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!

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

Social Media - the New Way of Marketing

As you may have learned from the newsletter and speaking with me, social media is the way of the future. CDA has been busy scheduling open (free events) to educate CDA clients and the public about social media tools, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. . . . We have been able to get some excellent speakers that have generously volunteered their time. Thank you, volunteers, your time and information is appreciated.

Do check out our website for information for these free events and RSVP for those that interest you. We have LinkedIn - Stephanie Cross on April 18th. Facebook - Shama Hyder on May 2nd.

Dorothy Beach presented Twitter on April 4th (available on DVD for those that missed it). We also had the introduction to the series on March 21st - Maria Whitworth (also available on DVD).

Social Networking Event at CDA offices this past Saturday!

The Social Networking Series started out this past Saturday with a bang! We had 65 participants in attendance. Maria Whitworth did an excellent job presenting an overview of all the Social Networking sites available. We did video Maria's session for those that couldn't make it. Maria has generously agreed to make her presentation available via a PDF download. Do email Lissa at options@career-design.com if you would like the PDF of Maria' presentation. She'll send you the link.

The next presentation in the series is on Saturday, April 4th at 10 am. Dorothy Beach will be discussing Twitter indepth. This meeting is open to the public at no charge. Do RSVP to CDA Inc. if you are interested.

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

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.

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.