Professional Development A Must for Todays Worker

Professional Development A Must for Todays Worker Its no secret that our world is ever changing. Back in 1998 when it was just coming on the scene, most people were asking Whats a Google? Today, 14 years later, Google is the number one search engine on the web. Dinosaur-like cellular phones and pagers have transformed into sleek, lightweight iPhones and PDAs. Hand-written letters have been swapped for emails and landlines are being traded in for Skype. Things like social media and augmented reality have changed the way we connect with others, even inside the workplace. ur society will always be evolving and, in order to be successful, we have to adapt and keep up with the evolution. Just like we cannot keep our old habits with new technology, we cannot stay the same in our professional careers. Industries change and its the workers job to follow that change. And what better way to keep up with the trends than to invest in professional development?Professional development programs are an extremely important component to any company. Most employers that offer such programs are more attractive and appealing to job binnenseekers because it shows them the companies support the advancement of their employees. Similarly, participating in professional develop for an employee shows companies the individual is dedicated to his or her career growth. Specialized workshops, seminars, classes, and conferences for your profession are all great ways to take your career to the next level. How so?Opportunities for developing new skills. Professional development courses and trainings are all about education. You will get the chance to learn new information, tactics and methods specific to your position or field, thus developing a new skill set. These courses can also help sharpen the skills you already possess.Staying up-to-date with your industry. You should desire to be the best at what you do and a part of that comes from being in the know within your industry. Understanding the ins and outs of your field and keeping current on whats new, whats old and what is to come can give you the upper hand when it comes to succeeding in your field. How can your company properly supply the needs of customers if it doesnt know the current demand? Regular professional development can ensure you stay up-to-date with whats happening in your industry.Building your network. We all know the power of networking professional development simply opens another door for it. As you travel to conferences and attend trainings you will meet various people within your industry who may be essential to your future success.Strengthen your personal brand. Have you ever heard the saying you are your own brand? Today more than ever this holds true. Your actions, your credential and your expertise are what speak for you as a professional. Why not allow professional development programs to help with that? By participating in professional development, youre only strengthening your personal brand as employers see the effort you put in to advance yourself and skills in the field. This especially holds true for professional development done outside of work.Remain competitive in the industry. Business is a competition. You want to be the best offer the best service, provide the best products and find the best solutions. The same is true as an employee. Hundreds of people apply for one position. And even after you land the job, many more wait, ready and willing to take your place if you fail. To move up the ladder, you will have to remain competitive and professional development can help you do just that. That extra training session or course you took provided you with an extra skill or some knowledge another worker may not have.Benefit yourself and the company. Professional development is a two-way street. Youre growing as an employee and, in turn, helping the company to grow by the new skills and expertise you bring to the table. Now who doesnt love a win-win situation?

