by Annemarie Segaric, career coach

Studies show that more than 50 percent of people are unhappy in their jobs, yet few will actually make a career change this year or any year for that matter. Why? Most people let fear stop them — but successful career changers know that fear is simply a sign that you are headed in the right direction!

Follow the five key steps that successful career changers actually take to overcome their fears and make a sustainable change.

1. Plug the Leaks
While you may be focused on the fact that this is a career transition, you are made up of more than just your job. Identify and commit to eliminating those things — big and small — that are draining you of energy. Deal with them now in order to have the energy you’ll need to make your career change.

2. Know What You Want and Make the Decision to Have It
We spend a great deal of time focusing on what we don’t like about our jobs and often let transitions happen to us. Being passive about a career transition makes for a painful passage. Stop and identify what you would like instead. Be proactive and make the decision, internally, that this is what you want and that you will not let anything stop you.

3. Believe In What You Want
Belief corresponds to how you feel about what you want. Examine what you are telling yourself about your desire for a new job. Make a decision to change your belief so that your career change is not a matter of “if” or “how” but only “when.”

4. Make a Transition, Not a Leap
Keep your day job and try out your calling on the side. Not being able to pay the bills is a stress you can choose to not put yourself through. Go through a process of repeated planning and testing, planning and testing. See what you learn and decide what your next steps should be. Remember, it’s a transition. Slow and steady will get you to the finish line. Think marathon, not sprint.

5. Live As If
Your future career is created by being in the present and showing up each day as if what you want has already come to pass. Ask yourself, “If I were already working in my dream job, how would I act today?” Then make the shift and go act as if you’ve already made it!

What step are you willing to take this week? Maybe it’s tossing all those magazines that have piled up that you keep telling yourself you will catch up on (but know you won’t!) and eliminating the stress of seeing them everyday. Or maybe it’s time to sign up for that course you’ve been interested in taking. And for some of you it might be time to learn more about yourself and your true desires so you know what work you’d love doing... and, oh yeah, that would pay the bills and then some!

Annemarie Segaric is a life and career change coach and the author of the booklet 107 Tips for Changing Your Career While Still Paying the Bills available on her website www.segaric.com. Would you change careers if you only knew what you wanted to do? Sign up for her next free telephone seminar, How to Figure Out What You Want When Changing Careers on July 10 at 8:30pm EST. Email teleclass@segaric.com to register.

Would you like to begin a life-changing holistic health counseling or culinary program, but you’re not sure which Clark Wellness offering is the best fit for you? Would you like to meet with Isabel Clark personally (face to face or over the phone) to learn more about how Clark Wellness’ unique approach to creating balanced wellness can benefit you? Then Isabel’s free 30-minute initial consultation is for you!

In your session we will discuss your health history, your current concerns and goals, and how Clark Wellness’ services can benefit you. The consultation is completely confidential and there is no obligation, although you are welcome to consider this conversation as a turning point. You’ll get to focus completely on your health issues and yourself for a full 30 minutes — a nice treat for most people who don’t get even five minutes a day to focus on themselves!

That wonderful leafy green that, in its canned form, gave Popeye the firepower to defeat his enemies, can do great things for you, too! Spinach is a wonderful, tender leafy green with a mild flavor. Despite Popeye’s preferences, it’s best when it’s fresh — both taste-wise and nutrient-wise.

Spinach is high in vitamins K and A and lutein, an important nutrient for eye health. It also contains iron, a vital mineral for hemoglobin production (hemoglobin carries oxygen to all body tissues!), especially considering how low it is in calories compared to other high-iron foods. Spinach is very high in calcium, but it also contains oxalic acid, a compound that can bind to calcium and other minerals, rendering these minerals unabsorbable and therefore not bio-available to your body. So, while spinach is a healthful food, it shouldn’t be consumed every day.

Looking for new ways to enjoy spinach? Try the Clark Wellness Recipe of the Month and this month’s ForkBytes recipe below. Yum!

Isabel will be Kimberly Wilson’s guest on her Hip Tranquil Chick podcast the week of June 12, 2006! Check out the podcast by downloading through iTunes (search “hip tranquil chick”), or listen online (and view show notes) at hiptranquilchick.com/blog.

Search iTunes for “hip tranquil chick #14” to hear Isabel’s first interview on Hip Tranquil Chick from January 2006!

Serves 4

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
water
1 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 cups washed baby spinach leaves

Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and cook briefly. Add the carrots and sauté with the onion until vegetables are slightly browned.

Add the salt and pepper, along with enough water to cover the vegetables (step back to avoid splattering oil), and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer 25 minutes or until very tender.

Remove the soup from the heat and cool briefly. Place soup in a blender and purée until completely smooth. Return soup to the pot and stir in the dill and spinach until the spinach is slightly wilted. Adjust seasoning and serve immediately.

Isabel Clark is a holistic health and wellness counselor with a focus on holistic nutrition and food and lifestyle coaching. Her personalized wellness programs and fun and lively classes make natural, wholesome, healthful, home-prepared foods and supportive, healthful, positive lifestyle choices accessible to women looking to achieve balanced wellness.

In her holistic health counseling practice, Clark Wellness, Isabel works primarily with individual clients to empower them to make appropriate food choices for their unique situations. She shares her knowledge of natural foods selection and preparation along with coaching on menu planning, goal setting, and positive lifestyle changes to help her clients create the happy, healthy lives they were born to live!

I hope you have enjoyed Clark Wellness ForkBytes as much as I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you. Please feel free to forward it to friends, family members, and colleagues who you think might also find it interesting and inspiring!