Photo by Alex Siale on Unsplash “AS YOU START UPON YOUR WAY, THE WAY WILL APPEAR.” -Rumi Rumi, 13th century Persian poet, scholar and theologian, said it and it never ceases to astound me how ancient wisdom is so useful today. Renowned career development and organizational behavior professor at the London Business School, [...]
Photo by Peter Lewicki on Unsplash Career Counselors/Coaches hear clients who are dissatisfied with their existing work say a lot, “I don’t know what it is that I want, I just know I need something different.” And we’re used to eyes glazing over when we explain (even eloquently!) the career development process. You know—assessment, [...]
Photo by Suzanne D. Williams on Unsplash At age 70, I’m (no surprise to anyone), feeling the hurt of friends, colleagues, and relatives dying. Or as I call it in lighter moments, making the big transition. Nothing “light” about it, of course. It’s most likely the major challenge of living. Seeing and in cases, [...]
Photo by Osman Rana on Unsplash It’s a tool of course. Yes, you have to continually use pertinent to your field search engines and bang away on the best job boards and employer websites for you. But most importantly, use the web to research key intelligence about employers and how it relates [...]
It’s helpful to be both artist and scientist as you navigate the choppy seas of work transition. Artists are creative, spontaneous, imaginative, sensitive, entertaining, and innovative. Scientists are organized, experimental, procedural, systematic, and follow proven theory. All these qualities come into play with varying amounts, nuances and priorities as the situation dictates–-but [...]
In the latest of Thomas Merton’s journal books, The Intimate Merton, his editor and secretary, Patrick Hart, reports that Merton realized he would not find God nor new, meaningful work in the Central American monastery he was hoping to found. After going hard after this new assignment, his superior in Rome said "no." Merton found [...]
Sometimes good comes from adversity. We can all think of examples in our lives where a problem turned into a solution or an obstacle, a victory. Jobs can be like that. We lose or leave a job we really like and with work, help from others and "grace", we find something better. Something we never would [...]
Although we know this in our head, it rarely makes it to our heart. We keep hoping there’s a recipe and if we mix all the ingredients in the right proportion, we will wind up with that award-winning cake. Understanding this truth can cut down on the heartache when the offer doesn’t come – and [...]
Wendell Berry, 20th century, poet, novelist and essayist, brings some wisdom (and encouragement) to those who see themselves lost in career/life transition. Career coaches rightfully advise on the value of self-awareness, introspection, and career exploration in order to find meaningful direction. But Mr. Berry goes deeper in his reassurance that we first must realize that [...]
Embrace the hard "heart work" of achieving meaning, breadth and depth in your life–job, career and retirement contributions are integral to our happiness. In the latest of Thomas Merton's journal books, The Intimate Merton, his secretary and editor Patrick Hart, says that at one point Merton realized that he would not find meaning (or God) [...]