From BRAZEN CAREERIST:
How to tell when you should leave your job is actually very simple: If your boss loves you, stay. If your boss does not love you, assess where you went wrong, and decide if you can fix it. If not, it’s quitting time.
The problem is that most people take very little responsibility for making their boss love them. Which, in turn complicates the decision about staying or leaving. Your number one task in a job is to get your boss to love you.
This means that you find out what your boss cares about, how your boss likes to communicate, what scares your boss, and how you can help. Of course, your career goal is not to help your boss. But if you boss loves you then he or she will help you to meet your career goals.
Here are common problems people have at work: Boring assignments, inflexible schedules, no recognition, too much red tape, no upward mobility. But these are all problems that disappear when your boss loves you. When your boss loves you she helps you figure out how to get around this stuff. When your boss loves you she’s like a teammate, trying to help you get what you want for your career.
But this should come as no surprise because the way to get your boss to love you is to worry about your boss’ career. See your boss’ roadblocks and get them out of the way. Understand your boss’ dreams and make it your job to facilitate them. Put aside your idea of your job description and just focus on what will help your boss.
How do you do this? Here are six steps:
1. Attend to detail. The details of your boss. You should be sure to learn something about your boss from every exchange you have. If you do not learn from the exchanges then there is probably little depth to your conversations, and that is the first step to a vacuous relationship.
2. Make each conversation meaningful. You can infuse meaning into your conversations with your boss by probing a little bit each time about what your boss cares about. Why is he or she rushed today? Or, by the way, what is the big deadline that consumed all of last week? Even something as basic as “How was your weekend?” is a fine way to learn something about the boss.
3. Listen to gossip. You can learn about your boss from watching him deal with other employees. Listen carefully to what co-workers say about your boss. Whether it’s true or not is secondary to how your boss is perceived in the ranks. The more you know about your boss the more you can cater to her.
4. Express gratitude. If you let your boss know what you appreciate about her, she’ll open up to you more because you will feel safe. For example, you can thank her for steering you away from a mine field in the marketing department. Or you can tell her you appreciate how well she did during a difficult moment in a meeting. Be specific and she will be flattered and touched. That will create a connection you need to understand your boss better.
5. Get over your shyness. Because if you are too timid to initiate conversation then you will not get to know your boss enough to make your boss love you. To get yourself talking, remind yourself that everyone wants to feel cared about. It’s hard to manage people because it means caring a lot about other people and it’s pretty one-sided. A manager will be thrilled to hear that a direct report cares about him.
6. Identify the culprit. Take a look at your track record. Have most of your bosses loved you but one doesn’t? Then it’s probably not all your fault. But most people who are not loved by their bosses were never loved by their bosses. And most people who are a pain are a pain in similar ways in all of their jobs.
So instead of focusing on why your boss is difficult, focus on what is keeping you from being loveable. It’ll be worth it. But you will find that the rewards of being loved by a boss are almost endless. Most importantly, you will like yourself better and you will love your job.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Saturday, December 1, 2007
THIS IS ENGLAND
A film by British Director Shane Meadows; it brings us to the soulful blast from the past in the year of 1983. Where flannel shirts and doc martens were the fashion trend during that decade and would influence the adolescent time in the 90’s. The story is about another coming of age; it imbibes the feeling of searching and having the identity of how we were as teens. It is about the Joy of belongingness and the bliss of acceptance from a group where we can just discover and be ourselves.The story revolves around Shaun, a young adolescent, temperamental and quick with his fists. A poignant young boy who lives with his mom and been suffering the loneliness with the recent loss of his father. At school he gets bullied because of his bell-bottom trousers(where it was given to him as a gift from his dad) and how he looks indifferent from the outfits of the youth. Along his way home, he stumbles to the gang of Woody played by Joe Gilgun, and eventually finds a bond with them.
The nonchalance of the gang would make you feel amiss of your youth, where being free-spirited and carefree without responsibility has brought you thrill and pleasure. It has brought me memories of my younger days and wonder about the bestfriends I had back then.
Anyhow, the Love and friendship of the gang has brought young Shaun elation to the new environment he lives in. First experiences in choosing the shoes that he wanted has also been exemplified hilariously, that to also fit in to the ways of how the gang dresses up. Amusingly as well the gang gives him his first flannel shirt to match with his doc marten imitation shoes. Now Shaun really is one of the gang.
Just as you’d think that the movie is about teens living their confused lives, a heavy twist and situation will augment to the drama of the movie. This is England also showcases the political situation during that time and demonstrates how the youth lost their way due to the insistent political bigotry in England. The brotherhood would then be tested and new idealisms will set them apart. This becomes the main conflict of the initial happy story; A clear and magnificent representation of the effect of the Falklands War to the youth of England.
The movie is set in the East Midlands in England’s midsection, where the director was born and
spent his early adolescence. Written by Mr. Meadows as well, the movie becomes an autobiographical inspiration and his reverence to the world that he lived in adrift by its political turmoil. However what made this a sentimental movie for me is the grief of its young characters for their dreams, the pleasures of their youth and their passionate camaraderie…SAGADA: A Community of Love
I’ve always been known to my friends as the Baguio boy, obvio
usly I grew up in Baguio so that makes me the guy from the mountains. I’ve been asked if I wore the “bahag” and if I’ve been walking with bare feet when I lived there. And of course if I was one of the “Igorots” who’d charge every tourist with every picture taken with me at the “Imelda Marcos Park.” I would always tell them YES, and that I am a member of the headhunter tribe, and will always ask them “so would you like a try of my Axe?” … and immediately they’ll run for their lives…
Now I’ve been living in Makati and have been a corporate slave for more than a decade now. My Manileno friends have always been interested to plan a trip to Sagada in the Mountain Province. They’d always ask me How it is there and if Marijuana really is just a plain bush in that place, that it is planted just at the backyard of every household. I’d always respond with a Big and Wide Smile and tell them “Malay KO!”
They’d act all surprised and give a marvelous remark that goes “ANO?!? TAGA BAGUIO KA AT HINDE KA PA NAKAKAPUNTA NG SAGADA?!?!?!” and i’d shy away and say ”OO eh..” ..sniff... wawah…
And yes, it is true, a lot of us who’ve lived in Baguio never really reached Sagada given that it is just a 6 hour ride from Baguio. And so I’ve committed myself this year to plan a trip to Sagada. Been asking friends who could join me but everybody seemed so busy and that the schedule I was looking at did not fit theirs. But what the heck, if they can’t join me then I’ll go on my own.. arggh loner daw ako sabe nila.. So anyway, there I was, packed my bags, hit Victory Liner and on my way to Baguio. Stopped over at my brother’s place to sleep then hit Sagada first thing in the morning.
My brother Gene asked me what I was doing back home and “bakit daw nangangati na naman ang paa ko.” And so me being my usual self told him about my plans for Sagada animatedly and ayun nainggit at sumama sa akin. Yippee!!! Not going there alone no more...
So we rode Lizardo Bus Lines and straight to Sagada. View was magnificent, air was cool, or should I say cold. Still lots of trees and looking down from the window would give you a nauseous feel. My stomach felt a triple somersault and waiting a puke to come out. And so took hold of myself and just looked at the View of the mountains, clouds and trees. Ahhh.. beauty at its best. Luckily the road has been and being concretized completely, so the road wasn’t that bad anymore as with the stories told before.
On the way to Sagada, you’d see a lot of towns that you’d think you’re not in the Philippines anymore because everyone’s wearing jackets or thick clothes. The bus needed not airconditioning coz the breeze was that cold. I felt the happiness and missed this setting; realized I’ve been living in the busy city of Metro Manila for such a long time now.
We reached Sagada, thanks to my friend Tracey for the endorsement of a good place to stay and finding out that its just stairs away from the bus stop. The ride was a tiring one with bumps, humps and the zigzag road that we went through. And so thought of resting a bit before anything else; but my brother being the excited one was so active and wanted to be on the move immediately. With a tired body and a sore butt, I’ve just said yes and okay okay.. We went to the restaurant of Saint Joseph’s resthouse first before we move and ordered for dinuguan, Sagada style.. YUM!! While eating, asked and bought a map to plan and check out what we can do. We were on a rush because we just planned to stay overnight.
And so there we went.. the hanging coffins, the small restos, the church. I’ve also realized that why I feel so at home at Sagada, its because it reminded me of Baguio 20 years ago. Where there were less residents and cars, less pollution and more trees. It really felt like a good escape from the traffic and the tall buildings of Manila.
Been imagining a relaxed vacation in Sagada and thought of just enjoying the cool weather, but with all the activities we did, I felt so dead tired. And so after hours of walking we decided to go back to the hostel and get ready for dinner. After eating, got a good massage. After which forced myself to sleep coz my brother’s planning for another endless walking to the caves. So morning came, we headed to the caves, equipped with just cameras and just attitude we reached the cave and surprise!! We couldn’t see a thing inside the cave! Hahaha turns out you’d really need a guide to tour you inside and ensure your safety.
So we called it quits and just decided we can always go back the next time. Rushed back to the hostel and fixed and packed our things. Went down to the bus stop to get in on time. but lo and behold, rain started pouring and apparently a storm is about to hit Sagada.
This is the time where mixed emotions enfolded my being…
At the bus stop a lot of tourists and locals were lined up waiting for the bus. The bus was scheduled to depart by 1:00 PM, reason why we woke up early in the morning and wanted to maximize our vacation in Sagada. At the bus stop was a hodgepodge of personalities. You’d see a lot of tourists from Manila, Caucasians from different part of the world, a group of (mountain) bikers who daringly climbed up the peaks of Mountain Province and a set of family…
After 2 hours and hitting 3PM, everyone’s becoming anxious with the late arrival of the bus. Rain was still pouring gently and we were cramped up in a small waiting shed. I myself became very anxious, thinking of my commitment at work and other meetings set for Monday. At this time, lots of versions of news about the bus arriving or not was spreading to the lot of stranded people. One thing I noticed is the optimism of the people that the bus would indeed arrive and is just taking long because of the rain. And so, we patiently wait and just enjoyed the coldness of the rain. Apparently, we all just wanted to go home and get on with our businesses.
My friend Tracey arrived now at Sagada and we were laughing our hearts out coz with all the goodbyes and take cares that we’ve said to each other before this situation. We thought we wouldn’t see each other anymore because of the different schedules we have. And so we just talked, told stories to make us more laugh and after an hour she decided to take a rest coz of the tiring trip as well. Again we bid farewell and patiently waited for the bus again.
After some time, the rain poured out stronger and I felt a little worried already. News about the bus arriving stayed the same, and wow these people are really patient and having a very relaxed time. But me, I was kind of worried about the road and if it will be safe to travel at night. And so I couldn’t wait any longer. I’ve intended to look for a more reliable source for news. Luckily the tourism information is very near the bus stop.
I spoke in the local dialect with the information lady and she validated my concerns about the bus and the road having landslides already.
A bit more worried now.. Thinking how to go about this and what will be the detriments with this delay. But then again safety is always a priority, and so I finally decided to stay another night and just wait for the storm to clear. Spoke with my brother Gene and discussed the situation. He was convinced and agreed to stay another night. But then I saw the number of stranded people. Got worried about them as well, especially one of the families that I had a conversation with while waiting. The bikers were apparently my brother’s officemate as well and got concerns about their safety too if they push through with the trip.
And so I spoke to the family and told them about the information I got from the tourism office. That the bus will not arrive any longer and there are apparent landslides in the road. They understood my concern and thought otherwise should they push through. We spoke to the group of Barakos and suggested options as well. But they were still very optimistic and that the storm is not near Sagada yet. One guy mentioned that it is still safe to travel coz should there be a landslide a boulder truck will be on the way to clear the road(talk about optimism ey?!) Wanted to argue about it coz does he really think that the driver of that boulder truck would risk his life with the storm and slippery road? So we left them at their stance and my brother and I decided to go back to Saint Joseph resthouse to get a cheaper room and just have a good rest…
I never anticipated that this situation would be the highlight of my Sagada trip…
It was a good time to rest, but I was still bothered with the documents that I need to send to my boss and colleagues back in the office. So decided to make the most of my time, went to the restaurant, ordered for coffee and scuttled my fingers across my laptop. Surprisingly, the people I saw who were stranded with me entered the restaurant. Apparently, a bus indeed arrived but refused to take the trip back to baguio coz of the heavy rain and safety to the least. And so obviously the people then decided to stay another night.
I was greeted with lovely smiles when the people entered; it was like an unspoken appreciation for the care that I’ve expressed to them earlier. The father then approached me and explained about the bus that arrived and gave me tips on how to get the early bus the next morning. Other guys we’re looking at me and also smiling back, one guy shouted tama na trabaho, pahinga na muna!! I said I just need to finish this for me to send it tonight. It felt like we’ve known each other for years already..
Finished my presentation material and the reports I prepared. One thing more to worry about is how to send it; there are internet shops outside the resthouse so it made me a little calmed down. It was 9:00 PM already and saved my files to my USB drive, so went back to the room, leaving my laptop and rushing back out to look for that internet shop. My brother Gene and Tracey were in front of the fireplace already warming themselves up together with the manongs who’re renovating the Saint Joseph Main Hostel. Said hi to everybody and rushed out.
Anxiety faded as foreseen with the counter measure I planned, it will surprise me to find out another thing about Sagada. Apparently this place closes business very early! When 8:30 PM hits all shops closes … Arrgggghhh! There goes my intention of still being responsible to the eyes of my Boss! One sari-sari store was open though, and expectedly it was also a place where Lakays and Tanggeros do their drinking sessions.. just bought cinnamon bread and a pack of cigarettes then went out to smoke a stick.
While smoking, this wonderful guy approached me. He thought all the while that I was a Manilenio tourist. He spoke in English and talking about pride and funny stories about Sagada, JAMAICAN style! Hahaha. Thought to myself that this could be a fun night. So I let him be, me responding in English with my American accent. After some time of doobie conversation, thought this is a fun night indeed.. Then he invited me to take one shot of their Gin, coz he said that it was the culture of Sagada hence tourists should follow the same. That moment I didn’t have any plans to drink yet becoz I was so occupied with finding an internet. So to cut the story short, I spoke in Ilokano and told him I’m from Baguio. To his surprise he also went and talk the dialect, and finding out that he is originally from there as well. Suddenly I missed the Jamaican Accent… He pointed me to possible shops still open but unfortunately all of them followed the 8:30 curfew. Oh his name is Orion by the way.. Groovy..
I was so wet and tired looking for internet shops, even with the pouring rain I wasn’t spared of that endless walking. Decided to go back the Hostel, dried myself up and joined my brother at the fire place. Took my bonnet and sweatshirt and placed it near the fireplace to dry it up. Meanwhile Tracey joined us while waiting for the water to boil for her bath. No hotshowers in the resthouse during that time and I wouldn’t risk myself taking a bath either with the cold water.. you wouldn’t want your heart jumping out of your mouth would you?
There with us at the fireplace is also Mariz, we met here a day ago at the resthouse and she have traveled Sagada to rest from the busy and tiring work at the same time nourish her soul with what Sagada can offer as a refuge. Like Tracey, my brother and I have said goodbyes to her but we end up sharing the fire with her. The four of us were enjoying the fire with the Manongs who did a good job at the renovation; can’t wait to go back actually and spend time at one of the rooms in the new Hostel. Mariz apparently took one of the seminars, where my brother and I, and Tracey took too. Most of our conversations revolved around that, and some sort of little life “processing” was the topic. After some laughs and stories, two other pretty girls entered the room and asking help for hot water as well for their baths. Apparently the all around guy forgot about it already. So we invited them to join us instead and suggested to forget about taking a bath. Their names are Anne and Rishel.
