CHARACTERISTICS OF A SAGE

Sage  is also an herb  with  medicinal and culinary value.   Source

WHAT IS A SAGE?

As a noun, the word  "sage" refers to   a profoundly wise person.    As an adjective,  "sage" means having wisdom  that comes with age and experience.   The comparative form of this adjective is "sager,"  which I will use below as an acronym  to stand for five  characteristics  of  a sage.

These characteristics are valuable not only for academic  achievement but more importantly, for   overcoming daily challenges particularly outside the confines of the school.

Source: Susan Crown Exchange, Inc. a  social investment organization  that is  invested in shaping an ecosystem of anytime, anywhere, 21st century learning to prepare youth to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing and highly connected world

S:  Self-regulation refers to one’s ability to control responses, impulses and behaviors in alignment with particular societal or circumstantial expectations, or personal goals. This range of skills help us moderate emotional, mental or other stimulus, and are at work when we plan and think ahead, inhibit negative responses or delay gratification.

A:  Agency is the belief in our own ability to affect change in our lives. Agency provides us with the platform to rally our other skills in order to guide and direct our lives.

G: Grit is defined as “perseverance and passion for long term goals. Grit entails working strenuously toward challenges, and maintaining effort and interest over years despite failure, adversity, and plateaus in progress.” 

E: Empathy is the ability to understand or sense what other people are feeling and to guide one’s actions in response.  We use empathy when we take on others’ perspectives, or when we mirror what another person is feeling.

R: Resilience is a complex process of positive adjustment in the face of significant adversity. Resilience emerges when we call upon internal, interpersonal and external support systems in challenging times.

To new college graduates, you will be meeting again these terms are these are used  in the language of   HR practitioners and talent acquisition professionals.

For more pieces of advice for young adults,   please refer to "Pointers for New College Graduates," by Gerry P. Siquijor. Available at FULLY BOOKED,  St. Pauls, Pauline Bookstores, and branches of Catholic Book Center.

5 THINGS TO REMEMBER ON YOUR CAREER JOURNEY by Maria Rodale

Maria Rodale is the CEO and chairman of Rodale Inc., a global voice for health and wellness with a mission to inspire and enable people to improve their lives and the world around them. Reaching more than 100 million people worldwide, Rodale publishes some of the best-known health and wellness magazines, including Men’s Health, Prevention, Runner’s World, Women’s Health and Organic Gardening.  The company is also one of the largest independent booksellers in the world, with a collection of best-selling that include  An Inconvenient Truth by Al Gore and The Honest Life by Jessica Alba.


Below she shares  5 steps to remember for anyone on the way to  the top:

1. Find what your passion is and tap into it. You can do this by meditating or going on a vision quest. You can seek counseling or hire a consultant. You can fall into it by accident. Whatever you do, you must find it and keep finding it over and over again. It’s not a one-time process—it’s like a fractal that keeps expanding and growing and evolving.

2. Commit to serving others. Truly, serving others—your customers, employees, fans, the needy—is one of the most important steps, because no matter what else happens, if you do this one thing you will find a peace within you that no jewel or yacht can compare. Success is service.

3. Have faith when you are most discouraged and keep everyone around you focused and motivated. Not every day is a good day, and not every year is a good year. What can you learn from those setbacks, and how can you keep moving forward no matter what? Finding faith is key and goes right back to the first two steps: If you believe you are doing something important and know that it’s helping others, well then… keep going.

4. Take care of yourself. Take Bruce Springsteen as an example of success. His shows take an incredible amount of energy—and spread joy and happiness throughout the world. But as an artist, he also needs to stop and breathe. At 63 years old, he keeps healthy and fit in order to gather the inspiration to write songs and the spirit to perform. It’s a cycle that should be respected. Take care of yourself, and allow yourself to rest and recover to make sure you have the strength and energy to do it all again, to be your own kind of rock star.

5. Celebrate your success and generously share it with others. Every time you share your success and the results of it with others, you’re planting seeds for future success. Because success isn’t a one-and-done thing. It is like a garden—it has seasons of brilliance and dormancy and must be cared for  and maintained. And shared.

Source:  Success.com

For more pieces of advice for young adults,   please read "Pointers for New College Graduates," by Gerry P. Siquijor. Available at FULLY BOOKED,  St. Pauls, Pauline Bookstores, and branches of Catholic Book Center.