Welcome to the Fulfillment@Work Newsletter
Published by Joel Garfinkle, Dream Job Coaching
ISSN: 1533-3906

Contents

1. Feature Article: Work Hard No More
2. Quotes of the Week
3. NEW! Love Work Tip: Ending Meeting Mania
4. NEW! Dream Job Tip: Making First Contact
5. We Recommend: America's Career Infonet
6. NEW! Keeping Up With Joel Garfinkle: Meditation Retreat

Feature Article
Work Hard No More

In a recent survey of 180,000 American workers, over 80% indicated an intense dislike for their jobs. This is truly a sad reflection on an activity that absorbs such a major portion in each of our lives. Maybe it's time for a conscious reassessment of our philosophy towards work. It seems to me that many of us are simply working too hard with too little to show for our labors. Why are we influenced to "work so hard?"

One client recently related to me, "I've never been afraid to work hard in order to get the pie in the sky I've always dreamed of. I've always been focused on what I want from life and doing the things I think I need to do in order to get there. Thus, I believe putting in long hours now will help me obtain a level of financial security that will give me the freedom not to work so hard in the future."

As you can see, working hard is such a strong, deep willed idea in today's competitive workplace that it refuses to let go. I've seen many of my clients who have enjoyed the work they are doing, but deep down they think they need to "work even harder" in order to meet specific goals such as achieving financial security.

The saddest thing for these individuals is that their entire universe revolves around working hard, rather than using work as a vehicle to achieve personal fulfillment from both their careers and personal lives. For all of you working too hard, I have one important question, "What is your rate of return?" In the financial world, the annual rate of return is justified in terms of profits yielded on the initial amount of capital invested. Quite simply, if there is little rate of return than the money invested was wasted. In gauging personal fulfillment on the job, rate of return translates into the amount of time you have to spend working hard to reach a projected outcome.

Whether it's spending more time with your family, early retirement or taking your dream vacation, if you're working more and still not achieving your most important objectives, than all your sweat and toil is wasted activity. For all of my clients looking to escape this dead end scenario, I ask them to begin to look at their workday in terms of three words impacting them the most on a daily basis: 1) Active 2) Doing 3) Pursuing

When you work too hard your career is all about being active, doing and pursuing your goals. You are constantly accumulating unnecessary baggage and reinforcing stale ideas. The key to positive change is to practice doing the exact opposite. For active, the word is inactive, for doing it's being and for pursuing it's being comfortable with what you already have, rather than searching for something else.

So how do we move beyond feeling our only work enjoyment is the morning coffee break, lunch, quitting time, happy hour and payday? Will Rogers believed that in order to succeed, "You must know what you are doing, like what you are doing and believe in what you are doing." Rogers' suggestions deserve a closer look.

KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
All too many people approach their jobs like a mosquito in a nudist camp-they see lots of opportunity but can't decide where to start. Instead, place your primary emphasis on the most fulfilling parts of your job. Apply your talents. Become an expert. Excel.

LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
Through coaching the truth most of my clients come to realize is if they are participating in activities they really enjoy, then work doesn't seem so much like work. Or, in other words, the secret to happiness, success, satisfaction and fulfillment through our jobs is not doing what one likes, but liking what one does.

BELIEVE IN WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
Generally, successful people are not in a job looking for something to do. They choose their chosen profession in order to accomplish something meaningful. This prerequisite is difficult to explain to those poor souls sitting back and watching the clock until it's "Miller time." But for those fortunate individuals who are working to satisfy their deepest passions, rather than for so much an hour, know exactly what it means.

Any satisfaction, fun and fulfillment you experience on the job are fringe benefits you give yourself. The secret to transforming your daily "have-to-do's" into "want-to-do's" is to find answers to two very important questions:

What do I want out of my life's work?
What am I willing to do make it happen?

Therein rests the self- fulfilling formula we need to love our jobs and never have to work another day for the rest of our lives.

If you want to learn how to Find Your Dream Job, click here:
http://www.dreamjobcoaching.com/coaching-overview.html

If you want to learn about Executive Coaching, visit:
http://www.GarfinkleExecutiveCoaching.com

~ Joel Garfinkle
Dream Job Coaching:
Live Your Dream Life!

Quotes of the week

"When I hear somebody sigh that Life is hard, I am always tempted to ask, Compared to what?"
~ Sydney J. Harris

"Our greatest battles are that with our own minds."
~ Jameson Frank

"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible."
~ Francis of Assisi

Love Work Tip
Ending Meeting Mania

One of the single biggest wastes of time in any workday is an unorganized meeting. Here are five simple steps to transform your uncontrolled staff stampede into a meaningful meeting that delivers the results your business truly deserves.

1. Determine if calling a meeting is actually necessary. Can the issue at hand be resolved by a memo or a conference call?

2. If a meeting is deemed appropriate, invite only those individuals who are absolutely necessary, and set up a definite starting time, goal-oriented agenda and stopping time.

3. Schedule the actual event before lunch, at the end of the day or right before another meeting in order to avoid running overtime.

4. Begin the meeting with straightforward, easily resolved issues before moving into more complicated territory.

5. Use a timer to monitor the time spent on each individual agenda item.

Dream Job Tip
Making First Contact

Surely your professional success should be based on your strengths and experience, not on who you know, right? Wrong, 90% of all jobs are filled via word of mouth, so your Dream Job, in all likelihood, is going to come to you from a lead from someone you know.

Yet, despite this overwhelmingly clear fact, many individuals feel hindered by the lack of interpersonal resources: not knowing what jobs are available, not knowing where to find them, not knowing enough people to begin networking, not knowing how to conduct interviews (both informational and, ultimately for the job itself).

This perceived lack can be very frustrating, especially when combined with additional fears about lacking skills and having to potentially go back to school for additional training. The following is three useful networking tips to help you make "First Contact" with individuals you need to know or know already:

1. Begin by telling everyone you know about your dream job and that you would appreciate their help.

2. Connect with others in the area of your passion.

3. The more people you meet, know and who join your job- hunting network, the faster your dream career will become reality.

Recommend
America's Career Infonet

America's Career InfoNet (ACINet) helps people make better, more informed career decisions. ACINet is ideal for job seekers, employers, human resource specialists and workforce development specialists. (From the website.) http://www.acinet.org

Keeping Up With Joel Garfinkle

I have just returned from a 7 day silent meditation retreat in the tradition of Vipassana meditation, also known as mindfulness or insight meditation. The reason this retreat was important to me was that it allowed me to take time away from my daily responsibility of working with my clients, staff and the running of a successful company.

By stepping back, I allowed myself an opportunity to make time for the inner part of myself so that I can be grounded, focused and internally motivated to manifest what I most want in my life. I encourage you to find your own unique ways to constantly to develop avenues of renewel of your inner spirit.

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Coaching Services

Joel Garfinkle is available for coaching. Send him an email at joel@dreamjobcoach.com or call (510) 339-3201.

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Copyright 1998-2006, Joel Garfinkle, all rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy or distribute DreamsWork so long as this copyright notice and full information about contacting the author is attached.