I’ve been struggling with a really annoying problem lately and I don’t know what to do.
I'm tired… ALL THE TIME.
And I hate it!
Someone please explain this to me...
I'm a CrossFit junkie three times a week.
I eat pretty healthily (I hope that's a word).
And I'm 22 years old!
22!!!!!
So where's all my energy gone?
Posted in corporate culture
Tagged career, happiness, high performance, infographic, inspiration
I recall one time being in the passenger seat of a friend’s really nice car. We pulled up to the curb at our destination, and as my friend handed the valet the car keys, the valet asked, “Wow, what do you do to drive a nice car like that?” My friend’s answer was simple and to the point. “Work hard”.
“I learned the value of hard work by working hard.” ~ Margaret Mead
“Working hard is very important. You’re not going to get anywhere without working extremely hard.” ~ George Lucas
“I think that my biggest attribute to any success that I have had is hard work. There really is no substitute for working hard.” ~ Maria Bartiromo
“You really have to work hard and apply yourself and by applying yourself and working hard and being diligent, you can achieve success.”
~ Julie Benz“The only way to get people to like working hard is to motivate them. Today, people must understand why they’re working hard. Every individual in an organization is motivated by something different.”
~ Rick Pitino“Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you’re kind, amazing things will happen.”
~ Conan O’Brien
Posted in Inspiration
Tagged business, career, empowering, engagement, high performance, quote
Writing your resume is about showing yourself in the best light. This informative infographic put together by Colorado Technical University gives tips on fonts and typefaces to make it easier for the recipient to read on a computer screen, as well as other advice for the traditional paper resume.
Paying attention to these basic elements and more can make all the difference in having a resume that gets noticed.
Posted in career
Tagged business, career, infographic, job search, personal brand, Résumé
Work to live. Live to work. We’ve heard that before.
Nigel Marsh is the author of “Fat, Forty and Fired” and “Overworked and Underlaid.” In this TED Talk video, Nigel has an interesting approach to the concept of work-life balance, and really gets down to the core of what is really important.
Posted in Inspiration
Tagged career, happiness, Human Resources, meaningful work, TED Talk, video, work life balance
Have you ever contemplated a drastic career change? Sometimes the thought could be frightening or exhilarating. Jobs come and go. As well, specific responsibilities and the scope of some jobs change. What we want out of work also changes, with our values shifting as we get older. Are we all happy doing what we’re doing right now, this very moment? Could we think of doing anything else?
I was watching TV the other night, and caught the last 20 minutes of the classic 1984 mock ‘rockumentary’ This is Spinal Tap. This funny movie left us with many iconic pop culture lines such as “It’s like, how much more black could this be? and the answer is none. None more black.” and “Put it up to eleven.”
“Eleven. Exactly. One louder.”
Some of the best lines are at the end when they are running the credits. The documentary filmmaker, Marty DiBergi, played by Rob Reiner asks the bandmembers “If you could not play Rock and Roll, what would you do?” Some of the answers are hilarious, but my favourite is the exchange between Marty DiBergi and lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel played by Christopher Guest at the very end. Start watching at 4:30
Nigel Tufnel: [on what he would do if he couldn't be a rock star] Well, I suppose I could, uh, work in a shop of some kind, or… or do, uh, freelance, uh, selling of some sort of, uh, product. You know…
Marty DiBergi: A salesman?
Nigel Tufnel: A salesman, like maybe in a, uh, haberdasher, or maybe like a, uh, um… a chapeau shop or something. You know, like, “Would you… what size do you wear, sir?” And then you answer me.
Marty DiBergi: Uh… seven and a quarter.
Nigel Tufnel: “I think we have that.” See, something like that I could do.
Marty DiBergi: Yeah… you think you’d be happy doing something like-…
Nigel Tufnel: “No; we’re all out. Do you wear black?” See, that sort of thing I think I could probably… muster up.
Marty DiBergi: Do you think you’d be happy doing that?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, I don’t know – wh-wh-… what’re the hours?
I don’t know about you, I just can’t picture Nigel Tufnel being happy selling hats. 
Posted in career
Tagged career, happiness, laughter, Marty DiBergi, Nigel Tufnel, Rob Reiner, This Is Spinal Tap, Up to eleven, video
When I was little, I was taught about responsibility by owning pets. First it was goldfish, then it was lizards and salamanders that I picked up from the forest behind my house before I graduated onto hamsters, and then to dogs.
