2CU: Treading the sensitive

In today’s political and over-ambushed scene, treading the sensitive has taken on new and unbalancing dimensions.

All deserve dignity

For the justice-involved, recognizing their mental, emotional, and psychological landscape can be a huge step away from recidivism and leaps closer to safer streets.

Dose of reality

2^nd Chance University is about preparing those who have stumbled with the tools to succeed. With this in mind, the topic of sensitivity needs to be addressed. Partnering with triangulation, let’s take a look at treading the sensitive from three perspectives:

From the justice-involved:

• Any miss-step could mean revocation and a return to prison
• Being released does not equate to instant freedom, physically, emotionally, or psychologically
• Typically an “out to get me” view where choices bombard, forcing vertigo with reckless abandon

From the employer:

• How do I interview someone convicted of a crime
• What will other employees think if I hire a convict, is it fair, is it safe
• Is hiring a felon the right thing to do or should I just close my eyes from it all and pretend I am doing the right thing by discriminating against those who have stumbled

From the community:

• Let those who have been incarcerated remain and rot
• Don’t want anyone who has a record in my neighborhood
• Those who have stumbled cannot be trusted, believed, or are capable of recovery

When it comes to treading the sensitive, those who have stumbled have lived the life and will continue to do so until their dying days. Granted, some are not deserving of second chances but all deserve to be treated humanely and with dignity.

In order to become a productive member of the community, those who have stumbled must understand not only the above perspectives, but must also develop tools to overcome those obstacles… this is the mission at 2^nd Chance University.

2^nd Chance University partners with organizations/institutions dedicated to those who have stumbled. Our material and workshops take advantage of real people, real life, and real issues.

I welcome your stories to be added into our series. If you chose to share or support, email me directly. For those wishing to introduce 2CU and our programs into an organization, institution, or facility, please step forward; together we can make a difference.

Danny Huffman
407-878-0474
http://www.2^ndChanceUniversity.org
dhuffman@2ndChanceUniversity.org

Landscape Melting and “Good-Enough-Disorder?” Think Again

Image by Morgan Sessions

“I did my job; what more do they want?”
Sharon

There are many excuses for doing just enough to get by, personally as well as professionally. Being a business owner and career coach, I’ve heard more than my share of excuses justifying complacent behavior over the years.

“I don’t get paid what I’m worth, so why give more than I get paid?”
Sharon

Tell the truth, how many out there have not worked their promised potential simply because you believed you deserved more?

NOT good enough defined?

Personally:

• Accepting defeat without putting up an honest attempt to overcome barriers
• Giving up after one attempt or let down… stopping never will get you beyond
• Allowing others to convince an attitude of complacency (guilty by association)
• Believing negative self-talk, living each day as just another day
• Convincing yourself you do not deserve better
• Being satisfied with who you are… here’s a hint, no matter who or what you are, there is ALWAYS room to advance

Professionally:

• Accepting an invisible status
• Performing at the lowest denominator (just doing enough)
• Lacking positive self-talk, affirmations, and/or visualizations
• Taking extra time at the coffee pot, texting, or strolling the Internet
• Not stepping up to the plate, taking charge, or being the go-to person
• Always having to be asked to perform a function or making careless mistakes
• Believing your worth far exceeds your production (self-delusion can be job threatening)

For those identified with the “good-enough-disorder,” don’t fret as there are ways to get unstuck. No doubt the first question one with this disorder would ask… “why isn’t good enough, good enough?”

Personally:

• The core of humanity and civilization is progression, creating a better life for you, your family, and the community; without personal and cultural evolution, humanity would have never advanced beyond the Stone Age, meaning life without Facebook would be a reality.

Professionally:

• Companies AND employees accepting complacency do not survive… period.
• Employers seek candidates to hire and promote who are not satisfied with status quo, desiring those with the aptitude to go boldly beyond grey.
• Complacent employees rarely earn promotions, pay increases, and are often downsizing victims.

