Kimanzi Constable's Blog, page 68

The Moment It Became Real

The last four days I had the privilege to be in New York City to attend the 10x Empire conference by Brendon Burchard (http://www.brendonburchard.com/) and it was revolutionary! It was my first time in New York and the city was everything I had heard about it and more (I’m going through withdrawal).

Time Square

The conference was everyday from 9 am to 9 pm, so there wasn’t as much time as I wanted to explore the city. It was my first time there and since I didn’t know when I would be back, I decided  to see as much as I could at night (you’ll be hearing all about it in my future posts).

Wednesday night I was heading back to the hotel from Madison Square Garden and I caught the metro (subway) back to the hotel, it truly is an adventure on the subway system in New York! I wasn’t really sure if I caught the right line so I asked some young men about in, after they confirmed I wasn’t heading to Brooklyn (at midnight), they asked why I was in new York.

I told them I was there for a conference and they asked what the conference was about, now to put this into context I was coming from the conference so I was in my dress shirt and dress pants. I told them it was a sales/training conference and they asked what I did……    This is the moment things became real for me.

The very first thought that popped into my head was what I always tell people: I deliver bread. But before I could say it, something hit me like a ton of bricks, delivering bread is not what I do. While delivering bread provides me income, it is far from what I do and then it sunk in and I told them: I’m an author!

They asked me what I write about and I told them work, probably because what I was wearing they asked me if I wrote about working in Wall Street (I’m still laughing about that one). I told them I write about helping the everyday working person find work that they love, I help them learn to not settle but pursue their passion. Immediately they wanted a card, they kept talking about what they were going through at work and all their struggles, they said they wanted help. It felt really good to help (I sent each of them a copy of my book today) and it felt good to settle some things in my own mind.

What do you do?

That moment I realized that while my dream is not fully supporting me yet, it’s what I do, I’m living my dream. I have been truly blessed to sell over 20,000 copies of my books, to be featured on 3 podcasts, to have done 5 guest posts and 2 interviews. I have been asked to speak at a conference later this year in Texas, the Lord has blessed. I’m living out my dream and getting closer to being fully supported by what I believe in.

Maybe the reason we get so easily discouraged and give into to our doubts and fear’s is because it’s not real for us, if we can’t see it, why would anybody else? If I had kept the mindset of only being a bread man I wouldn’t have helped/encouraged those guys. When they saw that someone like them could do what they loved and actually have success, it gave them hope. Here’s a news alert: we all need hope.

What do you do? What are you doing? Are you pursuing your dreams? Are you figuring them out? Are you planning each step of the path? What do you do? Has it become real for you?

If you are going to get serious and make changes in your life, at one point or another, it has to become real for you, otherwise, all you have is a nice hobby. Making income from a day job is great but it doesn’t have to be what you do, YOU determine what you do, so…

What do you do? Has it become real for you? Will you let it become real?

“Never let your small business keep you small-minded”   Brendon Burchard

 

One Key To A Successful Business: Patience

In business or in life we can never have enough patience.

As a business owner your patience will not only be tested on a daily basis but at times even an hourly basis. How you respond could be the difference as to whether your business can survive, especially in this economy. Remember, you are the leader and no matter what you say, your people will mimic your actions. If you are impatient with your customers or your employees, then when you're not around……… Yep.

If you plan on starting a business or have just started a business, you better learn to have patience

We have all heard the saying that the customer is always right, the problem is the customer has heard that saying to and is convinced they're always right. When you do something that the customer doesn't like, whether you think it's right or not, get ready to hear about it, this is where your patience has to kick in.

There have been times in the past where my customers have been angry at me for this and that and have come up to tell me about it. When I first started out in business, I would argue with them and as a result, lost a few customers, after a while I learned the best thing to do is to shut up and listen.

The customer is convinced that they are right, so you have to let them say everything they want to say without any interruption from you, once they're done you can then respond rationally, with a clear head. Now if they are cussing you out that's a different story, I would just walk away and not do business with them, life is too short to deal with that. If they are just angry and airing their concerns, then hear what they are and deal with them or explain why you can't or won't.

You will also need tremendous patience dealing with your employees or contractors. You know exactly how you want things done but people generally won't do things exactly how you want them done, be ready for this. The best way to develop patience is to realize that people do things differently and as long as they do what you want them to do, them not doing it exactly like you, doesn't really matter.

