April 5, 2017 Seven Things to Think About When It Comes to Figuring Out Whether Your Are Stuck or If You’re in a Professional Holding Pattern.

The Living on Purpose Project recently celebrated our 2nd anniversary on April 1, 2017. It was a great opportunity to celebrate where we have been and to get excited by what lies ahead. However, sometimes you reach a milestone yet don’t feel like you have anything to celebrate because you feel stuck.

The next time you are feeling like you are in a rut or in a place you don’t want to be – consider that you are in a professional holding pattern. Here are seven common career holding patterns and how to adopt a new perspective when facing them.

1. I hate my job:

Most people experience this feeling a few times throughout their lives, often early on and in the middle of their careers.

Turn your frustration into motivation by making a list of everything this crappy experience is teaching you about what not to do and what type of job you want to be sure to avoid moving forward.

2. I don’t know what I really want to do:

Start by reading the Living on Purpose Project interviews and posts (arranged by topic in our Archives). Then begin doing whatever you are interested in. Think you’d like a job as a social media specialist? Help a friend develop social media pages and posts for their small or new business. Sometimes you can improve your job satisfaction by simply doing more of what you love outside of the office.

3. I can’t make a lateral move into another dept or area:

Unfortunately, you may have to leave your current organization in order to be considered for a bigger and brighter opportunity. Companies of all sizes generally focus their time and energy on senior executives – making opportunities for everyone else non-existent.

4. I am in business for myself but can’t find any new clients or customers:

Schedule time to socialize. Social events are a great place to network professionally. Mix things up and hang with a new crowd of like-minded people. Doing so might be just the thing to clear you for takeoff into something new and put an end to your holding pattern.

5. I can’t find another job:

In today’s competitive landscape, you need to consider jobs that you are overqualified for and underpaid to do - at least initially. In time you can leverage that experience to find a bigger and brighter one. In the meantime, take time to review your resume and see if there are things that may actually be hindering you from getting hired. Does your resume demonstrate you are an industry “outsider” because of the lingo you use? Changing a few key words and adding more industry-related experience could help you stand out from the competition.

6. I want to launch my own business or take it to the next level but don’t have the money:

Start with a strong plan and a dynamic web site that highlights your work and experience, and helps you cast a wide net to find potential clients. However, the best way to raise the needed capital is to create a side-hustle while working for someone else.

7. I have tried many things to put myself out there but nothing seems to be working:

Be creative and persistent, and you may simply have to give it time. Many holding patterns are necessary – while the next great job or opportunity is waiting to present itself. Maximize your time waiting by staying focused on what you have learned that can be applied to your next move/opportunity.

Anniversaries and milestones are often fun but can sometimes be depressing and make us feel that we are not where we want/think we should be. This week consider that you may be exactly where you are supposed to be right now. Instead of feeling stuck or in a rut, think of it as a necessary holding pattern to prevent you from taking another job or opportunity that is not right for you. Keep positive, perfect your skills and your craft, and learn from your interactions with everyone you meet. Sooner than you think, that next opportunity you’ve been waiting for will present itself.

Seven Things to Think About When It Comes To . . . Old School Professional Skills to Rock in 2017

Now that the New Year is in full swing here are seven “must have’s” to turn a new career leaf in 2017.

1. Fill in the blank: Whatever your current or desired field is, be you need to have expertise in a specific segment.

If you do social media: are you a strategy person or skilled at identifying and engaging influencers? It’s not just about working in one industry or field, but rather about becoming an expert at something that others value and need.

2. Writing: Over the past 20 years I have found that many people struggle with business writing. The trick is to keep your communications concise, using simple sentences and explain the only 5 questions that anyone ever wants to know: WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN AND WHY. Go online or sign up for a class, but work on making sure that you are comfortable with writing your ideas efficiently and effectively.

3. Negotiation: Check our “archives” to see what we recently posted about this critical skill and how to develop it. http://livingonpurposeproject.com/post/156036582629/january-18-2017-ask-patrice-when-it-comes

4. Salesmanship: There is a saying that salespeople are born, not made. However, we can all become more skilled at selling people on our ideas, vision and even ourselves by using some marketing 101 tactics and strategies – always remember to educate and not sell, and that even people who are looking to buy don’t want to feel a hard sell.

5. Perseverance: 80% of most things you attempt will not turn out exactly or even close to what you had planned - it’s called life. The sooner you embrace this fact the better life becomes. At many points in your career you MUST be willing to work longer, harder, better. Period. If not, step side and make way for those of us willing, ready and able to do the work at hand.

6. Humor: Everyone thinks they are funny - only a few are right. Of course, you think you have a great sense of humor but how can you test it out? Fine tune your ability to use wit and humor to really connect with and even disarm others. Remember humor is about being makings smart observations about people and life. If you need some ideas to put together your 10-minute comedy set, check out two of my favorite comedians – the late George Carlin and Chris Rock.

7. Keep your word: Following through on what you say allows you to always demonstrate (a practice) this core skill. The secret is to under promise and over deliver and make your personal and professional goal to be a person of your word. At the end of the day, people hire, partner with, and seek out those who are consistent and reliable. Work on your time management and keep yourself organized and soon you will find this is second nature.

