Category Archives: Mentoring

Explore Your True Nature With MoveNat

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I’ve written before about my first tentative steps with barefoot running and although I’m only dabbling – “Small moves, Mark. Small moves”!! – the experiences so far have been sensory revelations for my feet and my nervous system.

Some observations from the field (quite literally!):

  • Sole and soul seem to feel the awesome rhythm of movement anew.
  • Running shoeless on wet grass recalls times long ago when this was playfully but often furtively done!
  • Asphalt delivers a coarse and vigorous (but rarely painful) foot massage.
  • Snow running for about 15 minutes (we had a few laughably light flutters in Tokyo recently) has feet toasty and warm – or is that frostbite setting in?! Actually, I don’t think so, as the temperature remained above freezing and I was only out for a short time.

However, the most entrancing moments have been those gliding or “micro-sliding” over damp and compacted soil which is not yet muddy enough to have me “slip, sliding away” (thanks, Paul Simon!)

What my feet are signaling I cannot adequately do justice to with words – sensuous, tickling and titillating come to mind. And yet all symbols fall short at the nerve endings of narration, methinks!

A wry thought did cross my mind that this was the best free foot massage on offer in a country where people pay others to do what may very well be available naturally to the able-bodied.

Of course, running barefoot is not for everyone – nor should it be. But I do find it fascinating as a runner to “explore strange new surfaces and seek out bold new stride patterns…” Whoops, time to beam this post up to where it belongs.

I’d like to leave you with a 2 minutes video clip of Frenchman, Erwan Le Corre, barefoot running in what appear to be the hills of Corsica. It’s a remarkable clip, not least because of the cameraman’s ability to get some great movement shots.

Erwan’s approach to life is a very interesting one. He’s all about moving and living more naturally – visit his web site, movnat.com to learn more about why you may very well be another “zoo human”; and what to do about it. (Hint: learn to move…)

- Mark McClure

PS: Note that I’m not recommending in this post that YOU should try barefoot running. I’ve been running for 30+ years and walking barefoot around my apartment in Japan for the last 15, so it’s something I’m OK to try out. Your mileage may vary.

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The Mid-Career Change Report Volume 1

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There are now over 180 posts on this blog – many about mid-career change.

However I realize that few readers will have the time or patience to go rummaging through the archives looking for diamonds among others collecting digital dust.

Sooo…. what I’m going to do is put together “The Best Of MarkMcClureToday Volume 1” and release it as special report.

japanese-candy-sushi

The report will (probably) be a digital product (Adobe Acrobat pdf) and include supporting exercises (hey! I’m a career coach!) and some audio mp3s – so you can listen on an iPod too.

Price point? About $15.

If you’d like a free, review copy when the product is ready, please leave a comment below describing your favorite post (and why) on this blog to date.

(And make sure your email address is correct!)

As an alternative, you can also let me know via my contact form.

- Mark McClure

PS – Like the digital candy sushi? The real thing’s yummy!

[March 2012 Update: There are now 280 posts and I guess it's time this project was started!]

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Will Your IT Career Survive and Thrive In 2009?

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This post’s for UK-based Information Technology employees worried about losing their jobs but nonetheless determined to survive and thrive – and is a follow-up to my post on ‘career support for IT professionals’.

Having just talked Friday night with an IT career coach back in the Sceptred Isle, here’s a 1st draft outline of what we’d like to cover in a series of teleseminars:

career-teleseminar

There’d be no charge for attending the call – and if you use Skype-Out (or some other Net Phone service) then it would cost ‘nought’.

As we’re both career coaches, the calls would include time for ‘laser coaching’, Q&A time and some followup exercises and ideas for you to test and implement.

The call-to-action will be simple:
Sign up for the call and you’ll also get the mp3 to download after.

2 Questions for you:

1 – Should we cover all topics above in a single call (60 – 90 minutes) or deliver as separate calls?

2 – Any other ‘must-do’ topics?

