Category: Well-being

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Employability Productivity Well-being

Proteus methodology: my career management system

Proteus Methodology is the name I gave to my own career management method. I’ve been designing and recreating this method for about 3 years. Initially, I started designing it as a mind map just for my personal use, but gradually it turned into a real career map and I realised that it can be applied to anyone, including people who work for themselves. The purpose is to help people take autonomous control of their own careers, aiming for a more authentic and satisfying career, through a practical and objective method.

The desire to create this method came from realising, throughout my own career and watching the careers of many others, that we often believe our careers are the result of external opportunities and internal efforts. While this is partly true, the environment does have a strong influence and our own efforts are tremendously important, there is another factor that I consider just as important if not more so: career strategy. Having intentional career strategies helps us become more assertive about what we want, saves us effort and time, and the best part is that it allows us to say no happy and peaceful. No to new projects, initiatives, companies, and relationships. Each no said means we are saying yes to what really matters to us. Saying ‘no’ allows us to materialize our authenticity and autonomy in designing our own careers. It provides clarity on our true desires and what truly matters to us.

In addition to observing this problem, another reason that made me want to write this method is to leave a legacy, a small gift to the world, or at least to some people – which is also part of the method, reflecting on what we leave behind, or what we build that is greater than ourselves. As an organizational psychologist, the topic of values has always been around me, and I have always been reflecting on my own values (or those of companies) and how they impact or should impact habits, decisions, and efforts. However, when it came to career management, I had not come across a clear, replicable, and measurable step-by-step process that could help others align with their own ideals and career ambitions.

The term is not as original as it seems: “protean career” was coined by Hall and Mirvis in 1994, in their book titled “The New Protean Career: A Portable Life.” They used the word “protean” as a reference to the Greek god Proteus, who had the ability to change form. The idea is that current careers are characterised by flexibility and adaptability and that individuals need to constantly adapt to new demands and opportunities throughout their careers. The concept of the protean career represents a departure from the traditional idea of a career, which was seen as a linear and predictable progression designed for companies. The protean career is more flexible and individualised, allowing people to adapt and change according to their personal and professional interests and needs, without necessarily following a linear or predetermined path of a single company. There is no practical method in the book to follow this concept, so the desire arose in me to create it.

The protean career is a concept that describes a career path that is self-directed, flexible, and adaptable to changing circumstances. Here are some key ideas associated with the protean career according to the authors:

  1. Self-directed: A protean career is driven by the individual, rather than by external factors such as organizational hierarchy or societal expectations. The individual takes ownership of their career path and makes decisions based on their personal goals and values.
  2. Lifelong learning: A protean career requires continuous learning and development. Individuals must be willing to acquire new knowledge and skills throughout their working life in order to stay current and adapt to changing demands.
  3. Multiple career paths: A protean career is characterized by a willingness to pursue multiple career paths over time. Individuals may change industries or roles in order to pursue new challenges and opportunities.
  4. Work-life balance: A protean career emphasizes the importance of work-life balance. Individuals prioritize their personal life and well-being alongside their career goals.
  5. Non-linear progression: A protean career does not follow a traditional, linear path of advancement. Instead, individuals may move back and forth between different roles or industries, or take breaks from work to pursue other interests.

Overall, the protean career is a career path that emphasizes adaptability, flexibility, and individual agency. It is a response to the changing nature of work and the need for individuals to take control of their career paths in order to thrive in today’s job market.

Now let’s talk about my practical framework: Proteus Methodology.

After studying the concepts, I realize that there is a lot of information, concepts, reflections and advice in general, but lacks a clear and structured path that can be effectively implemented in our day-to-day lives, starting from today. With that came the desire to make it real, replicable and observable. A structure, step-by-step, dates, places and forms of registration are necessary. Thus, combined with other methods, such as GTD and coaching tools, the method was designed.

My main objective is to offer a system to enable people to manage their careers autonomously. This system involves a method, tools, and habits.

The posture and behaviour

Proteus Methodology is guided by three key behaviours that govern how we approach and deal with each stage of our career journey: self-knowledge, environment and conditions, and review and monitoring. These are not the stages of the method themselves – I’ll take about the stages after – but rather the attitudes and behaviours we bring to each stage.

