Life's Negotiations

Making a choice requires abandoning the alternative is a modern definition for "Holding the boy and losing the man."

The latter is from I Ching, an ancient Chinese text used as a guide for navigating life. Just as many of us turn to the Bible, and even astrology, today.

This fits where I am and where many of my coaching clients are right now: on the cusp of real change.

With the holidays and the end of 2009 upon us, it's a great time to reflect and celebrate all that this year has meant to you.

Simply Leap has a lot to be thankful for, especially in the last month. In case you missed any of it, here's a recap of our appearances around the web:

• Planning a career change or to climb the corporate ladder in 2010? Find tips on choosing the right Career Coach or Mentor for your needs at the Women in Business blog, courtesy of Simply Leap's Lauree Ostrofsky.
• More career-related advice, this time to Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Paper. The classroom rule has been reinvented as a reminder to stay focused in this article on Examiner.com where Lauree is now the DC Career Coach.
• Feeling nostalgic? Responses poured in to: What Was Your Favorite Children's Book as a Kid? See the answers on the website for teachers, ReflectiveRenewal.com, and how their lessons relate to our values as adults.

 Thank you for reading and responding to Simply Leap this year! We hope you'll continue to provide ideas and inspiration.

Remember this rule from grade school? I've made it a personal mantra lately. Here's how.

The concept of Keep Your Eyes on Your Own Paper (KYEYOP) stems from not cheating off someone else's test in class, and has come to mean staying focused on things I can control and things that affect me directly.

Case in point: my husband's bedtime, his eating habits, his friends. Without thinking sometimes, I'll weigh in on any of these topics and more that have nothing to do with me. It happens with friends and family too. In my head, I do this because I'm helping, because I care deeply about this person and want what's best for them, because I think they need me. Here's the kicker - I even believe that I'm being selfless.