Successful people have the necessary skills and mindset for success. Anyone can do it, once you know which skills and abilities will enable you to consistently be a rainmaker. This week, take a few minutes to access your current skills and set goals for making them sharper and savvier.

Seven Life Lessons and Career Advice from Judith Germano, Founding Member of GermanoLawLLC and Former Federal Prosecutor and Chief of Economic Crimes at the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey

1. Step away from something in order to focus much more intensely on it: Sometimes on my long runs, I come up with really valuable business ideas and solutions that might have taken me longer to reach just sitting at the desk. Stepping away from an issue or problem and looking at it from a different angle is useful. I think it also makes us happier, healthier and more efficient people.

2. Feel confident in trusting your instincts to take the right next step: Start by asking yourself “what’s the right thing is to do?” Then determine who you might need to ask for guidance or advice on a variety of options. You have to work on finding the balance between trusting your instincts, having good judgment and seeking help when and as needed.

3. Success comes from personal initiative and hard work: I have had many wonderful mentors who have guided and advocated for me, and for that I feel very blessed but, as my parents always taught me, success starts from initiative and hard work.

[] 4. Be a forward-looking person, but have flexibility: I have a map, or plan, in my head but often have ended up taking a different course. I’m all the better for it. It’s that flexibility, openness, and looking at what’s ahead that helps me most.

5. Hear contrary opinions to help you, even if you decide to go/do it another way: I think it’s important to keep an open-mind to all kinds of advice, the positive and the more critical. Sometimes the advice that is the hardest to hear could be the kind that we need the most.

6. Find balance and do not succumb to self-doubt. Take time for careful introspection. Make sure there’s the right balance of confidence and humility in each step you take.

7. Find a process to determine what’s the “right” or best thing in any situation. Working for 11 years as a federal prosecutor, I learned to exercise this on a regular basis. But I think it can help anyone, in many situations: ask yourself if “it’s” ethically sound, legally consistent, strategically appropriate, and best for the interested parties. Remember sometimes it’s best to be aggressive.

Other times it’s right to step back with confidence, wait and then engage when it’s appropriate. And sometimes the best thing to do is to not engage at all, even when it may be tempting and when quiet restraint takes more strength and courage than action.

Everyone needs an advice career “dream team.” Today gather a group of friends, family mentors and even strangers who always offer a positive and important perspective and great pearls of wisdom.

Part II: Stop Playing by Other People’s Rules and Start Making Your Own

Here are the remaining top seven rules that you may need to break in order to achieve success in your life and career.  If you missed the first four rules, check out the May 6, 2015 post.

Top 7 Rules to BREAK to Achieve Career Success (Cont.)

Rule # 5: If you give 100 percent to your employer, they will give 100 percent to you.  You should give your all to anything that you do.  However, when I ask students or clients why they are spending so much time at jobs they don’t even like, they often say, “so that I’ll be safe if they have to do lay-offs.”  In my experience, people are let go from jobs for three main reasons: (1) they are not well connected to the organization’s key decision makers (or they butt heads with those who are); (2) they are older employees who unfortunately can be easily replaced by two younger staffers with that same salary; and (3) they fail to demonstrate the “essential” value of what they do and bring to the table.  Not taking lunch, staying late every night, and working from home on the weekends doesn’t make you invaluable; it simply makes you overwhelmed and resentful.  Whatever you job you do, do it to the best of your ability.  However, you should work wisely by spending “overtime” hours that demonstrate your value and help increase your exposure/connection to decision makers.  

Rule # 6: Getting an advanced degree is the solution to your communications/marketing career problems:  What’s required to succeed professionally varies from industry to industry.  After working for years in marketing, communications, and entertainment, I have found that people who have difficulty advancing in their current company or this industry without an advanced degree, often still have problems moving up or into a lateral position even with the enhanced education. They may not only continue to be overlooked for opportunities, but also could be tens of thousands of dollars in debt after going back to school. If your company is paying for your education and they have told you that this degree will expand your internal opportunities, go for it.  If that’s not the case, why not consider a certificate program or other unconventional ways to fill this experience and educational “gap.” Certificate programs and other professional development opportunities offer chances to make yourself more qualified for communications/marketing-related jobs.  In the end, careers are a lot like high school.  It’s often more about what you’ve done previously and who you know now that really matters. Chances are if you’re not already one of the “professional cool kids,” wearing some new “designer label” isn’t going to make you cool or get others to like you.

Rule # 7: Follow all advice from those who have done what you want to do. Learning from the successes and failures of others who have done the very thing you want to do is a great way to create your individual path.  However, learning from others doesn’t mean that you have to follow that advice ‘word for word.’  Career advice is not one size fits all.  Sometimes what worked for one person, even someone who has been very successful, may not be a right fit for you. Ask others for ideas and suggestions but beware of those who say, “you have got to do this or that.” Aside from having a telephone, email, business cards, and a web site, you may need to ignore other people’s “gotta do’s.”

I worked as a successful sports and entertainment PR consultant for years without the big office or personal assistant that so many people told me I “had to have” in order to be successful. Truth is, the majority of my multi-national corporate clients never once questioned, let alone minded, holding meetings at their offices or places convenient for them.  

I’ve shared seven rules that you might want to break. Over the next week, identify seven rules that you have been following that have NOT served you well, and create seven new rules that can help you advance in your career.