Life now moves at the speed of blur. Most days we fall into bed nearly unaware of all that happened in the day. Information moves through our heads so quickly that it rarely registers as it passes over our brains. So, slow it down for a minute. Get out a journal and write.

Here are some amazing things that happen when you start to spend some time with yourself and record your thoughts:

1. You start to notice details you previously did not notice; you improve your vision and awareness.
2. You start to see how you behave, what you think and what you feel with greater clarity – you start to better understand yourself.
3. You become more connected to your world, your relationships and your sense of self.

Journaling is a great reminder that you own your life and your responses. Journaling helps you to sort through feelings, emotions, ideas and perspectives. Journaling asks you to talk to yourself, to see what you really believe, what you really want, and what you really feel. This is what makes journaling difficult for many people. But the benefits – the awareness it creates – is priceless – in both work and life situations.

To get started journaling, I recommend the following:

1. Buy a lined notebook. I like handwriting instead of using a computer, but do what makes you feel more comfortable.
2. Commit a time each day to journal. Spend 10 minutes in that time period and write whatever comes to mind. The first week is difficult. But once you get your groove, you will look forward to journaling.
3. Start by recording a statement, then journal what you think about it. Examples:
a. I am most happy when I am …..
b. Something that I thought would be difficult, was easy…
c. Two great people I met today were…
d. I feel my most capable when I am doing…
4. Allow yourself to write whatever comes to mind. Don’t edit.
5. Once you get in the habit, spend time reviewing what you write. What information does it tell you about you – your talents, strengths and passions?

Get reconnected to the greatness that is in you. Start by writing down what you think and feel. Start to tell your story. Journaling… it does a body good…

Watch for my new book, The Greatness Zone – Know Yourself, Find Your Fit, and Transform the World, due out this September.

Here is my perspective. Each of us has specific talents and strengths – attributes uniquely hardwired in us. Some are great with details and solving challenges, others are exceptional listeners, relationship builders or have spiritual insight. Some are artistic and some can write. Some can invent and some are extraordinary teachers. Each of us has the ability to create our personal masterpiece – our great work.

When we discover and play to our talents and strengths, we bring our best to our lives and to our world – we access our greatness and use it to impact the world.

o A teacher’s great work can change the life of a student forever.
o An artist’s great work can change a person’s mood with their art, music or writing.
o A builder’s great work can create a safe place for a family to realize their dreams.

The point is you have a masterpiece in you – there is greatness in you. But most people are unfamiliar with how to find and release their masterpiece. It starts by knowing yourself – the talents, strengths and passions you have. Here’s how:

1. List what you are great at. What comes naturally? What do others say you are great at? What do you seem to have great success doing?
2. List what you are passionate about. What gets you excited, energized and fired up? What could you do all day and never look at the clock?
3. Review your lists. Where do they intersect? What are you good at and love doing? These are your masterpiece areas. These are your areas of greatest performance, greatest impact and most significant contribution. What things come to mind? Where are you at your best?

The more connected and self-aware you are, the clearer your masterpiece areas will become. The world needs you as you are. Don’t try to force it or to be what others insist you be; instead, play to the talents, strengths and passions you that are part of the deeper or “true you.” When you understand yourself, you will see your masterpiece emerge.

I’ll talk more about this in my new book, The Greatness Zone; Know Yourself, Find Your Fit, and Transform the World, due out in September 2010. Watch for more information soon.

For me, making it an “event” is not about elaborate trips or expensive dinners. Rather, life becomes an “event” when you pay attention to the little details that show those in your life you care, love and value them. The greatest value in any relationship is not found in the things you have to do, but in the extras you choose to do.

There are so many places during the day to move from ordinary to extraordinary – to do the little things that make life a constant celebration.

Life is an “event” when:
* You get a note in your lunch in addition to your favorite sandwich.
* Your favorite cookies or crackers never seem to run out.
* You thought you needed gas in the car but it has been filled up.
* Candles are lit at mealtime, even at lunch.
* A book by your favorite author shows up on your nightstand.
* You forget and ask the same question 3 times, but you get the same gentle response.
* A card is left on your computer or in your briefcase – just because.
* Regular wine become sangria and dinner becomes a festival.
* A look, a smile or a wink means “it is you, it has always been you, it will always be you.”

A life that is extraordinary gets the big things right and constantly celebrates the important little things. Details matter. Feelings matter.

So, how do you make your life, and the lives of those you care about, an “event”? Don’t wait – you don’t get these days back. Do the little things. Do a lot of them. Do them often.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and be sure to sign up for my newsletters on at www.LiveFiredUp.com.

Life is as life is. The most successful people in life (and I define successful people in life as those who love their lives, not just those that have the most stuff) are those who find small ways to stay upbeat, happy and engaged regardless what comes their way. They reconnect to small meaningful things during the day to remind themselves of what is going right instead of what is going wrong. They make the time for attitude mini-makeovers – minor changes in attitude and approach to focus on abundance and possibility, not scarcity and impossibility.

Here are two examples:

1. When you notice your belt is getting a little tighter than it should, eliminate snacks for the week, or replace them with fruit. Don’t change all your eating habits, just select one thing and either eliminate an abuse or add something of value. It helps you feel in charge, it is easier to do and it helps you address an issue. You feel empowered and capable. It does great things for your attitude.

2. When you see that times are tight and you have less money for the old traditions of eating out, going to movies or buying things at will, you modify just a bit to have friends over, play board games, go for coffee instead of meals, or plan a day of window shopping instead of store shopping. Life is still fun, but now it doesn’t put you into a financial situation you can’t afford. You feel empowered and capable. It does great things for your attitude.

Human nature seems to drive us to notice what is not right, then spend our time complaining about it and making it larger than it is. True, life does send us true traumas. So, to me, when it is not a true trauma, don’t make it one. See things as they are, realizing that life is as it is; our job is to find ways to be happy and successful with whatever comes our way. And to quote from Winnie the Pooh (it is amazing where wisdom can come from), “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” Just handle things a little at a time.

So, let’s try something. This will be the only time I’ll let you blame.

Complete this phrase in as many ways as you want:
“If it weren’t for__________________, I could (would) be doing _______________.

Got your list?

Here are some I have heard lately:
If it weren’t for this recession, I’d have a better job (or a job).

If it weren’t for my work schedule, I’d eat better and be healthier.

If it weren’t for the kids’ activities schedule, the house would be cleaner.

If it weren’t for my boss’s mental instability, I would have been promoted already.

If it weren’t for wife’s (husband’s) family, I would enjoy the holidays.

I find blaming wears me out. After blaming, nothing happens. Nothing changes. Now I am tired and not any better.

Here is what I offer. If each of your “If it weren’t for ______” statements are truly important to you, then it is critical for you to own the result. So, if you said, “If it weren’t for my work schedule, I’d eat better and be healthier,” how will you own this result instead of blame the work schedule? Can you prepare food to take with you, have family members help you cook, investigate new quick and easy, healthy foods and recipes, redefine your work hours to build in exercise, yoga or meditation time, find others with similar schedules and see how they make it work? It is about taking ownership of what you need to happen. No excuses.

So to me, the choices are: get worn out by blaming others and having no resolution, or, own the outcome and make changes in our behaviors to get the desired result.

This week, pick one of your “If it weren’t for ______” statements, and own its outcome. Just do one. Then next week, do another, and another. Soon you’ll see that when you own the results, things happen. And try this with your kids and your teammates in the workplace. Create a “blame-free” zone.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it.

Let me share two stories of those who made the effort to know themselves, then based on what they discovered about themselves, chose to kick it up and respond in an extraordinary way (for them). It took (takes) effort and courage.

Sam is the son of a friend of mine. He has always wanted to be an actor. His passion is to act. He was in all the plays in high school and is even working on his first screenplay. It is all he can think of. He earned and saved enough money and moved to Los Angeles to be closer to the movie industry. And like all aspiring actors, is working several odd jobs to afford putting himself into the environment that activates his greatest passions. His mom worries about him but she also realizes that he is living an extraordinary life – for him. He isn’t worried about buying a house, having a fancy car. He puts himself into areas that get him noticed for his acting and his writing. He couldn’t be happier – his life is kicked up – and is extraordinary – for him. He knows himself. He knows what makes life great for him and he goes for it.

