We DO Make Progress!

This is for all the people (like me) who want to get where we are going MUCH faster than we are going!

I am a slow walker, but I never walk backwards.

- Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President

A shopping site you can't NOT join! ask me about it.

Fashion Industry Job Sites

I know someone interested in changing careers to enter the design industry, focusing on fashion. I found a bunch of job search sites for the fashion industry. I said to her:

"Looking at the jobs will give you an idea of what is out there and what kind of qualifications you need to have. That information is essential for you to craft a plan for getting to where you want to go."

Starting a career change is as much about gathering information from external sources as it is about gathering internal information about what moves you, challenges you, excites you. So these are places to explore the fashion bug!

www.fashioncareers.com
on-line career center of WWD and Footwear News. Has many jobs of many types, including 144 today in NYC. Lots of footwear jobs, as well as apparel.

www.stylecareers.com
The best companies, the most jobs: "Use StyleCareers to find your next job in the fashion industry"
Many jobs are on this site today including more than 250 jobs in NYC.

www.fashion.net/jobs
the guide to all things chic with "an abundance of hip positions and internships"
Fewer jobs than the first two sites, but still plenty, with wide variety. 14 today in NYC.

www.creativejobscentral.com/fashion-jobs
A CreativeJobsCentral.com site: The best source of fashion industry jobs
Need to give them your e-mail address to enter site. Then you cannot see jobs unless you join the site. Membership costs between $10.50 for each of 3 months and $13.99 for 1 month. They claim 4000+ jobs. Because of the restriction, it's hard to tell if they actually have the jobs.

www.fashion-careers.biz
We have the best opportunities for every type of fashion job! At 24 Seven, we work with some of the top names in the fashion industry. Our clients have hundreds of freelance and full time positions available. Apply today for a career in: accessories and apparel design, advertising, entertainment, action sports, home furnishings, marketing, corporate retail and beauty.
This company does recruiting for the industry and its ads and jobs are also featured on fashioncareers.com and stylecareers.com.

www.fashioncareercenter.com/jobboard
"Browse fashion jobs across the country in a variety of industries, or post your resume for potential employers to see. Your fashion career could start right here!"
76 jobs today from past 90 days were posted. 29 were in LA and 11 in NY.

ww.wellthreaded.com
"careers made to fit"
This site appears to have very few jobs overall, none today in NYC.

www.apparelsearch.com/employment and www.apparelsearch.com
"Apparel Search is an apparel industry directory providing members of the fashion industry with links to virtually every aspect of apparel, fashion, textiles, and clothing."
These sites warehouse fashion jobs from other Internet sites. Today they had 1,459 jobs from around the Web.

www.vault.com
"Vault will be the indispensable provider of information and solutions for professionals and students who are pursuing and managing high-potential careers. We will achieve this goal by delivering the timely and actionable insider information and advice that allows them to define and achieve personal success at every stage of their careers."
You must join the site to see jobs; two levels of membership, Basic which is free and Gold which costs a minimum of $45 ($15 for each of 3 months). While there isn't a "fashion" category of jobs, by entering "fashion" into the search engine as a keyword, it looked like there were 9 jobs in NY today.

fashion.about.com
So you want to do fashion for a living? Find out more about the best jobs and where to find them.
This really is a basic research site to learn more about the kinds of jobs there are in fashion and become familiar with the various companies and hiring agencies. While the site appears to have a job search capability (divided into Fashion, Merchandising, Retail and Fashion Design), the links take you to sites full of advertising. Use only for research!

www.thefashiontool.com
www.themarketerstool.com
www.theretailtool.com
A group of human resources and executive search professionals from different industries.
This also is a membership site. To view the most jobs, you need to join www.fashionjobspro.com. Minimum is $14.95 for one month, $45.95 for six months and $54.95 for 12 months. You can also join at different levels, which may include a resume review and a coaching session (also available for separate fees).

www.clothingindustryjobs.com
Fashion Industry jobs employment careers!
Many jobs are in LA, Hong Kong and Dubai (only a couple in NY).

www.partnerup.com
PartnerUp is a Web 2.0 online community for small business owners and entrepreneurs. We enable business owners and entrepreneurs to connect with other business-minded people. They can get advice and answers to their questions, find helpful resources, or simply chat about whatever issues are facing their businesses.
While it was suggested on several sites for networking, I'm not sure how because I'm not yet familiar with the site's capacity.

Interesting group of Job Search sites

I just found this search engine, The Job Tool- really, a suite of search engines focused on different industries.

www.TheEntertainmentTool.com
www.TheExecutiveTool.com
www.TheFashionTool.com
www.TheFinanceTool.com
www.TheGraphicDesignTool.com
www.TheHospitalityTool.com
www.TheInternshipTool.com
www.TheMarketersTool.com
www.TheNonProfitTool.com
www.TheNursingTool.com
www.ThePublicRelationsTool.com
www.TheRetailTool.com
www.TheSalesTool.com
www.TheSportsTool.com
www.TheTechTool.com

Here's what they say about themselves:

We are a group of human resources and executive search professionals from different industries. We agreed that job boards were often hit or miss but certainly not a fad. Furthermore, these sites, this world, had so much promise as a meeting place for employers and candidates that it was impossible to ignore. For two years we studied general and niche job boards extracting positive pieces and excluding the cumbersome. For two years we listened to employers and candidates needs and forecasts. For the last year we found a better, faster and more fluid way to build not a job board but an employment community. We are here, committed to changing with the needs of your business and your career. Our sites are run by niche experts and developed by you.

While you can view a certain number of jobs for free, many of the jobs are for viewing only by members.

The minimum cost is $14.95 for a month, which will renew automatically month after month unless you cancel it. You also can purchase a six month ($45.95) or twelve month (54.95) membership. With a paid membership, the site also offers resume critique (NOT rewrite) for $39.95, 1/2 hour career coaching sessions at $90/hour, and resume creation for $225.

I have not experienced these services so cannot comment on their effectiveness.

Watch TV, Be Less Happy?

There was a recent study that showed a correlation between unhappiness and the amount of TV people watched (see www.reuters.com). The University of Maryland found that "unhappy people watch more TV while those consider themselves happy spend more time reading and socializing."

I wondered if it was true for me. These days, I do watch a little TV, not as much as I did when I lived alone in NYC and didn't have a lot of friends because they moved away to other states. I was unhappy and I watched more TV.

So I moved to the 'burbs to be near my sister and her family. Now I'm happy and don't watch TV very much. I think that how happy I am controls how much TV I watch. I don't know if watching TV makes me unhappy. Of course, when I watch TV, I don't have interaction with other human beings so that may end up making me unhappy.

One exception: I usually watch TV with my 6 year old niece, and we end up having lots more fun later when we sing the songs or talk about the shows and their lessons.

Really, I'd rather be with other people. However, it is certainly a great conversation piece to be able to comment on the latest developments in a certain show. For me, it's Heroes and CSI as well as various home improvement shows and Biggest Loser. Also I watch some news and financial stations. Now those definitely make me unhappy, because I'm taking in bad news (especially these days!)

Reminding ourselves to have better habits

Samuel Johnson wrote, “Man needs more to be reminded than instructed.” So true.

I find that it's important to maintain constant vigilance when I am developing a new habit. I have tons of information and not always the willingness to use it for my own benefit. Developing willingness comes about internally, but it also is helped when I am constantly surrounded by reinforcing messages that I will benefit from using the information.

For example, as I work to let go of my excess weight, I find it very helpful to be reminded that I can do it, that it will benefit me if I do it, and that there are other people out there doing it, too. So I seek out sites and people that provide those reinforcing reminders. So far it's working and I'm changing my eating habits - putting all that "instruction" to good use, at long last.

Coping with loss

How do you deal with loss in a healthy way? Some ways I've found helped me after big losses:

* Talking to people who love me, and finding at least one person who has the patience to listen to me over and over and over and over and over...

