August 16, 2023 – JOLT – Is the fire in your belly for Fall?

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

Fire in the Fall Belly

Traditionally, there are a couple major times of the year when folks crank up their aspirational intelligence and think bigger for themselves, their career and a purposeful path forward:

• September (Fall), when (I suppose) because kids go back to school parents are able to focus on themselves a bit more, and
• January (Winter-cum-Spring), when New Years resolutions and the ritual of clean-slate possibilities give everyone a boost to aspire greater for themselves

Yes, there will be a lot more activity — and competition — in the coming month or so as folks get situated back at their desk to reevaluate their career situation after summer distractions. Being smarter than the average bear and positioning yourself as uniquely different than the crowd can net you better than average results.

But, even beyond the next couple flurried months of upleveled career quandaries, there will come a time toward the end of the year that will truly be the celestial “Holy Grail” of cosmic career elevation possibilities: the Holidays.

When most will figure that “nothing happens during the holidays” and check out, those who’ve positioned themselves uniquely for all the natural elbow-rubbing that happens during the 6 weeks between Thanksgiving and New Years will cash in on backdoor relationships that will be ripe for the pickings.

So, why talk about those career-shift best-of-times now vs November? Because it takes preparation to be ready to capitalize on such a windfall, along with a whole new mindset of non-traditional career expansion methods to be grokked.

Therefore, if you have the fire-in-the-belly to affect a conscious career shift before 2023 shows up in your rear-view mirror, here is your Fall mission (should you choose to accept it):

• Get clear of your unique super-powers of success. Not simply your “skills”, but the patterns that are embedded in every successful situation you’ve touched.
• Use that success-pattern awareness to discover the unique personal “brand” that you are. This sets you up as someone needing nothing, yet vibrating an awareness of Self that most never realize.
• Flying the flag of that personal brand, learn how to expand your relationships into circles around your areas of current passionate interest. This isn’t what most call “networking” but, rather, coming from no need but the simple desire to explore. People sense an authentic desire of exploration, and open the doors they wouldn’t when someone needs a job.

Tips for Transition (of an AI variety)

Here’s a prompt that you can use to direct ChatGPT (or similar models) to provide information about a particular industry:

“Provide a comprehensive introduction to [specific industry name]. Cover its history, major players, current trends, future outlook, and any notable challenges and opportunities.”

Replace “[specific industry name]” with the name of the industry you’re interested in. For example, if you’re interested in the automobile industry, the prompt would be:

“Provide a comprehensive introduction to the automobile industry. Cover its history, major players, current trends, future outlook, and any notable challenges and opportunities.”

By using this prompt, you’ll be able to gain a broad understanding of the chosen industry.

Here’s a tool to incorporate into your online meetings:

tl:dv – https://tldv.io/ – Records and transcribes Zoom and Google meet meetings.

Automated meeting transcription ensures that no crucial details are lost, allowing you to revisit important discussions to access and review content at your own pace. It transforms verbal exchanges into searchable text, making it easier to locate specific topics or decisions. This ensures that information remains consistent and accessible, fostering improved communication and reducing potential misunderstandings or oversights.

July 12, 2023 – JOLT – A JOLT of Summertime Connection Savvy

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

Summertime Aspiration Intelligence

Don’t Bother People

This is a major voice of early programming that ensures that “salespeople” will always have a special place in society–because they transcended this voice! Whether it was a busy parent we felt intimidated to make requests of or some particular incident that had us believe we were a nuisance, the idea that we shouldn’t bother others took hold.

The truth is that, outside of our deeply ingrained fears of rejection, we all love to interact and participate with one another! The point, yet again, is that folks live inside their safe little worlds and don’t reach out or let in what could help. Your “bothering” someone to start a conversation with them in the line at the grocery store may serve to transfer some information between you that could be helpful.

I’m not saying go out begging for what you need, or become the do-or-die Boy Scout forcing a reluctant old lady across the street. Just keep in mind that when we’re out pointedly finding ways to interact with others, we discover resources, knowledge, and information that moves everyone forward. Plus, we have an opportunity to be continually amazed at the profound truth of the simple statement: “It’s a small world after all.”

