If You Want Change to Happen - Start with Yourself

If You Want Change to Happen - Start with Yourself We all talk about how change is needed. We all talk about how we all must embrace change. And we philosophize how change is so good for us all. Are we not just wonderful people?! Or are we not just a tad hypocritical? The value of change: Intellectually we all accept the value of change, but we are not so ebullient when it comes down to us being the one who must change. Trust me I say this not from the perspective of lecturing from the pulpit or from the top of the room, as I include myself in this admonition! I worked some time ago with the boss of a large company â€" very successful in their own field â€" and his issue was that he felt his own top team were not showing sufficient initiative and he wanted that to change. In the very first session with the team I quickly realized why that issue existed! By: The Duffy Agency We were having a discussion about an issue (non contentious, let me say!) when one of the team suggested a different course of action than was currently being taken. Instead of welcoming this suggestion the boss harangued the poor individual for coming up with such a “stupid idea”. That is an exact quote! Now I knew why initiative was not forthcoming in this team â€" the issue was not the team, but the boss! He was not too thrilled when I pointed this out! Is that an extreme example? Well, perhaps, but it is reflective of many situations â€" perhaps not as dramatic, but true nevertheless. Start with you! I learned a long time ago that the behavior of my team is a reflection of me â€" when it is good, it is easy to bask in the glory! But when the behavior is not what I want to see â€" then it is harder to accept. But it is still true even it took me a while to fully accept!  So, if I want something to change in my business, then I must first look at what I need to change about myself! “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself” â€" Leo Tolstoy So, very true â€" it always comes back to me!  If I want to change my life, then it must start with me â€" not anything external, not the market, not others to change, just me! Gandhi said: “Be the change you want to see in the world” and that is tough, when what I want is others to change, not me! The biggest change: The biggest change will often have to come in how we view things â€" how we perceive the world is treating us, how hard done by we are, how unfair life is. This is true in our professional lives as much as our personal lives Wayne Dyer once said: “Change the way you look at things and the things you look at change” How true but how challenging! So, the next time you want something to change, look inside yourself and determine what it is about you that must change. Start there first!

