Success – Page 12 – Success Strategies

Fearless! Greatness!

What if I fall? Oh but my darling, what if you fly?

What if I fall? Oh but my darling, what if you fly?

Fear has crippled many. Often our dreams, goals, aspirations, and desires remain stuck by the realities of life. Yes, they may be valid concerns but it’s when we step out in spite of our fears that we achieve great things. Years ago I decided to do a tandem jump-16,000 ft in the air! Boy was I afraid! But I did it anyway. I have always encouraged my girls to be Brave. To step out inspite of their fears. I encourage them to feel the fear but do it anyway. And despite my apprehension…, despite my fear…, I jumped! and I survived with the lasting memory to feel the fear but do it anyway. That’s how I approach my life goals.

Here are a few quotes from people who have achieved great things from different walks of life. My hope is that it will encourage someone today to step out in faith and achieve your dream, your hopes, your aspirations. Go ahead, Express yourself

I think fearless is having fears but jumping anyway.

I tend to think you’re fearless when you recognize why you should be scared of things, but do them anyway.

natalie cole

Natalie Cole

My father was a pioneer in so many ways. He was fearless, and I think that I kind of picked that up from him as well.
janelle monae I feel myself becoming the fearless person I have dreamt of being. Have I arrived? No. But I’m constantly evolving and challenging myself to be unafraid to make mistakes.

If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

Never Give up the Fight…

perception

As a young girl growing up, I never liked to listen to the legendary Bob Marley. But as I grew older and matured, I realized that his music dealt with a lot of issues. Issues that plague our society every day. I have often been conscious of my perception of things. I have learnt that things are not always what they appear to be. Often, we must question whether our perception is actually the reality. At times they are not. And just imagine how much heartache and pain we could avoid if we were to look beyond what seems apparent. Let us be mindful that things are not always what they appear to be. Let’s learn to never give up the fight of enduring to the end to achieve our goals, dreams, passion, and desires.

As we peruse Bob Marley’s lyrics to ‘Never Give up the Fight’, do contemplate…have our perception ever been wrong?

Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight

Preacher man don’t tell me heaven is under the earth
I know you don’t know what life is really worth
Is not all that glitters in gold and
Half the story has never been told
So now you see the light, aay
Stand up for your right. Come on

Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight
(Repeat)

Most people think great God will come from the sky
Take away ev’rything, and make ev’rybody feel high
But if you know what life is worth
You would look for yours on earth
And now you see the light
You stand up for your right, yeah!

Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight
Get up, stand up. Life is your right
So we can’t give up the fight
Stand up for your right, Lord, Lord
Get up, stand up. Keep on struggling on
Don’t give up the fight

We’re sick and tired of your ism and skism game
Die and go to heaven in Jesus’ name, Lord
We know when we understand
Almighty God is a living man
You can fool some people sometimes
But you can’t fool all the people all the time
So now we see the light
We gonna stand up for our right

So you’d better get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right
Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/fight/”>Fight</a>

Take the Leap

The challenges of life can often be scarey. But you know what’s worse? Not having tried at all. Today, let’s be encouraged to take the leap! Go after your dreams! Goals! Aspirations! Whichever way, you will be a success for having tried.

Go ahead….leap!

If I had 6 hours….

saw

If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four hours sharpening my axe. Abraham Lincoln

How I Became a Human Resource Manager

iphone pics 005

I never dreamed of a career in Human Resources. From an early age, I would look to the stars and dream of being involved in healthcare, or the airline industry. Of course these are two very different industries but my passion for people was evident from then. After graduating high school, I got the dream call for an interview as a flight attendant. I am always punctual, but for some strange reason I ended up being 10 minutes late for the interview, and was ‘disqualified’ from that opportunity.

I took it as a sign when I was hired by one of the nation’s big commercial banks. That opened the doors to human resource management for me; or as it was called back then—personnel management. I was exposed to benefits administration, performance management, and more. Being the fast learner that I am—I learned, and learned, and learned.

