Welcome to the second half of 2010. How are you doing with those changes you wanted to make in 2010? Are you on track?

Or have you forgotten some of those dreams?

Or decided it was all just too hard to figure out?

Or is there a small voice in your head telling you it’s just too scary to do something you’ve never done before?

YET … maybe … sometimes you wonder about “what if ..”

Here is a technique to play with to look at your career and your life, and to set some goals to get what you want by New Year’s 2011 and beyond!

1. With paper and pencil look back over the last six months and ask yourself these questions:
   1. What happened that I never want to happen again?
   2. What did I learn from those happenings that can support me in making different decisions in the future?
   3. What did I enjoy about my life?
   4. What were my major accomplishments?
   5. For whom and what am I grateful?
   6. What can I appreciate about myself?
2. Print out the Life Balance Wheel below and plot your current level of fulfillment and happiness (however you define it in each area of your life. The center point represents “0″, that you are not satisfied at all. The outer point represents “10″ which means you couldn’t be happier, more pleased or fulfilled. If there is a particular characteristic that is not important to you, go ahead and plot the point at “10″. After plotting all the points, draw a line to connect them.

   By connecting the dots, you now have a visual representation of what your life looks like. If you life is in balance, the dots will form a circle indicating a smooth ride through life. Take a look at your diagram and see what shape you made when you connected the dots. Do you have a smooth ride, or are there potholes and bumps in some areas? Whatever it looks like, please remember to be kind to yourself and do not judge it or yourself. It isn’t good or bad – it just “is what it is”. By gently accepting where you are in your life, you now have the opportunity to make some changes!

3. Notice which aspects of your life have the biggest gaps between where you are and where you want to be. Choose to focus on up to three of those aspects and make a heartfelt commitment to do what it takes to create what you want.

4. Focus on each aspect one at a time and ask yourself:
   1. What do I want this area of my life to look like?
   2. What would have to be different in this area for me to create the happiness I am looking for?
   3. What stands in the way of my getting what I want? (a situation, another person, myself, etc.)
      
   4. If I had magical powers and could transform this area overnight this is what I would see …
5. After you have identified what you want, set a goal to create it. And remind yourself how you will feel when you begin moving toward achieving this goal.
6. Begin taking small steps toward your goal. Appreciate yourself all along the path, have fun and celebrate each step of your progress. By taking these steps you are on your way to creating the career and life you would most like to have.

I’m celebrating and doing a happy dance for the Dynamic Powerful Creative You!

Are you looking for a career coach or need a career counselor?

While there are overlaps between career coaching and career counseling, I want to mention that there are definite differences. 

A career counselor is someone who usually is licensed and has a Masters Degree in counseling or psychology.   Counselors are often designated as a LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor). Your medical or mental health insurance benefits may pay for some or all of the costs of a career counselor.

A career counselor usually has advanced training in aptitude or psychometric assessments and may use them in the career counseling process.

However, in career counseling and counseling in general, there is an assumption that someone (the counselor) is an expert and has expertise and advice to offer.  The process can be more direct in that the career counselor would gather information about an individual’s skills, aptitudes, personality style, likes/dislikes etc. and then direct them to a career that the career counselor thinks will satisfy them. A career counselor would be more likely to have a list of careers and to resources where an individual could get more information for different professions.

A career coach can have a varied background in terms of education and degrees held.  Many do have advanced degrees, which may not be related to coaching, careers or counseling.  Usually a coach would have completed coach training in a program that is certified by the International Coach Federation. The International Coach Federation “defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” (From website http://www.coachfederation.org/)

A career coach comes from the perspective that you are the expert in your life and it is the job of the career coach to support you to grow, develop and make powerful choices for yourself, including career choices.  So, in the career coaching model it would likely be more about self-discovery, finding what career will really light you up, have you excited to go to work each day. Your career coach would work with you to make sure you put together a plan that will have you investigating different career choices and pursuing them so that you can come to your own answers.  The idea and the key distinction is that if the client comes to the answers on their own, it is potentially more powerful than if they are told by the career counselor a recommendation or prescribed course.

Regardless of whether you decide you need a career coach or a career counselor, the most important factor is whether you feel chemistry and trust this person to support you through this very important time of your life. You may want to interview a career coach and a career counselor. I would recommend interviewing several of each.

