by Patricia Clason at:<http://www.lightly.com>

I am getting impatient with the process of finding a job and making changes.How can I make it happen faster??

To answer a question with a question - are you sure that's what youwant?

Think about this..........

Wanting to fill his yard with the smell of lilacs, the man planted severalbushes in his garden. After a few weeks, he was frustrated because they hadntblossomed and he pulled them up and replanted them in another part of thegarden. Perhaps theyll get more sun here and then blossom, he thought.A month later, they still hadnt blossomed.

So he pulled them up and replanted in another area of the garden, this timeangrier than before. In the fall, the bushes still hadnt blossomed so hepulled them out and threw them away!

Immediate gratification. The American society is programmed for a pill totake away the headache, a candy bar for instant energy, a credit card so you canbuy what you want right now (never mind that you have to pay for it for monthsor years to come!). We want what we want and we want it when we want it.

We forget that the world is made of cycles and processes. The lilac bushesneeded a season to settle into the earth and send down roots. Nature gives usthe wonderful example of seeds needing to build root systems before they sproutabove ground and grow into the vegetable, herb, plant, or tree they were meantto be.

When you want to become more of Who You Were Meant To Be, have you beenpulling up the roots, replanting in what you thought might be sunnier spots,only to find that you arent getting the blossoms you yearn for?

Perhaps it would be best if you want more of what you can be to take the timeto nurture a root system.

Get grounded. Take quiet time in your life to be with yourself. Develop yourown root system of knowing who you are, what you believe, what you want. Journalyour thoughts and emotions so you can reflect on what you think and feel.Explore through books and seminars the possibilities and potentials available toyou. Talk with friends.

Make sure that you are not operating out of anxiousness, frustration, anger,stress or fatigue. The choices we make at emotional times are often not thoughtout, well processed through our root system and therefore dont usuallyreflect Who We Were Meant To Be. They tend instead to reflect the chaos of thestorm going on around us.

Allow the storm front to move through and move on. Just notice the emotions,feel them at the moment. There is no need to take action, other than to protectyourself if necessary from the elements that might be dangerous to you. When thestorm has passed, the calm settles in. Review what has happened.

Give it all time to process within you before making decisions to sprout intothe new business, relationship, home or whatever new directions you arechoosing. The Chinese bamboo, Moso, takes several years to build its rootsystem before ever appearing above ground. However, its root system is sostrong that it will grow to 60 to 75 feet tall in the five years following itsappearance. The bamboo will grow to eight inches in diameter and is a strong andpowerful plant.

Gib Cooper is a bamboo gardner. He offers this old bamboo gardners sayingfor us to ponder.... The first year they sleep. The second year they creep. Thethird year they leap!

When you approach a new beginning in your life, I believe you would do wellto remember the wisdom of the Chinese gardner. Take the time to plant andnurture the seeds of your new beginning, choose wisely the plant you wish tobecome and then watch as your power and strength grow in proportion to the rootsystem you have developed. Give up immediate gratification for the long termpleasure, satisfaction, and strength of the moso forest!

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost, that iswhere they should be. Now put the foundation under them."
--Henry David Thoreau

Build strong foundations under YOUR castles with a private Coach!

PatriciaClason, owner of "Accountability Coaching Associates" was first toreceive the "Registered Corporate Coach "designation from theNational Association of Business Coaches. Patricia is also a professional speaker, author and trainer in human resourcedevelopment with over twenty-five years of experience!

Visit her at her website <http://www.lightly.com>where you will find helpful articles, a calendar of events for the Center forCreative Learning, and much more!

Or call her at (414) 374-5433

Check out her NEW program on Ethics - the hot topic of the 21st century!

And in the meantime - Take It Lightly!!!!!!!!