Who are you know and where do you want to be? Existentialist questions are tough, but these are things that we ought to contemplate on if we want to live a truly meaningful life. In this session, Amy Morgan is back on the Justice Clearinghouse to unpack our identity, journey, values, and balance among other things to make the point of – there is more to you than your career.

Amy Morgan is the Founder and CEO of Academy Hour. Academy Hour provides training on mental health topics, leadership courses to those in the helping professions, and certification programs including Certified First Responder Counselor (CFRC) and Certified Peer Support Leader & Teammate (CPSL/CPST).

Specifics of Amy’s discussion are on:

• People’s tendency to be preoccupied with the destination and goals which often gets in the way of living in the present.
• The Journey: Considerations to better make sense of our journey, and the value in looking at the scenery to have a more enriching and enjoyable journey.
• The different areas of our lives to look into when assessing your starting point and identifying the obstacles that may prevent us from seizing the moment.
• Handling challenging journeys that may impact how we enjoy the destination.
• The risk of feelings of loss when the elements that make the present ideal end.
• Recognizing the permanence of change and how adaptability is the best skill to hone as we navigate our journey towards the destination.
• Creating counterbalance by reflecting and making changes based on:
  • The negatives and positives in our lives and ensuring the positives outweigh the negatives.
  • The things that are required from us and the things that we voluntarily do and reducing or eliminating those that we do not enjoy to make room for more meaningful activities.
  • Our passions and the things that bring joy and fulfillment in our lives.
  • Components of our lives that bring us pride versus those that cause us shame.
  • The things we do for ourselves and others and setting appropriate boundaries on those things that drain our energy and don’t serve us.
• The importance of having a sense of purpose, passion, and connection in our lives and how having more than one of each of these allows us to have something to fall back on if one ends or is disrupted.
• What true connection looks like and where to get that much-needed connection.
• The value in ensuring our values and priorities align with our choices, decisions, and actions to reduce the likelihood of conflict and stress.
• Devising your personal life strategic plan to better identify your destination, plan out your journey and assess your starting point according to your values.
• Making changes in the present to start working on a well-balanced life that continues towards retirement.
• Integrating all the concepts covered in this course into our lives to create a rewarding and enjoyable retirement.

Questions from the audience were about:

• Creating accountability particularly with short-term goals.
• Considerations when formulating our personal strategic plan.
• Activities to help with discerning our priorities and values in our lives.
• Techniques to start enjoying the journey.

Other Webinars with this Speaker:

•  Outside Yourself: Making the Most of Mental Health Resources 
• Depression: Myths, Signs, Prevention, and Treatment
• Nov 9: There’s More To You Than Your Career: Finding Balance and Personal Identity (this webinar)

Resources and Handouts

• Handout: Notes Worksheet
• Handout: Values Worksheet

Audience Comments

• “Great webinar. Reminder and encouragement for what I’ve been taught. I liked the thought of asking the question “What do I look forward to when I wake up?” Not a new topic but more info re retiring younger than the average age.” — Jon
• “This webinar came at the right time. It makes sense. I think it is beneficial for people to listen and use the materials to re-evaluate where one is at and take note of what changes may be needed to improve and/or balance where one is at. Thank you!” — Catherine
• “Amy Morgan gave an excellent presentation. It was one that I didn’t know I needed and so glad I was able to be present to hear it. She gave good information to consider as we move about life. Life should be meaningful and provide great purpose throughout not just in a given time but throughout life.” — Harmena
• “The most valuable thing I learned from this webinar is being the writer/author of my own book and taking the story where I want it to go and what characters, places, and things that I want to be a part of my story, I can just write it in or delete it as I continue to read.” — Keera
• “That I need to self-assess and that I need to be active in my own life instead of being passive. Wonderful speaker and motivating presentation. Also very important to live for now instead of someday.” — Navdeep
• “Great thought-provoking questions and loved the idea of making lists to assess where you are in your career and life!” — Tracey