This boosted me into the next position with a major international pharmaceutical company, that further exposed me to human resource management at the global level. I learnt not only the facets of HR at the local level, but had to interpret laws and practices for different countries that fell under my portfolio of responsibility. In my job I had to travel across countries throughout the Caribbean, and Latin America.

Education

What about education? As I journeyed, I felt led to receive formal training. Armed with a Bachelors in Business Management, I pursued a Masters in Human Resource Management. I also decided to minor in HR Development, while studying Doctorate in Education, Major Organizational Leadership. This then propelled my current role as Coach, and Human Resource Consultant.

As laws, technology and people change, there is no doubt that it is an advantage to become a member of organizations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). This syncs with organizations such as local Human Resource Associations. Personally, I continue to participate in local, and national conferences. These days I conduct personal development Success workshops, backed by my research and subsequent publishing of book on Leaders and Success Strategies.

Success and Challenges Along the Way

Naturally, there have been challenges along the way. My most challenging feat arose during my first encounter with an international merger, between two giant pharmaceutical companies. Embracing two different cultures, employee relations issues, diversity, compensation, and benefits management in different countries was a challenge, to say the least. But as I look back and reflect on the Employer of Choice award, I am pleased. This experience molded me into my love for change management today. This passion has taken me across different industries including healthcare, hospitality, and others to name a few.

Even though there have been ups and downs since then, I have never regretted my decision to enter this profession. Every time I help a client improve their business, it makes me feel totally satisfied. Hearing the frustrations in their voices when they first contact me, and then seeing the satisfaction on their faces when things improve… is exhilarating!

In addition, The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) shared the result of the annual compilation of the most in-demand jobs done by CareerBuilder, and Economic Modeling Specialist International. Not surprising, Human Resource jobs were included among the top 20 positions-yea! The article stated that Human Resource Managers require a college degree and that this career position has grown by over 14,218 since 2010. This confirms that yes, it is a fine time to get into Human Resources.

So if you have the people skills, the spirit of resilience, and other facets mentioned, then go for it! Despite the stresses of the position, the job is totally satisfying….and oh by the way, it pays too. So what are you waiting for? Get started today, and if you’re like me, you’ll have no regrets!

Interested in how others got into this profession, read SHRM’s https://shar.es/1CXf4p via @SHRM

What if?

do it pic

The TIME magazine’s editorial article examined the question “what if” based on various scenarios of life experiences. What if robots went to fight war? What if your brain confesses in court? What if we live to be 100, or even longer? Interesting questions. What if?

What is your question? Is there something you long to do? What if you could do it?

Now think about it even more. What if you had all the resources in the world available to you, would you go ahead and do your “what if”?

I was chatting with an executive head of an entertainment business that has many locations worldwide. She said in the early days if she thought about all the things that could go wrong maybe she would not have achieved the success she has today. She simply had an idea and worked towards it defying business logic.

So Go ahead, think positively. Activate your what if. Activate your dream. It may just surprise you inspite of your questions, inspite of your fears. Be courageous. Act today. Accomplish your “what if”.

<a href=”https://dailypost.wordpress.com/prompts/evasive-action/”>Evasive Action</a>

The Journey. Keep Going, don’t stop.

jouney

I’ll never forget the sight. Standing in line more than a decade ago with hundreds of graduates awaiting the march into the ceremony, I saw my mom and dad walking in together a little late. She, with a basket of fruits too heavy for her to bear, but far too precious not to. Him, adorned in a bright red jacket as if to say “nobody is going to make me miss this special occasion when my daughter receives her Masters degree”! I thought to myself…should I acknowledge them or should I shy away from this somewhat humorous sight? I dismissed the very thought and rushed to their side hugging them both. My action was met with admiration, claps, and with sounds of “aww”, as the waiting graduates stirred. Needless to say that this achievement was for both my parents as neither had college degrees. After the ceremony, my mom hugged and congratulated me with the question “when are you going to get the Doctorate?” The nerve! How could she? But her question stayed with me for years, even after the receipt of yet another Masters degree.

