I have a big problem with the workplace. Well, I have A LOT of problems with the workplace, actually, but this happens to be rather high on my list.
I guess I’m sort of a creeper, to a certain extent, because I observe people all the time. That’s my thing.
I watch and I listen and I realize how ridiculously crazy people are most of the time while they’re at work.
A lot of people tend to feel that they need to put on some kind of front while at work…they can’t be themselves. Instead, they have to be perfect. ALWAYS.
So they put on their suits and they cary their briefcases and they walk from meeting to meeting, focusing on numbers and on the latest budget reports. They’re serious all the time. They can’t laugh, they can’t joke. Because that would make them unprofessional.
Now, I get that people have to work. I also understand that we have to focus on numbers and on budgets and reports.
But in doing so, we can’t forget there’s also a human side to work. Work isn’t just numbers. Work isn’t just reports. Work isn’t just about the bottom line.
Work is also about human relationships. Work is about BUILDING those human relationships.
Because without those relationships, work is not possible.
It’s okay to show that human side of yourself while you’re at work. It’s okay to have a personality. It’s okay to be nice to people.
We’re not robots.
And honestly, I’ve found that when you share that human side of yourself with others, people are more receptive towards you. People like you more because you’re honest. You’re silly. You’re NOT perfect. You’re just like everyone else. You’re human.
A little crazy. A little messed up. A little not-so-put-together.
So don’t be afraid to open up every once in a while.
For example, I was running into work not too long ago wearing my not-so-hemmed pants which I have to wear my 5 inch heels with. And so I decide to take the elevator to prevent myself from falling flat on my face. So what happened? I got off the elevator, took 4 steps, my heel got stuck in a crack on the floor, and I fell. On my face. The best part was…I didn’t just fall, I also ripped my pants. Big time.
So I got up, continued walking to my office, and when people greeted me with the usual, “Good Morning! How are you?” my response to them was NOT, “Fine, thanks.”
Instead, it was more like “Wonderful, thanks, I ripped my pants! Isn’t that great?”
And you know what? People didn’t look at me and scold me for being honest. Instead, they laughed and some of them even shared with me their own embarrassing stories.
So my point is, don’t be the kind of person at work who has the personality of a tree. Be true to who you are, don’t put on a front, and you’ll be much more likely to build those human relationships which are essential to career success.
I also knew, that it would require me to have lots of money.
So I strategized.
I worked hard in school. I got good grades. I got a scholarship to college.
I started a full-time job when I was 19 and graduated when I was just 20.
Beautiful!
I had a full-time job AND made enough money to afford my inexplicable need to hop on a plane whenever I wanted.
Or so I thought.
You see…
Traveling requires money.
And to have money, you need a job.
But to be able to KEEP your job and therefore KEEP having money, you can’t just spend weeks at a time traveling.
Dissappointing, I know.
I think that today, more than ever, young people want to travel.
More than ever, they want to see the world.
And they want to do so while they’re young and have no kids and while they still have their friends from college to go with.
But it’s kind of hard to do that if they have no money. And if they HAVE jobs and therefore HAVE money, it’s STILL hard, because they just don’t have the time to do it.
They can’t just start a new job, walk into their boss’ office, and ask for a month off because they need to go see Europe.
That’s not exactly what employers want to hear.
So more than ever, young professionals are seeking out jobs that allow them to travel.
They’re seeking jobs that advertise in their job descriptions: 70-80% travel.
Why?
Because they haven’t seen the world yet!
And they want to. Desperately.
So jobs that let them do that are instantly the most attractive. They’re the most exciting.
That’s why I really liked this contest that I came across…
It’s called Around the World in 80 Jobs, sponsored by Adecco, a leader in full-time and temporary staffing solutions.
Essentially, the contest is giving eight winners the opportunity of a lifetime.
Eight winners will have the chance to explore the world while gaining on-the-job experience.
Check out the video below and if you’re interested, you have until May 20th to enter.
Sooo…What do you think? Share your thoughts and comment below for a chance to win a $100 Banana Republic Gift Card.
What’s your dream job? What’s your dream location?
Would you LOVE to travel or am I the only crazy person who wants to?
It sucks, usually, when you want something and you just can’t have it.
No… you can’t have that job.
No… I won’t pay you $70k a year so you can pay off your student loans of a million dollars.
