Why we fight

Some fight work, others fight for work

I have definitely done both in my career

What about you?

Looking out to St Just
[Image courtesy of Brron on Flickr.com]

Fighting work is a losing battle

Fighting for work comes from the heart.

There's no guarantee of a win on either side

But only fighting for work is worthwhile,

For the work it delivers in the end

And any work we get along the way.

* * * * *

Just Words

"When all looked sour beyond words, some delightful 'break' was apt to lurk just around the corner.” Amelia Earhart.

This has definitely been true in my experience but they're just words right?

Sometimes you need a lot more to keep going.

When you have tried everything, done everything you can; in that moment it's hard to imagine words that can help.

But these are more than just words.

Simple expressions like this are living experience.

Someone wants you to know what got them through.

They're sharing what they have learned with you.

In the hope that what worked for them might work for you too.

That looks like a good place to aim for.

[Image courtesy of tricky ™ on Flickr]

You will probably have words like these of your own.

When things aren't going your way they remind you that better times will come.

When you feel stuck they remind you that some things are still within your power to change.

When you want to give up they are the words you can turn to.

In my view they are much more than just words.

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So,

Is there a little piece of wisdom you have relied on when the going was tough?

Has a delightful break ever lurked around the corner for you?

Why can't we see round corners?

What experience would you like to share?

They're just words after all, right?

All the best for now,

Paul

Certainty, Doubt & Your Career

If you begin with certainties, you'll end up with doubts.

If you're willing to start with doubts, you'll end with certainties.*

What did you know for sure when you started your career?

Are you sure about the same things now?

What doubts did you begin your career with?

Which of these doubts have stayed with you over the years?

Why do any of these questions matter to you?

If only there was a film called Certainty...

[Doubt... Bolt - Photo Courtesy of Joanna Young on Flickr]

These questions matter because they help you appreciate what your career experiences have taught you to date. The doubts you have changed to certainties prove just how much you have learned in your career. In a similar way, certainties that have turned into doubts are a good reminder of how much you can still learn.

Whether we work or not, it's true that our certainties and doubts can change over time. But work is one area of our lives where certainties and doubts always have a big impact. For example, if we are certain or doubtful at the wrong time, it can lead to two things that damage careers: doubt in ourselves and other people doubting us.

Sounds a bit bleak, unless that is you return to the statement at the top of this post. If you believe there is truth in that statement, when you find yourself doubting - or being doubted by others - take heart because your journey towards new, meaningful certainties has already begun. I for one am certain of that!

All the best for now,

Paul

[* I've taken the liberty of modernising and paraphrasing Francis Bacon in the above statement. For the purists, FB's original (16th Century) words were as follows: “If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts: but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.”]