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Clarity and Courage: What you need to get started on your Encore Journey, Guest blog by Dan Mason

If you are looking to leave your old career behind, reinvent your life, and begin your Encore journey, there are only two things you need to get started: clarity and courage.

The formula is simple, so why then do many people feel “stuck” and unable to create momentum towards their new vision? Why do we stay in the cycle of indecision and inaction for months, years, and sometimes decades? Why are we not using our unique gifts and talents to contribute to the world in a way that lights us up and brings us fulfillment?

After working with clients in 7 countries, I can tell you one of the leading causes of stagnation is a false belief that clarity precedes courage.

We tell ourselves we will start a new career when the timing is “right.” We think we need more time to develop the “perfect” plan. If we just read one more motivational book, attend one more seminar, go to one more yoga class, or watch one more episode of Oprah, we will have the “a-ha moment.” The perfect plan will fall from the sky and reveal itself. We want to be certain everything will work out exactly the way we want, on our exact timeline, with zero chance of failure.

But that’s not the way the Universe works, now is it?

The truth is, nothing worthwhile has ever been created in the world with a known attachment to the outcome. The Wright Brothers crashed many flying machines before they achieved manned flight. Thomas Edison had over 1000 failed attempts at creating the lightbulb. A quick google search will help you find the terrible first drafts to some of the most iconic movie scripts ever written.

If you are serious about closing the gap between where you are and where you want to be in your life, courage must come before clarity. You must be willing to take courageous action and trust that the plan will come into focus over time.

A recent client of mine demonstrates this concept perfectly.

Kelly was a stay-at-home mom with a lifelong dream to be a television host on QVC. The challenge? She had zero prior experience. She had no agent and no contacts in the entertainment industry. She had no audition reel to send in, and the most recent job on her resume was as a group fitness instructor.

Most people would wait until everything was “perfect” to get started, but my client and I made a pact to take courageous, imperfect action. Rather than wait to save money for the $300 luxury salon haircut and color, she went to Supercuts and got a $14 haircut. Instead of waiting to buy the designer clothes at Nordstrom for her headshots, she went to Target and bought a cute, affordable outfit from the sale rack. With no contacts in TV to tape a professional audition reel, she created an MP3 of her “selling” her favorite products.

She got everything together and clicked the submission link on the website…Then found out she had missed the deadline to submit her materials.  Her heart sank. Did she wait too long and let her dream pass her by? Was she stupid for even wanting to pursue this in the first place? Most people would have used this as an excuse to give up and say things “never work out” for them. Yet, a little voice in her head told her she should send her materials to the casting director’s email anyway. Within seconds of pressing send, the automatic reply message came back saying the deadline had been extended to February 1st. Truth: It’s not your place to worry about HOW to get something done. When you show up with courage for yourself and your dreams, life has a way of showing up and giving you clarity.

In this case, time literally expanded to account for her dream. Within two days, the casting agent called her back. Despite having what I’m sure was the least “professional” audition package of the applicants, he was intrigued by her story and her energy. He set up a time to walk her through a video audition on Skype, answering her questions and teaching her basics of what she needed to do as an on-camera host… because when we act with courage, clarity will always follow. A mere 11 weeks after we began working together, the stay-at-home mom with big dreams and no TV experience was asked to drive to New York City and audition in front of QVC executives. She crushed it! She was personable, she was real, she made the room laugh. She left feeling on top of the world. The casting decision is still pending, so she’s playing the waiting game. But on some level, the outcome is irrelevant…  because her courage has helped her find clarity. She knows her dreams aren’t crazy. She knows her family and friends won’t judge her for trying something big. In fact, she was supported by everyone in her life.

Perhaps most importantly, she has clarity she really can be a TV host. Regardless whether she gets this particular job, she has cultivated the confidence to keep putting herself out there and taking more perfectly imperfect action.

Now over to you!

Where in your life have you been placing clarity before courage? What courageous action could you take right now to put you closer to your Encore goals?

Email dan@creativesoulcoaching.net and let me know. I will personally respond to each email!

