Careers – Page 17 – Career Life Institute

Clearing Out Your Mental Attic

While many people have been busy creating their New Years resolutions, this year I find myself doing exactly the opposite. For the past few months I have been clearing out the physical stuff and clutter I've accumulated in my life and my home. I've taken books to the used bookstore, clothing and bedding to the local shelter, given my daughter all those things I've saved for her over the years, and thrown out things I just never got around to fixing or repairing.

Along the way, something interesting happened. As I began to get more room in my own life, I discovered a freshness to my thinking. And as I thought about this more, I began to wonder how much mental clutter I was carrying around.

Just as carrying around a backpack full of books takes a certain amount of energy, the same is true when we carry around old thoughts, beliefs, and ideas. Scientists have found that ideas have a kind of weight or pressure. And all thoughts require energy to maintain.

We are most creative, loving and responsive when we're in the moment. If we're thinking about what we should have said, what we haven't finished, or worrying about what we're supposed to do tomorrow, it's almost impossible to be available for what's happening in our lives right now. When we're worrying or upset about something that happened at work, we're too distracted to really be with our family or friends.

What was that dream or idea you had when you were in high school or college that you now realize you're never going to accomplish? How about that promise you've been making for the last five years that you never get around to starting? Or that great idea you started working on a few years ago that got stuck so you put it away "temporarily"? Or that belief you adopted as you looked at the world from 5 or 12 or 17 year-old eyes? Every one of these requires attention on some level of consciousness. And that means energy that's being taken away from the present. Maybe it's time to give ourselves a break and let go of some of those old ideas that we've been dragging around.

When I was a child I wanted to be a school teacher. Due to circumstances, I was unable to complete college, even though I kept at it for several years. At some point I realized I was probably not going to finish college, and therefore, would probably never be a school teacher, so I reluctantly decided to let that dream go. Imagine my surprise a couple of years later when I realized I had actually fulfilled my original intent: I had become a trainer for the State of California, and although I wasn't teaching children, I was actually getting paid a lot more to teach adults. Letting go of the original dream allowed me to follow the opportunities present in my life, and my love of sharing ideas resurfaced in a different (and much more satisfying) way.

Now I've never been one to write New Year's resolutions. I think it's valuable to review periodically where I am and what I'm up to, but for me that's an ongoing process. I especially like to do this around my birthday, when my personal "New Year" starts.

So this year, instead of adding more obligations to my life, I decided to purposely examine and let go of the "unfinished projects" and outdated beliefs cluttering up my mental attic. Just like a too-small sweater, some I can simply look at and know they no longer fit (like I'm never going to be a professional dancer). Some I need to examine a little more closely to see if they fit my current lifestyle, direction, needs and wants. And the ones in the trunk by the window? Who knows, they could be full of moth holes, or end up being the perfect compliment to what I'm doing right now. But first I need to examine them to find out.

What about the ones that we feel obligated to hold on to? Well, dust them off and take a good look. If they still "fit", then bring them back out into the light of day and use them. If they don't, and you're uncomfortable simply tossing them, ask yourself, what do I need to change about them, or what do they need in order to be complete? Even a commitment you made can be renegotiated, so ask yourself honestly what's the cost to continue dragging around something that's lost its usefulness? If it's a weight and an obligation, take care of it and free up that energy!!

The quickest way to energize yourself is by first giving away or releasing the old ideas that no longer serve you. This creates the room for you to expore new ideas and opportunities through classes, books, and people. Ask yourself if the thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and ideas you are carrying around energize you or feel like a burden. If they're a burden, get rid of them!! Don't even worry about changing them – toss them out and you'll have room for ones that support you better.

Remember, as one door closes, another opens. And in our busy lives, even the busiest of us only has room for a certain number of open doors at any one time.

Career Strategies – 10 Keys for Getting the Job You Want

1. START WITH YOURSELF. . .Not with the Jobs Out There

Take time to honestly look at yourself and your life. Are you moving forward in the career direction you want to go? Is your life working? Are you still challenged and growing professionally and personally? Are you doing something you love doing?

2. ASSESS YOUR "EQUITY" IN THE WORKPLACE

What are your assets and strengths? Take stock of your current credentials, your job skills and expertise, your relationships, your network, your reputation, your track record, and your overall life balance.

3. DEVELOP AN INDIVIDUALIZED CAREER/LIFE PLAN®

Are you clear about what you want in your life? What are some of your lifelong dreams? What are your life values? What do you want to create in the next 5-10 years? Take a holistic approach and look at all areas of your life-career, finances, body/health, spiritual growth, leisure/play, relationships, home environment, & personal & professional growth. Getting clear about what you want and what you value will help you make a smart career move.

4. KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SUCCESSES & YOUR CHALLENGES

Stay open to new challenges and look for new opportunities for you to increase your knowledge and skills. Take responsibility for keeping track of all your successes and achievements-performance appraisals, workshops, presentations, special honors and events, etc. Keep your VITA sheet and resume current.

