BLOOMINGTON - Gabriella Caldwell-Miller has worked with clients who suffer with depression and anxiety from leading routine lives.

"Get out of the habit of just existing from day to day," Caldwell-Miller, life coach with GCM Life Solutions in Bloomington, told about 300 people Tuesday as the keynote speaker for the McLean County Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Administrative Professionals Luncheon.

The event, dubbed "Forward Moving," celebrated the contributions of progressive administrative support staffs, said Chamber President Ken Natzke.

"You all are indispensable to the success of our missions," Natzke told attendees at Bloomington's Doubletree Hotel & Conference Center. "I thank you all for your dedication. … For without you, we really would be lost."

Caldwell-Miller seconded that thought in her presentation.

"You all hold the weight of corporations on your shoulders," she said. "If you all called in sick … there would be mass chaos throughout Bloomington-Normal."

Caldwell-Miller encouraged support personnel to be proactive in moving forward in their positions. Employees need to have a clear and specific vision of what they want from their careers, be able to provide concise statements about their goals and consistently grow in their personal and professional development, she said.

"You have a right to have a goal," Caldwell-Miller said. "Not because HR says you have to … you deserve the right to have a professional goal."

Have a greater reason to go to work than to get a paycheck, Caldwell-Miller said. It's great to want to be successful, but define the meaning of that goal. For example, she wants to be a successful psychotherapist and coach who sees at least 75 clients a month.

Surround yourself with successful people, and you'll talk about your goals and get more motivated in the course of regular conversations, she said.

The ability to express your vision verbally also will lead to people who can help you meet your goals, Caldwell-Miller said.

It's also important for individuals to do something every day that helps them learn, grow and develop, Caldwell-Miller said. For example, she reads about two pages of a book a day - right now her selection is "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle - and visits several Web sites regularly.

Administrative professionals also can read the company newsletter or publications to keep informed, she said.

Caldwell-Miller's three suggestions to be clear, concise and consistent resonated well with Linda Patterson, executive secretary in the corporate law department of Bloomington-based State Farm Insurance Cos.

She'll also take that advice with her when she retires at the end of May from her 46-year career in administrative support, 41 years of which have been with State Farm.

"I have really been blessed with working with great people at State Farm," Patterson said. "We all just pull together to get the job done."

As her career comes to a close, Patterson has a couple of her own tips for other administrative professionals.

"Know who you are. Be true to yourself and value your associates and the company you work for," Patterson said. "If it isn't a good fit, you need to move on."