 Upcoming Teleclasses |
Mark Guterman and Dan King
Thu, Sep 2
10:00am-11:00am Eastern Register Now
Fri, Sep 17
12:00pm-1:00pm Eastern
Mon, Sep 27
3:00pm-4:00pm
Eastern
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Ask The Meaning Guys | |
Question: I'm nearing burnout in my current work, but current financial circumstances and pressures from family preclude me from giving serious thought to making any changes in my life right now. What suggestions do you have?
Answer: We encourage you to think in broader terms about your circumstances. Even if you can't change right now, there are a number of things you can do.
Assess your current work situation: What do you like? What don't you like? What are the causes of your burnout? What adjustments, if any, can you make to mitigate these? What are you doing to develop your skill set?
Assess your skills: What are your best and favorite skills? Which among these do you want to use more often or use in different ways? What are your weakest and least favorite skills? Which of these do you want to use less or at least de-emphasize?
Clarify your values: What is most important to you about work? How does your current work align with your most important values? If there is serious misalignment, what adjustments can you make? Can you express your values in other parts of your life?
Make and renew connections:
Make a list of 5-10 people who would be good resources for you. Identify 2-3 key questions you'd like to ask each of these people. Reach out to them ask your questions, and ask each of them to refer you to one or more of their favorite people.
If you have a question for us, send it along.
Click Here |
Recommended Reading and Resources | |
by George Prochnik
by Cathleen Benko and Molly Anderson |
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| Greetings!
Welcome to the September issue of Meaningful Careers News.
In the US, we generally kick-off September by celebrating Labor Day. The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parades, although for many it just symbolizes the end of summer --- and thus, is not a cause for celebration.
But the month also signifies new beginnings, most notably the start of the school year. September often stirs enthusiam for new learning, new projects, goals and plans. And it represents a time of year when the job market experiences a "bump" in activity. That's reason enough to celebrate.
September as a time for honoring work, education and personal growth. In this spirit, we encourage you to join us for one of our new teleclasses, to begin a coaching process, or to share your ideas for finding meaning at work.
We thank you for being a member of our community of readers.
With meaningful regards,
Dan and Mark
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Patience, Persistence and Perspiration
by Mark Guterman and Dan King
In spite of recent efforts to improve the employment picture, it's looking like the job market recovery will remain out of focus for a while longer. And if your one of the unemployed, underemployed or uninspired workers out there in search of meaningful work, you're probably tired of sweating it out.
Traditional job search strategies, in which you throw your hat in the ring for a posted position, simply aren't effective anymore. These strategies, successful in a "normal" job market, seem less so in the "new normal," where there as many as five people available for every job opening.
So how do you find success in this job market?
American author, Napoleon Hill, is widely considered to be one of the great writers on the subject of "Success." Through interviews with many famous people of his time, Hill examined the power of personal beliefs and the role they play in personal achievement. He concluded that:
"Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success."
One of Hill's interviews was with Thomas Edison, who certainly experienced a major share of heady success. Edison was noted for saying:
"Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."
So to
succeed in the job market, you sure need to become skilled in the art and practice of patience and persistence. But perspiration?
American author Barbara Johnson says:
"Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears."
It's the ability to keep things in perspective, knowing that things will work out over time. Patience commands us to avoid irrational responses to the transition process, to understand that our thought processes can either help or hinder our success. In other words, "don't sweat the small stuff."
Persistence, on the other hand, is the ability to integrate discipline with urgency to produce a focused level of activity each day. It compels you to reach out to others even when you're feeling unsure of yourself - and to have an unwavering faith that your actions will ultimately yield positive results. Former President, Calvin Coolidge, observed:
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent."
How can you build your patience and persistence? Here are some words of perspiration-- er, inspiration:
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Remind yourself that the transition process unfolds one step, one action at a time.
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Allow the process to move forward at a pace that is normal and natural, without undue pressure on yourself and others.
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Recall challenges from your past and apply the lessons from those experiences.
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Give yourself permission to take time away from the process when you're feeling discouraged or down.
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When you think you're finished for the day, take one more step, make one more call, and send out one more resume .... and then reward yourself.
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Build a disciplined follow-up practice to stay connected with others continually.
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Don't take "no" as an end to the process; instead, see "no" as an opportunity to ask one more question or make one more request.
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When you get frustrated or stuck, step back, take a couple of deep breaths, have a good laugh, and begin again.
To prevail in the job market, you need to acknowledge the power that your personal beliefs and behaviors play in your success. "
Author and journalist, Hal Borland, wrote:
"Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience.
Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence."
Knowing perspiration, I can experience the smell of success.
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Are you paying attention to how you communicate? The perceptions others have of you are formed by the patterns in which you converse. To learn more, consider registering for this new teleclass, facilitated by Mark Guterman:
Learn how to use active listening, assertive communication, and relationship repair to create real-time, win-win solutions that get you the results you want. You'll gian tips and techniques that you can begin using right away in your work and life.
What you will learn from this class:
· Clear steps for becoming an active listener
· How to be more assertive in your communication with others
· How to repair damaged relationships without sacrificing your values
· How to apply these new skills in your work
Who this class is suited to: · Anyone who wants to improve their relationship-building skills
· Anyone who needs to develop more effective communication skills
· Anyone who is interested in improving their performance at work
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