Value-based Adaptation

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I started my MBA program this week.  Did I mention I was pursuing an MBA?  I am.  When I chose to go back to work full-time I knew I wouldn’t be able to complete the extensive practicum and internship requirements to complete my counseling degree.  I set that degree aside (of course I will complete it) and began working.  Much to my surprise, I learned that my current position will pay for me to receive my MBA in a program that teaches the business-building skills  I currently lack.  It felt like a perfect fit for a small-business entrepreneur, personal coach.  So, I’ve started the program and it feels great to be back in school again.

The assignment for this week is focused on the need for an individual to have an overall career plan and then know how to adjust, correct, and be fluidly adaptable when needed.  My text and supporting articles all reflected my own personal views:  Choose your inherent values and build upon those.  When you start with a value-based foundation, the details will all fall into place.  Sometimes the details will surprise you and lead you somewhere you never expected, but when the values are firm the outcome will be extraordinary.

We were asked to look at our own personal experiences and it was a wonderful exercise to look back and see those times when I stuck to my values and allowed my life’s evolution in surprising and interesting ways.  There were other times when I was too rigidly focused on what I perceived SHOULD be happening next and those moments of stubborn rigidity resulted in paralysis, depression, frustration and needless worry.

I will never advocate just floating in the wind and letting life blow you wherever it will.  I don’t believe that will ever give you a life you’ve dreamed of.  But in remembering what is most important to you and pursuing your dreams (even when they lead down surprising roads) joy and accomplishment will be the end result.  ALSO!  When you begin compromising your personal values in order to reach a pre-determined end- we all know Machiavelli’s mantra “the ends justify the means”- things rarely work out the way you intend and even if the path seems ideal for a moment, compromising personal values will always lead to heart break and disappointment (whether personal or public).

The choice to return to full-time work and set aside my counseling degree was not easy, but as I continue progressing as a counselor (for the school I work for), a coach (for my clients), and as a business student I can see how they are now working together to build a solid, dynamic future.

Have you ever taken the time to reflect upon your crossroads and the decisions that have led you to where you are now (the good, the bad, and the ugly?)?  I highly recommend it.