conference last year with about 300 people who were fired up to learn, grow and succeed. What energy filled that room! EVERYONE I met was looking for ways to improve themselves and to suck the proverbial marrow out of life! And the success that these people were looking for was not just about money. The facilitator encouraged putting heart and soul into life and living your passion. Attendees exchanged countless hugs over the course of the week. The experience of being with so many vibrant people with common goals made me realize that once I returned home, I had no one in my primary circle of friends who is like this and who could support me in my growth…or even understand it.

So this year one of my goals became to build my “posse” by finding an assortment of like-minded people who can help me to grow personally and professionally. I have heard it said that you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Think about who those five people are in your life and decide if they are helping you to realize your goals and dreams.

To determine who you need to add to your mix of friends and acquaintances to support your success, you need to know what success looks like for you, both personally and professionally. Each of your goals or personal visions may be supported by different types of people…but for now we’ll focus on business success. Here’s what I am up to:

1) After the conference I referenced above, I participated in a series of group coaching sessions with folks from the workshop. I was assigned an accountability partner and, nearly a year later, we still check in with each other weekly. We discuss our success on our goals for that week and what we want to achieve in the coming week. This helps to focus me and move me toward success.

2) Several months ago I joined a book group that focuses on life changing books. This is a group of people who want to grow and experience life more deeply.

3) I have decided that I want to become a better public speaker and have greater confidence speaking off the cuff, so I am joining a local Toastmasters group. These skills will help me personally and professionally.

4) I want to join or form a business mastermind group.

In each of these situations, I will have the opportunity to expand my network of successful people.

Take Action Challenge: Think about whether you have people around you who can support your success toward each of your business goals. Do you have at least one group of like-minded people with whom you affiliate? If the answer is no, consider where you would find such people and seek them out.

Perspectives on Persistence and Success

I’ve been considering how important the quality of persistence is to having a successful life, both personally and professionally. For several months, I’ve been implementing a number of business strategies to become more visible and to reach out to people for networking. This fulfills not only my mission to find new and interesting work, but also my intense desire to form deeper relationships.

Most of the time when I reach out, there is no immediate “win” when measured solely in terms of business revenue. These efforts could be viewed as failures, but I choose to dwell on the many personal wins: connecting for coffee with a former client…giving someone the nice feeling that I was thinking about them…offering help in the form of a referral to someone I just met. When I view simply making a deeper connection as a win, I can consider each contact I make as being successful! Last week, I had a double win. I reconnected with a woman who was interesting to me, and whose organization was appealing to me from a work standpoint. I had a new project within days! My persistence paid off.

Success coach and author Jack Canfield says in his book, The Success Principles, that “Persistence is probably the single most common quality of high achievers… No matter how hard it seems, the longer you persist, the more likely your success.”

I recently recognized that I have a completely different persistence personae when it comes to work than I do when it comes to my personal life. I am more easily discouraged when I reach out to someone in friendship personally and it does not come to fruit. I have times when I give up frustrated that I will never find what I want (ever tried online dating?). I am taking note of that self realization and will try to shift my attitude and behavior accordingly.

Take action challenge. What challenge are you facing in your life right now, and how can you persistently overcome it? Cosmetics empire founder Mary Kay Ash said,”When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” Can you brainstorm a way around, over, under or through your roadblock or challenge?

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com

Searching for professional meaning

Periodically I have an overwhelming realization that I am not fully connecting my passion with my work…that I have some bigger purpose in life, still undiscovered…or maybe just ignored for the safety of a reliable income. While I enjoy the work that I do (graphic design, writing and photography) I often think about how I could be using my talents to bring about meaningful change in some capacity. This feeling may be a hallmark of hitting your 40s and 50s. It’s no longer about how high the ladder goes, but about making sure the ladder is leaning against the right wall to begin with. Or as a friend of mine recently put it upon returning from a two-month sabbatical in Korea, coming down off the ladder and recognizing that life CAN be a meandering path if you are willing to listen to your heart.

