For the past several months, I've been meeting weekly with unemployed job seekers to help them find new jobs. I give them feedback on their resumes, do practice interviews with them and show them the best ways to find out about job leads, etc. I also coach them on setting and keeping weekly job search goals.  As we go through this process together and I observe what's happening, what's beginning to emerge for me is the need for people to get clear with themselves about why they aren't taking certain actions. Is it because they lack skill? Or is it because they lack will? Initially, the participants in my groups weren't making progress because they lacked skill. For example, they didn't know how to interview effectively, so they needed information, practice and feedback to develop those capabilities. They weren't sure about the activities that would give them the most bang for their buck (like networking) so they needed to learn better strategies for making connections and building relationships.  But at a certain point, we are no longer talking about lacking key knowledge or skill. We are now talking about lacking the will to actually implement the steps they know need to be taken. We can do all the education in the world, but if the will to actually change behavior isn't there, then there's no point.  I bring this up because I think that skill vs. will applies to all of us in thinking about changes we want to make in our lives and careers. Sometimes we can get hung up on gathering more information, needing to become more "skilled" when really our problem is that we lack the will to just start DOING things.  Here's an example from my own life. I need to get more organized and more structured in my schedule. I can see the many things I'm not accomplishing because I'm undisciplined in my approach to my work, wanting to just let the creativity flow. So I've spent a lot of time reading about various productivity systems, looking at blog posts and newsletters on the topic. There's no shortage of information to help me develop the skill.  But at this point, my lack of progress in doing anything about it is more about my WILL to change. All this research and "skill-building" I'm doing helps me avoid the issue of my lack of will to alter my behaviors. Rather than focusing on the skill, I need to focus on developing (or discovering) my will.  One strategy I'm trying to find my will is doing some journaling about what my work life will look like once I get all these productivity improvements going--envisioning that perfect future as a way of inspiring myself to move forward. This has proven powerful in other realms for me, so I'm thinking it will help here.  I've also decided to go back to my own advice--to do some 30-day trials where I try to stick with one or two productivity strategies for a month and see how they go. I'm planning to journal about the experience as well. I'm hoping that by experimenting and experiencing the change I want to create, even on a very small level, that will help me build my will. The journaling will be a way for me to see progress, further inspiring me to continue.  It might be helpful for you, too, to look at areas of your life where you want to make change and where you feel like you aren't seeing the progress you want. Is it because you are trying to "build skill" before you make changes or is it because you lack the will to just do it? If it's lack of will, then all the skill-building in the world isn't going to make you actually change. You need to focus on finding the will to propel yourself forward. 

"The standard you walk past is the standard you accept." --Lt. Gen. David Morrison, Australian Army Chief As I continue to hear stories about how dysfunctional many workplaces are, how workers are poorly treated by both managers and colleagues, the video above really struck a chord for me. In it, Lt. General David Morrison is talking about how sexual abuse and aggression toward women is unacceptable in the Australian Army. And then he says this: "The standard you walk past is the standard you accept."  Wow. That's absolutely right. And I'm forced to ask how many of us simply accept poor treatment without saying a word? How many of us see a manager or colleague treating a co-worker poorly and keep our mouths shut? How often do we just accept management policies that put workers last because we fear for our jobs?    Every time we accept poor treatment in the workplace, every time we let ourselves or others be treated poorly without speaking up, we are communicating that this standard is acceptable. That it's OK to be dysfunctional. Is that really the message we want to send?  Even if  something doesn't impact you directly, it still impacts you because it creates a culture where poor treatment of workers becomes part of the norm. And eventually, this will come back to bite you too.  Of course, this advice isn't just for work, either. It's for all aspects of our lives. There are many places where we may remain silent for fear of "causing a hassle," or appearing to be "difficult." But in doing so, we collude in creating a world where poor behavior is acceptable. Is that what we want to do? Think carefully about what you are allowing to happen around you. Walking past it is just another way of condoning it.  As long as we accept poor treatment of ourselves and others, we are creating a world where bad behavior is the norm. 

The other day, a friend shared with me one of those infographics that talks about "demand jobs"--in this case, it's jobs that require little work experience. This is what it looks like. (Note, I'm going to use US information for this discussion, but the principles are generally the same, regardless of where you live) I see these lists all the time and they make me crazy because they often give people bad information about what's really going on in the job market and cause them to make some unfortunate decisions as a result. I especially see this with career changers and young people trying to figure out what to major in when they go to college.  Taking Apart the Data The next time you see a list like this, here's what you need to do.  1. Look at the data source--where are they getting the information from?  In the US, most of the time, these lists of "high demand" occupations are culled from US Department of Labor occupational data. This means a few things: The information is generalized--it covers the entire country. But just because a job is "in demand" in California, doesn't mean you'll find employment in that occupation in Kansas. And unless you're prepared to move to whereever the jobs are (which most people are not), this could be a problem. Often the information is outdated by the time you're reading it. Take the list I cited above. This data was gathered in 2008-09 to project job openings that would occur from 2010-2020. Do you really think that the market isn't going to have changed substantially between 2008 and 2020?  In this case, this is a list of jobs that supposedly don't require work experience. This may have been true in 2008-09, but in the current market, most employers are demanding (and getting) people with specific work experience. Your odds of getting an entry-level position in these areas are significantly decreased because the market is so competitive right now.  Furthermore, this doesn't take into account the rapid pace of automation and the impact that technology is having on these jobs. Again, using this list, many of these jobs are currently being automated away by sophisticated software and robotics. Yes, there may still be some openings, but these occupations will employ fewer people and the skills required to do the jobs will change.  2. If it's available, look at the total number of jobs in the field and the number of projected openings, NOT the percentage growth.  Often these lists are compiled based on percentage growth in a field. So, for example, a job will appear on a demand list because it's projected to grow by 15%. But you shouldn't really care about the growth rate. You should care about the number of jobs that will be available.  Which is going to offer more opportunity? An occupation that is projected to grow by 100%, but is so small that means only adding a few thousand  jobs? Or an occupation that may only be growing by 1%, but it's so large it will be adding tens of thousands of jobs?  The number you should be paying attention to is how many jobs are projected, not the rate of growth.  You also need to look at the time frame for that projected growth. Often, if it's DOL information, it will cover a 10 year period. So it's not that 120,000 jobs will be created in one year. It's 120,000 jobs that will be created over 10 years. That's a BIG difference!  3. Put the numbers in context. In looking at labor market information, you have to put the numbers in context. First, you have understand how truly huge the US labor market is. There are 155 million people in the labor force right now. This means that there are 155 million people between the ages of 18 and 65 currently working or looking for work. This doesn't include people who have dropped out because they've been discouraged about looking. It doesn't include people over age 65 who may still need to work or want to work.  Right now, there are 11.8 million unemployed people. This does not include people who are underemployed--working part-time when they would prefer full-time, for example--and it does not include people who have dropped out. So let's take one of those occupational areas listed above--Nuclear power reactor operators. Here's what the info shows: That 2000 is the number of projected openings expected to be created. . . between 2010 and 2020!! So over the course of 10 years, 2,000 jobs are projected to be created. That's only 200 jobs per year--across the entire country!! In a labor market of 155 million people, 200 jobs per year is NOTHING! Most people don't dig that deeply though. We are likely to see that median salary ($77,550) and the fact that this job is on a list of "hidden gems" and think--"Wow! There's an opportunity!" But really, not much opportunity there at all, at least in terms of the number of available job openings.  Another way we need to put things into context is to understand what demand is for an occupation in the area where we want to live. Are these openings going to be created in our local area or in some other part of the country? Usually you will have to do more research to determine if this is the case. And even if you can find that information, it's difficult to predict out more than a few years.  The Big Lessons The next time you see a list of jobs that are supposedly in high demand--and are tempted to use those lists in your planning--make sure that you look at the list with a critical eye. Be sure to:  1. Find out how many jobs are expected to be created in the area you want to live in. That will be the information that is most useful to you. Percentage growth and jobs created some place you don't want to live is useless information.  2. Find people currently employed in this occupation (or at a minimum, in the industry) and talk to them about what they are experiencing in the field.  What is happening with technology? How are job requirements changing? What do the best candidates do and have in terms of their education, work experience, etc.? This is where informational interviews can be very helpful. They're a great way to network, but more importantly, to learn about what's really happening on the ground. (I have some resources on informational interviewing here.)  3. Find out what you need to do to be considered competitive in this field. Not qualified, but competitive. In this market, it's not about meeting minimum qualifications.  If you want a job in a particular field, you need to focus on being competitive, not minimally qualified.  4. Prepare accordingly, keeping an eye on how things continue to change. While you're in school or developing your skills, you'll need to continue to pay attention to what's happening in the market for this job. As an example, I'm working with people graduating from Associate Degree RN programs. When they began their training 2 years ago, jobs for RNs were plentiful. Now that they're graduating, those jobs are drying up--hospitals are hiring Bachelor's degree nurses. The pace of change is dizzying, so you have to keep paying attention to how requirements are changing as well. Also watch out for what technology is doing to a career area. See my previous articles on this--Tech is Eating My Job Part One and Part Two and how to deal with tech eating your job. Remember, lists of high demand occupations can give you a useful starting point. But to really make them work, you have to use a critical eye and gather more information before you use that information for decision-making. Take any "demand list" with a HUGE grain of salt. Look behind the numbers and keep doing your research to stay on top of what's happening. 

