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How Subjective Is Subjectivity?

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You know all the snow this week? Well they keep on saying, “Do not travel unless absolutely necessary.” I know they mean life or death/emergencies, mothers just about to give birth etc, so why don’t they say so? After all ‘necessary’ is so subjective. You can imagine some of the responses as the police and AA/RAC dig people’s cars out of snowdrifts:

“I was gagging for a cup of tea officer, but had run of milk”. “It was my first date with someone hot, I simply could not postpone.” “I had an interview for my dream job – there is no way I could miss it.”  People’s behaviour is linked to their values – what is important to them – and their beliefs. I tell you one thing I believe – Mother Nature is the boss – she always wins!

How do you know when a career change is absolutely necessary? Some of my clients have taken 10 years to contact me about helping them create their new career after they have struggled on alone. I had a client this week who I helped achieve something she had wanted for 20 years. She was ecstatic and I was too – for her.  If you dread coming to work in the morning, if you look ahead into the future and don’t feel excited at the prospect, if you find yourself low in energy or often ill, these are signals that you are resisting change.  As a first step, download our free 30 page report “Pain free career change.”

http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

The Beauty Of Contrast

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Isn’t contrast useful? After all, without illness we wouldn’t appreciate good health, a new career wouldn’t be new without having had an old career; if we had holidays all year round, they wouldn’t be as enjoyable; if we didn’t have pain, we wouldn’t recognise bliss; without being broke, we wouldn’t value money; if we hadn’t chosen the wrong partner, we wouldn’t know a better match. 

The world has done a bit of a ‘back flip’ since the credit crunch and we are still in the aftermath, but once it has all settled, perhaps it will be a better place? Communities pulling together, countries helping each other out, appreciating simple things that don’t cost much, lower interest for mortgages.   

Work-wise, if you hadn’t had a bad job, you wouldn’t know a good one; experiencing a poor boss helps you be a better boss yourself; you only know you are in the right new career having experienced the wrong one.  Are you truly happy in your career? Did you fall into it by accident? Many people do. Download our free 30 page report and find out

http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Are You A Pushover?

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I was amused to read that Pizza Express are helping their staff with training from a ‘conversational flirt expert, so customers are comfortable and relaxed. I feel comfortable and relaxed with a big glass of wine, good company and carbohydrate in my stomach. ’ I shall be extra vigilant next time I do there to see what they do, and I hope that the brand experience isn’t like that TGI Fridays Catherine Tate sketch, otherwise the only thing I will be ordering is a chat with the manager.  

I don’t know about you, but I hate being sold to. Anyone who sells to me gets short thrift. They get the “I don’t take cold sales calls” or “I am on TPS (telephone preference service), you shouldn’t be calling me. ” And if they don’t have the courtesy to check if it is a good time to speak, well. I’ll get off my soapbox now!

I am someone who thinks a lot, thinks ahead, does research and knows her own mind. If I want advice, I’ll choose to ask for it from people I know and trust. There is nothing worse than a customer care person schmoozing me and then they switch into selling mode. Really manipulative, really yuck. No thanks. There is a big difference between a genuine building of rapport and one with an agenda 

I am not going to sell to you. Here’s something free since we are in a downturn. Happy Christmas (nearly)

http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Need Inspiration for Xmas Gifts??

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As I know how busy you are, I got my virtual PA to dig out some ideas for imaginative Christmas gifts for your delectation. Here’s the best of the bunch:

Protect your delicate bananas, but please note that they only work with non-EU certified i.e. ‘bent’ bananas.

Banana guards

Make an unforgettable impression at the office Christmas party

Inflatable turkey suit

Keep your hamsters fit – an alternative to the wheel for daily exercise

Hamster bikes

Multi task – play golf while on the loo

Toilet golf

Never have your memory stick mistaken for someone else’s again

Sushi memory sticks

I don’t know about you, but it is good to have a laugh, especially with the news often so sombre. If you find these ideas a bit cheesy and would rather buy a gift that gives more than a few minutes, hours or days of fun, our career change e course makes a thoughtful and practical gift giving rewards that last a lifetime. You can download one section a month over 10 months and pay as you go. Click on this link for more information:

http://www.e.careerstrategies.co.uk/

What’s Your Favourite Noise?

