6 Standout Job Interview Tips From A Professional Interviewer

6 Standout Job Interview Tips From A Professional Interviewer 187 What can make the difference between a “blah” and an “ah” interview. This a guest post by Nettie Feldman. If you’d also like to guest post here on JobMob, follow these guest post guidelines. I’m here to give you a simplified version of how to ace the interview, especially for those who get tongue-tied or simply aren’t good interviewees. So you’re not good interview material? Says who? 1) Look memorable We’ve been relying on the drab, “proper” attire that’s supposed to show our seriousness and professionalism. And then we end up acting blah, too.eval I’m not saying you ought to dress eccentrically, but what about an unexpected flash of color in your glasses (I wear those multicolor Ronit Furst glasses, and loads of people â€" including interviewers â€" ask me where to get them). Or an unusual shirt that’s styled differently or has a different color (but no Florida shirts, please). The key: stand out without looking too way out.eval Free bonus: The One Job Interview Resource You’ll Ever Need is a handy reference to help you prepare for any kind of job interview. Download it free now 2) Pretend you’re the host This is a networking trick, although I don’t recommend going all out with this one. To make you feel more at ease, pretend you’re the host and your job is to make the person opposite you feel comfortable. So much of the interview can depend on the chemistry; if you’re relaxed and talking naturally, they’ll respond. The key: make yourself feel at home by making them comfortable. 3) Speak memorably Rehearse some choice sound bites that people will remember. For example, if you’re a crackerjack programmer, instead of reeling off a laundry list of qualifications that the interviewer’s already read on your CV, explain your achievements by saying you “wrote a full program in C++ using one line of code.” Or, if you’re a marketing writer: “My white papers are still being used to target leads, 3 years after I left the company.” The key: find the hook and use it to lure them in. 4) Deflect trick questions When the interviewer invariably asks you a trick question, like: “did you have the boss from hell, what do you do?” Say “yes”? I don’t think so. Instead, you may want to deflect such a question by saying that not everyone is meant to have great bosses, but that you’ve learned techniques to work well with all kinds of challenging personalities. The key: don’t say something you’ll regret! 5) Finesse dumb questions Don’t you love it when the interviewer â€" usually the HR person, who may want to show off their Psych 101 expertise â€" asks you what your negative traits are? Some advisers recommend you use your hyperactivity or your impatience to your advantage, saying it helps get things done. Although it sounds like solid advice, it still sounds forced. Why not move the conversation forward, saying “I really can’t think of anything offhand. Can I get back to you on it?” Maybe what they’re really looking for is to see if you’ll falter. If you come up with a quick answer and a sincere smile, then maybe you gave them the answer. The key: remove the obstacle by moving forward. 6) Smile Seasoned interviewers can smell fear. They can also see your palms sweating because you keep rubbing them against your skirt or pants. But if you’re prepared for the interview, you’ve done your due diligence, you’re looking sharp, then take 3 silent breaths, put out your hand confidently and smile. Really smile. You’ll see how the fear will melt away. The key: If you smile, your fear muscles can’t work! Please let me know if you’ve adopted these tips â€" and let me know if you get the job! Free Bonus If you want a handy job interview resource that you can keep on your smartphone or print out for easy reference, I’ve got a special bonus for you. This free download contains: 165 positive personality adjectives to describe yourself 444 of the most popular job interviewer questions to prepare yourself with 175 questions that you can ask in job interviews to make a good impression and learn about your future employer Click the image below to get access to The One Job Interview Resource You’ll Ever Need: JobMob Insiders can get this free bonus and other exclusive content in the JobMob Insider Bonuses area. Join now, it's free! About the Author Nettie Feldman is host of the Afternoon Schmooze talk show on Rusty Mike Online Radio. You can reach her on Facebook and on Twitter. This article is part of the 4th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest, which was made possible thanks in large part to our Gold Sponsor, Jason Alba of JibberJobber. If you want Nettie Feldman to win, share this article with your friends. If you liked this article, you’ll also enjoy Job Interviews: How You Can Benefit By Asking Questions.

