Interview with Amy Franko (LinkedIn Tips, Thoughts on being an entrepreneur, etc.)

Interview with Amy Franko (LinkedIn Tips, Thoughts on being an entrepreneur, etc.) A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Amy Franko, a business coach out of Ohio.   We had a very nice interview where we talked about a number of things you can get a download of the interview (as well as a transcription) from this page (Im #4). Some of the stuff we talk about (her audience is not job seekers, its entrepreneurs): thoughts on being an entrepreneur, stuff about my book and how Ive used it as a marketing tool, the name of a movie that had a major impact on me as an entrepreneur (I saw it on my way to a speaking gig in Turkey), and a number of thoughts on using LinkedIn. If you have a few minutes and any entrepreneurial inclination, check it out Interview with Amy Franko (LinkedIn Tips, Thoughts on being an entrepreneur, etc.) A few weeks ago I was interviewed by Amy Franko, a business coach out of Ohio.   We had a very nice interview where we talked about a number of things you can get a download of the interview (as well as a transcription) from this page (Im #4). Some of the stuff we talk about (her audience is not job seekers, its entrepreneurs): thoughts on being an entrepreneur, stuff about my book and how Ive used it as a marketing tool, the name of a movie that had a major impact on me as an entrepreneur (I saw it on my way to a speaking gig in Turkey), and a number of thoughts on using LinkedIn. If you have a few minutes and any entrepreneurial inclination, check it out

The Space Between Anxiety and Depression is Called Gratitude

The Space Between Anxiety and Depression is Called Gratitude Like so many others, Ive had times in my life when Ive had to deal with anxiety and depression.  While it wasnt nearly as bad as what Ive seen others struggle with, nonetheless those were not good times.  It wasnt until recently that I got a new perspective on it.  And what I now can clearly see is that its all about comparisons. That may sound odd to you.  What does comparison have to do with anxiety or depression?  Well, its about adding in the perspective of time.  The past, the present, and the future.  And how we constantly compare the present, our present moment,  to the past and future.  Heres how it works.   And what happens when you let the comparisons go. Depression And The Past When you think about your past, or more specifically things or events in your past that didnt turn out as youd have liked, whats that feel like?  The attached emotions are most likely sadness, regret . . . or depression.  And the more you focus on it, the more likely youll start to feel depressed. Underlying all that is comparison.   What your present looks like compared to what it might have looked like if things had turned out differently. But if you stop and consider it, it makes no sense to do that.  None of us can change the past.  To imagine a bunch of what might have been outcomes and compare those to what really is just keeps you stuck in the muck of negative feelings about your life as it is. Anxiety And The Future Similar to the way depression is more tied to the past, anxiety is most often about the future.  What hasnt happened yet.  If youre facing upcoming events and worrying about them, the worry begins to feed on itself.  And of course, your imagination gives full cooperation by vividly illustrating possible outcomes.  What might happen. Again, whats happening is an instantaneous and mostly unconscious comparison between now and some imagined future where something terrible has happened.  But that imagined future isnt real. The good news is there is something to can do to influence your future.  You may not be able to control it completely, but you can definitely have a major effect on it.  But being fixated on possible negative outcomes does nothing to avoid them.  The only payoff is greater anxiety. Comparisons:  The Poison Pill Benjamin Franklin said that time is the stuff life is made of.  And there are three parts to time, at least from a human perspective.  The past, the present, and the future. If you can accept that comparisons of reality, our present moment, to either the past or future is what leads to at least a good portion of anxiety and depression,  then it makes sense to focus on comparison as the poison that is causing the malady. Borrowing some techniques from meditation and yoga, start by calming yourself and let go of thoughts of anything other than what is here and now.  Focus on what is present in your space right this moment.  When theres no comparison to what might have been or what might be, its easier for the calmness to become dominant. From that place of calmness, gratitude for what is can begin to grow. The Medicine of Gratitude While its only human to use our memories for references and our hopes for the future to make plans, there is only one place that gratitude can be experienced.  Right now, right here.  Even when you are feeling grateful for something that happened in the past, the feeling of gratitude resides in the present, not in the past. Conversely, when youre completely present in this moment, not the past or the future, its easier to make conscious choices about what youre experiencing and feeling.  When anxiety or depression begins to simmer, using gratitude for what is  will go a long way towards putting out those fires.  When theres no comparison to what was or what might be, youre only choice is to embrace what is. And embracing it is just a step away from gratitude. But what if you turn that around?  What if, when the comparisons start to bring on anxiety or depression, or even other unwanted feelings, you used gratitude as the preventative medicine?  Try it.  In any given moment, once youve taken a dose of gratitude, calmed yourself, and cleared your mind, a peaceful contentment will grow.  Nurtured, it will flourish.  And all of us can use a garden of peaceful contentment. Love Your Life.  Just As It Is. Comparisons permeate so much of our lives.  The past.  The future. What someone else has or does or is.  Its a dangerous game to play.  Because you can never win.  No matter what the subject, the same part of your brain that sets up the comparison is constantly changing the rules of the comparison.  And, until you break the pattern, YOU will always come up short. In Love Your Life, Not Theirs,  Rachel Cruze  presents a much more detailed description of how comparison thinking works against us.  While she goes into detail about material comparisons and consumer behavior, she spends the first thirty or so pages specifically  on comparison thinking.  Those thirty pages alone make the book worth reading.  Beyond that, its a great expose on how were sucked into mindless consumerism by means of comparison thinking. So rather than waste the priceless moments of your life fretting about what was or what might be, or sad about what was lost, or frustrated about what you dont have, choose something better.  Choose the present moment, choose gratitude.  Choose love, and choose to be excited about the adventure of life.  Its here.  Its now.  And it is yours for the taking. Image credits Main     Worrying       Gratitude

