Live. Love. Do.® Blog
Bold how-to advice to promote your personal brand and advance your career
This week we’re heading to social to share some great images and posts based on a question from a follower: “Dear Patrice, I recently launched a small consulting business. I have a few clients and have achieved many goals, but I am not making a lot of money. How long should I give my new/next venture before I create or find a Plan B or C?”
Do you work to pay the bills? The truth is, many people do. However, a select group of innovative thinkers has cracked the code – combining their professional strengths with their personal passions.
Maintaining work-life balance is difficult -- but possible. And, when you are able to find a real work-life balance, you can achieve anything. Making it possible to one day being paid well to do what you love and enjoy. To Live. Love. Do. ® Here are seven (7) ways to get started in achieving a balanced foundation to a happy and successful life:
1. Fitness 40: Whether you’re into doing yoga, running, or time at the gym, COVID-19 is no reason to do less physical activity. In fact, if you want to drop your COVID 15 (i.e., pounds that you gained spending so much time at home), schedule just forty minutes of physical fitness into your day like you would a business meeting or doctor’s appointment.
2. Do’s & Don’ts for your work-life career plan: Even if you have no interest or plan to leave your current job, take a few hours to outline your top three (3) non-negotiables: (3) must have’s and (3) don’ts such as (wanting to work in a new department or refusing to take on a 3 and ½ hour daily round-trip commute). Simply having this plan and thinking through key “work-life requirements” will empower you to develop a clear 6 month and 1–3-year plan to help you reach your goals.
3. Constantly creating new things to look forward to: Simply knowing that you are doing something or meeting someone new can greatly improve your mental state and mood. Whether it’s an informational interview, registering for a class, or hiring someone to whip up a new resume - anticipation is a powerful, positive force. Look forward to even little things - doing so can change your whole outlook on life.
4. Surround yourself with visual goals: Perhaps you want to work in another state or hope to find the extra cash to decorate your new virtual home office. Find and surround yourself with pictures, words, and images to help you stay inspired, interested, and focused on your life and your career goals.
5. Network with coworkers or others in your field outside of the office: Even taking a walk around the block with a colleague can help you tap into your social need to bring more fun to your 9-to-5.
6. Take a Friday or half-day off: Many people can’t take a two-week vacation, but everyone can take one afternoon or half-day off. Remember, to be effective, you must have a physical break from your mental grind. A 4-day weekend can do wonders for your spirit.
7. Take a mental health day: If your employer pays you for a certain number of sick days, take them. Take at least one day every couple of months to decompress and give yourself a mental break from your routine. Call out by saying you are under the weather and plan a great at home day! Even if you feel physically “ok,” everyone can use at least one mental health day a month. Take time and space away to clear your mind.
This week find one new way to create a way to do what you enjoy and take the break you need and deserve.
Making friends used to come very easy to most of us when we were kids. You would just go to school, the playground, or camp and instantly you would meet new people and, in a short time, make new friends.
As we get older, you can take a nod from your 9-year-old self and try these three (3) things that can help improve your social network – in and outside of the office.
1. Give compliments: Everyone likes to hear nice things about themselves. Make a point to share positive observations, kind words, and praise about everyone at work, but especially to people you’d like to be friends with moving forward.
2. Ask them to join you for . . . Whether you are heading to Starbucks, outside to eat your lunch, or even an art gallery after work – ask others to tag along. Just like when you were a kid, some people will like the same or similar things that you enjoy. Asking someone to join you is an easy but great way to make a new work friend. After a few weeks, be sure to ask them to join your LinkedIn and other social media networks that you’d be OK sharing with this co-worker.
3. Ask questions: In the right setting everyone, even shy people, likes to talk about themselves. If you want to really get to know someone at work, start with the basics and ask them questions about where they live/grew up, their family, and other personal hobbies and interests. In order to make them feel comfortable also share some facts and information about yourself.
No matter what age you are, we can all use a friend(s) in the workplace. Your goal is to be social and cordial to everyone, and to select a handful (at most) of co-workers who can also become friends. Just like any relationship, start slow and let things evolve naturally. This week try one of these tips and start cultivating a new work friendship that might be a source of great support.
Everyone knows you need a plan for advancing in your career or switching fields or industries. However, do you know when you need to swap out your current plan for one that can actually help you get to your next move?
Here are seven (7) signs that it’s time to develop a new career game plan.
1. You are running a business without a business plan. Even if you are the only person ever to read your business/marketing plan, this is an essential first step to a successful venture. A simple business plan will help you forecast and prioritize which expenditures and expenses make sense and need to be put on the back burner. For example, I had a client who spent half of his start-up money on a Post Office box because he thought he needed a “professional sounding address.” Because he never went through the exercise of creating a business plan, it took him more than a year to discover that that money he had spent on the P. O. box would have been better spent to help create and launch a website for his accounting business. It turned out that the only thing he received through the PO box was junk mail and that 90% of his clients sent their documents via email.
2. You were promised that your part-time position would become permanent - two years ago. Sometimes you are unofficially told that you will get a new position or opportunity if you accomplish certain goals or wait a predetermined amount of time. However, if you’ve done everything that’s been asked of you but nothing is happening – wise up and realize this will most likely never happen.
3. People who were hired after you are getting promoted before you. If you notice that others are advancing and being selected for important assignments while you are being overlooked – it’s time for a new plan.
Career advancement is like dating. If a company is really “into you,” you’ll know it. If you are going on more than two to three years without a promotion or salary increase, you are not on the fast track to success and need to set your sights elsewhere.
4. You are doing more and more of the projects, responsibilities, and duties that you don’t like - and less and less of the things that you enjoy: No job is perfect. However, you should like and/or enjoy doing at least 80% of your regular duties. If you find yourself only liking 20% of your job, it’s time to start looking for a new one.
5. It’s been more than three (3) months since you have been contacted for an interview or have received any feedback from potential employers or clients. Chances are you need to give your resume a tune-up and develop a new plan to attract those who might hire you successfully. Invest in the time and/or money to make sure your resume positions you in the best possible light.
6. You are only staying at your current job because you think you can’t find another or a better one. Everyone needs job security, but that doesn’t mean you should convince yourself into indefinitely settling for the job that may pay the bills but offers zero, if any, personal satisfaction. The saying the devil you know is better than the one you don’t – is not always the best advice. The bottom line is if you are being mistreated and/or undervalued – you need and deserve much better.
7. You have been using the same approach for more than six months to help you pursue career advancement or switch fields - however, you are not getting any results. If your process has been to search and apply for 10 jobs every week, you should consider shaking things up. Adopt new job search strategies such as attending networking events or contacting former bosses or co-workers for potential job leads.
Even the best plans need modifications and adjustments to increase the likelihood of success. This week take a look at your life and career and determine if it’s time to create a new career game plan.