How to Hire a Professional Resume Writing Service in Udupi

How to Hire a Professional Resume Writing Service in UdupiIf you are planning to hire a professional resume writing service, then it is advisable to consider employing one as soon as possible. There are many benefits attached with such services which would not only help in the process of resume writing but also guide you about the steps to be followed while doing so. However, there are several things that you need to consider before actually hiring one.The first thing that you need to look into is the range of services that they offer. The better you can understand the areas that they specialize in, the better can you manage your job in the future. Make sure to choose a professional service that specializes in different types of resume writing such as:All these services and more are available online. You just need to research on them and find out the one that suits your needs best. However, before starting out, take note of the services that they offer and try to contact them directl y. Once you get to know all the details about their services, then it is time to select the best one.Such services are equipped with professional resume writers who specialize in different fields. One of the most popular fields is that of article writing and proofreading. These writers are experts in this and can help you in the process of writing your resume's. While searching for such a writer, you need to keep certain things in mind which will help you a lot in choosing the best one.For instance, you need to check out whether they have the required experience and proficiency in writing articles as you would want to have the latest information without worrying about outdated data. Another important thing that you need to look at while hiring a writer is his or her expertise. You should not only look at the amount of experience he or she has but also his or her capability in writing relevant content for your resume. This will save you a lot of trouble in the long run.Finally, you n eed to make sure that the writer you are hiring has the skills to do such services in Udupi. If the writer you are considering has different degrees, this will not help much. Thus, you need to make sure that the writer you are going to hire has the necessary knowledge to do the resume writing and editing. This can help you a lot in hiring the right one.In addition, you need to look at the New York Times article on hiring writers. This article suggests certain qualities that a writer should possess for hiring, such as being able to write compelling content, have a very good command over grammar and spelling and an excellent command over the English language. After all, a quality resume writing service can help you in highlighting all the great points of your career which you will be using to get hired in the future.Thus, if you want to know how to hire a good quality service for writing your resume, you should always keep in mind the factors listed above. This would help you greatly and guide you towards the right path of choosing the right professional service in Udupi.

What Every Millennial Can Learn From LEGO - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

What Every Millennial Can Learn From LEGO - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A decade ago  LEGO  was losing $1M a day. A lot has changed. Now they are cranking out a 24% profit margin. Fun Facts: 105,000 LEGO pieces are made every minute There are at least 80 LEGO pieces for every human on the planet Lego generates 60% of its business in December What Changed? In the early 2000 time frame … which is around the time the last of the Millennials were being born … LEGO  did NOT understand their core business.  They Owned and Tried to Manage … theme parks, a clothing line, lego themed books, retail stores … none of these were core to their business. The family that owned and managed the LEGO brand knew change was necessary. LEGO had a Secret Weapon. They brought in Jørgen Vig Knudstorp, He was not part of the family. He was from McKinsey. He become CEO at 36 years old and noticed a few things about the company. It didnt know how it was making money It didnt know where to invest It didnt know which customers and products were profitable He set out to achieve a goal. That goal was to Identify what is essential about the company. What LEGO Learned LEGO learned quite a bit by doing the four things below.  Every Millennial can take these same steps and apply them to their thinking. Research Reduce React Then Engage Community Matters LEGO has built an incredible community of fans. Some of these fans have created events, newsletters, fan pages and LEGO has been wise  to encourage and support these efforts. One of the missing success factors in many businesses is the inability to identify with the community that wants to see them succeed. I predict this will be a whole new segment of businesses in the coming decade. Pro Tip: Millennials with their computer savvy and digital native mentality will be able to capitalize on these efforts and lead the way. A few of the LEGO Communities: AFOL which are Adult Fans of LEGO  â€" these are a formerly untapped and almost ignored group of fans. They are now integral to the LEGO community. Mini-Figs  â€" Who doesn’t smile when they see a mini-fig? Have you created your own custom Mini-Fig yet? MindStorm  â€" Where bricks, robotics and programming come together. Friends  â€" Focused specifically on girls. 4 years of Research went into this LEGO line of business. Brickipedia  â€" An online wiki to track, report and share LEGO industry lore Where is LEGO Today? I think most everyone reading this will know who LEGO is and will like assume they were always successful and ever-present. I’m also sure as some of these Millennials become parents they will buy LEGO sets for their newborn children and they’ll learn the pain of stepping on a LEGO brick in the dark … and try not to cry out … because it might wake the baby. Today LEGO is  valued at over $18.5 billion dollars. LEGO continues to own an increasingly popular chain of theme parks  â€" LEGOLAND and through their Merlin Entertainment division they also own  Madame Tussauds and the London Eye. These are managed very differently than they were a decade ago. LEGO CEOs favorite Quote because it applies to LEGO: We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.   ~ T. S. Eliot What a Difference a Decade Can Make Just as we can say What a Difference a Generation Can Make. Millennials are approximately 13-34 today. Some are just entering young adulthood and some have already entered the workforce and are already making a difference. Millennials (and Gen Z too) are going to change everything. Millennials are 80 million people strong in the USA and around 2 billion strong across the globe. Millennials can and will Stand Out in their Careers by taking a hard look at the state of everything. Then taking the four steps LEGO took to evaluate what’s working, determine what is core to the business, make the adjustments and then engage with their plans in a whole hearted, fully committed effort. As if there were any other way for Millennials.

