Change Careers with Courage –featured on Bublish

The following excerpt from Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work by Halimah Bellows MA, MS is now featured on Bublish at

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Bublish (www.bublish.com) is a publishing technology company that offers cloud-based tools, metrics and resources.

CHANGE CAREERS WITH COURAGE

Author Insight

We are different people at age 20 than we are at age 30, 40, 50 or 60. We look at life differently and our values change too. That is why identifying your values is such a key part of career development which involves asking and answering questions of yourself about what is important to you, and observing what you feel passionately attracted to (as well as what you feel passionately repelled by).

Book Excerpt

10 Reasons for Pursuing Your Ideal Career

I have a short list of the top 10 reasons why you need to work at having your dream job. These reasons will be affirmed throughout this book as you read on.

Reason # 1: If you are doing what you love to do, it allows you to be your true self all of the time. Think about it. It really takes a tremendous amount of energy on a daily basis to not be authentic at work. Sometime we feel we have to take on a sort of “false persona” to fulfill the job requirements. Your ideal job will enable le you to be who you are and not waste any energy.

7 Strategies to Shift from Goal-Setting to Manifesting

by Sig Nordal, Jr.           

From an early age, we are told that goal setting is the foundation for the yellow brick road to success. Starting as early as kindergarten or first grade, teachers and parents measure what kind of person we are by the goals we have achieved. By adulthood, the culture of goal attainment is so ingrained in our sense of self-worth that often we use goals to completely define our identity.

With our society’s focus on competition and being the “best,” it seems that in order to achieve any sort of success in life, one must actively strive to better themselves. Of course, goal setting is often seen as the ideal way to achieve this purpose.

7 Strategies to Shift from Goal-Setting to Manifesting

Most experts will argue that goal setting helps us maintain focus on long-term vision as well as increase motivation in the short-terms. However, when one really examines how goal setting works, the reality isn’t so magical.

Setting a goal, in essence, reinforces the belief that a situation is only acceptable sometime in the future, once an external marker is achieved. More importantly, goal-setting fuels the lack mindset, emphasizing what is missing from our lives.

The Universe is always listening to our thoughts, feelings, and desires. When we set a goal, we repeatedly focus our mind on something we don’t have. It is far too easy for our mind to attach the state of happiness with a time in the future. This future-oriented mindsets prevents us from enjoying the present and developing a sense of gratitude for what is positive in our lives.

Additionally, the focus of what we do not have only makes the goal seem further away. While there are a few people who can conquer this perception and maintain an attitude of positivity throughout the journey, for many, this is too difficult. How often do New Year’s Resolutions to lose weight fail? Even if one starts out energized and passionate about their goal, the constant reminder of what we don’t have, or what we have not yet achieved attracts more ruminating thoughts on this matter, thus making the goal seem even harder to achieve.

So, are we to give up our hopes and dreams of achieving great things in our lives? Of course not! However, it is the mindset and the language that must change. By setting intentions, as opposed to goals, we come from a place of acceptance that what we want is already ours. What a liberating realization!

