The normal practice when looking for teaching jobs and attending interviews is to prepare yourself as much as you can by collecting as many possible questions which may be asked, practicing your answers by writing them down, having mock interviews to prepare you for what might come, and to have the ‘perfect’ observation lesson planned.
But what if there was another way? What if preparing for an interview was about every choice we make and how we live each day – the way in which we care for, love and nurture ourselves?
I recently had a job interview and chose to prepare for it in a very different way to what I would have done in the past. This awareness to make a different choice has come from being inspired by the presentations of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine, who have shown me there is another way – a way to live and be that is truly loving and caring of me and my body.
The week before the interview I was very aware that everything, all the choices I made, from when I went to bed to what I ate, would have an impact on the day.
With this, I chose to focus on being very present with my body, in how I expressed myself through every action, word and thought. For example:
- How I chose to walk – gently and with joy.
- The way in which I dressed – I honored what I felt to wear and how I put the clothes on my body.
- The way in which I drove my car – in presence, focussed on the driving, my body and the road, with no thoughts about anything else.
- How I cooked and ate my food – making sure I chose and cooked food that was lovingly prepared and nourishing for my body.
- How and when I went to bed – preparing for sleep by allowing myself to let go of the day.
- Making sure I honored my body – when I felt to stop and take a rest, be it at work or home.
- Not getting involved in conversations or discussions that I knew were there to try and make me doubt myself and my choices.
With this I allowed no space for self-doubt, anxiety or stress. If any of these did try to sneak in, I would stop, say no, and make a more loving choice, which allowed no room for these self–doubting thoughts.
I prepared my overnight bag a few days before, taking care how I placed everything in it. I made sure I had early nights in the days before so as to prepare for the long drive ahead. I packed the car in the early evening the night before, to leave room and space in the morning for my normal routine, and not allow any anxiety or rush to sneak in. I then prepared lunch and drink for the long journey, and made sure I wound down and very lovingly and gently got ready for bed.
There was not one part of my day or night that was not included in my preparation for this interview. I also learnt to trust myself, by choosing the lesson to teach for my interview that I knew within me was the correct one for exactly what was needed that day, even if it did go against the grain and what other people said. I listened and trusted what my body so clearly shared with me.
So as the day came, I left to go to work in joy; there was no worry, stress or overwhelm, and it was no big deal that I had an interview coming up. It was simply just another part of my day that I would equally be me in, no more or less to any other day.
On the drive up, I made sure I drove in joy and gentleness, appreciating each moment and appreciating the care I had taken with preparing for the interview. I stopped along the way to take a break, stretch my legs, have a drink and enjoy speaking to the people I met.
I didn’t push myself to get there or worry about the time as I knew this would have an impact on the next moment and the next day.
As I arrived at my accommodation for the night, I could feel a little part of me went, “oh no”, as it did not look as good as it did in photos, but immediately I made the choice to not let this expectation I had affect me. I made the room as loving and supportive as I could, then went for a walk to allow my body the space to unwind from the drive and the day.
I could feel there was a little more I wanted to prepare for the interview lesson, but knew I was tired, so instead of rushing and stressing before bed as I would have done in the past, I chose to honour my body and go to bed, knowing I would have space the next morning to do it then.
The next day I went to the interview with not one ounce of anxiety or stress, nor any need to get the job. I was there to be seen, and to express all of me, without holding back who I am, and to have fun with it as well.
The day was amazing and I felt so much joy. Everyone I met was lovely and open and such a joy to be with.
I didn’t prepare any questions or answers, as I trusted myself and my body in the knowing that because of the way I had chosen to prepare for the interview, everything I needed would be within me to answer any questions asked.
I trusted that the answers would come from a knowing in my body, from my truth, my lived experience and not from trying to say the ‘right’ things in my head. There was not one ounce of me that held back that day.
I was offered the job, but honoured my body, as the job and where it was did not feel true for me. This was also part of the process, knowing I didn’t need to panic and accept a job just because it was there.
What this whole experience has confirmed to me is that, yes, we can prepare for interviews and certain aspects of life, but that true preparation doesn’t come from knowledge in the sense of going into our heads with anxiousness and drive.
True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.
With love and deep thanks to Serge Benhayon.
By Gyl Rae, 37, Teacher, Scotland
Further reading:
What causes anxiousness?
A True Commitment to Work, Getting a Job… and Life
The Interview Process and the Power of Everyday Living
The Truth about Serge Benhayon 
It is beautiful to read about the deep honouring and loving of yourself that are shown in this blog, the presence and tender loving care are such an important part of our daily lives.
As you say, the simplest way to prepare for anything really is to stay connected with your body… our bodies had the most wonderful natural intelligence and resilience when listened to.
True preparation comes from how we live everyday, to being present, tender and loving with ourselves, ‘True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.’ Absolutely.
Lovely for you to confirm that there is another way to live, and so prepare for an interview, ‘What if preparing for an interview was about every choice we make and how we live each day – the way in which we care for, love and nurture ourselves?’
Gyl, I can see how preparing for something like an interview starts way before the day and is not just about knowing what to say, but how you are feeling from within.
Every moment is a preparation for the next moment, and the next, and the next. How I am in what I am doing right now will determine how I spend this afternoon, my day at work tomorrow, 3 month from now on… This has been presented by Serge and Natalie Benhayon many times, but even so, I have caught myself thinking that I deserved a break from that, and slipping into making choices that were less than loving. Living with this awareness and walking it every day is something that I am working on.
That’s a revolutionary way to prepare for an interview! I’m finding myself in a position where I will soon be attending interviews, so this blog post could not have come at a better time.
This is a completely different way of preparing for a job interview, and it makes so much sense. It isn’t so much about the interview but about how we are leading up to it – the quality of our how we have moved our body leading up to the interview is what matters.
When living a prepared life all of the time, anything that will come to us will not be a problem as we are connect to that inner source that knows and we can safely rely on as we do in our everydays choices.
Gyl what you share here is super supportive and inspiring for anyone going for a job interview or preparing for anything in life we experience on a daily basis. What your blog highlights is when we commit to making these simple loving choices throughout our day we are constantly rewarded back in many beautiful ways allowing any needs or attachments we may have to any outcomes to naturally fall away.
Well said Coleen, equality of all participants is the ideal in the work situation but hardly ever the reality. This would set up a great foundation on which to build equality.
“But what if there was another way? What if preparing for an interview was about every choice we make and how we live each day – the way in which we care for, love and nurture ourselves?”
Yes, this makes so much sense. It would feel second nature and take the stress out of the event so we could truly just be ourselves when going in for the interview.
Beautiful Gyl and life changing. What a way to prepare not only for an interview but for life.
A great reminder that every single choice we make impacts on everybody and every subsequent moment in our lives. Not just physically but through the quality of our experience
Wow Gyl this is gorgeous to read. What you have listed here is the how to of living a loving, joyful and responsible life every single day.
You could say every point of our life, every step is a preparation for something big. I know we look at ‘big’ events, birthdays, dinners, celebrations, job interviews, marriage etc as being things we need to plan and prepare for and so we give them a certain amount of preparation time. But what if everything you do is with you? I mean after all every step has you with it and so then wherever you arrive, no matter what the heading, all of you, every step and choice will be with you. In this way preparation for anything has no lead time as we are always preparing and so every movement you make is one that support you for what’s next or takes away from you and so you feel less in the next moment. I do get what this article is saying and it’s a great way to prepare for something like this just as long as we don’t see this as an up and down thing, like a performance almost. To be aware that spending time truly present with what you are doing is the best preparation you can do for what ever is next and this never ends or has a start point. It’s an ongoing relationship that begins again after each step, at each point is an opportunity to go deeper and deeper or offer a deeper quality of presence to any moment. As the article is saying, “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.”
Great to read – I am preparing for an interview later this week. It’s lovely to feel the truth of the fact that it is the way we live that will support us through any day. Yes there is preparation to be done but this cannot be at the expense of ourselves.
As we start to really listen to our bodies they will show us the way forward, without a doubt
I love this Gyl, you’ve flipped the normal practice accepted in society on it’s head.
This is a great reminder that we are forever, constantly, preparing ourselves for whatever comes our way. I am typing this comment because of how I did what I did previously leading up to that, and how I am doing what I am doing right now takes me to the next point – and I don’t even have to know what that next point looks like, it is all guaranteed by the quality I have already chosen.
Gyl, I loved this part of your blog ‘I was offered the job, but honoured my body, as the job and where it was did not feel true for me.’ We so often accept a job offer because we worry that there may not be another one, yet when you were deeply honest with yourself as you were to turn this one down. Beautiful to read how you honoured yourself, and at the same time you honoured those who offered you the job by your own honesty too.
If we live in the conscious presence as you describe Gyl, then we are prepared any moment in time to do a job interview, as in fact no preparation is needed when we are fully with ourselves. We then are connected with a wisdom and a knowing that is unfathomable by our mind and will present through our bodies that we have prepared so well for doing its job.
I had an observation yesterday. It is something that used to get me very anxious in the past, but similar to what you have shared Gyl, I planned my lesson, with no need to impress and made sure I did the things I know keep me steady like having a good nights sleep, eating foods that I know support me and doing my exercise in the morning. It went very well.
I recently went for a job interview which I prepared for like Gyl shares here. For the first time in my life, there was no anxiety in my body. What was there was a joy and openness. I enjoyed everyone I met that day and know from this experience that true preparation is about supporting ones self to be ones self.
“I didn’t prepare any questions or answers, as I trusted myself and my body in the knowing that because of the way I had chosen to prepare for the interview, everything I needed would be within me to answer any questions asked.” A different sort of preparation – great to re-read Gyl.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” We live in cycles and how we are now and what we do now will affect us down the road.
So, choosing to be present, aware, loving and steady to make the cycle work for us in its entirety is just brilliant.
Every choice we make accumulates and comes with us in all that we do…
Interview in its original sense is “to see each other.” It is to be seen and to see the other one and not I want to be seen this way that is not me but that may me get the job or to trick someone into a job situation that is far from what the person is going to find. So, preparing is about to prepare yourself to be seen and to really see what is on the other side waiting.
Awesome blueprint for living life whatever is happening, taking care of the details and trusting that we will be given the answers allows no room for all the self-doubting thoughts that so often sabotage the best-laid plans. When we are totally in the moment we have no need of plans because we can absolutely feel what is the next true movement.
So inspirational to read of your total commitment to preparing for the interview and subsequently the fact that turned down the job when it was offered because it didn’t feel true in your body. Being dedicated to taking such care of all the details allowed you to let go of the outcome and surrender to the bigger picture. You will have touched so many people’s lives that day and confirmed in your body this deep level of self-care that is an amazing foundation for how you treat yourself every day.
Very cool Gyl. There most certainly is another way.
I have come to realise that it really doesn’t matter what the outcome is but the way in which I go about it, the quality of energy I am in in every moment.
A beautiful plan to prepare for our interview with the rest of our life.
I love the care and dedication in the way you approached your interview. It makes absolute sense that what you have shared ensures that we are our best for the occasion and not just crammed with clever answers and lines to impress. And it prompts me to ask myself since this obviously does work and does bring out ‘our best’ it seems silly for us to not live with such dedication the rest of the time, for surely we deserve to be our best in every single moment.
I just had an interview.
I was a bit a apprehensive about the whole process and felt myself dipping in and out being confident with what I had to say however in the end the more I detached from the situation and spoke clear and calmly the more comfortable I felt.
Quality rather than quantity.
Indeed Coleen, imagine in fact how the world would change if we approached all situations in all areas of life in this same way – making a commitment to self first and foremost and without any pre-set or attachment to a certain agenda or outcome – simply allowing ourselves to be ourselves in any given moment and any given situation!
It simply makes all the difference when we make every moment in our lives count.
Awesome blog Gyl, I have found it very inspiring. The level of care, attention to detail and presence you pay to your everyday way of living is superb. If we all choose to live with this level of love and care, imagine what our lives would be like, it would be in harmony.