More Than A Mom How We Made Being Partners Work

More Than A Mom How We Made Being Partners Work The following is a guest post by Paige McKenzie. Her bio follows. Its hard enough to explain to people what I do for a living but the moment I add in that I also work with my mother, the confused looks multiply. The short version of the story is that way  back in 2010, when I was 16 years old and still in high school, my mom and I started a film and television production company together. Along with a writer/director friend of ours, Nick Hagen, Coat  Tale Productions was born. So basically, for about a third of my life, I have been working with my mom. Shes not my boss. Im not her boss. Were partners. What is that annoying phrase? Separate but equal.  That is us! In The Beginning . . . I  can still remember my mom reading me the original email that Nick sent about this concept of  doing a YouTube channel all about a girl moving into a haunted house. Originally, his idea included a  mother, father and little brother.  I knew he was right about You Tube being the next platform to tell a  story on. Even though it really wasnt something that was being done. Heck, its still not really being done. But I also  knew I wanted it to be just Mom and I. Forget the concept of  â€˜family’. We  WERE the family. Part of that was just the logistics of trying to get other actors involved but another big part of it is that mom and I just have a unique relationship that I dont see displayed in media these days. Its beyond  Gilmore Girls. We joke that we should have never told people we were related. We should have just said we are producing partners and left it at that. Unfortunately there is such a negative connotation about mothers who manage their childrens careers. Say Momager and just watch people cringe! A great example of our team work is  that my mom handles my  schedule.  I  work best not knowing ahead of time what events or interviews are coming up. So  she tells me  at the last minute and  I just go in and do my thing. Or for  mom, video editing is  just not her thing, so I  handle that. This team work extends to the creative process as well. For instance,  I  named  my  character Sunshine and  mom came up with the show title:  The Haunting of  Sunshine  Girl. Its a healthy relationship where yes,  we are friends but its still very much a mother/daughter relationship. I ask her for advice and she has expectations of what I contribute to the family in the way of chores and responsibilities. Just normal stuff that comes from being a part of a family. More Than Work Theres an easy  flow  to our relationship that carries over from our family life into our work world. It probably doesnt hurt that we love we do. Both of us would choose to be on a film set above anywhere else in the world every day of the week. Ive known from the beginning that this is not about making me into some sort of star. Its about telling great stories so that Hollywood will pay attention to us as a team. I just happen to be the face of the team. And mom is great about knowing what things I need to be pushed to do even though theyre scary and trigger my anxiety and which things just dont matter. The things like keeping my calendar that dont help anyone and give me incredible stress. But doing an interview? Thats no problem. Its part of my job and I know I have to do it so I figure it out. Ive learned coping mechanisms. In great part because my mom is giving me the wings to figure it out. Its actually gotten a lot easier even though were busier than  when we first started because Im no longer in school. That was the hardest part, trying to balance going to school and all the normal things that come with that and then working so many hours for essentially no pay. My friends didnt understand why I didnt have a normal, typical job. I literally didnt have time! But we also were careful to make sure that I had all of the regular experiences that I could. I went to prom, I had chores, I had to drive my little sister around! Still Mom And Daughter I  actually think a big part of the success of the show is the mother-daughter aspect. Everyone wants to have  a supportive, hilarious mom like mine. And  mothers want a daughter like  Sunshine. Many viewers think that mom and I are really similar. But in reality we are actually quite different. We just have a short hand in the way we speak that makes it sound like  we  are similar. Shes a lot more outgoing and positive than I am. I am a lot more sarcastic and a more typical artist type. Shes got a marketing brain so she thinks in a much different way about every aspect of our projects. But we basically have our own language. Its just a lot of movie and TV quotes strung together to have a conversation!  We also love that so many parents watch the show with their kids. Watching TV together is one of our favorite pastimes! Our biggest struggle actually comes when its time for us to do a scene where our characters are supposed to argue. We basically totally suck at it. Most of our videos are done in one take. But if it has to include a mother/daughter fight scene, we usually need 4-5 takes to get it even remotely believable. In real life, we just almost always agree. And if we disagree its about things like should we have sushi or pasta. Watch Orphan Black or Downtown Abbey? That sort of thing! We always say the concept of  Sunshine is  Gilmore Girls  meets  Paranormal Activity. The  Gilmore Girls  aspect is ALL us! About Paige McKenzie: Paige McKenzie is the YouTube star and NYT Bestselling author behind the enormously successful Sunshine Girl series. In 2010, the then sixteen-year-old McKenzie teamed up with producer Nick Hagen and her mother, actress Mercedes Rose, to record an episodic series of paranormal-themed videos, which soon had millions of fans. Signed to The Weinstein Company, McKenzie has been covered by Entertainment Weekly, The Today Show, Seventeen, The New York Times, USA Today, TIME and others. Her YouTube channel today boasts more than 250 million total views, averages 7.5 million unique views per month and maintains more than 500,000 monthly subscribers. McKenzie lives in Portland, Oregon. Visit Sunshine Girl online: Website: http://thehauntingofsunshinegirl.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/hauntedsunshinegirl Twitter: https://twitter.com/hauntedsunshine Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheHauntingOfSunshineGirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/hauntedsunshine/

