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I have thought so much about you this past month and wondered what New Year’s gift I might send to help you nourish your career in 2007.
At $60/an arrangement, the price tag for flowers felt a bit hefty and the gift a bit wilty – so, instead of flowers, I’ve decided to share:
- A lifework story that will help to inspire hope and confidence in your future…
- My recipe for a successful, working maturity…
- Thoughts that will help you to add happiness to your work experience…
I trust you agree that this is a much better gift than a bunch of wilting flowers.
HOPE and CONFIDENCE
In his book, Coming Home, James Dobson noted that “Immanuel Kant wrote one of his most famous philosophical works at age seventy-four; Verdi was still composing when he was eighty-five. When he completed The Pietà, his greatest work of art, Michelangelo was eighty-seven; and Ronald Reagan was the President of the United States at age seventy-five.” (Thanks to Chris Kelly for forwarding this reminder about late life success stories.)
Enough about the “obviously famous.” Please take a few moments to read a very short story about one of our friends who has created much of his life’s meaning through his good work.
Once upon a time, Alan Greig joined the Royal Australian Air Force and posted to Number 1 Bomber Squadron in Malaya where he flew 76 missions. In this youthful time, he played rugby for All Malaya Services against the French Services in Vietnam. A little later, he met the love of his life, Vivienne, a music teacher in Australia. Highlights of this romantic love story include times when he had friendly pilots drop love letters to her from on high! He then left his adventurous, if often stressful, life behind and used his skills to work as a financial planner. He spent his middle years working hard…and that effort, dear friends, could have been the end of this story about Alan.
But, at a time when most of his friends had retired, Alan found his true calling.
Today, Alan is a famous retirement coach in Queensland, Australia. He lectures around the world, runs the International Coaching Federation’s special interest group on Third Age coaching and hosts a monthly New Zealand, Australian and U.S. coaches’ conference. He is co-authoring an Australian version of Boom or Bust for publication later this year. In short, he is busier than ever doing work that he loves!
Then, of course, there are the equally interesting life/work stories to tell of people such as Rod Barham, my co-author Brad Taft, Anette Asher, Dick Kaumeyer, Patti Carson, Phil Newbold and all the folks at the California Department of Aging who do such terrific work on behalf of others. In short, I would like to acknowledge all friends who have come to realize that, like Alan, their best work was to be discovered within themselves once they had lived long enough to know what mattered! Their stories serve as inspiration to others who must learn to battle through the many challenges brought about by working in a very changed world.
If you are still learning life lessons and are in transition in the middle of your life, I hope your confidence will soar as you come to understand and believe that:
YOUR BEST, MOST MEANINGFUL, LIFEWORK
IS LIKELY TO BE FOUND AROUND THE CORNER OF LIFE WE LABEL AS “MATURITY.”
MY RECIPE for a SUCCESSFUL WORKING MATURITY (it worked for me!)
- Seek first to understand yourself by knowing which “gifts” you bring to that effort we call work.
- Don’t ever confuse your talent with your learned skills. They are far from the same thing.
- Develop a healthy appetite for understanding the possibilities inherent in the future.
- Design your own “philosophy” of life and work and live up to your expectations of yourself.
- Last longer at trying for what you want to happen than your good sense might suggest.
- Don’t worry if success is found by experiencing a few failures – failure is the learning experience that usually offers the most direct path to success.
- Commit to “doing” and “learning” vs. waiting and hoping for something to happen. For example, I developed a list of 10 things to do before I died and am about half way through. It feels good to check off these accomplishments. The list involves that part of my life we call work, of course… So, relative to work – you ask – what was on my list?
- Write a HOW TO WORK book for boomers (and beyond)
- Develop expertise in recruiting, revitalizing and retaining the mature workforce
- Bring the message about the economic and societal advantages of utilizing the
experience and talent of the mature workforce to as many Americans as possible
- See business embrace the financial advantages offered by the mature workforce
How am I doing? The first two work-related items are checked off of my list! Remember – I am NOT in a big rush to get to the end of my list although I hope to gain ground on the last items throughout 2007.
THOUGHTS ABOUT HAPPY WORK
Did you happen to notice the book cover on the first page of this newsletter? “Happy Hour is 9 to 5” is a new book by Alexander Kjerulf whose self-designated title is Chief Happiness Officer. His premise is that if you want to be happy at work, you must find a happy company. His book will help you to find your way to workplace happiness.
Speaking of happy companies – several studies clearly make the business case that happy companies make more money than unhappy companies. Happy companies’ employees are more creative than unhappy companies’ employees. They innovate more and develop new products and services at a faster rate than people stuck in unhappy firms. Employees in these companies take fewer sick days, are more productive and better at helping customers to be happy and satisfied. If your first thought is of Southwest Airlines, you’re headed in the right direction.
Happy jobs come in many packages. For example, should you find yourself out of work or, simply tired of the old grind, have you thought about finding a creative alternative? Here’s an example of one such happy possibility. Every summer Princess’ Alaska operations provides seasonal employees an opportunity for a terrific working vacation. Right now, today, the company is looking for potential employees for the 2007 season. Go to www.princessjobs.com for more information. Go on. Take a break from the humdrum!
Read the words of columnist Richard Watson in his latest column about “The Future of Work” found in Fast Company’s magazine.
"People divide their lives into work and play. But a clever few realize that if you pick the right work it ceases to be work and becomes play. The trick is finding something that you are passionate about and then devoting your life to it. This won't necessarily make you a fortune but it will make you happy. It may also turn you into a successful innovator, because playfulness is an essential prerequisite for invention."
Next – here is a happy thought for mature workers everywhere. By 2012, a few short years from now, the workforce will be losing more than two workers for every one it gains (Source: U.S. Department of Labor). Sounds like a competitive advantage to me. How about to you? Beat the rush. Pioneer your future by learning about the many advantages mature workers offer America and the wide world of work.
And, finally, remember that most people are about as happy as they choose to be!
CHOOSE HAPPINESS FOR YOUR CAREER IN 2007! THEN, CREATE IT.
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