Why I Started a Music Program at an Impoverished School

Why I Started a Music Program at an Impoverished School By, Valerie Mulvey Why would you want to teach in that area? Those kids dont care. Why music? You know thats the first thing thats cut from a schools budget. As I embark on my career as a first year music teacher in a highly impoverished Chicago Public School, these are the questions that are directed to me on a daily basis. Barton Elementary School is located on the South Side of Chicago in the Auburn Gresham community. 98% of my students in grades K-8 come from families with an income less than $23,920 for a family of four. Gangs and drugs are a reality in the community and school is a safe haven from this type of activity. The question still remains, why do I want to teach in this type of community, and why music? I was lucky enough to grow up in an upper-middle class Chicago suburb where music was not just a luxury, it was part of the curriculum. I began violin lessons in third grade and fell in love with orchestra and music in general. As I began my music degree at DePaul University in Chicago, I was shocked that many Chicago Public Schools did not have music as part of the curriculum. Music has such a connection to everyday life and the world in which we live. It connects us to our own bodies, feelings, and thoughts. It enables connections between different individuals: between people making music together, between the musician and his audience, between the musician and the composer, between listeners whose identities are shaped by the same music, and between those of different cultures and eras. Music aids in defining ones own cultural identity and it is a way in which it is also transcended. As a music instructor, my preeminent goal is to help students make their own meaningful connection with music of the past, while guiding them towards an enriched future. They may connect with the music on many different levels: different students connect in different ways, but unless that connection occurs, my teaching has little meaning. Objectives like this can be achieved through a variety of mediums: listening to, reading about, performing, and seeing a variety of different music styles. Ultimately, this connection with music should enrich students aesthetic experience in life and encourage their growth towards personal maturity. I have chosen to work in an impoverished community as that is where I feel I can make the biggest difference. I am building Bartons music program from the ground up; they currently do not have funding for any instruments, CDs, or music books. I hope to create a quality music education program so my students are provided with the same wonderful experience I encountered as a child. I love music; I learn music; and therefore I dedicate my life to teaching music. I hope my students will gain a lifelong connection to music and achieve a deeper understanding of both themselves and the world in which they live. Valerie Mulvey is a first year teacher at Barton Elementary School, a Chicago Public School. She earned her Bachelors Degree in Music Education and Masters Degree in Elementary Education from DePaul University in Chicago, Il. Prior to her teaching career, she spent over three years as a Senior Recruiter for the Richard Michael Group. To donate to Valeries classroom, check out her classroom project at donorschoose.org.

