This country and our lives are going through many struggles right now. One of the bright spots of this week was the celebration for the life of John Lewis. He dedicated his life to justice and equality for all people. In his eyes, “We all live in the same house.” We are all going to have to look after each other in order for life to return to some sense of normalcy.

Many of you are being stretched thin in your bank accounts and your family life, trying to juggle work and educating your children. Now is a good time to look at the opportunities that are available to you.

This may be the time for you to use the strengths and talents you have to go in a new direction for prosperity. I have thought that working toward multiple streams of income is really the way to go for a long time. That is part of my philosophy of designing a career you love. Yes, it takes some time. There is no better time to start than right now. There is no better time to learn something new than right now.

Available jobs in traditional roles:

Linked In is a great place to find companies that you like and connect with people to find out if the company is a good fit for you. The link below for an article from Linked In shows who is hiring now.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heres-whos-hiring-right-now-andrew-seaman/

After you research the ones, that seem right for you, put together a customized resume before you apply that fits their criteria.

Work at home options:

Flexjobs.com, Virtualvocations.com, RatRaceRebellion.com, Wahve.com (Work at home Vintage Experts)  Remote.co

A great question to ask any company right now is what their work from home options are.

Creative opportunities

Now is perfect time to explore your opportunities if you are thinking about starting your own business. There is a lot of time right now to start writing that book you have been thinking about.

Whichever path you choose, I have many resources to help you.

I am particularly concerned with how your total well-being fits with your work so that you can live every day with joy!

I am inviting you to schedule a Joyful Career Blueprint conversation with me so we can talk about the next steps to designing work that fits what you want for your life: https://calendly.com/choosejoy/discoverysession

I am looking forward to speaking with you soon!

Choose Joy!

Your career affects every part of your life. I recently broadcasted a video series on Facebook about balancing the various parts of your life and I am sharing the links below. One of the biggest balancing acts right now involves your career options.

Have you been working from home?  Would you like to keep working from home doing your current work or would you like a change?  Now is a great time to evaluate your options and design a career that you are excited about. I am an expert in helping restore your joy first and then figure out what work is most meaningful to you.

I would be happy to talk with you about a Joyful Career Blueprint that fits your life.

Please click here to find a time to learn more. I am looking forward to speaking with you!

5 Ways to Relieve Stress

https://www.facebook.com/maria.luchsinger.5/videos/3084357558324577

Balancing Your Family Life

https://www.facebook.com/maria.luchsinger.5/videos/3089558734471126

Balancing Your Social Life

https://www.facebook.com/maria.luchsinger.5/videos/3103372156423117

Balancing your Relationship While Working From Home
https://www.facebook.com/maria.luchsinger.5/videos/3111791832247816

It’s May and we are still in quarantine! I enjoyed Mother’s Day with cards and phone calls, although I would have preferred to hug my children and grandchildren!  My birthday is this month and it looks like it will be  unconventional. How are you doing?

I am concerned about two things; your mental state and your financial situation.

First, if you are feeling emotionally upset and worrying every day, you are not alone.

Your mind will focus on whatever you ask it to. If you are continually worrying, it will help focus your attention on whatever is bringing you down. If you are focusing on what you are grateful for and what brings you joy, your mind will steer you in that direction.  What can you focus on that will lift your spirits?

Is it your family, those flowers that just sprung up in your garden or the neighborhood, or is it that call that you just had with a close friend? Write your own list of at least 10 things you are grateful for and refer to it every day. Add more as you think of them. Notice how your mind shifts to a more positive place.

If you have been housebound, is there a way for you to get more exercise into your day?  Maybe you already have a plan. If not, just taking a walk around your neighborhood can help. Even driving to a place where you can observe nature, can be a mind freeing event. Certain smells can make us happy like the warm aroma of fresh baked cookies or an essential oil like Wild Orange that is invigorating.

Second, many people are unemployed and unable to get through to their state’s unemployment web sites.

If you are in a financial bind right now, call your creditors as soon as possible and talk to them about your situation. Many will defer payments because of COVID 19. In the case of your home mortgage, there are various ways that your bank may be able to help. Many will defer your payments, lengthening the time of your loan.

I want to suggest possible ways for you to get money right away. Think about your current skills and see if you can find ways to bring in added income.

I have found a couple of reputable sites where you can find jobs where you can work from home that have free information and also have further paid options.

The first is called Flexjobs. When you click on the link you will find the top 100 companies who hire for remote jobs and also a guide you can download to help you.

The second is Virtualvocations.com where you can browse for telecommuting jobs.

When looking for online work, also Google the company or offer and check for reviews and background.

If you have always wanted to start your own business or write a book, now is the perfect time.

I would love to have a conversation with you and make a Joyful Career Blueprint that you can begin immediately. You can  schedule a time to talk by clicking here:

https://calendly.com/choosejoy/discoverysession

I want you to know I care and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

I just watched a segment about an interview with Maya Angelou and how her mother and grandmother shaped her life. She spent her early years with her grandmother and so did I.

