Growing Your Career into a Healthy New Year

Clutter. clutter clutter. Immediately the word conjures mounds of collected, no-longer-useful material goods. Clutter is not always physical. Clutter is a concept that quickly clouds our thinking, too.

At the end of they year, clean out the clutter for new opportunities and new thoughts.  This year, don't just roll into the next one. Take stock of 2017 and step with intention into 2018. 

You spend most of your time in your career, so enjoy it! 

Before entering into the new year, stop and think about how YOU can grow yourself. So much energy is spent dwelling on someone or something else that negatively impacted our own planned steps: "My company didn't do this," or  "They decided it wasn't the right time," etc. Know that whatever you are doing, you are learning. Learn to appreciate the unexpected, like this double iris that bloomed in my garden this winter! A bump in the road, does not set you off course.

It is your responsibility to take care of yourself and know your own value. So, this December, build a strategy for the new year. Give yourself an end-of-the-year invitation to grow. Create a checklist that allows you to put away all the mental clutter from the last 12 months. Take time for a little self-examination, then refresh and refill. 

I find this daily foundation in my life to be extremely helpful: 

1) Listen to new ideas

2) Collaborate with Others 

3) Be Healthy

4) Be Helpful 

5) Be Grateful 

5) Reflect 

Staying healthy and engaging with others in meaningful ways outside of work are key elements of your happiness. And that happiness extends into your performance and, ultimately, determines your success at work. 

How to Help this Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, remember what it means to help.

H is for Humor
E is for Esteem
L is for Listen
P is for Praise

When is it time to move on?

In this blog, I write a lot about the balance of career, family and community with mindfulness, fulfillment, slowing down and…turning it off. My hope is to provide some sound advice and encourage continued growth on a healthy and interesting path for all.

The toughest question when I consult is: How do I decide when it is time to move on to something new?

Sometimes that work-life balance may be achieved but perhaps the path is not as happy or as interesting as it once was.

Your answers to these questions are good indicators:

- Do I still enjoy my work?
- Do I still feel passionate about what I am doing?
- Is my work appreciated?
- Do I find that I am still able to add value to the company for whom I work?

- Does the leadership reflect the core values and the reason why I joined the company in the  first place?

- Am I staying fresh in my work and growing my skill set and talents?

- Is the work still inspiring or is it just way to “pay the bills”?  

- Do I continue to add value to the well being of the company?

- Does my mission still align with the mission of the company?

How were your answers? If they were mostly negative, then it might be time for some deeper reflection.

A couple of colleagues shared that headhunters had recently approached them. Often, this is a compliment to the person and their reputation in their market sector. I shared with them that they could see what they had to offer, as it is a great way to measure your current situation and compare it with other opportunities.

I believe that there are times when we should move on…and the reason is not always monetary. It is up to each and every one of us to believe in what we are called to do and to trust in the creation of our own destiny.

Harvest Season and New Beginnings

At the end of the summer season of gardening, we were given an extra blast of record-breaking heat. Just when we thought we were finished, all of a sudden, there was more work to do.  There is always more to do..!

Sometimes all I want to say is, "We survived!"  Garden work really is about surviving and making it through another season of life.

We've all had that feeling when work feels endless. Stop to remind yourself of the cherished memories over the years of coworkers and accomplishments gained.  Be reminded that there are cycles of seasons at work, too.

Summer season gives me the perspective I need to withstand new challenges put in front of me. I work hard and enjoy the progress. Who doesn't! That is the meaning of work.  

It’s a new season.  A new cycle. Let go of any doubts or confusion and welcome in the harvest. There is much joy as things slow this time of year. 

Embrace Change

In 2015, I wrote, “What is Change?" Since then, I can’t even begin to tell you how much change I have experienced! Some of it has been physical; some of it has been with my staff. Some of it has even been political. Some of it has been set in motion by me, and I’ve been a receiver of a lot of changes around me that impacted and changed me.