* Getting angry, knowing that I will have plenty of time to forgive and I don't have to do it now. Anger is energizing and healthier than depression, IMHO.

* Not turning to food because I end up feeling worse about myself when I overeat, and forgiving myself for any overindulgences while getting back on track.

* Posting here, there and everywhere as a way to vent and process my feelings.

Maybe you do the same kind of things. If you don't, try one or two - it may help you feel better.

Follow your own path

Listen to all, plucking a feather from every passing goose, but follow no one absolutely.

- Chinese proverb

Keep taking action!

I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him.

- Eleanor Roosevelt, human rights advocate

What Oprah Knows For Sure

In the November issue of O Magazine, Oprah lists 20 things that she "knows for sure." I like these the most:

#4 When people show you who they are they are, believe them the first time. (A lesson from Maya Angelou.)

#11 Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn't lie.

#18 Doubt means don't. Don't move. Don't answer. Don't rush forward.

Of course, there are so many other amazing insights from Oprah and from the many people she asked to share what they "know for sure." It's a great magazine that supports all of us to grow, and grow happy.

The Making of a Habit

This is an article I read today at www.sparkpeople.com that is so clear and helpful.

I think I can speak for many when I say this journey to a healthier you isn’t as easy as it’s cracked up to be. If all we had to do is eat better, get in some good cardio, do a little strength training here and there, and manage our stress, then certainly we should be at our goal in no time. Right?

Once again it isn't always quite that easy as many of you know. And I think I may have been given a key to the reason why we struggle to get to our goal--it all has to do with one little word--habit.

As many of you already know, I am a runner. Over the summer I worked with a running coach to help me gain a better perspective on this sport. On this particular June morning Coach Lee took me and my fellow running pals to the local high school track for some speed drills. As we were working on the drills I was having issues with my right foot not aligning correctly. Every few minutes I would hear the following words echoing across the track from the far side, “Keep your feet straight, Nancy.” It seemed like these words were a constant stream every time I ran around the track. By the time we were done, I think I heard that phrase a bazillion times. I was so frustrated because just when I felt I was doing the so-called ‘right way’ of running, there was Coach Lee shouting yet again, “Keep your feet straight, Nancy.”

We started heading back to the gym and I was not a happy camper, to say the least. I felt the harder I was trying the more I would hear those words. I finally decided to tell Coach Lee just how I felt.

And this is what he said, “I am your cue, Nancy. I am going to tell you when you start to falter so that YOU will recognize when you are falling back into your old habits. This is so you can work on recognizing it for yourself. In order for something to become sub-conscious or natural, you must make a conscious connection to the habit in which you want to break or make.”

Let me tell you, I have never ever looked at any habit, good or bad, any other way since. Here is a kid, just out of college, telling me a woman, old enough to be his mother, how to make a habit. I think that is what we often refer to as Aha! moment or as I like to see it--a blessing.

And you know, I think he is onto something. In order for us to make or break a habit we must consciously be aware of what we are doing until we change permanently; therefore, we no longer have to think, we just do. If we don’t learn how to cue ourselves to change than we fall prey to living the same way we always have.

These are the little voices inside our heads that tell us that we deserve to live a healthy lifestyle. Soon one voice is exchanged for another and then another, but when they are all working in conjunction WE HAVE MADE A HABIT! .

So from now on whenever I hear those infamous words, “Keep your feet straight, Nancy” I will not listen with a critical heart but instead be grateful that Coach Lee was willing to teach me just not to think but do.

Has anyone inspired you to make or break a habit? Do you find that it is harder to break bad habits or make good habits? What habits have you finally let go and what habits have you embraced?

By: Nancy Howard, 10/29/2008

Find your voice

When you engage in a work that taps your talent and fuels your passion--that rises out of a great need in the world that you feel drawn by conscience to meet--therein lies your voice, your calling, your soul's code.

- Stephen Covey, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness

New Education Ideas

How can we help children learn better? View this edutopia.org/sir-ken-robinson-creativity-part-two-video, read this edutopia.org/bright-idea-gaming-creative-teaching, and view this bookosphere.net/briteidea.htm.

Surprising quote from Nietzsche

Who would have thought this sentiment could come from from the guy who seems to have invented existentialism and nihilism?

"Much more happiness is to be found in the world than gloomy eyes discover." Friedrich Nietzsche

The point is made yet again: it's our attitude that matters!

Optimism comes from the Latin word optimus, meaning "best." So it's our choice to look for the best in life's happenings.

The Habit of Self-Denigration

Today, I spoke to 2 women who are doing so much in their lives. Yet both feel terrible about themselves. One is depressed, and the other is looking at what she hasn't done. When I point out to each of them how successful they are in certain areas, they seem to automatically contradict me or point out something they haven't done.

It's the "automatic" part that makes me suspect that these women are in the habit of feeling bad about themselves - at least in some part.

I know the habit of self-denigration very well in my experience, and it is a VERY hard one to break. How do you do it?

Start with awareness. Be aware that you do it. Notice when you put yourself down. That's the first step toward change.

Then accept that you do put yourself down. A little bit of understanding "why" helps.

Mostly though, it's important to switch thoughts. If you catch yourself doing it, stop. Substitute a positive thought. For example, if you catch yourself saying "I'm so lazy," instead try saying "I'm so silly for thinking I'm lazy!" or "I must be tired because if I had energy, I'd do it" or "maybe I don't want to do this thing, that's why I'm not doing it." Just try it!

Attitude is just about everything

There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.

~W. Clement Stone

Reaching a Healthy Weight

Check out Sparkpeople.com if you want to get to a healthy weight. I'm finding that it is helping me articulate and then make progress toward my goals.

Focusing on reaching a healthy weight is so much more empowering than "trying to lose weight." Who wants to be a loser? Not me! And that's probably why I have been unsuccessful in previous "weight loss" campaigns.

Rob Riopel from Peak Potentials said at a seminar that he doesn't like to talk about losing weight because we usually try to find what we lose. And I always find my lost weight again. He suggested reframing it as "releasing weight." That made so much sense to me.

Now, I catch myself saying "losing" weight and realize it feels so depressed and "loser-like" - no longer feels natural. I much prefer thinking of it as letting go and releasing of weight I no longer need.

In my early 30's, I put on a lot of weight when I worked for a government agency and few people respected me. I needed to be able to "throw my weight around" plus eating seemed to soothe my anxiety and stress.

It occurs to me, as well, that the phrase "gained weight" is not useful for me. "Gains" are usually positive. However, in my case, adding on weight was not a positive thing. It was putting on a disguise, a shield, some armor to protect myself from the outside world that felt hostile and unfriendly. So the weight was not really a "gain" - it was protection and a burden. So maybe a better term is "took on weight."

Today, I don't need to take on any more weight or burdens. I can shed or let go of excess in all areas of life - from clutter to pounds, from ill-fitting clothes to random stuff.

It's a relief to talk about my weight - something of which I've been ashamed. So I am letting go of the shame - yet another unnecessary burden.

Nelson Mandela quote

This is an amazing quote that tells me to be fully myself, as powerful as I am and can be.

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

Focus especially on making choices that move you toward your greatness, your power. Sometimes I know I am headed in that direction because some others around me get upset. As long as I stay in my own power, sure and confident in my decision, these others get the opportunity to conquer their fear and anger. My sureness and confidence allows me to be loving and compassionate toward them, rather than upset at their upset. The love I extend feels safe and can help dissipate fear.

ONE GOAL - Great advice from BizWeb E-gazette (with my added comments)

Here's a great answer to the question of "why am I not making money on the web?" I apply this answer to other questions like "why am I not reaching my goals?" and "I keep trying, but I'm not succeeding - why?"

The first thing you need to do is focus your efforts to a SINGLE project. For most people that starts with minimizing information overload and paralysis by analysis.