Thank you Gyl, this is a model than can be applied to all of our lives, understanding that all the moments before a moment are contributory to that present moment which then contributes to the next moment. This really shows we are on a continuous cycle with no ‘out’ times. This feels like a simple yet responsible way to live.
Love how you’ve expressed this Gyl. Imagine if we lived all the time like this, and not just when we had to prepare for a ‘big’ day. To live with this consistency and commitment to honouring what we can truly feel, is what sustains us far more than any mental preparation. Looking after our body and nurturing ourselves supports us to feel true confidence through our connection to ourselves and our lived experience. It feels so much more solid and supportive to connect to all that we are, and our lived experiences, instead of being at the mercy of what we can recall or remember.
When we prepare from the body anything before us becomes a breeze of fresh air, when we don’t is when we get into trouble and start to panic or worry as the outcome of such event then becomes our marker of worth. I have had several interviews over the last few months and each time the body has told me if the job was true or not at every stage, sometimes I would listen at the application page, other times I had to go to the interview to feel that it wasn’t true or that I just had to experience that situation to appreciate where I am now. Having accepted a new job now based on how I felt about the job is a new one for me as it may not look appealing on the surface but I am trusting my body, we’ll see what happens.
Preparation from the body not the head – feels amazing.
When we lovingly care for ourselves and prepare for our days and responsibilities equally as lovingly we cannot but inject love into all that we do and share it with others equally.
I’m looking for work, and because I am having moments of feeling so desperate to leave my current job, It’s easy to see the first job as the ticket out. But you’ve reminded me Gyl that it’s important to discern whether the next one is right for you or not. Because if we make a reactionary choice, we simply carry on the cycle that potentially got us where we are in the first place. So honouring all that we are feeling all of the time and creating the space to allow us to feel what’s going on is so immensely important.
Such a great lesson in preparation for anything Gyl. A wonderful way to live, such consideration of yourself in every moment of the day. Amazes me that we are not taught to live like this…so many answers lie in this approach! I love it.
” . . . I allowed no space for self-doubt, anxiety or stress. If any of these did try to sneak in, I would stop, say no, and make a more loving choice, which allowed no room for these self–doubting thoughts.” Gyl that is really an inspiring way to stopp those not loving ways and to treat ourselves, especially to chose this more loving choices is what makes me looking forward to do the same.
What this shows us – in great detail – is that we are far more responsible for what happens to us than we think. When we take the time to prepare for something, we are much more steadier and less reactive. As when we are reactive, blame is often the first thing that comes out of our mouths. Oh the kids, the traffic, the stupid directions etc….the list can go on. But what is so clear from your writing, is that you took the time – over a week – to prepare you and your body – and allowed time to readjust to any expectations (the room) and built confidence in being with your body and trusting the wisdom that comes from that. And you can feel the steadiness that comes from that so less room for any issues to arise and if/when they did, you are much more capable to respond. Very inspiring Gyl.
I like the practical approach that was applied here of not being attached to an end result but responding to what you felt along the way and from there feeling what your next steps were.
In a way our whole life can be a preparation for the next moment, building the quality in the way we do things all the while.
I love what you share about preparing for an interview. This is something we don’t learn at university or school when thinking ahead about working life. What stood out most for me was that you had no investment in getting the job and was not attached to the outcome…along with your interview preparation this feels like the most freeing aspect to your experience. What if we all approached our interviews in this way?
Thank you, Gyl. Your sharing makes me realise that with each and every choice we are making every moment, we are preparing ourselves for the next moment – whether that is a job interview, a date, doing errands… whatever. It is about building a body that can be in a movement that would allow us to make a choice that would lead us to evolution, and it is an ongoing, constant unfoldment that may sometime take us by surprise with an exponential leap forward.
if we live every day in such presence as Gyl is writing about, then we would be prepared for anything because we would be living with conscious presence, then when we lived with conscious presence then we are able to feel what is happening around us to such a depth that this in itself is all the preparation that we need.
Thanks for Sharing Gyl! A great blog to read and so timely as I am preparing for Graduate Nurse position interviews in the coming months. The pressure to get a Grad program is intense and everything you have named is being recommended, from preparing interview answers and “putting yourself in the situation” prior but to me I feel to bring far more value to the way I am living so I know that when I get to an interview I will have a momentum of lived love that I can stand on as a foundation, which to me is far more supportive and true then trying to “fake my way through”.
A great blueprint not only for preparing for an interview but as an approach to living all facets of life.
A great way to approach an interview. It would certainly be less stressful if you were prepared ‘yourself’ rather than over-preparing. We can have a certain amount of preparation in regards to the sorts of things we might be asked, it is preparing ourselves and our bodies lovingly that makes a difference and the way we live as a whole is received. I have a graduate interview for a nursing Job soon, and this is an approach I will definitely be taking.
Thanks Gyl. Preparing for a stress free way of doing an interview – can be applied to almost everything else too. I find this super supportive when I get ready in the mornings before going to Uni.
A great perspective about how it is where we are right now that prepares us for the next step, and the next and the next, and then before we now it we are even more where we wanted to be.
I like that Chris, true evolution
I agree Chris – “before we know it we are even more where we wanted to be.” I am often delighted when this happens.
I am realising more and more that in self-doubt I do actually know and sometimes it is a matter of trusting that knowing and gently, yet deliberately, acting on that and at other times it can be that my doubt is allowing me a pause to consider more realistically, or truthfully, what is going on thus confirming my knowing. The old me might by-pass this step and end up doing something from a belief or an ideal that, in truth, serves no one.
Interview comes from the French s’entrevoir “to see each other.” Yet, nowadays an interview is mainly (but not always) a game of cards so to speak. The idea of double direction is missing but it should not be, since not only the candidate has to offer what the job requires, but also the employer has to convince the candidate that the company is okay for him/her.
Great point Eduardo. Many interviews I have been to have not been about seeing me as a person. And great point, companies definitely should be open and ask the candidate if the company is right for them. This doesn’t happen because companies run for their own gain rather than for humanity.
I had an interview today and had to come back to this blog to remember the truth about interview preparation. I especially appreciate what you share about not being attached to ‘getting the job’. I can see that when I am attached to an outcome it is impossible to express who I really am.
Thanks Gyl for reinforcing the benefit of living in a self caring way and how this lifestyle prepares us for lifes experiences
So beautiful coleen24 to be inspired by a self loving approach to life and taking this to all aspects of life including interviews and jobs. Imagine also if people were employed on the qualities that they bring to the role not what they can get done – making it truly about quality.
Thanks again for this blog Gyl, I have just reread it as a gentle reminder of what is truly important as I prepare for a job interview tomorrow. Being true to myself and what I feel, trusting that what is true will unfold and allowing myself to be all of me in the interview is what really matters. The outcome of the interview then becomes secondary to being all of me.
Thank you Lee, I will have an interview soon also. To remember the outcome is secondary to what I bring in every moment before and after is golden advice.
Well l had the interview. l didn’t get the job. However, l feel l did not hold back on who l am. l went for it. My intention was to enable them to feel me as the teacher l am, in my classes and to inspire them, as l do my students.
Apart from a few moments that l felt were forced and rushed with my answer and areas l felt l was trying to impress, it flowed beautifully. As l finished l was confirmed in the fact that l had inspired them. l felt it in myself and one of the interviewers. The other was preoccupied with questions. lt was so freeing for me to walk out feeling “l have done my job”. l allowed them to see me and what l bring. lt was very empowering to feel this experience as no greater than any other and to get on with the next awesome moments that followed on from there in my day.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” Thank you Gyl, this is a true prescription for preparation for life every day.
I shall write a note to self with your words Gyl. “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice and trusting what we feel inside.” So much of my life I’ve allowed others to cast a doubt over what I truly felt – then up pops anxiousness which then start a cycle of negative momentums to distract further from truth. A beautiful sharing – very appropriate for me to read today. Thank you Gyl.
It is a wonderful feeling to start to trust the intelligence of our hearts and bodies, to understand that we do not need to be prepared with constructed responses but yes we do know exactly what is needed and even more.
I am still coming to terms with this even though I can feel it is true. I can feel that anxiousness and investment get in the way of my ability to express what is truly needed. The constructed responses are pure protection. I can feel how freeing and fun it would be to let go of this and just be myself.
I love this Gyl, it is magic and I can feel it sinking deeper into my body each time I read it. “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.”
Yes this is awesome…so simple! So true!
I agree Carolien, this is so hard to do in the beginning because of the lifelong momentum we have running on striving to achieve and never feeling quite enough, so try to do more to make up for it… but to understand it is all about the quality that we bring first and foremost and throughout, and if we bring that presence and quality, then what needs to get produced or completed will naturally happen, and more importantly will be done in the quality that is needed.
well said Annie and it is huge to make the shift of making life no longer about outcomes and results or what we think we need to be or do but to focus on presence and quality first and foremost.
Gyl, I love how you describe true preparation and feel that if we live like this all the time we are at any time prepared and equipped to deal with any situation that comes before us
This shows how everything in our life matters and the cumulative affect of the way we live comes with us to each moment. It is like making love. It is not so much the act but the way we live together the day or the week before. All this, whether it is harmonious and loving or not is with us.
Yes beautifully said Fiona. This is worth deeply pondering. The cumulative effect of every action.
Annie, this is huge to expose. That l am responsible for the orchestration. HUGE!!!!
How true Sally, well said. All that has gone before and all that is to come depends on the quality we are right now.
I agree alisonmoir, people world over are struggling with anxious, stress, getting things done, running a home, family, business, and the feeling and often said phrase ” if only I and more time”. What if creating not more time is possible as its a man made thing, but that creating more space is possible which feels like time has actually slowed down, by being consciously present with ourselves, our bodies and each task we are doing – literally one thing at a time, rather that constantly thinking about the next thing or things or something we wished we had done different in the past.
And with that care and presence comes clarity.
Love this Gyl, what if we approached life from this perspective, that presence brings space into time to allow us to observe, understand and become more aware of what is before us in that moment. Maybe in this space wisdom is born or found once again.
This is such a great testament of how self loving choices and taking care in our lives has a huge impact on the quality of our expression. There are huge industries based on rating people to a forced and often false sense of empowerment – but what you offer here is a natural deepening quality from within us that we take with us everywhere we go and whomever we interact with inspiring everyone as we go. The preparation you are talking about is the most loving thing we can do for ourself and for everyone.
I agree Golnaz, this is true service to humanity.
Everyone wins. Such an awesome blog.
This is a hugely important point you’ve raised her Amelia. I remember sitting for university exams where people near me literally threw up in the aisles between the seating. There was nothing whatsoever in the education system that said ‘look after yourself’, let alone as a first priority, nothing at all.
And yet, even amidst such callousness, we can make a true difference in the way we are with ourselves, as Gyl’s blog beautifully illustrates. Enough people do this, and systems cannot but buckle and change.
Love it Gyl. In living in such a way and developing a relationship with ourselves and life where we take awesome care of ourselves and bring quality and presence to all that we do, we are naturally ‘prepared’ for what we may come to meet in our day. Whether it’s an interview or a ‘performance’ (something I can particularly relate to…), nothing need be any big deal. We simply bring ourselves to it. How gorgeously simple.
Indeed this blog is true evolutionary and inspiring. It can help so many people to look at interviews from a different view. I can remember that I had always a lot of stress in this moments preparing for an interview. I have experienced this other way of preparation like Gyl has written, too. I can be totally relaxed and knowing I have everything I need inside of me. Trusting that all will be there with me, the tension and the nervousness is no longer needed. Such a release not having to be scared of an outcome or judgment.
This is a great blog that shows when taking responsibility, it can be joyful and it breaks down the stress and anxiousness around job interviews. When we are relaxed and joyful within that reflects onto the interviewer, and so the situation will be. It shows how we can take the lead in letting go of old beliefs to be in a particular way to fit in – into trusting deeply that we are divine, and nurturing this fact with self care and responsibility. So much Love can be with us when we allow it to be.