Dan Mason is a personal coach, motivational speaker and Huffington Post Blogger. He has conducted workshops and webinars on a variety of personal growth topics. He can be reached by e-mail or at his website http://www.creativesoulcoaching.net/

Finding Purpose with Passion: One Man’s Story Beginning with an Encore Ending

For most of us, understanding every aspect of our personal finance can be daunting.  From investments to retirement to insurance, the decisions can be overwhelming.

Mark Gray knows this well.

For most of his life, he had taken a strong interest in making and saving money.  By age nine, he had a paper route, and throughout high school, he flipped burgers to pay for his education.  Soon following, he joined the Army Reserve to pay for a degree in management so he could take a ‘real’ job in the corporate world.  Thanks to this income, he was able to afford an MBA in Organizational Development.

With a background like this, one can only assume a future in finance would be crystal clear.

But not Mark. It wasn’t until he hired a Financial Advisor to help with his savings where Mark’s path took a turn.  Unfortunately for Mark, his advisor lost nearly all of his savings.  While devastating, it made him contemplate his next move.  Surely, if he had been so vulnerable to poor financial guidance, there must be hundreds of others in the same boat.

With this motivation under his belt, Mark earned a degree in Financial management and began offering financial assistance to others, while working full-time at IBM, then Verizon following corporate restructuring at IBM.

Despite his success with financial management, Mark didn’t see it as an option career-wise.  He wasn’t interested in sales, and felt the industry focused more on sales and less on solid investing.

Not until Mark took a workshop at Encore in 2014, did he begin to see the light.  The session’s focus was on how to define one’s strengths, and use existing networks to learn about other careers.  Led by Encore founder, Bevan Rogel, Mark was completely taken back by Bevan’s passion and expertise.  She spoke with such clarity and purpose.

With time, Mark eventually connected the dots.

He too spoke with passion and purpose – specifically when coaching others about their finances.  ‘So this is what I should be doing’, he thought.  And precisely where you will find him today. Proud owner and chief operator of Mark Gray Financial, a company he founded to help its clients better understand, define and achieve their financial goals.

And unlike other management companies, Mark’s not interested in selling to you, as he is in working with you for the best outcomes. Talk about a win-win.

As you begin…or continue… on your Encore journey, Mark offers these little nuggets of information:

  • As you are in the process of ending your first career, start doing information interviews, start learning, or even working/volunteering  in your in your encore career.
  • If your second career is to become a business owner, become a “Chicken Entrepreneur”, start your business while you are still employed in your first career.
  • Hang out with people who are like minded. There is a verse in the Bible that says “iron sharpens iron”. Hang out with people who can encourage you, and are already involved in their encore career. Humble yourself, ask questions…be with people who are super motivated, and even hang with younger people. The younger generation sometimes gets a bad rap, but you can learn from them.
  • For some, it may help to have a good support system as you evolve in this journey. For Mark, it was his wife.

To learn more about Mark Gray Financial, visit: www.markgrayfinancial.com

 

Joy at Work: 3 Steps to Ensuring a Satisfying Encore Career: Guest blog by Lisa Huetteman

According to a recent report by the Gallup organization, there are twice as many actively disengaged workers in the world as there are engaged workers who love their jobs.  You can download the report here:

Can you believe that?  Twice as many people hate their jobs as those who love them.  But, it gets worse.

Gallup found that only 13% of workers feel engaged by their jobs. That means they feel a sense of passion for their work, a deep connection to their employer and they spend their days driving innovation and moving their company forward.

The vast majority, some 63%, are “not engaged,” meaning they are unhappy but not drastically so. In short, they’ve checked out. They sleepwalk through the day and put little energy into their work.

A full 24% of global workers are what Gallup calls “actively disengaged,” meaning they pretty much hate their jobs. They act out and undermine what their coworkers accomplish.

If you add the actively disengaged to the not engaged and you get 87% of workers worldwide who, as Gallup puts it, “are emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and less likely to be productive.” In other words, work is more often a source of frustration than one of fulfillment for nearly 90% of the world’s workers.

Chances are that when you look back on your pre-encore career, you can relate to these disengagement statistics because they reflect you! To avoid making an encore mistake, follow these three steps to finding Joy at Work.

So how do you create Joy at work?

#1 The first step to creating Joy at Work is to gain clarity of who you are.  Each and every person has been created for a purpose and gifted by their Creator to fulfill their purpose. When your work is in alignment with your purpose, you’re more likely to experience Joy at Work.