Simplifying life has nothing to do with all your stuff

Simplifying life has nothing to do with all your stuff I have never filed my taxes on time. Ever. Its very annoying when people blame every little thing on their parents, so Im not going to tell you that year after year my mom would let my dad do their taxes, my dad would wait until the last minute, and then hed ask my mom to sign at 11:45 pm so he could drive to the post office and get it postmarked and she would say she has to read it and he would throw a fit. Then the police would come and stop the fight. You might ask why did my mom not trust my dad, or why did they did not hire an accountant when they were earning truckloads of money, or why did they not file for an extension? But we will not explore any of that because Im too old to be a person who blames everything on my parents. Anyway, I hire an accountant. But I get an extension every year. According to  this Salt Lake accountant  people who file late  don’t have the patience for all the bookkeeping. Thats probably true. I want to do better than my parents, and I have to start somewhere, so this year I decided to file on time. To do something hard, like taxes, I need an hour to gather my stuff and send it to the accountant. And today is the deadline for getting on the accountants calendar. Fortunately I have a bunch of hour-long time slots that would be great for gathering tax info. I write my to do list because thats what people who get stuff done do. Then  they do the first thing on their list first. I sort of do that. I make As, Bs and Cs. I get up at 5 am  because productive people are early risers. Do not tell me there are productive late risers. Thats like when people tell me they know where everything is on their messy desk. The research says  people who have messy desks look overwhelmed and unproductive. And if you look that way then people treat you that way and then you become that. Everyone on the farm gets up early for chores. So by 5:30 am I already dont want to do my As so I tell Matthew and my son that I have a great video for them to watch. Its one I just found in my email: First Kiss. A video artist had twenty people who have never met each other kiss.  Ten seconds into the video my son, who has been known to search suspiciously sexual terms in YouTube, can recognize this as more art than porn and he goes back to his Rainbow Loom. Matthew and I watch. Its touching. And disturbing. So I watch three times. Then I organize the boots. There are a lot of boots on a farm. And I organize the spices. The bigger my list the more organized our boots are. Now, since there is not an hour left to do my taxes, so I send an email to Cassie: Im teaching you about about working with people, okay?  You dont work with Paul and he doesnt take orders from you. So its insubordinate that you emailed  him. I dont care, and I dont think he does either,  but I think you have no idea that this is jarringly awful office politics that you exhibit here. I think its why people hate working with you. And Cassie writes back: Paul  and I have a system, which we created because you are so terrible at office politics. Everytime you send him directions to change something he calls or emails me to find out what you are talking about. You give him such vague instructions that he has no idea what to do. Stressing over whether I am incompetent at management takes the rest of my hour. The next hour I have is after I make breakfast and do music practice with the kids. I check my email first, which you should not do. You should do the first thing on your to do list and then use email as a reward system. Melita Smilovic sent me a link to a speech she gave about our coaching session. I told her her resume sucks. And she still liked the coaching session. I am happy.  She tells me to start looking at the video at 8:45 but I watch the whole thing because its so much better than doing my taxes. Now I have used fifteen minutes of my hour. So I cant do taxes. I do fun things on my list that are not As. No one has high priority items on their to do list that are fun because if they are fun you do them before they even get on the list. I read that people who skip going to the gym and get mad at themselves about it stop going to the gym. But people who tell themselves its okay, just start going nowthose people are lifelong gym-goers. I have to go into Madison for my sons violin lesson. But instead of scolding myself for pissing away tons of time, I tell myself its okay. I can organize my tax stuff in the car. People who meet their personal goals cut themselves slack. I start sorting through piles of disorganized papers while Carla drives. Having a driver means you have more time to tell yourself youre going to do the number-one thing on your to do list. We stop at a hotel for a bathroom. And there is a wedding vendor convention and I have to go in, of course. And the first booth is Ken whose company is Flipn Sweet, and he can make a flip book of people doing something in just one minute. The examples are wedding couples kissing. He lets my son do a little dance and then we have a flip book. So fun! We get in the car and Im flipping instead of doing taxes, and Carla says, Remember that article in New York magazine about the prisoners who starved themselves to protest the inhumane nature of solitary confinement? They should use these flip books to create protest materials. I wish I thought of that idea. Then I could have crossed out on my to do list: Make time for thinking clever thoughts. I cannot organize my taxes because the wedding stop made us late for violin so I have to call the teacher to convince her to wait for us. On the drive home I dont even pretend Im going to do taxes because good time managers are realists.  So I read my articles from my folder of articles to read later. One is about the book Happier by Tal Ben-Shar.  The research in his book says we would be happier by doing these things: Create rituals around the things we love to do. Express gratitude for the good things in our lives. Set meaningful goals that reflect our values and interests. Play to our strengths instead of dwelling on weaknesses. Simplify our lives â€" not just the stuff, but the time. And then I realize: The way for me to be better than my parents isnt to do my taxes on time. That would be nice. But really I need to not give myself choices about how I spend my time. The more choices I have throughout the day, the more decisions I make, the more willpower I need, the more I get distracted from paying attention to the building blocks of a fulfilling life: gratitude, meaning, and ritual. Being productive means simplifying how you use your time. Which in turn, simplifies your life.

Job Search Tips for Age 50+ Austin Writer Lands Web Editor Job - VocationVillage

Job Search Tips for Age 50+ Austin Writer Lands Web Editor Job - VocationVillage Because of the tidal wave of news stories discussing the challenges of landing a new job when you are age 50+, I asked Austin resident Margaret Miller to share her strategies for job search success.In 2012, Margaret and her husband moved to Austin from El Paso because his project-based work in El Paso was finished. Margaret began searching for a job and three months later, she was hired as a Web Editor for the LBJ Presidential Library. Here are Margarets job search tips for age 50+:Accept that a job search is a lot of hard work.Margaret spent hours each day researching job openings, writing targeted cover letters, and tailoring her resume for EVERY job she pursued. She sent college and graduate school transcripts every time she was asked to do so. She participated in several telephone interviews and five face-to-face interviews, including the LBJ Library. In her pursuit of the Web Editor position at the LBJ Library, she interviewed four separate times with directors and staff members.Value your years of experience and wide range of skills so that employers will, too.Margaret knew she faced tremendous competition, but she also viewed her depth of experience as a valuable asset. She didnt know HTML but she was familiar with content management and search engine optimization because of her years of working with clients as a freelance writer. She was confident she could handle the job because she is a quick learner, and she persuasively and confidently conveyed this to her future employer. Once she landed the job, she diversified her skill set by learning coding skills on the job.Demonstrate to employers how your previous skills are transferable to new positions.Margarets background was in communications. As a writer, she knew that web editing was just one more way of getting information across. She applied to a variety of positions that were related to her previous accomplishments, choosing jobs where she believed she could do well and not limiting herself to jobs where she matched 100% of the requirements.Invest in learning.Margaret encourages job seekers to take online classes to sharpen skills listed in job descriptions as mandatory. She also says if you are unemployed and can take a part-time job or teach a class to supplement your income while you are looking for a full-time job, do so. She adds, Even doing volunteer work at a nonprofit organization will help you to network and to feel usefu l.Final words of wisdom. Margaret concludes, Dont underestimate your abilities. And dont give up.