Corporate Career Development Is It Really About You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Corporate Career Development â€" Is It Really About You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career If you’ve ever worked for a company, you’ve most likely had one of those career development talks with your manager. If your manager was any good, you were discussing your strengths, and how to grow in the areas of your passion. However, the career development within a company is, of course, focused on the company how can you grow so that the company can get more from you? Companies know that people come and go. Their goal is to grow day by day so that they are better off after you leave than they were before you were hired. And that should be your goal too â€" to continue growing after, so that when your ways part, your brand will be stronger than it was before being hired. How can you do that? Here are three tips for you: 1. Don’t let them pick all your work. After you prove that you can do what you’re asked to do, look around for exciting opportunities. Listen, pay attention to what’s going on, raise your hand for work that inspires you, and work where you can gain experiences that are valuable to you based on what you want to do later in life. 2. Share your growth. As you gain new skills and knowledge, let your management know. Make sure they can take advantage of your new capabilities. If they see you growing in areas they can use for their own growth, they’ll support you. You’ll be able to craft your own job in a way that fits your interests, not just their needs. 3. Decide when it’s time to quit. You were hired because it was beneficial to you as well as to the company. You worked hard to make both yourself and their company stronger. What can you learn going forward? In what areas do you want to gain new skills or knowledge? Can you do it within this company? When you realize that your contribution will continue to benefit the company but will be a waste of time for your own career plans, it’s time to go. The company owns your job, but you own your career. Author: Henrieta Riesco is a founder of  Intentional Career. As a  Career Coach, she  collaborates with students and business professionals on creating a fulfilling career.  Her brand-building journey took her from being a teacher and a corporate trainer in Slovakia to the US where she spent 10+ years working at Microsoft as a customer advocate and a training consultant. You can follow Henrieta via  Twitter, or  Facebook.

15+ Free Resources You Should Know About If Youre Willing To Pursue Your Career As A WordPress Developer - CareerMetis.com