Reduce the number of newsletters and ebooks you read each week. Do not worry about losing out on the latest information. Chances are, you already have enough information to put yourself on the path to success if you just use whatever you've got now instead of perpetually reading, studying and learning the so-called latest method in internet marketing.

Do you think the gurus got to where they are by constantly reading e-books without doing actual marketing?

Spend your time such that it gives maximum returns everyday. Maximum returns are NOT attained from reading e-books, watching videos and listening to podcasts. You don't make any money doing those activities.

Sure, learning is essential but if you spend too much time on educating yourself, you can actually minimize your income potential. So set aside just two hours every Friday for those learning activities.

The next step is to start spending ALL of your other work time doing tasks that actually make you money.

I'll add that it's beneficial to focus on ONE GOAL instead of several. Work toward that one goal.

First, of course, we need to settle on that ONE GOAL. Choosing sometimes seems impossible.

My experience is that when I focus on ONE GOAL, I start to experience success in that area. That success provides more motivation for me to keep working at that ONE GOAL. Eventually, this success feeds my motivation and energy to tackle another goal.

Selecting the ONE GOAL can be difficult. I try to determine what's most important to me RIGHT NOW.

* Am I worried about money, afraid I won't be able to pay my bills or retire in the future? Then the ONE GOAL is to achieve financial stability.

* Am I overweight and worried about my health because of it? Am I afraid I'll get diabetes or have a heart attack or stroke sometime in the future? Then my ONE GOAL is to release my extra weight, to let it go!

Essentially I know enough to do almost anything. If I don't, I can set aside some time to learn more. Also I can learn from my experiences from doing. So I just take action - the next step.

Check out Bizweb2000 for more info.

Worthy of Love by Karen Casey

I have to share this amazing passage. It brought tears to my eyes with its simple and powerful message.

The salvation of man is through love and in love.
--Viktor Frankl

The panhandler on the busy street corner reels forsaken. The elderly woman whose phone doesn't ring stares through a gap in her drawn drapes and wonders if she's been forgotten. And awaiting the prayed for visit from a potential foster parent, the child is fearfully certain he won't be acceptable.

The tragedy is that so few of us have experienced whole and unconditional love from the significant people in our lives. So few of us are certain of our value in the lives of others. For parents and teachers we performed to earn their favor. From friends we expected acceptance, yet sometimes we bought it. And because we haven't known the pleasure of unconditional love but have been perpetually in search of it, we've not felt adequate to offer it to others. It's difficult to give away what we fear we don't have; yet, paradoxically, that's the key to our salvation.

As we give others our love, we'll likewise experience a greater measure of it. And it need not come from outside. It will, instead, well up from within. We each have the power of personal salvation. All we must do is love.

From Worthy of Love by Karen Casey

Twitter

I love Twitter! It's interesting to follow other people, yes. But the real value for me is that I have a chronicle about my thoughts and activities. I don't Twitter every day or every hour of the day - I try for every two days, though.

I use the updates as the basis for blogging. It gives me great practice in pithy writing, too! With 140 characters, there's no room for perfection, either.

I recommend Twittering for writers who may qualify for "Extra Sentences Anonymous," the recovery program for people who say too much.

(You know there isn't really such a program...)

Starting a Successful Business

I just love finding free things that expand my knowledge and consciousness!

I was just listening to audio hosted by Elizabeth Marshall of The Knack, a book written by Norm Brodsky & Bo Burlingham (Inc. Magazine Columnists). The book sounds as if it contains very practical advice about setting up a solid business - moving beyond vision into the real, simple steps of making it work. Check out Norm & Bo's book here: http://snipurl.com/knackbook.

FYI, Elizabeth Marshall is the Host and Founder of AuthorTeleseminars.com (by the way, I just like the book - I'm not an affiliate).

Antidotes to Worry

There seems to be a lot to worry about these days. In my experience, worry doesn't actually do anything. It does, however, often cause stress, anger, and short tempers. I observe then that the worrier tends to take their stress out on people we really love, with yelling, curtness, impatience, crabbiness, etc. Usually what follows is guilt and remorse, because we know we've hurt people we love.

So I try not to worry. How do I do that? Action and planning and faith are my antidotes to worry.

There's always a next step to take, be it gathering information from knowledgeable sources or not purchasing that thing that seemed so necessary or saving a little bit of money each day. We don't know what might happen, so it pays to be cautious right now. I am being prudent in my plans, putting things off and being a little less ambitious, as well as lengthening my time horizon from a year to five or ten years from now. Finally, I trust in my God. I will always be OK as long as I have faith that I will always be OK. No matter what happens, I will have the strength to find a solution. Faith helps me be open to a solution appearing to me.

Remember the story about the devout guy who's in a flood? He goes to the second floor of his house, saying "God will provide!" A boat comes by and the people say "climb in! we'll take you to safety." He says, "no thanks, God will provide!" The water gets higher and he's in the attic. Another boat of people come by saying "come on, get in, time's running out!" Again he tells them "no, God will provide!" Finally, he's on the roof of his house when a helicopter comes by and drops a line. He shakes his head, shouting "God will provide!" Of course, he drowns. When he gets to heaven, he asks God "why did you let me drown?" God says, "I sent two boats and a helicopter - what more did you want?"

For me the moral of the story is that answers, help, and solutions are all around me if only I let go of my idea of what the help should look like. Once I take off my blinders of certainty, I get a new view of the world. Openness to all the universe has to offer is a key element of my faith - now, more than ever!

Another Job Search Resource

Emily Kovak from CareerJet writes:

We would like to recommend the addition of our site Careerjet, an employment search engine for the USA. In one simple search, Careerjet gives the job seeker access to a massive selection of jobs that are compiled from various internet sources, saving the trouble of having to visit each site individually.

Some of our embeddable tools might be of interest to you:
JobBox - see http://www.careerjet.com/partners/jobbox.html
SearchBox - see http://www.careerjet.com/partners/searchbox.html

We hope this site will interest you and can be included in your listings.

Thank you.

Sure thing, Emily! I'm always looking for more great resources to help people find the work they love so I'm glad you found my site.

More doing good at work resources

A program of the Skoll Foundation, socialedge.org has "great jobs in social entrepreneurship."

Cool Quote

Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.

Siddhartha Guatama Buddha : Indian mystic, founder of Buddhism Buddha

Using LinkedIn

Networking is the key strategy for getting the kind of work you love to do. We often hear about using LinkedIn as a networking tool.

How do you use it, though? Is it really worth the time and effort to set up your profile? I think so. Several people I know have gotten great jobs doing what they love simply because they reconnected with past colleagues and bosses, or with classmates and friends. And I've used it to introduce people to each other. This helped several people build their own professional networks, and resulted in several people getting interviews.

For more ideas, check out http://blog.linkedin.com/blog/2007/07/ten-ways-to-use.html. This article helps fill in some of the blanks on how to use LinkedIn to further our work goals.

Does anyone else have ideas for how to use LinkedIn? I'd love to see your comments on how you've used it to help yourself or someone else.

Doing well and doing good

Justmeans.com is "the trading floor for social responsibility." Its mission is to equip individuals with the networks, news and jobs needed to create positive change. It currently has offices in NYC, London and India.

Social Venture Network (SVN) transforms the way the world does business by leveraging its members' collective strengths of leadership, knowledge and enterprise for a more just and sustainable economy. They have job openings at mission-driven organizations.

Net Impact is an international nonprofit organization whose mission is to make a positive impact on society by growing and strengthening a community of new leaders who use business to improve the world. We offer a portfolio of programs to educate, equip, and inspire more than 10,000 members to make a tangible difference in their universities, organizations, and communities.

Natural Pest Control from The Old Farmers' Almanac

From the August 26, 2008 e-newsletter:

Herbs can be used for pest control. Dried wormwood, yarrow, santolina, tansy, mint, and lavender are traditional moth repellents. If you find unwanted creatures in your kitchen, don’t reach for the poison. For example, discourage ants trailing in and out with sprigs of pennyroyal or wipe your counters with vinegar.

