Helen Horyza Career Advice

Six Ways to Bolster Your Career During Economic Upheaval

Sat, 06 Feb 2021 15:50:12 GMT

Six Ways to Bolster Your Career During Economic Upheaval

Instability and unpredictably have been consistent by-products of the global pandemic. The disruption to the economy has likely put you on a roller coaster of twists and turns—causing you to pour over your balance sheets and lose sleep, wondering if you are positioning yourself wisely.

If you are anxious and a bit exhausted, you are not alone. You, along with millions of others from all walks of life, are navigating uncharted territory. As a leader, you are challenged to make the right decisions and stay strong. But, how do you do that under pressure? Here are six keys to bolstering your career (and your business), especially during challenging times:

Number One: Understand that Careers Naturally Cycle

No matter has much time and effort you put into keeping your career on track, you can never get complacent, assured that things will go smoothly. Career quakes like the one we are experiencing now are predictable and, yet, unnerving. The ground is shifting under your feet.

Logically you know you are going to hit rough patches. But, when they happen, you can experience a range of uncomfortable emotions like fear and anger. The first step is to recognize that you are at a crossroad, off your familiar path and challenged to find the way forward. Shake hands with your anxiety and step into a period of introspection.

A long walk or a day off can offer much needed perspective. It also helps settle the intense emotions that accompany an externally driven crossroad. Let’s face it, you did not choose this disruption. It is happening to you. You need to regain a sense of control and think clearly about your options. Embrace the fact that careers cycle from periods of satisfaction to dissatisfaction as a natural result of life’s unpredictable events.

Number Two: Take an Accountable Perspective

Taking an accountable perspective is difficult to do when you have, in fact, been the victim of circumstances. Your first instinct might be to blame others or make excuses, not wanting to accept your reality. This “victim trap” stifles your creativity, limits your resourcefulness and eventually poisons everyone around you.

Strength and resilience are spurred by accountability. End all blaming, either by yourself or by anyone on your team. Replace negativity with responsibly. Take action toward solutions. Your forward-focused leadership will allow you to capitalize on opportunities and make solid business decisions.

Number Three: Operate From Your Career-Related Values

Your values are your superpower but you may not be paying enough attention to them. Under pressure, your values may be ignored as you are busy putting out fires. Again, this is perfectly natural but it saps your strength and undermines your ability to lead your organization.

Identify your career-related values--the things that drive you and matter the most. Perhaps it’s integrity, family and life-balance. Once you have identified your values, make them front and center every day. Think about your values as you get ready for work in the morning. Have them posted on the mirror or refrigerator door. Share your values with your team and challenge them to notice if your actions do not align with your values.

Number Four: Utilize Your Enjoyable Skills

If your day is virtually filled with demands that bring you little or no joy, you are on the road to burnout. Your level of energy is key to your ability to deliver excellence. So, step back and notice the aspects of your business that light you up, that you look forward to. Finds ways to expand your involvement in enjoyable skills activity. Delegate or minimize skills you do not enjoy.

As you read this you may the thinking you don’t have the luxury of delegating work that drains your energy. That may be true, and yet, it may also be a story you have told yourself so many times that you no longer look at your options objectively. If you are wearing yourself out trying to do everything yourself, you are depleting the resource at the center of your stability and security, you.

Number Five: Find Your Voice

Your ability to be successful in your career, hinges on your authentic expression of who you are. Your voice (meaning your confident, congruent self) informs what you say, how you say it and the impact it has on others. Under stress, you might lose access to your voice, delivering faltering or even misleading messages.

Take stock of your communication and notice how you are expressing yourself—even the words you are choosing. If you have a hard time being self-aware, ask others you trust. Find out if your voice is strong, positive and consistent. Decide how you want to be seen and heard. Be a true leader, inspiring your team to step up and deliver their best.

Number Six: Curb Your Impatience

The stress that comes along with economic upheaval and unpredictability can cause you to make impulsive choices. You might be tempted to take short cuts or ignore offers of help because you are panicking. Slow yourself down long enough to notice you are not thinking straight. Do a self-check and determine if anxiety is driving your decisions. If so, it’s time to get a new perspective.

While all of these tips are especially important in time of tumultuous change, they also apply to your career development throughout the course of your life. Your career pays for everything else in your life. Taking time to make sure you are operating from a well-balanced, aligned perspective is not only wise, it’s literally required for your survival.

Imagine you are looking back at your personal and professional performance five years from now. Consider rating yourself on how well you managed your career and functioned as a business leader. There is learning and growth to be garnered in difficult times. Embrace the days and months ahead as an opportunity to emerge into a level of leadership that, otherwise, would not have been possible.

All About Elevations

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 23:18:24 GMT

All About Elevations

In a sea of quizzes and tests that assert to help you find your future, how do you pick one that will be accurate and helpful? Enter Elevations https://bit.ly/2XmG2ns . I created the Elevations career self-assessment. It has helped over 50,000 people define a vison and a career that fits them perfectly.

Here are the basics: Elevations is a self-discovery platform you use to prioritize your values, skills, and career interests. You are the author of your results. It’s designed to draw out your brilliance, not give you labels or random answers. Your results report illustrates your priorities and strengths. The temperament profile will blow your mind, it’s level of accuracy is uncanny. It profiles how you communicate, lead and operate in a team environment. It gives you the design components of your best fit career.

Once you have your results, you see the patterns. Use Elevations as a basis for career research. Check out my Journey playlist on my YouTube channel http://bit.ly/32kAdXF for coaching related to your Elevations results.

What are the levels of validation?

A great career assessment is based on the Levels of Validation. In my YouTube video “How a Career Assessment Can Help” https://bit.ly/3jmh2Fh , I explain the levels of validation. Check it out.

Here’s the essence: Your self-knowledge is the first level of validation--what you know you are good at and enjoy. This is important information, but depending on your self-confidence or state of mind, you might not trust your insights right now.

So, you need the second level of validation: Elevations provides an externalized view of your interests and strengths. It boosts your self-esteem and your confidence. Your future best fit career comes into focus.

Finally, the third level of validation comes from people who know you well or a career coach. Share your Elevations results with others and they will provide their observations. They might mention times when they say you enjoying an activity or task, matching the Elevations results.

By this point, you know exactly who you are and how you fit into the world of work. You still need to explore and experience your options but, you are not fuzzy on the most important part….YOU. You have been validated!

What makes a great self-assessment?

A great career self-assessment includes values, skills, interests and temperament components. It offers up-to-date career options, is quick and easy to do. In fact, it’s fun. It has gobs of information about careers you can choose to read (or not). It operates on a phone, tablet or computer.

Why should yo u do a career assessment?

You are the CEO of your career. If you know yourself very well, you are destined for success. On the other hand, if you have never done a great career self-assessment, you have blind spots that will undermine your future.

You must be obsessed with yourself. Now, I know that sounds self-absorbed and maybe a bad idea in general. But, when it comes to career success you simply cannot know enough about the center of your universe, you.

What mind set helps when taking Elevations?

Find a quiet place and do not rush. Remember the Elevations career self-assessment is not a test. There are no right or wrong answers. It’s a self-reflective process. Think about your selections, feel free to change your mind.

Answer as honestly as possible. Don’t paint the picture of who you want to be or hope to be. Or worse, how other people what you to be. Be yourself and be totally honest.

How is Elevations different from the test I took in high school?

Chances are you either took an interest inventory that offered dated, traditional jobs or you took a condescending quiz that left you baffled. That was certainly my experience.

The Elevations career self-assessmen t is different because:

It integrates your values, skills, interests and your temperament. It’s a complete picture of your talent profile.
It includes contemporary career options.
It does not require the interpretation of a professional. You can complete it and understand the results.
It operates on your phone, table or computer.
It’s easy and fun…I’ve been told this over and over again.

What questions do you have about Elevations? It’s been fun introducing you to this powerful tool.

