Flexibility --> Amazing Moments

I took the last 3 days off from posting blogs - now I know I made myself a promise to post a blog daily to help keep myself motivated and to try to motivate and inspire others.  BUT, I also know that sometimes you need to compromise and go with the flow in order to totally take advantage of all of life's opportunities.

The reason that I took the last 3 days off from blogging was to spend time with my family.  Today is my baby girl's 19th birthday and she came home from college this weekend to visit.  We had an AMAZING weekend - we didn't really do anything big or special, we just spent time with each other.  

So I dedicate this blog to saying, "Happy Birthday" to my daughter and "I Love You" to my entire family!!

If you get anything out of this blog, I hope you realize the importance of spending quality time with the people you love and the importance of being flexible and willing to compromise in order to truly enjoy life's blessings!

Affirmations

Tonight the words aren't quite flowing, but I still wanted to make sure that I took the time to post.  Personally, I could use a little positive affirmation right now.  And I have learned that you should give whatever it is that you need.  So, I hope you feel inspired and lifted . . . 

Resume Tips

In thinking about what to write about this evening, I felt the need to let my "career coach" out.  Today I taught a workshop on creating an attention grabbing Resume in today's job market and was inspired to create a basic list of Do's and Don'ts to help people as they create their resume . . . . hope that you find them helpful in having a successful job search campaign!

DO

·         Ensure your resume looks, feels, and sounds like YOU on paper

·         Make sure your resume is PLEASING to the eye

·         1”margins on all 4 sides

·         Choose one font for entire document (including header and footer)

·         12 point font for Body

·         14 – 16 point font for NAME

·         Line spacing 1.15

·         Turn your contact information into a header so that it appears on every page

·         Customize your resume for each specific job

·         Focus on the employer’s needs and how you meet them

·         Create a professional e-mail address using your name

·         Highlight the position title you are applying for below your name

·         Give just enough information to grab the employer’s attention and make them feel like they have to meet you face-to-face to get the rest of the story

·         Triple Check for accuracy

·         Start with a Summary paragraph explaining why you are the right person for the job

·         Include Key Skills in the top 1/3 of your resume

·         Create between 3 and 6 bullets to describe each position in your work history

·         Start each bullet with a VERB to show you are action oriented

·         Keep all bullets in the same tense

·         Customize bullets to highlight skills employers are seeking

Quantify bullets to show measurable accomplishments


DON'T

·         Make your font or margins too small

·         SQUEEZE your resume onto a page

·         Use a generic resume

·         Have an unprofessional e-mail address

·         Include References or state that they are “Available upon Request”

·         Get someone else to write your resume or use a canned program to create your resume

·         Use an Objective statement

·         Give too much information

·         Over bulletize

·         Make references to politics, religion, race, gender, etc.

·         Include outdated or irrelevant skills

·         Have ERRORS – typo, spelling, grammar

·         Include your address if you live too far away

·         Use 1^st person – I, me, my, mine

·         Apply for jobs you aren’t qualified for

·         Use paragraphs

·         Use “Entry-level”

Include bullet points that sound like a job description

Power of One

We've all heard that there is strength in numbers and that one is the loneliest number, but recently I have heard a couple of things that have made me stop and think about 1.  

I know, sometimes my mind wanders and wonders about strange things - but I am sure there is at least one other person out there that can relate ;)

The first thing that I heard about one had to do with temperature . . . to be exact 1 degree.  The difference between "hot" and "boiling" is just 1 degree.  I read this in a Simple Truths book.

The second thing I heard about one had to do with time . . . to be exact 1 minute.  All change happens in the span of a single minute.  I heard this on a Tony Robbins CD.

So why do these things matter at all?  Why have I been pondering the number 1?  WHY?  Because 1 is so powerful!!  The difference between living a life of mediocrity and living an AMAZING life is the one degree of extra effort that we put in, that one minute where we make a decision to take action and make a change instead of allowing procrastination and complacency to keep us captive in a life of ONE of THESE DAYS instead of a life of TODAY and NOW!!

Please, embrace the POWER of 1!  Take a stand, make a change, give it your all . . .

A Job

In my quest to become my best ME, a friend has shared her Tony Robbins materials with me.  In the first few minutes of listening, I already had a page full of notes.  If you are ready for any type of personal journey, I highly recommend that you spend a little time with Tony :)

One of the things that really hit home with me is that many of us (including myself) live the majority of life as if it were a job - something to be gotten done, taken care of, worked through . . . what a horrid way to exist!  When we live our life as if it were a job, we aren't really living at all - we are simply existing!

