The Annual Renewal: Spring … (Yes - Spring is Coming or Here!)

We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly - spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order. - Susan L. Taylor

FINALLY – it appears that Spring has sprung. With Spring comes new life, new blossoms and to many, a renewal of their spirit, drive and energy. Many connect New Year’ s the right of passage so to speak. One commits themselves to making changes for the coming year. But sadly most resolutions fall by the way side.

However, the spring renewal is different and that is when most put their commitment they made back in January into action.. I am a firm believer that the energy of spring drives people forward.  Many in coaching call it a reinvention:

Am I describing you? Or someone you know?

The definition of reinventing oneself is truly telling:

reinvent yourself – definition

To change the way that you behave or the things that you do so that people think of you as a different person (Source: Macmillian Dictionary)

If you are thinking that you don’t like your “vision” or need to make changes to it, you are ready for a reinvention for sure.

The Three Steps Toward Your Reinvention – that you can start now!

Reinventing yourself – finding you passion and purpose – and committing to the same is a process. It does not happen overnight with “instant” results. But celebrating your achievements as you work through the steps – now that is motivating!

Step One: Accepting that you need a change - Sounds easy, right? No so – it is the hardest step. It is easier to just go along and accept your situation. Accepting that you need to make a change takes a deep rooted commitment.

Step Two – Visualize Yourself - I often ask my clients – do you a have vision of yourself? Visualization is a powerful tool. To visualize you need time and a space  - true “me” time:

Think about the times you were truly happy – what were you doing?

Think of the times you were experiencing “pain” – what were you doing?

Visualize others talking about you – what are they saying and how does make you feel?

 

Step Three – Act on It

A reinvention of your life or career doesn’t happen overnight. It is a process. It might be to start with (and I highly recommend this) a personal & professional mission statement that  defines what you will be and how others will perceive you.

It could be a simple as: To be in a career that provides the opportunity for me to truly help others in need directly or indirectly. In doing so, I will achieve a state of fulfillment finally, and be able to serve my community, faith and family with a smile.

And your actions? The actions you outline must be specific and measurable. For example:

1). Attend a program to network with other like individuals with similar thoughts.

2).  Join a group, through social media or otherwise, to develop a stronger network of contacts in career or life areas of common interest.

3).  Socialize (or share) my mission statement with three people weekly to gather their feedback and advice.

Soak in the sun. Build on its energy. Reinvest yourself – and achieve your happiness! And thank you for reading this – Dan

Dan Moran

President & Founder

Next-Act, Division of DVG, Inc.

Career Management & Transition Specialists

Corporate Management Services

Celebrating 26 years providing career & corporate management services in 2014!

125 Wolf Road, Suite #128

Albany, NY 12205

Phone: 518-641-8968  

dmoran@next-act.com

Register for Reinvent Yourself 2014 – Media  Capital Region Living Magazine, May 3^rd, 8:30 – noon, Hilton Garden Inn, Troy. In a few short hours, craft your mission statement and learn how to reinvent your life, career and leadership qualities. I will be there with experts in life coaching, leadership, entrepreneurship, finance. To register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reinvent-yourself-14-tickets-9289540265 or if you wish, call me at 518-641-8968 or email to dmoran@next-act.com .

Author: Accept-Commit-Permit: Three Essential Steps to Achieving Happiness &

Success in Career (and Life!) ... Exclusively at Amazon.com:

http://tinyurl.com/lluzsyd

Job Market Report 3 26 14 - Looking better after a "lull" ...

For Immediate Release

For Information: Dan Moran 518- 641-8968

Job Market In Region shows  gain – similar results statewide

(Albany, NY, March 26, 2014) After a bit of a lull, the job market in the Capital Region posted an incase the past seven days. It does appear that seasonal hiring is just beginning to take hold and this should continue as the weather improves  “March has been and up and down month. Many are blaming this on the weather, and I tend to concur. Seasonal hiring was stalled. As well, employers just seemed a bit more reluctant to post new jobs in March. We didn't have a strong week since the last week of February but that appears to be changing, good for those in the job market for sure”,   stated Dan Moran, President and Founder of Next–Act, a career transition management firm in Colonie.  

Moran continued, “As well, the past few days – Monday to today specifically, I have see some rather impressive day-by-day numbers over 2000 daily postings which I have not seen in awhile. This points to a good positive trend, and I hope it continues”. 

Job postings in the Capital Region were 1990 compared to  approx. 1900 a week ago. Rochester and Buffalo Syracuse posted rather strong gains the past seven days. However, Syracuse as flat. The Capital Region still outpaces Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse for jobs in the market and the Capital Region is much smaller in population and employment than other NYS markets.

National Job Market

Nationally the market was up.  Postings were 639,750, down slightly from 650,000 the week before. 

