I broke my ankle.

I broke my ankle. Monday I have surgery.  And here I thought it was just a ligament Ill be honest, when I got the diagnosis I was ticked and a little depressed.  And then I came home and took the longest deepest nap I have taken for a long time. Today I met with the surgeon (after having already had two other meetings to get to this point), and my surgery is scheduled for Monday afternoon. Why was I ticked? Because this is NOT how I planned on spending the first part of this year. I was going to do other things, like build a wall in my basement, work in my new shop, play around with the house we moved into in November, continue my exercise program, etc.  But since January 2nd Ive pretty much been laid up in bed, with my ankle elevated. Why was I depressed? Same as above, plus I thought I had been healing for the last 14 days, and it turns out the main issue wasnt being healed.  Oh yeah, theres the whole money issue my heavens, how much would a surgery cost? Ticked + depressed + immobilized = really deep and satisfying nap.  I still woke up grumpy, though. Why didnt I go in earlier? Because I didnt feel like paying $300 to be told oh you just have a sprained ankle you need to do the RICE method. (which is what I did). Ive sprained my ankle before I kind of know the drill. But this time, no it was much worse than a sprained ankle. I have learned a few things during this journey Ill share those in some upcoming blog posts.  For now, Im going to rest all of this typing is exhausting! I broke my ankle. Monday I have surgery.  And here I thought it was just a ligament Ill be honest, when I got the diagnosis I was ticked and a little depressed.  And then I came home and took the longest deepest nap I have taken for a long time. Today I met with the surgeon (after having already had two other meetings to get to this point), and my surgery is scheduled for Monday afternoon. Why was I ticked? Because this is NOT how I planned on spending the first part of this year. I was going to do other things, like build a wall in my basement, work in my new shop, play around with the house we moved into in November, continue my exercise program, etc.  But since January 2nd Ive pretty much been laid up in bed, with my ankle elevated. Why was I depressed? Same as above, plus I thought I had been healing for the last 14 days, and it turns out the main issue wasnt being healed.  Oh yeah, theres the whole money issue my heavens, how much would a surgery cost? Ticked + depressed + immobilized = really deep and satisfying nap.  I still woke up grumpy, though. Why didnt I go in earlier? Because I didnt feel like paying $300 to be told oh you just have a sprained ankle you need to do the RICE method. (which is what I did). Ive sprained my ankle before I kind of know the drill. But this time, no it was much worse than a sprained ankle. I have learned a few things during this journey Ill share those in some upcoming blog posts.  For now, Im going to rest all of this typing is exhausting!

Union College Guide to Resume Writing - For Writers

Union College Guide to Resume Writing - For WritersUnion College Guide to Resume Writing is a great resource for all writers. The guide is written by Paul Butterfield, one of the world's most famous authors. This guide has been published in two formats - as a paperback and an e-book. Each format is a superior choice for beginners and advanced writers.In the first book, the writer's perspective is exposed about what it takes to succeed in resume writing. The author explains how he came to be one of the best writers and why it is necessary to hone your skills through experimentation. The second book gives details about when it is important to use what's called 'brains' and when it is not. This is important because so many new writers overlook the first step, which is actually writing, and rush into the 'brains' stage which leaves them no choice but to create a mediocre job description.There are five different steps to follow when doing resume writing. The guide offers hints on what sho uld be included and what should be excluded. It also shows a real life example of what to write about, how to research the position, and how to write the resume cover letter.A professional writer will show the reader how to make a resume that is professionally designed that will leave the reader impressed with what they read. Besides, a great resume makes an impression, regardless of what the employer thinks.It is possible for anyone to improve their skill set by being aware of the fact that they are in fact no longer just another professional experience, but rather a whole person with a history. The guide to resume writing is also a perfect guide for beginners, as it reveals how to learn these skills through experimentation.Union College Guide to Resume Writing for Job Applicants is extremely useful for those who want to become professionals in resume writing. The guide offers useful tips on how to write an impressive cover letter. What is more, it is a helpful guide to learn how t o correctly format a resume that makes the document appear professional and that it is completed by experts.The first part of the book gives a broad idea about the basics of resume writing. The second part gives some great ideas on how to organize the work section and how to make sure that the resume is concise and to the point.The third part of the book discusses how to present the entire body of the resume. The fourth part discusses the resume cover letter. The fifth part offers tips on how to write cover letters that draw the employer's attention.

