Career Inklings from Columbia

Janet M. Ruck

Unleash Your Personal Power to Create Your Career

When we encounter the beauty of nature in all its splendor and glory, we have the opportunity to experience nature's awesome power. As an eagle dives into the glistening water, with talons poised to strike, and emerges with a shimmering, wriggling fish, we are enthralled by the strength of the instinct that drives the eagle. As the ocean waves roll and crest and thunder on the sand, we are amazed by the force that drives the tides and the energy of the water that churns from the force. Our appetite for the beauty, the power and the sheer might that drive the forces of nature is insatiable.

Operating by sheer instinct, Nature does not question, but acts on its power to unfurl its glory and might.

Perhaps we can take a lesson from nature, and employ our own power to energize our careers. If knowledge is power, self knowledge can create personal power. Yet, we often don't allow ourselves sufficient self knowledge to release our own power. We thwart our efforts and our natural ability by inhibiting our vision of who we are and what may be our potential.

Over the years, as a career consultant, I have followed a mindset and a strategy which I think of as my "4 C's of Personal Power". By implementing these techniques, and sharing them with clients, we have experienced and maintained passion for our work so that our careers have flourished and thrived.

The 4 C's of Personal Power

Competency: what skills do you have that you enjoy using? Invest the time to learn what you like to do and what you are good at.

Confidence: are you comfortable telling others what is unique about you? Believe in yourself and exude self-assurance so that others will have confidence in you.

Clarity: are you clear about your vision? Know where you are headed, dream big and stay focused on your aspirations.

Choice: have you set goals in a direction that expresses who you are, what you want, and where you want to go? Continue to follow a path that leads you on the course that follows your vision.

Maintain a connection to yourself and what energizes you, to give yourself the chance to experience your own personal power. By acknowledging, owning and honoring your own power, you can create a career that emanates from your own uniqueness.

Next time I’ll discuss how to maintain your personal vision to create your own purposeful career.

Janet Ruck is as an escapee from the world of full-time work. As a career consultant and writer, she is consumed with helping people identify their passions, uniqueness, interests and talents to keep them from slipping into the faceless abyss of the workplace. Janet encourages herself and her clients through the use of journaling and creative self-expression as means of gaining perspective and insight into their authentic selves. She helps clients create and sustain satisfying careers by recognizing their own personal magic. Contact her at janetruck@yahoo.com.