How would the world change if we approached life in this way 🙂
Great point Coleen, for the employer and the employee are realising that they are actually equals, just fulfilling different job roles.
What a beautiful way to prepare for an interview. I have observed others do such a number on themselves, so that they are a total wreck by the time they end up in front of an interviewer. What you describe is awesome, and I have experienced something similar, thanks to the way I am with myself on a daily basis, I was there in my fullness at the interview and more able to let it unfold, rather than go into all the panic and unnecessary worry. Having trust that all is working out as it should is also a big support.
I like the line ‘true preparation comes from a commitment to the body. The other day I realised as I was driving, I was very worried about being late. I was supposed to be at a meeting at 8:30am, it was at that moment 8:20am and I was still 20 min away from my destination. I had thoughts of ‘oh no, they are probably sitting around the table and it looks bad that I am not there’. Then I realised that I was ahead of myself- as it was only 8:20am no-one would have been around the table yet so the story I had playing out in my head couldn’t yet be true. It was at this moment that I realised that if I kept driving with those thoughts by the time I got there I would be late and stressed. So I decided to stop those thoughts and just concentrate on where I was at, at that moment. When I then arrived at work I wasn’t stressed and felt equipped to handle what was in front of me.
Thank you Gyl for this blog and my understanding from Serge Benhayon presentations is that true confidence actually comes from our presence and at first I had no clue what that meant let alone feel like in my body.
After 10 years I can say that it is a quality held in the body that develops over time through my commitment and consistency in my daily practical things that I do to support and honour my body. This loving and caring way of living helps me to develop stillness inside me and pulls me more towards building more presence and so no matter what life presents that day, I feel equipped.
I am a planner and I find it a natural way to live but if things change I don’t seem to get bent out of shape like I used to in the past because my body has a steady quality that I am living daily and this certainly has an effect on how I react to any situation.
Beautifully said Bina. It does take time to develop such a quality of presence in all that we do, and in simply being with ourselves and our bodies in our day – vs. letting the head run its own show. But boy is it worth it, to feel how we can indeed build such a steadiness and that it can become our natural foundational support (from within) to meet whatever it is in our day that may arise – nothing need be a ‘big deal’, whatsoever…
Wow Gyl! What a bombshell and a game changer. The “new way forward” to prepare for interviews, and really, prepare for everything in life. What I felt from this article was the deep level of responsibility you took with every detail in life to support yourself in the most loving way because you knew this quality would be felt by those you met in your interview. It is beautiful how you have interpreted and responded to the teachings from Serge Benhayon in this way: your way. I am inspired by your level of responsibility. Thank you for the sharing.
I so agree Simone, you hit the nail right on the head. The level of responsibility is also what stood out for me. Really being aware of the utmost detail and bringing all of her to the process. Very inspiring indeed.
There is so much wisdom in this blog. To have the awareness that everything you do, well before the interview took place, will support that moment is amazing. To live in such a rhythm builds a loving foundation from one moment to the next and supports an otherwise usually stressful situation. Job interviews generally create a lot of panic and stress, in the lead up to them, so to be able to completely avoid all that through loving choices before hand is fantastic. Not only did you manage to lovingly support your body, the reflection you would have emanated to the people interviewing you would have been amazing. Living and making choices that lovingly support each and every moment of your day then enabled you to feel into whether this job was right for you, leaving no room for expectations to dictate your decision. It sounds like each moment allowed for the next beautiful moment that continually confirmed what was true for you. Brilliant preparation tips for a job interview and for how to live our lives each and every day.
I love this nikkimckee – sharing the ‘real us’ and not the ‘best of us’. The real us we can be consistent with and even expand to bring more. It also offers joy and vitality to all we do. The best of us has us feeling pressure that we will be exposed as not enough and is exhausting.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” Very inspiring to read you blog Gyl!
On reading this great blog again I can see that I have been avoiding the same kind of loving responsibility with a performance appraisal that is due to be done, resisting even enjoying jotting down the, quite lengthy, written part of it. It is a wonderful opportunity to stop and value what I bring to my job and write from appreciation of my workplace itself (I have a great job) and of me. Much more honouring of my workplace, my colleagues and myself.
Thank you Gyl, for showing so obviously, how even the smallest part of our day – be it a gesture, movement, choice or whatever, will influence everything that follows.
How lovely to not be bound and pulled into something just because it has been offered. It is the strength and knowing of oneself that allows us to make those choices for the true reason and not from fear of loss. Great and each time you go through the process you learn a little more about you and what you require in your life to support you.
I agree Gail, I knew the day before, as soon I took the road towards the town I had the interview in, a heaviness was felt, as first I wondered if it was the area I was driving through, but it soon became very clear that I knew it was not true for me to be working here. When I arrived at the town it was an instant huge body felt no, which I had a little wobble with, so went for a walk to come back to myself. The next day I drove to the school got to the carpark and again it was an instant no from my body, even when I went in I knew I didn’t want the job. I could have left there and then but it wasn’t about that for me, it was about the people in the school and the having fun with the kids I got to teach. It was one of the most friendly schools I have ever been in, from the janitors at the door greeting the kids and visitors like me, the office staff being so open, friendly and welcoming, to the pupils, staff and heads all being the same. I didn’t hesitate to share how much I loved meeting everyone, that I really appreciated the real community vibe at the school, and when I declined the job. It was an amazing learning experience in many ways.
Wow, Gyl, I feel privileged to have read your blog and shared in your deep commitment to both yourself and life. It is how we live in each little detail of life that is so important – not to disregard any moment and to live life in that consistency and dedication. It was truly inspiring and revealing for me to read your blog.
Hear hear Meg, presence is essential at all times and makes a world of difference.
I used to find interviews ready daunting until I realised that yes, I was being interviewed to see if I had the skills to do the job and would fit into the existing team but at the same time I had my own questions of how the team and the company would fit in with me. From then on I could feel that the process was more on an equal footing, as they had to suit what I was looking for also.
We all have our ways of preparing ourselves for an interview, which in some cases can cause us to become more anxious as the day goes by, but what you have described Gyl takes it to a whole new level of support for yourself, which would be felt when attending the interview.
An amazing account Gyl of the perfect preparation for a job interview or for life for that matter. It never ceases to amaze me how much confidence is gained by our the way we live our lives honouring our selves and bodies -our livingness ,its like we align to the truth without perfection of course and then live it = confidence and absolute surety of self without doubts , everything we need is there for us. Magically in fact.
That’s really true Meg. Presence is generally not something that is taught to us, let alone seen as important in life, but something we can start to share with others as we develop it for ourselves.
But what if there was another way? What if preparing for an interview was about every choice we make and how we live each day – the way in which we care for, love and nurture ourselves? This makes so much sense, that how we are within everything that we do, is done with our own loving and consistent presence and grace. This then would naturally build into a trusting and magical relationship with ourselves and humanity.
I agree Luz, more loving choices build a foundation within leaving less space for what is not love to come in.
Beautiful julimanbos, what I also read from this is how you held everyone equal so there was no room and or need for role playing. But just people enjoying connecting to each other.
I love what you share here Joshua, “Nothing can be asked of us that is greater than the truth of our own lived way.” This sentence absolutely leaves no space for self-doubt or a need to rely on anything outside of us.
Yes, and I can imagine that if you had pushed yourself to prepare in the usual way Gyl, or invested in the interview, you would not have been able to feel so clearly whether the job was actually supportive for you or not, as the investment would have clouded your view.
Gorgeous Gyl, and if this level of commitment and responsibility is possible in preparation for an interview, what is possible if this is lived and built on each and every day knowing the profound importance of being you in everything you do.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” This is a gem Thank you Gyl. Since the first read of your blog I’ve felt the inspiration and appreciation for what you shared and it’s great to re-read. I’m feeling how honouring myself as you describe is very important to being prepared for everything that comes up in a day that requires attending to – small or large.
This is what I call true commitment to each and every moment, to what is ahead and to yourself. Awesome to read, Gyl, ~ this takes preparation for interviews to a whole new level. Not to mention preparation for the day, just a normal day. Thank you for the great inspiration.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside”. What you describe here Gyl is not only preparation for a special event but true preparation for every moment in life.
When I read this I keep coming back to the statement “Preparing For Life (not interview) – Is There Another Way”? YES there is another way of preparing for and living life, and this way is not what we often see around us, but can easily be connected to and lived daily, in our work, relationships and with ourselves. This is what I feel Universal Medicine brings that is so different to any other organisation.
I agree such a great list of practical things to support bringing through what there is to be expressed.
‘The week before the interview I was very aware that everything, all the choices I made, from when I went to bed to what I ate, would have an impact on the day.’ As I explore the possibility of the greater responsibility I can take in every day, this is a super supportive quote to consider the flow of live and its connected-ness. Thank you, Gyl.
I love what you have presented here Gyl – going for job interviews in the past has really unsettled me but you have given me more to ponder on for my next experience of being interviewed. “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” Great words here.
Every choice we make has an impact on the next moment, next hour, next day and indeed all our choices come back to us like a boomerang…..there is no escaping our choices.
Thank you Paul, absolutely, the choice to live from the divine platform of the Livingness is so easily seen and felt!
Thank you Annie, our life is one of preparation through our loving choices that simply sets us up for more love for the next choice etc. etc. A continuum of loving choices!
What you describe sounds like how we all should live naturally. It just feels right. How on earth did we end up living in fear, stress and so far far away from this natural connection to ourselves? Your blog is a great inspiration, thank you.
Wow Gyl. This blog is incredibly inspiring. I can feel that every meeting with another is a ‘job interview’ of sorts. Your interview preparation list is fantastic and something that I plan to incorporate into my every day. Thank you.
“every meeting with another is a ‘job interview’ of sorts” – gorgeous Leonne, well said.
I am realising that every single thing I do matters… even the energy I leave behind at the petrol bowser will affect the person who fills up after me. I don’t even have to interact with another directly to affect them. Feeling responsibility on a whole new level.
That’s powerful Marika ‘It’s like I am part of a constellation that has already been decided and going for the interview is just a formality to confirm what has already been felt.’ But for you to feel this would also be because of the way you are living…
Yes Alison, ‘To have that level of confidence and trust in yourself must have felt truly amazing…’ That’s the key, the confidence is real and did not come from what Gyl achieved outside of her such as external preparation but from her daily way of living in presence and being connected…that would have been felt at the interview…
This is a remarkable sharing and I found this statement is a big leap from how we generally are to the different choices you have made in the preparation. You ‘…trusted that the answers would come from a knowing in my body, from my truth, my lived experience and not from trying to say the ‘right’ things in my head. There was not one ounce of me that held back that day.’ This is way we can be living ~ where we trust our bodies, but as you have shared, it is a way of living.
The preparation you committed to prepared you so that all the wisdom from you was expressed. If we go into that stress and anxiety momentum, and preparing with trying to get it ‘right’ we cannot connect to that deeper wisdom and importantly there is NO JOY…each day is another day of the quality of our lives that can be lived, there is so much within us….thank you Gyl, deeply inspiring.
Many in my experience approach an interview as a test and as a marker of their worth. They give their power away to the process, the job and can become crushed if they don’t get the ‘yes’ they have invested in. It is setting ourselves up in every way.
An interview is a sharing of all that we bring. Our lived choices, life and work experience. The most rehearsed interviewee cannot erase their choices nor speak from their living way if they do not walk their talk.
Absolutely – we play the role of what we believe others want us to be or what we feel we need to become and live up to and in doing so we leave who we are at the door and often not even in the building.
A really revealing and supportive comment Deborah. I can see how many people would get caught up in what you describe in your first few sentances. As I approach a time of job applications – what you highlight here will stay with me – there really is nothing to prove and no marker of worth in the process, and I can feel how remaining detached, and/or clocking (and turfing out) any investment at all, will be very settling and profoundly supportive, and no doubt make me a far less imposing interviewee, as I wont need anything from the process, and can just let it be with openness. This is great interview prep – quality of living is actually great interview prep, and when appreciated, it can be allowed to support all the more.