What you can do NOW:

• Take a clear look at yourself, your goals, and your life. Determine if the person looking back in the mirror is the person you were meant to be AND you are happy with who you are and where you are. If the answer is yes, you may be carrying the highly contagious good-enough-disorder bug. If the answer is no, the first step has been crossed… off to a good start.
• Upon reading this article, take out a piece of paper and make a “reachable” commitment with action plan. In other words, on a personal and professional note, tell yourself a goal and then WRITE the goal (and action plan) on a piece of paper (the act of writing is an important step toward goal achievement). Clipping or drawing a picture also adds to eventual realization—be sure and post the picture wear you will see it EVERY morning as you begin the day.
• Establish a time-line and stick to it.
• VISUALIZATION: Imagine the new you or the desired product as if it has become a reality. Once your mind accepts this reality, achieving becomes more attainable.
• AFFIRMATION: Each evening and each morning make a pledge that required steps will happen. Upon the evening, if steps were not satisfied, evaluate how you will overcome challenges on the following day. That morning, engage in self-talk, determining the goal will become a reality.
• Association: Gather around peers, friends, family, etc. who challenge you to stand up to the goal and will not allow excuses to get in the way.

The good-enough-disorder has the capacity to stumble not only your achievements, but those around you as well (including family members). Ultimately, how you want to live your life is entirely up to you and if you decide complacency defines you, don’t blame the lack of promotions, employment, and satisfaction on anyone but yourself.

The final element purging the good-enough-disorder out of your system resides within the following:

Focus and
Single-Mindedness

With focus and single-mindedness, there is nothing which cannot be overcome. Remember there may be one peak atop the mountaintop, but there are MANY paths one can take to get there.

There are no excuses but the ones you convince yourself you believe! For the highly sensitive person, the above tips are exceedingly important. I know how easy it is to melt into the landscape (and wanting to melt into the landscape).

For the HSP, take small steps… NEVER stop stepping! 

Seeking employment insight and career collateral, visit www.edu-cs.com or if you are seeking material designed for those transitioning out of prison, check out www.CareerBreakOut.com and consider the most powerful book that will change your life: “Walls, Bars, and Razor Wire… You Choose.”

Danny Huffman, MA, CEIP, CPRW, CPCC
dhuffman@edu-cs.com
321-972-8919
Education Career Services: http://www.edu-cs.com
Career Break Out: http://www.CareerBreakOut.com

HSP Career Advantage Summarized

I appreciate all the comments and e-mails on our series of blogs about Highly Sensitive People in the workplace. Many reached out to say, “this is me, I never knew, where can I turn now?”

Your comments are inspiring and wonderful. I want you to know that you’re not alone. You should see this outpour of response and recognize that you’re not the only one sitting at a desk or standing behind a counter with a fake facial expression, a bleeding heart, and a passion for something outside of your current job. You’re not the only one affected by sounds and atmosphere in a way that makes others doubt your abilities. And none of this makes you a lesser person.

I received explicit questions about specific career moves for the Highly Sensitive. In light of them, I’ve decided to do a recap for those who missed the discussion last year.

For the Creative:

The Creative HSP is the one who can take their sensitivity to their environment and translate it into amazing art. This can come in so many forms that you need to look deep down, explore online, and find the option that will fit you. If you can find writing positions that fit your life, go for it. Get into graphic design, filming and editing videos (even if you just start with small parties or weddings), or even marketing, which could showcase a remarkable amount of creativity for the right HSP.

For the Empathetic:

This is the kind of Highly Sensitive Person that works best with people, giving off warmth and compassion in a way that creates trust between the consumer and the business. Empathetic HSPs make amazing teachers, nurses, counselors, and even customer service representatives in the right atmosphere.

For the Precise:

The Highly Sensitive Person that is drawn to detail, flourishes in quiet independence, and excels in numbers, figures, and linguistics, genuinely should find a good home in programming, accounting, fact-checking, and researching, just to name a few. Working in a library might suit you incredibly. With your skills and determination to justify them, any employer would be lucky to have someone trustworthy, accurate, and talented like you sitting somewhere undisturbed to verify, catalog, or calculate.

The point is, you can’t sell yourself short. You don’t have to pretend to be someone you’re not. Employers need people just like you to balance the workplace and to offer the natural gifts that you have. No matter how old you are, or what level of experience you have, it’s never too late to start offering those gifts now. Begin with volunteer work, and share your talents with those who need them. You’ll find your way. Somehow, we always do.

Take care, and keep the e-mails coming!

Interested in developing proven career success techniques or in securing cutting-edge career focused material, including interview best practice techniques or how to write effective resume/cover letters? Visit www.edu-cs.com for a complete listing of available support. You may also contact us directly: dhuffman@edu-cs.com to see how we can help you.

