This topic in the book Time To Get Real! 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?
How Is Your Life Balance?
In this section of the book Time To Get Real! you will learn that life is spent in the minutes, hours, and days that are yours. How do you spend that time, and where do you spend that time? Does the way you spend your life seem to mirror your interests, joy, values, and relationships? If not, why not?
Life balance means something different to every individual and it is important that you determine what balance appropriately supports your mission, values, and goals. Healthy individuals have multiple sources of satisfaction. Are you regularly engaging in a variety of activities that bring you satisfaction? This is another opportunity to evaluate what is important to spend time on and what activities you need to diminish in your life.
Considering My Current and Future Position
This topic in our book Time To Get Real! encourages you to reflect on where you currently are in your career and where you are headed. Does the current position you hold reflect what you need for your personal strengths and development areas, your values, and your life purpose? If you are unhappy in your current role, we ask you to think about what would your days look like if you had control over them?
Here are some important questions to ask yourself:
• Do I have a “next” position in mind?
• Is my resume up to date and does it appropriately represent my accomplishments?
• Do I have a network that is relevant and active?
• Is my LinkedIn or other social/career media site profile current and am I connecting with people through this platform?
• Before leaving any position, have I asked for what I want where I am? If I can’t get what I want where I am, can I describe as best as possible the next type of job, organization, culture, position, compensation, etc., that I desire?
What Brings Me Joy?
The next chapter after Interests in Time To Get Real! focuses on joy. We ask you to look back on your life and consider what achievements and accomplishments gave the most joy? What was the sense of accomplishment or joy received from them? What are the discernable themes? And what is the importance of focusing on joy or happiness?
According to happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., of the University of California, Riverside, “the benefits of happiness include higher income and superior work outcomes, larger social rewards, more activity, energy, and flow, better physical health, and even longer life.” Dr. Lyubomirsky has found that happy individuals are more creative, helpful, charitable, and self-confident, have better self-control, and show greater self-regulatory and coping abilities.
Exploring My Interests
Exploring your interests is the opening topic in Time To Get Real! and we ask you to begin to focus on yourself and your interests. There is a tremendous benefit to understanding those things in your life that are attractive to you, motivational, inspirational, and make you feel good. This allows you to spend time reflecting on the activities and pursuits that you value the most.
Applying the “five whys” helps you uncover the nature and source of your values and interests by asking "why" no fewer than five times. Using exercises like this helps you probe deeper to expose a root value and gain a greater understanding of the interests you want to make a priority in your life.
What is the Life and Career Planning Model©?
What differentiates our book, Time To Get Real!, our life and career planning process, and all our corollary aids from what has been available in the marketplace to this point is a two-stage focus that you will follow. First, the Life & Career Planning Model© is elegantly simple, easy to follow, and interesting in which to engage. It is a useful tool. However, secondly, you are in control, and fully responsible for model inputs and outputs, while being guided by proven expertise.
You can go through the material and the steps quickly or slowly, but you must engage in the entire process, and spend time, effort, and thought to get the payoff you desire. The coaching process starts with an examination of self, then moves to a review of work and career. Once those two parts of the model are completed, a personal vision is developed, extending out at least three to five years. After you analyze your results and what you’ve learned, you then develop a plan that you activate immediately and revise periodically, as circumstances of your life change.
Get the best life, the best career, and the best you!
We all know that effective organizations continually review, evaluate and refine their action plans for success through a process called “strategic thinking and planning.” The CEO and others in the organization periodically take a candid look at the company’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges, finances and competitive set in a changing marketplace to plan for action to better control their future. Good companies are also opportunistic. They look for those actions that can be taken now to improve their positions.
But what about you? How ironic that this activity happens all the time in our workplaces, yet few consider the same approach or model for their own lives. Life and Career Planning, LLC and its principals, Alex J. Plinio and Melissa Smith will help you to think about this through a new series of blogs. There is no reason why you can’t be more intentional when planning for your life and career. The Life and Career Planning Model© along with the book Time To Get Real! take this observation to its logical next step: the need to create a strategic plan for one’s life while being assertive about the opportunities that arise each day. The Life and Career Planning Model© directs you through the process of being the CEO of your life, turning malaise, fear or uncertainty into an action plan for personal and professional success.
Are You Feeling Stuck?
These are the voices of the people we coach and teach.
- “I’m so sick of my job. I really need to do something else.”
- “I am so tired of running all the time to keep up – and I feel like I’m failing at work and at home.”
- “I’ve gone from job to job, but what do I really want to do?”
- “I am a successful executive and yet I feel somehow there’s more for me.”
- “How do I know what career options I have to live the life that I want”
- “Retirement is not that far off and I haven’t even thought about it”
Many are at a crossroads. They are anxious to get their careers and lives in order but feel stuck. Some are executives in good jobs but feeling unfulfilled. Others are managers who feel trapped where they are. Almost all appear busy and stressed. A lack of personal fulfillment, financial worries, and fear of the unknown keep them up at night. Still, others are just starting out on their career journeys. They all desperately want to have control of their lives.
Many are at a crossroads. They are anxious to get their careers and lives in order but feel stuck.