If it’s your pet that’s bothered, try putting a drop of lemon oil or oil of rosemary on its collar for flea control.

To sign up for this newsletter full of useful and interesting information about the natural world and agriculture, go to Alamanac.com/newsletter.

Changing my attitude toward change

Madeline Gerwick of the Good Timing Guide recently posted this information that helps put change into perspective.

In addition to the explosive and volatile energies of Mars opposite Uranus, plus two eclipses, now we have the cycle of Mars square Pluto in range. It will be with us through August 25th and it peaks on August 16th, just in time for the Lunar Eclipse!

I'm sure that’s no accident. The Universe is sending us a BIG message here. It wants us to focus on what really motivates us. What gets us out of bed in the morning? What makes us feel alive and juicy? What actions do we take that inspire us to move forward in our lives? If we’re not feeling that way, it’s time to reassess what motivates us, and take different actions.

This can feel like a crisis as we go through this process and realize that what we’re doing isn’t working for us any more. It’s OK. We’re all making rapid changes now and since we’re going to continue making rapid changes, nothing is ever going to stay the same. We need to go through this process periodically.

I find the last paragraph completely applicable to any time of change. If one is feeling overwhelmed by everything that's going on now, it is helpful to remember that this is natural to feel. And I always try to allow my natural curiosity to come forth. When I say "gee, I wonder what's going to happen next!", I feel my spirit lightening. I'm no longer oppressed by the unknown, I'm excited by the unfolding that is on its way.

Great quote

"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew." - Cicely Tyson

Free Tools for Self-Development

I just found a wonderfully generous site, www.destinies.com. It's put together by Peggy McColl, New York Times best-selling author and internationally recognized expert in the area of goal achievement.

On the site, you can take her Destiny Switch Emotional Analysis, a way to gauge where you are in your thinking about abundance. The "test" addresses practically every aspect of emotions, using twelve scales:

Kindness/Unkindness
Bliss/Depression
Love/Hate
Calm/Rage
Worthiness/Worthlessness
Harmony/Loneliness
Wonder/Emptiness
Faith/Worry
Courage/Cowardice
Confidence/Insecurity
Inspiration/Discouragement
Abundance/Impoverishment

Examining emotions is critical, for they are the foundation on which a fulfilling, abundant, happy life is built.

Be honest! It's the only way to know where you are and to identify the opportunities for you to grow.

In addition, there are other free tools - a video that gives a great explanation about why it's important to focus on the positive, a set of short audios on building the habit of focusing on abundance.

And of course, she is selling her book, Your Destiny Switch: Master Your Key Emotions, and Attract the Life of Your Dreams. It explains the time-tested principles for creating wealth and how to alter your behaviors and emotions to actually change the nature of your relationship with the powerful stream of abundance that you can tap into at any time.

I just purchased Your Destiny Switch as well as 21 Distinctions of Wealth. McColl gives away so much that I really liked, I'm sure there is a lot more value in the books. I like to reward people who offer such amazing value for free. Here's the link again: www.destinies.com.

Facing a Life Transition?

The book Transitions by William Bridges is a framework for understanding your process during this transition period. He wrote it 27 years ago and it's still as fresh today as when he wrote it.

The Hunger Site

To do my bit every day to help fight hunger, I click on TheHungerSite.com. Once there, I click on the indicated box. Sponsors donate a certain amount of food per click, to various US and international charities.

I also tab through to click-and-help other causes: breast cancer (free mammograms); child health (free health care); literacy (free books); rainforest (habitat protection); and animal rescue (food and care).

While not the only way I contribute, it's a simple daily thing I can do to support groups working in these important areas. The practice maintains my awareness of the causes, reminds me of how fortunate I am, and helps me continue the cycle of give/receive.

All that, and it takes about 30 seconds - literally!

You can sign up for a daily reminder with a click-through at TheHungerSite.com.

The Glow Project

View the trailer for an upcoming DVD from The Glow Project.

It's intended to help women tap into their inner strength and assets, by showcasing the lives of 14 very successful women and how they overcame severe challenges. The trailer focuses on the challenges. I assume the DVD then focuses on their solution - apparently tapping into their "glow."

The trailer is very slickly produced, testament to the professional abilities of the women it features. If that sounds like damning faint praise, perhaps it is. I'm always a little leery of these highly produced products that promise much and end up delivering not so much. Like The Secret.

The Secret promised to give us "the" answer to getting what we want from life. All it did for me was repeat something I've heard for decades, albeit in a very dramatic, telegenic way: think positively. For many people, including me, the question then was "so how do I do that?" I wanted tools. Supposedly, The Glow provides them. I will definitely check it out.

Free Internet Tools

I sign up for LOTS of free things on the web, following the paths that open up click by click. Today, I landed on eazyclick.com, a site offering a bunch of free tools to help people start an internet business. Dave Boardman, one of the founders of Netscape, started this site. According to him:

The information and products available on this website are free for you to download, you have open access to some of the best "how to" products available on the Internet today ...and you can turn them around and sell them for a profit if you want. It's totally up to you.

Why am I giving away products for free? Well, I believe that If I help you ...you will probably help me in return (it's called reciprocity) ...it's a simple principle that really works plus it feels great to help others!

All I ask is that you opt in to my newsletter so that I can keep you up to date with the latest techniques and new products I discover (but there's no obligation to buy anything).

There is a lot of stuff, some of which looks really great. I'm off to check out my downloads now.

The SoulMate Oracle

The SoulMate Oracle is located at AskAlana.com, a site devoted to teaching and insights from the collective energy of Heart, who asked to be called Alana (because of the three sacred, and heart-activating "ah" sounds). Alana is channeled by Sandy Breckenridge, an intuitive.

I found the site years ago when searching for my sister Alana's name on the web. As my twin, she certainly is my mirror! And in Irish, Alana (Ah-layn-ah) means "beloved one."

Over time I've read lots of insightful messages on the site to support my growth. So whether one "believes" in channeled energy or not, the content is definitely helpful.

Here's what the site says about Alana:

Alana is essentially the same energy or vibration that dwells within the hearts of all humanity. This collective heart energy has found a way to communicate to us directly, through Sandy. When we receive an answer from Alana, the response is a mirror of the intention behind the presented question...Alana is the energy of our hearts mirrored back to us.

"Alana" says of "herself":

Alana-being is all heart...Alana tone is this same vibration coming forth so that you may know your heart. You see, many have asked to feel and remember their spiritual essence, which lies within their heart. So Alana so willingly comes forth, blended with Sandy-being, to be a mirror of you. Alana is here to play with you and support you in awakening to your grand self... Sandy-being has spent many lifetimes learning how to be connected to her heart so that she may be a mouth piece for the energy of heart, which is Alana. Do understand that the name, Alana, is purely a tone and not a needed personification of identity. It is a way to direct intention, therefore the tone which comes from the spoken word of Alana awakens the heart.

Encouraging Quote

Hellen Keller said:

"Do not think of today's failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourself a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles."

True Value Color Quiz

Have some fun and find out your "color." Visit truevaluepaint.com.

My color personality per this site is black. The site says:

Nothing can stand between you and your demand for a calm environment. To be free of conflict and disagreement is the only way to live. In fact, it’s this philosophy that probably allows you to be comfortable in conditions that would normally bother others. Your ability to focus is undisputed, and while you enjoy attention, you still have problems understanding how to handle it. No other color out lives by the golden rule as much as you do.

It's actually pretty accurate, given that I proposed a thesis topic on how to eliminate conflict, at which my advisor laughed quite scornfully. As if we really can live conflict-free lives! Well, actually, I mostly do. It's taken many years to get here, but hey - it was worth the wait and is a much more pleasant way to live.

