Daisy Swan - Los Angeles Career Coach, Career Counselor and career strategy

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Happy Spring�Happy Anything.

How happy are you?

sun and trees

The happier you feel, the more creative you can be. And when we have a relaxed and happy mind, the sparks of creativity tend to pop up in rapid succession. Whether you carve out time to relax by walking, running, practicing yoga or meditation, taking a hot shower or sauna, you build more openings for creative solutions to appear.

Taking note of when you’re stressed, overworked or underemployed - or just feeling that ‘stop the world; I want to get off’ kind of thing - is a good reminder that you need to consciously take a time-out to relax your brain, and let it bathe in some positivity and relaxation away from forms of media and the Internet. Take a look at this video by Director Julie Taymor and neuroscientists Rex Jung and Douglas Fields, in which they ponder the concepts of genius over the course of history, and the possible effects of new technology on attention and creativity:

video

Brain research shows that we’re wired to notice the negative in all things, so we deliberately need to work harder to see and recognize the positive. That means for every ONE negative thought or statement, we need to counterbalance it with FIVE positives. What’s the net result? More positive feelings, more relaxation of your mind, more creative responses to challenges that we face.

You know I love reading and being inspired, and now I’m reading “Imagine: How Creativity Works”, by Jonah Lehrer. I highly recommend this book, since we live in a time and place where creativity is our most important asset in making the most of our lives. And you also know I’m all about balance - work, fun, health, connecting with others. Interested in this kind of balance, too? What will you do to have more of that positivity…TODAY?

My positive action is to move! We have a new Daisy Swan & Associates office opening in Marina Del Rey; our lease changed at the Wilshire office, so you’ll now find our client meetings and workshop evenings at our new office at 4132A Del Rey Avenue, Marina Del Rey. Close to the 90 Freeway, plenty of free evening parking for our workshop participants, and a cool space populated with start-ups and good energy. We think you’ll like our new space as much as we do. And we are still available to meet at the San Vicente office, as well (11812 San Vicente Blvd., Brentwood). It’s a win/win.

We also have a couple of new offerings that are designed to keep you in action and keep improving your connections. Our “Accountability Power Hour” is a new tele-group meeting to help those of you in your search to keep on keepin’ on. If you’ve worked with me or have been in one of our coaching groups and want to connect with others who similarly are on the path to something new, join up!

Meeting two times per month for one hour each, these groups are limited to six (6) participants who will hold each other accountable, encourage, and challenge one another to keep honest with their commitments to do what’s needed to keep them headed towards their goals. I’ll be facilitating, offering new strategies, resources, and nudging when needed. All for the low price of $59.00 per month. Tuesdays or Thursdays 12-1 PM, the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month; and Tuesdays nights from 7-8 PM the 2nd and 4th weeks of the month. To read more about this new option and to register, please click here.

Career Reinvention

We’ll also be continuing with our popular “Career Reinvention and Job Search Strategies Group” series in April, the next of which starts on Wednesday, April 4 at 7 PM, in our new Marina Del Rey office. This group, led by my associate coach, Christine Nagle, is $199.00 for all four (4) meetings, and is only open to eight (8) participants. We had an excellent turn-out for the groups last month, and a lot of progress was made by everyone involved…in fact, here are some testimonials from some of our recent participants:

“Thanks so much Christine. I had my interview earlier today. I found the job and was introduced by a former colleague – some of the techniques taught in your four-week class on job strategy, and in the private coaching session. Yeah, it worked!” ~ Laura

“Christine, I just wanted to thank you so much for the many valuable things I learned in our career workshop! I felt it was informative, constructive, supportive and a great place for me to begin my job search. You helped me to gain clarity about my greatest talents and how to highlight them in my resume, how to build an effective and targeted job search campaign, how to creatively network and how to use social media to promote myself professionally. As an added bonus, I was able to form connections with my fellow workshop goers. We're staying in touch and supporting one another in achieving our career goals. Thanks again! I'll be sending my friends your way!" ~ Selina

“This class simultaneously delivered a broad, generalized approach to the job search while also dealing with each person’s more specific circumstances. This provided me with the comfort that my situation was going to get the attention it deserved, while not detracting from what the whole group came for, as well.” ~ Andy

Since we’ve had a good number of requests as of late, for help with résumés, we’re also holding our “One-Night Resume/Cover Letter Workshop” on Wednesday, April 25, at 7 PM. The workshop fee is only $59.00 per person and like our coaching groups, the event is limited to a small number of participants. For more information about the groups or the résumé workshop, and to register, please visit our web site.


News from Daisy's Desk

Lorraine Prieto Berchtold

Don’t forget that with our one-on-one coaching services, we're here for your individual needs, as well. And on that note, I’m very happy to introduce our newest coach, Lorraine Prieto Berchtold, MBA, CPC. You’ll find Lorraine’s bio on our web site; she'll be available to work with women in transition - something she knows all about.

If you’re in Los Angeles, on April 17 I’ll be speaking at the FREE “Women For Hire” career expo at the Four Points by Sheraton, Los Angeles International Airport. So do join me and the others who attend these high-caliber recruiting events that enable talented women in all fields to meet directly with recruiters and hiring managers from top employers.

And I’m very excited to be curating the April 18 TEDxManhattanBeach evening discussion on compassion and why it’s so important to all of our lives - both personally and professionally. Join me and other interesting and curious individuals at Ignited in El Segundo, for what’s always a stimulating conversation with engaged peeps.

And as always, here are some books and magazines that we love:

The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career”, by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha.

Imagine: How Creativity Works”, by Jonah Lehrer

StrengthsFinder 2.0”, by Tom Rath

StandOut: The Groundbreaking New Strengths Assessment from the Leader of the Strengths Revolution”, by Marcus Buckingham

Find Bliss Magazine

Fast Company

Inc. Magazine

Ode Magazine

You can also find a wealth of resources on my site, from other suggested books, links to helpful sites, a Q&A with me, newsletter archives, and more. You can even sign up to receive a FREE résumé template from Daisy Swan & Associates; the signup box is located right on our home page. And please feel free to tell your friends and colleagues about our FREE résumé template, or any of our other services and offerings.

If you have any questions about any of our coaching services - or simply want to provide some feedback or suggestions - please know that you can always reach out to us at [email protected], or at our toll-free phone number: 1-877-872-3929.

HAPPY SPRING!

Daisy Swan & Associates



Keep up with Daisy

Daisy Swan



Daisy S. Swan, MA, CPCC
The Los Angeles Career Counselor and Coach
11620 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 900-034
Los Angeles, CA 90025
1-877-872-3929
www.daisyswan.com

© 2012 Daisy Swan