The hamsters taught me a lot about uncertainty.
See, they lived in a cage.
It looked the same day in and day out. That spinning wheel stayed in the same place every day. The cage always had two floors to it. They got food and water from the same spot.
They explored that cage every day as if it was new to them. As if that wheel was finally gonna break them free and that food finally going to taste that much better.
When I would open the cage door, to “set them free,” they ran – ran to a safe spot in their cage or that awkward place under the ladder where I couldn’t reach them. They dug into the wood chips. They hid. They flared their teeth at me. They became scared of leaving the same cage they were held captive in.
The only way they would come out was to wait. I waited until they calmed down, regained that sense of curiosity about their surroundings, and found the open door themselves. And there I would be, ready to pat and play with the happy little critters as they ran around our living room floor.
When I am introduced to new situations at work, new people, or new development distinctions, I can sometimes become that hamster – digging into my own jail and hiding in fear from what I don’t know.
The magic happens when I discover the newness “on my own.”
It resonates more with me.
I make it an adventure.
It builds up my confidence in handling the unknown.
When we want to set another person free, just leave the door open.
This guest post was written by Matt Corker - International Operations Specialist, lululemon athletica
Matt Corker has a serious addiction to big ideas, bold goals, and strong communities. After working for the University of British Columbia in alumni and student affairs, Matt was drawn to lululemon athletica – a yoga-inspired athletic apparel company that creates components for people to live long, healthy, and fun lives. After working first in Leadership Development creating opportunities 
that empower their great staff to achieve their dreams and live a life they LOVE, he moved into a new role supporting the global goals of the company. Matt has a Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management and International Business from the Sauder School of Business at UBC and his MBA from the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark. He has a strong background in leadership and development and a big heart for new technologies, inspiring minds, and giving out great high fives. More information about Matt can be found at http://thatsacorker.com.
Posted in Inspiration
Tagged business, career, empowering, happiness, Matt Corker, motivation
After watching this video, think about it thoroughly and share in the comments what you would want to do with your life if money didn’t matter.
Posted in Inspiration
Tagged Alan Watts, career, empowering, happiness, inspiration, Money, video
Here is some career advice we can all be reminded of:
Sometimes we let our guard down, and forget that what we share on our social networks is indexed by Google and other search engines, and our not so squeaky clean behaviour can be found online by a potential or current employer. As a golden rule, be the person online that you are offline.
With data from Jobvite, the folks at Column Five Media have put together this fantastic infographic of tips for using social media and making positive first impressions with the job seeker in mind.
Posted in career
Tagged business, career, facebook, Google, infographic, job search, personal brand, social media
On a quest for a fresh start in his career, Marc Smith has created the website 30 Day Adventures , chronicling a new adventure every day in the beautiful city of Vancouver. Followers of the blog suggest adventures that Marc can do. Right now, he is two-thirds of the way through his month long adventure.
In a recent tweet (follow Marc’s adventures at #30DayAdventures) Marc said, “I’m trying to figure out how to make this my career, it’s so fun”.
We asked Marc how he is enjoying his adventure so far.
Marc Smith and Nathan Fong
I felt stuck, and I felt that I was in the same spot, doing the same work, getting the same results, achieving the same, same, same. I knew I needed to do something different. I posted on Facebook that ‘I was having a day of being stuck’ and I needed something different to do. I had over 25 responses in under 2 hours – all of them I’d never done before, and it sparked the idea in my head that I’ve lived in Vancouver for 23 years and I had still not achieved the true Vancouver experience because there were so many things I hadn’t done yet. The next thing I know I created a website, launched 30 Day Adventures, and the floodgates of ideas just opened up. People just jumped on the ship, and away it went.
I have relearned there is nothing I can’t do. I have relearned that I really like who I am. I’ve learned that I’m actually capable of things that I didn’t think I was capable of. I didn’t think I was a photographer, and in fact I’ve said many times, that I’m not a photographer. I think I’ve taken some pretty spectacular shots in the last 20 days. I think being a good photographer is sometimes being at the right place at the right time with the right lighting. I’ve insisted that I’m not a good writer and I still don’t think I’m a great writer, but I think I’m an adequate conversationalist in text form. I’ve learned that at 43 years old, life is not even close to being over. It is actually just beginning for me.
