What It REALLY Takes to Create Lasting Life and Career Changes

Whether you are trying to keep your New Year’s resolution to lose weight, to find a new job, or trying to save more money, here are three (3) secret success tips to help anyone accomplish any goal.

1.    Focus on the processes in your life that will need to change, not just the outcome: The WAY you do things is just as important as WHAT you actually do. Change the way you approach and accomplish things – and watch change occur. For example, take a more face-to-face or proactive approach to networking. You will soon find that doing the same thing but in a different way causes things to change over time.

2.    Concentrate on the habits needed to sustain long term change: For example, when it comes to losing weight, don’t think of losing XX pounds, but rather think about being the person who makes a weekly habit to exercise and who doesn’t cancel scheduled time to work out.

3.    Celebrate every step and success: Every month and at the end of the year, take inventory of who you are as a person and not just which goals you achieved. Winning is not always about whoever has the most points. It’s about what you learned and how to do things bigger and brighter in the future.

Success is measured in our efforts, our relationships, and our accomplishments. This week think about three goals and three specific habits, routines and/or systems you need to change to achieve success.

Three Questions to Discover If You are “Wired” for Success

Let’s face it, life is not always fair. Some people work like crazy to create the smallest of opportunities, while others create and are given chance after chance to pursue successful new ventures and experiences. When it comes to achieving your goals, do you believe that you are “wired” to be successful?

Whether you have a natural aptitude for success or need a ton of tips and pointers, anyone can re-wire their brain for success. Here are three (3) mistakes you want to avoid, and ways to rewire your brain and behavior for greater career and life success.

1.    Do you suggest getting together with friends or always wait for others to take the lead? Be a proactive connector. Be the person who is first to follow up with the ideas, details, and specifics to make things happen.

2.    Do you keep your big ideas in your head or do you write them down and/or share them with others? There have been countless studies that prove the mere act of writing down a goal increases the likelihood that the person will be successful.

3.    Do you focus on your current job or do you think about what’s next after your current opportunity ends? Of course, you should give your current opportunity your focus and effort, but you should also always have a plan for your next project or position.

This week make a conscious choice to talk more about your current and future dreams and plans, and less about your past experiences. Remember, going down memory lane is great, but you don’t want to live there. People who make things happen are always looking toward the future, have a good plan, and talk about their new projects and goals.

ASK PATRICE

I hate my boss. She is always minimizing my work, my contributions, and my role on the team. I enjoy my job and really like the other people I work with. How do I know whether I need to ignore my boss and how she treats me, or to tell her I can’t take it anymore and quit?

Sometimes the people who we work for or with can be difficult to take. And, perhaps the only thing worse, is working with a boss who treats you with disrespect or takes credit for your work and/or accomplishments. If you are struggling with a complex work relationship and are thinking of telling your boss what you really think of them, check out these three questions to ask yourself before you tell your boss to take this job and shove it.

1.    Are you responding to what was said or communicated in an email? When it comes to email, sometimes things simply get lost in translation. For example, a person who uses all CAPS to emphasize what the recipient will need, may come across as “shouting” and demanding. So before you act, take time to clarify “in real life” what you think was “said” in an email.

2.    Did your boss take credit for your work? One of many lessons I learned from working in an agency was that my job is to do work that others will claim as their own. Whether it was drafting a byline article or watching my boss talk about my media placements as his own. A few years later, my VP at AT&T told me that my job was to make him look good – and thanked me for my many contributions. But he also told me that in turn his job was to make his boss (the SVP of PR) look good as well. Truth is, there are times when you will have to suck it up and let your boss present and/or take credit for what you have done – simply because that’s your job to do so. The key question to ask yourself is does your boss show YOU gratitude and appreciation for what you do.

3.    Are you responding to something you heard from a third party: Years ago, a co-worker told me that another employee was going to take over two of my projects. My initial reaction was confusion and anger. Equally, I was embarrassed that this co-worker (who worked for me) knew this information before me. My knee-jerk response was to send my boss a strongly worded email saying that he had no right to give my projects to someone else.

Instead, I sent a brief and professional email asking for clarification about when we would begin and who would be working on the projects. The next morning, when I felt much calmer and cooler, I opened my inbox to see an email from my boss explaining that this person would be working on the projects as a resource/added help for me! Had I acted on emotion, I would have written something that could have damaged my relationship with my boss, not to mention something that I could not take back. 

This week develop a plan to strategically deal with your co-worker’s/boss’ words and/or actions. Then determine how much you like and want to keep your job.  

Truth is, your boss might not ever change. Equally, you should not change your expectations or forfeit your right to be treated in a professional and respectful way. You have to do what honors and respects yourself. Always remember that no matter how bad the situation, never burn a bridge with a person or organization. 

However, if you like what you do and can learn to ignore or block out others’ actions, embrace a new, “big picture” perspective and focus on the many great things about this job and opportunity.

Seven Things to Think About When It Comes to Simple Ways to Revamp Your Resume in the New Year

The new year means new chances to find and pursue a different job and/or career. As you think about the changes you’d like to make and ways to improve your professional life in 2019, here are seven (7) simple but important tips to help your resume to stand out from the competition.

1.    Replace your objective with a career summary: Use the prime “real estate” space at the top of your resume to share a tailored professional description/summary that matches the role’s requirements.

2.    Include accomplishments versus job descriptions:  When drafting or revising your resume, be sure to list your top 3-4 accomplishments of each position instead of simply including your job description.

3.    Quantify your accomplishments: Once you identify your biggest accomplishments be sure to include numbers, such as percentages to illustrate an increase in sales, social media followers or other business “success” metrics.

4.    Use action words:  Make your resume dynamic by using impactful action verbs.  Using these powerful words will help make sure your resume is descriptive and also engaging.

5.    Customize your resume for each position/new opportunity: Although it may take some time, you should tweak and adjust your resume for each position.  Your goal is to ensure your accomplishments match up to the requirements of the job.

6.    Ask for feedback:  Your goal is to continually tap into your network and grow your contacts and connections. During the job search process, don’t be afraid to ask prospective employers and clients for ways to improve your resume.

7.    Toot your own horn: One of the biggest mistakes people make in writing their resumes is that they fail to include enough career highlights and milestones. Don’t think of sharing your accomplishments as bragging but rather detailing your achievements in a way that will help you stand out from the competition. 

This week set aside one hour of your holiday “free” time to update your resume.  This small investment in time can help you reap great dividends and secure new professional opportunities in 2019.