Mais Oui, Ma Cherie

If you'll recall, several years ago my family and I took a trip to Quebec City. We loved every minute of exploring the quaint, centuries-old village that is Vieux-Québec. We went in the fall, when the vast array of maple trees had exploded with fiery colors, boutiques with lively-painted shutters opened their doors to beckon the warm-yet-crisp air inside, and vibrant flowers spilled out of every nook and cranny of stone facades.

We frolicked through the streets, (as much as you can frolic with all the kid gear in tow) soaking in the unique French Canadian culture and stunning architecture. But we also
made sure to take special trips to playgrounds so that the kids could enjoy themselves.

(I had a wee bit of fun too, as you can see.)

With its tantalizing charms and playful, romantic air, La Ville de Québec had certainly cast a spell on my husband and I; we couldn't wait to come back. But the next time we visited, we decided wholeheartedly, it would be without the little ones. 

(Who, I might add, are not so little anymore.)

And so, return we did. 

Entranced by dreams of bewitching French Canada, The Mister and I suddenly found ourselves booking a room in a delightful auberge in Quebec. 

This is supposed to represent me and The Mister

However, this time there would be no frolicking through the sunny streets. No radiant flowers or colorful leaves or warm, breezy days. No sir, this time we chose to immerse ourselves in the frosty, snow- laden month of January. So while most rational individuals would choose to sneak off to vacation in the hot and steamy tropics with umbrella drinks, steel drums and swaying palm trees, we were beckoned to to go where the average high in January is 9° F. (And -13°C sounds even worse, doesn't it?)

Bienvenue!

We really debated this decision, though. We were worried that we'd be miserable in the cold, and did we really want to risk feeling as if we wasted our one precious annual getaway alone shivering in freezing temperatures?

***

But, as you can see, winter brought its own magic to Québec, 

with snowy pines, sculpted icicles and roaring fires. 

  

Wintry bouquets replaced geraniums.

Apparently a different perspective- even a cold and wintry one- can be pretty spectacular too.

Montmorency Falls- stunning.

On the bridge.

"I don't even feel that icy cold spray, do you, Honey?"

We climbed to the top of the falls (the tallest in Canada- even taller than Niagara, as locals were quick to point out) up to the bridge. We certainly warmed up after that hike!

Outdoor ice skating by the fortifications.

Decorations from Christmas still adorned the entire city.

A store filled with maple syrup... everything!

I suppose it helps to be staying in a beautiful, romantic cozy inn (L'Auberge Saint Antoine) with excellent food.

Petit Déjeuner

The L'Auberge Saint Antoine displays recovered 18th century artifacts throughout the inn with a decidedly modern flair. One of the most inventive interior designs I've seen.

And, before I sign off, it wouldn't be a proper Grow blog post without a picture of...

An adorable dog dressed for snow!!

I hope you enjoyed our pictures. We had a truly marvelous trip.

Scandinavia, here we come! 

À bientôt!

-Katie

Life's Best Prize

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

-Theodore Roosevelt

The Science of Kicking

Reggie Ho
Via ESPN

My husband, a major fan of all sports, has a particular fondness-bordering-on-obsession for football.

(If you'll recall past posts about my son, you'll see the apple falleth not far from the athletic tree.)

During football season- which has been clinically* proven to exist all year round- I go ahead and assume my better half and I won't have too many in-depth conversations. This is due to the fact that his attention is directed primarily at television coverage of none other than the pigskin sport, the gridiron pastime, the ever-present game of football.

And...

Hmmm.

Yep... I guess there's really nothing else to explain as far as that's concerned.

Apart from the abject loneliness, the brutal isolation and the outright neglect that comes from being a sports widow, (cue violins) there are few benefits to be had: one of them being that I get exposed to a few interesting nuggets about amazing talents. I'm especially intrigued by the expression of those talents in athletic careers. Of course, I tend to appreciate the abilities that are more cognitive than physical in nature, but you'd expect no less from me, right?

Last week my beloved fanatic sent me this video which couldn't be any more fascinating. It features Reggie Ho (a.k.a. Dr. Reginald Ho, as he's known today) who was the kicker for Notre Dame when my husband went there.  And while the video itself presents Ho's captivating career journey, I found the bio of the video's director, actor Ken Jeong, equally as intriguing.