- Mark McClure

PS - If you’re outside of the UK, you’ll still be welcome to attend but the initial focus will be on the UK market, warm beer, cheese and onion crisps etc ;-)

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Free Shipping – Crazy Christmas IT Career Coaching Special Starts Today

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Christmas Career Coaching SpecialHere’s a Christmas Career Coaching Special for IT Professionals – but you must act quickly…

… because there are just 12 slots and the offer finishes midnight 30 Nov.

Take action today and inside Santa’s stocking you’ll soon find these coaching goodies delivered to your digital in-box and (within a few weeks) to your doorstep:

1 CD copy of the Goal Creation Maps course. (sells at $67 plus p&p)

1 CD copy of the IT Career Engineer’s Special Video Report. (sells at $42 plus p&p)

Access to the online version of the Goal Creation Maps course – so you can get started while your CDs are in transit.

1 x 50 minute “Laser Coaching” phone session (using Skype) on a specific career topic of your choice – you must use this before 31 Jan 2009 (valued at $135)

Weekday coaching support by email (1 per day) until 31 Jan 2009 (valued at $500)

If you were to buy these coaching products and services separately it’d cost over $744 plus shipping.

However, until midnight 30 Nov you can have them all for just $147.

That’s a saving of over $597.

And I’ll pay the postage & packing on the CDs.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee:
Here’s something you won’t see too often from most coaches…

I believe so strongly in the power and effectiveness of coaching – that if you don’t think these tools and services are working for you, for any reason, just ask for a refund before 30 Nov 2009 and I’ll return all your money with no questions asked.

That’s right – I’m guaranteeing this package for a whole year!

And you can keep the CDs. No jumping through hoops to return them before you get your money back.

Decision Time:
Now it’s up to you.

If you want in on this amazing offer then here’s what you need to do:

1- Got to http://markmccluretoday.com/contact

2- Fill in the contact form at the bottom of the page

3- In the “Your Message” section of the the form please add this information:

  • Your Full Name.
  • Your Shipping Address (for me to send the CDs).
  • The specific career coaching topic you want to work on.

Once I get your message I’ll be in touch to let you know if a slot is still available.

All transactions will be via Paypal.

The Coaching call is delivered via Skype.

The CDs have been tested on PCs (not Macs)

Please use a private email – not a work email address (privacy & confidentiality is important when career coaching employees. If you’re the owner or self-employed, then no issue!)

- Mark McClure

PS – I often wonder how many people actually read PS messages.
Well, here’s a real live test…
I rarely offer ‘pro-bono’ (free) coaching to potential clients but since it’s Xmas time, 1 extra slot will be absolutely free.

To be eligible, all you have to do is:

- Leave a comment to this post as to what you specifically want to achieve from this career coaching special.

- Complete steps 1, 2 & 3 above.

I’ll then decide who gets the free slot and make contact with that person soon after 30 Nov.

1 Dec Update:
This offer is now closed.

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How To Get 1 Of 10 Gift Copies Of The IT Career Engineers Special Video Report

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Over at Simon Stapleton’s blog he’s chasing a $1000 donation target for his cancer research appeal…. just $474.50 to reach that milestone.

If you’re one of the first 10 people to respond here’s how you can help out and also get a gift copy of IT Career Engineer’s Special Video Report on CD – my way of saying ‘thank you’ for your contribution.

I have 10 gift copies available to donate by the end of November 2008.

1- Make an online donation of at least US$ 42 (the current retail price of the CD report.) before 30 Nov 2008 to CancerResearch.org

2- Copy and paste your email receipt from CancerResearch.org into my blog’s contact form and include your name and full shipping address.
(Please use the same email address when contacting me as you did when making the online donation.)

I’ll ship the CD to you and pay the postage and packing.

Thank you for your generosity in advance.

- Mark McClure

PS – If you donate US$ 100 or more I will also include a 30 minute career coaching call (via Skype) to be taken before 31 Dec 2008.

1 Dec Update:
This offer is now closed.
Simon did indeed break his $1000 target. Well done, Simon!

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