My mother died when I was eight leaving my two sisters and I with my father who had to work in the city to support us. We went to live with our grandparents in a small country town. That was great for me because I had always loved to go there. My grandpa would read wonderful story books to me and cook my favorite foods.

As I grew older, I would test the limits as I tended to be a bit of a brat. My grandma taught me respect for people and why it was important to love them and Jesus too.

My grandma loved learning and always had a book open at the kitchen table. She was a great role model. Perhaps the best education she could have given me was through lengthy discussions about all kinds of things. Health, books, what was happening in the world. Her inspiration provided the confidence that I could accomplish anything that I set my mind to. The only requirements were that these things be positive.

It did not matter that I was a girl. It never occurred to me that I would not be capable of pursuing my ambitions. I did not know what I wanted to do when I grew up so she gave me good advice to take business classes so I would be able to at least support myself. She taught me how to cook, how to sew, and how to comparison shop and make a budget. I was independent early. She had taught me well.

Even though she did all of these great things, I somehow felt that at times I did not live up to her expectations. She was not overly affectionate.

My grandfather, on the other hand provided the balance of unconditional love that I needed. He would tell me as an awkward teenage girl that I looked good. I always felt that he loved me for me. He would make sure that my car ran well and nothing squeaked for longer than he could find the can of WD-40 to fix it.

He took me fishing and taught me “to never let go of the pole”.

Some times that is how it is in life. When you start something, you have to have the persistence to keep going even when it isn’t easy. Resilience. Persistence. Resourcefulness. These are the qualities that are going to keep us in the game of life when it is easy and when it is hard.

Think back on your own life and you will see that it was likely the hard times in your life that have shaped you more than the easy ones. We can pass these traits on to the next generation when they see us in action.

If you would like help with your life balance and career, please schedule a time on my calendar. I would love to speak with you. https://calendly.com/choosejoy/discoverysession

December is here and we will be thinking about friends and family more intently for the next month than we do at other times of the year. It is time to connect and reconnect and be thankful for the people in our lives.

Some times we don’t really know the impact we have on each other just living our daily lives. Last week I received a text from next door neighbor telling me that she was no longer going to pursue her wreath making business. She said she wanted to gift us a wreath for being such good neighbors. 

I thought she had wreaths already made and was going to give us one of them. Instead, she gave me the color selection and asked me to pick the colors. She even wanted to know if I would like to look at it before she put it together to make sure it was how I had envisioned it. I told her to surprise me and I was sure it would be beautiful. 

When we met for the unveiling, she gave me the gorgeous wreath you see in the picture and I was thrilled and so proud to display it on our house! This is the way that I want to help you in changing your career.

I am here to help you design your career so that it will fit into your life the way that you want it to. I am inviting you to click here for a free webinar to get you started.

Here we are and it’s Labor Day Weekend!  Whew!  Enjoy the last parts of summer with your family and friends. Take a minute to reflect on all that you are thankful for as well.  This summer I was able to spend time with my grandchildren, ride in a hot air balloon, and help my husband with finishing up on the home improvement projects before the rainy weather comes.

I just attended the annual Kickoff Meeting for my local chapter of Soroptimists. This is in international organization and the name means “Best for Women”. We raise money to help many community organizations and provide scholarships to help girls attend college.

This started me thinking that when women are happy, the world is happy. Women are the heart of their families, help in their communities, and work with each other to make this world a better place. It doesn’t matter what kind of work we do, we make a difference.

Since this is Labor Day, I looked up some statistics about how we are getting paid in the workplace. We are still below men, earning about 80% of what they do. While we are working, I believe we should be able to contribute with joy and have financial freedom.

If you are not feeling joyful in your work, you are ready to shift to a different type of work, or are running a small business, I can help you.  We can work on mindset and strategies that will get you moving forward.  I would love to speak with you, just click on this link to schedule a time.

The purpose of The Women’s Career Transformation Network is to not only support you in your work choices but to help you live a joyful life. I would love to hear from you.  Choose joy!

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in the day to day of work and family that we forget that we are supposed to take some time to have fun!  What have you done this summer that is fun for you?

Having fun is good for you!  Scientifically, it reduces cortisol that produces stress and increases serotonin that leads to better physical and mental capacity. Enjoying yourself builds up reserves for when you need to be calm.

When you are out playing or doing things you love, you get the benefit of greater energy, memory and focus, and sounder sleep. We also need connection with other people. This has become more and more evident since the invention of cell phones. We have to be careful to remember that we actually need to put them down and go have some fun with other people.  Laugh, dance, or sing!

Here are some ideas for you!

1. Go outside – to the beach or the ocean.
2. Invite friends over to your backyard or the park for BBQ.
3. Play board games with your family or go on a walk together.
4. Plan a girls’ night out or in.
5. Have a neighborhood potluck.
6. Feature karaoke at your next event or party.
7. Pick a new place you have never been before to explore.
8. Visit the library or a museum.
9. Go get ice cream to share!
10. Get a bottle of bubbles and go for it.

Stay tuned for fun messages that I will be sending soon!

If you need more fun in your life and career, I would love to speak with you. Click here for my calendar.