Monday Matters! “Going With The Wind!”

June 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

I had the distinct pleasure of going to Atlanta, Georgia last week  to speak and participate at the National Career Development Association’s Annual Conference. The theme this year was “Building on the Dream!” The “dream” in this case is helping people find their passion, find what it is they can resonate with during their time on this Earth in terms of how they can contribute to make the world a better place through their career.

When over a 1,000 people from all over the world gather in one place with a common goal and purpose, there is a tremendous amount of energy that swirls through the conversations they engage in and sessions they attend. You really do get the feeling that anything is possible. So why can’t that feeling permeate through all our days and all our engagements with others?

I suppose there are many answers to the question, but if I can retain even some of that energy, some of that feeling that when we are working in our purpose, the world is somehow better off, I know I will be a better person. If I were to be totally honest with myself, I believe I know when I am in my purpose and when I am not. I can also feel the difference in myself when  I am in my purpose or not. I am more fun, more productive, more engaged, more conscious.

What about you? Are you in your purpose? If not, what can you do to figure out what it is and how to get there? There are always barriers that will get in our way and we must overcome them to live our purpose. The alternative is not good…

Here’s a little motivator from Dr. John Demartini;

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! “Hockey & Immigration:Bridging the Cultural Gap in Canada”

May 30, 2012 by 4 Comments

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

A friend of mine, Peter, recently told me about his experience of immigrating to Canada from Mongolia, and he shared what his perceptions were of the compulsory course on Canadian culture he had to take. While he appreciated the content of the course, he found it to be “formal” and lacking in substance for him to be able to integrate  what he learned with the “man on the street” on a day-to-day basis. When I asked Peter what he thought might have been more helpful, he immediately said “hockey!” He went on to explain that everyone talks about hockey and if he understood the game, he would have felt a part of something, and able to contribute, rather than feeling left out.

 There is no question that hockey plays a significant role in the lives of Canadians and can unify the country in ways very few things can. In 2010, during the Olympics, the gold medal game between Canada and the United States drew the largest audience for a single television event in Canadian history. The overtime goal by Sydney Crosby giving Canada the gold medal set off a sequence of celebratory events around the country that was unparalleled. The YouTube video below captures this phenomena and clearly illustrates that hockey is a unifying factor in this country.

So, check it out. What if immigrants to Canada were offered a training course on learning about the game of hockey as a way to understand Canadian culture? What if, through learning about the game of hockey, immigrants also learned about aspects of hockey like teamwork, perseverance and dealing with adversity, which would be valuable learning outcomes in anyone’s life? What if this new knowledge and understanding of hockey gave immigrants a way to integrate into Canadian society more readily and with more confidence? And, what if, through learning about the game of hockey, immigrants encouraged their children to play the sport? Hockey Canada might be very interested in such an outcome.

Makes sense huh? I’m working on it…smiling…let me know if you have something to add!

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! “The World Owes Me, and It’s Burger King’s Fault!”

May 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

entitlements.jpg

Entitlement – the fact of having a right to something, the amount to which a person has a right

I was reading a post in a LinkedIn group I belong to by a man who was telling his story of being highly skilled, educated and experienced, but currently unsuccessful in a rigorous job search. He felt that there was age discrimination going on as a major factor in not being able to find work. A number of  others commented on his post, many agreeing with him and sharing similar personal stories, while others encouraged him to not give up and keep trying.

I’m in the same age range as this man, also with lots of skills, experience and education, and I too, am looking for work beyond the consulting and other things that I do. And I too have been unsuccessful in my search. All this has led me to ponder the whole notion of “entitlement.” Reading between the lines of this man’s post, one would think that he felt he was entitled to a great job based on his past performance. It was like he put in his time, did everything he was supposed to do, and now he wanted the payoff! 

Have you met anyone else like this? Have you ever been like this? It’s an interesting concept here in our Western culture where many of us feel the world owes us something. For what? Where does it say “do good things and I will pay you back” – The World. Not in my job description of life. I admit that I tell myself if I do good things, good things will happen. Well, bad things happen too, so there is no guarantee as far as I can tell. 

So where does this notion of entitlement come from? You guessed it…Burger King and their “have it YOUR way” campaign years ago! 

I believe we are entitled to complain, and that’s about it! And I don’t know about you, but complaining/whining/bitching/ ad nauseum hasn’t gotten me very far. What about you?

Apparently, entitlement has reached epidemic proportions!!!

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! “Vuja – De! Seriously…”

April 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I was very fortunate to be in the audience to hear Simon T. Bailey speak at my regular Canadian Association of Professional Speakers meeting on the weekend. Mr. Bailey has an incredible story of emerging from his roots in virtual poverty to be an up and coming executive at Walt Disney Studios, only to walk away from it all to follow his passion, which was to speak and train others to follow theirs! He is now a world famous speaker, entrepreneur, author, and member of the Brillionaire’s Club, “…a community of unstoppable individuals engaged in realizing a vibrant future for themselves and others.”

