Together

Although I haven't posted regularly for a while, work/life fusion is never far from my mind. I believe in the subject matter here, plus it will always be my place of firsts. This was my first blog, the first place I ever wrote in public and the first time I ever invited anyone to join me in an open conversation about careers and work.

I also feel lucky to have a place like this because only a few years ago everything here would have been scribbled in a notebook instead of blogged out in the open. Which means none of it would have been found or changed or improved by anyone other than me. Without the open conversation on this blog I'd still have no idea about the difference it makes when you realise you're no longer struggling or battling alone.

Many, Many People: Together

[Image courtesy of TheBigTouffe on Flickr]

Blogging together has taught me that we can make a difference and our collective voice on this subject grows stronger every day. By sharing and exploring individual work/life stories we've seen ourselves struggle with the same things. We see the same doubts, the same fears and the same feelings of being alone in ourselves and other people. We've seen these things and realised we're no longer alone.

The feeling of being alone is real enough but it's also a red herring. We're not alone. We never were and never will be. Of course our career stories are all different but we're also tied together in so many countless and unshakeable ways. We go to work, we come home. We meet new people, we get along. We argue, we resolve our differences. We succeed, we fail, we struggle, we fall, we pick ourselves up and we start all over again. In short, We experience and it's our experience, alongside the experience of others, that helps us make the right and best choices for our situation. We're all making unique choices and that makes us the same.

Right now I couldn't tell you what the future looks like for this blog but I can tell you I am proud of its past and what it stands for. I'm also proud of myself and everyone else exploring their experience - past, present and future - in the battle to improve and do as well as they can. Our potential, our confidence and our progress together will continue to grow.

Thank you for reading, writing and sharing your experiences as always,

Paul

* * * * *

Snakes & Ladders

Today was definitely a snake day,

Which means I took a slide in the wrong direction.

Sliding backwards and landing with a bump always hurts,

Especially in a world where we like to move forward.

Looking up isn't always such a bad thing :)

Although I might be a few squares further back on the board,

There's no lasting damage and tomorrow is a brand new day.

I've got a new bruise to help me avoid making the same mistake,

And I also learned this for a fact:

No matter how big the snake,

It never takes you back to square one,

And it always leaves new ladders in front of you.

* * * * *

Have you ever had a snake day?

How did things start looking up for you?

Start a new conversation in a comment box below!

From the Ground Up

Birds and aeroplanes fly,

But they take off from the ground first.

Anyone who starts from 10,000ft already has a parachute,

You can bet your bottom dollar on that.

When you're going up, trust your foundations.

[Image courtesy of Eustaquio Santimano on Flickr]

Every successful career started somewhere.

True, some started a little higher up than others,

Some always had parachutes too.

But some careers also took off from the ground,

And some of these people flew as long and as high as anyone else ever did.

Thanks to these people, I know for a fact,

That not starting from 10,000ft and not having a parachute,

Doesn't have to keep anyone on the ground.

* * * * *

Blowing Your Own Trumpet

The World Cup in South Africa is getting into its stride but there's a big noise not everyone is enjoying.

There's still talk about banning the Vuvuzela

But would that really make anyone happy?

Something for the nay-sayers to think about

[Image courtesy of Coca-Cola South Africa on Flickr]

There is always a choice to be made and we are free to choose one way or the other

On this issue and many others like it.

But there might also be an acid test, to help us see both sides of a debate like this.

I challenge anyone to pick up a Vuvuzela

- even the highest ranking FIFA official -

and not be tempted to give it a blow.

Coming Around

A career makes sense,

When we can see it through the little feelings of completion,

We all experience along the way.

Carrying on the World Cup Theme but this time in a partisan way...

Come on England!

* * * * *

Warm, Soft Facts about Your Career

Why do we talk about the cold, hard facts?

Because they hurt when we get hit by them?

Because we need to feel pain in order to learn something?

I disagree, and if that separates me from the masochists then so be it, they will enjoy being rejected anyway.

Facts are facts. The only coldness or hardness is in the way we give or receive them and we can all do something about that.

Continuing the theme...This place is like a box of chocolates

[Image courtesy of Pablodda on Flickr]

Here are a few facts about work that lose nothing and gain everything when you take them warm and soft instead of cold and hard.

It's an inevitability that one day we will all retire from work. It's also an inevitability that at some point in our retirement we will look back and reflect on the work we have done, the people we did it with and so on. No matter how we divide it up or how many smaller parts we cut it into, we will ultimately package our working life as a whole. We'll do this because of our need to find something simple to define and make sense of our experiences, all the jobs we had, the different things we achieved and the struggles we went through.

If you haven't retired yet, here's a warm, soft fact for you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing right now, you can remind yourself ahead of time that it's part of a much bigger story. Now that might not sound warm and soft if you're not working, or you're finding it hard to get a job or figure out what you want to do but, right now, whatever you are doing, it's still your career and one day you will know that to be true.

Warm, soft facts like this say to us, Why wait?

