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This newsletter is intended to support the work of people who are engaged in developing the careers, vocations, livelihoods, jobs and/or work of other individuals. It is our belief that everyone's work life can and should be molded and crafted to be the expression of our finest gifts and a source of great joy. Towards this end, we hope that the content of these newsletters will support you with both practical tools and inspirational ideas.
Welcome to our March 2016 edition!
Please pass this on to interested friends and colleagues!
 What You Know in Your Bones: Mining for Gold
Dear Colleagues and Friends,
Happy Spring!
I am excited to announce a new four-part webinar series this spring entitled What I Know in My Bones - Practical Wisdom for Employment and Training. (Complete information here.) While still in the throes of developing this series, I’d like to inspire you to take a similar journey in excavating the core beliefs, principles, and/or precepts that inform and animate your work, making them open and explicit rather than hidden and implicit. To that end, let me begin with this insightful passage from the book, The Leadership Challenge, co-written by James Kouzes and Barry Posner:
“People expect their leaders to speak out on matters of values and conscience. But to speak out you have to know what to speak about. To stand up for your beliefs, you have to know what you stand for. To walk the talk, you have to have a talk to walk. To do what you say, you have to know you want to say. To earn and sustain personal credibility, you must first be able to clearly articulate your core beliefs.”
I recall being stopped in my tracks by this idea, questioning the degree to which I could clearly articulate my own core beliefs as they relate to my work in the field of Employment and Training. Beginning with the assertion that the fruit of our work is seeing people move beyond barriers to greater possibility in their personal and professional lives, questions like the following sprouted like wildflowers in the field of my mind:
- What are some of the core beliefs that have most shaped the assertions I make, the practices I preach, and the ideals I aspire to with regard to assisting people to reach their potential?
- What are the assumptions I am making about people and/or the world that urges me to look beyond barriers and seek potential?
- What truths do I hold to in the face of harsh realities that would otherwise challenge the faith and conviction that are inherent in possibility thinking?
- What are the primary principles that I openly espouse in my work and enthusiastically champion at every opportunity?
- What are the significant lessons I have learned that I lean on now when searching for guidance, direction, and inspiration?
In a nutshell, I’ve been on the hunt for what I know to be true, in my very bones, unequivocally and unapologetically. What I realized early on is that what I was on the hunt for was my version of “practical wisdom”. My favorite definition of wisdom comes from Clarissa Pinkola Estes, who says, “Wisdom is what works.” From that definition, we all gain our own share of wisdom, because we are the only ones who know what works for us. But what if we didn’t have to completely reinvent the wheel? What if by sharing what works for me, and you sharing what works for you, we expand our collective wisdom? My personal preference is that it be practical – based in real-world, hands-on experience that we can, in fact, “put into practice”.
This exercise has been valuable and illuminating in ways I had not even expected, and I am excited to share the harvest of this process through the upcoming webinar series. In the meantime, I suggest you begin your own excavation. Simplify the process by brainstorming in categories, or the dig may be too broad to find anything valuable. I focused on what I know in my bones about working with employers, about whole person assessment and cultivating the human spirit, about working effectively with job seekers, and about job retention. You may choose to consider other categories - like what you know in your bones about running job clubs, making good job matches, working on a team, inspiring people to bring their best, or helping people make good career decisions. You know what you know. You know what you care about. Mine for your gold.
Let me close with some inspired counsel from Carlos Castenada:
“For me the world is weird because it is stupendous, awesome, mysterious, unfathomable; my interest has been to convince you that you must assume responsibility for being here, in this marvelous world, in this marvelous desert, in this marvelous time. I wanted to convince you that you must learn to make every act count, since you are going to be here for only a short while; in fact, too short for witnessing but a small fraction of the marvels of it. Know who you are. Most importantly, know what you believe.”
Peace Out.
~ Denise
Watch for Denise's Newest Article - The Heart of Resilience!
Within the next few weeks, we’ll be distributing Denise’s newest article “The Heart of Resilience: A Blessing, Key Questions and Core Beliefs”. Denise developed this article while reflecting on the content of last year’s four-part webinar entitled The Resilience Series. Watch for information coming soon to your inbox!
On Demand: The Resilience Series
(Last year's four-part webinar series)
We are happy to announce that the inspirational four-part live Webinar that Denise delivered last year, in partnership with the Canadian Education and Research Institute for Counselling, was recorded and will soon be available to you online and on-demand. We’ll let you know when it is “live”!
Facebook
For years, we have been holding back from having a presence on Facebook, but we think we now have some new ideas and energy that will make it a valuable resource for our network. We plan to launch Denise’s page in the next few months and we look forward to what we anticipate to be a more personal and interactive way to keep in touch with all of you.
On Denise's Calendar
April 26, Live Webinar
Four Part Webinar - What I Know in My Bones:
Practical Wisdom for Success in Employment and Training
Session 1: Working with Employers
May 2 & 3, Burnaby, British Columbia
The Art of Creating employment Opportunity:
Tools for Achieving Employment Outcomes
May 5, Winnipeg, Manitoba
Full-day Seminar: Top Twelve Employment Tools
May 10, Live Webinar
Four Part Webinar - What I Know in My Bones: Practical Wisdom for Success in Employment and TrainingSession 2: Client Assessment and Motivation
May 12 & 13, Youngston, Ohio
Details TBA
May 24, Live Webinar
Four Part Webinar - What I Know in My Bones:
Practical Wisdom for Success in Employment and Training
Session 3: Working with Job Seekers
May 31 and June 1, Kenora, Ontario
Details TBA
Visit Denise's Website!
Subscription & Archives
Previous editions of the "True Livelihood Newsletter" are archived on our website. To see archived editions of True Livelihood... Click here
Diversity World
"Enriching workplaces and reducing employment barriers."
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