This was one hell of a nightcap for me. It was such a wonderful experience and extraordinary at that. There we were my brother and I with complete strangers but it felt like it was a very open and safe place. We talked about life in general and what our hearts long for. The pains and agonies that we went through, at the same time the choices and the things that we’re doing to make us better persons. Again it dawned on me, that the desires of each person are to just have Love and give Love. We weren’t stifled about the time as the topics are so interesting and we were learning a lot from each other. Though the storm blowing outside was something to be worried about, we didn’t feel any concern with the situation. There was even brownout for a time but we were so at peace and safe with the fire that is keeping us warm and awake. This was also the first time where I spent a time with my brother Gene for long hours just enjoying the conversation. I found him at a different view, how funny, witty and loving he is in this situation. It made me so proud to have a brother like him. I’d take another trip with him given a choice; he can be my travel buddy…
We ended about 3 in the morning, we had 3 hours left to sleep to catch the first bus ride to Baguio of 6am. We woke up by 530am and rushed to our clothes and things to go to the bus stop. Luckily and we were so blessed, we got good comfortable seats, most of the people stranded also rode the bus. On the way, we reached a landslide and waited for almost 2 hours for the truck to clear the road. Anxiety didn’t cross my mind as I decided to sleep instead while waiting. The view was again marvelous, though it was difficult to detach myself that we’re leaving Sagada already. But then again there will always be a next time, I reassured myself…
My experience at Sagada was memorable, although it was such a short time; I’ve experienced a different community. Where people seem to be content and open; they welcome you and treat you kindly. I never felt any fear about being unsafe around the place. This could be the reason why a lot of foreigners decide to settle and reside here. There was diversity in personalities, difference in nationalities and color, but one thing I noticed about them, I can feel their Love. Their Love for each other, nature and culture. May this place be reserved and uncontaminated with impurities..
Go to Sagada! Experience a new you!
usly I grew up in Baguio so that makes me the guy from the mountains. I’ve been asked if I wore the “bahag” and if I’ve been walking with bare feet when I lived there. And of course if I was one of the “Igorots” who’d charge every tourist with every picture taken with me at the “Imelda Marcos Park.” I would always tell them YES, and that I am a member of the headhunter tribe, and will always ask them “so would you like a try of my Axe?” … and immediately they’ll run for their lives…Now I’ve been living in Makati and have been a corporate slave for more than a decade now. My Manileno friends have always been interested to plan a trip to Sagada in the Mountain Province. They’d always ask me How it is there and if Marijuana really is just a plain bush in that place, that it is planted just at the backyard of every household. I’d always respond with a Big and Wide Smile and tell them “Malay KO!”
They’d act all surprised and give a marvelous remark that goes “ANO?!? TAGA BAGUIO KA AT HINDE KA PA NAKAKAPUNTA NG SAGADA?!?!?!” and i’d shy away and say ”OO eh..” ..sniff... wawah…
And yes, it is true, a lot of us who’ve lived in Baguio never really reached Sagada given that it is just a 6 hour ride from Baguio. And so I’ve committed myself this year to plan a trip to Sagada. Been asking friends who could join me but everybody seemed so busy and that the schedule I was looking at did not fit theirs. But what the heck, if they can’t join me then I’ll go on my own.. arggh loner daw ako sabe nila.. So anyway, there I was, packed my bags, hit Victory Liner and on my way to Baguio. Stopped over at my brother’s place to sleep then hit Sagada first thing in the morning.
My brother Gene asked me what I was doing back home and “bakit daw nangangati na naman ang paa ko.” And so me being my usual self told him about my plans for Sagada animatedly and ayun nainggit at sumama sa akin. Yippee!!! Not going there alone no more...
So we rode Lizardo Bus Lines and straight to Sagada. View was magnificent, air was cool, or should I say cold. Still lots of trees and looking down from the window would give you a nauseous feel. My stomach felt a triple somersault and waiting a puke to come out. And so took hold of myself and just looked at the View of the mountains, clouds and trees. Ahhh.. beauty at its best. Luckily the road has been and being concretized completely, so the road wasn’t that bad anymore as with the stories told before.
On the way to Sagada, you’d see a lot of towns that you’d think you’re not in the Philippines anymore because everyone’s wearing jackets or thick clothes. The bus needed not airconditioning coz the breeze was that cold. I felt the happiness and missed this setting; realized I’ve been living in the busy city of Metro Manila for such a long time now.
We reached Sagada, thanks to my friend Tracey for the endorsement of a good place to stay and finding out that its just stairs away from the bus stop. The ride was a tiring one with bumps, humps and the zigzag road that we went through. And so thought of resting a bit before anything else; but my brother being the excited one was so active and wanted to be on the move immediately. With a tired body and a sore butt, I’ve just said yes and okay okay.. We went to the restaurant of Saint Joseph’s resthouse first before we move and ordered for dinuguan, Sagada style.. YUM!! While eating, asked and bought a map to plan and check out what we can do. We were on a rush because we just planned to stay overnight.
And so there we went.. the hanging coffins, the small restos, the church. I’ve also realized that why I feel so at home at Sagada, its because it reminded me of Baguio 20 years ago. Where there were less residents and cars, less pollution and more trees. It really felt like a good escape from the traffic and the tall buildings of Manila.
Been imagining a relaxed vacation in Sagada and thought of just enjoying the cool weather, but with all the activities we did, I felt so dead tired. And so after hours of walking we decided to go back to the hostel and get ready for dinner. After eating, got a good massage. After which forced myself to sleep coz my brother’s planning for another endless walking to the caves. So morning came, we headed to the caves, equipped with just cameras and just attitude we reached the cave and surprise!! We couldn’t see a thing inside the cave! Hahaha turns out you’d really need a guide to tour you inside and ensure your safety.
So we called it quits and just decided we can always go back the next time. Rushed back to the hostel and fixed and packed our things. Went down to the bus stop to get in on time. but lo and behold, rain started pouring and apparently a storm is about to hit Sagada.
This is the time where mixed emotions enfolded my being…
At the bus stop a lot of tourists and locals were lined up waiting for the bus. The bus was scheduled to depart by 1:00 PM, reason why we woke up early in the morning and wanted to maximize our vacation in Sagada. At the bus stop was a hodgepodge of personalities. You’d see a lot of tourists from Manila, Caucasians from different part of the world, a group of (mountain) bikers who daringly climbed up the peaks of Mountain Province and a set of family…
After 2 hours and hitting 3PM, everyone’s becoming anxious with the late arrival of the bus. Rain was still pouring gently and we were cramped up in a small waiting shed. I myself became very anxious, thinking of my commitment at work and other meetings set for Monday. At this time, lots of versions of news about the bus arriving or not was spreading to the lot of stranded people. One thing I noticed is the optimism of the people that the bus would indeed arrive and is just taking long because of the rain. And so, we patiently wait and just enjoyed the coldness of the rain. Apparently, we all just wanted to go home and get on with our businesses.
My friend Tracey arrived now at Sagada and we were laughing our hearts out coz with all the goodbyes and take cares that we’ve said to each other before this situation. We thought we wouldn’t see each other anymore because of the different schedules we have. And so we just talked, told stories to make us more laugh and after an hour she decided to take a rest coz of the tiring trip as well. Again we bid farewell and patiently waited for the bus again.
After some time, the rain poured out stronger and I felt a little worried already. News about the bus arriving stayed the same, and wow these people are really patient and having a very relaxed time. But me, I was kind of worried about the road and if it will be safe to travel at night. And so I couldn’t wait any longer. I’ve intended to look for a more reliable source for news. Luckily the tourism information is very near the bus stop.
I spoke in the local dialect with the information lady and she validated my concerns about the bus and the road having landslides already.
A bit more worried now.. Thinking how to go about this and what will be the detriments with this delay. But then again safety is always a priority, and so I finally decided to stay another night and just wait for the storm to clear. Spoke with my brother Gene and discussed the situation. He was convinced and agreed to stay another night. But then I saw the number of stranded people. Got worried about them as well, especially one of the families that I had a conversation with while waiting. The bikers were apparently my brother’s officemate as well and got concerns about their safety too if they push through with the trip.
And so I spoke to the family and told them about the information I got from the tourism office. That the bus will not arrive any longer and there are apparent landslides in the road. They understood my concern and thought otherwise should they push through. We spoke to the group of Barakos and suggested options as well. But they were still very optimistic and that the storm is not near Sagada yet. One guy mentioned that it is still safe to travel coz should there be a landslide a boulder truck will be on the way to clear the road(talk about optimism ey?!) Wanted to argue about it coz does he really think that the driver of that boulder truck would risk his life with the storm and slippery road? So we left them at their stance and my brother and I decided to go back to Saint Joseph resthouse to get a cheaper room and just have a good rest…
I never anticipated that this situation would be the highlight of my Sagada trip…
It was a good time to rest, but I was still bothered with the documents that I need to send to my boss and colleagues back in the office. So decided to make the most of my time, went to the restaurant, ordered for coffee and scuttled my fingers across my laptop. Surprisingly, the people I saw who were stranded with me entered the restaurant. Apparently, a bus indeed arrived but refused to take the trip back to baguio coz of the heavy rain and safety to the least. And so obviously the people then decided to stay another night.
I was greeted with lovely smiles when the people entered; it was like an unspoken appreciation for the care that I’ve expressed to them earlier. The father then approached me and explained about the bus that arrived and gave me tips on how to get the early bus the next morning. Other guys we’re looking at me and also smiling back, one guy shouted tama na trabaho, pahinga na muna!! I said I just need to finish this for me to send it tonight. It felt like we’ve known each other for years already..
Finished my presentation material and the reports I prepared. One thing more to worry about is how to send it; there are internet shops outside the resthouse so it made me a little calmed down. It was 9:00 PM already and saved my files to my USB drive, so went back to the room, leaving my laptop and rushing back out to look for that internet shop. My brother Gene and Tracey were in front of the fireplace already warming themselves up together with the manongs who’re renovating the Saint Joseph Main Hostel. Said hi to everybody and rushed out.
Anxiety faded as foreseen with the counter measure I planned, it will surprise me to find out another thing about Sagada. Apparently this place closes business very early! When 8:30 PM hits all shops closes … Arrgggghhh! There goes my intention of still being responsible to the eyes of my Boss! One sari-sari store was open though, and expectedly it was also a place where Lakays and Tanggeros do their drinking sessions.. just bought cinnamon bread and a pack of cigarettes then went out to smoke a stick.
While smoking, this wonderful guy approached me. He thought all the while that I was a Manilenio tourist. He spoke in English and talking about pride and funny stories about Sagada, JAMAICAN style! Hahaha. Thought to myself that this could be a fun night. So I let him be, me responding in English with my American accent. After some time of doobie conversation, thought this is a fun night indeed.. Then he invited me to take one shot of their Gin, coz he said that it was the culture of Sagada hence tourists should follow the same. That moment I didn’t have any plans to drink yet becoz I was so occupied with finding an internet. So to cut the story short, I spoke in Ilokano and told him I’m from Baguio. To his surprise he also went and talk the dialect, and finding out that he is originally from there as well. Suddenly I missed the Jamaican Accent… He pointed me to possible shops still open but unfortunately all of them followed the 8:30 curfew. Oh his name is Orion by the way.. Groovy..
I was so wet and tired looking for internet shops, even with the pouring rain I wasn’t spared of that endless walking. Decided to go back the Hostel, dried myself up and joined my brother at the fire place. Took my bonnet and sweatshirt and placed it near the fireplace to dry it up. Meanwhile Tracey joined us while waiting for the water to boil for her bath. No hotshowers in the resthouse during that time and I wouldn’t risk myself taking a bath either with the cold water.. you wouldn’t want your heart jumping out of your mouth would you?
There with us at the fireplace is also Mariz, we met here a day ago at the resthouse and she have traveled Sagada to rest from the busy and tiring work at the same time nourish her soul with what Sagada can offer as a refuge. Like Tracey, my brother and I have said goodbyes to her but we end up sharing the fire with her. The four of us were enjoying the fire with the Manongs who did a good job at the renovation; can’t wait to go back actually and spend time at one of the rooms in the new Hostel. Mariz apparently took one of the seminars, where my brother and I, and Tracey took too. Most of our conversations revolved around that, and some sort of little life “processing” was the topic. After some laughs and stories, two other pretty girls entered the room and asking help for hot water as well for their baths. Apparently the all around guy forgot about it already. So we invited them to join us instead and suggested to forget about taking a bath. Their names are Anne and Rishel.
This was one hell of a nightcap for me. It was such a wonderful experience and extraordinary at that. There we were my brother and I with complete strangers but it felt like it was a very open and safe place. We talked about life in general and what our hearts long for. The pains and agonies that we went through, at the same time the choices and the things that we’re doing to make us better persons. Again it dawned on me, that the desires of each person are to just have Love and give Love. We weren’t stifled about the time as the topics are so interesting and we were learning a lot from each other. Though the storm blowing outside was something to be worried about, we didn’t feel any concern with the situation. There was even brownout for a time but we were so at peace and safe with the fire that is keeping us warm and awake. This was also the first time where I spent a time with my brother Gene for long hours just enjoying the conversation. I found him at a different view, how funny, witty and loving he is in this situation. It made me so proud to have a brother like him. I’d take another trip with him given a choice; he can be my travel buddy…
We ended about 3 in the morning, we had 3 hours left to sleep to catch the first bus ride to Baguio of 6am. We woke up by 530am and rushed to our clothes and things to go to the bus stop. Luckily and we were so blessed, we got good comfortable seats, most of the people stranded also rode the bus. On the way, we reached a landslide and waited for almost 2 hours for the truck to clear the road. Anxiety didn’t cross my mind as I decided to sleep instead while waiting. The view was again marvelous, though it was difficult to detach myself that we’re leaving Sagada already. But then again there will always be a next time, I reassured myself…
My experience at Sagada was memorable, although it was such a short time; I’ve experienced a different community. Where people seem to be content and open; they welcome you and treat you kindly. I never felt any fear about being unsafe around the place. This could be the reason why a lot of foreigners decide to settle and reside here. There was diversity in personalities, difference in nationalities and color, but one thing I noticed about them, I can feel their Love. Their Love for each other, nature and culture. May this place be reserved and uncontaminated with impurities..
Go to Sagada! Experience a new you!
ROADBLOCK? TAKE A DETOUR!
Persistence and determination propelled successful people to the heights of their goals’ abundance. They didn’t see difficulties as stumbling blocks rather they saw it as stepping stones to success. They saw it as opportunities to better things. For them if a door closes they find other doors to that will open for them.
Obstacles can be very heartbreaking, they can be very overwhelming that it is easier to give up and surrender to defeat. And sometimes the universe will really test us and give us roadblocks to test our commitment to our vision. However successful people pursue and persist and just take them as lessons that can be used to overcome apparent obstructions.
Not even our well-meaning parents, relatives, friends and colleagues can tell us no and get a real job. These should not be reasons to turn our backs to our dreams. Our dreams are our real job and it is our fulfillment to achieve them. No amount of rejections and NOs should stop us to achieve our hopes and dreams.