5 Ways to Elevate Your Career

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 13:51:55 GMT

Five Ways to Elevate Your Career

Your career deeply impacts your overall life satisfaction. It’s not something to take for granted. The price you pay for settling for less than you are capable of is high. You might be able to put your aspirations on the back burner for a while, but your hopes and dreams will nag at you. Deep down you wonder if life can offer something more.

Don’t wait until you hate your job and your life. Put your career on track today. Here are my five best suggestions to build a future you can be truly proud of:

Step One: Be Obsessed with Yourself

YOU are the one thing in your career that remains stable and consistent through the course of your life. The economy cycles and labor markets shift. Hot job trends come and go, potentially pulling you in the wrong direction. In the midst of all the external craziness, your internal needs, wants and competencies are the consistent roadmap to your future.

Imagine you carry a “talent suitcase” around with you all the time. Stored in the main section are your values, enjoyable skills, interests and your natural born temperament. In the side pockets are your accumulated knowledge, work experience and aptitudes. No one has a suitcase exactly like yours.

As you grow through life, you store more and more in your talent suitcase. Sadly, you could shove this treasure trove to the back of your closet and ignore it. This usually results in career depression and disappointment. Alternatively, you can be obsessed with what makes you tick keeping your capabilities front and center.

Step Two: Operate From Your Values

Your values are your beliefs, your morals, and your internal compass. When your career supports your values, you are fulfilled. If they are violated or left unnurtured, you become dissatisfied. Given the power held in your values, it only makes sense to identify them, define their meaning and make them a visible feature of your life every day.

A career-self assessment will offer an opportunity for you to identify and prioritize your values. Write your top 5 or 10 values on a piece of paper and draft a brief definition for each one. Next, determine where you will post your values so you see them every day. Maybe you have them on the refrigerator door or stuck inside the visor in your car. When you encounter them on a regular basis you will find ways to enhance their role in your daily life. Your values are your superpower, feeding your soul.

Step Three: Utilize Your Enjoyable Skills

Think about a job you’ve done that you did not enjoy. At the end of the day you are exhausted. Your physical and mental health suffer. You come home drained and land in a lump on your couch.

The solution here is simple. Start with knowing what your enjoyable skills are. This circles back again to the career assessment . Identify the skills you enjoy and prioritize them. Then reflect on how many are central to your career (or the potential career you dream about).

Skills are awesome because you can add them into your current occupation or integrate them to your life. There is no limit to what you can learn. You can improve your proficiency in a skill you enjoy, increasing your career-related energy and fulfillment.

Step Four: Take an Accountable Perspective

Blaming and making excuses is career poison. No matter how justifiable your complaints are, in the end, you suffer the consequences of your negative perspective. Worse, others begin to see you as a moral buster. Who wants to be around someone who is powerless and pessimistic?

Notice what the basic storyline of your career is. Do you see yourself as an influential force with the central responsibility for your future or have you cast yourself as a victim of your circumstances? The answer to this question opens the door to sustained career satisfaction.

Taking an accountable perspective requires fortitude. The bad things that can happen in the course of your career can be devastating. But, again, you victimize yourself over and over again by holding on to the disappointments. Be a leader in your own life and take your power back. When you do, you will quickly notice a resurgence of creativity and resourcefulness.

Step Five: Use Your Courage

A great career is built on bravery. Perhaps you don’t go after what you really want because you don’t want to fail or you lack self-confidence. This begs the question; how do you find the grit to persist towards a career that utilizes your full potential?

The answer goes back to step number four, accountability. When you take full responsibility for your career successes or failures, you get stronger. Little by little you heal the trauma that holds you back. You start focusing on what is possible. In essence, you build up your courage.

There is no limit to the amount of courage your can contain. You just need to start today. Set aside some time for self-reflection. The struggle that comes with being in a career crossroad can be tough. So, be gentle and patient with yourself as you elevate your career.

How to Boost Your Career While Working at Home

Sat, 08 Aug 2020 12:55:41 GMT

How to Boost Your Career While Working at Home

Are you one of the millions of people working in a home office, kitchen, or basement? According to an April 2020 Forbes article, “an MIT survey of 25,000 American workers found that 34% of those who’d been employed four weeks earlier said they’re currently working from home. Combined with the roughly 15% who said they’d been working from home pre-COVID-19, that means nearly half the U.S. workforce might now be remote workers.”

Much has been written about variable productivity, pros and cons regarding life-balance and the delicate juggling act for parents with children at home. A less discussed matter are the career-boosting opportunities this work-from-home revolution offers. Let’s consider a few here:

Step-Up Your Professionalism: Have you ditched your professional clothing? Are you displayed in your Zoom box looking like you just got out of bed? This could be forgiven in March when everything was wonky. But, as we enter August, employers are becoming less lenient. They are noticing who shows up with their A-game and who does not.

As the CEO of your career, it makes sense to audit both your appearance and your productivity. You can put yourself on a path to future success by showing self-discipline and dedication in a time with others might slack off.

Leverage Activity Goals: Many employers have established “if you have some extra time” lists. Especially if you are in a consulting or counseling role, you might finish with a session with fifteen minutes to spare. You can set yourself apart by getting extra calls done, using every minute efficiently. If your name keeps showing up as the one who gets more accomplished you are opening doors for advancement.

Be a Leader : No matter what your job title is, you can choose to be a leader in your role. Help your employer establish a new work culture in a stay-at-home reality. Don’t sit back and expect top management to come up with all the good ideas. Suggest the creation of a healthy work-culture committee. Generate ideas to increase morale, enhance team-work and innovation.

Update Your LinkedIn Profile : In the past, much networking happened over a cup of coffee or lunch. That’s gone and does not appear to be coming back any time soon. Your LinkedIn Profile is going to represent you more often than ever before. Upgrade your banner, strengthen your achievement statements, get a better profile picture, solicit some current references and make sure you are telling a cohesive story.

Consider Making a Career Change: Has this pandemic, and related economic upheaval, caused you to re-evaluate your career? You are not alone. There is a tsunami of career changes brewing. Many found that the security they counted on in their industry or field was flimsy. The future looks uncertain so why not do something new? Pivot into something you’ve dreamed of doing. Or take this time to design a new future, one that you can be truly proud of .

In the midst of chaos, there are always opportunities. This list above is only the beginning. This is an amazing time for growth and innovation, but only if you strategically take advantage of it.

How to Secure My Future If I’m Going to College?

Fri, 10 Jul 2020 01:27:38 GMT

How to Secure My Future If I’m Going to College?

Entering college in 2020 is guaranteed to be an adventure. Don’t allow overwhelm or excitement to side-track you. Take full advantage of all the services on campus and set yourself apart. You can create a secure future.

By the way, if you are not going to college, will you share this with someone who is? Thank you!

Here are the steps:

Before School Starts

Familiarize yourself with the services on campus. Find out about health services, career planning assistance, student government and advising services. If you have a particular challenge, like a learning disability or fear of tests, look for supportive resources. The little bit of time you spend researching will pay off big time.

Don’t Let Remote Learning Limit You

Going to school during a pandemic is historical. You need to blaze a trail. If you are an on-campus student make sure you are healthy and safe. If you are a remote learner or a hybrid, don’t miss out on anything! Ask for appointments online and get engaged.

Make an Appointment with an Advisor

Don’t try to figure everything out by yourself. Work with an academic advisor to determine what courses to take, how to deal with impacted classes and how to remove barriers to your goals. Guaranteed you will learn something valuable if you ask good questions and follow the advice of a great advisor.

BTW, quick note. If the advisor is not helpful, do not give up. Ask for an appointment with someone else. You can’t let creepy people dictate your future success.

