Archive for October, 2010
3 Must Know Rules to Earn Respect
Have you ever been in a situation where you deserved more respect, but you couldn’t command it?
Feeling respected is a huge part of happiness. When we feel respected we are more confident.
This confidence carries into our interactions. When we are confident we want to improve friendships. We want to hang out. We want to jump into new projects that will challenge us.
Of course we all feel weak in certain situations. We can’t help but feel this way because we can’t be amazing in every situation. Sometimes we have to be humble and accept our situation at the moment. This can be good for you when you are a student learning from a teacher, but when you are expected to command respect you don’t have this option.
You have to know the hidden rules of communication that many people don’t realize exist.
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How to Use Performance Reviews to Make Employees Happier at Work
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Sean Conrad of the Halogen blog
A lot of employees and managers experience performance appraisals as a negative process. This is true even for employees who are generally good performers. At the core, the reason why we experience performance appraisals negatively is because we are being judged and rated by another.
But you could change the whole experience and improve the business value of performance appraisals simply by changing their focus. What if the goal of your performance appraisal process was to find way to encourage and inspire people to be happy at work and to be their best, rather than to critique, rate and rank them?
There are several things an individual manager or better yet an entire organization can do to make performance appraisals a positive experience that encourages and inspires:
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12 Prayers You Can Use to Boost Your Career
Do you pray before work?
I’m not sure how many of you believe in a higher power, but for those of you who do, you may want to make praying a daily habit.
I’m a very spiritual person, but not a religious person. I was raised Lutheran, self-taught Buddhist, Yogi, and mix in a few others and I’ve kind of developed my own spiritual practice. Lately I’ve been getting up a half hour earlier and practicing Yoga by candle light. It’s a totally awesome wake up experience when I can find the energy to do it.
After I’m done my Yoga practice I take two minutes to pray. It’s been a huge boost to my happiness and my productivity. My interactions with friends, family and strangers has been much more pleasant.
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What You and a Hermit Crab have in Common
We can’t live freely. No one can. We need self constructed rules, so our brains don’t explode.
We all need rules in order to feel comfortable. Even your favorite A-list movie star lives within rules that a regular person can’t even fathom.
You tell yourself that you can’t ask your boss for a raise.
You tell yourself that you can’t find a better job that matches your superpowers.
You tell yourself that you don’t need to love what you do.
You function well within this mental cage. You don’t want to be able to live a fully unrestricted life because it would be too free.
The problem is that your self-created cage is too small. You don’t see the little door behind the couch. The door that opens up to the perfect playground. Those cool monkey bars that challenge your muscles. Those cool puzzles that challenge your mind.
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How to Overcome a Lack of Confidence
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Tim Handorf of Best Colleges Online.
Have you ever found yourself facing an unfamiliar situation that seems impossible to resolve?
Have you ever felt as though your previous experiences and current skills haven’t sufficiently prepared you for this newest task?
I ask because I recently faced my toughest challenge yet, and I want to share with you what I did to persevere.
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What is the Underlying Theme in Most Careers?
Are you happy with your career?
Most people are unhappy with their careers. The research proves that people need to find work that makes them happy.
You can’t rely on anyone else to make you happy.
The question is, “Why don’t the unhappy people find more satisfying work?”
I believe it’s fear.
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