Posts Tagged ‘Great Occupations’
Find the Work You Love – It’s Definitely Worth It
The Hard Part Is Getting Started
On our CareerFinder program, A life-long friend of mine was passing through town this weekend, and he stopped by my house. I was telling him of my plans to eventually revitalize my backyard with a deck. Although he is a network technician, he is very good with building and home projects, so I knew he’d be interested. He gave me some good advice.
We were talking, and he was telling me his own plans for his house. I told him that I’ve seen his work, and he should have any problems doing the improvements he wanted to do. He said, “I can do anything I set my mind to. The hard part is getting started.” And I told him….It always is!
Work You Love Finding work you love is no different. We can do anything we want to do, but the hard part is getting started! We may want to start a new career, but we get paralyzed by the process. Or, we realize that we may have to return to school, take a training class, get a certification, or whatever.
A Psychologist and Career Counselor I once heard speak (and mentioned in a previous blog post) said that he was doing a mindless job. He told his Career Counselor that he’d like to be a Psychologist, but he was paralyzed by the thought of spending 6 more years in college - especially since he was a bit older than most students. His career advisor told him “6 years is going to come and go whether you like it or not. In 6 years, are you going to be doing the mindless work you are doing now? Or, are you going to be in a career you love in 6 years?” That was the encouragement he needed!
Taking the First Step! Angela & I talk about taking a “baby step” in career transition. That is one small step toward work you love. Set an intention to take a class, explore a career through research, or volunteer - maybe even take a Vocation Vacation, but just take ONE small step.
We have a free eBook on our Free Resources Page. It’s called “Taking the First Step: Dialogues from The Job Search Boot Camp Show”. It will help you make that initial step to Career Freedom!
Jay Markunas, is the Co-Host of The Job Search Boot Camp Show, and the Co-Partner of Great Occupations which helps clients with On-Demand web classes and 2×1 Coaching! Visit the new & improved website at http://www.greatoccupations.comWhat You Get Out Of “Giving Back”
On Monday, in one of the career transition networking groups that I sometimes facilitate, we discussed our favorite ways to network and shared what seemed to benefit us the most.
Many of us in the room talked about the networking we do with others in our professional areas, as well as the personal causes we volunteered for. Those of us who network at professional events and through associations agreed that, as a whole, this kind of networking yielded the best results for job search and career development. It is also relatively easy to do since hanging out with our own kind makes it easier to break the ice with strangers who obviously have something in common with us… our trade or profession.
Then concept of “giving back” came up.
One gentleman in the group said that he likes giving back by volunteering with his professional organization because he loves the prestige he gains and the visibility it gives him. He’s gearing up to attend the annual conference in California. He’ll be paying for this trip out of his own pocket since he doesn’t have an employer to cover his expenses. However, he sees a tremendous value in giving of his time and energy, creating visibility for himself, maintaining his reputation as a global expert in his field and meeting up with other attendees who might just have the power to hire him. It makes him feel useful while he’s staying abreast of what’s going on his field.
Those of us who network for personal causes talked about how we get motivated by the good feelings we get from our efforts – from knowing we are making a difference. One person in the room talked about how he likes giving back by volunteering for an organization that feeds homeless people in our local community. He says that he gets two main things out of doing this during his job search: 1) It boosts his self-esteem. He’s spent months in a tough job search, and he likes feeling that he has done something worthy during a time in which it’s sometimes very hard to feel good about himself. 2) When he sees others who are struggling – who are in a more difficult situation than he is – he gains a sense of gratitude for what he does have even though he hasn’t gotten a job yet.
Giving back is a great way to maintain a positive attitude whether it’s professionally giving back or giving back to a social or spiritual cause. Remember, a positive attitude is vital to your success. When you feel bad, your body language will give you away – that negative attitude will ultimately sabotage you.
Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, webclasses and 2×1 individualized coaching services. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more about their programs & services at www.greatoccupations.com.
Let go of what you THOUGHT you OUGHT to do
When I made my transition into becoming a full time career development professional, I had to let go of my original plan. You see, I thought I was going to be a recruiter for at least 3 more years. Was I wrong!
Something almost magical happens when you become crystal clear and focused on what you want. In my case, I knew I wanted to become a speaker and writer, and I knew I wanted to leverage my knowledge from so many years spent in the field of career services. As soon as I gained clarity about what I wanted, put a plan into motion to move closer toward my goal and started talking about it to other people, my life shifted big time. It’s as though the Universe seemed to say, “Why wait? Let’s get on with it now!” And, bam! – here I am doing what I intended.
This is what happens when you don’t hold on too rigidly to your old image of yourself. This is what happens when you let go of what you THOUGHT you OUGHT to do.
A client recently related a similar experience. He thought he ought to go into the home health care field. What he ended up deciding – because he opened his mind while exploring – is to go into the educational field. And every time we talk, it’s evident that he’s really on fire!
Sometimes your passions lead you down a path you never expected. It’s wise to let go and stay open to the possibilities. Christopher Columbus had a plan to discover an easier alternative route to the Far East from Europe. He certainly ended up having to change his plan, didn’t he?
Joseph Campbell said, “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” My sentiments exactly!
Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and career coach. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, webclasses and 2×1 individualized coaching services. Listen to them on The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more about their programs & services at www.greatoccupations.com.