Blog
Explore career topics, including strengths, goals, healthy productivity, perfectionism and wellness.
Three types of perfectionism. Which group(s) do you fall into?
Did you know that there are three types of perfectionism? Once I learned about these, I started to observe my behaviours with more clarity and was on to myself more quickly. Ruminating about something I did or didn't do? - ah, that's my self-oriented perfectionism...
Transitioning outside of a university position: An interview with Dr. Alice Cassidy
Alice Cassidy, Ph.D., is an educational developer and science educator. She also is a writer, editor and photographer. During all three academic degrees (at the University of Victoria, McGill University and the University of British Columbia) she was involved in...
How to deal with our weaknesses
I grew up with the belief that 'fixing' my weaknesses was something I should consistently work on. Given I have no shortages of weaknesses, I had my work cut out for me. 😕 It was only a few years ago, when I was introduced to "StrengthsFinder"1 and trained to become a...
7 ways to make the most of attending a conference
Conferences present an excellent opportunity for learning and for building connections. They can contribute to your career growth, if you know how to make the most of them. Below I look at 7 ways to make the most of a conference as an attendee who is not presenting....
Reading more: My 5-month reading challenge
As an only child, I adored reading. I made frequent trips to the public library and relished the process of selecting and then immersing myself in a book. I rarely read more than one book at a time, but read a lot. Most of the above still holds true, except the 'read...
Should I celebrate my 50th birthday?
I'm having a first world problem and it has to do with my birthday. The problem is that I'm highly ambivalent about whether I should celebrate my 50th birthday in a "big" way. Not a big deal, you think? Why I feel stress around this choice It goes something like...
How to save time by simplifying
Should I write first or do mindfulness? Should I respond to emails that are piling up or write? Should I check social media or do something more productive? Should I exercise or grade papers? Those might be some of the decisions you need to make at the beginning of...
Relaunching my career as an artist: An interview with Monica Berdin
I’ve been talking about this for 25 years. I’ve been flapping my lips for 25 years. I have to stop talking and start doing. In this interview, Monica tells the story of transitioning from full-time mother and wife to launching her own jewelry business and reclaiming...
Doing meaningful work through volunteering
In this post, I describe how my desire to do meaningful work has shaped my career and a recent volunteer activity. I briefly recount an experience I had this summer that brought me great joy because it hit a "10" in my own doing-meaningful-work scale. Finally, I...
3 CliftonStrengths group activities to enhance team dynamics
How can you easily enhance team dynamics when you're a team lead? In this post, I share three simple CliftonStrengths (also called StrengthsFinder) activities that contribute to team building and team productivity. I have used these with young adults, as well as with...
Why we worry and how to worry less
I want to worry less. Are you with me?! This is me The other day, I crossed a small group pre-schoolers walking outside with their teacher. They were taking a slow stroll along the sidewalk of a quiet street on a sunny morning. "Watch out," cautioned the teacher. "Be...
Appreciation and recognition at work: Which do you want most?
I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't want appreciation at work! C'mon - even if our main driver is to do meaningful work, some appreciation is ...well, appreciated. Recognition at work You won't be surprised to read that there is a ton of research (yes, they weigh...