Lost Your Career Mojo 7 Steps to Get it Back

Lost Your Career Mojo 7 Steps to Get it Back Do you remember that amazing feeling you had at the beginning of your career? You know, that feeling that anything was possible, that you could conquer  everything  you set your mind to? Sometimes it can feel like that feeling has gone forever. Your career no longer excites you, youre bored and your mojo is nowhere to be found. Alas!  I can guarantee, if you look hard enough your mojo is bound to turn up somewhere. I mean, if Austin Powers can find his mojo and have a major motion picture written about it, so can you (perhaps not the  major motion picture bit, but we can dream). So before you mourn the loss of your mojo, here are some ways to get it back: 1. Surround yourself with people who  are full of mojo If you surround yourself with people who have no mojo, its likely that their feelings will inadvertently affect you. You should surround yourself with uplifting people who appreciate you and only want to build you up. Dont get stuck in a negative cycle with people that drain your happiness. 2. Work play To have a truly balanced life, you need to have equal measures of work and play. Work hard, when youre at work ,  and equally, play hard when youre not.  This will mean a boosted working life as youll be happier and more motivated when working, having had a fun break doing something else you enjoy. work hard, play hard not sure what that actually means but I understand the first half of it ?? gabriel conte (@GabrielConte) April 27, 2016 3. Train your brain Just like a new puppy dog, you need to train your brain to do what you want it to do. When negativity strikes, recognise it and work towards pushing it out. Negative thoughts can really alter your mojo and push yours passions away. Get it back by recognising negative thoughts and removing them! 4. and then boost your knowledge! Learning new things about your industry (or even a different industry!) can boost mojos all around. Feeling like your brain is being stimulated and getting a good work out  is good for your mental health in general,  as well as being good for future prospects and job goals. Learning is fun (no, really, it is)! 5. Sell yourself your  own job Sometimes getting your mojo back can be as simple as reminding yourself why you applied for your job in the first place. Imagine you had to sell your role to someone else:  what are the good things about what you do, and why do you enjoy them? Take a look back at your original job spec too, as this can often bring you back to basics with why you actually like the job youre in. I might have lost my tech writing mojo. Or, more accurately, I realize a significant decline in motivation regarding my chosen career. brainwise (and holiday foolish ?????) (@brainwise) December 14, 2009 6. Include laughter as part of your daily routine Did you know that apparently the average 4-year-old laughs 300 times a day, while  the average  40-year-old only laughs 3 times? In my opinion, laughter really is the best medicine, and can  help you get your career mojo back. Smiling (even if you dont feel like it) releases endorphins in the brain, which ultimately make you feel happier! Just imagine what a real laugh could do! 7. Help out If youve been in your industry for a while and have skills you could share with others, why not try helping those who could learn from your expertise? You could become a personal tutor, a mentor or simple offer your help to those who need it. Even if youre not very experienced in your role, offering a helping hand is  always a good thing to try. The gratitude you receive might even make you feel more grateful for what you have, too. Image credit: Shutterstock