When you look back on your career from your future retirement, you'll remember all the moments that were tough to live through. Some of your memories may even give you a chill when you think about them but it's also possible for these moments to be a great source of personal satisfaction. Not just because you picked yourself up and found the energy to move beyond them and turn things around but also because they were the moments and the times that led to new things, that connected your experiences and your life in ways that were unique and special to you.

These times will have played their role in the much bigger story of your work and your life as a whole and they can give you a warm, soft feeling that beats its cold, hard cousin any day.

All the best for now (from a warm, soft place),

Paul

Work Happens to You

It's easy to be swayed by someone else's opinion,

Tempting to take an answer from somewhere or someone else.

But work always comes back to us, and our experience.

You're never somewhere else or someone else,

When work is happening to you.

OK, So there's a theme developing...

[Image courtesy of Shine 2010 - 2010 World Cup good news on Flickr]

All the best,

Paul

* * * * *

What work is happening to you right now?

Finding Yourself in a New Place

One day you're at work and everything's familiar.

The next day you're somewhere new and everything has changed.

Somewhere new can be a variety of places...

It might be a new company,

it could be sitting at home needing to start a new job search,

just as it can be anywhere else in-between.

Wherever or whatever the new place for you,

you'll probably be facing plenty of change.

I found myself in another new place recently too.

Can you guess where?

The new place I had to adjust to recently was a new blog.

I knew from the beginning it was going to be different but it took a little longer (plus a little help from a friend) to realise this new place also demanded something different from me.

At first I just carried on as before, writing what I write here in a very similar way. But by staying the same I was missing the point. I was also missing the opportunities a new place always has the potential to create.

Yes they are different, maybe even a little scary at first but new places can also be encouraging, inspiring even, as we learn more about them and what they ask us to change.

Although everyone's situation will be different, the shared experience of finding ourselves in new places is just one more thing that brings us together.

One more thing that invites us to explore our careers.

Best Regards for now,

Paul

* * * * *

Would you like to share a 'new place' career experience?

Who or what helped you deal with the change?

How did you adjust to the new place you found yourself in?

What would you say to someone going through change like this right now?

Take Courage

We might have our doubts...

We don't really know what's going to happen

We're not sure what will work out for the best

We never know if time will prove us right or wrong

It must be a sign!

[Image courtesy of geese on Flickr]

But we can always be certain that

No one knows what's going to happen

No one knows what will work out for the best

No one knows if time will prove them right or wrong

You can also be sure that no one else is even half as motivated as you are,

to make the best choice possible and make your choices work

* * * * *

Personal Happiness and Job Satisfaction

Now that work/life fusion has been joined by a brand new Blog, Book & Place to Explore, it seemed like the perfect time for a new voice on the subject of work and careers to join us here too.

So, without any further ado, here's an interesting, thoughtful and generously written new article from a most welcome first-time contributor to this blog, Angela Martin...

- - - - - - - - - -

Sometimes when we are not fulfilled in the workplace, it has less to do with our actual work and more to do with our own head or our own heart.

While this is not always the case, sometimes unhappiness at work is an indicator that something else in our life is lacking. Sigmund Freud once said that a person's two greatest needs are to work and to love. It's easy to see how even the most stimulating work can become empty without:

1.) A love for what you do

2.) A love for who you are

3.) A love for the part of your life that exists outside of work

There's nothing standard about this photo of Liège

[Image courtesy of Bert K on Flickr]

A new research study published in the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology indicates that those who are unhappy in life are not as likely to find satisfaction at work, according to BusinessWeek. In fact, the report supported the idea that personal happiness has a greater effect on work satisfaction than work satisfaction has on personal happiness.

I will provide an example from my personal life, since experience is always the best teacher. I once wrote for a publication in a career that I had been seeking since high school. You would think that I would find some measure of fulfillment there, as I had persevered for many years to attain this career goal. However, outside factors began to affect my personal happiness. My significant other had lost a job around the same time, requiring him to move three hours away. My career required that I move far away from friends and family. I found that I had stopped reading books, which took away another source of personal happiness. Without these vital sources of love and support in my personal life, my work life slowly began to lose its appeal.

I later left that job and found another in the same field that required me to work more hours, yet placed me closer to my friends, family and significant other. I also took up reading again. Even though the job was more stressful and demanding, I surprisingly enjoyed it more. I believe the reason for my sudden job satisfaction was that my personal happiness had dramatically improved. The work itself had little to do with it.

So before you decide to change careers because you find your current work dissatisfying, you may want to evaluate whether or not something outside of work is disrupting your personal happiness.

- - - - - - - - - -

This guest post was contributed by Angela Martin, who writes on the topics of Job Search Websites. Angela welcomes your comments at her email Id: angela.martin77(at)gmail(dot)com

A Place to Explore

Here's the third and final new thing and it joins work/life fusion from today.

It also leads our conversation and the bigger exploration it has always been part of, into a very bright future indeed.