Fully Utilize the Career Center:

If you are like 92% of incoming Freshman, you plan to get a job after college. This does not occur magically. You have to develop a plan and prepare yourself. Here are some items to put on your checklist:

Find the Career Center (or whatever they call it) and learn about the services offered. Meet with a career counselor in your first semester and build a relationship.
Plan to visit your career counselor yearly. Grow with support.
It does not matter if you have a solid direction or if you are still searching. Either way, the Career Center will help you.
Take every workshop they offer. Learn how to interview, write a resume and network effectively.

Embrace First Year Programs and College Success Coaching

You will learn how to manage your time, deal with social distractions and achieve your goals. These are skills that will pay off for the rest of your life.

Understand Your Talent Package

The number one way to excel in your career is to know yourself extremely well. The easiest way to do this is to read Elevate Your Career: Live a Life You’re Truly Proud Of . Time and again people tell me they wish they had read it when they were getting started, so grab a copy and learn success strategies that will elevate your future.

Take the Elevations for Students Assessment

When you buy Elevate Your Career: Live a Life You’re Truly Proud Of , you get a coupon for a free career assessment. Elevations for Students (accessible by phone or tablet) helps you prioritize your values, identify the skills you enjoy using, profiles your temperament and offers current and emerging career options that match your interests. You will receive also self-confidence boosting report that describes your innate talents and capabilities.

Do An Internship

The benefits of working and exploring your options while in school are substantial. You will:

Learn about your strengths and weaknesses
Get feedback from professionals
Mature both personally and professionally
Build your resume to compete more effectively when you graduate
Polish your interpersonal skills
Build your confidence
Refine your goals based on real-life experience
Establish a network of peers and mentors

If you want to graduate with an array of juicy job offers, take action on the items above. Grow, have fun, learn and secure your future.

How to Conduct a Cold-Call Marketing Pitch

Thu, 02 Jul 2020 00:59:42 GMT

How to Conduct a Cold-Call Marketing Pitch

Recently two strangers who reached out to me via LinkedIn to have a networking call. I accepted their invitations because I find value in these types of meetings. If they saw something in my LinkedIn Profile , we might do business or provide mutual support. Here are some tips based on these calls:

Use an Online Scheduling Too l

Both made it easy for me to calendar the call by providing a scheduling tool. One used Calendly . The other used AcuityScheduling . Both were great. Quickly I had the meetings booked and received reminders in advance.

Initiate the Call Yourself

One had me call them, the other called me. I prefer receiving the phone call. It’s your party, be the host. Don’t run up my long-distance bill when you are trying to pitch me.

Do Your Homework

Neither one of the callers took the time to learn about me in advance. They were both inquisitive, but their questions were broad and uninformed. I would have been much more impressed if they absorbed the information available on my websites and social accounts before our call.

Listen

This was the key difference between the two calls. One was busy sizing me up while I was answering her questions. I knew this because she asked me the same question several times. She quickly got to speaking about her expertise and failed to draw out my story. I checked out mentally.

Find a Way to Be Mutually Supportive

Both networkers did this well. One offered to support my social media posts and she has delivered on this offer. The other introduced me to a service website that might become a part of my strategy going forward. In return, I made sure I gave them resources suitable to their business endeavors.

In the past I might not have taken the time to meet with these folks. The shut-down has opened my schedule and I’m taking full advantage of this opportunity to connect with others. I’ll end with my own offer. If you want to tell me about your product or service, set up the call. There are no mistakes. If we connect, there will be value in it, especially if you follow the tips I just offered.

#phone #businessideas #businessconsulting #efficiency #businessrelationships #smartmove #marketing #creativemarketing #businessstrategy #salesfunnel #marketingstrategist #pitch #communicator #knowyourworth #social #network #connect #opportunities #helenhoryza

Levels of Career Emergence: How to Strategically Re-Enter the Labor Market After the Shut-Down

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 17:33:45 GMT

Levels of Career Emergence: How to Strategically Re-Enter the Labor Market After the Shut-Down

Careers are often boiled down to overly simplistic perspectives. Either you have a job, or you don’t. As you are reading this, your situation is probably more complicated.

Maybe you:

Have a job, but you are working from home, changing the fabric of your career and your home life.
Have lost some or all of your work but are confident you will be able to return as the economy re-opens.
Are completely out of a job with no prospects of returning to what you used to do.
Are working harder than you’ve worked in your life because you are an essential worker.
Are working in an area that grew because of the pandemic (flour producers, delivery services, and puzzle makers to name a few). You are prosperous and struggling to keep up with demand.
Are a small business owner, gig worker or consultant managing limited cash reserves, trying to gage how long it will take for your line of work to safely recover.
Are enjoying a much-needed vacation and are using this time to reinvent yourself.

The list goes on.

How do you develop a strategic plan to put yourself in the best possible position? The first step is an understanding of the type of pivot you are making.

There are three levels of emergence :

The Total Pivot
The Creative Pivot
The Prosperous Pivot

The Total Pivot

You are starting a career in a completely new field. Some of your skills will transfer, but you will have new duties, new products or services and a new identity. You might invest in re-training. This could be a college degree or a certificate program. Either way, you open new doors and start your next chapter.

If you are seeking a traditional full-time job, a total pivot can require you to start at the entry-level. The silver lining here is the speed at which you can learn and advance, using your maturity and work ethic as a spring board. Sometimes a step aside or a step back is the smartest way for you to regain stability.

Another total pivot is self-employment. If you’ve longed to have the flexibility and autonomy that comes with business ownership, this might be perfect for you. Take a look at my blog article on hot stay-at-home jobs to get good ideas.

The Creative Pivot

This pivot is a re-invention. It requires a keen analysis of your current field, function and competition. Here you survey your options and see where the opportunities are. Use foresight to anticipate where future growth is likely to occur.

I can use myself as an example. Up until March 15th 2020 I made my living as an academically trained career development expert with a focus on organizational development. All of my work required face-to-face contact and it evaporated overnight.

It’s not the first time I’ve had to reinvent myself so I knew the steps to take (found in my book Elevate Your Career: Live a Life You’re Truly Proud Of). After much self-reflection, I was able to focus on the part of my career that I enjoyed the most, training other people how to be great career coaches. So, now I plan to open the Career Coach Entrepreneur Academy in Fall 2020. I’m incredibly excited and glad that the universe pulled me out of my groove and gave me a chance to make a change.

Prosperous Career Pivot

The last general category of career emergence requires keen business skills, competitive analysis and forecasting. It is called a Prosperous Pivot. In this circumstance you’ve hit the jackpot! You have a product or service in great demand because of the pandemic. The question facing you is this, how long with this last?

Your pivot is challenging because you are busy. It would be easy to think you don’t have time to worry about the future. Big mistake. Step back and consider your strategy. Determine when demand is likely to fall off and put a plan in place. Be ready. You might consider hiring the best executive coach money can buy. This way you leverage outside expertise when you need it the most.

My last word of advice is to keep a positive, accountable attitude. This will allow you to be resourceful and see the best path forward. You are not alone if anxiety is impacting your ability to think clearly. Ask for help, lean on the people you trust and take advantage of all the resources that can help you make a successful career pivot.

6 Steps to Communication Mastery

Tue, 09 Jun 2020 17:44:22 GMT

6 Steps to Communication Mastery

A recent survey of 400 companies with 100,000 employees cited an average loss per company of $62.4 million per year because of inadequate communication to and between employees. Add our current pandemic work-from-home circumstances and that number is likely rising. If you aspire to success in your business or as a leader in an organization, communication mastery is essential.

Excellent communication is an art, not a science. One strategy may work beautifully with one person and bomb with another. Having said that, there are some practices that will consistently improve your communication prowess.

Step One: Communicate to the Needs of Others

It is well documented we operate from automatic and unconscious preferences in our communication. If you are a logical person, you tackle tough subjects with ease. If you appreciate order in your life, you respond well to structured communication that does not waste your time. The list of preferences goes on and on. If you do not know what your natural born preference are, you will impose your needs on others. The price you pay is disconnects, disputes and lost productivity.