Certified Professional Resume Writing Services

Certified Professional Resume Writing ServicesIn a world where competitive jobs are desired by many people, it is not enough to just be good at your job; it is also necessary to have a certified professional resume writing. This type of writing is usually done by a professional, but they can also be performed by a layman if they prefer not to hire a writer. Having a certified professional resume writing service is a very valuable thing to have if you want to boost your chances of getting a job.Job seekers must ensure that they are in the position where their career is going to be flourishing and that they would not need a certified professional resume writing service to help them with their job search. Many employers would rather go with an applicant who has completed work at an earlier period of time than one who has not worked at all. They consider that experience and longevity are two major factors that would help an applicant to stand out from the crowd.A certified professional r esume writing service is always in a position to give you the best written piece that is needed by any employer or applicant. These services have the experience, skills and contacts to match up to the requirements of employers. Their resume writing services are mainly designed with your preferences in mind so that you would not have to worry about anything at all and so that you do not face any difficulty when it comes to the job application process.Quality and written content is what the certified services could offer you. Their resume writing skills are honed to perfection and they should be able to provide you with work that would meet or exceed your expectations. You should take the expert opinion of someone who knows this field very well. The internet is the best place to go for this.There are many sites where you can find these certified resume writing services. These sites should be able to give you a detailed report on the person who is going to be your resume writer. You sh ould choose a reputable company that is trusted and should be listed in the top twenty ranking in the world.To find a good and reputable company for your professional resume writing, you should visit some online forums or reviews. You can also get these services from classified ads, which are normally located online. This would be the safest way to go about looking for such services as there are plenty of scams present online.The paid certified services are less expensive than the free services. You will find that the cost involved is usually equal to the pay rate of an average professional. The cost of the fee will depend on how much money you want to spend. Free services are normally less expensive than the paid ones.It is a good idea to pay a fee if you are planning to hire a resume writer. These companies should provide you with the amount of time they would need to complete your resume. If there is a deadline, you should be aware of this and make sure you get a written estimate of the services needed.

