Archive for the ‘Self-Improvement’ Category
Contributed by: Ralph Schillace
Mothers give us many gifts, not the least of which is life itself. In addition, my mom gave us many stories from her zany ways and quick mind. I’d like to share just one of them with you.
I grew up in a large, extended Italian-American family. Life rotated around Continue Reading
Contributed by: Marshal Backlar
Over 80% of jobs are found, yes, through networking.
Your career should never be static — but always moving forward. Networking is a critical component of your career progress.
But, are you sure networking is a slam dunk?
You call up a friend and say you are looking for a job, and, does he know of a job for you? And, his response: “oh yeah, I will give it some thought.” And, you send him your resume so he can fill up his waste basket.
Or, is it — “So who are you?”
“I know you want to get together, but why?” “What’s in it for me?” she thinks.
Or, is it — you call up a friend who is thinking — I know this guy forever. Sure, let’s grab a bite…and then, oh, so that’s what he wanted — Do I know of a job for him? Hey, I know him socially, but professionally, do I really want to stick my neck out for him?
Are you more than your resume? How can you prove it?
How do you become a solution for a networking contact, rather than a problem?
How do you develop chemistry with someone as you make him/her aware of your strengths?
Every week you must dedicate time to networking — whether or not you are employed. Think of it as a job, but hopefully a successful and rewarding job. And, critical to this process is taking a pro-active, leadership role in each networking interface.
The following tips should provide some answers to the above questions and make you a more successful networker. Continue Reading
Contributed by: Al Killeen
I was laying in bed the other night thinking about the things in my life that I’ve forgotten about, forgotten to enjoy.
In the workaday world that you and I live in, do you ever remember some electronic gizmo that you own but haven’t really played with yet, some book that you have and meant to read but didn’t, or some friend that you haven’t spoken to in over a year despite your affection for him or her?
For me, there is that expensive telescope that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago that I haven’t gotten out for a long time (due to excuses of weather, time, or inconvenience). There are the tape recorders, audio listening devices, and 15 books that I’ve bought or were given to me that I haven’t taken the time to dig into.
How about you?
Do you ever find that you are so busy looking at how to protect your overall life position, or grow it still further, that life becomes one long tactical chess match with circumstances that seldom allows you to stop and appreciate what you have already accumulated?
How about the people in your life? Do you ever Continue Reading
Contributed by: Shel Horowitz
Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s Pictures of the Gone World…The Celestine Prophecy…Joy of Cooking…South Beach Diet…Worms Eat My Garbage…Winning Through Intimidation—What do these books have in common?
Answer: they all started as self-published. Self-publishing first is a long and honorable tradition. Ben Franklin, Anaïs Nin, Leo Tolstoy, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman are among the authors who first published themselves and then went to bigger houses (posthumously, in some cases).
Most authors dream about landing a big New York publisher, or at least a well-respected independent house—but with 560,626 books published in 2008 just in the United States, and only a few thousand of them coming from established royalty-paying commercial publishers, the odds are steep.
But it can be done, even if you’re not a household name. Continue Reading
All work and no play makes you an also-ran in the game of life.
Contibuted by: Jim Rohrbach
“Hope I die before I get old,” declare the Who in their classic rock anthem “My Generation.” What really makes us “old” — our chronological age, or our attitude? (“I’m TOO OLD for that sort of thing”) My favorite quote on staying young is by philosopher Oliver Wendell Holmes: “We don’t stop playing because we get old … we get old because we stop playing.” And “Da Coach” here is not about to stop playing!
I’m writing these words as I sip an iced coffee outside Continue Reading
Contributed by: Marshal Backlar
So my boss is a real jerk, he’s uncommunicative, he’s micro, she’s not paying attention, his door is always closed…
Are you working for a great company except for your boss? Are you looking for other opportunities within your company? Are you looking for new opportunities on the outside?
But, first, are you allowing your boss to manage you — actively or passively?
How can you take control, Continue Reading
Contributed by: Noah St. John
As we all know, an “affirmation” is a statement of something you’d like to be true. For example, a classic “affirmation” is: “I am rich.”
OK, let’s try it. Say, “I am rich.”
What just happened? Did you hear a voice in your head that said: “Yeah, right!”
We’ve only been told to use “affirmations”, but they really don’t work for most of us. Why? Because you’re Continue Reading
Contributed by: Phil Morley
If you are completely content with your circumstances, this post is not for you. As the Aussies say, ‘Good onya, Mate!’ For the rest of us who have still not achieved everything we want to do or be, then read on.
There is one, and only one, secret to being a winner…and it isn’t inherited wealth, brains, or good looks (although those probably don’t hurt). The true secret is Continue Reading
Contributed by: Nathaniel J. Williams, Ed.D., MHS, MPA, MBA
Every Cool Old Guy (COG) faces countless challenges in his life. There is no way to escape these challenges, and we cannot consciously control many of them. Though they can come in many forms–divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job, health issues, a particularly embarrassing moment, challenge to our spiritual beliefs or a difficult childhood, for example–all challenging life events have commonalities: they are life-altering and can keep us trapped in the moment for years, consciously or not.
When I examined my own life, I realized that I had been standing at the foot of my mother’s casket for 35 years, Continue Reading
Contributed by: Phil Morley
“One must learn a different… sense of time, one that depends more on small amounts than big ones.” - Sister Mary Paul
It’s 5 p.m. Do you know where your hours went? Most people don’t. We don’t know how many hours we will spend on this planet, but most of us assume we’ll be around tomorrow and the next day and the next. So we end up squandering one of our most precious resources. The good news is that we can change!
Entire books have been written on the subject of time management, but here are 6 tips that will help you to get a better handle on where your time is going and how you can make better use of it. Continue Reading