15+ Free Resources You Should Know About If You’re Willing To Pursue Your Career As A WordPress Developer Source :Unsplash.comSince the web technology of WordPress has emerged in the world of web development, it is become super easy to understand the things related to development.Earlier when it was really hard to even add a module in a website by writing hundreds of line of code, WordPress technology has comparatively made it really easy to customize our websites with respect to our needs and desires.Apparently, anyone with basic knowledge of HTML, CSS, PHP and design aesthetics could easily become a WordPress developer. The one with the mentioned skills should immediately start trying his/her career luck in the relevant industry.evalEarlier people use to think whether they should have a website for their business or not but now mostly business believe that they should have a website. The world is transforming itself into digital by every passing day, and the things are also getting digitized rapidly.That is why web development is one of those careers that could be considered as a long- term path to polish your skills and earn from the deep of this sea.But, in 2018, you have to be the game changer because still today there are many WordPress developers who claim themselves to be the champs but in reality, they are not. And after reading this article from top to bottom, I am dead sure that you are going to be one of the game changers and an over-achiever in the WordPress development industry.Because there are lots of free resources from which many of the developers from current era are unaware. I am making you aware of the same free learning resources which can make you stand out in the crowd.So without any wastage of time, we shall dive into the details of 15+ free learning resources you should know about to become a professional WordPress developer and start your career as a full-time web developer or even as a freelancer.1.Make WordPress CoreThe official blog of the development team of WordPress. Developers from WordPress blogs here officially and use to talk abo ut the technicalities of WordPress.evalEven bugs, examples, and programming problems are also discussed here. This blog is renowned for time-to-time and latest updates are always shared and discussed here.2.WordPress TVThis is the place from where you can get recorded videos from WordCamps held around the world.WordCamps are actually the crash sessions organized by WordPress in which different experts of the similar industry are allowed to speak and interact with the audience and share the experiences. It is super easy to search videos on any specific topics.eval3.WP BeginnerIf you are just taking off your career and considers yourself as a beginner, then WP Beginner is the place which is going to amplify your skills and learning.It is also said that WP Beginner is world’s largest but unofficial WordPress resource that is being updated regularly with amazing tutorials and how-tos. This free resource is surely going to be a pinch of salt for being a professional WordPress developer .4.WordPress CodexCodex is also known as the bible for WordPress developers because it contains solutions for almost all of the crucial WordPress coding problems.Conventionally, every good developer has the practice to follow and utilize this resource effectively and efficiently.5.Tuts+This is another web place like WP Beginner but a little bit advanced. This website mainly discusses the most critical and complex programming problems related to WordPress.Using Tuts+ you cannot just learn about implying the OOP 6.Tom McFarlinTom is also the chief editor of Tuts+, but his personal blog is worth following as well. His blogs are mainly geared towards the most complex and unsolvable problems of programming in WordPress.This is also another great and free resource if you are willing to take WordPress professionally and critically.7.Smashing MagazineIt is counted as the very first web development and design blogs on the web. Although the frequency of the articles that lands on this website are limited up to one or two per month but every time when the team posts an article related to WordPress it always goes super hit.eval8.WP MayorAnother free resource to learn the WordPress, the administrator blogs on a regular basis in the very similar manner like WP Beginner does, but obviously, the topic of discussion is always different from other blogs.The posts that are being published on this platform are usually of beginner and intermediate level, and if we say that WP Mayor is a blend of WP Beginner and Tuts+ then it is not so wrong.9.Manage WP BlogManage WP Blog is yet another website which is being loaded on a regular basis which features tips, tricks, how-tos, and reviews. This website is exclusively known for reviewing the third party applications for WordPress.10.PaulundThis blog is named after Paul Underwood who is professionally a developer and a blogger as well. This website is naturally operated by the Paul himself.Paul has an awesome collection free WordPress lea rning resources in the form of tutorials, resources, code snippets and other relevant usable on his website.11.Pippins PluginsPippin William is the mind behind this amazing platform of free WordPress resources and plugins. Pippin himself has coded multiple plugins that are being used on WordPress websites on a regular basis.His blog mainly covers tutorials on advanced topics, reviews of plugins tools and WordPress APIs.12.OttoThis blog focuses on advanced WordPress topics like making a custom controller for theme customizers.Although this website is not updated on a regular basis, but, the information that is posted on this website is worth reading and worth following for every WordPress developer out there.13.HongkiatHongkiat is a famous blog that has a really huge visitorship from all around the web. The WordPress category of Hongkiat is always loaded with the updated and latest reviews, previews, tutorials, and how-tos.For being an up-to-date WordPress developer, you have to foll ow this blog on a regularly.14.Chris LemaIf you are looking forward to starting your career as a freelance WordPress web developer, then this is the spot to stop yourself from and start learning.Chris is also a well-known WordPress developer but rather than posting about WordPress related topics Chris mainly focuses on enlightening you with the entrepreneurial potential as a developer. As there’s a testimonial on his website which states that “Chris Lema doesn’t sell himself, he sells you on yourself.”15.WP KubeA website which tends to focus more towards topics that are of intermediate level. WP Kube is somehow similar to the WP Beginner, Tuts+, WP Mayor, etc.16.Advanced WordPressIt is actually a Facebook group that consists of over 5000+ professional WordPress developers. Here, developers from all over the world interact with each other, discuss the issues in a problem-solving manner, and all the membered developers contribute with respect to their skills and expertise.This is obviously not a place for beginners, but you can bookmark this for later or once you start having a grip on advanced WordPress topics.ConclusionAt this point, you are surely aware of the bright side of being a WordPress developer, and after knowing about these free resources, it is not an impossibility that you couldn’t be an efficient WordPress developer.In this article, I have briefed you about more than 15 free resources that you should know about if you are willing to start and take off your career in WordPress development professionally.If you like this article, then don’t hesitate to go ahead and give a thumbs up and even consider it sharing with your friends who are still confused about selecting the career path.