Check out the remarkable video and director's bio HERE.

(And yes, this is an ESPN site!!! Yay me!)

Enjoy!

-Katie

*in a random sampling of football clinics held around the country

Create Yourself

If you look just above this sentence, you'll see my banner head, GROW, with the smaller script below it reading, "Create Yourself."

When I came up with this tag line many years ago, I didn't think twice about it. I felt it was a perfectly reasonable, catchy little phrase that aptly described my career philosophy: I believe in creating your own career path using your amazing and unique combination of talents vs. trying to squeeze into a one-size-fits-all career mold.

(Think Chief Software Developer at Creative Design Solutions, Inc. vs. The Butcher, The Baker, or The Illustrious Candlestick Maker.)

But as I've spoken with people regarding this "create yourself" concept over the years, I've met a lot of raised eyebrows. As in, "What the $^%# are you asking me to do?!" I quickly learned that the idea was not as intuitive and accessible as I'd expected it to be.

And yet, this concept of creating oneself isn't some new-fangled buzz phrase in modern career thought. Rather, it's inspired from a source that is as far from new-fangled as you can get:

George Bernard Shaw. 

Born 1856. Dublin, Ireland.

I'd always been fascinated by Shaw's expansive and dynamic career journey in which he played multiple roles during his lifetime of 94 years. These included: playwright, essayist, novelist, orator, politician, social activist, music and literary critic and co-founder of the London School of Economics. He also won a Nobel Prize in Literature and an Academy Award for the screen adaptation of one of his plays.

Not too shabby!

And so, as you can imagine, it was with great delight that I stumbled upon this gem of a quote from Shaw:

"Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself."

As shown by the life he led and the career choices he made, Mr. Shaw obviously didn't wait for a career to jump out at him. Instead, he engaged his talents and particular fascinations in a way that would carve out his own unique and wildly successful career journey.

But somehow, across the Atlantic and over a century later, most of us are still conditioned from childhood to believe that, if we want to succeed, we have to follow a narrow, much trodden career path. If it's been done, we think we stay safe by going the same, well-lit route. (Never mind that well-lit routes are more fleeting than ever!) We are too scared at the daunting prospect of the unknown, of the initial confusion that must exist in order to create our own way that we back away from creating ourselves.

Leveraging our unique strengths? We can't risk that!

But how about the risk of losing our sense of self when we constantly focus on everyone else's career trajectories? For example, we slave over getting perfect grades in brand name high schools in order to gain entry into brand name universities and then even cooler companies. But what then? What happens when we discover that the prize was nothing even close to what we really were looking for? What happens when we personally and professionally flounder because we're now so far removed from what we're really good at?

I suppose that's why, whenever I see someone who dares to create his or her own path in life I take notice. These people always seem to be some of the most fulfilled people I meet. They know their strengths and use them to create solutions for others. They don't focus so much on finding the path they are supposed to take; rather, they actively create a layered, rich life that allows them to engage their multiple talents and fascinations in many different ways. They openly recognize, appreciate and leverage their unique combination of abilities and interests in ways that only they can. They stick with what they value and, if what they value is useful to others, people come to recognize and even pay handsomely for that value.

And so, despite the occasional raised eyebrows and skepticism, I'm going to stick with my "create yourself" battle cry. It's what I value, how I approach my life and, most of all, it's a philosophy that's proven effective time and again with clients. However, unlike Mr. Shaw, I'm not so patient when it comes to ideas catching on.  In fact, I'm not-so-secretly hoping for the idea of "create yourself" to go all viral on me. You know, like a social meme or something like that.

Drumming fingers on desk

Aaaaany day now....

Happy New Year!

May your 2015 be amazing!!!

Warmest Wishes,
Katie
Grow Career Coaching


Creative Commons Photo: Tivoli Fireworks

This Holiday Season, Follow The Golden Rule

...which is, EAT IT ALL!!!

Enjoy!

-Katie

p.s. When I first saw this video I could've sworn I was watching my dog, Cloey Margaret.

Conan Takes on The American Girl Doll

I seriously need to claim more dependents on my tax forms.
It's getting ridiculous around here.

After braving the mall yesterday and getting a hefty dose of holiday-induced commercialism, I found this video by Conan O'Brien particularly amusing.

Enjoy!

-Katie