Help Me Out Whats Great and Whats Rotten

Help Me Out â€" Whats Great and Whats Rotten Im preparing for a presentation on virtual job search and career management tools.   These might include specific job boards, other other sites.   I have some ideas on what some great online tools are (the image on the right **is** subliminal messaging ;), but Id like to hear from YOU what you think is GREAT, and what is ROTTEN.   This survey is just one page, where you put in two greats and, if you want, two rottens.   Nows the time to praise or vent please click here (or click on the monkey below) and let me know which online tools you love and which you loathe! Thanks! This post is brought to you by Valerie Pendergrass, Greatness Guru and founder of The Next Step Coaching Consulting.   Valerie understands that greatness is borne of honoring an authentic self and bringing ones inner gifts to the surface. She works primarily with those in career crisis and/or at a career crossroads and specializes in aligning inner being with external objectives.   Valerie supports her clients to Aim high, Achieve High and Not Settle because life is too short to just have a j.o.b.   Valerie is a JibberJobber Career Expert Partner. Help Me Out â€" Whats Great and Whats Rotten Im preparing for a presentation on virtual job search and career management tools.   These might include specific job boards, other other sites.   I have some ideas on what some great online tools are (the image on the right **is** subliminal messaging ;), but Id like to hear from YOU what you think is GREAT, and what is ROTTEN.   This survey is just one page, where you put in two greats and, if you want, two rottens.   Nows the time to praise or vent please click here (or click on the monkey below) and let me know which online tools you love and which you loathe! Thanks! This post is brought to you by Valerie Pendergrass, Greatness Guru and founder of The Next Step Coaching Consulting.   Valerie understands that greatness is borne of honoring an authentic self and bringing ones inner gifts to the surface. She works primarily with those in career crisis and/or at a career crossroads and specializes in aligning inner being with external objectives.   Valerie supports her clients to Aim high, Achieve High and Not Settle because life is too short to just have a j.o.b.   Valerie is a JibberJobber Career Expert Partner.

Let Your Mind Dance and Your Body Think

Let Your Mind Dance and Your Body Think I love all these inspirational or quaint sayings: When you dance to your own rhythm life taps its toes to your beat Dance is a way to find yourself and lose yourself in the same moment Lifes a dance, sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow When life isnt the party you hoped for, the best choice is to dance When you have the choice to sit it out or dance, always dance. I love them because Im most free, I soar emotionally in ways I cannot explain, when I dance.  And, when I reflect on it I realize that theres a twinkle of that same feeling when Im intensely engaged in work. For me, my best moments are always when I act like lifes a dance. For most of my adult life, Ive done two things with passion:  the business Im engaged in, and dancing.  So I was almost taken aback when I read nearly identical words in the introduction to Valeh Nazemoffs new book, The Dance of The Business Mind.  She began the book with For most of my adult life, Ive had primarily two great loves by day, my business; by night, dancing. Wait!  Those are my words! Until I read her book, Id never really made the connection.  That the passion with which I do business, the  business that I love, is the same passion that I feel on the dance floor.  Im committed to what Im doing, Im confident that I have the right plans and the right moves, Ive honed my talents and skills, and Ive performed with success. One of the cliches weve all heard is do what you love and the money will follow.  While that may or may not be true, one thing is certain.  If you do what you love with passion and commitment youre much more likely to create the results you desire.  And thats summed up in a quote that Valeh shares at the start of her book: You must give everything to make your life as beautiful as the dreams that dance in your imagination.    Roman Payne Dance.  Perform.  Succeed. In The Dance of The Business Mind, Valeh reminds us that extraordinary performances and success in dance, as in all of life, are created by our passionate involvement in the moment; coming from continuous mental and physical practice.  To achieve that, she encourages the reader to let the mind dance, and let the body think.  Meaning, trust the natural knowledge you normally subjugate to the ruling of the mind.  And then, let go of the usual logic of the analytical mind and let it dance. While that might seem a tall order, it opens new possibilities for creative expression.  Its a joining of the two partners within all of us.  In so doing, the whole engages passionately and performs at the highest levels.  Because that passion demands nothing less than excellence. (All of) Lifes a Dance Whether youre one who loves dance or not, you know that when youre fully immersed in the process of creation and expression, you most often get great results.  Dance is a perfect metaphor for doing life, and business, in a way that leads to a smile of satisfaction at the conclusion of your performance.  Valeh Nazemoff has created an inspiring how-to manual that breaks down the steps. And makes them clear in a way youve likely not seen before. Ready to tango?  Pick up a copy.

