December 8, 2009
Exactly 20 years ago today on my birthday, I received my very first PDA (personal digital assistant).
I immediately began keeping my appointments and contacts in an electronic format. Today, two decades later, I have more than 20,000 calendar items that are each tagged, categorized and sorted. I love having a searchable database where I can find anything quickly should my memory someday need augmentation.
I was the first person I knew to own an electronic organizer. Because there were no other such devices to covet I had not yet developed what psychologists might call “gadget envy.”
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Posted by Duane Hallock
November 25, 2009
I love the Thanksgiving holiday, so in celebration of this special time I share the following thoughts of inspiration:
- A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues. Cicero
- If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice. Meister Eckhart
- Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it. William Arthur Ward Read the rest of this entry »
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Posted by Duane Hallock
November 23, 2009
As Thanksgiving Day approaches, I am reminded of the words of Melody Beattie who said, “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” With a profoundly grateful heart, I share the following 10 things for which I am thankful.
- A job. I know far too many good and talented people who are unemployed. In graditude for my job, I look for ways to network with job seekers. I hope to encourage them and also to share what I’ve learned from my own career transitions.
- Holidays. Though I’m thankful for my job, I’m also grateful for time away from the office. Everyone needs a little downtime. I create pauses in my daily schedule to ground myself. I look forward to a weekly sabbatical away from work. And I enjoy the change of pace that a holiday like Thanksgiving can bring.
- My Family. Next month Carol and I will celebrate 35 years of marriage. This year we’ve welcomed two new members into our family—our son-in-law Nathan (Jennifer’s husband) and our daughter-in-law Annette (Bryan’s wife). We’re also thankful for our son Greg and his daughter Kayla, and for his new job as an elementary school teacher.
- My Friends. Friends are special, and thankful for each and every person in my life. I value the diversity of age, race, politics, religion, socioeconomic status, education and even personality. Together we share the adventure of life’s great journey, though we may be at different places along the path.
- Health. Good health is often unappreciated until it’s gone, but as a cancer survivor I want to live each day with an awareness of my health and well-being. (Living more healthfully will also be one of my upcoming New Year’s resolutions.) Read the rest of this entry »
4 Comments | Life in General | Tagged: abundance, cancer survivor, career transition, family, friends, gratitude, health, health insurance, holidays, Job Search, marriage, medical coverage, networking, sabbatical, thankfulness, thanksgiving, unemployments | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
November 17, 2009
My family and friends live life to its fullest. They are thankful for the abundance that surrounds them and they articulate their thankfulness in countless ways. Often they simply say, “Thank you!” Sometimes they send handwritten notes or e-mails expressing their gratitude. Occasionally I’ve been given a Starbucks gift card in appreciation of a special favor.
Almost everyone I encounter has a special way of saying thanks.
On rare occasions, however, I encounter someone who falls short, someone who fails to express gratitude. Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Life in General | Tagged: abundance, gratitude, mindfulness, Red Cross, thanksgiving, United Way | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
November 3, 2009
In these strange economic times, too many good people are unemployed. I’m grateful for my job, yet I know there’s no such thing as complete job security. This is a scary time, yet I fear something more frightful than unemployment.
I’m afraid of obsolescence—becoming obsolete, irrelevant and dispensable.
Every employee, every worker and every professional has an expiration date (and I don’t mean a date with death). Like milk in the grocery store, everyone has a “Best If Used By…” label. Everyone has a skill set, a knowledge base or a network of contacts that will be outdated very quickly in today’s fast-paced world. No one buys sours milk, no matter how fresh it once tasted. Neither do employers hire or retain obsolete workers, no matter how productive they once were.
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2 Comments | Life in General, Life's Transitions, Marketing Oneself | Tagged: blogs, Chris Brogan, Job Search, job security, mentors, new media, podcasts, Seth Godin, social media, strategy, Susan Bratton, traditional media, unemployment | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
October 29, 2009
When you’re looking for a job, everyone tells you to network.
Network! Network! Network!
That’s great advice, but it can be quite overwhelming and even intimidating.