At one time the dream for me was to quit my corporate job and start my own business. Eleven successful business years later, I want more. I know intuitively that I want to get satisfaction – even joy – out of each waking, working moment, but I am aware that my activities do not always support my intentions. To some degree many of us are guilty of putting our professional and even our personal lives on autopilot. We drift along when the waters are smooth, only turning our attention to certain activities when the waters get choppy. Now is one of those choppy times for many of my friends and colleagues. People suddenly start nurturing their network, re-evaluating their skills, questioning their employability. Will they get laid off? Are they employable elsewhere? Will they lose the big client? The question of work that has deeper meaning seems to have less relevance when we are in a position of desperation.

There is never a bad time to focus on the call of your heart. It you have a professional or personal aspiration that is somewhat unconventional or has less potential for income, be sure that you are still taking steps toward that dream even as you review the want ads or search for clients that pay the bills rather than fire up your heart. If you want to write a book, commit to writing a page a day or writing for two hours every Saturday. If you would prefer to get off the fast track and work in the non-profit sector helping others, develop relationships by volunteering on boards of directors of organizations that you care about. Want to lead fishing expeditions when you retire? Start planning one a month now and develop a clientele. It is a daunting task to head in a completely new direction from nothing, with no contacts or experience. But if you’ve been dabbling at your passion all along, the pink slip could be a blessing in disguise…and you just may have more courage to go in the direction of your heart.

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com

Do You Really WANT to Get Out of Your Box?

Being “Out of the box” is something that many of us aspire to. It is associated with innovation, creativity and freshness. A quick search on amazon.com uncovers dozens of books with out of the box in the title. What is it that actually creates a box around us? In what ways does the box serve us and in what ways does it become limiting?

Truth be told, most people stay nested safely inside not just one box, but many boxes for most of their lives. Can you identify your boxes? A box can be a routine. A box can be a job. It can be a relationship. It can be a mentality. Some boxes provide safety and comfort, while others limit our thinking and the possibility of becoming a closer version of who we are intended to become.

My job as a writer and graphic designer requires creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, but it can be a HUGE box. It is a box that I usually love with a passion…but when I find my backside parked in a desk chair for 8, 9, 12 hours, I start to feel the walls of my box a bit more and I wonder about ways to feel less confined and more inspired. Photography and art directing photo shoots is a nice beak from my desk “box.” Sometimes I ask myself, Why do I have to sit at my desk all day long? What if two mornings a week, I worked from the café or at the picnic table in the park? Why do I have to work 9 to 5? Maybe another schedule would suit my body better and I’d actually be more productive in fewer hours?

I know quite a few people who are concerned about keeping their jobs during these troubled economic times. Some of these people may even have a dream tucked away to do something really big, like take time off to write a book, or travel the world. If you lost your job tomorrow, would carrying out your dream be possible? Or would you feel so bare without your box around you that you would spend your days panicked and searching for a new box? Clearly finances can put us in a box. I challenge you to think about what you would do if your current boxes were suddenly stripped away. Would you have the courage to go in the direction of your dream and try it on for a while?

I have been asking myself that question this week. I anticipate that my business will be off by about 25% in 2009. What will I do with that extra time? Should I spend it looking for work that simply may not be available at this time due to client budget constraints? Or should I view it as a gift of time to work on the book of photography that has been in my heart and mind for the past two years?

Take Action Challenge: Think about the boxes that you are in at this time. What keeps you there? Is the box a comfort or a prison? If you removed fear and panic from the equation, could you leave your box behind?

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com

GOALS 5: Just three little words

I’ve written several entries on goals in the past two weeks. I promise to move onto some new topics, but this being January 1st, it seems apropos to cover goals from just one more angle. Yesterday I saw the movie Yes Man starring Jim Carey. The basic premise is that a bored-with-life guy runs into an old friend who is a disciple of saying YES! to everything because an attitude of YES opens you up to new experiences. Saying Yes leads Carey into out-of-the-box behaviors, new places, a better job and interesting relationships. (It is an otherwise fairly lame movie, but there are a few Carey belly laugh moments.)

