Earlier this year, Allison Maslan visited my blog to tell us about her Blast Off! Dream Career Questionnaire and her new book, Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality. At that time I said I’d be posting my review of the book, and today I’m going to make good on that promise.

Maslan’s book is based on the Blast Off! Coaching Program which she developed to help others achieve their goals, after turning her own life around, both personally and professionally.

The first chapter provides an outline of the program and describes the tools that you will use as you work towards your goals. The remaining chapters are each dedicated to a specific goal area, including career, relationship, health, and prosperity. This is a real time-saver, because you can choose to read only the chapters that pertain to your specific goals. I do, however, recommend reading the whole book when you have the time, because it’s full of nuggets that you may find helpful, even in areas of your life where you generally feel satisfied. Some are real eye-openers, some may be difficult to accept, and others are simply reminders of things we already know but aren’t putting into practice for one reason or another. For example, here’s an excerpt from the chapter Blast Off! to a Life of Passion and Meaning:

Four Ways to Build the Back End of Passion

1. Establish good nutrition. It’s easy to fall into fast food or snacking when you are so engrossed in your passion that you’re not taking the time to eat right.
2. Eight hours of sleep each night. Sleep is one of the most healing, energizing medicines, and it is absolutely critical for a creative mind. Did you know that sleep deprivation is used as a brainwashing technique? Without sleep, you are living in survival mode, which is the opposite of a passionate life.
3. Take a passion break once a week. Most of my creativity comes when I’m not working. When my mind is clear and I’m exploring or having fun, the ideas have room to appear. Turn off your phone. Shut down your computer. Go spend the day outdoors in nature, go to a movie, take a bike ride, or visit some friends. Talk about things other than your passion. (For a few minutes, anyway.)
4. Get physical. Especially if your passion is of the intellectual persuasion, you must get into your body. If you’re living from the neck up, your body needs to be enlivened. Choose exercise that you can sustain by doing activities that you will enjoy, such as dance, running, swimming, biking or boxing. Mix it up! It’s more beneficial to incorporate more than one activity to stimulate various muscle groups in the body. You will also stimulate the serotonin in your brain for more creativity and mood enhancement. You will prevent fatigue and burnout as you stimulate your cardiovascular system, get your blood pumping, and your billions of cells moving. Ahhhhhhh.

I ask you, do you know anyone who couldn’t benefit from taking this advice?

What I liked best about the book is that it doesn’t just tell you what to do. Instead, each chapter includes a series of practical exercises to help you identify the changes you want to implement and the steps you need to take to reach your ultimate goal. Furthermore, the exercises are unique for each chapter, and not just re-worded to suit the topic. A lot of people may resist doing the exercises because they require effort, but I’m a firm believer that the more you put into something, the more you’ll get out of it.

Readers can follow the program independently, with a partner, or with a Blast Off! Group. Guidance around forming a Blast Off! Group is provided in the book.

If you’d like to try out Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality for yourself, you can order a copy from Amazon.com or Amazon.ca.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Book Review: Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan to Launch Your Dreams into Reality.

Once in a while I like to set aside my usual topics of productivity and social media to talk about other things that are going on in my life or in the world around us, and today I’d like to put the spotlight on cancer. I don’t think I need to explain what a terrible disease it is, or get into statistics about the number of people who are affected by it. We probably all know someone who has it, has had it, or has lost their life to it.

Photo by Roger H. Goun

If you are one of the lucky few whose lives have not been touched by cancer, I’d like to introduce you to Krista Colvin. Krista is a professional organizer and lifestyle expert in Oregon who has been on sabbatical since being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year. She is sharing her current journey with all of us through a blog which she has named Putting on My Big Girl Panties + Kicking Breast Cancer in the Ass.

Krista is not the only person in my online network to have been dealt this hand. Last year I took part in Debbie Jordan Kravitz’s virtual book tour to promote the launch of Everything I Know about Perfectionism I Learned from My Breasts: Secrets and Solutions for Overpowering Perfectionism. On June 15, you can listen in as Debbie is interviewed by Ariane Benefit about perfectionism and how surviving breast cancer inspired her to conquer perfectionism and write her book. It is a free call, but you need to register to receive the call-in/webinar information.

