The direction of my day begins with the thoughts that I reject or embrace as I become awake. From there, the success of my day comes from how I turn these thoughts into actions.

Ruminating 

There is a difference between planning and ruminating. When I am planning, I am actively engaged in the present moment. I am taking action on things that I will do in the future.  When I am ruminating, I am just sticking pins in my brain with the idea that I am somehow seeking a solution.

Releasing my Moods

My thinking is related to my moods. When I am hungry or tired or sometimes for reasons that I cannot identify, my moods go down. After I eat or rest, my moods go up.  

As my moods rise and fall, the thoughts I attach to my moods become more intense. However, by becoming self-aware, I can stop attaching bad thoughts to bad moods. Rather, I can sit still. I can take a deep breath. I can let the mood pass like a cloud. 

Images: Jay Wren

 

Long-term success comes from a lifetime of repeating daily steps. www.jaywren.com

Long-Term Success: What are the things that successful people do to build a long-term career? Can you do these things? Can you repeat them throughout your
career?

During three decades working as a corporate recruiter, I saw people do many things to create successful careers.

Here are five things that you can do.

Don’t Take Your Current Job for Granted

If you have a job, focus being the best employee in the company. Keep a positive attitude. Be personable. Do top-notch work. Show respect for your boss, your peers, and the people who work for you. Stay off social media during the workday. Stay off personal calls during the workday. Avoid political and religious discussions and stick to discussions that will move your work forward.

Surround Yourself with Successful People

When you are in the office or out of the office, surround yourself with people who have successful people. Learning how these people have become
successful and stay successful can help you learn how to build your own career. They can help you network with other successful people who can lead you to
greater opportunities for your career.

Make Your Health a Priority

When I was a young Navy officer, I noticed that the most successful senior officers were physically fit. There were no top athletes. They did not look ripped and shredded. However, they were trim and fit. They had a lot of energy. They had the ability to work hard year after year.

I don’t remember anyone who rose in the ranks of the Marine Corps or the Navy who did not stay physically fit.

Their health made them capable of doing the hard work for success.

Build Your Skills

Because of the Internet, it is easy today to read great material. You can read almost any book online by becoming a member of your local library and
using online book services that libraries offer.

Newsletters, business websites, business feeds on LinkedIn and on Facebook, online college courses and other resources offer online help to build your
career.

Become the Top Expert in Your Field

For some people knowing what they must do on their job each day is as far as they take the knowledge of their industry. However, becoming an expert in your
field raises your value to your company, your clients, and the future of your career.

Starting Now: Remember, success does not come from trying to change things we can’t control. Success comes from acting on the opportunities in front of us. www.jaywren.com

Technology creates changes. Innovation creates changes. Attitudes create changes. Economics creates changes. Mergers, acquisitions, and consolidations create changes. The unknowns will create changes that we can imagine.
However, people who stay successful develop new skills and continue to learn. They seek new fields for places of opportunity.

These changes may cut jobs. However, they also create new opportunities and new jobs.

The invention of the incandescent bulb replaced gas lamps. People who made gas lamps and the gas supplies to support them saw their jobs disappear. However, electrical lighting created new jobs for electrical manufacturers and for electricians.

These changes are not just historical. These changes continue to come.

What is the value of a cab driver or truck driver with self-driving vehicles? What is the value of manufacturing or warehouse people when robots can do their jobs?

Obviously, the jobs for drivers will disappear. However, new jobs will appear in manufacturing automated driving products and for technicians and technical operators of those vehicles.

A person who lives with an awareness of these changes will learn new skills to adapt to the changing roles in the workplace. Furthermore, the person with will not fear change but will embrace it and grow with change.

A deadline is not a wall for failure. It is the door to success. www.jaywren.com

Some projects require months, even years to complete. How do successful people meet deadlines and achieve success with long-term projects? This article lists some ideas that you might find helpful.

Daily Reminders, Project Managers, Lists, Clutter, Priorities, One Step

Daily Reminders

Anyone can suffer from procrastination. Larger or less appealing projects can discourage people from even starting to work on them until the deadline. Taxes and term papers and are two examples.

Project Managers

Many well-run organizations have people who specialize in project management. Many of these people have years of experience. Additionally, project managers often have certifications that qualify them to manage large projects. But as a professional, you must become the project manager of performance, your career, and your life.

Lists

Whether working on short-term or long-term projects, everything starts with a list. The list may simply be the things on my schedule for today. Another list may be for resource material. I put the items on that lists on my calendar. I schedule the items as recurring prompts to remind me of research I have completed. Moreover, the prompt saves me the time of doing the same research again.

When working on long-term projects, I find it helpful to create a list of steps. The steps are the actions I will take by specified deadlines.

