Eidolon Alternative Lifestyle Career Blog

“Will” Can Never Replace “Hard Work”, But it is a Necessary Spark

“…hard work is everything. (Just to be clear, will can never replace hard work, but it’s a necessary spark.) – Ivanka Trump, The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life

I’m currently reading The Trump Card: Playing to Win in Work and Life by Ivanka Trump and I’m finding it quite fascinating and encouraging. Throughout her life, Ivanka Trump has had more opportunities to showcase her “stuff” and be successful then most people. The thing is everyone; no matter if you’re privileged or not will have opportunities to showcase their “stuff” and do “their thing”. Some more than others. My point is that whether you have a lot of opportunities or a few, TAKE THEM.

There are other privileged young people out there, very similar to Ivanka who swatted their hands at enriching, credible career opportunities in lieu of living off of their trust fund and running in circles with the media.

For me, other ways to describe “hard work” as Ivanka puts it is simply “implementation”. I constantly tell my clients that implementation is everything. As far as “will” goes, she hits the nail right on the head. You have to have the vision, the desire, and the overpowering sense of dedication to want what it is more than anything. But even with all of that, if you don’t implement…if you don’t work hard to make it happen, then all you have is a dream. A dream is a goal with no action to back it up and make it happen.

So are you going to keep daydreaming or are you going to wake up and get to work?

MTV's True Life episode, "I Hate My Tattoos"

So I happen to watch MTVs “True Life” show the other day at 11pm EST called “I Hate My tattoos”. The whole show goes on about how a few young people’s lives as seriously impacted by their tattoos. Two fellahs were having a particularly difficult time securing employment for reasons they felt were due to their tattoos.

One of the guys says, “Getting my tattoos removed will afford me a greater opportunity to get a stable job” (he decides it’s worth the swelling, scabbing, blistering that can result from 5-8 laser removal sessions). He had tattoos on the top of his hands, his face and neck. One of the guys flat out admits that “I don’t want to go to job interviews because of my tattoos”. So it’s his lack of comfort about his tattoos that keeps him from going to job interviews, not the interviewers or company’s biases etc. He’s not even giving himself a chance…or he’s tried in the past and has otherwise given up and has decided to self sabotage himself.

What I found most sadly hilarious about the whole show was when one of the fellahs finally got a job interview at a restaurant. The first thing they show coming out of his mouth (nervously at that) to the hiring manager is “This is definitely a higher class place then I’m use to”. Are you kidding me? During an interview you’re suppose to showcase your knowledge, skills, and experience, not talk yourself out of the job. Just because he hasn’t worked in such a “high a class” restaurant before, doesn’t mean he should toss it out there like that. He would have been better off to say, “One thing that excites and motivates me about this opportunity is that not only can I apply my current  restaurant server experience to this, but I’ll be working in a different, more challenging environment. It’s an environment I haven’t worked in before, but one  I’m absolutely ready for.”

Just keeping it real with you, this fellah’s tattoos are really the least of his employment barrier issues.

I Have a Very Important Question for You...

If you haven't achieved your career goal/dream job yet,
please answer this question...

"What is the single biggest problem that's keeping
you from achieving your career goals or succeeding in your business?"

Please reply by responding to this post under "comments".

Some background:

I've been helping others manage their careers for almost five years; I've personally coached hundreds of people in all kinds professions and of various ages and situations; and I've enjoyed an average $10,000 per year in raises/promotions while working a "day job" while building and enhancing my own successful business and still having time for my serious hobbies (such as creative writing in which I'm a published author with awards).

And in spite of the economy, dream jobs do still exists and moonlighting, or otherwise "having your own thing" or passion "on the side" continues to be an excellent source of income for people when they manage their business and/or career effectively.

But I also know that a lot of you aren't making as much as you want. I know that you haven't achieved the level of success you hoped would have happened by now.

If this describes you, and you haven't achieved all the success you want in your career or business, what's holding you back? What's getting in your way?

I want to help you.

So please reply to this post with your response and let me know:
"What is the single biggest problem that's keeping
you from achieving your career goals or succeeding in your business?"

(Let me know what your biggest problem is. I won't be able to reply to everybody personally, but I will reply to as many as I can.)

Warmly,

Ebony Tara Scurry

P.S. Have you been to my website lately? It's being updated! I've created a members only GIFT page that I will be continuously updating and adding content to. For access, check it out: http://eidoloncareersolutions.com/Gifts.asp

Don't Endure Sunday Night Blues, Get Rid of Them!