(Excerpted from Never Apply for a Job Again, Career Press, 2012, p. 34-35)

June 14, 2023 – JOLT – A JOLT of Aspiration Intelligence

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

Career Aspiration Intelligence

Making a career transition can be a difficult process if you don’t have support.

Similarly, NOT making a career transition (when you need to) can be a difficult process if you don’t have support.

So, what’s the common key? Get support!

Too often, we think that pondering our navel in the solitude of our closet will provide the answers we need. Look, I don’t knock a good spiritual check in. The “know the truth” of yourself element of being set free is critical.

Yet, your best insights and next steps will often unfold out of interacting with folks outside of your own head: trusted colleagues, mentors, and (if you’ve cultivated one) your “career tribe.” Sometimes they’ll provide valuable info or direction completely outside your wheelhouse of knowledge and, at other times, they may offer the kick in the butt needed to wake you up.

Don’t wait to get your ducks in a row to begin cultivating connections that can open new awareness for you. But also don’t go out in “need.” Rather, tap into the psychological tendency for humans to want to give (advice, information, direction) and feel helpful when they can do so with no strings attached.

Reach out to others based on similar interests and fascinations, and watch the world open up for you.

One of my books offers a great deal of inspiration and strategy around this.

Tips for Transition (of an AI variety)

With all of the hubbub around AI (the artificial, not aspiration, type of intelligence), here are some tips on how you can incorporate new gadgets into your career management toolshed.

They come from my wife, a talent & leadership/HR executive, who is cultivating new opportunities for herself. After being together 8 years, being professionally engaged and without the time to explore the science and practices of her career-coach husband’s transition program, she recently did and (understandable for those who’ve read the book above) is basing her “backdoor” research campaign on AI’s use in the HR and talent fields.

She’s meeting thought-leaders and executives left and right and learning more about AI than she ever thought possible. . .while also understanding and appreciating the strategy behind her husband’s career program. 😉

Here are some tips she has to offer:

ChatGPT is a great tool to use in your Back Door Campaign!

Open AI ChatGPT: https://chat.openai.com/

Career Mapping:
Prompt: “Provide an overview of career paths and transitions common for a [role – i.e., CTO]”
ChatGPT can provide information on potential career moves, industry trends, and roles you might not have considered.

Market Insight:
Prompt: “What are emerging trends in the [x] industry for leadership roles?”
ChatGPT can give you a general view of market trends and new industry developments.

Prompt Tutorial – Find Industry Info

Prompt:
You are an expert in [field/industry you are researching]. I am looking for information about [industry/products / what you want to learn about the industry, etc.]. Give me information and resources on [manufacturers, conferences, events, and other resources, and substantial industry experts] in the [industry of interest] field.

Example – I used the above example about the guitar manufacturing industry:
You are an expert in guitar manufacturing. I am looking for information about the guitar manufacturing industry, product management, and the hottest new products in the guitar space. Give me information and resources on manufacturers, conferences, events, and other resources, and substantial industry experts in the guitar manufacturing field.

Go try it out, and see what you get!

Use these same prompts in Google Bard and Bing for more resources.
Google Bard: https://bard.google.com/
Bing: https://www.bing.com/

March 1, 2023 – JOLT – Personalizing Your March Forward

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

Personalizing your March Forward

March 2 Texas Independence Day: How can you rise from your own Alamo loss and create a new, independent future? And kiss a Texan.

March 7 Purim Ends: Where can you celebrate coming back from what seemed like near certain death? And kiss a Jewish friend.

March 8 International Women’s Day: In what ways can you acknowledge and empower the women in your life, and the world? And kiss a female friend.

March 10 Harriet Tubman Day: What can you do to support freedom from slavery of all kinds, even if it’s yourself from a job, schedule, business or relationship? And kiss a Black friend.

March 15 Ides of March: What are the debts you can settle, while avoiding knives out? And kiss a soothsayer.