Personal Brand Audit Whats Your Twitter Score - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Brand Audit What’s Your Twitter Score - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career This is the fifth in a series of Personal Brand Audits to make sure you’re keeping your personal branding efforts fresh and effective. (See 1: LinkedIn Audit, 2: Facebook Audit, 3: Google Audit, and 4: Visibility Audit). Twitter is a powerful tool to connect with people who can advance your career, to engage your target market, to establish credibility and to build your personal brand. Lets see if youre using it effectively. 1. Is your Twitter handle consistent with your brand? Use your real first and last name so that your Twitter profile ranks highly in Google searches for your name. Variations like BettySuePR that relate to your field also work. 2. Is your headshot consistent with your brand? If you want people to remember you, a picture is worth a thousand words. Snap a few pictures of you doing something related to your career goals and keep your headshot up to date. 3. Is your bio compelling and targeted? Use the 160 characters of your bio to concisely describe the unique value you provide. Include an interesting fact that makes you stand out from the crowd. Your bio is one of the most important parts of your profile. It’s the first thing people read to find out who you are, what you’re all about, and what you’re up to today. Keep it concise, compelling, and current. 4. Have you used TwitterImage.com to customize your background image? The background image on your profile is prime real estate. Make sure it provides more information about you and is relevant to your target audience. 5. Have you used a site like Twellow.com to follow thought leaders in your field in the past two weeks? Twitter is an open conversation where you can put yourself on the radar of the thought leaders in your field. Use services like Twellow and Mr. Tweet to find out who to follow. Use a Twitter app like TweetDeck to organize them into groups. Then pay attention to what theyre saying to keep up with industry trends and start engaging in conversation with them. 6. Have you used Twitter search to follow people talking about your industry in the past two weeks? Do a Twitter search for keywords relevant to your area of expertise to quickly build a network of users actively participating in your field. Interact with them, add value to their day and bring them into the fold of your professional network. 7. Have you posted relevant articles, information, quotes or links in the past two weeks? Twitter is about adding value to everyone else in your network. Do not Tweet what you had for lunch. Do Tweet links that are useful, interesting, helpful, funny, enlightening or that help someone elses day. 8. Have you answered relevant questions in the past two weeks? Do a Twitter search to find people asking questions you can answer. If you’re a resume expert, type “resume tips?” to find people looking for help with their resume. Answering questions establishes yourself as an authority in your line of work. 9. Have you retweeted (RT) other people’s Tweets in the past two weeks? Whenever you find someones Tweet valuable, retweet it and give them thanks by including their username. For example: RT @bettysue What will you do today to change the world? This helps strengthen relationships, builds your Twitter karma and exposes you to their audience when they reply. 10. Have you tapped your network in the past two weeks? Let your network know what you are looking for. Searching for speaking gigs? Organizing a workshop? Building a mastermind group? Message people directly and Tweet what you’re looking for to build your brand. Conclusion In the end, you want to make sure you are engaging your network. Ask questions, reply to others using the @ function, ask for feedback, and make sure you are always part of the conversation. Meet people with common interests by participating in discussions related to your personal brand. Make yourself known as someone with thoughtful insights and a helpful attitude. Twitter allows you to connect and interact with your target market (whether thats clients, business partners, customers, potential employers, investors, etc.). So dont haphazardly Tweet random and insignificant things (My ham sandwich this morning was soggy). Instead, tap the power of Twitter by using it specifically to advance your career, connect with the right people, establish trust and credibility, and strengthen your personal brand online. Tally Up: What’s your Twitter score? Tally up your answers to determine your Twitter score. If you scored 0-4, take a few minutes right now to improve your standing. If you scored 5-8, set some time aside this weekend to improve your score. If you scored 9-10 you’re on the ball â€" keep up the great work. Here are the audit points, to recap: Is your Twitter handle consistent with your brand? Is your headshot consistent with your brand? Is your bio compelling and targeted? Have you used TwitterImage.com to customize your background image? Have you used a site like Twellow.com to follow thought leaders in your field in the past two weeks? Have you used Twitter search to follow people talking about your industry in the past two weeks? Have you posted relevant articles, information, quotes or links in the past two weeks? Have you answered relevant questions in the past two weeks? Have you retweeted (RT) other people’s Tweets in the past two weeks? Have you tapped your network in the past two weeks? Author: Pete Kistler is a leading Online Reputation Management expert for Generation Y, a top 5 finalist for Entrepreneur Magazine’s College Entrepreneur of 2009, one of the Top 30 Definitive Personal Branding Experts on Twitter, a widely read career development blogger, and a Judge for the 2009 Personal Brand Awards. Pete manages strategic vision for Brand-Yourself.com, the first online reputation management platform for job applicants, named one of the Top 100 Most Innovative College Startups in the U.S.

