Don't Stay Stuck: Claim What You Know and Explore
Green Career Tip of the Week
"The world makes way for the man who knows where he is going."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I heard it again this week... "I can't start until I have the full picture." "I can't take action until I have it all figured out." Although that strategy used to work, the world is moving much too fast for it to work now. What's the alternative? Check out this week's article.
If you missed the Climate Reality Project event last week, you can now see videos on demand at www.ClimateRealityProject.org. Over 8.6 million people participated in the event. The online chat was hopping! So many people were posting it was hard to track all the conversations. 350.org is having another environmental global action day on September 24th. Check out the site for details about events in your area. You might be able to build a relationship with an organization that would strengthen your resume!
If you are at the International Society of Sustainability Professionals Conference this week, look for me! Introduce yourself! I'll be on a panel on sustainability careers with my colleague Vicki Lind and several other sustainability experts.
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Tip of the Week: Don't Stay Stuck: Claim What You Know and Explore
"I can't start until I have the full picture."
"I can't take action until I have it all figured out."
I hear comments like these all the time. People putting their future on hold because they don't have it all figured out.
They are lost in a fog of uncertainty.
Afraid to take a step forward...for fear they'll take the wrong step.
They can spend months, even years....thinking and pondering about an idea, a direction, or the fog that surrounds them.
This strategy may have worked several decades ago when you made a career choice once or twice in your life time and you stayed in the same company for your entire career or five to ten years of it.
Times Have Changed!
In case you hadn't noticed, those days are long gone. Now the world is moving faster than ever. Depending on your age you may have anywhere from 10 - 15 careers (not jobs, but careers) in your life time! Technology is changing constantly. Information sources are exploding.
If you wait to act until you figure out your big picture plan in full detail, your plan will
be out of date and obsolete before you even begin to implement it!
Our times require a different strategy. Some in the entrepreneurial world call it building the plane as you fly it. It's exciting and unnerving all at the same time!
Now this doesn't mean you go off in all different directions at once. It means you need to get clarity about your starting point and then move forward from there. The clearer you are about your starting point the more direct your path to your future career will be.
Claim What You Do Know
The key to success in this world is to claim what you do know about yourself, your interests, and your experience. Not just inside your own head, but in conversations and in your actions.
Let people know what you are interested in. You aren't committing to a direction for life! You can be interested and exploring more than one thing.
It's in claiming what you do know that you'll find your way to relevant contacts,
opportunities, resources, and ideas. By interacting with these contacts, acting on opportunities, following up on resources, and spotting new ideas you'll gain new insights and more clarity.
With all the change and innovation happening in the world, you can't possibly
know everything you need to know, inside your own head.
(Therefore you can't identify your direction based on what you know right now.)
You must reach out to resources and people to expand what you know, and
then use what you discover to enhance your vision of what you want to do.
You'll no doubt discover areas of your field or profession that
you never knew existed.
Time for a Reframe
Let's revisit the statements I noted at the beginning of this article...
"I can't start until I have the full picture." ...
becomes... "I'll never uncover my full picture unless I start."
"I can't take action until I have it all figured out."...
becomes... "I can't figure it out unless I take action."
It's also likely that your idea will continue to evolve as your career unfolds...but that's another newsletter!
Relax...You Can't Make a Wrong Turn
Remember at this phase, there is no such thing as a wrong turn or misstep. If you keep your eyes and your ears open with each exploratory step you take, you'll use your experiences to discover clues about your future direction.
Let me define "each exploratory step." A step is doing a web search, reading a book, going to a talk, attending a professional meeting, volunteering on a project, connecting with a friend, or brainstorming on your own. Any of these steps can be taken without the possibility of derailing you or your future.
A "step" is NOT applying to a four year degree or a graduate program to decide if a direction is right for you or to hope that you'll figure out your career options along the way.
A "step" is NOT starting to interview so you can figure out if a particular company or job will work for you.
Keep track of the clues you find and the discoveries you have. Over time themes and trends will appear. You'll find yourself being drawn in certain directions. With each piece of information, you can course correct to keep yourself pointed toward the area of most interest.
Copyright 2011, Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc
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About Us
Green Career Central(TM) is an online coaching and resource center designed to help mid-career professionals, students, new grads, and career counselors make sense of the green economy and the green job market.
Carol McClelland, PhD, author of the award-winning, Green Careers For Dummies, is one of the nation's leading green career experts and founder of Green Career Central. Throughout her career, Carol has helped thousands of people find careers that match their values and interests.
Copyright (c) Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc. 2007-2011.
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PO Box 354, Menlo Park, CA 94026
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