Career Direction | Discover Your Calling and Career Path

A Snapshot of Today’s Workforce How Working in America Became So Joyless. That’s the headline from an article featured in the Wall Street Journal on March 30, 2026. And yep, it doesn’t get much better than the headline. Here are a few quotes from the article: Bummer, right? No wonder the headline ran the way it ran. Perhaps some of you …

This past week I received a text from a job seeker that I’ve been trying to support with a question of whether I’d ever heard of a company called Executive Branding. He further inquired as to whether I thought he should try something like them, or if it is just another “all care, no responsibility” con. I replied that I …

Are You Valiantly Pursuing Your Career Dreams?    Where does your mind go when you see that question? Do you immediately default to lyrics from The Man of La Mancha with Don Quixote singing the classic, “The Impossible Dream”? It’s words are resolute and inspiring – – here’s the first verse: To dream the impossible dreamTo fight the unbeatable foeTo bear …

What Does “Passion” Really Mean? Fruit or Vegetable? A Lighthearted Look at Desire Years ago, I would often have late-afternoon meetings with my boss to close out the workday. Almost every time, at some point during our meeting, he would lean back in his chair, heave a deep sigh, and say, “Sparky, what’s it going to be tonight? Fruit or vegetable?” …

Back in 2022, we did an 8-part series about workplace culture, entitled “Are You The Right Fit?” (Click here to read). In the series, we outlined 8 clues for how you, as an amazingly unique and complex individual, could fit effectively into an even more unique and complex workplace organization. On one level, it’s almost laughable that such a fit could be …

If you experienced being unemployed or unfulfilled in 2025, or are just now experiencing it as we enter 2026, the path forward may feel daunting. You’re not alone. Here are a few recent headlines I snagged through a quick google search: Headlines That Defined the 2025–2026 Job Market Phew! Not a lot of positive messages there, and as I scanned through …

Have you ever been so focused on work or a project that time just seemed to fly by? So focused and into the flow that the work just didn’t seem like work? So caught up in it with your energy, mental capacity, and physical presence that you literally didn’t notice anything going on around you? And then BAM!! Something interrupts …

Careerism is death. That phrase got my attention. Do you agree or disagree? Either answer…why? That interesting phrase was attributed to Robert Penn Warren by Ken Burns, an American filmmaker known for his historical documentaries. I heard this phrase mentioned by him as a guest on the Joe Rogan podcast (#2336). Joe had marveled at the incredible fact that the …

Do you remember the TV show, “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” It ran on ABC from 1988 to 2007, and revived again in 2013. “In May 2024, the show was renewed for a twenty-first season. The show consists of a panel of four performers who create characters, scenes, and songs on the spot, in the style of short-form improvisation games. Topics …

Our brains are amazing organs! We can have very deep, focused thinking that allows us to solve complex problems, and in the midst of that work, within seconds, you can find yourself saying, “Purple Squirrel,” as our thoughts zoom off into the wilderness of random thought! 🙂 Here are some quick stats about our brains, our thinking, and our emotions:   …