SUCCESS – Page 42 – Success Strategies

How To Evaluate Your Career…

Stuck? Fed up? Not sure what to do? Pondering when to make the move? Having the toss up between career and entrepreneurship?

Embrace the conversation on evaluating your career and opportunities. In this interview, Kerry-Ann Reid-Brown and I share early career mistakes and how we do things differently because of what we learned from those mistakes. Listen as we shared laughter, Assumptions, regrets and key learnings on steps you can take to evaluate where your career is heading.

Want to know what to do with your career now? Let’s connect.

Cheers!

The Ravishing Benefits of Going To The Beach…

Live near the beach? Grab your swimsuits and go enjoy the slow swooshing sound of the waves as they crash against the shore.

Anne Gherini shared in this INC article research about the benefits of going to the beach (as if we needed another reason …smile). From the points listed, here I share my top 3.

Listen to the crashing waves puts your brain at ease
Feel the sand between your toes as it stimulates your mind
Remove the Blues. Stare at the ocean and get to that relaxing meditative State.

In this world of mad rush, stress and strain, plan a trip or two to the beach for a quick getaway. Then bask in the Benefits to relax, unwind, reboot. Your Brain cells are sure to recharge pushing you further along the Skewed productivity chain.

Cheers!

Writing …

Good Writing is Rewriting ~Truman Capote

Laughter, tears, joys, exhilaration. These are some of the emotions felt as we write. But it’s in re-writing that we find the good.

Keep writing! ✍️

Cheers!

Writers Share Their Biggest Fears About Writing…

“If the book is true, it will find an audience that is meant to read it.”
—Wally Lamb

Getting started, getting done, the book failing. Those were some of the comments to the question asked in a forum:

What is your one Biggest Fear when it comes to writing?

Here I share Flaunted excerpts of the many who chimed in:

Getting stared
Blindness, Alzheimer’s, other
The fear of getting done and the book failing
Fear of being criticized rather than being critiqued
Getting half way through a second draft and realizing the story won’t work
Writers block
That I spend painful hours at the computer and produce garbage
Fear that my historical search won’t be accurate
Letting people read what I write
No one reading it. No one liking it
Finding a new idea
Not finishing
That they’ll just sit there forever never selling more than a few hundred copies and my life will be wasted with nothing to show for it
That I’m putting in a lot of work in with not a lot of return
No sales
Lost in back-story
Procrastination
That I am not any good

As a writer, do you share any of these fears? Any missing? Do share! We’d love to hear!

Cheers!

Career: When The Recruiter Calls… 7 Tips How To Evaluate…

Success is where preparation meets opportunity. ~Bobby Unser

Align yourself with the right people. Be visible. Observe. Show up. Then you will be able to see and be seen. These simple insights will help propel you in the direction of recruiters on the hunt…and when they call, sure you will ponder if the opportunity is right.

If you have been with a company for three years or more, the decision may be easier especially if you are not seeing the light. But what if you have said ‘yes’ to another opportunity and have been on the job for less than a year, busy settling in, then a recruiter calls, how do you know if you should jump ship?

Recognizing The Right Opportunity

Here are a few 7 Questions to ask on how to evaluate an offer in order to make the right decision.

Does the job fit into your long-term career goal?
Consider the industry as well as the health of the company. Are they experiencing financial difficulties?
Is the job high stressed with little or no work/life balance?
Is the commute long and will make you miserable? Will it deplete your time, energy and resources?
Does it involve travel? Often career seekers are happy at the thought of travel but will it be a weekly requirement? Will you have to be away from family?
What about Benefits and Perks? Consider the options provided such as medical, 401K plan, pension plan, personal time off, tuition reimbursement and such?
What about salary? Often job seekers are easily lured by higher salary but is there a plan for timely increases?

In summary, burst the Bubble. Know where you want to go. When you see the opportunity, you will recognize it. For example, getting a college degree must be done through knowing where you want to go and what you want to do. Once that’s done, you will be able to take the step to find the right opportunity. You can be assured that provided you made the right preparations, when you see it you will know it.

So don’t be Abrupt, evaluate well because at the end of the day, if you are not happy and hate getting up in the mornings to go to work, you’re sure to regret it.

Need help in making the decision or assessing an opportunity? Let’s connect.

Cheers!

It’s Time To Make That Move…

You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water. ~Tagore

Career: The 7 Signs That Tells You When To Look For New Opportunities…

We have all been there. Times when we feel we are at a crossroad and don’t know whether to stay with the company, or whether to go. It’s not an easy road. Certainly a time for deep reflection and analysis. But it can be done using helpful strategies.

7 Signs That Tells You When To Look for New Opportunities

Extracted from theMuse, here are my top 7 WHENs that you can use to know when it’s time to move on.

When you are unhappy most of the day. What’s the point of being unhappy doing what you do?
When the only way you can move up is when your boss retires. Oh well, need I say more?
When you get passed over for a promotion more than once
When your company is cutting back or your industry is shrinking. Astonished? Commonsense really…extinction is at hand. Be alert. Keep your eyes open.
When the skills you have been hired to use for the job aren’t a fit
When the environment is toxic and the outcomes are meaningless
When you believe that you’re meant for bigger and better things

There you have it. The top signs that tells you when it’s time to move on. Do any of the 7 resonate? Can you suggest other signs? Do Share. We would love to hear.

