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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
Top Ten Gifts to Yourself to Put You on the Road to Authentic Success
With holiday season upon us, top ten lists abound! So here is my contribution of the Top Ten Gifts that you can give to yourself to help you take charge of your life and begin to experience authentic success.
1. Put your life in balance.
Life balance is a matter of knowing what is important to you in your life and taking actions so that you are living those important areas in a meaningful way. Draw a circle and divide it into eight parts. Then, label each section with an area of your life that is important to you, i.e. Relationships, Family, Career, Personal Development, Spirituality, Fun, Health and Wellness, Personal Finance. Then, rate each area in terms of its importance to you using a scale of 1-10 (1 means “not important” and 10 means “vitally important”). After that, rate how well you are living each of these areas. What do you see? How well is your life in balance? If there is a discrepancy of 2 or more points in an area that is important to you, what can you do to close the gap? Keep reading for some ideas on how to do that!
2. Live your core values.
Values are the core principles that govern your life and are the essence of who you are. Once you know your values and begin to make decisions that honor those values, you will experience the power of living in accordance with your own authentic choices. For suggestions on how to find your values, I invite you to read my two articles:
How to Discover Your Core Values - Tap Into Joy and Experience Success
How to Discover Your Core Values I - What the Mad Men Can Teach Us
How do your values relate to the areas that you found to be vitally important on your Wheel of Life? The more your values are tied to your goals, the more inspiring your goals will be and the more motivated you will be to pursue those goals.
3. Tap into your passions.
Imagine jumping out of bed every day and pursuing the thing that you love best. Even if you cannot do this full time, find ways to incorporate passion into all aspects of your life, whether it is your career, your relationships, your activities and your fun time. How do you discover your passions? Think about the things that you loved doing as a child. Imagine what you would do if you had 5 lifetimes. Consider what you would do if time or money were not an object. Those should give you some clues as to what you love. Now, how can you start living those passions?
4. Play to your favorite strengths.
We all have things that we are naturally good at. Find ways to use your natural strengths in whatever you do. And better yet, chose the strengths that you like and not just the ones that other people tell you are good for you! To find your strengths,I recommend the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment. Get the book Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath and take the assessment by logging onto the following website:
http://strengths.gallup.com/110440/About-StrengthsFinder-2.aspx
Then look for ways to start playing to your strengths!
5. Set an intention for yourself.
What do you dream of achieving? One powerful step that you can take is to set an intention for yourself about that dream. All you do is pick a period of time down the road and state what you are dong in that future time. The trick is to write this in the present tense, as though you were already doing it:
In ____years, I am a ________doing___________.
Set this down in writing and be sure to date your entry. Now look for ways to start making that dream a reality! You will be amazed by the results.
You can read about my experience with setting an intention in my recent blog entry:
6. Set inspiring goals.
Once you know your big dream and have set your intention, think about what you want to accomplish a year from now to start making that dream a reality. into all aspects of your life, whether it is your career, your relationships, your activities and your fun time. How do you discover your passions? Think about the things that you loved doing as a child. Imagine what you would do if you had 5 lifetimes. Consider what you would do if time or money were not an object. Those should give you some clues as to what you love. Now, how can you start living those passions?
That is your one-year goal. How well does it incorporate your values? How does it relate to your passions? The more your goals are tied to your values and your passions, the more inspired you will be to pursue your goals.
7. Take action!
To accomplish your goals, they have to be doable. The trick is to break them down into manageable chunks. What strategies can you think of to help you achieve your goals? Once you know the strategies, think about the first action that you can take to making that strategy a reality. Every week, set some actions that will take you to your goal. Before you know it, you will be there!
8. Tackle the obstacles to your success.
Goal achievement would be a no-brainer if only those “things” did not get in the way: e.g., time, money, knowledge gaps, fear, perfectionism, inherited belief systems that no longer work for us. Figure out the main obstacles that are holding you back and set goals around eliminating these challenges. Then take daily actions so that you can overcome the obstacles to your success. Still stuck? Get to know your Ideal Self, the person you are when you are totally in the flow, doing what you do best, feeling incredibly confident and joyful. To find out more about how to discover your Ideal Self, read my article:
Then, whenever you get stuck, ask your Ideal Self for guidance and trust your inner wisdom to lead you on the right path.
9. Take time for yourself
Take time to be very good to yourself so that you can be your best, authentic self. Create a nourishment menu of fun, free things to do that make you feel great. Keep a success journal documenting all the things that you do well. If negative self-talk is holding you back, come up with a mantra or affirmation that can remind you of yourself at your best. Make these practices a habit throughout your life!
10. Surround yourself with people who support you.
Seek out the people who support your vision. Create your personal board of directors of people whom you trust to guide you. Know which friends you can count on. It takes a village so do not hesitate to reach out and ask for help when you need it! And last but not least, eliminate the crazy-makers from your life. These are the people who drag you down. By distancing yourself from your crazy-makers, you can minimize the effects of their negative energy on you.
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Life is a journey and if you can immerse yourself in the process without worrying about the end results, you will know what it is like to live in the moment. There are no mistakes on this journey since everything presents an opportunity to learn and grow. Here’s to your authentic success!
© Astrid Baumgardner 2010
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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.