“New Year” Resolutions and Reflections; a new and evolving normal
Living in a northern city traditional New Year resolutions, at January 1st, have never made sense to me. Post New Year maneuvering through ice and slush, while travel companies advertise escapes to warmth on every billboard requires enough physical and mental energy. To add the burden of enforced positive changes, or the quilt of failure is unhealthy.
Post Labour Day, or September 1st, seems far more workable and practicable. A change in season can be felt but the warmth of the Sun is still there along with the energy of a new school year for families and the afterglow of summer vacations. I have always been secretly jealous of my Jewish friends with a tradition and community that supports a September/October New Year. Having my birthday in the later part of August adds to a life long internal drive to think of September as the point for new starts.
How can we upcycle ourselves going forward this new season and “New Year”? Is it a resolve to work with renewed vigor? Is a renewed effort to find rewarding work in the new economy? Is it a program for manageable health gains; an effort to be more community evolved? How can you, and I, upcycle starting this September?
Hi, it has been awhile. My journey as an “Upcycled Self” took me down a period of reflection and change following the death of a family member and a personal health challenge. I needed to step back, reflect, regroup, and find a path forward; I apologize.
Fresh Start in 2017
That does not mean I have been idle; in 2016 I took a course in Digital Design, completed a 3-month contract with the Canadian Government, applied long lost accounting skills as a part time book keeper, plus helped build a cottage wharf and remove, then replace, a concrete driveway. Ongoing volunteer work with a national health advocacy rounded out my days and allowed me to “Upcycle” corporate facilitation and communication skills into new areas.
Upcycling Journey Continued
In my first blog post, I stated I liked the idea of recycling or “Upcycling” useful objects. In much the same way; I have continually adapted skills and expertise to the employment/labour market while augmenting with new skills through training. Writing this blog was in anticipation of communicating, sharing, interacting and learning with others who are enjoying a similar path of change and adaption in their professional and personal lives.
January is an appealing, and traditional, time to focus on those areas that are ripe for Upcycling. I avoid use of the word resolution; resolutions seem to rarely work and just depress when unobtainable. Upcycling yourself is more of an ongoing process with ups and downs in effort and action but following an upward trajectory towards goals or applications. As a new start, in 2017, what are your biggest challenges and opportunities that can be best managed by Upcycling your skills and aptitudes?
Very happy to report my main “Upcycling” project of 2015, a Digital Media Marketing Post Graduate Program, successfully ended when I wrote a final exam and submitted a last project on December 18th. Last week I received confirmation of my success in the form of an Ontario College Graduate Certificate, with Honours. The program updated my digital knowledge to current levels, supplementing prior experience and business degrees. The knowledge gained, plus related COOP experience, positions me for new roles in digital and social media while, hopefully, extending my working life! Taking the program was a challenge that has opened new income, learning and networking vistas, established new friendships and gave me direction for further “Upcycling” opportunities.
Best wishes to you for meeting your own goals and dreams in the New Year. I celebrated my Upcycling Project success with friends while sharing current plans for a new career plus Photoshop and Coding Seminars.
Time to turn Dreams into Goals
What personal “Upcycling” project(s) have you completed that you can celebrate and build on in 2016?
The dark damp days of late autumn are quickly transitioning into winter; as 2015 draws to an end are you looking at how to Upcycle yourself in 2016? There are so many options it can be over whelming, while you make your plans may I make a suggestion; please avoid the trap of just doing activities to be able to say you are busy. Pause to really consider what you want to accomplish.
Pause: Consider what you want to accomplish
Saying you’re busy has become a tiresome mandatory response in our lives. For some, I know, it can be a legitimate answer to how you are, but for many it is either an automatic response, a way of “bragging while complaining” or an acceptable excuse to be dismissive of someone else’s request. In many social groups it is almost “sinful” not to be busy (or say you are) and a sign of heavy moral decay. If you say you are not busy the response is usually “it must be nice” followed by a litany of self imposed time constraints the other person uses as badges of honour and moral high-ground. For the accidentally retired, semi retired, or under employed they may consider it a nail in the coffin of their social connections with certain members of society if they admit to not being busy. Forget it!
