Your Life Wheel (part 3)

I have touched upon five of the six spokes on your life wheel and this post will address the occupational side of your wheel. For many people, the occupational spoke on their life wheel is, by far, the largest. Obviously, this encompasses your work and your career plans. For some, it is such a large part of their lives that there is no room to fill the other spokes, and that is not good for your overall well being. Although we pay a lot of attention to this spoke when we launch or are thrown into a job search, often we don't tend to this spoke otherwise. But I encourage you, if you have not already done so, to spend some time thinking about your work and your career plans. Do they fit together well, just somewhat, or not at all? How do your career plans fit in with your life goals and plans? If you don't have life goals and plans, that would be a good place to start. Think about what you want to accomplish/contribute to this world and develop plans to help you get there. I believe your goals and at least the basics of your plans should be written down somewhere. It seems to me that goals not written down (or recorded somewhere) are basically just dreams and it is hard to make a dream into a reality without some specific plans. So identify where you are and where you want to be, occupationally, and by when. If you don't know what your dreams or plans are, at this stage in life, you may want to spend some time thinking about that. I find that without any plans, or goals to work towards, days just seem to be less meaningful. Sort of on the other end of the spectrum are those folks who have retired and are at a loss because their occupational spoke is so small. That group also includes those who are not looking forward to retirement because work is such a major part of their lives. In my opinion, that is also not good for your overall well being. The key is to not to let work take over your entire life while you are working, so that you have time for other interests and activities to enjoy, not only while you are working, but certainly after you have quit working or reduce your work load. Look for the final post regarding your life wheel in the coming days. Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career change and job search, as well as loss of job, retirement planning, coping with an empty nest, non-retirement planning, and other life planning issues. She is certified a a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). Mary Ann meets with individuals in person and at a distance via telephone. Please visit her web site at http://www.yourcareerplan.com/ for more information on her services. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.