Tell them about your situation, a bit about yourself, and maybe what you are looking to achieve from a coach or a counselor. At the end of the call think about how you felt after speaking with this person. Do you have confidence that this person can empower you to maximize your professional potential? Speaking with several coaches or counselors will take some time, but can be so valuable if you find the right professional to guide you to making the best career choices for you.

I recently had the pleasure of attending two teleclasses with Mark Guterman and Dan King from MeaningfulCareers.com.

They describe themselves as “two guys with a shared commitment to the power of meaningful work.”.  They “believe that every person can have a meaningful career, guided by his or her own alignment of purpose, commitments and competence. People who have meaningful careers do better, feel better, and add lasting value through their work.”

Their philosophy includes the belief that:

• Every person can have a meaningful career.
• Each person creates their own definition of a meaningful career.
• Meaningful careers are created through the alignment of competence, intention, and purpose connected to the world of work.
• People who have meaningful careers do better, feel better, and add lasting value through their work.

Competence:

• Performing: Doing the tasks at hand as well as possible and recognizing that current actions impact the future
• Designing: Picturing and creating a future built from one’s strengths, interests, and aspirations
• Changing: Adapting to changing conditions and transforming oneself as needed

Committments:

• Intentionality: Taking responsibility for one’s choices and being mindful of opportunities
• Attitude: Believing and trusting in a future filled with unlimited possibilities yet to be created
• Perspective: Seeing and appreciating the context from which one moves into the future

Purpose:

• Pragmatism: Work as making a living and means to an end
• Integration: Work as balancing various aspects of one’s life
• Connection: Work as contribution and creating a legacy
• Transcendence: Work as spiritual endeavor

I’m fascinated by the concept and their model of  meaningful careers, especially how we each define what is meaningful to us, at any particular time in our life.  Also, our definition of a meaningful career often changes based on external factors such as our particular stage of life, and how well we might be balancing and meeting some of our other basic needs.

Have you thought about your career and what might be meaningful to you at this time in your life?

]]> http://www.joniliebel.com/model-of-meaningful-careers/feed/ 0 http://www.joniliebel.com/are-you-still-asking-yourself-what-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up/ http://www.joniliebel.com/are-you-still-asking-yourself-what-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up/#comments Mon, 10 May 2010 16:42:42 +0000 Joni http://www.joniliebel.com/are-you-still-asking-yourself-what-you-want-to-be-when-you-grow-up/

We ask children what they want to be when they grow up. High school seniors asked to narrow their career choices as they transition into college. Well meaning adults ask college freshmen “What are you going to major in?” Silently many college students ponder the same question again and again over the next few years.

In the United States we are encouraged to make decisions about our careers. Those who are undecided about their future careers often are made to believe there is something “wrong” with them.

Typical career-planning often examines matching interests, skills, and abilities to a particular job and designing a plan for one’s life for the next 5, 10, 30 or 70 years. This can be very helpful in planning and deciding upon a career. But sometimes, this single minded focus to find the one right decision about our careers, fails to recognize the importance of chance.

According to John Krumboltz, a leading career theorist, chance or unplanned events have a place in the career-planning process. Planned happenstance (see K. A. Mitchell, A. S. Levin, & J. D. Krumboltz [1999] Planned happenstance: constructing unexpected career opportunities, Journal of Counseling and Development, vol 77:115-124) explores creating and benefitting from unanticipated opportunities throughout your career.

Planning is valuable. However, enhancing the frequency of chance encounters can positively influence your career.

Just like you might never get a date with that special person if you don’t ask, you can place yourself in situations where chance events can happen. Planned happenstance theory suggests that you can create chance events by using the five skills of curiosity, persistence, optimism, flexibility, and risk-taking.

Curiosity: Curiosity keeps your mind active. By becoming more observant to new ideas, you will be able to see new world and possibilities which are normally not visible. Plus it brings excitement to your life!

Persistence: Many people give up on their dreams or goals at the first sign of disappointment. Disappointments are simply opportunities for learning. Persistence directs you to explore other strategies to reach your goal.

Optimism: An optimistic attitude helps you remain persistent when you experience setbacks. Optimism keeps you moving forward with the belief that there are new realistic opportunities available.

Flexibility: Remaining open-minded with a positive attitude allows you to recognize and take advantage of a chance event when it does occur.

Risk Taking: Each of us has an individual risk tolerance level. If you have low risk tolerance and find yourself not exploring new opportunities, you might want to explore taking some strategic intelligent risks. If you are considering a new profession, you might want to explore volunteer activities to expand your knowledge and possibly open yourself up to happenstance.

