“DON’T DIE with YOUR MUSIC STILL IN YOU”

By Gwen

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TOP 10 SENSATIONAL REASONS

Why NOW is the Perfect Time for Boomer Women to Discover their Life Purpose & start planning for an ENCORE career that they Love!

Quote: “Don’t Die with Your Music Still In You” –Wayne Dyer

QUESTIONS TO HELP YOU FIND YOUR CALLING IN LIFE

By Gwen

One’s calling in life, says the author and minister Frederick Buechner, is “that place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” To find your calling in an encore career, ask yourself: What need in the world will ignite the passions in my heart, tap my natural gifts, educational background and skills, and bring new vitality to all of life?

You might start by finding a quiet spot and pondering three not-so-simple questions:

Who am I?   Try to distill what you have discovered about yourself during your many years of work and uncover the attributes that have been elusive or oftentimes buried for years. According to E.E. Cummings, “To be nobody but yourself in a world that is doing its best day and night to make you everybody else, means to fight one of the hardest battles any human being can fight.” To discover a new purpose in life will require that you live more authentically, not bending to the outside forces around you. You will be challenged to go to the center of who you really are.

How do I function best?   How are you wired and in what circumstances do you function best? What natural talents and learned skills do you have to contribute? You may know many of your abilities, but other gifts may yet to be discovered. You need to carefully assess your natural talents, favorite skills and the fields of knowledge toward which you have gravitated most of your life. What have you been praised for doing well? What experiences have you had that ignited a passion?

What am I here for?   Take as an article of faith that you were put here for a purpose and that you have been given the gifts you need to achieve your mission. What is your summum bonum – the place where you can give the greatest good? Finding that place may not be easy or clear or concise, as it is a work in progress. In the beginning, you may uncover only a vague pointing in a direction that will seize your heart. The important thing is to take action, and in the midst of your experiences, as the Quakers say, “a way will open.”

A providential force beyond your control is always going before you and opening new doors to walk through. It may take two or three years of shedding old paradigms and habits before you discover your heartfelt passions and new pathways become clear. As you take steps of faith, remember the journey is an integral part of the mission, and both the passion in your heart and the needs of the world are proteanly dynamic.

This time of revelation and self-discovery provides a great opportunity to probe the “world’s deep hunger.” Take a journey to uncover the many needs in our world today and search out the places where you might fit in. You may find a group already addressing a need that is tugging at your heart and an organization in which you could be a vital participant. Or you may uncover a unique solution to a problem to which you are being called to start your own organization.

Today, we have one of the most powerful search tools in history to find every imaginable group at work in the world. With the Internet, everyone should be able to find a place where his or her years of wisdom, experience and giftedness would be of great value. Encore.org offers many opportunities to connect with others who share your geographical location or your passions.

We live in perilous times: a period in which the very underpinnings of our society are crumbling. Our very ground of being is shifting beneath our feet. Yet those with a mind set on finding their passion for living and with eyes upon the “world’s deep hunger” stand on a solid foundation. Rather than being distracted by material concerns, they are focused on caring and giving to the needs in the world around them. They are called to serve.

Posted 01/25/2009 – 4:36pm by Sam Shafer Are you ready?  Sam Shafer, a parish priest, now works to help participants identify their gifts, uncover their passions and find their callings. This piece is adapted from a six-week course he conducts for churches, community groups and other organizations. He lives in Oakland, Calif.

FREE Job Training & Placement for Older Workers

By Gwen

Program helps unemployed and low-income workers who are 55+

Working with a grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, AARP is co-funding an employment program that helps job seekers over age 55 to find employment.
The program provides job training and job placement, and is available free to people who qualify.

What is the AARP Job Training and Job Placement Program?
This job training and job placement program is called the AARP Foundation Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).

SCSEP helps people 55+ become more successful at finding a job by:
•Improving job skills
•Gaining work experience
•Increasing their self-confidence
How Does SCSEP Work?
First, SCSEP staff assesses each applicant’s need to determine eligibility. Based on each person’s needs, free services include:
•Assessment of existing job skills and interests
•Assistance with setting job goals
•An individual employment plan
•Help with locating job training for new skills
•Resume assistance
•Job interview tips
•Information about job clubs and workshops
•Job leads, and follow-ups to check progress
•Worker’s compensation insurance
•A yearly physical exam
•A free one-year membership in AARP
What Are the Criteria to Join SCSEP?
To qualify for the SCSEP job training and job placement program, applicants must be:
•Unemployed
•Age 55 or older
•Must live in a county that is served by an AARP SCSEP office
•Income must be below 125% of the federal poverty level. AARP recommends that you check with your local SCSEP office because not all income is counted.
How to Apply for this Job Training and Job Placement Program
1.The first step is to find out if you live in an eligible county. In order to be part of this program, you must live in a county that is served by an AARP SCSEP office.
If there is no AARP SCSEP office serving the county in which you live, you will be directed to find a SCSEP office through another sponsor.
2.The next step is to contact the local SCSEP office by phone or in person. A staff member will ask you questions to determine if you are eligible for job training and job placement services.
If you receive benefits like SSI/SSD and Medicaid, or assistance with food stamps or public housing, acceptance into this program may affect your benefits. A SCSEP staff member will help you determine how your current benefits may be affected.

For more information on the AARP Foundation SCSEP program for job training and job placement, see the AARP Web site for Low Income Job Seekers.

By Sharon O’Brien, About.com