This Is Not The Career I Ordered™ Blog
Savvy Professional Career Wisdom by Caroline Dowd-Higgins
This is Not the Career I Ordered is read by thousands of careerists around the globe. With savvy tools, inspiration, and resources, this timeless book empowers you to enjoy your career, and love your life!
The Human Energy Crisis and the 4-Day Workweek Experiment
As someone with Futuristic in my Top 5 Clifton Strengths profile, I am fascinated by what’s coming down the road. Workplace futurists are predicting trends that range from multi-generational behaviors, remote/hybrid roles, and the 4-day work week. Futurist David Houle calls the 2020’s the most disruptive decade in history. The post pandemic journey has brought […]
Showcase Your Indispensability for Job Security and Growth
The Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA) world-of-work has made us question job security. Gone are the days when company loyalty made you feel protected during difficult times. All sectors from corporate to non-profit, and higher-education have deployed downsizing, reductions in force, and lay-offs to navigate tumultuous times. Being indispensable in the competitive world requires […]
A Grown-Up Snow Day: How Will You Spend it?
Much of the country is being pelted with winter weather as I watch the beautiful snow accumulate outside from my warm and cozy perch at home. I’m in the mood for the stillness and peace that comes with a winter snowy day. ☃️ Before digital e-learning days, kids would wish for snow days to enjoy […]
2025: Let’s Do This!
As we begin a new year, the time is ripe to consider what you need and want to be happy, healthy, and gratified in your life and career. The pressure to pick a new year’s resolution can be stressful. Instead of a singular resolution that is likely to wane in a few months – here […]
Slay Perfectionism with “Good Enough to Go” for Career Momentum
As a career development and executive coach, I work with many individuals who are focused on making changes to their careers to better align with professional values and strengths. But for some, their best plans often get stalled in analysis paralysis, which results in stagnation and a hard stop to all forward momentum. Brave, Not […]
Savor Your Success
We live in a world where achieving success is a moving target. Whether your organization is focused on sales goals, fundraising targets, billable hours, placements, or some other measurement to quantify success – it’s rare to celebrate hitting the goal before the bar is quickly raised to a new and higher level. I get the […]
Meaningful Recognition Ideas for Colleagues
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, this an opportune time to consider how you can recognize people in your workplace for their service to your organization. The research indicates that when people feel valued and appreciated on the job it enhances their satisfaction, productivity, and organizational morale. According to Annamarie Mann and Nate Dvorak from Gallup […]
Ambition is Not a Dirty Word
The career landscape provides you with a myriad of choices about where to work and how to advance your career. Be proactive about how to become a promotable player and confidently consider the leaders with whom you want to work — or not. During a mock interview with my client Collette, I asked her if […]
Energy Follows Intention
I participated in an incredible women’s circle this week that recharged and reignited my energy, focus, and commitment about how I want to live my life and pursue my career. I learned that energy follows intention, and we must be clear about how we show up in the world and how we give and receive. […]
Embrace “Good Enough to Go” for Career Momentum
As a career development and executive coach, I work with many individuals who are focused on making changes to their careers to better align with professional values and strengths. But for some, their best plans often get stalled in analysis paralysis, which results in stagnation and a hard stop to all forward momentum. Recently, I […]
Design Your Future, so it Doesn’t Happen by Default
As a career development and executive coach, I work with individuals who are focused on making changes to their lives and careers to better align their values and strengths. But for some, their best plans often get stalled in analysis paralysis, which results in stagnation and a hard stop to forward momentum. Perfection is Impossible […]
Is Your Life Eulogy Worthy, or Resume Worthy?
David Brooks delivered a compelling TED Talk about living for your resume or your eulogy. According to Brooks, “The résumé virtues are the ones you put on your résumé, which are the skills you bring to the marketplace. The eulogy virtues are the ones that get mentioned in the eulogy, which are deeper: who are […]
Keep, Stop, Start Your Way to Clarity, Purpose, and Wellness
As a career and executive coach, I work with many individuals who are stalled or stuck in a stagnant routine of life and career that zaps their energy and enthusiasm. The human body is constantly changing at a cellular level, so the process of transformation runs deep within our very being. I encourage you to […]
Parents Under Pressure: The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Their Mental Health and Wellbeing
United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Well-Being of Parents, highlighting the urgent need to better support parents, caregivers, and families to help our communities thrive. Burnout, exhaustion, and overwhelm are causing a human energy crisis in workplaces around the world and for many parents, life at […]