March 17 St Patrick’s Day: What snakes do you deserve to be rid of? And kiss an Irish friend.

March 20 Spring Equinox: Where do you need to balance your days and nights, your work and your life overall? And kiss anyone.

March 22 Ramadan Begins: How could some fasting, prayer and reflection make you a better contribution to your community? And kiss a Muslim friend.

March 29 Vietnam War Veterans Day: What wars are you fighting that could actually be unnecessary? And kiss a veteran.

March 31 Cesar Chavez Day: Where might you need to press the exisiting system to ensure the highest good for all? And kiss a farm worker.

February 1, 2023 – JOLT – You’re at 8.33333333

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

8.3333333333333333333333333333333333333333%

The Slate Board Has Clapped!

That thing they slap before beginning a scene in Hollywood is called the “clapperboard” or “slate board” and, guess what? Your 2023 movie has begun!

The question is, are you hanging out in your talent trailer still feverishly learning your lines, getting your character profile in place and readying yourself for camera. . .

Or are you ACTING?

It’s showtime folks. Let’s get off script and play this one!

1. Get real authentic with a solution-focused (vs victim) mindset

2. Reach out for help, input, advice, encouragement – you gotta ask!

3. Wrap yourself inside of structures of support and accountability

4. If things remain stalled, return to item 2 above

January 4, 2023 – JOLT – Meant to BE in 2023

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

You didn’t miss me, but I’m clapping your ACTION!

Trailing Holiday Greetings

Ever noticed how you don’t think about who didn’t put out a holiday email, send a text or (if you’re old fashioned) send a greeting card. You only think of the ones who did. . .but they kinda come in such a flurry that they all blend together.

Well, here’s your last one, coming a bit later when you might notice it more. (Maybe an approach to take in other areas of life?)

Now wishing that you had the best holidays possible and that your New Year demonstrates in realtime all the high intentions you’re bringing into it.

After the Planning is ACTION!

I shared in a couple messages before the holidays that my wife and I do a pretty thorough process of completing the old year and creating the new. We both answered a lot of questions individually in a format we use, then shared our answers with one another to get a sense of where we each want to grow and live life more fully.

Our next step was to each create a Vision Board based on our individual intentions, which we just completed and walked through with one another last night. The images on these “boards” will be our computer screen backgrounds and will be printed and hung where we see them regularly so as to engage our reticular activating system, thereby building more conscious and subconscious attraction of these intentions.

WHEW! A lot of play/effort/engagement in all that! (If you’d still like to do that process for yourself, reply back and I’m happy to send the questions format.)

But now comes the footwork: ACTION!

The Slate Board Has Clapped!

That thing they slap before beginning a scene in Hollywood is called the “clapperboard” or “slate board” and, guess what? Your 2023 movie has begun!

The question is, are you hanging out in your talent trailer still feverishly learning your lines, getting your character profile in place and readying yourself for camera. . .

Or are you ACTING?

It’s showtime folks. Let’s get off script and play this one!

My wife gave me a little medallion when we got together with the Yiddish word “Bashert” on it, which means “meant to be.”

YOU are Meant to BE in 2023! Bashert!

December 14, 2022 – JOLT – Becoming Ain’t For the Faint of Heart

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

Becoming ain’t for the faint of heart

The Remedy for Played Out

A favorite late uncle of mine always made a playful comment about aging: “Getting old ain’t for sissies.”

Humorous, and no doubt true when it comes to the body not keeping up to speed with that still vital childhood spirit inside of us that wants to express as fully and rigorously as possible.

For sure, the body lagging behind is something we all must embrace at some point. For most of us, however, that point is NOT now: there’s still a lot of play – meaning flexibility, capacity and endurance – in our bodies to fulfill on that childhood spirit of curiosity and expansion.

“Played out,” by definition, means “worn out or used up: tired out: spent” (Merriam-Webster). Rarely are we as played out physically as we may be mentally, emotionally or spiritually.

So, what’s the remedy?

Flexing the mental, emotional and spiritual muscles before they atrophy! PLAY!

