Weeds - from May 5, 2010

5-5-10

I've been weeding a lot lately.
Our new house has nine flowerbeds. Sizeable ones. Lots of cool perennials.
Last summer they received little to no care. The house was vacant. We were changing the inside so we could move in and chose to neglect the outside for a season simply out of necessity.
The weeds were loving it. Last fall and this spring, we've been in reparation mode. De-uglification. Big time.
I'm just starting to identify the good from the evil in this mass of green and bloom. Sometimes, it's evident right away (grass, thistle and dandelions are a no-brainers, creeping Charlie is a give-away as well). Most times, though, I have to wait until there's been some substantial growth (or a flower!) and then I can identify it. I hear that sometimes waiting until then it’s too late. Often the "bad" has then taken over and wound around the good stuff, so when you pull, you pull it all up- good and bad alike.
Sitting in the grass on the outskirts of my tiny jungles, I've been deep in thought about my business over the last year. It's been through some "inside work" as well, while the outside has seemed to get a bit vine-covered.
I've been retooling and gathering new skills, touching the lives of a slightly different clientele. During the last year, while rolling with the economy’s punches, I’ve helped people transition through job search while contracting out as a career management consultant. I rework their resumes, show them the job search ropes and generally coach with them through the process. (And if you’ve ever been unemployed, it can be a truly daunting process.)
Many of the over 300 job candidates I’ve worked with this past year have been working moms and many have not. But each has had his or her own share of chaos which I’ve had a hand in mitigating.
As I “worked on the inside,” often I lamented the flowerbeds of coaching that I left to wait for me. It’s been more than a year since my last Chest newsletter. I haven’t offered a new teleclass or live workshop since then either. It’s easy to call Julz of Life “abandoned” yet I’m reminded by my plants (as well as comments from my current clients) that it’s far from the truth.
My life's work, my passion... is so embedded in who I am that no prolific vine of doubt or false sense of reality could choke it out. I’m ready to get back outside with even more to offer for having been inside for a while.
What have you been working on "inside?" Where does your work get choked out? What needs a bit of weeding (and some PREEN to keep them from creeping back in)? Drop me a line.