How to Become an English Teacher in a Foreign Country CareerMetis.com

How to Become an English Teacher in a Foreign Country â€" CareerMetis.com Source: Pixabay.comHave you just finished college and are looking for the next step? Do you love to travel and need a change of scenery? Does the idea of working at a job that allows you to help people appeal to you?If any of these sounds like you, teaching in foreign countries may be just what you’re looking for. Luckily for you, English teachers are in high demand abroad!Even if you’ve never considered teaching before, you might be surprised at how appealing a job like this can be.Why Should I Teach English Abroad?evalThe greatest thing about teaching in foreign countries is that it allows you to experience the world. In today’s economy, it isn’t easy to find the money to travel.However, if you decide to teach English abroad, you’ll be paid to live in an exciting new country! It’s the perfect way to jumpstart your career while seeing the world.Additionally, traveling to places outside of your comfort zone will allow you to network and make connections that you might nev er have been exposed to back at home. Lots of exciting people start their careers by traveling and teaching, so you’ll have the opportunity to make some great connections that will benefit you in the long-run.Teaching abroad is also a great resume-builder, especially for those seeking to enter the education field. Being TEFL-certified is an impressive accomplishment or any teacher, and school districts will be eager to hire you.Even if you aren’t looking to start a teaching career, spending time teaching abroad will give you valuable work experience that will impress any employer. You’ll learn to navigate other countries and cultures, work independently, communicate effectively, and become a leader to your students. These are all valuable skills in today’s industries.What Countries are Looking for Teachers?There are a lot of countries that need English teachers. English is the world’s most widely spoken language; statistics show that about 1.5 billion people speak it world wide, and only approximately 360 million of those are native speakers.A lot of countries looking for English teachers are in Asia, but there are opportunities worldwide. Here are some of the countries where English teachers are in high demand:South KoreaChinaJapanTaiwanThailandVietnamRussiaUnited Arab EmiratesSaudi ArabiaCzech RepublicevalThere are lots of other countries that are looking for English teachers, so do some research before choosing a company to work for so you’ll have a chance to be assigned to the places that interest you most.What Background Do I Need?If you’re interested in learning how to teach English as a foreign language but are concerned that you don’t have the right background, you’re in luck! Teaching in foreign countries is open to anyone who holds a Bachelor’s degree. You don’t have to have a degree specific to teaching or English to take advantage of these exciting opportunities.Schools abroad often look for American teachers for other subjects ; these jobs do require more teaching background. However, anyone with the proper certification can teach in a language school. The students in these schools are both adults and children, most of which are looking to learn English as a second However, you should approach these opportunities with caution. These schools will typically offer lower salaries and less desirable working conditions than those that have higher standards for teachers. You’re better off working toward the proper certifications and seeking employment in a more reputable school.What Training Should I Pursue?If you want to train to teach English as a foreign language, the first thing that you need to do is get ESL-certified. TEFL certifications are the primary way to go about this.There are numerous options for getting TEFL certified. There are online courses as well as in-person programs that can earn you your certification; some programs offer a combination of both. You can take these courses in the United St ates or abroad. The total course hours of these programs typically range from 100-240 hours.TEFL training programs will give you all of the basics that you need to learn how to teach English as a foreign language. Topics include:Planning lessonsManaging your classroomTeaching language skillsPracticing lessonsUsing and finding resourcesSome courses will also offer more specialized guidance on teaching English for specific circumstances, such as business settings.Whether you have teaching experience or not, these lessons give valuable insight on how to handle the particular classroom scenarios you’ll encounter when teaching English abroad.How Do I Choose the Best TEFL Program for Me?A quick internet search will show you that there are a lot of TEFL programs out there. How do you pick the TEFL programs that are best for you?The first thing that you should do is to make sure you’re researching multiple different programs. This way, you can compare the offerings of the various progra ms to make sure that you are getting everything that you need to begin teaching abroad. A good program should offer at least 100 hours of coursework and provide a TEFL certificate at the end.One way to determine the quality of the program is to seek testimonials from former students. Are those who completed this program currently teaching overseas in their desired country? Were they happy with their learning experience and career outcomes? These are essential questions to ask before committing to a program.evalDon’t be afraid to reach out to the program coordinators to ask questions. Quality programs will have staff that is eager to help.What Else Do I Need to Do?Once you have your certification and have chosen a company or school to work for, remember that teaching overseas isn’t as simple as packing a bag and hopping on a plane. You’ll need the proper visas before you can begin work outside of your native country. Companies that specialize in placing teachers abroad should b e able to help with this process.Once your visa is in hand, you’re ready to begin your adventure and start helping learners across the globe!