The Kardashians Guide To Personal Branding - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The Kardashians Guide To Personal Branding - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career So by now I’m sure that all of you have heard about the Kardashian family, and of course the Jenner family, as well. They are the modern day Brady Bunch. But regardless of whether you’re a superfan or whether you think they are famous for nothing, I believe everyone can learn something from the Kardashians about personal branding. Find your strength and remain consistent The Kardashian sisters have built a brand around fashion, fashion, fashion, and glamour. The sisters found what they were good at and continued to make a brand out of it. This is important for you, as well, when trying to figure out what your personal brand is. What are you interested in and passionate about? Start making moves based on these ideas, and then above all, remain consistent! A brand can’t be something that is always changing; it needs to be something that is recognized as steady. Contribute! The Kardashian sisters are always contributing their thoughts about fashion (see Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe’s personal blogs) not to mention they are walking fashion statements. Your interest may not be fashion, but whatever it is, find a way to contribute back to society. This could be writing a blog about nature, sportsliterally anything you’re interested in. You could use social media to do this, as well. You want people to think of you as a thought leader, not someone who doesn’t participate. This means not just curating content that other people have written, but also including your own opinions. Be confident Everyone in the Kardashian family is confident due to the fact that they are always in the spotlight. However, you don’t have to be a celebrity to have confidence. If you are knowledgeable about a subject, prove it! Own something, and make it your personal brand. The best way to be confident is to be positive, and from there, anything can happen. Who knows, you may even be the next Kim Kardashian. Don’t overdo it Despite all of these steps to make the Kardashian name a world-renowned  brand, is it possible that they have seen TOO much publicity, and bad publicity at that? Kim’s recent divorce to NBA player, Kris Humphries, has been all over the news to prove that there is such thing as negative press for this family. However, I do have faith that will Kim bounce back from this not only because she is a strong person, but also she has a great PR team that will help her through this. What you should take from this divorce dilemma is that, above all, everything should be natural. Do not try and overdo it just to make everyone else around you happy. Your personal brand is about YOU! Overall, the Kardashians have done an excellent job at creating a brand out of a family. Whenever I see something spelled with a K instead of a C, I know that it is probably associated with the Kardashian family, and I instantly get intrigued. Take the positive things that they have done, and learn from them to create your own personal brand. If you’re interested in ways that other celebrities have created their personal brand, and the effects that they’ve had, check out these blogs: 3 Ways Leonardo DiCaprio Has Perfected His Personal Brand and Lessons From Charlie Sheen: Can Too Much Honesty Hurt Your Personal Brand?. Do you believe that the Kardashians have successfully created a personal brand? Do you believe that there is such thing as too much publicity, if so, is it possible to bounce back? Author: Heather R. Huhman  is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder president of  Come Recommended, a  content marketing and digital PR consultancy for organizations with products that target job seekers and/or employers. She is also the author of  Lies, Damned Lies Internships: The Truth About Getting from Classroom to Cubicle  (2011),  #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle  (2010), and writes  career and recruiting advice for  numerous outlets.

Feeling Good is a Relative State of Mind - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Feeling Good is a Relative State of Mind - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I don’t pay too much attention to local news via newspaper or television, but I constantly listen to NPR and the BBC and read The Economist and The Week. What these media sources have in common is that they report on international issues. My focus is usually on the Big Picture and not so much on the detailsand especially not on local details. I’m bored with reading about changes in local traffic patterns and about local fires, burglaries, rapes, murders, traffic accidents, and the like. Typically, such news is negative and depressing. Who needs it, yet international newswhile it, too, has depressing elements such as news of natural disasters and faminesfor me it also provides a measure of comparison. In my capacity as a career coach, I’m one-on-one with people who are not in their best dispositions. Or I’m with groups in transition that I support, and there too I see at times elements of negativity. However, the Big Picture view gives meand, I hope, others as wella way of looking at things with a sense of fairness and objectivity. Let’s face it: in America in general we simply don’t have it as bad as those experiencing, say, famine in Africa or the earthquake in Haiti, to name just two things. I fully understand that for those who are unemployed, the rate of unemployment that the news reports is at 6 or 7 percent is, rather, 100 percent for them. But here again, the Big Picture is that this period of economic downturn shall pass too and is only a bump in the road. Good days are ahead of us, but unfortunately, those without work and income must face the now issues and the local issues and not the global issues. I cannot forget a particular time of my own that I was in transition. I used to go to job search networking meetings, and that made me feel better because often, I met people there who had it much worse than I did. Perhaps that’s an unfair comparison, but it was the truth. If people in transition can view their situations as temporary and make themselves able to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel, their moods and dispositions would change and improve instantly. Their positive energy would return. And a positive upward spiral would propel them into their next job. Amen.

