Leyan was out with her friend buying last-minute items for the apparent Silhouettes of a trip to Europe, when suddenly they asked if she wanted to come. She thought about it. Being away from work for a few weeks she had nothing planned. Like a Trill without thinking too long she turned and said…oh why not.
Immediately they called to book travel arrangements and the next day she was off. Coincidence…don’t you just love ’em?
Have you ever done it? I mean thought about doing something way out of the blue at a moment’s notice? Here, we are not thinking about life situations where you have no choice such as sickness, and others. We’re talking here about just getting up and going somewhere that will benefit and relax you …
Just Because
Just because you’re you. May I challenge you to try it one day. Just get up and do something different…something unique, something you’ve never done before. Trust me, you’ll surprise yourself, while others will be left aghast, you’ll be smiling all the way.
“What Area of Your Life Do you Want to Improve?” – Brian Tracy
It’s not a trick question. Your Life, what area do you wish to improve? New entrepreneurs and career seekers jumped in droves to respond. Surprisingly, common responses pertained to interpersonal skills, communication, finances, self-confidence, and people skills. Here I share some of their other responses.
Failure isn’t fatal, but failing to change might be. – John Wooden
Paul sat alone at home depressed. Why does this keep happening to him? He had lost his job last month and sat contemplating what he was doing wrong. There must be something he is missing because he had been terminated from his last 2 jobs in the same way. Though he tried, success seemed to keep a distance.
Paul is not alone. Many, including Entrepreneurs find themselves in similar Dominant situations, often without understanding the reason(s) for loss of a contract or job dismissal. Here I share 9 Reasons People fail.
Misaligned Goals
Self-Imposed limitations
Procrastination…never taking actions
Inability to Face Adversity
Underestimating the Use of Time
They Don’t Plan
They Always Give Up
Always in the Wrong Place
They are Afraid
Want more Candid details? Read article 20 Reasons Success Eludes Some published before yet things have not changed for some people. Apathy can infect any area of our lives and when it strikes it produces failure. The scariest part is how contagious it is. It spreads to other areas of our lives and causes us to get stuck.
If any of the above resonates with you, take the time today to do something about it. Need help? Let’s Connect.
You got a dream… You gotta protect it. People can’t do somethin’ themselves, they wanna tell you you can’t do it. If you want somethin’, go get it. Period.
“The whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye.” Pi
Forrest Gump
The Help
127 Hours
Under The Tuscan Sun
Terrible Idea…Don’t you just love them?
Beautiful Mind
Schindler’s List
Eat Pray Love
There are many more movies that inspire us to believe in our dreams. Movies that encourage us not to give up when the going gets rough. Movies that move us beyond the Horizon into self-discovery… a place where the sky is the limit.
A colleague received a call that her mom had to undergo emergency surgery due to an injury. By the time she got to the hospital, the leg had to be removed. Naturally, this was a Shock as her life was immediately turned upside down. She had no choice but to voluntarily resign from her position to be by her mom’s side. She had to be there to assist in any way she could. That was her voluntary decision.
You may not have had the choice. Things happen. You lose your job because of restructuring, organization change, personal issues, and more. All involuntarily. You’re sad. Filled with remorse, and totally depressed.
Don’t get stuck. Take hold of your situation and learn the strategies to:
Rebuild your Public Profile (Resume, LinkedIn, etc)
When life throws you lemons, make lemonade. That’s the saying, and its true. When things stand still…move. Do what you can to get back on your feet. It’s called life…things happen. Don’t let it get you down. Get the courage, the strength. Force yourself to stand up and do something about it.
George approached his manager asking for a raise. Said he had been with the company for years and was in dire need, unable to meet his personal expenses. He just had a child and threatened that he would resign if it was received.
Sounds familiar? At times many find themselves searching for that Loophole to earn extra cash to supplement their disposable income to do the things you would like to do. Things such as get married; buy your first place; get a larger home for your new and growing family; or simply to getaway on that dream vacation.
But accomplishing these goals is not as easy as most would like. It is then that creativity jumps in as I shared in a recent article on 20 Ways to Earn Extra Income. In that article I promised to share the how to ask your boss for a raise (yikes!). But while this method of increasing your income is upfront, and center (basically right under your nose), it’s not the easiest for us to do. We get nervous, shake, get angry, scared, have sleepless nights, all in our efforts to come up with the most plausible reason why we deserve the salary/rate increase .