Linda Ockwell-Jenner, President of Motivational Steps, is another inspiring breast cancer survivor. Unfortunately, not every story has a happy ending. My godmother, my favourite uncle, a childhood neighbour and, most recently, a dear family friend, have been taken by various forms of cancer.

Fortunately, there are things you can do. You can help raise funds for cancer treatment, research, and education programs by supporting such events as The Weekend to End Women’s Cancers. Even if you’re financially unable to make a donation, you can make a difference by visiting The Breast Cancer Site, where sponsors contribute funds for mammograms based on the number of visitors to the site each day.

Don’t forget to protect yourself as much as possible by leading a healthy lifestyle and by undergoing any routine tests recommended by your health care providers.

Photo Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sskennel/2601850080
Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on The C Word: Let’s Stamp it Out.

This is one of my favourite times of year. After months of short, cold, grey days, it’s so energizing to see the sun more and more and for longer stretches of time.

It’s so easy to go into hibernation during the winter months when you work from home, especially if you’re inclined to introversion as it is. But once the spring comes, who can resist setting work aside, even for half an hour, to get out and enjoy the fresh air?

Yesterday the twig was brown and bare;
To-day the glint of green is there;
Tomorrow will be leaflets spare;
I know no thing so wondrous fair,
No miracle so strangely rare.
I wonder what will next be there!

L.H. Bailey
American horticulturist, botanist and cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science (1858-1954)

What’s your favourite season, and why?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Spring is in the Air.

Do you ever have days when you download your email and find your inbox full of newsletters, spam, chain letters, jokes, and warm fuzzies?

You can unsubscribe from newsletters and use SpamArrest to eliminate spam, but how do you handle well-intentioned friends who feel compelled to share every single email that puts a smile on their face? For an answer to this question, check out Thanks. No. which offers an interesting, if somewhat passive-aggressive, approach to dealing with people who are addicted to forwarding.

Thanks. No. isn’t really my style, nor will I just delete this type of email automatically. I always like to take at least a quick glance, because you just never know when you’ll come across something that is worth reading and even sharing. For example, take the following passage, which I received not too long ago – I think it will speak to you, no matter what season of life you’re in.

You know, time has a way of moving quickly and catching you unaware of the passing years.

It seems just yesterday that I was young, just married and embarking on my new life with my mate. And yet in a way, it seems like eons ago, and I wonder where all the years went.

I know that I lived them all… And I have glimpses of how it was back then and of all my hopes and dreams… But, here it is… the winter of my life and it catches me by surprise… How did I get here so fast? Where did the years go and where did my babies go? And where did my youth go?

I remember well… Seeing older people through the years and thinking that those older people were years away from me and that winter was so far off that I could not fathom it or imagine fully what it would be like…  But, here it is…

My friends are retired and really getting gray… they move slower and I see an older person now. Lots are in better shape than me… But, I see the great change… Not like the ones that I remember who were young and vibrant… But, like me, their age is beginning to show and we are now those older folks that we used to see and never thought we’d be.

Each day now, I find that just getting a shower is a real target for the day. And taking a nap is not a treat anymore… it’s mandatory! Cause if I don’t on my own free will, I just fall asleep where I sit!

And so, now I enter into this new season of my life unprepared for all the aches and pains and the loss of strength and ability to go and do things that I wish I had done but never did.

But, at least I know that though the winter has come, and I’m not sure how long it will last… this I know, that when it’s over… it’s over… Yes, I have regrets. There are things I wish I hadn’t done… things I should have done, but indeed, there are many things I’m happy to have done.  It’s all in a lifetime…

So, if you’re not in your winter yet… let me remind you, that it will be here faster than you think. So, whatever you would like to accomplish in your life, please do it quickly! Don’t put things off too long.

Life goes by quickly. So, do what you can today, as you can never be sure whether this is your winter or not.

You have no promise that you will see all the seasons of your life… so, live for good today and say all the things that you want your loved ones to remember… and hope that they appreciate and love you for all the things that you have done for them in all the years past.

Life is a gift to you. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after. Make it a fantastic one.

Live it well — Enjoy today — Do something fun — Be happy — Be thankful.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Email and the Seasons of Life.

