Make the Most of the New Year – Design Your Future and Develop a Personal Vision Statement

This coming new year, instead of making resolutions, we suggest that you develop a personal vision statement. A personal vision statement is a vivid account that describes what your life will be like at some future date and is based on your values and goals. It is focused on both personal and professional goals and is intended to orient you toward your long-term dreams.

A recent article in Forbes describes why a personal vision statement is important. “You would consider it foolish for a person to drive around aimlessly looking for a destination without an address, directions, or a map. For the very same reasons, it’s foolish to maneuver throughout life without a roadmap or plan.

It's often said that ‘If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.’ Creating a roadmap will help you stay focused and on the right path to achieve your long-term goals.”

Why You Need A Personal Vision Statement

Most individuals have an easier time thinking about what the next month or year might be like for them. It gets a bit more difficult when peering into a future that could be three, five, or ten years from now. For some people, it’s hard to do this since we are asking our minds to picture a state of life that’s quite intangible in the present time. However, just as a company or organization develop their vision, an individual is no less in need of knowing what their future is expected to look like.

The Forbes article states additional benefits to developing a personal vision statement. “Having a written personal vision allows you to plan the most efficient course to your goals. It allows you to have the clarity of when to say “yes” or “no” to things based on your own personal values and vision. It also helps you to spot potential hazards or roadblocks before you’re impacted by them.”

A personal vision statement is a vivid account that describes what your life will be like at some future date and is based on your values and goals. It is focused on both personal and professional goals and is intended to orient you toward your long-term dreams.

This is the focus of the chapter Personal Vision in our book Time To Get Real! Wouldn’t it be great if you could peer through the window of the future and see exactly the way things will be for you three or five years from now? It would be great, but you can’t do it. The best you can do is to narratively depict that future as you want to see it with as much detail as possible so that you can almost feel as if you will one day inhabit that vision. So, a personal vision describes what your tomorrow will look like. The vision itself has great value since it is a magnet pulling you toward your future. In addition, a vision will have multiple uses in the present. It can help you to decide if that job offer can be accepted or whether buying that home fits into your plans.

Not only is a personal vision a tool to be deployed for decision-making, but it is also aspirational, motivational, and becomes a driving force when reviewed on a periodic basis. A vision can be shared with others to demonstrate that you have thought about and made decisions about where you want to take your life. This is especially helpful when seeking mentoring from trusted individuals or preparing for a job interview.

Although it may not be possible to achieve 100% of your personal vision, even the achievement of 70, 80, or 90% of your vision can be extremely satisfying. It may not be possible to get everything you want. However, without a vision, and without trying to attain it, it’s unlikely that you will get what you want.

Now that you know the importance and benefits of developing a personal vision, in the next blog, we will describe how to carefully craft your vision.

We recommend that in addition to reading our book Time To Get Real! and working through the Life and Career Planning Model© that it provides, consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s mission and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. Our coaching fees and services are flexible and meet a broad array of client financial and coaching needs. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

This book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon. Click here to buy the book.

The Perfect Holiday Gift!

What could be more perfect than giving someone you care for a gift that helps them to determine the future that they want and how to get there.

The Leading an Intentional Life course is a great holiday gift idea! Based on our book Time To Get Real! and the Life and Career Planning Model©, this noncredit course helps people take control of their career and their life so that they can intentionally move forward in a direction that leads to personal and professional satisfaction and fulfillment. Perfect for anyone who’s serious about planning for their future: Your daughter or son?... Mom or dad?... The love of your life?... Grandma or Grandpa?... Whether they’re 21, 41, or 61 years old, this course can make a very real difference for anyone just starting out, mid-career, or on the glide path to retirement. The course is self-paced and easy to move through with plenty of help including coaching if desired.

Click here for more information and to purchase.

What could be more perfect than giving someone you care for a gift that helps them to determine the future that they want and how to get there.

The course progresses through the Life and Career Planning Model© in the following way:

SELF - The process starts with an examination of self; a thorough review of six aspects of your life that make you who you are. This is a highly introspective section of the model.