Right now, I have at least 10 projects on my desk, all in various stages of "progress," but all unfinished. I have ideas floating around in my brain for about 20 more. Right now I have 12 (!) tabs open on my browser, each one reminding me of some item on my "to do" list and my "to do" list never seems to get any shorter. I close a tab, only to open two more.  Like many creative folks, I'm excellent at generating new ideas and "what ifs." I do it for myself and I do it for other people when I talk to them about their businesses and careers. I can't help it. Ideas just come. I recognize that I'm addicted to the start of things and to the new. The problem, of course, is in the follow through. You can have a million ideas, but if most of them are lying around in various stages of "undoneness," then there's really no point. They haven't truly made it out of your head and into the world.  Part of the "Creation" pattern of career resilience is developing the habit of completing what you start. In today's always on world of multi-tasking, finishing things is the hallmark of a true professional.  Strategies for Following Through I thought about all this this morning when the video above from Marie Forleo dropped into my inbox. It's on making follow-through a habit. She suggests four strategies here: 1. Stop thinking that creativity is all unicorns and rainbows. Who doesn't love the "fun" part of any creative project where you're filled with ideas and working on the parts that play to your strengths. But in every creative thing you do, there will come a point when it's no longer fun. Diligence and persistence will have to carry you through. Know that. Plan for it. And push on through.  2. Start with the small balls. Finishing what you start is a habit. Look at the little things you leave hanging. Discipline yourself to stay focused and to finish them before you move on to the next item on your list. This is easier said than done. While writing this post, I found myself drifting over to respond to emails and write down some ideas for another project I'm working on. I also posted to Facebook twice and answered a client call. This is a major reminder to me of how addicted I am to the idea of "multi-tasking," which is clearly killing my ability to focus and complete things.  3. Don't make finishing optional. This is a big problem I have. I keep my commitments to clients, finishing work I know that I "have" to do. But it's harder to keep my commitments to myself, where I've made finishing a creative project a "nice to do" rather than a "have to do."  This is a state of mind as much as anything else. It's interesting to realize how often I see the work I do for other people somehow being more important than work I've promised myself to do. It's part of what can make the work of developing my career resilience more difficult--I'm responding too much to what other people need from me, rather than to what I need to do for myself. So making myself at least as important as my clients is something I need to work on. Marie's quote on this is a good reminder: If you want to be responsible, keep your promises to others. If you want to be successful, keep your promises to yourself.  4. Go on a Project Diet. Another big one for me. Rather than generating more ideas, I'm working right now on simply finishing the ones I currently have on my plate. It's very tempting for me to follow the next shiny object that comes into view. I love the energy of new ideas. But right now, I really need to learn to say "no" to the all you can eat project buffet that goes on in my brain.  An Addiction to the Next Shiny Thing is Really Just Resistance at Work One thing I've found in looking at my bad habits around follow-through is that multi-tasking is a big problem. The million open browser tabs and the constant drifting of my attention is a challenge. Simple discipline is needed.  But more than that, I understand there's something deeper at work here. Failing to finish is a form of Resistance, what Steven Pressfield talks about in Do the Work as the inevitable external force that rises up to greet you when you begin a creative project. Doing battle with the forces of Resistance in their predictable forms throughout the life of your work on your creation is an unavoidable aspect of creating something new. And the more outstanding and amazing that creation is, the more Resistance you will face.  When I understand that my addiction to the next new thing is really just part of the Resistance that has risen up to keep me from following through on what I already have on my plate, this gives me a better mindset for approaching the work. I see that the more I'm putting off following through, the more likely this is exactly the thing I NEED to do. Chasing a new idea isn't nearly as powerful as completing the one that's already here. So I buckle down and stay with it.  Following through, finishing what we start--this is an important pattern to work on in developing our career resilience. What do YOU do to build this pattern in your life?  

  For the past several months, I've been in a sort of career quandry about where I want to go next. I'm feeling the need for some big shifts in my life, but I'm not entirely sure how I want those to play out in my business and career.  Part of this is because I'm turning 50 in September. Part of it is due to shifts in my client base. And part of it is because I need to change things up periodically--as we know, I love the power of the new.  In thinking about my next career moves, I realized a few days ago that I've been caught up in the idea that I have to make something BIG happen. But I couldn't decide what that something BIG was, so I've essentially been stuck.  So instead of worrying about what I'd be doing for the rest of my life (which is really ludicrous to plan for anyway), I decided to sit down and just plan for what I want to accomplish in the next 6 months. Between July 1 and December 31, what goals did I want to set for myself?  What I came up with was a plan that built on my current business and practice, but that also stretched me--putting me out there in some different ways where I wanted to do some experimenting and risk-taking. Letting go of the idea that I had to make some huge change that would be for the foreseeable future freed me up to focus simply on what I could do in a manageable period of time. It also got me back to focusing on the experiments I could run and the different ways I could play with possibilities.  One of the things that can happen to us when we're in a period of career uncertainty or confusion is that we paralyze ourselves waiting for that BIG IDEA that will change everything. I need to go from doing THIS to THIS and if I can't decide what the next THIS might be, then I'm just stuck.  You can free yourself from this trap, though, by releasing yourself from the idea that you have to do something major. As Hermione Ibarra points out in Working Identity, most career change happens gradually anyway. We go through a process of exploration and trying out possibilities, building new networks and exposing ourselves to new ideas.  My 6-month plan allows me to drop the big question of "What am I going to do with the rest of my life?" and instead, focus on the smaller (and more manageable) issue of "What do I want to explore and experiment with in the next 6 months?" I can evaluate my experiences, see where there's energy for me to follow and in November and December, begin planning for the next 6 months. Eventually this will lead to greater clarity about what I want and possibly I will make a huge leap into something new. But that leap will be informed by my experiments and it may feel much less huge than it does now.  When you're confused or uncertain, planning for the shorter-term can release you from the pressures you may be putting on yourself that keep you stuck. Forget the 5-year plan or the "I'm going to blow up my life" plan. Just focus on the next 6 months--or even the next 3 months. What can you experiment with that can move you forward? 