Your goal as a leader/owner is to teach and train, it's not to micro manage. When you're constantly looking over your people's shoulder, you kill moral, you show them that you have no confidence in them and you show a lack of patience. Teach them to do what you want them to do, hire a good manager or managers to be there for guidance and correction, you have more important things to do with your time. You're the idea person, you should spend your time figuring out how to take the business to the next level, not worrying whether an employee has taken too long on their break.

Some people might learn slower than others, you have to be patient, they could be the best employees you ever had once you get them trained, you could also miss out if you have a lack of patience.

If you have struggled with patience it's time for a wake up call

So you're reading this and you realize you haven't had patience, good, admitting it is the first step. You might read this and are a little skeptical, think about it and give it a shot, it really can't hurt you to back off a little bit.

Determine in your mind and pray for strength to have more patience in every area of your business. If your customers think of you as a little bit of a hot head, then show them a side of you they have never seen. When there is a concern, listen and respond with thought and in a way that satisfies the customer and a result you can live with. You may not be able to do this every time but the times that you can will build life long customers.

If your employees are used to your outburst or used to you not being patient with them, then it's time to show them the new, more patient you. Call a meeting and apologize, your people should see that as a leader you're willing to take responsibility and admit when you're wrong, it sets a good example. Once you apologize you're making yourself accountable, so you better say what you mean and do what you say.

A few tips for impatience

When you feel your blood starting to boil the best thing you can do is politely excuse yourself and walk it off, just get away from the immediate situation. Give yourself enough time to cool off and come back when your body heat is back down to human levels.

Listen to music. With the technology we have, you should be able to listen to music on your phone, otherwise bring a little iPod or MP3 device with you. Walking away and throwing on some soothing music can really help you cool down and as you go throughout the day, hear that song in your head when you fell that impatience coming back.

Prayer, Prayer, Prayer what better way to have strength and patience then to get it from the Author of strength and patience? Need I say more?

Do you struggle with patience?

 

The Most Important Part Of Chasing Your Dreams

Note from Kimanzi: I will be in New York on business this week (super excited, first trip to NYC!), while I'm gone two of my friends will be moderating any comments. The two friends are:   Chaka Dillon El (http://www.facebook.com/#!/Scientificmindsrecords) and William Haeflinger (http://www.facebook.com/#!/HaefsBarbecue)

The most important part of chasing your dream is to take action!

Before you can chase your dreams you have to know what they are and make sure these truly are your dreams, I suggest taking a lot of time to pray, think, meditate and talk it over with the person that is closet to you. If you are going to make changes that could radically affect your life you have to be sure of what your dreams are.

After you have figured out what those dreams, it's time to plan and do the research, too many times we approach things without a plan and end up crashing and burning because of it. You're smarter than the rest, so you will research exactly what you need to make your dreams happen, all the details. You will then take that information and make a solid step by step plan, planning as much as you can for anything unexpected.

Those steps are important but mean absolutely nothing if you don't take action!

After all the planning and enough research to know exactly what you're doing, you have to take some king of action. All of the planning and research will be in vain if you keep making excuses and don't move forward. Here are a few tips to help you take action:

Start slowly. You don't have to accomplish your dreams in one day, the smartest way to do it is to start gradually. If you want to write a book, then start the introduction. If you want to lose weight, exercise for 20 minutes, you get the point. When you move to fast you run the risk of falling down, and when you fall down you get extremely tempted to give up. When you move slower you're more likely to see the bumps in the road before you hit them, when you get to them you'll have a lot more time to react. We always in a rush these days, slow down and form habits that will help you live out your dreams.
Ignore doubt. No matter how well you planned, how much research you've done or any success you've had, doubt will always be there. You have to realize doubt is only trying to stop you and you have to ignore it. Be careful because doubt can come from all kinds of places, family, friends, and especially yourself. Don't let doubt keep you from following your dreams, life is too short and your dreams are too important.
Don't give up. Even when you have a failure or set back, you can't give up. Even when it seems like your dreams are stupid and everybody else is telling you they are, don't give up. Even when you're tired and you just don't have any gas left in the tank, don't give up. God has put certain things in your heart and mind for a reason and you have to do whatever it takes to live out those reasons. It sucks when you fail, I get that but it sucks even more to live a life full of regret, trust me. Don't give up, push forward and make this the year you finally chase your dreams.

