5 quirky confessions & unconventional résumé builders

5 quirky confessions & unconventional résumé builders

Every time I sit down to write to you, my goal is threefold: (1) to provide thoughtful ways for you to feel more free and get to know yourself better, (2) inspire you to trust your dreams more than your fears/more than you did yesterday, and (3) offer some ideas for how to develop the personal habits and actions that make those dreams REAL.

Here are 5 quirky confessions, things that’ll help you understand why this drives me, week after week. A unique résumé, of sorts.

1. I cut my own hair

For many years now, I’ve been cutting my own hair. It’s not perfect – but it’s good enough. (It grows back.) And, like most things, the more I do it, the better I get at it. Regular hair appointments never felt like something I wanted to do. I wanted the result, but not the experience of making the appointment, having to devote a good chunk of an afternoon to drive to the appointment, find parking, sit in the chair, endure small talk, hear small talk from others nearby, wash, rinse, dry, more small talk, pay, leave, repeat … all for a haircut! No thanks. For a while, in an effort to extend the time between haircuts, I asked for a cut that was shorter than what I actually wanted. “I’ll like it in three weeks,” I told myself. Until I finally said, screw that and started cutting my own hair. Now, I keep my hair the length I want, all the time. And – I save time, money, energy, and small talk. Things to gleam from this: There are no “have tos”. You get to choose which “norms” you subscribe to. Don’t let the beauty industry (or any industry) tell you how to think or what to do. You can do brave big little things that add up, and save you time, energy, money, and frustration. Why settle or tolerate? There are many ways to get the results that you want.

2. I am location-independent

An RV nomad for more than 5 years, I call an Airstream home. In other words, ‘make life an adventure’ isn’t a trite sentiment, it’s a way of life! You of course don’t have to live in an Airstream or travel if that’s not your thing. But, whatever horizons are calling YOU, you can be darn sure that I hold them as valid, important, and inspired (even if it makes about as much rational sense as the shoe-lover that I am, calling a 27’ condo-on-wheels with far too little closet space, home). 😀 As your coach, I support you every step of the way, ensuring that you have a full tank of fuel and the guidance needed to skillfully navigate and accelerate your way to the life YOU dream of for yourself. 

3. I ran away as a kid

If you feel a bit like a caged bird, trapped in any way – be it in a job, home, body, relationship, or [fill in the blank with your own] – constrained by the belief you can’t actually have the life you really want… I empathic-ly and viscerally FEEL that. As your coach, I help you climb out of that metaphorical window and create the freedom you want. I will be running down that street with you, there for the gleeful moments, the sob-it-out moments, and the “what now?” moments. AND – because we’re grown ups and know that true freedom isn’t about what you run from, we’ll get you crystal clear on the life you want to be running toward and set you up with a proven process to get there, full steam ahead! Because creating a life you love is a ridiculous thing to put off, amiright?

4. I believe life is art

Your life is an original work. You are here to create something as unique as you are. Something I have said many times is, “I don’t know what I think until I write it down.” For me, writing is central to my own artful creative life. It’s a place where I find myself, express myself, reveal myself, and clarify what I feel, think, want, and know. Creativity is life force and MUST be expressed for life to be truly satisfying and gratifying. While writing is a primary way that I find my own full expression, it need not be your way – obviously. Your way is your way, and I respect and hold in the highest regard YOUR bubbling creativity and the importance of you finding your unique way to full expression. I am well-versed in the realm of creativity, both as a creator and a connoisseur, and will always respect, encourage, and support your unique process.

5. I’m a life coach who salsa dances

What this means for you is that when you hire me and I do a happy dance to celebrate your successes (of which there will be many!) … my booty shakes, my shoulders shimmy, and I happily dance loooong after my feet hurt.

There you have it. Five rather unconventional credentials, but “cred” nonetheless. In some ways perhaps even more important than my formal education, certifications, Bachelors and Masters degrees!

What do you think?

Comment below and let’s have some fun with this. Share a quirky unconventional example of your own credibility!

This opens up more possibilities, fast!

This opens up more possibilities, fast!

Lost your creative mojo?

Curiosity is something that has enhanced my life in more ways than I can count.

Be it something I’ve developed within my business that started out as a simple “Hmmm…I wonder if there’s a way to _____” or “I wonder what would happen if ______”…

Or, how staying curious about what’s going on for another person has helped enrich connections and solve problems within relationships…

Or, the immense pleasure I’ve gained from following my curiosity while wandering around a city or park when I travel – no particular place to go, merely following the lead of whatever inspires me to explore it further…

When we’re curious about what else is out there, what we haven’t seen, perspectives we might have overlooked… when we OPEN to what we haven’t heard or seen before, the possibilities quickly become endless when before they might have seemed scarce.

Curiosity is the answer. It seeds the mind, feeds the soul, and keeps things fresh.

BUT when our lives are frustrating, curiosity is often one of the first things to go!

I mean, when you’re frustrated and focused on just getting through the day and managing a lot of same-old-same-old, who has time to be curious?

Imagine walking around your whole day with no curiosity, no intrigue, no wonder, no spark to want to learn more, experience more, inquire more, listen more, or enjoy more.

How long would it be before THAT felt yucky?