An interview is no different to any other aspect of our day – it will be imprinted with the living quality of who we are all and all that we have lived to that point. This is felt by another well before we enter the room.
And what has been presented here busts so many myths about life being a struggle and stress. In Gyl’s ‘living list’ are all the tips we need for being prepared for everything that our days present.
We never get away with living a double life despite what we may tell ourselves.
An interview can be a coming together and connecting – a confirmation of what has already been felt and is known.
Gyl, this blog is a real gem. It is a great reminder to me that the answer to living life is to live in the present moment and commit with absolutely everything I have, including letting go of expectations, wanting to control outcomes and self doubt. Then things will naturally flow and unfold in the way that is best for me. Thank you!
I really appreciate all that you have presented in this blog Gyl. I am currently looking at new work opportunities which, at some stage, will result in an interview. So I have put myself on a program of reading your blog each day to connect with this way of preparing for an interview, and also as a reminder or how we can live our life each day in connection and honoring of what is true to us. Thank you Gyl.
This is such a beautiful ‘sharing to humanity’ on honouring and trusting ourselves.
Also absolutely beautifully offered for supporting exactly how I am feeling about approaching what is before me. The tendency is to muse over things in my mind however this only sets up more mussing and trying to work it all out in my head. Gyle thank you, I can feel how the truth of what you share from your body resonates with my body. So to lovingly honour my body in every moment is the divine preparation for any future plans.
What you share here goes for every event or activity. Every meeting, every contact we have with another is like you wrote: “I was there to be seen, and to express all of me, without holding back who I am, and to have fun with it as well.”
The preparation and time taken for a specific purpose, be it an interview, or other event can be applied to any part of our lives, or in fact all of it! The question that comes up for me is why don’t we treat ourselves with this kind of attention and care all the time?
A great reminder James, ‘everything we do is a constant preparation for the next moment – so as you say why would we choose to not fully take care of ourselves and treat ourselves with love every single moment of the day?’ Absolutely.
Could it be that we don’t take that time because we don’t feel that we are worth the time or love? Or because we expect another to do it for us?
Or maybe because we don’t see it around us, so we don’t want to make others feel uncomfortable by doing for ourselves what they are not doing for themselves?
I am with you on that one Naren, reading back this blog I actually stopped, a little ouch in a good way, as it I felt why do I not take deep care of myself in this way everyday? What made me feel that an interview was worth this consideration and preparation more so than any other day? But it also goes to show that I do know how to deeply care for myself, so there’s the next step, making this normal, my everyday.
And then there’s how to not get obsessive about being perfectly present in each and every moment, which ends up just being a way to set ourselves up to fail.
It feels like what is the crux of this is allowing ourselves the grace and the openness in our life for this level of care to be, as you say, Gyl, normal. Some days will require more preparation or more care due to the nature of the day than others, but the commitment to care and love for ourselves is our everyday.
Great question Naren – and I love the job interview example as its one we traditionally associate with all kinds of pressure and proving ourselves. So from seeing how Gyl lived this example, we (or certainly I did) say, ‘wow, if that part of life can be lived that way, then what else is possible?’; Every moment preparing to be all of us in the next moment, on micro and macro levels, not ‘going towards’ a future point with pressure, but supporting an open easeful approach.
I agree Katie – it’s inspirational (and a relief!) to hear confirmation that looking after ourselves day to day means that we don’t need to over-plan or over-stress for things like interviews. Because we have the solid foundation of taking care and being present with ourselves, our activities then on flow much more naturally, and the people we meet get to feel the same love we have towards us and the things we do.
It is great how you went about preparing for your interview. A lot of people feel much anxiety leading up to and during a job interview and you were able to take this anxiety and stress out of the equation through your way of preparing yourself a week in advance
Thank you Gyl. In any interaction, and presenting yourself, there is nothing more normal than to be yourself. I thoroughly embrace the feeling of presenting as much of me as is possible. Each day is an opportunity to be more of me. As Gyl closes with “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” I agree with this in full. Commitment to this will bring a conscious effort to hold and have a marker in your body that you know. It changes, as Gyl says, the whole routine of preparing yourself – you’re there ready in your body and confident.
Wow … Ive never been great with interviews always felt as if I was totally under the microscope, wanting to give the right answer is a killer so imagine preparing for an interview without the stress and worry of having to get it right or following someone else’s rule book
Lets give it a try Jaime, as it has now been tried and proven
It’s wonderful that you had such trust that “…the answers would come from a knowing in my body, my lived experience and not from saying the ‘right’ things in my head.” Beautiful Gyl.
Gyl, your blog beautifully illustrates how nothing needs to be worried about, instead there is only the quality choice we make each moment. How liberating and stress free when we consider the amount of effort and investment in getting the job, that might normally go into preparing for an interview.
This goes to show the investment we hold in so many situations. Being able to free oneself and detach oneself from these outcomes allows a much truer and freer way of living. There is an allowing, a natural unfoldment, where normally we use power and control to force situations causing unnecessary turmoil and tension along the way.
Hi Gyl, This blog is terrific and what it showed me was in relation to some training I am doing. There are times when I answer with much more than is required and I feel that and there are times I answer with insufficient but I know that too. If I were to truly trust what I am feeling in every moment I would – stop – and adjust the things I felt to. This blog is a ‘how to’ reminder. Love it.
This redefines what a ‘successful’ interview – from the focus being completely about getting the job to it being about meeting people with all your presence.
Now this is the way to prepare for an interview! Whatever we need will be there within us and ready to express if we take the time and care to stay with ourselves in a manner that allows space for our inner wisdom.
Yes Rebecca – when you know the inner wisdom has come through there is far less investment in getting the job!
Just perfect to read this blog Gyl as I am currently looking for work & have been to an interview & though it was very different as I was not stressing about it & all I did was take great care in looking after me & just take me & all the answers were there as I was so relaxed like I was just doing another thing in my day. Reading your sharing just brought finer details for me to look into for next time.
What I could feel when reading this blog was your absolute love and care you hold yourself in. It just jumps from the page. Plus I loved your parting statement. “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” This is so true and a great reminder that we have that choice in every moment, very inspiring and wonderful reminder!!!
It’s a great point you make Gyl that you were also ‘assessing’ whether the job/employer was right for you… something easily forgotten in not just the usual stress of going for job interviews, but also in the need to have a job, and therefore accept what might not actually feel right.
What a deeply Beautiful blog. Reading the non-investment that you had in getting the job or not, I felt as if this wouldn’t be possible for me. But I can also feel how liberating it feels to not be focussed on any outcome. That feels very empowering. It’s not about yes or no anymore, but only about ‘it’ (anything) feeling True in my body. I can allready feel expanded writing this comment. Thank you Gyl.
To understand that it’s how we get somewhere that is the vital experience, and that the result itself is secondary is incredibly liberating… What a great preparation for living in the fullness of who we truly are.
“it’s how we get somewhere that is the vital experience, and that the result itself is secondary is incredibly liberating” – so true cjames – well said.
Beautifully expressed cjames2012, ‘it’s how we get somewhere that is the vital experience, and that the result itself is secondary is incredibly liberating… What a great preparation for living in the fullness of who we truly are.’ This is what I am finding to be true, that it is our everyday livingness that is important, every choice that we make along the way and the quality with how we choose to be in every moment that matters.
Thank you Gyl, I love how you have shared the importance of the preparation not being so much what we do from a mental and head perspective, but rather how the preparation is about the quality that we chose to be in and HOW we prepare ourselves (as in how/the quality in which we eat/prepare food/move etc – is this done in a rush and a nervousness and an anxiety or is it done with a purpose and focus of care for ourselves. I love how you have said: “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” – this really sums it all up!
Yes Henrietta, it does sum it all and shows how there is way of living that can ‘get the job’ done so to speak that is not ‘from a mental and head perspective’ but from having a relationship with our self/body with presence and love….its a whole different way yet as Gyl share’s and it works, whether she go the job or not, she would not have dropped into enormous disappointment…whatever she felt she would have had the support of her body and self! Amazing steadiness!
Wow, what struck me was your phrase that there was not “…any need to get the job.” How honouring for you and your body. You practiced and showed the world real freedom.
How the attachment to getting somewhere, getting it right and getting the job keeps our focus narrow and our body tight and rigid to the task at hand. It is a true blessing for all to take ourselves to every moment without expectation and without needing an outcome….and to not hold back in sharing the quality of all we bring.
“The week before the interview I was very aware that everything, all the choices I made, from when I went to bed to what I ate, would have an impact on the day.” So true Gyl. This is a whole of life approach with the awareness that everything we do, the way we are with others and ourselves impacts on everything else. I love the way the interview process has brought this into focus for you.
Sarah, I completely agree, we can make the interview process so exhausting by ‘trying to impress’ and second guessing what is required of us. To be ourselves is far more sensible as we then end up with a job that fits rather than one that is not true for us.
The joy you describe in your steps is tangible and your approach to a job interview entirely refreshing. I love the detail you went to whilst preparing for the interview, not a the last minute the night before but in the days leading up to the interview knowing that the momentum you arrived in would make a difference. Simple and practical yet hugely effective.
What I have also learned with interviews is that if I don’t get the job, that this is fine too. Then I know that I am needed somewhere else.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment…” So much wisdom in these words. Thank you Gyl.
This is so wise and absolute commitment. Thank You for sharing and inspiring that there is a way of living without anxiety or stress – and you show here the living example.
Yes Nadine…so many of us only know how stress and anxiety and learn to manage it at best, yet what Gyl offers here is another way as you say ‘…a way of living without anxiety or stress’. It may not be possible to be completely stress and anxiety free but it is possible that they do not run us, drive us…that we live from another quality, that comes from a very caring and loving relationship with ourselves as a starting point.
Exactly so Alisonmoir, ‘Being loving and caring in each movement and action changes our whole way of living’ and is the perfect antidote to anxiety and self doubt.
Thank you Susan, that is so beautifully said… “When we are being with ourselves, everything that is yet to come is taken care of.” that’s gorgeous and just shows that we are being looked after all the way, we just need to play our part.
Amazing Gyl, I admire how you don’t miss a word in expressing the true care you have for yourself. If your body is being looked after in the way you have described it makes absolute sense to me that you would end up feeling amazing in any situation in your life, even a job interview, because all through that job interview you get to be in your body! a body that has been nurtured and loved and I am sure all others around you can feel that. It does not surprise me you were offered the job. Amazing Gyl, keep it up and keep sharing!
That’s so true Alison. It makes a huge difference when we change how we are in what we do… because anyone (so to speak) can have a job interview, go to work, drive a car, cook and eat their food, stay in a motel, walk and sleep but what Gyl is sharing is the deep love she has for herself in all of the movements she does in her day. This is a superb way to live and clearly it works! I mean.. ending up at a job interview with no anxiousness and just expressing herself fully is awesome!
Thank you Gyl, your blog has been an absolute inspiration, showing how supportive we can be for ourselves in everything, in contrast to the potential sabotage some of us constantly visit upon ourselves. If I bring that same level of care and attention to preparing for my work day, I am looking forward to seeing what happens.
Absolutely Annie. Do we value ourselves to bring this same quality to our every day and every moment of every day or only when we are ‘on show’ so to speak, in an interview situation?
Absolutely Stephanie, it might sometimes feel we are overrun and totally dominated by thoughts of self-doubt, criticism and failure but is just that we have so often chosen the energy of bringing ourselves down and it has become so ingrained that it feels like there is no other way. However as Gyl has so inspiringly demonstrated there is a way to bring back the power of choice that we have always had but just forgotten.
Very true Harry. I absolutely love feeling the JOY of going to work and really supporting the customers I’m going to greet. The times I lack this same enthusiasm is when I’m tired, stressed and generally not looking after myself… Amazing how much our relationship with ourselves can impact other people!