FIRST: self-awareness AFTER: self-knowledge

This posture involves discovering ourselves, seeking authenticity and unleashing our potential. Looking inside is a muscle, a habit at first, and then a way of dealing with life. It is to seek authenticity, to feel good in our own skin. It is to unleash and illuminate our potential and to dance and play with our incompleteness.

Sometimes, I feel like the concept of self-knowledge is too much sophisticated and inaccessible for many of us. We attended workshops in which people talked a lot about our values “We need to follow our values and principles, let’s identify our values”, but this answer is too much complicated to answer. I prefer starting by identifying our perceptions of ourselves.

In difficult situations (one of the best moments to learn about ourselves), identify:

  • Which emotion I’m experiencing – name it!
  • How I deal with them
  • Which body parts hurt
  • How does my body feel
  • What is the state of my breathing

Basically, we need to record during the process: feelings, emotions, ideas, and especially tensions: the feeling that there is a distance between current reality and a desired potential future. What led me to feel/do this? These tensions are the path to self and environment mastery. I should repeat: It’s the eternal process of DISCOVERING and BUILDING ourselves. Perhaps we will never know if we found ourselves or if we built ourselves.

ENVIRONMENT AND CONDITIONS – create causes for transformation

This posture involves creating space for this process and its stages to occur. Examples:

  • Temporarily. How can we create temporary space for the process in our life? Can we set aside some time each day or week to work on it? Can we prioritise it over other activities that are less important to us? To fit what I want into my life, what and who should I say no to, at least for now?
  • Environmentally/Physically. Consider how we can create a physical environment that supports our efforts. Can we set up a dedicated workspace or create a more conducive environment for learning and growth? Do I need to leave any space?
  • Energetically. How can we manage our energy and avoid burnout? Can we take breaks when needed or engage in activities that recharge us?
  • Economically. Are there any costs associated with it? How can we manage your finances to support our efforts?

Other questions related to the environment and conditions:

  • How can I make it easier for my future self?
  • How can I avoid forgetting?

REVIEW AND FEEDBACK – actively refine ourselves

It involves actively seeking feedback and identifying our invisible barriers and antagonists. We should reflect on our progress, adapt as we go, and refine our approach.

Feedback is king.

What is holding me back? What is my invisible barrier? On the other side of this question is the biggest growth leap possible: what/who is your antagonist here?

What did I not respond to as I wanted?

What differed from the last time I reviewed or reflected on my progress?”

The stages:

Proteus Methodology consists of four stages, which I will discuss in future posts. But first of all, it’s important to keep in mind: start small, refine as we go, and prioritise consistency over perfection. As we discussed, self-awareness, thinking about eh environment and reviewing is our posture to go through the steps:

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

—Mary Oliver

REFERENCES:

  1. Hall, D. T., & Mirvis, P. H. (1994). The new protean career: Psychological success and the path with a heart. In The boundaryless career (pp. 19-32). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  2. Sullivan, S. E., & Arthur, M. B. (2006). The evolution of the boundaryless career concept: Examining physical and psychological mobility. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69(1), 19-29.
  3. Briscoe, J. P., Hall, D. T., & DeMuth, R. L. (2006). Protean and boundaryless careers: An empirical exploration. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 69(1), 30-47.
  4. Inkson, K., Gunz, H., Ganesh, S., & Roper, J. (2012). Boundaryless careers: Bringing back boundaries. Organization Studies, 33(3), 323-340.
  5. Gunz, H., & Mayrhofer, W. (2004). Career boundarylessness and career insecurity: Correlates and consequences. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77(4), 469-488.
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Habits Well-being

For not-so-good days: my survival kit (part 3)

Emotional Regulators and Coping Mechanisms

Emotional regulation is an important life skill that needs to be practised over time through coping mechanisms. This skill requires time to develop (it’s completely personal!), as it takes self-analysis and experimentation to find the tools that best suit our needs. This process of managing the impact of the consequences of bad times is not about controlling our emotions in the midst of chaos, but rather how we deal with our own feelings in a healthy and adaptive way after the fact. It involves being able to recognise and understand our own emotions and then using various strategies to manage them positively.

