1. A Life Plan for Effective Human Relations
Chapter Seventeen
A Life Plan for Effective Human Relations

2. Chapter Preview: A Life Plan for Effective Human Relations
Success standards that are compatible with needs and values
Coping with forces that influence work/life balance
Meaning of right livelihood
Life enriching, nonfinancial resources
Developing a healthy lifestyle
Making needed changes in your life
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3. Achieving Balance in a Chaotic World
The future will be filled with sharp detours and many redefinitions of our work lives
A typical career path today is not linear or even always upward….
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4. Achieving Balance in a Chaotic World
….It's more like a maze, full of hidden turns, zigs and zags that go in all sorts of directions—even backward sometimes, when that makes sense. The satisfaction that you derive from the job is what should matter most, not the directions in which you appear to be going.
Author, Tom Peters
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5. Achieving Balance in a Chaotic World
Finding job security and knowing that we have "arrived" is obsolete
We change jobs eight or more times during our working lives
We need to reshape our work identity
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6. Toward a New Definition of Success
Success is often defined in narrow terms
It is often judged by what is accomplished at work
Traditionally, progress is equated with pay increases and promotions
Goals are set and success is measured along a vertical career path
“career ladder” or “fast track”
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7. Total Person Insight
Don’t get crispy fried in business. The insidious suction of achievement could leave you with no soul.
Author, Unknown
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8. Toward a New Definition of Success
The fast track may mean
Giving up time with family and friends
Not keeping physically fit
Abandoning vacation plans
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9. Total Person Insight
I call people successful not because they have money or their business is doing well but because, as human beings, they have a fully developed sense of being alive and engaged in a lifetime task of collaboration with other human beings—their mothers and fathers, their family, their friends, their loved ones, the friends who are dying, the friends who are being born.
Ralph Fiennes, Actor
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10. The Need for New Models of Success
Employment is no longer secure do to:
New global competition
Hostile takeovers
Need to restructure
Experienced workers are finding that ambition and commitment are not enough to save their jobs
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11. The Need for New Models of Success
A growing number of people are angry, disillusioned, and frustrated due to abrupt changes in their career plans
Promised reward for hard work and loyalty was broken for many people
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12. The Need for New Models of Success
Others who gave up leisure time and time with family and friends retained their jobs, but have discovered that they feel unfulfilled
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13. One-Dimensional Model
Success measured in terms of work life
Emphasized
Working long hours
Reaching work-related goals
Meeting standards set by others
Everything with meaning was connected to the job
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14. Total Person Insight
We don’t like to think of ourselves as slaves to money, prestige or power, but in fact many only feel worthy by attaining these things. When we allow ‘things’ to have power over us to the extent that we lose ourselves, our values, our ability to choose, we become slaves.
Cheryl Shavers
Senior Manager, Intel Corporation
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15. Loss of Leisure Time
A demanding work ethic is part of American history
U.S. workers spend more time on the job and take less vacation than other industrialized countries
With downsizing, there are fewer people to do more work
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16. Loss of Leisure Time Vacation averages
U.S days
Germany, France, Italy 35 to 40 days
U.S. workers are also too accessible during vacations
Cell phones
Pagers
PalmPilots
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17. Loss of Leisure Time
Many people are beginning to understand that “all work and no play” is not good for long-term physical or mental health
People who work long hours often lose their ability to relate to coworkers and family members
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18. Loss of Leisure Time
Well-managed companies are beginning to realize the negative consequences of long hours on the job and loss of leisure time
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19. Developing Your Own Life Plan
True success is a combination of achievements
Focusing on one narrow goal may not provide self-satisfaction
A narrow definition of success may be counterproductive
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20. Toward Right Livelihood
Right livelihood can be defined as work
Consciously chosen
Done with full awareness and care
Leading to enlightenment or better understanding
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21. Toward Right Livelihood
Characteristics of right livelihood
Choice
Emphasis on more then money
Personal growth
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22. Conscious Choice
Figure our what you like to do and what you are good at
May take effort to determine what motivates you
Do internships or try temporary reassignments
It takes courage to act on what you value
Need to accept consequences of choice
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23. Placing Money in Secondary Position
Money and security are not primary rewards in life
Some jobs may not pay a lot of money, but allow for greater personal satisfaction
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24. Work Is a Vehicle for Personal Growth
Work should fulfill the need for self expression and personal growth
Many organizations do not yet understand this concept
Involves work/life balance and the need for human relations skills
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25. Defining Your Relationship with Money
Money is a compelling force in many people’s lives
Many Americans are locked into the work and spend cycle
Competence in managing your finances is no less important than managing your career
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26. Defining Your Relationship with Money
Personal savings rate in America is at an all time low
This makes job loss even more devastating
People often compete for status within a “reference group”
Can lead to frustration when one falls short
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27. True Prosperity More money does not bring
Greater freedom
Fewer problems
Security
Prosperity is having plenty of what we truly need and want in life
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28. True Prosperity An internal experience, not an external state
Not tied to having a certain amount of money
True desires are often unconscious
We should strive to determine true wants
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29. Mature Money Management
Many people spend everything they earn
People deep in debt often experience depression
Money issues is the number one cause of divorce
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30. Mature Money Management
There are some strategies for managing personal finances:
Determine a personal financial plan
Spend less than you earn
Maintain a cash cushion
Discuss financial matters with your significant other
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31. Total Person Insight
Keep in mind that there is no harder work than thinking—really thinking—about who you are and what you want out of life. Figuring out where your goals and your skills match up is a painful, time-consuming process.