Do you have the Sunday night blues or are you looking forward to an exciting, fulfilling day at "work"?... you know, that thing you do that's suppose to keep you from starving. If you're not one of the lucky ones, remember *not* to blame others for the fact that your job sucks. It's your job and it's your life. Despite jobs being hard to come by, there are jobs out there. You don't have to settle for your situation and there are other ways to get rid of the Sunday Night blues that don't involve getting rid of your job. Perception is huge! Before leaving your current job, think hard about what you can get out of it before you jump ship. You may even decide to stay a bit longer based on the benefits of staying that you came up with. What are some things you may have come up with? Company paid training courses, ability to list completion of a project as an accomplishments on your resume, getting your "year" in or finishing up your current year of employment so you look less like a job-hopper. ..or you can round out the numbers of years you worked somewhere so you can simply say "5 years" instead of "4 years ten months". You'll have to seriously consider the pros and cons, because sometimes when you're absolutely miserable, few things are worth "big" things like sacrificing your soul, destroying your mental health, or watching your definition of ethics and your personal integrity get slugged by a tracker trailer.

The reasons for job and career disatisfaction can be complicated. Your job might be 'ok' but your boss sucks. Maybe your boss is 'ok' but his boss sucks. Maybe it has nothing to do with either one. Either way however, your situation isn't what you want it to be. You deserve to enjoy your career! It's more possible than you may think!

So here's what to do: When you drag yourself out of bed tommorow, don't forget to take your confidence and power with you. Use them to take action on at least one thing (that's within your control to implement) to take that first step in improving your situation! Know what you want your end result to be. Stop waiting for things to change, take action on making it happen. 

Stop Attacking People with Your Business Card

Calm down. Stop attacking people with your business card.  When networking, focus on the benefit you provide to the people you help. Get over titles and company names. If you don’t give people a WHY, they will treat your business card as invaluable. Give people your benefits. Peak their interest in what you do and how you help others.

The point is if your attach value to yourself, people will attach value to your business card. When your business card has value, it repels trashcans. That’s what you want to happen. You want your business card to be a buying too (not selling) so that people use your business card to get services from you because they’re already interested.

How do you know when you’re doing it all right? If someone asks for your business card: keep up the good work!

Use Work Groups to Achieve Your Big-picture Goals

If you work in a corporate-type of environment, you’ll probably find yourself being asked by your boss to serve on a “volunteer” workgroup or committee. There are pros and cons to this. Some of the pros are your opportunities to learn new skills and meet new people and network, especially when the committee extends beyond your immediate office. My point is that if you join one of these types of workgroups, don’t get yourself into the hole of taking meeting minutes and scheduling rooms. Make sure that the role you take on the team and those duties or projects you volunteer for align with your future goals.

If you want to shift from your Admin Assistant role to Information Technology, volunteer to maintain the intranet website or volunteer to do something IT related. Be more deliberate about what you volunteer for and the projects you lead when the choice is yours. Don’t be on an extra work group just because management will give you a cookie. Leverage your membership in as many ways as possible. Target what committees you volunteer for and the duties you complete to your big-picture goal so you’ll be more competitive when you’re ready to take on your big-picture goal.

References - Part 2: Nurturing References

I am totally in favor of securing written reference letters from those who can attest positively to you personally and professionally. Frankly, references can die, change jobs, stumble over their words, or simply forget. A written letter does none of that. I know you don't want to think of yourself as "forgettable" but it can happen. If you secure written recommendation letters, they serve not only as a reference, but as proof that you worked at said organization as per your resume.

Nurturing your references is less difficult when you've already secured their pitch for you via paper. If you have no written letters of recommendation, it's that much more important for you to nurture, or otherwise maintain quality contact with those who have agreed to serve as a reference. Send them a birthday note when you receive a notice of their upcoming birthday via your social networking account. Set up a LinkedIn account for professional use, find them and send them a note, forward them a helpful/relevant article etc. Providing them a reference on LinkedIn from your perspective as their employee/underling may impress them and encourage them to continue to speak highly of you. Send them a snail mail card during the holidays. I'm sure you can think of more ways - just act upon them because it's important! Don't wait until you need them to find out that you've let your connection with them lapse or you can't find them anymore. The more you keep up with your references, the more likely they are to give you their new contact info should they change jobs, numbers, etc.

