prices, however, the Myers and Briggs Foundation (www.myersbriggs.com) recommends taking the test through the Center for Applications of Psychological Type (www.capt.org). The fee is $150 within the United States and $175 internationally.
Test results showed that Brown was great at motivating and helping others, so she explored career
choices such as nonprofit management, founding a research think tank, and radio show host.
When pursuing your own career reinvention, talk to those who are already doing what you want to do. Ask questions like, “What is it really like on a day-to-day basis?” and “What additional skills do I need to be successful?” Attend a conference, join an association, even intern as a volunteer. “Surround yourself with people and information that creates momentum, that moves you toward what you might be passionate about,” says spiritual life coach La Tonia Taylor. “This is your time of exploration.”
Rule #3: Fight past the fear.
Around the time of Harris’ resolution to change, her business partner, 49-year-old Brashear, was dealing with a lack of resolve. Although he received a degree in Interior Design from Virginia Commonwealth University, and “his work was considered legendary on campus,” say Harris, who attended VCU as well, Brashear could not seem to grasp that interior design was his life’s calling. He allowed fear to get in his way.
Fear as a self-limitation is not uncommon. “Fear is the primary reason people don’t do what they love,” says Ward. “We’re afraid of failing, afraid of rejection, afraid of what others will think.” No one is immune. If we allow fear to keep us from making choices, it will prevent us from attaining our goals. To walk through the fear, explore the perceived obstacles. What’s the worst thing that could happen if
you leave your job for the one you really love? The only way to find out is to take one step toward making that dream a reality.
Rule #4: Take one step at a time.
In a world of instant money, fame, and power, we want it all, and we want it now. But that’s also the quickest way to lose it all. You don’t appreciate what you haven’t worked for. Therefore, break your goal “down into very small, manageable, baby steps,” suggests Ward. Brown, who nearly ran for mayor, restored balance to her life by “completing one task that would make me feel more empowered and in control. This could be as simple as washing the dishes or getting a work-related project out of the way.”
Brown also set up a calendar system to keep track of everything that needed to be done. Ward employs a similar strategy with her coaching clients. “To get them from point A to B, I break the goal down into small, manageable, doable steps, so they’re not focused just on the end result.” For example, Ward tells her clients of her own personal triumphs, like her 10-year journey to becoming a lawyer. “Ten long years of wanting to give up, but not giving up, of just doing one small thing at