What Simon did was create a massive shift in his thinking, a “vuja-de,” as he coins it, and has since written a book about it. This concept is significantly different than a “deja-vu,”  which is essentially a “been there-done that” term that does little for us other then to cause us some consternation around whether or not we really did experience a particular moment in time once before in our lives.

 

Vuja De, on the other hand, is an opportunity to create a vision and intention for ourselves, so instead of been here and done that, it’s I am here and I WILL do THAT! A shift, meaning simply, to change. What can we shift in our lives? What do we have control over? What are we passionate about? What can we do TODAY to create that vision and that intention? 

I struggle with this stuff sometimes. I know it makes great sense, and Simon is one of many who have been able to make it work for him in such a profound way. But even though I struggle, I’m not giving up, I’m NEVER giving up. So if you’re having hard times getting clarity in your life, that’s ok. Just keep on trucking. Something will eventually
shift.

If you’re still unclear about Deja Vu, this video should help…

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! “People Litter-ally Don’t Give a Damn!”

April 1, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

So in my little town, we have a little post office, and in that post office, on any given day, one can be treated to a floor full of litter, as depicted in the photo. That is to say, that folks will deposit their flyers and junk mail right on the floor because the post office removed the large garbage bins where we used to be able to discard that stuff.

We didn’t recycle it before mind you. We  just threw it in the garbage bins to get rid of it! It was convenient for us to do that, and of course, we didn’t ask for the flyers and junk mail in the first place, so we feel justified to get rid of it in any way we choose. Then the post office decided that they were’t in the garbage business, and they’re certainly not in the recycling business, so they removed the bins.

I think people feel that now they are justified for throwing the flyers and junk mail on the floor because they are rebelling against the post office’s decision to remove the bins! It’s a classic power struggle and of course the folks who made the decision to remove the bins are probably far removed from the day-to-day operations of this establishment.

So what is actually going on here? Why are people deliberately doing this when they know the effort is futile, and, at best, they might get the bins back, so they can dump all that stuff in the landfill instead of recycle it? Are we talking sheer laziness? Stupidity? Stubborn Mules?

Personally, I think this is a golden opportunity for us to be THANKFUL to Canada Post for MAKING us recycle! Now I take those flyers and junk mail and simply stick them with the other paper products that I recycle. That’s a good thing! So all you people, and you know who I’m talking about, GIVE IT A REST AND DO THE RIGHT THING!!!

 
 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! “Why Career Development is Like a Belly Dance!”

March 26, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

A participant in a training course I was facilitating is looking to develop a career as a Belly Dance Teacher. It got me to thinking about how belly dancing incorporates many of the principles of the career development process. This blog is dedicated to Trish and Stephanie who helped me formulate this framework over an East Indian feast.

Teaching belly dancing is fuelled by a passion for the origin of the dance, for the music, the creativity, the expression. Passion is also what drives career development, with discovering one’s true essence as the final destination.

Belly dancing is a process that involves learning a series of steps that are rhythmic in nature, and when the steps are not realized or they are not aligned, there emerges a sense that all is not right with the world. The same can be said for allowing oneself to stagnate in a career that has lost its rhythm.

Progression through elements of the dance, through cultural variations, through refinement of technique and artistry, provides the learner with the opportunity to re-tell her story over and over, and with each chapter she grows closer to manifesting her true self. Each element of our career path is also shaped by tapping into our truth about who we are and what we value.

And finally, there is a “vocabulary” to the dance, one that needs to be mastered and appreciated, and when it is spoken with love, passion and understanding, it provides the world with a gift that can be enjoyed by all on so many different levels. Finding what “speaks” to us in our career will transform us, and in turn, the world.

Here’s some beautiful belly dancing…

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! “Customer Service &…Umm…Schools!?!”

March 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Are students customers of schools “buying” career planning information so they can make great choices and live happily ever after? Of course they are. Students, parents, teachers, support staff, the community, society….EVERYONE really  is a potential customer for a school. So why is their customer service so poor???

 I think we really need to look at the customer service aspect of schools. My bias is, and has been for the 35 years or so I have worked with youth, that generally speaking, our schools do a terrible job when it comes to serving their customers. If I was a customer shopping for inspirational and creative ways to tap into what my gifts are and how I can manifest them in this world, why would I shop at a school? If I wanted to really examine personal and professional relationships and the skills and nuances required to become excellent at them, which department in the school would I find those? If I wanted to access “salespersons” who were truly dedicated to empowering me to make the best purchases of decision-making, risk-taking, skills and opportunities, would I be talking to teachers? 

