Monday Rx | Career Musings

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

October 14, 2013 by Daisy Leave a Comment

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, even if you are not Canadian, eh?

Most Canadians woke up this morning without the ‘Monday Morning Blues’. Why? They didn’t have to go to work today. It is our Thanksgiving. Whoopee!

It is so easy sometimes to become bogged down with the trials and tribulations of life that we forget to pause and reflect on what we are thankful for. Today’s issue of the Monday Rx reflects on what Thanksgiving really means. It is not only a time to eat, drink and be merry. It has a deeper truth. That of being thankful for the many things we take for granted.

Allow me to be vulnerable and mention 10 of the things I am thankful for:

I am thankful to be alive.
I am thankful for my family and friends who keep me centred.
I am thankful for my 5-year old grandson when he says things like “I bounced into a boy and hit my teeth, and now my teeth are scared.”
I am thankful for Canada, and all that it offers.
I am thankful for my five senses as well as the ability to write, speak, think, laugh and cry.
I am thankful for my fingers and their ability to type extremely fast.
I am thankful for the 18+ years I had my cats, Vanessa, Simba and Valentino.
I am thankful for the work that I do, and for the clients and non-clients I serve.
I am thankful for my Mom’s Bible, and the little notes she wrote or underlined throughout.
I am thankful for Whatsapp that allows me to instantly keep in touch with my family from far and near.

How about you? What are you thankful for today? Let’s hear them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Monday Morning Rx Tagged With: Canada, Canadian, Canadian Thanksgiving, Monday Morning Blues, Monday Morning Rx, Monday Rx, thankful, Thanksgiving

Who is Hindering Your Career Growth?

September 30, 2013 by Daisy Leave a Comment

This is your Monday Morning Rx. It is something I saved in my archives from 2008. I have been unable to find the author, but in re-printing it here in its abridged format, I am paying tribute to that Unknown Author:

One day all the employees reached the office and they saw a big sign on the door on which it was written:

“Yesterday the person who has been hindering your growth in this company passed away. Please go straight to the gym to pay your last respects.”

In the beginning, they were all sad for the passing of one of their colleagues, but after a while they became curious to find out who was the person who was so powerful to hinder the growth of his/her colleagues and the company. The nearer they got to the coffin, the more their curiosity peaked. Everyone thought: “Who is this person who was hindering my progress? Well, at least this person is out of the way!”

One by one the employees looked inside the coffin and they suddenly became speechless. They stood nearby, shocked and in silence, as if someone had touched the deepest part of their soul. There was a mirror inside the coffin, and everyone who looked inside it could see a reflection of himself or herself.

There was also a sign next to the mirror that said:

“There is only one person who is capable of setting limits to your growth: it is YOU. Your life does not change when your boss changes, when your friends change, when your parents change, when your partner changes, when your company changes. Your life changes when YOU change, when you go beyond your limiting beliefs.”

Pause for a minute. Look in the mirror. Could this be you? Have you been looking outward and blaming someone for your lack of progress in your job, career or your life? Have you been the one hindering your own growth? If so, it’s time to stop playing the blame game and take ownership of your growth. And, even if someone is deliberately trying to hinder your growth, think of ways to circumvent that. Harness all the power that YOU have and begin to make a difference in your job, your career or your life.

Motivational speaker, Les Brown said: “The only thing that can possibly keep you from going after your dream is the person standing in your shoes, wearing your clothes, and thinking your negative thoughts.”

What’s the one thing you could do today that would put you on a path of growth?

To our success,

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Career, dreams, growth, hindering your growth, job, Les Brown, life, limiting beliefs, Monday Morning Rx, Monday Rx, promotion

Why the F-Word Could Be Good for Your Job Search

September 23, 2013 by Daisy 4 Comments

This is your Monday Morning Rx!

…and, yes, it is possible that the F-Word could be good for your job search. However, it is not the F-Word you were thinking about. This F-Word is called FAITH!

