|
Managing Change -- Endings Are Just Doorways to New Beginnings
Every May we celebrate Mother's Day-a time to tell mothers everywhere how much we love and honor them. In the midst of all the holiday revelry we should take some time to reflect on just what this day represents-the end of nine months of waiting and the passage through birth's doorway to a new beginning. When I became a mother, this holiday took on a whole new meaning-especially when my daughter graduated from college. Graduation ceremonies at her university were always held on Mother's Day as a special tribute to the mothers who labored hard right along with each student and who rejoiced to see the ending and new beginnings. I was one of those mothers and 27 years prior to that day, my mother rejoiced on Mother's Day to see me graduate from the same university. Yes, Mother's Day creates happy endings and memories; but endings in and of themselves are not always happy occasions. We live in a world of new things. Endings almost always produce longing and melancholy, and new beginnings engender a powerful combination of joy and trepidation. What We Don't Like About Endings - They are so final. When something ends, a door closes. Things are never the same way they were before the ending.
- They can be heartbreaking. There's a nostalgia and bitter sweetness associated with endings-a sense of regret for what we have lost even when the ending is a happy one.
- They force us out of our ruts. Endings are so insensitive. They don't care whether or not we are ready to transition into other things. When something ends, we are forced out of our paradigms, habits and routines.
What We Like About Beginnings - They are fresh and new. Everyone loves to be refreshed. Each new day welcomes in a host of blessings and new beginnings-at work, home or play.
- They provide new opportunities. If we remain open and alert to them, beginnings can supply brand new and innovative prospects to pursue as well as challenges to overcome.
- They are great Do-Overs. Beginnings give us a chance to correct mistakes, to start over believing that this time we will get it right and succeed.
Endings Are Doorways to New Beginnings Stop looking at your endings as negative things that happen to you even when they bring pain and stress. Instead, see them as doorways to new beginnings full of blessing, new possibilities and fruitfulness. The bridge between our endings and new beginnings is like a growth spurt. Every human on the planet experiences a growth spurt every now and then. They don't stop just because we're all grown up! What is a growth spurt and how do you know you're going through one? - Growth spurts happen. For adults, they can be short (a matter of days) or last for years (when this happens you think they are going to last forever).
- Some people protest more about them and others seem to sail through them with the greatest of ease.
- The pattern of growth is different for everyone. Some people grow in big spurts followed by periods of little or no growth. A person's environment can help as well as hinder his or her growth.
- The problem with growth spurts is anticipating their arrival. You never know exactly when they will occur.
- When they occur, you must have patience, understanding and spend a little more time in skill-building, learning and exploring any new opportunities that surface.
Identifying Your Endings, Growth Spurts & New Beginnings What's happening in your life right now? Are you going through a growth spurt, and if so, what's ending for you? Have you identified any new beginnings yet? All these questions can be answered with a little soul-searching and some effort. Use this simple tool to help in your search: First, list what's ending for you right now.Next, identify the small to large growth spurts that seem to be hovering around the endings.List any new beginnings you have discovered and put a plan into place to capture additional ones as you continue to evaluate your endings.A Final Word of Advice Don't allow growth spurts to rob you of your confidence. Remember, they bridge your endings and new beginnings. Without them, you become stale, lose ground and fail. With them you grow, develop and succeed. Althea DeBrule, entrepreneur and seasoned human resources executive, has focused for more than 30 years on helping people achieve their career goals. Creator of The Extreme-Career-Makeover? and a founding partner of RADSGroup Organizational Consultants, she is recognized for her bottom line and practical application of career development and management strategies in a way that penetrates hearts and compels action. She speaks and teaches with inspired talent, humor and contagious zeal at management conferences and leadership retreats nationwide, and has been featured in CFO Magazine, Strategy@Work, Human Resource Executive Magazine. Althea is the author of Bosses & Orchards, a compelling and candid book about how to make your work relationship with your boss succeed. To discover how you can take your career to a new level, visit http://www.extreme-career-makeover.com/
MORE RESOURCES:
Jobs City of Rochester (.gov)
Careers Washington State University
Careers Gwinnett County Public Schools
JobFeed NSW Department of Education
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How ToTalk Your Boss Into Giving You A Salary Increase
* If you believe you deserve a salary increase, ask for it as soon as possible; don't procrastinate or wait for your employer to offer it.* Determine what you are worth in the marketplace by carrying out a survey of people in comparable jobs.