Of course, you can also go to the Better Homes & Gardens Color Personality Quiz which gave me quite a different result - Yellow!

Like yellow's strongest symbol, the sun, you radiate warmth. Others love to be around you because you have a gift for always looking on the bright side, and your ready smile can be infectious. Chances are your calendar is packed -- yellow lovers tend to be always on the go! Your signature color indicates someone imaginative and creative, so don't be afraid to express yourself through the way you dress and the way you decorate your home. Cheerful yellow is the ideal hue for a kitchen, laundry room, or any room that needs some extra brightness.

Since I am optimistic and painted my kitchen yellow, I guess this is a classic example of a couple of adages:

1) we are complex beings made up of many parts
2) take what you like and leave the rest.

Salary information

To get basic salary range information, go to Michaelpage.com. Michael Page International is a 30 year old UK-based company with operations in the UK, Continental Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Americas. MPI helps employers find top-notch talent and people to find great jobs. The site has a "salary finder" so you can find out how much others in your geographic area are being paid for jobs similar to those you seek.

Self Growth website

Selfgrowth.com is a site that provides information to help people improve their lives. It includes resources on many different topics, from goal-setting to stress management and becoming more positive. Many articles are free and so many of them are really helpful.

Tip for the Day

Dannette Hibberd at fabat40.com sent me this reminder:

As the autopilot controls the height at which a 747 cruises
in flight, your opinion of yourself determines how high you
fly in life.

If you constantly criticise yourself, you're lowering your
altitude.

Be gentle on yourself and watch how fast you start to climb!

LinkedIn

I constantly recommend LinkedIn to people as a way to connect with people around work-related issues. I have a profile that makes it easy for people to see what I'm doing and what I've done in the past. I have a network of people to whom my contacts can connect, for information, interviews, references, services - you name it. I know people who've gotten jobs through reconnecting with former employers or colleagues. It's simply the most relevant networking site out there for professionals in any field.

Giving and Receiving

Many people find it easier to give to others than to receive. It's easier to pay someone a compliment than to say "thank you" when someone compliments you. Or it's easier to make time to help someone with their job search than to ask someone else to give you that time.

Here's what I had to do to get over that reluctance to receive.

I realized how good I feel when I help someone else, and they are really thankful for it. So how can I deny other people that same pleasure?

By receiving a gift from someone, I give them a gift in return - the gift of good feeling and satisfaction.

Truth there is here

“Do or do not... there is no try.” - Yoda

Website Readability

Dale King, a member of StartUp Nation (a website by and for entrepreneurs) wrote this great article about putting together a readable website. I pass these valuable tips along exactly as he wrote them.

During the course of a day, I often visit many websites, both for business purposes and pleasure. More often than not, I find websites that have poor readability. What do I mean by poor readability? Here are the five most common readability faux pas I come across:

1. White or light text on a black or dark background. This is a readability no, no. Why? This is called text in low-contrast, and research has shown that text in low contrast irritates the reader and causes eye fatigue. Instead, use contrasting colors like black or dark text on a white or light-colored background. This is easier on the eyes, and much more reader-friendly.

2. Huge blocks of text. Readers of web pages are notorius scanners, so break up your text into shorter, bite-sized paragraphs. There's nothing worse than trying to read a paragraph that seems to never end. Most people won't even bother to try. They'll just click away and leave your site. Also, use bullets and subheads whenever possible.

3. Tiny text. Stay away from using tiny font sizes that make people squint or requires bifocals to read. Stick with 12pt font whenever possible. Or at the very least 10pt font. Conversely, don't use overly large font sizes either. And use all-capitalization sparingly.

4. Fancy fonts. Whenever possible use regular or standard font types such as Times Roman, Arial or Verdana. Try to stay away from hard to read fancy fonts, such as Italic, Comic Sans or any type of cursive fonts.

5. Too much clutter. So many websites I visit look like someone's attic. Clutter, clutter and more clutter. Have you ever visited a website that was so cluttered, your eyes didn't know where to begin to look? Do you know what I do when I come across a website like that? Instead of hanging around trying to figure things out, I leave. Don't over-crowd your webpages with text and graphics. Less is more. I personally live by the motto, "White space is a good thing!"
There are of course many other things you can do to make your website more readable. I will cover those in another article.

Action Makes the ONLY Difference

Lest I ever forget that I always can give myself credit for doing something - no matter how well or poorly, I love this quote from Teddy Roosevelt (speaking at the Sorbonne in 1910):

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”

Long ago, I heard or coined the phrase: If it's worth doing, it's worth doing badly.

Almost no one has understood that, until I explain that it's only by taking the action that I will gain experience. And through experience I can learn how to do something better - or learn that I don't want to do it again. So if I think it's worth doing, why not give it a go? So what if I do it badly? Next time, I'll do a little better.

We tell children that "practice makes perfect" yet do we actually live that way? So many adults (myself included) want to do things at an excellent level - the VERY FIRST TIME we attempt them! That's unrealistic, not to mention ridiculous.

However, this level of expectation is everywhere in our modern western world. Can you believe there is a job title of "critic?" People actually get paid to criticize other people's efforts. It's very sad. This is why so many people in the public eye learn to ignore reviews of their work or stories about them.

Most of us have our own "public" for whom we perform - our family, friends, inner voices. The lesson here is to ignore those voices that criticize us, that tell us we failed, that laugh at our attempts to follow our dreams, that discourage our taking action that might lead to a different path for us.

So the point of what Teddy and I are saying is to ignore those critics. Go ahead, take an action! It may feel risky, yet the real risk is in doing nothing and regretting it.

Networking and Job Sites

AMightyRiver.com is an online professional networking site for African American professionals to network and search for career opportunities with companies that value diversity.

iHispano.com promotes Hispanic employment and networking opportunities for Hispanic and Bilingual Professionals through its partnerships with leading Hispanic organizations and corporate clients.

I also found these sites:

newjerseyjobnetwork.com is comprised of multiple employment Web sites focusing exclusively on local communities in the State of New Jersey. The site has articles and tips for job seekers, from some unexpected sources.

jobtarget.com: a career site services company that builds and manages job posting sites for more than 1000 organizations and associations (such as the National Association of African Americans in Human Resources (NAAAHR), Gamejobs.com, Interior Design Magazine, National Association of Sales Professionals (NASP), and manufacturingjobs.com, and AHRMIO - The Association for Human Resources Management in International Organizations ), manages job opening postings for employers, and gives job seekers access to jobs from all their partners and partner sites.

efinancialcareers.com for jobs, careers, employment and recruitment in the financial sector, including banking, IT and investment banking. Part of Dice Holdings, it targets professionals working in banking and the financial markets and those firms seeking to employ them.

prohire.com is a plain vanilla site with very little descriptive material. As well as jobs, it has a good selection of "career resources," basically links to articles at About.com and other sites that are worth a click.

Social Entrepreneurship jobs

Look on www.socialedge.org for jobs in organizations that embody the principles of social entrepreneurship.

Social entrepreneurs are proven leaders whose approaches and solutions to social problems are helping to better the lives and circumstances of countless underserved or disadvantaged individuals.

FYI, the Skoll Foundation, which promotes systemic change to benefit communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs. Social Edge is the global online community where social entrepreneurs and other practitioners of the social benefit sector connect to network, learn, inspire and share resources.

The Science of Getting Rich

Brian Beshore of Bayshore Records sent me this message and wonderful book.

I would like you to have the Wallace D. Wattles classic: "The Science of Getting Rich." If you aren't familiar with this book, this is the main source for all the prosperity teachers and law of attraction programs today. It was written in 1910 but it is a timeless masterpiece.

Click on the title of this post to get your own copy.

Marcia Wieder started me on my current path

When I thought to explore the possibility of coaching people, I looked around for information about coaches. Marcia Wieder was the person who inspired me the most. Known as America's Dream Coach, Marcia modeled something I didn't see much: giving away her expertise and talent. Certainly, she doesn't give everything away - after all, this is her business. Yet I came away from her site DreamCoach.com feeling better informed, smarter, cared for, and ready to take more steps. I experienced Marcia as generous and full of integrity.