I have another good friend whose youngest son recently came out. Though she had suspected he was gay for years, it is now out in the open. She told me her greatest sadness about him coming out was that he was not going to have a normal life – a normal life according to her terms. But after hours of conversation with each other, she now realizes that his life is very happy – for him. Getting married to comply with family expectations would have given him someone else’s life. He is now living openly and honestly and is creating his own extraordinary life – as an exceptional attorney. She can now see that extraordinary had to be his definition, not hers. And to know what that is, he had to know himself and be honest with himself.

So, how well do you know yourself? What makes life ordinary and what makes life extraordinary – for you?

You choose how you want life to be and since you do not get this day back, shouldn’t it be an extraordinary, “kicked-up” kind of day? That is my goal each day.

What would make today EXTRAordinary for you? And how will you make it happen?

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you learn how to better know yourself, so you can choose EXTRAordinary for you.

o Apply for jobs that play to your talents and passions. Take a talent assessment to start to learn about your talents and intrinsic strengths.
o Use a talent-based resume, not a skill and experience-based resume; this shows your fit – something that is very important for hiring managers.
o Learn how to be great in a talent-based interview. These are different than the old style interviews because they require you to think on your feet.

Go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on ‘Job Seeker’ for information about these – Standard Job – Old Job.

Now, on to something new.

If you realize that a standard job is not for you (you can’t get one or don’t want one), then consider the flexible free agent role. This is a role you create that strings together several part-time roles or tasks into a full-time job, focusing on your talents and passions.

To start the process of flexible free agent, you need the following information about you and your world:
1. What are you great at and passionate about doing?
2. Of what you are great at, who needs what you do?
3. How will you get in touch with who needs you and start your flexible free agent role?

Let’s first see a couple of examples:

#1: Your talents: Detailed-focused, organized, efficient and productive.
Your passion: organization, implementation, driving and achieving results.
Opportunities: Work with companies that need:
*External/Internal events planned.
*Coordinate company event or initiative (new policy, new process, new education).
*Office administration, task organization, special project management, staffing coordination.

#2: Your talents: great communicator, listener and relater
Your passion: connecting with others, hearing others stories and experiences
Opportunities: Work with companies that need:
*Information about customer service, employee perspectives, or consumer perspectives – create and manage a survey process to gather information.
*Local radio, TV channel, newspaper opinion sourcing role that want stories about people and their lives.
*Develop and coordinate a social networking (cloud) for small organizations that deal in a product or service that matches your passions.

The starting point is knowing what you do well, then assessing who in your world could use what you do. Then invent the possibilities and your new customized role – Non-Standard Job – New Job.

For more information go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on the “Reinvent Your Work Self” link under ‘Job Seeker.’

In the living well magazine of my local supermarket was an article about a twelve-year old who worked with her family to limit their trash output to one bag a week. She educated her entire family about what can be recycled, required reusable containers and bags, and insisted on a commitment to reduce the amount of “stuff” the family has. Tread lightly on the planet.

An author friend of mine blogged this week about an elderly man who had fallen on the street, and though a crowd gather around him, no one bothered to help him stand. My friend came through the crowd and helped the man stand, made sure he was fine, then moved along on his way. Don’t tread lightly when it comes to helping others.

My neighbors in Florida funnel the rainwater from their roof into cisterns and barrels, and use this water to irrigate their plants and gardens. They comply with the water restrictions and are careful about how much water they use and when they use it. They respect this resource. Tread lightly with our natural resources.

I was in a Starbucks last week and watched a kid, excited about ordering his own beverage (the parent was in the car), realize to his horror that he did not have enough money with him. The person in line covered his shortfall and the kid’s smile returned in an exceptional way. Don’t tread lightly with kindness.

It is our choice to respond – to tread lightly when it comes to our planet, our resources and our world – and to not tread lightly when it comes to kindness, generosity, help and support.

– What three ways will you tread lightly on the planet – and how will you share your ideas with others to do the same?
– What three ways will you not tread lightly (be bold) in your service and kindness to others – and how will you share your ideas with others to do the same?

Each of us makes an impact – is it the right impact? Do more of some things; do less of others. Own your impact and share what you know.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it and contact me for help or inspiration.

The greatest innovation in our economy comes from small businesses or individuals who bring their ideas for greatness to the world. In today’s “hard to get a job” workplace, why not look at what you are great at, innovate and reinvent your work self? Why not focus more on your ideas, talents and passions than on existing jobs – and invent a new and better role for yourself?

Challenge your thinking that a job is in one place, is for one employer, has a fixed work week, and has a specific title. Does that make you uncomfortable? Of course – all change does.But as things change, holding on to the past doesn’t help you become successful today.

How to reinvent your work self:
1. Identify what are you good at and what value can you bring to others?
2. Identify what do you love to do and what value can this add for others?
3. How much do you need/want to make each day, week, month?
4. What opportunities do you see that could give you the earnings and allow you to play to what you are good at and passionate about – how can you reinvent your work self?
5. What do you need to investigate to determine how to do it professionally?

My starting recommendation for people working through this transition is to take a talent assessment (you can find mine on this site) and to read the book, Start With Why by Simon Sinek (this week’s featured resource). Knowing your “why” – your purpose – will guide you on this process of self-reinvention.

Additionally, I am starting a new section on my website Reinvent Your (Work) Self, including stringing together many part-time roles into one new one, trying something new, and inventing a new (high-value) role for yourself.

Check back regularly as I develop this with help from many employment experts on www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on “Job Seeker.” Maybe your current difficulty in getting hired will be the incentive for you to reinvent yourself in a bigger and happier way. Know yourself, know your “why” and have the courage to reinvent yourself.

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you learn how to reinvent your (work) self.

Studies support a direct connection between overall wellness and those who are upbeat, positive, appreciative, and are treated in a positive way – honey. These same studies support the negative impact on health, attitude and performance in those who are continually angry, caustic, unhappy or are treated in a negative way – vinegar.

In The Balance Within, author Dr. Esther Sternberg presents the science that connects health and emotions – that our outlook, attitude, self-talk and mental images can impact our sense of wellbeing, and the wellbeing and success of others. We can actually impact our health and performance by how we talk to ourselves and what we hear from others.

Studies in the classroom have shown a direct correlation between positive teacher expectation and student achievement. The more optimistic and supporting the teacher, the stronger the self-image students had. The stronger this self-image, the better the students performed. Their mental images were influenced by the positive expectations of the teachers.

Encouraging and supportive parents empower children to see the world in a more positive way. The children feel more capable, are happier and are more successful.

Positive and supportive managers activate the best from their people by crafting a compelling vision and by believing in the greatness of their people. They focus on purpose, success, build employee self-confidence and create a positive and supportive environment. Performance improves.

As is presented in Appreciative Inquiry: An Emerging Direction for Organization Development by David Cooperrider, “Scholars are recognizing that the power of positive imagery is not just some popular illusion or wish but an expression of the mind’s capacity for shaping reality.” When you think positively, you create a more positive reality. Honey is better than vinegar. Results prove it.

To add more honey to your life, consider the following:
1. Listen to your external talk and self-talk. Eliminate the negative and critical language. Instead of saying “I’ll probably screw this up,” say, “I will find a way to be great at this.” Use positive talk with others.
2. Develop a compelling positive personal vision for home, work and life. It is your life, what great things do you want? See it, believe it, live it.
3. Find the positive in others and comment on it. Work on seeing the greatness around you.

Science supports what our grandparents knew – you get more with honey than with vinegar. People are drawn to positivity – they respond by becoming more positive. This can create a new more positive reality. It is definitely time to start a “honey revolution.” Are you in?

Please forward this to someone who will benefit from it, and contact me to help you start your “honey revolution.”

Here is a quote from a colleague of mine, Ira Wolfe, from his powerful article ‘What Jobs Won’t Return.’ “Employees in new jobs don’t “go to work” … and if they do, they don’t work in permanent full-time positions. They work in part-time jobs, often working for several employers at the same time. But unlike the past when working part-time was a stepping stone to full-time employment or a means to propping up personal finances, part-time work in the future will be by design. Skilled workers will work remotely, simultaneously interacting with different teams in different places and even collaborating on different projects. People with the right skill sets can do that. The contingent worker, or “just-in-time” worker, will become the norm, especially in lower skill jobs. The less versatile the employee, the more expendable he or she becomes.” See his full article.

So, if we are talking about job hunting, maybe we need to expand our definition of what a job is. So consider:

1. Identifying what your best talents and skills are – what are you consistently great at?
2. Identify several environments that can use these skills or talents on a part-time basis.
3. Develop a new work approach by stringing several temporary roles together, or build a list of companies you work for when they need your skills and talents.