No… you can’t have that slice of pizza.
DAMNIT.
But let’s face it…
NO is definitely a word that we need to get used to.
Especially us young people at the very start of our careers.
Now, I won’t lie… I’ve always been one of those people who hates rejection.
I HATED applying for jobs and getting back that super annoying e-mail…
“Thank you for your interest…blah…blah…blah…but unfortunately, we’ve decided to move forward with other candidates that better qualify…blah…blah…blah.”
Translation: YOU ARE A LOSER.
I hated it SO much that for a long time, I just stopped applying.
Even to jobs that I really wanted.
Because I figured that at the very least, my inbox wasn’t full of rejection e-mails.
Life was good!
But after a while, I noticed that I wasn’t getting any offers either.
How could I? I wasn’t applying!
You see…that scary and vulnerable position that we put ourselves in that quite often leads to rejection…it’s the SAME position that also gets you what you want.
When it comes to your career, you need to learn to love the word NO.
Or at the very least, you need to stop being scared of it.
Because your career is NEVER going to be handed to you.
Nope…sorry.
You can’t just sit back, play X-Box all day, and expect that someone’s going to knock on your door and offer you your dream job.
That’s not the way it works.
You have to WORK for your career.
You have to ASK for what you want.
You have to take CHANCES.
And while you’re doing this, you’re going to hear NO every once in a while.
Maybe even all the time.
But it shouldn’t discourage you…
Because it means that you’re doing something right.
Think about it…
If you’re facing rejection…if you’re hearing the word NO…it means that you’re putting yourself out there.
It means that you’re taking chances. It means that you’re asking for what you want.
Sure, you’re giving other people the opportunity to say NO to you.
But you’re also giving them the opportunity to say YES.
So don’t be afraid of rejection.
Embrace it.
Learn to love it.
Because the more you hear the word NO, the less it’ll affect you.
I’m sitting in class and I feel really bad for my professor. No one’s paying attention to him.
I look around and everyone’s either got a phone in their hand or a laptop open. And I promise you, no one’s taking notes.
Statuses are being updated, pictures are being posted, and I’m sure that at least five people are on Twitter.
Okay, fine. Maybe we should be paying a little more attention.
I hear it all the time, when I talk about Gen Y, that we’re addicted to social media.
Gen Y… addicted to social media…can’t put their phones down.
How awful.
But is it really?
I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m addicted to social media. I know that one of these days I’m going to leave my phone on my bed and I’m going to head into work and that day is going to be terrible. I repeat…terrible.
Because whether we like it or not, we have this constant need to be connected.
To everything…all the time.
Everything is in our face.
Always.
And that’s not going to change.
So we can do one of two things.
We can either focus on how awful social media is because back in the day people used to actually play outside, etc. etc. etc.
OR
We can embrace the fact that it’s here to stay and figure out how to use it for the better. We can look for the positives. We can figure out how to make the world a better place by using it to its fullest potential.
Companies and organizations that are smart, are choosing the latter….because it makes sense.
Even though they’ve been active in ending polio since the 80s, right now they’re focusing on raising awareness through their innovative End Polio Now campaign. Since the global initiative began over 25 years ago, Rotary International and its partners have reduced polio cases by more than 99 percent worldwide.
That’s pretty impressive.
You see, it used to be that foundations and organizations could only raise awareness through face-to-face events. It used to be that in order for these initiatives to be successful, thousands of dollars had to be spent on direct mailings asking for donations. It used to be that the only people who took interest in philanthropy and good causes were wealthy individuals, who were usually older.
But that’s not the case anymore.
And I’d argue that social media has played a pretty big role in that.
Because today, it’s cool to make a difference. We see it all the time.
Every time I go on Facebook, there’s a post from someone I know asking me to help them raise money for some kind of marathon they’re running. And so I donate because it’s for a good cause (and because dear God I have no idea how anyone can run 26+ miles without losing a lung).
And when I’ve done this, I feel good about it.
I feel good about it and it makes me happy.
It makes me happy because I see that young people are making a difference.
For that reason, organizations like Rotary International make me really happy.
I mean, you just can’t help but be interested when you hear that they’re putting together the World’s Biggest Commercial to end polio- and create a Guinness World Record- and that you can be a part of it.