“Becoming” is Hard Work: So Play!

We’re fast approaching that traditional time of year when – if we haven’t played ourselves out into utter resignation (the belief that nothing will make any difference) – there’s a pull to reinvent, recreate or otherwise reenergize our lot in life.

Nothing wrong with that ritual. Ritual is what underpins so much of our life. The spirit wants to Become more of itself.

The problem comes in forcing ourselves to work toward who we want to
Become vs playing our way toward it.

Here are some timely questions to ask yourself:

1. Am I willing to do it again, to aspire for more of me, to Become?
2. Am I willing to finally, or at least once again, get on the playing field of designing/creating/establishing that career change/new business/published book/healthy habit/spicy relationship/spicy singleness/financial stability/long-term goal or dream?
3. If the answer is yes, am I willing to do everything possible to ensure my success this time and truly play?

We’re just a bit over two weeks away from the ritualistic New Year moment where hopes and dreams for big and small life shifts are put out into the Universe. In so many ways, it just comes down to “Am I willing?”

My wife and I are in our annual “Year Wrap, Year Creation” process where we answer a ton of questions about the year gone by and the one on the rise.

As a holiday public service announcement, I encourage you to take a bit of time – even in the midst of the holiday rush – to invest in acknowledging and honoring the seemingly good, bad and ugly of the last 12 months, what was accomplished and what was learned and, with that internal childhood spirit of curiosity and expansion, put some answers down to the questions above.

If it supports you in making the most of this unique time of personal transformation potential. . .

1. Download a free copy of the Top Ten Tips for Life’s Radical Second Half.
Get a sense of what’s possible in your life, career, goals and dreams at midlife and beyond by incorporating these 10 tips throughout the holidays. PLUS, you’ll get information about The Back Forty Play Project where we’ll be playing one-day/someday goals and dreams into NOW in the New Year.

2. Join my wife, Alexandra, and me next Tuesday evening at 5pm PST/8pm EST for a 1-hour walkthrough of our annual “Year Wrap and Year Creation” process.Too often, we either slide past this annual ritual without the attention for re-creation that it deserves or else we slap pipe-dream fixes onto our lives that won’t hold water come Jan. 2. Join us as we share our very own and very real process we’re engaged in now to clean the 2022 slate so as to have only new and vibrant energy surrounding 2023. NOTE: This will be a small, private group on zoom, so reply back personally to get all the details.

3. Enjoy some personal one-on-one time with me by scheduling a complimentary PlayGame Huddle to explore together and discover what your “game” for 2023 could be. Whether it’s that career change you’ve been contemplating, that book or business still on the drawing board, or the multitude of health, financial, relationship or other goals that matter most to you now, it’s all fair “game” material.

Grab a copy of my new book (even an inexpensive eBook copy), recently recognized as a finalist in two categories by the American Book Fest Book Awards, and schedule a complimentary 25min opportunity to discover your game worth playing next year.

December 7, 2022 – JOLT – It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Becoming

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like New Becoming

Did you miss my last “I’M BAAAAACK!” JOLT Notes from the last several weeks? See PART I through Part VI HERE and, if they speak to you, this next installment should be made to order. Thanks for your interest in “Becoming”.

Becoming in 2023

As we come to the close of 2022, isn’t it great that the calendar gives us yet another (made-up ritual) opportunity to go at it again?

It’s just a switch from one day to the next – Dec 31 to Jan 1 – but the value of what’s possible in terms of hopes and dreams being awoken and rekindled: limitless!

To dream a new dream, to set a new goal, to clean the slate on any judgments of how well we performed in our previous 12 months – as we intended and strove for greater joy, freedom and Self-expression in our lives – and to now “Become” all over again? Priceless!

In that regard, I’ve been sharing with you recently some of my own experiences in “Becoming” this past year, both precipitated and elongated by the publishing of my newest book, The Back Forty: 7 Essential Embraces to Launch Life’s Radical Second Half (see this series of posts beginning Oct 12 if you missed any).