Before you believe I am going off on some religious tangent, let me explain that one doesn’t have to be religious to have faith. Faith is about one’s belief system.

Do you believe in YOU? Do you have faith in your capabilities? Have you been so knocked down by your current job situation that you have lost faith in YOU? It’s time to realign your thinking. Here are three facts about Faith:

Faith is progressive. It keeps you moving forward. When you are about to give up on your job search it reminds you to keep going.
Faith doesn’t linger long at the pity party being sorry for itself. According to Jentezen Franklin, “Faith never gets into a bad situation and says, “I’m just going to sit here and die. It’s over. Faith never stands in the desert, having a pity party with everything drying up around it.” Faith brushes itself off and tries one more time.
Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase. (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.). Sometimes you just have to trust the process; trust that you are doing and saying the right thing, even when you can’t see it.

Here’s your challenge for this week. Forget the other F-Word, and hold on to your Faith. Begin, one more time, to have faith in yourself and your capabilities. Tell yourself that there is a job out there with your name on it, and you are going to do whatever it takes to find that job. That’s called FAITH!

Happy job hunting!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: belief, Career, faith, job hunting, Job Search, Monday Morning Rx, Monday Rx, the F Word

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others, Claim Your Greatness!

September 16, 2013 by Daisy Leave a Comment

This edition of the Monday Morning Rx is asking you to stop comparing yourself to others. That is, on the assumption that it’s something you often do. Do you find yourself saying things like:

“She always seem to have it all together, what’s the matter with me?”

“He gets all the attention in meetings, why I can’t I?”

“Why did she get the promotion over me? We have the same qualifications.”

Have you ever said any of the above, or something that close? We all do, at some point or another. Even the image above is that of an orange wishing it were an apple. We should stop these comparisons. Oscar Wilde said, “Be yourself, everyone else is taken”.

While reading a Fast Company blog post recently, “How I Learned to Stop Comparing Myself to Others and Love My Own Ideas” it brought back memories of the poem Desiderata. One particular line says, “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” Isn’t that the truth? When we begin to compare ourselves to others, it makes us feel less about ourselves. Shouldn’t we be spending time valuing our uniqueness? Paraphrasing Meredith Fineman in the article, “In order to succeed, you have to be the best you.”

It is a mistake to compare yourself to others. Why? Because you really don’t know what’s happening in the other person’s life. All that portrayal of having it all together could be a farce. The Fast Company article suggests that, “…when we compare ourselves to others, whether it be a marriage, a career, or a specific achievement, we are only comparing ourselves to our perception of this person.” That’s right. We are making comparisons against things we don’t know or don’t have enough information about.

During the coming week, instead of comparing yourself to others, reflect on these words from Desiderata: “Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.”

Here’s my personal message to you today: Opportunities are lost on those who spend time comparing themselves to others. Quit doing so, embrace your uniqueness, and get ready to play it big and win!

Filed Under: Monday Morning Rx Tagged With: achievements, Career, comparing yourself to others, Daisy Wright, Fast Company, marriage, Monday Morning Rx, Monday Rx

Life is Like a Camera, and So is Your Job Search

September 9, 2013 by Daisy Leave a Comment

Happy Monday!

For readers who do not know about my Monday Morning Rx, it differs from a regular blog post. It is a small dose of encouragement to brighten your Mondays as you begin your work week, or as you continue your job search. It is supposed to be short and uplifting. So here we go:

Let FOCUS be your keyword today.

Focus on what’s important
Focus on your job search
Focus on your interview prep
Focus on revamping your resume
Focus on that difficult project
Focus on building your network
Focus on self-development
Focus on that awkward conversation you need to have with the boss
Focus on _______________. (Fill in the blank)

Focus, focus focus!

To your success,

Filed Under: Job Search, Monday Morning Rx Tagged With: focus, interview, Job Search, Monday Morning Rx, Monday Rx, resume, self-development

Why You Should Leave the Complacency of Your Comfort Zone

August 11, 2013 by Daisy 2 Comments

Monday Morning Rx – A Weekly Dose of Career Inspiration

Hello there! I am Daisy Wright, of The Wright Career Solution, and am here with the Monday Morning Rx – a weekly dose of career inspiration.