In some cases, I have tasks running simultaneously. Even though the tasks are simultaneous, I can’t do any two things at the same time. Therefore, I break the task into units that I can complete during a single day.

List these things on your daily calendar as specific measured steps in terms of details and time you will spend on a task and the time that you will start it.

Clutter

Simple, identical, daily reminders for personal things do not need to be on your schedule: for example, 6:00 AM Ride Bike, 12:00 PM Lunch. For me, these reminders do little good. For motivational purposes, I have tried scheduling activities like exercise or adding a list of nutritional food options on my calendar. But I soon just ignore them. The best motivation for these types of things is to organize my environment for making good choices. I to put my exercise bike in front of my TV where I start my day. As for healthy food choices, I try never go to the grocery store when I am hungry. Second, I don’t bring comfort foods home.

Priorities

Due date and importance: as I list things, I separate them based on due date and importance. For example, I have an important contract to finish writing. I need a day to write it. The deadline is the end of the day. Therefore, I clear my schedule and finish writing the contract. On the other hand, the contract may not due for five days. I break the process of writing the contract into daily five sessions.

Pressing but not important issues: During the day, I have things that arise that appear or feel urgent. They are pressing issues related to the needs of others. An associate from another department might call. I feel pressure to take the call. However, relative to the things on your schedule, the call is not urgent. I schedule to call the person back when I have finished my more important work for the day.

One Step

One method I use to complete a large project is to agree with myself to do just one thing. For example, I once took on the task of clearing large shrubs from my yard. The task was far too large to do in one day or even a week. I struck a deal with myself to remove one limb each day. On days when I couldn’t motivate myself to do more than remove one limb, I simply removed one limb. I resisted looking at how much work I still had to do. I just focused on my agreement with myself to remove one limb. Through that method, I stayed on the project of clearing the shrubs and finished a huge project for one person.

Likewise, when I am writing, I strike that same agreement. I write one sentence. Then, the next sentence may not come to me. But I stick to my agreement with myself to write that first sentence. Without that first sentence, the second sentence would never come. When I can’t move ahead beyond that sentence, I don’t dwell on how much more I must write. I simply continue the agreement to write one sentence each day.

Do you fear being wrong? That fear is normal. With a little understanding and simple habits, you can manage that fear. You can become more confident. Your mind will become clearer. Moreover, you will make better decisions and respond more effectively to the people around you.

The Origin of our Fear

Conditioned from the crib, we learn that we can get approval when give the correct answers and take the right actions. Likewise, as we go through school and our careers, giving the most correct answers leads to greater approval and greater success.

Fear of Disapproval

On the other hand, we learn that wrong answers and incorrect actions lead to less approval and less success.  Fear of making mistakes and being incorrect is as uncomfortable as any other fear.

However, making mistakes doesn’t always create fear. For example, when we are alone and pick up the wrong item on the grocery shelf, we simply put the item back on the shelf. In this case, no one is watching. No one is approving or disapproving our actions.

So, the issue fear of being wrong is really the fear of disapproval. The best example is the fear of public speaking.

Steps to Calmness

These are some things that allow me to return to calmness when I feel afraid after making a mistake.

Breathe. A deep breath is the easiest way to begin to burn the rush of adrenaline that we feel when feel anxious or afraid.

Accept our mistake. So, we make a mistake. We learn from our mistake. We say to ourselves and perhaps to the people around us, “Well, I won’t do that again.”

See the influence of our hidden bias. I heard a woman say, “It is easy for me to believe my own BS, because I’ve always heard it.” So, we can open the door allow ourselves to see the flaws in our thinking. And opening that door is okay. We give ourselves the opportunity to grow and learn new things. Moreover, we relieve ourselves of the pressure of having to be perfect. Opening our mind to the possibility that another person may be right takes less effort than inwardly and outwardly defending our position on what we believe to be true.  We can relax and listen.  We can have a discussion instead of a debate.

Accept the fact of disapproval. If a person disapproves of our mistakes, we don’t have to admit to ourselves or to that the other person that we are wrong. We can just accept that it is okay for the other person to see things differently.

Pause before responding. As we process what has happened, we give our minds a chance to clear and help us see the best response.

Listen and learn. If other people are involved, we can help them see that we want to do things correctly. But first, listen to what they have to say. Learn what response they are of expecting.

Realize that we can correct many of our mistakes. This realization can help us find calmness. Additionally, this calmness can help us do things correctly going forward.

Forgive ourselves. Don’t allow ourselves to carry guilt. The feeling just burdens us mentally and emotionally.

Later, if we find that we were in fact right, we can keep that information to ourselves. We can allow the people the right to continue to believe in their thinking.