Do you feel this way too?
Our message to you is clear: You can be more in control than you believe and can achieve success and personal happiness, but you need to think and act like the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of your own life. This is the essence of Life & Career Planning. Be that CEO.
We all know that effective organizations continually review, evaluate and refine their action plans for success through a process called “strategic thinking and planning.” The CEO and others in the organization periodically take a candid look at the company’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges, finances and competitive set in a changing marketplace to plan for action to better control their future. Good companies are also opportunistic. They look for those actions that can be taken now to improve their positions.
But what about you?
How ironic that this activity happens all the time in our workplaces, yet few consider the same approach or model for their own lives. Life & Career Planning takes this observation to its logical next step: the need to create a strategic plan for your life while being assertive about the opportunities that arise each day.
Life & Career Planning directs you through the process of being the CEO of your life, turning malaise, fear or uncertainty into an action plan for personal and professional success. While no one can predict the future, anyone can pursue a course of his or her own design to find more happiness.
Turn your dreams into an enduring action plan that can achieve your desired results. Life & Career Planning is the spark that can light your fire.
There are no overnight tricks to finding true insight. The real trick is to invest thought, time and effort in developing a meaningful and disciplined plan that will enable you to weather unforeseen challenges with resilience, confidence, and self-direction while at the same time, helping you to make choices as opportunities present themselves. Deep self-assessment and reflection can be uncomfortable and is not easy. It may trigger thoughts that have been avoided, resulting in inaction and “feeling stuck."
The ultimate purpose of Life & Career Planning is to help you better understand your life and career and how they are integrated and to move from where you are, to an action plan, to where you want to be for your life and career. Turn your dreams into an enduring action plan that can achieve your desired results. Life & Career Planning is the spark that can light your fire.
Click here to send us your contact information and let us know how we can help
or go to LifeandCareerPlanning.com for more information.
Turn Uncertainty into an Action Plan for Personal and Professional Success
Are you ready to pursue a course of your own design to find more happiness? Life & Career Planning helps you better understand your life and career and how they are integrated. This model helps you move from where you are to where you want to be for your life and career.
The Life & Career Planning Model© is elegantly simple, easy to follow, and interesting to engage with. It is a useful tool. You are in control and fully responsible for model inputs and outputs, while being guided by proven expertise. The coaching process starts with an examination of self, then moves to a review your work and career. Once those two parts of the model are completed, you will move toward the development of a personal vision extending out at least three to five years. After analyzing your results and learnings, you will move toward the development of a plan that you will activate and revise periodically.
If you are ready to take charge of your life and career, contact us here.
10 things you will learn about Life & Career Planning:
- That you can control more of your life and your career through intentional planning
- Of other individuals who used the Life & Career Planning Model and their results
- How to effectively use the Life & Career Planning Model
- The role of your interests and personal values in your decision making
- How to effectively use strong relationships and life balance to gain insight for yourself
- The benefit of matching organizational culture, mission, and values with your own
- The importance of and absolute necessity for developing a personal financial plan
- How to assess your current position and how to describe your next, future career position
- How to develop a strategic plan with goals and action steps to produce desired life and career results
- About resources and services available to you in implementing your personal Life & Career Plan
Go to LifeandCareerPlanning.com to learn more and explore our available services and take the first step by contacting us
Take the Quiz -10 Ways to Know You are Ready for a Personal and Professional Strategic Plan
We all know that effective organizations continually review, evaluate and refine their action plans for success through a process called “strategic thinking and planning.” The CEO and others in the organization periodically take a candid look at the company’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges, finances and competitive set in a changing marketplace to plan for action to better control their future. Good companies are also opportunistic. They look for those actions that can be taken now to improve their positions.
But what about you? How ironic that this activity happens all the time in our workplaces, yet few consider the same approach or model for their own lives. Life & Career Planning Model© takes this observation to its logical next step: the need to create a strategic plan for one’s life while being assertive about the opportunities that arise each day.
Do you know if you’re ready to seriously think about your life and career and to move both in a positive forward direction? Take this quiz and find out -
1. Do you have a personal mission or purpose statement that is documented?
__Yes __ No
2. Do you have key relationships in your life, people who tell you what you need to hear not what you want to hear?
__Yes __ No
3. Do you believe you live a balanced life?
__Yes __ No
4. Can you describe your top five personal values?
__Yes __ No
5. Do you have any toxic relationships in your life and have a plan to deal with them?
__Yes __ No
6. Do you know your personal and professional strengths?
__Yes __ No
7. Do you know what areas in your life require personal and career development?
__Yes __ No
8. Are the culture and values of where you work or volunteer compatible with what you know about yourself?
__Yes __ No
9. Do you have a financial plan?
__Yes __ No
10. Do you have a documented description of the next position to which you aspire?
__Yes __ No
If you can say yes to seven or more of these questions, you’re in good shape for thinking ahead and our Life & Career Planning Model© is the tool you now need. If you said no to most of these questions, there are many things you haven’t thought about but should. The Life & Career Planning Model© will get you thinking and on track to move you confidently forward.
Go to LifeandCareerPlanning.com to learn more and explore our available services and take the first step by contacting us