Journal your way to career satisfaction

Welcome to the course! Thank you for joining me on this journalling journey of self-reflection and self-exploration. Whether you are a mid-career professional feeling a little stuck in your current job, someone worried about work-life (im)balance, or somebody facing a difficult career dilemma, journalling is a great way to dig into your past experiences for important insights, map your current situation, see important patterns, diagnose deeper issues that need to be addressed and explore the possible solutions that will move you forward.

The introductory video will give you a better understanding of the basic process behind this course - the idea of journaling, the concept of self-coaching, and the importance of telling your own story, central to narrative psychology. In the video, you will also hear about the different benefits of working on a personal, career-focused journal. Additionally, you will learn about the three-part structure of the course, the components of each part, and finally, the best way to work with the provided prompts and materials.

Along with the video, in this section you will also find an interactive PDF with an introductory exercise. I warmly encourage you to try it out. It is a sort of journalling "warm up", which will help you understand what hopes and expectations you are beginning this journey with, and what career-related questions you would like this journalling process to answer.

1. In this video, you will learn a little bit about what I do, what kinds of people I support in their career decisions and job search efforts, and what types of crossroads they typically find themselves facing. I also talk about my working philosophy.

In this video lecture, you will learn about some typical challenges that people who begin journaling can face, as well as practical ways to tackle each of those challenges. You'll find out what to prepare, how to use the resources provided in this course, how to get yourself in the mood for journaling, what environments and conditions will help you focus, what mindset will get you the best results and finally, what simple, fun tricks can help you get unstuck if you suddenly find your brain going blank.

We will also discuss what you can do to warm up before a writing session (sounds like an actor or an athlete preparing for a performance, doesn't it?). In the Downloadable Materials section, you can find an extra warm-up exercise to get your writing juices flowing.

In the following video, I will guide you through a mindfulness exercise that can put you more in touch with your thoughts, feelings and sensations - and connecting with your current internal states is always helpful when exploring your inner world through writing.

If you've had a hectic day and you need to "land" properly before you begin writing, perhaps you could use a short mindfulness exercise to connect with your inner world of physical sensations, emotions and thoughts. "The Pendulum" is an activity which helps develop the very important sense of interoception, the ability to register and interpret internal signals from your body. It's an exercise that asks you to shift your attention between the world outside and the world inside, seeing what comes up, noticing without judgment. The video guides you through the exercise, so if you fancy a bit of mindful relaxation, make yourself comfortable and play the clip for step-by-step instructions.