Are OTC Pain Meds Safe in The Long Run

Are OTC Pain Meds Safe in The Long Run Painkillers are one of the most commonly used medications in the world. They are also one of the most abused medicines. The reason â€" most pain meds are easily available over the counter and provide immediate relief from pain. So if you sprained an ankle, twisted a thumb or have joint pain â€" a painkiller generally is your go-to drug. The problem with pain meds arises when people use them regularly to combat pain. Due to regular usage of painkillers, many people become dependent on them. So while taking painkillers as a short-term measure is unlikely to have a negative impact on your health, their long-term usage can be harmful. What exactly are the long-term effects of pain meds? Your liver can suffer Painkillers, when used for a very long time, can damage your liver. This is because the liver metabolizes medicines. Signs of liver damage include nausea, vomiting, your skin and eyes turning yellow and stomach pain. Also, when you take this medicine and then drink alcohol, it can harm the liver. It can take a toll on your stomach NSAIDs or Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are a commonly used painkiller. Few examples of this category of painkillers are ibuprofen and aspirin. They are primarily used when you have pain as well as inflammation. One of the primary side effects of NSAIDs consumption is gastric related problems. When you keep taking them for long periods of time, the lining on your stomach walls can be damaged. This will make you prone to ulcers. You may also suffer from frequent acidity troubles. NSAIDs are also an abused lot when it comes to painkillers. Many people consume them even if they only have pain and no inflammation. In such cases, it is advised to opt for paracetamol tablets like Dolo 65 or Panacip 650. These medicines are not harsh on your stomach. It can up the risk of cardiovascular problems Painkillers can also increase your risk of strokes and heart attacks. Doctors have not yet ascertained the exact reason for this. However, it is recommended to consult with a doctor if you have cardiovascular problems and want to take painkillers to manage pain. There are some side effects of painkillers that you must convey to a doctor the moment you notice them. They are â€" A sensation of ringing in the ears Itching or severe rash If you start to gain weight suddenly Stomach cramps Breathing problems Problems with your heartbeat like rapid heartbeat or palpitations Bleeding Severe headache It is best to consult a qualified professional before using painkillers. You should also mention to the doctor if you have chronic problems like hypertension.

Fun Halloween Ideas For The Classroom

Fun Halloween Ideas For The Classroom Teachers are always on the lookout for inspiration on ways to create fun and effective lessons and activities.   Which means theyre a great resource for Moms to borrow some of those ideas for use at home.   If youre in looking for some new or different Halloween ideas this year, dont forget to check out some of these sources. Browse the seasonal ads.   Retailers and manufacturers spend a ton of money coming up with new ideas, and their ads are a great place to get a unique perspective. Read a few spooky short stories.   On the internet, or maybe browsing through the library, a little reading might scare up something great. Check out social media.   Pinterest and Facebook especially are full of creative ideas. If youre short on time and need something right now, Simply Education, who specializes in teaching jobs, has put together the infographic below thats sure to get your creative juices flowing.   Enjoy! Some Spooktacular Halloween Ideas!

