Want to explore the world of Women @ Work?

Sign up today and explore the world of Women @ Work with Kathleen Johnston. There is no cost to receive this monthly newsletter, designed to address issues and topics relevant to women, their careers, and lives.

Subscribe (RSS)

Women @ Work Newsletter

Posted March 6, 2010 - 6:25pm by kathleen

Having trouble viewing this email?
View it online.
http://campaign.constantcontact.com/render?v=0011Epg2wSvN84Z4srKfdyWCxhk...

KJ-Masthead [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?et=1103147842686&s=471&e=001GhM9R7Npi8XC2yllRPEW_QC1L8NQBFPfgr0CMgO3CmNl3JyN8pMTOmmyHvB4y17nM-EHL7AHUN-qV00WjbSWwbTDhoOfpLD3FVPJyvGBS7WSC04FXRDHpCUusp8PtW4a]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

March, 2010

03/06/10
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Greetings!
The Women @ Work newsletter is intended to provide insight regarding women and their
careers. The name intentionally recognizes the amazing women who work tirelessly
in both their paid and unpaid work roles. Pass this newsletter along and help us
all celebrate the extraordinary contribution made by ordinary women every day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your Career
Consider the difference between a "job" and "work." A job is what you do to support
your physical and financial needs. Work is what provides you with emotional, intellectual
and spiritual satisfaction. Meaningful work is the fusion of both concepts.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Meaning of Work
Beliefs about the meaning of work have changed over the centuries. The ancient Hebrew
scriptures viewed work both as punishment for moral disobedience and as a positive
act of redemption. The emergence of the Protestant Work Ethic supported the belief
that human labour is the will of God and positioned the industrious worker as God's
true servant. The Protestant Work Ethic also planted the idea that idleness is a
breeding ground for sin. We might ask how this idea continues to contribute to
the sense of shame some people experience when they are not actively engaged in
work.
In recent times and from a more secular viewpoint, the value of work has been more
about the pursuit of money and as a means for building up material possessions.
It's also important to consider that this experience can be different for people
of differing socio-economic classes. People living in poverty are perhaps more likely
to be driven by economic necessity or basic survival needs. The middle class may
be driven more by achievement and the need to accumulate possessions, and the wealthy
may be more inclined to value work as a connection for political and social purposes
as well as financial.
Regardless of one's status in society, it's important to understand that psychologically,
work is necessary for healthy development. Work influences a person's broader life
experience, providing a way to enjoy a sense of belonging and contributing to a
general belief that the things we do are important.
Work can be further examined psychologically using the following dimensions: 1)
the extent to which the person's self-image is connected to their work, 2) the extent
to which achievement affects self-esteem, 3) the extent to which accomplishments
remain consistent with one's self-concept, and 4) the extent to which work is a
vital life interest.
Work is also a social experience for many people. In addition to providing an opportunity
to experience satisfaction from task completion and perhaps significant accomplishments,
work provides an opportunity for affiliation and meaningful relationships.
The psychological, social and economic value of work can lead to a person's self-worth
becoming so inextricably bound up with their employment status that people who lose
their jobs may go through several phases - shock or disbelief, anger, depression
and hope - similar to the stages of death and dying. When people stop working
for whatever reason, they not only lose one of their most important means for connection,
but also a significant part of their identity as a person.
The inherent need to work is part of who we are as human beings. The satisfaction
of this need increases substantially when we are able to live out our life's purpose
through our work.
Living our lives with a sense of purpose is healthy from all perspectives: psychologically,
spiritually intellectually and physically. When we are purposefully engaged, we
feel fully alive.
Consider how your work has contributed, or continues to contribute, to your life's
purpose.
Kathleen
.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Take good care of yourself,

Kathleen Johnston, MA

FEATURES

Your Career
The Meaning of Work
Resources

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

RESOURCES

The Reinvention of Work by Matthew Fox,
The author shares his vision of a world where the personal and professional are
celebrated in harmony and where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified
by authentic work.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GOOD NEWS

Ordinary Women:
Extraordinary
Lives
A Woman's Career Journal
AND
A Woman's Career Diary
A Woman's Career Journal uses the career journeys of eight Alberta women in a workbook
style to invite you to reflect on and record your own unique career legacy.

A Woman's Career Diary has been designed to let you record the day to day events
of your career, with "career" including all of your paid and unpaid work . This
Diary is designed to assist you in experiencing
personal insight about your career. You will create a collection of your most cherished
memories.

Both books are an enduring gift for yourself or someone you love.
Watch for them
May, 2010
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CONTACT

I run a private coaching, counselling, and consulting business. Check out my web
site for Services, or to book a Speaking or Training Event. You can also contact
me directly [mailto:kj@kathleenjohnston.com]with a brief description of your situation
and I'll be happy to follow up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Share with a friend.
http://ui.constantcontact.com/sa/fwtf.jsp?m=1101638548882&ea=newsletter@...

This email was sent to newsletter@kathleenjohnston.com by kj@kathleenjohnston.com.

Update Profile/Email Address
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?v=001ZaS58ajNOw2q9Dtsti_R56Sura...

Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe(TM)
http://visitor.constantcontact.com/d.jsp?v=001ZaS58ajNOw2q9Dtsti_R56Sura...

Email Marketing by
Constant Contact(R)
www.constantcontact.com