And, as my wife and I engage in an annual process of reviewing our past year, acknowledging our wins, challenges, accomplishments and “growth opportunities,” I get even more clear that any “Becoming” I accomplished last year – meaning showing up more as who I came here to be and getting more aligned with what I came here to do – didn’t happen solo but with fellow “Becomers.”

Interesting that the word “comer” refers to someone who arrives somewhere or is likely to succeed. I’m committed to supporting “Becomers” – those who succeed through constant arriving at the next and next and next level of their goals and dreams – inside of a small, private team in 2023. It’s called The Back Forty Play Project. Would you like to be a part of that team?

Gift Giving (Already) for The Year Ahead

Here are some holiday gifts and opportunities for you to get a sense of what’s possible from participating with us. And, if you haven’t had personal time with me yet, here’s a chance to feel me out and see if I’m the coach for you to “Become” with in 2023!

1. Download a free copy of the newly revised Top Ten Tips for Life’s Radical Second Half.
Want to get a sense of what is possible in your life, career, goals and dreams at midlife and beyond? These 10 tips will support you. PLUS, you’ll get to find out all about The Back Forty Play Project.

2. Join my wife, Alexandra, and me next Tuesday evening at 5pm PST/8pm EST for a 1-hour walkthrough of our annual “Year Wrap and Year Creation” process.Too often, we either slide past this annual ritual without the attention for re-creation that it deserves or else we slap pipe-dream fixes onto our lives that won’t hold water come Jan. 2. Join us as we share our very own and very real process that we’re even now going through to clean the 2022 slate so as to have only new and vibrant energy surrounding 2023. NOTE: This will be a small, private group on zoom, so reply back personally to get all the details.

3. Cut straight to the chase on some personal one-on-one time with me by scheduling a PlayGame Huddle to explore together and discover what your “game” for 2023 could be. Whether it’s that career change you’ve been contemplating, that book or business still on the drawing board, or the multitude of health, financial, relationship or other goals that matter most to you now, it’s all fair “game” material.

Grab a copy of my new book (even an inexpensive eBook copy), recently recognized as a finalist in two categories by the American Book Fest Book Awards, and schedule a complimentary 25min opportunity to discover your game worth playing next year.

November 23, 2022 – JOLT – PART VI 1/2: The Call of THANKSGIVING

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

PART VI 1/2: Been out of touch, but I was answering the call of Becoming

Did you miss my last “I’M BAAAAACK!” JOLT Notes from the last several weeks? See PART I through Part VI HERE and, if they speak to you, follow them up with the sixth-and-a-half installment below. Thanks for your interest in “Becoming”.

1) Hear my wish for you, your family and friends to celebrate and enjoy your Thanksgiving with all the gratitude that you WISH you could feel every day of the year.

Isn’t it a great day at the gym of “THANKS”, “GIVING” us a whole day of much needed workout to build the spiritual muscles to experience the life of which Elvis sang: “If every day could be just like [Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Years, My Birthday, etc.], what a wonderful world it would be?”

2) Catch up on any past installments you may have missed since Oct. 12 HEREand be prepared for a personal invitation coming your way shortly to participate in a small group of inspired players to bring your “one day/someday” goals into reality in the New Year: The Back Forty Play Project (Want a preview? Grab a copy of the award-winning book The Back Forty: 7 Essential Embraces to Launch Life’s Radical Second Half and schedule a complimentary PlayGame Huddle with me next week HERE. I’ll fill you in.)

3) Get off of email and go finish that cooking!!!

November 16, 2022 – JOLT – Part VI: The Call of Becoming

By Darrell Gurney | Blog

PART VI: Been out of touch, but I was answering the call of Becoming

Did you miss my last “I’M BAAAAACK!” JOLT Notes from the last several weeks? See PART I through Part V HERE and, if they speak to you, follow them up with the next installment below. Thanks for your interest in “Becoming”.

Shall We Truly Play Again?

One of the most famous (and misquoted) lines from cinema is Humphrey Bogart’s “Play it Sam.”

