3/24/2010

Attain Your Dream Career

Don't avoid the career that you want based solely on the need to get through day by day.

When we graduate from high school and start choosing the life course we want to take, most of us opt for something that covers a wider range of job opportunities.

At 18, we don’t always have a clear picture of what we want to be in the future. There are those lucky few, however, that already have a clear path in their minds. If we were to inherit a large sum of money, then this is not so much of an issue.

Practically, though, most of us have to work to be able to survive in today’s competitive world. It's possible, that after we graduate we might realize that we should have taken a different path. As much as we would like to go back to school and study, we have to choose work above everything else. So, what happens to us? There may be a way to solve this dilemma.

Personality tests have become increasingly popular among people entering the workforce. These tests are intended to reveal a most desired career path. On the surface, this may sound like a great idea. We sometimes have dreams that are not in line with who we are and these tests can give us a chance to test the unknown.

After all, we can’t fully define our path to success by simply knowing who we are. We may have hidden strengths that may only reveal themselves when the need arises. Introverts may do well in a career in sales, but how are we to know what we can do unless we can try it out.

It may sometimes appear that we’ll lead happier lives if we stick to our strengths and what we’re most comfortable with. Part of us will always remain unsatisfied when we limit our horizons out of fear or conformity. We might find ourselves waking up one day with a deep feeling of regret, and this is what we want to avoid at all costs.

Growing up, we’re completely dependent on our parents to meet our survival needs. Over time, we learn to cope with the demands life gives us. Our survival skills can only get us so far in the adult world. In most cases, the need to simply endure and carry on eventually wears thin, revealing the hidden chasm of anxiety.

We should not avoid the career that we want based solely on the need to get through day by day. We first must overcome our fears. We need to delve into something that fits our desires. Courage is what is needed here. If we can’t afford to give up the benefits of enjoying monetary stability, we must find the time to start small.

The World Wide Web offers many opportunities to hone and develop our hidden strengths. As we gain the respect of other people, we will find that job offers slowly start to trickle in. Take what we can and slowly start to let go of the other things that we don’t really enjoy. Keep in mind that if we become vigilant about this, we could soon find ourselves doing what we exactly want.

Read about the Mindset of Entrepreneurs here

3/18/2010

Goal Setting - In Theory and In Practice

Setting goals doesn't appear to be difficult. You just establish a specific goal, one that's measurable and has a defined time frame for completion.

On the surface, it sounds easy enough to do.

You implement the plan, measure progress towards reaching the goal and then evaluate the outcome objectively to refine the process.

But it rarely seems to work out that way - for a variety of reasons. The primary one is because we often fail to establish realistic goals.

Additionally, we often casually set goals with only a hazy view towards how they'll actually be accomplished. And while we're typically motivated at the beginning of the process, it's not at all unusual to lose this drive somewhere along the way.


When preparing your own goals, it's important to first understand that every goal must be realistic and readily achievable, given an appropriate amount of time and resources.


Read more on Goal Setting here




3/13/2010

Coaching and Mentoring -

Guiding others through life can be a daunting, but potentially rewarding task for any one up to the challenge. The person doing the guiding has a fine line to walk.

On one hand he must be strong enough to rebuke the follower if that person ignores advice.

On the other hand, he must sometimes allow the follower to stray, so that the follower can better understand why things should be done differently. The people doing the guiding generally fall into the categories of coaches and mentors.

What's the Difference between Coaching and Mentoring?

While the two roles are similar in some ways, they are in fact very different. Before taking someone under your wing to help them progress through life, it's important to understand the difference between coaching and mentoring.

Continued here -

How to Become a Life Coach


If you like helping people and are a charismatic and energetic person, then life coaching might be a good career choice for you.

Life coaches help their clients discover what is most important to them, help them perform at optimum levels, and achieve what it is they most desire.

They work one-on-one with their clients, either in person or over the phone, and help them in their personal development and in meeting personal goals.

Let's first examine what a life coach is and does, then we'll go into more detail on the process of how to become a life coach.

The practice evolved out of executive coaching, which itself drew on techniques developed in leadership training and management consulting.

Life Coaching continued -



3/09/2010

The Significance of Honesty and Integrity

When it comes to winning over the respect of people, honesty plays a major role in our success.

Our parents apparently hit the bull’s eye when they said that honesty is the best policy. However, many people mistake candor with tactlessness. Admittedly, there is sometimes a fine line between these two concepts.

There are just some situations and people that we can’t agree with, and sometimes, we’re put on the spot when somebody asks for our opinion. Our friends may not mind our being frank because they simply know us better. Unfortunately, there are also people who just won’t be able to understand us. And why should they? Words can really be offensive when used out of context. It's actually up to us to handle every situation with diplomacy.

It is then important that honesty should come with integrity. When we can’t say anything nice, we might as well not say anything. To be rightfully honest is to also know how to be aware of the feelings of people. Empathy and a high emotional quotient play a big part here. We, ourselves, do not enjoy getting attacked by people we don’t really know.

The people around us react better to constructive criticism if they have enough sense to realize that we are only there with their best interests at heart, they are more likely open to listening to what we have to say.
Another question to ask is if our opinions are clouded by the beliefs of other people. Being honest with how we truly feel provides the means to see the symptoms of our own nature. We start to gain understanding when we also look deep into our very soul.

The principle behind telling the truth is making it possible to get what is an unprejudiced view of the situation.

If we want to become more honest people, we first must look into ourselves, know if it is the right thing to do, and try to handle every situation cautiously. The central concept of honesty is not to hurt other people. In fact, its main purpose is to find ways by which we can help others become the best that they can be.

How to Enhance Your Conversation Skills