So, how does this work? Simple, I am offering YOU a free coaching session on how to create Your Extraordinary Life (figure 15 – 30 minutes), no obligations. If you find it helpful, I ask (not require, but ask) you to introduce me to two people who may benefit from coaching, and I will offer them a free session, and so on and so on, etc.

If you are interested in taking your life up a notch, click HERE to request a time, or email me at Dave@DarkMatterConsulting.com with the subject line “Free Session.”

I look forward to meeting you!

You can get a white paper entitled “How to Get a Job Without a Resume” by clicking HERE, and you can get my workbook entitled “Everything You Know About Job-Hunting is Wrong” by clicking HERE. Both are free. Enjoy!

Click This Link to Download the Workbook

I felt called to write this and to make it available. My belief is that enough people read it and take it to heart, it can reduce the unemployment rate by 1%, AND help people get out of crappy jobs, and into good ones, but it will only work if enough people get it. I wrote it, I’m making it available for free, I need YOUR help to get it in the hands of your friends, colleagues and loved ones who need it. Thank you in advance for posting this on FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and anywhere else where good people who want a good job can find it.

First, the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Following President Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, Lewis and Clark set out to find an overland passage to the Pacific. All they had was a vague goal, but that was enough. They had no idea who or what they wold encounter along the way, and came to close to dying on numerous occasions, but they did, in fact, make it to the Pacific cost in 1806, and return to United States territory. The moral? You don’t always need to know HOW you are going to get there, a destination and a decision is sometimes enough.

Next, Columbus. Columbus had a great idea, too: sail west to India because the Silk Road to India was no longer as safe as it used to be. As we all know, Columbus, never made it to India, he found the New World (new to the Europeans, at least), and the rest is history (so to speak). He isn’t remembered as the guy who never made it to India, even though he “failed” in that goal. He repackaged what did happen as discovery of a whole new land, and this brought him fame and celebrity. The moral of this story? Have a lofty goal, and stay flexible when things don’t go as planned.

Alexander Fleming was a biologist, with a reputation for a messy lab. In 1928, he was growing bacteria cultures, and at one point, he returned from his August vacation to discover that mold had gotten into several samples and killed the bacteria. Now, he may have been tempted to throw it out, curse his bad luck, and criticize himself for being slovenly, but instead he let his curiosity take over, and discovered Penicillin, the antibiotic that would provide effective treatments for tuberculosis, gangrene, syphilis, and many other diseases, saving millions of lives. The moral here? In every “failure” there is an opportunity, if you will only look for it.

Now, you may note that these are fairly universal and don’t allow for circumstances. Going to college is nice, but not Extraordinary, unless you are the first person in your family of refugees to go to school, then it’s pretty amazing.

So, here you go, see how many apply to you, and please add your own ideas to the comments:

You might be extraordinary if…

• You completed a PhD
• You ran for political office (win or lose)
• You have survived combat
• You can ride a unicycle
• You have published a book
• You speak at least one foreign language fluently (if you’re American, double points…)
• You have been paid for performing on stage
• You have owned your own company
• You have a security clearance
• You have a patent
• You have sold your art (not to a relative or friend, OK?)
• You have been married for 30 years or more
• You have saved someone’s life
• You blew the whistle on something evil
• You resigned your job in protest
• You can play a musical instrument really well
• You make things at home that people don’t usually make at home (furniture, machinery, wine, yogurt)
• You have some sort of Superpower, and you actively use it (most people hide their superpowers…)
• You have prevented a crime
• You have won some sort of championship
• You are an accomplished dancer
• You can do a hard job without complaining
• You have killed / caught  your own food
• You have moved to a new town without a job or plan
• You are kind to people that others overlook or avoid

One thing I believe is that the MEANING we assign to an event is more powerful than the actual data of the event. Imagine this, if your company goes bankrupt and you lose your job, that’s data. What’s the meaning? Is it “I’m screwed, I’ll never find another job?” that would be difficult. Or is it “Wow, that was the kick in the pants I needed to go start my own business?” That would be more empowering. The trick is that MEANING IS MADE UP! YOU decide what the meaning is, and that is hugely powerful. And if you don’t like the meaning that pops up at first, you can disregard it and set another!

So, to go back to South by Southwest, I could have easily made up a meaning that I was in over my head, or I’m a failure, and that would have been understandable, but disempowering. Instead, I made up the meaning “if my Inner Critic is this loud, I must be taking some real risks and doing something right.” That felt better. The Inner Critic was still there, yelling and being a nuisance, but I had framed its presence in a way that made me feel BETTER when I heard the screaming (ooohh, the volume is up, I must be on to something good!)

So, next time you find yourself unhappy, ask yourself what MEANING you are assigning to the data, and if you don’t like it, change it, you have that power!

So, I was at South by Southwest Interactive last week. Amazing experience, I got so much out of being there, with smart, creative people talking about fascinating ideas and sharing their dreams and passions. Awesome. AND, I felt like hell about half the time I was there. My Inner Critic was having a field day:

Why aren’t you headlining?

You don’t have any clients yet?

You’re not working very hard!

You’re not good enough!

That guy (or girl) is smarter / funnier / richer / sexier than you!

On and on it went. It was tiring, and at times discouraging, but the fact that that bastard was screaming in my ear so loud…told me that I was doing the right thing. It only comes out when we are taking risks and stretching, so I conclude that I must have been taking some risks, and I choose to be proud of myself.

There were a few times I had to sit down and pull myself together. At one point I had to return to my room and scream into a pillow, but I kept getting up and going back into the fray, and I’m glad I did, I met some amazing people. For example, I managed to meet up for coffee with Nilofer Merchant, a writer and activist I admire deeply for her courage, voice and mission. This only happened because I was willing to reach out and ask, and trek several blocks away on short notice to where she was. It would have been easy to blow off and stay safe and small, but I would have missed a wonderful conversation.

Who knows what will come of the ideas and the meetings and the coffee and beer? I don’t know. Even if nothing comes of it, I am a better man for having stood up and gotten into the ring, over and over again.

(And I’m exhausted. I’m glad I’m home with my wife and daughter)

Everyone hates resumes. Even recruiters, especially recruiters, because they get so many, and most of them are terrible or irrelevant. How can they expect you to reduce your brilliance, yes BRILLIANCE, to two pages of paper? It’s impossible. Does Donald Trump have a resume? Oprah? Michael Jordan? Why not? They are known for their actions! In this webinar, you will learn how to get your next job by demonstrating your unique talents in ways that get positive attention and feel good, rather than sitting in your basement on your PC furiously stuffing your resume with keywords and action verbs. 

David Kaiser (B’90), PhD, delivers increased productivity, higher employee engagement and reduced conflict and turnover, for bottom-line results. His clients become masters of time management, persuasive communicators, and compelling, visionary leaders. Their new capabilities and confidence have a powerful, positive effect upon their organizations. He has been coaching and facilitating transformational growth since 2004. He is the founder of Dark Matter Consulting, certified by the International Coach Federation, a Board Member of the Chicago Coaching Federation, a volunteer with the Career Transition Center of Chicago, and active in the ManKind Project. Dave has coached over 210 clients to overcome obstacles and achieve extraordinary results. Although Dave holds a PhD from the University of Chicago, he is first and foremost a Hoya, having earned his BS in Finance and International Management at Georgetown University.

Presented to Georgetown University: Alumni Career Services, February 23, 2012