The fastest and most powerful way to uncover your own preferences and learn to communicate to the needs of others is to become a student of temperament. My recently published book Elevate Your Career: Live a Life You’re Truly Proud Of offers detailed temperament descriptions, case studies and a temperament reference appendix.

Step Two: Listen Knowing You Will Learn Something

Listening is an act of generosity. It helps you gain credibility, loyalty and trust. No doubt, the payoff is immense. Never the less, poor listening is rampant. People interrupt, minds wander and assumptions block new information. Building listening skills requires constant effort. It’s much like going to the gym. It is a muscle you must work on constantly.

Sadly, you may not have an accurate view of your listening abilities, especially if you have power over the people you communicate with. Take time to ask the people you work with a couple of simple questions:

How would you describe my listening skills?
What could I do to improve?
How would better listening on my part improve your career/productivity?

This will take a bit of courage on your part. The payoff will be significant.

Step Three: Pay Attention to Your Tone

“It’s not what you said, it’s how you said it!” When emotions run high, your tone changes, usually to convey impatience or anger. This become magnified if you are delivering a suggestion or criticism. In communication lingo, we call this paralanguage. It is your tone, volume and pacing (how quickly or slowly you deliver your message). Somewhat like listening, self-awareness and practice are the keys to improving your paralanguage. Start by noticing people’s facial expression when you are communicating. Do they look sad, angry or disconnected? Chances are, your tone could be improved.

Step Four: Manage Your Body Language

In face-to-face communication, body language is the dominant force. A whooping 55% of your impact in communication has nothing to do with your words or your paralanguage. Its your stance, eye contact, smile and gestures. You are a walking message board, sharing information without saying a word.

Improving your body language is fairly easy. Learn how to make comfortable eye contact, smile frequently and stand with confidence. Remove physical barriers to communication, like a big desk between you and your guests.

Even on a Zoom call, your body language is broadcasting. Monitor your facial expressions, stop looking down at your phone and position your monitor so your audience is not looking up your nose (you know what I mean!).

Step Five: Work to Keep the Listener’s Attention

There is a huge gap between the speed of your speech and the brain processing speed of your listener. The average person speaks 115-120 words per minute. The average brain processes 600 to 800 words per minute. Every trick or tool you can find to keep the attention of the people you speak to is precious.

Here are a few of my favorite attention grabbers:

Do your homework. Know what is important to your audience.
Build bridges. Find common ground.
Use visual aids and ask for feedback.
Provide advance information and follow-up with valuable resources.
Speak with confidence and energy.
Trash the PowerPoint slides, except for great visuals that tell your story.
Start on time and end on time.

You keep the attention of your audience by demonstrating respect. They will pay attention if you are delivering substantial value.

Step Six: Remember People’s Names

Ugg, I can hear you groaning now. You are terrible at remembering people’s names. Guess what, we all are. It’s not a natural talent, it’s a chosen skill. About 5 years ago I attended a presentation by Michael Allosso, professional actor, speaker and communication expert. He convinced me to become adept at remembering people’s names.

My husband and I took on the challenge and here’s what happened:

Waiters at restaurants (remember doing that?) have given us unparalleled service.
We have been upgraded at hotels.
We have relationships with the staff at Home Depot and our grocery store.

The list goes on.

The best advice I can give you to remember names is to make an association. The receptionist at my hair dresser is Lana (I associate her with the patch of lawn outside the front door). You have to pause and think about the association. If you have time, jot down some notes about the person. Over time, you’ll get better and better, never perfect, and that’s OK.

Communication mastery will enhance every aspect of your life. Pick one of the above steps and get started. Even a small improvement in your communication methods will offer compounded benefits in both your personal and professional life.

The Ending is the Beginning

Thu, 04 Jun 2020 20:10:16 GMT

The Ending is the Beginning

You are not alone if you have lost something significant in the last ten weeks. Many excellent articles have been written about the grief, widely felt at this time. Today I’d like to elaborate on this topic and focus specifically on your career.

I am going to share the introductory paragraphs from Chapter Five of my book Elevate Your Career: Live a Life You’re Truly Proud Of . In this section I talk about loss, but I also describe the excitement that comes with a new beginning. I hope this passage will offer context and clarity for you in this time of change.

Here is the Elevate Career Cycle referenced several times in the excerpt:

“Making a decision to start or change a career is like embarking upon a solo voyage no one else can take for you. You are in between who you are and who you will become. During this transitional time, your sense of self can slip and slide as you explore your new future and say goodbye to the past. Career changes are often disruptive and can affect your life balance. You might feel moody or impatient. The refrigerator may beckon you at 3 a.m. as you worry about what’s next. It’s not uncommon for people entering the Journey stage to experience sleep disturbances, health challenges, and strained relationships because they are uncomfortable with their unknown future.

You many also experience some mixture of grief and elation. Your journey is marked by an ending—the end of your comfortable job, the end of stable income or maybe the end of your education. You often know the change is coming but sometimes your security blanket is ripped away from you unexpectedly. It can be a shock requiring you to draw on your inner resilience. Like everything in life, you have some degree of choice. Perhaps you could have prolonged or avoided the change, but if you have made it to the Journey stage of the Cycle, you are ready to move forward.

When you enter the Journey phase, you straddle the past and the future. Imagine you have one foot on a dock which represents your past career state. Your other foot is stepping onto a boat, representing your unfolding career (future). The boat is rocking and you struggle to keep your balance as you board the vessel. You are not longer standing firmly on the dock and you have not completely boarded the boat. You are somewhere in the middle, risking a clumsy gymnastic split or a chilly dip in the water.

If you keep your balance and thrust your mind, body, and spirit onto the boat, you are fully boarded and embarking on your career journey. Your first moments on the boat can be unwieldy. You may find yourself looking back at the dock, longing for the comfort of your familiar past. You might have an impulse to tell the captain to turn the boat around so you can get back to the dock. Uncertainty or even regret is a time of transition is to be expected. Give yourself some time to reflect on what was good or painful about your past. Honor your losses. Take active steps to celebrate both the positive and negative aspects of the situation you are leaving.

Ironically, as you grow more comfortable with your forward motion, you may want the vessel to hurry up and get to the destination—you want clarity and a definable goal. It is natural to want to end this in-between time. Be forewarned, your impulse to rush through the process and “foreclose” just to avoid your discomfort can result in a half-baked career decision. Hang in there. We will take this step by step together.”

There is a path for you to follow if your career has been disrupted or eliminated. Here are some quick tips to help you at this juncture:

Use all the career change resources (books, videos, advisors, etc.) at your disposal.
Do not jump at the first opportunity that comes along.
Mobilize your courage, be brave and make great choices.

3 Job Search Mind Shifts

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 22:57:11 GMT

3 Job Search Mind Shifts

If you are on unemployment and/or worried your career will not survive in a post-pandemic labor market, you are likely embarking on a job hunt. You might not be feeling great about this turn of events, resenting the loss of income and stability. So how do you take control over your life and your livelihood?

The following mind shifts will empower you and accelerate your job search success.

Mind Shift Number 1: Resentful vs Committed

The natural human response to hardship and loss is resentment. Sadly, bitterness and negativity will kill your motivation. Your efforts to become employed will be stalled.

I am compelled to offer an alternative mind set. I’d like you to become committed. This mind set is gritty, determined and competitive. You do not allow the event that took your job away dictate your perspective. You can be resourceful, finding options for your future.

Mind Shift Number 2: Fear of Rejection vs Generating Opportunities

“I hate job search.” I’ve heard this time and again. It’s not surprising because job hunting invites rejection. No one like being turned down. You don’t want to experience failure so you give up.

Well, I can’t stand by and let that happen so let’s consider another option. Imagine you and I go to a casino (one that is magically safe to enter). We approach a slot machine and I promise to give you unlimited coins. You are pretty happy, right? You figure you will win eventually, so you start pulling the lever enthusiastically. You don’t resent the number of times you need to try, because you are focused on the eventual win.

