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Can you believe it? This has been edited and sent to me via email, while I am on vacation in California. I then picked up the email remotely via my Hotmail account and made my changes. At that point, I was able to post it for distribution to all of you without ever having any access to my own computer.

The response to the new bi-monthly e-zine tips on Body language has been excellent and my free teleclasses on First Impression continues to be well subscribed. Next free teleclass is May 15.

Roberta

VISION OR WISHFUL THINKING?

There is a big difference between having a vision and having a dream. I think of Martin Luther’s "I Have A Dream" speech as a vision statement. You can see it; taste it; feel it. That is what having a vision, even a personal vision, is all about. A dream, generally speaking, is vague, symbolic, hard to interpret and full of red herrings. It seems to me that most us go on living our daily lives in a state of wishful thinking. It is only when we take the time to seek clarity for ourselves can we begin to find purpose and meaning. A clear vision sets out the path of our journey and the milestones to get there. It is not a guarantee we will ever achieve our final destination. Perhaps, that is not the point but we are moving foreword towards something greater than what currently exists. The joy comes when we find others to join us on our travels, at least for a while. Some of us travel in solitude. And theirs is the more lonely and challenging path.

The achievers, those who are successful (however you define it) and the leaders in their work all have a vision that they can articulate to others. Don’t mistake it with those who tell you they know what they want. They may even be able to tell you some of their objectives in specific terms. However, there won’t be a plan behind it or persistence or commitment. I tend to find the cliché, - where there is a will there is a way – a little trite for me. Unfortunately, there is much truth.

Look out for the dreamers and wishful thinkers. Some of them you can easily spot and you know that they will wait forever for their luck to change. Others are more charming. You believe in the rhetoric and excitement that they can create. Trust that little voice inside. Are you moving forward? Are results forthcoming? Is the journey both pleasant and difficult? Who is doing all of the work?

Change is inevitable, growth is intentional."
~ Glenda Cloud

A loser seldom lives in the present, but instead destroys the present by focusing on past memories or future expectations.
~ Muriel James

Find your true path. It's so easy to become someone we don't want to be, without even realizing it's happening. We are created by the choices we make every day. And if we take action in order to please some authority figure, we'll suddenly wake up down the road and say, 'This isn't me. I never wanted to be this person.'
~ Bernie Siegel

THE QUICKEST WAY TO COPY AND PASTE

Some of us for the old DOS days like to use the keyboard more than the mouse and there can be some advantages. One is that sometimes under the edit file at the top of your page or at the little icon, you are not allowed to copy or paste anything. Try this instead, in any program. It is easy and fast. Highlight what you want to copy and press the Cntrl key (bottom left) and the same time as the C key. This should do a copy. Then go to wherever you want to put the copy and press the Cntrl key (bottom left) and the same time as the V key. Presto – it should be there.

This month’s book is Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart : A Systems Approach to Engaging Leaders with Their Challenges  by Mary Beth O'Neill .

http://www.coachingoption.com/books/executive.htm

"A vision exists within each of us, even if we have not made it explicit or put it into words. Our reluctance to articulate our vision is a measure of our despair and a reluctance to take responsibility for our own lives, our own unit, our own organization. A vision statement is an expression of hope, and if we have no hope, it is hard to create a vision."

Peter Block, The Empowered Manager, p. 113

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Copyright (c) 2001 by Ward-Green and Hill Associates Ltd.
All rights reserved. ISSN 1496-7529
Reproduction for publication is encouraged,
with the following attribution: From "The Coaching Option," by
Roberta F. Hill, http://www.coachingoption.com

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