Life is something that should be enjoyed, savored, embraced.  Another one of Tony's pearls of wisdom that I jotted down is that your life is all about how you feel.  Our emotions dictate the way act and react to the things around us.  To help make sure that we live a life filled with emotions make sure that you are living life from a stand point of "Get to" and not a stand point of "Got to".  When you are facing a task, looking at your to do list, staring down a Monday, etc. change your state of mind and embrace all of the "adventures" that you "Get" to be a part of!

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day and so I thought this Native American saying was a great reminder to us all, "We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

As we go about our daily lives, this is a great thing to keep in mind.  Are the things you're doing, the actions you're taking, doing something that will leave a positive legacy for the next generation?

A Gift

"When you are in need, plant a seed." Joel Osteen

Too often when things aren't going our way, we're having a bad day, not feeling too well, etc. that tends to be where we focus our thoughts and our efforts.  Most often when we do focus on these things, it only tends to multiply them.

Instead of focusing on ourselves, we need to learn to focus on others.  If you are feeling kind of cruddy, go visit with someone else  that is feeling cruddy and try to lift their spirits.  If you are stressed about not being able to find a job, try to help someone else reach their career goals.  If you are depressed about not being able to lose weight, go encourage someone else in their weight loss efforts.  If you are worried about not being able to meet your financial obligations, go donate time and money to someone who is in even more need of assistance.  Do all of these things with an open heart, not an expectation of repayment!

April Showers

Remember, April showers bring May flowers.

When you run into troubles, know that they are just a "shower" you must pass through to get to the waiting beauty!

Oh the Places You'll Go!

"Only you can control your future" - Dr. Seuss

"Imperfect action is better than perfect inaction" - Harry Truman

I allowed other "stuff" to keep me from posting blogs the last two days.  And then I read the quotes above that really hit home with me . . . if I want my life to live up to the goals I have set and the dreams I am dreaming, then I need to make sure that I am taking steps to work towards them.  Sitting around and doing nothing because I don't think I feel up to doing it correctly is just insane - trying and not succeeding is much more rewarding then not trying at all.  When I hit a bump in road, when I fail to reach a daily goal I have set, that doesn't mean I should just give up on the goal.  It simply means that I need to wipe the slate clean and start taking steps towards the goal again!  Sometimes I need to remind myself that nobody is perfect.

We can all use a smile or laugh to help us feel better.  And what better to bring a smile to your face then taking life advice from Dr. Seuss!!  As silly as that may seem, I once had a professor that gave a copy of Dr. Seuss' "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" to her graduating students.  I also knew a pastor that gave a copy to each of the graduating seniors in his congregation.  If you've never read it, I suggest you take the time to pick up a copy and see what direction it takes you . . .

Inspiration

Inspire: to exert an animating, enlivening, or exalting influence

I was struggling with what topic to choose for today's blog.  There was nothing that really stood out to me from the day that screamed "write about me".  I looked through Tweets, did a little internet searching, did some thinking, and then I asked my husband.  His response to me was, "who inspires you . . . people that are searching for a job and read motivational stuff could probably use someone to look up to."  I was really just thinking out loud when I asked him, but God sends us INSPIRATION at the most unexpected times and from the most unexpected sources.

I am inspired by helping others, making other people feel good, spending time with my family, learning new things.  People that inspire me include my husband and children, my sister, my team at work, job seekers that I work with, Zig Zeigler, Tony Robbins, and many others.

I use these inspirations to ANIMATE me which hopefully allows me to become an inspiration to others.  This is in part because  of some advice from Joel Osteen, "Don't just look for your miracle, become someone else's miracle!"

Simple Things

"It is always the simple things that change our lives." Donald Miller

Today was a simple day, filled with simple pleasures, but it felt absolutely amazing!

Youth auction and BBQ at church, a friend that I haven't seen in a while joining me for lunch, time with both my children and my husband, talking to new people, doing something good for the youth, great food, an e-mail from a customer giving me a compliment . . . all simple things.  But when we open up to simple things and react gratefully, your outlook and your life can change.

EXTRAordinary

This morning I Tweeted a challenge to make today Extraordinary!  To go the "extra" mile to give someone a smile, a laugh, a hug, a hand, a second chance.  Helping others is sure to make your day brighter!

I embraced this challenge, and my day was certainly extraordinary!  Did anyone else join me?

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you plant." Robert Louis Stevenson

Procrastination

"If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting it off."

Today I was inspired to write about procrastination.  Why - because I finally finished my taxes (with 4 whole days to spare)!

