Comments to: crs@uvm.eduReviewed as of 4/20/98
THIS DOCUMENT WAS PRODUCED BY THE NEW ENGLAND REGIONAL LEADERSHIP
PROGRAM. IT IS POSTED BY THE CENTER FOR RURAL STUDIES FOR PUBLIC
USE. THE CENTER FOR RURAL STUDIES ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR
THE CONTENTS. FOR MORE INFORMATION, REFER TO THE USERS GUIDE.
UNIT 5: LIFE WORK PLANNING
INTRODUCTION
Personal growth is a lifelong journey. Because you learn more
about yourself with each new experience, there is no final point at
which you are a fully "developed" or "powerful" person. Each day
presents you with new opportunities to develop into a more powerful
person. This cycle of opportunity and growth continues as long as
you live, and the results are shaped by the choices you make along
the way.
Life work is your reason and purpose in living; it is not just your
current occupation. By understanding your life work and having a
"vision" of the future you want, you are creating a pathway that
can lead you to that future. People who know what they want, and
who believe that they can get it, are much more effective in
achieving their aims than people who don't.
Once you know your vision and make a commitment to it, you are
making a commitment to have your actions consistent with your
goals. Essentially, you are deciding what you want in the future,
which implies that you must do certain things to get to there. You
are compelled to act in ways that will get you to the future you
want. Suddenly, many decisions about whether and how to act will
be simpler for you.
As a leader, you understand the importance of establishing long-
and short-term goals for particular projects and issue campaigns.
Personal goals are as important as project goals. Having a clear
vision of your future and knowing your goals gives you a stunning
perspective on your life and its work. You can see the big
picture, and you can judge the best ways of working toward the
future you want.
Life work is a dynamic concept. Your life work is the personal and
unique interrelationship of your interests, goals, beliefs, and
community, and because you are constantly changing, your life work
may also change with time. Because of this, life work planning is
best approached from a learning perspective. You should understand
that your life work will lead you down new paths that may change
the nature of your life work in future years. The best you can do
is stay open to possibilities, and incorporate your new knowledge
in to your evolving life work.
ASSUMPTIONS
þ Personal development is a lifelong, unending
process of learning and growing from our
experiences.
þ We can learn to understand ourselves better, and
make choices based on our needs, values, and
interests.
þ Our lives are our greatest creation, and the
choices we make determine how this creation
unfolds.
þ Having an idea or vision of what you want to
achieve can help direct and guide you successfully
to that achievement.
þ Our visions of our future need to re-assessed and
updated from time to time as our lives evolve.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
þ Clarify your values as a basis for doing life work
planning.
þ Develop and practice skills that are used in life
planning.
þ Understand the importance of having a vision of
your goals and achievements to guide you.
þ Develop a vision of your future, and create a plan
for achieving the future you envision.
þ Develop a method for problem solving as a way to
keep your life work planning from being eroded by
obstacles.
Comments to: crs@uvm.edu
Reviewed as of 4/20/98