This can give you flexibility in work your schedule, the ability to constantly do what you do best (instead of working in a job that uses only some of your skills) and the ability to choose who you work for. This is the first step in reinventing the future of work.

The world has changed. Maybe you should be reinventing how you work instead of looking for a job that may no longer exist. Don’t get stuck in an outdated model of job hunting or work – invent what works best for you. Play to your strengths and find those who need what you are great at.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you reinvent what work may be for you.

I was at a great bakery this week – artisan bread and pastries that are incredible. Yum. I asked about one pastry I did not recognize. The woman behind the counter took it off the plate, cut it into pieces and offered one to me and to the others in line, then told us the process of how it is made. Extraordinary.

I was talking to colleague whose child has an amazing teacher. As they study geography, this teacher brings in authentic food, plays the country’s music and introduces some of the language. The kids are captivated and interested. They learn. Extraordinary.

I traveled this week. And hidden in my briefcase was an amazing card, reminding me how loved I am at home, and how missed I am when I travel. Extraordinary.

Notice that I did not bring up the ordinary events – I don’t remember them. They are bland, boring and leave no impression. If you want to get noticed in the workplace, do some “extraordinary.” If you want to build a more powerful relationship at home, do some “extraordinary.”

Doing the extraordinary is rarely about spending. Rather it is about doing something with greater effort, creativity, interest or passion. It is about the extra effort. It is about adding some WOW! It is about being more present, more engaged and more fired up. It is a reminder that extraordinary is so much better than ordinary.

So what ways can you move from ordinary to extraordinary this week? What ways can you kick it up at work and at home?

So remember, if you have the choice to make it ordinary or extraordinary, why choose ordinary?

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and contact me to help you learn how to connect to your “extraordinary.”

Here is why I mention this. I wrote the book to offer a process to help you know yourself, find your fit and transform your world. Another way to say that is to help you see the difference you make. It is presented as a story of two kids in college – and how they learn the five rules for a really great life. It presents this thinking:

Each of us has the ability and responsibility to invent our life. We are given amazing gifts – known as our talents and passions. We are all different; your gifts and mine are not the same. The reason for this is shared in the great quote, “we don’t get harmony when we all sing the same note.” We are all different to add to and invent an extraordinary world. When we know our talents and passions, we can bring our best to the world. But if you don’t know what you are great at and love to do, how will you share your best? Or, how will you make a difference?

So as I get the book ready to share this new approach, I ask you to start to consider what difference you make each day:
o Whose world is better because you are part of it today?
o What is one great thing you do that changes your life or someone else’s life for the better?
o What can you share today that will make someone happier?
o What can you share today that will make someone better?
o What did you learn about yourself today that reminds you of what a difference you make?
o What passions do you have that help us understand our world and connect better with others?
o What does the world need that you do well?

To make your greatest difference you must first know yourself. From your gifts, you can find where you have the greatest impact and what you can bring to the world. This is meant to be practical. Be yourself. Be great.

What difference can you make today?

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it and contact me to learn more about the five rules for a really great life.

It is up to you to be sure a hiring manager knows these two things about you – because these are what drive his/her decisions. So let’s look at how you can ensure they know how you add value and what difference you will make, whether they ask or don’t ask.

First: If the hiring manager asks, be ready to share how you add value and make a difference with real examples, and that make sense for the job for which you are applying.
1. Know what matters in the job – so you can show how you can make it happen.
2. Know information about the company and how you will be able to add value and make a difference in the rest of the company.
3. Openly share your thoughts; don’t hold back.

Second: If the hiring manager does not ask about how you add value and make a difference, you need to bring it up – because you need them to know this about you.
1. Tell how what you do well will make a difference in the workplace. Start with something like, “Can I tell you how I think I can make a great difference here?”
2. Show how you created value in your last job. Again, say something like, “In my last job, I …..; this was very important for the company.”

So whether they ask you, or you have to bring it up, you have to ensure the hiring manager knows how you add value and how you make a difference. Share your story of the great things you do and have done. This is what gets you noticed for the right reasons. This is what gets you hired.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and be sure to see more “get hired” information at www.LiveFiredUp.com, click on “Job Seeker.”

This week, I ask you to join me in using the phrase have I told you how much I appreciate you? with the people in your life. A simple phrase that reminds us to value, honor and acknowledge the greatness we see in others.

Say “Have I told you how much I appreciate you…” with the following (or, add your own) – and use it with as many people as you can:
o For the way your smile can remind me I have everything I need – in you.

o For the things of beauty you add to my day.

o For your humor, love, sincerity and honesty.

o For making the best food on the planet.

o For watching out for me when I get too busy to do it for myself.

o For letting me screw up and not rubbing my nose in it, and forgiving me for it.

o For giving me a hug when it was exactly what I needed.
o For greeting me every morning with “Happy Anniversary” because every day is an anniversary of choosing to be together.
o For making an “event” out of the little things to make them great things.

o For saying ‘no’ to something you want so I can say ‘yes’ to something I want, and never bringing it up.

o For always doing your best – at everything.

o For choosing me to go through life with you.

Appreciation is the glue that keeps people together. Never miss an opportunity to notice each other’s greatness and appreciate it.

Make today the first day of your year of appreciative living. Then next year, on this date (your appreciative anniversary), commit to another year…and another. Soon, appreciative living will be your standard. And it all starts with “Have I told you how much I appreciate you for….?”

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it and contact me for help in learning the art of appreciation.

What gets hiring managers’ attention is when they see that you want more than just to do the job. People who are committed to making a difference, approach their lives and their work with greater focus and effort; they are more committed and more energized. Hiring managers want this. At a time where most companies have to get more done with less, you stand out when you showcase how you make a difference.

Here are two tips:
1. In your correspondence including your cover letter and on your resume: Summarize the difference you made with customers, your team or the results in your last job or jobs. Give details. Don’t follow the old format of boring cover letter; use your first paragraph to draw attention to your ability to be counted on and make a difference – and how you have already done this. Highlight lines on your resume where you did more than the job required and the difference it made.

2. In your interview: Ask about the most significant difference others have made in the job. Offer some ways you can add to their impact. Explain the places in your work history in which you personally made a meaningful difference. Identify the places in your life that you continue to make a difference (with your family, church, community, organizations, etc).

Today’s hiring managers want those who know what extra effort is – and have exhibited it in their work and lives. Another way to say this is that hiring managers are looking for candidates who are committed to making a difference.

For sample talent-based interview questions and my list of the hot industries and hot jobs; click on “Job Seeker.”

We create our best lives and work when we build them around what we are good at and love to do; when we build them around our “thing.”

You do your best work when you feel capable and competent. You are more creative, more interested and more focused; you are in your element. You feel confident; you reach for more; you do more – and better. You are at your best when you play to what you are good at.

Now imagine yourself working in an area where you do not feel capable and competent. You second-guess your decisions. You don’t feel very creative nor are ready to take risks for greatness. You feel unsure. You just play it safe. You watch and don’t participate.

What a waste.

Live is too great and too much of a gift to allow it to go by without playing to our talents and passions – our unique gifts. I believe it is part of the plan that we invent our lives around the unique gifts we received in our DNA – our hardwiring. The more we know ourselves, the more we can identify these gifts and include them in our lives. This way we play to our “thing” – and the quality of both work and life is better.

What are you great at? Not sure? Try this:
1. List what you feel you are good at.
2. Ask three others who know you well what they feel you are good at. Compare their comments to yours.
3. Start to see a profile of your talents and strengths – your “thing.” Identify how you can include these in both your work and life.

We are not good at everything. But we are exceptional at some things.

We each are given a very particular set of talents, strengths and passions – many call these our “gifts.” It is our responsibility to know them and to build them into as many aspects of life as we can – because they are our best areas. We are good at them. We love doing them. We make a difference with them. And I believe we each have a different great “thing” so we have the ability to bring something particular and extraordinary to our world. There is space for all of us to have our “thing.”

Please forward this to someone who may benefit from it. Please contact me if you need more information to help you find “your thing.”

The goal is to be remembered – but remembered in a meaningful way. Sure, you can do some outrageous things and be remembered, but that won’t be what will get you the job. Standing out in a meaningful way in the mind of the hiring manager is key. So how do you do that?

