Peak Careers

Professional Development for Career Practitioners

3 words to guide me

INTERVIEW: Six-Month Check Up On Our 3- Words for 2023

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My guests today are Robin McPherson, a mental health professional and career coach; and Telma Sullivan who is an independent career coach helping individuals to launch, advance, or transition their careers.

This is a follow up to our interview in January when we choose our words. You may want to watch that interview first if you are not familiar with why and how we choose our words. Here it is.

(1) What are  your words and what do they mean to you?

(2) How have they impacted your daily life so far in 2023?

(3) What might you do in the future to keep them more in the forefront?


picture of 3 people in an interview

Watch / Listen to this Interview Now

BIO’s

Robin McPherson. A mental health professional and an education and career coach. I have over 20 years of experience in the human service and education field. I help people “figure out” what they want. It starts with Envisioning the life they want, then work with the mindset of Believing that one can Achieve their goals. I believe that the key to success is self-belief! I am committed to the process of helping others reach self-actualization. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-mcpherson/

Telma Sullivan is an independent career coach helping individuals to launch, advance, or transition their career. She coaches young adults exploring careers, women reentering the workforce, people in mid-career, and career changers. Her coaching approach is client-focused and outcome-oriented, and her services include: job search strategy, resume/CV/cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile, networking, interview/salary negotiation preparation, and career change exploration. Telma is also a yoga instructor who enjoys creative writing and spending time in nature. Web: https://www.telmasullivan.com/

Jim Peacock is the principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF, and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move and The Adventure of Finding Me in New Zealand. He is also the recipient of the 2020 Kenneth C. Hoyt Award from the National Career Development Association and the Mid-Atlantic Career Counseling Association’s Professional Contribution’s Award in 2020.

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INTERVIEW: Choosing 3 Words to Guide You

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Another Peak-Careers Interview

Choosing Three Words to Guide You

Watch this Peak-Careers interview and learn how three people go about choosing three words to guide you throughout the year, what we choose for words, and what they mean to us.

My guests today are:

Belinda J. Wilkerson, Founder and Principal Counselor at Steps To The Future
and
Claire Peters, Owner of Aha! CareerCoaching

In this Peak-Careers Interview we will explore / talk about:

(1) What our words or phrases are to guide us in 2020 and what they mean to us

(2) How we go about choosing them

Read my blog on this same topic here

WATCH NOW

BIOS

DR. BELINDA J. WILKERSON, the founder of and principal counselor at Steps To the Future, LLC, helps families eliminate random acts of college planning. A lifelong educator, she held teaching, school counseling and counselor educator positions in Rhode Island before relocating to North Carolina. Active in her community, she currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Cumberland County Public Library and information Center. Connect with her on LinkedIn. Learn more at Steps to the Future.

CLAIRE PETERS, Owner of Aha! CareerCoaching. With a master’s degree in counseling and an emphasis in career counseling, Claire has worked with thousands of college students and adults to help them clarify their career dreams. In addition to one-on-one career advising, she has led dozens of workshops on major and career exploration and decision-making. Using a combination of empathy, powerful questions, and gentle confrontation, Claire helps students and clients explore their beliefs, attitudes, passions, and purpose, and motivates them to take action and find their direction. Learn more at Aha! CareerCoaching. 

JIM PEACOCK is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly career news email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching. He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move Sign up to receive my TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON. You can also receive the career practitioners weekly career email which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more.

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Intention Setting Time for 2020

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It is my intention setting time where I choose
“3 Words to Guide Me in 2020”.

Intention setting
——–Sunrise picture I took in Hawaii in 2012——-

This intention setting process of choosing 3 words takes a few months of processing and pondering. I spent some time at my last retreat reviewing my journals to see what types of things I was writing about and thinking about. As I listened to the news, podcasts, YouTube videos, TedTalks, read the paper and books, I paid attention to which words or themes were jumping out to me.

It’s interesting that most of my words seem to simmer to the surface rather than jump out at me. The power of simply thinking about things to create an intention setting framework in my day is important. 

Recently, I met with a new business coach for a complimentary session as I am thinking about starting that up again, and she required that I answer some thought-provoking questions before we met. That helped simmer more thoughts.

I am also looking to update my website as I have outgrown mine over the past 10 years and that person also asked many questions about where I want to be in 3-5 years, which also helped me “simmer more thoughts” leading to my intention setting for 2020.

Here are my 3 words for the past four years which helped me set my intentions daily throughout the year.

2016 – Health ★ Mindfulness ★ Focus

2017 – Intentional ★ Authentic ★ Wellness

2018 – Reach ★ Capacity ★ Consistency

2019 – Gratitude ★ Purposeful ★ Reflection

My Three Intention Setting Words for 2020

intention setting 3 words to guide me

Philanthropy

I ended 2019 with giving a young man 3 complimentary sessions which carry over into 2020. I had been thinking about the word “giving” and he came along and needed some help making his next career move. I love the feeling of being able to give back to my community in some way. This is a great start for my word ‘philanthropy’.