From Fundamentals of Success:
Whenever you confront an obstacle or run into a roadblock, you need to stop and brainstorm three ways to get around, over, or through the block. For every obstacle, come up with three different strategies for handling the potential obstacle. There are any number of ways that will work, but you will find them only if you spend time looking for them. Always be solution-oriented in your thinking. Persevere until you find a way that works.
For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action.
You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.
-Mary Kay Ash
Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics
Persistence and determination alone are omnipoten.
The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
-Calvin Coolidge
Thirtieth president of the United States
Obstacles can be very heartbreaking, they can be very overwhelming that it is easier to give up and surrender to defeat. And sometimes the universe will really test us and give us roadblocks to test our commitment to our vision. However successful people pursue and persist and just take them as lessons that can be used to overcome apparent obstructions.
Not even our well-meaning parents, relatives, friends and colleagues can tell us no and get a real job. These should not be reasons to turn our backs to our dreams. Our dreams are our real job and it is our fulfillment to achieve them. No amount of rejections and NOs should stop us to achieve our hopes and dreams.
From Fundamentals of Success:
Whenever you confront an obstacle or run into a roadblock, you need to stop and brainstorm three ways to get around, over, or through the block. For every obstacle, come up with three different strategies for handling the potential obstacle. There are any number of ways that will work, but you will find them only if you spend time looking for them. Always be solution-oriented in your thinking. Persevere until you find a way that works.
For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action.
You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.
-Mary Kay Ash
Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics
Persistence and determination alone are omnipoten.
The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
-Calvin Coolidge
Thirtieth president of the United States
KAIZEN:
A Japanese term for constant and never-ending improvement, an age old philosophy used by warriors and modern businesses. It has become a personal mantra of millions of successful people. The world is experiencing a lot of change. Technology and the way of life is a proof of this, a perfect example of this, where Filipinos have used as a necessity and a status symbol is the Cellphone!
Similar trait of our Achievers in this modern world is their ability to adapt to change, may they be in business, sports or the arts. They are committed to continual improvement. Main reason why they remain on top and continue to be the best at what they do. Of course, they’ve learned from mistakes but remained to be focused on their vision. They have checkpoints to assess and evaluate their standing; a way or a process to always get better.
So what would it take to become successful or stay successful? We need to learn to ask ourselves, “How can I make this better? How can I do it more efficiently? How can I earn more from it? How can we do this with greater Love? If we keep an open mind and heart with the answers to those it will be sure to achieve Kaizen.
We have an innate desire to endlessly learn, grow, and develop.
We want to become more than what we already are.
Once we yield to this inclination for continuous and never-ending improvement,
We lead a life of endless accomplishments and satisfaction.
-Chuck Gallozzi
People call me Perfectionist, but I’m not. I’m a “Rightist.”
I do something until it’s right, and then I move on to the next thing.
-James Cameron
Similar trait of our Achievers in this modern world is their ability to adapt to change, may they be in business, sports or the arts. They are committed to continual improvement. Main reason why they remain on top and continue to be the best at what they do. Of course, they’ve learned from mistakes but remained to be focused on their vision. They have checkpoints to assess and evaluate their standing; a way or a process to always get better.
So what would it take to become successful or stay successful? We need to learn to ask ourselves, “How can I make this better? How can I do it more efficiently? How can I earn more from it? How can we do this with greater Love? If we keep an open mind and heart with the answers to those it will be sure to achieve Kaizen.
We have an innate desire to endlessly learn, grow, and develop.
We want to become more than what we already are.
Once we yield to this inclination for continuous and never-ending improvement,
We lead a life of endless accomplishments and satisfaction.
-Chuck Gallozzi
People call me Perfectionist, but I’m not. I’m a “Rightist.”
I do something until it’s right, and then I move on to the next thing.
-James Cameron
UNLESS YOU SEE IT IN YOUR MIND, IT WON’T BECOME REALITY
From “8 Secrets of the Truly Rich.” By: Bo Sanchez
Deep within you, you’ve programmed your life to operate on a particular level of income and total net worth. Because this is your psychological wallet or money-comfort zone, you cant see yourself earning twice as much or becoming a millionaire. You simply can’t. Something within you says, “Are you Nuts? Me? Earn twice as much? Become a Millionaire? Hah! I might as well imagine I’m Donald Duck.”
So you stay in you money comfort zone for the rest of your life.
It affects your love life too.
More likely, you’ll subconsciously get attracted to marry someone who also has the same size as you psychological wallet. So both of you can comfortably live in that zone happily ever after.
Well, I’ve got news for you.
Do you know who set that dial of your inner financial thermostat?
You did.
So anytime you like, you too can enlarge your psychological wallet at any size you want. You can raise your money comfort zone.
How? Start with your imagination.
Imagine yourself earning double of what you’re earning now by next year – through wise investing and some side business.
That’s right. Double.
Get comfortable with that.
See yourself not spending it all, but actually saving it, learning how to invest it and seeing your money grow.
See yourself with a business on the side, aside from your fulltime job.
See yourself as an investor.
See yourself giving generously – writing large checks – addressed to Bo Sanchez for his projects for the poor and his media ministry. (as you can see, this book as ulterior motives.)
You’ve got to see it in your mind.
Each week, Bro. Mike Velarde preaches to 300,000 people in the El Shaddai prayer meeting. That figure boggles my mind. During their anniversary, a million people congregated at the Luneta Grandstand. It was the late Jaime Cardinal Sin who asked him, “Bro. Mike, what do you have that I don’t have? Why do these people come when you call them to come?”
One day, I had a three-hour chat with Bro. Mike Velarde to ask him why.
“The Grace of God.” He said over and over again.
I believe him. Last Christmas, he invited me to preach to his massive audience – and I saw it before my eyes. Three hundred thousand people receiving grace!
And Bro. Mike does it by giving them hope. That’s why they keep coming back.
Bro. Mike asks them to raise their wallets for financial blessings – and 300,000 wallets go up.
He asks those who want to migrate to other countries to raise their passports – and thousands of green booklets are up in the air.
He makes them imagine their answered prayer. That they are healed. That they are debt-free. That they are working abroad.
In a very simple way, he makes them set goals and aim for them by the power of their imagination, by the power of their faith.
Unless you see it in you mind, it won’t become reality.
Deep within you, you’ve programmed your life to operate on a particular level of income and total net worth. Because this is your psychological wallet or money-comfort zone, you cant see yourself earning twice as much or becoming a millionaire. You simply can’t. Something within you says, “Are you Nuts? Me? Earn twice as much? Become a Millionaire? Hah! I might as well imagine I’m Donald Duck.”
So you stay in you money comfort zone for the rest of your life.
It affects your love life too.
More likely, you’ll subconsciously get attracted to marry someone who also has the same size as you psychological wallet. So both of you can comfortably live in that zone happily ever after.
Well, I’ve got news for you.
Do you know who set that dial of your inner financial thermostat?
You did.
So anytime you like, you too can enlarge your psychological wallet at any size you want. You can raise your money comfort zone.
How? Start with your imagination.
Imagine yourself earning double of what you’re earning now by next year – through wise investing and some side business.
That’s right. Double.
Get comfortable with that.
See yourself not spending it all, but actually saving it, learning how to invest it and seeing your money grow.
See yourself with a business on the side, aside from your fulltime job.
See yourself as an investor.
See yourself giving generously – writing large checks – addressed to Bo Sanchez for his projects for the poor and his media ministry. (as you can see, this book as ulterior motives.)
You’ve got to see it in your mind.
Each week, Bro. Mike Velarde preaches to 300,000 people in the El Shaddai prayer meeting. That figure boggles my mind. During their anniversary, a million people congregated at the Luneta Grandstand. It was the late Jaime Cardinal Sin who asked him, “Bro. Mike, what do you have that I don’t have? Why do these people come when you call them to come?”
One day, I had a three-hour chat with Bro. Mike Velarde to ask him why.
“The Grace of God.” He said over and over again.
I believe him. Last Christmas, he invited me to preach to his massive audience – and I saw it before my eyes. Three hundred thousand people receiving grace!
And Bro. Mike does it by giving them hope. That’s why they keep coming back.
Bro. Mike asks them to raise their wallets for financial blessings – and 300,000 wallets go up.
He asks those who want to migrate to other countries to raise their passports – and thousands of green booklets are up in the air.
He makes them imagine their answered prayer. That they are healed. That they are debt-free. That they are working abroad.
In a very simple way, he makes them set goals and aim for them by the power of their imagination, by the power of their faith.
Unless you see it in you mind, it won’t become reality.
FEEDBACK:
One of the dreadful things to hear is feedbacks; because of the fear of failure and not being good enough, most of the time we dodge feedbacks. I know of a man who fear so much what people say to him and would avoid and escape when the time comes to evaluate his results. Obviously this man have not matured enough and hindered his growth as a person.
Feedback can either be good or bad to us; it is our means to evaluate our growth and effect to other people. Should we use it to our advantage we can capture our patterns and work to improve from there. It is also a great way to understand another individual and know their needs and their come from. It can be a tool to change our strategy and just a way to better handle the truth.
But is all feedback accurate and true for you? We also must be careful and consider the source. Not all feedback is useful for us. We should look into the situation and the psychological state of the person giving us the feedback. A person with psychological distortion who gives us feedback may not be speaking the truth. An angry-envious-drunk friend or colleague that tells us you’re a no-good f&@$ or tells us stop dreaming coz you’re hopeless is probably not a useful feedback. Now that’s something not accurate and not useful for us. However looking at the person’s psychological capacity is something that we should consider, obviously not a good source for feedback.
As a sales person, I’ve been successful in closing projects and accounts because I listen to my customers. Their feedback tells me what they need and what I can do for them. I listen to their complaints about my product and look at it as an opportunity for improvement. It may be tiring at times but bottomline we are both happy with the benefits that we get when things are getting better.
So what do we do when somebody tells us that we failed? Look at it as another opportunity to succeed and be better. But first acknowledge yourself for the effort that you’ve done. That it was the best you could do during that time. At that moment it was the most excellent work you’ve given considering your knowledge, awareness and skills. Be aware that you are still alive and that you have survived that setback. Look at the patterns of the people giving you the feedback. Find similarities from it, journal the learning or the lessons you’ve come across with and maybe title it as “what I’ve learned are….” And just be responsible with the results of that failure. Make sure that the necessary regrets or apologies are communicated to the people involved. Honest communication would ease out the situation especially when the failure is openly communicated.
However do not forget to go back to your successes. To keep your sanity and catch yourself from depression, make sure that you remind yourself of the successes in your life. This will remind you that it is okay to fail or have mistakes because you have proved to yourself that you are capable of success. And that you’ve done more things right than the wrong ones. Spend more time with people, who are positive and share the same vision as you. May it be your friends, family or colleagues that could compensate the Love and Affirmations that you need at this point in your life.
Lastly, go back to your vision, keep in mind the lessons learned, recommit to your goals and plans or better yet incorporate a new plan of action. End of the day, move forward to fulfill your dream. We will make a lot of mistakes but what is important is we learn from them and so the next time we may not do it again… and let us not be so hard on ourselves..
Feedback can either be good or bad to us; it is our means to evaluate our growth and effect to other people. Should we use it to our advantage we can capture our patterns and work to improve from there. It is also a great way to understand another individual and know their needs and their come from. It can be a tool to change our strategy and just a way to better handle the truth.
But is all feedback accurate and true for you? We also must be careful and consider the source. Not all feedback is useful for us. We should look into the situation and the psychological state of the person giving us the feedback. A person with psychological distortion who gives us feedback may not be speaking the truth. An angry-envious-drunk friend or colleague that tells us you’re a no-good f&@$ or tells us stop dreaming coz you’re hopeless is probably not a useful feedback. Now that’s something not accurate and not useful for us. However looking at the person’s psychological capacity is something that we should consider, obviously not a good source for feedback.
As a sales person, I’ve been successful in closing projects and accounts because I listen to my customers. Their feedback tells me what they need and what I can do for them. I listen to their complaints about my product and look at it as an opportunity for improvement. It may be tiring at times but bottomline we are both happy with the benefits that we get when things are getting better.
So what do we do when somebody tells us that we failed? Look at it as another opportunity to succeed and be better. But first acknowledge yourself for the effort that you’ve done. That it was the best you could do during that time. At that moment it was the most excellent work you’ve given considering your knowledge, awareness and skills. Be aware that you are still alive and that you have survived that setback. Look at the patterns of the people giving you the feedback. Find similarities from it, journal the learning or the lessons you’ve come across with and maybe title it as “what I’ve learned are….” And just be responsible with the results of that failure. Make sure that the necessary regrets or apologies are communicated to the people involved. Honest communication would ease out the situation especially when the failure is openly communicated.
However do not forget to go back to your successes. To keep your sanity and catch yourself from depression, make sure that you remind yourself of the successes in your life. This will remind you that it is okay to fail or have mistakes because you have proved to yourself that you are capable of success. And that you’ve done more things right than the wrong ones. Spend more time with people, who are positive and share the same vision as you. May it be your friends, family or colleagues that could compensate the Love and Affirmations that you need at this point in your life.
Lastly, go back to your vision, keep in mind the lessons learned, recommit to your goals and plans or better yet incorporate a new plan of action. End of the day, move forward to fulfill your dream. We will make a lot of mistakes but what is important is we learn from them and so the next time we may not do it again… and let us not be so hard on ourselves..
Friday, November 30, 2007
6 Ways to Get Respect Quickly, Despite Your Youth
Published by Chuck Westbrook on August 6th, 2007 in Work, Career Development, Employment
Establish Yourself As A Professional Professional
Are you interested in being seen for your contributions rather than your birth year? These 6 tips will help you to get noticed more quickly, earn you greater influence and responsibility, and get you closer to a level playing field.
Be a student of everyone:
Asking questions and taking advice isn’t a sign of weakness, and it won’t emphasize your youth either. You’ll get better faster, impress more people, and actually seem older.
Why it works: Seeking ways to improve is a sign of maturity and is the easiest way to gain the skills and knowledge that make you more effective. Plus, demonstrating a willingness to learn from your elders takes away a lot of the stereotypes and targets you will be marked with as a Millennial.
Write really well:
Develop your ability of written communication to the highest level, both in your daily emails and in deliverables for which you are responsible. This includes correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation–even in email.
Why it works: If you can quickly fire off sharp emails, you will come across as highly capable and intelligent (provided your content isn’t inappropriate). Not everyone types well, and certainly not everyone writes well.
Today, many first impressions are made through email. If you present well there, you will be developing your personal brand, and when people are surprised at how young you are compared to what they expected, you will know that you’ve already broken some of their preconceptions about your generation.
Demonstrate leadership:
Help other employees to be more effective. For example, since you are a regular blog-reader, you probably are ahead of the curve when it comes to getting things done with computers. Be generous to help others format documents, create spreadsheets, or find information on the web. As for fellow younger workers, you’ll probably be able to answer many of their questions related to your industry and your company since you’re a student of everyone now. Concerning the boss, give appropriate amounts of ground-level feedback on how things can be improved if he/she is interested. Don’t suck-up, but do provide the kind of info they want to know.
Why it works: Nothing says maturity like leadership. If you have workers of every age looking to you to be more effective, you’ll have their respect by default.
Work smarter:
Create templates for common tasks and send them out to others who could use them. Write scripts or stock emails for common customer interactions. If you are in sales, design a killer territory plan and use tools like Jigsaw to get better conversion rates. Employ solid time-management to get more done in less time.