From that site, I was moved to sign up to hear Marcia as part of a series of talks sponsored by Sarah Robinson (Direct Selling Leaders.com). I learned so much that I was inspired to sign up for Sarah's entire course. That in turn led me to T. Harv Eker and Peak Potentials, as well as to many other great people and sites.

Marcia Wieder continues to inspire me. Her most recent e-mail talked about choosing happiness. Here's what she says:

"Happiness is a choice and one that can transform your life today.”
~ Marcia Wieder

I encourage you to check out Marcia's site and see how she can inspire and help you.

Book Publicity and more

Rick Frishman, one of the partners at Planned Television Arts, regularly sends me an "Author 101 Newsletter" chock full of great information and suggestions about how to write for the internet as well as promote what you write.

On the Planned Television Arts website, there are lots of free resources, including teleseminars featuring interviews with experts. Topics include publicity, marketing, becoming a coach, making it as a speaker, mastering the internet, e-books, getting a literary agent, publishing, creativity and leadership, and much more. Check it out!

Breaking the Rules of Investing

Very interesting article from ThirdAge.com, a site for those of us who are - well, entering or in our third (st)age of life.

Basically it says not to listen to conventional wisdom about investing, lest we be led astray or to be too cautious. Best to do our OWN homework and decide what's right for us, including taking some small, experimental risks to see what we're capable of doing and earning.

Great Thought from Hillary Clinton

In her June 7, 2008 speech endorsing Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton said the following:

Every moment wasted looking back, keeps us from moving forward. Life is too short, time is too precious and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been. We have to work together for what still can be.

What a fantastic attitude! And one worth putting to use every day in my own life.

To see her entire speech, visit www.hillaryclinton.com/splash/june7.

Prints of Paintings

My brother, a fine artist and all around fantastic handyman, found a site that sells prints of artists' work. He uploaded digital photographs of his work and then the site, ImageKind, allows buyers to choose the size of the print they want, frame style, mat color, and "glass" style. You also can buy notecards.

I think it's a great way for an artist to make some money from their artwork, for a mere mortal to own some fantastic art, and for art lovers to support their local artists.

The Good Timing Guide and Mercury in Retrograde

When communication breakdowns happen - the phone breaks or I don't get that e-mail message until days later or I miss that call - I often talk about Mercury being in retrograde. How do I know? I rely on Madeline Gerwick and The Good Timing Guide. Here's an excerpt from her June newsletter:

This Mercury retrograde (started on May 26th and ends June 19th) began with Mercury almost exactly square Uranus, a sign of technology challenges for sure. This could mean between now and June 10th, we could experience a lot more computer crashes, or technical problems with telephones, emails, faxes, printers, and other electronic equipment. So hopefully you prepared for this Mercury retrograde period well before hand and did a full system back-up. This cycle (Mercury square Uranus) will be back again at the end of June and early July, so once this retrograde is over on June 19th, you must still be vigilant about your computer back-ups and car repairs.

Mercury moves backwards through the sign of Gemini this time, suggesting that we’re all reconsidering certain data, finding our mistakes in the details we ignored before (just like above!), and since it’s square to Uranus, this Mercury retrograde could also bring us some upsetting or unexpected news that leads us to reconsider what we believe about the past. Mercury is also trine Neptune and this suggests that our intuition will work better for us than logical analysis. If you get caught in a tough situation during this Mercury retrograde, check into your guts or whichever part of your body sends you your messages. And speaking of guts, did you know that your guts have “brain cells” there? They’re known as neuro-peptides and that’s the reason your guts tend to get the information faster than our brains do. Our brains must go through a lot of processing of the data, but your guts just get the information and pretty quickly they give you an accurate sense of the situation. So tune in to what’s going on there.

It's fantastic information, that helps me understand a little more about what is influencing my daily life. If you want to know more about the Good Timing Guide, go to this site. www.polarisbusinessguides.com

Here's more contact information:
Madeline C. Gerwick, Certified Business and Personal Astrologer
Polaris Business Guides, LLC
Toll free: 877-524-8300

Great resource for writing Ezines

I recently found a site that provides wonderful FREE information about writing and marketing Ezines. Rather than pay for some of the expensive courses, I'd rather comb through the articles and archives to find the information that I need. Check it out at http://emailuniverse.com.

Once there, you can link to http://www.ezinearticles.com . It's a site that accepts articles for publication. I've had three published and one is pending. There are so many categories under which articles are published, it's a great site simply to browse through.

Job Search Sites

These are resources I've pulled together to support people in job searches. I divided the list into several categories, from the most general to the most specialized sites.

Basic Job Search
www.monster.com– the biggest job search site; has information on specific industries; also has lots of tips about how to prepare resume, cover letter and for interview
www.CareerBuilder.com– a mainstream site with all sorts of jobs
www.hotjobs.yahoo.com- another mainstream site (joint venture of Yahoo! and HotJobs – HotJobs no longer exists on its own)
www.craigslist.com- has a bunch of jobs, not terrifically well-organized, but still worth looking at
http://jobzone.promomagazine.com- everything with a focus on marketing and new media
www.simplyhired.com- collects jobs from a lot of different sites, so is a worthwhile central location; takes you to the site itself, so if it's a Ladders job, you'd still have to join and sign in
www.careerjournal.com- linked to Wall Street Journal, seems to draw mostly on other sites
www.jobs.myspace.com– jobs from the social networking site (powered by SimplyHired)
www.jobbankusa.com– national site based in Florida
www.jobsonline.com– gathers information from all sites

Requires a little More Effort to Get In and See Jobs – & Worth It!
www.jobfox.com– their tag line is “be hunted” – their focus is to match seeker with best jobs for them, using their “10 Dimensional Matching (sm) Technology”
www.notchup.com– a site that gets employers to pay YOU to interview – for people happy at their jobs
www.linkedin.com– the professional networking site has its own job search site
www.employmentguide.com- you have to sign up to see jobs, but it's free - linked to some specialty sites like www.healthcareerweb.com

Population and Location-Specific
www.latpro.com– targeting Latinos and jobs that require Spanish; lots of Latin American employers
www.cbaanetwork.com - sub-site of CareerBuilders for African-Americans and diversity
www.hirediversity.com - diversity recruitment

www.collegerecruiter.com– for recent college graduates
www.vetjobs.com– for veterans of the armed services

www.jobcircle.com– jobs in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US
www.jobing.com– jobs in the US Southwest and California
www.workopolis.com– jobs in Canada
www.npo.net – Chicago non-profit jobs

Non-Profit Industry Sites
www.idealist.org- the workhorse of non-profit job search
www.philanthropy.com/jobs - Chronicle of Philanthropy job site; lots of fundraising jobs, as well as executive level
www.philanthropy.com/jobs - most of the jobs on idealist are here, too - some different
www.indeed.com- another central place for many for-profit jobs
www.bridgestar.org- really different jobs! Search firms seem to post here.
www.dotorgjobs.com- part of onPhilanthropy, on-line presence of Changing Our World; based in Washington, DC – re-launched May 08, so fewer jobs than most site
www.cgcareers.org- has fewer jobs, mostly repetitive, some difference with major sites
www.cof.org- Council on Foundations site with jobs at foundations all over US and some abroad
www.socialservice.com- social service and social work jobs
www.execsearches.com– non-profit jobs, not a huge range
http://nonprofit.careerbuilder.com- CareerBuilder’s non-profit job postings

www.thenonprofitnetwork.org/findjob.php- job board on a LA-based site that offers free and low cost resources for the nonprofit sector
www.snpo.org/nonprofitcareers - jobs board for Michigan-based Society of Non-Profit Organizations
www.citylimits.org– a local NYC publication focused on social change and community activism and jobs related to activist and social change
www.philanthropyjournal.com– has national jobs especially North Carolina
www.nonprofitjobmarket.org - non-profit jobs mainly Northeast and California

