Numerous research reports on the use of Web 2.0 applications discuss how most people who use applications requiring continuous content development often lose interest over time. My lack of updates to this blog suggest that I am guilty of the same behavior. However, I content that my failure to post anything here has to do with another, less mentioned symptom; an actual side effect of my work on this blog during the first half of this past year.
You could call it "Professional ADD (P-ADD)." It is likely an issue that a select group of people deal with. Who? I am going to guess career-minded individuals whose passions are incorporated directly into their daily toils. Those who match their work and productive activities with their personal interests and strengths so well that they are always finding new opportunities. One idea leads to another, and another, and so on. Eventually, the creativity transitions them into a whirlwind of activity, quickly dissociating them from the original effort that enabled their pathway of enlightenment.
Often times, I see bloggers stop posting once they accomplish a goal or find acceptance for their unique contributions. This is the best possible result someone with P-ADD could wind up with. Otherwise, the creative explosion often leads to disorientation that serves to self-destruct any effort due to lack of sufficient focus.
Where am I? There are about 20 different ideas I could focus my time on right now. I still have a passion for sharing thoughts on career development with others and will continue to use this blog to do so. I also want to dedicate time to expanding public knowledge of government financial management and promote creative solutions for economic development. Therefore, future posts will include specific topic discussions (not too political) that may provide some ideas for those wanting to create opportunities for themselves.
I also realize that I am becoming what my wife likes to affectionately describe, a "twit." Therefore, in addition to the personal feed, you can follow Always Achieve on Twitter. A few modifications will be made to this site to better promote the material I post via Twitter, as it should lead to more pertinent and productive information sharing.
I am still open to suggestions on topics for posts. Please share them by sending an email to alwaysachieve@gmail.com, or by Twitter.
Showing posts with label career fulfillment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label career fulfillment. Show all posts
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Week of Wisdom Archive
I really enjoyed putting together my five pieces of essential personal and professional advice for the "Week of Wisdom" series. If you are interested in looking at them, click here.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Week of Wisdom, Day Two: Recognition creates expectation
I'll start off by apologizing for the lateness of the post for Day One of Always Achieve's first Week of Wisdom, as well as the fact that this post is appearing on Day Three. Actually, it only serves to reinforce the advice given yesterday, "don't listen to me."
Now it is time for Day Two (i.e., yesterday). Let's examine those moments we wait for in life where all seems right with the world and the choices we make. These are the times when we receive the greatest reward possible when our moments of noticed accomplishment reflect not only technical excellence, but also a spiritual simpatico with our passions. These are the time, of course, when we receive recognition.
"Recognition" can take many forms. but most of the time, it is simply acknowledgement from our peers and customers. If we are passionate about what we do, we focus on the results and benefits it provides others (customers, society, etc.). A sincere compliment or sign of appreciation is often all we need to feel truly fulfilled, though a bonus, promotion, or deal with a new client does not hurt.
However, such platitudes represent one of the sharpest of double-edge swords we deal with. Those who are most likely to compliment are often just as likely to criticize, denigrate, and most importantly, disappoint (more on this last word later this week). The worst part is that we might draw out their anger or frustration without doing anything differently, even if we are just as helpful or correct as we were before.
This is the hard part of developing relationships and building a body of work. Whenever something does not go right, one often finds their most vocal detractors amongst their most ardent "supporters." Those who are easy to tell us what a great job we are doing when times are great can be the first ones to shove us to the front of the firing line when things get tough.
At some point, anyone successful reaches the point where they receive the recognition they deserve. It might happen formally, like when you receive an award or promotion to a level with notoriety and "perks." In some cases, it is when you simply start receiving the emails, verbal accolades, and pats on the back from coworkers, colleagues, or supervisors.
What's the solution? Once you notice the recognition, and it may be subtle rather than obvious, realize that you are no longer "in hiding." At this point, your actions will be noticed. As long as you succeed, the praise will grow. Your confidence will grow, as well.
Of course, you will slip, make a mistake, or run into a problem that cannot be solved to anyone's satisfaction. When it happens, the track record of success will not matter. "Political capital" and "peace dividends" do not matter in a world where your last evaluation is the only one people think about.