In fact, emotional regulators are simply a sophisticated way of saying that we prepare and organize intentionally in advance so that when those difficult moments come, we have the best possible support and structure to deal with them.

All we know about life is that eventually, things will inevitably go wrong. We know we have to face it; we can’t avoid pain all the time. It’s like trying to avoid raisins at Christmas – it will just happen – even in your own home. Another point is that we also need to go through these difficult situations to grow; it’s a fact. Because, at the end of the day, that’s what makes us stronger, more resilient, and more empathetic. I know you don’t need anyone to tell you that; you know that. It’s everywhere. I’m just here to remind you.

There are general pieces of basic advice, such as writing in a journal, meditating, doing breathing exercises and physical exercises, and socialising. But often we also turn to less-than-smart emotional regulators like alcohol, junk food and other actors. Yes, when we feel bad, we want quick results, and these regulators seem to do a good job, but the problem is what comes next. Below I mention some problems of resorting to a night of vodka, cigarettes, and McDonald’s as saviours:

  • Problem 1: Hangovers can deplete neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, which can worsen symptoms of depression and anxiety. Alcoholic beverages and foods high in saturated fats and sugar can negatively affect neurotransmitter production, and can also impair sleep, which further hinders production.
  • Problem 2: The habit of running away and seeking pleasure reinforces an identity of not facing problems. If in each challenging situation, we choose to escape and the pursuit of pleasure as an answer, we put a penny in that “fugitive personality”. On the other hand, if we face our emotions, feel and express them appropriately, we give credit to a more stable and emotionally secure personality.
  • Problem 3: We don’t learn anything from what we’ve been through, we don’t reflect on our current responsibility (even if the situation is not our fault), or we don’t reflect on some possible gain. Nor do we reflect on how we will get out of the problem, or at least how not to fall back into the same hole.

I know, often the only possible food is the one that is the easiest to make, the only way to deal with a shitty reality is to distract ourselves with Instagram and Netflix. It’s all we got sometimes. There is no single right answer, but let me show you some other strategies.

Emotional Survival Kit

Creating an emotional survival kit is a proactive and empowering act of self-care. It involves identifying effective coping strategies and gathering tools and resources to help manage difficult emotions. This can be done by selecting a physical container or digital space to store personal value items, comforting objects, and positive affirmations or reminders. Regularly updating the kit and including a checklist of helpful actions can also be beneficial. By investing time and effort in building an emotional survival kit, individuals equip themselves with the resources needed to navigate challenging situations and effectively manage their emotions. This essential act of self-love promotes resilience and emotional well-being.

Pamper your inner muse

We underestimate the value of a cosy environment. We spend our whole life preparing the environment for others: a beautiful table for guests, a comforting bed for children, a warm and inviting living room for our family with candles and blankets, but how about us?

  1. Designate a self-care space: reserve a space in your home to engage in self-care activities. It can be a cosy corner with a comfortable chair, a yoga mat and some props, or a table with a diffuser and some calming essential oils. This space will invite you to take care of yourself.
  2. Incorporate nature: Bring some plants indoors or add natural elements such as a small fountain or rocks to your self-care space. Research suggests that exposure to nature can have a positive effect on mood and stress levels.
  3. Create a relaxing atmosphere: Use soft lighting, soothing music, and calming aromas to create a relaxing environment. Consider adding some aromatherapy candles, incense, or essential oil diffusers to your self-care space.
  4. Schedule regular self-care time: Set aside time for self-care activities such as meditation, yoga, or a relaxing bath. Make it a priority by scheduling it in your calendar and treating it like any other commitment.

Remember, creating a self-care atmosphere is about making intentional choices that prioritise our well-being. By incorporating these ideas into our daily routine, We can create a home environment that supports and nurtures our mind, body, and soul.

cats usually help
Defence Strategies

The significant events in our lives influence our way of being more than we would like to admit. We create defences based on these experiences, along with the models of parents and caregivers on how to deal with adversity. Any psychological defence we use has the purpose of protecting and adapting us. Common defence strategies such as avoiding contact with unpleasant experiences, suppressing feelings, or being stuck in pride have short-term effects but accumulate emotional baggage in the long run.

