We talked about her situation, and this overwhelming feeling she had that she didn’t want to return to her job. Though she had the skill set (she does IT work for one of the big consulting firms), she was not excited about returning to “the job,” and to the high-stress environment. But, as many people are when they’ve been on a particular track, she was uncertain about her ability to do anything else.

To compound her dilemma, she’s here in a work visa (from Canada) and even though she’s married to a U.S. citizen, any employer who would hire her would have to sponsor her, which means that they have to bring her on board for her special skill set. So, she’s got some extra constraints. But that didn’t stop her from dreaming. I loved her attitude.

I recommended 2 books that really helped me figure out what I really wanted to do with my life and for work, Do What You Are by Paul and Barbara Tieger, and How to Find the Work you Love by Laurence Boldt. About a week later, I received the following email (edited for relevance):

I  had a great week…  You are right I’m still coming to an ending and can’t wait for the beginning of exciting new times.  After we spoke last week I went to the small library near my home.  In the library there is a second hand bookstore that I checked out.  It was probably my third time there and they were looking for some volunteers to work 2 hours on one day a week.  So I signed up and did some training last week.  It’s really not very hard or super stressful and the people are very nice.  Plus it gets me out of the house into a new environment.

I did plan to look for the books you suggested in the library but got into the training at the bookstore first.  Then as I was helping to shelve some books these 2 books were staring me in the face… It was like it was meant to be and you can’t beat the prices for the second hand books which is great for us right now.  I was so into the training and helping out and wasn’t even thinking about the books at the time.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE the Boldt book!!!! It’s so applicable and I feel like he’s really talking to me since I can relate to everything he mentions or even what the greats over time have known. It helps me to feel more hopeful about the future.  But at the same time I’m really looking forward to the future and working towards a new type of work and a new me!

Thanks again and have a fantastico week!

Can you feel her the shift in her outlook? Though it may take her a while to figure things out, especially with her potential visa constraints, I have no doubt she will. If you were talking to her, what would you tell her? Do you have resources that have helped you through similar transitions?

Joan

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Are you STUCK when you think about the next job  — now that you’re living with an invisible chronic illness?

Then tune in to my radio seminar to get ideas about what you can do.

Assess Yourself: Find the Job You Desire and Can Do Despite Limitations

Tuesday Sept. 9 at 9:00a.m PT  /11:00a.m.CT/12:00noon ET

This program is based on my home study guide:  Keep Working with Chronic Illness . And, it is part of National Invisible Illness Chronic Illness Awareness Week, a worldwide effort to bring together people who live with invisible chronic illness and those who love them.  There is a week’s worth of valuable information and you want to be sure to look at all the programs to see what else would be useful to you.

I hope to share the radio airspace with you.  If you email me, Rosalind@cicoach.com,  with your questions, I’ll try to address them during the show.

Rosalind   aka cicoach.com

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Last February, I posted a survey to find out more about the concerns of people, like you,  living with chronic illness and working (or wanting to work).

This is what I learned.  Of those who responded:

2/3 or 66% worry about staying employed in the future

1/3 or 33% worry about finding employment

1/4 or 25% worry about advancing in their current job

Does that sound like you?

It certainly sound like me.  I’ve been there and so have my clients.

That’s why I’ve created a specialized career coaching program, the  Keep Working with Chronic Illness Workbook,  for people, like you, who either aren’t ready, don’t have the time or maybe lack the money to work with a career coach.  The Keep Working with Chronic Illness Workbook is a system that been designed to complement the book Joan and I wrote, Women Work and Autoimmune Disease, Keep Working, Girlfriend!

And while the book lays out and explores the challenges and opportunities you face – the workbook provides the practical foundation that you can use to build on your talents and strengths.

The Keep Working With Chronic Illness Workbook system is literally packed with the assessments, exercises and programs that I’ve created for my clients over the years. So it’s precisely tailored for people living with chronic illness. This will become your “Go To” guide. And it includes special bonuses (including a downloadable audio version).

Do you wonder…

• What’s the best job for me with unpredictable health?

• How will be keep working if I can’t work the way I used to?

• How will this illness affect what I can do?

• Who would hire me for a new job when I have a chronic illness?

I can honestly say that there is nothing else comparable to The Keep Working with Chronic Illness Workbook home study system — at least not that I’ve seen or heard about. The beauty of this is that you can use it on your schedule, use only those parts you need and work with it when you have the time. Even better – it gives you the tools you need so you don’t have to be afraid any longer.