Rikki Payne, Career Consultant, Editor, and Writer Education Career Services, www.edu-cs.com Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

HSP Spotlight in the Workplace

Many employers are beginning to accept not only the inevitability of Highly Sensitive People in their workplace, but also the benefits of employing them. Evidence shows that the presence of HSPs in the workplace is, aside from their myriad assets, also a good teller of the state of the workplace in general.

Because of their sensitive nature, HSPs are able to sense a shift in morale more quickly than normal employees. This means that employers have a better chance of maintaining proper functionality of the workplace by keeping a closer eye on the more sensitive employees while utilizing their potential to the fullest.

So what does this mean for you, the Highly Sensitive Person working in an environment that is not ideal for your characteristics? I can tell you; this new understanding among employers is excellent news for you. Why? There are a few reasons:

Like Roses Bordering a Vineyard

Experts say that when a man plants a vineyard, he plants rose bushes along the borders. The roses and grapevines require the same conditions such as soil and light. This means that if conditions begin to arise, it will affect the roses first, and it will give the farmer a chance to adjust for the vines before they are adversely affected as well. This is a good metaphor for HSPs in the workplace, which means you will be notice, in the right way. Your opinion, the things that affect you, will matter if your employer wants to maintain a positive workplace.

Addressing Needs

This also means that you no longer have to be afraid of asking for your needs to be addressed properly. You probably shouldn’t ask if you can ride your skateboard to work and bring your cat to sit on your desk because it makes you more comfortable. However, due to the newer recognitions of the differences in how people succeed at work and the recognition of the importance in the differing levels of sensitivity, you can now ask for certain environmental stimuli to be minimized or distanced from you so that you may perform at your best.

Broadcast Your Best

Now that employers are being prepared to see the best of having Highly Sensitive employees, this is a chance for you to recognize that the floor is open for your brilliant and unique ideas that wouldn’t come to people with different sensitivity levels. This is a chance for you to shine, and that only exists for you because you are different. Here’s your chance to see what you can offer not despite of your differences but because of them. Take advantage of that, bring your observations to light, and use them to make where you work (and the world) a better place.

Interested in developing proven career success techniques or in securing cutting-edge career focused material, including interview best practice techniques or how to write effective resume/cover letters? Visit www.edu-cs.com for a complete listing of available support. You may also contact us directly: dhuffman@edu-cs.com to see how we can help you.

Rikki Payne, Career Consultant, Editor, and Writer
Education Career Services, www.edu-cs.com
Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs
Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

Highly Sensitive Person at Work

Many people know the feeling. You show up to work, most likely wearing something that meets dress code without standing out too much. As soon as you walk in, you notice the temperature, smell, lighting, and noise level. BAM – your day is set.

For the highly sensitive person, initial details have the capacity to either drain you completely or fuel your work day. For the HSP, many office details are almost always something you can’t control.

Work with me for a moment and place yourself in their shoes… the first agonizing moments of a Highly Sensitive Person’s day at a “regular job.”

Truth is: Environmental stimuli have a profound effect on the HSP; an effect often not recognized as “legitimate” in our Western culture. Think it about this for a moment before water-fountain fodder damages more than team morale.

Time to educate: Barrie Jaeger describes three categories of work in her book, Making Work Work for the Highly Sensitive Person. These can also be considered “stages” of work, as most people at least attempt to climb a ladder of employment to get to something more fulfilling. HSP or not, climbing the ladder and finding professional fulfillment is one thing we ALL have in common. Perhaps we are not so different after all in our pursuit to happiness.

Taking a look at how fulfillment becomes a reality, time to summarize Jaeger’s work:

Drudgery

This is the type of work that is just miserable, especially for the HSP. The misery of a job like this can get in your head and stay there, affecting your routine even far from work. Driving home, dinner, family time, and even your dreams can be preoccupied with the dread of returning to a Drudgery type of job.

For a Highly Sensitive Person, it most likely does not matter how well you are paid, you just. Want. Out. Interestingly enough, this type of work may only be this miserable to the HSP, and could be chalked up to the environmental stimuli of the workplace itself. It may very well be a normal job that is taken in stride by non-HSPs because it is much easier for the non-HSP to work strictly because “it’s a job” to just “make money.”

Truth is: Highly Sensitive People can develop physical illness due to chronic stress and other psychological injuries by feeling “stuck” in a job like this.

Craft

Jaeger describes a “Craft” job as something more tolerable for an HSP, one offering moments of genuine appreciation for the work performed (which is imperative for the Highly Sensitive). This is a job where the HSP competently works, completes tasks, and doesn’t mind going to work.

