Editor's Note: Today Carson Now is excited to bring a weekly column, "What Works" by Carson City business coach Diane Dye Hansen.
The column will appear every Monday. Hansen is the Chief Inspiration Officer of What Works Coaching, a coaching firm that has helped people worldwide with their businesses, careers, mindsets, and profit margins. Diane brings to Carson City more than 17 years of experience with a wide array of clients, ranging from top corporations, motivated entrepreneurs and individuals hungry for a fresh start.
Here's her first column.
“Running into walls? Blow them up!”
It was 2011. I was living and interviewing like crazy in Los Angeles, Calif. I was also running up against brick walls. It seemed everywhere I went, I came in second. Ever stubborn (in fact I am so stubborn I was born a month late because I wanted to be a Gemini instead of a Taurus), I just kept trying. After all, when you try and try, something has to hit eventually. Right? Well, that’s what I thought anyway. Ultimately, I got a yes from the CMO of a smallish studio. It was a “sure thing.” You know, the kind where your friend who happens to be at the top of the food chain in a company puts her hand on your shoulder and says, “you’ve got this?” Those words, and the fact that my then mother-in-law couldn’t have my dog in her house anymore, sent me up to Tahoe to indulge in my second love—being the editor-in-chief of a local travel magazine (names with-held to protect the not so innocent).
One day, on the patio of a restaurant that overlooks Lake Tahoe, I receive an email, “I’m sorry, we found someone else.” Whoa. I had been professionally dumped. But, more than that, my life went poof before my eyes. See, I was interviewing in Los Angeles out of faith. My then-husband was renting out our home in Dallas. In all respects, I had nowhere to go.
I tell people that I didn’t move to Carson City, that the universe THREW me here. People laugh. But, my mother tells me it was the spirit of my second cousin (I remind her, eight times removed) Kit Carson, calling me home. I stayed in Carson City and have become part of this amazing community one volunteer act, one board meeting, and one stage play at a time.
What Works is often not what you want to work. Sometimes, if you are hitting brick walls, the best thing to do is blow up the wall and create a new trail. Kit Carson knew it. He knew when his family was going south that he needed to go west. He went against the grain. In this weekly column, I’m going to help you go against your usual grain. I will help blow up business, life, mindset, and career barriers. See, opportunity doesn’t knock. Sometimes, it wrecks your world and you have a choice. You can either clear out the mess and build new or dwell on the scars from the blast.
This is an interactive column, meaning I will answer questions in the comments and encourage open discussion. Each week, I will pick a topic inspired by your posts. So watch for my column every Monday. For now, here’s my question to you, what brick walls have you blown up in your life? What are you struggling with now? The floor is yours.
ABOUT DIANE HANSEN
Diane Hansen is the Chief Inspiration Officer of What Works Coaching, a coaching firm that has helped people worldwide with their businesses, careers, mindsets, and profit margins. She brings to Carson City more than 17 years of experience with a wide array of clients, ranging from top corporations, motivated entrepreneurs and individuals hungry for a fresh start. She can be reached at her website www.whatworkscoaching.com.