Life Design is a term that I learned some years back from Martha Beck, the author of Finding Your Own North Star: Claiming the Life You Were Meant to Live. Martha also writes a regular column for Oprah Magazine. Like Martha, I'm a Life Design Coach.
I call myself an "outside the job box" Creative Career Counselor with over 20 years of experience helping people design a life (and livelihood) that brings joy, financial self-sufficiency and a sense of contribution.
Again, just like Martha, I received my PhD (from an Ivy League School) in the early 1990s by conducting research on women, psychology and religion. We both like to write--and regularly publish--shorter essays and at least one book a year, it seems.
Unlike Martha, I am also a book coach who loves helping people step into the public domain with their creative endeavors. For those who love writing, I become their writing advisor and guide them all the way to seeing their ideas come into print through self-publishing.
When I say I'm an alternative creative career counselor, I mean that I don't offer typical "skills inventories" or traditional "career assessment" tests. Rather, I'm very intuitive, imaginative and superbly direct in giving my clients advice to turn their favorite activities into sites for income. I become the "eyes and ears" for people who are having a difficult time hearing and seeing who they are and who they can be in their second stage of life.
I believe we don't find "just right" jobs out there, rather we create right work by being true to ourselves and honest with what we offer others. Marsha Sinetar says, "Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow." I add a few things: "Share What You Love to Do for Others, the Money Will Follow."
What I do best is help clients bring who they are to what they do. As Steve Jobs said in his famous commencement address at Stanford University, "The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know it when you find it. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle."
WHO WANTS WHAT I OFFER?
People who are my happiest clients want to craft a rewarding career that is fully-aligned with their values and creative aspirations. They like working with me from their own home (on the phone or through an E-class). The clients who live on Bainbridge Island and like walking outdoors meet me for a "walk and talk."
If we meet, we can both learn if what you need will be met by what I offer.
Consider making an appointment with me via telephone for a free 15' sample of how we might work together: (206) 852-2605 or via email: jlmanlowe@earthlink.net.