A few years ago, I did a Law of Attraction exercise where you pretend that it’s a year later, you’ve just bumped into someone you haven’t seen in quite a while, and you tell them all about the past year. At the end of the year, I found that nearly everything I’d written came to pass, so I decided to try it again last year. This time I typed it out, added photos illustrating the things I wrote about, printed it, and put it in a picture frame where I would see it every day. My results weren’t nearly as impressive, and I think I know why.

For starters, it covered too many areas of my life, including business, leisure, and health. Looking at all that at one time was just too overwhelming. Furthermore, because the document was in front of me all the time, I just didn’t see it anymore. I knew it was there and what it was, but instead of motivating me, it made me feel guilty that I wasn’t doing what I set out to do, or annoyed about things that were outside my control.

I realized what was wrong with my approach when I read 2010: The Year of Baby Steps which recommends, among other strategies, setting one resolution per month, instead of trying to change everything all at once. Although I wasn’t necessarily attempting to achieve all my goals at one time, I wasn’t focusing on any of them, so it’s not surprising I didn’t achieve what I had envisioned.

After being inspired by the 31 Days of Self-Care Blog, I decided I would start this year by doing something everyday aside from work and TV/DVD viewing, even if it’s just to get out and walk around the block, or to look for healthy recipes to try. It may not be much, but I think it’s a good starting point, and I know I will benefit. I’m not going to be blogging about my daily progress, because I really don’t think it will interest anyone but myself, but I am making notes in one of the spaces in the weekly planner I ordered from momAgenda.

One of the online tools I’m using to support my efforts to leading a healthier lifestyle is a free membership site website called PICFIT.ca. If you’re looking to lose weight or make other healthy lifestyle changes this year, or if you’re a health professional who would like to get some free exposure by supporting others, you should check it out too!

By the way, my daily something isn’t always health-related, though it often turns out that way. It can be as simple as doing my nails, or as fun as going out for lunch with my dad and my sister. It’s mostly about remembering that there’s more to life than work and watching movies. Don’t get me wrong; I thoroughly enjoy both activities. If I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t have to make a point of doing something else! I just don’t want to look back one day and sing this song:

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Making 2010 the Best Year Ever.

If you’re thinking about starting a new career or business in 2010, I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading today’s guest post from Allison Maslan, author of Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan To Launch Your Dreams Into Reality.

Tap Into Your Passion To Find Your Dream Career

By Allison Maslan

In my 20’s, I ran a full-service advertising agency while raising my young daughter. I was on the fast track to success, but running myself into the ground for all the wrong reasons. What was the problem? Was it being a mom? No. Was it the high demands of the business? That was tough, but not the main problem. I learned the hard way that even though I was successful at something, did not mean that it was my passion, or that I had to do it.  I was receiving pressure from all sides to stay because outwardly it was going so well. Until inwardly, I crashed and burned. The good thing for me was that this set me on a path of healing, and search to find my purpose. And I never looked back. I made a decision early on that I would only involve myself with work and activities that I was passionate about. As a life and career coach, I often hear, “I want something more, but I just don’t know what.”

So I developed the Blast Off! Dream Career Questionnaire. It can help spark some ideas to help you tap into your passion to brainstorm ideas for your own dream career. (This exercise can be done on Interactive Life Coaching Software, Blastation.)

1. As a child, what did you dream of being when you grew up? It’s helpful to get in touch with your earlier fascinations. In early childhood, it was easier to live from our imagination without all of the interference from our adopted limiting beliefs.

2. What are some of your favorite hobbies or activities — in the present and in the past — and why? Wouldn’t it be great if you could turn your favorite pastime into your dream career? We choose hobbies and activities that most likely resonate with our unique personality as well as our physical, mental and emotional nature. They are an extension of our inner voice and a blast off to your dream career.

3. What do you do, or have you done, in your life that makes you the happiest? What is it about this that you enjoy so much? What does it mean to you? When you are in a state of joy or bliss, you are in complete alignment with your purpose. And when you’re in complete alignment with your passions, intention and actions, success is sure to follow.

