As I look back over my life, I find there have been a very few times when I have felt a profound loss of dignity for myself. Having said that, I do feel that losing a job I had worked at for 26 years took a serious toll on my pride, as well as my sense of identity and security. As I pondered my seemingly bleak options, I grew somewhat depressed. It became more and more difficult to drag myself out of bed and into work each day. I was not productive while I was there, and when I returned home in the evenings it was all I could do to make dinner for my family and then crawl into bed. I gained weight, let my appearance go and lost all my enthusiasm for the things I enjoyed. Until then, I didn’t realize how much of my self esteem and identity were tied to my work. When I made the decision to return to school, it was like being released from a vacuum. I had lost my old identity but I was (and am) on a path to a completely new one. My new perspective as student has brought me a great deal of pleasure as well as a tremendous boost to my ego. If I had known 29 years ago what I now know, this journey would have taken place much sooner! Those feelings and concepts are what have assisted me in shaping my sense of security. When I began my classes at OKCCC last year, I was terrified! How could I possibly keep up and/or compete with people who in many cases were less than ½ my age? I just didn’t know if it was possible. The first few weeks of classes were mind boggling. I found myself questioning everything I was doing. I had to cover topics 3 and 4 times to make any sense of them. Those parts of my brain had become so atrophied that it took everything I had to get those synapses firing again! Once they did begin to ... ... middle of paper ... ... my life and following it through to the end. It’s a very powerful feeling. As for leisure, I can’t do without it! It’s a necessary part of my life. It gives me an opportunity to reconnect with my family. During the week we tend to scatter in our different directions, but on the weekends we gravitate back toward one another. We make every attempt to do something we all enjoy. That usually entails a music venue of some kind or a trip to the bookstore. On a good weekend, we can combine the two and get to listen to music at the bookstore. My husband is a wonderful (in my humble opinion) singer/songwriter and I love to listen when he plays around town. As I reflect on these seven human needs it strikes me just how basic they all are. No matter where or when you live, these are the ideals that work at our very cores. What amazing creatures we humans are!
Previous generations have a strong belief of keeping work and home life separate; that work is for work and home is for play (Rampell, 2011, para 21). Today’s professionals do not seem to abide by similar beliefs, constantly crossing the borders of one into the other. While many recognize this as an issue that could result in employees being less productive, it has actually resulted in them accepting that their work may run late into the evening or even into the weekend. I agree with this completely in that I grew up being taught that business is business and personal is personal; you leave your home life at the door. But now times have changed, and my weekends are no longer dedicated to my home life, but for work, because I attend classes during the week. Also, in my line of work in the Allied Health industry, it is a requirement to work off hours. Long gone are the days of working nine to five, Monday through Friday; technology and the demand of wanting affairs done and done as soon as possible, has made it so the “work week” is now 24-7. “Jon Della Volpe, the director of polling at Harvard Institute of Politics, said, ‘Some experts also believe that today’s young people are better at quickly switching from one task to another, given their exposure to so many stimuli during their childhood and adolescence’” (Rampbell,
It is safe to say that work comes in many different forms. Whether it be a fast food or a corporate, the people that surround an individual make a great impact on the way he or she may work. Singapore, by Mary Oliver, is about a young woman working as a custodian in an airport who although works alone, enjoys her work and the people she meets. Dorianne Laux’s What I Wouldn’t Do, introduces another young woman reviewing the jobs she has had throughout time and reflects on those that she liked and disliked. Hard Work, by Stephen Dunn, exemplifies a young boy working in a soda factory during his summer break. Searching for happiness in life and work is just what these individuals are doing.
Our physiological needs are the needs for food, sex, health, and so on. Our safety needs are the needs for stability and security in our living situation. Our social needs are the needs we have for meaningful relationships, as well as our needs for support from peers or our society. Our esteem needs are our needs to feel validated, and accomplished. And last but not least, of course are our needs for self-actualization; in other words our needs to become autonomous, capable and fulfilled in what we
In the beginning of 2012, I lost my job and have been searching for a job for several months. At that time I was very stressed because I could not find anything that was suitable for me. One weekend, I decided to go to the shopping mall for some window shopping because i...
My job position required me to have a strong eye for details, aptitude in mathematics, and possess problem solving skills. I enjoyed the fast pace working environment for the most part along with the hustle and bustle of the city. The only problem was, that it did not feel rewarding to me. My biggest highlights were not knowing the latest fashions. Surprisingly it was when I gave nutritional tips to my co-workers and random people I came acrossed. For example, every winter I would kindly remind and explain to others I came across why it’s so important they take vitamin d3. When I look back, apart of me regrets not changing my major over to nutrition when I had the opportunity to do so. I knew working in the fashion was not something I was going to do for the rest of my life but I’m happy I did
With just under 3 weeks left to go of this twelve year long journey, life after school is not thoroughly mapped out for me as I still do not know where I will be in 3 months, 6 months or even a year from now. However, like Linda Hogan herself said, “The ways are not always mapped or charted, but sometimes being lost, if there is such a thing, is the sweetest place to be.” If this is the case, then I am more than happy with where I am now and I guess the future is just a mystery waiting to be
In the order of most important to least important, these basic needs include: physiological (survival) needs, safety needs, social needs, the need for esteem and the need for self-actualisation. Without the satisfaction of the first level needs, one cannot satisfy the second level needs.
