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"Seek out your role model who will strengthen your character development."

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"Seek out your role model who will strengthen your character development."

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Tip #1: Find Mentors
I want to pursue a career in the Family and Human Development track as a Child Life Specialist. In order to pursue this I would need to identify with a mentor or be part of a mentor program to support the career development and growth of a child life specialist. This would allow me to learn first-hand on how child life specialists integrate evidence-based, developmentally appropriate interventions including therapeutic play, preparation, and education to reduce fear, anxiety, and pain.

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"To lead a happy life, celebrate and own your strengths."

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"To lead a happy life, celebrate and own your strengths."

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Tip #2: Bring Out the Best in Yourself
By recognizing my innate talents and strengths, I believe I can identify how I make a difference in people's lives. According to D'Souza (2011), it states "it is those signature strengths that, once we own and celebrate them, are the keys to leading happy, successful lives" (loc. 1700). My talents of singing or sense of humor can make children happy before surgeries, procedures, or treatments. Bringing out the best in myself can bring out the best in others.

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"The power to create the life you want is within you."

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"The power to create the life you want is within you."

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Tip #3: Build Your Self Esteem
One way that I build my self-esteem is through positive affirmations. Positive affirmations allows me to create the life that I want and encourage myself that I can achieve anything that I put my mind into. As I am introduced to a new career as a child specialist, I will accept any challenges and view it as an opportunity for growth. It's important to remember to "keep reminding yourself: the power to create the life you want is within you" (D'Souza, 2011, loc. 1723).

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"Progress can be slow, so don't lose faith." 

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"Progress can be slow, so don't lose faith." 

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Tip #4: Chart Your Life
Building the foundation of my career plan will help me navigate my goals and personal values. Since I'm graduating this year, I will make the time to map out the steps I need to take in order to become a child specialist. This includes taking the required courses, preparing for the examination, and finding an internship. I just have to remind myself that "progress can be slow, so don't lose faith" (D'Souza, 2011, loc. 1735).

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"Pay attention and be open to possibilities."

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"Pay attention and be open to possibilities."

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Tip #5: Create Your Own Opportunities
In order for me to pursue a career as a child specialist, it's  crucial that I take the initiative right after I graduate. Better yet, this activity is giving me the motivation and advantage to research job possibilities in my community. The opportunity of becoming a child specialist will help me "develop skills necessary to intervene with individuals, couples, and families in ways that improve psychological and relational well-being" (Horton, 2015).

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Tip #9: Turn Work into Play
Ideally, it would be great to find a friend who shares the same career interests as me. It will give us something to talk about and we can help each other grow in the process. This will "enhance skills soft skills like collaboration, communication, or conflict resolution" (Smith, 2015).

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"Planning will help you stay focused and keep your vision aligned"

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"Planning will help you stay focused and keep your vision aligned"

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Tip #6: Invest in Planning
I believe that planning is all about focusing on the "bigger  picture". If I want to become a child specialist, I have to plan out the necessary steps in order for me to get there. Researching and writing out my career objectives will help me get to where I want to be.

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"We can exploit loss aversion and use it to motivate ourselves."

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"We can exploit loss aversion and use it to motivate ourselves."

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Tip #8: Motivate Yourself Using Loss Aversion
It's tough to not think about the fear of failure. I often find myself thinking too much on the "what-ifs" and not the possibility of gaining something out of an experience or situation. For example, I feel that I'm always down on myself after I've done an interview. It's better to see these interviews as a learning experience and be more confident in making the next interview better. As D'Souza (2011) states "the bigger the perceived loss, the more we can stay motivated to staunch the loss" (loc. 1770).

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"Don't be afraid of change, it will help you grow."

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"Don't be afraid of change, it will help you grow."

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Tip #7: Make a Change
I learned overtime that change is good. I learned that it's never too late to change your habits or change your outlook on life. As long as my habits are improving me as a person, then everything else will fall into place. Exploring the passion of becoming a child specialist may be a little overwhelming, therefore I need reassure myself that enacting change will be the most beneficial.

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D'Souza, G. (2011). EQ from the inside out: Breakthrough tools & ideas for living a

fulfilling life. [Kindle version]. Freedom, CA: Six Seconds.

Horton, A. (2015, February 17). Career Paths. Retrieved January 23, 2021, from https://hdfs.uconn.edu/undergraduate-program/careerpaths/

Smith, A. (2015, 10 August). Beyond Teaching: The World of Jobs in the Education Field. Retrieved from https://www.noodle.com/articles/non-teaching-jobs-in-education