by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Apr 4, 2010 | Coaching, life purpose
This weekend, I’m in Florida, for a visit with Sarah’s parents at the Villages. We go down a couple of times per year, take in the sun, and give Nana and Pop-Pop some quality time with our kids, Brendan and Susannah (Susie). We hang out, cook out, go out to eat, swim and generally enjoy the good weather and all that “America’s Favorite Hometown” has to offer.
But this time, it’s going to be a little different. Not just because it’s Easter. Not because we live closer since we moved to Georgia. This trip figures to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
No, we are not going to Disneyworld, Universal Studios or SeaWorld. (Been there done that. Going to do it again, but since I’ve been to all of those several times (9 or 10 times so far to Disneyworld), those don’t qualify as “once in a lifetime.”
We’re going to see the Space Shuttle take off. And they are only slated to have 4 more missions after this one, because they are slated to retire the whole fleet.
Sarah and I share a love for space exploration. At different times, we both dreamed of being astronauts. Not enough to actually go into the military and train for NASA, but it’s definitely a dream worth having. I actually think that Sarah would have been a great astronaut.
What greater metaphor exists for reaching your human potential than leaving the planet to see what else is out there in the universe? Space exploration represents the drive of humankind to conquer the unknown, to search for new knowledge and experiences, and to connect with the mysteries and wonders of all creation.
I’ve always had an affinity for the space program. Part of this actually comes from a family connection to NASA. One of my cousins, (1st cousin once removed) Edward Galen Givens, was an accomplished test pilot and instructor, and was tapped for NASA’s original group of 19 astronauts in 1966. He was a member of the Apollo 7 support crew before his untimely death in a car accident in 1967. He was 37 years old.
I never did meet Galen, since I was born two years later. But when I was young, I did hear stories about him from my Dad, and we did have visits from his parents: my great Uncle Bill, and great Aunt Helen. They were gentle, funny, good-natured people, and clearly enjoyed life, despite having lost both their sons (their other son, Don, was also a military pilot and was killed on a routine training mission when his plane crashed.)
Galen’s story is just one from the many people related to NASA, and to some, his life and career will seem one footnote on one page of one chapter of one book about mankind’s quest to explore the stars and the mysteries of the universe.
But to me and to members of my family, and to those who knew him, Galen’s life and career represent something far greater: the archetypal quest to discover your life purpose, reach your potential and perhaps to push beyond into uncharted territory, where the greatest learning can begin.
It’s a quest I hope to assist others with in my coaching practice.
Where are you going in your life?
- Do you know your life purpose?
- Are you striving to reach your maximum potential?
- If not, would you like a partner to assist you on your personal journey?
Like Fox Mulder used to say on The X Files, “The Truth is Out There.”
Are you ready for the search?
For a great article on the life, career and Death of Galen Givens visit the following excerpt of the book Fallen Astronauts: Heroes Who Died Reaching for the Moon. or visit the Amazon Reading List in the sidebar. (Affiliate Links)
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Mar 29, 2010 | Career Skills, Coaching, Job Search, The Placement Experience
This guy doesn't need a career coach. But he may need an attitude adjustment. Who are you pointing at, fool?
If you work in higher education, you are probably already a pretty successful person, and have some pretty good ideas about where you want to go in life. Teaching positions require graduate education, and many administrative posts also require at least a master’s degree.
You’re also surrounded by many great resources, including experienced colleagues, supervisors, and even students who help inspire and motivate you. Teaching and advising are activities that stir your soul, as well as your mind. You are periodically, if not frequently, reminded of your purpose, and you probably have more opportunities than some to pursue your academic and professional interests.
So why would you need a career coach? Aren’t you already smart enough to help yourself? Can’t you connect with plenty of people who can help you, who won’t charge you a fee?
Honestly, on some levels, the answers lean toward an argument against spending your time and money for a professional coach. But these answers are also mostly likely arrived at upon a surface-level examination of your life and career, and a certain level of buy-in to some stereotypes and expectations that society applies to being a member of the faculty.
Look a little deeper, and you may discover some very compelling reasons to consider coaching.
First and foremost, getting a coach doesn’t say anything about your intellectual ability. Plenty of really smart people work with coaches to keep them accountable, help them achieve work/life balance, and set and meet personal and professional goals. Prominent CEOs hire coaches. Corporations do, too. In fact, many corporations are hiring in-house coaches to help their employees be more satisfied with their careers and more balanced in their lives.