I’d like you to approach your job search with the same rationale. Job rejections are your badges of honor. The more you generate, the most likely you are getting close to securing rewarding employment.

Mind Shift Number 3: Numbers Game vs Strategy

If you have replaced resentment with commitment and are (mostly) immune to rejection, you are a foe to be reckoned with in the job market. You have eliminated much of your competition. Nice work, now let’s go one step further.

The last mind-shift is moves you from applying for as many jobs as possible to applying for jobs that you have researched as a great fit for you. Spraying the Internet with generic resumes will produce little or no results. So, it’s time for you to establish a strategy. To help you do that, grab a copy of my free e-book: The 10 Biggest Mistakes Job Seekers Make.

With the right mind set and great resources, you can take control of your career transition. Knowing the traps that accompany job search and shifting your perspective will give you the positive attitude you need and deserve.

How to Find a Job You Will Love?

Mon, 18 May 2020 19:37:41 GMT

How to Find a Job You Will Love?

How do you find a job that makes your toes tingle? Surly I’m going to tell you about the best online job sites or hidden recruiter resources. Nope. The answer has nothing to do with job search. The key is you. Your values, enjoyable skills, career-related interests, and natural born temperament constitute your talent package. They are your life-long compass, guiding you to a career you love.

Knowing your talent package is essential. As important is being able to describe your capacities to people who can open doors for you. When asked to “tell me a little bit about yourself” do you struggle? This common question is simply a request for you to introduce your prospective employer, investor or business partner to your talent package. You need to be able to describe your interior talent capacity with ease.

How do you get to that point? Here are three steps to embracing your talent package so you can find a job you love:

Step One: Bolster your self-confidence .

If you have a hard time giving yourself credit for the things you do well, your vision for yourself is diminished. Your reluctance to shine is the first obstacle you must overcome. The root of this problem is a lack of self-confidence.

Tackle it head on. Join an empowering free program like Toastmasters. Or, if you can afford it, attend a personal growth workshop or hire a career coach. When you walk tall and proudly champion your talents, you will be on the road to an amazing career.

Step Two: Take a career self-assessment .

A high-quality career self-assessment will include and describe all four components of your talent package (values, skills, interests and temperament). In the early stages of my career I hunted for a career assessment that included all four of these elements and was unable to find it. Therefore, I created it myself and it is called Elevations.

These benefits of completing your career self-assessment are substantial:

It’s a self-esteem booster (getting back to step one).
You will gain self-knowledge.
You will have an accurate description of your talent package.
You will be prepared to write your resume, network, and conduct job interviews.

Step Three: Determine What Jobs or Entrepreneurial Opportunities Align with Your Talent Package.

Armed with both self-confidence and the knowledge your gain from your self-assessment, your eyes will be open to great opportunities.

Here are some action steps to take:

Learn how to describe the key components of your talent package. Be ready to share your unique capabilities with influential people.
Identify key words that that describe you best. Enter those words into a Google search and on job sites.
Get creative and combine all of your interests. Design the perfect-fit career that is unique to you.
Think about careers that have appealed to you in the past and notice if your talent package lines up with previous, perhaps long-forgotten, dreams.

Finding a job you love is possible. But, as you can see, the three steps I have outlined are substantial. You won’t slay this one overnight. If you want some inspiration, check out the video on my YouTube Channel called Embrace Your Passion for Sports. I interview a college student who reveals how he plans to employ his multiple passions. Watch the entire video, he is impressive!

Fully embrace your talent package and find the job that never feels like a job; a job you love.

Six Steps to Achieve a CREATIVE Career Pivot

Tue, 12 May 2020 14:06:04 GMT

Six Steps to Achieve a CREATIVE Career Pivot

Are you seeing this historic COVID-19 “career quake” as an opportunity to make a creative career pivot? If yes, you are wisely capitalizing on an unprecedented post-pandemic labor market. Here are six steps that build on each other, increasing your efficiency and ultimate success.

Step One: Look Ahead

Trust your understanding of your industry, function and field. Take inventory of the likely evolution of your career (and your competition) in the near term and down the road. While you don’t have a crystal ball, you do have knowledge and experience. Use your imagination and observations to predict both the opportunities and possible pitfalls in your occupational future.

Identify trends lines.
Notice what is expanding and contracting.
Evaluate the emotional state of your colleagues and competition.
Search for role models who are making great decisions.

Step Two: Position

Decide where you need to strategically position yourself for optimum growth and satisfaction. Focus on your strengths, both from a competitive and a talent perspective. Identify prospects others may have missed or are ignoring. Remember, every crisis holds opportunities, but only for those who actively are looking for them.

Step Three: Learn

No one can stop you from learning what you choose to learn. This fact holds great power. You can separate yourself, either as an employee or as business owner, from the pack by choosing to be a thirsty learner.

Over the past few months, I have been taking my own advice. I’m learning as much as I can about Instagram, YouTube and all the other social media channels. I’m making lots of mistakes and hitting roadblocks along the way. It’s not always fun, but it is prudent. I’m choosing a unique path that is not crowded by others in my field. This is a strong position fueled by learning.

Step Four: Connect

Notice I have asked you to do a great deal of homework before I encourage you to interact with other people. People are being bombarded by advertising, e-mail and Zoom calls so be superbly prepared.

Prepare a clear, compelling pitch focused on your ideal target market.
Give, give and give more value.
Develop content or products you can offer when you are networking.

Note my focus is not on outlining what you do or the services you offer. That will become evident soon enough. Hone in on the needs and concerns of the people you are connecting with. This will make you memorable and trustworthy.

Step Five: Test and Adjust

In each of the steps I have mentioned, you will be gaining knowledge and running into some dead ends. I know you’d like to skip the dead ends part but, if you do, you will limit your creativity and your growth potential. A creative career pivot is, by definition, messy.

Make the necessary adjustments along the way. Limit the cost of your exploration. If it’s clear that your positioning or your connecting is not working, adjust.

Step Six: Use Your Courage

Creative career pivots have always been available but they have never been so scary. The levels of unknowns in a post-pandemic labor market are staggering. For most folks, the unpredictable future is putting them is a “wait and see” mode. I don’t advocate for that approach. Even small strategic steps can make a big difference.

Who Are Your Champions?

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 19:56:50 GMT

Who Are Your Champions

If you are in the process of changing careers or researching new opportunities, you are being brave. If you have lost your job or your business, you are finding out who you can truly count on. In order to have maximum strength and resilience, you will stand on the shoulders of people who support you. I like to call them your champions.

These people that have more faith in you than you have in yourself. They are essential to your success in your career and life in general. Think for a moment about your circle of personal and professional connections. Who consistently offers genuine, meaningful encouragement? Who sees your talents clearly? Who do you trust when you are feeling weak?

I hope a few names and faces are coming to mind. Sometimes your champions are your family and friends. Other times it’s people you see infrequently. It might also be a role model, historical figures or characters in a novel. Inspiration is available if you notice when it shows up.

Look for ways to thank and acknowledge your champions. Craft a message that mentions the specific ways they have helped you. Consider the best vehicle for your appreciation. Perhaps a greeting card, a gift or a phone call. As is so often said, it’s the thought that matters. Make your message of granitite special.

One of the best ways to make sure you have champions is your life is to be one yourself. Practice giving positive feedback to people who genuinely impress you. Don’t be stingy. You might feel a little shy if this is new to you. In fact, giving meaningful support to other people is an act of intimacy and empathy. It will help you grow as a person and will enhance every aspect of your life.

Do Your Research if You Are Considering a CAREER CHANGE

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 20:32:03 GMT

Do Your Research if You Are Considering a CAREER CHANGE

For most people, including me, career-related research is tedious. You want to dive into action and get going. This is a good trait if you are trying to stick to an exercise program. But, if you are considering a career change, impulsivity can tank your future.