  As I've continued to work on the issues of career resilience, developing the model and thinking about how the patterns of resilience play out, one area I've been thinking about is how our overall mindset about our careers shapes our ideas about resilience.  In working with people, I find that they have two ways of thinking about their work lives.  The first mindset is what I've come to call the "Disease Model." This is where people don't take very good care of themselves or their careers. They engage in the career equivalents of all the high risk behaviors we associate with poor health--bad eating habits, no exercise, lots of stress, smoking, drinking too much, etc. When it comes to their careers, this means doing things like not setting personal career goals, not focusing on their own professional development, forming networks that benefit their companies, but not them, etc.  The people who take this approach seem to operate with the idea that if they "get sick" (e.g. lose their jobs or end up miserable in their work), they will deal with that when it happens.  They seem to believe that there's nothing they can do to prevent these events or to at least minimize their effects. Then, when they are in crisis,  they are looking for the quick fix at that point. What pill can they take? What surgery can they have? Lifestyle change doesn't really enter into it. It's "fix the problem and then let's get back to business as usual." The other mindset I see is one that's more Wellness-based. These individuals recognize that they can forego a lot of the problems of poor career health by taking better care of themselves all the time, rather than just when they get "sick." They see career health as something that you work at on a consistent basis, not something that you take for granted or abuse by engaging in bad career habits.  In other words, rather than looking for the quick fix when things go wrong, these people are focused on creating a lifestyle that maximizes their career health.  These are two fundamentally different approaches to thinking about your career. The "Disease Model" is less empowered, more focused on quick fixes and, ultimately, more likely to result in poor career health in the long-term.  The "Wellness" model, on the other hand, assumes that you can engage in healthy habits that maximize your health and that make it less likely that you will encounter serious health issues. And if you do experience a serious health problem, you're in better shape to deal with it. This is a more empowered and long-term mindset.  What's very clear to me is that the resilience model of career development--building the patterns of Clarifying, Connecting, Creating and Coping on a consistent basis--requires people to have a wellness-based approach toward their careers. People caught up in the Disease Model will not be attracted to Resilience strategies because they require a commitment to developing a healthy career lifestyle. There are no quick fixes here.   So, which approach do you have to your career management and development? The Disease-based approach or the Wellness approach?   

  A few weeks ago, I wrote a post on the art of following through, in which I talked about the lure of the next shiny new thing and the difficulties we can have in completing our projects.  After reading that post, one of my regular readers, R.S. "Dick" Webster emailed me with some additional thoughts on how to finish what we start that I thought were well worth sharing: 1. Make Notes/Journal As Dick said, "Catch the meteors of creativity, ideas as they 'come to mind.'  'Write yourself out' as you go, preserving the fruits of your thinking. Then, when you wonder what to do next <grin> you can review your writing and pick an idea or two worth developing.  For myself, I've definitely found that it can be helpful to maintain a journal to capture all of the ideas and potential projects that can crowd out my focus on what I need to finish now. (I've written about career journals here and here.) I like Dick's point about "writing yourself out." Often if I just let myself go into flow, capturing all of the elements of an idea, then I will feel less pressure to do something right now about it. Of course I also have to make sure that I periodically review my old journals to see what old ideas I have lurking there.  2. Learn/Practice Saying "No!" to yourself and to projects you don't really want to do. Oh this is so HARD! Actually saying "no." What's interesting is that I will often passively say no to things by not following up, but the active, hard "NO!"--not as much as I should.  Saying "no" isn't just turning down new projects, though. It's also saying "no" to distractions--to the 15 open tabs in my browser, to the TV, to the unnecessary tasks that may call to me. The challenge in all of this, I've found, is that many times what starts as a "distraction," can actually turn into something really important for my progress. So there's always a delicate balance between being open to serendipity and going down the rabbit hole of the Interwebs.  3. Consider Your Capacity and Set Limits  Related to saying "no," is the recognition that we need to set limits. Dick suggests no more than 5 projects at a time, although as a self-employed person, I've never been able to stick to that. There are the projects that need to be done now to bring in the money and then the projects I need to be working on to fill the pipeline for later.  Still, I do try to at least pull together projects that can do double and triple-duty, building on what I'm doing in one area to move another area forward.  Some Additional Thoughts on Resistance In my previous post, I also discussed the idea that not following through is a form of Resistance, a concept that Steven Pressfield discusses at length in his must-read book for creatives, Do the Work. As so often happens when I start thinking about a concept, something arrives in my inbox that speaks to that point. In this case, it's a nice podcast from Michael Hyatt, exploring the idea of Resistance and Pressfield's strategies for dealing with it. He also responds to some listener questions that are particularly relevant to the concept of following through--including, "What do you do when your own creativity becomes a form of Resistance?" If you're interested in how your own habits of not finishing might be part of a Resistance pattern, I highly recommend starting with Michael's podcast as a good intro to the idea and then, checking out Steven's book.  As I've been saying, following through is an important aspect of career resilience. Hopefully these ideas give you additional insight into and strategies for dealing with your own problems in finishing what you start. 