As an Educator, I feel qualified enough to say these things, as much as it saddens me to do so. So what’s the answer? There of course isn’t one easy answer, and us career development dudes and dudettes will continue to work with schools and develop programs, systems, structures, models, and god knows what else, in an effort to help students plan their career paths more effectively. In the end, as long as we continue to rely on “science” to try and determine human behaviour, which is really what most of our career development programs tend to do (stemming from Frank Parsons himself, the first person to do career planning in this way back in Boston in 1905), we will continue to miss the mark. And our customers will be unhappy.

Everything….absolutely everything…is about customer service…Simon & Garfunkel knew it. Now you do too!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! “You Can’t Always Get What You Want!”

March 13, 2012 by 7 Comments

So I’m involved in a personal job search, and for the most part, I have learned a great deal about cutting edge work search tools, tips and tricks. This information is invaluable to me, not only during ths current process, but also because I use it in the career development consulting and training work I do with individuals and organizations.

What I am also learning about is the tremendous emotional impact this is having on me. Each position I apply for requires it’s own cataclysm of energy, from getting excited about the job description, to researching the company, to tailoring my resume and cover letter, preparing for the interview should I get one, doing follow up activities along the way, dealing with the rejection (so far at least) and finally, asking for some direct feedback on how I did.

It’s an emotional roller-coaster, and there isn’t time to wallow in self pity or self doubt. There is only time to generate the enthusiasm again for the next opportunity. Otherwise,  I would not do it justice.

 So where does entitlement fit in? A man with my background, experience and skills. Why am I not getting the jobs I want and prepare really, really well for? Where is the justice in that? Do employers not see what I can offer them? Are they blind? Am I too old???

 I’ve discovered that disappointment, bitterness, resentment and anger will get me absolutely nowhere, and if I give the “big 4” any energy at all, I am taking away from the task at hand, which is to dust myself off, set ego and pride aside, and take the next right step. I may not be able to always get what I want, but as Mick says in the classic 1969 video below, if I try sometimes…I just might find…I get what I NEED!

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! “Can’t Break That Habit???”

February 20, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

So I was at the pool the other day, and after my swim, it was shower time. The shower facility at the pool is a small open area with 6 shower heads. I have been swimming at this pool for years, and I ALWAYS use the same shower head if it’s available. ALWAYS! Now I have excellent reasons for doing so, (we always have good reasons for perpetuating our habits don’t we?), as that particular shower has a nice steady stream, it’s on the end so it’s easy to get to if other people are around, it’s close to the change area so access to my towel is quick, and so on.

On this particular day however, I noticed that when I got to the shower area, one of the heads was still streaming water when all the others, including “mine,” had stopped. I was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame, and as difficult as it was, I began to shower using a foreign head! I could feel the anxiety, if even for a moment, that comes with trying something new, especially when what was old is still perfectly good. Within seconds however, I was in sheer bliss. This head did not shut off after 20-30 seconds, in fact, it never shut off the entire time I was in there! AND, the water was continually warm/hot as opposed to warm/hot/cold/warm/hot.

I felt invigorated. I felt alive. I felt free. I actually felt cleaner! When I thought about it later, I experience those feelings whenever I try something new (well, maybe not the “cleaner” piece). So maybe, just maybe, if we continue to try new things, even though the old ones still work, we will feel more invigorated, more alive, and more free. Now that’s a habit worth having don’t you think?

It’s a MATTER of choice! Why don’t you change ONE habit of yours this week?

 Check out this classic tune sung by Billy Field!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday Matters! F@#%!!! Not Just Another 4-Letter Word!

February 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment

 

I admit it! At the very core of the resentment and anger I feel about all kinds of stuff…oh ya, I admit that I feel those things too, is that nasty 4-letter word – FEAR! I am afraid! When I reflect and try to analyze what it is I am afraid of, it comes down to two major things for me really; success and failure. It’s hard to say which one predominates, but clearly, they are both a factor. Where does that come from? Who cares? I can spend years in therapy trying to figure it out, or just point a finger at my Mom, but what good does that do?

Regardless of where my fear comes from, I am still compelled to DO something about it! And blaming my Mom hasn’t helped, neither did BECOMING a therapist! So where does that leave me? 

It leaves me staring that F monster right in the face! I need to do that! I need to recognize the fear. I need to FEEL it! I need to experience what it’s doing to me physically, and emotionally. Then, I need to surrender it…give away that feeling of fear. And finally, I need to walk towards it, not run away from it, but meet it, confront it head on. I am learning, as I get older, that the things I shy away from are the VERY things I need to embrace. When I do that, lo and behold, 9 times out of 10, the MONSTER  turns into a mere pussycat. Meowwwwww!

This piece from “Coach Carter,” a great movie about basketball and about life, says it all…It MATTERS!

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
«Older Posts