Spring has always been a time of rebirth in nature. As the calendar shifts to April, and the first full spring calendar month for 2012 has arrived, our quote for this month focuses on the subject of probability. This quote is from Anna Quindlen, an American columnist and journalist, often published in the New York Times. When I read it on one of the excerpt calendars I had, I felt it was the best for the coming month. The quote reads: "The life you have lived does not require that you live it alone."
When you work as I do as a career coach, you often meet people at the bottom of their lives. Often they just lose their jobs. Other people can meet you when they have been looking for work for months. One of the first frequently asked questions outside of work is what did they do in their previous job? Many times the answer starts with "I am one" and then comes after the possession of the person who had it before. Some may not find the answer. On the other hand, there are others who will answer the same question with a statement that begins with "I am looking for a position" and follow it with a particular area of interest. Sometimes the field can be similar to where they just came from. Other times it may be completely different. In both cases, the way the answer is given shows me that the individual is focusing on what is to come, as opposed to what he has done in the past.
I'm currently working with a client who has had a successful career to this day, yet he has reached a point in his life where he knows it's time to move on. After facing health problems in the past and raising a family where his son is now alone, he and his wife are making the next steps in their lives. They have already bought a house in another state which will be the house where they will go in the next 12 to 18 months to start this next phase. He can be seen selling his business but he continues to serve many people in the client base as he still enjoys this aspect of his business. Being a partner in another business in which he can invest is still an added possibility. He also has charitable causes so close that he now sees that he has more time to devote to his skills and expertise. When he first started working with me several months ago, he was worried about his future, especially his health problems. However, after realizing that these fears are holding him back from moving on with his life, whenever I see what is going to happen to him and his partner, he is more encouraged.
People are living longer than ever before. Many people's life expectancy is easily projected in their 80s and others in the '90s. Each of us has a choice in how we view our lives. Obviously, the world around us is closer and more connected than ever before because we have the Internet, a 24-hour news station, and the ability to know something instantly in another part of the planet. This can be scary for some. For others, however, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities. I have seen it written that the average person graduating today can expect four to five different careers and 12 to 13 different real jobs during their working career. On average, a new job is created every 4 to 5 years and a new career every ten years. Although it may have been incomprehensible in the past, it is more common now and certainly in the future.
So, if you're starting your April and feel like you're either stuck where you are or not sure what's next for you, remember that you have your own Choice to make life what you want it to be. This may mean that you need to re-train or re-train the skills that you lack that can help you move forward. This may mean volunteering for some kind of work that you may see yourself doing in the future so that you can gain experience and connect with the field you are looking for. ۔ Or it could mean changing the way you do things (possibly working full-time to part-time or moving from a large company to a smaller one). The life you have lived, whether you have enjoyed it or missed it, has brought you to this point. Next, you can choose to create what you want. Both of these truths will stay with you as you move forward on your life journey and decide whether you choose to explore the possibilities of what lies ahead for your life's business management articles, or from this life. Stay permanently connected to what you have led.
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