I have the bad habit of putting things off.  Perhaps they seem too large, too difficult, like they will take more time then I want to dedicate to them; sometimes I am unsure how to tackle the task, and others I am afraid of doing something wrong (so I continue to wait until I "feel" like I will be able to do it correctly, which of course never happens).

I make to do lists and prioritize them, I just tend to put these daunting tasks at the bottom of that to do list and then I don't get to them and they stay on that list day after day after day . . . and with each passing day the task seems more and more daunting!!

But today, I took a step towards breaking my bad habit - even though I put off doing the taxes for a loooong time, I didn't wait until the VERY last minute to get them done.  YEAH ME!!  We all need to celebrate our small successes and offer ourselves encouragement to help us continually make strides toward larger successes.

So in the famous words of Thomas Jefferson, I hope this blog has inspired you to "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today."

Customer Service

"The customer is always right!"

Today I attended a training session on providing excellent customer service.  The instructor asked us how many of us believed the saying that the customer is always right - not one of us raised our hands.  But then the instructor went on to explain that this saying wasn't so much a literal saying as a philosophy / an attitude.  Even though the customer might not actually be correct, they should always be treated with respect.  Another point that he drove home was that this philosophy needs to be applied not only to our ultimate or end customer, but also to our internal / intermediate customers.

Now this training session was about dealing with customers, but of course, it started my wheels spinning . . . and it led me to think about how these same principals can apply to our everyday personal lives.  What if we treated every person in our lives, each person we encounter on a daily basis, as if they were our customer - smile, greet them warmly, ask if there is anything you can do for them, and maintain the philosophy that regardless of how they act / treat you they should be treated with respect?  Can you imagine what kind of world that would make?

I'm sure it won't be easy, but this a philosophy that I am going to attempt to put in to play in my world!

Live!

"If we don't change, we don't grow.  If we don't grow, we aren't really living." Anatole France

Today's advice for all of us - Live!

Every day - learn something new, expand your mind, change and adapt to your surroundings . . . continuously grow!

IT!

"When you know what you want, and you want it bad enough, you will find a way to get it." Jim Rohn

I believe this quote speaks for itself - the first step to success in any area of our lives is to first know what we want (a target, goal, objective).

This is true for both our personal and our professional lives.  Figure out what you want, figure out what it takes to get it, and set a plan into motion that will lead you to IT!

To-Do

"Most people are so busy knocking themselves out trying to do everything they think they should do, they never get around to what they want to do." Kathleen Winsor

This really hit home for me today! I was just feeling exhausted because I was trying so hard to get everything done, but could never seem to get to the bottom of my to do list - and the things that I really wanted to do weren't even on the list, only the things I needed to get done.  So today, I gave up on the to-do list (I know it's not going anywhere).  After work I took a nap, then I went outside with my husband and son to enjoy some sunshine and fresh air while we barbecued hamburgers.  I felt a little guilty, but pushed aside those feelings to just relax and enjoy - my family, the outdoors, and some down time!  It felt amazing!!  And now . . . I feel refreshed and ready to tackle that to-do list again!

So, stay busy - but make sure you are busy doing the things that truly matter, the things that bring you joy.

Happy Easter!

Today is the day that Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  I hope that everyone has had an amazing day celebrating the wonders of this world and the joys and blessings of life!

Because today is the day we celebrate Jesus' resurrection, I thought that resurrection might be a good topic for today's blog.

Resurrection can be defined as 'coming back to life'.  Part of the goal of creating and writing this blog was to 'bring back to life' my ability to dream . . . are there any areas of your life that you would like to or you need to bring back to life?

HOPE
FAITH
DREAMS
GOALS
PLANS
RELATIONSHIPS
HOBBIES
EDUCATION / LEARNING

Let the spirit of the day inspire you to resurrect the components of your life that make you, you!

Treasure

"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." Luke 12:34

It's Saturday night and it's late, but I want to keep the commitment that I made to myself to post something daily.  Considering that I have enjoyed the day with my husband and son, and that it is Easter weekend (a reminder to each of us just how much God loves us), I thought that the passage above was very appropriate.

Our Earthly life is far too short to spend on things that don't bring joy to our heart and glory to God!  Treasure the moments you have, the people that are a part of your life, and the blessings that you have been given!

The Light

"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown into flame again by an encounter with another human being." Albert Schweitzer

I am blessed to have a job where I get to work with people on a daily basis and give them assistance with working towards their goals.  In the process I have come to the conclusion that I learn just as much (if not more)  from them as they learn from me.  I have discovered more about myself then I ever could have imagined.  And there have been plenty of times that while trying to pump someone else up and motivate them, I have found myself being enlightened as well.

