Articles by Carol McClelland on ArticleSnatch.com

Ten Ways to Green Your Career

Wed, 25 Apr 2007 00:00:00 -0400

You have done your research. You know the changes you can make in your personal life to have a positive impact on the environment. The question is: Will those actions be enough to produce the results we need to see? Imagine the impact each of us could have if we used our work time (over 2000 hours a year) to reduce the damage we've done to the Earth and minimize the damage we will cause as we move forward. Although you might think you have to have a scientific background to be part of the solution, that's not true. Review this list of ten ways to green your career to discover what part you might be able to play using your current skills. 1) Environmental Careers - These jobs entail working on the front line--working in the environment to help nature in some way. In many cases the goal of these jobs is to undo the impact humans have had on the Earth over the preceding decades and centuries. Scientists and those who support them work with elements of the natural world - the land, the soil, the water, the atmosphere, the wildlife, the forests, and the fish. **End Summary** Topics: green career]]> environmental career]]> green job]]> renewable energy jobs]]> green products]]> green innovation]]> sustainable companies]]> socially responsible co]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Green Career Expert, Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author of Your Dream Career For Dummies and founder of GreenCareerCentral.com. She provides people with an array of resources, information, and support to help them identify their dream green career, find a green job, and advance their green career. Visit http://www.GreenCareerCentral.com/guide.html to request a free excerpt of her Green Job Search Guide.

A Bad Career is Like a Bad Relationship: Is It Time to Get Out?

Sun, 31 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Have you ever been in a bad relationship? You aren't happy. Your partner doesn't respect you. You can't do what you want for fear you'll be criticized. You feel stifled and stuck. You dream of moving on, but you really don't want to leave because there's some comfort in the fact that you are familiar with your situation. Even if it's neither ideal nor pleasant, at least it's something! It's likely you are having an ongoing conversation with yourself about whether you should stay or go. Some day's you are 100% stay....other days you are100% go. But more often than not you find yourself vacillating from one answer to the other several times during the course of your day. Because leaving a relationship takes so much effort and determination, you may spend a lot of time convincing yourself to stay. Perhaps you are saying: "It's not that bad." "I think things will change." "So and so looks like they are changing...I'll hold on a bit longer to see what happens." "I just need to try harder and everything will improve." "I won't be able to find anything better. **End Summary** Topics: leave job]]> job dissatisfaction]]> career change]]> bad relationship]]> divorce]]> breakup]]> quit job]]> find new job]]> dissatisfied]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author of Your Dream Career For Dummies and the creator of the Career Clarity Program, an online program that helps you find your dream career and make it real. She"'s helped thousands of people find a career that"'s a great fit both personally and professionally. To receive a free copy of her Dream Career Workbook, visit: http://www.careerclarityprogram.com and request the workbook in the left navigation bar.

Ten Signs That You Are Ready for a New Job or Career

Fri, 29 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

You've been in your job for a few years. You get a decent paycheck and your benefits are helpful. But you wonder if something's missing. You try to tell yourself you should be happy you have such a good job, but some days you have to face how unhappy you are at work. Are you settling? Are you making do in a job that really isn't a very good fit for you? Read this list of ten clues to determine how many of these statements reflect how you feel about your work. 1) You get depressed every time you think of going back to work after a weekend, a long weekend, or a vacation. The closer Monday morning gets, the more a sense of dread comes over you. You feel a pit in your stomach that you can't ignore. You wish there was something, anything, you could do to avoid going to work. 2) You spend more time recovering from work than having fun. After you leave work each day it takes you several hours to feel like yourself again. **End Summary** Topics: job satisfaction]]> job frustration]]> bored at work]]> change jobs]]> change careers]]> find dream career]]> win lottery]]> late to work]]> meaningful work]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author of Your Dream Career For Dummies and the creator of the Career Clarity Program, an online program that helps you find your dream career and make it real. She"'s helped thousands of people find a career that"'s a great fit both personally and professionally. To receive a free copy of her Dream Career Workbook, visit: http://www.careerclarityprogram.com and request the workbook in the left navigation bar.

