Archive - Finding Passion RSS Feed

Don’t be a “Discouraged Worker”

February 1, 2011 in Finding Passion, Interviewing, No More Mondays, Personal Development with 1 Comment

Every quarter the US Bureau of Labor Statistics compiles the employment figures.  One of those calculations is for what they actually call “discouraged workers.”  These are individuals who wanted and were available for work during the last 12 months.  But they are no longer counted as unemployed because they have not searched for work in the last 4 weeks.  According to the Bureau’s calculations, in December of 2010, there were 1.3 million “discouraged workers.”

Here we are in February.  The official figures are pretty much the same.  ”Discouraged workers” are not a true indication of the economy or of the workplace possibilities.  Rather, they are examples of using methods of looking for work that don’t work.

What to do if you’re a “discouraged worker.”  Read more »

  • Change your job search strategy – something’s not working
  • Be very clear about your strongest areas of competence

Don't be safe

January 28, 2011 in Finding Passion, No More Mondays with 4 Comments

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sails.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover.” -  Mark Twain

What are you doing this year that you were afraid to attempt last year?  If you’re doing only the same things – you’ll get the same results.

Are you winning the right game?

January 21, 2011 in Finding Passion, Just a Job with 7 Comments

“Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends, and spirit – and you’re keeping all these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed,
marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.” – Brian Dyson, CEO of Coca Cola Enterprises from 1959-1994

*************************************

Work is not the most important thing in our life.  It is simply one tool for a successful life.  Winning at work and losing at home is not a trade-off anyone would wish for.  Make sure you’re being as intentional about success at home as you are at work.

Is Cam Newton living the dream?

January 18, 2011 in Finding Passion, No More Mondays with 9 Comments

As we all know now, Cam Newton has announced he will skip his senior year at Auburn University “to improve his chances of securing a professional career.”  He led his team, the Tigers to a perfect season with 14 wins and zero losses.  In his freshman year at the University of Florida Newton was arrested for the alleged theft of a laptop computer.  He is also said to have been caught cheating three times, including putting his name on someone else’s paper without that student’s knowledge.  Rumors abound that Newton was taking illegal bidding for his services at each of the three universities he attended for one year.  But now with the Heisman Trophy in one hand and the national championship in the other he is a hot commodity for the NFL.

The questions are plentiful:  Read more »

  • Is the purpose of college to get the highest bid for your services?  Isn’t that what we all do anyway?

Work so the angels sing

January 17, 2011 in Finding Passion with 4 Comments

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry.  He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say:  Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I have nothing to add to this eloquent call to excellence in our work.  And it seemed fitting to remember this today, Martin Luther King Day

Page 20 of 40« First...10«1819202122»3040...Last »

Switch to our mobile site

Close
Remind Me Later
Remove Ad Permanently