Career Boosting Tip #2: Journal

You can feel the momentum and inertia of all of your professional and personal roles building and we aren’t half way through January yet.

There is a natural energy to the New Year. If you haven’t already, Schedule time in your calendar for some planning.

Personally, I write in my Moleskine, but whatever works for you.

Book some uninterrupted time to try and learn from the previous year and shape the new year.

Take stock:

• How do you feel about your job and career progress? 
• What did you learn about yourself? 
• What do you want more of? 
• What do you want less of?

Plan:

• What would you like to change, be, do, and make happen? 
• If you already have a personal plan, how are you progressing?

These aren’t resolutions. What I am suggesting is a few hours of quiet time for a personal check-up to seriousl ask yourself, how am I doing?

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

To my Canadian family, friends, clients and readers, a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope you were able to both celebrate and relax this weekend. I remind myself of the many blessings I have and the many things I have to be thankful for. Thank-you.

Pencils. Binders. Lunch Box.

Here we are. Labor Day. I truly enjoy summer and am sorry to see it end. At the same time, I have always been jazzed by the promise and possibility that September brings.

How you look at September has a lot to do with how you feel about your work. A recent Labor Day poll by Workopolis.com reveals that 15% of respondents are experiencing feelings of either dread or anxiety about their return to work.

I love what I do and am already hard at work on bringing some new projects to you. What about you? How are you feeling about the coming months? What do you want to make happen between now and the New Year? What has to change?

Here's to a productive next few months for all of us!

Return from Vacation

Dear Reader...apologies for my blogging absence. I have just returned from vacation - a really great vacation exploring BC's Okanagan Valley (wine tours and lakes!), the Kootenays, Lake Louise / Banff and the badlands of Alberta.

It was great to be away and take that break and it is great to be back.

Words of Wisdom on Nurturing Ability

My son recently began Suzuki Cello. Here are some words of wisdom from Mr. Suzuki on the development of ability:

"Ability is one thing we have to produce (or work for) ourselves. That means to repeat and repeat an action until it becomes a part of ourselves. It is easy to say, but to have the energy to do it - there lies the problem. There are many people who resolve they will achieve this or that, but not all carry out their intentions. They start, perhaps, but they don't really go on, and they don't put enough strength into their efforts, leaving things half done. Indeed, isn't this the experience of many, many people? There are only a few who go through with their purpose and accomplish things. Whatever work it may be, the way to success is, after all, to stick to one's intentions to the very last. Everyone is able to do it; it depends only on one's will."

"To make a resolution and act accordingly is to live with hope. Confronted with a high mountain, you cannot reach the summit in one stride, but must climb step by step to approach your goal. There may be difficulties and hardships, but not disappointment or despair if you follow the path steadily. Do not hurry. This is a fundamental rule. If you hurry and collapse or tumble down, nothing is achieved. Do not rest in your efforts; this is another fundamental rule. Without stopping, without haste, carefully taking a step at a time forward will surely get you there. To commit yourself to untiring patience and strong endurance, what we call kan - intuition or sixth sense - is an absolute necessity in education."

- Nurtured by Love: The Classic Approach to Talent Education by Shinichi Suzuki