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Rolling stone or adventurer? The winding road
career path
The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem
to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last
year." - John Foster Dulles, Former U.S. Secretary of
State.
From Powerquotes -
Volume 4, Number 18 - ISSN: 1523-8008
As one who has moved and changed jobs often, I used to receive
a considerable amount of unsought commentary : "When
will you settle down?" "Are you running away from
something?" "Get real!"
Since I was financially sound and there were no outstanding
warrants for my arrest, my response was, "None of your
[insert cuss word of choice] business." However, when
I coach and speak about transitions, people ask me about their
own lives: How much is too much? Am I doing something wrong?
First, I firmly believe some people are born restless. Author
Richard Ford wrote about his own "Urge for Going"
(Harpers 1992, pp. 284-260). He claims that moving has given
him a variety of experiences and sense of self that most people
achieve through stability.
Fifty years ago, a Benedictine monk named Hubert von Zeller
wrote a wonderful essay called "Restlessness" (We
Sing While There's Voice Left, Sheed and Ward 1951). He believed
that some people were born with souls that demand motion and
change. Left too long in one place, those people will become
smug and complacent.
Can you have too much of a good thing?
Clearly some people may keep running to avoid recurring conflict.
Alcoholics Anonymous warns members against the "geographic
cure." Yet often the underlying conflict has to do with
a career choice that creates a conflict between work and self.
If the best jobs in your field are in small towns and you
have a big city soul, you may need a career change before
you make another move. If you thrive on excitement, you may
need a career that gives you a base for lifelong exploration.
People no longer comment on my lifestyle. The critics know
I won't return their calls. And after I bought a house, I
was pronounced "stable," even when I took a temporary
job and and rented the house to tenants who were considered
"settled" because they've lived in Fort Lauderdale
forever -- even when they can't pay the rent.
Go figure.
| 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.movinglady.com
or call 505-534-4294. |
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