Today’s episode is titled Why You Should Leave the Complacency of Your Comfort Zone.

First, I want you to take a look at the image before you. If you are within the circle where it is said that 90% of the population resides, I think you are a bit too comfortable, and it’s time to disrupt yourself. Get up and stretch, because I have an assignment for you today. I would like you to choose a phrase from inside the circle that you say quite often to yourself, and throw it away – literally or figuratively. Banish it from your vocabulary. Do not allow it to take centre stage in your life or your mind again.

Once you have done that, dare yourself to look outside the circle and choose one phrase that makes you uncomfortable. It makes you uneasy whenever you see or say it. Brainstorm with yourself by writing as much as you can about this phrase. In doing so, keep asking these two questions: Why does this make me so uneasy or uncomfortable? What am I going to do about it?

I believe the comfort zone is jammed. Too many of us are settling for less; too many of us are fearful about trying something new, so we lock ourselves in this comfort zone where we feel safe. If this sounds like you, it’s time to get out of this space and allow yourself the freedom and flexibility to become the person you were destined to be!

Need help in getting started? Why not engage a coach or mentor; someone who can help you leave the complacency of your comfort zone and try something different. Then watch yourself gain confidence as you push yourself forward.

Someone once said, “The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.” My challenge to you today and this week is to make the decision not to stay where you are, but to get out of this safe place.

Best wishes as you move forward with your life and your career. Until then, it’s Daisy Wright, career coach at The Wright Career Solution, where we help managers and emerging executives tell their career stories and get hired.

Filed Under: Job Search, Monday Morning Rx Tagged With: Career, career coach, Career Musings, career stories, comfort zone, Daisy Wright, emerging executives, managers, Monday Morning Rx, Monday Rx, The Wright Career Solution

Is Your Resume Telling Your Story?

August 5, 2013 by Daisy Leave a Comment

This is your Monday Morning Rx…a weekly does of career inspiration (or humour)!

Once upon a time there was a resume that thought it was the best resume in town. It had an Objective that focused on what it wanted from the employer; followed by a series of job description statements and ended with References Available on Request. The resume looked at itself in the mirror and was quite pleased with its appearance.

Off to the job boards it went – Workopolis, Monster, Indeed, Eluta – where it applied for all the jobs that were available, whether it met the qualifications or not. It was so busy applying that it forgot to customize itself for each position. This resume then to sat and waited…and waited… for calls! It started thinking, “I have sent out so many resumes, why am I not being called for interviews?”

After a frustrating few weeks, it found the courage to call one of the employers. It was told that they received the resume but it was tossed into “File 13”. “What is File 13?” the resume asked. “The garbage bin”, the employer answered. “You did not include any achievement stories, neither did you demonstrate how the company would benefit from what you had to offer.”

As you can imagine, that was not a happy-ever-after story for this resume. It had to go back to the writing board to think of strategies to create an effective resume. Luckily it found a blog post on 5 Ways to Get Your Resume Ready for Prime Time.

Moral of the story… A resume that dresses itself up with a ‘me-focussed’ Objective; a laundry list of job descriptive statements instead of success stories, and a meaningless References Available on Request declaration, will never tell a convincing story or open doors.

While I can’t lay claim to the resume acronym below, it clearly illustrates that to capture an employer’s attention, a storytelling resume must contain:

Relevant

Experiences and

Skills, which are

Understood and

Measured by

Employers

What about your resume? Is it telling a compelling story? If not, it’s time to seek help.

Hope you received some resume inspiration from today’s dose of Monday Morning Rx.

Filed Under: Monday Morning Rx, Resumes Tagged With: achievements, Career, career coach, interview, Job Search, Monday Morning Rx, Monday Rx, resume, Resumes, story, storytelling resume

Monday Rx: Surround Yourself With ‘Possibility Thinkers’

November 7, 2011 by Daisy Leave a Comment

Happy Monday!