7 Strategies to Shift from Goal-Setting to Manifesting

1. Use present tense language. By framing your intentions in the present tense, you are putting your vibrations in a state in which you already have which you desire. Since like thoughts attract more like thoughts, you are creating a space so that your desires will be attracted to your life.
2. Identify the feelings that your intentions will bring. Why do you want to lose weight or earn more money? Chances are, it is not the actual goal or intention, but the feeling that will result once it has been realized. Perhaps you want to lose more weight to feel more confident. More money might activate feelings of freedom or security. Be clear and identify how you will feel once your intentions are made a reality.
3. Use emotionally charged visualizations to fuel the fire of your intentions. One of the fastest ways to manifest your intentions is to add real emotion behind the thoughts. The universe responds not just to thoughts and words, but to the feelings which are attached to those thoughts and words. When you state your intentions, concentrate on feeling the way you would feel if your dream had been achieved.
4. Affirm your intentions daily. Setting an intention once and never going back to it is like planting a seed and never watering the plant. For an intention to manifest, it must be nurtured daily. Take 5 minutes each morning, before you begin your day, to review your intentions. Say them aloud and visualize yourself already living as if it has been completed.
5. Start living as closely as you can to how you would after your intention has been manifested.   Envision your life after your intention has been manifested. How does your environment look? Are there any changes to your appearance? Do you have any different habits or mannerisms? Step by step, try adding those elements to your current life. Add a piece of furniture to your home that better reflects the style of your future self. Start dressing as you would if your intention had already been achieved. Or, spend a day exactly as you would after all of your manifesting has generated success.
6. Incorporate activities which activate the feelings you hope to achieve. You don’t have to wait until your dreams have been realized to feel great! Make a list of 10-20 activities that spark the same feelings. Perhaps a date night with your partner inspires feelings of connection. Your weekly yoga class might make you feel grounded. Or taking a nap during the day might activate your feelings of freedom. Commit to doing 3-5 activities from your list each day to ensure that you are attracting more and more of your desired feelings.
7. Be open to allowing your intentions to manifest in unexpected ways. Often, we become some focused on the exact way we want our intentions to manifest, that we close of other avenues that might bring us the same feelings we are hoping to create in our life. Focus on how you want to feel, not just what you believe will bring those feelings. When stating your intentions, add the phrase “I now manifest this or something better, in divine, appropriate timing.” You might just be surprised how your dreams might show up in you life!

Sig Nordal, Jr.,(https://nordammarketing.wordpress.com/author/signordal/) has been working as an entrepreneur since completing his business studies at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. Sig has been involved in businesses and commerce in all corners of the world and he understands the risks, the excitements and the potential rewards associated with being an entrepreneur. Sig has a passion for political science and philosophy as well as human development and he writes extensively about these subjects.

The Perfect Job

By John Benson

Choosing a career is one of the most important decisions you have to take as your future is entirely dependent on it. Most people spend half or more of their waking hours five days a week at their jobs. While selecting a career can be a difficult process, the following tips if kept in mind shall make it easier for you.

Detailed analysis about potential careers is vital. You will discover details about careers that you were not aware of. It’s important to collect vital information such as career descriptions, career scope, employment opportunities, educational requirements, and potential earnings.

Communicating with people in the field is an excellent way to learn about the various aspects of a career. Doing this may also help you develop a network. Informational interviews often change a person’s perspective about an occupation. You can find interview candidates by asking friends, teachers, members of an alumni association, and neighbors. You can also contact relevant professional associations and societies and visit appropriate social and professional networking sites online.

Internships provide excellent opportunities for acquiring a realistic, clear picture about the daily duties and job satisfaction in a particular occupation. Also, internships provide valuable networking opportunities that may lead to a job. Further, companies often hire interns that perform well. Volunteering also provides many of the advantages of an internship.

Find a mentor. Many colleges and employers have a formal mentoring program. Also, formal mentoring organizations are available that match mentors with individuals. It’s a great way to learn about a career, and a mentor can provide valuable networking opportunities.

The possibility for a job being outsourced to foreign countries is an important consideration. Job outsourcing information and forecasts can be collected from sources such as articles on the Internet, magazine articles, college counselors, career counselors, professors, employment agencies, and relevant professional associations.

Search the Internet, Magazines and News Columns and make a list of jobs in your niche. Do this frequently since these lists keep changing. A “hot job” today may not be “hot” next year or the year after. When evaluating these lists, keep in mind your interests, skills, and job satisfaction requirements.

Many community colleges have career centers that provide free individual and group career counseling. Stay in touch with a good Career Counselor. Career counselors can provide assistance with the self-evaluation process, career selection process, and the job search process.

Take into consideration the number of job opportunities in your area for each career you are considering. This is vital if you intend to stay in your current location.

The skills required for a career are an essential factor for an individual’s potential for success in that career. Write a list of the skills needed for a particular field. Place a check next to each skill you possess. The more checks you make, the more likely this field is right for you.

Your aptitudes should be a vital factor in your career selection process. A gratifying career is often built upon a match with what you are naturally good at. Natural strengths allow an individual to work with ease and to acquire expertise faster.

Explore the advancement opportunities of each potential occupation. Does advancement require additional education? Will additional education and certification provide you with a significant advantage over the competition? Are supervisory and management opportunities available?

John Benson (https://www.linkedin.com/pub/john-benson/52/223/41) is a Senior career Advisor at Accenture, based in Orlando, Florida.