  

About Next-Act

Next-Act, a division of DVG, Inc. is a career management & transition firm directed by Dan Moran, the Founder & President of the firm. Moran contributes over thirty years experience in career consulting, business and human resources management. In 2013, his firm will celebrate 25 years in business. Moran is noted for his expertise in helping today’s “boomers” move on to fulfilling second careers, while helping executives and professionals achieve their career goals. The firm also provides human resources consulting and corporate services to companies. Moran is also a certified facilitator for C.J. Hayden’s Get Clients Now! &  Get Hired Now! programs.

40’s – 50’s 60’s: Lost Your Passion? In the “fog”? …..

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending”.  – Maria Robinson

Now more than ever before, I hear from those who are in what I call, the “fog”. They know they need a new direction in their life and career, but they are caught up in the “stuff” of life that creates a fog and clouds forward thinking direction. They know there is an “open door of opportunity” but they cannot see it let along jump through it.

This becomes especially true after a number of years in one career or job – or when considering recareering for the future as you mature (that means get older) into your 40’s – 50’s – 60’s. I really doesn’t matter where you came from, or what you did or the industry you were in --- the fog affects all at some point. If I am describing you, don’t feel bad – you are in the 70-80% of boomers or second-career population who feel the same way.

The first step is accepting that you need a change …

Here is the good news: There are opportunities – great opportunities out there – for those who accept that it is okay to change what they have been doing and follow their calling or passion. The sad fact is – many just do not accept the change. That’s where some “coaching” or in other words, a swift kick in the rear end helps. Left to our own devices, we would do the same old – same old, over and over again until some radical defining moment event hits you square in the face.

Don’t let pride get in the way …

Pride can be a brain-killer. One example:  A very successful person in his own company, told me he couldn’t sleep at night well because his inability to determine his next direction (or Next-Act – could not resist) kept his mind working when he should have been resting. It is okay not to know – but not okay to let that situation continue.

Better not to get hit square – take charge …

Am I describing where you are and what you are feeling? If so, high time to take charge – take the controls and begin steering. It will be a relief knowing that you have made the decision to change and then took action to begin that path out of the fog and on to what you really want to do – on your terms. 

Take the First Step …

1. Accept that change is good.

2. Commit to being successful – on your terms.

3. Give yourself permission to succeed and do for yourself. Don’t let anyone get in your way or tell you your can’t!

Make today the start of a new ending and chapter. Grow and excel – only you can do this for yourself!

And yes – get out of the fog!

And thank you for reading this. – Dan

Need to Get More Done – Do One Less Thing?

"Work smarter, not harder” - Unknown (yes unknown – that was a surprise to me as well)

Huh? What the heck does that mean – do more by doing less.

Yes – that is the idea. As workers and leaders, we are burdened by too many priorities – too many things to do and as a result, work consumes you and sucks the life out of you and that can affect all other parts of life – family, relationships, money and more.

I was introduced to Dr. Tasha Eurich, author of  Bankable Leadership: Happy People, Bottom Line Results, and the Power to Deliver Both  (which I am reading and highly recommend). Dr. Eurich, who is an organizational consultant and a self-proclaimed leadership geek, shared an article that clearly demonstrates why companies pile new work on and one, when they should be focusing on what is really critical, and taking things off the priority list to be more effective. As people, we do the same in out lives – too many priorities and not focusing on the real important priorities. 

Dr. Eurich calls this the OLT Principle, which stands for "one less thing". If you want your team to be more effective and happier, encourage them to ask 3 questions about any given task. One: Can it be focused or simplified? Two: Can we delegate it? Three: Can we stop doing this? Do you know a leader who has done this in a company – likely not. Have you done this in your own life – well you can and you will be happier, more productive and grow. 

In her article, Dr. Eurich quotes studies that prove this point. One study found that half of employees believe their current workload is unsustainable. As a result, 33 percent of people start thinking about work the moment they wake up and 75 percent think about it until they go to sleep at night.

So whether you’re spending too much time at the office or taking your stress out on your family, allowing your job take over your life is a slippery slope of misery.  More scientifically, research shows that workers who experience such conflict are less healthy, less happy, and more likely to engage in passive coping behaviors like overeating, drinking, or drugs.  

From Bankable Leadership and Dr. Eurich: Want your job to stop ruining your life? Here are three tips to end the madness:

Stop Wasting Time at Work

More hours at work don’t always make us more productive. Think about a typical day in the office. You arrive, fire up your computer, and answer e-mail. Then maybe you wander down the hall to the coffee machine and leisurely pour a cup of coffee. You run into your friends and discuss last night’s football game. You wander back to your office, start a task, and get interrupted by a member of your team. And on it goes. By the time you leave at 7:00 p.m., you might have had only five to six productive hours. Do you ever wonder if there’s a better way?

We live in a society where the number of hours we spend at work can be a barometer for our self-worth. Because I spend twelve hours per day at work, we think, I must be important and valuable. This reasoning is dangerous and illogical. It is not a crime to do things efficiently; if you can get the same result in eight hours versus ten and spend two more hours with your family, do it! 

