Dance to your own drum
Mood:  happy
Topic: Career
Greenman Coaching ~ Thought of the Day

Dance to your drum

In this difficult economic times, we may find ourselves in a job that no longer means anything to us. We don't dare quit however, because the odds of getting another job soon are very slim. So we stay in a place were the passion is gone (or perhaps was never there in the first place) and we are miserable. There are two things that can be done about this. Since much of the original job search can be done online, begin to actively search for another job. Keep in mind your passion however. If you are leaving a current job because of burnout, you shouldn't step right back into the same sort of job but only in a different environment (unless it is the environment that you are having trouble with). Seek your passion. There is a old saying that rings true; "If you love your profession, you will never have to work another day in your life". If you need more education to do this, go for it. There are plenty of night schools dedicated to the working adult. But what about the current job? How will you be able to cope dragging yourself to that place every day? First, you have to create the habit of positive self talk first thing in the morning. Waking up and thinking first thing; "uuuggghhhhh I don't want to go to work today!", serves no one (especially you). Instead wake up and be grateful that you have a job and paycheck (when so many do not), and be grateful that you'll have your new job soon. Then when you get to work, make sure you are working on some form of goal. If you don't have work goals, then your boss is not doing his/her job. If you are working toward a goal, you will have meaning, and with meaning comes a plethora of good feelings that will help you turn your attitude around. Remember we might not be able to control the things that happen to us, but we can ALWAYS control how we react to those things.   Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard brought to you by SimpleTruths.com

 

Richard can also be read at San Francisco Examiner.com where he writes a daily Parenting Teens article and of course his book -

Can Someone Please Tell Me Why My Life Sucks?!

Now available at Amazon.com!

What's your muse?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Career
OK… so I have a touch of ‘writer’s block’ today. I am really coming up with nothing to write about. It doesn’t happen very often, or for very long, but it does happen. So, what am I supposed to do? Well, they say if you have writers block you are supposed to sit down and just write. So here I am, and you all get to be the witness’ of my rambling. Rambling Richard….

I wonder if other professions get ‘writers block’. I mean we don’t ever hear of “managers block” or “secretaries block”… God forbid if we ever heard or saw “police officers block” or “fireman’s block” (OK, fireman is not the PC term, but I don’t know what is. I guess all professions can get a form of writers block. I think that this block is merely a matter of distraction. A form of distraction that is so pervasive as to take you away from what it is you are supposed to be doing.

Don’t we all get distracted like that at times? I suppose a manager can be so distracted with his or her home life that they start making poor choices at work, or worse they take out a foul mood on their staff. Maybe they should change the word from Writers Block to Workers Block, since I really believe that most workers can get so distracted at time to be inefficient in their work.

So, what do we do about Workers Block? I would advise the same thing they tell us writers to do… just do it. Look, I couldn’t think of anything to write today… but you’re probably already getting tired of my rambling! So if you have Workers Block, get over the distraction by forcing yourself to do what you are supposed to be doing. If you are a manager- then manage… if you are a Police officer then police… if you are a Secretary then Sec. (you know what I mean).

Try it out… it worked for me!

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

ps if you have an idea or issue you'd like be to blog about... you can be my muse - just email me!

Gotta luv it!
Mood:  happy
Topic: Career
Do you feel like walking into your boss’s office and saying, “you can take this job and shove it!” Hmmmm, if you feel this way I’m thinking that is probably just what you should do. Except in this time of joblessness, it’s probably not your best option.

So what is it about your job that you dislike so much? Were you deceived about what the job entailed, so now that you have it you are forced to do something totally different than what you thought you’d be doing? Did you know it was a crap job but you took it anyway because you needed a job? Do you have it somewhere encoded in the darkness of your mind that a ‘job’ is supposed to be drudgery and a pain in the ass?

I know people that say a job is not a tool to our happiness; it is just a job – they say happiness is found in other things but a job is just a place to earn money. There are others that respond to that by saying, “if you love what you are doing, then you never have to work another day of your life”. What perspective sounds better to you? Personally, I’d rather love what I’m doing.

So, what is it you’d love to be doing right now? If it is your dream to be a surgeon, saving lives – or a famous Hollywood actress entertaining and giving joy to millions of people; well that’s a great dream and you might work toward that, but it’s not the kind of ‘job’ you get overnight. You have to have years of preparation and sacrifice for those jobs. It’s not to say that you cannot have those jobs, you just have to have the proper perspective. So, if you can’t make money doing what you’d love to do; what then?

Here’s the key you are looking for. You don’t have to do what you love – you only have to love what you are doing. First ask yourself, why are you at work? Are you working because your husband is out of work right now and you have 3 kids that seem to talk to you only to ask you what’s for dinner?! You are not working because you love answering phones and filing papers and cleaning up (you can do that at home). No, you’re working because you are a loving mother or father that wants to support your family. So, your success at work is not measurement of how good a file clerk you are, but rather how good a provider you are to your family! With that measure of success how much easier is it to love what you are doing?

If you are truthful with yourself as to why you are doing what you are doing, then it will be that much easier to be a success – and if you are successful, what’s not to love?

Love and Bright blessings ~ Richard

Whistle while you work.
Mood:  happy
Topic: Career
“Another day another dollar” “Back to the Grindstone” “An idle brain (or hands) is the devil’s playground”; how many other quotes can you think of about work? Are they as negative as the ones above? How about the infamous poster – “The whippings will continue until morale improves”.

