What is Life Balance?Written by Michelle Casto
What is Stress? Stress is an interpretation of an event or circumstance which is understood to be a threat. It can be any force or pressure put on a system (living or nonliving) which may result in a need for system to adapt or change. Stress on human beings is like a rubber band. You also stretch to meet environment around you, demands of your lifestyle, and pressures you put on yourself. If pulled too far, stress manifests itself in real conditions mentally, physically, and emotionally. Like a rubber band breaks when stretched too far, human beings have a breaking point too. The secret is to learn how to handle stress in your life and avoid becoming over-stressed.The A B C’s of Stress Activating event Belief about event Consequences of event Stress is internal pressure we put on ourselves from external factors. Living with moderate stress keeps you sharp and ready to move forward, however extreme stress can put you out of commission. It depends on your stress levels---how much you can deal with effectively. Some people thrive with stressful situations and some people snap at slightest uncomfortable circumstance. Depending on your current stress level, when confronted with a stressor, you may respond with shock or feel stuck. The fast-paced, technologically advanced, complicated world has brought many changes to our lives. The pace of change does not seem to be decreasing, but rather increasing all time. These changes put more demands and pressures on each of us to make adjustments to do more with less. While stress is a definite modern world reality, being “stressed-out” is not. We mistakenly believe that being stressed-out is “just way it is.” And we often get in competition with each other about who feels worst!
| | What is a career anyway?Written by Michelle Casto
What is a Career Anyway? By Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed. A career is sum total of all of your work-related contributions to society in a lifetime. This includes time and effort spent to provide goods, services, or benefit to others. A career includes paid, un-paid, volunteer, part-time, and full-time positions. Your career includes many life roles you may not think of: student, homemaker, babysitter, office worker, doctor, lawyer, etc. A career encompasses all roles you play and duties you perform. You may have many jobs or positions that make up your career, but you only have one overall career. There are various career options in modern world of work: Self-Employed, Organization Employed, or Project-Employed. By definition, career development is interaction of psychological, sociological, economic, physical and chance factors that shape sequence of jobs, occupations, or positions a person may engage in throughout his or her lifetime. Career development is an ongoing process that includes aspects of planning and strategizing your career based on information about your self, world of work, match between them, and action you will take to create your life’s work. Formal career development occurs in high schools, colleges and universities, adult education programs, business and industry, military, community and government agencies, trade and technical schools. Consider all places you have developed your career with either academic or work experience. Where can you go next and what can you do to further develop your career? You have power to create what you want, whether you wish to be self-employed, change career fields entirely, hold a certain kind of position, or volunteer your time. Smart career development requires you to be self-reflective, resourceful, motivated, flexible, and able to keep your skills and competencies up-to-date.Contemporary Career Concepts Statistics say that we will experience many job transitions throughout our life. For example: U.S. Department of Labor says that average person will have 3.5 different careers in his lifetime and work for ten employers, keeping each job for 3.5 years. From 1995 National Association of Colleges and Employers Journal of Career Planning, “The average American beginning his or her career in 1990s will probably work in ten or more jobs for five or more employers before retiring.” In mid 1990s, Richard Knowdell said, “Career planning in 1950s and 1960s was like riding on a train. The train remained on track and one could quite possibly stay on that track until retirement day. In 1970s and 1980s career planning was like getting on a bus. One could change buses and it was a little closer to driving than on a train. For 1990s and beyond, career planning is more like an all-terrain vehicle. The worker gets to drive, has to read map, and has to be attuned to terrain, which could change from moment to moment.” When I attended a recent California Career Development Conference, I heard several other metaphors to describe career development process. One person said, “The old career was a marriage. The new career is a date.” And someone else mentioned, “A career is like going to an amusement park, where you go from one ride to next.” Obviously, concept of climbing career ladder is antiquated. Rather than “moving up” in one organization, you will find yourself moving up, down, and even off ladder. It could, in fact, seem more like a maze, with many twists and turns, stops and starts.
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