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Unusual question I know. Church bells? Your favourite pop star? The sound of your partner’s voice? The engine revving of the latest top sport car? A champagne cork popping?  An ex boyfriend of mine sounded like a silky radio voice-over and I played his messages so many times, the tape on the answer machine wore out!

What’s your least favourite noise? The mother-in-law on the phone? Your partner’s voice during an argument? The beep a mobile phone makes when someone presses the keys to create a text? My cat hates my sneezes with a passion. I didn’t realise they sounded like Hurricane Henrietta, but they have her running for the hills. The doorbell has the same effect and I only have to open the cupboard where I keep the monster hoover or touch the cap of a can of wood spray, and all I see is a glimpse of her rear end in a puff of smoke. It is worth being aware of what noises trigger good feelings and what cause bad, so you can manage them, e.g. that ping sound when an e mail arrives can distract you from concentrating and you can choose to change the settings and switch it off.

One person’s least favourite noise can be another person’s favourite, for example, if you work in a call centre all day, the last thing you want is the phone ringing when you go home. But if you are self-employed and work from home, then the phone ringing is welcome. Different people have a different dominant sense; visual, auditory (sound) and kinaesthetic (touch and feeling). You can often work out which one they are by the words they use and what type of work they do. Be curious today.

If you are ready to play your career to a different tune, our NEW career change e course is now ready – music for your ears? If you are 100% happy in your work, there is no need to take a peek at the link, unless you know someone who has been made redundant or who doesn’t like their job that is. http://www.e.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Do You Have ‘Inner Rants’?

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I caught myself having an inner rant yesterday. Do you ever have those? You know those times where you are having an indignant conversation with yourself about something that has frustrated you? Think driving, traffic jams and road rage. You are with me! I had got a text from a friend implying that she wasn’t around to meet up that evening after 6 when we had arranged to.

My rant was on the lines of ‘charming, so much for reliability, people not doing what they say they are going to do – whatever happened to integrity, bla bla bla.’  And then there was a counter rant. ‘Yes but remember to accept what is, you believe in that, things happen for a reason, rather than wrestling with it and creating unnecessary angst and stress.’ Then logic kicked in – ‘seek to understand before being understood’ (Stephen Covey, 7 habits of highly effective people), i.e. clarify; there is bound to be a good reason. She might have a medical emergency, one of her dogs/horses might be ill, the car has  a flat tyre etc

So how do you manage inner rants? The first step is to notice them and catch yourself having circular or repetitive thoughts that are negative or unconstructive and choose to nip them in the bud. Creative approaches help. The other week I noticed negative circular thoughts occupying my mind. I decided to inwardly sing the Goons song ‘Ying Tong’ every time the thought appeared. Not only did I start laughing which shifted my mood, the song got shorter and shorter until it was ‘Ying’ and then finally ‘Y..’. Magic!

By the way my friend and I did meet up and we had a great night!

If you have regular inner rants about your job, boss or vocation, maybe it is time for a change? For more information about “Pain free career change” download our free 30 page report “Pain free career change.”  http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Are You A Bit Of A Dragon?

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No I am not talking the gatekeeper to management. Do you have the characteristics of an entrepreneur? Research by Adrian Furnham, Professor of psychology at University College London shows some interesting things about dragons. They are not motivated by money, but more by success, high quality, helping others and creating something of lasting value.

They are good at dealing with failure and picking themselves up. They take the long term rather than short term view, are self-confident, have expertise, are proactive and create their own luck and opportunities. They question the status quo, keep an eye on efficiency and monitor and evaluate success.  They are committed to others and show integrity and reliability, take calculated risks and are comfortable with uncertainty.

