"Because you can't pack your life into a box."
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.
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"Because you can't pack your life into a box."
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If you're reading this newsletter, you are probably not a linear careerist. I define this path as choosing a career by age eighteen and planning carefully for success, deferring gratification to reach long-term goals. My favorite example is an eminent university professor, "Greg." Greg discovered Freud and Skinner in high school. He majored in psychology as an undergraduate and entered a prestigious graduate program. Greg easily found a mentor and began publishing important articles before completing his Ph.D. He earned tenure easily and gained promotions early. Today, fifty-year-old Greg has no regrets and, five minutes after meeting him, you sense that you are in the presence of someone who really enjoys his life. In his book, View from a Monastery, Brother Benet Twedten tells us he saw his first Benedictine monks as a freshman at a Benedictine college. He knew at once that he wanted to join their monastery. By the time he wrote his best-seller, he had spent forty years in the monastery and had no intention of leaving. Helen, one of six children in a blue collar family, skipped a grade to enter a prestigious women's college on scholarship at age sixteen. Entering medical school after three years of college, she was "Dr. Helen" by age twenty-three. Thirty years later, Helen is a happy, respected cardiologist. She has just taken a leave from her busy practice to write a book. Some career consultants are suspicious of linear careerists. "They're headed for meltdown," they say. "Midlife crisis will come." I don't think so. I think they just knew themselves from a very early age and they had the self-confidence to demand what they needed. Their families and friends supported them. They were drawn to supportive schools, work environments and mentors. And most survive bouts of adversity. Success becomes a habit, they acquire a financial cushion, and the same self-confidence that got them started will carry them a long way. If you meet someone who's been on the linear
path, don't talk about your own winding road or accidental path.
Don't even go there. Invite them to a party and listen to their
"How I Got Here" stories." If your own path is
linear, you may find a great mentor. If not, you'll be introduced
to a whole new world, one you wish you could offer to the next
generation. Other career paths are the winding road and serendipity. Get information about coaching. Visit my career and business coaching site. -------------------------------------------------------------- You may forward, reprint or post this article anywhere, if you do not normally pay authors, and if you include the resource box below. If you normally pay for reprints, I expect to be paid! Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D. is an author,
career coach, and speaker. She works with mid-career professionals
who want to make a fast move to career freedom. Visit her site
http://www.cathygoodwin.com or call
505-534-4294.
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