CAREER - You then move to work and career; a comprehensive review of five aspects of your work and career that helps you to better perform and progress.

PERSONAL VISION - Next it’s time to think about what your life and career will look like at some future date, thereby creating a destination in which self-satisfaction and happiness are attained.

ANALYSIS AND LEARNING - During this phase of the model, you analyze the work and the results that you have obtained so far during this process and determine the insights that you have derived from your process of self-discovery. The results of this analysis and your learning become the input for your life and career plan. This is pay off number one: your self-knowledge and learning are now well documented.

THE PLAN - The final stage is to develop your life and career plan. You assimilate all of your good work and thoughtful preparation into an action plan that will propel you onto a path to your best life. The final payoff: the development of your life and career plan that will propel you onto a path to your best life and career.

Click here for more information and to purchase. 

Create your own strategic life plan

This course, Leading an Intentional Life, is based on our book Time To Get Real! and the Life and Career Planning Model©. The book also makes an excellent gift on its own. Click here to buy the book.

With the help of this course, anyone can become the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of their own strategic life plan. The course creates a focus on both their life and career while providing a decision-making tool that can last a lifetime. They will create their own plan while positioning themselves to take advantage of opportunities along the road to their desired vision.

Show how much you care: Give a gift that leads to success! Click here for more information and to purchase.

Who is Generation Z?

In the workforce in the United States today, as well as in other developed countries around the world, there are five specific age groups. There are significant differences in how these five age groups perceive themselves, and there are specific differences in how they would like to be treated in communication, supervision, and the working environment. In our book Time To Get Real!, the chapter entitled “Crossing Age Groups and Cultures” provides an overview of these differences. Much has been written about Traditionalists (1928-1945), Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation X (1965-1980), and the Millennials (1981-1998). It is more recently that the characteristics of Generation Z (1999 to present) are coming sharply into focus.

Core characteristics of Generation Z

In this blog, we will learn more about these newcomers to the workforce. According to an article by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, “One of the core characteristics of Generation Z is racial diversity. For many Gen Z-ers, the backdrop of their early years included the country’s first Black president and the legalization of gay marriage. They are more likely to have grown up amid diverse family structures — whether in a single-parent household, a multi-racial household, or a household in which gender roles were blurred. As a result, they are less fazed than previous generations by differences in race, sexual orientation or religion.”

One of the core characteristics of Generation Z is racial diversity.

The article explains, “Another characteristic of Generation Z is their native use of technology. Whereas Millennials were considered “digital pioneers,” who bore witness to the explosion of technology and social media, Gen Z was born into a world of peak technological innovation — where information was immediately accessible and social media increasingly ubiquitous.”

In addition, the article describes their purchasing behavior. “As consumers, Gen Z’s behavior reflects their values — and the influence of an increasingly digital world. Gen Z kids can rely on their tech-savvy and extensive social networks to make informed purchasing decisions. Their pragmatism leads them to explore and evaluate a range of options before settling on a product. In addition, they are more likely to be swayed by the recommendations of real-life users than by celebrity endorsements.”

Understanding generational differences

In your life and career, you will come into contact with many individuals, and increasingly with members of the Gen Z group, who may not view life in the same way you do. You, as does everyone, belong to a specific age group that has distinct characteristics--many, but not all, of which you may embody yourself. It is helpful when developing and deploying your life and career plan to understand the generational differences among groups of people.

To buy the book, click here.
Our book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon.

We recommend that in addition to reading our book Time To Get Real! and working through the Life and Career Planning Model© that it provides, consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s mission and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. Our coaching fees and services are flexible and meet a broad array of client financial and coaching needs. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner as you read each chapter of the book and capture your thoughts in the interactive exercises. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

The Five Personality Traits for a Long, Healthy Life

Many of us are motivated to live a long and healthy life. When it comes to strategies for slowing down the aging process, exercise and nutrition are very important, but personality traits also factor into the equation. According to a November 2021 article in Time Magazine, “Recent research shows that several personality traits predict who will enjoy health into their 80s and beyond. According to some studies, the link between personality and longevity is as strong as intelligence or how much money you have, both of which are correlated with longer lifespans . . . The following five traits can be cultivated for a long, healthy life: conscientiousness, purpose, optimism, extraversion, and a lack of neuroticism.”