Let me explain why:

Anxiety spikes when you are considering a career change. It sucks and it’s a normal. One of the most common ways to escape your fears is to jump at the first available solution. Bad idea. Your livelihood is best served by a thoughtful, strategic analysis. Move forward with confidence.

What you don’t know can bite you. There are always downsides to any career option. You want to be fully aware of them before you commit to a change. Much of the information you need can be quickly uncovered through online resources. Fill in your pro/con list and avoid a bad choice.

You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. It’s tempting to grab your phone and call your most influential contacts. If you have not done your research, you will ask lame questions. Your questions reflect how serious you are. Inspire your network by showing up fully informed.

In career development, research is called the bridge. It’s the space between self-assessment and decision-making. It’s one of the riskiest spots in the career change process because you might want to skip it. If you are stuck at home right now (and you don’t have a screaming child in your ear), it’s a great time to research career options. Get super smart about any direction that appeals to you.

Additionally, research is the key to competitive advantage. While most people will fall off the research bridge, letting anxiety or impulsivity side-line their future, you can double-down on a thorough review of prospective options. Every aspect of your career change process will benefit. Your resume, interviews, and your follow-up will all be strengthened. You will be the winning candidate every time.

Why Career Tests Limit Options

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 19:57:22 GMT

Why Career Tests Limit Options

I thought I’d take a break from the stay-at-home drum beat and get on my soap box instead. For as long as I have been in the career development business, (over thirty years now) I have felt that the most common methods of career testing are flawed. I’ll outline a few reasons why:

Let’s start out with the concept of taking a test. Does that idea inspire you? Are you excited, creative and resourceful? Of course not. Tests are scary and threatening. Not a great platform to design the next chapter of your life.

Test are authoritative and serious. When you take a test, you trust the result as being the truth, the absolute answer. Thus, you relinquish your power to determine your own truth.

In order to be both reliable and valid, the test must be standardized and normed. This means your result has been accurate time after time. For example, when I take the Strong Interest Inventory, I consistently receive a high score in social worker. This means I share the likes and dislikes of a happy female social worker. That is awesome, except my values and temperament do not align with social work. Just my interests do.

The world of work is changing at a pace that is staggering. At this point, in the middle of a pandemic, we truly do not know what work will look like going forward. New careers will emerge and traditional jobs will morph to accommodate a new normal. Standardized tests will not be able to guide us forward.

I do advocate for self-report styled career assessments, especially if it offers a platform to prioritize your values, enjoyable skills, career-related interests and your temperament. You should be able to experience your career exploration without a professional interpretation. You are the author of your future. No one knows you better that you do.

For all the reasons listed above, I created the assessment I just described. If you are not where you want to be in your life and/or your career, take this time to learn more about yourself. If you know family member or friend who needs direction, share the Elevations career assessment with them. This unscheduled sabbatical could be the beginning of an amazing future.

Create a New Vision for Your Future

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 14:33:16 GMT

Create a New Vision for Your Future

In the process of reinventing yourself, your identity can catapult you forward or hold you back. Several weeks ago, my identity was a new author, an emerging motivational speaker, and a corporate trainer. Then the stay-at-home order was announced. My book signings were cancelled and training events evaporated. Over-night, like so many of you reading this article, my career and livelihood dramatically changed.

I was at a Cross Road. An external event changed the trajectory of my career. I could have spent a lot of times feeling bad about my losses. But I knew that would not get me where I needed to go. I consciously released my previous identity and asked, what do I want to become? The answer to that question allowed creative solutions to flow.

I acknowledge that letting go of the past can be incredibly difficult. One of my clients during the Great Recession was a mortgage broker. His career was decimated as the financial crisis unfolded. I offered him a number of suggestions regarding new career options, but he would not let go of his familiar past. Eventually he lost his home and his marriage. This sad outcome could have been different if he was willing to create a new vision in the midst of a crisis.

There are a number of ways you can create a new vision for your future:

Take a long walk and ask yourself what you want in your life. If you don’t have a specific career direction yet, focus on the overall quality of your life. Let your creative mind work.

Have a conversation with someone you trust. Start by discussing who you have been. What is your identity from the past? Then, shift to describing who you want to become. Co-creating your vision can be exciting!

Create a vision board. This is a great stay-at-home project. Get some poster board and magazines. Cut out pictures that reflect your vision for your future. Pay attention to the energy of the images, the colors and symbols. When you are done, hang your vision board in a location you see every day.

Identity development occurs throughout the course of your lifetime. Growing into the next version of yourself is often prompted by an external, unexpected event. If you accept the change and consciously create the “new you”, you are much less likely to stagnate or make bad decisions. You will emerge strong and aligned with your natural talents; exactly what you want and deserve.

Ten Hot Stay at Home Jobs

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 23:14:40 GMT

Ten Hot Stay at Home Jobs

Many of you have been asked to work at home or you’ve lost your job all together. How can you look at this situation as an opportunity? Traditional jobs do have their down-side:

They limit your independence.
A salary does not reward you when you go the extra mile.
You can’t slip in little errands or family requirements on the fly.
Your income can be taken away by your employer at any time.

Consider a virtual career building on skills you have or skills you are willing to acquire. I’m not suggesting you can do this overnight. But, maybe it’s time for you to take control of your life now, for good.

By the way, this article is going to spike your anxiety. I know this because I’m asking you to make a courageous change. My YouTube channel is loaded with motivational information about making a successful career change. Don’t let self-doubt creep into your heart and mind as you review this list.

Hot Job Number One: Virtual Assistant

Many any small business owners and entrepreneurs are looking for an organizational wizard to keep organize finances, manage the schedule and respond to customer needs. If these tasks are enjoyable and come naturally, this hot job might be your future.

Hot Job Number Two: Online Tutoring

Do you take your math, writing, computer programming or foreign language skills for granted? You can help others become academically adept in a subject that baffles them.

Hot Job Number Three: Social Media Manager

Are you a decent graphic designer, copywriter and time-manager? Use your genius skills to create both visibility and revenue for a business or service.

Hot Job Number Four: Paid Advertising Manager

Are willing to learn the ins and outs of google advertising or amazon advertising? You can take a percentage of the sales you generate.

Hot Job Number Five: On-Line Learning Workshop Creator

What do you know everything about? Perhaps it is dental hygiene, dog training or strength training. Whatever you are passionate about can be turned into a course that becomes an income generator.

Hot Job Number Six: Foreign Language Translator

This one is very hot. Do a quick Google search for “demand for foreign language translator”. If you already speak a second language, you have a golden opportunity.

Hot Job Number Seven: Coaching

We all need mentors and encouragement. You can become a life coach, career coach, health coach…whatever excites you the most. Start by helping people for free or very little money and grow your business over time.

Hot Job Number Eight: YouTube Creator

There is an abundance of excellent advice about starting your YouTube channel. Check out Paige Media, Sean Cannell, and Justin Brown. They helped me get started.

Hot Job Number Nine: Web Designer

This job combines a love for technology with an artistic flair. There are so many web design platforms you can choose to master.

Hot Job Number Ten: Video Editor

People who are pumping out video content may not have time or the desire to create a beautiful finished product. This is a fun niche that you can own.

Please let me know about other great virtual jobs. You can reach me at helen@helenhoryza.com . Before I let you go, here are web locations where virtual jobs are listed: Amazon.com in the “careers” section, craigslist.com, fiverr.com, glassdoor.com, upwork.com, indeed.com, hiremymom.com, freemama.com, heytutor.com, upwork.com, flexjobs.com, pangian.com, weworkremotely.com, skipthedrive.com are just a few of the many options.

Coronavirus Crossroad

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 15:54:49 GMT

Coronavirus Crossroad

The unfolding of the coronavirus crisis has been a nasty Crossroad. Early last week, I was launching my book and setting up book signings. I was excited. Then, rapidly my world got rocked. Face-to-face work assignments evaporated. Physical freedom to work and play retracted. The unknown has become my reality as I wondered how bad this will get and how long it would last. I know I’m not alone.