Amazing Susie, it certainly does! I also love the feeling of bringing JOY where I go, it is like the whole world is so much brighter.
Your article has been a wonderful confirmation of what I have realised lately and that is how important preparation is. I never really did this much except in my head but now I prepare with my body and enjoy the space it gives me to allow life to be as it will be without me trying to control it in any way. All I really have is a choice and that is be with me or not. There is nothing else to do really.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside”, oh so true Gyl. Your preparation for your interview is what living with true responsibility looks like. If we all applied this way of living, every day, then how the world would change and flow with grace. Simple and uncomplicated. Thank you for sharing, your words are inspirational.
What a lovely turn around from the usual stress leading up to an interview. It also showed me how important it is to trust that it will all be there for the interview, supported by the way we live, not by having the correct answers.
Yes, it is lovely to feel that when she does not focus on the outcome, but on the presence in her body and every moment of living that, the outcome is great, even if it is not exactly what one wants, it still feels awesome. People receive that loving energy when they meet you, and not the drive, the need to impress, or the need to be accepted, cause the acceptance is there before meeting them.
Yes, Rebecca I love this too. To not take a job just because it is offered is really showing a trust and knowing of oneself. Living in the way that Gyl describes also shows how it is possible to build this level of trust and care in a relationship with self. With this ability to stay connected everything is possible.
I agree – I recently, and in the past, have turned down a job for the same reasons – that although the job itself seems amazing, in actual fact when I stop and feel and taking everything into consideration its not quite right. And I have found that by doing that, it has opened up my life to do what I really want to be doing.
What a ground breaking blog, Gyl. Also an example that a job interview is just another part of our day, just another activity and just as important as the talk we have when we do our shoppings. If we live each day like this, our lives and the world would be completely different. Without all the tension, anxiousness and stress there is space to be with ourselves and with others.
Yes Monika, An example of how we have inflated job interviews out of all proportion and made them seem bigger than ourselves whereas, as you say, ‘a job interview is just another part of our day, just another activity’. The question ‘how do I prepare for this…interview, meeeting, presentation, whatever’ becomes ‘how do I prepare myself?, what would best support me?, what can I bring’ and simply live it. In this way everything becomes equal and possible.
This sharing with us has a wonderful flow to it. For anyone about to venture into the interview situation this article is priority to read in advance of that, but I feel this is also a wonderful recipe for life. Living in a way that involves making a self loving commitment and “trusting what we feel inside”. Thank you Gyl.
What an awesome insight Rebecca. Thank you! Imagine if we all made this way our new normal on the planet. We need to get a ground swell happening. Set the new fad-conscious presence, only this ones for keeps! How many people would be so much happier in the jobs they had chosen by doing it this way. If we don’t have that level of presence so many other factors can come in and cloud our judgment.
I see this just in everyday decisions. When we are still and composed from building a rhythm and momentum that supports this as our regular way, the choice seems so obvious, easy and stress free.
Exactly Irena, one day the understanding that our health is built from the way we live, not just the food we eat and the exercise we do, then we will begin to live in a way that is much more respectful of ourselves and others and builds up a momentum in our bodies that gives us the clarity to make choices rather than have our choices be governed by everything other than ourselves.
Wow so well said Gyl, think of all the advice that is out there that offers information on how to best prepare for an interview, there are hundreds of books and articles on the subject but none go into the real detail in which have and made it about how we live our life! Thank you for sharing Gyl – great read.
“But what if there was another way? What if preparing for an interview was about every choice we make and how we live each day – the way in which we care for, love and nurture ourselves?” Preparing for anything in our day can be tackled this way. Caring, nurturing and loving ourselves has transformed the lives of so many Universal Medicine students. I love the way you suggest that an interview situation is just another part of the day – no stress required. If we live with integrity and love for ourselves – and don’t become fixed upon an outcome – all potentially stressful situations can then be met with equanimity.
Gyl- Wow-your preparation for an interview was so inspiring,and felt so confirming of who you are. Thank you for showing us there is another way. “preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies
in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.”
Gyl- Wow-your preparation for an interview was so inspiring,and felt so confirming of who you are. Thank you for showing us there is another way. “preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.”
A great and valid point Adam. To not be ourselves creates enormous tension within us and requires an even greater force to override the simplicity of what is already there and waiting to be shared with the world. Hence, there is nothing to prove but very much to express, without reservation and unashamedly so.
I love this comment Carmel thank you. Prepare yourself and not your head. There’s true wisdom in this.
Very true Richard, Gyl offers us all a true way to deal with those moments where we might otherwise attempt to irradiate the stress and tension with beta blockers or worse. Choosing to focus on nurture, presence and staying with self in every moment is clearly the way forward, not letting ourselves run away with fabricated scenarios or be afraid of the scrutiny that arises from interviews, performances and presentations etc. Gyl’s experience is living proof that every moment builds towards the next and each day lived like this results in a dependable foundation within us, a place from where we can embrace every situation that arises in our lives with true confidence, awareness and clarity.
I love meeting people and having fun with them.
If we live the future now, we will not need to stress when we ‘get there’ for the quality of that moment is already determined by the quality in which we currently move. That is, do we move in a way that invites more space by virtue of the fact that we are moving in accordance to the greater rhythm we are a part of OR do we move counter to this rhythm out of sync and thus ‘shrink’ space and invite the stress in? All that is needed ‘there’ is guaranteed by the quality of what we choose to live ‘here’.
Beautifully said Liane, moving in alignment with the greater rhythms does indeed allow more space and prepares us for all we need in all that is to come.
Gorgeous Liane “All that is needed ‘there’ is guaranteed by the quality of what we choose to live ‘here’.”
I love what you have shared here Liane, and thank you for the lovely reminder that all that I have to do is to commit to the quality that Im bringing moment to moment as this will determine the quality of my next movement, simple.
Gorgeous Lianne. It’s easy to forget that how we are right now and, as you say the quality of each movement, impacts on what is to come. In other words the future is already in the present. And even more, there is no past, present, future, only now! Take gentle loving care of self, now, the rest takes care of itself.
I love this Liane – you have so beautifully shared the key in how we can determine how a future event is going to play out. We have a choice in each moment and what you have shared is deeply inspiring
Very wise words Liane and something to ponder on, thank you.
Thank you, cheriseholt, reading back this blog was confirmation, this is in my body, I can naturally live this level of joy, presence, commitment and love in every moment of every day.
Hi Irena, you make a great point here, to ” not being attached to the outcome”. What I realise with this that if there is a need for an outcome then I’ve let self get in the way, I am not open to life or God or whatever is needed of me on that day.
I agree Cherise, the attention to every detail in Gyl’s life leading up to her interview was cherished and I also found it very inspiring.
Ooh I love the line, ‘a moment is defined by everything, a moment doesn’t define everything’ – is this your quote Luke? It’s true, everything we do and every choice we make is reflected back to us in all our moments. It actually simplifies life enormously when we understand what this means.
Why yes it is Jo, one of my own co-creations ;-).
This simple line does mean a lot when it’s meaning is understood…
A great example Gyl of how when we live our lives truly honouring ourselves in every choice we make, that we are are impacting every aspect. It makes life so enjoyable as no longer would we choose to stress about work, interviews or anything that may come up in our daily travels. If we choose to be loving and honouring with ourselves, every moment will be a reflection of that choice.
In the job trainings for interviews which I have experienced through my life, people are prepared to perform the best impress they can deliver regardless of who they truly are or how they truly express. This means you carry a false you to the interview and build a false connection with company and the interviewer. The aim is to get the job but it is not considered that you have to play a role all after in the job. And this is exhausting. The way you did it Gyl is a true way.
Wow – absolutely gorgeous Gyl – rewritting interview preparation manuals the world over in one gorgeous blog. How amazing it would be if we were taught this at school – it would literally change the world – as really you’re not just preparing for an interview, but commiting to all of life, with you fully in it, no push – just presence – what a gift!
Beautiful Kate. If this was taught in schools and children had this as a foundation when leaving school, we would see an entirely different workforce and approach to work.
So true Sara – and kind of amazing because as littler kids we would naturally do this, and wouldn’t even need to be taught, just allowed the space to continue in their connection, but the world and school actually teach us the opposite – to put our body bottom of the list, to put mental activity long before presence – and to not trust but to prepare as in practice and churn out expected answers and outcomes relying on recall and not a simple foundation of who we are and our natural expression from there.
This is awesome Gly. It confirms the saying.. “Its not what you do but how you do what you do” SB. How you have shared about preparing for an interview is transferrable to many other industry job interviews. This is solid practical and inspiring advise, thank you!
Gyl, I just read your amazing blog again. It reminds me how playfulness is the most effective tool to keep anxiety and stress out the door. I love the simplicity of your sharing.
Awesome comment Dianne ” It is a form of harmony and cooperation with the cycles and space of the universe around us, that allows us to flow with life instead of against it.” but as you say to make this ‘ritual’ – “the conscious presence with our body in every moment of thought, action, movement and speech that comes from our true being” a normal rhythm in our live that takes commitment and practice that is certainly worth investing in.
Having spent the days in the lead up to a presentation that I gave over the weekend, preparing myself in a similar way to you have shared here Gyl, I could feel that once the presentation was over, I started to ‘relax’ around being so diligent in my connection with myself. I woke up this morning and asked myself why would I do that? Why would I not choose to live every day as though I was preparing for an interview or a presentation. It doesn’t make sense to do that some of the time and not all of the time. I have since made the commitment to myself, to up the anti and offer myself the gift everyday of a deeper connection to me.
That’s very true Donna. I have been caught out several times where I was faced with an opportunity for truth to be expressed, but the words were not there for me because of the choices I had made immediately before. Every moment of life is a presentation.
Exactly Donna. I’ve been a stop/starter with this at times, taking absolute care and, then taking my foot off the pedal. Taking care this way just doesn’t cut it anymore as now I’ve realised that the consistency is the commitment. This has been like another U turn, or rather an up-turn in my journey with self care.
I can completely relate Matthew. A little bit of self-care here and there doesn’t quite cut it. The consistency has started to become everything and I realise that without it my personal growth is stunted.
I feel you are completely on the mark with your comment.
I love what you have shared Donna, isn’t it interesting indeed that we aren’t willing to give ourselves that same depth of care and attention after a presentation or interview. It reminds me how common it is is to clean and tidy the house the night before family or partner returns from being away, revealing how we let things ‘slide’ when we aren’t being called to responsibility by another. It’s basically saying that they are worth more.
Great point Donna, it feels so true why do we choose not to live with that level of care everyday and truly build that consistently within our lives. I can feel how true this is for me, definitely something to look a little deeper into.
Gyl this is such a profound sharing considering most people are consumed with anxiety and self-doubt when it comes to an interview. The beautiful way in which you chose to prepare yourself for it was just gorgeous to read and I loved that even after all the ways in which you cherished yourself, that you honoured your body further by not even taking the job you were offered for it did not feel true for you. No expectations, just absolute trust in you being you… and everything else simply falling into place after that.
I loved what you have shared here Gyl. It is priceless! It is preparation for life itself. Beautifully expressed as I felt the consistency and steadiness in your very writing. Well done you totally nailed it.
Preparation for life itself, is what indeed permeates our every moment.
Good point about relationships – we don’t tend to think of an interviewing panel as being people with whom we have ‘relationships’, especially if we lose the job or turn it down. But every human interaction, even for the brief duration of an interview, is in truth a relationship. And how you are in that interview relating to the interviewers can potentially leave a lasting mark on those people even if they never see you again!
Thank you Gyl for your amazing blog. It is inspiring to read and we can apply this interview preparation to everything in life, supporting ourselves to be fully present and connected, and then no matter what comes at us in our day, we know we have everything within us to deal with it. It also means everyone we meet gets more of the real us, not some run down nervous, stressed out version that is not us at all.