We encourage you to read the Time Magazine article (click here for a link to the article) to learn more about these five personality traits. For this blog, we will focus on purpose. The article states, “Another good quality for longevity is being purposeful, or having a direction in life with clear goals that energize you. Those who say that they have a life purpose recover faster from aggravations such as viewing pictures of pollution and other disturbing scenes. They also tend to have more brain volume in an area of the brain that’s linked to self-awareness and decision-making.”

Develop Your Personal Mission Statement

Defining your purpose is one aspect of a Life and Career Planning Model©, featured in our book Time To Get Real! that helps individuals to be more intentional about their life and career while employing a strategic life plan. At Life and Career Planning, we ask individuals we are teaching or coaching to write a statement that describes their life’s purpose or mission. For most people, this is not an easy exercise. It requires thinking about all the dimensions of your life, your relationships, your work, your personal motivations, and in some sense your spiritual or humanistic beliefs. A personal mission statement offers clarity and gives you a sense of purpose. It helps define who you are and how you will live. Frankly, it’s much easier to write a description of a job you want than to answer the question – why am I here?

For most people, this is not an easy exercise. It requires thinking about all the dimensions of your life, your relationships, your work, your personal motivations, and in some sense your spiritual or humanistic beliefs.

A number of years ago Alex Plinio, author of Time To Get Real! had the opportunity to work with Frances Hesselbein, the CEO of the Girl Scouts of America, who had been named as the best executive leader in the United States in business, nonprofit, or government fields. She talked about the need that people have for a hope beyond the change experienced in their daily lives. She said that the need was for an anchor, a purpose, which provided meaning for their life and their work. We believe everyone needs this, but few people take the time to think about it and to provide that meaning for themselves.

Purpose statements can be quite powerful in motivating a person toward their specific life’s vision. An individual’s vision is that future place to which they hope to arrive. The statement can help with decision-making in all aspects of one’s life. For example, when offered that new job, your purpose can make that decision a lot easier As Francis Hasselbein has observed, a well-thought-out statement provides an anchor in life’s sea of change.

Align Your Life and Career Plan with Your Purpose

We strongly encourage you to take the time to reflect and develop your own purpose statement. Aligning all the parts of your life and career plan with your purpose is like fitting the pieces of a puzzle together. It provides the opportunity to make your life better and helps you feel good about your place in the world. Let your purpose strengthen your resolve, help you to make decisions, and bring you a level of comfort. We have helped many individuals through this process and we can help you. To contact us, click here.

To buy the book, click here.
Our book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon.

We recommend that in addition to reading our book Time To Get Real! and working through the Life and Career Planning Model© that it provides, consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s mission and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. Our coaching fees and services are flexible and meet a broad array of client financial and coaching needs. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner as you read each chapter of the book and capture your thoughts in the interactive exercises. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

A Model to Help You Make Better Decisions

We all make decisions. They may be easy or difficult. Some don’t require very much thought but others can impact our life, our career, or other individuals who are important to us. For those decisions that have great meaning for our life and our work, it’s important to do the best possible job that we can in reaching conclusions that will be to our benefit.

At Life and Career Planning, we developed a decision-making process based on research of numerous decision-making models. Below is a graphic depiction of the process. Its application is not for the easy or day-to-day decisions we all make. We suggest using it when a serious life or career problem or opportunity arises. You will note that to make the best decision possible, your personal values, mission, and vision must be central to the decision-making process. Review the model and then review the case study we provide as an example.

Here is an example of how to use the Decision-Making Process.

 Case Study:

1.     Identify and Define Cedric is a very experienced and knowledgeable technology executive. He has been working for his company’s CEO for just over a year. He is upset and frustrated because the CEO, who is experienced in technology but not as much as Cedric, continually pushes back on Cedric when Cedric is taking independent action. The CEO wants to control a broad array of decision-making as applied in the technology arena. He seems to do it because he likes the field, rather than because it is necessary to get the desired results. Cedric likes the company and his position in it except for the fact that he and the CEO clash more often than not over Cedric’s independent role and the decisions he is making.