Take a Break : You’re Allowed
As you look into 2016 really take an educated view of what your priorities are and what you want to accomplish. If your list includes a bit of a breather- a late middle aged gap year or break- that is a perfectly legitimate activity especially if you intend to use the time reflecting and making plans for the future.
For some of us our upcycling may include training, new employment, volunteer work or a combination of all three. If you do follow a path that has you pursuing activities and some one asks how you are, look for an alternative to the tired busy reply. How about using engaged, growing, involved or even flourishing as responses. Using these words will give others something to think about and maybe start a conversation, as opposed to the conversation dead end of BUSY! Think of using alternatives to busy as another tool in an Upcycled Selves arsenal for moving forward towards new and interesting rewards in 2016.
Part of Upcycling your skills is recognizing the information you need and finding the right source to access it from. This week I had a great conversation with Lydia Novak, the Business & Financial Services Career Advisor at George Brown College’s Career Centre, about career realities for mature workers. I have spoken with Lydia in the past and came away impressed by her realistic market knowledge and insights into the Toronto job market. Her insights come from ongoing contacts in Toronto’s downtown business hub as she works to assist a variety of George Brown students. Lydia is very pleasant to deal with, even when besieged with an extensive portfolio of responsibilities, but her time is valuable so I strive to keep our discussions focused. With that in mind I asked her a series of questions on the minds of mature/older job seekers.
Does ageism exist?
In some industries, such as Health Sciences, due to the sometimes very real physical demands, there may be barriers. In general the best way to overcome ageism is through effective networking so you are speaking to people who know you and your capabilities.
Networking Works | Those Who Network Work
Lydia’s answer was a great Segway into my second question.
Networking has been the accepted way to find good employment for a number of years, is that still true as we enter 2016 for mature workers?
Yes, even more so now, you need to network to get work; today that includes focused Social Media networking through primarily a well set up LinkedIn profile, now a mandatory item for job seekers. Just remember when you do secure networking meetings you must respect the person you are meeting intentions and not turn it into a request for a job; treat any network meeting purely as a way to learn about an industry or a job function.
It is still Networking !
Potential employers silently question the length of time an older worker will be with an organization. How should a person handle that issue? Depends on the situation. If you are a career changer , and have the drive for the long haul, be clear in your meetings and correspondence that you have chosen a new path with the desire and drive to pursue the new career going forward. If you are already in the field than be ready to discuss your strengths and show why you are looking for a new opportunity to use your skills going forward.
What process should an older worker follow to secure a good job in today’s economy? Networking remains the primary answer. If a career changer; go to industry events or try volunteering to make new connections, connect as much as you can with those working in the industry. If you are staying in the same industry; again, make sure you are using LinkedIn to highlight your experience and skills plus connect with others in the industry. Beyond that, she suggested investigating government supported programs that work with job hunters to create resumes and provide career search support if you do not have the support else where.
What should an older/mature job seeker do that is different from a Millennial or Gen X job seeker?
There is power in personal experience and self- knowledge; embrace the strength you have in knowing who you are and what you can do.
Power in Personal Experience and Self- Knowledge
Lydia’s next meeting was about to start so when discussing anything else to add we planned a further meeting for next week. She did draw my attention to two great networking connections that I will be following up with in my own efforts to reach out into the business community.
I am always glad to speak with Lydia and I appreciated the opportunity to speak with her about relevant issues an “Upcycled Self” job hunter may encounter.
Have you looked into personal trainer services or fitness classes, upcycling your physical capabilities, to manage stress and ensure that you are physically able to continue learning and working? I found those services over crowded at the lower end and out of my budget at the higher end. As a solution I am investigating affordable services like that provided through The George Brown College’s (GBC) Centre for Health Services. Offered as a service at their WAVE (Wellness, Applied Research and Visionary Education) Health Clinics for the public at the GBC Water Front Campus. In the WAVE Fitness Studios they offer a Personal Training Package with WAVE Fitness and Health Promotion Students http://www.georgebrown.ca/wave/fitnessstudios/ .
A Personal training package includes:
One fitness assessment
Nutrition and fitness counseling
One weekly personal training session for two consecutive school terms (9 sessions)
Use of fitness studios during hours of operation throughout the school year (September to April).
