Facing the Midlife Challenge
Almost everyone in midlife ponders the question, "What's next?" Midlife is a milestone that prompts us to acknowledge publicly what we privately knew all along: by successfully completing the first half of life, we did not ensure ourselves a tranquil, jolt-free passage through the second half. We change; our priorities shift; our confidence grows, dissolves into doubt, then cycles back again; relationships evolve; work becomes stagnant or takes on new meanings; we're either growing or renewing. Using his unique Calling Cards tool, life coach Richard Leider will show us how to renew our gifts, passions, and values in the second half of life. The tool is yours to take home for ongoing renewal throughout the year.
Richard Leider is an internationally renewed life coach, author, and executive educator. A senior fellow at the U of M’s Center for Spirituality and Healing, he heads the Purpose Project, an initiative designed to help people find meaning and purpose during the second half of life. He is the author of seven books that are considered classics in the personal development field, including the bestseller, Claiming Your Place at the Fire (2004). His new book, Something to Live For, is forthcoming in June 2008. Leider is the founder and chairman of the Inventure Group, a Minneapolis-based consulting firm, and teaches in the executive education programs of several notable business schools. He passionately believes that each of us is born with a purpose, and is dedicated to helping people to "discover the power of purpose," especially as they age.
Living a Renewable Life
Four years ago, Catherine Watson retired from "the best job in the world" so she could write a book. Within three days, she was stuck on that book. It wasn't writer's block, it was writer's dismay. And it came as a surprise, the first of many. Life, it turns out, really IS a journey. But the road doesn't necessarily get smoother the farther you go. In a series of anecdotes about work, self-worth, travel, and finding meaning, Watson will discuss some of the bumps, detours, sharp turns and, ultimately, joyful discoveries along the way. Including this one: What we are doing now isn't just for US - it's for OTHERS. Once again, our generation is raising the bar.
Catherine Watson is an award-winning writer, editor, and photographer. She was the first travel editor at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and was its chief travel writer and photographer from 1978 until 2004. Her first collection, Roads Less Traveled: Dispatches from the Ends of the Earth, was named Best Book by the Central States of the Society of American Travel Writers. Her second collection of travel writing, Home on the Road: Further Dispatches from the Ends of the Earth, was published last year. An accomplished memoirist, Watson received the 1994 Minnesota Associated Press Sweepstakes Award for her first-person account of sexual assault and its aftermath. Other honors include the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalist of the Year and the Society of American Travel Writers Photographer of the Year. Currently, she is a contributor to the Star Tribune, MinnPost, and World Hum. She is also a mentor in the Split Rock Arts Program's Online Mentoring for Writers program.
In July, Catherine Watson will be teaching Writer as Subject/Writer as Guide at the Cloquet Forestry Center as part of the Split Rock Arts Program. See full information.
The Endless Possibilities of Giving Back
LearningLife and Greater Twin Cities United Way are partnering to bring exciting volunteer opportunities to all of us who would like to make a difference in our communities. From tutoring or accounting, to cooking or consulting, you'll discover new ways to use your skills, experience, and interests to help meet basic needs, nurture children and families, and support health and independence. This "new" volunteerism is also about flexibility, connecting with others, learning new skills and knowledge, and living a purposeful, engaged life.
During the first half of the session, you'll hear from two of these new volunteers, both baby boomers, and from inspiring leaders of United Way partner agencies. Then, you'll be guided through a special self-assessment to help you discover what kinds of volunteering you might find especially rewarding and how you can successfully build community engagement into your life going forward.
Todd Jasin, who will moderate this session, is a segment marketing manager at Greater Twin Cities United Way and is leading the partnership between United Way and LearningLife. He is dedicated to developing meaningful opportunities for civic engagement, and is working to create new avenues for volunteer involvement in United Way partner agencies.
Donna Bennett, a career consultant who has worked for 25 years with corporate, academic, and nonprofit organizations, will be facilitating the self-assessment part of this session. She is a frequent presenter on work, career and family issues, and has been interviewed by the Star Tribune, KARE 11, Minnesota Public Radio, and WCCO radio. Her book, When You Lose Your Job, was published by Augsburg Press in 2002. She is a board trustee of the Minnesota Career Development Association, and in 2005, she received that organization's Marty Dockman Merit Award in recognition of the originality, timeliness, and enduring value of her contributions to the field of career development.
The Pursuit of Happiness
Writer Agnes Repplier (1858-1950) claimed, "It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere." Decades of research, much of it conducted at the University of Minnesota, supports Repplier’s observation. What is happiness? Can it be defined? Is it possible to achieve it? What have philosophers and researchers learned about this emotional state that eludes so many of us? Hear scholarly, scientific, and practical observations about happiness, optimism, and hope. In addition, gain insights into the variables that contribute to being happy and come away with a better understanding of what makes up a "happiness profile."
Orville Weiszhaar has been teaching at the University of Minnesota for the past 30 years and currently teaches stress management and positive psychology. A recipient of a meritorious award for the best new independent study course from the National University Continuing Education Association, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law.
Rebuilding a Bridge, Repairing a City: The I-35W Crossing
When the I-35W bridge collapsed on August 1, 2007, the disaster forced us to take a close look at the Mississippi River, our local interstate highway system, and the city that is served by the river and the highway. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the collapse, now is a good time to step back and consider questions such as: How will the new bridge be an improvement over the old one, both as an engineering structure and an element of the urban landscape? How can the collapse site be simultaneously memorialized as the site of a tragedy and be made a vital part of a renewed relationship between the city and the Mississippi River? During this session, engage in discussion about these issues and more, and the role that the new bridge may play in the renewal of the riverfront and the community.
Patrick Nunnally is an adjunct assistant professor of landscape architecture and the coordinator of River Life: the Mississippi and U, an interdisciplinary program under the auspices of the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment that seeks to strengthen the connections between the University of Minnesota and the Mississippi River.
Creating Your Future
In the fastest hour in history, creativity expert Jerry Allan will help you go from who you are to who you want to be. Between these two, we all have a sense of desire, sometimes conscious, sometimes sleeping. This desire is an energy source that can move us toward purpose, growth, renewal, and self-trust. To begin, you will use Jerry's unique Decade-at-a-Glance tool to draw your big picture. Then, you will put your creative right-brain powers to work as you transform your desired decade into options and choices, from personal experiences and working, to learning and giving, and more. Finally, you will learn how to implement your newly clarified vision by seeing opportunities, weathering setbacks, and taking specific actions toward fulfillment.
Jerry Allan is an educator, architect, and nationally recognized expert on creativity who believes that we can greatly enhance our lives if we understand how to effectively use the inherent creativity that we all possess. He is founder and president of Criteria, an interdisciplinary design firm that coordinates architects, graphic designers, biochemists, physicists, sculptors, painters, and photographers. A professor of visual studies at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, he teaches and facilitates in areas related to creativity, futures, product development, and human potential. For the past two years, he has been working on Five Great Ideas the World Needs, an international project that uses our powers of collective thinking to create local, regional, and global solutions to Five Great Challenges our species now faces. View a video of Jerry Allan and learn more about Five Great Ideas at the LearningLife Web site.
In July, Jerry Allan will be teaching Shades of Blue and Green: Envisioning Your Environment, a weeklong workshop at the Split Rock Arts Program. See full information.
