Just Jump!

English: tandem sky-diving in Cordoba, Argentina (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

There was a man who had always dreamed of sky-diving.

Since he was a young boy he had wanted to do it and eventually he booked himself in for the big event.

He completed the mandatory training on the day and was feeling nervous, but excited.

“This is it, this is it.” He repeated to himself over and over again as the plane took off.

As the plane rose higher in the air, he could feel more fear enter his body and he began to visibly shake.

Then the moment came when it was time for him to make the leap from the plane.

Asking the Right “What If” Questions

Sometimes, we wonder to ourselves:

• What if I was luckier?
• What if my boss was nicer?
• What if I was better looking?
• What if I had more money?
• What if I had the same opportunities as others?
• What if no-one had ever said or done anything to hurt me?

Get Off the Travelator

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I love the travelators at the airport.

When you’re tired after a long flight (or just feeling lazy), you hop on these moving walkways and they magically transport you to your destination without the need for any effort on your part.

I like to stand on them and watch the suckers who choose to walk.  They hustle and bustle, trying to carry their bags at the same time, while I float along easily.

However, while the travelators at the airport are a great convenience, there are times in life when we seem to find ourselves on one as well.

How Beavers Change The Landscape

Tree chewed through by beavers in Oregon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Beavers truly are extraordinary creatures.

With their razor sharp teeth, they have the ability to eat their way through a tree trunk in less than an hour.

Then, one tree at a time, they start to build their dam.

A tree is taken down and carefully placed into position.  But one tree doesn’t make much of a difference.

So another tree is lopped and moved, all to little avail.

It may take hundreds of trees to complete their structures, but this doesn’t stop them from working diligently until eventually their construction is completed.

Then something remarkable happens.

3 Ways to Respond to Being Made Redundant

In this day and age, most people will experience being made redundant at least once during their careers.

I haven’t been through the experience personally myself, but in the past fortnight a few of my friends and ex-colleagues have lost their jobs.

As I’ve thought about their situations and wondered if I could help, I’ve come up with three ways that people can respond to being made redundant.

Rise and Shine

Sunrise over the south beach of Jamaica. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Every now and then, our seven year-old sleeps in and has to be woken up to get ready for school.

As we open up the curtains in his room, the loud proclamation is made, “Rise and shine!”

Sometimes, we too need to hear those words.

Our lives are spent slumbering and we need to be roused from our drowsy state.

So, let me encourage you today to, “Rise and shine!”

The 10 Commandments of Resumes

As someone who spends a lot of time writing resumes for clients, there are a few basic principles that I’ve learned over the years.

I tell clients all of the time that job-hunting is like fishing.  You can’t always guarantee that you’ll catch something, but there are a few things that you can do to consistently increase your chances of success.

There are some common mistakes that I’ve seen and a few simple adjustments can make a massive difference to your job-hunting efforts.

So, here are my 10 commandments of resumes…

The Unfair Advantage That Winners Have

Some people seem to be so talented that it’s unfair.

They make life look easy and their abilities enable them to do remarkable things with little evident effort.

I used to think that this made talent an unfair advantage, but then I realised a couple of things.

• Not every winner is dependent on their talent.
• Not every talented person is a winner.

Then I look at people who seem to be born into fortunate situations.

When Is the Best Time to Encourage Someone?

Sometimes, I think that the best time to encourage someone is when they’ve done something amazing.

Sometimes, I think that it’s when I notice that a friend is looking as though they’ve had a bad day.

Sometimes, I think that it’s when someone has tried really hard, but just fallen short of their goal.

Sometimes, I think that it’s when someone has given up because they didn’t think that they can do anything significant.

Sometimes, I think that it’s when I know that someone’s really busy and perhaps feeling overwhelmed by all of the demands that life has placed upon them.

Use Speakers, Not Headphones

iPods (Photo credit: aeroppon)

I love my iPod.

I enjoy listening to great musicians and have a wide range of musical genres on my playlist.

I often work with my headphones on, creating content while I have great artists in my head.  I find it mentally stimulating, not distracting.

I use headphones, because I suspect that not everyone around me shares my taste in music.  Everyone has their own favourite artists and styles and I don’t want to distract or annoy people with my preferences.  I’m also conscious that perhaps my music isn’t considered “cool” by others, so I don’t want to embarrass myself.

That’s OK when it comes to music, but when I think about the ideas that I have, I need to make sure that I use speakers, not headphones.