Why it works: When push comes to shove, intelligent managers will determine how to treat you based on performance alone. If you are the top producer in the department, you will usually be respected and rewarded. There aren’t many companies that don’t appreciate bottom-line results.
Show up:
Take advantage of opportunities to interact with upper-management. If it’s a small company, say yes when you are invited out to drinks or dinner. If it’s a larger organization, reach as high as is practical. Participate in forums, Q&As, and special project groups, and don’t be shy about introducing yourself at the proper moment. Your CEO might enjoy hearing the perspective of his tip-top inside sales representative, for example.
Why it works: In many cases, your boss’s boss’s boss is a very cool person. We’re probably not talking about someone who got their job on the strength of tenure alone, so there’s a good chance they aren’t as limited by notions of age as some career middle managers might be. This is just an instance of going to find the people who are most likely to respect the substance of who you are.
Avoid being an idiot:
Subtle advice, no? Anyone who’s spent any amount of time in an office has seen talented people who can’t stop shooting themselves in the foot with stupid habits. Improper attire, showing up late, inappropriate jokes, failure to stop talking about oneself… The list goes on and on. Exercise good judgment and at least be aware of the norms in your workplace. Like with great writing, you need to prove you can follow the rules before you can get away with breaking them.
Why it works: It’s hard to get respect when you’re fired.
Establish Yourself As A Professional Professional
Are you interested in being seen for your contributions rather than your birth year? These 6 tips will help you to get noticed more quickly, earn you greater influence and responsibility, and get you closer to a level playing field.
Be a student of everyone:
Asking questions and taking advice isn’t a sign of weakness, and it won’t emphasize your youth either. You’ll get better faster, impress more people, and actually seem older.
Why it works: Seeking ways to improve is a sign of maturity and is the easiest way to gain the skills and knowledge that make you more effective. Plus, demonstrating a willingness to learn from your elders takes away a lot of the stereotypes and targets you will be marked with as a Millennial.
Write really well:
Develop your ability of written communication to the highest level, both in your daily emails and in deliverables for which you are responsible. This includes correct grammar, capitalization, and punctuation–even in email.
Why it works: If you can quickly fire off sharp emails, you will come across as highly capable and intelligent (provided your content isn’t inappropriate). Not everyone types well, and certainly not everyone writes well.
Today, many first impressions are made through email. If you present well there, you will be developing your personal brand, and when people are surprised at how young you are compared to what they expected, you will know that you’ve already broken some of their preconceptions about your generation.
Demonstrate leadership:
Help other employees to be more effective. For example, since you are a regular blog-reader, you probably are ahead of the curve when it comes to getting things done with computers. Be generous to help others format documents, create spreadsheets, or find information on the web. As for fellow younger workers, you’ll probably be able to answer many of their questions related to your industry and your company since you’re a student of everyone now. Concerning the boss, give appropriate amounts of ground-level feedback on how things can be improved if he/she is interested. Don’t suck-up, but do provide the kind of info they want to know.
Why it works: Nothing says maturity like leadership. If you have workers of every age looking to you to be more effective, you’ll have their respect by default.
Work smarter:
Create templates for common tasks and send them out to others who could use them. Write scripts or stock emails for common customer interactions. If you are in sales, design a killer territory plan and use tools like Jigsaw to get better conversion rates. Employ solid time-management to get more done in less time.
Why it works: When push comes to shove, intelligent managers will determine how to treat you based on performance alone. If you are the top producer in the department, you will usually be respected and rewarded. There aren’t many companies that don’t appreciate bottom-line results.
Show up:
Take advantage of opportunities to interact with upper-management. If it’s a small company, say yes when you are invited out to drinks or dinner. If it’s a larger organization, reach as high as is practical. Participate in forums, Q&As, and special project groups, and don’t be shy about introducing yourself at the proper moment. Your CEO might enjoy hearing the perspective of his tip-top inside sales representative, for example.
Why it works: In many cases, your boss’s boss’s boss is a very cool person. We’re probably not talking about someone who got their job on the strength of tenure alone, so there’s a good chance they aren’t as limited by notions of age as some career middle managers might be. This is just an instance of going to find the people who are most likely to respect the substance of who you are.
Avoid being an idiot:
Subtle advice, no? Anyone who’s spent any amount of time in an office has seen talented people who can’t stop shooting themselves in the foot with stupid habits. Improper attire, showing up late, inappropriate jokes, failure to stop talking about oneself… The list goes on and on. Exercise good judgment and at least be aware of the norms in your workplace. Like with great writing, you need to prove you can follow the rules before you can get away with breaking them.
Why it works: It’s hard to get respect when you’re fired.
GOAL:
A film by Danny Cannon; targeted to promote football in the United States. Goal is another feel good and inspirational movie. Where the protagonist shows that a dream would never be let down if a person has such persistence and strong hold to that vision.Santiago Muñez is the main character played by Kuno Becker, a Mexican immigrant who works with his dad as a gardener but have an undeniable talent for football. Football clearly is his passion in life and while playing in a community football, a talent scout spots him thus opening an opportunity for him to play professionally.
Expectedly, Santiago keeps interest in the offer and decides to pursue the chance. However his father is against it and has made ways to stop Santiago. Amidst the heartbreak from his father’s acts, Santiago still fated to arrive at Newcastle with the help of his Grandmother. Santiago then proceeded to his try-out and showed that hard work and focus would then bring answered prayers.
GOAL is one of the films that will remind you on how to achieve your dreams. Despite the challenges that befalls you, most especially from a valuable relationship. It proves a point that one should pursue one’s passion. That in the end it will bring us happiness and that eventually our relationships will see to understand and be proud of our achievement.
Heartwarming experience, especially with the relationship of Santiago and his Dad, but simply it tells us that nothing is impossible…
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Twentysomething: Problems with working at a big company
From BRAZEN CAREERIST:
By Ryan Healy — If there is an overarching impact my generation is already having on the corporate world, it is entrepreneurship. Roughly 80% of my friends and acquaintances plan to start their own business at some point. Both males and females, college grads and current students, everyone wants to run their own business, and many of us will.
However, it is not practical to assume that everyone will. In fact, I would bet that less than half of the aforementioned people will take the plunge into entrepreneurship. The economy needs both entrepreneurs and employees to run successfully and let’s face it, not everyone is cut out for the risky, constantly changing life of an entrepreneur.
That said, I don’t think my friends will land at large companies, either. They’ll go to smaller ones. Here are three reasons why large companies will have an increasingly difficult time trying to recruit and retain their young talent.
1. Following the crowd is boring.
To me, there is something very unsatisfying about being one of many. This does not mean that I want to rebel or move to a remote village and drop out of society. This means that I know I am an individual and I know I can achieve what I set my mind to. Because of this, following the crowd and working in a large organization with hundreds or thousands of people doing the same tasks is very disheartening.
Ben Casnocha, the best example of a young entrepreneur I can think of, sums it up best in his book, My Start Up Life. He says, “I don’t want to be normal, I want to be something else.” Simple, straight forward and to the point, this quote sums up how young, ambitious people think. These days, it’s all about going above and beyond “the crowd.” And where do you follow the crowd more than in a massive organization?
2. Bureaucracy is a waste of time.
During one of my far-too-common discussions with a friend about paychecks, raises and the corporate BS involved with them, my friend said, “I’m going to start looking for another job that pays more money. I can’t ask for a raise –I don’t even know who to ask!”
If you have a boss who reports to a boss, who reports to another boss etc. it is going to take weeks or months to get your request to the right people. And who exactly are these right people anyway? Many people I know have multiple supervisors. Which one do you ask?
I guess my friend could go to the HR department with the request, but the chances of the HR folks knowing his job responsibilities or knowing which manager to contact about the request are slim. When HR finally figures all of this out, my friend would have missed out on three or four paychecks that could have been paid at the higher rate.
So it’s not hard to understand why he is about to begin interviewing with other, smaller companies.
3. I can be a CEO and an intern at the same time.
Because of the hierarchical structures that nearly all organizations adhere to, big decisions and big-picture work happen at the top of the food chain. Smaller organizations can be much less rigid and more lenient then large organizations because of the high visibility across the organization. Even if a young person isn’t able to make the huge decision, at least they know the person who did. And they can decide if they trust the decision-maker to lead the company in the right direction.
It’s ironic that I am barely a step above an intern at my corporate job, but one could argue that I am the CEO of Employee Evolution. During the day I often perform low-level intern-type tasks, but at night I have meetings with entrepreneurs and authors, record podcasts for the Wall Street Journal and discuss my vision for the future of Employee Evolution with my web designer. It’s not hard to see why 9 to 5 at a big company probably isn’t the quickest way to the top.
By Ryan Healy — If there is an overarching impact my generation is already having on the corporate world, it is entrepreneurship. Roughly 80% of my friends and acquaintances plan to start their own business at some point. Both males and females, college grads and current students, everyone wants to run their own business, and many of us will.
However, it is not practical to assume that everyone will. In fact, I would bet that less than half of the aforementioned people will take the plunge into entrepreneurship. The economy needs both entrepreneurs and employees to run successfully and let’s face it, not everyone is cut out for the risky, constantly changing life of an entrepreneur.
That said, I don’t think my friends will land at large companies, either. They’ll go to smaller ones. Here are three reasons why large companies will have an increasingly difficult time trying to recruit and retain their young talent.
1. Following the crowd is boring.
To me, there is something very unsatisfying about being one of many. This does not mean that I want to rebel or move to a remote village and drop out of society. This means that I know I am an individual and I know I can achieve what I set my mind to. Because of this, following the crowd and working in a large organization with hundreds or thousands of people doing the same tasks is very disheartening.
Ben Casnocha, the best example of a young entrepreneur I can think of, sums it up best in his book, My Start Up Life. He says, “I don’t want to be normal, I want to be something else.” Simple, straight forward and to the point, this quote sums up how young, ambitious people think. These days, it’s all about going above and beyond “the crowd.” And where do you follow the crowd more than in a massive organization?
2. Bureaucracy is a waste of time.
During one of my far-too-common discussions with a friend about paychecks, raises and the corporate BS involved with them, my friend said, “I’m going to start looking for another job that pays more money. I can’t ask for a raise –I don’t even know who to ask!”
If you have a boss who reports to a boss, who reports to another boss etc. it is going to take weeks or months to get your request to the right people. And who exactly are these right people anyway? Many people I know have multiple supervisors. Which one do you ask?
I guess my friend could go to the HR department with the request, but the chances of the HR folks knowing his job responsibilities or knowing which manager to contact about the request are slim. When HR finally figures all of this out, my friend would have missed out on three or four paychecks that could have been paid at the higher rate.
So it’s not hard to understand why he is about to begin interviewing with other, smaller companies.
3. I can be a CEO and an intern at the same time.
Because of the hierarchical structures that nearly all organizations adhere to, big decisions and big-picture work happen at the top of the food chain. Smaller organizations can be much less rigid and more lenient then large organizations because of the high visibility across the organization. Even if a young person isn’t able to make the huge decision, at least they know the person who did. And they can decide if they trust the decision-maker to lead the company in the right direction.
It’s ironic that I am barely a step above an intern at my corporate job, but one could argue that I am the CEO of Employee Evolution. During the day I often perform low-level intern-type tasks, but at night I have meetings with entrepreneurs and authors, record podcasts for the Wall Street Journal and discuss my vision for the future of Employee Evolution with my web designer. It’s not hard to see why 9 to 5 at a big company probably isn’t the quickest way to the top.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
FAIL YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS:
This story is about Soichiro.
He began by making piston rings. He tried selling it to Toyota but they rejected him. Business was so bad, he pawned his wife’s jewelry to keep his business afloat. After building his factory, it got burned to the ground.
What did Soichiro do? He built it again.
That was when it burned down a second time.
He built it up again.
Not long after that, an earthquake tore his factory.
He built it up a third time.
Because of the war, gas was expensive. So to go around, Soichiro used his bicycle. But he attached a little engine to it so that he didn’t have to pedal. When everyone who saw it wanted one, he knew he had a winner in his hands.
His full name is Soichiro Honda. He became the first mass producer of motorcycles.
He says:
Success can be achieved only through repeated failure. My success represents the one percent of the work that resulted from the 99 percent that was called failure…
He began by making piston rings. He tried selling it to Toyota but they rejected him. Business was so bad, he pawned his wife’s jewelry to keep his business afloat. After building his factory, it got burned to the ground.
What did Soichiro do? He built it again.
That was when it burned down a second time.
He built it up again.
Not long after that, an earthquake tore his factory.
He built it up a third time.
Because of the war, gas was expensive. So to go around, Soichiro used his bicycle. But he attached a little engine to it so that he didn’t have to pedal. When everyone who saw it wanted one, he knew he had a winner in his hands.
His full name is Soichiro Honda. He became the first mass producer of motorcycles.
He says:
Success can be achieved only through repeated failure. My success represents the one percent of the work that resulted from the 99 percent that was called failure…
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
On Loving the Difficult
….It’s true what they say that Love hurts
The intricacy of committing to it without expectation or agenda
The pain of rejection when you just want to support
The hurt of undeserved judgment when you just have pure intentions
The tragedy of envy from others when Love works for you
….In the face of pain and agony, why do I choose to Love?
When I can go the different way and leave them in their misery?
When it is easier not to care because they couldn’t care back?
When what you get in return is something you are not worthy of?
When all you’ve ever hoped for is for them to recognize that Love is the answer?
….Despite the difficulties, I choose to go back to Love
Where forgiveness sets me free
Where compassion becomes a cure for the pain and hurts
Where patience brings out hope for the troubles that it brings
Where tolerance and acceptance glues the indifferences…
…I trust in Love because everybody deserves to be
I trust in Love because there is so much pain already
I trust in Love because that’s the best I can give
I trust in Love because that’s the Greatest Power God has given us
I thrust with Love because it moves us to the Heavens that we deserve…
… So let us Love until it is Difficult NO more…
The intricacy of committing to it without expectation or agenda
The pain of rejection when you just want to support
The hurt of undeserved judgment when you just have pure intentions
The tragedy of envy from others when Love works for you
….In the face of pain and agony, why do I choose to Love?
When I can go the different way and leave them in their misery?
When it is easier not to care because they couldn’t care back?
When what you get in return is something you are not worthy of?
When all you’ve ever hoped for is for them to recognize that Love is the answer?
….Despite the difficulties, I choose to go back to Love
Where forgiveness sets me free
Where compassion becomes a cure for the pain and hurts
Where patience brings out hope for the troubles that it brings
Where tolerance and acceptance glues the indifferences…
…I trust in Love because everybody deserves to be
I trust in Love because there is so much pain already
I trust in Love because that’s the best I can give
I trust in Love because that’s the Greatest Power God has given us
I thrust with Love because it moves us to the Heavens that we deserve…
… So let us Love until it is Difficult NO more…
Make life more stable with more frequent job changes
From BRAZEN CAREERIST:
It used to be that finding a good paying career was the path to adult-life stability. Those days are over. What we think of as stability has to change, and how we get to that stability has to change.
Here’s a summary of the new employee of today’s workplace: Most will change jobs every two years. Most will start their adult life by moving back in with their parents. Most say that money is not their number one concern in evaluating a job.