First of all, I think it’s awesome that we’re so close to eradicating polio. In 1988, 125 countries were polio-endemic. Today, due largely to Rotary’s efforts, only three countries in the world- Nigeria, Afghanistan and Pakistan- have not eradicated the disease.
That’s a huge deal.
But although we’ve come a long way, the fight won’t be over until polio has been completely eradicated. The disease isn’t fun. It’s a cruel disease that cripples children. It’s highly contagious, and until it’s 100% eradicated, polio remains a worldwide risk. If we don’t finish the fight right now, more than 10 million children under the age of five could be paralyzed by polio in the next 40 years. And I don’t want that.
Nearly 14,000 people in 144 countries have joined to date!
I’ll be joining other individuals and celebrities worldwide by uploading my “this close” photo.
I’ll use my new wonderful photo app, Picfx, to edit my photo until I look decent.
And then I’ll post it on Facebook
And Twitter…
And Instagram…
And pretty much anywhere else that people can see it.
Because I want people to know that it costs just $0.60 to vaccinate a child.
Because I want people to be educated.
And because more than anything, I want everyone to know that us kids, us young people… we can make a difference too.
Here’s How You Can Help:
Make History. Visit EndPolio.org and take part in the World’s Biggest Commercial in a show of solidarity and raise awareness for the complete eradication of polio. People around the world are uploading their photo making a “this close” gesture to join the commercial, and sharing the news with their blogs and social networks to make sure that we finish the fight to eradicate this terrible—and completely preventable —disease.
Generate Social Media Buzz. Tweet using the hashtag #EndPolioNow and including theEndPolio.orgURL to help raise awareness.
Give Financially. Visit EndPolio.org and make a donation. Just $.60 can vaccinate a child from the disease.
Share the good news with your community. Inform your social circles that we are “this close” to ending polio, encourage them to join the World’s Biggest Commercial and make history, and share these actions items with them for ways in which they, too, can help.
While this post has been sponsored by Rotary International, I’m proud to serve as an ambassador for their End Polio Now campaign.
For those unemployed, it seems like it’ll take a miracle of God to find a job.
And for those of us who DO have jobs, we hope and we pray that we’ll be able to keep them.
Even GREAT organizations…even organizations that have been recognized for their financial stability… right now, they’re having to deal with not-so-great stuff like budget cuts and layoffs.
Take a look at the equation below, it’s pretty simple.
Budget cuts + fear of layoffs = unhappy, scared, & unproductive employees
Ask any employer.
I was thinking about this yesterday because I came across the term “Furlough Fridays.”
For those of you who don’t know, the term “furlough” is essentially a leave of absence, a vacation, a holiday. You’ll hear this term a lot these days because many government employers are implementing “furloughs”.
They’re mandating that employees take time off work….with no pay.
Basically, they don’t have money to pay you…so you need to go home.
NOT COOL.
So then I started thinking about it…what would happen if I had Fridays off because my employer couldn’t afford to pay me?
Would the extra time off be worth the pay cut?
And so I came to the conculsion that for some people, it WOULD be worth it.
Instead of spending our entire lives devoted to a job, 70+ hours a week, we want time to spend with our familes and our friends.
We want time to pursue our other interests, our other hobbies.
We want time to travel.
But we give up a lot of this time because we need to make ends meet. We need to pay rent.
More often than not, a part-time job just won’t pay the bills.
But on the other hand, a full-time job usually leaves us exhausted, with no time to enjoy the other aspects of life that we’re interested in.
But what about an extra day off every week? What about an extra day off every TWO weeks?
I think some people would love that.
Now I’m not trying to say that all employers should send their employees home every Friday. I’m not trying to say that employees should be paid less.
What I AM trying to say is that in SOME situations, rather than having to lay off employees, the budget could possibly be reduced by allowing employees the option of working a few days less each month.
At a time when employers are trying to cut budgets while avoiding at all costs having to lay off employees, I think it might be a good time to think outside the box.
I think we’d be surprised by how many people would jump at the chance to have a little more time off.
To have an extra day to spend with their kids.
To have an extra day to run errands.
To have an extra day to go away for the weekend.
It’s not feasible for all employers. It’s not feasible for all employees.
But in some situations, I think it is.
And I certainly think it’s a much better option than having to lay off employees.
Because laying off employees kills morale.