This morning’s blog from social media expert Chris Brogan suggested choosing three goal words to shape your life for the year. These words can guide your actions both professionally and personally. I want to work with the idea of easy-to-remember words guiding your success. YES is a little too broad (and it got Jim Carey into as much trouble as good), so I am choosing words that will help me focus on areas in which I need to grow. My words for 2009 are: Focus, Posse and Care.

The more I do, the harder it becomes for me to FOCUS on what really matters – the things that are going to take me where I want to go. I am the parent of two teens. I run a business. I have clients to satisfy and deadlines to meet. Like many of you, I also receive at least 100 emails a day. Lately I have added a few new activities to my plate that are not at my core. I started a photo blog. I am exploring Twitter. While I am interested in these activities, I need to be careful to keep my eye on the ball. If I don’t focus, I could spend the whole day at my desk on email, facebook, etc., and never actually get around to billable work. In 2009, I will focus on putting first things first. I will set daily goals and accomplish those before I get to secondary activities. My goal word FOCUS will also remind me to be fully present in other areas, especially my relationships. Whether talking to my teens, a client or a friend, my FOCUS on the needs behind the words will build my relationships.

I worked with a life coach Phyllis Sisenwine and she said to me, “Don’t be a Lone Ranger. Get a POSSE“. I have definitely been known to be a lone ranger. I can do that has been my guiding motto, both professionally and personally. I don’t like to ask for help. This mentality has led me to do projects many women would never tackle, from tiling floors to power sanding…from refinishing furniture to laying a stone wall in the garden. I do all of these things myself because I don’t like to ask for help. Frankly, I like to watch men operate power tools. I like it when the cleaning lady spends four hours removing my dirt so I don’t have to. I like it when my accountant mails me the completed tax forms to sign. I have become pals with a stone mason who finished the incredible long dry-laid stone wall that I started. This year, I am going to FOCUS on building a bigger POSSE so that I can say yes to things that give my life more meaning.

Finally, I would NEVER be accused of being a person who doesn’t CARE. I have boundless love for the people in my life, but lately there hasn’t been as much of me to give because I haven’t spent enough time in self care. And when I don’t feel cared for, I start to resent the care I shower on others. Resentment is not a feeling I want to experience. Caring for myself allows me to care better for others. It’s like the safety instructions on the airplane: Put your own mask on first before helping others. I am going to look for ways to better CARE for myself, so that I have the energy to extend myself to others.

Take Action Challenge: What three words could guide you to a happier and more productive life, both personally and professionally?

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
http://www.communication-results.com

GOALS 4: Well What Did You Expect?

New Year’s Resolutions. Right around this time, after the excesses of the holidays, many of us decide to become a better person. We want to take better care of ourselves by eating right and exercising more. And we don’t stop there. We are going to reunite with old friends. We are going to grow the business, or take that class we’ve been meaning to take in order to build our skills. Each one of these resolutions is completely doable IF we are willing to make changes.

Today while I was swimming my laps, I thought long and hard about the huge banner that hangs over the pool at my club. It says, Before you can accomplish something, you have to expect it of yourself. This is an exceptionally easy statement on the surface, but over the years that I have seen that sign, it has given me much to think about while I swim. That statement applies to my business, my exercise, my relationships – everything.

But let’s stick with the exercise example. I love to swim, When I swim, I feel better. I look better. It is in line with my goals. I know it is the right thing to do for my body. I am very keenly aware that when you don’t have good health, there is little else that matters in life. Still, in the last few months I let myself fall out of the habit of swimming. Work was exceptionally busy. I am a single parent and have significant demands on my shoulders. But quite frankly, these are excuses. Very lame excuses. I find time to eat. I find time for social activities. And you better believe that if I had a heart attack, I’d find the time to go to the ER and could rearrange my schedule for visits with the cardiologist. The truth is that I CAN find 60 minutes three or four times a week to spend at the club. I simply wasn’t expecting it from myself.