A Freelancers Guide to Email Marketing for Promoting Your Work CareerMetis.com

A Freelancer’s Guide to Email Marketing for Promoting Your Work Freelancing is one of the best deals when it comes to employment. You get to do what you love, for as long or little as you please and be your own boss, all from the comfort of your own home or any place you choose, really. Which is fantastic, if you know how to promote your work correctly.The main problem with freelancing is that nothing and nobody can guarantee a constant stream of clients. And the freelancer’s time has to be split between doing their job, satisfying clients, finding new clients and so on and so forth, with no help at all, which means that their time is limited to none.And who wants to get zero rest? Nobody.evalBut what’s a freelancer to do in this situation?Well, apart from utilizing social media and using referrals to grow your following, there’s another thing you can do: utilize email marketing.Email marketing is thetool to establish, nourish and create lasting relationships with customers. Oh and don’t make me get started on its ROI: email marketing can generate far more than it costs:Email marketing and automation tools are what will save you time, effort, and, eventually resources. Especially if you’re not a freelance designer and, therefore, have no idea how to make a designing tool work in the first place.With automation tools, you can build and set campaigns and then allow the software to do the work for you, as you won’t need to worry about the emails that get sent out. Other than creating them, of course.And there are plenty of options that offer flexible prices and free forever plans, such as ConstantContact and Moosend, which both are great alternatives to MailChimp.Create buyer or audience personasBefore going ahead and building your list, you’ll need to have a little brainstorm sesh with yourself and think and-eventually-determine your buyer personas.evalA buyer/audience persona is an imaginary ideal customer, complete with different traits, genders, educational background, location and so on and so forth.That ide al customer is the person you’re creating content for, whether it’s stunning visuals or perfect content writingwith insightful ideas.You’re your best-and only-salesperson and you need to do the job as best as possible, in order to create a funnel that will last.Buyer/audience personas will give you insightful ideas when it comes to what you could do if you want to promote your work effectively. For example, it is known that a freebie is a lead magnet, but just how many and what kind of freebies should you hand out?And this is what it’s supposed to look like:Don’t worry, it’s easier than it sounds.a) Through social mediaevalLet’s assume that you have a blog, through which you’re promoting your work. People are not exactly expected to know about it, correct?Well, social mediacould be a freelancer’s saving grace. So, here’s what you should do, to increase your subscribers: Post your creations on your social media, post any and all things and make sure to encourage p eople to share if they liked your content.Also, make sure to study the people who like and share your content. Study them very closely and check how similar they are to your personas.After that, act accordingly: Create an ideal landing page, packed with the content, words, visuals that you’ll deem fitting for that kind of audience.evalThis landing page will convert your prospects in no time, seeing as you’ll be offering something of value in return, whether it’s a subscription to your newsletter or a freebie-or both.But don’t think that only shares will get you all the attention you need, in order to have a great funnel as a freelancer.Hold contests and giveaways. Make sure to give your clients (potential or existing), a reason to share your content online, by giving them something that won’t be too grand, just grand enough for them to want to partake in this.Ask them to tag a friend or two when they share your content, for maximum reach.b) Through referralsAnother thing y ou can do which I’m sure you’ve done already, but not in the way I’m going to propose-is work through referral marketing.While I’m sure that friends and trusted, beloved customers, bring you some much-needed referrals, I don’t know if they’re as many as you’d need them to be. But there is a way to score more leads through referrals.You can always offer something to everyone who refers a friend, be it a discount or a special offer, or even something small for free. Kind of like…(Source)I chose this email because, first of all, I really loved the colors and the clever GIF design. However, there is more to it.The value is crystal clear. Five dollars credit for the client’s next purchase(s), for each friend they refer. Easy peasy, right? And there’s huge value right off the bat. It’s clickbaity, but not too much, it’s fun, the dollar bill is happy and your client as well.Your client, afterward, will share that email with people that could be interested in your wo rk. And that way, you can turn your client into a brand ambassador.Another great way would be to hold a contest, where one would be able to refer a friend to your product or service.The person who gives you the most referrals wins. Count the referrals’ referrals as well, if you want to reach a broader audience, fast.Just make sure that the prize is well worth the effort and that everyone gets something, without you having to break the bank. Free shipping, for example, or some small discount for their first purchase would be the best way to go, the former for the existing followers, the latter option for the referrals.c) Through surveysI bet you didn’t think of that, did you?Send a survey to your already existing customers, either before your client makes the purchase, just to make sure that nothing interferes with their will to buy and to ask about feedback on the quality, or after the purchase, in order to make sure that your client was satisfied and ask whether or not they wou ld refer a friend.Referring a friend is a whole metric on its own, of course. You can calculate your Net Promoter Score through a survey. Just add a bar at the bottom of the email, like this:(Source)The rating you get indicates the likelihood of your customers referring you to friends. Add a share button and an offer to those, and you’ll get all the conversion you need, reaching your KPIsin no time.What do we get from that information, then? That the more emails you send to your clients, the more your list will grow.Keep in touchDon’t underestimate the power of getting a bit up close and personal with your customers. They may not need something at the moment and you know they’ll contact you if they do, that’s for sure.But on the other hand, maybe they know someone that needs your help and don’t have the time to contact you.Everyone appreciates someone who thinks of their customers as friends they collaborate with and freelancers fall into that category more than anyone els e, as they’re their own brand. So, make sure to make an after-sales call or send a follow-up email just to see if everything’s alright and if your customers need anything more.You see, Human To Human business is what rules the world nowadays, seeing as the breakthrough of social media has made it so that people consider brands, no matter how faceless, to be their “friends”. The opportunity for messaging a brand instantly has given us all this opportunity.So, why not use this to your advantage, as a living, breathing freelancer that makes custom, tailor-made work?One more tip for the road…Keep in mind that you need to be patient, persistent and keep calm and cool when it comes to leveraging email marketing as a freelancer.Always add your social media links in your emails, no matter what the reason for sending them out maybe.And remember that, while social media can get you viral pretty quickly, social contests and the likes can get you all the wrong crowd for all the wrong reasons. But email marketing is not social media. Social media is a sprint, email marketing is a marathon. It may take you long to see the inbox full to the brim with orders, but I promise you, you’ll get there!Back to you!And we’re done with the most important tips on building your list and using email marketing to promote your work as a freelancer.What say you? Is there anything you have used, that worked, but haven’t seen in that list?Feel free to tell us in the comments and share the knowledge with your favorite freelancer!

