Comments on: What My Five Careers Have Taught Me: Top 10 Lessons of Career Reinvention

By: elliacommunications

elliacommunications — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:31:29 +0000

What an enlivening idea, Viviana – that there are no failures, just directions we take that serve their purpose by bringing us to a new location on our journey that was of value. I’m finding it fascinating as an executive recruiter now that when I ask folks, “What’s the ideal next role for you,” they admit that they’ve never asked that question or even remotely considered it. The important message of this post is that life is far more satisfying when you 1) understand what you long for, and 2) find new ways to satisfy those longings, and 3) don’t allow yourself linger too long on what could’ve or should’ve been. Thanks!

By: elliacommunications

elliacommunications — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:23:16 +0000

Hey Denise – appreciate your comments. Our “childhood essence,” as you call it – yes, it’s there right from the beginning, and it continues to ask us to create new ways to bring it into form. Thanks!

By: elliacommunications

elliacommunications — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:21:08 +0000

Thanks, Geri. I’m with you – it’s honoring your dreams and following them to see where they take you that adds spice and zest to life. It’s not about completion or perfection, but living life full out for the experiences and new realities you can create. Thanks for sharing!

By: Geri

Geri — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:01:36 +0000

GREAT article – as someone who has been described as a “serial entrepreneur” I can relate – I can’t count the number of career shifts in my life – some were choices I made and some were changes thrust upon me. It used to make me think something was wrong with me but now I relish all of these experiences. I have always had lists of things I want to do or ideas to develop and when I am feeling down I look at the undone as failures. But when I am thinking clearly I realize that just having the dreams and working on them to the best extent I can – even if they won’t be accomplished – keeps me going. It is when you stop having any dreams to even contemplate that is when you cease living what I call a fully realized life.

By: Denise

Denise — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:56:57 +0000

Kathy, Great post! What I love most is the thread weaving childhood essence with defining life moments / lessons that bloom us into our purpose. Thank you for the depth of your article.

By: Viviana

Viviana — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:10:09 +0000

Kathy, you’ve got me thinking…a wise woman once said something to the effect that she has not had three failed marriages, she has had three successful marriages – for those three seasons of her life (bearing in mind that she is still married to #3 and is friends with #1 and #2). In other words, things ended, but love, maturity, and perspective kept them from ending badly. That enables her to look at what she drew from each experience that led to growth (and, perhaps, longevity in the case of #3?)

I think that principle applies here. When I look at past iterations of my career, I only see where they brought me. Even the one layoff I experienced taught me that, as you say, “job security” is not so much about a particular job or company. It’s about security in one’s own ability to adapt, survive, and reinvent.