  The other day I had lunch with one of the members of my recently-formed Mastermind group. We were discussing the keys to the group's success so far and one thing that we got into was how much easier and better it was to help each other when we were specific with each other about the help that we needed. It got me to thinking about how being better at connecting is partially about being better at asking for help.  Help Me Help You When I think about the power of connections for building our career resilience, one thing I see is that we need to be better at asking for and receiving help from others. In my career (and life) I've found that most people want to be helpful to me, but unless I'm specific about the help I need--or think I need--not much happens with that. People want to be helpful, but they need to be moved to action. They need to understand what, specifically, would be helpful to me. Once they get that, then they can usually give me exactly what I need or point me in the direction of someone who can help.  In our Mastermind Group, we meet every 2-3 weeks online to provide each other with ongoing support and feedback. We also have a private G+ community where we can interact in between our Hangout meetings. Right now, we're experimenting with bringing a specific problem or issue to the table and then asking for help with that. So, for example, one member shared a flyer she was working on and asked us to make suggestions on how to revise it to market to her target audience. Another wanted to discuss how we organize and keep track of our potential customers.  This has forced each of us to be clear about where we need help and to ask explicitly for that help. "Here's a flyer--I need feedback" or "I'm trying to figure out how to get to my target audience--what suggestions do you have for people I could talk to?"  I've learned three things from this experience so far: 1. It helps to have a structure for asking for help. We have purposely built into our group process a time and place for requesting assistance. It's a part of our agenda and it forces us to think in terms of where we need help and what kind of help we need. Without that structure, it would be easy for us to have positive conversations that didn't turn into actual help. We might feel good, but we wouldn't leave the discussion with anything that's actionable.  One of the benefits of Mastermind Groups, I believe, is that they can provide the structure for reqesting help. But you can build this into existing meetings and group processes, too. For example, what about ending a departmental meeting by having each person share one problem or issue they have and asking for feedback/advice from the group? Or starting a lunch with colleagues by having one person be able to ask for help in some area? Purposely building in this space for asking for assistance would be a great way to make it become a more intentional part of your life.  2. The act of asking for help creates focus for you and your project or issue. For our regular online meetings, each one of us in our group presents on our issue or problem and then explicitly asks for the kind of help we need. Sometimes we just need a sounding board, to talk through the issue. Sometimes we want specific feedback or we'd like connections to specific people. Having to focus our thinking in this way to present our issue to the other members of the group has created greater focus for us on our own issue. That act in and of itself can create new ideas and breakthroughs.  3. It's much easier and more productive to help someone else when they are clear about what they need from me. One of my ongoing frustrations in working with others has been when it's clear that they want some kind of help from me, but they don't aren't clear about what help it is they need. Sometimes I can ask questions to find out what they want--"do you want some advice here or do you just need to vent?"--but sometimes I feel helpless to do much because the person who's talking to me isn't very clear about what they need. So then I'm left to just sort of limply offer a helpful attitude without actually offering much in the way of real assistance. This is especially true if I'm talking to someone who's all over the place, as many of us are when we're caught in the grip of a problem.  But when people are able to explicitly state what would be most helpful to them, that gives me a good place to respond. I might not be the answer to their problem, but I could point them in the right direction. Or I could make an alternative suggestion where I think I could make more of a difference.  The point is that when someone asks for explicit action from me, then it gives us a good starting point for figuring out what kind of help I'm able to offer. It's a relief for both of us, really, because then we can focus on the action, rather than on generic platitudes about me being helpful at some point in the future.  I like to help and it feels better to do something specific when I can--even if it's just knowing that I've served as a sounding board for someone.  The upshot of all of this is that I've become much more aware of the role that asking for help plays in developing our connections for career resilience and much more intentional about how to ask for help. It's a shift, but it's one worth making.  How can you become more intentional in requesting and giving assistance? 

  ". . . the cycle of being-doing is also the cycle of remembering-forgetting. Like Persephone in the myth of Demeter and Persephone, you blossom, you die, you are reborn again and again. You contact the knowledge of who you are and what you need and then slowly, bit by bit, you forget, eaten up by life again. Then you descend and reconnect with yourself. . . It is an organic, spiraling process, and each time you retreat, you retain another piece of knowledge, courage and purpose, slowly honing your life into what you want." --Jennifer Louden   The other day, I had lunch with a good friend. She is coming out of a hectic several years of work that have forged her identity as a professional and she's looking at the other side of this time, seeing what comes next.  She was complaining to me about how little energy she feels, how little interest she can dredge up for her day-to-day work life. She is used to being charged up, accomplishing things on a regular basis. Now, it's hard for her to care, let alone actually move in a particular direction.  She's not the only person I've talked to recently who is battling these feelings about their work. They go through the motions, but it's more than the heat that's keeping them down. They are trying to force themselves to stay in the "doing" cycle of life, when it's clearly time for them to spend some time just "being."  We spend most of our work lives focused on the activity. What's our "action plan?" How crazed are we? It's a badge of honor to be active and busy. It proves that we're productive members of society. We feel good when we're accomplishing things. It assures us of our place in the world and that we are needed.  But that "doing" part of the cycle can only be sustained for so long. Just as we need sleep each night to rejuvenate for the next day, sometimes we need longer periods of silence and solitude to rediscover who we are and where we're going.  The trick, I've found, is in recognizing the call to retreat. When do we know it's time for some rest?  Sometimes we hear the call in the major transitions in our lives--we are approaching a big birthday or we're laid off from a job we loved or our last child is starting kindergarten and we're ready for full-time work again.  But sometimes the call is much quieter. We have to pay close attention to our own emotions, something many of us are not accustomed to doing. We can hear the call in a sense of restlesness we may feel, where our old work identity doesn't quite fit with our changing values and sense of purpose. It may be in the exhaustion we feel each morning when we have to force ourselves out of bed or in the deja vu of the same problem coming around over and over again. The call can come to us in the car on the long commute home or at 4 a.m., when we wake up anxious, our hearts pounding in our chests because we forgot to send an email.  Regardless of how we receive the call, it's critical that we pay attention to it when it comes.  For us to live healthy lives (and healthy work is part of that), we need to heed the call to solitude and deep inner work and reflection. Just as fields need to lay fallow in the winter in order to be ready for spring, we too need longer periods of rest and inner work at certain times in our lives.  I believe very strongly in the power of retreats and in honoring the call to periodic introspection and inner work as a way to build our career resilience. Next week I'll be announcing two upcoming virtual retreats I plan to run in September and October, so if you're starting to hear the call to retreat, stay tuned for those announcements!

  As a small business owner, I always think it's a good idea to see what other people in your space are doing. Actually, whether you own your own business or not, it's a good idea to know what's going in in your industry and with other professionals like yourself.  As I do this, though, I run into an internal comparison process where I'm looking at how I do my work and how other people do their work and I start thinking "Why am I not more like them?"  So in the career space, there are a lot of "motivational" types--people who can really jazz you up and get you excited and motivated. At least that's what their blogs and workshop copy tell me. And then I read what I write, which is quieter, not so "woo woo" and I start thinking "Hell, I need to jazz this stuff up! I need to make it all sound more exciting. I need to show them how I'm fun and exciting and will give them great energy!"  But here's the thing. While I can be fun and entertaining, that's not really the strength I bring to career work. I'm not here to give you energy where you can't find any. I'm here to provide the space--the container, if you will--for you to find your own energy, motivation and inspiration. I'm not the "woo hoo, GET PSYCHED!" kind of person at all. I'm more reserved, more gentle, more focused on finding out where you are and coaxing you into finding your own energy and passion and excitement. Sometimes this happens quickly and sometimes you find it more slowly. Either way, I try to be there. One of the major tenets of career resilience is  to "Clarify"--that is, being clear about what you bring to the table. What are your strengths and talents and how do they intersect with the work that you do? For me, my talents are not in the "woo hoo!" They are in the spaces between--in trying to ask questions, get you thinking and spark your own internal "woo hoo!"  For all of us, I think the value of clarity comes when we are clear about who we are and how we put our own special stamp on the world. It's easy to get caught up in comparisons, but I've found that's a sure road to an unsustainable career. We start trying to be someone we're not, rather than being more of who we really are. And the more we strive for that inauthentic role because it's "expected," the more out of touch with ourselves we become and the deeper we sink into our weakest areas.  So, my advice for today--and it's partially advice for myself here too--is to stop the comparison game. Stop trying to be someone you're not and start being more of who you are. That's the only way you can maintain your own personal resilience. That's the only way to build a sustainable career--and a sustainable life. 