Go Team!

Go Team! Working alone can be very lonely sometimes. Ask any one who has had to do it. Oh, you already know what it is like if you are unemployed and seeking a new job, dont you. It doesnt have to be lonely. As a matter of fact, you are probably hurting your chances of finding work by going at it solo. But help is out there. Today, more than ever, there are job clubs and networking groups popping up all over. They can be found in One-Stop Centers, churches, alumni offices/college campuses, even coffee shops. Look and ye shall find. Liz Lynch wrote a piece the other day on the powerful impact of group support. How the Company You Keep Can Fuel or Foil Your Success. She cites a Wall Street Journal article that discussed group training for marathons, a fad in the 1980s that is making a successful come-back. The article said that those marathoners who trained in a group did better. Not really a surprise. Liz Lynch continues in her article to explain how a less than positive group can zap your energy and motivation. Again, no surprise. It is however, a reminder that we need to chose carefully and constantly evaluate that group behavior on our success and motivation. Liz encourages her readers to ask themselves these questions about the company they keep: Are they: Taking responsibility for their actions or waiting for circumstances or people around them to change? Talking about the future or whining on and on about the injustices of the past? Looking for the opportunities ahead or wanting things to go back the way they were? Taking steps to reinvent themselves knowing the world is more competitive now or hoping for a rising tide to lift their boat? Learning new skills that will make them more marketable or convinced that years on the job are all that should matter? It is probably unrealistic for a job seeker to find the support and encouragement they need solely from a spouse or partner. Remember, they are frightened, more so than you. They dont have control of the situation, only you do. These are stressful times for families. Communication is critical. Take control of your search and communicate regularly with those you love so that they know what you are doing. You are not asking for permission, you are explaining your actions.

How to Write a Political Correct Way to Write a Resume

How to Write a Political Correct Way to Write a ResumeWriting the politically correct way is an art, and if you do not know the best way to write it, you are doomed to writing it the wrong way. You must stop looking for shortcuts. If you look for shortcuts and use them, you will never come up with the best way to write your resume or resume of the employer who hired you.The next time you are planning on crafting a resume, please use the best way to write it. This is far more important than saving a few seconds.So many people have poor writing habits, and when they are confronted with hard writing, they begin to ramble. As you read this, I am pleased to inform you that I no longer work with candidates who submit resumes that have poor writing. Please do not let this happen to you.If you feel you are lacking in creativity, we can help you improve the resume you are submitting. We are constantly receiving resumes, some through referrals from friends and others through referrals from oth er businesses that require resumes for their workers. When we receive resumes that should be improved, we work with the person who submitted the resume, to ensure that the resume is written correctly and that you are honest. If you have done this, you will avoid editing mistakes and you will have the resume you submitted that meets your expectations.Please make sure that you are using the best format to create a resume. For instance, if you want a format that includes all your educational and employment information in one page, we suggest you use bullet points. (Please see the attached examples.) If you don't think you can go back and edit it yourself, then go to a professional resume writing service and they will help you to edit your resume, or you can write it yourself.If you think you have difficulties with the language of your resume, it is better to see a professional resume writer rather than wasting your time editing it yourself. We understand this is a personal decision, bu t we are hearing from people who are burned by having done this and who have regretted it. Please take the time to find the best resume writing service, and use them to get the best result for your resume. You can never know if you did not do the necessary editing to ensure you were accurate and did not leave anything out, until you read the resume you created yourself.You will be surprised at how much good information you will find if you really study the best way to write a resume. The truth is, if you are writing a resume with the political correctness bias, you will be spending your time fixing your resume instead of creating it. Your resume will be perfect if you stop thinking about what you can change and start thinking about what you can keep. Only with this mindset will you come up with the best resume for your situation.