QUESTERS Take Charge of Your Career



Are you a Quester? Would you like to become one? What are Questers, anyway?




Questers have been around for centuries. Many have made significant contributions to humankind. Galilei Galilio, the Italian physicist, proved the earth revolved around the sun; and Dame Margaret Thatcher fought for the right of individuals to run their own lives.



My research on occupational change, described in the 2014 edition of "Questers Dare to Change Your Job and Life," shares Questers' success secrets.



Why Questers Succeed



Questers are purposeful, innovative, and resilient. They view career advancement as growth of the whole person. Independent, optimistic, and often drawn to challenges, Questers have courage to risk.



Questers measure success by internal standards rather than by the “shoulds” of others. They value self-respect more than what others say about them. For them, security in a changing world must come from within.



Because they work hard and are goal-oriented, they tend to succeed. Indeed, some become billionaires or achieve celebrity. Money and prestige, however, are by-products.



Questers include the accountant turned potter, the laid off worker who created her new job, and the millionaire who started his business with $60.00.



Because Questers create self-harmonious work by choosing purposeful activities that provide meaning and direction, they tend to have higher levels of career and personal satisfaction than many others. Questers are productive, healthy, and happy well into their nineties.



Tips for Strengthening Quester Traits



- Clarify purpose. Identify themes: strengths and accomplishments, absorbing childhood activities, recurring dream, what you'd wear to a costume party, people you admire, how you'd spend time if you had billions.



- Be authentic. Do what's right for you, not what others think. Ensure actions are consistent with thoughts and feelings.



- Focus on the positive. Look for and expect good things. Each time you catch yourself thinking something negative, replace it with a more positive thought.



- Strengthen resilience. Note what you’ve learned from traumatic experiences. Indicate how these have made you stronger, wiser. Identify early cues that you’ve ignored, and what you’d now do differently.



- Stretch yourself. Read, take courses. Don’t compare yourself with others. Judge your accomplishments against personal standards of self-improvements. Challenge conventional beliefs.



- Bolster courage to risk. Review three successful risks taken. Note what made these successful. Identify perceived barriers for taking another risk, and explore ways to overcome them.



- Manage fear. Identify worrisome issues. Minimize these by researching relevant information and resources. Live in the present. Let go of "attachments."



- Create a life in which you continue to grow and have choices. Use your Quester power. "Questers Dare to Change Your Job and Life" shows you how.