Over my years of working with clients on their career dreams, one thing I've consistently found is that retreats can be a powerful way of discovering new options and connecting to career inspiration. There's something magical about the opportunity to spend focused time in individual reflection, supplemented by group interaction, feedback and support.  But I've also found that many people struggle with actually getting away. There's the expense and logistics, especially if the retreat location is far away from where you live. And for some people, the cost of travel and going to a physical retreat can be prohibitive.  So this fall I'm very excited to bring you another way--two virtual retreats where you can get all the benefits of individual reflection and group work without even leaving your home! And at a price that's right--only $129! (Newsletter subscribers, you get a special discount--be sure to check your email for that!)    The Career Clarity Virtual Retreat--September 21, 2013 If you're looking for support in creating a plan for your next career move, then the Career Clarity Virtual Retreat on September 21, 2013 is for you. During this retreat you'll: Identify your positive core, key strengths, your most important values and your vision for the future.  Write your Career Manifesto, your declaration of your career intentions and vision for work and the role you want it to play in your life.  Develop your Career Connection Plan-Who will support you in your journey and how can they help you make your Career Manifesto a reality?  Create some career experiments--what actions could you take, what things could you try out to explore new opportunities? You'll develop your Career Experiment Plan that will allow you to expand your horizons and safely begin to try out new things.  Create a new daily schedule--how can you re-structure your days so that you are making your dreams a priority?  This retreat will be all about getting clear about your career goals and creating an action plan to make them a reality.  Learn more about the Career Clarity Virtual Retreat here.    The Career Resilience Virtual Retreat--October 19, 2013 The Career Resilience Virtual Retreat on October 19, 2013 is for you if you want to develop your key career resilience skills in: Clarifying Connecting Creating Coping  Through this retreat you will: Explore the concepts of career resilience and develop your own personal vision for a resilient career.  Assess your strengths and challenges in each of the 4 key patterns of resilience.   Develop your personal resilience goals and your 6-month plan for achieving them.  Identify resilience experiments for building your resilience in the areas you choose.   Create a new daily schedule that makes building your resilience a priority and provides you with the time you need to achieve your resilience plan.  The Career Resilience retreat will help you start to recession-proof your career, creating a plan and habits that will sustain you through a lifetime! Learn more about the Career Resilience Virtual Retreat here.  What You'll Get with the Virtual Retreats With each Virtual Retreat, you'll receive: A pre-Retreat Guide to help you plan for and get the most from your Virtual Retreat A complete Guide and Workbook of individual reflection exercises for you to work through during the Retreat.  Access to 3 live teleconferences on the day of the Retreat. These will be recorded and available for later review.  Access to a private Facebook Group for discussion, feedback, support and accountability before, during and after the Retreat. Use of the VisualsSpeak online Image Center, an amazing tool I use with clients to help them tap into their right-brain creative thinking for greater insight and possibilities.  A follow-up conference call two weeks after your Retreat to check on your progress and provide you with additional support and feedback.  A variety of extra tools, links and resources to help you put your plans into action.  If you're feeling the call to retreat and want some support in finding career clarity or developing your career resilience, I'd love to have you join us. This will be an incredible opportunity to get the benefits of retreat without ever having to leave your home!   Related articles The Call to Retreat Do You Have a Wellness Approach or a Disease Approach to Your Career?

There are several tenets I try to live my career by including: Go out of your comfort zone Create multiple income streams Play to your passions About a month ago, I wrote up my 6-month plan and one of the goal areas I focused on was my art. This is something  completely unrelated to my primary work in career clarity and resilience, but it's another passion of mine that I've been reluctant to really dig into as a potential income stream. It's very personal and it's felt a lot safer to just have my art be something I do for myself.  I decided, though, that if I want to experience what it's like to REALLY stretch myself and to go into a place where I feel like a complete beginner--something that all of us have to get better at doing to develop our resilience--taking a risk with my art was a great place to start.  I'd already begun this journey back in January. I started small, really small--hanging my art in my own house and posting images on Facebook. I revived an art blog I'd had years ago and started posting there, too. Then I had business cards and post cards printed up of my art and started sharing those with people. These were initial tentative steps at putting myself out there as an "artist," an identity I'd never really claimed for myself before. But this is the work of career resilience--exploring and claiming multiple identities as part of claiming and clarifying your passions.  By the time I was sitting down to write my 6-month plan, I felt ready to take it to another level. I posted my art on Society 6 (where I've sold a few pieces) and was recently accepted to have a month-long show in November at a local coffee house. I've also submitted to participate in a local art show and sale in December. These felt like do-able things for me to begin to test the possibility of making money with this passion.  These steps have been a lot scarier. Now I'm moving beyond "hey--here's something I enjoy doing" into "hey--pay me for this thing I enjoy doing." But this, too, is another step in the journey of resilience. You have to see where there's an intersection between what you bring to the world and what the world wants and needs from you. I want to test if my art is something that can bring in income. I also just want to have the experience of trying (and potentially failing) at something I've never done before.  Now I may never make a lot of money selling my art. It may always be a small part of my total income pie. But that's OK, because it's also something I love doing and for me, making money on it is gravy. On the other hand, of course, it could transform what I do for a living, taking me into realms I never really imagined for myself. I don't know, of course, until I take the risk.  I share this story with you as a reminder that we all need to challenge ourselves as part of developing our resilience. We don't learn our true strengths and our true ability to cope and grow unless we put ourselves into situations that ask us to stretch and to consider that we might be someone beyond who we've thought ourselves to be.   One of the most important things you can do to develop your resilience is to devise for yourself the experiments that allow you to explore and test your passions and see where they will take you. Put yourself out there. Test what you can do. You may be surprised to discover what happens.  _______________________________________________________________________ Want some guidance on creating your own experiments and challenges? I'm running two Virtual Retreat this fall and both of them will include an opportunity for you to develop your stretch opportunities. More info here. 

  My good friend Christine Martell shared a wonderful story of career mentoring with me the other day. A woman was being sexually harrassed at work and went to see a labor attorney about it. After a few minutes of discussion about the situation, this was the conversation that followed: "Karen, I’m going to talk to you like we’re having a glass of wine, okay?" "Okay, I like those conversations," I responded with a small smile. Then she looked at me quite calmly and said, "What the f*$% are you doing?" Huh? It’s not often that I’m dumbstruck. The look on my face must’ve relayed my shock. "What the hell are you doing?" she repeated. "Clearly this organization is showing you that they don’t value you." It was like getting cold cocked right on the side of the head. "Here’s what you need to do. First, you need to have a better understanding of what your compensation really is. Fix that. Then, every single day, do something to get yourself out of there. Every. Single. Day."   I love this story for two reasons. First, is the absolute clarity that comes when you ask a question like "What the F*#& are you doing?" It cuts through all the crap and gets right down to basics. When someone says this to you after you've gone through your tale of woe, it pulls you up short. You say to yourself,  "Yeah, what the F*%# AM I doing?!" You need that periodically. It's a reality check that puts everything into perspective.  The other reason I love this story is the attorney's advice at the end--to do something every single day to move out of the situation. Every. Single. Day. It's easy to get stuck in complaining or worrying about your dysfunctional career situation. But this doesn't do anything for you in the end. You're still stuck. You need to focus on action--moving yourself forward into something new and much better for you. Doing something daily not only creates the forward momentum you need, it also gives you something else to focus on besides how much your situation sucks.  So. What the F*$# are YOU doing? And what are you doing each day to move your career forward?  _______________________________________________________________________ Trying to figure out what the F*$# you're doing? I'm running two Virtual Retreats this fall and both of them will help you get clear and create a plan for moving forward. More info here.   