5. PUT THINGS IN ORDER AND CLEAR YOUR PATH

Do a "clean sweep" in all areas of your life on both an emotional level and a physical level. Become "fully present" and live your life from the present, releasing the past with love and gratitude and honoring the lessons you have learned. Clean out all the clutter and release things you no longer love or need. Simplify, simplify, simplify– in every area of your life.

6. ASSOCIATE WITH PEOPLE YOU RESPECT AND ADMIRE

Find people who are successful in both their careers and their lives who can be models for you. Associate with them and learn from them. You have a choice in who you associate with-professionally and socially. Actively seek role models and mentors who you have a special connection with.

7. BE OPEN TO NEW OPTIONS & OPPORTUNITIES

Always stay open to new possibilities. Remember your Career/Life Plan™ will evolve and change as your life unfolds and you progress forward. Take advantage of new information, new resources, new experiences. Keep current in your professional field and stay open.

8. BE PROACTIVE . . . TAKE ACTION

Once you are clear about what you want to create in your career . . . life, start taking some action. And realize what is naturally flowing to you easily and effortlessly; pay attention to the synchronicity happening in your life. Explore all your options, spend time networking, meeting with people, exploring new resources, and fully utilizing all the support systems readily available to you.

9. CONSCIOUSLY EXPAND YOUR NETWORK

This is the time to reconnect with existing networks of people in your life and a time to reach out to new networks of people you would like to establish relationships with. Look at your areas of interests and areas of intentional growth, and look at ways you can expand your contacts-in your local areas, statewide, nationally and internationally.

10. BELIEVE AND TRUST YOUR INNER KNOWING

Listen to your Intuition and trust your gut level feelings. Have faith in yourself and trust yourself, even when you know deep within what you have to do, and think perhaps that you don't quite know what you are doing. You just know you are in transition and the time is right.

10 Key Strategies for Successful Career Transition These 10 Key Strategies are the basis of our popular and acclaimed eBook Program of the same name. The program includes articles, exercises, RealAudio clips and several unique bonuses, all for the incredibly inexpensive price of $14.95. To find out more about the eBook, or to Order Your Own Copy Today, click here .

Updating Your Resume: Create an Historical Perspective

Okay, maybe you're doing just great in that job, and the last thing on your mind is thinking about where you want to go next. For most of us, we forget we even have a resume until the realization of needing to look for new employment is thrust upon us – whether through an unpleasant work environment or experience, or because a new opportunity gets us thinking that maybe there's more out there…

Given how quickly things are moving today, wouldn't it be nice to have your resume ready the next time you discovered a place to share it? At least you can have the pieces updated so it's easier to put together and send off.

The basis of every good resume is a full and complete history. If you haven't already done so, take the time to create an historical perspective by listing everything you've ever done – volunteer or paid. Include the duration of the job or activity, the time basis (full time, and percentage of full time), and the major duties – as well as the traditional who, when and where. Someplace you should also identify the major skills you used as you performed the duties. This is important because it allows you to begin grouping your history into functions rather than just by employers.

And why is that important? Because skills are transferable. Being able to type on a typewriter transfers fairly easily to keyboarding skills on a computer. Interviewing authors transfers easily to interviewing clients. Scheduling rooms transfers to scheduling workers. Project management is project management. You get the idea.

And as you group your employment history into functions you will begin to see patterns – patterns that can help you recognize what you are good at and what you enjoy doing.

Another part of your history should include specific accomplishments. For instance, when I was working as a Training Manager, I was responsible for bringing in $500,000 each year, at an 85% profit level. And that was 25% of the company's gross income. As you can tell, the training function provided a LOT of capital for the other functions in the company. A prospective employer would understand that I know what to do to generate revenue – with high profitability.

As you look over the resume that got you your current job, think about the things you are currently doing that are not yet reflected there. Add the duties, the skills and especially the accomplishments to your historical perspective. Keep the history as a separate document and continue to add to it over time. And consider setting up a regular update schedule so you're not scrambling the next time you need to send one out. A little preparation in advance could give you the advantage that gets you the job!

Five Words for a Full and Prosperous Life

There are five simple words we need to use to have a prosperous life:

YES.
Simply say "yes" to your dreams and allow yourselves to actively pursue your dreams.
NO.
Learn to say "no" when you need to say no. Success is being able to set limits about what you don't want in your lives.
OUCH.
Allow yourself to feel pain and recognize what is causing your pain. Know that pain is a healthy warning system for you to take some action.
NEXT.
Fully experience your challenges and accomplishments and have completion with what you start. Know when it is time to move on to your next…
WOW!
Be fully in the present and really experience life—events and people in your lives, achieving goals and having things, enjoying simple pleasures such as good tastes, touches, sights, sounds, smells, etc. Be fully aware of all your blessings! Know that all of life is an experiment, so enjoy the process!