The Top 10 Things People Want In Life But Just Cant Figure Out How To Get - Kathy Caprino

The Top 10 Things People Want In Life But Just Can’t Figure Out How To Get This winter, I conducted a survey to my awesome community probing a number of critical life and career questions. 700 people have responded so far, and their answers have been fascinating to read. It’s not that I don’t ask these questions of my clients and my course members â€" I do. But what’s so intriguing to me is that it’s becoming more and more obvious that the things we humans desperately long for today are not only universal and timeless, but also have become even more elusive and impossible to sustain, even as we “evolve” and develop in this tech-frenzied, time-crushing world. The key question this survey probed was this: “If you could say in one word what you want more of in life, what would that be?” (If you’d like to take my survey, please do.   I’d love your personal insights â€" here’s the link.) Of all the things people indicated they want more of, the following were the 10 most frequently mentioned.   Here’s my take on what’s missing in life and work today, and why we can’t get enough of these precious ingredients. (The quotes below are from actual respondents, about what they perceive to be the biggest challenge in the way of what they’re longing for): #1: Happiness Biggest challenge: “Not knowing what I want to do.” The #1 mentioned missing element â€" Happiness has become so hard to achieve, and even harder to maintain. In my work with professional women, I’ve seen that happiness continually escapes them because, first, they don’t really understand exactly what will make them happy.   They just dont know themselves well at all. Secondly, they search outside themselves for happiness â€" in a job, a husband, a family, a title, a paycheck, a fancy house. As a result, Happiness is constantly out of their control and a perpetual moving target that never stands still long enough for them to grasp. Im not saying that these things dont bring happiness of course, they can. The key point is that if everything youre searching for remains outside of you, youll always be scrambling and chasing. #2: Money Biggest challenge:  â€œNot having enough money or time to accomplish the things I want to do.” I’ve worked with millionaires, as well as people who earn mid-six figures and far, far less. Isn’t it fascinating that no matter what we earn, we somehow feel we never have enough? I know people with literally over a million dollars in their retirement accounts, yet they live in such a constant fear state around money that they never have a moment’s peace. The question is: how much money do you really need to bring about the life experiences that will truly fulfill you? And if you want more money, do you understand the key principles and behaviors required to generate it? #3: Freedom Biggest challenge:  â€œHaving the freedom to find my true purpose or being lit up by the day-to-day at work.” Ah, freedom. We all want it, yet so many people I meet are resistant to doing what’s required to get it. They want to “feel” free, yet are scared to muster the courage to do what’s necessary to “become” free. What is necessary to experience freedom? I’ve seen that it requires making yourself right (not wrong), following your own authentic values and beliefs, and building strong boundaries to protect yourself from what others will tell you is right for you or try to force on you. And it takes forging your own path in life and work, despite the challenges and the nay-sayers. It requires BOLDNESS and courage to make yourself your own highest authority on life and work, and that’s no easy thing today. Sadly, most of us aren’t taught or trained (particularly women) how to stand up powerfully for what we want and believe in, and to go after it with undying passion and commitment. #4: Peace Biggest challenge: “Lack of clarity about who I am and my purpose.” We long for peace, desperately. Peace from noise, chatter, pressure, responsibilities. We also want peace from the pain and thumping inside our own heads â€" the conflicts and strain we inflict on ourselves every minute to be better, stronger, smarter (prettier, thinner, better parents, _______ [you fill in the blank]). Peace, Ive found, doesn’t come from being better at anything, or even figuring anything out. Attaining peace is a practice that we need to cultivate and commit to. Peace today will never just fall in our laps â€" it’s too chaotic a world. We have to carve out space within ourselves and in our lives to bring forward the experience of peace, then do the work to expand peace as a feeling and experience that we’ll commit to daily, regardless of what’s around us. You don’t have to know your purpose to be at peace â€" you just have to commit to being at peace, and building daily practices that will support you in that commitment. #5: Joy Biggest challenge: “How to find the right role or position for me now that will bring joy in my work.” In working with thousands of women to build successful, rewarding careers they love, I’ve witnessed how the process of stepping up to our highest potential and honoring our best visions for contributing to the world in a meaningful way does indeed pave the way for more joy. I believe (and have lived) that we simply can’t feel joy in our lives if the work we do pains us. We’re not able to effectively separate who we are from what we do (and