Page 136 - Talane Miedaner - Coach Yourself to a New Career_ 7 Steps to Reinventing Your Professional Life (2010)

124 COACH YOURSELF TO A NEW CAREER

and done that. I ran her through a battery of computerized assess-
ments to see what her innate abilities were, and then I simply
asked her to tell me about someone she
envied. She admitted, rather sheepishly,
It is not irritating to to envying Diane von Furstenburg,
be where one is. It is the fashion designer. Guess what: she
only irritating to think secretly wanted to become a designer
one would like to be herself but never thought she could
somewhere else. be successful at it. I took a look at her
strengths and abilities and pointed out
—JOHN CAGE that there was no reason whatsoever
why she couldn’t be successful in this
field. She had everything it would take
and just needed to get started. She even had a handy list of close
friends in the field she could consult for advice and information.
Why we have this perverse notion that we can’t do what those we
envy do is a mystery to me, because more often than not, you can!
What’s more, the person you envy proved that it’s possible!
Make a list of all the people you envy and what specifically
you want that they have, using the space provided in this sec-
tion. Also consider those you admire and what it is you admire
about them. We often admire others
for what we want to be, do, or have as
My motto is well. However, admiration isn’t quite as
“Contented with little, effective a guide as envy for discovering
yet wishing for more.” your real desires and passions in life.
We may admire qualities or abilities in
—CHARLES LAMB another that we don’t actually want for

ourselves. For example, you may admire
Venus Williams’s ability with the ten-
nis racket but may have no interest in playing tennis yourself. You
may, however, envy her lifestyle or fame because you secretly want
that yourself. Envy is a bad thing only when you think you can’t
have the object of your envy. Again, the fact that one person has
achieved it proves that it is humanly possible to do and paves the
way forward for you. No need to reinvent the wheel; just reinvent