Take Action Challenge: How does the above statement apply to you? What is it that you want to accomplish, and in what ways have you (or have you not) expected it from yourself? What do you have to change or give up to make time for what really matters… for you to start living the life you expect for yourself?

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
http://www.communication-results.com

GOALS 3: Something’s Gotta Give

A colleague Twittered her followers asking what top three things we would be focusing on in 2009. I responded in the allotted 140 characters: “Happy goal = More time with friends. Healthy Goal = More time at the gym. Wealthy goal = More clients. It’s about MORE!”

After I sent my tweet, I realized that MORE is not a likely scenario in my life in the near term, given that “more” relates to TIME. I am a single parent of two teens, an entrepreneur, active on the board of a professional group, in a book club, a camera camera club, active in church, etc. Just where will this additional time come from to meet my important goals?

I read an article recently that suggested eliminating an hour of TV each day to free up needed time. I scoffed. Not going to work for me. I am already a virtual social outcast because my television watching = ZERO. (People’s jaws hit the table when I tell them I never saw a single episode of Seinfeld.)

Be mindful that the reason we may fail to attain our goals is likely because we put too much on our already-full plate. In order to make room for new things in your life, it is important to consider what can be eliminated. Here is my list:

- Break the email addiction. Do I really need to checking every 7 minutes? Three or four times during the workday should really suffice. I will also try to turn off the computer before dinner most days (this is going to be life changing).

- Limit social media “play time” to twice a day. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn will no longer remain open in my browser all day long. I work from home and crave community, but these resources are not a replacement for the deep personal interactions I want.

- Delegate more. Get a cleaning service and consider a virtual assistant. That’s right, I’ll be doing my part to create jobs for others and get this economy back on track. I will also encourage the kids take on more responsibilities.

I’m going to work on one of these areas each week for the next three weeks. Trying to change too much at once would be a recipe for failure.

Take Action Challenge: What can you give up to make time for achieving your important goals?

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com

GOALS 2: Habits Create Your Success

When you are trying to reach a goal, such as growing your business or writing a book, consistent daily actions are what it takes to get you there. Consistent daily actions are HABITS. You don’t even think about climbing into the shower in the morning. It is an ingrained habit. And I bet you find yourself standing in front of the mirror before bedtime brushing your teeth and you didn’t have to add it to your day timer. Habits help us to function more effectively.

So how does this apply to your goals? Here are some examples:
Writing a book seems like a daunting task. But writing just one page is not too scary. If you write one page a day five days a week, at the end of the year you’d have a 260-page book! So, what if BEFORE you check your email or start Twittering in the morning, you wrote just ONE page? You may have to remind yourself not to check email with a sticky note on the computer for a few days, but after a while, it will feel funny if you DON’T write that daily page. It will become a habit. And my guess is that one page might just turn into two or three pages.

Here’s another idea. If you want to grow your business you need to reach out to people by networking and making phone calls. What if, before you eat lunch, you make a commitment to contact three people about work? Those three contacts = 15 a week. And 15 a week = into 780 a year! Can you see how good I am at math? If just one percent of these contacts leads to business, you’re looking at nearly eight new clients. But you have to make a deal with yourself. NO LUNCH until the task is done.

Take Action Challenge: What one habit can you add to your daily routine to fuel your acceleration toward your goals? Post a comment telling us what you currently do or plan to implement to achieve YOUR goals

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com

GOALS 1: Write ‘em down

This week I want to discuss goal setting. Goals can help us to focus our energy, make changes and build the needed momentum to get ourselves to where we want to go. A goal is typically something you want to be, do or have. For some people it is a dollar amount they want to earn…or about a quality of life they want to lead. Perhaps for you one of your goals is about the number of clients you want to have. Goals can be short- or long-term. What is important is that you have in mind and on paper what those goals are as well as an action plan for how to get there.