Yet, I still see change as a process of flow. It is the flow. It is the essence of life. It’s not about boredom or redundancy and it’s never a good thing to idle through change. Don’t shut off the heart when going through change! Trust in the ebb and flow. Transition -- how we handle it and what it teaches us -- is the greatest joy of being human.

So often we look at change as negative.  Yes, change is not always a choice; it may be a loss, or something we had not anticipated to take place in our lives.  How much my life has changed in these last several months! And though some of the changes seemed to be ever so difficult, many of the changes have really helped me to grow, learn and stretch myself in new directions.

The more I welcome and embrace change as a gift of opportunity, I find I actually think differently. Change simply means not getting “stuck” in the routine.

Every six months, I like to do a self-assessment to make sure that I am tuned into the changes that are happening around me so that I am still reaching and growing. It’s a lot like pruning and cleaning a garden to keep it fresh and healthy through the seasons. During a process of change, take a moment to be quiet and listen.  You’ll start to enjoy the new precisely because it is different! 

As we begin to welcome in the cooler air and rich colors of the autumn season, I encourage all of us to embrace the many changes ahead as a positive experience of “newness”—a refresh and refill for one’s soul. 

The Sustainability of Endurance

Are you able to hold on and carry it through?  You can get it over the one-yard line and the thirty-yard line, but can you make it to the goal? Our greatest challenge is to have the endurance needed in this age of technology to ride  comfortably with its cycles and  its fickleness.

The utopia of a Spring garden—its newness and bloom surprises—is quickly followed by the Summer months of July and August. The garden grows double-time, basking in the vitamins from the sun and warm weather. This is the season that puts me to the test. Longer and more frequent days are are required in the garden, trying to stay ahead of the growth, the bugs and other challenges. The peak of summer gardening is all about endurance.

I often find myself asking, “Can I ever get ahead of the upkeep and care?” And, the funny thing is, after a long week of labor in the garden, I am always rewarded.   When I sit in my favorite spot over looking the garden at dusk, I relax and take in all of the joy it brings me. I know that it is never fully complete or finished. I accept that it is a work in progress. Actually, I love that it’s always a work in progress. Isn’t it all? The splashes of colorful flowers dotted across he varying hues of green are a backdrop for a very special kind of dance where humming birds and butterflies flow to the rhythm of the gentle breeze.  And it’s never the same performance twice.

We must all endure through seasons of extra work, some emotional or physical strain, and longer hours at different times in our lives. Just remember, no two days are the same. Each day is a new performance in the greatest work-in-progress of all: life.

Walking and Talking Opens the Doors to New Ideas

In a recent conversation with a colleague about some current challenges at work and changes taking place in our personal lives, I found myself getting up from my desk and starting to pace. As I walked around my office my head began to clear my head and new ideas and solutions unfolded that helped to navigate discussion points more clearly.

By walking away from my desk, the computer, the cellphone (all the distractions and noise), I was able to think more clearly and be present and supportive.

A few days later, I went on a walk to enjoy the fresh spring weather. Before too long, I found my head swirling with new ideas and thoughts for a new project. When I arrived in my office, I transcribed my scribbled notes—which turned out to be the source of a brilliant solution for the project.

Lately, I find myself saying to my colleagues, “Why don’t we take a break for a moment and get some fresh air?”  For some of my scheduled calls, I even encourage the person on the other end of the phone to join me for a walk and talk!

During seasons of comfortable weather it’s nice to get outside, walk around the block. If there is a park close by, take a few minutes and walk through nature and take in the scenery. During the colder inclement seasons, walk around office corridors or lobby areas.

I remember someone once giving a group of colleagues some simple yet great advice: Sitting in front of one’s computer does not grow creative thoughts or solve problems. The best thing you can do is walk around and share in conversation with colleagues and friends.

Talk, yes, talk about things! Talk through your thoughts, challenges and ideas. It is so refreshing to walk, talk and share thoughts. I have solved so many problems and created so many new ideas when walking and talking. Try it and see how you feel!