This premise is supported by a survey conducted by the Harvard Business Review of more than 12,000 mostly white-collar employees across a broad range of companies and industries. “Employees are vastly more satisfied and productive when four of their core needs are met: physical, through opportunities to regularly renew and recharge at work; emotional, by feeling valued and appreciated for their contributions; mental, when they have the opportunity to focus in an absorbed way on their most important tasks and define when and where they get their work done; and spiritual, by doing more of what they do best and enjoy most, and by feeling connected to a higher purpose at work.”

People are more satisfied and productive when they do what they do best and enjoy the most, and when they are connected to a higher purpose.  So, what do you do best?

Gaining clarity of your gifts, talents and skills is not as easy as it may sound.  I am amazed at how many people I’ve worked with who didn’t have a clear understanding of their skills, their talents, and their God-given gifts.  You were created uniquely with special talents and gifts.  What are the talents and gifts you bring to the workplace?

#2 The second step to creating Joy at Work is finding a great job fit; that is, finding a good fit between who you are and what it takes to be successful in the job.  When you try to fit who you naturally are into a role that requires something different to succeed, you are out of alignment. You’ll feel the pain of stress. On the other hand, the more you are naturally a great fit for your job, the more you’ll find that you enjoy it.

#3 The third element of finding joy at work is culture fit. You may be in the right job, but the job is in the wrong company.  You can evaluate a cultural fit by assessing the core values – not the stated core values, but those that are the actual norms or standards for behaviors and decision making.

What are your personal core values?  What are the non-negotiable guiding principles that would not violate – ever! (Or, if you did, you’d repent and make it right.)  A person cannot consistently act in conflict with their values and beliefs.  If you are surrounded by people who consistently behave in ways that are inconsistent with your values and beliefs, you’ll be uncomfortable.  On the other hand, you’ll feel right at home with others who share your values.

When you are looking for a job, research the company’s core values.  If you have a hard time finding them, chances are they aren’t an important part of the company’s culture.  Are their core values stated in the job posting? Do they ask questions related to their values in the interview process? Do you see evidence of their values in the work environment? How do they respond when you ask questions related to their core values? Remember, the recruitment process is a mutual evaluation.  You are looking for a good fit as much as the employer.

Putting it all together

Begin by gaining clarity of your strengths, your talents and your gifts.  You were created specifically for a purpose and your talents and gifts are a part of fulfilling that purpose, at work and in life.  Having a clear understanding of the value you bring to your job is the first step in finding Joy at Work because the second step is making sure that there is a good fit between you and your job.

Finally, it is essential that you are clear about what is important to you, what are the non-negotiable values and beliefs that you bring to your job and match them to the core values of the organization.  Because you cannot consistently behave inconsistently with your values and beliefs, if there is a bad fit, you’ll be uncomfortable working in that environment.

It is up to you to take responsibility to make sure there is alignment between who you are and what the job requires for success and between your non-negotiable values and beliefs and the culture of the organization. By taking responsibility for your encore career, you have the power to create Joy at Work.

Lisa Huetteman is a company culture expert, executive coach, author of The Value of Core Values: Five Keys to Success through Values-Centered Leadership, and co-creator of the Find My Perfect Job formula.

www.the-black-diamond.com  www.thevalueofcorevalues.com  www.findmyperfectjob.net

Ready, Fire, Aim!

Ready, Aim, FireOver the last four years Encore Tampa Bay has been committed to inspiring, educating and connecting mid-life experienced adults to their true purpose, aka: their encore.

What I continue to observe is that many people are trapped in their own thoughts about what they think they should be instead of pursuing what they really want to be!  Every week I hear someone say to me “What a great idea to think about new opportunities for our second half of life”.   And yet our surveys and activity reports show people are not willing or ready to take that next step….or that they even KNOW what the next step is!

What is holding us back from taking that next step?  (Yes, I am including myself in this scenario).   I recently read a great article that speaks to this issue, “Why Boomers Need to Stop Trying to Reinvent Themselves”.   People are stuck on the idea of BEING in a new role, new business or new chapter.   However, too many are short on the DOING, i.e. taking the action steps that lead to this new chapter or role.

What is holding us back?