Thecosts are:
Community: $150.00
GBC Faculty, Staff, Students: $120.00
GBC Retirees+: $75.00
Seniors (65+): $75.00
The cost is very reasonable compared to standard Toronto private personal training costs of $75+ an hour or public gym trainers at $150+ for only three 40 minute sessions.
The trade-off at WAVE is working with a final semester GBC Student Trainer, to meet their academic qualification needs you commit to weekly training sessions from the end of September through mid-February. Not a bad deal for $150 dollars or less.
The Pros: Well supervised and competent student instructor . The equipment is new and well maintained. Instruction is paced, motivational and geared to realistic goals. I find myself looking forward to sessions and trying to ramp up my activity outside of the formal sessions.Given a detailed workout plan to use out side of the facility. Medical supervised fitness test gives a good base line to work from.
The Cons: Very limited and not flexible opening hours (not open past 6, no weekend hours). No shower facilities. Trainers scheduling is limited by class work. Program only available from September through to February. Waiting list in place for next sessions in September 2016. Somewhat remote location for many.
Bottom line: My experience was positive once I accepted limitations for cost savings. By using the WAVE services I have a balanced, strength and aerobic work-out routine ,with nutrition counselling, at less than the standard cost of 3 trainer sessions. After a workout I feel less stress and I am able to concentrate and focus better on both my learning and work as an Upcycled Self.
I enjoy a monthly commercial Blog site from Lisa Taylor, Founder and President of Challenge Factoryhttp://www.challengefactory.ca/blog a Toronto based consulting firm to organizations and individuals optimizing changing work lives and contributions. Focused on how experienced, primarily successful corporate executive level, workers can thrive; Challenge Factory’s individual services appear geared to the “C-Suite” set. I found the blog just recently and read insights that apply for even a non-Gold Medal Winner of the 1970 -2015 corporate version of “Survivor”.
If I was invited to post on the blog I would write …
Alumni readership of the blog may want to reach out to others who are working to find a path in the same economy and realities of second decade Twenty First Century as Challenge Factory clients. Most of the Upcycled Self readers do it mostly alone without the aid of paid consultants and only limited, dated, lowest common denominator based public information or training programs in an effort to move forward. Public programs are well meaning but, like health care, seem to follow a triage model with the most desperate getting attention. For most, following a process of personal Upcycling, our goals are not “legacy” career roles, but normally financially and intellectually driven desires to remain viable and engaged in a world that says we need to move aside. We read the same “boomer targeted” business and career material (digital version usually for the truly Upcycled) but smile at the comment, ad and life style content that seem to pander to the upper middle class in so called “National” media. I wonder if those who have been fortunate to access the type of individual services offered by firms, like the Challenge Factory, could pass on their repositioning learning by mentoring fellow Upcyclers? All would benefit including the sponsoring firm, directly or indirectly, through great PR or developing a new revenue source out of the process over time. Peer mentoring is a wonderful benefit now offered on most University and College campuses; could we not adopt the model to a mutual postgraduate and post-corporate, course in employment? Upcycled Selves look for ways to learn, adapt and thrive, this may be one way you could help them.
This week ,on an amazingly beautiful autumn day, we saw our new Prime Minister and his Cabinet sworn into office. The cabinet makeup is receiving broad national and international approval; like today’s work place it holds a representative mix of generations, cultures and genders.
Because It’s 2015!
When the Prime Minister made his famous comment “Because it’s 2015” I think it may have come as a revelation to many that the world has changed and you need to change with it. Luckily Boomers are impressively represented in the Cabinet by men and women who have continued to remain effective and relevant by adapting to, and embracing, change. They are ready to work with their Gen X Leader and Millennial Colleagues; great examples of being Upcycled Selves!
You have been very kind in your comments and reception of the Upcycled Self Blog; I have appreciated your observations and comments. In response to questions I would like to share my very first video blog posting, or vlog. Please be kind in your viewing and review; even Stephen Spielberg had to start someplace!
New Skills, like video blogging, are all part of being an Upcycled Self; now I wonder if they need me for the next Star Wars sequel?
