Labor Day Reflections

Happy Labor Day to one and all! Today is the day to reflect upon and celebrate the American and Canadian worker. This holiday is much more than BBQs, watermelon, and back to school--it was founded in the late 1880s to honor the spirit and dedication of workers, providing them a day off to spend with their families enjoying parades and speeches in their honor.

Today I have been reflecting on how many of the clients I work with struggle to find meaning in their work-life. Some of my clients are in careers or hold positions that do not spark their interest, let alone tap into their passion. Many are burnt out and disillusioned with their jobs. Some find themselves unemployed due to corporate downsizing and are stunned to discover that no loyalty was shown to them after years of service.

Sometimes clients change careers by choice or due to circumstances beyond their control. No matter the circumstances that bring a career client my way, I often start working with them with an initial goal to help them clarify and identify their interests, strengths, weaknesses and values. What are they hoping to achieve in their next job? Are they simply looking for a position to replace their former one or are they searching out a completely different career path? How well does their current job mesh with their picture of an ideal job? Perhaps their current position simply needs some "tweaking" to make it more satisfactory. Sometimes I help a client set boundaries with regard to the number of hours they work, or I help them to increase their communication skills and self-confidence in order to ask their boss for a raise.

For those clients who wish to change careers, we spend time clarifying and honing in on their interests, strengths and values in order to help them find or create a job that resonates with them and provides meaning. In a very true sense, I help them to develop their own vision and mission statement for their lives. I help my clients explore their worries and concerns and assist them in identifying what they want as a next step. A couple years ago I took a training course entitled "Transition Dynamics" designed by psychologist Carol McLelland. Carol has developed an incredible tool to help coach and client sift through and brainstorm ideas for potential careers. With weekly online exercises and journaling, as well as chapter reading from her book "Your Dream Career for Dummies," a client is able to quickly zero in on the perfect career. Carol's philosphy is that "a dream career is more than a career that allows you to use your talents and skills in a satisfying and fulfilling way. A dream career also allows you to express you you are and to live the life you want."

We all find meaning in life when we are living purposefully, expressing our values and giving something back to the community. I have assisted clients in identifying careers that provide them with meaning: one woman left her position as an investment banker to create her dream career as an event planner. A young man left his job in construction to become a real estate broker. Another woman left her corporate position to fulfill her life-long dream of working in an art museum. I am thrilled to help people explore their talents and interests and develop their passion in their work-life. Although the clients I described chose to pursue different career paths, the commonality is that their current career allows them to experience greater satisfaction in all areas of their lives, including their life at work. Since few folks have been born into unlimited wealth or have experienced the sheer luck of winning gazillions in lottery scratch-offs, don't you owe it to yourself to take time to identify YOUR dream career? If you are unhappy in your current job, take a moment to check out the Transition Dynamics website to see if it can help you determine your own shining career path.

Thought for the Day: Reflect on how well your current job matches your vision of your "ideal job." If you are feeling stuck in your career, what can you do this week to do to create some change? Does your current career allow you to express your values, talents and ideals? If not, what type of career would allow expression of the things that are most important to you?

"If a man has a talent and cannot use it, he has failed. If he has a talent and uses only half of it, he has partly failed. If he has a talent and learns somehow to use the whole of it, he has gloriously succeeded, and won a satisfaction and a triumph few men ever know." --Thomas Wolfe