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Tag: Learning

Step up to the Plate!

Have you ever noticed how interlaced our language is with sports-related metaphors? It seems all around us we are bombarded with someone claiming they “hit one out of the park” or they did so well that they “lapped the field.” With that in mind, I wanted to offer my contribution to sports metaphors in the job search environment… Many of us are currently struggling to find the career and life that activates our passion. But how do we do that? It’s important to remember that searching for that elusive dream job is a marathon, not a sprint. Along the way, you are going to run up against all sorts of hurdles. Undoubtedly there will be times when you feel like you were hit from the blindside. Looking for a satisfying and fulfilling career is a lot like baseball. To be successful you have to get into the game, step up to the plate, and take your swings. From time to time, you may strike out, but unless you go to bat for what you want, you will never reach your goals. If you are really lucky and the odds are in your favor, you will eventually find yourself as the front runner in the race for the position of your dreams. Then, from out in left field you may take another shot. This is when it is most important to get up off the canvas, dust yourself off, and win one for the Gipper. Remember, the game of life is not a level playing field. When you are feeling like all is lost and the only way to keep going is to drop back 10 yards and punt, crank up your energy one more notch, and go for the win. With some good coaching and a bit of luck, you

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Do What You Can…

I have been reminded of that conversation frequently lately as I have watched people around me go through some amazingly difficult times at work. A major layoff hit their organization, and them personally. Watching them, I was struck by how some of them were able to roll with the punches, while others, seemingly, were decimated by the events. Finally, one day, while working with one of my clients, it hit me. While I certainly agree with Curly’s assessment that we each have to find that one thing inside of us that ignites our passion, there is yet one other characteristic that is necessary for anyone to be successful; the one factor that, if absent, will complete eliminate the possibility of growth, change, and success. HOPE! “Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air, but only for one second without hope” Take away hope and you completely take away a person’s motivation and strength. A person who feels their situation is hopeless and who sees no possibility that things can change and improve will simply give up. Human beings thrive on hope. We continually hope and dream of better circumstances. It is what drives us to take on new challenges, learn new skills, and attempt things that may seem impossible. The simple hope that we can accomplish these things keeps us striving for more. I am convinced that the greatest thing we can do for those around us is to cultivate hope. Focus your energies on what is possible, rather than what is not, and you will find a world of opportunity opening up. A good friend of mine likes to say “Do what you can, not what you can’t.” When the walls are crashing in around you and you

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Hey Buddy, Can You Spare Some Change?

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of change that seems to be constantly going on around us. If you ever doubt that, live in a house with 4 adolescent boys, as I do, and try and follow what is going on in their lives from day to day. I promise you, that the speed and magnitude with which things change will boggle your mind. On the same track though, we are presented with virtually endless amounts of change in our professional lives. Many of us have had several jobs in our careers, even if they are all within the same organization. Or we may have experienced a fundamental change in the organizational structure where we work so that we report to someone new and now have to adjust to the way this person manages. Regardless of the types of change we are talking about though, the important thing to bear in mind is not so much the change itself, but how we react to that change. As you find yourself in situations of upheaval or change, whether good or bad, you will often find yourself becoming exceptionally stressed, tired, and unable to focus. The key is to find ways to mitigate the impact of the change on the other aspects of your life. Find things you enjoy doing, get away from the situation for a while, or work to discover the opportunities in the new environment. Whatever the case, for your own well-being (and as my wife will attest, for the betterment of those around you), focus on getting the lessons you can out of the change, and you are likely to be more successful in managing the stress and emotion that accompanies it. … Continue readingHey Buddy, Can You Spare Some

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