4. What things have you always wanted to do, but were afraid to try? These could be activities or ideas related to your personal life or career that you have seen on television, in books, or heard of others experiencing. List anything that comes to mind that seems interesting, stimulating, exciting, meaningful or fun. Many people self-impose limiting choices and circumstances on themselves and their lives. Once those obstacles are removed, the possibilities are boundless! People often fear change, even if their current circumstances are not up to par with their capabilities. The hardest part of change is the first step. Once you get through that, creating your new and successful career becomes so much easier. The fear will be released the more you practice taking action.

5. What is a cause that you could get behind? Is there a cause or charity that you’re passionate about? There may be some career ideas that will support and reflect the charities or causes that have meaning to you.

One of my coaching clients, Leslie, felt stuck for years in a job that offered no challenge or mental stimulation whatsoever. She was very over-qualified for the position ,but stayed for the security. As the years went by, Leslie became more and more apathetic toward her work. In the meantime, she was taking classes in homeopathy for animals and volunteering at the local animal shelter. It was obvious that humane treatment and care for animals was a cause that she felt very strongly about. It never felt like work because she absolutely loved to connect with the animals. Over time, Leslie began practicing natural medicine for animals on a part-time basis until she developed enough business to take the leap in creating her full-time dream career. Now, instead of going to her boring job, she wakes up each day to a dream career that she is most passionate about.

6. What values do you hold most important in your life? If you can incorporate some of the most important values of your character and your life into your work, you will be truly living a life of value and purpose. For example, I have always felt a calling to help people in need. At some point, I finally reconnected with my deeper values and life purpose to support and inspire others on their path. Life coaching was a natural evolvement because it matched my inner values and purpose.

7. What are your strengths and talents? By tapping into the special abilities that you were born with, you can consider translating them into your dream career. My client, Keara, loves parasailing, so she is creating a charity that will help trauma victims heal through this sport. She has found a way to combine her passion and talent to give back to a cause she feels strongly about.

8. What movies and books have inspired you over the years, and why? We are often drawn to books and movies that reflect our personalities and interests. For example, history books may reflect your interest in travel or research. Action/adventure books and movies may mirror your desire for a career in an outdoor setting rather than being office-bound.

9. What does success mean to you? Success can have many different connotations and can represent different things to different people. What does the picture of success look like to you?

10. If you had plenty of money at your disposal to invest in your own dream career, what kind of business would you start? Often the fear of not having enough capital, or an inheritance, or just-accepting-poverty thinking can dissuade people from reaching for their dreams. By putting your dreams on paper, sending your strong intention out into the world and following up with action, the necessary avenues to remove these supposed limitations will appear. This is intention in action.

Don’t let the financial aspect stop you, because there will always be a solution if you actively look for it. The secret is to profess your dream, and then start taking action toward it today. You may even begin to receive checks in the mail. Stranger things have happened!

Upon completion of the Blast Off! Dream Career Questionnaire look at each of your answers. Do you see a common theme throughout? This is a very good clue for your winning dream career. For instance, if all your answers have to do with creative activities, you may fit with a career in the arts, such as landscape design, interior design, fine art or graphic design. If you see travel dominating your answers, a career as a travel agent, excursion director, or editor of a travel magazine may be the fuel for your inner passion. These answers will reflect your inner purpose. A dream career that expresses your values, hopes, loves and dreams is a winning recipe for life of passion and meaning.

Allison Maslan, HHP, CCH  is the president of The Blast Off Life and Business Coaching. Her book, Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan To Launch Your Dreams Into Reality, is to be released on January 19th, 2010 in all major booksellers online. 888-844-3550

Alison has generously sent me a copy of her new book, and you can be sure I’ll be posting my review as soon as I’ve had a chance to read it.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Tapping Into Your Passion.

This is my last post for this year, and I’d like to thank you for reading my blog.

Christmas – that magic blanket that wraps itself about us, that something so intangible that it is like a fragrance.  It may weave a spell of nostalgia.  Christmas may be a day of feasting, or of prayer, but always it will be a day of remembrance – a day in which we think of everything we have ever loved.

Augusta E. Rundel

Whatever you have planned for the remaining days of 2009, I hope they’ll be filled with good things, and that 2010 will be even better!

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Merry Christmas from Me to You.

Today our neighbours to the south are celebrating Thanksgiving, a sure sign that the year will soon be drawing to a close.

