The Lotus and the Pool: How to Create Your Own Career (Odyssey Passport)

This book offers a totally new, holistic approach to career development, involving the wisdom of the unconscious—expressed in dreams, symbols, personal myths, intuitions, and memories—as well as the analytical skills needed to set goals and plan strategies. It is designed for anyone who has to make important life decisions—whether in choosing a field, changing careers, trying to get more satisfaction out of work, planning for retirement, or reentering the job market. Based on the principles of creativity as revealed in the world's creation myths and in the techniques of artists, poets, and inventors, the book presents a ten-step process of creative career development. Case histories from the author's counseling practice demonstrate the process at work, and a workbook section gives exercises to help readers:

   •  Examine past successes for clues to aptitude and values
   •  Analyze the success factors that characterize their achievements
   •  Use imaging and other creativity techniques to discover their own inner symbols and personal myths
   •  Develop an action plan for finding or creating their ideal career

Hilda Lee Dail, Ph.D., has taken over 2,000 clients through the process described in this book. Based in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, she is an international human resource consultant and career counselor who specializes in creativity and problem solving. She works with corporations, educational institutions, government agencies, professional groups, and individuals. She is also a certified experiential psychotherapist and president of the Horry County Mental Health Association.