Poets Guides to Resume Writing - Writing Tips

Poets' Guides to Resume Writing - Writing TipsGreat poets guide to resume writing is the missing link that most people cannot seem to find. The reason for this is because it is a time consuming and expensive undertaking to learn how to write a resume by yourself. It may also take some time for the ideas to sink in and when they do, there are a lot of hoops to jump through in order to get all the information you need in a way that suits your style.When you get the hang of writing resumes, it will become much easier to create them as the information you need is not so confusing and does not take up so much time. However, you should never sacrifice the quality of your resume for simplicity of use. You still want it to be attractive and your writing to be attractive enough that people are sure to remember you and your skills with this resume.It takes some time to come up with fresh ideas but it does not have to be expensive or time consuming. There are plenty of poets' guide to resume wr iting online that will help you make a resume that will stand out and grab attention. There are many ways to create a resume but no matter what you use, the first step is knowing what you want to show in the resume. If you can keep this in mind and write in your own voice, you will not only show off your abilities but you will also leave yourself open to creative suggestions from others.Resumes are not just for employment purposes. They can be a good tool for using when you get the chance to meet people or when you are networking with others. The key to creating a resume that stands out is to have the right keywords and to use them correctly in your writing.Keywords are like keys to your resume. They allow you to get information without actually writing it out. You have probably seen keywords in other forms such as those used in a search engine like in Google orBing. Words like these can be seen and used without your knowledge but with careful consideration, you can set them up in a way that your resume will come across as professional.Poets' guides to resume writing also contain links to poems that you can use in your resume as well as tips for hiring and promoting yourself in the market. An example is a poem titled 'Advice to Employers' that can help in showing yourself as a qualified professional. The poetry on the poems poets guide to resume writing also includes things that relate to the career field you are in. This is not just a vague term like 'researcher'teacher'. It states that the writer is in an academic career field and is not in the field of the casual or job worker.Poets' guides to resume writing also go on to say that you should write in your own voice. Not using a person's voice or using their words without giving them credit is bad and will keep your resume from getting noticed. The reason why writers' websites like this exist is because they want to show off the skills of others and their skills are seen as potential assets by others in the field.Poets' guides to resume writing also offer valuable advice about how to deal with your past mistakes and to show them that you are willing to get past them. You should never go back and correct something that was done wrong in the past. You should, instead, get over it and move on to getting better at the same profession.

My lazy life - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

My lazy life - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Some books get you thinking and Fred Gratzons The lazy Way to Success definitely did that to me. Damn you, Fred! I have seen the light. I now realize that my ingrained laziness has not only been one of the major forces shaping my life, its been a boost to almost every important area of my life. Me, doing what I do best: Nothing. Here are some random thoughts on how laziness has helped me in my university studies, in my work in IT, in leadership and in entrepreneurship. The lazy student When I started studying at the University of Southern Denmark (I graduated with a masters in computer science in 1994), I was always envious of the over-achievers. You know them theyre the people who are always prepared for todays lecture, have done their homework and never need to do any last-minute, aaaaargh-exams-are-only-two-weeks-away studying. Like I did. Every. single. semester. I used to beat myself up for not being like them, but in the end I accepted, that Im just not that person. The final realization came to me while I was writing my masters thesis (on virtual sensors for robots, if anyone wants to know), and I discovered that some days I cant write. I literally cant put two words together and have anything meaningful come out. I can frustrate myself nearly to death trying, but I wont get anywhere. And other days, writing is totally effortless and both the quantity and the quality of the output is high. I am in fact having one of those days today, I cant seem to stop writing. What I realized was that this is me. Its the way I work, and I have go with that. So I adopted the lazy approach to writing, which is that I write whenever I feel like it. And my output on a writing day easily outweighs the x days where I didnt get any writing done. Incidentally, the thesis still got done on time and it got me an A. So there! The lazy developer Masters degree in hand I went on to become an IT consultant and developer, and I quickly learned this: If Im programming something and it feels like work, I havent found the right solution yet. When the right solution presents itself, the task becomes fun and easy. I also get to admire the beauty of an efficient, simple solution. Good code is a pleasure to maintain, tweak and refactor. Bad code is hard work. Also laziness means only doing things once, instead of repeating yourself all over the place another hallmark of good code. The lazy leader After my IT days I went on to leadership and learned this: If leading people feels like hard work, youre most definitely not doing it right. The lazy leader adapts his leadership style to the people around him to the point where it feels like hes doing almost no work and people are leading themselves. I refer you to this classic Lao Tzu quote as proof that this notion is more than 2500 years old. When I spoke at the Turkish Management Centers HR conference in Turkey, one of the other speakers was Semcos CEO Ricardo Semler. He said in his presentation that Semco recently celebrated the 10th. anniversary of Ricardo not deciding anything in the company. It started when he took 18 months out to travel the world, and discovered that the company ran just fine without him. If that aint laziness on a very high plane, I dont know what is and you can read all about it in Ricardos excellent book The Seven-Day Weekend. The lazy entrepreneur As an entreprenur, my approach has been this: Start a lot of small projects and see which ones grab me. Rather than try to analyze my way to an answer to which opportunity is the best/will make me the most money/will be the most fun, I float a lot of ideas in a lot of places. Some happen, most dont. The ones that happen are by definition the right ones, and they are always fun to work on. Always. Conclusion Its common to think that success only comes with hard work, but Ive found the opposite to be true for me. In my case, success has come from NOT working hard, and my laziness has definitely done me a lot of good. The only difficult part has been to let go of the traditional work ethic and accept my laziness. To work with it instead of against it. Will the lazy approach work for you? Maybe not. Maybe you get more success from working long and hard, from putting your nose to the grindstone and applying yourself. But if youve never tried the lazy approach, how can you know that that doesnt work even better? Give it a shot, you might like it! If you enjoyed this post, youll probably also like these: The cult of overwork Dont fight stress, promote peace Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