2.     Gather Information Cedric needs to spend time in self-assessment and reflection regarding his frustration with his boss’ micromanagement. He can also do some research about the technology job market to understand the viability of changing jobs.

3.     Create Alternatives

• Cedric can just continue to put up with the boss’ behavior and make an effort to not let it bother him so much

• Cedric can speak with this boss and let him know that he is frustrated with the micromanagement and suggest a period of time that the boss lets Cedric make the technology decisions and see if the boss can become comfortable with that arrangement

• Cedric can go to the head of human resources (HR) and see if they can set up a meeting with the boss to discuss the micromanagement. Maybe HR can have some influence

• Cedric can look for a similar position in another organization

4.     Evaluate Each Alternative

• Put up with the behavior: Cedric is feeling frustrated and undervalued and this is demotivating. This is tolerable in the short run but in the long run, Cedric can’t live with that level of stress and frustration. This is not a viable option for Cedric

• Speak with the boss: This risk here is that the boss may reject Cedric’s request to let him make the technology decisions and Cedric has now potentially angered the boss and his career situation is unresolved. On the other hand, the boss may be unaware of how this is impacting Cedric and may be willing to back off and let Cedric do his job. This seems like a viable alternative for Cedric

• Go to HR: While it might be helpful to have HR intervene with the boss, it also could anger the boss that Cedric didn’t address the issues directly with the boss. Cedric is a senior executive and should attempt to manage this himself first. This is not a first-choice alternative

• Look for a new job: There are many unknowns when changing jobs – Cedric might have to move, there is no guarantee that his relationship with a new boss would be a good one, and changing jobs may increase his commute. This alternative is most likely a last resort since Cedric should ask for what he wants where he is before going elsewhere

5.     Decide on an Alternative

Cedric decides to have a conversation with his boss. He prepares for the conversation by discussing the issue in-depth with a trusted colleague in another organization and plans a strategy for the discussion.

6.     Implement

Cedric makes a late afternoon appointment to meet with this boss. He has practiced how he will present the issue to his boss. Although he feels some anxiety, he calmly makes his presentation and suggests that the boss allow him to make all the technology decisions for 60 days, and then they will have a follow-up meeting to debrief and agree on how to proceed.

7.     Review the Outcome

Cedric’s boss has been unaware of how his micromanaging has impacted Cedric. The boss agrees to Cedric’s 60-day proposal. Cedric will need to revisit this step 7 of the Decision-Making Process after the 60-day period is over.  If Cedric is happy with the outcome, he has accomplished his desired outcome. If the boss reverts to his micromanaging ways, Cedric will need to repeat the process using the learning from the first alternative he chose and choose a different alternative.

For those decisions that have great meaning for our life and our work, it’s important to do the best possible job that we can in reaching conclusions that will be to our benefit.

Making better decisions is certainly important in one’s life as well as career. Of course, there is no more important decision than to determine your life’s vision, where it is that you would like to arrive and be the happiest person you can be in both your life and career. If you can do that, you will place yourself way ahead of the competition.

In our book Time To Get Real!, we provide the reader with a market and time-tested guide to help them lead an intentional life. The guide is the Life and Career Planning Model© which helps you take control and directs you through a strategic planning process leading to actions that result in personal and professional success.

The Life and Career Planning Model© life and the Decision-Making Process described above are tools that can move you forward in a positive direction. The Life and Career Planning Model© has been used in our coaching of individuals across all age groups. It works!

To buy the book, click here. Our book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon.

We recommend that in addition to reading our book Time To Get Real! and working through the Life and Career Planning Model© that it provides, consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s vision and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. Our coaching processes and fees are both flexible to accommodate a broad spectrum of individuals. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner as you read each chapter of the book and capture your thoughts in the interactive exercises. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

The Benefits of a Strong Corporate Culture

Being part of a positive organizational culture is important for your professional success and job satisfaction. If you work somewhere where the culture is a good fit, you’re more likely to develop better relationships with managers and coworkers and be more productive.

