“Change is the only certainty” (Bloch, 2005, p. 205). I agree 100%. Plus life would be pretty bland without it. I think it is natural for
human beings to pursue safety and security. I think we often mistake
predictability for safety. Predictability can take on a flavor of rigidity if
we are not careful. And rigidity and resilience do not play well together. I
appreciated the use of the word “adaptability” in Bloch’s (2005) article. The
older I get the more I appreciate flexibility of thought and action. I used to
value quick judgments and fiery opinions (not necessarily based in fact
either). Now I prefer a flow of ideas and options. I think conventional wisdom
says that we are supposed to become more and more conservative as we age. I
become more and more liberal with each new experience. I am lucky to be engaged
with a variety of people every day that stretch my thinking. It is a comfort to embrace change.
Bloch’s (2005) says that, “…many people seem to keep the
real stories of their careers secret. They keep to themselves the strange links
between events, links they describe as ‘just luck’ or coincidence. In truth, it
is the secret career stories that reveal the reality” (p. 198). I wonder how
much attention we pay to the “strange links”. I know that in my own life, I
have relied a good deal on my “gut instincts” – in general and in my career
path. I also hold tightly to hope and faith – not always in relation to a
Higher Power, but in the idea of interconnectedness. My mother used to tell us
that if you do what is right for you, it is right for everyone else in your
life. She wasn’t proposing that we should be selfish and self-serving – rather,
just the opposite. She believed that our actions impact others in ways we may
never know – so live well and be mindful of the energy you send into the world.
For me, these are words I learned to build my life around. As a result, I think
I am where I am meant to be.
The 7 connectors between spirit and work make sense for me
(Bloch, 2005). I had not thought of it in these terms before. I know that in my
career, each time I met a transition point, I trusted that the next move would
become apparent in time. Then it is my responsibility to act on the
opportunity. In 2008, I was working in crisis intervention at the hospital
emergency department. I believed in the work and thought that I couldn’t do it anymore. I felt a strong sense of
team in our department and the health system (community). As I mentioned
before, I believed in the work and it was a good fit for my values and talents
(calling & harmony). I also believed that I could make a difference for the
“greater good” (unity). However, my baby became a toddler (change) and I was
missing out on a lot in her life due to the rigorous schedule. I work all sorts
of shifts, every-other weekend, and holidays. I was out of “balance” and out of
“energy” for both work and my life. The “crisis” aspect of the job took its
toll and I wasn’t sure I could continue to walk with people in their darkest
moments every day. In fact, I began to tell my family that my job felt “spirit
breaking”. One day, driving home from a particularly difficult shift, I just
began saying, “please help me out of this…I don’t know how to be OK”. The next
day, my supervisor came to me and said a position was generated in the
outpatient clinic. Management wanted a Master’s level person for the job, but
they were willing to interview me under the condition that I would obtain a
graduate degree. So three interviews and one graduate admission later, I
transferred departments, was open to change, regained my balance and energy.
This portion of the article reminded me of the previous 2
articles we read – synchronicity and the constructivist article – almost as
though those articles were prep for Bloch’s article. We build the stories of
our lives and work, events happen that show us we are on track, and if we pay
attention, our careers become reflection or resemblance of our lives as a
whole. Our lives then contribute to our communities and others we impact, which
goes on to eventually impact our world. For me, this article fills in the gaps
in other ideas/ theories/ and articles we read so far.
Reference:
Bloch, D.P. (2005). Complexity, chaos, and non-linear
dynamics: A new perspective on career development theory. The Career Development Quarterly, 53, 194 – 207.
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