So I'd like to take a minute to thank my family, friends, co-workers, and customers for keeping my flame stoked!

What are you going to be?

"Everybody's life is either a warning or an example. You have to decide what you are going to be." Tony Robbins

This quote really made me stop and think.  I have the tendency to think of my life a little more microscopically.  I consider how what I do affects me and my family.  I try to remember that I should be living my life to glorify God.  But I never really thought that MY LIFE is being watched by others - that it is acting as either a warning or an example to the people I encounter.  When you know that other people are looking to you to help find their own way (or figure out which paths they want to avoid) it makes you think twice about the choices you are making.  I know that I have days when I could be considered an example, but there are plenty of days when I am a great big warning!  How about you?

SMILE!

"Lift your thoughts, lift your expectations, and lift yourself.  Train yourself to look for the good things you want and the good will respond." Iyanla Vanzant

As I was driving home today, it started to rain.  Naturally I was in a hurry to get home and be able to unwind, so of course everyone around me slowed way down and I started to get frustrated.  I realized what I was doing and how pointless it was, so I started to chastise myself (I'm sure you've learned by now that I tend to talk to myself).  I knew I needed to change my frame of mind and accept that I would get home safe and sound all in good time.  I decided to open my eyes and look at the beauty that the rain brings.  I was passing a pasture full of cows and the grass was so green and vibrant that I had to smile.  Smiling helped to further change my mindset and it made me think of rainbows.  The next thing I know, I looked to my left and there was a huge, beautiful, colorful rainbow right there at my side!  I felt like it was a gift from God to me - Him sharing a smile.  It's amazing how when we expect good things, we get good things!!  And it's amazing how small things like a smile can make such a difference in our lives.

In today's Interviewing workshop, I shared with job seekers how important a smile is.  It is the foundation to a great first and a great lasting impression.  It shows employers that we are positive, that we are confident, that we are friendly, that we are someone they want to work with on a daily basis.  It is your most important accessory.  And if you don't feel like smiling, my recommendation is to 'fake it til you make it'.  When you put on a fake smile, other people are going to smile back at you, and it probably won't take long until that fake smile is genuine!

"Every time you smile at someone it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing." Mother Teresa

Make the world - your world - a better place, share your smile!!

SMART Goals

"A dream is just a dream.  A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." Harvey MacKay

I recently blogged about opening myself up and allowing myself to dream with the firm belief that those dreams can become a reality.  The workshop that I taught today along with the quote above made me believe that today was a good day to blog about setting goals.

I realized that having dreams is vital, but it is also important to take steps towards achieving these dreams.  When we take our dreams and develop action plans to reach these dreams, our dreams become goals.

When I set goals, I try to make sure that they are SMART goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable (humanly possible), Realistic (possible for you as an individual), and most importantly Time bound.  If you are anything like me, you tend to set SMAR goals, but you forget about that T - you don't give yourself a target / deadline.  When you fail to set a deadline, your goals end up being something that you will do "one of these days".

Based on things I have read and studied, I have learned that successful people tend to do 3 things.  1) Set goals, 2) Write their goals down and keep them visible, 3) Share their goals with someone who's opinion matters to them.

I challenge you to set at least 1 SMART goal for yourself today, write it down, and share it with someone!  Then watch as you begin to grow :)

Future Self

It's late, I'm tired, it's only Monday and it already feels like it's been a long week.  I'm sure that most of you can relate.  But the fact is that I promised myself that I was going to make a daily post to this blog and so I am sticking to my convictions and doing this for me (as much as I am resisting myself).  One day at a time, one step at a time, no matter how little it might be . . .

Own your Dreams

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot

I recently read a great book by John C. Maxwell called "Own your Dreams: Discovering your Purpose in Life".  It's a quick read that really grabbed my attention.

I realized that I had cut myself off from dreaming because I had no faith that I would be able to achieve the dreams anyway, so all I was doing was causing myself pain by wanting what I couldn't have.  This book, along with other factors helped me to realize that I was hurting myself more by locking away the ability to dream - kind of like cutting off you nose to spite your face.  So I am now working on re-awakening my dreams.  Letting myself imagine what I really want out of life.  Then I am making sure that I share these visions with the people I love, and that I work on taking steps to turn these dreams into realities.  In the words of Clay Walker, "Gonna do my dreamin' with my eyes wide open!"

Anyone can achieve their dreams if they will simply believe in themselves and the possibilities!