On the Lighter Side...

Heaven knows there isn’t much to laugh about in the news these days, yet laughter is what we most need sometimes to feel refreshed and ready to carry on. I don’t usually advise comparing ourselves with others…but I might make an exception in this case. Many of my life and career coaching clients second guess themselves some of the time, especially in anxiety-producing situations like job interviews, but trust me, they have never said anything as foolish as the people quoted in this story from CNN and Career Builders.com--and neither, I'm sure, have you. Here is “43 Weird Things Said in Job Interviews:”

Hiring managers are amazed by what job applicants say during interviews.

"I'm not wanted in this state."

"How many young women work here?"

"I didn't steal it; I just borrowed it."

"You touch somebody and they call it sexual harassment!"

"I've never heard such a stupid question."

Believe it or not, the above statements weren't overhead in bars or random conversations -- they were said in job interviews.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/07/22/cb.you.said.what.interview/

Soulful Work = Harmony with Your Values

How well does your work conform to your personal values and strengths? If you are burning out or simply feeling a disconnect somewhere in your work, consider whether you are able to express your ideals while making a living.

Does your work reflect who you are? Does it honor what you most care about, your strengths and values? In other words, is it in harmony with your soul? Margaret Benefiel writes about Soulful Leadership. In a recent post about Bernie Madoff, she posed some provocative questions:

"We need to ask ourselves regularly: Are my choices today strengthening my soul or eroding it? In what ways are my choices making me the person I want to be? In what ways am I choosing a path that results in my being less than my best self? How can I get the support I need to make better choices? (Leaders on the slippery slope to disaster are notoriously isolated.)"

Although Margaret Benefiel’s focus in this essay was Bernie Madoff’s morality, I think these questions transcend “mere” morality; it’s more about living in harmony with your whole, true self. That is, does your work mesh with how you see yourself—and who you want to be?

Don’t be scared off by these questions. We’re not talking about Cosmic Perfection here. And we are certainly not being elitist. These questions apply whether you are the CEO of a major corporation or if you're a blue-collar worker. I know waitresses and truck drivers who are living their values. In contrast, being in situations that are at odds with how you want to see yourself is like swimming upstream. It's exhausting—and guaranteed to burn you out. It's the opposite of “flow.” The goal is to be moving toward a greater harmony with your ideal life and work. Are you moving in the right direction: toward your values?

Connie DiStasi Hillman, MSW, MA
New Leaf Coaching
http://www.newleafcoachingonline.com