Here’s another one – “The only difference between a rut and a grave are the dimensions”. Be honest… are you reading this at work? Are you taking time away from your employer to play with email or the internet? If so that’s not a good idea for 2 reasons; 1) I found out when I was working in Information Security, that the ‘spying’ tools that corporations have these days, are far more sophisticated than you might imagine. There is NOTHING that you do on your computer that your Boss, cannot find out about – or even watch you doing without your knowledge.

Second and most important is that you perpetuate the above attitudes. Trust me I know how boring a job can be. I understand that we are not all doing what we love (very few for that matter). But listen to this – It doesn’t matter if you are doing what you love – what truly matters is to love what you are doing. Sure, there’s a dream job out there for everyone and I fully encourage you to go for it! But while you’re ‘going for it’, are you paying the rent, feeding the kids, paying the bills? So we are ‘forced’ as Freud says, to get a job in order to live in a certain style we are accustomed to. It’s often not the dream job but we meet our responsibilities with it. After a few years, months or even weeks, we get bored or indifferent about the work. Then we are surprised when we get fired or laid-off. When in actuality that is EXACTLY what we wanted! We’d rather “be doing anything other than what we were doing”. Well, tell yourself that now, but wait till you have to find something else! The key? Love what you are doing. This actually pertains to everything in our life, not just work. It is especially useful at work, because often it is at work when we feel we have no choices. In that instance you better love what you are doing, or you will go crazy – ‘postal’ even.

Bright blessings ~ Richard

Is it a rut or a grave?
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Career

So, what's going on?  You've been with the company for a number of years, you seem to be doing OK, but something is just not right anymore.  There was a time when driving to work was a breeze.  Now, it seems to take all morning.  When you get there, the project can wait, 'cause you have a ton of emails you have check.  Half, of them are from a couple of your friends that always send you jokes, but hey they are a great way to start your day.  You put in a full eight hours, so a few minutes in the morning with your coffee aint gonna hurt anyone. 

You're probably right.  It's not a big deal.  Not to many... but to you it's pretty significant.  Significant, because what is being described is the beginning of falling into a rut.  And as the saying goes, the only difference between a rut and a grave is the dimensions.  Soon enough this rut will turn into burn out, and one way or another you'll be out of a job; either you'll leave, you'll get laid off, or fired (probably "down-sized").   

So what are you going to do?  Get your focus back.  When you first started working there, you had a focus to get up to speed.  You needed to learn the ropes, and you needed to learn who it was you were working with - You had a focus.  The longer we work in a place those ropes we had to deal with are getting pretty thread bare.  We know them by heart!  So step out of the box.  Step out of that rut you're diving head first into.  

Most companies today take pride in having their employee's set goals for themselves.  The thing is alot of companies are pretty soft about helping an employee accomplish the goals.  Come review time, we say the goal slipped because of business needs, and we put it down as something to do next quarter, or worse next year.  If your goals are slipping (whether at work or in your life as a whole) then they are not being set right, or the plan - the objectives, are not being followed through on.  

You must have realistic goals, and they must be something that you are interested in, if you are to stay motivated.  Then make up you plan.  Put it in writing, and get someone to work you with it.  It's always good to be able to meet with someone too. Someone that will ask, "how you doing on that plan?" 

If you are inspired about something, it is nearly impossible to become resigned or bored.  You will readily march toward your inspiration, and you'll be much happier for it.

Bright blessing ~ Richard 

Brainiack
Mood:  cool
Now Playing: Pinky and the Brain
Topic: Career

Someone shared this UL with me, and I want to share it with you.

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22556281-661,00.html

It's very clear that there are some people in this world that are in their "right" mind, but apparently they are in the minority.  I personaly think that it is becomeing more and more important for us to understand just how this works.  

Whether you are a right or left minded person has a great deal to do with every aspect of your life.  In your career, this has huge implications.  Can you imagine being a right minded person working as an accountant?  Can you say "INSANE"?  Because that is what a right minded account would be in only a few short months.  The same would be true for left minded people.  Could you imagine someone with a Mathmatics degree working as a dancer?  Sure it happens, but it is rare.

The bottom line is a great deal of research has been done regarding the brain. It behooves as all to learn some of this so that we can unlock some of your potential.  

Bright blessings ~ Richard 

Money makes the World Go around...
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: The Color of Money
Topic: Career

Are you living paycheck to paycheck?  Are money issues driving a wedge between you and your partner?  Did you get a divorce over money?  You do know that financial problems are the number one causes of divorce in the USA don’t you?  It comes even before domestic violence!  America is quickly becoming a country of “have’s” and “have-nots”.  Which category are you in?  Which category do you want to be in? 

 

The book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki has some very interesting and valuable perspectives if you ask me.  Many of his perspectives are directly in sync with the positive messages that you receive here daily.   I encourage everyone to get this book and read it.  I promise you will nod with agreement with every chapter you read.  His concept of assets verses liabilities is clear, supportive and sensible.

 

Another book I’ve read recently is Conversations with God by Neal Donald Walsh.  There is a segment in this book that is very enlightening about money.  It speaks to the good and evil nature of money.  It is much like the concepts of Robert Kiyosaki, but using spiritual examples.

 

I wont give you examples on how you can become rich right now.  These two authors (especially Kiyosaki) can do a much better job than I.  I do urge you to go out and get their books though!  If you don’t try, you will never learn.  You will be amazed at what they say about the mind and money! 

 

Bright blessings ~ Richard