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Pianist and DMA, Juilliard School
I initially began coaching because my boyfriend, a big fan of Astrid's, saw that I was confused about a lot of things regarding the direction my life was taking career-wise. He purchased five coachings for me for my birthday with the caveat that nothing was binding and that I could opt out any time if I felt uncomfortable. From my very first session, it was clear that Astrid is one of the most insightful and generous people I have met. I walked into this session last fall, thinking that I had come to a dead-end in my music career and that perhaps I would benefit from heading in a new direction. After only a couple sessions, I renewed my sense of love for music and began to see possibilities for myself that I never dreamed of. Astrid is extremely dedicated and focused in each session. One major breakthrough I have had is the idea that being authentic is a major value for me and that I have spent so much of my life trying to please others or do activities I feel like I "should" do. I feel like I have blossomed in so many ways this year, taking on creative projects that I might have been cautious of before, meeting incredible colleagues, and being excited about the future instead of fearful of it. Astrid has a great gift of seeing the beauty in each person and allowing their strengths to come through.
— JC, New York, NY
Composer
Astrid has turned around the way I look at my career in the most extraordinary way. I used to think that the professional part of what I do was very separate from the creative and deeply personal aspects of being a composer. Going after professional opportunities to get my music out there felt to me like a very daunting task--one that I found a little distasteful because it felt like "selling myself." Astrid really helped me realize that building a career has to come from the most genuine part of myself--in the same way as building a piece. With this understanding, the professional world looks much less scary to me now, and I'm able to reach out to my professional network with the courage of my conviction, and with the kind of personal investment and care that makes professional experiences deeply meaningful. Career building is about believing in what you do, and its validity; it is about communication and courage. It only works if it feels true to who you are.
With her supportive and positive attitude combined with her incredible sensitivity and intelligence, Astrid has created for me a wonderful safe space to discover how I want to develop my goals from the inside out. I have found in her a true kindred spirit as well as a powerful ally and coach.
—Hannah L,. New York, NY
Attorney and ??????
There seem to be an infinite number of resources available to people looking to make career changes these days, and I think I looked into most of them before I met Astrid. Numerous books advised me to do what I loved. That sounded good, except that I didn’t know what I loved. A career test provided some insight and long lists of possibly compatible jobs, but ultimately directed me to do what I loved - back to square one. Another career coach, dispensing with frivolities like love, laid out a practical approach to a career path that objectively made some sense, but I knew in my heart that I would hate it. I felt deficient for not knowing what I loved, unreasonable for rejecting a sensible path that didn’t appeal, and in general, completely hopeless about my situation.
When I began coaching with Astrid, I was struggling with a strong feeling that there was some ‘perfect’ thing out there for me to do, if only I could think of what it was. I had a vague idea that finding the answer would involve going through the racks of possible jobs and holding each one up in front of the mirror to see if it might fit, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that we would take a more bespoke approach. There would be no squeezing me into a readymade career in this process - instead, we would be focusing on my strengths, values, work style, etc., to think about what might be right for me. Astrid’s willingness to cheerfully abandon any exercise that wasn't working for me kept me comfortable with everything we did, and helped me to get the most out of the process.
The work we did helped me to form a foundation for understanding why certain things, career-related or otherwise, are a better choice for me than others. With Astrid’s warm encouragement, I have also started to reconnect with the creative, less self-limiting side of myself that I feared was permanently lost. I feel more like myself than I have in a long time, and I have a career direction that I am looking forward to exploring. This may or may not turn out to be the ‘perfect thing‘ that I was looking for, but I no longer feel the pressure of that search; rather, I am hopeful that by taking actions that are consistent with my character, staying open to the possibilities that arise with each action, and correcting my course as necessary, I will enjoy the process just as much as whatever result I reach. I am grateful to Astrid for helping me to readjust my direction and my outlook, and I highly recommend her services to anyone who feels lost, stuck or anything less than wholeheartedly enthusiastic about what they are doing.
— Andrea K., New York, NY
Cellist and music entrepreneur
A good friend recommended I see Astrid because I was stuck. Stuck. Stuck. Stuck, and suffering. She has helped me parse through all the detail in what seemed panoramic hopelessness. She has worked in a distinctly different way than my psychotherapist, more pragmatically, and the combination of the two ... has been, for me, very effective. I have made tectonic shifts in the way I see myself, my place in the world and how I move through it. There have been some very painful changes and realizations, but most important, I have found a source for joy, hope and energy, undiluted by difficulties, so that I actually feel better, and stronger. This is my testimony to Astrid.
