Less Stress More Calm

Why Do We Change Jobs and Transform Careers?

The first question you have to ask yourself is if you have a career or a job?

Wikipidia has one definition of a job as an – “Occupation”.

Wikipidai has one definition of Career as – “an individual's course or progress through life”.

What I deduce from this is that you may have multiple jobs throughout life, which make up your career. But our career may drastically evolve. That is entirely up to you.

As for myself:

1. I worked at a large aerospace firm in various supply chain departments, then worked on a huge IT (SAP) project for 1 ½ years.

2. I then joined a larger aerospace firms IT projects for a few years.

3. Worked for a small Pharmaceutical company, again involved in supply chain / IT (SAP) projects.

4. On the side I started www.mylifechanges.com because I’m a self-improvement nut.

5. Presently I am an IT consultant and entrepreneur.

So my career has been a blend of supply chain expertise, IT and now I have served myself a side dish of entrepreneurship in the self-improvement field. 

From what I have seen, here is why people change jobs (and possibly re-invent their careers).

1. They don’t feel appreciated at their jobs.
2. They want to make more money. The book “Fire Your Boss” has a compelling chapter on this.
3. They want to re-invent yourself and career. Scott Adams has written another brilliant entry. *insert ego stroke here*
4. Bad bosses
5. Work closer or at home.

Right now we all have jobs. Our careers are ever evolving.

Or not.

Do You Have A Negative Attitude Towards Life, Work, Love Or All?

I try to write about personal experiences and blend them with the best books I have read. I have read hundreds of self development; philosophy and business books over the years and constantly incorporate their philosophies and teachings into my life. I especially enjoy books that have plenty of research or are scientifically based.

Lately I have been going through a few rough spots involving relatives in an accident (everyone is better now), challenges from my website business, a brand new laptop that just died, dreadful self made stress….you get the picture.

I read another book yesterday that has given me plenty of food for thought.  It is another positive psychology book called, “How full Is Your Bucket" However it is based on analysis of 10,000 business units and more than 30 industries. Here are a few statistics.

• The number 1 reason people leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated.
• Bad bosses increase the risk of stroke by 33%.
• Negative employees can scare off customers – for good
• 9 of 10 people say they are more productive when they are around positive people.

Pretty straightforward stats but good reminders of the world around us.

After giving this book some thought, I’m no longer crabby, I slept great last night and once again I have a positive and hopeful outlook on life. Sometimes I need a nudge to get me in the right direction again.

I am much more positive. I am going to share it with everybody. I will strengthen my relationships with friends at work. I will give out of the blue. I will really try to understand how different people like to be appreciated.

Positive psychology is an extremely important future trend. It does have to be based on reality though and mistakes still have to be corrected. We are not living in la-la land.

But in the future, being positive and appreciative will have the greatest impact on our lives.

I’ve read this before in other books, I’m thankful I read it again.

What Everybody Ought To Know About Meditation

It’s my life

It’s now or never

I ain’t gonna live forever

Bon Jovi

I’ve been meditating and looking for high-quality resources for years. Meditation is an incredible tool to help you slow down and understand your mind, life, decrease stress and increase calmness. There are many fantastic meditation resources including books, iPod download, CDs and others. Here are a few of my favorites to get you started. 

Reading about meditation and mindfulness teachers can help set the foundation for a life long love of calmness, peace and relaxing meditation.

Pema Chodron is one my favorite authors. She has many excellent short books and can also be found on iTunes.

The Wisdom of No Escape and the Path of Loving Kindness

Matthieu Ricard brilliantly combines science with spirit, and smoothly blends the east and west philosophies. 

Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill

John Kehoe has some of the finest books on life changing principals.

Mind Power into the 21st Century: Techniques to Harness the Astounding Powers of Thought

There are plenty of CD’s or downloads you can use. Here a couple of gems.

Gael Chiarella is loaded on my IPod and I listen to a 20 minute AM or PM mediation session almost every day.

AM/PM Yoga Meditations

Meditainment is an excellent on line resource that takes feedback from subscribers to make your meditation experience the best it can be. Meditainment is available on CD, DVD and download.

www.meditainment.com

Enjoy!