It's easy to begin a year with analysis:  months, days and even years of "thinking."   Many of us would like to believe that "reaching goals" begins with an armchair, a self-help book and a beer.  But if you really want to see some change,  remember that action creates energy.

Have you ever spent a whole day driving? Lying on the couch
with a heavy-duty remote control? At the end of the day, you're exhausted.

Action fuels thought. The world looks different as you sit in your living room. When you get off the couch and face the outside world, your questions -- and your answers --seem new.

Action is a test of your readiness to change. Are you thinking of hiring a career consultant? Before you pick up the phone, take some small action on your own. Get a list of articles from the library or web. Make some phone calls.

Do something different. In a tape version of her recent book, Thunder and Lightning, Natalie Goldberg advises writers to overcome blocks by changing small elements of their lives. Take a different route when you walk home, she suggests; if you normally drive with your left hand on the steering wheel, try the right.

Some ideas:

Do something alone that you normally do with others: shopping, traveling, eating in a restaurant.

Do something with others that you normally do alone.

If you have a routine for evenings or weekends, make a change. In his book, How People Change, Allen Wheelis pointed out that changing yourself is pretty simple. If you want to stop being a thief, don't steal. If you want to be a writer, write. Sounds simple -- but it works.

Sometimes, if you are lucky, external events force you to change in a positive direction.  Serendipity has moved from
the woo-woo category to mainstream career research.

Can't get moving?

If you are really, really stuck, but you can't get yourself to take even one action step, pay attention. Sometimes you are at a point in your life when it's time to do nothing, but inability to act may signal depression or anxiety. Only a licensed therapist can help .

Do you want someone to share your thoughts as you try out different actions? Moving -- but you're not sure in which direction you want to end up? These questions suggest you
can get help from a career or business  coach.

Maybe you believe in New Year's Resolutions, or maybe you
prefer to take life as it comes. Regardless, I can promise our 2004 will bring exciting new changes and opportunities...if you jump off that couch and begin taking action.

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Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.  is an author, business/career coach
and speaker, helping results-oriented midcareer professionals
move to their goals. Weekly ezine: http://www.cathygoodwin.com/subscribe.html
Website: http://www.cathygoodwin.com
mailto: cathy@cathygoodwin.com   505-534-4294