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Belief Is Just the Beginning


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Courtesy of The Providence Effect/ Dinosaurs

Over the weekend, my husband and I went to the movie theater to watch the documentary The Providence Effect. The movie chronicles the journey of Paul J. Adams III, a black man with activist roots in the 1960’s civil rights movement, whose mission was to turn Providence St. Mel, located on Chicago’s west side, into a “first rank college preparatory school, and its African-American student body into a corps of driven, disciplined, high achieving students.” Inspiration It was inspiring to … [Read more...]

Got a Job? Give a Job. Four simple things you can do today to help the unemployed.


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These days, especially in times of economic downturn and as available jobs dry out, it seems that everybody’s only looking out for themselves. But what if we all took personal responsibility for our fellow jobless professional and saw to it that they had ample opportunities ahead? It might be absurd to think that you (yes, you!) could actually award another human being a job or career. After all, you’re not the founder of your own company, or the CEO of another business; and you don’t even … [Read more...]

The Working Mom’s (and Dad’s) Dilemma


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Courtesy of StockVault

Today, I received in my email inbox what was practically a cry for help. The author of the email (who will remain nameless) desperately needed some advice on whether to leave a lucrative, relatively stable job working for the federal government, in exchange for staying at home with her four beautiful children (including a newborn). As a brand new mom myself, I could certainly understand her dilemma, which I have shared here  previously at TheCareerPioneer.com. With just one month remaining … [Read more...]

Have Your Childhood Dreams Escaped? “The Last Lecture” Puts It All In Perspective

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If you haven’t heard the story of Dr. Randy Pausch, who received national attention when he began appearing on numerous television shows including Oprah last year, then you should especially stay tuned into today’s post. Randy Pausch was a professor of Computer Science, Human Computer Interaction, and Design at Carnegie Mellon University. He had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer when he was asked to deliver his famous “last lecture.” Nearly 400 students attended the lecture … [Read more...]

Who’s Got Yo’ Back?

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Please excuse the grammatical no-no in the title. But this is a very important post (as the rest of them are.) Who has your back in your career? Who’s in your corner when you need some advice, insight, support in pursuing your dreams when times are low, or who gives you that extra push off the ledge into facing your fears? Who would you consider as a mentor or supportive friend? Today, I had a very encouraging conversation with a good friend, Monique McDowell, whom I first connected with … [Read more...]

Courage Soup for the Chicken Soul


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Courtesy of StockVault

Did you know that chickens populate this earth more than any other type of bird, clocking in at 24 billion in the world as of 2003? It’s no wonder then that so many of us humans resemble the domesticated foul when it comes to cowardliness in our careers and in pursuing our life dreams. Did you also know that domestic chickens are incapable of long-distance flight? Chickens will sometimes fly to explore their surroundings, but usually do so only to flee perceived danger. As a high schooler, … [Read more...]

Are You Thriving Or Barely Surviving? Career Inspiration for the Slacker

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Courtesy of StockVault

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by. The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said ‘yes’, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He … [Read more...]