Personal Brands Stop Giving it Away - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Brands Stop Giving it Away - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career In case you don’t feel you’ve sufficiently waived your right to privacy, sign up for FriendShuffle. Once you connect this tool to your Facebook and Twitter accounts, your so-called friends and followers can see what web pages you opened and how long ago you opened them. We can join you or judge you, by clicking or not clicking on the near ubiquitous “Like” button. This is the mother load of dirt for recruiters, employers and clients everywhere. Everyones watching Your time sheet says you were working on the Jones account, and now we can tell that you were actually scoping out Star Wars action figures. Please stop rubbing our faces in what you aren’t getting done at work. How much you miss your old hometown â€" far away from this job! How you over-react to a small personal dilemma â€" car broke down: the world is coming to an end! Where you drink all night long, which explains why you come to the office near comatose. You sent the invite No, your security settings don’t protect you. Most of the time, you invited us, along with our clients, vendors, workmates and more â€" when you weren’t so loose-lipped. Even when you have not, it’s silly to believe we can’t find the information. BTW, there is no button allowing us the option to say what you Like is a “Career Ending Injury.” That’s a shame because oftentimes we feel a lot hotter than the missing DisLike button. What we want to say is: “Quit Doing This On Company Time” and “Quit Posting Stuff About Your Personal Life and Opinions” that negatively impacts how our clients see your character. Remember, just because we are forced into a one-zero world (either Like or nothing), that doesn’t mean we either like what you’ve been viewing and doing, or we don’t care. We could actually be furious with you. An employers challenge As an employer I am suffering mightily with my staff’s social media habits. I will soon add yet one more person whose trajectory with my firm was stunted because they over-shared personal details that reflect badly on their performance. The first person was a freelancer whom I paid in advance, and later found tweeting that she had nothing to do but hang out on her couch with her cat â€" failing to mention that she asked at least one of her clients (me) for a deadline extension because she was “overwhelmed with work.” I do nothing stealth. I receive invitations and I agree. Or, I follow you on Twitter because you signed up to follow me. Just a courtesy click, when you were on your best behavior. I have been quoted or featured in 420 media outlets clearly outlining the upsides, dangers, mistakes and consequences about over-sharing and social media behavior generally. Just last week, the New York Post interviewed me on exactly that. What I know isn’t a secret â€" in fact, last Sunday’s New York Times had another column on the fundamental guideline of “don’t post photos you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see.” We all know the rules by now. It extends to your words, too. Personal brands: I’m officially taking the title of scold, when it comes to your social media behavior. I take that role because I want you to succeed because your social media presence reflects a personal brand you can be proud of â€" and your employers and clients can be proud of.  One that recruiters will see and say, “This is exactly the right person because she is steady when things get tough and she doesn’t fall apart. We can trust her.” Youre a public person Remember personal brands, you are a public person because you elect to use social media. You absolutely can choose to be as self-revealing as Kim Kardashian or Ashton Kutcher. I recommend you wait until you’ve inherited a fortune or can earn your keep by selling the rights to your life. Right now you are giving them away. Author: Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen.

Intelligent Disobedience Part 3 What we can learn from guide dogs

Intelligent Disobedience Part 3 What we can learn from guide dogs Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'S2rqTXy0SqFFIUVuY85gAg',sig:'FQyT6Ij2YxLcGo1EIonxsBiYRwu5KEioTq06IoSRm4Y=',w:'507px',h:'338px',items:'515788777',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); This is one of a series of posts on Intelligent Disobedience  by Ira Chaleff. Ira Chaleff uses the analogy of a guide dog as his model for Intelligent Disobedience. A guide dog is trained for months to be calm, patient and obedient. He is taught to guide a blind person safely through any environment while letting the person command his direction. The human’s job is to sense cues in the environment and give the dog direction; they stop at every corner and wait for the human to speak: “left”, “right,” or “forward.” Training a dog to safely guide a human is a complicated process, and it’s one that coaches and managers would do well to adopt. When a dog executes a behavior, he’s given enthusiastic praise. When he makes a mistake, the trainer corrects his with a tug on his leash and a firm “phooey.” (According to Chaleff, “no” is too common a word to be used as correction; it would simply confuse the dog.) The dog is given three chances to correct a behavior by starting at the beginning and going through the whole sequence. After three tries, that behavior is dropped for the day, since continuing to fail will make the dog anxious. Chaleff writes that this is something humans often get wrong. “We are working toward competence, not failure and anxiety!” Sighted actors often helped with the Intelligent Disobedience training. Trainers will put obstacles in front of the dog and handler and allow the dog to obey a “forward” order. The handler will do a controlled stumble with exaggerated noise of distress, pulling the dog with him. Chaleff writes: “No one gets hurt, but it’s unpleasant for both dog and man.” The dogs learn how to prevent harm by solving problems â€" finding another way to go forward and avoid the obstacle or danger. And they must learn to make quick decisions â€" a dithering dog can also be dangerous for his human. Dog dithering often manifests itself as scratching, a behavior that calms the dog’s anxiety and puts off making a decision. Humans call this procrastination; “Instead of doing this uncomfortable thing, I’ll check my email and get more coffee.” Dog displacement behavior gets another “phooey” reprimand. The dog eventually moves from seeking praise and avoiding punishment to actively protecting the well-being of his handler. The next level of reasoning is proactive disobedience â€" more than simply refusing to obey a dangerous order, a service dog learns to physically block his human from taking an action that may cause himself harm. (Preventing his human from going down stairs when the dog can sense a seizure coming on, for example.) Dog trainers speak of times that they overrode this kind of Intelligent Disobedience and received a nasty thump (which they agree was well-deserved.) Chaleff says that leaders often have a map or plan in their minds.   They proceed on what they believe to be true (that’s the essence of leading.) When a leader encounters proactive disobedience, it should prompt her to stop and consider what they don’t see: something in the environment may have changed, making it unsafe to proceed. It takes great courage to stop and consider that you might be wrong; it’s much easier to proceed with a “forward” command. “If this loyal and competent employee is refusing to obey my order, perhaps we should examine alternatives before proceeding.” Chaleff believes that we should start teaching Intelligent Disobedience to young students in school. If our children have the courage and tools to resist when an authority (or a peer) tells them to do something wrong, we can prevent many acts of evil, big and small. “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who dont do anything about it.” ?  Albert Einstein

