With this column I am starting an ongoing series entitled, “What You Need.” These columns will highlight what I consider the fundamental foundations of any career. These foundations often deal with the, so-called, “softer” side of jobs, work and careers, but I have always considered this the most important part of any career. These foundations are the underpinnings of everything else that you do in your career and without tending to them you put yourself at a severe disadvantage.
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In any given day at work, we are faced with a multitude of — often conflicting — priorities. We are trying to keep everyone happy, from our boss to our customers, trying to be productive and sometimes most important, trying to make some money to support ourselves and perhaps our families. Amidst all these priorities, we can sometimes lose sight of the most important goal of any day at work — to do the best work possible. For me, doing the best work possible overrides nearly every other priority.
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
I was walking around a local store yesterday when I was struck with a bit of an epiphany. There, on the end of a shopping aisle, were some lightbulbs for sale. These lights were the, now ubiquitous, compact fluorescent bulbs, but there was something odd about them. These bulbs were manufactured with an outside enclosure to specifically make them look like the incandescent bulbs that most of us grew up with. A company had taken the time to do the research and create this product specifically for those people who were unwilling to give up their idea of what they thought a light bulb should look like.
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
A recent poll of creatives found that 37% experience the greatest dip in their creativity on Saturday. But not you, right? You’re going to use today to start, continue or shore up that creative project.
Even if that’s not the case, or if you’ve lately found yourself in a creative lull, courtesy of our friends at lifehack.org, here are 30 inspiring and motivational tips to kickstart your creativity.
Enjoy!
Surround yourself with creative people.Hang out with writers, musicians, poets and artists. Often, just being in a creative environment will inspire you and refresh your creative mind.
Start somewhere.If you create a load of crap for a few pages, whether it’s creative writing in Word or sheet music, the brain loosens up and it’s easier to break through the barrier and come up with ideas.
As a people, Americans love to worship the obsessives among us. Witness the near deification of Steve Jobs and other amazing business people. We are quick to forgive them their sins of anti-social, bullying and “ends justify the means” behavior since their accomplishments are so great. We begin to see their obsessive behaviors as the one true secret to business and life success. Unfortunately, business thought-leaders have tied onto this star, as well, and seem to think that this obsessive behavior is the ONLY way to achieve success in any business. While certainly there are some success stories of obsessive leaders leading a company to greatness, to expect everyone to be obsessive is a road to disaster.
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
Often, when facing important decisions, we are counseled to “go slow — take our time — don’t jump from the frying pan into the fire”. While there is certainly some wisdom in the this advice, I think for most of us, we error far too heavily on the slow side of the equation. This can lead to unacceptable situations where we struggle in a bad job or position for years before we even attempt to make a move.
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
There are plenty of opportunities in your career to be rejected. You might have your ideas for a new project rejected. Your application for a new job or new promotion might be rejected. Life itself is full of rejection. It is an unpleasant, if unwavering fact of life. That said, I find that many people seek to avoid rejection from others by disqualifying themselves before there is a chance to be rejected. Unfortunately, disqualifying yourself is one of the most damaging actions you can take in your career. It often means that you are throwing away opportunities that might otherwise expand and enhance your career.
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
Fear is an ever-present part of our lives. Since the days when humans stalked — and were stalked — on the plains, fear has been an integral part of our human experience. Based on this history, fear should not be seen as a bad thing. Rather, fear should be seen as a wise emotion, one that keeps us aware and alive and points out when we should launch into fight or flight. Unfortunately, for many of us in the modern world, fear is used as an excuse for hiding away and avoiding fearful situations when we should be facing them. In too many cases, fear moves us to inaction at exactly the moment when we should be spurred into action.
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
I was talking to one of our cousins in Sicily recently and he was bemoaning a very common problem. He recently graduated with a Masters in Science (Laurea Specialistica) in Logistics and Supply Chain Management. Like many, he is looking for his first “real” job in his field and he has run headlong into the old conundrum of “connections.” Simply put, he doesn’t have any and it seems that getting any good job requires them. While the problem might be especially acute in Italy, it exists everywhere. For a job seeker, it can seem like all doors are closed just when you need an open door the most.
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
There has been a “perversion” of the meaning of success these days with only the extremely famous or rich being labelled as successful. Douglas’ definition of success is “if you can support yourself and and your family doing something you love.” Success is not black or white, it has many shades of grey and we are wise to remember it.
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
![What You Need: Presenting Yourself Well from the Career Opportunities Podcast [Audio]](http://welchwrite.com/career/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/career-op-20121127.png)
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