I don't know where you are right now in the process but no matter what you have to take action.

After you do take action, don't get comfortable

For the last years (11 years) I have been in a job that I absolutely hate, I can't even sugar coat it. I have a close group of friends that are at similar jobs and they feel the same way. We deliver all day so to pass the time we all talk, pretty much our whole shift, we all have bluetooth devices for our phones. We talk about anything and everything but the thing that dominates most of our conversation is talk about chasing our dreams and leaving these jobs we hate.

To be honest I would have to say we have talked about doing different things towards our dreams for the last 3 years. We would get an idea and tell the group, we would get reassure that it was a good idea and we would tell each other that we will look into it. That looking into things goes on for weeks and weeks later when asked we had an excuse as to why it wouldn't work. We repeated this routine for the last 3 years until last summer.

I can't explain what happened except to say maybe we just got "sick and tired of being sick and tired". I knew I wanted to write so I started writing my first book, my friend Chaka loves music, so he started recording his first CD. My friend Will loves BBQ and started working on that as a business, my brother David wanted to start an online clothing store so he bought a shipment of clothes.

Do you see what happened and what the difference was? We took action!

Since we have taken action it hasn't been a fairy tale story, but it has started us on the path we should have been on three years ago. We have learnt and grown so much and had to re-plan, research more and ask for help but we are all on the path to our dreams and it feels good! Now when we talk it's all strategy and it's intentional, no more excuses. We keep each other accountable and call the other person out when we're slipping, it's has been a true blessing.

If you are doing what we used to do, stop making excuses and take some kind of action, take the first steps. It won't be easy, it won't be fun but you will be one more step closer to your dreams. Once you've taken the first steps, keep going, don't get stuck in the same comfortable spot (that's dangerous!).

Have you taken action? Will you take action?

How To Deal With A Job Loss (Part 2)

Losing a job is rough but not the end of the world and more than likely we all will or have dealt with it. Last post we saw:

You need an emergency fund to have something to fall back on if you lose your job.
You have to stay active and keep disciplined.
If you're going to be depressed, let it be for two seconds, then pick you head up and get on the hunt!

Start networking right away to find a new job

I covered this in a post last week but one of the best ways to find a job in this economy is to network with someone who is already at that company. A friend of mine (Tami Benson) who has extensive HR experience had this to say about networking:

"If I hear someone knows someone that's applying they usually are the one to get the job….it's just how it works. One main reason is because of the inability of companies to get good references these days. Everyone is so worried about someone suing them that most companies will only verify dates of employment for former employees….so it's pretty easy to get some real duds….especially for some applicants who may be professional interviewers."

Companies don't know you from the next guy but a word from that person that works there will give you the edge you need, they know that employee that works for them and respects their opinion.

So when you lose your job, search through your contacts and see who works where and if they can put in a good word for you. Look, you need a job, so being shy is not an option, they're your friends for a reason and they should want to help you out. It might not even have to be a close friend, it could be a friend of a friend, you just need that contact at that company.

This technique isn't 100% but it will give you a decent shot of landing a job quicker.

Get some quick cash in your pocket

I covered this a little bit in the last post but once you lose your job the clock is ticking. You don't have time to sit around and think about what's next, you need to hit the ground running. So the best thing you can do is get some quick cash in your pocket and that means odd jobs. You might be lucky and have a friend or friends that can give you some work to hold you over, most people aren't that lucky. You have to find work where you can get it.

Last summer as I was sitting on my porch I looked down the street and saw something unusual, it was an entire family of 4 cutting grass. The whole family was going house to house on my block asking each house if they want their grass cut. They were charging $15 a lawn and from what I saw they had already cut 6 lawns. When they got to our house I offered them a bottled water and talked a little bit with the father, I didn't want to take up too much of his time!

He told me that he had been laid off and he was the sole income in the house, with no savings he got out the lawn mover and started cutting grass. As he was going up and down his block his family wanted to help, so they expanded beyond their block. The whole family was involved  and they actually didn't do too bad, they were averaging about $300 a day, it was a lot of lawns.

