What are you telling yourself?

In my work helping people make successful career transitions after being laid off or making their own decision to do so, I hear many excuses: “I’m too old”, I’m too young”, "I don’t have a degree”, “My dream is too unrealistic”, “I’ll never be able to do it”, “In this bad economy…”. These are typical reactions to change, ways we humans adapt, or don’t, to the unfamiliar. So there begins my work with clients – helping them take a look at what they’re telling themselves and realizing there are always ways around perceived obstacles. In matters related to you making that change you’ve got in mind, what are you telling yourself?

Undoing our Excuses
Here are some different ways of looking at excuses, which are really self-imposed limitations that hold us back from realizing our own potential:

“Too old” – consider the years of accumulated experience learning ways of the business world or an industry, knowing how to get things done, having established a reputation and good work habits.

“Too young” – there is a lot of energy and freshness associated with youth, new ideas and an understanding of how today’s technology can help existing processes, and a hunger for learning from more experienced colleagues.

“I don’t have a degree” – experience speaks volumes in most cases and what is gained from actually doing the thing can overshadow having the piece of paper; a degree can be completed while learning the job.

“Too unrealistic” – wisdom throughout the ages says that if you have the idea to begin with, you have the ability to make it happen; asking tough questions and building a business plan around an idea will shed light on its viability.

“I’ll never be able to do it …” – you get what you think, so your attitude must be open and willing; setting goals, creating action plans, monitoring progress, and appreciating any size of step taken is how many a dream is realized.

“In this bad economy…” – there are still people thriving and businesses having their best months ever – we just don’t hear about them much. Yes, careful consideration is in order along with a reality check on finances, but nothing says you can’t start making moves now.

“I won’t make as much money” – that remains to be seen – with a goal and a good marketing plan, whether self-employed or not, there may be more money available than you think.

“I don’t have the skills” – related skills may just be buried in years of experience; if you’ve learned new things before, you can do so once again; volunteer, take classes and show your enthusiasm for getting the skills you need.

By the way, here’s my own overused excuse, “I don’t have enough time” – maybe my schedule is filled with tasks better left for later (or in my case, too many details that don’t really warrant doing) and events that won’t help me reach my goal. Time to re-evaluate and reprioritize.

The point is, we all have excuses for not taking action on something that could lead us to more success, more happiness, peace of mind, self belief and confidence than we can imagine possible.

If we really want something and make the commitment to get it, we will find the ways to overcome our excuses and make it happen. As Henry Ford, that great American industrialist said, “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”

So what's holding you back from reaching your dreams? Identify that old excuse and counter it with what you can do, even a baby step, to get past it.

Back to "Old School" in the Workplace

A lot of my time is spent these days helping people individually and in groups get back to work. In my Career Transition Clubs, we cover a variety of topics including social networking’s role in job searching, recommended resume styles, and doing work we love. Twice a month, I conduct job search workshops at Interfaith Community Services where topics include basics such as interviewing skills, goal setting, and networking. One thing has become very clear – to succeed in today’s job market and workplace, one must stand above the crowd, or as a Club member recently put it, "we need to use old-school techniques”.

“Old School” Tips & Techniques
From the Urban Dictionary, “old school” is defined as “anything that is from an earlier era and looked upon with high regard or respect”. Some of these old-school workplace tips are seemingly common sense, though I’m sorry to say, not frequently put into common practice.

* Sending hand-written thank you notes after interviews and meetings
* Hand-delivering requested materials, such as resumes, and enclosing them in a larger
envelope so no folding of the document is required
* Doing follow up by placing a phone call rather than emailing or texting
* Taking care to dress professionally and neatly for interviews and presentations
* Taking the time to arrange for face-to-face interaction vs. phone or email
* Going back to clarify when you feel miscommunication may have occurred
* Paying attention to detail, especially spelling or abbreviations others may not understand
* Being an attentive listener and “being present” with the person speaking
* Initiating a handshake, saying “thank you”, and making eye contact
* Acting on something personal about a colleague, manager or client – their birthday, favorite
foods, children’s names, things you have in common.
* Sharing the credit when things go well and accolades are flowing
* Apologizing when you’ve erred, in person whenever possible

Yes, it’s true - by ensuring you do these “old school” things as often possible, you will actually stand out from the crowd. All are common courtesies, yet not commonly practiced. Today’s fast pace and technology laden workplaces can prevent us from getting back to these basics. Nothing can ever take the place of the human touch in our high tech world.

To Do this Week: Check yourself on the list above and make sure you’re covered. Focus on one you might improve upon and put it into play. Work on it consistently, make it a habit and enhance your reputation. Then pass this list along to someone who’s in the job market so they can really make an impact on potential employers.
Have a great week!

Please post a comment or another "old school" idea that you'd like to see become more common practice!

How do YOU define Success???

Recent news has got me thinking about the definition of "Success" and I wonder if many people are changing theirs in light of our changing times. Personally, and up to now, mine has been more focused on the achievement of that “big hairy goal”. Now, however, I’m paying attention to the small steps and realizing it’s not an all or nothing kind of thing. Maybe that end result won’t or can’t look exactly like what I have in mind, but I can sure learn to enjoy the journey!
Take a look at others’ thoughts on success:

"Success is found in the journey, not the destination." - Arthur Ashe

"Try not to be a man of success, but rather to be a man of value." - Albert Einstein

"If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all." -Anna Quindlen

"The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration." - Confucius

"Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." -Henry David Thoreau

"The temptation to quit is greatest right before you succeed." -Chinese saying

This week: Revisit your personal definition of success and see if it still holds true. If not, use one of the above quotes to inspire what resonates more with you. That’s the beauty of Success. We get to choose its definition and change it whenever we want.
Here’s one more I especially like:
“Success is simple. Do what’s right, the right way, at the right time.” -Arnold H. Glasgow

Please share your definition of success by posting a comment now!