“Verve up your values” — featured on bublish

             The following excerpt from Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work by Halimah Bellows MA, MS is now featured on Bublish at

https://bublish.com/bubble/stream/6831?share=email.

           Bublish (www.bublish.com) is a publishing technology company that offers cloud-based tools, metrics and resources.

VERVE UP YOUR VALUES

Author Insight

            All of us have values that, consciously or unconsciously, guide our choices and actions. Throughout our lifetime, some of our values may change depending on our age, our friends, work, hobbies, or other factors. Some values, however, have not changed and will not change, despite our exposure to diverse political, religious, and cultural influences. These are our core values and the ones we want to focus on here.

 

Book Excerpt

            My favorite saying about core values is: “The degree to which we live our lives in alignment with our core values is the degree of fulfillment that we will experience.” Core values reflect what is truly important to us as happy, healthy individuals. Core values relate to the heart of our being. They relate to the sacred essence of what we want to manifest in this world. When we honor our values regularly and consistently, life is good. When we are living from our core values, we feel fulfilled. Our values serve as a compass, pointing out what it means to be true to ourselves, and providing a sense of authenticity, self -respect and peace.

NOW! Download a free copy of “Champion Your Career” from Story Cartel

You can download a free copy of Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work by Halimah Bellows from Story Cartel in exchange for writing your honest review of the book. Go to: https://storycartel.com/books/champion-your-career-winning-in-the-world-of-work

This offer is good until August 26, 2015.

Another 5-Star review for “Champion your career”

Champion Your Career: Winning in the World of Work is a non-fiction occupational self-help book written by Halimah Bellows. The author is a career counselor who coaches people of all ages on how to get their dream jobs, and she also offers workshops on personal and professional development. Her book begins with a personal assessment on what the reader’s ideal future looks like, and she asks the reader to consider what things they enjoy doing or simply feel they are good at. She cautions against relying on others’ opinions on what you should do and to instead start writing down those things which make you feel enthusiastic and involved. To this end, Bellows offers a look at the Holland Code Mode, which can help people determine what type of jobs are most suitable for their distinct personalities and preferences. She follows this analytical chapter with advice on embarking on second or third careers, increasing one’s skills, building a strong network and finding fulfilling ways to spend one’s retirement years. Each chapter offers exercises designed to make career championing a personal quest and includes links to relevant literature. Bellows dedicates a chapter to students that showcases the various assessment tests and information guides that are available for students.

Halimah Bellows’s non-fiction self-help book, Champion Your Caeer: Winning in the World of Work shows how to make that dream job a reality if you’re willing to put in the effort required. Many of the exercises she proposes are fun and make a lot of sense at the same time. I particularly enjoyed those that had the reader look back at things he/she was good at as a child or young adult, as so many of those past pleasures or accomplishments can give the job seeker invaluable insights into what occupations will make working a pleasurable and fulfilling experience. Even if you’re relatively happy with your current position/career path, the techniques and information presented in this book may still help make a huge difference in job satisfaction.   As the author writes, the average worker dedicates one-third of their lives to their careers, so I was impressed by the suggestions and exercises she presents that show how the opportunity to do what one loves, rather than to suffer through the week waiting for the weekend, can be developed with some diligence and introspection.

Her chapter on retirement options is a stimulating and informative guide for those who want to make their retirement years a “renaissance” rather than a withdrawal from life. There’s also a comprehensive appendix filled with links, advice on interview skills and preparation, and literature in the field. Champion our Career: Winning in the World of Work is most highly recommended.

–-Jack Magnus for Readers’ Favorite

For a Fun Job In Retirement, Think Out of the Box

Here are a bunch of possibilities worth considering

By Chris Farrell

Retirement surveys say that many people plan to work part-time in retirement — for the income, the enjoyment or both. But an Unretirement job doesn’t mean you have to be a Walmart greeter (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Instead, think out of the box and create, or find, a part-time position that’s fun, too.

 

Tinkering in Unretirement

Don Carlson, a former engineer in Columbia, S.C. who spent over three decades in the auto industry, loves working with machine tools, making and repairing things. So when he retired from Ford, Carlson launched a part-time business restoring old tractors. He’s since evolved it into fixing things mostly for fun — recently, he breathed life into an old manual sewing machine. “Most of what I do is for friends now,” says Carlson. “I get energy doing it.”

