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The guiding principles behind the Oxford ProgramTM are:
 1. Work should be excessively gratifying
Many people seem to think that if you've got a "good
job", benefits, and so forth, then you should feel lucky.
Everyone seems to want you to play it safe and not rock the
boat. ("Work is not supposed to be fun, that's why they
call it 'work'" or "Honey, you've got a good,
stable job. I don't understand, you want to be happy too?"
or "But you have so much potential to be successful. Why
would you want to throw it all away?")
The fact is, you want -- no, you DESERVE -- a work life that
feeds your soul in addition to paying the bills. Work will be
difficult at times, and it will probably require some
sacrifices, so it must also be fulfilling. Taking a job just to
pay the bills is like having kids just for a tax break or eating
a great meal just to get the calories. All of these things are
supposed to ADD to your life. Work is supposed to be the
greatest use of your talents and supply you with a sense of
purpose. Without it, how much is left?
When you are an old person, do you think you'll wish you had
done less or done more? This program is an opportunity for you
to answer that question.
2. You must
live according to your nature!
Just like plants
and animals, you and I have what we call a "nature". If
we exist in an environment that doesn't "fit" our
nature, it becomes toxic. A plant that doesn't get its unique
needs met (sunlight, water, minerals) will perish. A chicken
that tries to live the life of a duck in a pond will spend its
life battling to stay above water.
Conversely,
if we're an environment that really suits us
(i.e. utilizes are natural talents and satisfies
our values/needs), we can experience the notion
of "fulfillment". It's like a 10,000
lb. rock being taken off your shoulder. It's
like being given new-found freedom and sense of
control and power.
"A
new discontent and restlessness will soon
develop, unless the individual is doing what he
is fitted for. A musician must make music, an
artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is
to be ultimately happy. What a man[/woman] can
be, he must be." - Abraham Maslow
3.
Successful, lasting solutions require a holistic
approach
Only by understanding our innate talents, personal temperament, interests, innate
disposition, strengths, wants, skills, natural
work environment, lifestyle, financial needs,
purpose, goals, and work values can we finally see the "Big
Picture" about ourselves, where we fit,
and what the best options are.
Because
if any one of these personal factors is ignored,
we risk falling into the same trap we've fallen
into the past. And by delving into each of these
areas, we get closer to knowing our "true
selves" -- and true selves have a
clearer sense of what they need and where they
have to go in life.
4.
You need a Personal Career Vision
One of the primary characteristics of happy, productive,
successful people is that they see themselves in a future that feels
positive and attainable. Virtually all successful people know where
their talents lie and they create and are guided by a clear Personal
Vision. They know what they are and they know where they’re going.
They have constructed an accurate and targeted picture of themselves
and their talents and of the work that expresses their talents best.
Just looking at a piece of paper that tells you what careers you
are “well-suited” to is NOT enough. What is of much greater
importance is knowing who you truly are, where you belong, and what
you really, really want to do with your life. A Personal Career
Vision is a blueprint for a future career in which you are using
your most powerful talents doing work that is meaningful and
fulfilling. Your Personal Career Vision ideally comes out of a
systematic exploration of all of the Personal Career Vision factors
and is integrated with your past experiences and future goals.
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