Here are some tips to develop your “Stand Out” abilities in the job interview:
1. Be upbeat, personal and share a story of you and your perspectives. Facts are sometimes hard to remember. So to stand out and get remembered, share some meaningful information about yourself in a story. The story is easy for the hiring manager to remember, and remembering your story helps him remember your information.
2. Look sharp. Wear an impressive tie/shirt combination. Wear a unique piece of family jewelry and a well-tailored outfit. Shine your shoes. Ensure your clothes are pressed and clean. How you look gets your remembered. Be professional.
3. Speak the language of value. Remember you are being hired to make a difference in a company. Be sure to relate your performance in previous roles to your impact – how you made a difference. Back it up with numbers or data. This gets your remembered.
4. Have courage. Ask about situations you will encounter in the workplace and offer how you might handle them. Stand out by showing you are a take-charge person, aware of the requirements of the role and able to respond.

I find most people come to an interview in one of two ways – either too timid, and they leave no impression – or too bold and they leave the wrong impression.

Instead, commit to leaving a “stand out” impression. Impress them with your knowledge, capabilities, passion and confidence. If you blend, you lose. If you freak them out, you lose. Learn how to get noticed and remembered – for the right reasons.

Please forward this to someone who can benefit from it. Contact me if you need my help.

Let me tell you about two of my friends.

Sam (name has been changed) is clear about what he thinks and believes about himself; he knows what he is good at, passionate about and what success is for him. He has found his personal fit in today’s world based on his talents, passions and purpose. And though he listens to the world, he never allows it to determine how he should live, what work he should do and how he spends his money. He is one of the most content people I know.

Jean (name has been changed) is very aware of popular opinion. She chooses what she wears, where she works and what she drives based on what others say. She does not trust her understanding of herself, has not spent the time to know herself, or made decisions that matter for her. She is one of the most erratic and discontented people I know.

In a world where technology constantly exposes us to popular opinion, I look at these two (and many more just like them), to see the impact of using our perspective or another’s perspective of how to live. In all cases, those who take ownership of what is personally important are more content.

Much of my work helps people rediscover their passion for work and life by finding their fit – finding their best place. Those who find their fit know the following things about themselves:
1. What they are good at – what makes them feel capable and competent.
2. What they love to do – what activates their passions and emotions.
3. What is success for them in today’s world – what makes them happy and where value is for them in today’s terms.

So what do you know about you? Moreover, who do you listen to? Is your voice louder and more confident than public opinion? How will you ensure you are living the life you choose, instead of one that others say you should? (Be sure to read George Saunders’ essay “The Braindead Megaphone.) Own it. Work strong, live stronger.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it. Contact me if you need my help.

You need the hiring manager to be skilled at hosting a great interview so you can share what you need to about your performance and capabilities, learn enough about the organization to help you make a good choice about the job, and show you are a good fit for the role. This creates a problem for many of today’s job seekers – a problem you need to take control of.

Consider the following to ensure the interview is an effective use of time for both of you – to show what you are capable of, create a strong impression of yourself, and learn enough about the organization to know if you fit:

1. Be confident in your spoken and body language. Speak clearly and confidently. Sit up straight. Walk confidently. Shake hands firmly while making eye contact. Create the image you want them to remember.
2. Notice your environment. Relate something you see in the interviewer’s office, space or building that creates a personal connection or directs you to sharing something important about your performance. Notice awards, portraits, photos, products, etc. and find a connection.
3. Share two important things you learned in researching the company. Say something about the company that shows you have done your work ahead, and that will also move the interview to discuss something important about your performance. For example, “I see you have recently expanded into France. The international customers I worked with in my last two roles had significantly different expectations than Americans. Can I tell you what I did that was successful?”
4. Identify three critical things about your performance the hiring manager needs to know and prepare a way to ensure they are discussed. If the hiring manager does not ask about something you feel to be important, you could say, “I believe that…” and then share a performance perspective. Or, you can say, “I have a question about the way you…” and relate it to how you have handled a similar situation. You now direct the discussion to something important about your performance.

I have been through many interviews over my career where the hiring manager wasted both my time and his/hers. I make it my responsibility to use the interview time effectively and to ensure the hiring manager knows critical performance information about me. Be ready to take control of the interview if you need to.

For sample talent-based interview questions and my list of the hot industries and hot jobs, go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on “Job Seeker.”

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it. Contact me if you need my help.

Suzan Colon shares in her great book, Cherries in Winter, the stories of how her family has weathered tough times, and how these responses are meaningful in helping us stay focused, healthy and confident in our period of uncertainty and change. Her grandmother used the phrase, “broke, but not poor.” Broke meaning times are tough now – but this is temporary. Poor refers to something more permanent. It was her way of saying “we’ll do what it takes to get by, then we’ll get better.” Realistic and optimistic. Wisdom for real life.

Tough times remind us that all things come and go, increase and diminish. So in the down times, what are your traditions or techniques to raise your spirits and keep you sane, healthy and appreciating life? What stories and wisdom do your older relatives share about how to weather tough times and retain your appreciation for what you have and who you are?

Here are tips from seniors who have learned how to be “broke, but not poor:”
1. Spend just a little on a treat every now and then. Make it a celebration.

2. Share what you have. It connects you at a deeper level and helps remind others to do the same.

3. Redefine value as experiences instead of things. Make a point of socializing more with friends and family. Share stories.

4. Say thank you more. It helps you see what you have instead of what you don’t have.

5. Get up and get moving each day. Start each day with a clear purpose and a personal sense of value.

History does seem to repeat itself. Some of its greatest lessons are still meaningful for us today. Many of our older relatives have weathered storms significantly more difficult than today’s. Their wisdom is timeless and guidance is priceless. Most times we don’t need to reinvent things – we just need to check in with those who have had experience with handling life on life’s terms.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it.

So how do you talk about yourself and not sound vain or arrogant? Try these:

1. Introduce yourself and a little of what makes you human; share a story about your family, your friends or an event that gives a realistic and positive image of you. People learn more from and are more engaged in stories.

2. Talk about your value. Don’t just introduce things you have done; introduce things that show what you have done and the value it provided. Start with “Let me tell you about a time when…” Or, “can I tell you about a time that I was able to ….?”

3. Show your confidence. Ask about situations you will encounter in the workplace and offer to respond to them. This shows your thinking, approach, energy and fit.

4. Be warm, human, friendly and interested. In short, be present in the interview. One of the most significant reasons candidates fail in their interviews is their minds are elsewhere when on the interview. Apply for a meaningful job, then be fully present to show your talents, fit and value. Turn off your cell phone.

Say what you need to say about you and your fit for the role. Be ready to bring up important situations to show your value and approach, even if the interviewer does not. They want to see your aptitude, personality and confidence. You have what they need to know that can help you get the job. This is one moment where it is all about you. Share your information the right way.

Please share this with someone who can benefit from it.

Feeling the tension and anger? I thought so.

Two questions:
The first: What can’t you control?
o The weather.
o Your favorite cousins have the flu and won’t be attending.
o Using the new fire pit under the flowering pear tree that is in full flower.
o Aunt Melinda’s jello salad; Uncle Jim’s jokes.

The second: What can you control?
o How you cook the food today.
o How you rearrange the house or garage to have the party.
o How you move the activities to indoor events.
o How much fun you will still have, and how great it will be to see the family.
o Your outlook and attitude.

One of my favorite quotes comes from the poet Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights.”

So, if this were your party, what would the rain tell you about you? Do events that you cannot control take control of you? Do you have a meltdown, or do you realize it is beyond your control and find reasons to be happy?

I often tell the story of getting detoured from my normal route to the highway only to find an amazing plant nursery I did not know about; great plants, great prices and a farmer’s market. What a find! I had two choices with the detour – allow it to get me upset, or to realize I had no control over the event and to be on the lookout for something great.

I believe there is always something great, often initially hidden by a disappointment. The trick is to learn how to be able to see it. And you can’t if you let the things you cannot control get you down.

You can’t always control how things happen, but you can always control how you respond. Be optimistic, upbeat and look for the good. “Positive attitude” – it does a body good.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it.

So if a hiring manager doesn’t ask talent-based questions, here are two things to say to ensure he/she knows how you think and how capable you are:

1. Let me tell you about a time when I made a big difference in my previous company. (Examples: connected with a customer, invented an idea, saved the company money, found an easier way of doing things, trained another person, created a social networking program, etc).

2. Let me tell you how I would handle the following situation that I expect to find in your workplace. (Examples: an angry customer, a missed deadline, an uncooperative teammate, implementing a new idea, getting help from others, finding new ways to add value, etc).

You want the hiring manager to see how you think, the impact you have had in other jobs, and the value you can bring. So if the hiring manager doesn’t ask questions that allow you to demonstrate these things about you, be sure to use these two statements to get it discussed.

