I have many clients that are older and have successfully refocused their career, usually starting their own business. Many have retired from their "womb to tomb" career, gone home and spent many days playing golf, remodeling, redecorating and just sitting around the house. They are now bored, unhappy and realize they don't have a purpose.
Many have to overcome the "I am too old mentality" and realize they can do whatever they set their mind too. Just because you are older, it doesn't mean you can't work in a particular career field or start your own business. It means we just take a different approach. A man come in to meet with me last week. He had sold his very successful business and retired. He said "I am now bored and tired of playing golf", yet he continued that he was too old to get a job now. I thought: why did he come to a career counselor. Maybe he was hoping I would say: "You are right, you are too old to work." No way!
My point is, the minute you stop having a purpose, you are just waiting to die! Don't let this happen to you.
Showing posts with label Helen Harkness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Helen Harkness. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Focus on Functional Age!
As a continuation of yesterday's post - Chronological Age is Crap! I would like to add Focus on your Functional Age! Whenever I have a prospective client come in to my office they fill out a personal data sheet, which ask them their Chronological Age and then Functional Age. Many of them put a question mark in this blank. These words really puzzle them and they often they ask my assistant, Lissa, what this means? She responds "How old do you feel? vs. How old you actually are?" Then they laugh, smile and fill in the blank.
I tell my clients that are in their 50's and 60's that they should forget about their age, it isn't relative to their success. It today's chaotic work world you don't need a clock or a calendar to survive, you need a Compass! Helping my clients to find the purpose they can pursue with passion until they die is my major meaning magnet. I plan on living to be a centurion helping others survive today's chaotic work world. People ask me when I plan to retire, I say never!
I tell my clients that are in their 50's and 60's that they should forget about their age, it isn't relative to their success. It today's chaotic work world you don't need a clock or a calendar to survive, you need a Compass! Helping my clients to find the purpose they can pursue with passion until they die is my major meaning magnet. I plan on living to be a centurion helping others survive today's chaotic work world. People ask me when I plan to retire, I say never!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Chronological Age is Crap!
In reading a recent Twitter post, (RT @fight_ageism: old is not a bad word) the following comes to mind, Chronological Age is Crap! (Hope this word doesn't offend you.)
Think about what you would be doing if you were 20 years younger and go out and do it!
When I am at a speaking event I often have people come up afterwards and ask me my age. I tell them I am 50, then I say, if you can find a 50 year old that does as much as I do, I'll reveal my real age. This usually ends any further questions on the subject. I have written a book on aging, Don't Stop the Career Clock that discusses ageism. Check it out http://www.career-design.com/cda_pubs.html
Think about what you would be doing if you were 20 years younger and go out and do it!
When I am at a speaking event I often have people come up afterwards and ask me my age. I tell them I am 50, then I say, if you can find a 50 year old that does as much as I do, I'll reveal my real age. This usually ends any further questions on the subject. I have written a book on aging, Don't Stop the Career Clock that discusses ageism. Check it out http://www.career-design.com/cda_pubs.html
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Check out DMN article -- Coaches help jobless boomers work out frustrations, careers
Do check out the Dallas Morning News article Coaches help jobless boomers work out frustrations, careers in today's paper (03/12/09). Dr. Harkness is featured on the front page. http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/031209dnbusboomercoaches.3d78893.html#slcgm_comments_anchor
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Stay on a learning curve
Staying on a learning curve is absolutely essential in our fast paced, rapidly changing "future shock" world as Toffler predicted 40 years ago. However, Pogo, my favorite philosopher, reflects my current frustration: "Every time I find out where it's at, someone moves it!"
Stagnation today is deadly and prepares us only for the compost pile. The bottom line may be that we can't change the world problems, but we can alter our response to them. I maintain that we change when our pain is greater than our fear: C = P > F. We shift our thinking when we use our intuitive right brain and our organized left brain to gain new insights, awareness, judgment and techniques.
I spent years researching the Chaos/Complexity Theory to understand how to strengthen our career actions under pressures of change. Later, I branched into the rapidly growing worldwide field of Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness. I am attending their first World Congress conference in Philadelphia in June (www.ippanetwork.org for more details). I am currently synthesizing and integrating these two growing concepts for a lecture on careers, Positive Psychology: Creative Cure for Careers in Chaos for the World Future Society in Chicago on July 17-19, 2009 (www.wfs.org for more details).
Special Notice: I am coordinating free career counseling for attendees. Any career counselor who volunteers two hours each day can receive free registration to the conference. Email options@career-design.com for details.
Stagnation today is deadly and prepares us only for the compost pile. The bottom line may be that we can't change the world problems, but we can alter our response to them. I maintain that we change when our pain is greater than our fear: C = P > F. We shift our thinking when we use our intuitive right brain and our organized left brain to gain new insights, awareness, judgment and techniques.
I spent years researching the Chaos/Complexity Theory to understand how to strengthen our career actions under pressures of change. Later, I branched into the rapidly growing worldwide field of Positive Psychology: The Science of Happiness. I am attending their first World Congress conference in Philadelphia in June (www.ippanetwork.org for more details). I am currently synthesizing and integrating these two growing concepts for a lecture on careers, Positive Psychology: Creative Cure for Careers in Chaos for the World Future Society in Chicago on July 17-19, 2009 (www.wfs.org for more details).
Special Notice: I am coordinating free career counseling for attendees. Any career counselor who volunteers two hours each day can receive free registration to the conference. Email options@career-design.com for details.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Yo Yo Model for Your Future Career
I just received in the mail today the Career Planning and Adult Development Journal, Volume 24, Number 2, Summer 2008. My article, The Yo Yo Model for Your Future Career: You're On Your Own was the featured article of the publication. I had forgotten I'd even written it. It is an excellent article. I am including the first paragraph below. Email me if you'd like the full version.
The job as defined in the past is dead. The path of loyalty to a company in return for 40-year employment, a gold watch at retirement, and then going home to wait to die is totally defunct. As career professionals, we are currently in the process of helping our clients move through the grief and burial of this former womb to tomb career ideal. Our responsibility is to communicate this demise effectively and replace it with alternatives. The world is moving painfully fast compared to even half a generation ago. Many of my clients do feel totally dissatisfied by the rapid disintegration of what they once found comfortable and reassuring. There is no longer a safety net. In fact there is no longer a net at all, except what the individual creates.
What actions are you taking to to move forward? Share your comments.
The job as defined in the past is dead. The path of loyalty to a company in return for 40-year employment, a gold watch at retirement, and then going home to wait to die is totally defunct. As career professionals, we are currently in the process of helping our clients move through the grief and burial of this former womb to tomb career ideal. Our responsibility is to communicate this demise effectively and replace it with alternatives. The world is moving painfully fast compared to even half a generation ago. Many of my clients do feel totally dissatisfied by the rapid disintegration of what they once found comfortable and reassuring. There is no longer a safety net. In fact there is no longer a net at all, except what the individual creates.
What actions are you taking to to move forward? Share your comments.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Moving from Chaos to Confidence
We are pioneers in a radically different work world. Our current career challenge is to creatively move from chaos to confidence. Please share your thoughts on what you are doing to create your future success in spite of countless roadblocks and detours!!
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