Survivor Winner, Yul Kwon - $1 Million Richer...But Still Searching for His True Calling

Thu, 21 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Yul Kwon, the winner of the 13th season of Survivor, is quite accomplished. He's a graduate of UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Yale Law School. He's worked as a law clerk to a federal judge and as a legislative aide to Senator Joe Lieberman. Most recently he's worked as an independent business consultant and a business strategist at Google. Quite a resume for a 31 year old! And yet, according to his friends, he's still searching for his true calling...a way to make a difference. Since filming ended he's been taking time off to connect with friends and explore his interests. Although this may provide him with clues to his true calling, a random exploration of possibilities may not lead him to his dream career. Just as Yul used strategy to win Survivor, there's a strategy he can use to discover his true calling. You can also use these seven strategies to identify your future career. Strategy #1: Make sure you are striving for the right goal. When most people decide to find their dream career, they think their primary goal is to narrow the field of ideas as soon as possible. **End Summary** Topics: Survivor]]> Yul Kwon]]> true calling]]> change careers]]> dream career]]> strategies to change jobs]]> winner]]> favorite skills]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author of Your Dream Career For Dummies and the creator of the Career Clarity Program, an online program that helps you find your dream career and make it real. She"'s helped thousands of people find a career that"'s a great fit both personally and professionally. To receive a free copy of her Dream Career Workbook, visit: http://www.careerclarityprogram.com and click on the workbook icon in the left navigation bar.

How to Create a Winter Solstice to Remember

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

This week, as we approach the Winter Solstice and pass through it, is the darkest week of the year. Due to the sun's path, the days are as short as they will be all year and they nights are as long as they will be. Many people bemoan the darkness. It affects them in ways that make them feel depressed, uncomfortable, and uneasy. To me the darkness is rich with promise, hope, and potential. I love this time of year. I know the magic that can happen during this auspicious time. The darkness is the path to the light. Although we can't discern it, the light is beginning to increase incrementally each day from that day forward. The solstice itself is the moment of conception for the new year of light. This cycle of light exists. It's not something to complain about. We can't change it. Nor is it something we should change. Instead, the Solstice is something to honor and hold sacred. Most of us, in our glittery, fast-paced world, don't know what to do with ourselves during this time of darkness that will naturally draw us inward if we let it. Instead.. We complain about the darkness. **End Summary** Topics: New Year]]> Winter Solstice]]> retreat]]> insight]]> discovery]]> intention]]> vision]]> darkness]]> planning]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, author of The Seasons of Change and Your Dream Career For Dummies, is a transition expert. She"'s helped thousands of people get back on their feet after their lives have been turned upsidedown by natural disasters and personal losses, such as grief,illness, job change, relocation, and divorce. To receive your own copy of her Seasons of Change Workbook visit: http://www.transitiondynamics.com/seasons

Finding Your Own Strength When Those You Love Aren't Supportive

Fri, 15 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

If your "family and friends" don't honor and respect what you need when you are going through a period of loss, you may decide you need to limit your time with them for the time being. Although this is a difficult thing to do, It's incredibly important for you to surround yourself with people and situations that support you in healing and moving forward. People who want you to be exactly who you were before your loss, aren't clear on the concept. It's likely they haven't been through a difficult loss...or if they have, they didn't deal with their loss very consciously. Being around you may trigger their own feelings of loss and pain that they don't know how to handle. Your job isn't to talk them into healing...your job is to take care of yourself and your own needs. When you feel stronger you'll be able to decide when it's time to interact with them again. It's never easy to put distance between you and your loved ones during a time of loss...in a way it adds insult to the injury of your original loss. **End Summary** Topics: Loss]]> transition]]> grief]]> divorce]]> addiction]]> relocation]]> illness]]> diagnosis]]> cancer]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, author of The Seasons of Change and Your Dream Career For Dummies, is a transition expert. She"'s helped thousands of people get back on their feet after their lives have been turned upside down by natural disasters and personal losses, such as grief, illness, job change, relocation, and divorce. To receive your own copy of her Seasons of Change Workbook visit: http://www.transitiondynamics.com/seasons

