Get creative with social networking to land your dream job -- or at least a gig that pays the bills. Social networking sites and new digital tools are making it easier and easier for the average person to get noticed in such a crowded job market. Read on to learn more . . . Sites such as Linked In, Facebook, Twitter, along with a relatively new site called SlideShare, are making waves and folks are creatively using such resources to expand their networks, open new doors of opportunity and … [Read more...]
Life’s a Blizzard
In the Northeast corridor of the U.S., we've been battling major weather conditions. In the Washington, DC metro area alone, we've seen as much as four feet of snow and thousands of people are currently without power. Meanwhile, wind gusts are reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, sweeping blankets of snow everywhere. As I sat inside my home, all warm and cozy, I couldn't help but compare how life is much like this blizzard. Such as life, weather conditions can suddenly take a turn … [Read more...]
The Secret to Success is Being Yourself
Have you ever heard the expression “Keeping up with the Joneses”? The phrase is often used to describe a person who tries to emulate another individual’s standard of living through the attainment of material things: designer wear, a bigger house, a foreign-made car, you name it. Buying such things aren’t inherently bad. But stretching your dollars beyond your means in the name of trying to keep up appearances is flat-out wrong and is a sign of insecurity. What does this have to do with … [Read more...]
Your Dream Career Awaits, Start Here
A few months ago (literally) I sat on my couch pouting about how I wanted to more aggressively pursue my writing dreams and gain greater traction in the publishing world. But then I realized (with the help of some trusted friends, and lots of trust and prayer) that if I fail to take a step of faith and actually put myself out there to claim my destiny, then how in the world was I ever going to accomplish my life-long goals? After mustering some courage, I got rid of the self-doubt and … [Read more...]
Belief Is Just the Beginning
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...]
Find Inspiration to Live Your Dream Career, Take Hold Opportunities & Watch Project Runway
I love watching the television show Project Runway, which airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on the Lifetime Network. It’s a reality-based show about individuals from virtually all walks of life who are living out their dreams and competing to become a famed, nationally recognized fashion designer. “Either you’re in, or you’re out” is the show’s motto, regularly spoken as fact by Project Runway host, supermodel Heidi Klum. Despite the fact that contestants could possibly kill their careers simply by … [Read more...]
“If the Why Is In Your Belly, Then The How Is Just a Matter of Research”
As I previously announced, I’m working on my first nonfiction book, which I plan to self-publish and release to the public within a matter of a few weeks. Along with the book, I plan to launch a new website to promote it and that will serve the book’s target audience -- other moms. Even though I’m technically a professional writer, it’s still a challenge to sit in front of a blank computer screen or sheet of paper and tackle the art of stringing words and sentences together every single … [Read more...]
Extract the Distractions
Television. Radio. Books. Internet. Work. Kids. Spouse. Friends. Mobile phones. Chat. School. Girlfriend. Boyfriend. Responsibilities galore! There’s no shortage of distractions in the world. But everyday we wake up and immediately get sucked right back into them once again. Is there really a way to escape the distractions? Is it possible to minimize the impact they have on our lives? Can we regain control in order to boost our productivity? Some distractions are good and the … [Read more...]
Achieve Your Career Dreams: How to Get Past the Talking Stage and Move Into The Doing Stage
Don’t you just hate conversations when someone you know or an acquaintance blabs on and on about what they want to do. But when you prod a little, you discover they haven’t made any effort or taken any steps that resemble a course of action? Don’t you hate it even more when the person who’s doing the blabbing is you? We live in a world that gives more credit to people who are doing “big” things. Which, in my opinion, has fostered a generation that are big talkers, rather than big … [Read more...]
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’s Your Attitude? Is it Contagious? Or Does it Repel?
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...]
What Will Be Your Legacy? Today, Meet a Legend. And Go Be Legendary.
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...]
Top 10 Do’s to Turning Your Passion Into a Dream Career
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...]