why would we want to?). So when you’re stuck in work you hate, with people you don’t respect, supporting outcomes that feel wrong to you, then your life as a whole can’t help but be joyless, even if your personal or family life brings you happiness. #6: Balance Biggest challenge:  â€œBalancing my need/desire for flexibility while making enough money and having the benefits I want.” I’ve researched work-life balance extensively, and believe that it’s doable only under one condition: that you understand clearly what your top life priorities are, and you defend and honor those priorities fiercely, every minute of the day. It takes understanding your non-negotiables (what you won’t compromise on, what you won’t say “yes” to), and then living from that knowledge, and making the right decisions that align with your top life priorities. If you can’t do that, you can’t create or sustain balance. #7: Fulfillment Biggest challenge: “Utilizing my potential in the best possible way, for myself and for others.” Fulfillment can be defined as this: “Satisfaction or happiness as a result of fully developing ones abilities or character.” We simply can’t experience fulfillment if we’re not living up to what we know is our highest and best potential. Have you ever settled for something much less than you know you want or deserve? It hurts a lot. But to live up to our highest potential, we have to leave our comfort zones behind, and perhaps even leave behind the definition we’ve crafted of who we think we are, and the stories we tell ourselves about what we’re capable of, so that we can become the person we dream to be. We may also have to leave some people and relationships behind (the ones that don’t support you to soar higher and grow because it threatens them). Fulfillment is possible when you are filling up your cup, honoring your own potential, not forsaking yourself by putting everyone else in front of you. Fulfillment comes when you take bold actions that say “yes” to the future vision of you, even well before it’s “hatched.” #8: Confidence Biggest challenge:  â€œFeeling like I have something to offer now, rather than feeling constantly as if Im not ready and need more training.” I’ve seen in working with thousands of women over 10 years that we humans only see what’s at the tip of our noses. And when we’re in situations that are hurtful, demeaning, challenging and worse, we lose confidence. We get rocked. We forget who we are, and what we are capable of, and see only the boss in front of us who’s yelling or the colleague whos tearing us down. It’s a tough world out there, but there are many ways we can stay true to our gifts and capabilities, and build our confidence. For that, we need support from others who believe in us without fail. We need to build our tribe of people who will do anything for us. And we need to believe in ourselves without fail, despite the evidence around us that says we’re not “ready” to soar. #9: Stability Biggest challenge:  â€œFiguring out what to do next, to keep me afloat and be a bridge to my later years and retirement.” I think that some of the worst advice many of us have ever received in life falls under the category of “Do the stable, secure thing!” As one who followed the “stable” path for 18 years, and pursued a corporate life that was, in the end, very wrong for me, I know that “stable” can be the kiss of death. After experiencing a brutal layoff in the days following 9/11, and feeling as if my whole life and career came crashing down around me, I now know this â€" NOTHING outside of us is “secure or stable.” Only YOU are stable â€" your spirit, your intelligence, your capabilities, your gifts and what you have to offer others and the world. And how you choose to react to what comes your way thats what brings stability. These are the only aspects of life that are truly stable and secure in this world. #10: Passion Biggest challenge: “Overcoming feelings of ineptitude and negativity because of career setbacks.” Finally, passion â€" it seems that everyone talks about wanting to be passionate about their work. Yet passion is something that can demand a high price â€" the price of wrapping your entire entity around a certain direction (including risking your checkbook, your marriage and even your health) because you can’t NOT pursue it. What people often mean when they say “I want to feel passionate about my work” is this: They want to feel alive, not exhausted, beleaguered and demoralized. They want to feel that there’s a reason they’re on this planet, a reason for the talents and abilities they were given at birth and have cultivated. They want to believe that they’re here for a purpose and finding that purpose will give their lives the meaning and passion they’re missing. Passion can be tapped and uncorked, for sure, but only when you allow yourself to believe that your life and your work mean something more than merely existing for a paycheck, or doing the “secure” thing. * * * * * * * * * What is the one thing YOU want more of in life and work? And what can you do this month and year to finally create it? To learn more about how to create a more fulfilling and joyful work-life, join me in April for free my 3-part webinar series The Quickest Path To Your Happiest Career. Learn the steps to take to get what you long for, in the fastest way possible. And bring your burning questions to the call! I look forward to helping you create what you desire most.