They did what they had to do to get some cash in their pocket to pay the bills and support the family, are you willing to do the same? You can cut grass, you can shovel snow, there are about fifty things you can do to make money right away. You're not going to win the lottery so you have to get serious and start doing whatever odd jobs that pay. When I was talking to that father he told me that he was actually making more money then the job he got laid off from. Are you willing to do what it takes?

Reach out for support

This is going to be very hard to deal with and reaching out to others for support is just plain smart. There are times in life when we just need a helping hand or a shoulder to cry on, don't be ashamed, cry away! Do you have a close group of friends? Are you close with family? Go to them after experiencing a job loss and get comfort, reassurance and more importantly, prayer.

It's time to get to work!

If you still have your job and don't have an emergency fund, then that's the first thing that needs to happen, no excuses. If you have lost your job then you now know what you need to do, start doing odd jobs for some quick cash. Let's all prepare for the worse and be ready in case of an emergency.

Reach out for support right away, don't slip into depression. Make sure you're staying active and keeping disciplined. If you're the soul bread-winner then your entire family will be looking to you as to whether to freak out or stay strong, you have to lead them by staying calm and reassuring them that you'll get through this. Even if you're scared out of your mind, stop thinking about yourself and be brave, hold it together, panic will only make the situation worse.

Are you prepared or what do you need to do to be prepared?

P.S.   You might also find these post helpful if you have lost your job:

http://talesofwork.com/blog/2012/03/the-best-company-to-apply-at-and-actually-get-a-job/

http://talesofwork.com/blog/2012/03/what-its-like-on-the-other-side-an-interview-with-a-human-resources-manager/

 

How To Deal With A Job Loss (Part 1)

It's a pretty safe bet that at some point in your working career, you will experience a job loss. Whether you get fired or laid off, the result is the same: you're scared, you're confused. You're worried about how you're going to pay your bills and feed you're family, you might even be a little angry. The bottom line is it SUCKS!

So what do you do? What should your next steps be? What could you have done to make it more bearable?

Get ready for a job loss before a job loss

This isn't going to help you if you are in this situation already but maybe it could help you next time (prayerfully there will be no next time) or for those who haven't experienced a job loss. The best way to be prepared for a job loss is to have an emergency fund saved up.

I don't know what that amount should be for you but you need some money set aside in case of a job loss or any kind of emergency. The experts will tell you to have three to six months worth of expenses and it sounds pretty smart to me. With the economy being what it is you might be looking for a job for a while, there is work out there but it still might take time. During that time your bills won't stop, you still need food and other expenses, so that's where an emergency fund will come in handy.

When you think about your bills you can get a pretty good idea of what you really need, please don't get overwhelmed though. You know you need this so if you haven't already, start an emergency fund today! Now you might not be able to have three to six months right away but start gradually with smaller amounts and keep building. The thing that I have personally found most helpful is to have that money automatically withdrawn, that way I don't really think about it. This way it will be nice two months from now when you check your account balance and see you have $2,000 in there.

Do I really need to convince you that this is smart? So I know some reading this are thinking: "I barely get by on what I make, how am I suppose to save?" Hey, I've been there and know what you're going through so there's no easy way to say this: you're going to have to find a way to make extra income (easier said then done). I know how hard it is to work 40 plus hours and barely make it, like I said, I've done it but think about the alternative. What if you can't make it and lost that job? It would be ten times worse!

There are a lot of ways to make extra money and not add a terrible amount of hours to your week: cut grass, shovel snow, clean houses, babysit. These might not be ideal after working a full-time job but they will put cash in your pocket. You need this emergency fund, so you might have to suck it up and do what you got to do. I know how hard this will be so if you need encouragement, one on one advice or just some prayer, email me at: kimanzi@taleswork.com  and I'll do whatever I can do to help you through this!

Don't let the couch and daytime TV become your best friend

When you suffer a job loss the natural tendency is to get depressed and feel sorry for yourself. You wake up (later) and think about finding a job and get tired again. You tell yourself that you'll get into it after breakfast and after you watch the morning news. You sit and eat and before you know it you have the whole morning line up of CBS memorized. You wake up day after day and go through the same thing, really getting hooked to the shows. A month later you have no job, you gained 20 pounds and your spouse wants to burn the TV.