I could go on (and I will) but you'll have to follow this link first,

Follow this link and explore your career...

http://www.exploreyourcareer.com

Sometimes the road ahead is all the inspiration you need

[Image courtesy of Wolfgang Staudt on Flickr]

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

✪ A Blog

✪ A Book

✪ Into the Future!

A Book

Here's the first of 3 new things that will be taking this blog into the future:

A brand new book...

The Career Explorer's Journal, coming soon to an e-bookstore near you...

A few interesting facts about books...

- It might sound strange to say it out loud but you can have a personal relationship with a book

- We tend to read books on our own, although a good book is always worth sharing

- Two people can read the same book and get something completely different from the experience

A few interesting facts about work...

- It also sounds strange at first but you do have a personal relationship with work

- The career path we take is our own but we share our working lives with many people

- Two people can do the same job and get something completely different from the experience

The Career Explorer's Journal...

- Is a new place to explore and learn more about your personal relationship with work

- Offers you the time, space and encouragement to understand how work makes you feel

- Was written so that you can discover for yourself, where you want your career to go

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Number 2 of our 3 new things will be introduced on work/life fusion next week.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

✪ Into the Future!

✪ Trust in Your Career

✪ Experience versus Opinion

Into the Future!

work/life fusion is 2 years old next week.

From the very first post I wanted this blog to be a conversation about work that included everyone.

A career exchange valuing and building on individual experiences, excluding no-one.

Today, I still have exactly the same ambition for this blog but 2 years have taught me a great deal.

My intentions are the same but the future looks very different indeed...

Where you want your career to go

By Atholl McDonald (with apologies to Dr Seuss)

I believe wholeheartedly that a conversation about work - excluding no-one - can be created and hosted online. We also have the opportunity to learn something new with every step towards this intention; this archive of the last 2 years is evidence of that.

Within the next month, work/life fusion will be joined by 3 new things: A Book, A Blog & A Place to Explore. These brand new places to talk about work and explore our careers will breathe new life into the original intentions of this blog and I will introduce you to these 3 things first, right here where it all started.

To everyone who has read, joined-in and actively supported work/life fusion over the last 2 years, I can't say Thank You enough but this is my first try. I hope you decide to stick around and lend your voice and your experience to this new, extended conversation. I for one am looking forward to creating new opportunities together in the future, doing what work/life fusion has always wanted and tried to do...

Talk about work in a way that excludes no-one.

All my best to you for now,

Paul

Trust in Your Career

What would you say if I asked you to trust the following three things...

✪ You can make informed decisions based on evidence and experience

✪ There's no such thing as an absolute right or wrong answer

✪ You know more about your career than anyone else

Trust means staying together.

[Image courtesy of Jasmic on Flickr]

Trust is a big deal when it comes to work. Careers tend to suffer when trust is broken. We're asked to place our trust in a number of things throughout our working lives. Some companies, managers and experts welcome our trust and work hard to keep it. Others are happier to come and go, taking their promises with them, forcing the things we trust to change. Including some of the things that our careers may have relied upon.

Trust is important, that's why it needs to be based on something that can't and won't disappear. That's why trust should be something we can easily understand and build upon with care. We can all trust something completely different but our careers are founded on trust all the same. We can all trust something that grows with us as we discover more about work and gain new experiences over time

Take another look at these three simple things and ask if they are worthy of your trust

✪ You can make informed decisions based on evidence and experience

✪ There's no such thing as an absolute right or wrong answer

✪ You know more about your career than anyone else

Experience versus Opinion

Experiences stand where opinions fall

"Opinions are like small intestines: every body has one." Anon.

Ask these questions and you'll get an opinion...

What are my options?

Where should I go from here?

What would you do in my place?

Why am I in this position?

Ask questions like these and you'll get much more...

How have you made difficult decisions in the past?

What makes you confident about the future?

What got you through your last job search?

What tough times have you lived through?

The difference is all down to experience...

Nobody ever photographed an opinion

[Image courtesy of EBONY~CAT on flickr]

Opinions that read perfectly on paper or sound just right in conversation don't always work in the real world. When you are job searching or deciding where you want your career to go, opinions can be confusing and that gets in the way.

True experience is always grounded in fact. Good, bad or indifferent, an experience can teach you something. Someone else's experience can be just as valuable to you as it was to them. What you have learned through experience can always be relied upon, it happened to you after all.

Instead of asking someone's opinion, ask what they have done, find out what they lived through, what they rely upon and the lessons they have learned. Find out from them what has worked.

When an opinion just doesn't feel right, seize the opportunity to ask for an experience or share one of your own.

Discover for yourself why it makes all the difference.

Keep Going

So many times I gave up in my head

Called it a day and went back to bed

keep going

[Image courtesy of victorsounds on Flickr]

Experts can talk about tough times for careers. How being laid-off is nothing to worry about. How the knocks and the setbacks on long job searches can be overcome. How to renew ourselves after long periods out of work.

But the choice to keep going is ours.

See that delightful break come your way

Ask Questions

Learn Lessons

Make Gradual Improvements

Keep Going