Need help to make that change? Get the book Ditch It Switch It or better yet, Lets connect.

Cheers!

Selfcare: How Does One Engage In Self-Care?

Do Whatever it Takes

We shared the 17 Self-Care Activities… Then one reader asked how does one find the time to engage in self-care activities? Naturally, most of us struggle with that too. So here’s what I do.

Make it Important

First of all I make it important. Then based on my schedule , I decide which I can do. Some can be done on a daily basis like stealing away to the restroom or my car to Just Breathe even for a minute or two while on the job. That helps to manage the daily stress. Find that Rivulet. Simply walk away.

Schedule It

Another Notable option …if it’s something that I like to do such as going to the beach, I schedule it once a week, or it might just be bi-weekly. Some activities may even be once a month. Whatever works.

Team Up With Others

I may also team up with people who are stronger than me. For example I need to exercise. So I ask for an accountability partner. I don’t pressure myself. I start with a little at a time such as walking up the stairs to the parking garage. For other things like travel, I team up with people like my daughter who likes to travel (for pleasure). I have done vast amount of business travel and it’s not the same. We may even travel somewhere for a night or two with friends or family (as in a weekend getaway), and that helps to take care of that activity.

Do Not Beat Yourself Up

For me personally, my passion is writing but finding the time is hard. For starters I do not throw a Tantrum or pressure myself. Sad as it is, I face my reality and reduce my time to whatever I have available and get it done.

So there you have it. Hope it helps. Do any of the above resonate? Can you add any? Do share! We want to hear!

Cheers!

Planning To Take Vacation This Year? 35 Percent Don’t. Here’s Why…

Hawaii, Paris, Caribbean, Central America, Vegas, or a Simple Staycation. It’s amazing what a little break can do to our mental capacity. From the planning, organizing and more, all exude times of exhilaration, relaxation and joy!

Yet…The Society of Human Resources Associates (SHRM) shared that over 35 percent of Americans don’t plan on taking all their vacation days this year. A potential year of the Cranks in the making? Here are the reasons cited:

43% Saving time for something later
21% Too much work
15% Don’t have enough money
9% Feel guilty
9% Other reasons
3% Discouraged by their boss

In light of the more transient workforce, employers are trying various options to attract quality applicants. Such measures include a combined databank of employee time off which includes up to 4 weeks off on date of hire. Naturally, employees are ecstatic of this change and proves it’s a great methodology for recruitment. However, this databank represents a combination of paid time off including sick and vacation.

Paid Time Off

Do you plan on taking your vacation this year? If so, great! If not, why not? Does your reason fall into any of the above? Something to think about.

Need help with your workforce plans? Lets connect!

Cheers!

Don’t Be A Copy: Be You…

Sometimes your thoughts are different and that’s the way it should be. As you make your plans for the coming week, month or year, IGNORE the naysayers, Crank it, step forward in faith and just do you. Follow your dreams. It will be worth it!

Be inspired by the story of Dr. Suess and how he overcame his challenges to achieve success.

Your Best Place To Read is…

The beach. A nook. On the plane or train.

What’s your favorite place to read? That’s the question asked by Barnes and Noble. Many tuned as in Song replying in Harmony. My own favorite place to read is at the beach while listening to the quiet waves rippling ashore. Here I share excerpts of the hundreds who chimed in:

Bed
Barnes and Noble cafe
Bar or Brewery …
Anywhere, though I love the idea of sitting in a nook outside my room door
In my backyard on a sunny breezy day next to my cat and garden
Next to her
In a quiet cafe with a latte
Anywhere comfy and cozy
In the back of the car leaning against the front of the seat in front of you
By any body of water or fireplace
Library, with a mini table in front of me and hit chocolate
On a blanket in the sunshine
Bed
Anywhere and everywhere
My bathtub
The park
Outside in the evening
Bed with the rain outside
In a quiet place
In a bay window
Camping against the lake

Did any resonate? Where’s your favorite place to read? Do share.

Cheers!

The Meanderings of Success…

People waste years trying not to waste hours. ~Michael Lewis.

Is that for real? Is being lazy a good thing? That’s what Michael Lewis said in this INC article why being lazy makes you successful. He argued that being lazy is the key to Success. But is it for real? Lewis achieved much in life so I’d hardly say he was lazy.

However, what I’d say is that he focused on things that were in fact important, and did not spend time being busy… for busy sake.

Deplete. Admit it…many of us are like that… especially the type A’s. If ever we find ourselves not doing anything we feel as guilty as ever. I have a colleague who broke her leg during a vacation trip and she found it like hell to be sitting in recovery…not being able to do the things she wanted to do.

So I encourage you the next time you find yourself being busy, look around you and ask the question, “is this adding value to my life…to my long term goals and dreams?”

If not, let it go. Refocus.

Need help? Let’s Connect.

Cheers!

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What is your one Biggest Fear when it comes to writing?

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Recognizing The Right Opportunity

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7 Signs That Tells You When To Look for New Opportunities

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Make it Important

Schedule It

Team Up With Others

Do Not Beat Yourself Up

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Paid Time Off

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