  For the past few days I've been preparing for a radio interview I'm doing this afternoon about my work and The Bamboo Project. One of the things I had to do was come up with a list of 10 questions I wanted the interviewer to ask me. These questions needed to be designed to help me focus on the most important aspects of my business.  What occurred to me is that this is an exercise we could all do--whether we work for ourselves or for someone else. The process of coming up with the questions, and then the answers has clarified a number of things for me. It's forced me to really hone in on what I believe are the strengths and value of my approach and the most important pieces of work that I do.  So my quick piece of advice for you today is to think about what 10 questions you would want someone to ask you about yourself and your career to best play up your strengths and philosophy of work.  And how would you answer those questions in a radio or TV interview?  _______________________________________________________________________ If you want more clarity about your career, think about joining us for the virtual Career Clarity Retreat on September 21!  There will be lots of questions for you to work with to get clear about your next steps. More info here.   

Small Wins Journa -   The other day I had a good conversation with a manager about my post Six Positive Professional Development Strategies for the Toxic Workplace. He's dealing with a lot of work drama and interested in how you can address these issues.  One of the things I recommended in that post was to do a daily debrief with yourself to provide a sort of "reality check" on what's happening and to focus on learning. After doing some additional work with career journaling and reading more about the power of small wins, I think that there's real value in keeping a daily log of progress at work, both for people who are in a toxic workplace and those who want to focus on building their career resilience.  What the research shows is that when you focus on forward progress and what you want MORE of at work (as opposed to all the problems, etc. you may be facing) you are more likely to experience your work in a positive light and you are better able to build on your strengths. Even on the worst work day ever, you can find some small glimmer of hope and progress to focus on.  To help with that daily practice, I created a Small Wins Journal that you can print out and use for yourself. It includes three prompts: Today I made progress in . . .  I can apply what I learned today to. . .  What worked well today that I can do MORE of tomorrow . . .  Take a few minutes at the end of each day to respond to the prompts. This will help you see where you've made progress (however small) and keep you thinking more about what's working, rather than about what's not working in your career.  I'm finding that over time, as you pay attention to these small wins, you start to build up some valuable momentum and clarity. Your strengths and talents come more clearly into view and you see patterns in how you should approach your work and your environment.  For me, for example, I'm finding that the best days are when I build in some opportunities for interaction with others, something I forget is important when I'm toiling away at my desk. I can also see that I'm chipping away at several projects, even when I worry that I don't have the big chunks of time I think I need to work on them. This keeps me motivated to continue moving them forward. Feel free to download the Small Wins Journal and use it yourself. Let me know in comments how it's working for you.  _______________________________________________________________________ If you like the Small Wins Journal, you'll love my upcoming Career Resilience Virtual Retreat! We'll learn how to use this tool and many more to build your ability to respond to today's uncertain work world. More info here. 

Imagine crafting a sustainable career for yourself. Year after year, you perform work that makes full use of your skills and challenges you to develop new ones. Your work not only interests you, it gives you a sense of meaning. You enjoy opportunities for learning and development. You work with people who energize you. You are confident that your skills and competencies make you valuable and marketable and that you can access opportunities through your network. You are able to fit your work together with the other things in your life that are important to you, like family, friends, and leisure.--Monique Valcour, Craft a Sustainable Career   A few weeks ago I ran across Monique Valcour's Harvard Business Review blog post on crafting a sustainable career. It dovetails very nicely with what I've been writing here for months now on the need to develop your career resilience.  The ultimate purpose of career resilience is, in fact, to provide you with strategies to create a sustainable career path for yourself. In other words, the patterns and habits of career resilience  give you the roadmap necessary to create a sustainable career.  The post got me thinking more about what sustainability means in terms of your career. In the end, a sustainable career is one that will last for the long haul. It's a career that helps you focus on the intersection between your talents and what the world needs from you. It's a career that is diversified in many ways--diverse income streams, diverse connections, diverse projects and experiences. Homophily is your enemy now.  Above all, a sustainable career is one that SUSTAINS you--emotionally, financially, socially, dare I say, even spiritually.  If your career isn't doing these things, then you can't continue with it indefinitely. Eventually the cracks will appear and things will come tumbling down around you.  I agree with Monique that sustainable careers are built on: Recognizing that you are the pilot of your own career. Frankly, I've found that this is the number one change most people need to make in their lives. They don't recognize all the ways in which they let other people take charge. Developing your key talents and strengths and consistently using those to add value in the marketplace--whether that means working for yourself or for other people.  Being aware of trends and opportunities in your industry and occupation that you can leverage to your advantage. To me, this includes understanding the major impacts of technology on our careers.  Seeking opportunities to work with people who energize, challenge and inspire you.   Documenting your accomplishments and the ways that you've added value in the workplace.   I believe that sustainability goes beyond these things too. Sustainable careers are built on healthy habits, having a wellness approach to your career, rather than a crisis management approach. Yes, you are the pilot of your career. But you can't put your career on auto-pilot. You have to pay attention to it on a regular basis.  Sustainable careers are built on having multiple income streams, not relying on a single "job" but on multiple projects and opportunities. This is more critical than ever before. Full-time employment is in decline and we have to become more entrepreneurial about our careers.  Sustainable careers require us to use reflective practice and career journaling as tools for gaining clarity about ourselves and our work and as strategies for building on our strengths.  Self-awareness and intentional practice help us develop our skills and identify our opportunities.  A sustainable career requires us to be more intentional about our network-building and connections. Are we networking on our own behalf or to benefit our employers? Do we know how to ask for help in ways that allow people in our circle of connections to respond effectively? Are we seeking the right kinds of connections, going out of our usual closed networks and purposely connecting with people who may think differently than we do?  A sustainable career also asks us to pay more attention to our patterns of coping at work. What stories do we tell ourselves and how do these stories shape our behavior? What beliefs do we have about ourselves, our work and our colleagues? How do these beliefs support us or hold us back?  So what does a sustainable career look like to you? And what are you doing to craft a sustainable career for yourself?  _______________________________________________________________________ If you need help crafting a sustainable career, you'll want to sign up for the Career Resilience Virtual Retreat that runs on October 19. More info here. And if you want to better define sustainability for yourself, try the Career Clarity Virtual Retreat on September 21. 