Why You Should Never Stop Learning in Your Profession CareerMetis.com

Why You Should Never Stop Learning in Your Profession Whether you’re just starting out in your career or you’ve got decades of experience, you should never stop learning in your profession. Even Bill Gates, who is a world expert in his field,reads 50 books a day. Needless to say, you can never learn too much.There are many ways to continue learning throughout your career. Continuous learning is also known as upskilling, and it may include adult training, professional development, or even self-directed adult learning.In this blog, we’re going to talk about the various benefits of continuous learning, whether that be through adult learning courses or other means. Then, we’re going to give you some tips on how to access adult education courses and other opportunities.Benefits of adult trainingevalUpskilling, especially through adult education courses, offers so many benefits. These benefits can range from financial through to emotional. Let’s look at some of these benefits in detail.1)You get to advance your careerevalBy taking a dult learning courses, you can take the next step in your career. With your new skills and experience, you could advance to a higher position with a higher salary.Before starting any adult education course, we recommend making a career plan. In this plan, you’ll write down your long-term goals, for example, what kind of work you want to be doing in 5 or 10 years.Your career plan will then guide you in your upskilling and help you choose your courses. This is also known as career mapping. Not sure how to create a career plan?Read3 Easy Ways to Make a Successful Career Plan.2)You boost your job satisfactionAnother big benefit to adult training is the job satisfaction it provides. These days, Australians are working for longer, sometimes well into their 60s and 70s. Job satisfaction is incredibly important if we’re going to be spending so much of our lives at work.Not to mention thatlearning new things makes people happierin general.evalAdult training also helps with job satisfacti on because people feel more in control of their role and their duties. When you are happier in your job, you’re also more productive, which is great for your employer and your career.3) You improve your job prospects and securityUpskilling through adult education courses helps you to strengthen your career in many ways. One of these ways is by helping you to stay relevant and avoid redundancy. Through continuing to learn new skills and grow as a person, you’re improving your employability, and ensuring that you have job prospects well into the future.Unfortunately, technology is replacing many jobs and automation is making many older roles redundant. Through adult training, you learn skills in new technology which are vital to today’s jobs market.4) You make valuable connectionsBy taking adult education courses, you can meet other professionals in your industry. Connect with them to build your professional network. In this way, you could find out about future job opportunities and other training opportunities, or simply stay in-the-know.evalWhile networking is great for future opportunities, it also gives you the chance to share knowledge. You will have skills to share with others and vice versa. You could also meet more seasoned professionals who could become mentors, providing you with valuable support and guidance in the future Employers benefit greatly from training their workers. Although employers have to invest time money and resources into providing training, they get a great return-on-investment from having more qualified and competent staff.Some employers are aware of this. They also know that training is part of performance management, which helps workers do their best work and stay in their positions longer. In this way, training staff keeps workers engaged, productive, and committed to their jobs for longer. Employers need this because hiring new staff is more costly than retaining their existing staff.Despite all of these benefits for emplo yers, we recommend taking responsibility for your own adult training. Make upskilling a priority to ensure that you stay relevant and employable for many years to come. If you have to invest in your own training, this will also pay off in the long term as you move into higher-grade work.b) Take advantage of opportunitiesYour employer may offer a lot of opportunities for training and upskilling. They might have their own continuous learning programs or training days, or they might even pay for your adult learning courses. If your employer offers you time or funding for training, take advantage of this.Keep in mind that your employer would love it if you scheduled in some time each week for your own training and professional development. For half an hour each week, spend time developing soft skills or reading news that’s relevant to your industry. Do this on a regular basis and watch your skills and knowledge grow.c) AskIf your employer has not provided you with adult training oppor tunities, we suggest that you ask them to provide or fund additional opportunities. Although this might be daunting, simply explain to your employer how giving you funding for adult training would benefit them.Your employer is likely to recognise the benefits of keeping their staff up-to-date, because this keeps the company competitive in their market. It may also be that case that your company has a budget set aside for learning that never gets used. Just by asking, you could take advantage of this hidden opportunity and encourage your colleagues to do the same.d) Coaching and mentoringevalThere are many reasons why you’d use a career coach. Career coaches do more than just help people find a job, they can help you advance your career, get promotions, and make industry connections. A career coach can also help you choose your adult learning courses.Read5 Ways to Find the Right Career CoachSimilarly, a mentor in your industry can help you with your upskilling and help you choose y our adult learning courses. A mentor is someone who has been where you’ve been, had more experience than you, and can help guide you. With a mentor, you get an ongoing relationship and support.How to choose what to learnAs we discussed above, working out your career goals is a great place to start figuring out which adult education courses you want to take. But if you’re not too sure what direction you want to take in your career, doing a few different courses can help. This way you’ll get a taste of different things before you work out your long-term goals.Another way of working out what you want to learn is by doing some research. There are many resources online what can help you choose what to learn. For example, this article explains the differences betweencertificate vs diploma vs degree, helping you work out which qualification level is right for you.evalIt’s also important to read broadly in your industry to get ideas. In your readings, you might come across new skill s or technologies that would really help you in your job and your career. Also, spend time on for websites, online platforms and groups that relate to your industry, for example, through LinkedIn. By sharing knowledge in this way, you’ll come up with upskilling ideas.

