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www.careersi.com
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Career Services International presents free
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career development “quick hits…”
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To Thine Own Self be True
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Polonius of Hamlet fame may have been a windbag, but his most famous advice, “to
thine own self be
true” couldn’t be more on the mark. Considering we’ve allowed the “ME” decade to
stretch out over twenty
years, you’d think we’d be better at self-truism than we are. Selfish is a now-oriented
word, Self-Truism
takes a longer view.
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Being true to self does not mean eating all the chocolate in sight, it means:
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Being who you are meant to be
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Doing what you are meant to do, and
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Living the life you are meant to live
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Sometimes that requires as much self-sacrifice as it does self-introspection. Let’s
take a tour of what it
looks like to be or not to be.
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1.
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Determine what’s objectively important to you. That may include things that
are contrary to your
current behavior (for example, if being fit is of value to you, but you are currently
out-of-shape, it’s an
objective value in a subjective state). It might help to imagine a different person
who embodies your
values and aspects of success. Make a list covering personal descriptors of success,
moral, physi
cal, spiritual, financial, family, professional, occupational… be as comprehensive
as possible.
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2.
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The play’s the thing to catch the King… Our behavior is often our downfall,
as it was for Hamlet’s
step-father. Taking each objective value as a heading, evaluate how your life currently
reflects them.
Do subjective states support or detract from your values? If “health” or “promote
health” are values,
it’s counter-productive to work for a cigarette company. Be honest, but don’t beat
yourself up if you
don’t measure up. Growth is as important as the destination.
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3.
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Grade each evaluation on a scale of 1 to 10; 1 being no correlation at all,
10 being a perfect
reflection (there really shouldn’t be many 10’s).
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4.
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Examine any items below a 5 rating. Do they share root causes? Do they point
to a character
flaw or life-skills flaw? Make a list of root causes and look for patterns.
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5.
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Alas, poor Yorick, I knew him, Horatio…Quantify each evaluation and what
it would take to raise
the rating significantly. Be specific and write down the tasks required to grow
in each area – out with
the clowns!
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6.
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Develop your Growth Plan. It is unrealistic to change everything at once,
so it’s time to develop
your task plan.
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Choose two or three areas to concentrate on (it helps to find related values that
share
root causes).
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Chart out a plan for growth that includes incremental stages. What needs to change
and
how are you going to change it?
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Include an ongoing “influence” task which consists of reading, listening, or research
into
the area of growth. Information helps promote change.
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Be realistic. Habits are hard to change. Find an accountability partner (Hamlet
had
Horatio, but you can do better).
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Create an extended plan that captures every area on your list. It will be a rough
plan that
needs regular updating, but get them on paper and keep it handy.
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7.
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Get help…Hamlet had Polonius after all. There are counselors, coaches, and
clergy who can help
you in difficult areas. There is no shame in having problems, only in not trying
to fix them.
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8.
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A little more than Kin… Pay close attention to those values that are impacted
by large life factors
such as family and occupation. You spend most of your time at work and with family
so they deserve
most of your change attention. Each requires goals and task plans to be purposefully
fulfilled.
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Size of family, inter-personal relationships with the family, time spent, all benefit
from
planning.
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Whatever career you pursue must support your values and dreams, both financially,
time
invested, and morally.
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Studies have shown that business impacts every other area of life, so it makes sense
to
get this area carefully tucked away.
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If you lack focus or need help moving your career along, consider career coaching.
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9.
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It is never too late to start; if you have done these exercises, it always
a good time to review them.
Maturity can sharpen or totally refocus your value system, so review is important,
and if necessary,
rewriting is essential.
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10.
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Remember that the reward is in the growing, not just attaining your goal.
Don’t shortchange the
process, and continually document your growth. Steady achievement becomes its own
motivation.
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If Hamlet had done these exercises, he would have Shakespeare’s shortest play instead
of the longest. It
is possible to be “successful” in one area just flying by the seat of your pants,
but overall life is far too com-
plex to achieve true success without a plan. If you need help in the process, Career
Services International
is here for you. Get started today and to thine own self be true!
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