For sample talent-based interview questions and my list of the hot industries and hot jobs, go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on “Job Seeker.”

The last two years have been some of the toughest times in many of our lives. But tough times are just part of the way life is. Life is as it is – our role is to respond to it, treasure and live it in an extraordinary way, regardless how it comes at us.

The key to this is to know yourself – what makes you happy and what your favorite things are. Then to build these things into your life, particularly in tough times, to feel optimistic, content and well.

Most of us don’t spend enough time knowing ourselves and in particular, the things that make us happy. When tough times arrive, we are ill-equipped to successfully respond. So start today. Create a list of your favorite things. Build as many of them into your life everyday – and double up on them when your world is difficult.

Ask yourself these questions to create your list of “favorite things:”
1. What am I good at? What do I feel capable and competent doing?
2. What am I passionate about? What gets me engaged and fired up?
3. What could I do all day and never look at the time?
4. What can I read that will bring me to a good place?
5. Who can I spend time with and feel connected, important and loved?
6. What place or location makes me feel connected and alive?

So back to a thunderstorm in Salzburg, Austria and the Von Trapps. The lesson is that when things get tough, know how to respond with things that make you feel happy, secure and loved. Build your list. Have it ready because life is never easy, but how you respond can make it great.

If this technology has the ability of connecting you to so many others, why not use the technology to get yourself known. Create a “get hired” Facebook site.

Set up your “get hired” page to have the following:
o Your core talents, interests, strengths and passions as part of your bio. Click here to access my talent assessment.
o Pictures of you in the workplace, in the community and copies of letters of recommendation and commendations.
o Scan the talent-based resume as an image and add it to your albums.
o Create an album for each role you are looking for such as retail, healthcare, law enforcement, regulation or some other focus. Create a specific photo album that profiles you, your resume, your attributes, your interests, and your impact.
o Identify companies you wish to work for. Join their fan pages. Become friends with their employees and management.
o Join other fan clubs related to job seeking, talent, performance or related to the industries or jobs you are seeking. Know the industries’ associations and annual meetings.
o Maintain the integrity of your job-seeking site to ensure you are perceived as professional and a good fit for the job. Disable the ability of others to tag you in pictures. This puts your reputation in your control.
o Share this address with your serious job prospects and colleagues who can share your information with their networks.

Remember: This is NOT your social site. This site’s only focus is to present your employability, fit and value to the workplace.

So, now how do you use Facebook – to show embarrassing pictures or to create new contacts to get hired?

Now let’s say that as you are detoured, you pass by an amazing coffee shop and bakery – you never knew they were there. And next to them is an orchard with fresh fruit and homemade wine. How serendipitous.

Now, back to life. You are moving through your busy life. Suddenly an event happens – a recession, a lost job, an illness, a family emergency. A roadblock. You can’t move on as you were. You have to stop. You have to find a detour. What is your first reaction? Wait, let’s talk about this…

Obstacles and roadblocks are life’s way of saying “stop, think, dig deeper into yourself, see what you are made of, then respond.” Roadblocks are life’s way of getting our attention – then offering us a detour.

Most people hate the roadblock; it is perceived as a negative event and an interruption. Instead, consider the roadblock as an event for good – to help you see how capable you are, to get you out of “autopilot,” and to show you things you were too distracted to see – like the bakery and the orchard on the detour.

As you meet your roadblocks:
1. Believe that something better is in store.
2. Allow yourself to stop, think and respond, noticing your capabilities and strengths. As has been said, “we fear because we forget (or don’t know) how strong we are (or who we are).”
3. Connect with others to collaborate in ways to react and respond; think “collective genius.”

A roadblock is forced change. Most people hate change. Instead, be open to the good change can bring and learn to welcome it. Soon, roadblocks will become great events because they’ll show how capable you are and how big your world can be; they can change your perspective.

Talent-based interviews use talent-based or behavior-based questions. These are great for a couple of reasons:
1. Talent-based questions assess how you think by asking how you would handle real workplace situations. They want to see how you would handle situations that will be part of the job; better to know this up front.
2. Talent-based questions can’t be pre-planned or practiced – you just have to respond. This gives your best and most honest answer, which is the best way to assess your fit for the job.

The now outdated standard interview questions allow you preparation time – and that means the hiring manager won’t know how you will really react in the workplace. Your “on your feet” response is more accurate about how you will act in the workplace. This is critical.

Here are a couple of examples of talent-based questions. See how these questions are designed to get you to think on the spot:
1. If I were to ask your previous boss or co-worker how you handle change in the workplace, what would he say. Give me an example.
2. What was your latest and greatest idea in your last job? How did you present it? How was it received?
3. What does a customer mean to you? For the situation I give you, how would you maximize your connection to the customer?

When you apply for a job that is a good fit for you, you can approach your interview with confidence – you will be able to answer and handle the questions well. If you apply for jobs that are not a good fit for you, it will be obvious in your responses. So, do better work up front to apply for the right jobs, then relax and show the hiring manager how confident and competent you are in your great responses.

Click here for more information about talent-based interviews.

I was meeting a colleague for coffee. While waiting at the coffee shop, I watched as person after person entered without holding the door for another person or greeting anyone.

At the checkout counter in a food store, I watched as a woman with two items and obviously pressed for time, asked to step ahead of a woman with a full cart. The woman with the full cart said “no” and reminder her it was important to wait her turn.

Watching these I was reminded of something I read recently in Krista Tippett’s new book, Einstein’s God. It was a quote from Philo “Be kind because everyone you meet is carrying a great burden.” Life is tough. All of us have difficult things going on and at times we can all be pretty fragile.

But notice our response when we hear a kind word, a respectful gesture or just a little bit of care. We respond in kind. We share the emotion. We feel better.

Check in on your words and actions. How kind are they? Try these to build back some kindness in your day:
1. Commit to random acts of kindness. Smile, hold a door open, buy the person behind you in line a coffee, send a card, make a call.
2. Listen to your self-talk. Redirect it to positive and supportive, instead of negative and critical. When you are kinder to yourself, you’ll be kinder to others.
3. Plan your time better to eliminate the need to rush. A less hurried day has time for kindness.

The power of kindness is extraordinary. In a world that seems to dwell on challenges and unhappiness, redirect your energy into being kind to yourself and to others. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” And it starts with kindness.

I have put together the ten rules for a great interview. Click here to see each in greater detail. And while on the site, check out the other great ideas to get hired in 2010.

My ten rules for a great interview:
1. Think “fit” – how you fit and how the company fits for you.
2. Impressions matter.
3. Be positive, upbeat, optimistic and congenial.
4. Have three great questions ready to ask.
5. Focus on your value.
6. Be confident, not arrogant.
7. Make sure you know all the facts.
8. Look for common ground.
9. Remember the power of body language.
10. Have fun.

Your interview is your time to connect with them, impress them, show your fit and indicate how you will add value to the organization. Follow these rules and the interview will be a success. The job offer generally comes down to how you do in the interview. Know yourself. Be confident. Be great.

Share these interview rules with those others looking for jobs.

Some celebrities seem never to fall. Their careers keep rising, they have money, fame, great lives and great success. And then there are the other 350 million of us who deal regularly with disappointment, challenge and failure.

Failure – it is part of living a great life. In fact our failures are a means to better understand ourselves – to learn how capable we are. Think of it this way:

When we fail, we meet an obstacle we are unable to navigate around. This obstacle is a roadblock requiring us stop, think, observe, assess and learn. For the times we did not fall or encounter an obstacle, we were successful in our response – nothing new to learn. But obstacles require more thinking, more effort and more lessons. These lessons set us up for future successes.

So as you move through life, your greatest lessons will be in your failures. But you won’t succeed if you don’t get up from every fall.

So here is my “pick myself back up” approach – see if it works for you:
1. I go to my library of wise quotes and highlighted passages in books from wise authors; their comments and wisdom help me regain my footing and sanity.
2. I look at how I failed; I record 3 things that did not go right (what do I need to learn?).
3. I record three ways things could improve – and what I need to do to make them improve (what talents and strengths do I have I didn’t know about – or what resources and help from others can I count on?)
4. I record two things I am great at (because a bruised ego needs some good news).
5. I make a commitment to improve and give myself a high-five for being tough in a tough world – and then get a Starbucks.

Develop your response to getting back up stronger and more determined. Realize only you can do this for you. You own your life and all of or your responses. Learn to see a fall as a lesson to make your future days more successful.