...s most of my life has been spent in the classroom, breaking out into the real world, where I will no longer be a student, will prove to be quite a shock to me. Growing comfortable in my role as learner, it will take great adjustment to realize that my stint in the educational system has finally come to a close.
In the book Outliers, and in the articles, “Meaningful Work”, “Do, Just, Do: A Journey to Meaningful, Satisfying work”, and “ You Wont Find Meaningful work Looking Outside Yourself”, The authors Malcolm Gladwell, Michael F. Steger, Lori Deschene, and Keven wood describe what the joy of meaningful is to them.Life is what you make of it and it’s and up to you to decide what you will get out of it. Some people may work eight hour shifts Monday through Friday miserable, exhausted, depressed, unhappy, and under a lot of pressure and stress from their jobs. Others may do the same, similar, or different jobs being comfortable, happy with life, and pleased with their job position. Your job should be one of the most important things to you because you are there on average forty hours a week and most of your time is spent there. It should be important that you enjoy what you do because it is practically your second home. Meaningful work is a job you enjoy doing, are compassionate about, never tired of, and do for the fulfillment of yourself , it is important to success because if one enjoys what they do opportunities in their career path will only expand.
On the planet over, individuals esteem leisure as a basic piece of their way of life and convention. Leisure is considered as an imperative and fundamental piece of each society. Indeed, it is a vital piece of the each person. What a few individuals consider being leisure however may end up being hostile or irritating to others. Synonyms for the term leisure incorporate the words decompression, ease, rest, unwinding, and rest. Subsequently what I consider leisure may not so much be leisure to someone else. This paper depicts my own personal leisure philosophy. It addresses my inspirations for my personal leisure and what is going on in the field of recreation and leisure.
I felt as if I was on a different planet, as much as I tried to understand I was still lost in the woods. That day I got home nearly in tears because I didn’t want to fail the math class, for a second I thought about quitting, but then with a positive attitude, I decided to give it a second opportunity. College was different from high school, attending College is like going to a shopping center, the same people enter the same store, but many of them don’t know each other, and the classroom walls are plain white, no painting or decorations. The students are responsible for their actions, assignments and attendance if they pass or fail their class is their responsibility. Returning to school is a whole new experience, in a way I felt excited to be able to expand my knowledge and prepare for a better future. On the other hand, I am blessed with more responsibilities than just school. Now I am compromised to my kids that depend on me. It’s not just homework, also helping my kids with their homework, doing laundry, cleaning the house, and caring for my kids. To be honest, it’s not easy attending college it’s like having another child. I commit to my classes and assignments, just how I do it with my children. Attending college and being a mother, a spouse, and an employee does squeeze my energy. I knew it wasn’t going to be simple, but I also knew it was not impossible. I continued my education, and I know taking baby steps will benefit my future. “The capacity to learn is a gift; the ability to learn is a skill; the willingness to learn is a choice.” (Brian
I’ve been working since I was sixteen years old. I have worked my way up in the jobs I’ve held. When I received constructive criticism, I never took it personally. I used it to work harder next time. Until February 2010. That’s when everything came crashing down on me.
The decision to return to College is never easy. Especially after being out of the classroom for so many years, but everyone's situation is unique. One reason, to return to school is the fact that the more education you have the more your professional life will benefit. And the benefits are multifold. With more job opportunities comes more choices, better earns and low risk to be unemployed. Another reason, you will develop new skills and be more prepared for the working world when you graduated from College; in order, to progress in all aspects of your life: emotionally, economically and socially. In fact, being able to overcome the challenge imposed by yourself, will create a better state of independence and security. Finally, do not let
I hope to be able to instill these values in my son as he grows up to make his own choices. In choosing to return to school after eleven years I hope to improve my own: intellectual wellness by challenging my mind, my emotional wellness by bettering myself, and interpersonal wellness by improving my relationships with the people closest to me. The support from my family and friends has been invaluable in my returning to school. I feel that by making these positive changes I am setting a good example for my son.
Well, time flies by, and we grow up. We came to the United States, and I applied a little different meaning to the word leisure. Along with art and music classes, I spent some time on my computer doing my homework. During my free time I played video games. It distracted me from real life and its obligations. These games gave me some sense of freedom with their ability ...