Craft can be considered as a middle ground where you won’t find yourself looking forward to going to work all that much, but it may (or will) have disperse great moments… and when it comes for the HSP, a little bit of greatness goes a long way. Being midway to happiness, crumbs now and then might muffle any desire to escape for just long enough to get the experience necessary to get to the next step.

Calling

Of course, everyone wants to find their calling. No one really wants to work a mediocre-at-best job their entire lives. For a Highly Sensitive Person, it’s about slightly more than wanting to find your calling. You need to.

A Calling is making a living by doing what you were born to do. What brings you to life? What are you most passionate about? Can you imagine the satisfaction of being able to do want you love all the time and getting paid for it? How liberating that would be.

Truth is: Many HSPs find their ideal calling somewhere in the self-employed arena but few take the risk and, for the HSP, taking risks appear more daunting than for the non-HSPs.

Unfortunately, many (if not most) Highly Sensitive People find themselves stuck in “Drudgery” type jobs for a large portion of their life. If this is you, don’t be as distressed as I’m sure this makes you feel at first. After all, there are things you can do to make the best of where you are, no matter where you are, and restore not only your productivity as an employee but also your overall well-being.

We will delve more into that next week; but in the meantime, feel free to e-mail me at rpayne@edu-cs.com with any questions, concerns, or for sneak-peak tips!

Interested in developing proven career success techniques or in securing cutting-edge career focused material, including interview best practice techniques or how to write effective resume/cover letters? Visit www.edu-cs.com for a complete listing of available support. You may also contact us directly: dhuffman@edu-cs.com to see how we can help you.

Rikki Payne, Career Consultant, Editor, and Writer
Education Career Services, www.edu-cs.com
Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs
Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

Career Success: Your Call to Action

We started the New Year with a critical recognition that nothing has to stay the same. With that encouragement, we began to visualize possibilities for the future, allowing imagination to take flight. After reflecting on these and ruling out careers that you will absolutely not pursue, it’s time now to create a plan of action that will get you closer to the career of your dreams.

This next step is called a T-Chart. Mentioned in the first blog of the New Year, this is a great way to begin your plan of action. Here is a very basic example, with the generic plan of getting “a job”. You’ll notice that the left column lists the requirements of accomplishing the task listed at the top, and the right column lists actions that you must take in order to meet those requirements.

Of course, your T-Chart will be much more specific. You should make one of these for each realistic career possibility that you came up with during your brainstorming. You may need to research the essential requirements for each chart you make and the steps you must take to meet those requirements. Don’t forget – This is your future. The only thing standing between you and the career of your dreams is you.

Career Reality: This is the way to identify and reach goals. Putting your thoughts on paper and organizing them will help you see your next steps. Don’t forget also that your attitude is a large deciding factor in how all this works out. Be sure to keep the following in mind as you face the challenge of bringing dreams to life:

Be Willing

Embrace the process. Even if it seems pointless or tedious, trust that it is not. The discipline and organization of thought alone will be worth your time, and will help prepare you for whatever is in your future. A wise person once said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Don’t fall into that trap.

Be Realistic

This is about finding a career that will make you shine. It’s not just about finding the job that will pay you the most for the least amount of work. Don’t give into that fantasy. You are looking for the place where your capabilities and your passions meet. That is true success.

Be Positive

If you start making your T Chart and you see the list of requirements growing, don’t be discouraged. Remember that this is all an adventure that will ultimately lead to a place of fulfillment. We already agreed it wouldn’t be easy, but that doesn’t have to bring you down. See it as the adventure that it is and be excited that this time next week, next month, next year; you will be closer to the goal of your dreams than you ever were before.

Be Persistent

Most importantly, don’t give up. If you can be Willing, Realistic, and Positive, then Persistence will ultimately be a natural side effect. The right career is out there for you. And there is a legitimate process to reaching an ideal position – it’s not just luck. Take these steps and stick with your pursuit of your goals and I promise – you’ll never regret it.

Interested in developing proven career success techniques or in securing cutting-edge career focused material, including interview best practice techniques or how to write effective resume/cover letters? Visit www.edu-cs.com for a complete listing of available support. You may also contact us directly: dhuffman@edu-cs.com to see how we can help you.

Rikki Payne, Career Consultant, Editor, and Writer
Education Career Services, www.edu-cs.com
Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs
Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

HSP Career Advantage Wrap-Up

For the last few weeks we discussed the inner strengths and talents of Highly Sensitive People (HSP). While there are many career advantages to being Highly Sensitive, they do come with stipulations.

