How do we see through the fog?

The twist and turns we take in our lives take us down paths we never imagined. If we could have foreseen the path ahead, would our choices still be the same? Do you really want to see through the fog?

For me I say no. It I knew where I was going it might make me feel safe for the moment but I would lose the excitement of when the fog lifts. I would lose the calmness of realizing this is exactly where I was meant to be.

With our environment changing so rabidly through technology we need to hold on to any delayed gratification that we can. We live in a world of instant answers, instant reactions, even instant love.

So again for me I am happy for the butterflies in my stomach as the fog lifts.

Believe the horse?

Last week @turnageb RT’d @hern_jenn’s tweet of Dangerous Minds post called “creative intellectual lives are not self-indulgent”. This was a wonderful post as it reminds us that we do need to follow our passion and no, it is not self-indulgent.

“Wonderful and thought-provoking essay at The Chronicle of Higher Eduction website from Nation/New Republic contributor, William Deresiewicz about not boxing yourself and your life into what others think you should do with your short time on this planet. You will only ever get one life, so live it wisely, but of course, that’s easier said than done and Deresiewicz counsels constantly questioning the choices you’ve made and not being afraid to face up to what your heart desires.”

After reading the post you can’t help but remember your passion. Give yourself permission to nurture your passion. Be your own advocate and champion your ideas. Support yourself.

If you need more permission you can read @thisissethsblog‘s latest post “Do you need a permit?“.

 

Buck your old thoughts and go for it!

 

 

 

Run for your passion!

 

Are you dancing in the moonlight?

A number of years ago when I took some time off to travel I spent a great deal of time driving my RV from place to place. During my drives I would listen to music and put together playlist to use in my yoga classes that I was teaching.

I loved doing themed classes where the music selection guided the yoga practice. I would use music from the 60′s or metal or head banging or Motown, etc. I enjoy music so much that I wanted to bring it into my yoga practice and who said you could only do yoga to that strange yoga music!

At the end of every class as everyone was packing up I would play ‘Dancing in the Moonlight’. I wanted to send everyone out into the world with a little feeling of dancing.

The song still brings that out in me. When I have had a bad day or a feeling of heaviness I play the song. By the end I am feeling the need to listen to more music and leave my struggle behind.

Take a moment to figure out what helps you. Keep it close. When the feeling hits you reach for it. Trust the process of distraction and release what brings you down.

What’s your word?

Who are you? Where are you going? Who will recognize you when you get there?

Serious questions when you are on the search for a job.

What kind of job are you looking for? What is your elevator speech? What are your qualifications? Why should you be hired over the other guy?

The process is overwhelming.

Your resume is how long? You included what on your resume? You should never put that on your resume?

Need I go on?

The world of job searching is a job of learning that takes 10 hours a day to get up to speed. Even once you are up to speed you will always be learning or re-writing or trying something new. The job of jobseeking is never learned and forgotten.

So how do you maneuver through these waters?

The bad news is there isn’t a key that will unlock your dream job. The good news is there is a way for jobseekers to receive the expertise and guidance they are looking for.

That way is through HireFriday on Twitter. This movement was founded by @HRMargo and was put together to support jobseekers. The concept is different is the way that as the jobseeker you tweet out your “statement” and others RT you. Your network expands with every tweet!

Check out @HRMargo‘s latest blog post on some guidelines for successful HireFriday tweets!

What’s the word jellybird? HireFriday!

See you in the twitterverse!

Watching the Twitterverse!

Thanks for listening!

What do I do with this gift?

What is a gift? Why is it so hard to receive? And what do I do with it now?

Let me first say what I think a gift is.

The gift of chocolate!

A gift is anything that we give freely. We give without strings, without expectations. That is the catch that usually gets all of us.  We want to know that the gift was received well and that it is loved and cared for. I feel that once a gift if given you need to let it go. Let the received decide what is next and let go.

Let us just tweak you...

For me it is a constant battle to let go of what I give and somethings my gifts to another is not giving to them what I think they need. Such as, keeping my mouth shut, only supporting and not saving, being a tree for someone to rest abound but not the wall that stops them. A gift is many things that are not material.  And those can be the hardest gifts to give and receive.

When working with your team you stride to understand what they are seeking. What they are motivated by and provide that. The catch is they might not see it.  Here is where the expectations kick in. Don’t expect every gift to be well received and live happily ever after. The higher your job level the less likely you will hear thank you but if you look closely you will see the results.

One of my team members that was with me at my last job had indicated that he wanted to go into management. I had know him for 2 years and never in that time had he express that but I took it in. I wrote it up in his yearly assessment and I made a point of telling upper management. About 6 months after I was laid off I heard that he was offered a management position. That was my gift. Now I only laid the ground work and I did not give him the promotion but I can enjoy the fact I helped. Will that be recognized? I doubt it but does it really matter?  I know my gift was received and even though I wasn’t there to see it through does not take the value away.

Most of our gifts are behind the scenes but they still are gifts. Recognize those around you and accept those gifts as well as giving those gifts. Release the strings and don’t try to control the out come. Just give. With the freedom to give you will also receive the knowledge to know what to do with those gifts.

Thanks for listening!

Education?

As a Project Manager you are responsible for the overall health of a project as well as your team.  Education is something that I feel to be very important and supporting a team in furthering their education is top priority.

Now the problem is my own education.  Being responsible for others has allowed me to put my own education on the back burner.  I hear myself saying that I just don’t have time.  The very amusing thing is I don’t accept that excuse from my team!  So why do I accept that from myself?!  I have been doing project management for way to many years yet I have not taken my test to become certified.  The reason is because I have not given myself the time to take the 35 hours worth of education.  Now that is just a kick in the pants!

Lead by example is what I like to say but in this instance I did not.  Yes, I am changing that!

Mentoring gone bad!

Have you ever been in the situation when mentored was the last thing you needed?  When the person mentoring you felt they needed to break you down before they can mentor you up or  they felt mentoring meant telling you what to do?

Mentoring gone bad!

• micro-manager==mask their standing over you guidance under mentoring.
• nothing sticks to me-manager==mask their lack of responsibility under mentoring because they are teaching.
• grandiose-manager==mask their big ideas under mentoring.
• political-manager==mask their telling you who to say what to under mentoring.

Mentoring is a responsibility.

Mentoring to grow together.

How to handle situations:

• Ask to be mentored by a particular person that you feel comfortable with.  Use the excuse of ‘knowing’ them better.
• Just act as if you are engaged than forget everything they said.
• Cancel meetings with your mentor using the excuse of your workload.
• Ask a lot of questions about nothing to redirect them.
• Avoid them at all cost!

I know none of these suggestions will truly work as I only provided them as a laughable moment.

When you are in a ‘Mentoring gone bad’ situation there is very little you can do.  It is a wave that you just have to ride out.  Perhaps seek guidance from a senior advisor or from HR.

One last thing, your mentor’s lack of skills is not a reflection on you.  Their dysfunction, their problem.  Take what ever you can from the experience and turn it into a positive by learning what not to do when you are mentoring.