Find fulfillment! Create a life you love in Pittsburgh

futuredesign — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 18:21:32 +0000

How do we experience fulfillment? Wise men throughout history believed that fulfillment arises from within and emerges from an understanding of our true nature. Each person is largely responsible for discovering his or her true nature. No one else can do this for us. We alone are the designers of our lives. However, most of us can profit from a mentor or coach to serve as a catalyst for guiding us in the right direction. Neal Griebling established Future Design Studio to offer individuals holistic approaches to discovering their true nature while creating lives and careers they love.

What are you doing with your life right now? Are you frustrated with your present situation? To create a life and career you love, you need to

Create a vision of what you want your life to be
Discover the many options available to you
Design a plan that meets your needs
Take action to transform your vision into reality

Life-Work Discovery is the model we use to help our clients achieve their goals.

We begin with the premise that you are unique. There is no one else exactly like you. The Life-Work Discovery model helps you build on your unique strengths while minimizing your limitations. We do not offer one-size-fits-all prescriptions to our clients; rather, we develop individualized plans tailored to your strengths and needs.

What are the benefits of the Life-Work Discovery model? We help you

Create a powerful vision of what you want your life and career to be, using psychological and skills assessments combined with probing questions that make you look inward to discover the keys to fulfillment and satisfaction.
Turn your fears and resistance into success pathways by drawing from proven therapeutic approaches taken from Japanese psychotherapies and other holistic modalities.
Learn and master a proven networking system that brings you face-to-face with decision-makers who can help open doors for you and bring you closer to your goals.

Contact Neal Griebling and Future Design Studio and learn how Life-Work Discovery can enhance the quality of your life and career.

Seize Your Precious Right as a Citizen

futuredesign — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:20:06 +0000

Whatever your political views, you now have the opportunity to take action. VOTE!!

Everyone Can Be Our Teacher

futuredesign — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:11:46 +0000

Everyone we encounter can be our teacher if we are open to the possibilities they present. A dominating boss or demanding partner can provide the opportunity to develop our skillful means for negotiating difficult situations. Talkative co-workers or friends who waste our time can teach us how to practice silence and to disenagage from conversation that does not serve us. To cultivate our ability to say “no” without malice or anger opens new pathways toward growth. I encourage you to farm these situations so that your harvest will be bountiful.

In Times of Career Challenge, Become a Career Warrior

futuredesign — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:20:00 +0000

“‘Only as a warrior can one withstand the path of knowledge,’ Don Juan said. ‘A warrior cannot complain or regret anything. His life is an endless challenge, and challenges cannot possibly be good or bad. Challenges are simply challenges. The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge.’ He went on, ‘while an ordinary man takes everything either as a blessing or as a curse.’” — Carlos Castaneda, Tales of Power

A Career Development Program for Recessionary Times

futuredesign — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 09:04:53 +0000

Yesterday I mentioned that Future Design Studio will be offering a series of special reports to help you create a fulfilling life and career. These will be priced at ridiculously low prices so that anyone can afford to purchase them.

Today I want to tell you about a subscription career development program that contains all of the essential elements of my private practice but that is priced right for these recessionary times. I realize that the cost of my face-to-face coaching service, while a true bargain and far below that of my competitors, is still beyond the reach of many. Therefore I have created a subscription service where clients can participate entirely on line.

Here’s how it works. You enroll in the program and agree to pay a monthly fee that is charged to your credit card. I give you the same assignments via email that I give my private clients. You complete them and email them back to me. I critique them and suggest additions, revisions, etc. Since there is no travel, you save on gas. Since there are no formal sessions, you can work on your program whenever you wish. Yet, you still receive the same quality of coaching and support that my private clients receive. However, this program will be limited to 50 clients only. Want to know more? Please contact me for details!

What’s Holding You Back?

futuredesign — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:03:58 +0000

Do you know what the number one reason most people fail to achieve career success is? It’s because they are locked into their fears and resistance. I’ve written a special report entitled “What’s Holding You Back?” that offers a number of proven strategies I’ve used successfully with my clients to help them turn negative reactive patterns into success pathways. The report will soon be available for purchase as I continue to establish Future Design Studio as the website to go to for holistic approaches to life and career development.

I have a number of exciting developments to share with you in the weeks and months ahead. Please stay tuned!

Are Your Preparing for the Future or Standing Still?

futuredesign — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:53:33 +0000

The old bromide holds true: Two things one can always count on are death and taxes. I would add a third: change. As the volume of knowledge continues to explode and the pace of globalism increases, the pace of change increases exponentially. Our challenge is to successfully cope with change without allowing it to overwhelm us. Easily said and hard to execute.

