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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
Follow Your Passions: The Catalyst to Career Fulfillment
Wouldn't it be great to jump out of bed every morning and rush off to do the thing you love best?
Why shouldn't this be the case?
Having a passion is at the heart of leading a life of fulfillment. Yet many people have trouble figuring out not only what they love but also making a living from that passions. Where do you start?
Do What You Love: Your Calling
I was deeply moved by Steve Jobs' Commencement Address at Standford University in 2005. His message was loud and clear:
Do what you love and to keep looking for it until your find it without settling for anything less.
Steve Jobs certainaly followed his own advice and it served him well, despite the many setbacks that he faced. One part of his story fascinated me: how he dropped out of college and started taking courses that he loved. He particularly loved his calligraphy class. While he did not see any "practical application" at the time he took the course, 10 years later it came back to him and inspired him to create the Mac, the first computer with beautiful typography. Just think about how that has changed our world!
People who do what they love have a calling, not a career. The Harvard psychologist Tal Ben-Shahar in his book Happier tells us that a calling is work that is personally fulfilling and meaningful, as opposed to a job where the motivation is a paycheck or even a career where the motivation is likely to come from extrinsic factors like money, prestige and promotions. And one big component of that calling is passion.
So how do you find what you love?
Trust Your Gut
Start by following your gut or your intuition. This is harder than it sounds. We are surrounded by opinions on what is the "best" type of career. Many musicians have the belief that success in the music field means a solo career or a coveted spot in a major orchestra or a teaching job in a prominent university or conservatory. Lawyers think that success is being a partner in a large law firm. These traditional opportunities are not as plentiful as they once were. Yet technology, the internet and new ways of connecting with other people provide new opportunities. So how true are these these traditional notions of success? They are beliefs, not truths and can often be confusing. So follow your instincts and do you love, not what do you think you should love. In the words of Steve Jobs,
"Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most importantly, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."
Listen to Your Heart
Some people just know what they love. For others, it takes a little more work to dig beneath the surface. Maybe that means tuning out the noise of the outside world to zero in on what you love. It might also mean looking through the swirl of activities in which you are involved and having the courage to choose the one you love best. Knowing the things that you love is a start. The next step is to tap into what you love to do. In my work as a career coach both at Yale and in my private practice, I have the privilege of hearing a lot of amazing stories from talented people about their hopes, their dreams and their frustrations, their victories. What do I listen and look for to help them connect the dots between what they love and how they can use that passion as a catalyst to fuel their career success?
Joy
Ben Zander, the master teacher and conductor who uses music as his metaphor for passion and possibility in his inspirational TED Talk, defines success as follows:
How many shining eyes do I have around me?
That's what I look for when I work with people. The shine in one's eyes translates into the joy I hear in the voice, the ease I see in someone's body. And then I know we are onto something. Often, all it takes is someone like me to listen carefully and reflect back to the musician what I am picking up as their passions. So if you are a good listener--an essential skill to being a great musician--listen to yourself.
* What makes your eyes light up?
* What do you wish you could do if only....?
So have the courage to ask yourself these questions as you take your passion for what you love and translate that into a passion for your life's work. Be patient and keep the faith. It will all come together.
Action Steps:
1. Make a list of all the things that you loved as a child.
2. Start to notice what part of your day or week excites you the most.
3. Keep a log or a journal of the things that you love to do.
4. Set a goal to spend at least 30 minutes a week doing what you love.
5. Seek out opportunities to do things that you love, both in your professional and in your personal life.
© Astrid Baumgardner 2011
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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.