Sharing is Caring

Sharing is Caring Are you being stingy with your intellectual property?   Do you withhold information? Are you so private, people think your a snob? I feel its OK for me to ask these questions because Ive been accused of being stuck up when actually I was withholding (information, my true self, ideas, etc). When you open up and share, perhaps even your emotions, people feel like they can trust you.   And if they feel they can trust you they will open up as well.   Drop your guard, be generous.   Give more than you received and see what starts to happen. Think about the friends you have.   What is it that you appreciate most about them?   One of those qualities just might be their generosity. You may recall the old MM jingleMMs make friends, friends who are made for sharing with one another. As corny as this commercial is and as silly as this concept sounds, I think it sends a message of doing the right thing.   No one ever died from sharing, did they? We compete.   We are trying to survive, I get this.   But we also have to work together. What do you know about Open Source software?   It is free software that is developed collaboratively and openly shared.   It is improved upon by anyone.   Think about how Wikipedia works.   Heck, think about Google. This newer collaborative business model isnt predicated on making money, but based upon using the shared knowledge of others to build something better.   Free isnt always better, but it is an option.   It is a starting point by which to engage customers and build relationships.   Who knows what it might lead to. Here are some suggestions: Volunteer Share job leads Inform others of events, articles, information youve found interesting or helpful Stop locking down your profiles. Stop being afraid of sharing.  Be social!   Be collaborative.   Help each other.   Work together. Jeez, have some fun!

The Benefits of Writing Scholarly Articles on Writing a Teacher Resume

The Benefits of Writing Scholarly Articles on Writing a Teacher ResumeThere are numerous benefits to writing scholarly articles on writing a teacher resume. Academic credentials can serve as a great springboard to a new career. Many people find themselves unable to get their head into a new profession and they try to start off in their own homes teaching kids.If they have prior experience in the field, it can be a good basis for their current job or help them move into a new job with specific education requirements. Now there are many ways to gain academic qualifications and many of them are not easy to acquire. Although much easier to get it does not mean it is easy to earn it.However, having an excellent reference, a bachelor's degree, excellent references from your teachers or even your previous employers, can be helpful. These will all give you an opportunity to work in the field that you want. You can get into the field by first starting a new job and at that point you can go ba ck to school and gain more qualifications.Nowadays, computers and the internet are becoming a very popular area of research. In this case you can do more than just read scholarly articles on writing a teacher resume, you can also learn more about the online world, which can help you attain whatever you want. You should keep in mind that the internet is very important if you are planning to achieve anything in the future.Before you begin to write the article for your resume, you need to decide what information you want to include. You should be able to provide the most important part of the educational background. This is important because it will help you gain a better job. All you need to do is to write a list of all the academic credentials and skills you possess, together with your application letter.Once you have written the letter, you can put your name at the bottom. You can write a professional introduction as well, this will help you get noticed as an expert in your field. N ow before you send it to the companies, you should know how to optimize the articles for search engines. Doing this will help you make sure the articles get the maximum number of visitors and they will also get found by other people who are looking for jobs.When you have published the resume and have received the responses, you should focus on proofreading and editing it. When you have done this, you should be able to create a final version that is professional, yet clear. It should be organized and brief. You should be able to include all the necessary information that is needed for the employers.You should also remember that it is important to proofread the article before submitting it to the employers. Your resume is one of the main elements that will help you get the job you want. If you cannot edit the article well enough to make it sound polished, then you should not waste your time in writing the articles.