Hollis Nelson is one of the innovative and bold leaders at GPOIC. We highlight Hollis today because his passion to train in-spite of the difficult times GPOIC has gone through, he continues to push GPOIC to provide relevant and improved services.
2022 is here! As the year begins the COVID 19 pandemic is still very much in play, and new variants continue to pose serious challenges. There is a small glimmer of light at the end of the of the tunnel. While there are still restrictions in place, we can still return to doing some of the things we enjoy. In terms of the job market, things are also beginning to pick up. Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has the current 4.6% unemployment rate at its lowest point since the outbreak of the pandemic in March of 2020.
However, one interesting occurrence in the job market was the number of people who decided not to return to their previous occupations. The BLS estimates approximately 4.4 million people have quit their jobs, and contrary to what some believe, this is not due primarily to anti-vaccination, or mandated vaccination issues. That is a small part of it; but there are deeper, more personal issues at play here.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way we work, and as a result, enabled more reflective time to consider meaning, value, and “work-life” balance. It gave people a different experience, and time to slow down and reflect on what is important to them. Yes, some jobs did not return after businesses closed due to the pandemic, but millions decided that they no longer wanted to return to their previous way of life especially in terms of their work lives. Some will pursue their entrepreneurial dreams, while others will seek to make career changes and make a fresh start. They want to find and do work that provides meaning and value to their lives and the lives of others.
I want to share a few thoughts for career changers to consider as they embark on making that fresh start. There are at least three things I think you should make a part of your career change process.
First, consider your passions. Think about the things you enjoy doing in your own time, such as hobbies or things you do just for the pure fun and enjoyment of doing it. I believe this is a critical part in setting a direction for career change. For example, I am a tech enthusiast. I enjoy building gaming and business productivity PC’s and learning about new technologies and how they impact our lives. What you enjoy may be entirely different but identifying what you enjoy and have a passion for is important. You can have one passion or multiple passions; it doesn’t matter. Taking those passions into consideration as part of your career change is what is important.
This leads to the second thing to consider in making your career change. Ask yourself some key questions regarding your passions. They would include: What are the things I am skilled at in my passion? Am I learning new things and developing new skills in the areas of my passions? These types of questions are essential to the third aspect of the effective approach to career change.
The third piece would be to identify what industry your passions fall under. Is it the tech industry? Maybe its culinary, fashion and beauty, botany or the environment, retail sales, automobiles, just to name a few. By identifying your passions, skills, and industry, you have the foundation on which to build a satisfying and meaningful career shift, instead of pursuing a “job” because you need to pay bills – as so many do – finding yourself working but stressed and unhappy.
I have encountered many people who have jobs they hate but go through the motions every day because bills got to be paid. Impactful career change is about finding that right match of passions, skills, and industry. The career change search begins with establishing which companies are in the industry where your passions lie. You are probably already a customer with one or more of these companies. After you’ve assessed what your key skills are in your passion, you explore to find if there are positions available with companies in the industry that match your skills, and if not find out what skills are in demand that you may need to develop. Learning new skills centered around things we are passionate about comes naturally, so that’s an easy obstacle to overcome.
The key takeaway here is that career change is more than just searching for a new job. Doing work that brings meaning, personal satisfaction, and benefit to others involves finding that right combination of passion, skills and industry.
Of course, paying the bills and meeting the needs of life are important, but if you can do it in a space that has these three elements, you are more likely to experience career growth, rather than seek career change. I hope that 2022 will be the year that more people find careers that bring these three elements together. We will all benefit as a result. Namaste.
This article was first published on Transformation.net
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Greater Paterson OIC, its Board of Directors, or any other group or individual affiliated.
Article is posted by Hollis Nelson, written by Sergio Abrams
So, you say today is the day you’re going to do it. You’re finally going to start your own business and become the successful businessperson you want to be. But wait, didn’t you say that yesterday? In fact, you’ve been starting a business for years now, haven’t you? No, it isn’t the naysayers and no; it isn’t a lack of time. No, my friend, the problem is you and the wave you’ve yet to conquer is yourself. You’ve been fighting with yourself for years and it is your inner self which has clouded your mind with many fears and self-doubt. Your negative thoughts about what may happen cause you to become stuck in what’s called “analysis paralysis”.
That’s you analyzing and accepting every reason you believe you might fail, instead of analyzing all the reasons you may succeed. It is that self-doubt and inner voice feeding on your fears, telling you day in and day out that you will fail if you venture away from your safe place. Yes, that wave of fear that overcomes you each time the mere thought of venturing out on your own comes to mind, lies in wait, waiting to shoot you down and steer you back into your comfort zone. The voice says, “It’s too dangerous”, “no one’s going to buy that”, “you don’t want to leave your 9 to 5”, “starting your own business is way too hard”, “how are you going to pay your rent?”. Your fear and self-doubt win by knockout in the first round.
In the movie Castaway, actor Tom Hanks finds himself on a deserted island after a plane crash with seemingly no way of escape or being rescued. To survive he improvises and uses unconventional methods, including using a volleyball which he aptly names Wilson, as a companion whom he talks to, to stave off insanity. He soon realizes that no one’s coming to save him and if he’s going to get off that island, he’s going to have to save himself. Standing in his way is the great wave. The wave is a barrier between the island he’s stuck on and open waters and the chance to be saved. Eventually, he builds up the courage needed to face and overcome his great wave, and after he gets past his great wave, he looks back at the island that once held him captive.