Stipulations are what today is about.

K Smith NBA Orlando

You see, for the Highly Sensitive, stimuli are much stronger. Lights, sounds, excitement, touch, etc. Being Highly Sensitive means just that – they are much more sensitive to their environment. If you have been identified as one, you know exactly what I mean. If you are not HSP, no doubt you’ve come across quite a few… perhaps scratching your head as to why such sensitivity (by your non-HSP standards).

It is difficult to label HSP as a “condition,” and it is certainly not a “handicap.” Being a HSP merely means a difference in the way the brain processes information and stimuli, and this can, like all things in life, have ups and downs. The downsides of HSP can often seem overwhelming while the upsides can often seem out of reach. Good news: neither extreme has to be the case.

Highly Sensitive People are capable of intense levels of creativity, empathy, intuition, precision, and passion that others are not able to attain. Given the right environment, these traits flourish into powerful energies, catapulting company expansion, product ingenuity, and even cultural progression.

For the HSP fearing exposure, you possess the catalyst propelling progression. In the right career, HSPs can impact people in truly great ways.

Residing in a culture proposing to embrace diversity, recognize one basic truth: You are NOT alone.

To the HSP career advantage, company’s growth depends upon diversity, ingenuity, creativity, and energy defining your character and contributions. Take heat in knowing the HSP offers value above and beyond applicants competing in for the same job.

Sure, there may be a few minor accommodation factors requiring attention, but companies seeking growth know the effects HSPs have on the bottom-line. Here’s where packaging the product (you) comes to the forefront. (We’ll be discussing best-practice selling techniques for the HSP in upcoming submissions—so don’t touch that dial.)

Truth is, you may have to prove the work produced when well-accommodated is worth a few slight inconveniences. If you can do this or if you already have, the world may soon be your oyster. If insecurity is beginning to filter in, push it out and know you don’t have to work from home in order to flourish.

Honesty is always the best policy, not only to you but also to the company as a whole. To best balance optimal performance, find out the level of accommodation you need and do what is necessary to acquire it. Not only will it be worth it to you, but it will be worth it to those that benefit from your unique and powerful skillset.

I’d love to hear from you! E-mail or comment with any questions or concerns.

Interested in developing proven career success techniques or in securing cutting-edge career focused material, including interview best practice techniques or how to write effective resume/cover letters? Visit www.edu-cs.com for a complete listing of available support. You may also contact us directly: dhuffman@edu-cs.com to see how we can help you.

Rikki Payne, Career Consultant, Editor, and Writer
Education Career Services, www.edu-cs.com
Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs
Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

Highly Sensitive Person (HSP): Your Creative Advantage

Not long ago, we posted an article about the beneficial characteristics of being a Highly Sensitive Person, or HSP. The question is: Being an HSP, how can one capitalize on those underlying traits and use them to propel you into a successful career?

For the next few weeks we’re going to delve into four characteristics highlighted in our original article and learn how those traits can take you to the next level professionally. We’ll start with my personal favorite:

Creativity!

For the Highly Sensitive Person, whether artistically or professionally creative, it is of the utmost importance to learn to offer your gifts without fear of rejection.

But how?

Even people who aren’t Highly Sensitive have this fear and may seem like an impossible feat. The contradiction can’t be more obvious: How does an HSP simultaneously embrace their sensitivity and take action that defies it?

One word – skill. Build up your skill and sharpen it. Even if what you do comes naturally, your plan now is to offer it to the corporate world in exchange for a salary, supporting your gift with results. No one argues with results; always keep that in mind as a motivating force.

What area of your creativity can best be honed and shaped into a marketable asset?

Are you a writer? Take writing classes and workshops and get feedback. Most importantly, get feedback from strangers. Learn to write in multiple styles and voices and build a portfolio of objectively great samples. Don’t forget the depth of the writing field. Blogs, website content, social media marketing, movie/music/food/event reviews, and the list goes on – you can find your niche or explore all of them. Look into freelance work for any of the above, you might be surprised.

Are you an artist? Branch out. Take a break from your Jackson Pollock-style bedroom musings and volunteer to paint a mural for your community. Look into freelance work for logo design. Find anything that builds your resume/portfolio and reinforces your skill.

Now, for the professionally creative, you need to hone your skills as well. Where does your creative skillset lie? Organizing? Team-building? Streamlining?