What does Monday Rx have to do with your career or job search? Everything! In the midst of a job search or career transition it’s easy to become discouraged. The purpose of the Monday Rx is to lift your spirits, so take a respite from whatever you are doing and savour these words!

Henry Emerson Fosdick said, “Have the daring to accept yourself as a bundle of possibilities and undertake the game of making the most of your best.”

Today, surround yourself with ‘possibility thinkers’:

Those who believe in your dreams;

Those who will motivate and inspire you to stretch beyond your comfort zone;

Those who will help you reach your goal.

Look around for ‘possibility thinkers’ within and outside your network. You will need them in your corner when the going gets rough.

To your success,

Image: Attributed to Kelly Rae Roberts Wall Art

Filed Under: Monday Morning Rx Tagged With: believe in your dreams, Career, career coach, career transition, Daisy Wright, dreams, encouragement, goal, goals, Job Search, Monday Rx, network

Don’t Allow the D’s in Your Life to Defeat You

October 27, 2011 by Daisy Leave a Comment

Although my primary role is that of a career coach and professional résumé writer, one day out of the week I write the Monday Rx blog post hoping to wipe away the Monday Morning Blues and offer encouragement and hope to my readers, whether or not they are clients. This week’s post missed the Monday mark and ended up as the main article for my CareerTips2Go newsletter. Here it is:

Norman Vincent Peale, author of The Power of Positive Thinking is one of my all-time favourite persons. While preparing to write my usual Monday Rx blog post, I picked up the Miniature Edition of his book and it opened at the chapter “I Don’t Believe in Defeat”. What serendipity! That’s exactly what I was going to write about. For starters, here’s a quote from the chapter:

“If you are thinking thoughts of defeat, I urge you to rid yourself of such thoughts, for as you think defeat you tend to get it. Adopt the “I don’t believe in defeat” attitude.”

We all go through rough times when we believe that everything is about to fall and fail. At such times, all the ‘D’s seem to surround us: Defeat, Doubt, Despair, Discouragement, and Disappointment. Don’t allow them to defeat you. Analyze them for what they are, get them out of the way and move on to something more productive. Today’s post not only offers tips on how to get rid of all the ‘D’s in your life, but I have included relevant quotes to support and strengthen you.

Defeat – We are not going to win at everything we set out do, no matter how hard we try. We are going to meet setbacks. However, “being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent”, said Marlene vos Savant

Doubt – Are you beginning to doubt yourself and your abilities? Look deep within and you will realize you have all that it takes to succeed. Don’t allow the negative committee in your head, or anyone else for that matter, to tell you anything different! “Feed your faith until your doubts starve to death.” Anonymous

Despair – If you are feeling anxious about something, I suggest you take a walk in the woods to refresh your mind and recharge your energy, watch a movie or listen to some music – anything that will get you in a state of relaxation. As Dolly Parton said, “If you’re feeling low, don’t despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back up every morning.”

Discouragement – Have you given it all you have got and you haven’t seen the results? Are you at the point where you are ready to give up? Hang in there. “Never be discouraged. Never hold back. Give it everything you’ve got. And when you fall, fall forward.” Dr. Denzil Washington

Disappointment – Are you disappointed over something or someone? Somebody didn’t come through for you, or the news you received was not what you were expecting? Be encouraged. What might be a disappointment today may be a blessing in disguise tomorrow. Eliza Tabor said, “Disappointment to a noble soul is what cold water is to burning metal; it strengthens, tempers, intensifies, but never destroys it.”

If those ‘D’s do get in your way, don’t allow them to defeat you. Defeat them instead! I hope you found this message uplifting. You are always welcome to add your comments.

Need a résumé, interview coaching or career advice? Contact me at info[at]thewrightcareer.com or 647-930-4763. You can also visit www.thewrightcareer.com.