Career
Clarity Tips
How are you feeling in your work environment these
days? How did you feel in your last job?
To create a career that fits your true nature, you must
identify where you feel most at home in your work environment.
The plant world gives us a wonderful way of looking at this.
In nature each plant has evolved to thrive in a particular
environment with specific characteristics: temperature,
soil, sunlight, and water.
When a plant is well suited to its environment, it's
called a native. A plant that is a native is hardy,
resistant to the diseases and pests in the area, and grows
easily. As a result, it doesn't need much extra attention
to thrive and grow beautifully.
If this same plant is taken to a different climate,
one with different temperatures, soil and amounts of rainfall,
it becomes an exotic. In this case, the plant requires
special watering, a protected environment, and additives to
help it withstand the diseases and pests in the area. And,
even then, the plant may just eke out an existence, barely
surviving and certainly not thriving.
An orchid in a tropical environment survives and flourishes
where ever it finds itself without any help from a gardener.
An orchid in a hot, dry climate is an exotic that needs support
to survive. Only those with special knowledge and skill can
help these plants thrive in a non-native environment.
Notice that the plant didn't change. The plant has the same
needs, strengths, and weaknesses where ever it is trying to
grow. The key is the environment. Does the
environment naturally provide what the plants need? Or does
the plant need external help to survive?
Think about your natural way of being in the world.
Not how you are because your workplace, your boss or your
spouse require it, but who you are when left to your own devices.
Perhaps you are creative, intuitive, or logical in your thinking.
Perhaps you love to have beauty around you where ever you
are.
Now ask yourself whether you are a native or an
exotic in your daily environments -- your workplace,
your relationship, your friendships, your church, your home.
If you spend a great deal of time and energy keeping yourself
going you may be playing the role of an exotic. As a result,
the resources you would normally devote to growth in new directions
you must expend to ensure your survival.
What characteristics of your surroundings allow
you to feel comfortable, at ease, happy? When you
know more about the environments that help you thrive, you
can make choices that transform your world into one in which
you are a thriving native!
Observe yourself at work and in life to discover
the sticky points--the points that require an extra
push on your part-- and then see what subtle changes and choices
you can make to feel more at home in your work and life.
While working with clients in career change over the last
ten years, I've learned that each person has their own way
of moving through the world. Their personal style has a direct
relationship with the environment that works best for them.
Unfortunately most people don't know what elements of their
workplace allow them to feel most at home. For the most part
they've ignored their personal needs to fit into the environment
that's standard in their industry. Use the following questions
to look at your situation from a new perspective.
- Do you thrive in a setting that is noisy or quiet?
When you work, do you prefer the hum of machines, the murmur
of a crowd, the sound of classical music, or the sounds
of nature? What sounds do you enjoy when you have time off?
- What is your natural pace? Do you move
quickly and energetically or do you proceed in a slow and
steady pace? Does your task vary depending on the task you
are working on? Do you like a workplace that's driven by
a quick intense pace or are you at your best when you can
focus on the task at hand?
- What is the size of your ideal work group?
Do you like to be part of a large team working together
to reach a goal? Do you prefer to be responsible for one
piece of the process and pass your results on to the next
person? Are you most fulfilled when you work alone? Do you
like some interaction with a team?
- How does lighting impact you? Do you
need a well-lit work area? Do you enjoy natural light from
a window? Do you like soft lighting.
- When you walk out of your workplace what do you
like to find? Bustling city streets? A path for
walking? Easy access to your car? Restaurants within walking
distance? A source of water and a grove of trees? Amenities
such as your bank, the dry cleaners, a gym?
Although you may not be able to have everything you want
right now, knowing your preferred environment helps you make
new choices when opportunities arise.
In each Career Clarity Tips newsletter I'll include a section
to help you determine whether you are stuck in your quest
to create a more meaningful career.
If you find yourself becoming resigned to the fact
that "this" is as good as life gets, beware!
Although a dramatic career change may not be possible at this
point, it is possible for you to begin enhancing your situation.
You may focus on your self-esteem, your participation in activities
that allow you to express your passions, or
enhancing your responsibilities at work.
Keep reading this newsletter for more ideas about things
you can do to shift your view of your life. May your journey
be one of delight and discovery!
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