The island that would have still held him captive had he not faced his greatest obstacle overcame the great wave.
You can survive with fear, but you cannot truly thrive with fear, because verily fear will only keep you stranded on your comfort zone island. Fear and self-doubt will tell you that trying is no longer an option, and only contentment with mediocrity and life regrets remains.
Each of us has a “great wave” we must overcome to find genuine success, but sadly, so few ever find the courage to do so, waiting for someone or something to come along and save us from our inner selves. Nope, no one’s coming to save you. No one can save you from yourself. This is a battle you will have to fight on your own and until you step on the battlefield and face the enemy within, there can be no victory. Verily, the road to success is the hardest road to take, which is why it is the road less traveled. However, for those who choose to face that wave, the reward of living is great.
Yes, there will always be naysayers and dream busters outside of you, waiting to tear you down with “you won’t succeed” bombs, and you may fail a few times along the way, but success is a journey, not an overnight mission. There is no instant recipe for success unless you plan on winning Lotto, and we all know the chances of that happening. If that’s your game plan, then hey, have at it, who am I to knock someone’s hustle?
In the end, there are only two choices, and as Yoda once said, “Try or do not try; there is no in between”.
You can choose to stay on your island of despair or overcome the “great wave” of fear and self-doubt and achieve your dreams.
It is all up to you!
Earning more money can be as simple as assessing ALL of your skill sets. Most of don’t list all skills like typing, clerical, our ability to exhibit great customer service, we leave out things we think are irrelevant. However, it when you assess your skill set that you can begin to compare your skills to what is in demand. Then you can develop a plan to acquire the new skills you want. There are many way to acquire new skills without having to pay thousands of dollars. Let me know your thoughts about this topic I am interested in hearing your opinion?
Countless books and articles have been written on the subject of success. Many of them entice readers by teasing that they have the “Secrets of Success”. However, if we are honest with ourselves, most of us would confess that we know what it takes to succeed in virtually any endeavor. There is no “secret” to success. While success does mean different things to different people, what it takes to achieve success is not a secret.
In this article, the working definition of success will be achieving the economic, family, health, relationships, and community goals you set for yourself.
In my work I often encounter people who are capable of achieving far more than they have and are living at levels below what is truly possible for them.
So, using our working definition, the question becomes: if we know what it takes to achieve success in life, why do some fail to achieve it? Generally, there are two essential things I have observed regarding this question.
First, to succeed at anything, you have to know what it is you want. The “just hanging in there: “going with the flow”; “taking it one day at a time” mentality is not a formula for achieving success. Time must be taken for reflection and getting to know who you are. It means becoming clear on what you like or dislike, determining the person you want you be, and defining in your own terms what you want out of life in each of the aforementioned categories. If you are content with where you are in life, stop reading. I am happy for you. But if not, this is something that needs to be done.
Second, and this is key. You must believe with all your heart, mind, and soul that success is possible for you. Without the belief that success is possible, everything else falls apart and you will never get beyond the dream state. The actions that we take, or do not take, stem from what we believe about ourselves and our possibilities.
There are all sorts of influences that will impact the development of your belief system; some good, some not so good. Odds are, if we are not where we want to be in life, and are not taking steps to change our conditions, the not so good ones are probably having the greater impact. It means we have accepted the belief that there is little we can do to change our current condition. This is referred to as a fixed mindset; accepting that “it is what it is – so let’s make the best of it.”
Here is a tip on how to determine if something is possible for you or not: You cannot consistently, with any serious heartfelt emotion, entertain the thought of something that is not possible for you. Sure, a thought can pop into our minds on what life would be like if, but it passes just as quickly as it comes, and there is no intense emotion connected to it. We know we are only dreaming.
On the other hand, anything that you consistently think about is possible. If the thoughts persist, if they keep coming back, and you feel something in your soul, if that thing will not leave you alone, it means it is possible for you to achieve. Only the false belief that you cannot make it happen is what holds you back. The challenge becomes finding a way to break through those false beliefs and begin the process of setting out to achieve your goals and achieving success in your own terms.
Breaking through limiting beliefs takes mental effort, commitment, and perseverance, but it can be done. Start by looking back over the course of your life and making note of any, and everything you have ever accomplished, no matter how big, or how small. We have all accomplished something, and if we take the time to do an inventory of those things, we will find that despite our limiting beliefs we have achieved more than we give ourselves credit for.
Next, start setting small daily goals for yourself. Decide on one thing, each day you intend to accomplish, just one thing. What category that one thing falls under is not important. Just determine what that one thing is each day.
Accomplishing 1 thing a day becomes 7 things a week, 30 things a month, 360 things a year, and ultimately the development of a new belief system built on past successes.
There is no secret to success. There are only those who are determined to succeed in spite of any odds, and those who are not. The choice is ours. It is a decision we all must make. Whichever way you choose, I wish you much success.
The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Greater Paterson OIC, its Board of Directors, or any other group or individual affiliated.
The Post: The “Secret” of Success appeared first on transformationtraining.net
OIC of Greater Paterson is a non-profit community- based organization that has been meeting the needs of the economically disadvantaged individuals throughout the community.