  • There is no clear and perfect path. The old retirement “track” no longer works for us.
  • Big changes can be scary and risky!
  • Our inner thoughts can be the biggest barrier to acting.
  • We are surrounded by people who do not understand our new way of thinking.
  • Or perhaps it’s plain old FEAR.

Good news!  It is not too late to make our New Year’s resolutions and take the first steps towards those new resolutions. A recent article, “Five New Year’s Resolutions for Older Adults” gets us started on a new list of resolutions to consider.

  • EMBRACE UNCERTAINTY RATHER THAN AVOID IT.  It is time to acknowledge that stepping away from the established path and letting go of the roles that we have played all our lives can be a good thing. Look for support and role models along the way.
  • SEEK OPPORTUNITIES IN CHANGING CONDITIONS. We may not like change but it is natural, necessary and something to embrace.  Acknowledge that change isn’t a threat but rather an opportunity to recreate yourself!
  • RESOLVE AND REFLECT ON YOUR SECOND ACT.  One of the best things I continue to do is to set aside a serious chunk of time for meditation, reflection and journaling at the beginning of each year – what have I learned over the last year and what are my intentions or desires for this upcoming year.
  • RESOLVE TO REMOVE AND IMPROVE.    The key part of making it through transitions is learning how to let go and release old habits, behaviors, activities and relationships that are no longer useful in our lives.
  • RESOLVE TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH RISK.   Your whole encore journey will require you to weigh and accept reasonable risks.   What happens if you stay stuck in this place of boredom or misery versus taking a small first step towards being the person you really want to be? What has more risk? Doing nothing or trying something?
  • FACE YOUR FEARS.   I cannot tell you how many times over the last four years I literally broke out in a cold sweat thinking “What am I doing? What happens if I fail? What will people think?” One of the most profound and helpful books that helped me to take the first step towards starting Encore Tampa Bay and following my passion was, “The Big Leap” by Gay Hendricks.    The whole premise of the book is about how to conquer your hidden fear and take your life to the next level.

What are your next steps for 2017?   How can you activate your New Year resolutions?     As the Chinese philosopher, Lao Tzu said:

“The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.”

Encore Tampa Bay is here to help you along your journey.  Our website and our Tampa Bay Network of organizations and individuals are ready to help you along the way!

I challenge you to start by making a small and simple list of first steps you want to take this month:

  • Get an accountability buddy (look for other like-minded individuals who are in this same place)
  • Write down what it is that is holding you back.
  • List the first few specific action steps you are willing to take in the next 30 days.
  • Go volunteer at a local nonprofit.  We will be posting many different opportunities and organizations that really need your talent and experience.
  • Sign up for one of our sessions or other upcoming sessions on our website under “Upcoming Events”.
  • Believe in YOU!!!

Bevan Rogel

Encore Tampa Bay

NEARING RETIREMENT AND WONDERING WHAT’S NEXT?

Written by Karen Julien, Sr. Vice President and Branch Manager, Raymond James

retirement

You’ve likely thought about what retirement will be like, but have you defined the details that will make up the next 20 to 30 years of your life? We know that vision is different for every person, but one thing is the same. Now is the time to get down to details and identify short- and long-term goals. It’s important to think about how you’d like to spend your time, where you want to live and who you’d like to spend time with when you no longer work from 9 to 5. It is also important to think about the things you hope won’t ever happen – like an unexpected illness – and plan for them just the same. These unknowns can put your vision at risk if they catch you unprepared.

Retirement isn’t the endgame; it’s a full and active part of your life that could last a long time, so you’ll want to be as prepared as you can – financially, emotionally and physically. Raymond James can help you develop a sensible strategy for how you’ll fund a fulfilling retirement and Encore Tampa Bay can help you discover “what’s next” to help you live the future you’ve envisioned.

retirement

 

Founded in 1962 and a public company since 1983, Raymond James is a diversified financial services holding company with subsidiaries engaged primarily in investment and financial planning, in addition to investment banking and asset management.
Through its three broker/dealer subsidiaries, Raymond James Financial has approximately 6,700 financial advisors serving in excess of 2.7 million client accounts in more than 2,700 locations throughout the United States, Canada and overseas. In addition, total client assets are approximately $500 billion.
Raymond James has been recognized nationally for its community support and corporate philanthropy. The company has been ranked as one of the best in the country in customer service, as a great place to work and as a national leader in support of the arts.
Raymond James is not affiliated with Encore Tampa Bay. Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Member New York Stock Exchange/SIPC. Karen Julien, Branch Manager // Carillon Branch // 880 Carillon Parkway // St. Petersburg, FL // 33716

Jack Sheppard’s Encore Career Story

Encore Career

By guest blogger MIKE STEPHENSON

Jack Sheppard was restless.