  Earlier this week in my post on crafting a sustainable career, I mentioned that you have to start by believing you are the pilot of your own career. In my experience, shifting into a mindset that YOU are in charge is the number one thing that has to change for us to thrive in an uncertain world.  I talk to a lot of people who believe that they are piloting their own careers, but often what I see is that they have actually put their careers on auto-pilot. They're following the rules and doing what their companies ask of them, but they aren't really taking charge of their own lives.  For me, piloting your own career means that you have to:  Continually clarify your strengths, talents and most important work values. These can shift over time and you want to have a strong sense of who you are and how you do your best work. Self-awareness is the foundation you need to start from.  Be aware of changing industry and occupational trends and how you can bring value in a changing world. I can't emphasize this enough. You need to look beyond your current job, your current organization and your current circumstances. You need to understand what's going on in the broader world and how your talents and strengths intersect with these developments. That's how you find the opportunities.  Network on your own behalf, not just to get the job done. What connections are you making to broaden your horizons? Who is part of your circle who can help you learn and grow? Make it a habit to build, diversify and deepen your connections.  Develop multiple income streams and opportunities. You can't rely on a single job, not just because jobs are in decline, but also because a single job usually doesn't allow you to expand and grow as you need to in order to fulfill your potential. So you need to learn how to craft new options and create your own jobs. You do this not only to diversify your income streams, but also to diversify your experiences and skill-building.  Ultimately, being the pilot of your own career means re-framing the ways you think about your work. What capacities do you need to develop in yourself? What opportunities are there for you to jump on? How can you best use your talents to bring value in the world in a way that is sutainable and enjoyable? And how do you make sure that you are asking these questions on an ongoing basis?  I'm not going to lie. It's easier to live a life on auto-pilot. Someone else is doing the thinking and the work for you. But auto-pilot only works if you know the final destination. In an uncertain world, it's impossible for us to know where we're ultimately going to land--the destination will always be shifting. This means that you really need to take hold of that rudder and do the steering yourself.  _______________________________________________________________________ A great first step in becoming the pilot of your own career is to sign up for one of my upcoming virtual retreats. In both the Career Clarity Virtual Retreat on September 21 and the Career Resilience Virtual Retreat on October 19 you'll get the tools and resources you need to take charge!

  Fifteen years ago I did a weekend mini-retreat with myself to figure out my next career move. I planned for it on a Thursday and ran through my exercises on Saturday and Sunday, in between dropping my girls at softball practice and doing loads of laundry. On Monday, I walked in, quit my job and never looked back.  This is the power of the One Big Move, something Rosetta Thurman wrote about in 7 Steps to Release Negativity, Set Big Goals and Live the Life of Your Dreams. Although sometimes life is about tinkering on the edges, tweaking and fixing things, planning and being careful, sometimes you need something bigger, a shift that makes everything else shift with it.   The One Big Move is, as Rosetta describes it, is the action you take where there's no turning back. Sometimes it's a physical move to a new location. Or it could be quitting your job or leaving your spouse or putting money down on a business location.  Regardless, your One Big Move can do more to propel you forward than a thousand small steps could ever do. It is your "big bet" and it can be a game changer when you have the courage to make it.  The Tess Vigeland video below is a great example of your One Big Move. She left a surefire thing for the vast unknown. That's what the Big Move is all about--taking that big leap into a future you can't guarantee.  Tess Vigeland from Chris Guillebeau on Vimeo. What's your One Big Move? And what's holding you back from making it?  _______________________________________________________________________ Both the Career Clarity Virtual Retreat on September 21 and the Career Resilience Virtual Retreat on October 19 can help you uncover your One Big Move and find the courage to take it. There will be tons of support and resources to guide you. What better way to get started? 

  Creating content and services that are the most important and relevant to you is my number one priority. I have my own ideas about what you may want and need, but honestly, how do I really know if I don't ask the questions?! So, two things. . .  1. Complete the Survey As we work to evolve and grow The Bamboo Project and our services/offerings, it would really help me if you'd take a few minutes to complete this survey and give me your feedback on what you're looking for in terms of career and professional development.  2. Join Our Virtual Planning Team In addition to the survey, I'm looking to form a virtual planning team--a group of 4-5 people who would be willing to give me more detailed input and insight into the products and services that would be most helpful. In exchange for your time (probably only a few hours a month at most), you would get free access to the workshops, services, etc. Plus my undying gratitude and periodic public shout-outs.  If you're interested, email me at michelemmartin(at)gmail.com and we can discuss details.  As always--thank you!

  Am I the only one who has regular battles with her inner critic?  Sunday was not a good day for me. As I was working on some things for the virtual retreats, I got into playing the comparison game, questioning the value of what I'm doing, how I'm doing it, and so forth.  This happens to all of us, of course. We get down on ourselves, down on our work, down on life. Sometimes we can see why we're getting into a funk. Other times it seems to hit us out of nowhere. This was one of those "didn't see it coming" kind of things.  Ideally, I'd like to avoid feeling this way, but over the years, I've come to realize that questioning my work and how I'm doing it is just part of the process. Some of it is Resistance, I know. Some is just being human. What's most important is how I deal with it.  Three Steps for Fighting Your Inner Critic 1. Recognize what's going on. At first, as negative thoughts started to invade my brain like some kind of alien species, I kept pushing them aside, refusing to acknowledge them. But they would not be denied, so I was forced to accept that they were there.  This is the first step in the process--realize that you're heading into negative thinking. Or that you're already deep into it. You have to take the little step back that lets you say "Ah--I see what's happening here. The critic has arrived!"  2. Follow the feelings and listen to the messages of your inner critic.  Once I saw what was going on--that I was in the grips of some major inner critic stuff--I allowed myself to go with the feelings and to "hear" what I was telling myself.  "Who are you to think you can help people with these issues?" "No one is interested in this stuff." "Other people do this so much better than you do." "This is all a waste of time."  As a result of all this negative crap I was heaping on myself, I, of course, was starting to FEEL like crap. Instead of feeling energized and inspired by the work (as I usually do) I was discouraged and demotivated. I started thinking "what's the point?" and all my enthusiasm began to drain away. Not only that, I started globalizing, moving from "this isn't going to work," into "nothing is working." Which is a really bad place to be, and honestly, happened WAY too quickly for my liking! 3.  Fight back.  At this point in my life, these ongoing battles with my inner critic are old hat. I'm not going to lie. I'm kind of sick of them, but I recognize that this is just one of those things that goes on in my mind. Gotta deal with it.  So these are some of the strategies I use when this happens.  Write it out. Journaling what I'm thinking and feeling often has the effect of draining away the negativity. Seeing the words on the page can be like poison being purged from my body. Writing is kind of my "go to" when it comes to dealing with the inner critic. So that's where I started, but it didn't give me the relief I was looking for.  Talk to someone. My husband/business partner could tell immediately that something was up, so started asking me "what's wrong?" Often my response is to say "nothing" and just try to deal with it myself, but I've been trying to be better at asking for help, so I told him what I was thinking/feeling. We explored some of the issues and brainstormed some ideas and I felt a little better--but not completely because we were focused on solutions and I still had a barrel of bad feeling floating around inside.  Distraction. Since I can be the queen of rumination when I get on the negativity train, I often will try distraction--doing something else that is completely different and that will immerse me in some other world. This is where Netflix can be my friend. Reading a book or playing an Xbox game can also work for me. Basically we're looking for something that is engaging enough that it pulls you out of your own head.  Get some sleep. One word--naps. Sleep can be one of the best ways to disrupt the critic. Usually when you wake up, the critic has left the building. Or  at least is only whispering to you.  Accept that you're having a bad day. The final tool in my battle with the inner critic is just accepting that I'm having a bad day. When all else fails, I remind myself that this too shall pass and when I wake up in the morning, I can start again. Which is exactly what happened. I went to bed and when I woke up yesterday morning, I was ready to go again.  Of course, sometimes the inner critic keeps it up for days and weeks. Then we're talking a different kind of battle, which is the topic of another post. But for most of us, dealing with the critic is a periodic battle, rather than a long-term war. The more we develop our capacity to deal with it, the less power the critic has in our lives.  How do you deal with your inner critic? What strategies/tips work for you?   _____________________________________________________________________ Fall will be here before you know it--a perfect time before year's end to start thinking about what's next in your career. Click here for more info on the Career Clarity Virtual Retreat. 

