How To Get the Best Career Advice

There’s a source of the best career advice available to you but you don’t trust it.  You don’t trust this outstanding career advice because it doesn’t seem like a valuable, little know secret.  Will you trust a career coach, with 10 years of career coaching experience, if I tell you the secret?  istock_000007706240xsmall

You are the source of your own best career advice.

If you’re confused and troubled about what to do, then you just haven’t asked your higher self or you haven’t believed what you’ve heard.

What if you had a loving, wise Uncle or Aunt whose only agenda was your success and fulfillment?  Would you trust him or her?  Well you have such a loving mentor and he or she is your higher self.

Career success requires bold decisiveness and your higher self can inspire you to action.  But you’ve got to be open to communicating with your all-knowing, higher guidance system within.

It’s all good.

You can’t choose the wrong advice, if you’ve gone to your own well.

It’s all good, means that whatever we choose, the movement gives us fresh perspective, to either progress or adjust.  It’s all good when we choose and act.  It’s seldom good when we hesitate to act.

You are your own best authority.

There are many ways to tell if you’re really getting good career advice by tapping your true source of wisdom.  Consider these symptoms and indicators.

Lower Self Symptoms

1). You wait, hesitate to act and over-think critical decisions.

2). You justify, explain and excuse your lack luster performance.

3). You seldom give it your all.

4). You often focus on past mistakes and future fearful what ifs.

5). You compromise and settle for smaller dreams, often suggested by others.

Higher Self Indicators

1). You more often act and create.

2). You tell more truth than excuses.

3). You bring your “A” game.

4). You are fully aware of the power of now.

5). You are working on a first place dream that brings you alive.

Isn’t it time that you quit playing small?  The world needs your magnificence.

Each day, you have this choice.  You can take your career advice by listening to your higher self and boldly act.  Or you can cringe and hide while listening to your little self or the lower fearful opinions of others.

If we are going to insist on identifying with just the little self in here, then others are going to bruise it, insult it, injure it. The ego, then, is kept in existence by a collection of emotional insults; it carries its personal bruises as the fabric of its very existence. It actively collects, hurts and insults, even while resenting them, because without it’s bruises it would be literally nothing. Ken Wilber

If you want more than you have, you’ve been giving less than you can.

We give less than we could be giving, when we fail to act on higher advice.

Our Higher Self cannot take action.  It cannot make choices.  It can nudge us and guide us and hand us painful lessons, but it cannot “make us” do anything.  Andrea Hess

It takes balls to follow bold career advice.  Often by taking action to build a small business or create unique value, we put ourselves at risk.  So what.

The absence of risk often indicates that we are playing too small.

Quit listening to your fearful, lower, little self.   Playing small serves no one.   Compromises may seem prudent but they’re just fearful hopes lacking passion.

You can find your own best path.   A confident  career coach can hold the light steady and challenge you to play a bigger game.  But you are the source of your own best wisdom.

Do the thing that only you can do.  Go big!

Be who you are.  Who you are is your higher self.  You’re lower self is simply a watered down fearful version conditioned by the collective fears of other small selves.

The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice, it is conformity.  Rollo May

When times are dark and you pray for help, it’s always good to remember this.  Upon creation you were already given all that you need.  You arrived here equipped for magnificence.  You don’t have to ask for deliverance. You’ve already been delivered.

You’ve simply forgotten how magnificent you really are.  Go within, ask, you’re higher self will show you the way.

 

Comments

  1. Brett Legree says

    As always Tom, this is A-1 advice. I needed a good reminder that I’m on the right path today, and this came just in time.

    This is the sort of stuff I know inside, but it never hurts to hear it from someone else 🙂

    Thanks – Brett

    Brett Legrees last blog post..viking fridays – the mind and the heart.

  2. Fabulous Tom! Who knows better what I want than me. It’s a me that sometimes gets buried, though. I’ve really been working on getting to that “me” deep within…and it’s been a grand adventure!

    Lances last blog post..Sunday Thought For The Day

  3. Peter Ayers says

    Tom,

    Your messages continue to inspire me.

    So often, you seem to know exactly what I need to hear at a given moment. Based on the responses to your posts, you are tuned in to many others as well.