Regardless of your employment status today, I encourage you to stop and think about your own career.

Who knows what you will discover about yourself and possible career opportunities when you feed your curiosity and explore.

How can I love? How can I serve? How can I take excellent care of myself?

I have been spending time trying to perfect my “message” and small business “brand” about meaningful careers, work-life balance and the mind-body connection. Quotes floated through my brain such as Dr. Wayne Dyer’s

“Don’t die with your music still inside you. Listen to your intuitive
inner voice and find what passion stirs your soul.”

But I let time pass while I tried to get my message “perfect”

Friday afternoon my husband went outside to do some yard work. After about an hour of pulling kudzu vines, he came in and said he wasn’t feeling well. A couple of minutes later, from the other room, he said he thought he was having a heart attack and I should call 911. “NO” he didn’t have chest pains, but he didn’t feel well. Since we live about ¼ mile from the hospital, and I try to be cognizant of healthcare costs, I suggested that I drive him there.

When he couldn’t rise from his chair, I realized this was REAL, and called the paramedics. He didn’t have chest pains, but was feeling nauseous and weak. The paramedics connected him to monitoring equipment. Hubby said he was feeling a bit better and didn’t think he needed to go to the ER. After some mumbling between the paramedics while they viewed the screen of the monitor, they very calmly said “Ready to go to the Emergency Room?” Hubby responded “Well, if that’s what you suggest”. They responded “Not sure but we think you are having a heart attack”.

They told me to stay calm, and drive slowly. I still arrived before the ambulance. After a few minutes a nice lady escorted me into a lovely room, with beautifully polished floors (I was thinking about how my husband planned to sand and re-finish ours that weekend). She told me not to worry. I wasn’t.

A couple of minutes later the ER doctor came in, blurted a lot of words very quickly. I could pick out “Cardiac Cath Lab” and “heart attack” and “stent, maybe bypass surgery”. “WHOA” I told him. “I don’t speak this language. You have got to break this down to me slower.” He paused and asked “Don’t you watch TV?”. “NO!” I said (but failed to add that I do enjoy American Idol from time to time).

He very kindly explained that my husband was having a heart attack, and explained what would happen next. Within one hour and 45 minutes after I dialed 911, my husband was resting comfortably in the critical care unit after having a heart attack and a stent inserted. Doctors said that the heart is strong, and there was minimal damage.

Later that evening the paramedics came into his room, to check on him. One paramedic told me that they actually SAW the heart attack occur when he was being monitored in our home. That explains why hubby said he didn’t have chest pains until he was in the ER.

So there Mr. ER Doctor. If I did related this all to TV, I wouldn’t have called 911 until I saw him falling back, clutching his chest like Fred Sanford, and shouting “Elizabeth, it’s the big one” (then I would have still wasted precious time asking questions about who was Elizabeth).

So here are a few things I’d like to share:

1. Maybe it’s not a bad thing that I haven’t watched much television since the 70′s (ok, except for American Idol). Heart attacks don’t always cause chest pain. As a matter of fact, because we called the paramedics early, he was in great hands when the actual heart attack occurred.
2. The next time someone tells me to call “911″, I will call the first time they ask.
3. Although I have many opinions about how to reform healthcare, Cabarrus County EMS, Carolinas Medical Center Northeast, the Emergency Room/Chest Pain Center, and the Heart Group of the Carolinas appear to be able to handle things quite well without my help.

I don’t plan to spend more time discussing my husband and his rehabilitation. But while wrestled with using the “perfect” words to share my message about “meaningful careers” and “work-life balance”, I faced some real life “meaningful” questions about my own “work-life balance”.

Did you know that “High blood pressure continues to be the most prevalent chronic condition in the United States, with 30.6% of adults reporting having been diagnosed with it in 2009, up 1.2 points from 2008.” (Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index March 30, 2010)

People who are uninsured or have concerns about the cost of medical care are more likely to postpone seeking emergency care for a heart attack. A study, reported in the April 14, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, shows that, even among people with private health insurance, money worries are associated with delays in getting to the hospital for treatment.