What to Do When the Holidays Trigger Your Feelings of Loss

Thu, 14 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

If you've experienced a difficult loss this year or in recent years--a death in the family, an illness, a divorce, a job loss, a natural disaster or a combination of losses--you may find the holidays retrigger your feelings of loss. In fact, you may be surprised by the depth of your emotions, the clarity of your memories, the details you recall, and how quickly you are taken back to your original loss. The flashes may happen so rapidly that they catch you off guard. Although you may want these memories to go away, there's really no way to stop them. They are coming to you as a natural part of your healing/grieving process. As each memory comes to mind, they are giving you an important opportunity to feel the emotions you may not have been able to process earlier in your journey. Although it can be difficult, the more you can feel your emotions, the sooner you will move through and beyond your grief. **End Summary** Topics: loss]]> grief]]> job loss]]> divorce]]> illness]]> diagnosis]]> natural disaster]]> hurricane]]> death]]> ]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, author of The Seasons of Change and Your Dream Career For Dummies, is a transition expert. She"'s helped thousands of people get back on their feet after their lives have been turned upsidedown by natural disasters and personal losses, such as grief, illness, job change, relocation, and divorce. To receive your own copy of her Seasons of Change Workbook visit: http://www.transitiondynamics.com/seasons

Three Ways to Claim Your Strengths

Thu, 07 Dec 2006 00:00:00 -0500

Most people don't have a clear sense of their strengths and who they are. Instead they have a picture of themselves that may be limited by failures from their past, by the voices they hear from the past, or by their own limited self-esteem. My father was a very intelligent man and yet regardless of his numerous achievements, he was unable, like many of us, to escape his internal voices of worry and concern about things large and small. He always wondered if he'd done the right thing; if he'd made the right choice. As his health faded, he started to receive letters from those who had been touched by him in some way. After he died, we received many more notes that he never had the opportunity to read. One thought always struck me: How would his life have been different if he had heard from these people much earlier in his life? Would he have been able to claim his strengths and his power in a deeper way? I believe his life and the lives of those in our family would have been very different. **End Summary** Topics: transition]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, author of The Seasons of Change and Your Dream Career For Dummies, is a transition expert. She"'s helped thousands of people get back on their feet after their lives have been turned upside down by natural disasters and personal losses, such as grief, illness, job change, relocation, and divorce. To receive your own copy of her Seasons of Change Workbook visit: http://www.transitiondynamics.com/seasons

Your Picture of Success

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Copyright 2006 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc. I'm sure you've heard that the best way to achieve something is to have a clear understanding of your goal. The more detailed your picture or statement, the more likely you are to reach your desired milestone. Most people want to succeed in a career that is more fulfilling and meaningful than what they have now. In addition they want to be happy and live a good life. Of course each person has their own take on how they envision this goal. What is it that you want in your life? How do you picture your success? Can you describe your personal definition of success? As you think about your vision of success do you find any worries and concerns bubbling to the surface? It's possible you have conflicting definitions of success simultaneously running around in your mind. Your internal conflict creates confusion and turmoil as you try to make progress toward a goal that's at cross purposes with itself. As a way to explore what's happening within you, ask yourself the following four questions. **End Summary** Topics: career success]]> definition of success]]> career change]]> finding meaning]]> finding happiness]]> meaningful career]]> money]]> power]]> success]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author of Your Dream Career For Dummies and the creator of the Career Clarity Program, an online program that helps you find your dream career and make it real. She"'s helped thousands of people find a career that"'s a great fit both personally and professionally. To receive a free copy of her Career Clarity Insight Workbook that helps you explore your personal definition of success, visit: http://www.careerclarityprogram.com and click on the workbook icon in the left navigation bar.

Are you a Native or an Exotic in Your Career?

