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There is really no right way to use the Career Clarity Program. Each person brings his/her own style, preference, interests, and ideas to the party. Trust your own sense of how to best work through it. This is not a school assignment! Do it in a way that truly works for you!

One of my newsletter subscribers once wrote me that the way we do one thing is the way we do everything. I believe she's right about this. So watch the way you go through the Career Clarity Program, for it will probably give you important clues to understanding what will truly work for you in your career!

Here are some suggestions to help you do the Career Clarity Program your way. Take them or leave them as you wish.

• Tip 1: Find Your Best Time to Work the Program
• Tip 2: Choose Your Favorite Location
• Tip 3: Start With What Feels Easy
• Tip 4: There Are No Right Answers
• Tip 5: It's Okay Not to Know the Answer
• Tip 6: Don't Worry about Inconsistencies
• Tip 7: Trust Your Own Timing
  (Includes information about re-entering the program)
• Tip 8: Find Your Own Rhythm
• Tip 9: Think of Each Question as a Starting Point
• Tip 10: Be Creative
• Tip 11: Always Remember What You Bring to the Program

Tip 1: Find Your Best Time

Because this program will take some time and dedication, I encourage you to think about how you can incorporate this program into your life.

 

How Do You Prefer to Structure Your Time?

Do you do better working at something 15 minutes a day for several months or are you more likely to stick with the program if you set aside an evening a week or a weekend a month? Would it work better to squeeze time out of your normal schedule or would it be better to set up a retreat for yourself to focus on the program?       When are you more likely to stay focused? In the early morning, at lunch, in the evening, or on the weekend?

I encourage you to choose a plan to start with.

If you find your plan is not working, then revise your plan.

If you start avoiding the program or begin procrastinating, then be sure to reach out for support. Look at Feeling Stuck? for pointers.

Whatever you decide, carve out the time and put it on your calendar!

Tip 2: Choose Your Favorite Location

Of course, the next thing you need to figure out is where you'll work on the program. Sometimes deep thinking is more productive when done in a lovely setting rather than at a desk. But that depends on you!

Take a moment to think about how you used to study best in school or how you are most productive when you have a big project to do at work. Consider where you do your best thinking.

Think about your computer set up. Do you have a laptop with a wireless connection that allows you to be mobile? Or do you have a desk top? If you think best away from your computer, you can print out a few pages, and read the sections in the book, and then return to your desk to enter your thoughts into the program.

Some people think well at the keyboard. If you aren't one of them, you might do a first pass through the Step online to see what's covered. Then take your book to a comfortable place where you can think deely and creatively. Then return to the online program to enter your thoughts for each question.

           

What Location Fits Your Needs?

A structured environment like a library? A public environment like a café or restaurant? A cozy, comfy place like your room or your easy chair? An outdoor location like a park or your yard? A place with a view to inspire you, or a place with few visual distractions? A place where you are alone or able to interact with others around you?

If you aren't sure where you work best, then experiment to see what Truly Works for You.

Another trick to staying focused on the program is to keep your book with you or visible in your living space. Keeping it out so it catches your eye and your attention on a regular basis helps you stay on track.

Tip 3: Start With What Feels Easy

I know it goes against the grain of everything you've been taught, but it can be a very effective strategy! If you do the easy thing first, you can point to successes from the beginning, you see steady progress, and you realize what's "in the flow" for you. In addition, when you hit a snag, you are more attuned to the fact that you are stuck!

Furthermore, when you start with what's easy, you learn more about yourself and the process before you try to tackle the parts that feel hard. Imagine trying to climb a mountain without a warm up session! You may find that by the time you get to the harder parts they aren't so hard after all! Wouldn't that be a pleasant surprise?

Tip 4: There Are No Right Answers

There are only your answers! The ones that truly work for you. In the moment. A year from now you might have different answers. That's okay! Your answers continue to evolve as you learn more about yourself and your focus.

 Tip 5: It's Okay Not To Know the Answer

If you aren't sure how to answer a particular question, write down what you think you know. Put a question mark in the space so you can revisit that section later. The most important thing to remember is that none of this is written in stone. Think of this entire program as a draft copy to be edited and refined over time. 

Tip 6: Don't Worry about Inconsistencies

During the first three-quarters of this program, the best thing you can do is take note of any inconsistencies you might discover along the way. Don't get bogged down in trying to resolve them at this time.

Familiarize yourself with the following examples of inconsistencies so you recognize them when they show up in your process.

 

Examples of Inconsistencies

You want to stay at home with your baby and you want to have a job that entails traveling. You like to work at home and you work best in a team environment. You'd like to live in the country and you need a stable, reliable income.