Now you may not have gone through this exactly but it could happen if you don't watch out, so watch out! The best thing you can do the very next morning after a job loss is to start exercising, get your blood and heart pumping, let your body know you're still alive. Get on a regular, daily workout routine, this will keep your mind distracted and help keep you disciplined.

In order to get on this routine you don't have to have a $69 a month gym membership, you can go for a run or walk right outside your house, you can run up and down some stairs. You don't have to spend any extra money that you might not have to stay sharp, use what you got.

Time to get to work

The bottom line is to not get depressed (it won't help you), and to stay active. It's very easy to just give up, please don't. If you haven't lost a job then get smart and if you don't have one, start an emergency fund today. It's better to be safe then sorry and too many people these days end up sorry for not properly planning, don't be one of those people!

How would you or are you dealing with a job loss?

 

 

Don't Conform To Society

Welcome to those visiting from the blog's of TC Avey, Jeff Goins, Michael Hyatt, Dan Miller or who are new to Tales of Work, we're really glad you're here! If you haven't already, don't miss out on a FREE manifesto when you sign up for updates:

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I especially want to welcome those from the blog of TC Avey who I have the privilege and honor to guest post on today. TC has been a true friend, an encourager in the faith and very informative with issues going on in our country right now. Thank you TC for the awesome honor of having me today! For my regular readers, please check out the post here: http://tcavey.blogspot.com/
 
Tell me if this sounds familiar, graduate from high school, go to college, get a great job. Buy a nice house in the suburbs, have some kids and work until you're 62 and retire in Florida. Sounds appealing, right?

The thing that they never really told us was what's all involved in this path to have this kind of life. This path might not even sound appealing to you but you may have gone down it or followed at least part of it. Here's the thing, we have to break this cycle and really start to educate not only our kids but anyone who will listen.

The truth about the dream

We're told to go to school but we're not warned about how student loan debt can negatively affect our lives. We're told that we need a degree and that it will get us a "good" job and it might, but student loan debt stays with you the rest of your life, you can't even get rid of it if you file bankruptcy. You could do a little research and find most graduates nowadays aren't even in the fields they got a degree in, and with the economy the way it is, nothing is guaranteed anymore.

The truth about the dream that they never really tell you is even if you can achieve this kind of life, it still won't get you happiness. The only way to found true happiness is through Jesus Christ. Having a great job, lots of money, a fancy house won't get you happiness, only Jesus will. If you aren't a Christian then I want to encourage you to stop chasing after things that will only give you temporary happiness, you'll get everything society tells you to get and you still won't find true happiness, find a personal relationship with Jesus! 

Find your true passion, your true calling in life

Society tells us that if we follow our passion we better be prepared for a poor, rough life, we're told that it's an either/or situation. Either we make money at a "good" job or we're poor chasing our dreams, this is a big fat, huge lie! Don't believe this lie, you can chase your dreams and still make money, it might not be an overnight process but it's 100% possible. There are all kinds of people living out their dreams and doing better than they ever had. Don't believe me, check out http://48days.net/ to see thousands of people who are doing this very thing.

It all starts with identifying what your true passion is and this won't be easy. Pray, meditate and ask for help, find out what your calling in life is and start on that path. Your passion should be something that will positively affect your life and honor Jesus Christ, that's the key. You may think you want to be an olympic skier, but is that where the Lord is leading or do you just think it would be cool? Like I said, pray and think about things you really enjoy and the things that will make a positive contribution, that's where you will find your passion.

What are you waiting for?

For too long we have listened to what society has told us and even followed it, it has to end. The old ways aren't working anymore, it's time for some new, radically different thinking. Life is short and when you get to the end, will you remember all the "stuff" you were able to buy with the money from that "good" job or will you remember all of your experiences from living out your dreams life?

This is a bad economy but not for those who are willing to go out there and work as hard as it takes to fulfill their passion. We have so much opportunity when we stop listening to the lie's, so stop listening. Ignore society, stop listening to your doubts and fears and once and for all, pursue your passion.

If your dreams involve you going to college, go for it, just don't come out of college with $100,000 in student loan debt and no plan. I don't know what your path is or where your passion lays, you have to figure that out. My job is to encourage you and help you anyway I can.

I believed the lie's for too long and it kept me miserable, not anymore. I'm tired of just "existing" in life and I know the Lord has more for me, so I'm going for it. The question is:

Will you join me?