Technology is a great new tool in the job hunting process. Our social networks put us in touch with so many more people – those who are hiring and may be interested in our unique combination of talents, strengths, skills and passions. Getting the word out is key. Use your social networks to get noticed.

Facebook:
Create a “get hired” Facebook page (not your social site – a true “qualifications-focused and get hired” site). Include:
o Core talents, interests and values as part of your bio.
o Pictures of you in the workplace, in the community and copies of letters of recommendation and commendations.
o Scan your talent-based resume as an image and add it to your photo album.

Twitter:
Use Twitter to share key aspects of your talents and aptitudes with your Twitter audience.
o Create a Twitter account for your job seeking. Name it appropriately.
o Search for and add hiring managers, HR professionals, entrepreneurs, roles that match roles you are looking for (nurses, health care, engineer, retail associate, accountant), associations, managers, etc.
o Send out a daily talent comment. Example: seeking accounting role; detail-focused; strong performer; value-focused.
o Develop a weekly series of 4 or 5 tweets that show off your talents and your ability to add value.

For more comments on each and for other social media ideas click here.

In the age of technology, use your connections wisely to let the world know your talents, interests and the jobs that are a good fit for you. Many people get hired this way.

One of my favorite books is Arianne de Bonvoisin’s First 30 Days. In it, she outlines nine principles of handling change and building a more positive perspective. Her first principle is “People who successfully navigate change have positive beliefs.”

Positive beliefs come from you – you may not be able to control the things that happen to you but you can control how you respond to them. You can choose to see “half-full” – upbeat, optimistic and confident – or choose to see “half-empty” – down, pessimistic and unsure.

Consider these ways to build a more positive perspective:
1. Notice when you become negative and immediately focus on something positive. Have others help you see your behavior.
2. Read a power quote or an inspirational passage to start your day on a positive tone.
3. Create an upbeat “break” during the day. Focus on 3 things that have gone well so far.
4. Choose your friends wisely; associate with positive and confident people.

To make the point, here are some great half-empty/half-full perspectives from the website www.businessballs.com.
o The project manager/engineer says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. 

o The bar fly says is not about whether the glass is half full or half empty, it’s about who is paying for the next round.
o The consultant says let’s examine the question, prepare a strategy for an answer, and all for a daily rate of…
o The worrier frets that the remaining half will evaporate by tomorrow.
o The fanatic thinks the glass is completely full, even though it isn’t. 

o The entrepreneur sees the glass as undervalued by half its potential.
o The computer specialist says that next year the glass capacity will double and will cost half the price.
o The Buddhist says don’t worry, remember the glass is already broken.
o The personal coach knows that the glass goes from full to empty depending on the circumstances, and reminds the drinker that he can always fill the glass when he wishes.
o The grammarian says that while the terms half-full and half-empty are colloquially acceptable the glass can technically be neither since both full and empty are absolute states and therefore are incapable of being halved or modified in any way. 


You control your attitude. Know yourself; choose to be positive and upbeat. It is great for your health and happiness.

So to determine if you are a good fit for the job, hiring managers need a new style of resume – one that gives them these three things:
1. What are you great at (what are your talents and passions because they reflect your greatest performance areas)?
2. How have you used what you are great at (in other jobs so they can see it in action)?
3. What value have you created for other companies (so they can see the value you can bring to their company)?

See a sample of the new Talent-based Resume.

Here is what the captions mean:
#1. What are you great at?
List your talents and the things that make you successful. Are you great at building and sustaining relationships? Are you focused, driven and goal-oriented? Are you great at solving problems and paying attention to details? Are you great at inventing, creating and innovating? Don’t be humble, be bold and confident.

#2. How have you used what you are great at?
Hiring managers want to see you in action. Were you able to diffuse angry customers successfully? Were you able to keep a project on track or under budget? Were you able to work with a variety of personalities, and get the job done well? Hiring managers are not interested in everything you have done; they don’t have time for that. They want to see you use your talents – they want to see that you can do what you say you can do. Provide work experience that supports your talents.

#3. What value have you created for other companies using your talents?
Companies are hiring you because they want you to create value for them. They are investing in you and for this investment they expect a return (the same way you expect a return when you invest your money in a mutual fund or bank). The greater the return, the more valuable you are to a company. Tell them how you saved 5% on overtime costs by rearranging the work schedule. Tell them how you invented a new service that added $30,000 to the bottom line. Show your impact with numbers. Show the specific value you have brought to your other employers.

New workplace – new resume. Use the new talent-based resume because it provides the meaningful information hiring managers want. It helps you stand out and get hired.

Please forward this to your friends who are job searching. Help them get hired in 2010.

In 2004 Dr. Robert Sapolsky published a book titled, Why Zebra’s Don’t Get Ulcers. In it, he presents that animals and humans are equipped to handle both calm and danger. The parasympathetic system runs all of the routine internal body systems, day in and day out (periods of calm). The sympathetic system is designed to help us survive in a period of danger, stress or euphoria, and interrupts the parasympathetic system.

I am not a scientist, so here is my simple summary of his findings. When we are calm (we are not affected by the nuisance events), our internal maintenance systems respond – we stay healthy.

But when we get upset (the brain senses danger – big or small), it activates a fight or flight response. The body calls all its resources to be ready for something big, shutting down its focus on the daily support functions. We are now ready for a fight or a flight.

Here is the point. The body is designed to handle a temporary fight or flight response. Animals know this. And according to Sapolsky, when the lion gets his prey, or the zebra gets away, the fight or flight response ends and the body resumes its normal response. But humans are different. When we experience recurring nuisance events, we move our systems into a state of perpetual stress; we constantly signal to our bodies to be ready to fight or hit the road. And when this happens, the regular, healthy and maintenance functions of the body are interrupted. The result – a challenged immune system resulting in ulcers, cancer, diabetes and other illnesses.

How we perceive events activates emotions; emotions activate neurological and biological responses in our body. We must train ourselves to manage our emotional responses to all types of events – to know what is danger and what is only a nuisance- to stay healthy and sane.

So consider this:
1. Is this a nuisance and you should laugh it off? (Laughing is great for our health).
2. Is this truly serious and worth the attention?

Life throws out small tests to get us ready for larger ones. Manage your responses and use fight or flight only when it is needed – the body was designed that way. Learn from the zebras – they don’t get ulcers. They don’t let the little stuff get them down. That way, when they need to run, they are really ready – and they survive. And at every other point, they are loving life.

Here is how it works: identify what you are good at and passionate about doing AND the hot industries or jobs that need your talents and passions. These are the jobs to apply for.

Let’s see an example:
Your talents: You are detailed-oriented, love being in charge and are focused on great results (these are your talents). Your passions include persuading others, organizing, leading things and making a difference.

Hot industries: Healthcare

Job possibilities:
o Medical office manager
o Security in medical facility/hospital
o Facilities employee/facilities manager/Spa management

o Hospital/health facility management

o Medical records management

o Personal trainer

Hot industry: Accounting/Regulation/Finance

Job possibilities:
o Accountant, financial analyst, tax specialist
o Compliance auditor, government auditor
o Researcher for investment company, demographer or trend analyst \
o Forensic accountant
o Actuary

Hot industry: Technology

Job possibilities:
o Geek squad
o PC application specialist

o Artificial intelligence engineer
o CAD technician
o Repair technician
o Network engineer

These are just ideas – see the process in action. Know you. Know your world. Find your fit. Use my list of Hot Jobs to help you consider what roles allow you to play to your strengths.

Go to www.LiveFiredUp.com for more tools – click on the For JobSeeker link.

Here’s what I mean. When we were an industrial (make things) economy, workplaces were very impersonal. Your personality, interests, emotions and attitudes were kept out of the workplace; you had your procedures to do over and over – and that was work.

Today, our workplace is an intellectual and service workplace (much of manufacturing has moved offshore). Business happens in the relationships and connections our employees make with customers; employees are face-to-face and phone-to-phone with customers. Relationships, feelings, emotions and connection matter – in fact, these are today’s profit drivers. The humanity of your employees is what attracts and retains customers.

Consider the following ways to make your workplace more personal:
1. Spend time with each employee to learn his/her talents, values and interests. This will allow you to customize jobs around particular interests and strengths.
2. Ask employees not only what they think, but what they feel about events. Much of business is conducted on feelings; workplaces that encourage employees to be emotionally connected to their work encourage stronger customer relationships.
3. Appreciate each employee’s diversity. Think of your employees as M&M’s – you hire them for their thinking (the filling) but you celebrate and appreciate their diversity and culture (the candy coating). See my article “A Sweet Diversity Lesson.” Openly appreciating and celebrating employees’ diversity personalizes the workplace – they feel included.