Years later, I finally acceded to fulfilling her dream. She couldn’t do it so I decided to do it for her. A year into the program while enroute to a mandated summer conference in Orlando, I received a call that she (with whom I spoke an hour earlier), had suffered a massive stroke!

That was the start of a yearlong journey to be by her side through thick and thin. Ironically both our journeys were paths of learning. Hers being to learn to talk, to walk, to eat, to do life’s simple things, and to learn the basics of living all over again. Me, to face the reality of the situation that my mother was in, and to learn the skills to adequately provide her care. Along with my two sisters (one who was ailing with the ravages of cancer at the time), we brought her to live closer so we could adequately care for her return to ‘normalcy’.

As I reflect on my dissertation journey, on one occasion I remember receiving an important call from a professor while attending to her needs. I answered the call, got the coaching from the professor then returned to finish her care. This became a routine.

I remember being by her side at the hospital for hours, days, weeks. She was my morning motivation. I couldn’t start the day without her knowing that I cared. It was the same at nights. I couldn’t end the day without visiting her; without her knowing that I was there for her. At work, the leaders knew that if they wanted my best then I needed an hour to be with my mom which was the fuel for the rest of the day. I happily worked that back during lunch or after hours. This went on for a year but sadly she never recovered. We later discovered that her body was wreaked with cancer unknown to our family. It was too much for her to bear.

After she passed this was my driving force. I had to finish my studies for her. I had to accomplish her dream, something she couldn’t do herself. I had to finish to show my two girls that you can accomplish whatever you set your mind to. I had to finish and leave something tangible behind. This culminated in a research to track the paths of immigrant leaders and their journey to success to achieve the American Dream. I accomplished that feat two years after she passed away. The research is now published and available here. I now spend my time coaching individuals and entrepreneurs to never give up; to keep going, because with that passion they will accomplish their dreams.

Opportunity. Don’t Wait, Create.

Why the Title? Why the Tagline?

Success — When Opportunity Knocks, Seize It.

Why do some individuals succeed while others don’t? That’s the question many try to answer. We look at well-known artists like Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and many more. We often hear people say…if only … If only I had the money of the rich and famous. But is that what success means? Pocket full of dough? More on this another time.

For now, we’ll just say that one thing most people don’t realize is that WE define who we are; what we want to Do with our lives, and how we are going to get there. That’s the basic reason this blog was TITLEd “Success Strategies“, not only because of the research done. This blog selects ideas from society’s successful leaders both those living, and those who have passed on such as renowned innovator Steve Jobs. These strategies I’ll continue to share, with the hope to inspire and motivate individuals to take action to get the result they want.

This leads to the purpose of the TAGLINE: Opportunity Knocks. Seize It. The intention is for us to encourage ourselves, colleagues, and loved ones to act now. To let an opportunity pass by is like to waiting on the metro service late at night, and when the train does come, wave it on with the excuse that you’ll wait on the next one to arrive.

Opportunity, opportunity. When it knocks, let’s take action and answer. Who knows, we may never get a second chance. So seize it.

BLOGGING 101

I began this blog a few years ago but have hardly been consistent. As an individual in the business of Human Resource Management, and organizational leadership, my passion lies in the development of entrepreneurs, youths and individuals in transition. For that reason, I conducted a study for my dissertation on Success Strategies and decided to publish it recently in my book titled “Success Strategies of Caribbean-American Leaders in the United States”. In the book I sought to answer the question Why Some Individuals Succeed, While Others Don’t. It is now available on http://www.amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

I am still writing with the intention of publishing the Success Strategies Workbook, as well as another book titled “GreenLight: When God says Go”. My intention here is to decide on what my audience prefers to hear, then focus this blog on that. This could be under the topics of leadership, success, inspiration, or lighter moments.

From participating in this new developing experience, I hope to be able to learn how to (1) improve this blog; (2) gain strong insights on how to advance; and (3) confidently connect with and grow followers.

Check out my blog https://successfulleaders.wordpress.com and I would most certainly welcome your comments and insights! Thank you.