As we move into Summer, I’m going focus on answering
Career Conundrums raised by you, my readers.
CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED!
From Turning Point Strategies and Lyle T. Lachmuth
CAREER CONUNDRUMS — or How to Spend Your Summer Creating
the Life You Want
First, WELCOME to Summer to all my readers. And, for my
readers in the US, Happy July 4th and, finally, for my fellow Canucks – Happy
Canada Day!
Summer is a time for relaxing, rejuvenating, and
refocusing. And, as you read this missive I’ll be celebrating Canada Day and my
mom-in-law’s 75th birthday. Ah, nothing like a good old fashioned Cape Breton
lobster boil on the beach to restore the soul and spirit and widen the waist
line.
Summer is also a great time to step back and think about
where you want to be or what you want to be doing with your career and life.
Here goes…
=======================================================================
HOT LINKS
Check out Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, established in 1495 by
the French, named after King Louis XIV, now home to the authentically restored
Fortress of Louisbourg, a great place to visit, and also home town of my
mom-in-law –> http://snipurl.com/fp6t
Richard Nelson Bolles companion site to What Color is
Your Parachute –> http://www.jobhuntersbible.com/
Explore your interests. Discover your Occupational Type.
Are you an Artistic, Investigative, Social, Enterprising, Realistic, or
Conventional type? –> http://www.careerkey.org/cgi-bin/ck.pl?action=choices
Recapture your zest and your life. Learn how to Manage
Your Energyâ„¢ http://www.uc.dianalindstrom.com
=======================================================================
CAREER CONUNDRUMS
I’m going to use this newsletter and my Blog to answer
some of the Career & Life questions recently posed by newsletter readers.
TL, an ‘artistic-type’, writes: “I mostly like what I’m
doing. It’s challenging and I’m learning lots and there’s more I could learn.
But, there are challenges with my boss. So, I’m trying to decide: should I
stick with this job for another year or should I try something else? And, if so
what would it be?â€
That’s an important question. And, one that deserves an
in depth answer. Time doesn’t permit me the depth you deserve here, but, here
are some steps you can take, TL.
#1 Get clear about what you REALLY Want
That can be tough for artistic types. Why?
Artistic-types are often multitalented, with multiple
interests. So, they struggle trying to figure out where they should focus and
how to STAY focused. They have trouble choosing between apparently equally
appealing alternatives. For example the apparently opposite choices raised in
TL’s note.
I used to think that ambivalence was a neutral feeling.
Ambivalence comes from the Latin words, both and value, suggesting equally
valued. I’ve learned thought that ambivalence can be anything but neutral. The
tugging values can actually be very strong and the resulting ‘ambivalence’ very
painful.
Either way, strong or neutral, how do you sort out
apparently equal choices?
Some suggest meditation: going deep inside to find the
answer. And, for some that works. For me the answer lies in poetry. When ever
I’m stuck I ask myself a question, get still, and write a poem. The answer IS
inside, as Steve Jobs suggested.
Other strategies include making a collage, making a pro
con list, drawing or painting, flipping a coin, going for a walk, imagining
yourself in each alternative to see what they ‘feel’ like. Whatever works to
get you in touch with your inner voice… do it.
If you feel ‘ambivalent’ about a choice you are facing,
particularly a career/life choice, do try one of these. It will help you become
clearer.
So, now that your are clearer about What’s Important,
what do you do next?
=======================================================================
QUOTES
"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living
someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the
results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions
drown out your own inner voice. And, most important, have the courage to follow
your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to
become. Everything else is secondary.†– Steve Jobs in his commencement address
to Stanford University
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be
live forwards.†– Soren Kierkegaard
=======================================================================
CAREER CONUNDRUMS – continued
#2 Get Specific About What You Want
Paint a clearer picture of your desired outcome, whether
that’s in words or an actual painting or a poem or a story or…
Richard Bolles, author of the perennial career guide,
What Color Is Your Parachute, suggests we create a Career Flower which
describes: What we want to do (how we want to use our Interests, Talents,
Abilities and Skills); Who we want to work with (the kind of colleagues and
customers); Where we want to live and work (which country, city vs. country,
indoors vs. outdoors); our Values (what’s important to have/not have in our
work and work environment); Outcomes and Results we want to produce; and the
Spiritual and Emotional components we want in our work (and life).