Definition: Goodwill to fellow members of the human race. An act or gift done, or made, for humanitarian purposes. Altruistic concern for human welfare and advancement.

When I looked up the definition of philanthropy I found it meant more than giving money. As I look to 2020, I want to give more of my time, energy, and resources this year. If just feels right…which is how I choose my words. It has to “feel right”.

Rebalance

I love what I do and I love to share lots of free career content across a variety of platforms and mediums. One thing I want to do is to identify the areas that are having the biggest impact and keep doing them. For those things I do that have limited impact, I will reduce or remove. I am also trying to rebalance my work week to be closer to a 32 hour week compared to the 40+ I have worked over the past 10 years. I want to consider how and where I spend my time daily.

Strategic

I knew last year my effort and energy (and resources) were going to my book. This year I want to be more strategic with my efforts. Not the least of which is to update my website. It was done 10 years ago and tweaked 3 years ago, but I’ve really outgrown it. This is just one example of me being more strategic. I also want to identify new markets to make a presence in, like New Brunswick and Ottawa, National College Transition Network (which I attended in November), and more. 

Have you chosen 3 words to guide you?

Have you created goals for 2020?

If so, please share them here.

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly career news email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching. He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You can also receive the career practitioners newsletter which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more. 

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INTERVIEW: My Three Words to Guide Me in 2019

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Another Peak-Careers Interview

Three Words to Guide Me in 2019:
Why, How, and What for..

I have been choosing three words to guide me now since 2016 and my guest has been doing it for a few more years. Learn Why, How, we choose words and then listen to the words we both choose and the meaning they bring to us.

My guest today is Scott Woodard. Scott is an executive and career coach. (see full bio below)

What we will explore today:

  • Why do you choose 3 words to guide you?
  • How do you do it?
  • What are you 3 words and why?

Look for my blogs on this same topic at 3-Words Blog

Scott Woodard

Scott is an executive and career coach. He frames issues so people can take action and achieve their goals. He works with individuals and teams to see new patterns and create alternative ways to move forward. Scott has coached people from all walks of life: corporate executives and elected officials challenged to transform their organizations; Boomers trying to determine the “second acts” of their life, and new graduates starting out in their first career.

You can reach him at [email protected]
Learn more about him at www.scottwoodardcoaching.com

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly career news email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching. He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move

Sign up to receive my TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON. You can also receive the career practitioners newsletter which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more. https://peak-careers.com

Peak Careers - Professional Development for Careers

My Career Inspiration for 2019

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career inspiration

My career inspiration for 2019 starts by choosing three words to guide me throughout the year.

By choosing 3 words to guide and inspire me, rather than creating specific goals, I get career inspiration in a variety of ways, both personally and professionally.  When I think about “career” it is in its broadest definition as defined by Donald Super.

A career is defined as the combination and sequence of roles played by a person during the course of a lifetime. It concerns an individual’s progression through a series of jobs over his or her lifetime and includes that person’s education and unpaid work experiences, such as internships and volunteer opportunities.  Donald Super.

How I choose my words

I go on ‘tech-free’ retreats about once a month where I turn off my phone, stay off email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for the day. It is my day to write and think and read.

On my retreat in December, I spent time reading my daily journal for the entire year looking for themes, words, or ideas that keep appearing.

What I am looking for are words or ideas that can inspire me. Sometimes I find a repetition of negative words.  What I then explore is their opposite meaning to offer me career inspiration for the next year. I struggled this year choosing my third word and had to “call a friend”. (Perfectly fine way of doing it, as well as using a thesaurus).

I was trying to articulate a feeling I had but struggled to find a word that captured it. My friend Rees helped me describe my feeling with a word that felt right. I actually had four words this year and he also helped me narrow my list to the below three words.

By choosing a word, rather than one goal, I can utilize the meaning of that word to offer career inspiration throughout the year. Here are my words I used in the past three years.

2016 – Health ★ Mindfulness ★ Focus

 2017 – Intentional ★ Authentic ★ Wellness

 2018 – Reach ★ Capacity ★ Consistency

career inspiration

REFLECTION

This word came to me as I realized how beneficial it is to take time to slow down and think. Each day I start by doing some QiGong (like Tai Chi) to calm myself and then I journal. By writing with pen and paper it forces me to slow down and think through what is on my mind.

Each afternoon at 2:30, I take a meditation break. These routines give me time to pause the fast pace of life and in return, I find creativity and inspiration for my work and personal life.

