Career | The Career Pioneer | Motivation to help you change careers or start a business you'll love

Could Your Career Use a Dose of Wishful Thinking?

Remember what happened when as a kid, you spotted a shooting star or the brightest one appearing in the night sky? What did you immediately do? Did you make a wish? Can you recall how devoted you were to that wish, often thinking of it weeks and weeks after the star had long disappeared? You imagined your wish as a future possibility. It was always crystal clear in your mind. And no one or nothing could deter you from believing that your wish would one day come true. Maybe you’ve matured … [Read more...]

“What do you do well?” And Other Simple Questions To Discover Work You Love

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Since graduating from high school, throughout college, and up until about a year ago, I went back and forth in my mind trying to determine what my true career path was. Along the way, I considered pursuing jobs in social work, education, public relations, theatre, film & television, sales and journalism -- without a doubt, an eclectic group of industries had crossed my mind. The one profession that continued to resurface was writing and journalism. It made sense. After all, I enjoyed the … [Read more...]

“Failure Isn’t a Set-Back, It’s a Step Up.” Plus, Famous Quotes to Live By

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Don’t you just love great quotes? They’re motivational, thought-provoking, and often wise words to store in your brain for those rainy, discouraging days. I created the title quote myself after scourging the Internet for famous quotes to share with you all today. Do quotes encourage you too? What quotes have inspired you to: Take Chances? Rise above the level of mediocrity? Tap into self-belief? Muster courage? Demolish all excuses? Dream again? As I started to think about … [Read more...]

Interviewing for a New Job? Determine Your Salary Range Before Stepping in the Door

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Your phone rings. You look at the small caller-id screen, but you’re unfamiliar with the incoming phone number. As the digits continue to flash, you suspect it’s someone you know and that they’re calling from another phone line. You pick up and, with your “receptionist” voice, you answer: “HellOoo, this is . . .” “Hi. This is so-and-so from whachamacallit Company,” says the voice on the other line. “We received and reviewed your resume and cover letter regarding the XYZ position and would … [Read more...]

Your Level of Discipline Could Equal Your Aptitude for Success

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When I started this blog almost two weeks ago, I made a decision that I’d post at least one article a day for a certain period of time. It’s taken great discipline to come up with the story ideas, do the research to expand on those ideas, and then to actually sit down and write. As you know, my posts in general are in the range of 500 to 1,200 words. So, writing to this extent on a daily basis, while juggling other responsibilities, is never easy. But, thankfully for me, it's fun! Plus, it … [Read more...]

What’s Your Attitude? Is it Contagious? Or Does it Repel?

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Are you a movie buff? Or are you a sucker for a good action film or chick flick? My favorite types of movies are those based on real-life events. And although I realize Hollywood fictionalizes some aspect of the true story to enhance the film, I always get chills during the part of the movie when the protagonist experiences sudden revelation or insight. One of my favorite scenes that serves as an example of this, is in the movie Remember The Titans. In case you haven’t seen it, Titans … [Read more...]

Are Your Talents Wage-Worthy?

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What’s your secret talent? Are you an excellent writer? Do you make a killer cheesecake? As a parent or concerned citizen, have you raised funds for your local school that exceeded everyone’s expectations? Can you stitch a new garment out of an old tapestry that could rival that of any leading designer? Are you well-oiled machine when it comes to planning birthday parties and annual gatherings for yourself, family and friends? Up until now, have you done all of this for free, even … [Read more...]

What Will Be Your Legacy? Today, Meet a Legend. And Go Be Legendary.

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Mother Teresa. Courtesy of NobelPrize.org

In a recent post, I offered some suggestions on how you can advance you life and start pursuing your dream career. One of those suggestions was volunteerism -- as a way to get your foot in the door, gain valuable experience doing the very thing you love to do, and as philanthropy. There’s another type of volunteering out there that has nothing remotely to do with your needs or your future career. It’s called humanitarianism. Generosity. Brotherly Love. This type of volunteer labor isn’t for … [Read more...]

Are You Driving Your Destiny? Or Is Something (Or Someone) Else?

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Growing up in Southwest Georgia, my family primarily used a riding lawnmower to cut the grass. Our yard was pretty large, and although my older brothers had at times mowed the lawn with a push mower, it was an obvious relief when they were old enough to use the riding version. As I grew older, my dad also allowed me to drive it in order to cut the grass. It was actually pretty fun and I enjoyed navigating up and down the yard, and maneuvering through bushes and underneath low tree … [Read more...]

Top 10 Do’s to Turning Your Passion Into a Dream Career

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Last year, I quit my full-time job to stay at home with my daughter, rather than put her in daycare. I knew, within the first couple of months, that I didn't want to just sit around watching soap operas and court shows while eating bon-bons as she took her naps. (In a previous post, I explained how my daughter spent the first couple of months of her life in the NICU. During that time, I was home without the baby and had lots of time to think when I wasn't sleeping or pumping.) I needed … [Read more...]

How to Upgrade Your Image & Gain More Respect (And Opportunities!)

“No Excuses,” I tell myself. “I’ll get started right away. . . But first, I need a nap.”

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In a recent post, I briefly talked about some of the negative thinking and excuses we make. We allow these thoughts to swim through our heads, breeding fear and insecurity in our hearts and minds and keeping us from pursuing our dreams one hundred percent. Well, I stumbled upon this video on the internet today. Some of you may have already seen the year-old ad campaign. But even if you have, it serves as a great reminder that nothing is impossible for those of us who believe AND who also … [Read more...]

Loose Lips Sink Great Ideas: Flesh out your new venture before announcing it to the world

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One of my life-long goals is to write a book. There. I said it. I put it out into the world. There’s no turning back now. Have you done something similar to this lately (or ever)? Have you confided in someone (or several people), telling them of a future plan, project, or goal that you’ve wanted to accomplish, but have simply been too hesitant to jump into with full speed? Did you tell them irrationally, without any forethought or planning? Or did you take deliberate steps to announce your … [Read more...]