 

How To Deal With Rejection

No matter what you do in life or how well you've felt like you've done something, get ready to deal with some kind of rejection. Rejection could come from a co-worker, it could come from a customer of your business. Rejection can come from people you don't even know or from the closet people in your life.

Hello to those visiting from the blog of Jeff Goins, welcome! Tales of Work is a blog focused on three things: a job, your business, and chasing your dreams. I offer advice on all three area's and practical tips for everyday issues that we face in whatever work situation we are in. If you like what you see, please consider subscribing for updates by email, you'll get a FREE gift!

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When you experience rejection you really only have two choices: give up or move forward.

Rejection at work or your business

You may be an excellent worker and be in a good position with the company you work for, even despite all that one of your idea's or a project that you're doing gets rejected, now what? At first you're not going to be used to this, even if you've experienced rejection before, your standing will have built up a sense of security, so when rejection hits, you'll feel like you got sucker punched.

Just realize that no one is perfect and use this rejection as fuel to make your next project the best the company has ever seen. If your boss comes up to you and tells you that your work has been lacking lately, then use this as your chance to show then why you're the best person they've ever hired. Do you see what I'm saying? You may be down but you're not out, you can't quit or give up.

I have talked a bit about my experience as a business owner and one lesson that I've learned is you can't please everybody. This doesn't mean that you can assume anything and not give it your all, give your customers the best service and experience they've ever had. When you experience rejection from your customers, learn from it and work harder, it won't be the first time or the last time, use it as motivation.

Rejection from places you weren't expecting

So now you know a little bit about rejection but don't get cocky, the hardest rejection you'll face is from the people who are the closet to you. Have you experienced this kind of rejection before? I think at one point or another we all have and at some point in the future we all will.

When my wife and I told our parents that the Lord is leading us to move to Hawaii, they didn't believe us. They didn't say they'll pray for us, they didn't ask our plans, they just said they don't think it will happen. I have to be honest, it felt like they were rejecting our dreams and it hurt. Looking back at it now, I know that its human nature to doubt and it might be a form of denial for them, so we won't hold a grudge.

If someone close to you rejects you or something you're trying to do that is positive, forgive and forget, life is too short to hold a grudge. If you face rejection take a minute to examine what you're trying to do, make sure that you're realistic about your dreams or goals. If you're trying to do something that is selfish or isn't a positive move for your life, than they had a good reason for the rejection. If you're doing something positive and you're following the path that the Lord is leading you in, then pick your head up and push forward. Life is short, remember? You can't give up, that's the easy way out and if you have read this blog for any amount of time then you know we believe that this year has to be different then any other year. This is the year we are making changes that will better our future and the future of our loved ones.

Will you give up or push forward?

No matter what you do this year, whether it's working, running a business or chasing your dreams, you will have rejection. You know it's coming but when it comes you'll still be mad, frustrated, angry, stressed out and a little depressed. At that moment pray, ask the Lord for strength and you'll pick your head up.

Use this as motivation to do what others think you can't do because you CAN do it. You'll be tempted to get mad and give up, that's just your emotions and we have no need for them this year. Don't give up, move forward, forgive and forget, don't hold any grudges. Life is way to short and too important, we've got too much to do, so let's get to it!

What will you do if you face rejection?

P.S.  Please check out my guest post on the awesome blog of Jeff Goins: http://goinswriter.com/  I'm a HUGE fan of Jeff's blog, so this is an honor!

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The Best Company To Apply At And Actually Get A Job!

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Last week I saw a friend that I hadn't seen in a while, we talked a little bit and caught up on where we both were at in our lives. Right away I noticed he was working for a different company, it was the third company he has been at in the last three years. He told me how he wasn't happy at the company he was at now, he thought it would end up being better pay but it was actually less money than his lowest paying job.

He went on to tell me that he had applied at "a bunch of companies" but hadn't even gotten a call back. He would take the initiative and call these companies and ask about his application just to be told it's "on file" and they'll call if they're interested. You know what happens, right? He has filled out twenty applications just to get no calls back or interviews.

I asked him how he was finding these jobs and got a typical response: the internet, classifieds and the newspaper. Sadly thousands of people do things the very same way and get the very same results, if you haven't figured it out already, this way of getting a job doesn't work anymore.