For successful people, school is never over. They learn as if they will live forever.

Developing new skills will increase your potential for success. You will be able to contribute more greatly at your current job. Additionally, new skills can increase your value when you start to look for a job.

Staying current on changes in your industry and the economy will increase your ability to anticipate changes that can dramatically increase or decrease opportunities your success

The Web and the Tools to Learn

Learning is as simple as staying curious and continuing to ask questions and seek answers for the state of your marketplace.

Knowledge is more available than ever. Here are some common sources. You know about these resources. Review the list and add to it.

1. Internet encyclopedias and dictionaries to clarify definitions
2. Forums on Internet groups: LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, and others. Often these forums have experts with specific, practical information.
3. Expand your awareness of information. Search engines can help you find and learn a broader understanding of the things you know and the things that you would like to know.
4. Company product websites
5. News and sports websites
6. Podcasts and online books
7. Print books
8. Television
9. Radio
10. Your friends
11. Online chat sources
12. Do it yourself websites. I never begin a project that is new to me without first learning how to do the project through DIY videos and articles.

I have no doubt overlooked some sources. For example, looking up do-it-yourself solutions and finding definitions to words is just the beginning of learning as a lifestyle. Through audio books, you can learn a new language. Through service manuals, you can learn how to repair nearly anything.

Additionally, many people learn new methods of diet and exercise as well as new practices of emotional and mental empowerment.

Stay Curious

When you wonder about something, research the subject. I find that I have misinformation I have picked up over time. Staying curious and double checking my interests helps me become smarter and more effective. Moreover, I gain the trust of other people when I can help them with answers that are correct and that I have verified. Curiosity keeps me seeking accurate information on subjects that interest me and makes me more useful to myself and others.

I started this practice when I was a college undergraduate. I made it a point to learn a new word every day.

From this curiosity, I have learned to create my own website, expand my network, and write this book.

Reconfirm

Reconfirming the things that I believe to be true helps me avoid mistakes and strengthen my credibility around other people.

I saw a question on an Internet forum about the difference between ethics and morals. Finding a definitive answer to the question was simple. Avoiding the more complex philosophical discussions on morals and ethics, I simply used the dictionary definitions to clarify the difference between two. I was able to better understand the simple principles of issues that may confuse me.

Community Service

I have benefitted from community service as much as I have given. The opportunities I have had in this area have introduced me to professionals outside my specialty. Furthermore, in volunteering, I have built new skills through exposure to subjects I was not aware existed.

In Sacramento public schools, my wife and I took part in programs for school safety and for improved educational services.

With my wife’s support, I started the High School Safety Summit and the annual Cornell Distinguished Award. I created research groups on diversity and alternative education. I learned about the dynamics of the politics as well as the organization of public service organizations.

Likewise, in participating in team sports, I learned new skills to influence people in cases where I had little authority. When I first became involved in adult softball and adult soccer, my wife and I joined teams. To create new opportunities to play sports, she and I created other sports teams. Some of these were co-ed teams. Others were teams of men who were my friends. Working with team mates, I made new friends and added members to my teams.

The skills and knowledge I learned from playing a new sport like soccer, prepared me to coach my daughter’s high school soccer team.

My wife and I enriched our lives as we took the lead in community service. Our knowledge grew and we expanded our circle of friends. Just as I took the lead in community service, I took principles of community service and applied them to other areas in my other life and career.

 

Your performance review affects your promotions, your pay raises, and your job security. Go for a gold medal review. www.jaywren.com

Management Changes

As managers come and go or as you move to different responsibilities in your company, the things in your performance review are the documentation that you need to keep your career on track for the long-term. Therefore, it is important that you take an active role in your performance evaluation.

Performance Review Preparation

Your performance review is not a place to get career advice. However, it is a good place for you to show what you have accomplished.

There are things that you can do to prepare for the meeting for your performance review.  In doing these things, you will not only ace the review, you will do a better job for your company.

Here are six tips.

1. Some managers set up written goals for each employee. If your manager does not set up written goals, write them down yourself. Ask your manager to review the goals with you to make sure that you both understand the goals for your job performance.
2. Keep a log of your performance based on your responsibilities and goals. Post your results as you make progress.
3. Regularly give your supervisor updates on your progress in the assignments you have with your company. Send these updates to your manager in memos or emails when these updates are helpful for your manager. Ask your manager for feedback on your performance so that you can know that you are meeting or exceeding expectations.
4. Make a list of training, education, skills, and certifications that you get between performance reviews. Notify your supervisor and other people of these extra things that have you accomplished that make you a more valuable employee.
5. Before you go into your performance evaluation, prepare for the meeting the way you prepare for a job interview. Make a list of the things that you expect your supervisor to discuss and questions that your supervisor will ask. Write down your answers to these questions before the performance review.
6. Make two copies of the things you want to discuss in the performance review. Give a copy to your supervisor.

