By Kevin M
Given the state of the economy, the approach toward business and careers has become one of caution, where working to keep what you have is the order of the day. But try this for a contrarians approach:
“Working harder and longer hours will not solve your dilemma…You must invest most of your time every week doing what you do best, and let others do what they do best.”
“Remember, your bottom line income is directly linked to the amount of time spent in our areas of brilliance.”
By Dave Kelly
I got this month’s tip from a future speaking star! She is an energetic young lady who is one of the most positive people I know. She approaches life with fun and excitement and is great to be around.
When I asked her about this quote, she told me how important it is to know who you are and be that person.
Simple idea, huh?
By Dave Kelly
Are you sleep-deprived from watching the Olympics? I know I am! Watching the best in the world compete in so many different sports and disciplines was incredibly inspiring.
I heard all kinds of stories throughout the Olympics about the routines the athletes went through in order to become the best in the world. Many were up at 5:00 am, working out before and after school or work. Their weekends were spent away from family and friends and many had special diets. Of course, it would be cool to consume 10,000 calories a day like swimmer Michael Phelps and still be in condition to win eight gold medals!
I would probably sink.
By Dave Kelly
My six-year-old daughter loves to play a game we call “bears”. We get under the covers in the master bedroom and pretend that it is our cave. We hibernate. We hit the snooze alarm for spring (two more days). We fish in the salmon pond in the upstairs of our cave and we eat sheep burgers (no animals are harmed during this game). We dance around in pretend meadows of flowers and she goes to bear camp and I go to bear work. I think of funny things to say that will make a six-year-old laugh, like going shopping for the “bear necessities”, and we giggle and have a good time.
We usually play when she gets home from school, right before or after dinner, or whenever we can find five spare minutes. That used to be work time when I was in the mortgage business. In fact, all of the time used to be work time. My office has been in my basement since 2001 and my wife used to come downstairs at 9 or 10 at night and wonder when I was “coming home”. It seemed like I never relaxed. In reality, I was pretty stressed out most of the time.
The truth is I did not understand the value of silly. I gave in to stress and let it control my life, my work, and my relationships.
Thank goodness for my six-year-old daughter has taught me how to be silly again and what is truly important in my life.
I hope that there is someone in your life who reminds you how to be silly on occasion, because it sure is a whole lot more fun than being stressed out!
Dave Kelly is a professional speaker and host of the website Gonzospeaks.com, and a contributing writer here on OutOfYourRut.com. His career story is also a feature here at Professional Speaking—Turning a Hobby Into a Career. Dave is available for speaking engagements either through his website or by emailing Kevin at OutOfYourRut
By Dave Kelly
I was a server all through college and even for a couple of years after I graduated. I worked in fine dining environments, up-scale restaurants, and pubs, wearing anything from long-sleeved dress shirts with a tie to a polo shirt and khakis. Everywhere I worked, I wanted to be known as the best server. Not one of the best. THE best.
During my “serving career,” I worked with a lot of people who did just enough to get by. I never understood that. Those same co-workers could never understand why I consistently made more in tips than they did and why customers would request me as their server. I decided that if I was going to be working, I was going to get the most out of it by giving it my all. And the results paid off.
STRATEGY #6 TO SURVIVE A DOWN ECONOMY
By Kevin M
If there’s ever been a time to adopt flexibility as a strategy, it’s now. The certainty we knew only a few short years ago is currently failing us, and our progress and even our survival may rest on our willingness to adapt to change and to new rules as much as anything else.
In 10 Ways To Survive a Down Economy (published on Christianpf.com June 1) we listed ten strategies to help you deal with the bad economy. Our topic for today, Strategy #6:
”Be flexible in your plans and ready to adapt to changing circumstances. If your job is eliminated, offer to contract or to work part time for the same company. If you develop multiple income streams, a shift to a part time arrangement may be to your advantage on a number of fronts. Be prepared to convert a negative development into an opportunity.”
By Dave Kelly
A couple of days before Christmas, I was in my garage about to get in my car to go to a meeting. A large overnight delivery service truck pulled up to my neighbor’s house and the driver hopped out with a package. He looked up and waved at me, walked past my neighbor’s car in the driveway, and set the package down next to the garage. He punched in some buttons on his delivery scanner, hopped back in his truck, and drove off.
Did you see what was wrong in this scenario?
By Dave Kelly
I spent 20 years in the mortgage business. During ten of those years, I had my own company. Nine of those years were with a business partner. He and I eventually broke up over a business disagreement:
He was stealing from me and I didn’t want him to.
About a year before we split up, he made a comment to me saying he felt he’d had a good career in the mortgage business. I distinctly remember replying, “This isn’t my career, this is just what I do to make money. A career is what defines you.”
And then I realized, “I’m a mortgage guy!” How did this happen? I had always envisioned myself in front of audiences, speaking, training, inspiring. What could I do to change the course of my career?
By Kevin M
“We don’t realize how much hope drives our lives. When hope is gone, life looks a lot different, a lot darker.”–David L. Heller (1913-1992), a cherished friend and mentor
Somewhere along the path of life we lose our dreams. Life rolls along, we have responsibilities, bills to pay, obligations—we “grow up”. Over time, that all becomes our reality, our place in the universe. We get used to it, accept it, go on, and tell ourselves that all is well. When the economy trips and falls, pulling most of us down at least a little, the abandonment finds its’ greatest justification as we rally to cope with the crisis at hand.
And what of our dreams, our best hopes for our lives? Oh, their there somewhere in the recesses of our minds, we just don’t think about them so much—there just isn’t time.