    It amazes me how many people believe that other people are better authorities on how to run their lives. Many people are great resources in sharing insights and truths (you, for example) but it’s up to each one of us to go within and decide which message to adopt and then to take action.

    “But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man
    That he didn’t, didn’t already have
    And Cause never was the reason for the evening
    Or the tropic of Sir Galahad. ”
    — TinMan written by Dewey Bunnell, ©1974

  4. Brett Legree says

    @Friar,

    When I read it, I thought of taking my A-game to “work” where work means the little side projects I’m working on, kind of like what you are doing.

    I guess it doesn’t have to mean doing a bad job at your day job (because we don’t) but maybe means saving enough energy so that you *can* give your best to what is really important to you, if it isn’t your day job.

    That’s why I continue to get up early. I put the best part of me into *my* stuff… 🙂

    Brett Legrees last blog post..viking fridays – the mind and the heart.

  5. Nathalie Lussier says

    This was such a thought-provoking and forehead slapping, motivational post that I’m forwarding it to my boyfriend. He’s not into personal development much, but I know he will appreciate this post a lot.

    Thanks for that. You’ve cleared everything up.

    Nathalie Lussiers last blog post..No More Goody-Two-Shoes

  6. There’s a reason some of us don’t bring our A-game to work.

    It’s like dealing with a bully that keeps taking a kids’ lunch money at school. Eventually, the kid will get so fed up at being abused, he’ll say “Why bother?”, and he’ll just stop bringing his lunch money, period.

    Same as the work place. Most of us start off our new jobs keen and full of piss and vinegar. But after so many years of being pushed down, demoralized, and abused, we’ll say “Why bother?”, and just work to rule.

    I look at is as being constructive, in a way. Doing your best takes effort and energy. Why expend it somewhere where it’s not appreciated and gets you no further head?

    I’ll do an adequate job at work, and collect my paycheck. This allows me to still have energy to put towards more positive aspects of my life. (which could also include other business opportunities on the side, or investigating better career options !)

  7. Powerful stuff Tom! I think I am going to be drawing quotes right out of this post for some time to come!

    If there were ever a time for people to heed your advice, now is it. Job security has been an illusion for a very long time, but I think now the illusion has been shattered. As @Friar points out the culture in many organizations can be downright oppressive. But I also think employees can be unwittingly complicit in that respect – it’s like if I don’t challenge the status quo too much I get to keep my job. That of course assumes that your company continues to exist.

    Now is a perfect time to dig deep and ask our inner career guide am I doing work that matters to me. Many of us spend a lot of our time at work – the extent to which it is draining us rather than fueling us is a good clue as to how well we are listening to our guide.

    Susan Mazzas last blog post..5 Signs of “Leading While Distracted”

  8. Wow, just wow Tom!

    I believe that we all have the answers within, but struggle to quiet the chatter and listen. But I am starting to see that if we take action when we have an idea for our career or a project, then we will truly know if it’s right for us. No action and more thinking paralyzes and only sends us in circles, doubting every creative idea we’ve ever had, leaving us stuck and miserable.

    Kelly@SHE-POWER

  9. No matter what I know better than anyone what I need. I absolutely agree with you. If truthfully answering the questions is challenging, working with a coach can help move the answer along! I know that from experience. Working with a coach when I first left the corporate world was one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.

  10. Fear is a tricky friend. He can make it sound so good to just go hide and give up – stop risking embarrassment. The funny thing is our fear is just trying to protect us.

    We have to be aware of our fear, but we can’t let it take over our choices. That’s why we do need to go within. We get to see the patterns and how to overcome them.

    Do you meditate to bring these fears out so you can overcome them?

    Karl Staib – Work Happy Nows last blog post..Your Company Should Do Annual Career Counseling

  11. Great post. I especially liked your suggestions of Lower and Higher Self Symptoms. I need to remember if I’m acting out of my lower self symptoms when considering my choices in life. I appreciate your thoughts and recommendations.

    Mariano M. Jaucos last blog post..Getting Motivated by a Motivational Speaker?

  12. This is great advice Tom, and not just for our careers but for our lives! For some reason we tend to trust third parties as authorities instead of ourselves. This is a good reminder.