According to an article in Forbes, “To be effective, a culture needs to be embraced by everyone. When an employee sees that the company’s values are shared and rules are followed at every level, they feel secure and included and can be more productive in the workplace.

When employees feel supported in their surroundings, they’re more likely to be driven by a desire to understand new things. Daily routine becomes an adventurous journey where people can discover themselves and enhance their performance.”

Do Your company’s values align with yours?

In our book, Time To Get Real!, chapter 8 asks you to consider the company you work for and any organizations for which you volunteer. It doesn’t matter if you are working for compensation or freely giving of your time and effort in a volunteer activity, work is work. Whether it is a business, government, or nonprofit organization, a mission or purpose, values, and culture will exist within that organization. Aligning yourself with your organization, whether receiving compensation or not, is important for your own personal comfort and commitment.

Research has shown that when people match their personal values to the values of the company, employees are happier and more engaged.

Look at the mission of the organization for whom you work or volunteer. In the book, we ask you to compare it to what you have learned about yourself – values, purpose, life balance, etc. Does the organization's mission help to maximize your strengths while providing development opportunities? Does the mission conflict in any way with your own purpose or is it complimentary? Research has shown that when people match their personal values to the values of the company, employees are happier and more engaged. In addition, mission and values alignment is a quality that is common to high-performance organizations.

Corporate values represent the guiding principles of the organization’s culture. These values shape the culture of the company, which is represented by consistent, observable patterns of behavior in organizations. It is “the story” that is embedded in the people of the organization and that story is reinforced by the values and rituals seen every day.

For example, some organizations might focus on teamwork as a value. But, if staff members are highly competitive, don’t share information, or support one another on team projects, it’s easy to discern lip service is being given to this value. In other organizations, a value might be the development of human resources. That organization might have a substantial number of training programs, provide for rotational assignments, and have a tuition reimbursement policy. The values and company behavior alignment are more easily seen here.

What do you do if your values don’t align?

Think about this for your own situation and organization. Just as there is no perfect life, there is no perfect job. We are quite fortunate when we can get 80% of what we want in our workplace, and this, in turn, gives us the strength to handle the other 20%. If in your case you have a good match with your company on mission, values, and culture, see if you can get what you want where you are by tweaking one or two things to make it more comfortable for you.

If you are in a state of conflict and you are uncomfortable in your workplace, then have the courage to make the move you need to make to achieve your life and career goals.

However, if you are in a state of conflict and you are uncomfortable in your workplace, then have the courage to make the move you need to make to achieve your life and career goals. The Life and Career Planning Model© featured in the book Time To Get Real! will help you develop your plan to move forward in a positive direction.

To buy the book, click here. Our book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon.

We recommend that in addition to reading our book Time To Get Real! and working through the Life and Career Planning Model© that it provides, consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s vision and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner as you read each chapter of the book and capture your thoughts in the interactive exercises. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

Source: Ivanov, Vasiliv, 2020, ‘The Importance of Corporate Culture in a Company’s Everyday Operations’, Forbes, October 7

Is a Toxic Person Holding You Back?

Do you have a toxic person in your life? Motivational speaker Jim Rohn famously said that you’re the product of the five people with whom you spend the most time. If you allow even one of those five people to be toxic in their relationship with you, you’ll soon find out how capable he or she is of holding you back from obtaining your life goals.

According to a Ladders article about toxic people, recent research from Friedrich Schiller University in Germany shows just how serious toxic people are. “The study found that exposure to stimuli that cause strong negative emotions, the same kind of exposure you get when dealing with toxic people, caused subjects’ brains to have a massive stress response.”

If you allow even one of those five people to be toxic in their relationship with you, you’ll soon find out how capable he or she is of holding you back from obtaining your life goals.

 The article notes, “Whether it’s negativity, cruelty, the victim syndrome, or just plain craziness, toxic people drive your brain into a stressed-out state that should be avoided at all costs.”