Remember, how you treat your employees is how your employees treat your customers. Make it personal with your employees and they will make it personal for your customers.

To catch up and personally connect your employees, see the tools, resources and articles on www.LiveFiredUp.com, click “For Managers.”

What struck me more is the concept of a holi “day.” If these are really important events, why do we limit the celebration to just a day? Shouldn’t they be recurring events or recurring celebrations?

Here’s my thought. Holi “days” aren’t cutting it. The daily celebrations are too infrequent and don’t encourage enough of the right behaviors to last all year. In a world that is increasingly unkind, selfish and confrontational, couldn’t we make an improvement if we were to extend the celebrations? Couldn’t we stay more focused on being kind, considerate, passionate, loving and respectful?

So I decided to create a “never miss an opportunity” list – a list of things I should celebrate or do on a regular basis – not just once. Here’s the start of my list. What would you add?

Never miss an opportunity to…:
o Tell (and show) the people you love how much you love them and what they mean to you.
o Share a story about your life’s success and failures to teach someone else.
o Make someone else feel important, even if you did most of the work.
o Show your patriotism and respect for your country.
o Show your tolerance for someone who does not look like you or believe in what you do.
o Stop and appreciate a flower, a tree, the wind, a star, rock formation or any other part of nature.
o Know yourself, your talents and passions, so you can build a life that makes you happy and helps you feel content.
o Say thank you, hold a door open, let another person or car pass ahead of you, or to be kind to someone you don’t know.
o Give away some of your “extras” to someone who has no “extras.”
o Learn something new to expand what you know and your contribution to the world.
o Make the first call even when it is the other person’s obligation or turn.
o Share a call, thought, card or gift with someone you love or who needs to hear from you – just because.
o Say you are sorry when you hurt someone – even if you didn’t mean to.
o Allow another to have an opinion different than yours, and still respect them.
o Spend more time with your pet.
o Sing, dance, laugh, tell a joke, cry or be more human, even when others you don’t know are watching. Invite them to join it.
o Smile at someone you don’t know.
o Bound out of bed, excited you have another day.

How will you never miss an opportunity to connect the very special people in your world? And what can you bring to the world that will make it better for all of us? Never miss your opportunity to celebrate and to make a difference.

It is not the same world that was in place when many of you got your last jobs. The nature of work changes quickly – some industries die, others grow almost overnight. So what is hot and what is not with jobs. And what hot jobs need your talents and passions.

So here is how to proceed:
1. Connect to information that keeps you current about the hot jobs. Google “hot jobs” and see links. Connect to www.Smartmoney.com, www.monster.com, www.hotjobs.yahoo.com, and www.careerplanner.com.

2. Identify the industries that interest you AND are growing industries (why select a job in a dying industry?).
a. Growing industries:
i. Healthcare (including mental health, wellness and fitness)
ii. Technology (including web, design, engineering, programming)
iii. Accounting/Regulation/Finance
iv. Retail/Customer Service
v. Transportation/Travel
vi. Education/Teaching/Instruction
vii. Entertainment
viii. Law enforcement/Law/Government
ix. Science, Pharmacology, Medical research
x. Trades/Life Services (including construction, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, hair styling, bakers, mechanics, etc).

b. Companies who are hiring:
i. Click here for the link to see Hot Jobs’ top 100 companies who are hiring.

3. What jobs are Hot Hot Hot!
i. Click to my “Hot Job” list by industry.

Staying connected is critical for you to be aware of the opportunities and to know how to start the process of finding the right job for you. Always know what jobs are growing and which are fading. Position yourself in a high growth industry.


Next week – we focus on a finding a job that fits you. These are jobs that match your talents and passions and give you a competitive advantage in the hiring process.

See the great “get hired” tools at www.LiveFiredUp.com – click on “Job Seeker.”
Pass this on to your friends who are job hunting.

Great companies didn’t waste a minute complaining about the recession. They saw things had changed, regrouped and rebuilt a new strategy for a changed world. They said to their employees, “We need more ideas – keep the ideas coming.”

These companies have learned to be optimistic – they see challenge as a good thing – as an opportunity to improve and invent. They are not afraid of change. They know their strengths and play to them. They rely on their employees and customers to feed them meaningful information; they stay connected to their world to know the facts. They use this information to constantly create opportunities to be successful. It is how they run their businesses.

I have been traveling a lot lately working with trade associations and companies to help them relearn how to hunt for opportunities. In good times, you hunt less effectively – you hunt better when you are hungry. Today’s recession is a great time to relearn how to think more cleverly about your business.

So over the next couple of weeks, I’ll share some of my coaching and insights.

I have assembled recommendations in a new on-line download titled The Hunt for Opportunities Success Manual. You can find it in the products section of www.LiveFiredUp.com. Also, I have added the Hunt for Opportunities link to provide information, articles, an idea center and other resources to relearn how to find, create and implement high-value opportunities, regardless of the economy. Great for you and for your employees.

Next Tuesday, I’ll present one of the steps – how to assess your company strategically – so you can play to your strengths. This is the source of some of your greatest opportunities.

Until then, check out the Hunt for Opportunities link and help your employees focus on seeing opportunities to be successful instead of dwelling on the difficulty of a challenging economy. Happy Hunting.

Jill Bolte Taylor, the author of the amazing book My Stroke of Insight; A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey, explains our left brain is our controlling, judgmental and critical brain; our open, accepting and optimistic brain is our right brain. In our performance-focused world, most of us favor our analytical left brain. We listen more to our “critic” that more readily finds fault and complains, than applauds and supports.

She shares that the right brain imposes fewer restrictions, judges less, sees things as they are, appreciates the richness of the moment, is open, creative and sensitive to nonverbal communication. This is the inner peace standard equipment we all receive – but we frequently can’t hear it over the louder, more controlling left brain.

So to manage the left brain judgmental rhetoric, she puts her “critic” on a time schedule. She allows it to whine rampantly for 30 minutes – then it is over. She even gives it a daily time slot. That is the only time any whining is allowed. And if the time slot is missed for some reason, she does not allow the whine time until the next scheduled session – the next day. What a great idea.

Each of us has things we need to complain about; it is part of our process to successfully deal with things. The problem develops when we allow too much our self- and social-talk to be negative and unhealthy – when our left brain critic takes over.

Focus on directing your self-talk into more a more supportive, caring and optimistic (right brain) dialog. Treat yourself lovingly and with kindness. Watch the caustic left brain “critic” that can sometimes keep us in line, but mostly sees us as underachieving and underperforming.

Learn from Dr. Bolte Taylor and build some whine time into your day. Impose a time limit – and when it’s over, it’s over – until tomorrow. Start with 30 minutes if you have a very loud critic. Set the timer. Soon, you will see you only need just a moment or two to vent, realign and move on. Silence your critic (left brain). Activate your admirer and dreamer (right brain). The conversation is so much better.

Most people continue to apply for the wrong jobs because they don’t know what they are good at. And today, to have the best performance, you must work in job that needs what you are great at and are passionate about. Without these, you don’t feel capable, competent or excited in your work – and it shows.

So here is how to proceed:
1. Write down what you think you are naturally good at – your talents – this will be things like connecting with others, focusing on details, committed to big performance, great at listening and relating to others, creating order out of chaos…etc. Don’t be humble. List everything you are good at; things that come naturally to you. This is difficult for many people so try these other two options:

2. Next, write down what you are passionate about. What do you love to do – what gets you out of bed in the morning and what you could do all day? It may be teaching, helping others, running a business, writing, painting, cooking, selling…whatever you love to do. List as many as come to mind. You will find that you generally do not need help with this – each of us is far more aware of our passions than our talents.

Now: look for the intersection of your two lists – what are you good at AND passionate about doing. This is the starting point for finding a job that fits you. This is key to finding a job AND loving your job.

You may be great at connecting with people and passionate about sharing stories. A job in sales, customer service or retail in any industry may be a good fit. You may be great at focusing on details and precision and are passionate making a difference. You may find that careers in the medical field, IT, law or similar fields will play to your talents and passions.

Know yourself – because your next step is to learn what the hot jobs are – so you can determine which jobs are a good fit for you and which needs what you are great at. This will give you a competitive advantage in getting hired.

Click here for the full “Get Hired” Plan. See all the “Get Hired” resources at www.LiveFIredUp.com, click on “Job Seeker.”