A while back I was meeting with a young woman looking for her first job out of college. When I emphasized the importance of networking she said, “Everyone tells me to do that, but when I’m meeting with someone I don’t know what to say.”
I appreciated her candor, so I spent extra time helping her develop a networking agenda. After filtering out the noise and distractions, we realized there were only three things she needed to say in a face-to-face networking meeting. Likewise, your networking agenda can be as simple as these three items:
- Here’s who I am. Briefly describe yourself professionally.
- Here’s where I’m going. Describe your ideal job so the other person can visualize you being successful in the next phase of your career.
- Here’s how you can help. People want to help but usually they don’t know how. Give them a few simple things to do.
Organizing a networking meeting around these three points will give you the confidence you need to succeed.
As you move forward in your job search , you’ll also be making new friends and expanding your network of professional contacts.
1 Comment | Life in General, Marketing Oneself | Tagged: Job Search, networking | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
October 27, 2009
When looking for a job, you’ll find most people want to help you. They just don’t know how. It’s your job to tell them what you need.
In planning for an upcoming networking meeting, here’s an idea: Have objectives! In other words, go into the meeting knowing what you want to get out of it. It’s not very difficult if you hang your requests on these three pegs:
- Feedback. Get the other person’s input on your resume, cover letter and job search strategies. Seek feedback on market conditions and other areas where the person has expertise or knowledge.
- Names. Ask for names of other individuals who might be helpful in your job search. Perhaps the other person will offer to introduce you to the new contact. Such introductions are especially beneficial. If you are going to contact the person directly, make sure you have permission prior to using someone’s names as a door-opener when introducing yourself.
- Follow-up. Ask the person if you can stay in touch. Who could deny such a request? Then, by all means, find ways to follow up. I’m dumbfounded by the number of people who look at a networking meeting as a one-time interaction rather than the beginning of professional relationship. You can stay connected via LinkedIn, e-mail, a handwritten thank you note, an in-person follow-up meeting or some other method of keeping the person updated on your status.
Look for ways to give something back. Any good relationship is always interactive and ongoing. Those who only take and never give back will never be successful networkers.
Those who view networking as a short-term means for getting a job will find the experience shallow and burdensome. However, those who see networking as a way of life—a way of staying connected with the world—will be rewarded in unexpected and inmeasurable ways.
Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing Oneself | Tagged: cover letter, Job Search, networking, resume | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
October 20, 2009
- Most people do not resist change. What we resist is transition. Change is a situational shift. Transition, on the other hand, is the process of letting go of the way things used to be and then taking hold of the way they subsequently become. In between the letting go and the taking hold again, there is a chaotic but potentially creative “neutral zone” when things aren’t the old way, but aren’t really a new way yet either. William Bridges
- Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not yet understood. Henry Miller
- There is a time for departure, even when there’s no certain place to go. Tennessee Williams
- Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending. Anonymous
- The door into life generally opens behind us, and a hand is put forth which draws us in backwards. George MacDonald Read the rest of this entry »
2 Comments | Life in General, Life's Transitions | Tagged: beginning, change, confusion, ending, growth, neutral zone, progress, transition | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
October 6, 2009
Several years ago I was a guest of the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City at a workshop on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” One of the exercises was to write a personal mission statement. Intrigued with the process, I continued revising mine long after the workshop concluded.
You see, I’m one of those people who needs to know WHY. I want to understand my raison d’être—my reason for being. I’ve spent quiet moments thinking about my purpose in life, and I’ve come to realize that my personal and professional missions merge together seamlessly.
My threefold mission in life is:
- To understand the world around me.
- To create order from within the chaos.
- To share unconditionally the abundance in my life.
That’s it in three word: understand, create and share. Those words came to life after I spent considerable time exploring the colorful dimensions of each.
Leave a Comment » | Life in General, Marketing Oneself | Tagged: 7 Habits, abundance, create, life mission, mission statement, personal mission statement, share, understand | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock
I communicate with passion and purpose to inspire those searching for beauty and truth.
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