15 Ways To Ask For A Raise
Having managed Human Resources internationally for over two decades dealing with issues like this, I’ll share a few pointers on how to do it ‘right‘. How to Evoke the response that will not remain Static with your employer, boss, supervisor–whichever pertains to you.
Here I share:
Prepare yourself for the ask.
Timing is everything.
Consider your company’s policy on salary reviews.
Evaluate the financial situation of your employer.
Take on more responsibility.
Demonstrate your wins, and added values
Share your goals and ask for feedback
Request a face to face meeting. If you’re in a different location, use your internal communication channel. Whatever you do, don’t do the initial ask by email.
Focus on the ‘why‘ not the ‘need’. Why you deserve the increase (not why you need it)
Practice your pitch and anticipate questions
Don’t use other colleagues as your argument (he/she received an increase and so should you). That’s the worse thing you can do.
Don’t discuss workload
Do your research…know what the market pays
No, no, no. Be prepared to hear no. It happens. Decide to ask for other things such as bonus, incentives, or personal development opportunities. Be confident that once you’ve asked, you’ve taken that giant step and the request stays in your boss’ mind.
Don’t wait around for other people to be happy for you. Any happiness you get, you’ve got to make yourself.” – Alice Walker
Reflection, Rest, Relaxation & Renewal
Self-care is important, and so is doing it alone ..yikes! But time alone is important. It Evokes reflection, rest, relaxation and renewal.
Here I share my own favorite list of 9 Things to do by yourself.
Self-Care
Give yourself a mini retreat weekend–eat healthy food, go for a massage, spoil yourself, and really relax!
Meditate. Sit. Be still and devote time to listen to your spiritual thoughts. Breathe.
Have dinner on your own in a nice restaurant… take time to really enjoy the food
Go somewhere in the city where you have never been
Study. Sign up for an online course in any topic you have an interest in and learn something new
Sip a cup of tea and look out the window
Spend a day at a museum or art gallery
Journal. Carve out the time to write up a list of things you would love to do. Declare your dreams and intentions or simply empty out all your thoughts into your notebook.
Travel on your own. Learn something new about yourself.
A Goal is defined as the object of a person’s ambition or effort, an aim or desired result.
Dreams, goals, aspirations! Don’t we all have them? At the end of each year most reflect on where they are, and where they wish to go. Here I share millennial’s’ thoughts on what they hope to achieve this decade.
Create the most epic new job that is aligned with my soul
Professional and personal ventures
Jump into my authentic self and apply for a dream role that will involve more if I am chosen
Start a therapeutic farm
Jump into success
Jump into adventure
Jump into independence
Publish great original writing
Start strategy and marketing consulting business
Jump into God’s plan for my life
Finding and developing a career that impact the lives of others that inspires me to learn
A new life
More me-time and more international travel
Jump into a few creative jobs with even more creative clients
Turn my new opportunity into something I am proud of
Finishing my Masters
Finding myself again
Leading a group for women who feel stuck or lost focused on building confidence and an action plan
Wow! Brilliant, lots of jumps! Do any of the above resonate with you? Do share!
A colleague recently connected with me to share a number of options Presented to her by her employer. She was to select one and get back to them. She asked my input. I asked her to think about her options as she transitions in her life. From there, she would be able to select the option most suited to her.
Goals Must Intercept
While you must take into account employer goals especially those directly assigned, you must be sure that those goals align with your own personal development. It’s the “what’s in it for me”. Let me hasten to say that it’s not selfish, but job goals that intercept, provide meaning. They provide the motivation to jump out of bed each morning to spend hours on the job. Such personal objectives could be:
Financial to save for the future, or to purchase something major
Achieving Dreams such as vacation goals, or invest in a unique hobby
Education for personal development to get ahead
Start a family
Become an entrepreneur
Making a difference in your community
The above takes into account the selection or acceptance of goals that will help forge those Forlorn desires ahead. If you are working to only pay bills, then it doesn’t make sense, and you’ll eventually feel stuck.
So invest some time now to think seriously about what you want; the direction for your life so you can indeed forge ahead this year.