PSST: To celebrate the publication of our book, the Workbook is being offered at a very special price for a limited time only. Don’t wait! Buy it now so you can get started before summer vacation — or you’ll put it off for yet another season! Got any questions? Email me: Rosalind@cicoach.com.  And if the links above don’t work for you, paste this into your browser to read about it yourself: http://www.cicoach.com/workbookpromo.html

Rosalind     aka cicoach.com

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The publisher gives us some free copies to give to family and friends (and those of you who read early drafts!). And, I’m told that it should be ready to order at Amazon.com any day now (click here to get to my web page that takes you to Amazon) You can pre-order though. FYI: pre-orders on Amazon get 5% more off their already ridiculously low price.

So feel free to blog about our book, review it, send it around to anyone whom you think might gain from it. I’d really like to hear what you think about it.

And, now onto passing along information. Are you familiar with online body scans? I’ve been working with several for a while with various coaching clients (and myself!) and I find they’re really useful. They’re part meditation/relaxation but the body scan aspect is invaluable for us CIer’s — a super way to get in touch with what your body is experiencing.

Here are two that I’ve come across: The Cullen Body Scan – which is free. Mindfulness Meditation: Guided Body Scan -this costs $10 and is worth it in my mind.

One client was doing this at work (he has his own office) in the middle of the day — until he realized it relaxes him so much, he falls asleep. Now he does it before going to work to check in and see how he’s feeling in his body (he has a habit of ignoring symptoms until they really stop him cold).

What do you do to get “in touch” with symptoms?

Rosalind aka cicoach.com

P.S. You CAN always put your comments online so others can gain from your thoughts, too! I just can’t figure out why people don’t comment -but email us instead. You CAN post a comment anonymously even. Any ideas?

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Have you heard about The Last Lecture? I had but because it sounded like another one of those “media” hypes — you know the ones where some guy gets his “Andy Warhol 10 seconds (or was it minutes …) of fame” — I ignored it.

But when a client sent me the links to Pausch’s videos and said I had to listen (thanks, Lynn), I wondered if maybe I was missing something. And I was.

I found myself laughing out loud (which is a little embarrassing when you’re alone in front of a computer) by his Lecture. Then I was in tears (HONESTLY!) by his sincerity and remarkable attitude. Listen to Randy Pausch’s thoughts on dying, advocacy and what dreams do for you.

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Also, in the “news” here, we’ve got a new page up on our blog about the book. We’ve added an audio clip. I had to buy a high quality microphone and learn how to use Audio Acrobat! (Another tech challenge for me –which Joan already uses for her classes – she’s so tech savvy!). Now you can hear us each read a chapter of the book. We thought you might like that.

And, thanks to the newest member of my team, a fabulous copywriter, Linda Dessau, (You Talk,I Write), the page has new copy and a new design, thanks to the other members of my team (VirtualHelp4U) . I’ve worked long and hard to get good people on my team and I’m so grateful it’s happened just when the book is coming out.

What do you think of all the changes? Do you like the audio selections? Any other suggestions you have for us?

Rosalind aka cicoach.com

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Six months earlier, she’d negotiated working from home two days a week – and she could choose which days depending on her schedule and her needs. When she asked for this, she told her supervisor that she has multiple sclerosis and that she was finding the long days with the commute increasing hard. She thought that avoiding the commute would help.

A lot went into this “negotiation” as you can see.

1. She disclosed her illness,
   
2. She admitted feeling tired and not working as well as she had.
   
3. She asked for an “accommodation”.

She was delighted when her boss readily agreed. He told her that she’d delivered such high value over the past ten years, he would do just about anything to keep her.

So, why is her boss backing off from his original agreement?  Well, the organization was recently bought and all systems are being reevaluated … including flex policies. So much for the promise, “Our people are most important and your jobs are safe!”

Her boss told her she can work from home (under “cover”, he said) one day every other week. That’s not going to help with her unpredictable symptoms and overall fatigue. My client can’t and doesn’t want to quit this job.
What frightens her most?   She’s afraid that she’s going to go back to the mental games she used to play before she had the flexibility of just staying at home if she didn’t feel well.

I sent her a model  I’d created.  It’s in our book, Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working, Girlfriend!, in the chapter, Success in the Workplace.   I suggested to her – as I do to you – that these questions can help  make decisions like these easier.

Evaluating Symptoms That Could Get “In The Way” of Doing What Is “Expected” of You

First, either in a spreadsheet or in prose, describe your baseline experience of your health.

Then list your most common symptoms and how you think they impact your ability to do tasks.

At those times when symptoms seem to get worse,  Ask Yourself:

• What is different today from my baseline experience?
• How specifically does this change affect me?
• How does this affect my ability to do my job?
• Can I overlook these symptoms and still get the job done?
• If I do overlook these symptoms , how will this impact how I feel, now and in the near future?
• If I don’t do what is “expected” of me, will I feel better?

