Busyness abounds this holiday season.  I have made many changes to be more in alignment with who I am right now.  While all my experiences since moving to the Twin Cities have had their purpose under the sun, I felt it was time to adjust my time to effort ratio and concentrate on new endeavors.

I got grounded in the Cities by working at the Mall of America.  I found the energy of the Mall grounded me and helped me adjust to my new life.  All good things change, though and I found going such a long distance and dealing with the retail environment no longer felt right.  Something had shifted in my eight months living in this city and the mall job just wasn’t for me any longer. Besides, it was meant to be part-time and fun, and both those aspects were lost with changes at the store.

After some hemming and hawing, I got out before the holiday rampage and came back to sanity once again.

I find myself ready to tackle my coaching practice and have set-up a weekly group coaching session I named “Bridging the Gap,” to assist people in career and life transitions.  The session will be held at The Healing Loft in NE Minneapolis.

The center, run by some awesome healers is a heart-based business established as a space for healing.  It is a burgeoning community of like-minded individuals.  I look forward to seeing what this association brings forward.

Check out The Healing Loft at http://www.thehealingloftmpls.com/

One of the things I notice now, is the feeling of fear or desperation that the changing world environment can engender in some.  It’s easy to feel desperate when jobs are being lost, relationships are shifting and changing and things don’t seem to work the same as before.

In my experience, many corporations are choosing to hire temps rather than full-time employees.  There are no benefits or perks and the transient nature of the temp job; if that’s not what you want, can make it difficult to manage finances or schedules.

What if we were able to see the changing landscape not as a sign of bleak opportunities but as a new drawing board for potential growth and aspiration?  Change as a catalyst for new ways of thinking. Instead of harping about the “economy” like it is a real thing, static and out of your control – consider new ways of making money.  In fact, see money in a whole new light.

Develop a relationship of flow and abundance that is not about “want” devoid of meaning but instead has purpose and heart to back it up.   When we are not in touch with our feelings – then the need to cover up feelings of fear, shame or lack with over-indulgent purchases, prompts many  to say “I can’t afford this, oh my!”  The circle is complete with worse feelings.

Instead, try to move from positions of lack and fear to a feeling of joy attached to non-material situations like the beauty of snow falling in winter or the light of the candle in the living room.  Maintaining positive feeling, no matter the external circumstance will allow you the creative power to move mountains. If you can’t buy gifts for the holidays – consider a a more personal expression of love – such as spending time together doing something you all enjoy or volunteering.

My favorite money coach, Morgana Rae says to reframe the way you describe your money situation by saying “It’s not a financial priority,” instead of “I can’t afford.”  Doing so feels so different – one denotes personal choice and new thinking, the other a sense of lack and shame.

Sometimes when we think outside the box, seeing every opportunity as a new form of learning and experience, rather than a change we don’t want, we open our minds to new thoughts.  I was so busy worrying about getting to the mall on time, spending all those hours taking public transport from my home on the East Bank, Minneapolis to the Mall that I didn’t have time or energy to consider starting a support group.

In working with my skills and aspirations and looking at them more closely, I could adjust my situation to accommodate a potentially life changing career move, which didn’t fit into the mold.

What skills do you have from your job you just lost, which you could apply to a situation that doesn’t fit the usual thought patterns?  Have you considered starting your own business, consulting or blogging on a subject of interest?

I recently took up curling, a sport that is very popular in the Twin Cities.  The Saint Paul Curling Club is so impacted with new applicants for this Olympic sport, they turned hundreds away at the beginning of the season.  Instead of slinking away with the rest, I chose to hang out on Wednesday nights and meet new people.  Now I am subbing in on teams when members are sick or out of town.  I am enjoying the new social and physical activity and feeling quite at home at the club.

While you may, in the end have to continue in a 9-5pm job, expanding your creative expression and meeting new people in social media environments, networking groups or even starting a new activity/sport during your “slump” can be just enough of a catalyst to see a positive shift in your personal Law of Attraction.