That’s a lot to think about. But, it IS worth thinking
about. To get a quick snapshot of your Ideal Life and Career I suggest using
the Career Flower tool created by my friend and colleague Rumi Tsuchihashi.
Click here to request a copy .
NOTE: Since I will be out of town till July 13th, 2005, please
don’t expect a copy before then.
#3 Make a Plan
Your career is a journey, not a fixed place or space in
time. Your career journey begins with a plan. And, your plan doesn’t need to be
detailed.
Conventional career planning tends to require you to
write detailed, step by step plans, that won’t work for artistic-types.
Artistic-types will benefit most from loose plans that focus on key steps,
actions, or phases. Plans that chunk and lump together important places to
visit on their career journey. And, plans that are visual not list based.
So, when you make your plan – draw it up, make a collage,
paint it, sculpt it, use whatever taps into the Inner Artist and captures your
visual, Right-Brain creative self.
After the plan comes…
The answer in a minute… but first a word from a valued
affiliate.
=======================================================================
DO YOU WISH YOU HAD MORE ENERGY?
Do you drag your self through the day? Do you wake up
tired? Go to bed exhausted? Has your life lost its zest?
Sadly you’re not alone!
More than 20,000,000 Americans and 1,000,000 Canadians
lack the energy they need to live their lives. Are you one of them?
You can get your energy back. And, you can add more zip
to your life.
I know because I did.
And, I did it through the simple, easy to learn, tips
shared with me by a wonderful colleague Diana Lindstrom. Diana knows what it’s
like to have to carefully watch every step and monitor every move. You see
Diana is a Post Polio Survivor. If she doesn’t manage her energy… she doesn’t
walk! She doesn’t get out of bed. And, she doesn’t get to do what she loves.
Over the last year Diana was kind enough to share he
story and her secrets with me. And, now you can learn how to Manage Your
Energyâ„¢
Read more about the Manage Your Energyâ„¢ program here.
=======================================================================
CAREER CONUNDRUMS – continued
#4 Do It!
A career journey is about traveling, not just planning.
Imagine planning a vacation (have you noticed that’s on my mind) but not taking
it. The same is true with your career plans. Making them is important –
following them, acting on them is CRITICAL.
Try them out. Take a step. See what happens. Do you get
closer to your dreams? Or, farther away? Does it feel good? Or, does if feel
lousy?
#5 Evaluate and Learn
As you take steps to move your career along, pay
attention. Evaluate, that means measure and assess, the experience. And, learn
from it. I don’t mean learn in the sense of gathering information. But,
learning in the sense of actually changing your behavior as a result of the
information you acquire.
I’ve just described the essence of the fundamental
process that underlies my approach to Creating a Rewarding Career and
Fulfilling Life. It has 5 Key Elements (Phases):
DREAM –> PLAN –> ACT
–> EVALUATE –> LEARN
The beauty of these 5 Elements is that you can spend as
much or as little time exploring them. The key is to keep moving in and between
them.
See you July 15th when I’m going to answer more CAREER
CONUNDRUMS
===================================================================
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
Join or leave this list here: http://home.ezezine.com/72/
PRIVACY POLICY: I
collect your name and contact information solely to enable me to send you this
newsletter and other information on a periodic basis. I will not rent, trade,
or sell your name and contact information to anyone, at any time, for any
reason!
CAVEAT: CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED and its publisher, are
not engaged in providing therapy. This newsletter is provided for informational
purposes only.
CREATIVE CAREERS UNLEASHED may be reproduced and
distributed in its entirety only, including copyright, legal, and contact
information and with live links.
Copyright 2005 Turning Point Strategies and Lyle T.
Lachmuth