Industry-specific Sites
www.shrm.org– Society for Human Resources Management, the biggest industry site
www.hr.com/careernetwork- HR jobs
www.workforcehrjobs.com - HR jobs

www.careerbank.com- finance, banking
www.fei.com– Financial Executives International Job Center for executive-level financial jobs (must qualify and pay $495 fee plus $250 application fee to join)

www.greenbiz.com/green-careers/jobs- “green” jobs

www.marketingprofs.com– marketing
www.mediabistro.com/joblistings- for media professionals (on-line/new media, books, newspapers, magazines, television, radio, academic, advertising, design, corporate/tech writing, PR/marketing)
www.wizmall.com– Public relations jobs (powered by CareerBuilder)

www.computerjobs.com- tech-related
www.dice.com - tech insiders - very popular site for techies and that industry

www.workinsports.com– sports and sports-related jobs and internships

www.allhealthcarejobs.com- a lot of medical, some support functions (eg HR)
www.absolutelyhealthcare.com- also lots of medical and some support
www.publichealthjobs.net– jobs in public health
http://cfusion.sph.emory.edu/PHEC/phec.cfm- Public Health Employment Connection run by Emory University – jobs in public health

www.biospace.com- biotech and pharma

www.hcareers.com- hospitality industry

www.bridgecareermanagement.com/fedjobsearch.htm- federal jobs

www.jobsinlogistics.com– mainly transportation, mostly CDL truck driving (long-haul and local)

http://museumcareers.aam-us.org/search.cfm - wide range of museum jobs

Paid Search Sites (mostly $100K+ jobs)
www.execunet.com(also listed as www.6figurejobs.com and www.sixfigurejobs.com) – has senior executive and six figure jobs. You can search free, but have to pay $39/month to actually apply through ExecuNet.
www.theladders.com- $100K+ jobs – have to sign up and pay monthly fee to actually see jobs and apply; allows you to post a profile instead of a full resume; used by recruiters. Has specialized “Ladders” for specific fields. Also has UK jobs (http://www.theladders.co.uk/).
FinanceLadder: http://finance-jobs.theladders.com
LawLadder: http://law-jobs.theladders.com
HRLadder: http://hr-jobs.theladders.com
MktgLadder: http://marketing-jobs.theladders.com
OpsLadder: http://ops-jobs.theladders.com
SalesLadder: http://sales-jobs.theladders.com
TechnologyLadder: http://technology-jobs.theladders.com
UpLadder: medical and science jobs http://up.theladders.com

www.netshare.com– executive jobs – international - $40 a month fee
www.bluesteps.com– high level $100K+ jobs. Service of Association of Executive Search Consultants. Lifetime membership fees from $239 to $329 (higher priced include access to SearchConnect directory of 5000 AESC members)
www.risesmart.com– $100K+ job search “concierge” that searches sites and makes matches. $54.95 a month; 20% discount for new members $43.95

Jobs on Professional Networking Sites
www.linkedin.com– professional networking site. Free to join; paid upgrades available from $19.95 to $200 a month (recommended for recruiters and active job seekers).
www.ecademy.com- Ecademy is a social business network with over 150,000 members. 85% of the members are outside of North America, most in Western Europe, with some presence in Asia.
www.mengonline.com– Marketing Executives Networking Group on line networking site for highly compensated ($160K+), senior-level Marketing, Sales, or General Management executives

What is your WHY?

Get webcast and transcript, free of charge!

Something very fun!

You Think English is Easy?

Can you read these right the first time?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting, I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let's face it - English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, no ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted, but if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce, and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wiseguy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

You lovers of the English language might enjoy this:

There is a two-letter word that perhaps has more meanings than any other two-letter word, and it is UP.

It's easy to understand UP, meaning toward the sky or at the top of the list, but when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake UP? At a meeting, why does a topic come UP? Why do we speak UP and why are the officers UP for election and why is it UP to the secretary to write UP a report?

We call UP our friends. And we brighten UP a room and polish UP the silver. We warm UP the leftovers and clean UP the kitchen. We lock UP the house and some guys fix UP old cars. At other times, the little word has a real special meaning. People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appetite, and think UP excuses. To be dressed is one thing but to be dressed UP is special .

And this UP is confusing: A drain must be opened UP because it is stopped UP. We open UP a store in the morning, but we close it UP at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed UP about UP! To be knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look the word UP in the dictionary. In a desk-sized dictionary, it takes UP almost 1/4th of the page and can add UP to about thirty definitions. If you are UP to it, you might try building UP a list of the many ways UP can be used. It will take UP a lot of your time, but if you don't give UP, you may wind UP with a hundred or more. When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding UP. When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing UP.

When it rains, it wets the earth and often messes things UP.

When it doesn't rain for a while, things dry UP.

One could go on and on, but I'll wrap it UP.
For now, my time is ......UP.
Time to shut UP.

The importance of finding our "right fit" work

I talked with a young woman today who is in a job she really doesn't like. Her problem is that she doesn't really know what she wants to do. So we are exploring those activities she does enjoy, to delineate their attributes. Those attributes will be the very same attributes of a job she will like and even love.

Right now, she's taking an art class that is the highlight of her week. We identified the reasons she loves it: she is seeing herself grow and develop more skill, she really likes the teacher who promotes a positive learning environment, she enjoys watching her classmates progress and express their personalities, and there is a finished product at the end of it - a specific art piece.

When we compared that to her current work environment, we saw that it is the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what she likes and thrives in. No one works together, she’s essentially alone working on her computer, she's not really learning or developing herself - nor is anyone else seeking to develop or mentor her - and there is no finished product at the end of the day.

Until now, she’s been trying to make herself good at something she doesn’t like, instead of finding what she likes and then going toward it. It's as if she's a square peg trying to fit into a round hole - no matter how much she tries to shave off those square edges, she resists it. She thinks she's supposed to adapt herself to this environment because this is the job she's in.

The truth is she really doesn’t want to shave off any more of herself or adapt to work that is profoundly dissatisfying. What she really wants to do now is get more understanding of what she does like and go toward that in her work life.

Yes, we have to adapt ourselves to the world as it is, for it's more pleasant to accept life on life's terms instead of constantly fighting things I cannot change. This is far different from passively accepting our position in life. If we are unhappy in work, it's possible to change that. It's possible to find work that really makes us happy, that uses our talents and abilities, that allows us to feel and express love and satisfaction.

Our "right fit" work is the place where we love what we do and do what we love, and are more in harmony with the world around us. We feel rewarded and we are able to give to the world from our strengths and passion.

I look forward to continuing the journey with this young woman and to sharing it here.

The Barefoot Executive

Carrie Wilkerson works from home in her bare feet - helping other women do the same thing. On her amazing web site, there is great free information as well as fee-based programs.

Because I am at home most of the time now, I decided to find out what I could possibly do working at home and using the Internet. The Barefoot Executive was one of the sites I happened across and then stuck with after getting a taste of it.

I started out reading all the free stuff and ended up paying to get access to the webinars and phone calls Carrie does with people throughout the globe who are running successful businesses from home. Most of the guests have a really strong web presence, so there is plenty of information about how to use the internet to build a business.

Most of all, there is just plain basic information about how one goes about going into business for yourself. Her focus is women, and most of her guests are women. Topics in the "Free Articles" section include: Is Earning a Living Stopping You?, Direct Sales Divas: Doing It Your Way!, Is Fear Stopping You From Pursuing Your Dream?, Ten Steps to a Financially Fabulous Future, and more from people like Vicky Collins, The Deduction Diva; Mark Semple, Support Coach; and Carrie herself.