The art of misery Why we are never truly satisfied

The art of misery Why we are never truly satisfiedThe art of misery Why we are never truly satisfiedOn December 29, 1954, in Detroit, Michigan, Simon Kuznets, a Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences, stood in front of a large crowd of intellectuals, and delivered a brave Presidential Address at the sixty-seventh Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association.Kuznets had bottled up his thoughts for numerous years. But, he couldnt hold back any longer. Hisradical ideas were bubbling and ready to burst out into the open air of the auditorium.After the Great Depression, and under mandate from President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Kuznets spent donkey years pouring through a stupendous amount of economic data in the U.S. and other developed countries.In doing so, Kuznets accomplished an astonishing feat- the compression of the entire economic activity of a country into a singular number.That number is what today we call GDP, or Gross Domestic Product.On this day however, Kuznets welches nt talking GDP. He was talking inequality. Specifically, the relationship between income inequality and economic growth.During his speech, Kuznets proposed a radical idea that would stun the audience and throw the world into a frenzy. He argued that the growing economy of a country passes through three phases of income inequality.In the first phase, economic growth creates mora income inequality. In the second phase, as a country begins to urbanize, the effect of economic growth on income inequality is nominal. And after a tipping point, in the third and final phase, economic growth creates less income inequality.These three phases when traced form the shape of an inverted U-shaped curve.Kuznets speech was later formalized as the groundbreaking paper,Economic Growth and Income Inequality, widely regarded as one of the most influential papers in modern economics. 1But the Inverted-U curve has far-reaching consequences beyond the world of the economics.The phenomenon also sheds light on the age-old question Why are we never truly satisfied?Never too much, never too muchIn America I have seen the freest and best educated of men in circumstances the happiest to be found in the world yet it seemed to me that a cloud habitually hung on their brow, and they seemed serious and almost sad even in their pleasures. They clutch everything but hold nothing fast, and so lose grip as they hurry after some new delight.- French Diplomat, Alexis de Tocqueville (1930)In 1981, the late legendary RB singer, Luther Vandross, released a song that took the world by storm.Its called Never Too Much. Here are the lyrics of the memorable chorusOh my love, a thousand kisses from youIs never too much, I just dont wanna stopOh my love, a million days in your armsIs never too much, I just dont wanna stopNever too much, never too muchNever too much, never too much. 2Aside from the slick, smooth vocals of Vandross and the catchy beat of the song, theres an undertone beneath the lyrics, which accurately represents our beliefs about satisfaction.And that belief is that theres never too much of a good thing.In other words, we believe that more is better- more money, love, happiness, success, relationships, choice and so on.But ismore always better?In a fascinating paper, psychologists Grant and Schwartz, explore a substantial range of compelling studies which show that virtually all human pursuits follow the shape of the Inverted-U curve. 3According to the psychologistsThere is no such thing as an unmitigated good. All positive traits, states, and experiences have costs that at high levels may begin to outweigh their benefits, creating the non-monotonicity of an inverted U.Heres an illustration of the Inverted-U curveOn the left hand side of the curve, doing or having more of a thing is beneficial- or leads to more satisfaction.But, as this increases, the benefits taper off towards the middle of the curve. This is what economists call diminishing marginal returns.After a t ipping point, on the right hand side of the curve, doing or having more of a thing surprisingly leaves us worse off.Think about the classic example of money and happiness.Wed like to think that earning more money would make us happier, but an increasing body of research would suggest otherwise.Studies have discovered that money can buy happiness, but only up to an income level of approximately USD 95,000. 4In addition, the top 1% income earners experience less life satisfaction than those who earn much less. 5Plausible explanations for this are that wealth attracts many fickle relationships that replace close genuine friendships, and it may also lead to unhealthy habits of social comparisons and material pursuits.In a similar fashion, this Inverted-U curve phenomenon resurfaces in every area of our lives.mora is better only up to a certain tipping point, after which were worse off than before- dissatisfied and miserable.Vandross was wrong.Theresnever never too much of a good thing.A pertinent question then is, where is this tipping point? When does more become too much?The golden meanIn the Nicomachean Ethics, ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, suggests that there is a desirable middle ground between the extreme ends of any human pursuitBoth excessive and defective exercise destroys the strength, and similarly drink or food which is above or below a certain amount destroys the health, while that which is proportionate both produces and increases and preserves it.- Aristotle (trans. 1999, p. 22)This middle ground, also known as the golden mean, is best illustrated by the optimal point, bang in the middleof the Inverted-U curve- where what we have or do, is just enough for the maximum benefit or satisfaction.According to Aristotle, the key to a lifetime of satisfaction is to remain within the golden mean of everything we have or do.For example, if youve had your basic needs met and live a relatively comfortable lifestyle, and still feel dissatisfied, youre ou t of balance to the right of your golden mean.To rediscover your life satisfaction and realign with your golden mean, you could rid off excesses and downsize your lifestyle, by for example, giving away clothes and items to someone else living in scarcity.Its important to note that the golden mean isnt an exact science. Its an art. And it varies from context to context, and from person to person.Through self-experimentation and inner discourse, we can move towards the center of the Inverted U-curve and realign with our golden mean for maximum satisfaction.The takeawayI denied myself nothing my eyes desired I refused my heart no pleasure.When I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind nothing was gained under the sun.- King Solomon (Ecclesiastes 210-11)We live in a world driven by a crazed pursuit of more.More money. More love. More relationships. More technology. More happiness. More self help. More go als.We have and do too much. But, the never too much culture has sold us a dream.More isnt always better, as weve never felt so stuck and entrapped in misery than before.Our only escape now is to flip the script- to have and do less, and give ourselves away to a lifetime of service and generosity to those in need.Mayo Oshin writes atMayoOshin.Com, where he shares the best practical ideas based on proven science and the habits of highly successful people for stress-free productivity and improved mental performance. To get these strategies to stop procrastinating, get more things by doing less and improve your focus,join his free weekly newsletter.A version of thisarticleoriginally appeared atmayooshin.comasThe Art of Misery Why We Are Never Truly Satisfied.FootnotesKuznets, Simon. 1955. Economic Growth and Income Inequality. American Economic Review 45(1) 1-28.Luther Vandross Never Too MuchLyrics.Grant, Adam Schwartz, Barry. (2011).Too Much of a Good Thing The Challenge and Opportun ity of the Inverted U. Perspectives on Psychological Science. 6. 61-76. 10.1177/1745691610393523.Andrew T. Jebb, Louis Tay, Ed Diener, Shigehiro Oishi.Happiness, income satiation and turning points around the world. Nature Human Behaviour, 2018 2 (1) 33 DOI 10.1038/s41562-017-0277-0Oishi, S., Diener, E., Lucas, R.E. (2007).The optimum level of well-being Can people be too happy?Perspectives on Psychological Science,2, 346360.Aristotle. (trans. 1999). Nicomachean ethics (W.D. Ross, Trans.). Kitchener, Ontario, Canada Batoche Books.Interestingly virtues like courage, loyalty, kindness, humility and patience also follow the shape of the inverted U curve. For example, Aristotle explains that too little courage leads to cowardice, but too much courage leads to recklessness. The only exception to this could be wisdom.