Second, it’s true that you have friends, colleagues, your supervisor, and your students to help and support you. But can these people dedicate the time and personal attention to you that you need? Will they commit to your personal success over their own needs or the needs of the department or institution? Will they support your personal and professional development, even if it means taking you away from your job, your staff and students, or the institution? Will they keep your concerns, aspirations and goals confidential? Will they hold you accountable for meeting your goals, or do they have their own things to worry about?
Getting a coach is a great way to put your dreams, goals, and even your barriers out there, and to explore them. It’s an investment in your success. It’s also a great way to hold yourself accountable in meeting your goals, so that you can achieve them.
So maybe the question isn’t “Why do I need a career coach?,” but instead “Don’t I deserve one?”
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Oct 29, 2009 | Coaching
Thanks for visiting! I hope you will find Higher Ed Life Coach to be a useful source of information and inspiration as you plan a successful transition to college life for yourself or your student. If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.
Thanks to all who expressed interest in the free career coaching. I have now exceeded the number of clients I need to meet with for certification, and do not have any further openings for free coaching.
If you are interested in one-on-one coaching around life, transition, and career issues, and you are a college student, or higher ed professional, please contact me for a basic consultation and/or to get on my waiting list. I expect to be able to take on an initial client load of 10 to 15 clients starting in January. If interested, contact me and we can go over what to expect, rates, etc.
The big news from Happy Valley this week (or at least MY news from Happy Valley this week) is that I will be leaving Penn State early next month, after 14 and a half years (mostly good ones), and relocating to Athens, GA, so me and my wife and kids can be closer to our extended families. We found a great house and it even looks like we might be able to sell our current one soon enough. I’m looking forward to warmer weather and giving this whole business thing a good honest try.
I’ll miss my friends and colleagues, but I won’t miss winters up here, and I am so looking forward to the changes that will come with not being part of a big beaureaucracy or being “on call” for campus emergencies. Wish me luck!
In other news, I am lining up some possible guest bloggers for this site and for HigherEdLifeCoach.com during my packing and moving period. If you work in higher education or have some great perspectives to share, send me a message at sean@higheredcareercoach.com and we can talk.
by sean@higheredcareercoach.com | Sep 25, 2009 | Book Reviews
Career Renegade by Jonathan Fields
In Career Renegade former lawyer and self-proclaimed “serial lifestyle entrepreneur” Johnathan Fields take us through his personal journey from being a high-powered Manhattan attorney to owning his own yoga studio to becoming a speaker, writer and business coach.
I stumbled upon this book during a recent trip to our local Barnes and Noble, where I had gone with my almost 4-year-old son, Brendan, to play with the train table and buy a book for bedtime reading. After B inflicted some serious train-crashing on poor Thomas the Tank Engine and friends, he chose Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat, and we headed up front to see if I could find a book that would help me in developing a business plan for my coaching practice
The title screamed out at me, and the subtitle, “How to Make a Great Living Doing What You Love,” hooked me in. I skimmed the table of contents. Fields divides the book into four parts
- What Makes You Come Alive? explores the connection between personal passion and finding a career you will love.
- What Kind of Renegade Will You Be? introduces Career Renegade paths, and provides a lot of interesting ideas for finding and filling needs for information and stuff, teaching what you know and planning and protecting your vision.
- How to Master Your Passion and Build a Worldwide Following helps readers explore their personal readiness to build a reputation and a following, and provides some great ideas on ways to market ideas and use social media tools to build a community around your vision.
- Let the Revolution Begin engages readers in determining how ready they are to build a “Career Renegade” mindset and build support among family and friends.
As someone currently engaged in redefining my life and career, and seeking to help others do the same, I found Career Renegade to be a very enjoyable and engaging read, and it really helped me solidify my own commitment to this big change I’m planning that will take me away from the security of my current position working for a university. Fields’ practical information and the steps he takes the reader through to imagine their journey are powerful. I especially like his advice about weighing the security of a job against the costs of inaction. This helped me to not only explore my motivations, but to confront my fears about taking such a huge step.
If you are exploring ways to take control of your career, and need some inspiration to overcome your fears, as well as some practical advice to get you up and running, Career Renegade is the book you are looking for. Now that you know this, feel free to spend more time at the train table. Just take it easy on Thomas and his friends. They get enough of the rough stuff from the kids.
