Category Archives: Managing The Transition


Taking Inspiration From My Daughter

By Sarah Cooper | Published March 13, 2009

 
Two days ago my daughter Elsa (3 1/2) announced that she’d like to cycle herself to school - a local Chinese kindergarten just round the corner from where we live. Her bike was last year’s birthday present from her ayi (like a Chinese nanny). But Elsa never really got the hang of it before winter [...]

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Also posted in Building Self Belief, Reaching Your Potential | Tagged , , | 2 Comments
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Embracing Imperfection: What You Can Learn From a First Pancake

By Sarah Cooper | Published March 9, 2009

 
In shifting from your former or current job to your dream work, it’s likely that you’ll be moving from a position of expertise to a position of relative ignorance.
 
Often, we’re a bit embarrassed by our lack of skill or knowledge in our new area, forgetting that we had to learn the ropes of our [...]

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Also posted in Reaching Your Potential | Tagged , | 6 Comments
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How To Know For Sure If It’s Work That’s Right For You

By Sarah Cooper | Published March 3, 2009

Deciding on a new career direction can be a paralysing experience. This is particularly true if you’ve spent many years in a job or profession that didn’t quite fit.  You really want to make the right choice this time round.
 
I’ve been there and felt the agony of hovering around on the edge of a [...]

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Also posted in Defining Your Dream Work, Useful Tools and Techniques | Tagged , , | Leave a comment
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Immigration Officer to Children’s Boutique Owner: Karen’s story

By Sarah Cooper | Published February 9, 2009

What did you do before opening your own children’s store?
 
Originally I taught English, first in Canada (I’m Canadian) then in China for many years. Just prior to starting my own business however I had been working as an Immigration Officer at the Australian Embassy in Beijing.
 
What motivated you to start your own business?
 
The [...]

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Also posted in Reaching Your Potential | Tagged , , | Leave a comment
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The Fastest Way To Get Your Energy Back

By Sarah Cooper | Published January 16, 2009

 
From time to time our passionately held beliefs – our exciting goals for the future – lose their oomph. Maybe we’ve come up against a problem we just can’t see our way around. Or perhaps we’re just exhausted from working too hard. Like a soufflé taken out of the oven at the wrong moment, we [...]

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Also posted in Achieving Balance, Useful Tools and Techniques | Tagged , | 1 Comment
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Making The Most Of The “In Between” Times

By Sarah Cooper | Published December 5, 2008

 
When we decide to make a career change – or any change in fact – we tend to do everything we can to effect the change as quickly and painlessly as possible. It’s understandable: a speedy career re-launch allows us to protect our income, keep a structure to our days, and put behind us the [...]

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How To Present Yourself As An Expert When You Feel Like A Fraud

By Sarah Cooper | Published November 28, 2008

 
5 “F-words” to help you quickly believe in and market your expert status! 
 
Facts, Focus, Fees, Follow up, Feedback
 
The 5 Fs are most relevant for those of you who are thinking of starting a consultancy or service business, but I hope everyone will be able to glean something useful.
 
Tip 1 – FACTS
 
When you’re [...]

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Coaching Yourself From Circular To Straight line Thinking

By Sarah Cooper | Published November 14, 2008

 
Many people complain to me that the career or broader life issues they’re grappling with just circle endlessly in their head. I’ve experienced this myself. My two most determined circles were 1) wondering what on earth I was supposed to be doing with my life and later 2) questioning if I had the will, talent, [...]

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Why We Sometimes Need To Make A Leap Of Faith

By Sarah Cooper | Published October 24, 2008

  
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a prettily preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways in a shower of gravel and party shards, thoroughly used, utterly exhausted, and loudly proclaiming: “WOW…what a ride!”
 
I love this quote.  I’m not too sure who said it – I’ve [...]

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3 Simple Steps To Put An End To Worry

By Sarah Cooper | Published October 17, 2008

I’ve been thinking a lot about worry recently.
 
I always ask new clients to complete a short profile before we start our coaching sessions.  One of the questions is “what consumes time or energy that you wish to eliminate?” Invariably people mention worry.
 
Often what they’re worrying about isn’t life or death situations. But even small [...]

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