By Mary Ann Faremouth, CPC
With Halloween right around the corner, I’ve been attending functions and dress-up parties and reflecting on the tradition of the holiday that lets us become anything we want to be. What if we carried that mindset beyond Halloween? What if we could make our own kind of magic without needing to become a sorcerer or wizard with a magic wand? How would we do that? Would it even be possible?
As J.K. Rowling has said, “We do not need magic to transform our world. We carry all the power we need inside ourselves already. We have the power to imagine better.”
Even with the many changes and challenges in the New Work World, we can all create our own magic, but we must be determined to make it happen, rather than living passively and waiting for everything to fall into place. As Oprah Winfrey said, “I believe luck is preparation meeting opportunity.”
We must prepare and have a plan to make the magic happen. One plan, or strategy, that I have used successfully in my consulting practice is the Faremouth Method™. The following five steps from it can help you make your own kind of magic in the New Work World.
Step 1: Do a Self-Inventory
Instead of focusing on what you cannot do at this time, ponder what abilities and gifts you currently possess that bring you joy. Reflect on the achievements, accomplishments and accolades that are unique to you and your special talents. What do you do with ease and grace? Are you a good organizer, a natural at public speaking, a super creative person who can take the ordinary and make it extraordinary? Are you a great problem solver? Do things that activate the skills unique to who you are and what you truly enjoy, and you might just manifest magic in your life.
Step 2: Ask Better Questions
What if you could wave a magic wand and be anything you wanted to be — what would that look like? I often ask this question of new clients in my consulting practice, and it’s interesting what information I can glean from their answers: their passions, interests, happy experiences and more. The question often helps me understand the types of positions that would resonate well with them. Asking yourself questions of this nature can lead you to some awesome discoveries that could help you take an important step in the right direction.
Step 3: Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
We can learn so much about ourselves when we try new experiences. I recently was asked to give a presentation at Rice University for the annual Houston Writers Guild Conference. Although I hesitated at first to do this, I was glad I did! I met so many interesting writers and learned much from them about the craft of writing. It was a magical moment when I accomplished something I probably would not have done without this wonderful invitation to speak at this prestigious school! How about you? Have you ever taken a class you thought would be too difficult or stressful, only for you to enjoy the people you met and the ideas you discovered? Sometimes, when we delve into the unknown and move outside our comfort zone, new worlds open and give us a new lease on life.
Step 4: Take Time to Do It Right
A teacher I greatly admired in grade school used to say, “Practice makes perfect.” This might sound simplistic, but there is much wisdom in the statement. Taking the time to practice your networking or interview skills can help you feel more confident when speaking with a company about an open position. Or perhaps you need to practice broadening your perspective on your talents to understand that you are more capable than you realize. If you feel like you are going in circles trying to find the magic that is missing from your life on your own, seek out the help of a mentor, counselor, spiritual advisor or coach who can help you take find the yellow brick road to the wizard inside you.
Step 5: Be a Hunter
We need to seek out, or hunt for, the magic we have within and then share our full potential with the world. Shifting our perspectives to actively go after what we feel could enhance our lives, instead of focusing on the “lack,” allows us to travel on a journey to more fulfillment and joy. The New Work World welcomes those prospective employees who have the magical attitude: “Yes, I can make a valuable contribution to the bottom line,” as opposed to, “I’m not sure I can handle that task.” That positive attitude makes all the difference to companies when they’re deciding whether to make offers during these changing times.
Mary Ann Faremouth
Mary Ann holds a CPC (Certified Personnel Consultant) credential, was certified by the Board of Regents of the National Association of Personnel Consultants in Washington, D.C., and was awarded an Advanced Communicator Bronze, Advanced Leader Bronze Awards by Toastmasters. She cofounded Jobs: Houston magazine in 1997. Mary Ann maintains affiliations with professional organizations, including oil and gas, financial, construction, IT, and structural, mechanical, and civil engineering. (www.faremouth.com)
Mary Ann’s award-winning first book Revolutionary Recruiting has been listed by Book Authority as Number #1 Best 100 Recruiting Books; #1 Best Seller, Non-Fiction, Amazon (2019); Top 20 Recruiting books, Recruitics; Readers’ Choice finalist (2019), Houston Literary Awards; Best Non-Fiction (2018), Best Cover (2019), and Best Self-Help (2018), Authors Marketing Guild. Her books support individuals and corporations, tap into each candidate’s unrealized potential to find the right person for each job, maximizing both employee satisfaction and the employer’s bottom line. Mary Ann showcases her expertise of the recruiting world on a monthly podcast for The Price of Business and weekly articles for USA Business. Her new workbook, Revolutionary Reinvention, was recently released on Amazon. Mary Ann lives in Houston, Texas.
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