“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” Confucius
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Career Confusion? Yes, that back drop of unhappiness with no clear path to a better future. That nagging feeling that if you only liked your job better everything would be OK or even worse, the
Herculean panic of being paralyzed in the gap between unemployment and a paying position that will crush your soul!
Career Confusion makes you feel powerless, stupid, lazy and crazy. Other people start thinking you are too as you flail about trying to look like you have it all together. Oddly enough, all the reasons you think you are in this state may not be the cause at all.
I had the privilege of putting a whole new crew of people through some of the Now What?® paces recently, and it drummed home, more clearly than ever, that we do not have the information about ourselves that we really need to find a career path that will be truly satisfying. It’s not just about what we like, what we are good at and what we have credentials for. We are people with a psychology formed by experiences and decisions and one of the biggest decisions you ever made may be EXACTLY what’s in the way of a satisfying career path being made available to you right now.
For most of us, somewhere in our formative years, we made a vow, a promise, a declaration about what we would or would not do, want, have or be. And that vow, is what may very well be in your way today.
For example, Christopher was in his second disappointing career and very down on himself. He had trained heavily for both and felt cheated by life to think he found himself needing to find yet another path. He could not see any possibilities for himself, even with a rich history of things he loved or had experience with, until he got an ah-ha about a deep-seated need he VOWED would be the life force behind his career decisions.
Christopher remembered the vow he made as a young person born from a lack in his upbringing. His vow—his NEED was to have stability. Sounds fair enough, right? But he saw that both his past career choices were made solely with that criteria and it had led him down two very disappointing paths.
In the Now What?® program we call this a Driving Motivator but what is important here is that the key to clarity came upon discovering this hidden VOW. Some of us are still operating on a vow that is working for us. Great, keep it. But if life’s not working, look back for a possible vow. Once you are aware of that vow that has informed your decisions, you get to decide if it still serves you. Believe me, it did. That’s why you formed it and that’s what helped you survive and thrive until now. So love it, thank it, let it go and choose one that can SERVE you better now.
Another example is that of Deidre who came to America as a teen with her immigrant family. Her parents wanted a better life for their children and Deidre internalized that and installed a vow to become the model for why her parents risked everything to move her to the US. She super-achieved through school, Ivy League University and a top-notch career. Now, she feels lazy and crazy, wanting less for herself than her elite status could get her. She wants a more holistic lifestyle and a health-centered career. However, she could not move forward or even dream of allowing herself what she truly wanted until she found the freedom that comes with discovering the VOW that was causing all the confusion.
It’s like changing the operating system for your life. You had one, it worked. It’s no longer working but you lack the diagnostic tool to identify and move through the glitch. Once you do, and you uncover the Vow, The Driver, the NEED, you will be able to live your life from the new operating system of satisfaction and clarity.
Not sure what your VOW is? Join us.
Our next FREE call is WED, May 9th 2012.
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“The decisions you make about your work life are especially important, since most people spend more of their waking lives working than doing anything else. Your choices will affect, not only yourself and those closest to you, but in some way the whole world.” Laurence G. Boldt
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Like necessity, boredom is often the mother of invention. Such was the case for James Shields who, rather than remaining “bored to tears” was “bored to design”. Initially just doodles on work papers, his designs took on more importance when he started paying attention to them. This fueled his desire to be in an environment where creativity was valued and to do what he enjoyed. After being laid off from his corporate job, Shields made the decision to live off his art, eventually pursuing a childhood dream to create a coloring book for children where staying inside the lines wasn’t required. Now calling himself a coloring book engineer, Shields was not only bored to design but also born to design!
If you are bored at your job, let that be the impetus to examine where your talents truly lie. What would you like to design in your career and life?
“Frustrated Painter Leaves Corporate America to Pursue Art Full-time.”
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“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” Rabindranath Tagore
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Today we bring you ten women from different professions who reflect on what they’ve learned about being successful. Commenting on work-life balance, overcoming hurdles, and the importance of mentors, each has a unique perspective. If youwere being interviewed for this article, what would you say is the most important thing you’ve learned from your own career about success and work-life balance?
“Career Advice from Successful Women.”
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“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” Goethe
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The women in these four stories are great examples of using what life gives you —even if it’s a “year of horribles” —to create something meaningful. In each case, change came by starting out small and and letting one step lead to the next.
Is there an experience you’ve come through in your life which may be positioning you to make an impact for others?
“Reinvention: Crafting a More Fulfilling Job, With No Money Down”
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“You never stop earning when you do what you love.” Asha Tyson
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When brothers Shep and Ian Murray started Vineyard Vines, a tie company based on Martha’s Vineyard, they were told it was a dumb idea. When Rick Wetzel of Wetzel’s Pretzels decided to run with his wife’s idea to sell big, soft pretzels at the mall, he sold his Harley to raise funds. The genesis of the Marshmallow Fun Company was a homemade toy that Kim and Beaver Raymond created for their son. In today’s post, learn about the humble beginnings of these and other companies that now net millions. While there are many factors to consider before making the leap to start a business, stories like these remind us to humor ourselves a bit before we disregard what could be a fun and lucrative venture.
“People Who Quit Their Jobs and Made Millions.”
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