It’s essential to recognise that what we resist persists. We often resist emotions because we fear feeling them. Many symptoms are substitutes for legitimate suffering that has not been recognised, felt, processed, and assimilated. Therefore, they are generated by the way we react to events, not events themselves. We can cultivate several high-quality defence strategies that enable valuable internal resources, such as facing difficulties, pain, and fear head-on, allowing ourselves to feel uncomfortable emotions, and trusting and aligning with everything that happens.

It’s not about forcing ourselves to have good feelings or artificially boosting our positivity. In fact, what we need is to remove the obstacles that are blocking the sunlight, or even just to notice that they are just clouds – passengers – and so we just observe their movements, their colors and textures, with attention and curiosity.

Today I choose to embrace my recovery process, and I’m not afraid to feel all the sensations involved in it. It’s like I lose the fear of everything that comes from within me. Because everything that is mine fits inside me, including my fears and my shadows.

REFERENCES:

  • Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.2.3.271
  • McRae, K., & Gross, J. J. (2020). Emotion regulation. Emotion, 20(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000703
  • Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Bettis, A. H., Watson, K. H., Gruhn, M. A., Dunbar, J. P., Williams, E., & Thigpen, J. C. (2017). Coping, emotion regulation, and psychopathology in childhood and adolescence: A meta-analysis and narrative review. Psychological Bulletin, 143(9), 939–991. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000110
Categories
Open Diary Well-being

For not-so-good days: my survival kit (part 2)

It’s been about three weeks since I last wrote. I don’t really know how to start again. I’ve had not only not-so-good days but also the hardest days of my life – I said goodbye to my great love, Floki.

It was the strongest blow of my entire life. I saw my soul tremble, inflamed. Floki was the being that taught me the most in life. With him, I learned about consent, patience, and the purest and most genuine love, the kind that asks for nothing in return and gives itself completely. I could write a book about the size of my love for him. Because of him, I am vegan today. Because of him, I learned to enjoy the most important things in life: a couch, a coffee, a sunset, having health and vitality, listening to birds, looking at the one we love, and feeling truly complete and grateful.

Floki passed away on the morning of April 1, 2003. His young heart could no longer bear its size, which had grown due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a hereditary condition somewhat common in some breeds of cats.

Floki was the most loved cat in the world. He was and always will be. Even at the time of his passing, I learned from him.

He had not been eating well for the past few weeks. For months, he was no longer interested in playing, even though he had enjoyed hunting and catching his prey all his life, which we tossed up with a toy stick. He was no longer living well. In the last week, he weighed only 3.5 kg, which for a large cat was half his weight. I suffered with him. Even on his last day, he had the strength to wake us up at his usual time, 5 am, made biscuits, purr, and touch my face with all his affection. I cried because I knew it would be the last time, and he literally wiped away my tears (actually, he licked them away).

Soon after, he approached the window, and as if inviting us, we watched the sunrise together, me, him, and João. Perhaps the most beautiful moment of our entire life. We cried, but with so much love in our hearts, that his longing was just one of the many emotions we felt.

Floki and his favourite spot. I always remember him when I’m there.

The two weeks of life promised by the doctor would be through medication, another medication among the four that he was already taking. It was not fair to him. His tired eyes and weak body could no longer bear the strain of dodging so many medications. It was better to cure him forever than to prolong his pain for days.

My love for him is proportional to the pain of not having him around. It hurts so much, and my resolute mind tries to find ways to solve grief, avoid pain, and find a solution, but when it comes to Floki, he even had something to teach me about that.

I learned to recognize that resolute voice inside of me and notice that it doesn’t solve all the challenges and situations that I face in my life. Many times, it’s about feeling, not thinking.

The loss of Floki made me realize that there is no solution to everything. Accepting, conforming, and living through the period of pain with all its intensity may be the only way to go. This path, unlike the one I’m used to taking, is not the most creative, optimistic, or energizing, but it is the most natural, powerful, healthy, and vulnerable expression of love that I have in my heart.

With love,
Karina.