words of wisdom

Ignore What-ifs, Just Do it

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It is hard work to look for a job or to take our careers to the next level.  Often we have to learn new skills and conquer new challenges in order to make progress.   This is much easier said than done.  We are all creatures of comfort and doing anything new can often invoke confusion or self-doubt. ...  read more

Enjoy the Present

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While winter holiday is almost over and I can just see everyone starting to worry about what will happen this year with either their job search or career, I say STOP.  There are still a few more days left before Monday January 4 (when work begins again).

For now, put any worries you may have aside and just allow yourself to still enjoy the moments of this holiday season with friends and loved ones.  As I celebrate new years tonight, I realize how fast time seems to fly by as we get older.  Year 2000 seemed like just awhile ago.  Since then, many career changes have happened for me and they will continue to change, I am sure.  What have been the most precious for me, however, are the life changes that have happened this past decade and those precious moments I have shared outside of work with friends and loved ones.

So I say, enjoy the moment.  Practice no worrying about the past or the future for the next 3 days and perhaps longer.  I leave you with a quote from one of my favorite movies “Kung Fu Panda” – Yesterday is history; tomorrow is a mystery; Today is a gift.  That is why it’s called the present.  ...  read more

Acknowledge Your Effort for Showing Up

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show-up

“Acknowledge your effort for showing up.” That is what a Bikram teacher used to say to us at the end of every class.   To this day, I still repeat this phrase to myself during class.   It reminds me to appreciate myself for simply making the class, regardless of how inflexible I was, or how imperfectly I was able to do the postures during that particular class. ...  read more

Resilience – Fall Seven Times, Stand up Eight

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A good friend of mine (thanks Jamie) forwarded this video to me, and I thought it would be fitting to share it here. More than half of the battle in a job search is actually the emotional aspect — thinking positive, staying in action, and “standing up” when you feel “knocked down” by the lack of results. This type of resilience is what will separate those who give up from those who persevere. ...  read more

We can all learn from a 1 year old!

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My daughter is 1 year old and just started walking. I am amazed how relentless she is at learning how to walk. Every day she would fall down many times and then get right back up again to try again. Her face is full of excitement as she takes more steps and now only after a few weeks, she has gone from only walking a few ginger steps slowly to practically running down the corridor. ...  read more

One Step at a Time

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I am also not immune to have doubts once in awhile, despite my own advice. It’s human I guess. As I look at my blog posts, I think is the tone too preachy? would it help anyone? does it sound practical? Initial doubts can then easily lead to de-motivation if I indulge on them – what if people think xyz? what if this is a waste of time? what if ….? ...  read more

Key Differentiators in Job Search

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Last week, I saw on the news. “Unemployment is now at 8.5% and FedEx just laid off a 1000+ employees.” It’s easy to feel depressed or demotivated with news like that especially for anyone looking for a job.

Dwelling on those statistics will only make you doubt your ability to get that next job. For you, I say stop wasting time with things you cannot change. This can begin by stop watching depressing news, stop telling other people depressing stories about the job market, and stop letting other people tell you these stories. These news and stories will just unconsciously weigh negatively on your psyche. It is important especially in this tough market to hang in there, maintain a positive attitude, and keep your mind clear to focus on job search. This is what can separate you from the masses. ...  read more