The impact of toxic people

In our book Time To Get Real! we ask you to consider any negative or toxic relationships that you need to work on or move away from. It’s important to recognize that relationships can hinder or help an individual’s progress toward his or her best life. Negative or toxic relationships poison the efforts of an individual from moving in a positive direction.

Brian was a good guy who found he was constantly dealing with criticism from his older brother, Michael. Brian would periodically approach Michael for advice on various issues impacting his life. Michael consistently found negative aspects in Brian’s decision-making or behavior. He did not reinforce or applaud Brian’s positive behavior or decisions. He dwelled on the negative. This really bothered Brian. What should he do? What would you do?

In this instance and in many others that you can think of, we have an individual attempting to move forward in their life but hitting a roadblock in the form of a negative or toxic relationship. Whether it’s a friend, family member, boss, or spouse doesn’t matter. What matters is that this frustration in the relationship makes you feel negative, non-trusting of the individual, and concerned that you cannot share your true feelings or innermost thoughts.  

You can seek the advice and help of one of your positive key relationships. You can seek guidance from a mentor or coach. Living with a negative or toxic relationship should not be an option.

Avoiding Toxic People

Just as a positive key relationship can help you move ahead to your best life, a negative or toxic relationship can prevent you from making progress. Refuse to live with a relationship that makes you feel bad, turns you off, creates negative energy and stress for you, and doesn’t help move you along to your best life. You can seek the advice and help of one of your positive key relationships. You can seek guidance from a mentor or coach. Living with a negative or toxic relationship should not be an option.

To buy the book, click here. Our book is rated 4.5 stars on Amazon.

We recommend that in addition to reading our book Time To Get Real! and working through the Life and Career Planning Model© that it provides, consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s vision and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner as you read each chapter of the book and capture your thoughts in the interactive exercises. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

Source: Bradberry, Travis, 2019, ’10 toxic people you should avoid like the plague’, The Ladders, May 16

Assessing your Strengths and Opportunities for Development

At a reunion of the Harvard Business School class of 1963, the alumni were asked to share advice as they look back over their careers*. There is much wisdom to be gleaned from their experience and perspective. A couple of the comments really stood out to us regarding personal and professional development.

Here is what George Mosher from the class of ‘63 had to say:

“Think through your strengths and weaknesses. Work hard with your strengths and work with other people to balance your weaknesses.”

And from Gerald Wolin:

“Make sure you truly know who you are, your strong points and weaknesses. A solid self-assessment is an important step in the right direction. Many of us do not do this to the full extent.” 

Identify your abilities and limitations

We explore this very topic of strengths and weaknesses in our book Time To Get Real! Chapter 7 looks at personal and professional strengths and areas of development and poses the questions, “What are your personal and professional strengths, and what plans do you have, or could you have to further develop your skills and abilities?” An individual can’t accept their limitations or assets unless they can identify them and be honest about them. What are your strengths and areas requiring personal development? How do you find out what they are if you don’t already know?

Much depends upon an individual’s focus on those strengths to acquire, build, or maintain them. In addition, individuals learn throughout their life, whether formally or through experience.

First, we understand that the strengths that an individual has can dramatically change over time. For example, the ability to play a specific sport may diminish. Other strengths, like being able to lead a large number of individuals at work, might increase. Strengths, identified as areas of specific power, energy, knowledge, skill, or intensity that one embodies and can rely upon, are different today than they were yesterday and could be different tomorrow. Much depends upon an individual’s focus on those strengths to acquire, build, or maintain them. In addition, individuals learn throughout their life, whether formally or through experience. We believe learning is life-long; therefore, personal development is life-long.

Prepare for the future

Personal development is defined by an individual’s actions, which improve awareness and self-identity and develop talents, skills, and potential. A company that Time To Get Real! co-author, Alex Plinio, worked for had a motto, “The future belongs to those who prepare for it.” This means that plans for your future can be better achieved if you develop the skills and abilities for who you want to become. In our book, you will take an honest look at areas that need or are desired for improvement. Have you performed a serious self-assessment? What have others told you about your performance, personality, and behaviors?