Great Giveaway! Everyday Creative Kit Workbook!

Great Giveaway! Everyday Creative Kit Workbook! Im going to Vegas today yay hooray! 5 days in the desert with my man, his sister, her boyfriend (who dances for The Donny Marie Show), not to mention some time with my mans BFF from high school, who we never see unless someones recently dead or about to get married. But I didnt think it would be fun if I have all the fun, so when I saw the Everyday Creative Kit Workbook on Nicole Docimos blog I just had to DM her on Twitter asked if shed sponsor a giveaway. As you can guess, she said yes (Are you wearing a dress? Im not, I confess!)! Im so freakin excited. The first sponsored giveaway on this blog! About damn time. Here it is! Isnt it awesome?! (Please note that thats a hypothetical question) I asked Nicole the simple question of what inspired her to create the kit, she gave me these gems: Something that has become very important to me over the past few years, as Ive gotten back into art after spending some time avoiding it (for reasons of fear, and delusions that you cant do art as a career), is the idea that everyone is creative. How many times I have heard people say, Im not creative, or I wish I was creative. Honestly, this is RIDICULOUS, and it makes me angry that so many people have internalized this. I think it is one of the barriers to artists becoming artists and really flexing their art-wings, and on a larger level, I think it is one of the barriers to a lot of people really enjoying life. I know these are big statements, but if you think about it, when we were all kids we lived in endless worlds of creativity. Anything was possible, until we were taught that it was not. I think creativity is the difference between putting yourself in a a box, and living a free and joyful life. Its the difference between yes and no. For quite a few years, I told myself no. I thought I couldnt do art for a living, I thought I wasnt good enough, I thought I must do the jobs that are available because that is the way people do it. Once I started to really let myself get creative in my brain and in my heart, everything changed. Once I made space to open up to the possibilities, I was able to shift and make creativity the focus of my lifenot just art, but the idea of an entire creative life conceptthat you dont have to live the way everyone says you should. You can create your own life, based on the things that you value. This is the ultimate idea of creativity to me. My Everyday Creative Kit is an introduction to this. It is an opening to a bunch of small ideas that can add up to a lot more joy. The first incarnation of the kit idea for me was an Art Monthly Club program I started this past fall, where members would receive a little bit of creative inspiration each month in the form of a kit. After putting it out there for a couple of months, I realized that what I was trying to do could be done better by a series of kits that I offer consistently, instead of a monthly club. So I thought about it for a while, and decided that the first kit I would like to make would be a guide to being creative in small ways, everyday. I decided that a workbook would be the best cornerstone of the kit, and collected and thought of a handful of different exercises that would get people into the creative modefrom doing an inspiration collage, to dancing, to going on a field tripmainly just taking the time to think about what creative things you would love to do. As with everything, I think its about making space and time for what you want in your lifeI hope this kit will help people make a little space in their lives for more creativity. As Ive found with making artcreativity leads to more creativity. Once you open the door, you never know what will come in. Seriously. I love her. OK, so you wanna win, dont cha? You can enter by leaving a comment below that describes what you do for your creative time. Do you have a tip to get started on a creative project? A daily ritual that gets you into that play space? A favorite creative thing? A mantra that helps you clear your head get to work? We wanna hear it! Oh, and you get 1 extra vote for doing each of the following: following me on Twitter following me on Facebook following Nicole on Twitter following Nicole on Facebook tweeting about this giveaway (Ill make it easy copy paste this: I just entered the Everyday Creative Kit Giveaway by @bluebicicletta on @WhenIGroUpCoachs blog. Your turn! http://ow.ly/16T1A) Each time you do one of those things, add a comment below saying what you did. So, everyone can have up to 6 entries! Youll be a shoo-in when I pick the winner randomly on Tuesday, February 23rd at 5p EST. The winner will be announced early Wednesday! And even though Ill be watching Donny Marie / seeing the Grand Canyon for the first time / maxin relaxin Ill have a vlog up for you on Friday. The miracle of the scheduled posts! Good luck, everyone!