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Back "Most of us go to our graves with our music still inside."
Today change is constant in all organizations. Because change means that people must do things differently, people who know how to think creatively can thrive on change. Continually searching for answers to three key career questions helps people stay focused and productive in rapidly changing organization. Confronting the Key Questions: Answering three key questions will lead you to discovering your unique talents . They may well be life's three most important questions: "Who am I?", "What am I here to do?", and "What is the legacy I wish to leave?" From your answers you can create a vision of the "good life" you want to live doing the work you love and living your life "on purpose." In our culture, people frequently define the good life in financial or material terms. Happiness comes from what we own. A growing number of people have begun to look deeper for the good life. For them it means being in a place where they belong, being with "their people," (those they love and who love them) and doing the "right work" to fulfill a meaningful purpose. Two more key questions for discovering right work are, "What do you want in place of what you have?" and "How will you know when you've achieved it?". We've been asking people these fundamental questions for years in hundreds of creativity workshops and we ask them at the beginning of Explorations. They seem so simple, yet answering them honestly takes courage. Explorations will help you think creatively about your future and discover not only what you want in place of what you have, but how you might get it. Experience tells us that people already have the answers to their most important challenges. If the answers seem illusive, typically it's because they haven't asked the right questions. Or they haven't truly looked for them because they want to avoid the frightening possibility that they might fail to achieve what they want. In his book, Callings, Gregg Levoy offers a third reason. "For a lot of us, refusing our own impulses is desirable for the simple reason that it feels familiar. One of the most confounding human habits is that we continue to do what hurts us just because it's familiar…it's the pattern we know, it makes us feel at home." Three hungers people try to feed: According to Richard Leider, author and career counselor, there are three hungers that people try to feed throughout their lives. We explore each of the hungers in Explorations. Hunger #1 At some point most people realize the answer to the question, "What is my purpose for being here?" springs from a creative energy demanding expression. This creative urge doesn't necessarily refer to the classical way people define creativity…becoming an artist, musician, or actor. Creativity's much broader than that…perhaps the "art" of parenthood, or the "music" that carries hope through service to others. It could mean developing tools that bring peace and stability to a troubled world. Discovering our life's purpose demands creativity. That's because you need to see yourself and your life in new ways, challenge your basic assumptions, recognize old patterns in your life, make connections that reveal new possibilities, take intelligent risks, and recognize and seize opportunities. Hunger #2 Humankind has sensed this hunger since the beginning of time. Aristotle said, "When the needs of the world and your talents cross, there lives your vocation." Again, everyone has some unique talents but many have yet to uncover them. Think of Michelangelo's statue of David. In a sense, it was right there inside the stone all along and only needed to be uncovered bit by bit until the whole was apparent. That's what we will help you do...reveal the natural qualities you already possess but may not have yet seen and use them to create a career that works. Hunger #3 Through the ages, people have longed to leave something behind that leaves their world better than they found it. For each of us, legacy is as unique as our fingerprint. For some it may be bringing up healthy, happy, confident children who want to create their own legacies. For others it might be creating a business where they provide people the opportunity for meaningful work and a chance to use their unique talents collectively to achieve a greater good. Material or commercial success can be achieved without fulfillment. Fulfillment comes from knowing yourself, creating a clear vision for your future and "feeding" these three life hungers. A four factors approach: Explorations will help you consider four key factors that must be addressed for every career decision. Factor #1 This first factor asks you to start "internally" with yourself instead of reacting to external demands. You'll explore:
Factor #2 You begin by looking at work you've done in the past that you enjoyed, did well, and took pride in. Then you will analyze that work to discover the unique gifts reflected in your experience. Factor #3 You will look at work with an eye toward what "moves" you. Where do you find joy and passion? Tapping into those emotions can lead you to the right career choices. Factor #4 Explorations show you how to take time to reflect and "recharge" your batteries. We've all experienced renewal and the heightened sense of clarity that comes from solitude. In a sense, solitude provides the environment you need to address the first three elements in this process. Is it worth it? Is it worth spending time exploring yourself and work that will allow you to use your talents and fulfill your purpose? We spend 60% or our lives working or getting ready for work. That's a lot of time and energy. Are you willing to spend that much time working just to earn money to spend during the time that's left? If you define work as something you do to pay the bills, you seriously short change yourself. Think of yourself as a corporation in which you invest much of your life's energy (money). Would you invest in yourself? Would you write a check to this corporation that is you? What if you knew the people there had maximized their gifts and talents and worked with a sense of meaning and purpose. Wouldn't that improve your odds of making a sound investment? Wisdom from the Elders: What do those near the end of their lives say they would do differently if they could live their live over again? How would they spend their life energy the second time around? A researcher cited in the February/March, 1998 issue of Fast Company interviewed 1,000 people who had retired from leading companies after distinguished careers. We took their wisdom into account as we wrote and designed Explorations. Here are their most frequent recommendations. Be more reflective Take more risks Discover what really brings fulfillment Workshop Costs… Contact us for current Exploration rates. We offer special discounts for booking more than one program over twelve months. Call 727-391-5080or e-mail us info@aci2001.com. Applied Creativity
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Everyone is born with unique talents and those who discover their gifts and use them well are the happiest and most fulfilled. If Holmes is right, many people sleep walk through life never quite able to discover or use their unique talents. It doesn't have to be that way. The Explorations Workshop can help you discover your unique talents and how you might use them doing work that filled with meaning and satisfaction.