Plans for your future can be better achieved if you develop the skills and abilities for who you want to become.

Weakness and the need for personal development is a part of human nature. Many people are aware of their weaknesses and should remember that weaknesses can stop us from achieving our goals. We need to recognize our weaknesses so that we can surmount or manage them. You also need to understand that if weakness cannot be overcome, there are ways to help. For example, organizing your team at work and making sure those team representatives have strengths in areas in which you may be weak. Or at home, agreeing with family members that certain responsibilities can be divided appropriately.

Take the first step toward development

To initiate and sustain changes in yourself can take a day or a lifetime. The change that you seek can be made with grit and determination, but you have to mean it. And the only way to start is to start. Choose the area of development in which you seek change, commit yourself to that change, and take your first step. It will lead to the next. Remember, we can help.

To buy the book, click here

We recommend that in addition to reading our book Time To Get Real! and working through the Life and Career Planning Model© that it provides, consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s vision and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner as you read each chapter of the book and capture your thoughts in the interactive exercises. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

*To read more advice from the Harvard Business School class of 1963, click here.

Finding More Joy in Your Life

Do you have feelings of joy every day?  During challenging times, joy can seem fleeting but there are ways to get closer to joy on a daily basis. 

It is easy to confuse joy with happiness, and although they are closely related and can occur simultaneously, these two emotions aren't identical. Happiness brings bursts of pleasure, excitement, or satisfaction, while joyfulness is a stronger, longer-term state that results in feelings of inner peace and contentment. 

"Whereas happiness can be easily manufactured, joy comes through setting up the right conditions for it to suddenly appear," says Forrest Talley, PhD., a clinical psychologist in California. "Happiness can be brought about by a good cup of coffee in the morning or a funny movie. Joy, on the other hand, is more difficult to cultivate." It can be a continuing process that takes time. 

Happiness brings bursts of pleasure, excitement, or satisfaction, while joyfulness is a stronger, longer-term state that results in feelings of inner peace and contentment. 

The benefits of feeling joy

And yet, it's worth it because of all the health benefits you get along the way. "Numerous studies suggest happiness and joy predict lower heart rate and blood pressure, as well as stronger immune systems, " says Susan Damico, M.A. director at the Devereux Center for Resilient Children. "Additionally, individuals who report having more positive emotions also have fewer illnesses, including minor aches and pains." Finding joy also leads to longer life spans, Talley says. Research published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that happier individuals tended to live longer in 53% of the cases.

In our book Time To Get Real! we agree with the importance of focusing on joy. In chapter 2 entitled Joy, we ask you to look back on your life and consider what achievements and accomplishments gave you the most joy? What was the sense of accomplishment or joy you received from them? What are the discernable themes? And what is the importance of focusing on joy or happiness?

Where to find joy

Joy is derived in different ways for different people; however, we all know when we have it, we like it a lot and would love to keep it. Joy can come from various sources: your work, your interests, your family, your hobbies, things accomplished, challenges overcome, new experiences, and so on.

Joy can come from various sources: your work, your interests, your family, your hobbies, things accomplished, challenges overcome, new experiences, and so on.

To the extent possible, the more we can replicate in our lives and in our career that feeling of joy, the happier we will be. In our book, we ask you to write about several incidents in your life that produced joy. This is important when considering later aspects of the Life and Career Planning Model© and attempting to determine how to replicate those feelings through work and life. 

How to find joy

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We strongly encourage you to take the time to reflect on what brings you joy and then to actively seek to engage more with those sources. Reading chapter 2 in our book will help you with this.

We recommend that in addition to reading our book Time To Get Real! and working through the Life and Career Planning Model© that it provides, consider some amount of personal coaching that can help you to discern and activate your life’s vision and move you toward the best life and career that you deserve. All Life and Career Planning LLC coaches are experienced and certified in the Life and Career Planning Model© and serve as your accountability partner as you read each chapter of the book and capture your thoughts in the interactive exercises. To inquire about working with a coach, click here.

Source: Natale, Nicol, 2020, ‘How to Find Joy in Your Everyday Life’, Prevention Magazine, July 7