If Youre Looking for Free Consulting, Dont Ask Me - Kathy Caprino

If Youre Looking for Free Consulting, Dont Ask Me   Today I read a great blog post by Peter Shankman â€" a well-known entrepreneur, author, speaker, and “worldwide connector,” about his recent tweet that said this: I love this message, and I completely understand where Peter is coming from.   I also love that Peter commands $400 an hour, and is not ashamed to state it openly. Scores of folks agreed with Peter more than 100 people retweeted his message, supporting it with gusto.   But at least one woman REALLY didn’t like what she read.   In her blog post about it, she indicated that she thought Peter had grown too big for his britches with his internet fame and that he was, in fact, arrogant and rude to tweet this.   After reading Peter’s blog response to her and hers back, I’m still not 100% clear what she thought was rude and arrogant.   But I think it’s about 1) his stating that he won’t help folks for free, and 2) that he commands $400 an hour (much more than what many people can charge and what many people can pay) and wasn’t shy to express that. Peter’s blog response clarified his thoughts on the whole matter, and after reading his message, I liked him even more! So here are my two cents on this issue: 1) I have been inundated this past year with requests â€" from organizations, individuals, agencies, women’s groups and colleagues for all types of FREE coaching and consulting help, and frankly, I’m tired of it.   2) Bravo to Peter Shankman for charging $400/hour, and having clients clamor for him, and pay that fee happily, because they feel he’s worth it 3) Bravo to Peter for telling it like it is for him, out loud and proud 4) For those who are uncomfortable with that, I’d suggest taking a deep look inside to identify exactly what makes you squeamish about it.   I’d guess it has do with that fact that 1) you don’t command those fees and can’t imagine doing so, or 2) you’re asking all sorts of people for free help without offering anything in return, or 3) you’re giving all sorts of free help, and you’re tired of it, or 4) you’re uncomfortable in the presence of people who know their worth and aren’t hesitant to shout it from the rooftops.   Today was a turning point for me on this issue.   I’ve decided (after one final straw that really got my goat) that this is my last day of giving my time away  free for  my consulting or coaching.    I’m done with it!   My services, my time, my insights, my approach, my talents  â€" they’ve all come hard-earned after years of training, hard work, research, and dedication, and I’m done with devaluing them by giving them  away for free.   Of course, I’ll continue as I always have contributing pro bono work to the community as I choose to, where I choose to to special agencies and groups that empower women and support those in need and who are disadvantaged. But in my private practice, I’m committed to being vigilant about maintaining a healthy pricing discipline (very hard for women to do, in general, I’ve found).   After all, you don’t walk into a car dealership wanting a shiny new car and ask to pay nothing for it, do you?   And you don’t go to your dermatologist and say, “Hey, can I pick your brain FOR FREE about this terrible itchy rash I have?”   OK, folks, it’s time we stop asking for free handouts.   Whatever you want to call it pick your brain,” “get your insights,” “obtain your feedback” if you’re asking me to use my consulting and coaching skills to help your business and your career, I’m respectfully asking for what I believe is only fair and just â€" to be paid what I deserve for helping you make the significant positive changes you want most in your life, work, and your business.   I’m sure this will stir up many thoughts and feelings in my readers and community.   I’d LOVE to hear them all!   Please share freely.   Let it rip.   That’s what makes a good horse race, as my mother used to say. Thanks for sharing openly below.   I’m looking forward to reading each of your comments and hearing your diverse views. And heres to empowering you to up your daily dose of  pricing discipline as well.