Consider this: Not everybody is great at everything. No kidding, right? But this is important because it explains how to help you identify what your employees’ hooks or “performance activators” are.

The brief explanation, also supported by the new book Drive by Daniel Pink, is our hooks are based on what makes us feel capable and competent in what we do, and like doing it; we must be good at what we do and passionate about doing it. When this happens, we perform. When this does not happen, we are just not that interested in our work.

Picture this: a salesman in an accountant’s role. Death wish. There isn’t any hook – the role does not play to what a salesmen is fundamentally good at and passionate about doing – that is connecting with others, winning others over and making the sale. Okay, reverse the roles – an accountant now in a salesman’s role. Again, no hook – the sales role does not play to the accountant’s love of details, focus on control, order and analysis (more about details than people).

No competence, comfort or passion and performance suffers. When you are good at what you do and love doing it you perform better.

To find your employees’ hooks:
1. Identify what the employee is consistently good at (talents).
2. Identify what the employee’s passions and interests are.

Start a regular conversation with your employees to get to know them. When you know their talents, values and interests you will find their hooks. Then you can realign them to roles that activate their best performance. Your people are your profits.

For more information click on “For Managers” on www.LifeFiredUp.com.

The amazing thing is that we are so quick to customize our food, but so reluctant to customize our lives.

Each of us is born with a unique set of neural pathways (brain responses) that create our natural abilities and our passions. Some are artistic and social. Others are empirical, detail-focused and analytical. Some can sing and others can solve puzzles. But most let others direct them to what they should do for work and how they should live their lives.

Your happiest moments happen when you use what you are good at and passionate about. The more of these moments you create, the better your work and life become – you feel more capable, competent and more fired up. And only you have the key to determine the “true you.”

So commit a little time each day to write your “owner’s manual”:
1. List what you are good at; what are your talents and strengths?
2. List what you are passionate about; what do you love to do?

Once known, how will you customize your work and life around your talents, strengths and passions? If you could have life “your way,” what would you choose?

For more information including my Talent and Thinking Style Assessment and my “For Life” section, see www.LiveFiredUp.com.

See the great get hired tools at www.LiveFiredUp.com - click on Job Seeker.

Here is summary of our weekly plan to get hired in 2010:

1. Keep your energy level up; work on your attitude – this week.
2. Be self-aware to identify your talents, strengths and passions.
3. Know your world – what fields are hiring, what are the hot jobs and the growing industries.
4. Match your talents to jobs that need what you do – think “fit.”
5. Create a talent-based resume.
6. Use your social networks to get noticed.
7. Review my 10 rules for a powerful interview.
8. How to review a job offer.

New year, new approach…let’s refocus on getting hired.

For many people, when things get tough, they shut down. They run out of gas, feel stuck and sit waiting for rescue.

As today’s quote so clearly says, you can’t side idle – you must get up, take ownership and get on with things. You are responsible for your rescue.

But here is what you need to know: You are infinitely more capable than you first believe. You have significant talents and strengths; you have wisdom and power – you need to access it.

Ariane de Bonvoisin explains in her book First 30 Days that when you encounter an obstacle, you are forced to stop – and now think. An obstacle is nothing more than an opportunity to look into yourself with new clarity to see your greater capabilities. Obstacles – tough times – actually can show us how much more capable we are.

So how do you keep driving when you feel like you are out of gas?

1. Find some quiet time and listen inward – get introduced (or re-introduced) to the more significant you.

5. Choose to act by creating a plan – start small; but start.

No one said life would be easy – but it is always good. Obstacles force us to better know ourselves and to see what we are really made of. So when you feel like you are out of gas, build a plan to get yourself back on the road of life. It is both an adventure and a great ride.

See the life power tools on www.LifeFiredUp.com and be sure to click on the Hunt for Opportunities.

First – some statistics: national unemployment rate – 10%; higher and many places. There are over 7 million unemployed (and job seeking). There are 6 people applying for every available job.

I didn’t present this to get you down; I presented it so you know reality. That means your job-hunting approach has to be more focused and more specific.

Here’s some good news: great companies are always hiring. Great companies are always building their best teams. So your 2010 approach must focus on identifying jobs in which you are competitive – jobs in which you will stand out. This gets the attention of good companies who want the best. Besides, those are the companies you want to work for.

Here is my weekly plan to help you get hired in 2010:

Week 1: Keep your energy level up; work on your attitude.
Week 2: Be self-aware to identify your talents, strengths and passions.
Week 3: Know your world – what fields are hiring, what are the hot jobs and the growing industries.
Week 4: Match your talents to jobs that need what you do – think “fit.”
Week 5: Create a talent-based resume to get noticed the right way.
Week 6: Use your social networks for greater coverage.
Week 7: Learn my 10 rules for a powerful interview.
Week 8: How to review a job offer.

Each Wednesday, I’ll focus on the next step of our approach. I’ll introduce practical, meaningful and specific information to help you build your plan. I’ll have career counselors join in the discussion.

Time to pull out the stops. New year, new approach…let’s refocus on getting hired. See the Job Seeker section of www.LiveFiredUp.com for more tips, ideas, tools and information.

And if you have a job and know of those who are still looking, please pass this on. Today, everyone needs a little extra help.

Some people go through their life rigid and inflexible – like metal. They have the same form, the same shape, the same thinking regardless of the world changing around them. They refuse to understand, be resilient or flexible. They are black or white. They are metal.

Others realize that flexibility is the key to a powerful and wonderful life. In our quickly changing world, happy and content people are resilient and flexible – like plastic. They bend, accommodate and welcome change. They realize change brings a greater view of the world and helps us realize a successful and peaceful world is built on the respect for differences.

Many times there is wisdom in age – sometimes we just have to be on the planet long enough to learn some of life’s greatest lessons. The greatest may be that none of us is as smart as all of us. We need the input and wisdom of others to figure things out. We need varied perspectives and must remain flexible and open to hear important information. Flexibility. It does a body good. It does a mind good. It does a heart good.

Take Action. How can you be more open, resilient and content with a changing world? How can you be more plastic and less metal? How can this help you work strong and live stronger?

For more information click on “For Individuals” on www.LiveFiredUp.com.

NY Times columnist and author Tom Friedman calls them the “untouchables” – those employees who add so much value to a company that they are untouchable when it comes to layoffs. Is this you?

To be noticed, appreciated and retained, employees must take full personal responsibility for creating significant, unique and results-oriented value for the organization.

To improve your impact and to add value to the workplace, develop each of these four areas:

1. Know your organization. Be familiar with your organization’s purpose, mission and value statements. This shows your effort to understand the business and to use this information to regularly make decisions that positively affect the organization’s performance.
2. Know your strengths. Each of us is good at some things and not at others. To stand out in the workplace, you must be able to know what you are intrinsically good at – what your talents and strengths are – and then work in roles that allow you to fully develop and exploit these talents. Play to your strengths.
3. Take initiative. Step up and take responsibility to help solve the organization’s problems and maximize its opportunities. Be visible; be vocal.
4. Focus on the bottom line. Know the impact of your ideas and propose things that make a difference. Track your contributions. Think numbers; think metrics and financial performance.

We are in a new period of employee accountability; you own your ability to get noticed in the workplace. Stand out in the workplace; play to your strengths, find the opportunities and drive the bottom line. This is how to become “untouchable.”

For more information click on “For Employees/Job Seekers” and the “Hunt for Opportunities” on www.LiveFiredUp.com. See my Power Performance blog on www.Bizmore.com for more practical performance information.

See Zac’s extraordinary story, his personal commitment and his keen self-awareness on his website . His work is amazing but what is more amazing is his awareness of purpose – he feels compelled to do what he does – at age 12.

There is a compelling purpose in all of us; all of us have greatness – some may focus on service, others may invent, others may add art, and others manage fairly. Our uniqueness allows us to find the exact thing that pulls us out of bed in the morning, gets us fired up, and helps us to add value to a world that needs exactly what we do.

To do this, we have to learn to listen to ourselves – to discover what moves us, activates our passions, interests and greatest energy. As some say, “we are given two ears and only one mouth to learn to listen twice as much as we speak.” What that really means is one ear listens out (to the world) – one ear listens in (inside ourselves). Both are always gathering information – so we can ultimately match ourselves to the world. We find our purpose – we find what we are compelled to do.

When you take time to listen to the true you, what do you hear? What are you compelled to do? See Zac’s inspiring story and write yours.