Redefining Success - Part 1 of a 2-Part Series

Have you heard the saying “With success comes happiness?” Is that true? What comes to mind when you think of “success”? Traditionally we rate a persons success in terms of income, possessions, the “big job” and the power held. Traditional thinking would suggest that if you achieved all of those things you would be very successful and in turn a very happy person.

Some time ago, a woman described her husband to me as “very successful”. She continued to tell me that he had a “big job” as an engineer working for city planning commissions and made a lot of money. Further they lived in an above average sized home in a wealthy suburb and they sent their kids to private school. According to traditional thought, he was a successful person. You know where this is going, don't you? If happiness were dependent on success, then why had he asked her for a divorce?

It is hard to imagine an unhappy person being truly successful.

WHAT IS "HAPPINESS?" - A COACHING EXERCISE

Ask yourself these questions:

• What ideas come to mind when I think of “happiness”?

• What makes me happy? And what is the underlying issue or idea that contributes to that happiness?

• When do I feel the most happy?

Happiness will be defined by everyone differently, but I suggest that there will be a few common themes.

Service: Many people report that they are most happy when they are helping other people. Some people will say “When I am making a difference.” The idea is that you are serving to help people or a group of people in some way. This is true for me and a significant reason why I am in this profession.

Satisfaction: Happiness in terms of satisfaction boils down to being free of “want”. Being “wantless” could be being free of monetary needs, but more likely it means being content with who you are and what you stand for. Being truly satisfied with where you are in life is the theme.

Meaningful Relationships: Overwhelmingly, people describe relationships as a source of happiness for them. Spouses, parents, kids and friends are important factors in personal happiness. Quality interactions with loved ones that minimize superficial give and take and focuse on meaningful discussion and mutual support give way to happiness. Similarly, discomforting interactions with bosses, family members, colleagues and friends have the opposite effect and can reduce happiness. I have lived by this motto for years: If someone is not adding anything to your life, then they have no reason to remain in your life. Subscribing to that ideal requires deep insight and making difficult decisions.

Wisdom: Happiness is reported by some people to be related to wisdom and knowledge. Wisdom is not the same as being highly educated. Education does not necessarily guarantee happiness, success or an understanding of life's issues. Having experienced the roller coaster of life, people often feel more at ease and more happy with where they are. They have enjoyed the highs and survived the lows and through their journey they have come to understand the human spirit. They can achieve wisdom which provides insight and perspective that contribute to happiness.

Do any of these themes ring true for you? Have I missed something that you consider an important part of your personal happiness? Please comment or email your ideas.

WHAT IS "SUCCESS?" - A COACHING EXERCISE

Ask yourself these questions:

• What qualities in other people do I consider successful?

• What qualities do I have that I consider successful?

• What personal and professional characteristics do I have that other people value as successful?

As with happiness, success will be defined differently by virtually everyone. I propose however, that a new definition of success should rely less on monetary success and more on achievement of personal happiness. Monetary success and happiness are not mutually exclusive, but they are not dependent on the other either.

In Part 2: Meeting your personal needs through your job and defining your professional success in terms of happiness...

(Brandon Johnston is a Life and Transition Coach assisting people discover success and happiness in life and work. Brandon can be reached by email at brandon@coachbrandon.net, or by phone through the IMAGINE SOLUTIONS GROUP at 612.326.4717.)

What Your Resume Doesn't Say is as Important as What it Does

Savvy hiring managers scan numerous resumes quickly with the intent of filtering them into a small and manageable number of candidates.  Presenting only part of the picture on a resume can get you pitched to the discard pile and is sure to spark the “Thank you for expressing interest in XYZ Corp... Your resume will be kept on file for future consideration,” email.  Because everyone has a slightly different style and is looking for a different candidate it's impossible to say what needs to be included or excluded.  However there are a few things you should consider when building or revising a resume.

In broad terms, there are only three kinds of resumes: The “Newbie,” The “Experienced” and The “Focused.”  Each resume has its distinct advantages and can be equally disadvantaged.  Understanding what type of resume you have can help you identify areas needing extra attention.

The Newbie:

Welcome to the working world.  Here you will find 1000's of people with similar or better experience as you clawing for the same job.  You're a “Newbie.”  Students and stay-at-home parents are most commonly Newbies, but you might have your own reasons for landing in this category.  You'll need to remind yourself that everyone applying for this position starts at the same place, with a piece of paper.  Your advantage over other candidates might be that you have few preconceived notions about how things should be, you are open to new ideas and “mold-able” for organizations with strict procedures.  Your challenge in creating a resume is clearly defining your skills and experience without relying on the traditional “work experience” category.

The Experienced:

You've been around the block and your work experience shows it.  You've had multiple jobs in varying industries.  You might even have gaps in employment.  You're an “Experienced” candidate.  Your work experience says a lot about who you are, but might not reflect the right image.  You've bounced around, tried new things and have gained experience and wisdom along the way.  For the hiring manager it will either be big a big red flag (“This person has no focus and lacks commitment.”) or an exclamation point (“A creative, out-of-the box thinker with many capacities.”).  The “work experience” category will tell the manager “what.”  You need to fill in the blanks with the “why” and “how.”  Bringing it all together to create interest and understanding is the challenge. 

The Focused:

A straight forward career path from school to where you are today is the hallmark of the “Focused” candidate.  Your degree led you to your fist job and you might still be there today.  If you branched out it was to other organizations in the same field where you performed essentially the same role.  You expanded your career by accepting new responsibilities along the way.  You have succeeded in passing the first test of most hiring managers, the continually employed test.  Your resume however doesn't likely give much insight into the real “you.”  Your challenge is to express yourself in terms of passion and drive.  While doing so, you might give some insight into personality and special interests.

These are the basic types of job applicants that hiring managers come across.  Depending on the job you're applying for, your resume can get flicked into the circular file simply for falling into one those categories (“He doesn't have enough work experience to do this job effectively.”  “She lacks the focus necessary to do this job effectively.”  “He's too set in his ways to do this job effectively.”)

Whether you are creating a resume from scratch, or revising an old one, consider how you can present yourself in each of the three ways at the same time.  The resulting resume is likely to keep you in the running and produce more follow-up interviews.

(Brandon Johnston is a Life and Transition Coach assisting people discover success and happiness in life and work.  Brandon can be reached by email at brandon@coachbrandon.net, or by phone at 612.326.4717.)