    Daphnes last blog post..How To Write A Personal Creed

  13. Suzie Cheel says

    This is fantastic Tom, everytime I visit here I feel as if you are talking to my higher self.

    I have just decided to stop playing small and step into my power and listen more closely to that authentic self and stop looking outside for solutions ot that magic bullet.
    I love your higher self indicators

    Thanks

    Suzie Cheels last blog post..Law of Attraction Inspiration #5: Responsibility
    P.S. – Sorry, forgot to tell you great post!

  14. Good stuff.

    There’s a lot to be said for being your own best advisor. I think asking the right questions and paying attention to what you’re getting are key.

    I’m a fan of living your values at work. It’s way to stay authentic and congruent with our values, which gives us more power for results.

    J.D. Meiers last blog post..Why Your Talents are Enduring and Unique

  15. This is fantastic Tom, everytime I visit here I feel as if you are talking to my higher self.

    I have just decided to stop playing small and step into my power and listen more closely to that authentic self and stop looking outside for solutions ot that magic bullet.
    I love your higher self indicators

    Thanks

    Suzie Cheels last blog post..Law of Attraction Inspiration #5: Responsibility

  16. I love this Tom- so many resources tell us the answers are somewhere “out there”. It is refreshing to know that all the answers I have are inside me somewhere! Thanks Tom- you are a constant inspiration in my life!

    Jays last blog post..Life Lessons from a Japanese Tea Master

  17. Brett – I love your authentic affirmation of my writing and your path. Thank you.

    Friar – Welcome. You asked. “Doing your best takes effort and energy. Why expend it somewhere where it’s not appreciated and gets you no further head?” Indeed why? If you must work for another, might it be time to consider working in an environment where they do appreciate you? I’ve always counseled folks to give it their all regardless of situation because then they are more likely to see opportunities as they arise. It’s up to you man, all of it.

    Lance – You know who you are. Be bold brother – that’s what the world is asking of you.

    Peter – Thanks man, you are one in more than a million, as we all are. How could anyone know better?

    Nathalie – I adore head slapping moments. Glad you enjoyed it. Hope your boyfriend appreciates the wisdom you are gifting him with.

    Susan – Yes, that’s a gloriously large question. We all crave work that really matters. Wake up folks!

    Kelly – Well said. Isn’t it interesting how we just acted without thought as children? And we were well served to do so.

    Stacey – Yep, the coaching experience can certainly accelerate understanding and put many more previously unseen options on the table. I love the confidence in your voice as you know that trusting yourself pays big.

    Karl – I really think that your fears come up because of where you are in life. I’ve risked it all so many times that those fears just don’t shake me any more. Some fears do come up but I use EFT to clear them. You asked. “Do you meditate to bring these fears out so you can overcome them?” No man, I mediate to feel good, groovy and relaxed, to reconnect with Divine confidence within.

    Mariano – Welcome. Yes awareness is key to making wise choices.

    Daphne – I guess we trust the confidence we see in others when it’s lacking in us. But we are much more wise about our own path. It only takes a review of ones life to confirm this.

    J.D. – I agree. Values are especially grounding and outstanding decision-making tools.

    Suzie – Thanks, now there is a thought. What magnificence might be if all of us communicated higher self to higher self?

  18. Hi Tom – As someone who has frequently ignored my higher self, I know that what you’re saying makes sense. I’ve kind of built my life so far on listening to that lowly lower self and doing what I think is best for everyone else, rather than what my higher self is telling me.

    And you really can’t get anywhere by following that path. One of my goals this year is to be able to recognise the voice of my higher self and act on it when it speaks.

  19. So well put as usual…it’s up to us as individuals to work our problems through.

    Grogs last blog post..Stem Cell Funding Ban Lifted

  20. Giovanna Garcia says

    Hi Tom

    Great post. Some of my favorites are:
    You are your own best authority. Tell more truth than excuses. And the best one of them all is “bring your “A” game!”

    Thank you,
    Giovanna Garcia
    Imperfect Action is better than No Action

  21. Did you hear that? That was the sound of you hitting another bulls eye Tom! You have great aim my friend.

    You said: If you want more than you have, you’ve been giving less than you can.