Many of us look at year-end as a time to review our goals for the past year and see how much progress we made (or didn’t make). There’s still more than a month left in 2009 – nearly 9% of the year – so why not take a moment now to perform that review?

This is the perfect time to check and see whether any of the plans you made for this year may have been forgotten. It’s definitely not too late to get started! If some of your goals were abandoned, determine why. Did you decide that they weren’t realistic, or was there some obstacle you weren’t prepared to deal with?

I haven’t accomplished everything I set out to this year, and I’m determined to do something about it. I’m currently working my way through Alex Fayle’s newest e-book, I’ll Get Around to It Someday, and the exercises are really helping me to identify the activities I’ve been putting off and opening my eyes to the reasons why certain dreams seem impossible. It’s also helping me to pinpoint the things that will lead to my personal fulfillment and to outline the steps I’ll need to take to achieve them.

This one step…choosing a goal and sticking to it…changes everything.

Scott Reed

How about you? Do you think it’s too late in the year to start something new?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on It's Not Over Till It's Over.

This is a really special week in my books. Not only is it Home Based Business Week, but it began with Canadian Thanksgiving, which is pretty fitting, since I’m very thankful to be a living the life of a home based business owner. I won’t lie and say it’s stress-free, but I feel that because I have more control over my work setting, my schedule, and my work itself, it’s a very different type of stress than when I was at the mercy of some bureaucrat who didn’t even know I existed.

If you also have a home based business, you know what I’m talking about. If not, you don’t know what you’re missing!

I’m sure that there are many people who are quite content to be employed by someone else, and that’s great. But if you often drag yourself to work, or find yourself counting the number of years left until you retire, you owe it to yourself to consider other options! If you’re not sure what’s involved in starting a home business, or whether self-employment is right for you, the following books will answer many of your questions.

No Limits – How I Escaped the Clutches of Corporate America to Live the Self-Employed Life of My Dreams by Sara Morgan is an excellent starting point. The author successfully left the corporate world to start her own consulting business so she could have time to spend writing non-fiction books and raising her children while still earning an income, and she wrote this book to help others do the same. She clearly outlines the benefits of self-employment and, since a picture is worth a thousand words, she includes photographs of her very inviting working environment. She also describes the type of person you need to be in order to be successful in your own small business. Morgan’s book also includes tips for deciding what type of business you should start and where to go from there, as well as important issues such as accounting, taxes, and insurance. With fewer than 150 pages, it’s an easy read which can help you determine whether you’re well-suited to self-employment and to overcome any apprehension you may have about leaving your day job.

The Complete Guide to Working for Yourself: Everything the Self-Employed Need to Know About Taxes, Recordkeeping & Other Laws by Beth Williams is, as the title indicates, a complete guide for anyone who is self-employed or is considering self-employment. Despite the title, the book is not restricted to financial and legal issues, but also addresses topics such as marketing, setting prices, and a self-assessment. Although based on US laws around taxation and business structure, there is enough general information provided to make this a useful resource for entrepreneurs in any country. The Companion CD-ROM contains all the forms in the book as well as a sample business plan you can adapt for your own use.

In addition, there are many books and e-books that cover the above topics but are geared toward a specific type of home business, whether you’re interested in becoming a professional organizer, an image consultant, a virtual assistant, an interior decorator, a dog walker, or just about anything you can imagine.

I know that home based businesses aren’t for everyone, but if office politics, wage freezes, glass ceilings and other obstacles are preventing you from living the life you want, shouldn’t you at least explore the possibility?

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Is Self-Employment Right for You?.

In her blog, Beyond the Gray, Erika Liodice writes about men and women who have gone after what they really want in life. A few weeks ago, she approached me and asked if I would like to share my own inspiring story with her readers.

I’d never thought of myself in that way, but I was happy to oblige by answering a few questions, and I’m really glad I did! On days when I’m feeling overworked and underpaid, reading over my interview will definitely help motivate me to continue moving forward, and I hope it will do the same for you!

Read it here: Dream Chaser: Janet Barclay, Entrepreneur.

Please visit From the Desk of Janet Barclay to read and comment on Janet as Dream Chaser.