Many years ago, I was fortunate to visit with some excellent educators and trainers (thanks Norma and Phil), who gave me an exceptional toolbox with which to successfully address life.

One of those tools was a brief meditation exercise, using 5 words that all begin with the letter C.  You can use your fingertips as “anchors” to remember the 5 C’s.

The object of the exercise was to walk through a sequence of thoughts (and it is important to follow the sequence) to arrive at CHOICE, which creates a more powerful state of being.  The theory behind this is that all of our power comes from choice – the ability to have control over multiple options.  Many times people believe that they have no choice, but discover that with some creative thought, a choice is in fact available.

So here is the process:

Sit comfortably in a chair, holding your hands in your lap, close together but not touching.  Relax and take a few deep breaths.  Focus on your breathing.  Let your muscles completely relax.  When you become aware of how relaxed you feel, focus on the word…

COMFORT

Very lightly, touch your pinkies together, and keep them together.

As you focus on Comfort, realize that comfort includes letting go of things that encumber you, and when you let go, you immediately increase your capacity.  When you can do more, it enables you to feel…

COMPETENCE

Touch your ring fingers together, and keep them together.  Experiencing competence almost immediately enables you to also feel…

CONFIDENCE

Touch your middle fingers together.  (You now have three sets of fingers touching).  When you are competent and confident, those traits immediately elevate and empower your ….

CREATIVITY

Touch your pointer fingers together.  Creativity enables you to find new alternatives.  Finding alternate solutions enables you to have …

CHOICE

Touch your thumbs together.  Your hands should now have each set of fingers touching, and your thumbs will be pointing upward.  (Thumbs up for choice!)

I will almost guarantee that if you try this once, you will be smiling at the end, and feel greatly empowered.  I’ve been using this simple tool for 25 years, and I still love it!

Mark Bregman will be speaking on “The Headhunter’s Secret Guide to Getting a Great Job” at the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) Los Angeles Chapter 2013 Mini-Conference, to be held Saturday, March 16th at Loyola Marymount University.  The INCOSE event has three tracks: In addition to the Career Track, there will be a focus area on Systems Thinking, plus a Systems Engineering “Camp” for exchanging ideas and best practices.

In his Career address, Mark will be focusing on the job seeker’s value proposition, how to brand, market and package yourself for an effective job hunt, and the essential elements including resume, on-line and social media presence.  He will also discuss how to network into job opportunities, critical aspects of interviewing, and how to negotiate offers.