Relocation Myths and Stereotypes
You've probably been taught not to stereotype people based on race, religion or sex. But when you make a career or other life choice, do you still make decisions based on stereotypes?Relocation Myths"Big cities are unfriendly.
Ask the Recruiter
We all have career goals, big or small. Here are some questions I have recieved over the last month from those actively seeking new employment.
Those Little Things
Moving to another state meant finding a new dentist. I tried one a neighbor recommended who seemed friendly, competent and eager to please.
How NOT to Write a Resume
You can learn a lot about how to do something right by first learning what NOT to do.Take resumes, for example.
Change Your Life, Change Your Career And Get A New Job!
Careers dictate resume formatDifferent careers use different forms of resumes. When you're working on your resume, beware of services that try to sell you on just one template, regardless of your target career.
What is Mystery Shopping, and Can You Really Get Paid to Shop?
Mystery shoppers visit businesses "disguised as normal customers," and do the things other customers do-ask questions, make a purchase, make a return-but with a twist. These undercover customers are there to evaluate the businesses and their employees.
A Cover Letter Tip Guaranteed To Land You More Job Interviews!
Looking for a new job?I'm about to reveal one of the most powerful cover letter tips you'll ever discover. This little-known secret can dramatically increase your job interview requests all by itself.
Job Tips For The Frustrated Job Seeker
There is nothing more frustrating and depressing when you are out of work and trying to find a job and your job search is going no where. Don't feel bad, you are not alone and there is a good reason why searching for a new job can be so difficult.
Global Economy Creates Need For International Business Pros
The increasing globalization of business has created a demand for MBA graduates with a specialization in the international management of business. Many institutions, including several accredited universities, offer the opportunity to earn an international MBA online.
Are You Taking Your Inner Brat to Work?
Is your inner brat taking over your job? Everyone has an inner brat. It's the part of us that's still a 2-year-old.
Great Salary Negotiation Tips
11 Commandments For Smart Negotiating1 - BE PREPARED. The more information you have about your market value and theprospective employer, the greater your likelihood of success.
A Killer Secret To Get Your Cover Letter Read
You're still reading-so I know my title grabbed your attention.Why? Because it 'packed a punch.
The Top 10 Reasons to have a Career Coach
Many people in the last decade have experienced for themselves either a layoff or termination. Some of these people affected have experienced outplacement-consulting services.
Where Will Your IT Staff Come From NOW?
The labor recession is over. During the course of the recession, almost 500,000 IT positions were lost according to publicly collected data and anecdotal information suggests even more.
15 Tips for Writing Winning Resumes
The thought of writing a resume intimidates almost anyone. It's difficult to know where to start or what to include.
How To Get A Job Writing Speeches
Jobs in speech writing are amongst the most difficult to find, but are much sought after. In many cases, the subjects that will deliver them will want to find expert advice on what to say, how to say it, and how to make themselves look good through it.
Find Free Resumes Online
Have you been spending money on countless job boards, only to find that they don't offer the types of candidates you need? If the answer is yes, don't fret any longer, you're about to learn crafty techniques to help you find free resumes on the net. There are numerous free resources online that offer resumes.
3 Creative Job Search Tactics
It's a fact: the best jobs attract loads of competition. So it pays to do whatever you can to stand out as a persistent, creative candidate, one that any sane employer would love to hire.
Surviving in Corporate Amercia: Part 1 - Email
There is a saying that goes, "The best offense is a great defense". Nowhere is that applied better in the corporate world than in the intelligent use of email.
|