I’d like to share with you one very simple approach to setting and achieving goals. I write down my personal and business goals on a 3×5 card. Underneath the goal, I write several action steps to help me reach that goal. Following is one project-based goal I just achieved as an example: Make office environment more pleasant and inspiring.
My action steps included:

• select hardwood flooring and schedule installation
• select paint colors
• call repairman for fireplace
• get rid of books I no longer want
• shop for new office chair

Your goal might be to write a book on Building Your Business in 2009.
Near-term action steps may include:

• draft an outline of chapters
• write for 30 minutes every morning after breakfast
• gather insights from three people who have already written books

Each morning I pull my 3×5 card pack of goals out and I review them and decide what I can commit to that day toward my goal. Reminding yourself at the start of each day will help to keep you focused on your goals, while consistent daily actions will help you to achieve your goals.

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com

Creating an Environment for Success

What does the physical environment in your office say about you? Do you equip yourself for success with the right technology? Or are you limping along with a printer that jams and outdated software? Does your office inspire you when you walk into the room, or do you look at your desk with dread because of the piles of unfinished work? Having the right environment will help you to achieve your goals. (If you don’t believe that, consider the difference between hanging out at the gym four times a week versus the local donut shop.)

I just spent a week renovating my office environment. I had become complacent about maintenance. The carpet was looking shabby. The walls were dark and depressing. I was trying to hold off replacing my computer and software just a few months longer. The armrest on my chair had broken. The gas fireplace was a little quirky, sometimes not working at all. These little things I had been tolerating were all draining my energy. My office had become a demotivating place. I wasn’t feeling excited about going to work. Would these feelings be apparent to my clients? I recognized the need to invest in my business and myself by improving my office environment.

The old carpet was replaced with a teak hardwood floor and the walls are freshly painted. The fireplace has been fixed and the latest software upgrades are on order. Now when I walk in my office, I feel a touch of excitement at the newness of it! I feel a revamped sense of self worth because I finally took the time out of my busy schedule to focus on me, which ultimately translates into giving my best self to my clients. I am no longer irritated every time I notice one of the things that needs fixing. I have done them! My office environment is now more supportive of my business success!

Take action challenge: What one thing can you change in your office environment right now? Can you take an hour, put on music and clean out your in bin? Can you replace the broken stapler or order the software upgrade? What can you commit to doing every day for a week to continue to improve upon that environment? Can you devote 15 minutes every day for a week to catch up on filing? Feel the energy boost as you gradually eliminate tolerations and improve the environment! Use the comments section to share and congratulate yourself about your successes!

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com

Creating the Vision of Your Success

When I was part of a change team for a company that was reinventing its structure to better serve customers, the lead consultant asked the senior executives to write an imaginary Wall Street Journal article about the company’s success – five years from the completion of the change initiative. The exercise focused the team on the positive outcomes they were striving for and challenged them to think about what additional changes would need to happen to get them to realize the successes in their success article. After this exercise they had a clearer vision of the future desired state, which helped to focus their actions and get them to see past the pain of change.

How often do you think about what you want your future to look like? When you have reached a point of complete satisfaction with your business/career, who are your clients? What does your office look like? What are your annual billings? How much time off do you take? Where will you go on vacation? What kind of house are you living in? What kind of car do you drive? What do your relationships look like? Consider creating a visual reminder of your aspirations so you stay fully present on where you are going and the steps it will take you to get there.

The mind is a powerful tool when it comes to achieving success. Envisioning your success may sound a lot like daydreaming, but when we are driving somewhere we have never been, we typically take along a roadmap. (If only the roadmap to our life success were as easy as plugging the destination into googlemaps and clicking go!) Success in business and having a great life takes planning and hard work. The big question is, what do you need to do to get yourself to that future desired state?

Take Action Challenge: Be on the lookout for pictures and words that speak to you about your success and put together a “vision map” that you can place somewhere as a constant reminder of where you want to go. You can create an online version (that you can also save as your computer screensaver) using the Ultimate Vision Board application at facebook.com. Share with the community by using the comment button if you have done a visioning exercise or used a vision board to inspire your success.

© 2008 Jocelyn Canfield, ABC
www.communication-results.com