Sounds like a good attitude to have and way to be, and better than mediocrity and complacency, plus good people to shake up some companies. Are you an entrepreneur?  Could you be? Download our free 30 page ‘Pain free career change’ report and see if the grass could be greener. Click on this link:

http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Human Being or Human Doing?

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POEM – BLUE YONDER

As you race through life with no time to see,

Don’t take leave of your senses.

Take time to pause, make time to contemplate.

Just being.

Your awareness a gift,

Your senses, tools.

Appreciate all that is nature, and life.

Look up, observe

Nature’s seasonal fashions;

Rust and gold hues, a sea of light……..

The sky is a mirror of the sea –

Artist’s canvas, vignette of blue.

Clouds like waves breaking,

Shimmering feather shoals teasing the light.

Planes like boats motoring the sky,

Surf streams in their wake.

Jumbo jets cruising, majestic great whites

Of the deep Blue Yonder.

Wake up or you’ll miss

An unmissable moment.

A one off in time

Never to be repeated.

Look up

Wake up

Just be

Rachel Brushfield – Inspired by a beautiful blue sky, a practical philosophy course and the bliss from being present.

Tip – a great book about being present is Eckhart Tolle’s ‘Practicing the power of now.’

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Practising-Power-Now-Eckhart-Tolle/dp/0340822538

Articles from Energise include; being present, managing yourself, busyness addiction, overcoming overwhelm and managing procrastination.

Trust Goes Down The Toilet

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Research by The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) exploring the quality of life in the UK shows that only 15% of employees would describe the management style in their organisation as trusting and 9% think it is suspicious.

Only 46% said they had trust and confidence in their senior managers.  For employees to feel engaged and go the extra mile, they need to feel trusted, not with someone standing over their shoulder watching their every move.

It is a challenge – companies need to be careful and keep a close eye on things and they have become more risk averse post credit crunch, but micromanaging turns off employees so they feel less motivated and work less.

What do you think is the right balance between control and trust?  

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  • Human capital
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  • Career strategies 

Having A Bad Day?

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I had “one of those days” this week. If I was a building, I would have been cordoned off and a large ‘Danger’ sign erected. My biorhythms won’t so much clashing as driving into each other at top speed. The alarm clock didn’t go off as I had unwittingly set it to p.m. instead of a.m.; make-up applied to my damp hot face in a rush slid off south to Australia. The Sat Nav refused to work, and went into a never ending loop of ”City/Postal code, City/Postal code?” Then even it got confused, so we kept each other company in rush hour and got lost together.  Sat Nav woman sounded like she was on speed as she exclaimed “As soon as possible, make a U-turn!” I ignored her, as I was on a motorway at the time so would have been arrested, making the day even worse

It didn’t get better either by the end, as having paid my parking ticket, I left it in the machine, couldn’t remember which car park of 4 rainbow colours I had left my car in, so was staggering around laden with work bags. In my rushed arrival, I had forgotten to look for visual landmarks to give my poor sense of direction something to get its teeth into. On days like this you feel like exclaiming: “Be nice to me I am having a bad day!” If only there was a fourth emergency service to rescue you – I could have done with being whisked off by Superman and carried back home at super-speed above the rush hour car park.

No wonder companies introduced ‘duvet days’ so you can erase bad days from the calendar and stay all snugly in bed until ‘tomorrow’s another day’ arrives. A few years back, ASDA introduced the idea of wearing a hat in open plan offices for when you wanted to get your head down, focus and not be interrupted. I think a second hat is a great idea for when bad days start after you arrive at work, so you can get your head down on the desk and sleep WITH the duvet to prevent any other further mishaps or carnage.  Do you have any anecdotes from your bad days? Do share them and make mine.  I’ll do a 1 hour coaching gift voucher prize for the best worst day.

If every day feels like a bad day, you may well be in the wrong career. Download our free report as the first step forward. 

http://www.careerstrategies.co.uk/

Wishing you a GOOD day!