A pinball of a man who constantly bounced from task to task, Sheppard was four weeks into a buyout after a three-and-a-half decade newspaper career.

He had helped break open one of the biggest college football scandals in history at Southern Methodist University. He had covered Super Bowls. He had served 21 years as sports editor through the golden age of Tampa Bay area sports.

Now he needed something to do.

“Somebody’s going to have to take a flyer,” he remembers thinking.

Sheppard, 59, had management and communication skills built through the newspaper career he fell into through a fluke at The Ohio State University when the prospective optometrist got crosswise with organic chemistry and then randomly was assigned to cover lacrosse for a journalism class. He fell in love with sports journalism.

After stints at papers in San Angelo and Dallas, Texas, he took a job covering the NFL for the St. Petersburg Times, soon moving into management and then becoming sports editor in 1993. The sports market was expanding rapidly, adding the NHL Tampa Bay Lightning, the major league Tampa Bay Rays and a Division I football program at the University of South Florida.

“We just got to do so much,” Sheppard said, noting a Tampa Bay Buccaneers Super Bowl title in 2003, Lightning Stanley Cup win in 2004 and Rays World Series appearance in 2008. “I used to brag to my colleagues around the country … that we were still able to think about what can we do that’s bigger and better and grander.”

But the challenging economics of the newspaper industry eventually caught up the the Times with tighter space, earlier deadlines and layoffs. “It started to dry up quickly,” Sheppard said. “The creative parts of the job were more challenging because everything was about money.”

By late 2014, the outlook at the paper, which had re-branded into the Tampa Bay Times in 2012, was bleak. Sheppard decided to jump and took a buyout. He had some advantages: His wife, Cindy, had a good job with strong benefits; they were financially stable; he had renovated his house.

“All the big-ticket things were behind us,” he said.

Sheppard had an interest in working with children that had been stoked in 2003 when he and Cindy mentored a boy through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for four years. Knowing he could afford to make less and wanted to make a difference by working with youth, Sheppard focused on non-profit organizations that worked with kids. His connections through the Times helped him get in to visit with CEOs and other leaders of area organizations.

Sheppard hit it off with Stephen Koch, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. All that was available was an entry level job recruiting “Bigs” in Pinellas County.

Sheppard needed something to do, so he took it.

Getting his foot in the door helped Sheppard in many ways. He learned skills he hadn’t needed as a sports writer and editor, such as public speaking and PowerPoint presentations.

“It was scary to me. It was frightening,” he said. “I hadn’t done it, and I wasn’t very good at it. But I did it.”

After 35 years in the newspaper business, Sheppard said the learning experience was rejuvenating and transformative, teaching him he’s not too old to learn.

“What you really know how to do is think and organize and communicate …” he said. “The fact that these skills are transferable is very encouraging and even more so there’s so much new stuff I’m learning to do. It’s heartening.”

After about six months, Sheppard was promoted to managing director of marketing and partnership development. His experience recruiting “Bigs” helped him lead a revamp of the organization’s recruitment system that has streamlined the process and dramatically increased the yield rate and quality of candidates from applications.

“That’ll be my legacy …” he said. “That’s all any of us want to do. We want to have an impact. We want to use our brains and do something that works, that helps. And they’ve let me do that.”

Jack Sheppard’s tips for finding your Encore:

  1. Use your connections: Find job prospects at Indeed.com or another service, but use your contacts to get in the door rather than depending on blindly sending a resume.
  2. Get your foot in the door: Find an organization you’re interested in and be willing to take a lesser job to learn the skills and the organization. You can advance from there.
  3. Look for your opportunity and knock on the door: Once you know the lay of the land, take initiative to seek a position that allows you to have greater impact.