Wed, 06 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Copyright 2006 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc. How do you feel at work these days? How did you feel in your last job? Does the work environment really work for you? To create a career that fits your true nature, you must identify where you feel most at home in your work environment. The plant world gives us a wonderful way of looking at this. Plants at Home in their Environment In nature each plant has evolved to thrive in a particular environment with specific characteristics: temperature, soil, sunlight, and water. When a plant is well suited to its environment, it's called a native. A plant that is a native is hardy, resistant to the diseases and pests in the area, and grows easily. As a result, it doesn't need much extra attention to thrive and grow beautifully. If this same plant is taken to a different climate, one with different temperatures, soil and amounts of rainfall, it becomes an exotic. In this case, the plant requires special watering, a protected environment, and additives to help it withstand the diseases and pests in the area. **End Summary** Topics: job satisfaction]]> hate job]]> burnout]]> career change]]> change careers]]> career discovery]]> work environment]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, is the author of Your Dream Career For Dummies and the creator of the Career Clarity Program, an online program that helps you find your dream career and make it real. She"'s helped thousands of people find a career that"'s a great fit for them both personally and professionally. To receive a free copy of her Career Clarity Insight Workbook that shows you how to discover your native work environment, visit: http://www.careerclarityprogram.com and click on the workbook icon in the left navigation bar.

First Anniversary of a Natural Disaster

Thu, 24 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Copyright 2006 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc. Any time a natural disaster such as a hurricane, earthquake, fire, or tornado strikes, there's a flurry of attention right after the event and over the next few weeks or months. Then the survivors are left to pull their lives back together again. What most people don't realize is that as the first anniversary approaches, the survivors may experience a welling up of emotions. At times the intensity of these emotions can be so strong that people believe they are back in the original disaster that turned their lives upside down. This can be a very scary feeling. What Is An Anniversary Reaction? An Anniversary Reaction is the response you have when unresolved feelings about an event resurface as you pass the anniversary date of the original event. A another storm or natural disaster may also trigger your reaction. This is a natural process that allows you to complete and resolve feelings about the past so that you can move forward with your life. Some psychologists believe that we unconsciously relive episodes similar to the original trauma in hopes that we can master the situation this time around. **End Summary** Topics: Natural disaster anniversary. Hurricane Katrina Anniversary. Katrina]]> Rita]]> Wilma]]> hurricane]]> Rita Anniversary]]> Wilma anniversary]]> Rita Anniversary]]> W]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, author of The Seasons of Change and Your Dream Career For Dummies, is a transition expert. She"'s helped thousands of people get back on their feet after their lives have been turned upside down by natural disasters and personal losses, such as grief, illness, job change, relocation, and divorce. To read more about the Anniversary Reaction, download your own copy of Carol"'s free 20 page booklet called, One Year Later: Surviving the Katrina Anniversary at: http://www.seasonsofchange.com/katrina

One Year Later: Surviving the Katrina Anniversary

Wed, 23 Aug 2006 00:00:00 -0400

Copyright 2006 Transition Dynamics Enterprises, Inc. One year ago, your life was turned upside down by Hurricane Katrina. Now, one year later, you are facing the first anniversary of the disaster. You may be feeling nervous that another hurricane may blow through. Emotions brought on by your losses may be coming over you in waves. It's possible that your discomfort has grown each day as the anniversary approached. This article provides you with some tips to help you understand what you are experiencing and help you feel supported during your anniversary. What's Happening to You? First, let me explain that what you are feeling is documented and happens to many people who have been through a trauma or loss”especially one of the magnitude that you've been through. Sometimes when you are going through something you don't understand, it helps to have a name for it. What you are experiencing is called an anniversary reaction. An anniversary reaction occurs when unresolved feelings and sensations are triggered by the anniversary and circumstances that are similar to those of the original trauma. This reaction occurs because you didn't have the opportunity to feel or process your emotions at the time of disaster. **End Summary** Topics: Katrina]]> Hurricane Katrina]]> Katrina Anniversary]]> Hurricane Katrina Anniversary]]> grief]]> loss]]> relocation]]>]]> About the Author: ]]> Carol McClelland, PhD, author of The Seasons of Change and Your Dream Career For Dummies, is a transition expert. She"'s helped thousands of people get back on their feet after their lives have been turned upside down by natural disasters and personal losses, such as grief, illness, job change, relocations, and divorce. If you"'d like to read more about the Anniversary Reaction, download your free copy of Carol's 20 page booklet called: One Year Later: Surviving the Katrina Anniversary: http://www.seasonsofchange.com/katrina