I love the fact that people have gotten excited about this. I love the ideas that people have thrown my way. I’ve loved just the randomness of people contacting me, telling me that this has actually helped them realize that they were stuck and unhappy and they didn’t know it. This has actually inspired them to do something about it. On a personal note, I think one of the most rewarding things about this for me has been the personal emails I’ve been getting from my Mom, telling me how much she’s enjoying reading and living this adventure with me and how proud she is, so that’s been a pretty cool thing.
It’s the one that’s going to happen tomorrow. The adventure tomorrow is more exciting than the adventures I’ve done. Everything I’ve done has been great, but who knows what tomorrow brings. Who knows…
I think they’re all translatable. Everything I’ve ever done is relevant to everything I will ever do. There is nothing in my life or my work history that I don’t use in my life and my work today. All of these adventures are translatable. If I never build another website again, chance are I will manage a team that does oversee a website, I now have better insight as to what works and what doesn’t work. There are some things that you learn and some things that you do on a regular basis which resonate more than on other things and you can know them, but actually experiencing that first hand is very powerful.
I hope to gain a renewed sense of purpose. I’ve lost that. The economy, the business, the negative attitude of not myself, but so many other people, just the general malaise that’s hung over the economy in Canada in general has really taken the joy out of creating for me. I’m more energized than I’ve been in a very long time. I’m really looking forward to taking this energy and doing something with it. And doing something positive and really taking the community that’s become deeper engaged with me and the new folks that have joined and seeing what I can do with it. Seeing what we can create together.
What I don’t want to be now. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with money. And so if you look back at my journal that was kept from kindergarten until grade 8, the line was ‘what does Marc want to be when he grows up’ – It was always, ‘Marc wants to be a millionaire’. The answer today, what I want to be when I grow up – I want to be a person that loved, respected and liked. The rest of it comes.
Posted in career, Inspiration
Tagged 30 Day Adventures, career, community, empowering, inspiration, Marc Smith, personal brand, Vancouver
“You hit a goal, you achieve a goal. You keep a resolution”. ~ Gretchen Rubin
I decided to ask some people in my network if they had any New Years Career Resolutions. I got off to a great start. One woman admitted that she would love to see her coworkers deal with their customers in a more empathetic and positive way, especially since the company she works for is purely customer services orientated. I found her answer to be genuinely concerned for how some of her coworkers were dealing with customers and in turn making her work environment not a very fun one.
A couple of people admitted that they would like to look for a new or more challenging role in 2012. Others felt that they had hit the well-known ceiling and were at a crossroads with whether or not they should stay or move on from their current companies. Two people said that they would like to further their education and be more challenged in their work. Then I got an answer that made me realize this whole “New Years Resolution” thing is a bit silly! My close friend Paul said, “New years resolutions are easy enough to make, but it is the actual implementation that differentiates the highly motivated from the somewhat motivated.” This comment jolted me a bit and made me question why do we feel we need to make promises to ourselves just because it’s a new year? I am sure most people can admit they never follow through with these promises, and most of them probably quickly conjure up some cliché answer when asked. Do you ever hear anyone ask, “Hey, what’s your resolution for April?” Of course you don’t. People have this tendency to think: New Year, new start. What I am asking here is why?
Be the highly motivated and make your goals year round. Write out your goals and stick it on your wall or in your bedside table and look at it nightly. Remind yourself of where you want to be and want you want to achieve and start taking the right steps. Don’t give some fluffy answer because everyone and their dog are asking you “What’s your New Years resolution?” How about next time you’re asked say, “To make a new goal for every month and actually achieve it.” Let’s get serious here and make our own successes with actual steps to get us there.
For example, to the woman who wants to see more positivity and empathy coming from some of her coworkers, I propose she initiates the change by being extra positive herself and setting a clear example for the rest of her team. Exude the fantastic customer service energy and hope some jump on the train. Or become a good listener to those who are negative and help them clarify their issues and perhaps provide good insight of how she handles difficult customers while remaining empathetic and helpful. These would be great steps to implement – and it means actually following through with your goal.
I completely appreciate my peers’ answers and honestly believe every single one of them will achieve their career goals. It just got me thinking about how many things I would like to achieve for 2012 and if I will actually do it. Being honest with myself I can say that previous “resolutions” were not fulfilled and I am tired of it! I am now going to make goals for myself every time I think of something I want, and that’s not just for my career, it’s for my health, personal life, and anything else I want. And I will tenaciously take the needed steps. Saying it is easy… it’s the doing that’s hard.
Posted in Inspiration
Tagged career, Goal, goal setting, gretchen rubin, inspiration, new year, New year resolution