Absolutely Annie… that is so true, this preparation could be for any part of our life.. even if the big event in our life is not an interview but even something really small like a conversation or any moment that may come up for us that we don’t feel totally equipped for – all we need to do is prepare in this way, regardless of it we know what’s coming or not. Gyl you have inspired me to do this more in my life. Thank you.
I agree, Annie C, this is a truly inspiring blog. Yes this interview preparation is a wonderful example for us to apply to everything that we do in our lives. The most important point is to be fully present and connected with ourselves in absolutely every detail of what we need to be doing in every moment of the day. Something for me to really put into action from today.
I love your blog Gyl and especially all the examples you gave in preparation for your interview. All these examples we can apply to every moment in our lives, in fact it gives a great tool to how to approach all the daily things of living, just awesome. Thank you.
I agree Karina, some lovely practical examples of the choices we make everyday that affect the way we are in subsequent situations. What this brings home to me is that all of life is a choice – we don’t have to do anything, we choose to do it. Very powerful.
Gyl I love this blog and totally agree. I had a lot of interviews to come to a deeper understanding and acceptance of me, of life, and of bringing me to a job. I realised that it was my investment in recognition and survival that fuelled my anxiousness and nervousness. After many ‘unsuccessful interviews’ I gradually allowed myself to trust and observe God provides exactly what everyone requires as a means of providing greater awareness; that it wasn’t about me getting what I thought I wanted, it was about me just being me.
This is beautiful in showing that not everything we ‘want’ is in fact what we need!
You know Gyl that the wisdom held within the words of your blog inspired me to approach a situation, (not a job interview), but nonetheless, a situation where being with a group of people who at times in the past have caused a little discomfort within for some reason. I found that your inspiring blog kept popping into my mind, to remind me, that I only had to present me as me – and the entire event unfolded without strain or that sense of ‘withering’. Thank you.
Every day could be an interview on some level, each new person we meet forms an impression of us, and how better to prepare to leave a lasting one of love than to apply the wisdom of Gyls blog to the way we live. Thank you Gyl, great inspiration.
Yes Roberta I feel this blog has the potential to inspire people to not only prepare for a job interview in the most amazing and supportive way but for anyone approaching any situation. The blog really allowed me to feel how every single choice I make supports the next choice. To choose to live a life with a rhythm that honours the body in every little moment is well worth the gorgeous feeling that is left in the body. Comparing the other feelings of anxiousness, stress, aches and pains and all the signs the body sends out when we aren’t honouring each moment lovingly. This blog will stay firmly in my conscious thoughts and encourage me to bring each moment back to staying connected to my body. I love that Gyl’s blog inspired an event to go without strain for you, it just goes to show the power behind these blog writings.
It would be awesome if this blog was on every HR website and if HR managers prepared in the same way!!
Great Gyl! And a timely read for me. Just this morning I have made a conscious choice to prepare for my day differently. Mixing things up, and feeling into what is needed each step of the way. It’s a hard thing to let go of – the old control – but one step at a time, with no need for perfection. What you’ve shared is so awesome, because it is practical in every way and no one needs to have a special gift to know how to look after themselves. It all comes down to choices.
I absolutely love this ‘I trusted that the answers would come from a knowing in my body, from my truth, my lived experience and not from trying to say the ‘right’ things in my head. There was not one ounce of me that held back that day’ So beautiful to know and live that all we need in any given moment or situation is within us waiting to be connected to. Through care and consistency in our daily living this is easily accessed. Your blog and commitment to yourself Gyl is an amazing testament to this.
When we are present in our bodies in all that we do, there is no overwhelm or anxiety as all that is needed to be dealt with is in each moment. We invite anxiety by going into our heads and racing through the future of what we need to do, if we stay with each moment then that’s all we need to be with.
Wise words Rachael in response to Gyl’s inspirational blog. As someone who had a degree in anxiety, to know staying with myself in each moment is pure gold and so simple once you know how and remember not to let the mind chatter! With loving thanks to Serge Benhayon for all his teachings.
katherynfortuna I love the image of “we are held in the arms of our own loving choices” it feels so loving but also we hold the responsibility of holding ourselves.
I agree sarahflenley this blog should be available on every HR/Recruitment website as it offers true support to all. Normally when you search for this topic you get the bland possible question and response type articles, all head stuff. How empowering to read the truth that the way we live in every moment leading up to the “event” is one of our greatest assets. This article confirms for me that when we live from connection to our bodies we can access an innate wisdom that is amazing and real and can support us in our every day.
It’s a timely reminder that staying with our rhythm as a foundation for true preperation …. be it for an interview or just in life. I have house guests at the moment and I haven’t honoured my bedtime rhythm and I’ve eaten a bit more and as a consequence I’m feeling a bit tired this morning which is not normal for me. So my body is telling me loud and clear what supports a vital clear me and it is in fact in every detail of our livingness.
It’s strange how we can go for an interview feeling so nervous as if we have something to hide, it shows we are lacking self worth and trust in ourselves. I have been there too, not wanting to feel the rejection if I didn’t get a job. I have more recently felt that if I’m meant to work in a certain role, it will be there for me. Knowing we are enough in any situation is great preparation for every day.
This was an excellent blog to read. Confirming there is a way to be in every moment that supports the next moment of our day. What a great marker of livingness you have bought to your life. Thanks for such a great read Gyl.
Absolute GOLD Gyl! This way of true preparation for an interview feels like it is suited to any situation in life. Your lived experience is very inspiring – thank you.
Gyl wow I loved all the detail in everything you did in the way you were living leading up to your interview.
It just shows that it is the little things that matter and then the big things take care of themselves.
Preparing for an interview does not need to be such a big event, wouldn’t it be amazing if we lived every day of our lives in the way that you lived while preparing for your interview. Inspirational Gyl …
Absolutely Yasmin. The potential to prepare for each moment by how we are in the last moment is always on offer to us. Our bodies are desperate for us to be with them in each moment so they can deliver what is needed for the next.
What a great suggestion Yasmin-just be love and loving in all we do.
Yes Yasmin, that was also a thought I had while reading Gyl’s blog. Why not living everyday in a way that allows to simply be me and supports me in everything I do. Living each step lovingly and consciously.
I recently visited my family overseas and because I’ve done the trip several times, I know it can be very tiring, but doesn’t have to be. So as soon as I booked it, which was only 3 weeks before I left, I started to prepare for it. I made sure leading up to the day I left that I paid extra attention to how I was in everything I did so that my body would be ready for the long trip plus change in time zones. I prepared food for my trip, took my herbal teas and other things I knew would support me on the journey. I had a gorgeous journey over, connecting with people on the plane, and when I arrived, I felt a little tired the first day, but my sleeping rhythm adjusted immediately so I had no jet lag. I continued to support myself really well the whole time I was there, making sure I kept my same rhythm with exercise, food and connecting with people wherever I went. My journey home was equally as lovely, and again, I had a couple of days where I felt tired late in the afternoon, but no jet lag. And so, this confirmed for me that we are so very well equipped to deal with all kinds of events and situations outside of our normal day-to-day lives, such as interviews, moving house, travelling, etc, and that they don’t need to be stressful or exhausting when we see and feel what is ahead, and prepare our body in a loving way so when the event arrives, we are ready for it.
What you have said Jenny sums up Gyl’s blog beautifully and I agree, ‘thank you Serge for being the inspiration for what true confidence is – simply presence’. If more people knew this gem, there would be a lot less stress in the world.
Gyl, I loved reading all the tiny details of how you prepared for your interview and the appreciation you felt throughout the lead up and following the interview. What struck me is just how normal this feels, and that this is how we can live every day.
I agree Sandra, great confirmation.
Thanks Gyl. I have just read this for a second time. I love the line “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice…”. What an inspiring and beautiful way to live and prepare in life.
That is a powerful quote you have picked Lee, I think that should be the dictionary meaning! haha. But this is absolutely spot on. I know whenever I prepare this way, whatever task that is in front of me is a breeze because I don’t have the anxiety, fear, expectations, or I haven’t pushed my body to the limit that I have a meltdown by the time I reached my task. It’s all natural, a part of life that I feel confident to give a go being all of me.
Choosing to do what our body tells us will let us make decisions and take actions that our mind cannot grasp. The incredible beauty and magic of the results unfolding from these same actions will let it become more than obvious that there is something much higher at work than the simplicity of our linear thoughts can portray.
I love your comment Mark, on my way through my life there was always an abundance of job opportunities, I never thought of interviews as seeing if I was suitable for a job but if the job was suitable for me.
Yes I agree Benkt and what I have discovered is that if I live in that fully committed way every day, then I am well prepared for what life brings and able to respond in whatever way is required in the moment.
Gyl, this is an awesome sharing I could feel the ease, simplicity and how supportive your choices preparing for this interview was. It is very easy when preparing and planning for such an event to go into nervous energy and anxiety which only ends up in self sabotage as we don’t want to feel any of that, the most supportive way as you have shared here is to focus on bringing a level of presence in each moment and commit to that in full as much as possible and trust the next task will be there to be done.
Hi Gyl, I too discovered that preparation for a big event such as an interview comes from the way I live each moment and of course doing whatever is practically necessary. Then I realised that everything I do requires that presence and care and made a choice to live in a responsible and loving way 24/7. This has brought new levels of joy and steadiness to my life and many other wonders!
Gyl, I loved the absoluteness and purpose in your approach to preparing for your interview. Your blog shows the distinction between this absoluteness and commitment to purpose, and the single mindedness sort of commitment that we can have in how we approach big events or challenges. With the latter comes attachment, and hence little opportunity for us to be able to discern, as you did that the job was not for you.
I love that Juliamanbox and Gyl how you experienced the people you were being interviewed by when you were just being yourself, how much lighter the whole experience felt compared to the normal way of putting on a front etc to impress the employer! Turns out being you is impressive!
Exactly! Being you is impressive!
You make such a strong and valid point Lyndy about making everything equal and not committing to one area more than another in our life. When I do this, something slips and often resentment comes in at all the things that I have to do. Whereas when I commit to all areas of my life equally, which I am learning, life is simple, joyful and everything naturally flows.
This is great – I did this recently for a talk I had offered to give to a group of elderly people – I had no idea what I was going to say, just that it was likely to be about computers. The only preparation I did was me – sleeping well the night before, having a gentle morning and trusting that the words would be there. At the venue, I chatted to a few people beforehand, just to get a feel for who was there and what their interest level might be and then I spoke. No-one fell asleep, and several people came and asked me questions after. When I think of all the years I have written down speeches and prepared what I was going to say, preparing me and being open to what comes is so much easier. Your blog has reminded me that every day we can prepare for whatever life throws at us, and that preparation doesn’t just start the day before.
Gyl, thank you for your blog – I recognise how easily I can slip into anxiety and drive at work and so it is inspiring to read how simply remaining connected to, and focussing on what we feel in our bodies, and honouring this in the choices we make, can support us to be truly prepared.
I really loved reading about your self loving choices to support and prepare for your interview Gyl, awesome how there was just no room for anxiety, self doubt whatsoever because of these choices. This stood out for me; ‘It was simply just another part of my day that I would equally be me in, no more or less to any other day.’ To me this is super important because why would an interview be of more value than just anything that happens in our day to day life.
That is so lovely to hear Julia. I guess people appreciate people being real and not putting on the show.
You’ve hit the nail on the head Carmin, “Such care and presence with every aspect makes even simple tasks a joy.” I would go so far to say every task a joy.
I’ve just read your blog again Gyl. I’ve spent a day being totally committed to listening to my body, really listening, moving and being present with and caring for me. I’ve felt that I’ve been resisting what more is on offer, the stillness in motion, me just being, and trusting…wow. Your blog has brought about something quite significant. Thank you for writing it.
This is so inspiring and I enjoyed reading how much trust you had in your body. Its a very different way of preparing for the interview but it obviously was amazing and worked very well as you got offered the job 🙂
I remember exams Melinda, the pressure and stress of having to remember so much information – but it felt so unnatural…
I agree Katerina living this way would develope a very solid and unwavering foundation of love in action.