Had a Colonoscopy or other screening for Colorectal Cancer yet; if you are 50 or older, or younger with a family history, why not?
An Upcycled Self needs to maintain optimum health, to be ready for opportunity, as best they can by taking the necessary steps to correct preventable problems. The media stereotype of a sick 50+ worker pushing up healthcare costs does not help anyone. For example: about 6 years ago I was surprised to learn I am a Type II Diabetic; it was caught early through standard testing and I make adjustments in my life to avoid complications.
Do you know people with high end performance cars who have the owner’s manual and maintenance schedule memorized? Do they follow the same course of action for themselves? We do not come with an owner’s manual but science has designed effective testing and screening that catches a lot of problems early. Similar to upgrading your skills, you need to upgrade your personal care and maintenance to meet the realities of the second half of the second decade of the 21st century.
Colonoscopies, or similar colorectal Cancer screening tests, are the subject of jokes between friends, especially guys. Yes there is a huge “Ick Factor”, you will not be posting as an event on Facebook , but these easy tests can catch small problems before they become big, life changing or life ending ones.
According to the Colorectal Cancer association of Canada regular screening leads to better outcomes and prevents death from colorectal cancer, with patients having an estimated 90% chance of being cured if the cancer is detected early, compared with only 10% if it is detected at an advanced stage.
In 2015, the association predicts 1 in 14 men and 1 in 16 women will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. My brother died on Thanksgiving Day of complications related to Colorectal Cancer at the youngest age of anyone in our family in two generations.
In the last decade Ontario has had one of the highest rates of colorectal cancer in the world. Colorectal Cancer remains one of the four most common cancers diagnosed in the province, and is the second highest cause of cancer deaths in Ontario. For more information please check out www.colorectal-cancer.ca
At funerals it is normal to hear “but they were never sick, never saw a doctor than suddenly…” disease does not happen suddenly but over time. Please talk to your Family doctor and get necessary tests on a regular basis with Colorectal Cancer screening a priority. Think of it as Upcycling; a new skill to help you thrive and survive!
Much like sex; every generation thinks they are the first to discover some work place personalities or situations that defy reason. An Upcycled Self has many characters and situations from work experiences to learn from or turn into anecdotal answers for employer and client questions or that first novel we keep meaning to write!
One standard, tired and unimaginative, interviewer question is “Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult colleague or situation”. Interview preparation lists suggest following a model of Situation, Task, Action and Response answering to show how wonderful you are and able to cope with any and all eventualities like Donald Trump as an immediate supervisor, Rob Ford as an employee or Kanye and Justin Bieber as colleagues. When hearing the question again and again I have been tempted to use the following for an answer!
Thank you; Oh…yes a difficult colleague…
YIKES, the Situation: A “Developing Economy” Capital City in the 1980’s pitching new transportation equipment to the Military; I was responsible for researching and answering financing questions about any lease or direct purchase options along with “The General”, our local representative who was certifiably NUTS! A retired Senior Military Officer, as many were, right out of Hollywood casting for a Quentin Tarantino film villain. Larger than life, extremely aggressive personality; he drove a high-powered “engine enhanced” car at break neck speeds ignoring all other road users, stop lights, signs, or one way entry indicators. After our first day I carefully asked what precautions he took spending so much time in a busy city on the road, he showed me the Nickel-Plated Magnum 44 he kept under the driver’s seatas his insurance, negotiation and accident strategy! To make things more interesting he refreshed himself with a mix of Cognac and Coca Cola throughout most of the day between meetings.
Insurance, negotiation and accident strategy
Tasks in priority order:
Stay alive and out of hospital.
Visiting and presenting information to various government and military officials.
Action to Survive Alive: Being very well prepared for each meeting and running an ongoing briefing in the car to keep us on task, him focused and not thirsty. Prayer helpedalong with closing my eyes in the car, having the Canadian embassy number with me (pre-cell phone days) and being extremely polite so the Magnum 44 stayed out of sight!
Result(s):
I lived!
The sale negotiations continued.
He told my boss I was great to work with.
I always packed lots of extra underwear for future trips.
Now, should I also talk about the “Flying Pirate”?
Upcycled Self 