How to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done

How to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done Are you one of those superstars who’s able to check off every item on your “to do” list by the end of the day every day? If so, then congratulations â€" and you can stop reading right now. On the other hand, if you’ve ever had something linger on your “to do” list for days or maybe even weeks, then know that you are not alone. Often, procrastination occurs when you’re at a crossroad â€" a fork in the road where a decision must be made. Decide and Move On Recently I found myself dragging my feet on getting an important email out. Since I was asking for something, I obsessed about how to approach the request, and kept flipping back and forth between two options. Then I was struck by a moment of clarity: I was choosing between two perfectly valid options, either of which could work. Dithering about it was not going to solve the problem or make it any easier to decide which way to go. All that mattered was that I pick one approach and act on it. Because the only sure “no” was to never ask at all. This reminded me of a time in my corporate life where I had the same problem, only on a far bigger scale. Looking back, I can see that this would have slowed down my career progression. It started when I was a junior analyst and had trouble deciding what to order when we all went out for dinner together. By the time I was a Vice President, I had graduated to a full on “analysis paralysis” â€" after all, there’s always something else to consider before deciding, right? My procrastination habit got so bad that the head of the department ended up calling me into his office to tell me, “May, you have to decide, and move on. Decide, move on.” As he said this, he made vigorous slashing movements with his right arm â€" downward for “decide” and a push to the left for “move on”. I was applying a degree of rigor to decisions that simply did not deserve that level of brainpower. There are some questions that can only be known for certain after the fact, and doing more thinking or analysis only adds complexity. That makes it doubly bad for your productivity and mental wellbeing. Not only is it wasting time and energy, it also saps your strength for all the other things in life. Good Things Happen When You Decide I finally “got it” and began to make decisions. And once I got the hang of deciding, good things started happening. I felt better. More confident, freer, and hey, guess what? I was getting more things done. I started getting results. Funny how that happens when you get those invitations sent and those calls made. Then others have something to react to. The world did not end. In fact, it made me realize that this was not such a “big deal”. Looking back, most of the things I obsessed about were little mole hills and not monumental world changing decisions. All of which made it easier to keep making more decisions. How to Decide and Move On So, going back to my story, even though I got the message, it was still hard to implement. Here’s what has helped me to decide and move on more often: 1. What’s at stake? If you’re deciding on the really big things, like whether to uproot your entire family to move halfway around the world, by all means, take the time to do some more homework. But if it’s within the realm of the normal, then it’s a candidate for simply deciding and moving on. By the way, most things are going to fall into the realm of the normal. 2. Is it a recurring decision? Will you have the opportunity to decide again â€" like what to have for lunch, whether to go to the gym, how to say no while maintaining a relationship? If so, then routinize it. Have a set of language in your saved folder that you can cut and paste into a “no” email. Have a “go to” set of items you order. Or, pick one and you can always pick a different one next time if you don’t like the outcome. 3. Is the decision reversible? If so, it matters less. More important to just pick one and go for it, and look at the results and adjust if you need to. 4. How big a deal is this… really? Are the outcomes roughly equal and hard to measure, as in “six of one, half a dozen of the other” (as they say in the US) or “much of a muchness” (as they say in the UK)? If so, that’s a great candidate for just choosing one and going for it. You really can’t go wrong. What’s the worst thing that can happen if you get it wrong? What’s the best thing that can happen if you get it right? What happens if you keep sitting on the decision? And is it just as bad as (or worse than) getting it wrong? Is no decision also a decision? (Hint: the answer is yes!) The Importance of Making a Decision The main thing is to decide quickly so you can get going. The sooner you can do that, the easier it will be to stay out of procrastination cycle and get into the productivity cycle. Once you commit to a path, the rest flows much more easily. “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, the providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way.” W. H. Murray Any decision is better than no decision. And no decision is also a decision. So go ahead and give yourself permission to decide and move on. Your productivity and performance depend on it. Procrastinating? Decide and move on. Your productivity and performance depend on it. And when you fall off the wagon like I did recently, the key is to recognize what’s happened and get back to deciding… and moving on! So, what are you procrastinating about and where can you decide and move on? Leave a comment and let me know. FREE EBOOK: The Peak Performance Playbook â€" Practical Strategies for Performing at Your Best If you’d like more tips on productivity, then check out the Peak Performance Playbook. This FREE ebook features tips for working less and achieving more from over 40 New York Times bestselling authors in the fields of health, happiness, and productivity. If you’ve watched a few TED talks, you’ll recognize many of the authors, including Susan Cain, Daniel Pink, Angela Duckworth, Dan Ariely, and Shawn Achor. Get the FREE Peak Performance Playbook and discover practical strategies for performing at your best from the world’s leading experts.

The STAR Method of Resume Writing

The STAR Method of Resume WritingIf you are a candidate for the job of an internal recruiter or for applying for internships and employment, you have probably learned about the STAR method of resume writing. It's a terrific way to increase your chances of being hired. If you don't use this approach, it will become very difficult to keep up.If you're a new intern, or you've only recently been employed, you probably don't know what a STAR method resume looks like. What does it tell me about my ability to communicate? What is the message that this is sending to the hiring manager? These are questions you need to ask yourself when compiling a STAR method resume.This method means that the primary focus is on your skills, and not the tools that you are using to write your resume. Rather than writing a bunch of boilerplate resume information, and then trying to sell yourself to the employer, you must make the resume your own. While the hiring manager may be reading your resume, his primary concern should be that you show them how much you can learn, and how much they can learn from you.As it's time to go into the interview, you may be feeling nervous. You want to come off as confident and prepared. Showing the interviewer that you know your stuff can make all the difference in the world.Do a little research on the past employers of the people that you are applying to. If you are applying for a position as an intern, it will be important to find out who they were. If they were happy with their experiences with them, that's your target market.If you search the internet, there are websites that list individual employers, and their contact information. If you do this research, you'll be able to contact each of them, and ask if they're hiring interns, and whether they have anyone to send your resume to.You can use these websites to prepare for your interview and get ready for the interview. If you send in your resume in advance, you'll also be ready to walk in with confide nce. So don't delay.There are plenty of online resources that help you get a STAR method resume ready. Use them.