    Isn’t that the truth? I found that when I worked for other people, I felt this way a lot. I was being held back by the insecurities and red tape of others design to keep a huge dysfunctional machine running. An in some cases to keep it running in a way that wouldn’t show the incompetence of those running the machine.

    You are right in that doing anything great requires risk. But it is only in risking that great things can happen.

    And we are gifted with what we need to fill the niche that is OUR niche in life. In doing what I am currently doing, I feel very secure that I deliver a great product for my customer. The reason why is that what I do uses my strengths and gifts in a unique way that fills a great need in the education world. There is a great deal of comfort in knowing I am right where I need and want to be. I’m right in the sweet spot of who I uniquely am and doing what I am uniquely gifted at doing. It feels refreshing like floating in cool water on a hot day (with a margarita in your hand!)

  22. Hi Tom – I love your advice “If you want more than you have, you’ve been giving less than you can.” It’s so simple to understand, but yet can be difficult to follow. You’ve made a great case for why at times in our lives we need to turn to a life coach or other professional to guide us away from our past mistakes and toward a brighter future.

    Barbara Swaffords last blog post..Where Or Where Do The Bloggers Go

  23. Thanks Tom. I agree almost completely. I think we can learn from others as well as listening to ourselves (eg. excellent blogs like this one).

    I do think it is important to listen to our fear(s). It may be that there are genuine dangers to be responded to. Fear makes a good servant but a bad master.

    Evans last blog post..Specific Desires

  24. Heather Mundell says

    Tom, I completely agree that a coach’s most useful job is to “hold the light steady” for the client to make his or her own way. I love your ideas on how we can access our higher selves and how we can recognize when the lower self is in charge.

    Thanks for the reminder about how we can keep playing a bigger game!

    Heather Mundells last blog post..What Do You Want?

  25. Cath – Your increased awareness will lead to a practice of self-honor that will set you free.

    Jay – I’m grateful, but if you didn’t have it within you, these posts could not inspire you. I’ll take credit for the nudge but the lift is all yours. 🙂

    Grog – Amen! No one is coming to save your ass!

    Laurie – Anyone who says that entrepreneurship is hard needs to read a collection of your comments here. You have found yourself and you are thriving!

    Giovanna – I’ll bet you bring your “A” game daily.

    Barbara – Glad this resonated with you. “If you want more than you have, you’ve been giving less than you can.” In this case the more I’m speaking of is more of your authentic self. Authentic expression is the key to prosperity.

    Evan – Thanks buddy. You’re right about fear – it’s a very wise teacher.

    Heather – Do I detect that you’re playing a bigger game yourself, these days?

  26. I love your advice on going big. I am a firm believer that the only true barrier to our own success is not thinking big enough.

    That said, confusion and uncertainty are common human emotions, so when making career-level decisions, it isn’t unnatural to feel a bit confused.

    I think what is important is being able to recognize confusion and uncertainty when it comes, embrace it, then understand that you can never obtain 100% of the information available to make a decision. We often have to make decisions that are information-lacking. It is important that we become comfortable with this, and allow ourselves to be comfortable with uncertainty, rather than search for information to rid ourselves of uncertainty.

    Matt Thomass last blog post..See My Guest Post at Daily Entrepreneur Tip

  27. I completely agree that you know best yourself. But sometimes you’re too close to your own hang-ups and neuroses to see.

    I find the best advice comes in the form of good questions rather than pat answers.

    Jason Cohens last blog post..Double your productivity without more work or stress

  28. LifeMadeGreat | Juliet says

    Hi Tom

    “It’s seldom good when we hesitate to act.”
    This really struck me – well a number of aspects of your post did.

    It applies to all areas of life.
    Intuition is so hampered by life as we tend to live and experience it.

    Overcoming those beliefs that hold us in the lower self can be so difficult. It is so easy to second-guess all of the higher-self cues.

    Juliet

    LifeMadeGreat | Juliets last blog post..Fear Of No Change

  29. All – A reader asked how exactly do we tap this inner wisdom. You don’t have to do anything special other than open the lines of communication through invitation. You’re already frequently in communication with your little self. You know well that fearful, cautious voice that keeps you from playing a bigger game. Now you want to make contact with your higher self. So simply sit with a strong intention to do so and begin a dialogue by writing down questions and asking your higher self to answer.

