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    PassionKey Newsletter

A You-based approached to career development Getting to the core of a career you'll love 6:30 a.m. and the alarm sounds, jolting you awake and dragging you from your dreams. You shower, eat breakfast, and head out the door for a reluctant commute to another day of being who you're not. For far too many people, that is their reality. Their chosen career has little to do with who they really are, and so they spend their days masquerading. They may be good at what they do - they may even be able to convince themselves for a while that they are on the right track - but it will ultimately catch up with them. And when it does, they find themselves face to face with that nagging question..."What the heck am I doing here?" It doesn't have to be that way. The "Oh-no-it's-Monday!" blues can be avoided by taking a You-based approach to career development - making career choices based on who you are, rather than arbitrary external factors. When you make You-based decisions, you find yourself more enthused about what you're doing. You find an energy you may not have known was there. Work becomes *fun*! For most people, the idea of career development is an external one. What path will offer the most opportunity? What job should I take next? How do I plan my steps to move me quickly to the top? The notion of pursuing one's passion seldom comes into the career development picture. The reaction is often one of "sure, that would be great, but I've got to be realistic." Passion pursuit and career development seem mutually exclusive; like oil and water, they don't mix. I want to challenge that notion. Passion pursuit and career development can (and should!) be one and the same. It's easy to get caught up in the external "what" of career. We're conditioned to see it in terms of external definitions - titles, how others see us, etc. How many times have you heard that eternal cocktail-party question - "so...what do you do?" While that "what" might give us a comfortable sense of identity, it's a false front, and has nothing to do with who we are or what is good for us internally. If we want to merge passion pursuit and career development (i.e., take a You-based approach), the first step is awareness. Knowing who you are. Knowing what lights you up - and knowing why. Knowing what is deeply meaningful to you. I call this creating your Passion Core (tm). Your Passion Core consists of: * Your passion's "building blocks" (see http://www.rosengren.net/passioncatalyst/passionkey6.htm for more about discovering these) * Your values * Your spiritual beliefs [See http://www.rosengren.net/passioncatalyst/curtspassioncore.htm for an example of what a Passion Core could look like.] Your Passion Core gives you a powerful tool to help you make career decisions that will add to the energy that you get from your work, rather than suck it away. If you have decided that it is time for a big transition, you can use your Passion Core to help you come up with ideas on what that might be. If you aren't ready to make a drastic change, your Passion Core can help you understand how to refine the work you're currently doing to be more fulfilling. If you are one of those lucky people who have already found their bliss, you can use your Passion Core to help you keep on the right track any time you are presented with a decision. At the end of the day, it's about traveling consciously through your career. Your Passion Core is the internal compass that will show you which direction is right for you. -- Developing an in-depth picture of your Passion Core on your own can be a real challenge. In my Passion Catalyst work, I can help you uncover your Passion Core and incorporate what you've discovered into your career. My Passion Catalyst work is based on a model I developed approaching your career as a journey. The Passion Core is at the heart of that model. Sounds like something you need, but you're still undecided? Take a free test drive. I offer a free 30 minute meeting to help explore what you are looking for, and how my Passion Catalyst services could help. To schedule a time, please e-mail me at curt@rosengren.net . -- Curt Rosengren's PassionKey is a periodic newsletter focused on helping you step off the treadmill and onto your passionate path. You can subscribe at http://www.rosengren.net/passioncatalyst/subscribe.htm