Its All Relative Global Work Comparisons

Its All Relative Global Work Comparisons In spite of  our inter-connected world of social media, instant news and communications, and multi-national corporations, its easy to filter it all through the eyes of our own version of reality.  After all, were most concerned with our own surroundings and what affects us most directly.  But with ever increasing mobility in jobs, workplaces, and where we choose to live, its good to take a look at the rest of the shrinking world.  Citrix GoToMeeting  recently completed a study comparing several aspects of the working world from seven countries around the globe.  The results are eye opening, to say the least. Comparisons:  What Exactly is Best? Obviously, there are some real standouts in the study.  Who wouldnt want Australias $17.29 minimum wage?  Or the 52 weeks of parental leave of the U.K.?  And from an employer point of view, wouldnt it be great to have low employee turnover like Germany? But using only one or two statistics doesnt give a very clear picture.  I imagine wed all love to have a car that gets 80 miles to the gallon.  Then again, if it was ugly and uncomfortable, maybe not so much. Its All Relative So, numbers alone dont always tell the whole story.  And beyond the basics, we all have our considerations that go beyond what the place we work offers us.  What about family ties?  Climate?  Culture?  Yes, theres more to what at first may appear as nirvana.  So before you pack up and head to the greener grass, remember  . . . its all relative. What to Do?! If you are seriously considering a major relocation in your future, its best to remember that it holds great potential as well as great risk.  Why not test the water?  Ask for an overseas work assignment.  Take an extended vacation and thoroughly check what its like to live where youre considering.  Making a fully informed decision will only make you that much more confident in making the transition to a whole new life.

An Introduction to the 4 Common Business Structures CareerMetis.com

An Introduction to the 4 Common Business Structuresâ€" CareerMetis.com Starting a business can bring up a whole mixture of emotions â€" it can be exciting, scary, and often at least a little bit confusing.You don’t need to have achieved an MBA or even gotten any formal business training to start and grow your own successful company, but there are some important choices and decisions that you will need to make, right from the very beginning. This includes choosing your business structure or entity.What are the most common business structures?evalThe most common business structures are:Sole proprietorshipPartnershipLimited Liability Company There is no official registration action required on your part, however, you may still need to consider licensing, permits and other regulations â€" the best thing to do is check on your local secretary of state’s official website. And if you’re planning on doing business under a name that is not your own, you will need to file a DBA If you think that a partnership might be the right structure choice for your bus iness, then make sure that you do it correctly.The best thing to do is to find an attorney who specializes in this kind of business structure and get references from their past and current clients. Partnership agreements can be complicated with lots of gray areas, and a mistake can cause you serious problems further down the line.3) Limited Liability Company Corporations are able to switch from C to S and back again, however, this isn’t allowed often; the IRS has strict rules and guidelines when it comes to how and when these switches can be made.If you want to switch from a C corp to an S corp or vice versa, then it’s best to have a CPA or attorney guide you through the legal requirements.A corporation is the most complex business structure. If you’re starting a small business and are working either on your own or with a small team, then it probably isn’t the right option for you.It is usually recommended for companies that are larger and more established with larger number s of employees, many outside investors, quick scaling, and the intention to sell stocks.Which of these business structures is the right option for you?eval