Tractor restoration is in line with lots of other unusual jobs I’ve learned that people are embracing in their Unretirement. People like Peter Millon, 69, who lives in Park City, Utah and waxes and repairs skis for racers part-time. Or John Kerr, 76; his encore career is a Yellowstone Park ranger.

 

Retired, But Not Retired

On a public radio broadcast I was on, a Wyoming, Minn. caller named Rick said that after he retired from being a school counselor and decided he wasn’t ready “for the rocking chair,” he picked up a job as a driver. He loves it, especially the flexibility. “I am retired, but I’m not retired,” he said.

How’s this for an unretirement job pitch? “If you consider yourself ‘Older & Bolder,’ you are retired or planning on retiring, and are looking for a seasonal or temporary job in a great place, the following employers are interested in you. Keep in mind, each has varied accommodations; some have RV spaces, some offer private rooms, and others have rentals nearby. Are you ready for your encore career?” It’s from the website Coolworks.com.

 

Part-Time Work at a National Park

Cool Works posts mostly seasonal jobs, typically paying minimum wage or slightly higher. They can be enticing for people who’d love to spend time in a national park or another exotic locale, though. When I checked out Cool Works’ job postings on February 25, the openings included: line cooks, night auditors and gift store manager in the Grand Teton National Park; multiple seasonal management opportunities in Mount Rainer and tutoring kids with the Carson and Barnes Circus.

“You can do all kinds of things,” says Kari Quaas, human resources and recruiting specialist at Cool Works.

Reading through the postings reminded me of an interview I did a few years ago with Frank and Sandie, then empty nesters in their 50s. They forged a new life for themselves, living three months of the year alongside Grand Lake in the Colorado mountains (an RV parking space and utilities were free in exchange for campsite maintenance work) and another three with the RV Care-A-Vanners on the road, building Habitat for Humanity homes. The rest of the time they lived and worked in Arizona, Frank at a pharmacy and Sandie as a craft store cashier.

Out-of-the-box Unretirement jobs like theirs can often be nomadic, short-term gigs with beautiful surroundings and so-so pay. Participants often draw on some kind of a pension or have dramatically downsized their possessions and material wants (or, more realistically, have combined savings with frugality). The lure is the adventure and the income helps make the job practical.

 

Caretaking For Someone’s Home

Home-caretaking is another possibility for those intrigued by the vagabond life. Caretakers, sometimes called housesitters, mostly look after residences and other properties of wealthy homeowners usually while they’re away. Other opportunities open up when a relative dies, leaving a home to someone living far away and the beneficiary needs someone to temporarily watch over the property.

Free board is always part of the caretaking deal, but there’s generally only compensation if you’re watching a well-off owner’s place, says Gary Dunn, publisher of the Caretaker Gazette. He adds that owners tend to prefer older caretakers and many favor former members of the military, police officers and firefighters.

 

Jobs for Retired Brains

For some other out-of-the-box ideas, I checked in with Art Koff, 79, founder of the website Retired Brains, which focuses on work. Koff mentioned a number of unusual possibilities, such as traveling-assistance companion, shuttle driver for car dealers and golf cart management.

Koff’s own story is a great example of picking up fascinating work after a first career. He spent 40 years in the high-pressure ad business and retired in his late 60s. “I wondered, ‘What to do?’ says Koff. “I couldn’t imagine not having something to do.” So he started Retired Brains. “I am working 50 hours a week, but I really enjoy what I’m doing every day,” he says. “It’s a quasi-public service business. It pays for itself, but I’m not in it for the money.”

Mention the catchphrase “working longer” to many boomers and the immediate image that comes to mind is spending more years stuck in a cubicle or working at a big-box retailer. But the Unretirement narrative shows that more and more retirees are shucking the big box for something out-of-the-box.

Chris Farrell (http://www.nextavenue.org/expert/chris-farrell) is senior economics contributor for American Public Media’s Marketplace and author of the new book, Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community, and The Good Life. (Available at: http://www.amazon.com/Unretirement-Boomers-Changing-Think-Community/dp/1620401576)