You think it’s a recipe for instability, right? But what else is there to do? Work at IBM until you get a gold watch? There are no more jobs like that - companies are under too much pressure to be lean and flexible (read: layoffs, downsizing, reorgs), so workers have to be, too (read: constantly on the alert for new job possibilities).
In fact, stability is a big goal for new workers today, precisely because the old paths to stability don’t necessarily work.
For example, staying in one job forever is today’s recipe for career suicide. At the beginning of one’s career, it is nearly impossible to find something right without trying a bunch of options. After that, you will experience more personal growth from changing jobs frequently than staying in one job for extended periods of time. And if you change jobs frequently you build an adaptable skill set and a wide network which are the keys to being able to find a job whenever you need to.
Another example of the fact that common paths to stability no longer work: Professional degrees used to be viewed as a safe path, but now they box you into uncomfortable spots. PhD’s are having lots of trouble finding work due to the documented glut of qualified candidates, and the MBA is not a huge help to your career unless you go to a top-ten school. Doctors are having a hard time working a schedule that accommodates kids and pay back school loans, which is creating a surge in interest in the field of opthalmology - probably not what your parents had in mind when they were encouraging medical school.
The lack of stability is affecting people across the board: “All well-educated workers, even those at the top, are at much greater risk of economic reversals than they used to be,” wrote Jacob Hacker, professor of political science at Yale.
Finally, tried-and-true paths to financial stability are no longer reliable either. This is the first generation that will not do better financially than their parents. Anya Kamenetz describes in her book, Generation Debt, that young people today are in a much worse financial situation than their parents were, so the expectations for stability have to change. This financial situation is due to increasing college costs and decreasing parental ability to foot the bill. And real salaries are decreasing for entry level jobs. So new workers start life with more debt and less ability to pay it than their parents’ generation.
So it’s not surprising that the new vision of stability is not a house, two kids and pension. Most young people are priced out of housing markets in the cities they want to live in, like Boston. San Francisco and New York are seeing an increase in one-child families because people can’t afford two, and there are no more pensions. Period. The goals are more fluid - and they do not focus on old tropes of financial success like a house and a 401K.
Key values today are time and relationships. Stability means knowing you can get yourself work that is fun and accommodates those values. The stable people are those who can manage to consistently get work they enjoy that pays their bills.
It used to be that you worked really hard and paid your dues so you could retire rich and do what you love. But we know now that most people don’t really retire, so paying dues in order to get that is nonsense. Stability is knowing you have a life where you can do what you love, during your whole life, not just at the end.
The new way to find a good job - one that creates this stability — is to change jobs. A lot. And to keep an open mind about what a job really is, because what it is not is a lifelong commitment to one company.
Here are ways to use frequent job changes to create stability in your life:
1. Build up a strong skill set quickly.
Go to a job to work on a great project, and leave when your learning curve flattens out. The faster you build up your skills to create an expertise, the faster you will be able to set yourself apart from everyone else, and find good jobs quickly.
2. Get good at making transitions.
There are moments in a person’s life that typically throw everything out of whack because you can’t continue working in your job. Sickness, relocation, unexpected wrenches in one’s plan. When you are used to changing jobs, and you have taught yourself to deal with work transitions, then when your personal life requires huge transition, your work can accommodate that instead of get in the way. Changing jobs will be easy.
3. Make the most of the in-between-jobs time.
You can use job changes to make transition less risky. It’s very hard to know if you’ll like something until you try it. If you have been in corporate marketing for ten years and you want to try entrepreneurship, that feels like a big risk. But if you think you might like to start your own business but you’re not sure, taking a pause in between jobs to try this new business isn’t such a risky move at all.
4. Get out of paying your dues.
The idea of paying dues worked fine when there was actually payoff (think: Retirement communities in Florida funded by pensions.) But today paying dues doesn’t have nearly the payoff it used to, and in fact, creates instability by creating unreasonable expectations for a job you become overly invested in. So get out of paying dues by changing jobs frequently. Laura Vanderkam, workplace reporter for USA Today, wrote a book called Grindhopping about how to hop from job to job as a way to avoid paying your dues.
5. Keep your finances in order.
As long as you keep your overhead down, so that you don’t need a salary that requires 100-hour work weeks, then job hopping is actually a way to ensure financial stability. You know you are not going to stay at a job forever, and you don’t know when it will end. But you will always able to get work when your needs or your company’s needs change if you are good at changing jobs. This won’t be true, however, if you are a financial mess and have enormous overhead.
The best financial security today is to have great job hunting skills that never stop. Go to the best job, do it until you find another best job. This is the kind of person who will always be able to get money when they need it.
And don’t let people tell you that job hoppers will get penalized in the marketplace. Generation Y is job hopping every other year, and they are in incredible demand throughout the workplace. Demographics are shifting, and forcing hiring practices to shift as well. Take advantage of this. Create a stable life by getting good at changing jobs.
It used to be that finding a good paying career was the path to adult-life stability. Those days are over. What we think of as stability has to change, and how we get to that stability has to change.
Here’s a summary of the new employee of today’s workplace: Most will change jobs every two years. Most will start their adult life by moving back in with their parents. Most say that money is not their number one concern in evaluating a job.
You think it’s a recipe for instability, right? But what else is there to do? Work at IBM until you get a gold watch? There are no more jobs like that - companies are under too much pressure to be lean and flexible (read: layoffs, downsizing, reorgs), so workers have to be, too (read: constantly on the alert for new job possibilities).
In fact, stability is a big goal for new workers today, precisely because the old paths to stability don’t necessarily work.
For example, staying in one job forever is today’s recipe for career suicide. At the beginning of one’s career, it is nearly impossible to find something right without trying a bunch of options. After that, you will experience more personal growth from changing jobs frequently than staying in one job for extended periods of time. And if you change jobs frequently you build an adaptable skill set and a wide network which are the keys to being able to find a job whenever you need to.
Another example of the fact that common paths to stability no longer work: Professional degrees used to be viewed as a safe path, but now they box you into uncomfortable spots. PhD’s are having lots of trouble finding work due to the documented glut of qualified candidates, and the MBA is not a huge help to your career unless you go to a top-ten school. Doctors are having a hard time working a schedule that accommodates kids and pay back school loans, which is creating a surge in interest in the field of opthalmology - probably not what your parents had in mind when they were encouraging medical school.
The lack of stability is affecting people across the board: “All well-educated workers, even those at the top, are at much greater risk of economic reversals than they used to be,” wrote Jacob Hacker, professor of political science at Yale.
Finally, tried-and-true paths to financial stability are no longer reliable either. This is the first generation that will not do better financially than their parents. Anya Kamenetz describes in her book, Generation Debt, that young people today are in a much worse financial situation than their parents were, so the expectations for stability have to change. This financial situation is due to increasing college costs and decreasing parental ability to foot the bill. And real salaries are decreasing for entry level jobs. So new workers start life with more debt and less ability to pay it than their parents’ generation.
So it’s not surprising that the new vision of stability is not a house, two kids and pension. Most young people are priced out of housing markets in the cities they want to live in, like Boston. San Francisco and New York are seeing an increase in one-child families because people can’t afford two, and there are no more pensions. Period. The goals are more fluid - and they do not focus on old tropes of financial success like a house and a 401K.
Key values today are time and relationships. Stability means knowing you can get yourself work that is fun and accommodates those values. The stable people are those who can manage to consistently get work they enjoy that pays their bills.
It used to be that you worked really hard and paid your dues so you could retire rich and do what you love. But we know now that most people don’t really retire, so paying dues in order to get that is nonsense. Stability is knowing you have a life where you can do what you love, during your whole life, not just at the end.
The new way to find a good job - one that creates this stability — is to change jobs. A lot. And to keep an open mind about what a job really is, because what it is not is a lifelong commitment to one company.
Here are ways to use frequent job changes to create stability in your life:
1. Build up a strong skill set quickly.
Go to a job to work on a great project, and leave when your learning curve flattens out. The faster you build up your skills to create an expertise, the faster you will be able to set yourself apart from everyone else, and find good jobs quickly.
2. Get good at making transitions.
There are moments in a person’s life that typically throw everything out of whack because you can’t continue working in your job. Sickness, relocation, unexpected wrenches in one’s plan. When you are used to changing jobs, and you have taught yourself to deal with work transitions, then when your personal life requires huge transition, your work can accommodate that instead of get in the way. Changing jobs will be easy.
3. Make the most of the in-between-jobs time.
You can use job changes to make transition less risky. It’s very hard to know if you’ll like something until you try it. If you have been in corporate marketing for ten years and you want to try entrepreneurship, that feels like a big risk. But if you think you might like to start your own business but you’re not sure, taking a pause in between jobs to try this new business isn’t such a risky move at all.
4. Get out of paying your dues.
The idea of paying dues worked fine when there was actually payoff (think: Retirement communities in Florida funded by pensions.) But today paying dues doesn’t have nearly the payoff it used to, and in fact, creates instability by creating unreasonable expectations for a job you become overly invested in. So get out of paying dues by changing jobs frequently. Laura Vanderkam, workplace reporter for USA Today, wrote a book called Grindhopping about how to hop from job to job as a way to avoid paying your dues.
5. Keep your finances in order.
As long as you keep your overhead down, so that you don’t need a salary that requires 100-hour work weeks, then job hopping is actually a way to ensure financial stability. You know you are not going to stay at a job forever, and you don’t know when it will end. But you will always able to get work when your needs or your company’s needs change if you are good at changing jobs. This won’t be true, however, if you are a financial mess and have enormous overhead.
The best financial security today is to have great job hunting skills that never stop. Go to the best job, do it until you find another best job. This is the kind of person who will always be able to get money when they need it.
And don’t let people tell you that job hoppers will get penalized in the marketplace. Generation Y is job hopping every other year, and they are in incredible demand throughout the workplace. Demographics are shifting, and forcing hiring practices to shift as well. Take advantage of this. Create a stable life by getting good at changing jobs.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Do you have a good job? Take the test
From BRAZEN CAREERIST:
Today’s job market favors employees. The attitude of most workers is that they should have a job that makes them happy. So it’s no surprise that at any given time 70 percent of the workforce is job hunting, according to the Wall St. Journal.
Everyone is looking for the right position. But what exactly does that mean?
Here is something it’s probably not: Prestigious. People who chase fame and prestige are generally not as happy as other people. If you’re after fame, you are setting goals that are dependent on other peoples’ approval. Conversely, goals about self-acceptance and friendship make you happy because you have more control over them.
You might think you’re different - that you have a legitimate shot at fame. Ninety percent of young workers think they are in the top 10 percent of all workers, according to Business Week. Also, 40 percent think they will become famous. The reality is 1 or 2 percent ever achieve a modicum of fame.
A good rule of thumb when choosing a job to make you happy is to pick one that is based on the following list of attributes.
To test a job to see if it’s good, give the job points for each attribute it has:
1. A short, predictable commute - 1 point
The problem with a long commute is that it is long in a different way each day. Sometimes it’s the rain, sometimes there’s an accident. Sometimes traffic is backed up for no apparent reason. Humans can acclimate themselves to a lot of traumatic stuff - even being a paraplegic, according to Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness. But you cannot acclimate yourself to something that is bad in a different way every day.
2. Workflow you can manage - 1 point
This is not about doing work. This is about managing your personal life, which you cannot do if you have no control over your workflow. You need to be able to predict when things will be difficult and when it’s safe to focus more on your personal life. This is why management consultants are generally happy - they oversee their own schedule. But those who hold client-heavy jobs, such as lawyers or financial analysts, have to jump at a clients’ whim.
3. Clear goals that are challenging - 1 point
Goals that are not challenging result in boredom, not happiness. But challenging work without a clear goal is a bad job waiting to happen because people want to know how they’re doing. But you can’t get feedback from a boss who does not set clear goals to manage your progress.
It is worth noting that the primary cause of workplace burnout is not the amount of time spent working, but whether the work you did can make a difference. For example, nurses on the pediatric burn unit have high turnover because it is exhausting to be taking care of children without being able to stop their suffering. Conversely, entrepreneurs are typically happy because they have so much control over workflow and goals.
4. Two co-workers you’re close friend with - 3 points
If you have two good friends at work, you are almost guaranteed to like your job, according to Tom Rath, the author of Vital Friends. This is, in part, because you can process the bad parts of a job more productively with friends by your side to help you.
So finding a job you like or turning a bad job in to a good job might actually be totally under your control; you can decide you are going to be likable and make friends, or not.
Test results:
0-2 points, probably not a good job
3 points, probably a good job
4 - 6 points, probably a really good job
Today’s job market favors employees. The attitude of most workers is that they should have a job that makes them happy. So it’s no surprise that at any given time 70 percent of the workforce is job hunting, according to the Wall St. Journal.
Everyone is looking for the right position. But what exactly does that mean?
Here is something it’s probably not: Prestigious. People who chase fame and prestige are generally not as happy as other people. If you’re after fame, you are setting goals that are dependent on other peoples’ approval. Conversely, goals about self-acceptance and friendship make you happy because you have more control over them.
You might think you’re different - that you have a legitimate shot at fame. Ninety percent of young workers think they are in the top 10 percent of all workers, according to Business Week. Also, 40 percent think they will become famous. The reality is 1 or 2 percent ever achieve a modicum of fame.
A good rule of thumb when choosing a job to make you happy is to pick one that is based on the following list of attributes.
To test a job to see if it’s good, give the job points for each attribute it has:
1. A short, predictable commute - 1 point
The problem with a long commute is that it is long in a different way each day. Sometimes it’s the rain, sometimes there’s an accident. Sometimes traffic is backed up for no apparent reason. Humans can acclimate themselves to a lot of traumatic stuff - even being a paraplegic, according to Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness. But you cannot acclimate yourself to something that is bad in a different way every day.
2. Workflow you can manage - 1 point
This is not about doing work. This is about managing your personal life, which you cannot do if you have no control over your workflow. You need to be able to predict when things will be difficult and when it’s safe to focus more on your personal life. This is why management consultants are generally happy - they oversee their own schedule. But those who hold client-heavy jobs, such as lawyers or financial analysts, have to jump at a clients’ whim.
3. Clear goals that are challenging - 1 point
Goals that are not challenging result in boredom, not happiness. But challenging work without a clear goal is a bad job waiting to happen because people want to know how they’re doing. But you can’t get feedback from a boss who does not set clear goals to manage your progress.
It is worth noting that the primary cause of workplace burnout is not the amount of time spent working, but whether the work you did can make a difference. For example, nurses on the pediatric burn unit have high turnover because it is exhausting to be taking care of children without being able to stop their suffering. Conversely, entrepreneurs are typically happy because they have so much control over workflow and goals.
4. Two co-workers you’re close friend with - 3 points
If you have two good friends at work, you are almost guaranteed to like your job, according to Tom Rath, the author of Vital Friends. This is, in part, because you can process the bad parts of a job more productively with friends by your side to help you.
So finding a job you like or turning a bad job in to a good job might actually be totally under your control; you can decide you are going to be likable and make friends, or not.
Test results:
0-2 points, probably not a good job
3 points, probably a good job
4 - 6 points, probably a really good job
Sunday, November 11, 2007
How much money do you need to be happy? Hint: Your sex life matters more
From BRAZEN CAREERIST:
How much money buys happiness? A wide body of research suggests the number is approximately forty thousand dollars a year. Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University, says once you have enough money to meet basic needs – food, shelter, but not necessarily cable —incremental increases have little effect on your happiness.