Let's think about this logically, when a company advertises that they are hiring, how many people do you think will apply? A Costco wholesale club opened up in our area a while back, they were hiring about 300 people, more than 4,000 people applied for a job. In that circumstance, what do you think your odds are of getting a job? You're right, not very good!

Logic will tell you that companies that advertise for a job get thousand of applications everyday, how in the world would they pick yours out of the pile? Do you think they're going to notice a little stain on your application or resume, pick it up and say "hey, that's the person we want to hire, call him right now!" This isn't a movie and your odds of it working out that way are very low.

So how can you get a job, what company should you apply at?

First, don't apply at any company that is advertising a job, I've covered this enough, right? Next, don't just go after the companies that "pay well" while you may make great money, the job might not be the right fit for you and you could be miserable for the next five years.

Figure out what you like in a job and what will fit best with your personality and personality. Then look at companies in your area that meet that criteria, your hope is that they're not advertising for job openings. There are three ways to give yourself the best chance to get a good job that you'll actually enjoy:

Apply or send your resume to companies that aren't hiring. Doing this will greatly decrease your competition, remember that most people only apply at jobs that they think are hiring. In this job market companies can be picky, so you want the best chance you can get, so apply when no one else will be, when they're not advertising positions. If they're not advertising why would they hire me? If you have thought things out well, and done some research on those companies that are a good fit, you'll be applying at companies that would be glad to have your skills added to their company. These days companies want experience and people who will benefit their bottom line. By doing research on yourself and figuring out what companies fit 'you", the benefits of them hiring you far out way not hiring you.
Be specific with companies as to why they want to hire you. Don't be lazy and expect to get a job in this economy, you have to be better than everyone else. Do the research about those companies that interest you and that you think will make a good fit for you. You have to stand out, so figure out how you can help those companies. If you are applying at a landscape company figure out what area they operate in and go and pick up a new client for them. Send them a letter saying that you think you'd be a good fit there and to prove it, you have a new client for them. If you were to do this, do you really believe they won't hire you? Using google to find out a little information and using that information the right way will get you that job that you really want.
Network anyway you can. One of the best ways to get a job is to be recommended by someone who is already at that job. When you're thinking about buying something and you ask a friend about that thing and they recommend it, you buy it don't you? It works the same way with jobs, if employers are looking at your application and someone else's and you're recommended by someone who works there, who is he more likely to trust? He has no real clue and that recommendation is what you need to push you into that job. It doesn't have to be a friend, it could be a friend of a friend, there just has to be some kind of connection. Networking is one of the primary ways people get hired these days, there's just too many people applying, you need that recommendation to make you stand out.

This is the advice I gave my friend and I hope he uses it, you're not guaranteed to get a job but you significantly help your chances by using these principles. It starts with figuring out the right work situation for you, so if you're out of work, get on that today.

When you've figured that out, make yourself stand out. I read a story not to long ago about a guy who sent his resume to HR managers on coffee bags. Every time they wanted coffee, they say his resume, he got a job within one week and it was the job he always wanted. Now that's a great way to stand out from everyone else.

How will you stand out? Do you think you could use these principles to find a great job? What advice do you have for us? Let us know any suggestions you have in the comments:

Everyone Else Is Having Fun Except Me!

When you're making changes sometimes you'll have to make short-term sacrifices for long-term gain. (http://talesofwork.com/blog/2012/02/short-term-sacrifices-for-long-term-gains/)

Is this where your friends went?

While you're making changes the world doesn't stop for you, everyone else around you will keep doing what they're doing. You will see your friends going out to eat, you'll see family members going on amazing vacations. You will see people doing all the things that you wish you could do but can't because of the short-term sacrifice that you're making.

When you see all these things going on around you, it will tempt you to do the same, don't do it!

You have to focus on the bigger picture and remember why you're making these changes. Yes, it would be nice to take that vacation to the U.S. Virgin Islands but that money that you spend for a week of enjoyment could set you back six months in reaching your dreams.

Let's say you're saving money to buy a piece of equipment for a business that you dream of starting, making the change of leaving a job you hate. If you spent that money on that vacation it could set you back a certain amount of time from buying that equipment and moving onto your dream work. What if in that delayed time you were laid off from that job (not out of the realm of possibility with this economy)? Not only was your dream of moving on delayed but that vacation might have cost you a lot longer than a little delay, that money that you were saving will now be the money you need to survive. How long do you think it will take to get to your dream work now? Forget about it!