He’s reminiscing about a love and a time gone by.

I’d say for many of us the idea of “playing” is something we reminisce over, perhaps from an earlier and seemingly simpler time. It rarely comes up as a regular and necessary part of our day nor is it a word that ever shows up within a sentence having to do with our goals and dreams.

No. Instead, the pursuit of our “one day” and “someday” goals and dreams is generally replete with words and phrases like “work hard”, “make it happen” or other references toward a nose-to-the-grindstone mindset.

“Working” towards goals has always seemed a more appropriate (and grown up/responsible) action to take rather than “playing” towards them.

But I’m shifting that mindset personally. And I invite you to shift it for yourself as well.

Hey, play beats work any day. Both you and I have “worked” very hard most of our lives!

With the recent publishing of my book, The Back Forty: 7 Essential Embraces to Launch Life’s Radical Second Half, and the subsequent “Holy Hell! Now I’ve gotta live by this philosophy!”awareness that took me over (and out) for several months, I’m now waking up to smell the midlife coffee. That dog of “work hard” ethic just don’t hunt any more.

That’s not to say the aspirations have dried up. It’s just to say that Divining that well is now going to come from a playful (vs workful) source.

Playing for “One Day/Someday” Today

The Back Forty: 7 Essential Embraces to Launch Life’s Radical Second Half is chocked full of a huge array of midlife self-examination and reevaluation questions – kind of like a midlife makeover – and one of the exercises in particular had me wake up in terms of my goals and dreams.

In this exercise, called the “Top Ten Regrets”, you imagine finding out that you won’t be on the planet much longer, like your personal “bye-bye” time is almost here.

We don’t usually live like we could be outta here at any moment, but that happens! And my belief is that a lot of regrets go with us because we didn’t take committed action on those things that matter most while we were still healthy and functioning in life.

So, in this exercise you look at the regrets you’d have if you were all of a sudden – “POOF” – now on your way to what follows this earthly experience and how, with time still on your hands, you might finally take action on those “one-day” and “someday” dreams and goals NOW!

You know, the pull of the moment and all those alligators nipping at our heels in daily life makes a big case – in our own mind – for continuing to delay those “one-day” and “someday” goals and dreams. It’s hard to take the time, right?

I get it! But that “Top Ten Regrets” exercise in The Back Forty has woken me up to make the timefor those goals and dreams even when I don’t think I have the time.

What are the Top Ten Regrets you’d have if you were to move on from this life unexpectedly in the near future?

And what is one – only ONE – “one day/someday” goal that, were you to get into action around it with the support of others in the coming year would have you live a bit more regretlessly?

It’s now time for that “one day/someday” goal of yours.

The Back Forty Big Game Play Project

Taking into account some of the main ideas I’ve been sharing in these several weeks of “I’M BAAAAACK!” JOLT Notes, namely that:

• “Living” The Back Forty means constant growth, fuller Self-expression and Becoming.

• Big dreams come into fruition by living into the gaps that we actively create for ourselves between
  who and where we are right now and who and where we’ve declared that we want to Be
.
• Our hopes and dreams just can’t and won’t happen on our own. Becoming is a team sport!

• We participate with others such that we can become a better player in some modality, and we do so
  in a group environment made up of others also seeking to uplevel their ability to play.

• Hey, play beats work any day. Both you and I have “worked” very hard most of our lives!

You’re now the first to know: in the next few weeks, I’ll be organizing an exclusive group of folks to join together in bringing their “one day/someday” goals and dreams into reality TODAY (or, at least in the New Year).

The co-created “game” that we’ll be playing in together is “The Back Forty Big Game Play Project.”

If 2023 is your year to move those goals out of “someday” into your present life, stay tuned in the coming days and weeks for more info and an opportunity to join this small exclusive group.

And, in the meantime, if you’d like to be first to know, first in line, and first to stick your toe in the water, benefit from a complimentary “PlayGame” coaching session with me this week to explore what your 2023 Big Game will be. Schedule a time HERE after grabbing a copy of The Back Forty.