On a recent visit to Australia and in particular northern Adelaide, Maureen Pearce of Professional Speaking wrote the following article in her newsletter:

The courage to change...

We can be a little egotistical about the choices we make and assume we have a responsibility to make sure they suit others.  We may be convinced the change is right for us but we may also feel a responsibility for anyone else it may affect.  This is, in effect, taking responsibility for their choices in the matter and any options they may choose to make.  If we make a choice to change we must essentially make it for ourselves.  Any collateral damage becomes part of the change but, not necessarily our responsibility.

Sometimes, going back the article in the last newsletter, (Stereotypes and Expectations), what we have been doing with our lives can be the result of expectations others have of us.  It is flattering that we are regarded as ideal to take part in a new or interesting project, very hard to say no, but it may not be the perfect fit.  It may start off well, we get used to it, and then we may begin to resist or resent it.  To make the change takes courage and very clear direction and it must be right for us.

The changes we plan in our lives will not always suit other people, just as the decisions they make do not always suit us.  Ife has a habit of throwing surprises and challenges at us which can change the way we see ourselves.  A natural follow on is to look at what we are doing.  Try answering these questions and decide if you are in the right place/doing the right things, for you.  This quiz... There are no right or wrong answers.  The intention is to encourage you to look at whether you are very happy with your life as it is or whether you could make it richer and more satisfying by even a very small adjustment.  Changes don’t always need to be major.

·                Do you find that you are full of enthusiasm for the job at hand?

·                Do you feel bored or uninvolved in the work you do?

·                Do you look to the future and make plans that have a real beginning and a projected result?

·                Do you day dream a lot but never take action?

·                Do you feel disengaged from the people you are working with? If so, have you wondered why?

·                Do you ask why? Or do you think ‘why not?’

·                Do you make excuses for things that ‘happen to you’ or do you question whether you could change them for the better?

·                Do you feel anything is possible if you want it enough? Or do you feel any efforts you make will be a waste of time?  Have you asked yourself why?

·                Do you have a real enthusiasm for something you are not presently doing? 

·                Do you have any plans to develop this?

·                What would you change about your present job if you could?

·                What would you develop in your present job?  Can you?

·                Do you feel: a) Is that all there is?    B) There is so much I still want to do?

I hope you can see that there are no right or wrong answers for this list.  You are the only person who can decide if the answers are right for you because anyone else will come from a different perspective.  Our parents make decisions for us until we are old enough to make our own but then, like it or not, we take responsibility for ourselves.  The questions are intended to encourage you to question what will make the life you lead the best possible one for you...and to work towards this, not to leap in and expect everything to change immediately.  Life very rarely happens like that.  (article by Maureen Pearce of Professional Speaking)