Look around your current job. If you see an opportunity to creatively improve something within your work environment, discuss it with your superior. Your initiative will be recognized as the vast majority of companies are always seeking creative problem solvers… just like you. If this wouldn’t work for you, find a volunteer position to showcase your talent in some way.

No matter how much or what kind of creativity you possess, volunteer work is a great way for you to sharpen your skills and explore possibilities. Not only will this be gratifying for you, but it will look great on your resume and you will have tangible results to share with those who ask what your creativity can bring to their team.

To make things simpler, here are two links that can get you started with career opportunities (check them out and let me know your impressions and results):

www.volunteermatch.org

www.ifreelance.com

Personally inviting you to share, send questions and professional stories my way.

For those interested in developing proven career success techniques or in securing cutting-edge career focused material, including interview best practice techniques or how to write effective resume/cover letters, visit http://www.edu-cs.com for a complete listing of available support. You may also contact us directly: dhuffman@edu-cs.com to see how we can help you.

Rikki Payne, Career Consultant, Editor, and Writer, rpayne@edu-cs.com
Education Career Services, http://www.edu-cs.com
Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs
Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: http://www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com

Career Strengths and Tips for the Highly Sensitive Person

For a long time I didn’t realize it, or perhaps denied it, but now it comes to me as no surprise that I think I’m one of them: A Highly Sensitive Person (an HSP). The highly sensitive personality trait affects about 15 to 20 percent of the general population, according to psychologist and researcher Elaine N. Aron, who broke new ground with research on the subject in her book The Highly Sensitive Person.

A former girlfriend, an HSP herself, once eloquently pointed out to me that the reason I seem to get overwhelmed with everything from romance to work and want nothing more than to simply go into hiding to recharge my batteries, is because I was an HSP. I disagreed. Nonsense, I thought. It sounded taboo.

I may be sensitive, sure, I’ve been told that all my life, even if I can take a joke or two at my own expense. But I’m not going to be classified under some silly pseudo-psychological label with just as silly an acronym to match.

I knew she was one, but I thought I was much different. Then she explained the personality type a little better and handed me a book titled Making Work Work for the Highly Sensitive Person. I briefly flipped through its contents later and saw many comparisons to myself. The regular overstimulation, both physically and emotionally, to my social surroundings, as if I was too highly-tuned to external stimuli, over-sensitivity to noise, other people’s moods, time pressures, etc.

It started to click, but I still didn’t want to think of myself having to face all those challenges; at least not until I realized the strengths behind HSPs. HSP’s have amazing creative and emotional skills that they can use to their advantage in a career choice that naturally allows these strengths to bloom. They just have to find the ones and the companies that are going to view them for the talented, unique strengths they have to offer.

Let’s take a quick peek at four key areas of strength that can be translated into a happy, healthy life and career for all you fellow HSPs out there.

Creativity

HSP’s are known for high levels of creativity. Highly sensitive people are vividly aware of their surroundings. They process information more slowly but more thoroughly than the average person. Combined, these two characteristics often make them deeply creative. Writers, artists, interior designers, actors and musicians all draw on their senses to create their work, and then make their work as complete and expressive as possible by fixing their attention on the subtle details.

Empathy

An intuitive awareness of the feelings of others closely around them gives HSPs an innate talent for careers in counseling, spiritual leadership, therapy, interpreting and infant care. They tend to communicate carefully and gently, making them good at diplomacy, mental healthcare and educating special needs children.

Precision

HSPs are often well-suited to jobs that require data analysis, memorization or slow, careful work due to the nature of how they process information. In contrast to the skills that make them good artists, these skills involving precision and care can easily match HSPs to work in programming, market analysis, accounting or personal assistance.

Privacy

Micro management and busy environments can get more quickly overwhelming for highly sensitive people. They tend to be very meticulous and methodical, and they have a difficult time receiving criticism without getting upset. Because of these traits, highly sensitive people are often happy working at home, working individually or being self-employed. These career paths allow them to choose their own schedule, take their time processing information, be their own critics and structure their own environments.

With strengths like these, it’s not hard to see how much good highly sensitive people are capable of doing in the world and the workplace.

Article penned by Bret Hoveskeland
Writer/Editor with Education Career Services
Follow us on Twitter #dannyatecs
Blog: https://careerbreakout.wordpress.com
Education Career Services: www.edu-cs.com
West Orlando News Online, Event and Career Columnist: http://westorlandonews.com