It kills morale and it can destroy an organization’s culture in two seconds.
But allowing employees to have an extra day of freedom…
I’m working on an exciting new project. It’s awesome, really, because I get to do something that I love.
I get to teach college students about leadership and about success at work.
Yes, I’m currently in the midst of trying to be productive…even though this is me on most days…
Alright… so in an effort to find the right topics to discuss and the right stories to share with these students, I’ve had to reflect a lot on my experiences in the workplace.
And well…that hasn’t been fun.
It hasn’t been fun because I’ve realized something.
I’ve realized that although there are a lot of things that I can teach these students, there’s no way that I can control the hardships that they’ll continue to face as young professionals.
There’s no way that I’ll be able to rid them of the label that they’ll often be given:
YOUNG & INEXPERIENCED.
This makes me mad.
You know, I once went on a job interview and overall, it was a great experience.
The people were friendly and made me feel comfortable…something a bit rare for an interview. I was actually having a good time.
Until I wasn’t.
I was totally bothered by something that one of the men who was interviewing me asked.
He said, “I’m going to ask you something…you look very young…how are you going to handle yourself when an executive or a senior employee needs something resolved and doesn’t want to talk to you because you look so young?”
Yes. I was really supposed to answer that.
Now, don’t get me wrong…the man who asked me the question was a nice guy. I actually got a long with him very well and so I know that he didn’t mean this question to be negative or to upset me.
But it did upset me because it made me realize that this is a very real problem.
When we talk about discrimination, stereotypes, diversity in the workplace, etc., we often tend to focus on race and ethnicity.
But what about age?
I mean, in that very same interview, would it have been okay for him to say, “you know…you look a bit Asian….how are you going to handle yourself when an executive or a senior employee needs something and doesn’t want to talk to you because you’re Asian?”
No. Absolutely not. That would absolutely NOT have been okay.
So why is it okay that he asked about age?
Why is it okay for young professionals to receive less respect than we deserve?
Think about it.
So many of us are intelligent. So many of us are driven. So many of us are talented and determined and hungry for the opportunity to make a difference.
Sure, we don’t know everything. No one does. And yes, we have a lot to learn.
But we need people who will teach us and who will treat us as equals.
Not people who feel that we’re beneath them.
Because at the end of the day, we all have a lot to learn from eachother.
So when I think about these students that I’ll be advising, I hate that I won’t be able to force others to fully see their value. I hate that I won’t be able to delete that label that many of them will get stuck with.
But I CAN make sure that they understand the following…
Each of us…we get the respect that we demand.
Simple as that.
Just because we’re young doesn’t mean that we’re not good at what we do. Skill and ability are not necessarily determined by age.
Experience, not age, is what leads to wisdom.
And sometimes people forget this.
So young professionals…
Demand that respect. Demand that equality.
Don’t let people underestimate your abilities and your talents.
And when they do, prove them wrong.
Don’t let people be mean to you just because they think that they can.
Know your worth.
Be professional.
Do good work.
And always make sure to stand up for yourself.
Because if you don’t demand that respect for yourself, no one else will.
Last week I had a HUGE dilemma. Really, it was catastrophic.
It was the weekend, I had somewhere to be for the first time in forever, and I HAD NOTHING TO WEAR.
Before I continue, please let me say that this is not a post about fashion.
It’s not about clothes, nor is it a story pertaining to any of my previous shopping trips to the mall.
You’re welcome. Now, I’ll continue.
So how could I fix this? Without even thinking much, the solution was pretty obvious to me.
Clearly, I needed to go shopping ASAP and spend all my money on a new wardrobe.
Genius!
But then I stared at my closet for a good fifteen minutes. I mean I just stood there and stared at it.
Here, this is my closet…
I know, it’s a disaster. I’ll get around to organizing it this weekend. Promise.
But here’s the deal…You see that piece of white wall to the left? Well, behind that wall is a continuation of my closet. The problem, however, is that when I stand in front of my closet and try to decide what to wear, I can’t see anything that’s behind that wall, all the way to the left. So what happens? The clothes that’s all the way to the left of my closet…I forget that it exists.
And then I cry because I have nothing to wear.
So here’s what I did…
I shuffled my closet around and shifted the stuff that was all the way to the left, right to the smack center of my closet. And after doing so, I had a brand spankin’ new wardrobe.