Aaron Karo, comedian and author of the forthcoming book, Ruminations on Twentysomething Life, responds to the number with, “If you want to draw a line in the sand, happiness is having enough money so you don’t have to move back in with your parents.”
To someone who just spent four years in college living off nine-thousand-dollar loan stipends, an increase to forty thousand means a lot – moving from poverty to middle class. But it’s a one-time rush. After you hit the forty-thousand-dollar-range money never gives you that surge in happiness again.
Twentysomethings who are looking for happiness from their careers will benefit from research about their parents’ choices. Richard Easterlin, professor of economics at University of Southern California says previous generations have proven that our desires adjust to our income. “At all levels of income, the typical response is that one needs 20% more to be happy.” Once you have basic needs met, the axiom is true: more money does not make more happiness.
So then one asks, what does matter? The big factors in determining happiness levels are satisfaction with your job and social relationships. And in case you found yourself slipping back to thoughts of salary, according to Easterlin, “How much pleasure people get from their job is independent of how much it pays.”
Unfortunately, people are not good at picking a job that will make them happy. Gilbert found that people are ill equipped to imagine what their life would be like in a given job, and the advice they get from other people is bad, (typified by some version of “You should do what I did.”)
Gilbert recommends going into a career where people are happy. But don’t ask them if their career makes them happy, because most people will say yes; they have a vested interest in convincing themselves they are happy. Instead, try out a few different professions before you settle on one. For college students, Gilbert envisions this happening with part-time jobs and internships at the cost of “giving up a few keggers and a trip to Florida over spring break.” But even if you wait until you enter the workforce, it makes sense to switch from one entry-level job to another; no seniority and scant experience means you have little to lose. So it’s an ideal time to figure out what will make you happy: Use a series of jobs to observe different professions at close range to see if YOU think they make people happy.
It’s simple, proven advice, but few people take it because they think they are unique and their experience in a career will be different. Get over that. You are not unique, you are basically just like everyone else. Gilbert can, in the course of five minutes, rattle off ten reasons why people think they are unique but they are not. For example: We spend our lives finding differences between people to choose teachers, band mates and spouses, so our perception of peoples’ differences is exaggerated… And then Gilbert gets to grapes: “If you spend seven years studying the differences between grapes, no two will look the same to you, but really a grape is a grape.”
So your first step is to stop thinking you’re a special case. Take Gilbert’s advice and choose a career based on your assessment of other people in that career. You next step is to focus on social relationships, because in terms of happiness, job satisfaction is very important but social relationships are most important.
And by social relations, most researchers mean sex – with one, consistent partner. So consider giving your career aspirations a little less weight than you give your aspirations for sex. For those of you who like a tangible goal, David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth College says, “Going from sex once a month to sex once a week creates a big jump in happiness. And then the diminishing returns begin to set in.” He adds, to the joy of all who are underemployed, “It’s true that money impacts which person you marry, but money doesn’t impact the amount of sex you have.”
Maybe all this research simply justifies the twentysomething tendency to hold a series of entry-level jobs and put off having children. Says Karo: “All we really want is to get paid and get laid.”
How much money buys happiness? A wide body of research suggests the number is approximately forty thousand dollars a year. Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University, says once you have enough money to meet basic needs – food, shelter, but not necessarily cable —incremental increases have little effect on your happiness.
Aaron Karo, comedian and author of the forthcoming book, Ruminations on Twentysomething Life, responds to the number with, “If you want to draw a line in the sand, happiness is having enough money so you don’t have to move back in with your parents.”
To someone who just spent four years in college living off nine-thousand-dollar loan stipends, an increase to forty thousand means a lot – moving from poverty to middle class. But it’s a one-time rush. After you hit the forty-thousand-dollar-range money never gives you that surge in happiness again.
Twentysomethings who are looking for happiness from their careers will benefit from research about their parents’ choices. Richard Easterlin, professor of economics at University of Southern California says previous generations have proven that our desires adjust to our income. “At all levels of income, the typical response is that one needs 20% more to be happy.” Once you have basic needs met, the axiom is true: more money does not make more happiness.
So then one asks, what does matter? The big factors in determining happiness levels are satisfaction with your job and social relationships. And in case you found yourself slipping back to thoughts of salary, according to Easterlin, “How much pleasure people get from their job is independent of how much it pays.”
Unfortunately, people are not good at picking a job that will make them happy. Gilbert found that people are ill equipped to imagine what their life would be like in a given job, and the advice they get from other people is bad, (typified by some version of “You should do what I did.”)
Gilbert recommends going into a career where people are happy. But don’t ask them if their career makes them happy, because most people will say yes; they have a vested interest in convincing themselves they are happy. Instead, try out a few different professions before you settle on one. For college students, Gilbert envisions this happening with part-time jobs and internships at the cost of “giving up a few keggers and a trip to Florida over spring break.” But even if you wait until you enter the workforce, it makes sense to switch from one entry-level job to another; no seniority and scant experience means you have little to lose. So it’s an ideal time to figure out what will make you happy: Use a series of jobs to observe different professions at close range to see if YOU think they make people happy.
It’s simple, proven advice, but few people take it because they think they are unique and their experience in a career will be different. Get over that. You are not unique, you are basically just like everyone else. Gilbert can, in the course of five minutes, rattle off ten reasons why people think they are unique but they are not. For example: We spend our lives finding differences between people to choose teachers, band mates and spouses, so our perception of peoples’ differences is exaggerated… And then Gilbert gets to grapes: “If you spend seven years studying the differences between grapes, no two will look the same to you, but really a grape is a grape.”
So your first step is to stop thinking you’re a special case. Take Gilbert’s advice and choose a career based on your assessment of other people in that career. You next step is to focus on social relationships, because in terms of happiness, job satisfaction is very important but social relationships are most important.
And by social relations, most researchers mean sex – with one, consistent partner. So consider giving your career aspirations a little less weight than you give your aspirations for sex. For those of you who like a tangible goal, David Blanchflower, professor of economics at Dartmouth College says, “Going from sex once a month to sex once a week creates a big jump in happiness. And then the diminishing returns begin to set in.” He adds, to the joy of all who are underemployed, “It’s true that money impacts which person you marry, but money doesn’t impact the amount of sex you have.”
Maybe all this research simply justifies the twentysomething tendency to hold a series of entry-level jobs and put off having children. Says Karo: “All we really want is to get paid and get laid.”
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Five ways to feel less guilty quitting – and why Gen Y feels guilt giving notice
From BRAZEN CAREERIST:
I write posts about how to quit because so many people ask me for advice, but I marvel that this is such a big issue.
I have no memory of any of my Gen-X peers having this problem. Maybe because when we were in our twenties there were not jobs to consider quitting. But I think the real issue is that Gen Y is one of the most loyal generations to come along in a while.
Just because young people job hop constantly doesn’t mean they are not loyal. In fact, the reason they job hop is undying loyalty to the values their parents raised them with: Value your time (remember those overscheduled after-school superstars?) and always learn new things (Gen Y is the most educated generation, ever).
So Generation Y leaves a job when there is not great personal growth. But in each job they have, they are great at asking people to help them, so they generally feel guilt when they leave one of those people for a new job offer – because Gen Y feels loyal to people who help them.
And, one more guilt factor: Gen Y are great team players. Team players in a way that Gen X and the Baby Boomers can’t touch. So quitting a job to Gen Y is jilting the team, and they feel bad.
Mangers need to understand these issues when a young person is quitting. That young person probably has a lot of guilt, and you could make their life better by congratulating them on their new move and thanking them for their work and assuring them things will be fine when they leave.
If you are a young person worrying about quitting, though, here’s a reality check. The company is going to be fine when you leave. There’s no need for guilt. And here’s why:
1. Money talks.
And at the entry level it says: “Easily replaced.” If you are paid a low salary then the office is not going to be disabled if you leave. If you are so important and so difficult to replace then they can pay more and hire someone quickly. That’s why essential people are highly paid.
2. If you have a good boss, your boss knew you were looking.
Most people under 30 are job hunting - at least passively - all the time. It should not be news to your boss that you are in an entry level job and would quit if someone offered you a better job. And if you are entry level then most jobs are better than what you have, so the odds of you leaving at any moment are huge, no matter how nice your boss is to you.
3. Your company has little loyalty to you.
If your company laid you off, they’d give you two weeks’ notice. That’s how the work world works. Play by the rules. Give two weeks notice. If your boss is so desperate without you she can double your salary to keep you there, right? And she probably won’t do that. The two weeks’ rule is there because once people know about an upcoming separation, the workplace dynamic changes, and the less time you have to deal with this dynamic the more productive everyone will be.
4. Good mentors care about you and want to see you grow.
If someone has been a good mentor to you then you owe it to them not to screw them. This means, don’t let them go to bat for you to — like, get you a raise — if you’re quitting the next day. But if someone has been a good mentor and you have been a good mentee, then you don’t owe the person more than telling him or her when you have a new job. Two weeks is fine.
5. A don’t-ask-don’t-tell approach works.
Do not tell your boss you are looking for a new job when you do not have a new job. There is nothing she can do in response to that. She can’t hire someone new yet, because you’re not gone and you have no idea when you’ll actually get another job. So telling her doesn’t help anyone, it just adds tension at work.
I write posts about how to quit because so many people ask me for advice, but I marvel that this is such a big issue.
I have no memory of any of my Gen-X peers having this problem. Maybe because when we were in our twenties there were not jobs to consider quitting. But I think the real issue is that Gen Y is one of the most loyal generations to come along in a while.
Just because young people job hop constantly doesn’t mean they are not loyal. In fact, the reason they job hop is undying loyalty to the values their parents raised them with: Value your time (remember those overscheduled after-school superstars?) and always learn new things (Gen Y is the most educated generation, ever).
So Generation Y leaves a job when there is not great personal growth. But in each job they have, they are great at asking people to help them, so they generally feel guilt when they leave one of those people for a new job offer – because Gen Y feels loyal to people who help them.
And, one more guilt factor: Gen Y are great team players. Team players in a way that Gen X and the Baby Boomers can’t touch. So quitting a job to Gen Y is jilting the team, and they feel bad.
Mangers need to understand these issues when a young person is quitting. That young person probably has a lot of guilt, and you could make their life better by congratulating them on their new move and thanking them for their work and assuring them things will be fine when they leave.
If you are a young person worrying about quitting, though, here’s a reality check. The company is going to be fine when you leave. There’s no need for guilt. And here’s why:
1. Money talks.
And at the entry level it says: “Easily replaced.” If you are paid a low salary then the office is not going to be disabled if you leave. If you are so important and so difficult to replace then they can pay more and hire someone quickly. That’s why essential people are highly paid.
2. If you have a good boss, your boss knew you were looking.
Most people under 30 are job hunting - at least passively - all the time. It should not be news to your boss that you are in an entry level job and would quit if someone offered you a better job. And if you are entry level then most jobs are better than what you have, so the odds of you leaving at any moment are huge, no matter how nice your boss is to you.
3. Your company has little loyalty to you.
If your company laid you off, they’d give you two weeks’ notice. That’s how the work world works. Play by the rules. Give two weeks notice. If your boss is so desperate without you she can double your salary to keep you there, right? And she probably won’t do that. The two weeks’ rule is there because once people know about an upcoming separation, the workplace dynamic changes, and the less time you have to deal with this dynamic the more productive everyone will be.
4. Good mentors care about you and want to see you grow.
If someone has been a good mentor to you then you owe it to them not to screw them. This means, don’t let them go to bat for you to — like, get you a raise — if you’re quitting the next day. But if someone has been a good mentor and you have been a good mentee, then you don’t owe the person more than telling him or her when you have a new job. Two weeks is fine.
5. A don’t-ask-don’t-tell approach works.
Do not tell your boss you are looking for a new job when you do not have a new job. There is nothing she can do in response to that. She can’t hire someone new yet, because you’re not gone and you have no idea when you’ll actually get another job. So telling her doesn’t help anyone, it just adds tension at work.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
What generation are you part of, really? Take this test.
From BRAZEN CAREERIST:
If you want to know how old you really are, look at the media you use rather than the generation you were born into.
Generational labels are important in the discussion of the changing workforce. For example, we need to understand who is pushing for change and who is criticizing change in order to understand how to create workplace bridges. And increasingly, young people are calling for baby boomers to get out of the way.
However I get a lot of email from people at the later end of the baby boom who do not identify with baby boomers. To some extent researchers have dealt with this issue by categorizing the latter section of the baby boom separately, as Generation Jones (born between 1954 and 1965). This category will make some people feel better, but there still will be baby boomers who are indignant at being lumped with the delusional, self-centered, money-hungry baby boomers.
But hold it. Maybe you are not really part of the generation your birthday falls under.
Here’s an idea: We should determine our generation not by our age but by how we use media. This comes from Margaret Weigel, who has worked at Harvard and MIT doing research on digital media engagement:* “We should not judge people rigidly by the years they were born,” she says, ”If we want to define people by categories, it should be by behaviors because this is something each of us chooses.”
Another reason to use media engagement to peg someone’s age is that the media we use reflects both the space we live in and the circle of friends we run with. For example, you probably won’t find the Wii at a senior center, and you do what your friends do or you’re out of the loop.
So here is a test I put together with the help of an interview with Weigel and an evening reading her blog.
Add up your points to figure out what generation you’re really a part of:
Do you have your own web page? (1 point)
Have you made a web page for someone else? (2 points)
Do you IM your friends? (1 point)
Do you text your friends? (2 points)
Do you watch videos on YouTube? (1 point)
Do you remix video files from the Internet? (2 points)
Have you paid for and downloaded music from the Internet? (1 point)
Do you know where to download free (illegal) music from the Internet? (2 points)
Do you blog for professional reasons? (1 point)
Do you blog as a way to keep an online diary? (2 points)
Have you visited MySpace at least five times? (1 point)
Do you communicate with friends on Facebook? (2 points)
Do you use email to communicate with your parents? (1 point)
Did you text to communicate with your parents? (2 points)
Do you take photos with your phone? (1 point)
Do you share your photos from your phone with your friends? (2 points)
0-1 point - Baby Boomer
2-6 points - Generation Jones
6- 12 points - Generation X
12 or over - Generation Y
If you want to know how old you really are, look at the media you use rather than the generation you were born into.
Generational labels are important in the discussion of the changing workforce. For example, we need to understand who is pushing for change and who is criticizing change in order to understand how to create workplace bridges. And increasingly, young people are calling for baby boomers to get out of the way.
However I get a lot of email from people at the later end of the baby boom who do not identify with baby boomers. To some extent researchers have dealt with this issue by categorizing the latter section of the baby boom separately, as Generation Jones (born between 1954 and 1965). This category will make some people feel better, but there still will be baby boomers who are indignant at being lumped with the delusional, self-centered, money-hungry baby boomers.
But hold it. Maybe you are not really part of the generation your birthday falls under.
Here’s an idea: We should determine our generation not by our age but by how we use media. This comes from Margaret Weigel, who has worked at Harvard and MIT doing research on digital media engagement:* “We should not judge people rigidly by the years they were born,” she says, ”If we want to define people by categories, it should be by behaviors because this is something each of us chooses.”
Another reason to use media engagement to peg someone’s age is that the media we use reflects both the space we live in and the circle of friends we run with. For example, you probably won’t find the Wii at a senior center, and you do what your friends do or you’re out of the loop.
So here is a test I put together with the help of an interview with Weigel and an evening reading her blog.