Gyl, awesome to hear about. Imagine if we put that much detail and preparation into everything we did. The whole world would just be incredible. It’s important what your saying here- to not go into the self doubt, simply realise how awesome you are and take time and care for yourself. A job that wants you for the quality you bring would be the best as they are valuing you.
Wow that’s how you prepare for life, for your everyday. Inspiring indeed. You commitment and dedication stunning.
So true Simone, this is what has been highlighted to me, it’s not just about an interview, it is how we can naturally live, without effort, every single day. Then would be no need to prepare for an interview in that sense, yes to some extent in specific practical things, but everything else, food, sleep, movements etc it just is, it is how you live.
Gyl loved the way you prepared yourself for this interview. The week preparation is something we need to do every week not only before an interview. Very inspiring blog.
I am inspired by the dedication you bring to yourself Gyl – by the commitment to be with you, it was you and all of you which you brought to the interview and it was you who was offered the job not what you knew or what you did. The attention to detail of your preparation felt so supportive, tender and utterly lovely. I loved how you did not allow any hiccup or ‘picture’ get in the way, you kept bringing it back to honouring how you felt and trusting that.
‘…regardless of what shape my body is in when I get there.’ – this is great, Emma. There are still quite a few things in my life that bring up this type of response – a drive to push on and get it done, to learn it, to know it, to do it… regardless of what shape my body is in when I get there. I can feel that there is a lack of trust here – and that by applying some of the things Gyl has mentioned as forms of support, that that can help to build the trust, so I no longer need to go into the drive.
I like what you have expressed here Lyndy about trusting in yourself to know what to say and do in each moment, because of the foundation of love and support you have given to yourself. It feels like commitment and consistency is key.
So gorgeously expressed, Kathryn – “Then whatever and WHENever the event may present we are held firm in the arms of our own loving choices.”
Yes, Katerina, I was feeling the same – how amazing would it be if we did that every day? What I could feel is that we would already be prepared – solid and trusting as you’ve expressed.
Wow Gyl, I just loved reading about all the care you took of yourself leading up to the day. It is so true that if we prepare our bodies, not our heads, things will roll out the way they are meant to. What I could also feel while reading your blog is that sometimes I go to this level of care and planning to avoid feeling anxious about something… and I can get anxious about getting anxious! But that we can choose to live with this care and honouring every day – for no other reason than we are completely deserving of it. If we set that way of being as our foundation, we will always be prepared for whatever comes our way.
Awesome blog Gyl. This is so spot on. I had an interview this week and I did the same thing, really made extra sure I looked after myself in the week leading up to it and it made such a big difference. I hadn’t had any nerves in the lead up but did get a bit nervous as I walked in. This was momentary though and I know I was myself with them which was great. There was no act, no trying to please, just me answering their questions, looking them in the eye, enjoying how lovely they were to me. And you are right, everything I needed was there for me to say. No nerves needed!
Your preparation for your interview seems like a great way to prepare for every day lived Gyl, stress free and harmonious and spacious. It felt lovely to read your blog, thank you.
What I love about this blog is that you were able to stay true to yourself all the way, even in turning down the job despite the investment you had put in. This shows that your investment was in staying true to yourself and not in getting the job.
Gyl, what a great article! I love your commitment just to stay with you, not go into your head or rush ahead in time. Absolute presence from moment to moment is truly healing and confirming, no need for anything more. Beauty-full.
This is a life changing blog! Thank you so much Gyl for sharing with us what’s possible and that we don’t have to live with stress and anxiety and that life can be lived with joy!
Everything we do affects every moment and every event. By looking at a certain event and how our choices now effect what will be is a great start, but what if it wasn’t just a certain event that can have it’s quality affected by our every moment now but every moment regardless of the activity within it. And from experience and as you’ve shared Gyl it is every moment that supports the next and next. How you walk to the car affects how you drive it, how you drive it affects how you are when you leave it so on and so on. Thats huge and at the same time it doesn’t need massive planning or ‘overwhelm of the all’ just a choice to focus on how we are now because how we are now is going to be built on. Thank you.
A great practical tip for self doubt here ‘With this I allowed no space for self-doubt, anxiety or stress. If any of these did try to sneak in, I would stop, say no, and make a more loving choice, which allowed no room for these self–doubting thoughts.’ and lovely to read how you support yourself not just for an interview but for any day. What I have learnt regarding jobs is if I am supposed to be there then it feels right in my body and if I do not get a job either I am not quite ready for that step yet or it is not where I should be.
What a way to prepare for an interview.
Preparing for an interview with rigerous rehearsal and anticipating all possible questions that might arise only fuels self doubt and fosters the belief that we are actually not enough. The exhaustive preparations are then used as safeguards against our own lack of confidence. This process is also one of making yourself appear to be what the company is looking for rather than just showcasing the real you and what you can bring to organisation.
You can really feel how having presence and connection changes the day and how one moment flows into the next. The order you have described sounds like it was a huge support in keeping you steady and with what was there to be done.
A beautiful description of every day living. Living with this care and love builds awareness in us and we will always be prepared for whatever is coming up during the day. As you say Gyl, all we need to know is in the body and if we support the body the information is always there.
Reading this Gyl I felt, woao why not live all of the time like this… and make every day as important as the next. Very inspiring to feel this.
I love the attention to detail in this blog and it occurs to me that true confidence cannot be learnt or practiced or put on so to speak but that it is something that we build steadily piece by piece, choice by choice in every moment of the day.
In my job preparation is everything but very rarely do I afford myself the time or honour me enough to prepare myself for my day ahead, or situations like a job interview or just meeting up with family. I have learnt lately the importance of putting myself first before job, customers, house, children, dogs etc and the strength I feel from this allows me to be all that I am in every situation.
Gyl this is beautiful and applies to just about everything, every day. You have just outlined a way to go about LIFE and what a welcome remedy to the enormous anxiety and stress most seem to live with on a daily basis. Thanks for the insight into daily life as medicine, management strategy and remedy – all at once!
Thank you Gyl for putting this into words. It shows so clearly how every choice we make influences us and how much we can take our lives in our own hands.
Gyl what you share here is a whole different approach to life – accepting, honouring and surrendering to the deep wisdom held inside the body. In creating the space for this love, wisdom and joy to express, in the deep trust that it is all taken care of if we can live harmoniously. What a contrast to the commonly held belief that life is a stressful, anxious rush!
Thank you Gyl, I enjoyed reading every word of your blog. The way you described preparing for the interview is so different to how most people prepare for interviews and it felt gorgeous how you did it. You focused on bringing YOU to the interview and not just all the knowledge you have accumulated. I cannot help wondering how different our health would be if we all lived this way.
‘True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.’ What a beautiful recipe for preparing for anything we are faced with and if we live this consistently then we have a solid foundation for each day and whatever happens we can trust that we will feel what is the next true action. Thank you for sharing this in such a practical way which is so relatable Gyl.
Gyl thank you for sharing what is a very profound and educational post. It goes against everything we are told yet the certainty, the solidness, the love and the tenderness all in one show what true preparation is all about. What comes through clearly is that without the presence, the care, the honouring first nothing else matters. I’ll be using this as a marker for how I go about being prepared for life.
Everything matters and I love how you prepared for this interview Gyl. A great example of how not to focus on the stress and what ifs, but to stay lovingly and diligently present with everything you do.
Love that Gyl – shows how our behavior trying to control situations brings the possibility of ‘success or failure’ and with that the stress and anxiety.
Gyl, the quality you bring to this interview is just so lovely and beautiful to read. I really can read here how differently you approached a commonly ‘stressful’ situation. I’ve been conducting some interviews lately, and in these I simply observe the nerves and anxiousness that fills the room, which I can easily take on if I let it. Even conducting an interview can be just as nervous if it is allowed – yet we have this perception from both sides that the other person is relaxed and we should be anxious. But as you have beautifully shared here, there is a lot to say about the quality we are, expressing and caring for ourselves all of the time so no matter what the situation – we approach it in calm, in full and with an openness.
Fabulous Gyl that you stayed with yourself and honoured what you needed to do without any stress or anxiety. Beautifully said even though part of me was looking for the ‘happy ending’ of it being the right job for you. However, listening to what was true for you was absolutely perfect.
Gorgeous Gyl, I love the way you prepared for this interview. It was so honouring of you and everyone/everything else. It is no surprise you were offered the job, and this is proof that there is another way…
Just beautiful Gyl, keeping ourselves clear and present brings total trust that we will have the answers when they are needed.
Another stellar blog from Gyl Rae who always brings such an incredible insightful depths of awareness to every situation she lives and then has the grace to share this with us all. Thank you so much Gyl, your blog has given me today a new perspective on life.
Our whole lives can be lived in this very momentum. Imagine what that would look and feel like.
I really enjoyed reading this and it is a great insight you give Gyl of the importance and difference between the reliance upon knowledge and expressing from your lived experience. The former being based upon guesswork and insubstantial while the the latter is true and honest and has a solid foundation if you have made it so as you have so beautifully shared.
Preparing for life every single second of the day feels amazing, I have done it a few times, but definitely not enough, but enough to say living with that commitment and purpose is definitely the way forward.
A beautiful blog, Gyl. “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” What if we lived this every day? How amazing would we – and the world – be then?
An inspiring read Gyl. It is great to read the detail and care for self nurturing with and for you prior to the interview brought such a different quality to the day. An amazing way for preparation for interviews and also a major key for bringing to and living our life from –
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside”.
I deeply enjoyed reading your blog Gyl. The love and care you prepared yourself with are exquisite and inspiring. “… I trusted myself and my body in the knowing that because of the way I had chosen to prepare for the interview, everything I needed would be within me to answer any questions asked”. This sums it up for me. Your commitment to remain present and loving at all time, allowed you to have the confidence and trust that all that was needed would have been there. And, it was there indeed, without effort and with great joy. How different to what we have been taught…
I deeply enjoyed reading your blog Gyl. The love and care you prepared yourself with are exquisite and inspiring. “… I trusted myself and my body in the knowing that because of the way I had chosen to prepare for the interview, everything I needed would be within me to answer any questions asked”. This sums it up for me. Your commitment to remain present and loving at all time, allowed you to have the confidence and trust that all that was needed would have been there. And, it was there indeed, without effort and with great joy. How different to what we have been taught…
Amazing preparation Gyl, thank you for sharing this.
Thanks Gyl, great confirmation of how we can prepare and how I have prepared myself for a photoshoot today as well. The choices I made up till today. I am prepared, all set, no need to rush, because everything is there in my bag ánd in me 🙂
What a great way to prepare for an interview Gyl, we can focus so much on what may or may not be asked we forget about ourselves in the process and the worry. By looking after yourself and not allowing your anxiousness levels to escalate meant you could simply be yourself and then of course they offered you the job!
This is such a brilliant sharing Gyl! How many of us feel stress, panic and not feeling good enough when interviews come to play. To turn the experience on its head in the way that you have is revolutionary for our times. We can learn much from your experience. Thanks for sharing!
Another fantastic blog Gyl thank you. Everything shared here about preparing for interviews are droplets of Gold that can be equally applied to many other life events including preparation for everyday life itself. The application to everyday life really counts as in any moment we can be presented with so many opportunities to grow. How amazing to not let these moments pass and rather to be living in a way so these moments are unhindered, welcomed and cherished.
Beautiful Gyl, thank you. I have had several job interviews lately and I have not prepared at all. I just showed up and I have had the most wonderful interviews with so much openness, fun, honesty and also intimacy. Like you, I was not invested in needing the job and the interviews felt like have a beautiful chat with a dear friend.
Wow Gyl, I loved reading this, i can feel what amazing preparation this was and it makes complete sense to support yourself in this way, ‘True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.’ It is so common to be in self doubt, anxiousness and drive and ‘trying’ to get it right and say the right thing with interviews that it is really lovely to read how there is another much more true and honouring way.