Finding creative solutions to seemingly irresolvable conflicts like these may provide a solution to an inner dilemma that's been haunting you for years. Remember, don't attempt to resolve these inconsistencies when they first become evident. Wait until you know more about yourself and your needs. In Step 7 you find guidance about how to develop creative resolutions to inconsistencies like these.

Tip 7: Trust Your Own Timing

Pace yourself. This is not a race.it's a process.

Although the entire journey may take you several months to complete, the discoveries you make along the way will inspire, motivate, and guide you onward. In many ways your journey is more important than your destination because it's your insights during the process that guide you to your goal. If you hurry to get to the finish line, you'll probably miss important clues that could have guided you in unexpected, but truly satisfying directions. Remember that taking time between exercises is a good thing. It lets your ideas incubate and your insights develop.

The more time you give the process, the fuller your results will be.

You may even get to a point where you need to put the program down for a while. Something else may need your attention. It's okay! It's not a sign of failure! You are doing what truly works for you in that moment.

Trust yourself to know when to come back to the Career Clarity Program. Here are some guidelines if you are starting over again after time away:

 

Re-Starting The Career Clarity Program

When you re-enter the process, be compassionate with yourself. Start by reading over what you've already filled out. You may be surprised by how much you've learned over the last few months-without even trying! See what you are drawn to do next. Remember to followTip #3- Start With What Feels Easy! If you discover you were really frustrated or stuck when you left the process, refer to Feeling Stuck? for pointers.

 

Tip 8: Find Your Own Rhythm

 

With a program of this nature, it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to "do it right." The only reason this program is laid out in a linear fashion is because that's how programs generally work. You lay out the chapters and fill them with subsections and paragraphs.

I will repeat: There is no right way to work through this process. So, find the way that truly works for you! (In fact, this is good practice.as I mentioned before.discovering what truly works for you may give you clues about your natural way of doing things, which may well come in handy soon.)

Here are some ideas about various ways you might approach this process.

Ways to Approach the Career Clarity Program

Work on the tasks in order-from start to finish. Work on what you feel drawn to work on-from the outside it might look like a scattered approach, but actually it'll make perfect sense within your own skin. Take a quick pass through everything and then return to add new layers of insight. Spend more time thinking about the exercises and less time writing about them.

In Phase 1: Gathering Information (Step 1 - Step 4) feel free to complete the exercises in any order you want.

In Part 2: Synthesizing Information (Step 5 - Step 8) and beyond, you'll need to go in order because the results of one activity become the foundation for the next.

Tip 9: Think of Each Question as a Starting Point

 

All of the questions in this program are meant to be an opening-a catalyst-to get you thinking about the issues surrounding a particular topic. By answering the questions, you'll gain the clarity and direction you are looking for.

These are by no means the only questions that could be asked! Do not feel limited by either the questions or the options. Instead use them to further your own thinking. If you see an option that would work better for you, add it! Rewrite the question itself if that helps you.

Do whatever you need to do to get the answers you are searching for.

Tip 10: Be Creative 

 

If you are turned off by the structured nature of an exercise, then honor yourself for noticing, and take a different tactic. Perhaps it would work better for you to read over the section to get a feel of the issues (without answering all the specific questions), and then spend some time visualizing or imagining what would truly works for you. Write about your vision in one of the spaces provided or in your own journal, so you'll be able to reconstruct what you've discovered.

If you are turned off by the open-ended exercises, then use the questions and examples to stimulate your thinking. You may find the exercises from Your Dream Career For Dummies book to be more your style.

If you ever balk at a section, then trust yourself. It may be that section is irrelevant to you. It may be the topic is too big for you to handle right now. Just notice. Perhaps the gift of that exercise is your reaction to it rather than the answers you would force yourself to produce!

If you aren't much for writing, then you might want to try talking about the exercise with a friend or a buddy going through the same process. One way to do this is to have your buddy read you the question and then write down whatever you say. You could even do this for each other by switching roles. You don't have to write in full sentences. Often lists of phrases and thoughts are even easier to work with later. 

Tip 11: Always Remember What You Bring to the Program 

• Your desire to design or build your new career
• Your passion for doing work you love
• Your knowledge of what truly works for you.
• Your motivation to create a life that truly works for you.
• Your determination, discipline, and dedication to stick with the program through thick and thin
• Your willingness to acknowledge when you feel stuck
• Your capacity to reach out for the support that's available to you as part of the program
• Your enthusiastic participation in the various support options
• Your joy at discovering insights and new doorways to your future

If you feel (based on past experience) you may lack the dedication or discipline to follow through on this program, then make up for it with one of your strengths-your motivation, enthusiasm, or capacity to reach out for help.