The point is, don't let them forget you're a great employee and a wonderful person. Don't let them forget you. And remember, don't let them get lost! Try to secure a personal phone number/email address so you don't "lose them". How can you nurture your references if you can't find them anymore?

References - Part 1: Getting References

Welcome to the first part of my 2-part blog serious on understanding what to do about References.

Before you can "do" anything with then, you have to get them. Where shall you start? If you've never had a "job job", consider asking the volunteer coordinator at that last Anime convention you "goffered" at, a former professor from college, an internship supervisor, the woman who's kids you been baby-sitting for, your LARP Gamemaster, the president of your Anime club, and anyone who has seen you 'in action" as per your worth ethic, level of commitment, and skills.

If you've had a "real job", try to include written reference letters in your application materials so it's less likely your prospective employer will actually call the current references your using. The great thing about reference letters is that they're often timeless, don't stutter, and never forget. Former and current work colleagues are also great references, not to mention former bosses that you left under good terms. If you're lucky enough to have a friend who works at the company you're applying for, they would make a great reference as well.

Once you decide who you would like to serve as your references, then ask for their permission. If you're unsure if someone will give you a favorable reference, then don't risk it.

Be sure to do everything you can to make it easy for them to help you. Consider sharing information about the job you're applying for and drafting a reference letter for them and having them tweak it.

How Much Do You Care?

Gary Vay Ner Chuk (business-advice/personal branding juggernaut) declares (quite passionately I might add), "I care about what everybody thinks! But ultimately not as much as I care about executing against my wants and my needs professionally!"

My question to you is: How much do you care? How much do you care what everybody else thinks? How much do you care about meeting your own needs and putting yourself and your passions first?

Click Here to watch "Execute Being You" (length 2:37)

 

Why Do Things Half You-Know-What When They Can Turn Around And Bite You In That Same You-Know-What?

So I was at a local alternative event last night, just enjoying myself and a MySpace friend of mine sat down next to me and handed me a CD. He explained that he had been in his car burning them to pass out at the event. He also mentioned that his one-man band had an event or two not long ago where he was asked to do a live show with 15 minutes preparation. He went on about how he was “not happy with how the show turned out”.  One of my contributions to this 5 minute conversation included my inquiring as to why only his musical name was written on the burned CD instead of his music website/contact info. He said that he didn’t have a lot of time and all someone had to do was Google the name on the CD and they “should” be able to find his MySpace page, website and other online media.

There was a lot I wanted to say to my friend. The intense passion he had for his dream (turning his one-man “band” into a full band and making it big) was evident from his eyes and revealed in his tone. He wanted this bad. But I could also tell from his self-described actions that his business sense was lacking.

I make a point not to do “business” when I’m out playing and having a good time. Admittedly, it’s difficult sometimes because coaching, mentoring, and consulting come so naturally to me. Yet I somehow managed to bite my tongue and promise to listen to the 3 song CD.

I did listen to it. I’m listening to it now actually. It’s an unfortunate, but common combination I noticed. A very talented musician with a not so talented business acumen. In my article How to Catch a Career in the Indie glam, Goth, Industrial and Synth rock Music Industry I highlighted the need for professionalism, but I could have emphasized the importance of business acumen as well. I also highlighted the importance of taking advantage of opportunities. Thing is, it’s actually more important to always being prepared for them (because if you’re not, it may actually be in your best interest to turn them down). For my own business, I don’t accept every invitation to “partner” and I don’t accept every invitation for a reciprocal link. Things aren’t always a good fit. In other words, don’t take an opportunity to showcase what you have if you’re not ready. Those perfectionists out there should keep in mind that you may never be 100% ready, but you can still allow yourself much more than 15 minutes. What you showcase could be the last chance you get. Manage this risk accordingly. It can leave a bad taste if you’re not careful. Why would we expect 15 minutes worth of preparation for a live show to result in success? His time may have been better served graciously asking for a rain-check and following up with the coordinator to ensure he got it.

And another thing, don’t make it hard for potential fans to find you. Put your band name and website on your CDs. What do you mean you didn’t have time? If you don’t, then truly, what’s the point? And stop with the burning CDs in your car. Manage your time better, and always be as prepared as possible. Work smarter, not harder. You and every one of you should always have time to do your best and put your best foot forward.