When it comes to careers, the short memory of your professional associates and society in general work to your advantage. Once you rise again, often as quickly as you fall, "people" will be there to praise you. The feeling will ebb and flow, and even those closest to you who you can trust will still show changes in behavior depending on how your efforts are evaluated by the masses and authority.
In short, perception of success and failure can be random and replicating as this post. The reactions of others will only serve to reinforce the most important element of achievement, the realization that one step is only as good as the next. Enjoy the trail!
Now it is time for Day Two (i.e., yesterday). Let's examine those moments we wait for in life where all seems right with the world and the choices we make. These are the times when we receive the greatest reward possible when our moments of noticed accomplishment reflect not only technical excellence, but also a spiritual simpatico with our passions. These are the time, of course, when we receive recognition.
"Recognition" can take many forms. but most of the time, it is simply acknowledgement from our peers and customers. If we are passionate about what we do, we focus on the results and benefits it provides others (customers, society, etc.). A sincere compliment or sign of appreciation is often all we need to feel truly fulfilled, though a bonus, promotion, or deal with a new client does not hurt.
However, such platitudes represent one of the sharpest of double-edge swords we deal with. Those who are most likely to compliment are often just as likely to criticize, denigrate, and most importantly, disappoint (more on this last word later this week). The worst part is that we might draw out their anger or frustration without doing anything differently, even if we are just as helpful or correct as we were before.
This is the hard part of developing relationships and building a body of work. Whenever something does not go right, one often finds their most vocal detractors amongst their most ardent "supporters." Those who are easy to tell us what a great job we are doing when times are great can be the first ones to shove us to the front of the firing line when things get tough.
At some point, anyone successful reaches the point where they receive the recognition they deserve. It might happen formally, like when you receive an award or promotion to a level with notoriety and "perks." In some cases, it is when you simply start receiving the emails, verbal accolades, and pats on the back from coworkers, colleagues, or supervisors.
What's the solution? Once you notice the recognition, and it may be subtle rather than obvious, realize that you are no longer "in hiding." At this point, your actions will be noticed. As long as you succeed, the praise will grow. Your confidence will grow, as well.
Of course, you will slip, make a mistake, or run into a problem that cannot be solved to anyone's satisfaction. When it happens, the track record of success will not matter. "Political capital" and "peace dividends" do not matter in a world where your last evaluation is the only one people think about.
When it comes to careers, the short memory of your professional associates and society in general work to your advantage. Once you rise again, often as quickly as you fall, "people" will be there to praise you. The feeling will ebb and flow, and even those closest to you who you can trust will still show changes in behavior depending on how your efforts are evaluated by the masses and authority.
In short, perception of success and failure can be random and replicating as this post. The reactions of others will only serve to reinforce the most important element of achievement, the realization that one step is only as good as the next. Enjoy the trail!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Embrace the right "wants"
Almost eight years ago, I moved away from "home" for the first time. I was a graduate of my hometown university with a year of post-undergrad employment experience. I spent all but one of the first 24 years of my life under the roof of either my parents' or grandparents' houses. The reality, though, was that in order to make a living of the passions I valued, the future awaited in an out-of-state graduate school.
Since that time, my wife and I moved around three states. Our decision-making process each step of the way included many factors. We looked at where we were on starting a family, our desire to own a home, and preferences as to the location with respect to closeness to relatives and culture. However, the overriding influence in our decisions, including the one that brought us to Eastern North Carolina and my current job, was the continued development of by professional career.
The path of professional fulfillment has not been without its share of difficulties or sacrifices. I know that my wife and I would find greater happiness in other areas of life if we directed our life decisions on where our parents and friends lived, or where we could find more people "like us." My skills and strengths suit many fields, and I could probably find a job that paid more than what I make now and enable us to enjoy the "high life" so many of Gen X and Y comrades seem to engage.
Regardless of these possibilities, I do not think I would change a thing. Our new "hometown" is not perfection or the top destination for our age group, but it works. The lack of rapid rise in housing prices enabled us to afford a home on my salary with a modest mortgage and start a family. At the same time, my "day job" is the best vehicle possible to explore opportunities, utilize personal intensity, and create solutions that fulfill the potential of my interests, knowledge, and abilities in a productive manner.
For many, the current economic situation forces people to reexamine their definition of "wants" and "needs," the age-old comparison used to allocate limited resources. Thinking back on the choices my wife and I made over the years, we certainly did not give into our material "wants." We live comfortably, but within the means of our available resources.