Now with your dream shattered you'll get depressed and it could be years to never that you move on and change that job that you hate. So I ask, was that little trip worth it?

I know what you're thinking, "I still want to enjoy life", who said you can't. The question is do you want to enjoy life for that one week or three weeks a year or do you want to enjoy every week for the rest of your life if you make a short-term sacrifice now?

You will have fun, you will go on those trips and eat out, just do it different then everyone else. They will live for the moment, you need to radically change your life which will lead to a lifetime of fun.

So don't be jealous of seeing everyone else have fun, use it as motivation to push you as you're making your changes. You're only sacrificing for a short period of time, then you'll have a life that those people will be jealous of.

Are you willing to sacrifice now for a lifetime of fun and fulfillment?

How To Chase Your Dreams With Screaming Kids, Work and Other Distractions of Life

We all have very busy lives

So you've discover you want to make changes and follow your dreams, the question is: when will you have time to work on it? If you're like me, you have kids, a busy job, bills to pay, Church functions to attend and oh yeah, you have to brush your teeth! Life can be extremely busy, so making changes or following your dreams takes a back seat. It seems like twenty-four hours a day is just not long enough to get everything done and still work on your dreams, so what can you do?

We can get easily distracted

With so many things to do in life and so many responsibilities, our dreams can take a back seat to everything else. Even when you have the time to work on change and you get ready to go, you remember those emails you have to respond to, or you want to just have a quick check of what's going on with Facebook. You know what I'm talking about, don't you? What about when you're really into the working on your dreams and your kids decide to start world war four? Your wife or husband comes up to you and says there are three things they "really" need you to take care of. We can quickly lose focus, get discouraged about not making any progress and then just give up entirely!

There's a danger in putting changes and dreams ahead of other things

So you've determined to make this path to your dreams work, no matter what. You have read great blogs like this one and you're going to devout a certain amount of time to change, where is this time going to come from?There can be a danger here if you handle things the wrong way. For example, what if you decided to skip your child's play "because I'm tired of not having enough to on my dreams, I have to do what I have to do" if this is what you tell your family, bad move! What about putting off work assignments because you have to change, what about skipping the gym, not cutting the grass, not going to Church on Sunday, missing things to make sure you work on changes? What if you ignored your spouse all night to focus on your dreams (I've been guilty of this). The end result is that you lose all your support for your changes and dreams, and we all need some support every now and then! You may love your dreams but you can make your spouse or family or friends, hate it!

Show your spouse, kids, and friends how serious you are about your dreams and changes

I've read and heard Jon Acuff say many times that you need to show your spouse how serious you are by taking actions steps, what does that mean? It means that you might have to wait until your kids go to bed to work on things, you might even have to stay up a little later than your spouse. It means making time in your life by taking time away from things that aren't important, how much TV do you watch? How much time are you devoting to social media? Look if you have a blog or a website you're going to have to have some time to get on social media to promote your work, I get that. However, what about the time you spend talking and looking at things that have nothing to do with your work?

When you get serious and use your TV time to work on your dreams, when you cut off playing words with friends or other games and you use that time to change. That's when people will start to take notice how serious you are about your dreams!

Learn how to work in the little moments

There might be times when you legitimately need to take time away to work on your dreams, there might be deadlines to hit, so you need that time. Most of our work will have to be at those late night moments, or that time when the whole family is watching some show. You might even have to wake up early to work on it, there's nothing like working on your dreams while you're the only one up and you have peace and quiet, those are great moments!

The distractions will never go away (get used to it)

I have some bad news for you; the distractions of life will always be there! The key for us as dreamers and changers is to learn how to work through them. Use those little moments, take time away from things that aren't as important, wake up early, stay up late. Show everyone how serious you are by taking action steps, and above everything else, savor the journey!

Life is short and before we know it, it's gone. We have to laugh even at the most crazy distracting, stressful days. Hey, those days will give us some great motivation!

How do you deal with distractions? Your help would be appreciated with a comment:

(P.S. as you work through distractions and use those moments, come back and let the rest of us know about your victories, let us know any tips that could help us)