There is a joke among women who have been 9-months pregnant, that once your body has expanded into the unbelievable size and shape it becomes at full term, it "knows" how to get there, and has an inclination toward it. So watch out when you're having a huge meal: you could get up from the table four sizes bigger than when you sat down! Your body remembers.

Your spirit has memory too. It remembers moments of feeling fulfilled and satisfied; it remembers experiences of pleasure and play. If you are seeking more of these experiences in your life, it can help to "remind" yourself how they feel.

Many of my clients hire me to assist them in getting more out of their work. They want more satisfaction, more efficiency, more profit, more creativity, more camaraderie, and more fun. Some are in full-blown career changes, some are seeking the next job, and many want to improve things in the work they are currently doing. They ALL have one thing in common: they want to enjoy their work more.

Would you like to enjoy your work more? Having more practice with enjoyment can help you get there. Of course, you will still need to directly address what is going on at work, such as boundary issues, interpersonal dynamics, role limitations, pace, alignment with your values, and so forth.

But you also need to get more practice with pleasure and enjoyment. The single biggest mistake you can make is to put yourself on an austerity or scarcity program. If you are stressed and daunted by the challenges in front of you, you may be tempted to eliminate the pleasure, fun, and joy from your life -- you may think you do not have time for them, given the pressing nature of your current challenges. But this is exactly when you need to experience that abundance and balance in your everyday life.

More pleasure in any part of your life supports you in creating more pleasure in your work life. Enjoyment in one part touches all parts. By stretching your spirit and body into full-term shape, you will know where to go! When you taste pleasure on a regular basis, you begin to navigate toward it more naturally. The more frequently and intensely you have it in your life, the more you will orient toward it when it is available, like a plant orienting toward sunlight.

When my daughter Sarah was in high school, she developed a love for sushi. She and her friends would sometimes go to their favorite sushi restaurant, located in a large renovated building with stores and restaurants on the first floor and offices above. While she sat and enjoyed sushi, she could see a particular sign that regularly caught her attention: "Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics." The CFA's administrative offices were on 2nd floor of the building.

Around this time, she began to realize she was happiest as a hands-on, out-of-the-classroom learner. Her growing interest in astronomy plus regular contact with the CFA's existence gave way to her imagining an internship for herself at the CFA (the observatory, not the offices) for her senior year. She went on to create just that, getting credit for an independent study in astronomy, and having an extraordinary experience working at the CFA observatory. All from indulging her sushi pleasure! Her saying "Yes!" to sushi opened up another "Yes!" in her life.

Following one passion often leads intuitively to another opening or opportunity. Being sensitive to those callings is key.

When you or someone you are close to is pregnant, you suddenly notice how many pregnant women there are around. When you buy a Camry, you see more Camrys around than you ever did before. When you make fun a part of your life, you find more opportunities for it than you used to think were possible. When you experience more pleasure anywhere in your life, you are more likely to manifest it in your work.

Coaching Tips:

1. Get very clear what experience you want more of in your work.

2. Identify the next steps you need to take to have more of that experience in your work.

3. Identify another arena in your life where you could have more of that same experience.

4. What are the next steps you could take to create it for yourself in this arena?

5. Take the next steps identified in steps 2 and 4.

6. Repeat steps 2-5 until you have the results you want.

7. Start over at step 1 with another experience you want more of.

If you're considering hiring a coach to help you get more of what you want in your work, contact me for an initial consultation at no charge.

COPYRIGHT 2001, Sharon Teitelbaum. All rights reserved.

Sharon Teitelbaum, http://www.stcoach.com, a Work-Life and Career Coach, works with high achieving women with young children, people at mid-career, and professionals seeking greater career satisfaction and work-life balance. She coaches by phone and in person in Boston. Her newsletter, Strategies For Change, offers practical tips for work-life success.

Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance, Sharon's first book, was published in 2005.

A motivational speaker, Sharon also also delivers keynotes & workshops on work-life issues. Clients include Children’s Hospital Boston, SunLife Financial, Arnold Worldwide, and many parent and alumni groups. She's been featured in national publications including The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, and Working Mother Magazine.

Married for 30 years, she is the mother of two amazing young women.

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