The article continues “National health-reform legislation will expand access to coverage, experts say, but it’s no panacea for Americans’ concerns about paying their share of the health-care tab, including deductibles and co-insurance for hospital admissions. ”

Sure I am a career coach, but I also want to help you look at and balance all areas of your life. Most of us are relatively competent in the work that we do. But here are a few questions to consider:

1. Are you taking responsibility for choices you make in your career and life and being alert to opportunities around you?
2. Are you engaged and believing and trusting in a future filled with unlimited possibilities yet to be created?
3. Do you have clarity about your purpose and values that resonates with what’s really important to you?

Now excuse me while I watch American Idol

“Don’t die with your music still inside you.”

Let me begin with the end, and share my higher learning first:

1. I don’t need (or want to THINK I need) any more “stuff” to enhance my life.
2. Focusing on fluctuating household income distracts me from listening to my intuition and doing authentic and inspired work.
3. I care less about new technology and more about connecting with genuine, creative, like-minded people who enjoy exploring the opportunity in any challenge.

Before you think I am way enlightened, let me share where I started and began contracting:

1. I don’t want to talk about anything unless it doesn’t cost me one more penny.
2. When are we going to re-assess the household expenses I assumed during the time that my income grew more than my husband’s.
3. Since my husband transitioned twice last year from salary + expenses + benefits to 100% commission with no expenses paid and no benefits, I decided it was better for my mental health to remember the Serenity Prayer, and have the wisdom to know what was and was not in my control. This detachment, taken to the extreme, now has me unclear about some of the finer details of my husband’s present career adventure.

So my husband’s simple comment about new technology triggered in me a cascade of repressed fears about financial security and a subsequent knot in my stomach. As a recovering pessimist (emphasis on the recovering) I decided to step back, breath and journal. I realized I hadn’t been honoring myself and my message to others – that while being overly focused on work issues or things you need to FIX, you may lose sight of the power and beauty of the panoramic view.

So my thought for the day (and to share with you) is that while focusing on one area of your life that may be demanding more of your attention, don’t forget to step back and check in and assess how this all fits with YOU and the life you want to create. And if it feels overwhelming to figure this out on your own, you might want to consider exploring possibilities and a new plan of action with a coach. My coach and mastermind group keep me grounded and hold that larger vision for me when I lose mine.

Now excuse me while I go apologize to my husband.

Don’t you love when something challenges you to see things in a new way!

When was the last time you challenged your point of view or asked yourself a new question? For example, instead of asking why won’t that employer call me back, ask yourself who would I “BE” if I worked for that targeted employer.  How would I feel if I worked there?  Take time to quiet your mind and see if there is something else in your life that is whispering to be acknowledged.    Have a great week!

Today, Mr. Wendell Fant, Deputy District Director, for United States Congressman Larry Kissell (8^th District, North Carolina) visited our group to share information about doing business with the government, and the overall US employment picture. While some people are returning to work and consumer spending is up .50% straight for the last four months, it is Mr. Fant’s opinion (and the opinion of others, as well) that jobs will not be returning to the level they once were.

Mr. Fant said that the United States House of Representatives passed HR 2847, the Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment (HIRE) Act. This bill is designed to help create jobs by cutting payroll taxes for businesses and investing in new surface transportation projects. H.R. 2847 contains legislation to increase tax deductions for small business expensing. Because the bill was modified, it must return to the Senate for another vote. This is expected to take place next week.

I located information about the four key provisions included in the HIRE Act:

• New Jobs Payroll Tax Exemption: offers an employer exemption from Social Security payroll taxes for every worker hired after February 3, 2010 and before January 1, 2011 that had previously been unemployed for at least 60 days.  It also allows an additional $1,000 income tax credit for every new employee retained for 52 weeks to be taken on the employer’s income tax return.
• Section 179 Expensing: helps small businesses grow by allowing them to write off more of the cost of their 2010 expenditures in lieu of recovering those costs over time through depreciation.
• Highway Trust Fund Extension: extends existing highway programs which provide states and localities with the certainty they need to make decisions on projects.  It allows for billions more to be invested in infrastructure throughout the nation and saves one million jobs.
• Expanding Build America Bonds: allows state and local governments to borrow at lower costs to finance more infrastructure projects and put people to work.

Even if a job seeker isn’t specifically looking for work in highways or infrastructure, Mr. Fant believes that these incentives will spur growth other areas of the economy as well.

Small Business Administration:

Mr. Fant addressed small businesses pursuing government contracts. The Small Business Administration (http://www.sba.gov/) has tremendous resources for small businesses, including information on preparing a business plan – which would be necessary for a government contract. The Charlotte, NC District Office of the SBA (http://www.sba.gov/localresources/district/nc/index.html) office is located at 6302 Fairview Road, Suite 300, Charlotte, NC 28210-2227 (704-344-6563 Phone).

