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Six Steps to Transforming Your Career by
Jenna Avery, CLC, Life Coach for Sensitive Souls Work
for Sensitive Souls must feed our minds, hearts, and souls. We
must make a contribution that resonates to our core. To do otherwise is
to invite despair, confusion, and sorrow. The traditional structure of
working culture isn’t always supportive of our needs. So we
must create
work that works ourselves, whether by creating our own positions or
businesses, working in less mainstream positions and companies, or
adapting our current jobs to better suit us. A
critically important aspect is to know yourself. This may seem
obvious, but many Sensitive Souls get lost in the expectations of
others and become disconnected from ourselves. When we discover our own
passions, values, personality, gifts, and dreams, we steer clearly
toward work that supports our true nature. A
coach supports you to claim your dreams and discover
your talents in a safe space. Additionally, meditation, listening to
your intuition, journaling, and personality discovery work are great
self-facilitation approaches. As
Sensitive Souls, we require work that is meaningful, intellectually
stimulating, and creative. It must be a true calling. One way to think
about this is to remember the “meaning factor.” That is, the intangible
satisfaction we get from doing work that is important to us. As you
contemplate career options, be sure to consider whether the work will
be satisfying intellectually and creatively, while also meeting other
requirements like income and location. Look for what you are naturally
drawn to and excited about as critical clues to what will ultimately be
most rewarding. Your passions will guide you to your deepest truth. When
looking for a job or making a career change, remember to “think
outside the box.” Draw on your innate ingenuity. A helpful technique is
to develop an Ideal Career checklist. Consider the environment, people,
type of work, pay, hours, emotional climate, and intellectual
challenge, alongside soul requirements such as your gifts, sensitivity,
passions, dreams, and meaning factor. In
other words, know what you
must have, need, and want. When you know what works for you and what
doesn’t, potential jobs are easier to evaluate. You might even consider
adapting your current job to meet your ideal! Your
sensitivity is an important part of who you are. It’s one of the
unique gifts you bring to work. Your empathy, emotions, creativity, and
thoughtfulness are part of your valuable skill set that makes for
authentic work relationships, dynamic invention, and compassionate
service. One
way to use your sensitivity is to share your insights,
intuition, and gut responses in meetings and with co-workers. You can
also use your sensitivity interpersonally. Take a deep breath, tune in,
and ask: “How can I best be of support here?” Let your sensitivity
guide you. Career
transformation challenges Sensitive Souls because standard
formulas don’t work well for us, like 40-plus-hour workweeks, commutes,
fluorescent lights, and cubicles. We require physically and emotionally
supportive environments along with plenty of independence and privacy.
In
addition, each sensitive person has specific challenges – such as
people, noise, or light. It’s important to know which of these are
significant for you and to learn how to address them. For example, you
might bring in an incandescent lighting source or create a cubicle of
plants to define your space. You might also learn protective energy
techniques for interpersonal challenges. Many
of us have been hurt by our prior work experiences. We bring our
tender souls with us wherever we go, and transforming our careers can
bring up painful emotions. This is a normal part of healing and
transforming a career. Sometimes it can be an obstacle to simply know
what we want. Be sure to ask for support from friends, coaches,
therapists, or career counselors. ~~~
Copyright 2004-2005,
Jennifer Avery, All rights reserved. Jenna Avery is a highly sensitive coach and
intuitive who offers an original coaching program called Embrace Your
Essential Self, designed to guide sensitive souls to find a deep
sense of inner rightness within themselves so they are inspired to step
forward and shine. Jenna is a Certified Life Coach based in Berkeley,
California. She can be reached at 510.528.1696. You’re invited to take
her free online assessment: "Is Your
Sensitivity Working For You?" on her website at www.highlysensitivesouls.com. ~ ~ ~ related pages on this site [Talent Development Resources] : intensity
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