Add up your points to figure out what generation you’re really a part of:
Do you have your own web page? (1 point)
Have you made a web page for someone else? (2 points)
Do you IM your friends? (1 point)
Do you text your friends? (2 points)
Do you watch videos on YouTube? (1 point)
Do you remix video files from the Internet? (2 points)
Have you paid for and downloaded music from the Internet? (1 point)
Do you know where to download free (illegal) music from the Internet? (2 points)
Do you blog for professional reasons? (1 point)
Do you blog as a way to keep an online diary? (2 points)
Have you visited MySpace at least five times? (1 point)
Do you communicate with friends on Facebook? (2 points)
Do you use email to communicate with your parents? (1 point)
Did you text to communicate with your parents? (2 points)
Do you take photos with your phone? (1 point)
Do you share your photos from your phone with your friends? (2 points)
0-1 point - Baby Boomer
2-6 points - Generation Jones
6- 12 points - Generation X
12 or over - Generation Y
Monday, November 5, 2007
5 ways great speakers connect with their audience
The art of public speaking is actually the art of connecting. So the lessons in this field apply to everyone since each of us needs to make connections. If you can connect with a room full of people, then you can also connect with an audience of one. And the people we remember most are not those with the smartest commentary or sharpest wit. We remember people we feel we connected with.
1. Tell stories
A good way to make connections is telling stories. Chip and Dan Heath wrote a whole book - Made to Stick - on the different types of stories we can construct from the pieces of our lives in order to make people remember us. The key is to have a storyline with conflict and resolution, even if it’s very short. This takes practice because you need to know your stories before you start talking, but once you have the stories, your ability to connect with people improves dramatically.
2. Look deeply at individuals in the audience Many people say they don’t actually know how well they connect with their audience.
Getting audience feedback is an art. TAI Resources, a New York City communications coaching institute, teaches people how to read the audience by searching for a connection.
TAI coaches clients to look at one person until they’ve made one point. You know you are supposed to look at your audience when you talk to them. But in a large room, it’s easy to pick your head up without ever really seeing. That is, you scan the audience constantly and never let your eyes land.
We do this because it’s so hard to talk in an unengaging way and look someone in the eye. And most public speakers are not particularly engaging. You can test yourself - to see if you’re really connected - by forcing yourself to look at one single person while you make a point. Get out the whole idea before you let your eyes move to the next person.
This is a way to know for sure if you are connecting with your audience when you talk. Sticking with one person for each point is painful and nearly impossible if you are not truly connecting your material to that person.
3. Be honest about how you’re doing
But what do you do when you see you aren’t connecting? Some people ignore it, or trick themselves into thinking there is a connection: Think about all the deadly PowerPoint presentations you’ve sat through where the speaker was oblivious to boredom. This tactic alienates an audience, and makes reestablishing a connection very difficult.
Comedian Esther Ku says the best thing to do when you can tell you’re not connected is to acknowledge it. “If a joke fails, I poke fun at myself so I show the audience that I’m aware of what’s going on.” The audience doesn’t need constant genius, the audience needs to know you are clued into how they are reacting. Then you get another try.
4. Smile, even if it’s fake
Your nonverbal body language influences people’s reactions to you more than what you say. For example, Allan and Barbara Pease spend a whole chapter of their book, The Definitive Book of Body Language, dissecting the power of a smile. If you smile at your audience, they are likely to smile back. And a smile engenders good feelings and a true connection — even if the smile is forced, because we are pretty bad at recognizing a fake smile. (This is because when we are forcing a smile, we are still genuinely trying to make a positive connection, so most people will read the nonverbal cue as positive.)
5. Relax
A fake smile is okay. But overwhelming nerves is not. And audience can read uptight pretty clearly, and they don’t like it - it’s not inspiring or trustworthy.
There are lots of ways to get yourself to relax before you connect. One is, of course, to know your material well. But a lot of relaxation is physical, not mental. Stuart Brody, a psychologist at the University of Paisley found that a reliable way to decrease nerves is to have sex before speaking. There are many physical activities that work to decrease the stress of speaking. For example, Ku prepares for a show by jumping up and down for two minutes before she goes on stage.
But what if you do all this and you still don’t connect? Blame it on the audience and try again somewhere else. Because as Ku says, “Some audiences are just not right for you.”
1. Tell stories
A good way to make connections is telling stories. Chip and Dan Heath wrote a whole book - Made to Stick - on the different types of stories we can construct from the pieces of our lives in order to make people remember us. The key is to have a storyline with conflict and resolution, even if it’s very short. This takes practice because you need to know your stories before you start talking, but once you have the stories, your ability to connect with people improves dramatically.
2. Look deeply at individuals in the audience Many people say they don’t actually know how well they connect with their audience.
Getting audience feedback is an art. TAI Resources, a New York City communications coaching institute, teaches people how to read the audience by searching for a connection.
TAI coaches clients to look at one person until they’ve made one point. You know you are supposed to look at your audience when you talk to them. But in a large room, it’s easy to pick your head up without ever really seeing. That is, you scan the audience constantly and never let your eyes land.
We do this because it’s so hard to talk in an unengaging way and look someone in the eye. And most public speakers are not particularly engaging. You can test yourself - to see if you’re really connected - by forcing yourself to look at one single person while you make a point. Get out the whole idea before you let your eyes move to the next person.
This is a way to know for sure if you are connecting with your audience when you talk. Sticking with one person for each point is painful and nearly impossible if you are not truly connecting your material to that person.
3. Be honest about how you’re doing
But what do you do when you see you aren’t connecting? Some people ignore it, or trick themselves into thinking there is a connection: Think about all the deadly PowerPoint presentations you’ve sat through where the speaker was oblivious to boredom. This tactic alienates an audience, and makes reestablishing a connection very difficult.
Comedian Esther Ku says the best thing to do when you can tell you’re not connected is to acknowledge it. “If a joke fails, I poke fun at myself so I show the audience that I’m aware of what’s going on.” The audience doesn’t need constant genius, the audience needs to know you are clued into how they are reacting. Then you get another try.
4. Smile, even if it’s fake
Your nonverbal body language influences people’s reactions to you more than what you say. For example, Allan and Barbara Pease spend a whole chapter of their book, The Definitive Book of Body Language, dissecting the power of a smile. If you smile at your audience, they are likely to smile back. And a smile engenders good feelings and a true connection — even if the smile is forced, because we are pretty bad at recognizing a fake smile. (This is because when we are forcing a smile, we are still genuinely trying to make a positive connection, so most people will read the nonverbal cue as positive.)
5. Relax
A fake smile is okay. But overwhelming nerves is not. And audience can read uptight pretty clearly, and they don’t like it - it’s not inspiring or trustworthy.
There are lots of ways to get yourself to relax before you connect. One is, of course, to know your material well. But a lot of relaxation is physical, not mental. Stuart Brody, a psychologist at the University of Paisley found that a reliable way to decrease nerves is to have sex before speaking. There are many physical activities that work to decrease the stress of speaking. For example, Ku prepares for a show by jumping up and down for two minutes before she goes on stage.
But what if you do all this and you still don’t connect? Blame it on the audience and try again somewhere else. Because as Ku says, “Some audiences are just not right for you.”
Friday, November 2, 2007
Yahoo column: Five ways to make career change easier
Most of us will change careers at least three times in our lives. And most of us will be nervous at one point or another in the process. Invariably, you’re giving up the known to pursue the unknown. So, even if you hate your current career, it’s still scary to give it up.
I have a lot of experience in this arena. I’ve changed careers a lot, going from professional beach volleyball player to software marketer to entrepreneur to freelance writer. While I was doing that, my husband changed careers three times in five years.
Each change was different and difficult in its own way for both of us. But I’ve learned some tricks along the way to make career changes easier. Go to Yahoo Finance to read five ideas to consider in your own career change.
Here are two of the ideas:
Make the change before you go nuts.Most people hold out in a career until it’s clear that it’s not for them. All change is hard. We like to be stimulated and interested, but most of us don’t like constant change. It’s too stressful, so we find ways to avoid it. The problem is that if you put off change for too long you compromise your ability to orchestrate it. I spent a lot of my career with the bad habit of letting myself bottom out before I made a big change, so take it from me — the change is much harder to manage when you’re operating from a place of desperation and exhaustion.
Keep your significant other in the loop.A career change is so emotionally and financially profound that it’s practically a joint decision if you’re living with a significant other. I learned this the hard way, when my husband changed careers. As a career advisor, I had a lot of opinions about what he should be doing, but I didn’t want to step on his toes so I tried to leave him alone to make the decisions himself. But I started getting nervous about the instability his choices might create.
There’s a definite balance you need to strike between wanting to support your partner in chasing his or her career dreams, and wanting to maintain sanity in the relationship while the chase is on. Keeping your partner in the loop, not just about what you’re doing but also what you’re thinking, can go a long way toward creating a team feeling.
Read the rest at Yahoo Finance.
I have a lot of experience in this arena. I’ve changed careers a lot, going from professional beach volleyball player to software marketer to entrepreneur to freelance writer. While I was doing that, my husband changed careers three times in five years.
Each change was different and difficult in its own way for both of us. But I’ve learned some tricks along the way to make career changes easier. Go to Yahoo Finance to read five ideas to consider in your own career change.
Here are two of the ideas:
Make the change before you go nuts.Most people hold out in a career until it’s clear that it’s not for them. All change is hard. We like to be stimulated and interested, but most of us don’t like constant change. It’s too stressful, so we find ways to avoid it. The problem is that if you put off change for too long you compromise your ability to orchestrate it. I spent a lot of my career with the bad habit of letting myself bottom out before I made a big change, so take it from me — the change is much harder to manage when you’re operating from a place of desperation and exhaustion.
Keep your significant other in the loop.A career change is so emotionally and financially profound that it’s practically a joint decision if you’re living with a significant other. I learned this the hard way, when my husband changed careers. As a career advisor, I had a lot of opinions about what he should be doing, but I didn’t want to step on his toes so I tried to leave him alone to make the decisions himself. But I started getting nervous about the instability his choices might create.
There’s a definite balance you need to strike between wanting to support your partner in chasing his or her career dreams, and wanting to maintain sanity in the relationship while the chase is on. Keeping your partner in the loop, not just about what you’re doing but also what you’re thinking, can go a long way toward creating a team feeling.
Read the rest at Yahoo Finance.
Monday, October 1, 2007
"O' Brother"
O’ Brother…
An older brother is in turmoil right now..
He is 33 years of age…
Sad to realize that he has fallen in a feeling of betrayal again…
I say again because this feeling started in his younger days…
A trauma that is difficult to let go…
And a recent situation has triggered him to fall back in the feeling of being victimized…
But during these moments a lot of things will come as a surprise…
Moments that will become opportunities for my brother and me…
That at these points in our lives, a brother could indeed uplift a brother’s spirit…
Within months of struggles and aches…
Only an hour of lunch between brothers could ease the pain…
With that hour of conversation, my brother is ready to face the world again…
Prepared to triumph and conquer his destiny and the abundance that he deserves…
Ready to challenge his fears and slay the dragons in his mind…
What propelled him to swing to the positive side at such a fast pace?
I have come to realize that there are indeed a lot of changes to the present lives that we hold…
In the norm, we would just ignore and pester each other up…
And that, it is a sign of weakness to allow you to be beaten down by a situation…
However this situation presented us a new fate…
It showed me a chance to kindle a brotherhood that I’ve longed for…
Where rivalries are put aside…
And that just Love and Support could move brethren…
That expressing Love is not at all corny as how we think it is…
Instead Love could give Courage and Hope to the imminent future of our Lives…
It is by Love that we are hurled to the Light, From the Darkness that makes us feeble…
The Happiness that it brought me…
Thank you O’ Brother for this chance…
An older brother is in turmoil right now..
He is 33 years of age…
Sad to realize that he has fallen in a feeling of betrayal again…
I say again because this feeling started in his younger days…
A trauma that is difficult to let go…
And a recent situation has triggered him to fall back in the feeling of being victimized…
But during these moments a lot of things will come as a surprise…
Moments that will become opportunities for my brother and me…
That at these points in our lives, a brother could indeed uplift a brother’s spirit…
Within months of struggles and aches…
Only an hour of lunch between brothers could ease the pain…
With that hour of conversation, my brother is ready to face the world again…
Prepared to triumph and conquer his destiny and the abundance that he deserves…
Ready to challenge his fears and slay the dragons in his mind…
What propelled him to swing to the positive side at such a fast pace?
I have come to realize that there are indeed a lot of changes to the present lives that we hold…
In the norm, we would just ignore and pester each other up…
And that, it is a sign of weakness to allow you to be beaten down by a situation…
However this situation presented us a new fate…
It showed me a chance to kindle a brotherhood that I’ve longed for…
Where rivalries are put aside…
And that just Love and Support could move brethren…
That expressing Love is not at all corny as how we think it is…
Instead Love could give Courage and Hope to the imminent future of our Lives…
It is by Love that we are hurled to the Light, From the Darkness that makes us feeble…
The Happiness that it brought me…
Thank you O’ Brother for this chance…
Sunday, September 30, 2007
"Of Nostalgic 10 Years"
Of Nostalgic 10 Years…
4 April 2007
Four corners of a room with a busy feel
Reminders of triumph of 10 years
Colorful, beautiful and comforting
Wonderful moments frozen by such keepsakes
Mementos smiling back from wooden and steel frames
Of loved ones from the past and the present
However cheerful it should feel
These things just stare
Without a voice, or warmth or scent
Good ‘Ol Silence becoming a gloomy company.
10 years it has been
Of days of struggling and just living
The chosen path endured and achieved
A long way from the innocence departed
And in a waking chance you realize
Important parts of life is put to sacrifice
Wondering where they have gone
Or rather not choosing over them was worthwhile
The value of thy self transformed
In an identity unrecognized
10 years past.
Now being mindful of the precious things
Where shall it lead? 10 years forward...
4 April 2007
Four corners of a room with a busy feel
Reminders of triumph of 10 years
Colorful, beautiful and comforting
Wonderful moments frozen by such keepsakes
Mementos smiling back from wooden and steel frames
Of loved ones from the past and the present
However cheerful it should feel
These things just stare
Without a voice, or warmth or scent
Good ‘Ol Silence becoming a gloomy company.
10 years it has been
Of days of struggling and just living
The chosen path endured and achieved
A long way from the innocence departed
And in a waking chance you realize
Important parts of life is put to sacrifice
Wondering where they have gone
Or rather not choosing over them was worthwhile
The value of thy self transformed
In an identity unrecognized
10 years past.
Now being mindful of the precious things
Where shall it lead? 10 years forward...
Friday, September 7, 2007
FEAR
Those feelings that stop us from doing what we need to do. I’ve plenty of it to be honest with you. My fears come from deep rooted beginnings; and it was molded since I was a child. And I bet you’ll agree. As a child we’ve been programmed to fear a lot of things. And we have been carrying it in our present age right now.
But it makes us wonder why other people can do what we fear to do. How can they act so brave and courageous? What makes them so different from us? Sometimes we just answer like “iba sila sa akin” or “may pera sila kaya ganun.” We just let it go and kill our dreams because we could not face our fears.
But mind you those people who succeed in what they do have experienced the same fears as ours. The only difference is that they chose to face their fear and just go for it. And the fear becomes a feeling of liberation because they triumphed over what they thought was scary.