PURPOSEFUL

One thing I noticed in my journal and also from my business coach, is that I tend to use words and phrases like, I will try and write this week. Or, I need to or should do something. What I will be saying (notice I didn’t say try to say) is I will be more purposeful with my intentions this year.

     i.e. I will finish my book for Career Coaches this winter.

     i.e. I will write my blogs at least one month ahead of time to allow my Advisory Board more time to review

GRATITUDE

I wanted a word that made me happy. I struggle with all the crazy news coming at me daily, sometimes hourly, and wanted a word like “laugh” or “joy” or “smile” but it just didn’t feel right. As I talked it out with Rees, I realized that the word ‘gratitude’ is all about the many things in my life that make me happy. It’s not just that I want to laugh or smile, but I want to look at all the positive things going on my life that keep me going.


Are you inspired to choose 3 words for 2019?
If so, please share them here or email me your words and why you choose them.

May 2019 be a rich and fulfilling year.

Read more on “reflection” here.

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly career news email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching. He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You can also receive the career practitioners newsletter which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more.

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3 Words To Guide Me

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3 Words To Guide Me in 2018

BROADER AND LAYERED
Once again I have chosen 3 words to guide me as I begin a new year. I also have goals written for my business and some personal goals. Yet, I have found a lot of power in choosing 3 words to guide me each year. They are posted on my computer, my refrigerator, my bathroom mirror, and placed on the bottom of all my PowerPoint presentations that I do. Goals are great and tend to be very specific. My 3 words are broader and have layered meanings to them.

PUTTING IT OUT TO THE UNIVERSE
Having these words visible throughout my day and in a variety of physical locations keeps them fresh in my mind. The power of the universe is great and by focusing on 3 words and what they mean to me…and seeing those words throughout my day, is sending a message to the universe and myself that they are important.

FEELS RIGHT
So how do I find my words? Or better yet, how do my words find me?

I have been taking a ‘tech-free’ retreat day at least 4 – 6 times a year now. This is a day that I spend out of my office, away from my house, where I journal, draft blogs, meditate, think, go for walks, read books and journals, and simplify my work life for the day.

At my retreat in November, I reviewed my journal for 2017 to see if there were any themes that came out to me. I discovered and wrote down 7- 10 words. For the next month I spent some time thinking about those words…the meaning of the word in a variety of contexts…how it felt…

Over time the words reach out to me.

Here are my 3 words and a little about what they mean to me.3 words to guide me

REACH:
As I come up to my 6th Anniversary of being full-time with Peak-Careers Consulting (Feb 3), I feel that this is the year to push myself a bit and to stretch for some new things in my business and life. I want to do some webinars this year and convert my YouTube interviews to PodCasts so that more people can listen to them. I am quite proud of these 15-20 interviews with a wide variety of people.

There are other areas of my business and life that this word will apply to as well and I will probably be surprised at what other areas it percolates into.

CAPACITY:
Along with reach comes a realization that I do have a capacity issue. How many seminars can I run at one time? How many blogs can I write? How many career coaching clients can I see each month? How many different social media platforms can I be on? How many FCD classes can I teach each year? AND provide quality content.

Capacity. This was an issue raised by a person from SCORE a few years ago, and I’ve never forgotten it.

Providing quality content for career practitioners is what I am most proud of and want to continue to provide. To do so requires a real awareness of my capacity.

I have had a Virtual Assistant, Jessie, for 2 ½ years now, one of the best moves I ever made. In 2015 I really thought I could not afford to hire a VA. But the reality was (and is), I could not afford to NOT hire someone to help. She has really helped with my capacity. I now have two people helping me with Peak-Careers, freeing up time for me to write and deliver services.

Whenever I find something on my “To Do” list that keeps moving from day to day, I ask myself, can someone else do this for me? Because the reality is, if it keeps moving down my “To Do” list, it is probably something I don’t want to do.

CONSISTENCY:
I realize the importance of routines now more than ever. Dr. Nancy Schlossberg’s Transition Theory speaks to the impact of any transition on a person’s roles, relationships, and routines.

My morning routine is what sets my day up. I start most days doing a Qi Gong practice. I have two different ones that I mix up and it begins my day with focusing on my body and mind…stretching, moving, and being mindful about the moment. I then journal about whatever is on my mind both personally and professionally. This too helps focus me for the day.

Consistency is also important in my writing, delivery of content, newsletters, blogs, and everything I do for Peak-Careers. People in the Peak-Careers community are looking for information to help them in their work and I have a style that works for me, that they like as well. It is important that I be consistent in what I do so people know who I am and what they can expect from me.

What words do you want to ‘send out to the universe’ this year?

Look for my interview next week with Chris Brogan who is the person who turned me onto this “3 Words” practice.

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Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly career news email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching. He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move

Sign up here to receive my TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON. You can also receive the career practitioners newsletter which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more.