I am very inspired Gyl to bring the fullness of me to my next interview, choosing presence to avoid anxiety or stress, allowing myself to feel if the job really is for me or that I should graceful look for another job, the ‘right’ one for me, and trust that it will come.
Gyl for years I presented courses on ‘Interview Skills Preparation’ that focussed on knowing self, skills, practicalities as well as preparation. You have turned this upside down by showing that true preparation is something much deeper: gentle, loving attention paid to every aspect of life in the days before the interview. Many people a consumed with anxiety and tension before interviews, and in a headlong spin, will be inspired to find that there is another way.
Thank you Gyl, this is beautiful. In this case it is you preparing for an interview but what you write about, bringing all of you, caring and nurturing yourself deeply, no attachment to outcome, letting go of expectations and living with full awareness, can be applied to every day, every detail of our lives.
A loving sharing Gyl, What youve offered here is that preparation is everything and if we prepared everyday in the way that you did for your interview, what a difference it would make to how we experience life. It is also about you holding your distinct sense of self, choosing your way and not following the norm.
It’s a great place to be when we trust in ourselves and know that we already are enough and have the confidence in ourself in any given situation.
Such wonderfully supportive tips to inspire anyone attending a job interview and for that matter everyday life itself. Thank you Gyl.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice”. The beautiful part to this is that it applies to preparing for everything in life. Meaning if we live our lives like this then we will be prepared for anything that comes to us.
Gyl, a very supportive piece, highlighting the importance of presence in each and every moment.
When you write “With this I allowed no space for self-doubt, anxiety or stress. If any of these did try to sneak in, I would stop, say no, and make a more loving choice, which allowed no room for these self–doubting thoughts.” I can really see and feel how easy this would be to allow these thoughts in. How unsettling and disturbing for oneself and such a distraction from the simple and all important job of presenting oneself in one’s glory at all moments. Good job!
Thank you Gyl, yes the ‘normal’ way of preparing is on its head. Stress and anxiety actually doesn’t allow me to be clearly responsive to anything presented to me… Let alone learn things for exams, tests, etc. Thank you for sharing a completely different way which is fulfilling on a daily basis and not placing events as the epitome of our lives, with complete ups and downs.
In reading this preparation for an interview I felt it was an excellent recipe for preparing for every day. In being beautifully prepared the focus was not on getting the job because of all the stress and effort that had been invested but left you clear to feel whether the job offered was right for you.
So much effort goes into getting a job, preparing ourselves to be able to appear and sound good enough for the job – this often sets us up for a work situation we would later find not enjoyable because we are already molding ourselves into a confined box and faking it to look like we are the perfect candidate, and our true self is somewhat compromised in its process. And if this how a person gets into a job, and how an organisation is formed, and if we think that is a normal accepted way for a person to be actively participating in society – that just explains why so many of us are so exhausted.
Well, if I ever have to go for an interview I’l know exactly how to prepare, what you have done here is amazing and if there was a perfect way to prepare for an interview this would be it. It really is a blue print for not only preparing for an interview but life itself.
Thank you Gyl, when reading your experience I felt it in slow motion – the level of care and attention was masterful and allowed you to truly feel what was occurring and what was needed for you to BE who YOU are. I loved it!
There is a brilliance in how we can prepare for such a thing as a job interview or any daily jobs without getting caught into thought processes and complications. I am learning how much I can just focus on completing the tasks I need to do each day without procrastinating and making it difficult or stressful through that delay. When this is done it opens up space and makes each day much more fulfilling and easy to live.
Thank you Gyl. What a blog. “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” It is amazing what you have shown, how commitment to ourselves in each moment builds for the next, not something we just turn on for an interview or other event.
Beautiful Gyl, what a complete transformation of what is usually such a harrowing experience. I love your last sentence “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” This is a true gift and should be taught to all school and university leavers, because it not only applies to getting a job, but delivering the job too and hence to all aspects of our lives.
I just love what you share here, Gyl. I feel a great sense of trust and surrender in the way you have chosen ‘another way’ and it is very inspiring how you have consciously and lovingly applied it in every practical aspect of how you went through this job interview process – and it is that ‘you’ took to the interview. It’s a stark contrast to the way the majority go along with in their job hunting process which involves lots of stress, angst and emotional turbulence – and this is the very basis of the typical relationship we would have with work.
“True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside”
This sentence says it all Gyl, so beautiful, thank you.
This provides a very loving model for people when preparing for interviews.
Knowing that there is so much more to going to an interview, which is just this example, because you can extrapolate that out to everything we do. That it is in the finer details, how you walk, put yourself to bed, eat you dinner or breakfast. It is just taking the time to stop and take notice of these things. It can really be life changing if you do.
Gyl, what a great blog, I very much enjoyed reading of your dedication to yourself in how you prepared yourself in the week prior to your interview and the wise choices you made moment to moment instead of being seduced into leaving yourself in one form or another. Also the way that this flowed into you being able to let the job offer go when you realised it wasn’t the job for you with no attachment. The interview, which could have been an anxiety-inducing event instead woven into the tapestry of your day to day living and choosing to live with self-honouring and conscious presence. Brilliant.
This is awesome Gyl, and an absolute joy to read each word.
‘Not getting involved in conversations or discussions that I knew were there to try and make me doubt myself and my choices.’ Gyl, what a wonderful choice you made here. I can very much relate to the de-railing quality such conversations can have. Choosing not to get involved with them is wise, loving and super-suppotive.
And isn’t it interesting how often we know exactly how a conversation is going to go, whether it be one that is evolving and inspiring or one that is destructive and compromising…we sense this is not the person to talk to right now, but talk we do if we don’t pay attention to the subtle signs.
I know that I have played “pick-up-sticks” with my life and my confidence all too often, engaging in idle talk with people who like to tear things down. The result has been a degree of damage to my confidence, and the door is opened to self doubt, that I then need to fix. we are so responsible, not for what others say, but for the conversations we participate in, and the way we let them affect us.
I’ve also experienced, and I will confess been a part of, conversations like this that take place on a habitual basis rather than as one-off or infrequent discussions. That becomes horribly destructive and abusive for all. As you say Dr Rachel Mascord it’s all about responsibility.
Yes I can relate to the ‘de-railing quality’ of such conversations and how in the past I have allowed myself to get sucked in and then been plagued with self-doubt. Choosing to support yourself in every moment builds a foundation which gives you the space to make the next self-loving choice and not go there.
Hi Victoria, thank you, I realised as I read this back, that these conversations can also be the ones we have with ourselves, which at times can be far more destructive and harmful, such as critical, indecisive or self doubting thoughts. Very wise to say no to these too, and know them not to be you. We are not our thoughts.
Yes, that’s super-true as well. And they’re the conversations that are far more insidious as they’ve usually been long-running ones that we’ve become so used to we don’t even realise they’re there or, if we do, we don’t pay much attention to their content or what they’re actually doing to us.
Gyl, this is a stunning piece, it feels as absolutely rock solid, as do you. Thank you for sharing with such precision.
Awesome Gyl! I have always enjoyed going to job interviews, and I have had an awareness that study and stress are not necessary, however, I can now feel that Loving preparation is important! And that this is so for all aspects of our lives, not just job interviews!
Good point pernillahorne, loving preparation can be applied to many aspects of life, not just job interviews. It can become a way of living life.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this Gyl, knowing what to do from your body rather than getting caught up in your mind and anxiousness. A wonderful blog for recruitment services to share with all interviewee’s in order to be prepared in themselves, for interviews.
Great suggestion Jeanette!
I agree Jeanette. This needs a title well deserved in a Guide for recruiting. LinkedIn is a great place for it too.
Great sharing. An extremely different approach that seems to free your body up just reading it. Thank you
Gyl what you offer here is pure gold. I recall approaching an interview in the ‘old way’, with the result that I was so focussed on meeting the criteria that there was no ‘me’ offered to the interview panel. This fact was given to me as feedback as to why I didn’t get the job. The next interview I was just me, and took care of myself rather than stressing to impress, with a positive result. This level of trust cannot be switched on for the occasion, it needs to be consistently lived I now realise.
Gyl, thank you for this insightful blog. I loved especially your list of examples of how you chose to be present in your body -they are very real. I am anticipating some job interviews ahead for myself soon and I will read and re-read your blog so I can prepare as lovingly as you have.
I loved these simple examples too Anne Scott. These are the things we always do each day, and funnily enough are the ones we can more check out on too. Something to make note of here. It’s all about having more awareness anyhow. If you have purpose to these actions, as above, then your body will show you the way through that constant choice to follow your purpose.
Thanks Gyl, it is truly about awareness in each moment.
I can’t tell you how relevant this is for me right now. To honour my body and make decisions from it rather than from my mind is something I am bringing more attention to.
Me too. The belief that thinking our way through things is the answer is becoming more and more redundant. When I know something, I feel it in my body, not as a product of my mind. The feeling is quite different. What comes from the mind I can now feel as shallow and hollow; what comes from the body I feel as solid and profound. I can feel a warmth in my body that goes with what I know from it.
Gyl this is a beautiful blog. “True preparation comes from a commitment to be present, aware, loving and steady with ourselves and our bodies in every moment and with every choice, and most of all, from trusting what we feel inside.” This is true inspiration for me. I well remember my last interview and the stress it put me under. I did get the job but I was exhausted for some time afterwards having gone through the ‘normal’ preparation. Being shown that there is indeed a very different way to prepare and live is invaluable. Thank you for your story.
Wouldn’t life be amazing if we all lived every day of our lives in the way you lived while preparing for your interview.
Yes it would. I’m going to start by applying what has been shared here to my life.
So with you Margaret. I was reading and saying this is such an amazing thing to do…but what if….what if ??? we lived like this every single day of our lives. No one day singled out for ‘special’ attention, but every day absolutely special in the care and attention we bring it? What would happen to the anxiety levels that so many of us experience then?
Yes exactly Margaret… this is a recipe for how to live life every day!
What a contrast.
Preparing the body for what is required of it, and attending to the details as needed. Trusting that in this, what eventuates will be true and all will be taken care of.
vs
Preparing to prove oneself, to compete using information and talent. Cramming an arsenal to use, with scant regard to the fact that the body lives the sum of every moment.
One demonstrating that we are indeed part of a grand plan and need only accept the responsibility to play our part, and the other showing that if we choose individuality we will strive endlessly to create individually that which already is.
Helen, yes it really speaks of the way to live, to take that care, and to know that we are part of something greater and our part is to be all we are and lovingly be with our bodies, in support of that greater plan.
Awesome Katerina, at what stage do you know your playing it big?
A: When you are not making your thoughts and actions about self. When there is not investment in an outcome. You choose to act on things knowing this is for another. Care, attention, understanding and precision is followed knowing its about everyone not just me.
In the past I used to lump stress and anxiety into one big basket and feel overwhelmed by it. By stopping and paying attention to the details it is a lot easier to see what the root cause is, I deal with it rather than letting it snowball into something that feels like it runs me.
I can relate to that, and there is something in me still that has that tendency. I learnt a lot of bad habits in my early days as a chef, an occupation entirely unsuited to me in it’s physical demands. I made stress my ‘normal’ and working and living in a stressed manner has been a super-hard momentum to break. Gyl’s article has been important to read as she has carefully stepped out for us, calmly and assuredly, a process and a way of being that is in many regards still foreign to me – in that I am not yet consistent with it, so used to running on adrenalin I am. This is one for me to read and re-read so I get to feel in my body a new way of being.
I agree nicolesjardin, the magic of God is in the details, “take care of the little things and the big things look after themselves”.
Me too nicolesjardin! In fact, looking back, I thrived on stress, drama and overwhelm and seemed to be constantly in it! The more I have begun to take responsibility for my choices and the more care I develop for myself, the less stressed and anxious I have become, and much more able to handle whatever comes to me in life. I suggest that the answer to the question “Preparing For an Interview – Is There Another Way?”, the answer is a resounding YES! And in fact, it’s not only preparing for an interview… there ‘is’ another way to prepare and ‘be’… fullstop!