SCORE:

SCORE (the Resource Partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration) is also located in the same building. SCORE is a national association dedicated to helping small business owners form and grow their businesses. The local website is: http://www.charlottescore.org/. Mr. Fant’s Charlotte, NC contact at SCORE is Mr. Chuck Sawicki (704-344-6576).

Matchforce.org:

Mr. Fant discussed matchforce.org (http://matchforce.org/). According to the website “MatchForce matches North Carolina businesses to government contracts, government purchasers to NC suppliers, and job seekers to NC jobs. Businesses, contracting officers, cardholders and job seekers can register, post, search and receive opportunities – and get results – TODAY!”.

Small Business Technology

The Small Business Technology Center http://www.sbtdc.org/ “has been helping North Carolina businesses grow and create new jobs since 1984.  SBTDC specialists provide management counseling and educational services to small and mid-sized businesses throughout North Carolina.” The local SBTDC office is located at UNC Charlotte, 8701 Mallard Creek Road, The Ben Craig Center, Charlotte, NC 28262-9705 (phone – 704.548.1090). Mr. Fant noted his local contact is George McAllister, Regional Director (704-548-1000).

Local Information:

Some local resources were shared and discussed by other members as well. I’ll cover this next time.

By the way, if you are interested in obtaining more information about the group, you can contact me at jliebel@vnet.net. I started this group about a year ago (through meetup.com) in response to growing unemployment in the Charlotte/Cabarrus County area. We now use LinkedIn and email for our communications. Attendance and the frequency of meetings have increased way beyond my initial dream. I continue to coordinate and facilitate the free weekly two hour group meetings (with volunteer assistance from group members). We received no outside funding. I’d like to add that donations are always appreciated. : )

It’s a lively friendly meeting where we share individual “wins”, resources, and support one another. We also share one meeting a month with the Cabarrus Regional Chamber’s Jobs One group. I’ll share more information next time about these local support resources as well.

I want to thanks Mr. Fant for sharing his time and resources with the group. I also want to thank him for being open to listening to the concerns of some of the local job seekers.

• Are you still searching for a job, even though you have followed all of the “expert’s” advice?
• Have you been going to networking events and still not connecting with the “right” people?

As a career coach and the developer and facilitator of a local job seekers/ networking group I’ve learned so much the past year. I’ve meet job seekers with extensive career and educational achievements. In the past I would have assumed that these engineers and CEOs wouldn’t have any difficulty finding a job.

I remember when “computers” were the way to go if you wanted job security. Yet I’ve met plenty of unemployed IT professionals.

What we thought we knew about career paths and job security has changed over the past few years. Job seekers certainly know this.

People who haven’t been searching for work recently may assume there is something “wrong” with these people, that they haven’t yet found a job. In the meantime, these same people may be experiencing stress from increased workload, and the fear of being laid off themselves.

Experts share plenty of free job search, networking, and resume “tips”. But what happens when your industry or network is not longer available? (the Jimmy Buffett song, “A Pirate Looks at Forty” comes to mind – “Occupational hazard being my occupation‘s just not around”.. but I digress)

As a daughter of a Pittsburgh steelworker, I know about lay-offs, companies closing, industries disappearing. My father was my age when the steel industry left Pittsburgh. He was ineligible for any future retirement benefits, and was too young to file for Social Security.

A change in your job or career impacts your entire life, family and sometimes your health. But this isn’t about me and my experiences.

As a recovering pessimist I want to provide strategies and hope to motivated boomers in transition. If you are ready to challenge some of your old beliefs, I can share the secret to finding more joy and ease during your transition. But you have to commit to taking a pause to look inside yourself for that “secret” and remembering what energized you and brought you joy.

I can help you increase clarity and reduce the overwhelm from managing the changes in multiple areas of your life. We can create a strategy for you to move forward with ease and joy to create and personalize your next big “thing” (whether that is a new job, small business, or totally new career).

If this sounds appealing to you, give me a call (704-786-1579) or send me an email at jliebel (at) vnet.net. I’d love include you in my announcements about the exciting workshops and teleclasses I have planned.

Of course if you have been thinking about individual coaching and have questions, please contact me for a free, no obligation introductory coaching conversation!

Remember “You have to do it by yourself, but you don’t have to do it alone”.