At the same time, following my passions on the career front, and enabling my wife to focus on her passion for starting a family, enabled us to achieve the personal and professional "wants" that are much more fulfilling than those of the material kind.
It is easy to think, given the circumstances many find themselves in, that "wants" are not accessible in the current climate, or that they should take a distant back seat to the most critical of "needs." These two realms, however, must achieve balance in order for us to maintain the psychological joy and fulfillment that enables us to perform, thrive, and achieve in the face of opportunity and adversity. Pursuing "wants" of a professional variety, especially if they apply to the knowledge, skills, and abilities you already possess and develop intuitively, provides the remedy for the reactionary impulse toward eliminating "wants" that leaves one feeling empty and regretful of lost chances.
The key to prioritizing professional "wants" in balance with material "needs" is the strength of your faith. When it comes to our careers, we often ignore our passions because we think it is the path to security. This often serves to whittle away at the spiritual fortitude we possess to believe in ourselves and embrace the environment of humanity, both success and failure, that God created. There are no substitutes for hard work and resolve, and if we choose surroundings that encourage laziness by ignoring what we know we were best suited to do, we only loose ourselves in the vices our religious subconsciousness warn us about.
Meekness is a state of mind. The reality that nothing physical or material is worth more than what we gain spiritually. Our passions are gifts from our Lord, and to embrace them as wants, and apply prudence in evaluating our material interests on the basis of needs, provides the path to fulfill personal destiny and strive to always achieve.
Since that time, my wife and I moved around three states. Our decision-making process each step of the way included many factors. We looked at where we were on starting a family, our desire to own a home, and preferences as to the location with respect to closeness to relatives and culture. However, the overriding influence in our decisions, including the one that brought us to Eastern North Carolina and my current job, was the continued development of by professional career.
The path of professional fulfillment has not been without its share of difficulties or sacrifices. I know that my wife and I would find greater happiness in other areas of life if we directed our life decisions on where our parents and friends lived, or where we could find more people "like us." My skills and strengths suit many fields, and I could probably find a job that paid more than what I make now and enable us to enjoy the "high life" so many of Gen X and Y comrades seem to engage.
Regardless of these possibilities, I do not think I would change a thing. Our new "hometown" is not perfection or the top destination for our age group, but it works. The lack of rapid rise in housing prices enabled us to afford a home on my salary with a modest mortgage and start a family. At the same time, my "day job" is the best vehicle possible to explore opportunities, utilize personal intensity, and create solutions that fulfill the potential of my interests, knowledge, and abilities in a productive manner.
For many, the current economic situation forces people to reexamine their definition of "wants" and "needs," the age-old comparison used to allocate limited resources. Thinking back on the choices my wife and I made over the years, we certainly did not give into our material "wants." We live comfortably, but within the means of our available resources.
At the same time, following my passions on the career front, and enabling my wife to focus on her passion for starting a family, enabled us to achieve the personal and professional "wants" that are much more fulfilling than those of the material kind.
It is easy to think, given the circumstances many find themselves in, that "wants" are not accessible in the current climate, or that they should take a distant back seat to the most critical of "needs." These two realms, however, must achieve balance in order for us to maintain the psychological joy and fulfillment that enables us to perform, thrive, and achieve in the face of opportunity and adversity. Pursuing "wants" of a professional variety, especially if they apply to the knowledge, skills, and abilities you already possess and develop intuitively, provides the remedy for the reactionary impulse toward eliminating "wants" that leaves one feeling empty and regretful of lost chances.
The key to prioritizing professional "wants" in balance with material "needs" is the strength of your faith. When it comes to our careers, we often ignore our passions because we think it is the path to security. This often serves to whittle away at the spiritual fortitude we possess to believe in ourselves and embrace the environment of humanity, both success and failure, that God created. There are no substitutes for hard work and resolve, and if we choose surroundings that encourage laziness by ignoring what we know we were best suited to do, we only loose ourselves in the vices our religious subconsciousness warn us about.
Meekness is a state of mind. The reality that nothing physical or material is worth more than what we gain spiritually. Our passions are gifts from our Lord, and to embrace them as wants, and apply prudence in evaluating our material interests on the basis of needs, provides the path to fulfill personal destiny and strive to always achieve.
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