Asked whether they'd rather make a lot of money or earn enough while doing work that makes the world a better place, 86 percent of adults today chose making the world a better place. Melissa Everett has dedicated her life to helping this generous majority choose a path that brings out their strengths and inner resources. Making that choice might be the key to future happiness and satisfaction. Career transitions are opportunities for expansion. Whether you're unemployed or simply restless, it is possible to face economic vulnerability and uncertainty without caving in. This program uniquely combines high quality, practical, career planning and marketing skills with a spiritual, social, and ecological vision. Melissa helps you connect to the web of life and create a vibrant support system to keep your healing vision alive. Five strengths distinguish this method of career development from others: 1) it's rooted in an awareness that social responsibility is integral to your life, not just a luxury; 2) it links personal growth with career redirection; 3) it identifies and refines your personal vision, leading directly to commitment and action; 4) using humor and expressive exercises, it enlivens the practical aspects of the job search; and 5) it teaches skills of community building, so you can maintain momentum after the workshop. We will consciously stand in two worlds considered at odds , our deep connection with our compassionate selves and with nature, and our relationship to the demands of earning a living. We'll face up to what a mess we're in, realize how much we love it anyway, and work carefully to build a vision and an action plan. About 25 percent of the workshop is presentation and discussion, and 75 percent is direct application of the principles we'll learn. We'll speak in council, work in small groups, map out options using art and words, take solo walks to let the ideas percolate, investigate choices, learn to create and use strong community, wrestle with the bugaboo of "what's realistic," name what's essential (non negotiable, worth struggling for, potentially transformative), remove barriers to commitment, and shift focus from the immediate to the long term. The hallmarks of our exploration are spirit, humor, and a refusal to accept obstacles as insurmountable. You'll leave the workshop with a concrete plan and a commitment to a set of self generated action steps for realizing your vision.
Melissa Everett is a writer, speaker, and workshop leader whose goal is to inspire and assist people as they build careers that make a contribution to their communities and the planet. Her book, Making a Living While Making a Difference: A Guide to Creating Careers with a Conscience, was listed as one of "twenty books that can change the world" by Common Ground Magazine. She has launched the Sustainable Careers Institute to help campus career centers instill a more generous work ethic into graduates and is an instructor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. We are delighted to welcome her back.