Curiosity brings our creativity back, which allows us to be curious about EVERYTHING. Start with ONE thing. Get curious about having fun, get curious about the people in your life, get curious about learning new skills and new things. That curiosity builds a muscle of clarity that allows you to bring the energy of curiosity into other aspects of your life. And THIS opens doors. All of a sudden, those things about your dreams and your goals and your career and your relationships and your life as a whole, that seemed impossible before… Now you can see possibilties, because you practiced getting curious.

But building that curiosity muscle to the point where possibilities become ENDLESS is tough.

Curious to find out more?

Let’s connect for a free 1:1 assessment call where we will talk about your goals and your dreams and all of the things that haven’t felt possible before, and we will FIND the possibilities together.

We will expand your curiosity muscle and start to see how what wasn’t possible before, absolutely can be now.

You’ll walk away from our call not only with a stronger curiosity muscle and more possibilities in sight than before, but also with a roadmap to understanding exactly how to make those dreams and goals REAL.

Apply now!

Curious about YOU,

Tara Sage

 

An Unstructured Time Experiment

unstructured timeI am in month #2 of an Unstructured Time Experiment … a new schedule that limits my availability for client sessions to three weeks per month in order to allow me one week per month of unstructured time. Not time “off” per se … I work, but with an I-can-do-what-I-want-when-I-want-where-I-want-with-who-I-want-and-not-need-to-watch-the-clock approach.

There’s a gradual transition underway before this new schedule will be in full effect.  To honor my agreements with those who were scheduled prior to my “new” schedule kicking in to gear, I still have a few client sessions during my Unstructured Week – but only one day during the week, is this the case.

When the idea was first “seeded” and I started to consider putting this into place … I had *ALL KINDS* of resistance rise to the surface!  All kinds of “not enough” stories and who-do-you-think-you-are questions.

Can you afford it, Tara? I mean, really … Who are YOU to decide it’s ok to be less available for new clients? And if prospective new clients have to wait, sometimes 3-4 weeks for a Dream Discovery session, you’re going to miss the chance to work with them … They’ll go find another coach! They won’t *wait* that long. Pfft!  AND – with a team to pay and your expenses being higher than ever, you really have no business even *thinking* about doing such a thing. Utterly arrogant. It’ll be financial sabotage…. And what will you DO with this time exactly? Follow creative inspiration?!? You’re not sure exactly?? Maybe you’ll organize your office? Go to the gym every day that week? Sit in cafes? Pfft! Sounds like playing hooky to me, Queen Tara. An all around terrible idea!

And on and on it went …

But I figured, what the heck, I’ll give it a few months.  I can always go back to my “old” schedule.

In full transparency, my “client time schedule” over the 10 years I’ve been in biz has changed over time, in phases …

Phase I: Anytime, 7 days a week, as long as I’m not sleeping.

Phase II: Monday – Saturday, as long as I’m not sleeping.

Phase III: M-F, as long as I’m not sleeping.

Phase IV: M-F, 9am-6pm.

Phase V: M-F, 9am-6pm, except Wednesdays which start at 11am.

Phase VI: Monday-Thursday, 9am-6pm, except 11am start on Wednesdays, and Fridays available for VIP Days.

Phase VII: Tuesday – Thursday, with 11am start on Wednesdays, and Fridays available for VIP Days.

And now …

Phase VIII: Tuesday-Thursday, with 11am start on Wednesdays and Fridays available for VIP Days, 3 weeks out of the month….

And so far so good!

I’m really learning how important Unstructured Time is for me.  How it allows for creative ideas and inspiration to bubble up. How sometimes I want to write, and sometimes I want to organize, and sometime I want to collaborate, and sometimes I want to play, and sometimes I want to revamp an old something into a new something, and sometimes I want to be in nature, and sometimes I want to be in a public library or a museum, and sometimes I want to take a nap, and sometimes I want to wake up early, and sometime I want to go to bed late.

Tara
Here are just a few of the results of my two-month Unstructured “Week 4” Time:

  • Revamped and restructured an old program into a new and up-leveled more streamlined version that better serves my clients and my team.
  • Followed an in-the-shower inspiration … connected with a colleague and pitched a collaboration idea and, after just a 1-hour “on fire” phone call, wheels are now in motion for a very fun “on the stage” event that we foresee will be duplicated, city after city…
  • Reflected and reviewed how I’m spending my time and as a result have reached out and started interviewing to hire a new Create Your Life! team member to take a time-consuming task off my plate.
  • I had an idea for a brand new business all together and conversation is underway with an interested partner.
  • The closet in my bedroom is organized like never before which makes getting dressed everyday a delight.
  • Plans for a dream trip is in the works.
  • Hot baths in the middle of day, because I can. (And with more frequent gym-time, what used to be a luxury feels more like a need.)
  • Leisurely lunch dates.
  • Long walks with my pup….

And, for the record, NONE of my fears have proven true. Revenue has gone up, not down. I’ve even started to wonder what Phases 9 & 10 might look like!

Thanks for reading. I felt like sharing. And I had the time to do so.

I’d love to hear from you … What does reading this inspire for YOU?

My hope is that you too might look at new ways to schedule your time, allowing for more Unstructured Time and the emergence of a new kind of productivity in your life and your work.

Carpe diem.

May your dreams always inspire more than they intimidate,