There is restlessness in corporate America as business and industry tries to reshuffle the deck and live up to the claims that the recession is over. Employers and employees are at odds about what end of the food chain they will be on when the economy settles back into “business as usual”. Each group wonders if it is worth the effort to pursue a “cutting edge” reputation when things may never go back to “business as usual”. We are being bombarded by conflicting messages from the Internet; government reports; the media; and social agencies about the progress of economic recovery. Meanwhile infomercials try to entice us with free money ads and post secondary schools are dangling “back to school” programs as recession proof solutions. The intensive marketing is exhausting, when what we really need is to take stock of what we have and consider repacking our bags.

In tough economic times we tend to knock any abstract thinking about our professional lives as a luxury we cannot afford. The emphasis at work is to stay employed no matter the cost personally. A few years ago there was a popular book on the market called Repacking Your Bags by Richard J. Leider and David A. Shapiro. Leider is an author and career/lifestyle strategies expert and Shapiro writes about personal and professional development. The book is an engaging personal/professional development piece about looking at the load you are carrying and letting go of the non-essential baggage that is getting in the way of you becoming your ideal self.

In their chapter entitled “Work Bags” Leider and Shapiro talk about three work truths.

#1 People Don’t Chose Their “Calling” It Chooses Them

What we do for a living has more to do with our upbringing than we give credit. We are heavily influenced by where we grew up (location), when we grew up (time/era), and the professions of family and friends. How happy we are with our professional choice depends on the factors used in making the choice. The more autonomous the process, the happier we tend to be in our profession.

#2 People Are More Sure of What They Don’t Love To Do Than What They Do Love To Do

Consider your current position. Are you good at it because you have mastered the task or are you talented in that area? What are your greatest talents? Are you using them professionally or are you doing a job that does not use your talent at all? According to Leider and Shapiro, “ Talents are a source of energy within each of us that are waiting to be discovered (or rediscovered) and expressed.” Most people can speak more easily about what they don’t like about the job, than they can about the talent they bring to the position.

#3 Life/Work Repacking is an Absolute Survival Skill Today

Leider and Shapiro asks, “What are your portable talents?” The authors contend that an employee today needs to view him/herself as an entrepreneur. You are your only client. You need to prepare a business plan that includes personal and professional development. You need to be an expert on your talents and marketability. The bottom line is that you have unlimited potential for professional growth and it is your job to keep yourself satisfied. Repacking your bags is essential. Complacency is not an option.

Uncertain times in corporate America need not be unsettling to your professional world. Take stock of yourself. Throw away the unnecessary baggage and become familiar with your considerable talent. Turn this turbulent time into an opportunity to learn about how to fulfill yourself professionally and in turn personally. If you haven’t read Repacking Your Bags, there is no time like the present to give yourself the gift of enlightenment.

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