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Daisy Swan & Associates - Summer 2008 Newsletter

What's Inside:

Welcome & Introduction, by Daisy Swan, MA, CPCC: The Los Angeles Career Counselor & Coach

Hello, Readers!

It's been a momentous year, thus far, at Daisy Swan & Associates. You've probably reached that conclusion on your own, if you've read all of the notices about our events and programs! I'm so pleased to have been able to offer so many new programs, and to have served an ever-growing clientele - with the multiple live events that we've hosted, as well as the addition of new, talented coaches to our staff, we have been (and will be) able to serve hundreds of people this year. 

Thanks to one of my dear clients, for so succinctly, clearly and concisely stating exactly my main purpose, with Daisy Swan & Associates: Help more people know that making a life - not just a living - is possible, no matter which LifeStage you happen to be in. This is not to imply that we can always get what we want, when we want it; sometimes we really do need to stay where we are or take the job that we don't want to take, in order to get where we want to go. What we at Daisy Swan & Associates do, is help our clients sort through the confusion, the options, the ideas, possibilities and breakthroughs, to intentionally create, clear and walk a path. Sometimes these paths unfold in funny ways, and often things take longer than we expect - I'm learning that, myself! 

I thought that by this time of year, I would have my new programs installed and operating with ease and simplicity...HA! I'm finding that I am not alone in discovering that our world is moving to a new rhythm - one which requires most of us to be as flexible as possible, and OK with things not going quite as we plan or expect. I have been reminded by some wise teachers that 'We plan and then God laughs.'

Wave

What does all of this mean? It means that we need to keep our heads up, eyes open, and shoulders wide and broad, with feet firmly planted - but also able to move. I think of the beach, as I write this: If a big wave starts to roll in, and you're standing on the shore with your attention somewhere other than on that fast-approaching swell, once it hits, you'll end up on your butt. A lot of people have been doing just that - they are where they are, but are not really paying attention (or don't want to pay attention) to the waves that are rolling in with gusto - and then they get knocked on their butts. In the coming months, my aim is to help more people uncover what's happening in our world, and how to handle what's going on...how to ROLL with the waves, and everything that is happening in our ever-changing lives! And to that end...

Survey: Complete our brief survey and be entered into our prize drawing!

...I'm linking a brief survey to this note, which I sincerely hope you will complete for me.  As an incentive, we'll be holding a drawing for all survey participants - two lucky winners will receive an initial two-hour consultation with me, free of charge.  It should only take about a minute to complete - really.

This survey will help me to determine what to offer to you and your friends, family and/or colleagues in the future, so that we can all ROLL a little easier in the next few months, and the year ahead. I intend to deliver more programs at lower costs, to more people, and to truly offer a venue where people can meet others who are smart, creative and capable of doing amazing work. L.A. is a small town, but hard to get your arms around.  The clients with whom I work are all fantastic people, and when they can all gather in one spot, they inevitably link up with new like-minded people. I love to build a sense of community, as well as helping people find their "people," and the work or careers that they want. So please do help me with this survey, so that I can reach out and share my gift with more people. And along these lines...

Updates: What's New at Daisy Swan & Associates

...I am planning to host an informal, networking mixer at some point in the early fall, for all of my current clients and their guests. Please stay tuned for the "official" announcement and details! If you have any suggestions, comments, or ideas regarding such an event, please feel free to include them with your survey.

I've been helping people to make sense of their lives and careers for years now, and I repeatedly hear certain questions that I needed a way to address, to aid people looking to make life changes discover new ways of finding what they want. To help simplify the new job search process, I've just posted my first eBook on my site, "Demystifying Technology for the Job Search." Perhaps this will be helpful to you or others you know who are attempting to make changes in their lives or careers. Other eBooks will be hitting the site this year, along with new opportunities to learn about the issues faced by those in each of the LifeStages I've described on my site.

Over the years, I've worked with a multitude of creative people and people who would like to be more creative. To aid those people, I've invited Cathleen Rountree, B.F.A., M.A., Ph.D., Creativity Coach, to join Daisy Swan & Associates. Cathleen has an impressive breadth of experience and education to share with those of you who are interested in pursuing your writing or other creative ventures. Bev Weise, M.B.A., has also joined Daisy Swan & Associates. Bev is a sharp professional with years of experience working with leaders in business and law environments. You can read about all of our Associates on our web site.   

Recommended Reads & Web Sites

DaraTorres

Dara Torres, age 41, competes in her 5th Olympics

In June, I attended the International Conference & Exposition of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD). It was there that I heard Malcolm Gladwell speak about his upcoming book, due out in November, which I want to thank him for writing. It's about the value of various types of talent development. And - thank you, thank you! - the value of LATE BLOOMERS and how our world of business and sports and arts is overlooking those whose talents develop over time. The book will certainly be another great read, especially for those of you out there who are realizing that most of us really hit our stride after 35...not to mention how many boomers are currently re-creating life after 50! There's so much that we can do with our lives - who wants to stop at 60?!

The avid reader that I am, here are a few notable books that I've enjoyed, and think are particularly noteworthy in today's life landscape: 

"Prime Time: How Baby Boomers Will Revolutionize Retirement and Transform America"
by Marc Freedman, President of Civic Ventures

"Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids, and Life in a Half-Changed World"
by Peggy Orenstein

"Mindset: The New Psychology of Success"
by Carol Dweck

"On Women Turning Thirty," "...Forty," "...Fifty," "...Sixty," and "...Seventy"
by Cathleen Rountree (One book for each decade!)

"Looking Around"
by Witold Rybczynski

"Creating True Prosperity"
by Shakti Gawain

"The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife"
by Marianne Williamson

And just in case you haven't found the The Music Genome Project®, www.Pandora.com yet, I highly recommend it! I'm listening to my own radio station as I write. I'm sure that know you all know about TED already, but did you know about www.talk.biz? And for those of you with teens, you need to know about Vanessa Van Petten's blog, "Teens Today." This is a must-see resource if you have kids aged 11-25, or older!

Until I get to see or hear from each of you again, please enjoy the rest of your summer days! And keep an eye on those waves that life is tossing our way...

Daisy Swan


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