Spend fifteen minutes watching your average cable news talk show and you are bound to see a three-way split screen; host in the center, two people with opposing viewpoints on either side of him or her debating back and forth. While this helps present both sides of an issue to viewers, it propagates the notion that is so pervasive in today’s society — “you are in camp A, and I am in camp B, and we have NOTHING in common.” While there is no doubt people are bound to have opposing viewpoints on issues, I also think that, in some matters, i is crucial for those with opposing viewpoints realize what they do have in common and band together to bring about change.
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Although we tend to equate the term “career” with profession, I argue that our health is the most important career of our lives, one that we must sustain and adapt as necessary. For business and entrepreneurial-minded folks who seek me out to help them achieve their health goals, I like to make the following analogies between their “day job” and nutrition:
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What images does the word “wellness” conjure up? For some of you, it may be a constant feeling of centered alertness. Perhaps a relationship with food that is about nourishment, not punishment; satisfaction, not deprivation. Or maybe what comes to mind first is a mind-body connection based on reciprocity and balance.
Regardless of what your wellness goal(s) may be, I believe there are three important questions we must ask ourselves periodically to ensure we are on a path that leads to fulfillment.
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Many entrepreneurs use a Board of Advisors when starting a new project or venture. It can be helpful to have a group of people who can share insight or feedback for the idea and provide a sounding board for the entrepreneur.
But it’s hard to know who to approach when you are first starting. And you may not have the “people capital” established yet to know how to ask a group of talented entrepreneurs, bankers, accountants, lawyers and other small business experts to support you with your business. (Plus it takes time to coordinate schedules and plan the agenda!)
So I’ll recommend using an accountability partner as you start your business. Continue Reading »
I started using a new strategy this year for my business – Focus on Three.
Yes, that’s correct. I’m setting three goals. Three big goals for the year where I can review at the end of the year the impact that they made on my business. Three focused one liners that are already starting to make a difference how I spend my free time, my resources and where I focus my energy.
Why? Because there is so much a great information out there and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. I sat on Twitter the other night and just counted how fast the info came in on my news feed. And that’s not counting my RSS feeds, Facebook and email. Everyone has great info and great ideas.
But the problem is how to use the ones that work – and spend less time debating about the ones I “should” try. Continue Reading »
a Shelley West creation
No matter what career you choose to be in there is always something new to learn. To stay competitive you need to stay on top of trends or new advances in your industry. Or you may simply need to learn new software to make your work life easier.
There are many ways to acquire new skills -
- Read a book
- Take a course at a local university
- Attend a webinar
- Subscribe to a podcast
However many universities are offering free online access to their courses:
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (mit.edu)
- Open University (open.ac.uk)
- Carnegie Mellon University (cmu.edu)
- Tufts University (tufts.edu)
- Stanford (stanford.edu)
- University of California, Berkeley (berkeley.edu)
- Utah State University (usu.edu)
- Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (kutztownsbdc.org)
- University of Southern Queensland (usq.edu.au)
- University of California, Irvine (uci.edu)
Other places to pick up a few new skills though not all for free are:
- Lynda.com where you can learn digital photography, web design and development, motion graphics or other software skills
- O’Reilly School of Technology for more hard core technology skills and certifications.
Since I didn’t list all the universities that have content online a good place to look for free lectures, videos, films, and other resources — from all over the world is iTunes U.
What is iTunes U?
iTunes U brings the power of the iTunes Store to education, making it simple to distribute information to your students and faculty — or to lifelong learners all over the world. With an iTunes U site, your institution has a single home for all the digital content created or curated by educators, which can then be easily downloaded and viewed on any Mac, PC, iPod, or iPhone.
via apple.com
Top 10 Categories on iTunes U
Right now I’m listening to the Cognitive Psychology lectures from Open University via iTunes U. So what do you plan on learning this year?
I started my business – Sterling Investment Management, Inc. – in 1995. The company’s focus today is very different than what it was when I initially launched the firm. Four years into it, I realized that managing money wasn’t my calling. Instead, my gift and purpose (and passion) was to help people demystify how the human complexities of money show up in their lives everyday.
Whether managing money for others or helping them discover how to be better stewards and manage it for themselves (or be better educated clients if working with an advisor), I was always clear about one thing: I never wanted employees. I wanted to be a successful, multi-million dollar company of one. Continue Reading »
It’s that time of year when there are more parties per evening than there are minutes to attend them. You spend time scheduling the ones you want to attend (is it the work or the friends event?), wrapping gifts, buying holiday outfits – and measuring the time you’ll have to rest and recover from the celebrations.
This year I recommend that you use the opportunity of reconnecting with friends and family at Holiday gatherings from both a personal and professional aspect. It is a great time to reconnect with your warm, slightly warm and lukewarm network. Continue Reading »
I love birthdays. I view them in much the same way as most people look upon New Year’s Eve; it’s a time to celebrate the year that was and the one to come. I recently celebrated a birthday myself (woohoo!), and my friend and fellow Careerpreneur expert, Malla Haridat, sent me a lovely birthday greeting. Her note contained many well wishes, including one that really captured my attention.
I cannot tell you how many times, since 28 November, I have pondered the portion of her note that read, “…all…the resources you can handle…” I immediately honed in on the word – handle – and wondered about the relationship between capacity and what we have. Said differently, is what you and I have in any given moment a reflection of what we can handle in that moment? Continue Reading »
One of the components about working one-on-one with clients I am most passionate about is being able to empower them. When the majority of my clients reach out to me, they are in rather terrible relationships with food (or, in Facebook terms, “it’s complicated”).
Most of the time, this is due to that “cute human trick” known as self-sabotage. Many of us build ourselves a road with a shiny goal at the end, and then, before we even take the first step, litter it with hurdles, potholes, and confusing roadsigns.
Here are three common healthy-eating sabotages I often spot, and suggestions on how to get out of the rut.
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Spend fifteen minutes watching your average cable news talk show and you are bound to see a three-way split screen; host in the center, two people with opposing viewpoints on either side of him or her debating back and forth. While this helps present both sides of an issue to viewers, it propagates the notion that is so pervasive in today’s society — “you are in camp A, and I am in camp B, and we have NOTHING in common.” While there is no doubt people are bound to have opposing viewpoints on issues, I also think that, in some matters, i is crucial for those with opposing viewpoints realize what they do have in common and band together to bring about change.