  I'm working on my Career Resilience Guidebook and wanted to get the core resilience model onto one page. This is what I came up with.  Does it make sense? Is it too complicated? Too simple?  Your thoughts welcome!

  Are you making one of the most common networking mistakes?   On a call the other day, a long-time client shared with me his criteria for accepting requests to connect on LinkedIn. Like most people I know, when he receives a request, he checks the person's profile to see if they are in his industry and/or occupation. If they are, then he accepts the request. If they are not--they come from some other type of work--he does not.  I must gently, but firmly challenge this approach to building your network. It is exactly the WRONG way to go about connecting.  When you connect only with people who are in your field, your network is automatically too closed and insular. You will be living in an echo chamber, talking only to people who share fundamental assumptions and beliefs about how things work. You will also have access to only certain kinds of information and knowledge.   It's like living in a village, isolated from the rest of the world. You start to believe that everyone else thinks like you do. You forget (or don't realize) that people in other places are having different experiences, getting different information, accessing different resources.  Anyone who has traveled to another country knows what I'm talking about.  The problem with these kinds of closed networks is that they are less resilient, more brittle. In a world where you are likely to change careers (not jobs) several times in your life, the last thing you need is a network that keeps you tied to a particular industry or occupation. One of the most difficult things for career changers is getting into industries where they have no connections.  And even if you do end up staying in the same industry for most of your working life, diversified networks will make you more effective. You will have access to ideas and people that can help you be more innovative and bring new energy to your work.  It's fine to seek out people with whom you share things in common, but try seeking out people who share your work values or who are growth-oriented in their careers, regardless of occupation or industry. Look for people who are generous with their information and knowledge, who like to connect and share what they know.  Connect to people who energize you, who challenge your thinking and bring you new ways of looking at the world.  And for sure, network on your own behalf, not just for your company or organization.  Part of building your career resilience is developing resilient circles of connection.  Focus not just on the breadth of your networks, but also on creating diversified circles that connect you to all kinds of people across all industries and occupations.   So here's your homework for the day: Go into LinkedIn and look at who you're currently connected to. Is everyone you know somehow part of your industry and/or occupation? If they are, then it's time to do some work on diversifying.  ________________________________________________________________ We'll be doing lots of work on developing your circles of connection during the Career Resilience Virtual Retreat. More info here. 

Do you want to start a business or organization? Have you always wanted to write a book, hike the Appalachian Trail, get your pilot’s license or start an alpaca farm? What are you waiting for? Women on the Edge (of Greatness!) is a series of inspirational and practical online workshops, keynotes and other sessions designed to help you get started on your dream. Online sessions will be presented from October 14-30, 2013 and you can attend live virtual sessions or access the recorded versions at your convenience. There are also some fun Happy Hour chat and networking sessions planned.  I'm very excited to be participating in the Women on the Edge (of Greatness!) online conference and to be part of a great group of presenters, including my fellow Mastermind Group member, Nancy Seibel.  I have two sessions lined up: It's All About the Network--October 15, 2013, 6:30-7:30 p.m. (EDT) In this presentation I'll be talking about the "Connect" pattern in the career resilience model. More specifically about the kinds of people you need in your circles of connection, how to make sure that your network is more diversified (and why that's important) and strategies for reaching out to new folks while deepening your existing relationships.  I'll also be sharing a few stories from my own experience about how this process can work to bring you new opportunities and enrich both your professional and personal life.  Living the "What If?": Experimenting Your Way to Your Dreams--October 30, 2013, 6:30-7:30 p.m. (EDT) In this session we'll explore the power of experiments as part of the "Create" pattern of career resilience. We'll be discussing various kinds of experiments you can run in your life to try things out, how to set yourself up for success, ways to do experiments alone or with a group, and how to make sure that your experiments actually happen and become learning experiences for you.  I'm particularly excited about this session as career experiments are one of my favorite ways to explore new ideas and possibilities.  You should also check out Nancy's session on October 22 from 5-6 p.m. (EDT) on Getting Control of Your Busy-ness. She'll be taking a look at what being busy means in our culture, differences between "good" busy and "bad" busy and strategies for dealing with and preventing burnout. I've had the great pleasure of working with Nancy for several months now and I can attest to the fact that this will be a wonderful session! The full conference schedule is here and registration information is here. For $199, you get access to all the live and archived sessions, plus other resources and information.  If you're looking for support in implementing your dreams, be they personal or professional, this online conference could be a great place to start!

  Do you make time for what's most important?  As I write this, it's almost 9 p.m. Except for a break to work out, take a shower and run some errands, I've been at my desk since 6:30 a.m.  I have a ton of work to do on my upcoming retreats and to prepare for several presentations I need to record for some clients. The clock is ticking and I'm freaking out a little about all that needs to get done, knowing that there are only so many hours in the day.  Several weeks ago, my Mastermind group decided to take all day tomorrow to do a mini business/career retreat. It has nothing to do with what's on my plate right now and EVERYTHING to do with my future.  I've had a drumbeat in my head all day that goes like this "I don't have time for this. Too much to do. No time to do a retreat about the future when I have things that need to be done RIGHT NOW."  I briefly entertained the notion of backing out, but aside from the fact that I'd made the commitment to my group, what also brought me up short was remembering an article I wrote about a year ago. The article was by Laura Vanderkam in the Wall Street Journal where she reminds us that how we use our time is always a choice.  She suggests that rather than saying "I don't have time" for something, instead we say "That's not a priority."  Wow. Powerful.  Thinking of tomorrow's retreat in that way really brought me up short. Is the future of my business NOT a priority for me? Yes, I have a lot of things to do, but are they more important than doing the strategic thinking and planning necessary for my career and professional health?  This is exactly what I talk with clients about all the time--spending too much time dealing with today and not enough time looking at the big picture and planning for an inspiring future. Because the truth is, taking a step back could give me new perspective on how to do today's work. And it gives me the space to think more strategically about what's next. The retreat would also fill me with the energy and motivation I need right now to get through all that I have on my plate.  So when you read this, I'll be on retreat. Taking the time to do what's important, even when it feels like I don't have it. Because it's not really about lack of time It's about shifting your priorities.   _____________________________________________________________________ Priorities and making time for what's important will be a big part of the Career Clarity virtual retreat. Click here for more information and the link to register!