Oh…and I spent no money.
Success!
Now I’m sure some of you are reading this and thinking um…okay…so she rearranged her closet…so what?
So why do I think this is important enough to write about?
Because it was a small change that made a HUGE difference.
It seems that these days, young people in particular, whenever we’re faced with a dilemma, we tend gravitate towards brash solutions.
We hate our jobs? We quit.
We feel that our life is devoid of meaning? We pack our bags and take a 7 month trip to Europe…all expenses paid by our student loans that will end up consuming our entire adult life leaving us broke forever.
Now yes, granted, sometimes drastic measures need to be taken. That’s fine.
But more often than not, we just need to relax, take a deep breath, and see things differently.
The solutions to our problems are not always great, giant, life-changing events.
I once read in an article somewhere that just a tiny change in your daily routine can impact your mood dramatically.
So listen, tomorrow…when you wake up hating life because you’ve got to go to that job that’s terrible… take a different route. Drive with the windows down. Decorate your office. Buy a plant and put in your office. Read a book during your lunch break. Go take a walk during your lunch break. Have a 30 second dance party. You might just see that it helps a bit.
But maybe your job REALLY sucks. Maybe you really DO need to quit. Do you really need to quit right away? How about you try making small changes leading up to that? Be smart about it. Don’t just get angry one day and throw in the towel. Figure out what else you can do. Figure out what else you WANT to do. Network. Work on a project on the side. Cultivate a new skill. But do all those things while you have a job.
Because a huge change, a big change…that might not be the best kind of change at all.
You’re feeling that you’re lacking purpose in your life and suddenly feel the urge to take off for a year and travel around the world like a nomad?
That’s cool. But is that the only thing that you can do that will give you that sense of purpose and adventure? Can you maybe make it a point to travel on the weekends? Can you join a club of some sort? Can you find an organization to volunteer at? Can you take up photography? Can you learn a new language?
You see…that problem you have…there may be more than one solution.
You just need a different perspective. You need to see it differently. So change the way you see things.
You see, I’m one of those nerds who’s always reading some kind of self-help/improvement/learn how to do something better-ish kind of book.
I mean, really, if you’re ever at Barnes & Noble, check out the self-help section…that’s where you’ll find me. ALWAYS.
There…I said it.
Most people are embarassed to admit that. They think that self-help books are just for losers.
But you know what? Last time I checked, wanting to do something better doesn’t make you a loser. Instead, it makes you the kind of person that refuses to settle…you should be proud of that.
How many of you have good jobs?
How many of you are in good relationships?
How many of you are good writers?
How many of you are good friends?
If you are, you need to be careful. Yea, careful. Because the minute that you accept that you’re “GOOD” at anything, more often than not, you STAY good at it.
Now, I hear you…
“What the heck is she talking about?”
“Why is it bad to be good at something?”
Why???? Here’s why…
Because it means that you settle for “GOOD” instead of working your ass off to get to “GREAT.”
If you don’t understand this, you need to read Jim Collins’ book…Good to Great.
Actually, even if you DO understand this, you should still read it. It’s kind of awesome.
Although the book primarily focuses on companies and organizations and their need to strive for excellence in everything that they do, the concept is very much applicable to our everyday lives.
You know, when you’re BAD at something, chances are that you put a lot of effort towards getting better. But here’s the problem…when you get to being GOOD at it, you usually stop trying.
YES!!!! I”M GOOD!!! SUCCESS!!
But why are we stopping at GOOD? Why is GOOD suddenly the best that there is?
In terms of your career, for example, is it good? If it IS good, what are you actively doing to take it to the next level?
Did you forget that there’s a next level?
In terms of your relationship…is everything good?
It is?! That’s wonderful!
But again, what are you actively doing to make it better?
What are you doing to make it GREAT?
If we settle for good, we’re missing out on a whole lot of potential. And if we’re actually aiming for good, well…quite frankly, we’re not aiming high enough.
I’m a big believer in continuous learning…in continuous improvement.
And you know why?
Because the moment you settle for good, you’re putting yourself at a disadvantage…especially if you’re running a company in a competitive market.
The moment you settle for good, that’s where you stay.
And meanwhile, overachieving nerds, like myself, are doing everything in their power to get to the next level.
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