Thank you to those of you who responded to our request for Amazon reviews. We sent them galleys – and hopefully our reviewers will be posting on the pre-order page in Amazon.com Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease: Keep Working Girlfriend ! – in the discussion section.

Who knew when we decided to write a book that we’d have to learn so much about “publicity” on the web?

Rosalind aka cicoach.com

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However, when you are living with in a fluctuating state of health, it’s not always possible to get out there and meet and greet people on a regular basis. You may really only be able to go to work, or serve your current customers, and then home to rest. As we can now do business more readily from home due to lower phone rates and technology, we can now create and build relationships on-line.

All you need is a computer and Internet access.

Social Networking has become a very hot marketing opportunity for self-employed professionals. Last week I interviewed Jonathan Good, an expert in “Social Networking,” for another of my on-line projects, Beyond Billable Hours. He talked about how to use LinkedIn and Facebook to create relationships to build a business.

Prior to hearing Jonathan, I was not convinced that on-line networking could really take the place of face-to-face networking. Jonathan says they work best together, and I would agree. However, I’m now convinced Social Networks can be a viable alternative for building relationships and credibility if you put some thought into using them – and you don’t even have to leave home.

How to get started: choose just one on these social networking sites and build your profile. Decide what you want to accomplish (every good strategy begins with a plan.) Then, invite people from your own network who you think are others might like to know too. According to Jonathan, all you need is 1 or 2 hours a week to get a lot done with on-line networking.

Note: Even if you work for an employer, you can use these tools to your advantage. Of course, you have to be mindful that you don’t give away trade secrets or behave in ways that raise a few eyebrows, but you can certainly build your LinkedIn and Facebook profiles, and participate in special interest groups and answer questions.

10 years ago our illnesses would have made networking much more difficult. Now we have choices. How have you used Social Networking tools to stay in touch, and get business or a job?

Joan

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And there’s where the story stops. She’s not sure what she wants to do. She has some ideas but she’s never met anyone who is doing what she wants to do. It’s a bit vague for me.

I’m not talking about knowing what you want to do for the rest of your life. No such thing anymore. Everyone is telling us about career switch (or slash careers as Marci Alboher calls them). But you can create a career path – and with that in mind, you can get the training you need.Obviously, this is true, chronically sick or healthy. And, I’ve just finished looking over a book that does a great job of mapping out in great detail how to create a career plan. The Right Job, Right Now, the complete toolkit for finding your perfect career. Strayer’s Kaleidoscope Model is very cool – and very adaptable. She goes into lots of detail -but the chapter I like best is: Selling the Product (that’s you Genius!). (I bought the book for Lucy, too!)

No, it doesn’t go into the issues that people with chronic illness face. For that, check out my Guidebook series.

On another note, as Joan and I have mentioned, the galleys for Women, Work and Autoimmune Disease:Keep Working Girlfriend! are out.

So, here’s the deal:  We’re looking for people who will agree to write a review and post it on Amazon.com. In exchange, you’ll get an advance copy (a galley).       Just write to us at info@keepworkinggirlfriend.com    and we’ll get in touch with you. Our publisher is only giving us a limited number of Advance copies so only a few will be able to do this.

Rosalind    aka cicoach.com

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A friend with carpal tunnel syndrome told me about Dragon NaturallySpeaking 9.0, a software program that allows you to speak into a headset with your email program open. It does the transcription and purports to transcribe your words up to 99% accuracy. After a couple of weeks of research I decided to purchase it as another Get Clients Now! program was about to start.

It’s been a week now, and it’s working! I won’t tell you that it’s all that much faster than when I type. As an introvert, typing keeps pace with my thinking. But, when I’m flowing, it goes quickly, too. I sometimes stutter (I found out) when I’m composing my thoughts, so I have to take time to correct it’s attempts to come up with real words when this happens. (Once, I even yelled “shut up!” at my dog, forgetting my headset was on.) However, the more I work with it, the more it “learns” to recognize how I speak and the words I use.

It’s more relaxing than typing, too. I found I could review a report a client sent me and dictate my feedback without twisting around, back and forth, in my chair.
Costs? From www.amazon.com, $139 (I got the Preferred edition so I could use it with Office programs and on the Internet.) Additional memory for my computer: $60 and a more comfortable headset: $50. Impact on my welfare and ability to do my work: priceless.

In one of the chapters in our book, we talk about some of the things that make it easier for women with auto immune diseases to start a business and work from home. Dragon NaturallySpeaking would definitely be one of them, especially if your illness makes it hard to use your hands and a keyboard. I imagine it would be a viable resource when working for a company as well, though I wonder how it would work in a cubicle situation.

Joan

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