New Ways To Go

As one person I cannot change the world, but I can change the world of one person. ~ Paul Shane Spear

 

 

Barb van Wickland is a certified personal trainer, creative career consultant, communicator and entrepreneur. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and after completing a year of graduate work came to the first of many subsequent realizations that she had embarked on the wrong course.  Barb has learned that personal fulfillment comes from a balance of doing work you love and living a healthy and fit lifestyle. Her holistic approach helped her arrive at a balanced life after years of trying numerous career paths.

My Story
Career fulfillment, let alone job security, was something I never thought I’d have. Shortly after the dotcom bubble burst, the corporation I worked for downsized and I was out. Truth be told, I was secretly happy about it. No more report reading, no more endless sitting, no more lack of appreciation from colleagues who didn’t understand why the department I worked in was necessary. Losing my job felt like a gift.

 

I had the perfect opportunity to re-invent my life … but NO idea how

It was an opportunity to do something different with my life. But what? As hard as I tried, I could not figure out what to do. Looking back I was successful in J-O-Bs but my creativity had come to a standstill and some of my abilities went unused. The things I was good at did not reflect what I wanted to do with my life.

I spent a lot of time taking one-day and weekend courses in such diverse topics as jewelry-making, developing a cookie line, being a color/style consultant, running an import-export business and becoming a travel agent. I became a poster girl for the Learning Annex, yet nothing felt right.

So, there I was: out of work, with no idea what I wanted to do, and running out of money. It wasn’t long before I felt frustrated. My resume was geared to hiring managers at corporations, so I used it to get some freelance assignments and a part-time J-O-B.

But I was right back at Square One.

I finally realized success is much more than having good skills for a job

I’ve always enjoyed reading stories and learning about successful people, and I began paying closer attention – reading between the lines – and it was an eye-opener! I realized that people didn’t just talk about their skills (the kind you’d find listed on their resume). They talked about other qualities – deeper, intrinsic qualities that had more to do with shaping their lives. I thought about some of my own qualities, looking at my strong suits in a new way. Maybe they weren’t meant to be used here and there on the job. Maybe they were meant to be the very foundation of my livelihood.

During that time of self-discovery I realized I’m like an explorer of sorts. I’m curious about the world, people and places. I have a big imagination. I love to collect information. I love to help solve people’s problems, and I’m an avid fitness fan.

With these discoveries, I realized that I wanted to take an active role in helping others to discover and design the life they were meant to live and help them get physically fit so they can enjoy their new lives to the fullest. These two passions have melded into a specialty in creative career planning and personal fitness training to help people get ready – physically, mentally and emotionally – to make the leap into a new way of life.

Finding true passion transformed my life

Though I’m grateful for my extensive education and the opportunity to work in some of the world’s top companies, I was never passionate or excited by that work. Finding my passion has transformed my life. I love the challenge of working with each unique personality, expressing myself creatively, using my God-given talents fully, and continually growing personally and professionally.

I’m excited about helping others chart their own course, reinvent themselves, find their life’s purpose, rekindle their passions or embark on a new adventure. I love sharing my experience, knowledge and encouragement with these people, helping them follow their dreams, and discovering creative ways to make those dreams reality.

On my own journey, I’ve learned the vital importance of setting small, attainable goals to make the big goal reachable, and this is one of the pearls I share with others. Though the concept may seem simple and obvious, it’s usually the obvious that trips us up. So many people fall short of living the life they dream, because the goal seems too big, too far away, and they can’t figure out how to get there. This is why I help people create a map – made up of small, stepping-stone goals – that lead the way to the life they desire and making a difference in the world.

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