Improved Relationship with Your Supervisor

In setting up goals and having ongoing discussions about your progress, you will build a stronger relationship with your supervisor. When your supervisor gives you feedback, adjust immediately to any feedback on changes. You will both be more satisfied when you are doing what your supervisor wants you to do. When you work with this type of relationship with your supervisor, you will do a better job and the performance review will become more than just another meeting that is consistent with the meetings you have had with your supervisor since the last performance review.

The Best Direction Tells People What to Do

A guest lecturer at one of my undergraduate classes put a note on the chalkboard and quickly erased the note and posted a different note. Then she apologized. She said that she had just broken a basic principle of teaching. That is, only show people the information you want them to remember.

Of course, what this instructor said applies not only to teaching, but also to leadership. Great instructions focus on telling people only what you want them to do.

But what about warning signs? Yes, there are times when alerting people is critical. How about calling out mistakes? Yes, there are times when calling out mistakes is critical. But the most effective managers take the next step. They redirect their people to take the correct action.

To be on time, arrive early.
Only paint this wall.
Take each step in this order.

Here is a Personal Experience

I served for three years as a Navy officer. Among other duties, I wrote the USS Midway’s press releases and sent them to a central location for clearance and release to the media. I was on the bridge when the message came in that “Midway’s press releases consistently missed the deadline for release to the media.”

The ship’s executive officer was the ship’s number two in command and was four ranks above me. He saw the message first and brought it up to the bridge to discuss it with me in front of the Captain.

To me, this situation was serious.  The executive officer does not does not routinely climb seven or eight flights of ship’s ladders so that he can hand deliver a message to a junior officer in the presence of the commanding officer. I was in a mental meltdown.

The Captain read the message in a glance.  He said, “I see what they want us to do. They need the press releases by noon every day.” His mind moved right past the inflammatory pieces and on to the issue of what I needed to do.

He asked if I could get the press releases to U.S. Central Command by noon.  I said, “Yes, Captain” and made sure that I did.

Positive Reinforcement

A few weeks later, the U.S. Midway received another message from U.S. Central Command about the ship’s press releases. “The USS Midway’s press releases have been consistently outstanding. The wire services have asked Central Command to use them as a model for other command press releases.”

The captain called me to the bridge to show me the message personally.

When people are doing things correctly, it is smart to use positive reinforcement to let them know to continue what they are doing. Central command sent positive reinforcement. The captain made certain that I saw it.

Lifetime Career Success: Building a successful career is a continual process of expanding your skills and your network. Don’t fear change. Embrace it.

Move beyond your comfort zone. Self-doubt is a sign that I am growing. With growth, I gain greater confidence and marketability.

The Texas Ice Houses

At one time, ice houses sold one thing: ice. People who could afford them, had cabinet ice boxes that held large blocks of ice.  With the invention of the refrigerator, the need to buy ice for the ice box disappeared. In most cases, these ice houses disappeared. However, in Texas, some ice houses survived the changed. They became open air public gathering places where people could sit and have cold drinks and salty snacks. Many offered sandwiches and burgers.

In my career as a recruiter, I saw rapid changes in my industry. Through mergers and acquisitions, an industry that once had thousands of companies evolved into an industry that had fewer and yet larger companies.

However, advances in technology created new potential clients with companies in marketing services and market research. I responded with an increase in my focus to these new companies.

Starting and Evolving

The first day that I sat down to start my career as a recruiter, I had no contacts. I had a telephone, an empty legal pad, and a box of blank 5 x 8 index cards.

On the other hand, my client base continued to broaden to include companies that you might consider for your career. Here are segments of industry where I recruited.

Marketing Services and Market Research Companies, Adult Beverage Companies, Soft Drink Companies, Food Products companies, Confection Companies, Household Products Companies, Cosmetics Companies, Food Brokerage Companies, Personal Care Products Companies, Natural Foods Products, Personal Products Companies, Apparel Companies, Photographic Products Companies, Battery Companies, Power and Hand Tools Companies, Yard and Garden Companies, Over the Counter Pharmaceutical Companies, Snack Foods Companies, Cosmetic Companies, Snack Foods Companies

Lifetime Career Success

To stay in business, I had to continue to grow with new clients and new candidates who had skills to fit a changing industry.

Yes, companies still come and go. People come and go, often into other industries and, sometimes, smaller jobs. Processes change. However, people who build new skills and expand their relationships will build security.