Harness the Power of Power Breaks

Just like Jim discovered, being tethered to your e-mail 24/7 isn’t a good idea.  One study examined the effect of uninterrupted work on our ability to focus. The researchers asked two groups of students to complete a forty-minute task that required concentration. One group simply completed the task. The other group was asked to stop the task and memorize a set of numbers at three points wile they completed it.

The results were striking. Even though the second group spent less time on the task, they performed better. Viewing the numbers served as a “power break”: something that let them briefly turn their attention from the task to something else.

Similarly, power breaks from work help us perform better. Certainty, it’s not easy to take a three-week vacation and lock your phone in the hotel safe. But at a minimum, carve out evenings and weekends to escape your “technology tether.” Perhaps you can’t unplug every evening—then aim for three evenings per week. If you have to work on a Saturday, don’t work on Sunday. Find what works for you.

Get Moving

There’s a great deal of evidence that exercise reduces stress—in particular, high-intensity workouts have proven effective in reducing anxiety. And recent research suggests that exercise actually decreases work-family conflict. In a study of 476 workers, Russell Clayton and his colleagues found that people who exercised regularly had less conflict between work and home. Why? They argue that exercise can be a powerful way to “psychologically detach from work.”

So, it will pay off to keep your New Year’s resolution to exercise more—not only will you look better in your jeans, you’ll have a more balanced life!

Thank you Dr. Eurich for your advice, and I hope you will heed it. It is all about taking control of your life and work, and determining to change and fix what is broken. When you do, you will be in power and control, and not be controlled. Start today! And thank you for reading this. - Dan

PS: Want a copy: Books can be ordered at BankableLeadership.com.  To connect with Dr. Eurich, please visit Twitter.com and Linkedin.com. 

Dan Moran

President & Founder

Next-Act, Division of DVG, Inc.

Career Management & Transition Specialists

Corporate Management Services

Celebrating 26 years providing career & corporate management services in 2014!

125 Wolf Road, Suite #128

Albany, NY 12205

Phone: 518-641-8968  

dmoran@next-act.com

Author: Accept-Commit-Permit: Three Essential Steps to Achieving Happiness &

Success in Career (and Life!) ... Exclusively at Amazon.com:

http://tinyurl.com/lluzsyd

Game On – The Time is NOW

“High achievers spot rich opportunities swiftly, make big decisions quickly and move into action immediately. Follow these principles and you can make your dreams come true.”. - Robert H. Schuller

Over the past several years, the country was in the throws of the recession – a recession the depth of which many of us will hopefully never see again.  Over the past few years, we have seen some recovery – albeit small and often not consistent – but recovery. Some have taken advantage of this and launched their search for a new job or career; others haven’t – yet.

Fast forward 2014 …

If you have been holding back waiting for the “right” time – it is now. The job market – especially in our region – is the best we have seen for seven years. It isn’t where we were before the recession, but growing it seems each week. We live in a bit of a “bubble” here in the Capital Region, fueled by a stable public sector workforce and technology development (Nanotech et al). And this isn’t likely to change soon.

So Game On – Now. The wait is over. The economy is improving.  Employers are hiring in our Region and as well, across New York State.  Unemployment continues to shrink. More and more of my clients are finding jobs – great jobs. Employers however do voice one huge concern: They are concerned that they cannot find potential employees who have the skills and attitude to prosper in their company. It is a problem – but I see it as an opportunity for you perhaps!

Time to get off the sidelines – reengage in your career.

I have five questions for you to think about and help you identify if and how ready you are for a change.

• Are you simply working for a paycheck, or are you energized by your career?                                                                                 Yes          No

• Do you look at others and wish you had their job?             Yes  No

• Do you have the “Monday Morning Blues” and wish you didn’t have to go to work?                                                                           Yes  No

• Do you often question your ability and your purpose in work?      Yes          No

• Do you feel you are contributing to your future or just working?  Yes   No

If you answered yes to two questions, you are ready for a change in the direction of your career and certainly your job. Answered yes to three --- you need to engage now and begin. Answered four or five – you are disconnected from your career life and likely this is impacting other parts of your life as well. You must move on or make a radical change in the manner in which you work.

What to do next?

It’s so easy to say just move on … but how and what do you do?  Three critical steps:  

• Identify your ideal career and job – this is absolutely critical before you do anything else.

• Develop your contact and/or target list – begin networking now. Seventy to eighty percent of jobs are found through networking.

• Commit to action --- simply thinking about change won’t work – you need a plan of accountability. With my clients, I use the Next-Act ActionNow! program, which provides clear and measurable daily and weekly actions to drive results and progress.

Ready for a change? It is time. Thinking about it isn’t proactive – committing and doing something – now that is active. Do it now! Good luck!

And thank you for reading this. - Dan