Do you ever wonder "what if"? What professional development plan do you follow when you feel like you've taken every seminar, gone to very conference, and networked with everyone? This workshop presents methods to identify your next steps and discover career options and ways to rekindle your enthusiiasm for your career.

1. Ruth Hohl Borger, Ed.D., APR | Ruth Hohl Borger, Assistant Vice President, UF/IFAS Communications
ACE Conference, June 9, 2015
OMG! I forgot to follow my dream!
How to deal with mid-career boredom,
doldrums and disappointments

2. As many as 98 percent of Americans are
unhappy in their jobs.
Sher, B. (1995). I could do anything if I knew
what it was. New York, NY: Dell.

3. Why can’t we see/know what we
should be doing?
We have too many options
Something inside is stopping you from
knowing

4. The silent message inside of us:
Understanding why you don’t know
what you want
That nagging feeling
What are the messages that defined you?
Who gave them to you?

5. Exercise: What did they want from me?

6. Exercise Two
Earliest recollection of what you wanted to
be when you grew up?
High school graduation day: what were you
going to be?
What did you study in school?
First job that paid the rent
Job you hated

7. The majority of men lead lives of quiet desperation.
Henry David Thoreau

8. The job from hell…
What, where, with whom?
What are you doing all day?
Location, location, location

9. The job from heaven
What, where, with whom?
What are you doing all day?
Location, location, location

10. This is about looking inward for the answer
not outward.

11. Trusting your gut

12. Getting to know you….
Concept of the essential self vs. our social self

13. Exercise: Questions for testing your social-essential self connection

14. Scoring the quiz:
Basically, if you didn’t answer “often”
to every one of the questions,
you could stand to be in closer contact
with your essential self.

15. Reconnecting your essential and social selves
Notice your energy level
How’s your health?
Remember much? – your supermemory
Time flies….
Emotional intelligence[relaxation and empathy]
Magnetic attraction
A natural high

16. What inspires you?

17. Exercise: Things I like to do
What are the patterns?
What are you searching for?

18. Meaningful work
What makes work worthy?
Connection your gifts to the world
Doing what you truly love

19. ACT
It raises your self esteem
You are a success every time you face down
fear
Do it first, learn how second

20. Real vs. escapist dreams
Real dreams don’t require you to abandon
your family, quit your job and move to Tahiti
with your sarong.
They require that you search your soul for
that deep dream you put aside – and go for
it.
You do have to take an emotional chance.

21. The freedom fantasy
Your job, family, (insert whatever here) is
not stopping you
Exercise:
Choose one activity you are going to give up
every day and replace it with something you
love to do.
p. 60

22. What would you do if you were bold? If you
were sure you would succeed….

23. Why aren’t you doing that?

24. Exercise:
Just for a moment…..
Think about 3 things you could do to make
that dream a reality…..