The Coronavirus Crossroad is intense. It threatens personal and professional stability. It’s easy to get caught up in blaming. Easy targets include our government, the healthcare system, and toilet paper hoarders. This victim perspective, stokes your anger and anxiety, limiting your creativity and problem-solving ability. That’s the last thing you need right now.

I’d like to invite you to take an accountable perspective. This means no excuses or blaming. Massive amounts of self-responsibility will allow you to move out of the Crossroad and into Introspection. Your anxiety will soften and you have an opportunity to learn and grow though this experience. Additionally, your brain will work and your compassion for others will guide your choices.

Yesterday afternoon I shopped for groceries and toiletries, putting our household in a position where we could be self-sufficient for a couple of weeks. It was a practical move, not panic. I moved through the produce isle, noticing an almost empty box of mushrooms. I loaded them into my plastic bag but stopped short of taking them all. I left some for someone else.

This may seem like an insignificant choice, but it had a big impact on me. I’ve never been through a crisis like this one. I want to be able to look back and know I did my best. Over the next couple of months, I am going to be adding to my YouTube channel and writing. I’d love to know what you are planning on doing. Write me at helen@helenhoryza.com Your input will allow me to keep providing uplifting, practical support during this unprecedented crisis.

How to Avoid Skill Burnout

Mon, 09 Mar 2020 21:18:18 GMT

How to Avoid Skill Burnout

When you are highly competent in a particular skill, you might expect you will also enjoy performing that skill. Ironically, this is not always true. Our level of skill enjoyment can burnout for a wide variety of reasons including repetition, overwhelm or stress. But, once labeled as the go-to person for that skill, you may find it difficult to escape the task.

Let me put this another way; have you gotten very good at duties that you do not enjoy? Of course you have, it’s the definition of diligence. You do what your job requires. It’s the stuff you set aside to do later. It’s the ugly stack that piles up. You force yourself to get it done and your energy is depleted.

For me, it’s all the detail work including contracts, invoices, meetings, schedules, bookkeeping, etc. This list makes me cringe. Having said all that, anyone who knows me will tell you I’m incredibly organized and capable of impeccable planning. Not because I love it, but because I have to. Knowing what energizes me and what burns me out keeps my work-life in balance.

Here is a short list of tips that will keep you energized and capable of the full range of skills your job requires:

• Do an honest self-assessment focusing on enjoyable skills. Define your natural born strengths.

• Pay attention to enjoyment rather than competence when evaluating your skill preferences.

• Notice when you are burning out a skill that you previously enjoyed. You may need to take a break for a while to get re-energized.

• Never assume you cannot learn a skill. You can be good at many things. Nothing stops you from broadening your scope of competence.

We live in a world where we need to be nimble. The best way to accomplish this is to keep learning new things and never be afraid of new skill-related challenges. I know, easy to say, hard to do!

Personal Values Fuel Your Courage

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 19:31:45 GMT

Personal Values Fuel Your Courage

About ten years ago I began a simple practice. Every morning as I rise from bed and swing my feet to the floor, I reflect on my top three personal values: meaningful work, helping others and having fun.

My overall goal is to increase my awareness and experience of these three things in every part of my day. The impact has been substantial. Here is what I have learned:

I have to have my values posted so I see them periodically throughout the day. I have them listed as part of my e-mail signature line. This keeps them top of mind no matter what happens.
My personal values make the biggest impact when I am fearful, angry, or about to make impulsive decision. With my values in mind, my emotions are checked and I proceed with integrity and strength.
I make my best decisions when my actions and mind set are filtered through my personal core values.

Finding the courage to step up to any challenge is the key to success in all aspects of life. I do not want to waste energy beating myself up about my fears and insecurities. I want to draw from a much deeper well of strength, namely my values.

What to Do if You Hate Your Job: Stop Being a Victim and Start Plotting

Sat, 22 Feb 2020 00:02:30 GMT

What to Do if You Hate Your Job: Stop Being a Victim and Start Plotting

The worst thing about being stuck in the wrong job is the erosion of your self-confidence. As you ride the good day, bad day roller coaster your moxie drains. It gets harder to drag yourself out of bed each morning and your brain is scrambled. So, what can you do?

Start with some self-reflection. Notice you are at a crossroad, classically characterized as a stuck place filled with anxiety and uncertainly. Acknowledge that these feelings are normal, given your circumstances. This point of internal refection can help calm you down so you can think straight.

Next, ask yourself if you have been taking an accountable perspective about your rotten job or if you are blaming others for your situation. If you are filled with resentment because of other people’s behavior or attitude, you are blocking your own progress. You need to embrace what I call radical accountability. This means you focus exclusively on things you can control.

If other people fail to follow-through, stereotype you unfairly, or even actively attack you, put that into the imaginary “stuff I cannot control” bucket. Place the bucket on a window sill or in a closet. Energy focused on being a victim will immobilize you and limit your creative problem solving.

Recently I met a thirty-year-old single mother who had just completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Terri (not her real name) spent three years completing an online degree positioning herself for upward mobility. Terri is a Medical technician in the oncology unit of a stable, well respected healthcare system. She’s approaching ten years in a job that does not require a degree and pays poorly.

She is not being considered for promotions because the organization does not want to lose her in her current role. They are ignoring her potential. She feels dis-respected and invisible. When I explained the dynamics of the crossroad to Terri, she was amazed how well it described how she was feeling. It was a first step out of job hell and into strategy.

We talked about the parts of her situation that makes her feel like a victim and the areas where she is taking an accountable perspective. She was willing to ignore things out of her control and focus on what she could do. This broke open a flood of creative awareness about her potential and desires. After completing a self-assessment and a detailed action plan, she declared that she could not remember feeling so inspired and excited.

Granted, it might take Terri a while to get her well deserved promotion but now she is on her way. Her self-confidence is improved and she has the energy to explore her options.

Regaining your moxie and embracing radical accountability will liberate you from a job you hate.

Catalyze Your Courage

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 16:34:36 GMT

Four Ways to Catalyze Your Courage

Blog Article 5

Four Ways to Catalyze Your Courage

If you want to make a big change in your career or your life, it can be daunting. The obstacles you face are real. The consequences of failing or making a mistake keep you immobilized. This is a common, frustrating reality. Now I want to give you some insight on how to get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Step one: Decide you want to make a change.

Make a verbal pack with yourself and a few precious friends. Speak your desire out loud. Write down your goal and post it near your bed or computer. The statement of your desire is a powerful step towards the accomplishment of your goal.

Step two: Recognize that your fears are normal.

The gap between your current circumstances and your vision can be substantial. Faced with a changing, unknown future, anxiety bubbles up and threatens to de-rail your progress. When I was in my early twenties, I knew I wanted to become some sort of counselor but fear blocked me at every turn. I was afraid I could not pass the GRE (graduate record exam), I worried about my limited savings and paltry income. Stress made it difficult to sleep. I was tied up in knots.

Does any of this sound familiar? If you are in this state now or have been in the past, you know that fear is a powerful, and potentially destructive, force. Here’s the news flash: fear is a normal, predictable part of your life and career process. Once you realize that you are not failing or crazy, you can get back to the business of moving towards your desires.

Step three: Consider the possibility that things can get better.

When you are getting started with a life or career change, it’s common to be confronted with obstacles. You get depressed and discouraged. You see your low bank account, the pile of bills and all your obligations standing between you and your aspirations.

This is the time to pull your attention away from what is not working to what could change. Could your financial situation be improved? Well, yes it could. Imagine how your life could get easier, less cluttered and more efficient. Humm, this suggests that small steps and the right attitude can mobilize you to take wise action.

Step four: Stop blaming others and making excuses.