Fear can be defined as:
Fantasized
Experiences
Appearing
Real
We are in the times where fear is not at all a life-threatening consequence. Unlike millions of years ago where Cro-Magnons treat fear as a signal of threat in their lives like if a saber-tooth tiger is nearby or a wild beast is in front of them. People in this age experience fear and are being triggered by their thought or mind. Mostly we scare ourselves by fantasizing or thinking of the negative results of what we have to do. But fortunately we are also the ones who can put a stop to the fear that we are going through.
We can choose to be sensible. Rather than focusing on our negative imaginations. We can face the actual facts and bring ourselves to a state of clarity and peace. Focus on your intentions when you decide to do things, imagine what you will feel when you accomplish it. It might be frightening but just do it anyway… you’ll never know, you might be great at it!!
Reference: “The Success Principles” by: Jack Canfield
But it makes us wonder why other people can do what we fear to do. How can they act so brave and courageous? What makes them so different from us? Sometimes we just answer like “iba sila sa akin” or “may pera sila kaya ganun.” We just let it go and kill our dreams because we could not face our fears.
But mind you those people who succeed in what they do have experienced the same fears as ours. The only difference is that they chose to face their fear and just go for it. And the fear becomes a feeling of liberation because they triumphed over what they thought was scary.
Fear can be defined as:
Fantasized
Experiences
Appearing
Real
We are in the times where fear is not at all a life-threatening consequence. Unlike millions of years ago where Cro-Magnons treat fear as a signal of threat in their lives like if a saber-tooth tiger is nearby or a wild beast is in front of them. People in this age experience fear and are being triggered by their thought or mind. Mostly we scare ourselves by fantasizing or thinking of the negative results of what we have to do. But fortunately we are also the ones who can put a stop to the fear that we are going through.
We can choose to be sensible. Rather than focusing on our negative imaginations. We can face the actual facts and bring ourselves to a state of clarity and peace. Focus on your intentions when you decide to do things, imagine what you will feel when you accomplish it. It might be frightening but just do it anyway… you’ll never know, you might be great at it!!
Reference: “The Success Principles” by: Jack Canfield
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Is your Job your Passion?
How many of us Pinoys can really say that our Job is our passion? Unfortunately most of us are not really doing what we want to do. We were brought up believing that we can only improve our lives by working in a company that can provide our basic needs. But most of us don’t really Love our Job and just living our daily routine at work to get that paycheck twice a month. At the end of the day, we produce mediocre actions and mediocre results.
Surveys will show that a lot of employees are not really passionate about what they are doing in their everyday work. And if you come to ask them, they are passionate on something else. Isn’t this Self-Deception? We keep doing what we are doing, but in the end it doesn’t give us Happiness. And what does that give you? Burn-Out…
So what’s stopping us from pursuing what we like? Concerns will arise like:
“I don’t have the means to do this.”
“I will have to sacrifice a lot of things.”
“I fear that I will fail.”
“My family will disapprove.”
“I am already comfortable, I cannot let go of it.” Etc. Etc.
Successful people have undergone the same fear and challenges. But what made them successful is that they chose to go beyond those limiting and defeating thoughts. They had focus on doing what makes them happy and what gives them fulfillment in life. Success was just a consequence from their happiness.
Successful people never get tired of doing their job, because it is their source of happiness and reward.
And so stop fooling yourself. Be honest with yourself and find that passion inside of you. Look for the thing that truly gives you fulfillment and happiness. Challenge yourself and believe that you can be successful in that passion as well. You are born to be Great and you deserve all the Greatness in Life!!!
Surveys will show that a lot of employees are not really passionate about what they are doing in their everyday work. And if you come to ask them, they are passionate on something else. Isn’t this Self-Deception? We keep doing what we are doing, but in the end it doesn’t give us Happiness. And what does that give you? Burn-Out…
So what’s stopping us from pursuing what we like? Concerns will arise like:
“I don’t have the means to do this.”
“I will have to sacrifice a lot of things.”
“I fear that I will fail.”
“My family will disapprove.”
“I am already comfortable, I cannot let go of it.” Etc. Etc.
Successful people have undergone the same fear and challenges. But what made them successful is that they chose to go beyond those limiting and defeating thoughts. They had focus on doing what makes them happy and what gives them fulfillment in life. Success was just a consequence from their happiness.
“The Secret to Success in Life is making your vocation your vacation.”
-- Mark Twain
Successful people never get tired of doing their job, because it is their source of happiness and reward.
And so stop fooling yourself. Be honest with yourself and find that passion inside of you. Look for the thing that truly gives you fulfillment and happiness. Challenge yourself and believe that you can be successful in that passion as well. You are born to be Great and you deserve all the Greatness in Life!!!
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints
It has been a long time since a powerful moviebiography has touched my soul. The casting was really magnificent and full of raw emotional power. Robert Downey Jr. is I can say one of the best actors there is in this generation. Shia LaBeouf (Sam Witwicky of Transformers) was at par (if not the best) in the cast as well. Wonderfully written and directed by: Dito Montiel.
Here’s the plot of the story (courtesy of Wikipedia):
Dito (Downey) is a successful writer in Los Angeles. One day, he goes back to visit his childhood home, Astoria, New York
because his father has suddenly become very ill. Memories of his childhood end up in jail or dead - and being swept back to his past in the summer of 1986. His
friends include Laurie (Rosario Dawson), his
childhood sweetheart; Giuseppe, reckless, destructive, and possibly insane; Mike O'Shea, a Scottish boy who dreams of becoming a musician; Nerf, a friend who eventually calls Dito back; and Antonio (Channing Tatum), a confident, volatile boy with an abusive father.
Sometimes we resolve our bad situations by escaping or running away from it. We feel that the only way we can breathe is to go to a new environment and start a new life there. As effective as this would seem, we never really settle the root of the crisis. We may achieve great success and betterment in our lives but deep down inside there are wounds that has been killing us for a long time already and have been carrying for so many years.
“Sometimes the only way to move forward is to go Back.”
That was the tagline of the movie. Simple and straight. I guess why the movie struck me so much is that I have been in the same state of mind before, and the only way I really rose from my grave wounds and hurts was to truly embrace and face my deep rooted pains.
And so I courageously faced my demons and dragons. I settled the score with my dad and relatives. Found my peace again with my long time friends. But most importantly I forgave myself and found myself whole again.
Let me have this opportunity to say thank you to my living saints, my Dad, (my Mom, who is having a blast now with God J the true saint for me), my great siblings and wonderful nephews, and my wonderful friends. You have been a source of inspiration and a good reason for living… Life is indeed damn Great!!!
Here’s the plot of the story (courtesy of Wikipedia):
Dito (Downey) is a successful writer in Los Angeles. One day, he goes back to visit his childhood home, Astoria, New York
because his father has suddenly become very ill. Memories of his childhood end up in jail or dead - and being swept back to his past in the summer of 1986. His
friends include Laurie (Rosario Dawson), his
childhood sweetheart; Giuseppe, reckless, destructive, and possibly insane; Mike O'Shea, a Scottish boy who dreams of becoming a musician; Nerf, a friend who eventually calls Dito back; and Antonio (Channing Tatum), a confident, volatile boy with an abusive father.
Sometimes we resolve our bad situations by escaping or running away from it. We feel that the only way we can breathe is to go to a new environment and start a new life there. As effective as this would seem, we never really settle the root of the crisis. We may achieve great success and betterment in our lives but deep down inside there are wounds that has been killing us for a long time already and have been carrying for so many years.
“Sometimes the only way to move forward is to go Back.”
That was the tagline of the movie. Simple and straight. I guess why the movie struck me so much is that I have been in the same state of mind before, and the only way I really rose from my grave wounds and hurts was to truly embrace and face my deep rooted pains.
And so I courageously faced my demons and dragons. I settled the score with my dad and relatives. Found my peace again with my long time friends. But most importantly I forgave myself and found myself whole again.
Let me have this opportunity to say thank you to my living saints, my Dad, (my Mom, who is having a blast now with God J the true saint for me), my great siblings and wonderful nephews, and my wonderful friends. You have been a source of inspiration and a good reason for living… Life is indeed damn Great!!!
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Heal your Life
During my past jobs in the past years, I’d get colds once in a month or two. Being a workaholic really has its negative effects in our bodies. Getting sick is always a sign that there is something wrong with how our mind is functioning, or how it is operating (or sometimes we deliberately wish to get sick just to have an escape with the busy life that we are living in). We work very hard to achieve our tasks but our tasks just seem to pile up every time; leaving us with so little time to relax and take care of our body.
We might not be aware of this but the state of our mind or thinking causes our sickness or diseases.
To give you an example, Colds is a sign that our mind is experiencing too much going on at once, or we have a mental confusion or disorder. I normally get colds when I have a lot of things to accomplish in my hands. I am overwhelmed by too many projects and the anxiety of achieving all the target dates. As a result, I end up in bed feeling cranky and sore but no other choice but to lie down and get a good rest.
Yeah multitasking is a great deed but sometimes it leaves us to be unfocused with our deliverables and priorities. I am sure that most of us are juggling more than one priority in our lives and by not accomplishing all of them we end up unfulfilled and unsatisfied with ourselves. Sometimes we just have to pause and regroup to keep us on the right track.
I discovered how Great the mind is again, that it is actually the source of my disease and it can be the remedy to my dis-ease… Going back to Colds, since the cause of this is confusion and disorder in my life, I see to it that I STOP and meditate to keep me on track. I follow a mantra, that goes:
Once I get that relaxation, all solutions and activities to my priorities falls back in sequence and gives me sight on how to accomplish everything. Sometimes anxiety gives me a roadblock but I fight it and let all the fear stop and just focus on myself for awhile. This process doesn’t take that long, you can a lot an hour of your day to do this, and know that you deserve this time of break. And in so doing, the clarity flows through me and the struggle stops leaving me less colds every year or should it attack me I get to heal myself fastest time possible.
Here are some of the common diseases that we experience, its cause and how you can help heal yourself by the power of your mind or simply changing your mental pattern:
Stomach Problems:
Probable cause: the stomach is the entity of the body that holds nourishment and digesting ideas. Problems arises in this area when there is dread, fear of the new, the inability to assimilate the new.
New thought pattern: I digest life with ease. Life agrees with me. I assimilate the new every moment of every day. All is well.
Teeth Problems:
Probable cause: represents decisions. Longstanding indecisiveness. Inability to break down ideas for analysis and decisions.
New thought pattern: I make my decisions based on the principles of truth, and I rest securely knowing that only Right Action is taking place in my life.
Blood Pressure:
Probable cause: Represents joy in the body, flowing freely
HIGH: Longstanding emotional problem not solved.
LOW: Lack of Love as a child. Defeatism. What’s the use; it won’t work anyway.
New thought pattern:
HIGH: I joyously release the past. I am at peace.
LOW: I now choose to live in the ever-joyous NOW. My life is JOY.
Heart: Represents the center of love and security.
Probable cause:
PROBLEMS: Longstanding emotional problems. Lack of joy, hardening of the heart. Belief in strain and stress.
ATTACK: Squeezing all the joy out of the heart in favor of money or position, etc.
New thought pattern:
PROBLEMS: Joy, Joy. Joy. I lovingly allow joy to flow through my mind and body and experience.
ATTACK: I bring Joy back to the center of my heart. I express love to all.
Addictions:
Probable cause: Running from the self. Fear. Not knowing how to love the self.
New thought pattern: I now discover how wonderful I am, I choose to love and enjoy myself.
Cancer:
Probable cause: Deep hurt. Longstanding resentment. Deep secret or grief eating away at the self. Carrying hatreds. What’s the use.
New thought pattern: I lovingly forgive and release all of the past. I choose to fill my world with joy. I love and approve myself.
Venereal Disease:
Probable cause: Sexual guilt. Need for punishment. Belief that the genitals are sinful or dirty. Abusing another.
New thought pattern: I lovingly and joyously accept my sexuality and its expression. I accept only thoughts that support me and make me feel good.
We might not be aware of this but the state of our mind or thinking causes our sickness or diseases.
To give you an example, Colds is a sign that our mind is experiencing too much going on at once, or we have a mental confusion or disorder. I normally get colds when I have a lot of things to accomplish in my hands. I am overwhelmed by too many projects and the anxiety of achieving all the target dates. As a result, I end up in bed feeling cranky and sore but no other choice but to lie down and get a good rest.
Yeah multitasking is a great deed but sometimes it leaves us to be unfocused with our deliverables and priorities. I am sure that most of us are juggling more than one priority in our lives and by not accomplishing all of them we end up unfulfilled and unsatisfied with ourselves. Sometimes we just have to pause and regroup to keep us on the right track.
I discovered how Great the mind is again, that it is actually the source of my disease and it can be the remedy to my dis-ease… Going back to Colds, since the cause of this is confusion and disorder in my life, I see to it that I STOP and meditate to keep me on track. I follow a mantra, that goes:
“I allow my mind to relax and be at peace. Clarity and harmony are within
me and around me.”
Once I get that relaxation, all solutions and activities to my priorities falls back in sequence and gives me sight on how to accomplish everything. Sometimes anxiety gives me a roadblock but I fight it and let all the fear stop and just focus on myself for awhile. This process doesn’t take that long, you can a lot an hour of your day to do this, and know that you deserve this time of break. And in so doing, the clarity flows through me and the struggle stops leaving me less colds every year or should it attack me I get to heal myself fastest time possible.
Here are some of the common diseases that we experience, its cause and how you can help heal yourself by the power of your mind or simply changing your mental pattern:
Stomach Problems:
Probable cause: the stomach is the entity of the body that holds nourishment and digesting ideas. Problems arises in this area when there is dread, fear of the new, the inability to assimilate the new.
New thought pattern: I digest life with ease. Life agrees with me. I assimilate the new every moment of every day. All is well.
Teeth Problems:
Probable cause: represents decisions. Longstanding indecisiveness. Inability to break down ideas for analysis and decisions.
New thought pattern: I make my decisions based on the principles of truth, and I rest securely knowing that only Right Action is taking place in my life.
Blood Pressure:
Probable cause: Represents joy in the body, flowing freely
HIGH: Longstanding emotional problem not solved.
LOW: Lack of Love as a child. Defeatism. What’s the use; it won’t work anyway.
New thought pattern:
HIGH: I joyously release the past. I am at peace.
LOW: I now choose to live in the ever-joyous NOW. My life is JOY.
Heart: Represents the center of love and security.
Probable cause:
PROBLEMS: Longstanding emotional problems. Lack of joy, hardening of the heart. Belief in strain and stress.
ATTACK: Squeezing all the joy out of the heart in favor of money or position, etc.
New thought pattern:
PROBLEMS: Joy, Joy. Joy. I lovingly allow joy to flow through my mind and body and experience.
ATTACK: I bring Joy back to the center of my heart. I express love to all.
Addictions:
Probable cause: Running from the self. Fear. Not knowing how to love the self.
New thought pattern: I now discover how wonderful I am, I choose to love and enjoy myself.
Cancer:
Probable cause: Deep hurt. Longstanding resentment. Deep secret or grief eating away at the self. Carrying hatreds. What’s the use.
New thought pattern: I lovingly forgive and release all of the past. I choose to fill my world with joy. I love and approve myself.
Venereal Disease:
Probable cause: Sexual guilt. Need for punishment. Belief that the genitals are sinful or dirty. Abusing another.
New thought pattern: I lovingly and joyously accept my sexuality and its expression. I accept only thoughts that support me and make me feel good.
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