Julie Connelly
Contributing Editor, Fortune
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32. Nonfinancial Resources
Often make the biggest contribution to a happy, fulfilling life
Real wealth may come from
Good health
Peace of mind
Time with family and friends
Learning
Healthy spirituality
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33. Nonfinancial Resources
The starting point is to realize that most of your resources are nonfinancial
Consider the enhancement of your nonfinancial assets as a way to enrich your life
Consider total resources
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34. Figure 17.1 Figure 17.1 Put Balance in Your Life
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35. Physical and Mental Health
There is an interrelationship between health and outlook on life
It is something you can choose at any time
Poor health tends to interfere with
Family harmony
Work schedules
Relationships
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36. Physical and Mental Health
Exercise and healthy diet produce
Greater mental clarity
Higher energy levels
More youthful appearance
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37. Education and Training
Educational achievements are important nonfinancial resources
Rewards come to workers who take personal responsibility for learning
Need for life-long learning has never been greater
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38. Education and Training
Think of yourself as a unique brand
Be selective in what you learn
Take advantage of various learning pathways
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39. Leisure Time
You may feel pressure to work at the same pace as someone who has given up most of his or her leisure time
If this happens, try to identify the consequences of being overworked
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40. Leisure Time Look at the situation from all points of view
If it looks as though the pressure to overwork will never end, it might be time to look for another job
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41. Benefits of Leisure Time
Social connections can be good for your health
Work satisfaction increases when you get away for awhile
Quiet time each day can bring balance
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42. Leisure Time
In order to increase your leisure time, you must establish priorities and set goals
This may mean saying no to work requests or overtime
Sometimes you must pull back and “get a life”
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43. Healthy Spirituality Spirituality is an inner attitude that emphasizes
Energy
Creative choice
A powerful force for living
It frees us to become positive, caring human beings
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44. Healthy Spirituality Spirituality encompasses faith
What your heart tells you is true when the mind cannot prove it
Often associated with religion, it must be viewed in broader terms
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45. Healthy Spirituality Healthy spirituality is present in those
Who show concern and compassion for others
Who have a zest for life and are enthusiastic about experiencing its fullness
Can be a stabilizing life force
Work can be made more spiritual
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46. Ways to Achieve Healthy Spirituality
Meditation
Prayer
Spiritual Reading
Time with nature
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47. Total Person Insight
Faced with growing uncertainties and with ample opportunities for choice, people will need to spend more time than ever before reflecting on the deep values that make life worth living and the sources of those values, including spirituality.
Robert Wuthnow
Author, After Heaven—Spirituality in America Since the 1950s
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48. Developing a Healthy Lifestyle
The first step in developing a healthy lifestyle is to become well informed
There are several guidelines that form the framework for a good diet and exercise program
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49. Guidelines for a Healthy Diet
Maintain a diet that is balanced and varied
Reduce calorie intake
Cut down on fatty foods
Eat foods with adequate starch and fiber
Avoid too much sodium
If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation
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50. Figure 17.2 Figure 17.2 Recommended Food Groups and Amounts
Necessary for a
Healthy Diet
Source: U.S. Department of
Agriculture/U.S. Department
of Health and
Human Services.
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51. Improving Your Physical Fitness
Physical fitness is the ability to perform daily tasks vigorously and have energy left over
Most people fall on either extreme of fitness
High-intensity activities
Couch potato
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52. Improving Your Physical Fitness
You do not need to become a fitness fanatic to get the benefits of an exercise program
Start slowly with an aerobic fitness activity
Develop a program that has a variety of fitness activities
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53. Planning for Changes In Your Life
If you want to make changes in your life, then it is time to do some planning
Identify some behaviors you want to change or modify that will make an important change in your life
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54. Planning for Changes
Once you have identified the behaviors, you can set goals and do what is necessary to reach them
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55. The Power of Habits Habits are powerful factors in our lives
They are consistent, often unconscious patterns that express our character
They can be both positive and negative
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56. The Power of Habits
Breaking deeply embedded habits such as impatience, procrastination, or criticism of others can take a tremendous effort
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57. The Power of Habits
The process of breaking a habit involves five steps:
Motivation
Knowledge
Practice
Feedback
Reinforcement
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58. The Goal-Setting Process
The goal-setting process requires that you be clear about what you want to accomplish
Progress will be difficult to observe if goals are not well defined
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59. The Choice Is Yours Remember that you are someone special!
You are a unique combination of talents, attitudes, values, goals, needs, and motivation, all in a state of development
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60. The Choice Is Yours
You can decide to tap your potential to become a successful, productive human being, however you understand those terms!
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61. Summary The traditional definitions of success are too confining
It is almost entirely in terms of measurable job achievement
It leaves out intangible success in private and professional lives
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62. Summary Many are finding that success is a combination of achievements
Right livelihood is work
Consciously chosen
Done with full awareness
Leading to enlightenment
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63. Summary Right livelihood is based on conscious choice
It recognizes work is a vehicle for self expression
It places money in a secondary position
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64. Summary People with right livelihood are more likely to
Be self-disciplined
Have established meaningful goals
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65. Summary
Nonfinancial resources make a large contribution to a happy and fulfilling life
Four nonfinancial resources that can enrich our lives
Physical and mental health
Education and training
Leisure time
Healthy spirituality
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66. Summary A healthy lifestyle increases
Energy levels
A sense of self-confidence
A more positive outlook
Planning for changes often requires breaking old habits and forming positive new ones
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67. Summary Five steps to breaking habits
Motivation
Knowledge
Practice
Feedback
Reinforcement
Goal setting is an important part of a successful plan to make changes
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