I’ve been sympathetic up to this point. Now I need to confront you just a little bit. Do you feel like life is giving you a raw deal? Do you think that a great career or a great life is simply what you deserve? If so, your feelings and thoughts are the main obstacle between you and a better existence. Take responsibility for your current situation. Put the focus on your assets, not your liabilities. Have faith in yourself. Be resourceful and accountable. With this perspective, you are well on your way to reaching your potential.

Feeling Behind

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 23:56:24 GMT

Feeling Behind

Feeling Behind

Do you feel like it’s taking too long for you to:

• Find a career direction?

• Become financially stable?

• Get control of your time?

• Meet the right romantic partner?

• Reach your biggest goals?

I have to be honest. Over the course of my life, I often measured myself against other people. I watched friends get married in their twenties and start their family. Many of them had a clear career direction and stayed on that path. It seemed like they were living a normal life and I was behind. My career took a while to crystalize and I did not get married until later in life. I’m a chronic, frustrated late bloomer.

I suspect I’m not alone. Perhaps your impatient self-critic beats you up because you are not accomplishing things fast enough. This tendency becomes heightened when you leave school. No matter what level of education you accomplish, school gives you structure. You move through the grade levels and people move along with you.

Once you leave school, you face big challenges and decisions. You try to find a job; you determine where and how you will live and you run into obstacles. You can begin to feel like you are failing. You look around at your friends, former class maters or influencers on social media and you are a tortoise in a field of rabbits.

Consider the following strategies to overcome your exasperation:

• When you are thinking about your goals, use the word “want” instead of “should”. Stop poisoning yourself with guilt.

• Try to stop comparing yourself to others. I know, it’s nearly impossible but you never know what other people are dealing with. Shake hands with your own life and stay focused on you.

• Be your own champion, not your harshest critic.

• Stop blaming and making excuses. If you have had tough circumstances, it may be tempting to allow past disappointments to block your future. Take an accountable prepositive and take charge of your life.

The number one best way to stop feeling behind is to keep your focus on your own goals. If you want to hear more about this topic, check out my YouTube Channel and watch the Feeling Guilty About Not Knowing video.

The Elevate Career Cycle

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 19:09:05 GMT

The Elevate Career Cycle

The foundation for all career choices or changes is the Elevate Career Cycle. This cycle has allowed me to take big risks and enjoy big rewards. Now I want to share it with you. In this post I provide an overview for all of you “big picture learners”. I will dive into each aspect of the cycle in detail in future posts

The cycle starts at the Crossroad. This can be a tough place to be. Often your needs are not being met, you feel stuck or you can’t figure out what’s next. You want things to be better but you face obstacles.

• You hate your boss but love your job.

• You are short on money, time or education.

• Your job is boring and below your ability.

• The list goes on….

The Crossroad can occur because of your personal, internal dissatisfaction or because of something external like a relocation or a bad personal relationship. It throws your life into a tail spin. Because of the uncertainty of your situation, your anxiety spikes. This is reflected by the Red Arrow that sits to the right of the Crossroad.

The best strategic step at this point is a period of Introspection. You realize you need to move forward and find a new identity, a new alignment with your capabilities, a new chapter in your life. You enter the Journey stage and your anxiety levels out a bit. It does not go away but it’s not running the show.

In the Journey stage you get curious. You expand your view of yourself. You might complete a self assessment and get very clear about your values, enjoyable skills, career interests and your temperament preferences. This exploration is validating. You begin to get a little excited and you move away from the struggle of the Crossroad. You are not stuck; now you are moving forward.

Then you Connect with the people who comfort and encourage you. You also seek out contrarians, people who hit you with tough questions. You gather information about your options. Basically, you are validating your gut instincts and reducing risk. Don’t be impulsive. Wait until you have all the facts to support an excellent career decision.

This is where you hit the Second Red Arrow on the cycle. You hunt around for guarantees that your career choice or change will be a success. Your anxiety tells you to hide under the covers in your bed. You don’t want to make a mistake! Never the less, you find your grit.

You reach the Contract stage, the moment of truth. You:

• Quit your job.

• Declare a major.

• Start your own business.

• Go back to school.

• Pursue a long-held dream.

Standing on the other side of Contract is the Emerge Strategic action. You feel a burst of self-esteem because you stepped up. You are liberated in your new situation. The sky is the limit. At the same time, lots of things feel unstable and unfamiliar. You have some settling in to do. Find your new favorite coffee shop, get to know your new co-workers or find your way around a new city.

A few days, weeks or months go by and you are at the Home Stage. Because you were both prudent and courageous, you have achieved the success and satisfaction you were seeking. You are aligned with your talents. Home can last for a long time if you have honored each step of the cycle and made an excellent transition.

The last part of the cycle is a Pink Arrow and the Evolve Stage. This is the great unknown of your future. The economy could tank, your industry or field could be disrupted by new technology or you just might get bored and need to enter the Crossroad again. You are like a plant; you might need some new soil down the road.

The title of this blog, “Struggling to Find Your Career is a Necessary, Healthy Pain in the Ass” is a comment on the real and challenging process of good career decision making. Now that you know about the cycle, you can stop feeling crazy and get on with your amazing life.

How Anxiety Can Keep You Stuck

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 18:53:08 GMT

How Anxiety Can Keep You Stuck

Fear is helpful when you are cornered in the jungle, facing a saber tooth tiger. It pulls the blood out of your brain so you don’t overthink your situation. It floods your body with cortisol making you reactive and impulsive. But fear, or it’s best friend, anxiety, can become an obstacle if you let these feeling rule your life.

It’s natural for you to avoid things that make you anxious. This is adaptive and healthy if you are standing on the edge of a cliff but not helpful if it’s making it impossible for you to:

• Choose a college major

• Take a promotion

• Start your new business

• Ask for a raise

• Follow your true passion

What is the solution? I found the answer is a book title, “Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.” This book by Susan Jeffers is probably awesome but, honestly, I bought it and never read it. The title was all I needed. It hit me like a ton on bricks when I was twenty-six years old and paralyzed with fear. I was waiting for the fear to go away. It was not going anywhere so I needed to get moving while massively uncomfortable. It worked, I got unstuck. I beat my fear back with constructive action towards my goal.

I recommend you shake hands with your anxiety. See it as a necessary and natural response to your brave ambition to live up to your potential. One more bit of good news. Every time you feel your fear and keep moving, you experience lower and lower levels of anxiety. Over time, situations that juiced your anxiety will not longer impact you. You will stand in your power, unafraid.

Shining Through Your Struggle: Crossroad

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 18:53:07 GMT

Shining Through Your Struggle: Crossroad

Life’s beginnings start with the Crossroad. This is a time when you stand at a decision point. You are dissatisfied. It could be because of internal rumblings. You are bored, underperforming in your job or yearning to enter your dream field. Or, you could be at a Crossroad because of external circumstances. You don’t like the people you work with; your job has overtaken your life or you’ve just relocated and need to start all over again. And, it can be personal; a rotten relationship, an illness or family responsibilities.

Usually Crossroad are difficult. You feel lost, stuck, anxious or angry. If you are in a job you don’t like, you ride a roller coaster, accepting your fate one day and then fighting to leave the next. You feel behind in life, thinking most people have it together while you wonder what the hell you are supposed to be doing with your life. The unknowns swirl in your head, keeping you awake at night. You complain about your situation to anyone who will listen.

Guess what, you are normal. Yep, Crossroads happen. When you are in the middle of one, it’s common for you to feel like you are failing or crazy. You are not, you are hitting a brick wall designed to catalyze you to the next chapter in your life. The ups and downs of the Crossroad are polishing the gem that is you. The more you struggle, the more you grow.

As Dr. Michael Bernard Beckwith says, “the pain pushes you until the vision pulls you.” If you know you are in a Crossroad, you can move through it with some modicum of grace. Decide you are going to move forward, no knowing where or how. You choose to get unstuck. You face your fears and take control of your life. In this brave moment, your anxiety softens. You step into your power. The first red arrow on the Elevate Career Cycle is no longer ruling your life. You move into strategic action, Introspection.