Career advice

Four Key Elements of Life

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I came across a cool definition of life accidentally while doing some research on the MarketingSherpa for my business. It defines the four key element of life.  Before I read what it was, I thought perhaps it’s family, work, friends, and community. Many of us think of our life in these buckets. I was pleasantly surprised to find a much better, and thought provoking definition. ...  read more

Working from Home Sucks

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Lots of people love the idea of working from home.   With the daily 9-5 routine at a corporate cubicle, the luxury of working from home on your own business definitely represents “greener grass.”  Well, before you decide to do it, you may want to hear my story. This story will also apply to those who are “working” from home to look for a job. ...  read more

Inspiration for the New Year

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Welcome to 2011!   I wanted to share with you a piece of paper I have had on my fridge for the last 5 years.  It’s an interview by Oprah of Maya Angelou on her 70+ birthday.  This interview happened a decade ago but Maya Angelou’s words seem timeless.  In case you have not read it,  I hope you find as much inspiration and perspective from it as I do. ...  read more

Play to your strength

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It’s the season to be thankful.  As we wrap up 2010, it is important to look back and take stock of all that happened this year.  There may have been both ups and downs but what is really important is what I have learned from them.

  • I learned that it takes patience to achieve anything.  The closer I am to finishing something, the more patient I need to be.
  • I learned that self-doubt is natural and human.  We all experience them at times.  The key is not to eliminate them as that’s impossible.  The key is to ignore them and keep going
  • I learned that I feel anxious whenever I don’t have enough to do.  Learning how to relax and do nothing is a skill
  • I learned that it’s important to do something totally creative to completely de-stress the analytical mind.  For me, I go salsa dancing every week to unwind
  • I learned to take action on the things I can change and communicate and then let go of the things I cannot change
  • I learned to achieve our dreams, I first must be super clear on what it looks like in every detailed aspect.
  • Most of all, I learned to embrace the ups and downs in life.  They are inevitable and unpredictable.  If I want my life only to go upwards, then I would be in constant fear of unexpected changes.  But if I expected a roller coaster in life, then I can  enjoy every part of the ride.

If this has been a rough year for you, don’t beat yourself up any further.   That perspective will not give you re-newed energy in the new year.   We are all human and therefore imperfect.  We are meant to have challenges in life so that we can grow stronger. ...  read more

Being laid off is an opportunity

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There are 3 things that are I believe is absolutely true about being laid off

  1. It will happen to you and me at least once in our life time, but more likely multiple times.
  2. It sucks every time it happens no matter how prepared or unprepared we are.  There is no escaping feeling at least some disappointment, anger, frustration, confidence blow, hostility  etc…
  3. It’s up to us to decide how long we will let it suck – we can dwell on our bad luck and let the event forever define us in some negative way OR we can rise above it after awhile and choose to view it as an opportunity to reflect and perhaps do what we really want to do in life.

Last night I saw the movie  “Up in the Air” by George Clooney – great movie!  That’s what prompted this post.    He plays a character named Ryan Bingham, whose job is to fire people from theirs.    The main point of the movie is not relevant here , but I wanted to share three parts of the movie that really stood out to me related to job transitions. ...  read more

Career Advice for Recent College Grads

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If you just graduated from college, finding a job and starting work will be a major life transition.  Here is a good resource that aggregated the top 100 career advice for recent grads by category

  • Job hunting
  • Interviews and resumes
  • Preparing for the working world
  • Finding your passion
  • Career advice
  • Inspiration and Motivation
  • What not to do
  • Where to work
  • Miscellaneous

There is a ton of material.  You will most likely read contradicting advice within this article.   Think of this as reference material like what you get when you do research for a report in school.  You may find all kinds of information on a topic but it’s up to you to formulate your own opinion about the topic for your report.  Your career decisions need to work the same way. ...  read more