    With the same respect you’d give that loving Uncle ask a series of questions and follow-up questions. Sometimes I’ll write my questions in pencil and my higher self’s answers in ink. The more your practice this, the more open the lines of communication become. Approach these sessions confidently. The purpose of your higher self is to help you see your optimum path. use him or her and honor him or her with your action.

    Matt – Yes, I agree we need to know that we may not see all of the information before we act. But at the same time we need to remain very aware and observant after we act. More info is available than one might initially think.

    Jason – Questions are the essence of life. That’s the route we take to higher self wisdom, asking the pointed question.

    Juliet – yes but we only second guess when we pause to think about it and when we’ve done that, I don’t think we’ve truly committed in the first place. Make a decsion you won’t turn your back on.

  30. Tom — I love this line, “You can’t choose the wrong advice, if you’ve gone to your own well.” It deserves to be on my sticky note list…the notes I put up near my computer so they constantly remind me to read them and take in what they say.

    I recently made sort of a career change and it’s made all the difference for me. To do this, I really had to trust my intuition because this change scared me, but I did it and I don’t regret it. I feel so much freer and happier than I was before.

    Thanks for a great post :~)

    Saras last blog post..More than just 5 words in a journal

  31. Sara – That’s wonderful, when we truly ask and then trust ourselves all kinds of good stuff begins occurring. Feeling free is just the beginning. What you are now free to create is the gift that will keep on giving. 🙂

  32. Tom,
    Very good writing and dynamic post. I read your posts often but do not comment, but in my course work I am doing right now about money, this post makes me want to say something.

    I always give my A self to my work, to my family, to myself and my daily living….My intuition is in my face 24/7 and I am a big risk taker. I have made a difference with my work efforts and how I live my life…

    but I don’t seem to be able to ever get paid for my efforts…several years ago I stopped doing itinerant counseling because I could not stand to see any more drug addicted newborns, children beaten nearly to death, or one more teenager out of control and doing harm – so I left the work. I could only do this kind of counseling because of my license – now they are redefining licensing requirements and I once again can not pass the math requirements and I am just tired of going to school.

    I wanted to be an Ethics Professor…I could not do the math…so got into seminary, but now can not get a doctorate this route because I am unable to do the math/ or speak and write the language requirements.

    I could not even take care of my dying mother anymore without completing a care giving licensing course which requires lots of memorization and math skills I do not have…

    I am not a licensed Pastoral Counselor or a Marriage and Family Counselor so I can no longer be a Campus Minister or do pre-marriage or post marriage counseling…

    Usually I look at these road blocks as just a detour in my path…and go around them…

    I would like to make enough money to pay my medical bills and not always be dependent on my family…. because even though you are great at the job without the licensing credentials you get paid minimum wage….and you pay your own insurance and benefits…or you just volunteer…

    So I am reading all sorts of things about making money and attempting to listen to my inner wisdom….which is loudly shouting in my ear ” You are not supposed to make money.”

    I will see how this turns out! I’ll probably write a few posts about it. It took me 30 years to get enough funds to go to Scotland this summer for my 60th birthday and see my Father’s homeland….(no I am not going to pay for my medical bills right now) and I truly believe that it will all work out for the best…

    I get angry at the powers that be – now and again, mostly to let off steam….and I just wanted to say, that there are folks out in this land who are contended to be giving their A work all the time and feel grateful to be alive and up and running!

    Thank you for a great post

    Patricias last blog post..What’s for dinner?

  33. Patricia – Thanks for the thorough comment. Here’s my take on an opening you may not have considered. If they started licensing coaches, I would simply call myself something else. I refuse to jump through licensing and or credentialing hoops set up by others simply because they are usually bureaucracies where those who are already in make it increasing difficult to be licensed or credentialed. Just like I am my own economy. I am also my own authority. Meaning I author my own life.

    If I were you I’d look at the kind of counseling that you want to do and call it something that does not require the blessing of an outside authority. Decide what that value is and charge dearly for it. Those who really want will pay your fee. The world needs your unique expression in order to be whole.

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