The current recession is expected to continue indefinitely despite the concerted efforts of governments world-wide to bolster the economy. One of the most expected impacts will be a loss of jobs throughout the marketplace.

In past posts, I talked about the need for you to step back and examine your attitudes toward your current company and how you can reframe negative reactive patterns that do not serve you well. I also suggested activities for the mind and body that can help you cope better with stress, maintain your equilibrium, and strengten your equanimity.

Today I urge you to take action: Develop a career insurance plan NOW. Don’t wait passively for the axe to fall. Don’t rely on hope to salvage your job. In the larger scheme of things, you have little control over whether your company will choose or be forced to downsize its workforce. You do have control over whether you take the initiative to develop a plan in the event your job is cut. You do have control over whether you act to implement that plan.

“There are many ways of going forward, but only one way of standing still.” — Franklin D. Roosevelt

Are You Average or a Leader?

futuredesign — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:01:34 +0000

Do you know what separates a leader from the average person? Some individuals say they are dedicated to their fitness programs but find all sorts of excuses to miss a workout. Some people say they are dedicated to building their careers but stay in rut jobs and blame conditions or others for their lack of action. Earl Nightingale called these individuals average people. There’s a much smaller group of individuals who motivate themselves to take action and move their lives and careers forward. Earl called them leaders. “We can let circumstances rule us, or we can take charge and rule our lives from within.” — Earl Nightingale, The Strangest Secret, Lead the Field.

Dealing with Uncertainty in Pittsburgh…or Anywhere Else

futuredesign — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:50:18 +0000

The financial crisis that has engulfed our nation is now permeating the global economy. Respected economists have called this the greatest threat to our financial system since The Great Depression. The Fed and the U.S. Treasury are taking unprecedented steps to open up the credit markets. Just this morning, Eropean leaders announced they were infusing billions of their currencies to stabilize their banks.

It is a time of fear, anger, uncertainty and confusion. Blame is being passed around like so many Starbucks lattes. No one is willing to predict what the short or long term consequences may be. We are entering a period of grave uncertainty — the Cave of the Great Unknown.

During The Great Depression, FDR attempted to calm the nation by telling our people “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” While suffering greatly, the nation took solace from his words.

There is a wonderful story taken from Tibetan Buddhism. According to tradition, each monk was required to pass a test — find his way out of a locked cave. The Master gave the monk two pieces of advice. “When you enter the cave, the doorway will lock behind you and you will be besieged by all of the terrors and demons you fear most. They will engulf you and threaten to take your very soul. My first piece of advice is to remind you that the demons are not real. The second is to keep your feet moving at all times.”

The monk entered the pitch-black cave and heard the door slam down behind him. And sure enough, he was immediately accosted by everything he feared most. Giant rats slithered on the floor, birds of prey filled the air overhead, the cave was filled with cries of rage and screams of flesh being torn apart.

And the monk, terrified as he was, forgot the advice of his Master. He truly believed that what he was encountering was real. But through it all, he kept his feet moving and found his way out of the cave.

Make no mistake, we face critical challenges ahead, challenges that will test our nation and its leaders to the utmost. The worst thing we can do, however, is to allow ourselves to become paralyzed with fear. The best things we can do, are to pay deep attention to what is going on around us, solicit the best advice possible, cultivate our equanimity, and keep our feet moving forward.

Lemons & Lemonade — Another Look

futuredesign — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:09:15 +0000

You may hate your current job, but when the economic climate is not right to begin a job search, you need to consider strategies that will enable you to retain your equilibrium and better position yourself within your organization. In my last post, I mentioned stepping back and taking an emotional audit of your organization and your co-workers, seeing them as objectively as possible. I also suggested taking up meditation, yoga or other body therapies that calm the body-mind and allow you to view your world with greater equanimity.

Today, I suggest you explore how you can provide greater value to your current organization. What are the needs, what are the problems in your organizational unit? Could you sit down and confer with your boss and volunteer to take an additional assignment. Could you write a proposal that would address a recognized problem and submit it to a key decision-maker? Consider reaching out to your co-workers and discussing how collectively you can build teams to work on projects that could impact the organization.

Is this all smoke and mirrors? I think not. Management is most likely to retain and promote employees who are able to diagnose problems, build teams, and develop creative approaches that strengthen the organization. Look deeply inside your organization, be proactive, and position yourself to make a difference.

There are many factors you cannot control when you work for someone else. In these chaotic economic times, many people will undoubtedly lose their jobs. However, what you can control is your attitude and your actions. Follow the strategies we’ve discussed and you will maximize your capacity to retain your job during recessionary times while you plan your next move for when conditions improve.