— TM, Rhode Island
Educator
Astrid Baumgardner is a true facilitator, and in that capacity she has guided me to discover the values and deeply held beliefs essential to my happiness and fulfillment in the workplace, wherever it may be....Through our coaching sessions, I was able to draw out and fortify my self-confidence, without which my ambitious relocation would not previously have been conceivable. When you are determined to strive diligently for change in your life, Astrid will be there to help you to create a roadmap to navigate and overcome every obstacle you encounter throughout your life-altering transition.
— MH, New York, NY and Tokyo, Japan
Successful Goal Achievement - 5 Steps to Help You Overcome Your Obstacles to Success
&In my last article, we saw how a great goal might get sabotaged by a host of different challenges, ranging from lack of technical skills, professional experience and career advancement to lack of money to negative thoughts that cast doubts on your abilities to poor time management. If you are committed to your goal, you have faced the music and have made a list of all your challenges. The next step is to come up with strategies for overcoming those challenges and breaking those down into the weekly actions that will get you to your goals.
How?
Let's continue with our example of the young musician whose goal is to get to Carnegie Hall and who hits a glitch when all those challenges we mentioned start to interfere with his ability to practice his instrument.
1. The Ideal You
First, let's look on the bright side and think about the Ideal You. Where would you ideally like to be in your career in terms of your
o Skills & Education
o Money
o Professional Experience
o Personal Development
o Career Development
o Other
Write down all of the characteristics that you would need to be the successful musician that is performing in Carnegie Hall.
Here's what your list might look like:
o Technically brilliant
o Inspiring
o Confident
o Well-known
o Innovative
o Positive
o Committed
o Passionate
o Energetic
o Takes advantage of opportunities
o Consistent
o Professional
o Financially secure
o Organized
2. Rate Yourself
Now that you have your list, how do you rate yourself on each of these characteristics on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being "not at all" and 10 being "absolutely there"? This will give you a snapshot of where you currently stand. Then pick the characteristics that you would like to build on and that you feel will get you closer to your goal if you are able to reach the level that you aspire to. I suggest focusing on 3-5 characteristics at any one time so that you are able to manage your career development program most effectively.
If you are a young musician who is dreams of making a Carnegie Hall debut, your list might look something like this:
o Technically brilliant: 7
o Confident: 4
o Organized: 3
o Well-known: 4
o Financially secure: 3lt;/p>
3. Strategize
Take a look at your list. What might you do to tap into that Ideal Self and close the gap between where you currently are and where you want to be?
o Technically brilliant: Keep up a rigorous practice schedule.
o Confident: Get more performance opportunities. Keep practicing so that I feel that I am improving as a musician. Get a handle on my inner critic and start thinking positively about myself.
o Organized: learn some time management techniques and start prioritizing better
o Well-known: Create a website. Start networking more.
o Financially secure: Get more private students. Get more concerts.
4. Create Your Action Plan
Now that you have your strategies, it is time to turn these into weekly actions because goal achievement happens when you take steps each week. Which strategies do you want to start working on? Then ask yourself what is the first step towards making that strategy a reality.
o Musicianship: Practice 4 hours a day 6 days a week.
o Confident: Write to 2 presenters whom I recently met and see if I can do a concert with each of them this year. Journal about my fears around my career.
o Organized: Create a values-based list of priorities and implement the first priority this week.
o Well-known: Contact my college roommate about designing my website in exchange for music lessons. Attend 1 post-concert reception this week.
o Financially secure: Follow-up on a referral from a current student. Contact venue where I played last year.
5. Just Do It!
Now you know what to do. Just do it! Block in your actions to your calendar and check them off as you complete them. Once you complete one action, figure out the next step and do that. Before you know it, you will have reached your goal.
(C) Astrid Baumgardner 2010
REPRINT
I would be delighted if you should wish to reprint (for free) any part of this article in your newsletters, blogs, websites, and message boards. Please include the following attribution:
Astrid Baumgardner, JD, PCC is a professional life coach and lawyer, Coordinator of Career Strategies and Lecturer at the Yale School of Music and the founder and President of Astrid Baumgardner Coaching + Training, which is dedicated to helping musicians, lawyers and creative professionals take charge of their lives and experience authentic success. In addition to her work at YSM and her individual coaching practice, Astrid presents workshops at leading conservatories and law firms on topics including Career Planning, Goal-Setting, Time Management, Dynamic Communication, Conflict Management and Personal Branding and Networking. She is the author of numerous articles on the various aspects of how to achieve and live authentic success.