Is a Career a Calling or a Choice?Written by Michelle L. Casto
Is a Career a Calling or Choice? By Michelle L. Casto How much of our career path is destiny and how much is free will? In my opinion, it is 50/50. We are given a life map at beginning of our lives, and there are things we are meant to learn, people we are meant to meet, work we are meant to perform. But many of us are not tuned into ourselves and signs that are presented to us. We often miss important information, and miss out on those lessons, people, and jobs. The use of free will comes about when we are presented with options. Choices are really curves in our path. We can choose to take long route, or quicker, easier route. No path is better, it just impacts how quickly we move along our route, but remember: when climbing mountain of self discovery, taking long, hard, scenic route can be a rather enjoyable, enlightening experience. Confucius once said, “Choose a career you love and you will never work another day in your life.” If you think about this, what a different experience we could have in our work lives. If we actually loved work we were doing, it wouldn’t seem so much like our traditional concept of work (drudgery/pain). Think about it! How many jobs have you had that you dreaded going to? What are some of differences between a job, a career, and your life’s work? Let’s define it. A job is something you get paid to do (money is primary motivation). It is easy to perform because there is not much challenge, and you will eventually find other work to do.
| | Does It Take "Soft" Skills to Win the BT Global Challenge?Written by Susan Dunn, The EQ Coach
Have you heard of BT Global Challenge? It’s known as world’s toughest yacht race because it’s sailed “the wrong way” ‘round world—against prevailing winds and currents. All kinds of waves and weather conditions are likely to be encountered. The originators have designed it crewed by amateurs: “The identical fleet ensures that only seamanship, skill and determination of people taking part make difference between winning and losing.”What’s race like? According to originators of race, sailors will encounter extreme conditions of world’s oceans. “From unpredictable calm of doldrums to huge seas, icebergs and gale force winds of Southern Ocean,” they say, “the race is an extraordinary test of personality and human endeavour - pushing everyone to limit.” You can read more about it here: http://www.challengebusiness.com/events/index.htm. What do you think it would take to win such a race? Did you think of emotional intelligence qualities? Professors Malcom Higgs and Victor Duleqicz did. They’re emotional intelligence experts at Henley Management College, located in Greenlands, Henley-on-Thomas, Oxfordshire. Before BT Global Challenge 2000, they collected from individual skippers and crews data on personality, personal competencies, emotional intelligence, motivation and team dynamics. “Our current research on managers confirms,” they said in an interview, “that it is a combination of not only Emotional Intelligence but also intellectual and management competencies which underpin managerial performance.”
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