Article - Career Change - Let Your Body Be Your Guide by Debra Thorsen

Career Change

Let Your Body Be Your Guide

Article by Lea Pitcher

To break free from the corporate world or any other unhappy situation, you need to let your body be your guide. Our bodies never lie. If we feel tension, pain, or low energy, then this is an indication that our actions are not aligned with our hearts and true calling.

To live a rewarding and fulfilling life, you need to be present to your own life experience. This means experience your body sensations and emotions as they come up.

To break free from the corporate world and fear-based mindset (or any other situation in which you are stuck), you must do so with your body, not just your brain. You can only be where your feet are. Pay attention to the present moment.

For many of us, the adult experience of learning is limited to training programs in our workplaces. Too many of these training programs are based on the public school paradigm of learning – memorization of data, ideas, models, etc.

Let's pretend that ACME Corporation has decided that its employees should ride bikes to work to save on gasoline and has hired me to teach all of its employees to ride a bike. The conventional training approach would be to sit all of the employees down in a conference room or a training room and spend 3-5 days going through the manual that has come with the bike. We would learn the parts of the bike and how to change the tires and oil the gears, but would we really LEARN how to ride a bike?

To truly learn how to ride a bike, you need to get on the bike and start pedaling. Chances are that you will fall off several times. You may even sustain a few bumps and bruises. But, when you truly master riding a bike and take off down the road – the result is magical and transformational.

If you choose to read books on how to find a job that you love, then be aware that this may not lead you where you need to go. For sustainable change, we must undergo transformational physical learning – getting on the bike and pedaling toward a life that is meaningful, fulfilling, and that leaves the world a better place. And we may fall off the bike a few times. Or, we may need to get a different bike for our journey. The important thing is to be centered in our body awareness so that we can notice when our bike isn't a good fit for us.

I include a ton of exercises in my books and coaching groups. The exercises are included so that you can get on the “bike” and learn to pedal. The exercises will help you to get the learning in your bones.

Stop now and notice how you are sitting. Is your body in a comfortable position or are your shoulders hunched up and your back slumped? Will you emerge from your chair in an hour with a sore neck or back? How is your breathing? Are you aware that you are breathing?

Make it a practice of checking in with your body several times a day. And when you are feeling sad, fearful, or frustrated, check in to see how this feels in your body. What are you resisting? Where are your blocks? Ask your body what is going on with your right now. You will be surprised at the insightful answers that you receive when you can calm your mind-chatter and truly listen.

Go forth and prosper!

Lea Pitcher

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Lea Pitcher is a carefree corporate escapee who uses her MBA from Carnegie Mellon, BA in cultural anthropology, and Personal and Professional Coach certification to help individuals break free from the corporate world and create real wealth and happiness. Please visit www.fearlessguides.com for additional career change advice articles and resources on breaking free from the corporate world.

© 2005 Lea Pitcher, All rights reserved. You are free to republish this article in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear. The attribution should read:

"By Lea Pitcher of Fearless Guides. Please visit Lea's web site at www.fearlessguides.com for more articles and resources on breaking free from the corporate world." (Make sure the link is live if placed in an eZine or in a web site.)

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