Check it out and see if there are any tools on the site The Barefoot Executive that could help you pursue your "right fit" work and career - and grow happy as you do.

Chocolate

I love chocolate. Any kind. If possible, I want Belgian milk chocolate. Cote D'Or is my favorite, although Trader Joe's imports a 1+ lb. slab that is fantastic and much less expensive. In a pinch, however, I'll eat any chocolate, even that horrible CocoVia.

Chocolate does not like me, however. I gain a lot of weight fast when I eat chocolate, because I simply cannot stop eating it until it is completely gone. Now, I would like to lose weight. That means I can't eat chocolate. Simple, right?

Well, it actually is that simple. Simple does not mean easy, however. Because I love chocolate so much, I've tried many different ways to keep it in my life. I've tried eating only two or three or four pieces (see, already I can't limit myself!). If I start eating it, though, I have that taste in my mouth and I just want more of it. So despite my promises to myself, I will go and get the bag or bar and eat more.

I thought to myself, "OK, maybe it's just milk chocolate that does that to me. I know! I'll get dark chocolate. Then I won't be tempted to eat too much. And after all, dark chocolate is supposed to be good for us." Unfortunately, the last time I tried that, I found myself back to eating the entire lode in one sitting.

The wonderful thing about this time around is that I had just listened to a tape from Dr. Jonny Bowden on the Rich Life Club site. One question was from a person who had a healthy diet - lots of vegetables, fruit, poultry, fish - but when he ate a bag of M&Ms, he gained 5 pounds; why was this happening? I loved Dr. Bowden's response: why are you eating the M&Ms in the first place? If you know that you gain 5 pounds every time you eat them and don't want to gain the weight, just don't do it!

In a flash, it became so obvious that I, too, have more than enough information about my body, my reaction to chocolate, and my weight. It's my choice to apply it so I can get the results I want. If I'm unhappy with my weight, I can apply that information to lose weight - or at very least not put on more.

I know that I overeat chocolate - all chocolate - and by doing so, I gain or retain weight. If I don't want to gain weight, I can choose not to eat chocolate in any shape, size, type, form or variety. And if I do choose to eat chocolate, I can do it with my eyes wide open about the certain consequences. Denial is not an option anymore. It's completely my choice.

The bottom line for me: since I have the information, why not use it to get the results I want? And suddenly what's simple is a lot easier, too.

If you're interested in learning more about Dr. Jonny and the Rich Life Club, check out Rich Life Club. If you sign up through me, it will cost $19.95 a month rather than the normal $49.95 for direct signups.

Reading e-mails

With e-mail as a dominant form of communication, some of my business relationships are now almost completely virtual. This can pose difficulties simply because I don't see the person's face or hear their voice - important ways to read someone's mood and mind. It's just words on a screen, and those can be easy to misinterpret.

So I use these guidelines when I read e-mails:

1) I assume the other person has my best interests at heart. They want the relationship to continue and prosper, too. I assume that until they actually say otherwise. This is the ONLY assumption I allow myself.

2) If I realize I'm reacting negatively to something, there's a good chance it's triggering something in me that I need to look at. Maybe I didn't do something I was supposed to do, or perhaps I had higher expectations for the person, or just maybe they didn't do what I wanted them to do. So let me re-read the e-mail to pinpoint what it is I don't like, and then think about why that is so. My goal is to bring as little of my own baggage to the table when I respond. My goal is to RESPOND instead of react.

3) If I don't like something I've read, it's possible that I don't understand the other person's words, meaning and/or motivation, and I can ask about it. And I remember "restraint of tongue and pen" as very powerful tools for maintaining good relationships. Let me find out what is really going on by asking questions instead of making assumptions.

4) If I want to know more about anything, I can ask "tell me more about that." This includes picking up the telephone to have a conversation. Asking questions is much more powerful than making assumptions!

5) I remember the saying that I actively have to take offense. While someone may say something that is possibly offensive, I don't have to take the offense that may be offered. I don't have to rise to take the bait or engage in a possible fight. And most times, the person didn't know they were being offensive, so this saying has saved me many a time from my assumptions that someone means me harm. If I don't take offense, I am doing my part to preserve a relationship that may be important for a number of other reasons.

All these tips work in face-to-face life, also.

my other blogs

By clicking this post's title, you'll go to my blog that addresses emotions and how I've learned to love my oh-so-human experience. I talk about hidden emotional blocks that get in my way and ways to decode my actions and attitudes to unlock those emotions and make forward progress.

Visit my profile and you'll see lists of my other blogs. Julieannerickson contains work and business solutions. Others are self-explanatory and may just be fun to read.

My blogs are testament to the power of writing as a way to discover and unlock those sneaky feelings that sometimes are so hard to identify except by noticing that I am s-t-u-c-k and/or unhappy and discontented. Those are the signs that I need to do some digging into my heart and mind to see what's lurking underneath, moving me around and directing my actions without my conscious permission or choice.

Fabulously Successful

http://www.fabulouslysuccessful.com/MarvelousMarchMentors.html

This site is offering a great line-up of motivational and problem-solving people for a very low price ($47 right now), along with an e-book on the Law of Attraction. The woman who founded it also provides links to some other great sites. For access, click on this link. You'll support yourself as well as the cause of women getting more active in the marketplace for personal development. If you're a woman, you can definitely learn from her! I have.

Bringing about a global mindshift

Twice now I've participated in hosted/facilitated on-line Conversations about topics related to bringing about a global mindshift. Global Mindshift's mission is to help make the emergence of global community unstoppable. (Check out the site at global-mindshift.org.)

One 4-week conversation addressed "The Cycle of Emergence" and how we might apply an evolutionary model of growth to examine how a system evolves to higher levels of consciousness and cooperation and apply it to the continued evolution of the human community. The second 4-week conversation dealt with the "Five Most Important Questions Facing Humanity," from identifying them to beginning to look at how to address them and find solutions. There will be a follow-up conversation about that in March.

There were common issues in each conversation:

1) People use the same terms in different ways and thus misunderstood each other
2) Some people posted a lot while others posted very little or not at all, and so felt they weren't contributing

I had a couple of ideas for how to address these issues, based on my talks with Eric Hoffer and Tim Gill.

One idea is to look at social network analysis (SNA), one of the things businesses are using, along with value network analysis (VNA). Some of these tools can be good for looking at how we create community, creating more value from the whole (the whole is more than the sum of its parts...). It could allow people who don't participate a whole lot in the actual conversations to still contribute something - an opinion, a resource, an intention - to making the whole greater than its parts. We need everyone to participate to the best of their ability if we are intent on moving toward the tipping point ("the event of a previously rare phenomenon becoming rapidly and dramatically more common" per Wikipedia) and making a global mindshift through creating a critical mass - a short cut to cultural transformation.

On this point, ecotippingpoints.org looks like a very interesting site! A British science writer, Philip Ball wrote about the history of the concept of critical mass. The usual story told about critical mass is of the "Hundredth Monkey" - this site tells more about the tale's veracity and applicability today. Biologist Rupert Sheldrake has more to say about "morphic fields and morphic resonance, which leads to a vision of a living, developing universe with its own inherent memory" (see sheldrake.org).

To help us get to what we want, including to the meaning we intend, the Semantic Web or Web 3.0 is a rapidly emerging tool. Semantic web concepts really address the issue of mixed up terminology head-on. Wikipedia defines it as "a vision of information that is understandable by computers, so that they can perform more of the tedious work involved in finding, sharing and combining information on the web." semantic web The real geniuses behind semantic web are at w3.org. It is really a web of data with many interrelations. Using artificial intelligence (AI), we can use the semantic web to infer intention and meaning. In fact, elements of AI are already are being used. For example, google asks "do you mean xyz?" when you do a search with incomplete information or incorrect spelling.

Obviously, there is a lot more going on that I don't know about yet. I just want to help tie things together, to help us move closer toward a world of equity, abundance, peace and joy.