Career Advice recently was able to procure an exclusive interview with the dynamic Maureen Anderson. Check out the review of her book The Career Clinic: 8 Simple Rules For Finding Work You Love.
How To See The Positive: Ration Bad News the Way You'd Ration Chocolate
CareerAdvice: Your book centres on the positive, which is sadly lacking in the media right now. How can those who have lost their jobs change their outlook to be positive – how would you advise them to see the positive?
MAnderson: "One of my favorite career consultants says a statistic doesn't have anything to do with you--and it never will. I think it's important to notice how you feel after you've immersed yourself in the latest news about the economy. If you find that uplifting, great, go for it. But if you're like me, and you almost always feel worse for having dwelled on the latest statistics, back away from the computer screen or the TV or the newspaper. I ration my intake of bad news almost the way some people monitor how much chocolate they eat.
You don't have to ignore what's going on, and it's good to be informed. But it's also good to focus on what makes you less fearful and more excited about the future. Maybe it's a circle of upbeat friends. Maybe it's getting enough sleep, working out consistently, and eating mostly healthy food. You may not be able to do much about your net worth at the moment, but you can take good care of yourself."
Look at Challenging Times as Challenges, and Life Skills
"The writer Louis L'Amour got it right, I think, when he said, 'There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.' Try to look at challenging times as exactly that, challenges. Believe you're up to them. Have a sense of adventure as you tackle the latest. There's a life skill.
You don't have to take my word for it, that things will be okay. Bookstores and libraries and video rental stores are filled with true stories of people who've done the seemingly impossible. There's never been a better time to immerse yourself in that kind of inspiration."
Devastated Car Industry?
CareerAdvice: It's probably safe to say your target audience for both your radio show and your book is "Middle America" – meaning those with some education and/or training. Any thoughts for those in the car industry (be it direct or indirect working in that industry) who have been devastated and will continue to be?
MAnderson: "I don't think they'll necessarily continue to be devastated. It depends on their willingness to imagine a different life. Some of the happiest people I know work with their hands – drywallers, sculptors, auto mechanics. Some of the most successful career changers I know stopped thinking of themselves in terms of job titles.
Let's say you loved working in a manufacturing plant. What did you love so much? Did you enjoy working with electronic equipment? Assembling things? Fixing mechanical parts? Now, is that manufacturing plant the only place you can use those skills? Of course not. Your task is the same as it was the first time you looked for a job--to find a place where you can use the skills you love using. The economy may make that task more challenging. But once again, you can find lots of help – if you would but ask, or visit the library, or do some online research."
Bottom Line
"Limit your exposure to negativism, be it from the media or well-meaning people. Remember, a statistic is just that - a number, and does not really affect you, unless you let it. Whether you are in a good economy or a slow down, your job is "to find a place where you can use the skills you love using". And yes, this does mean you may have to challenge yourself to a new lifestyle, new path and new career. In other words, in a new, upliftiing light."
Read more articles with Maureen Anderson - You've Lost Your Job, Or Afraid You Will Lose It, and Self-Marketing Options Include Good Mentoring
Paym Bergson - Paym Bergson - freelance entrepreneur & career coach with extensive experience working in the educational/professional development ...
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