Archive for February, 2010

Taking steps to finding a career

February 28th, 2010

Out of a job? This may the time to re-design your career

If you are at a crossroads in your job, this is the time to stop for a moment and think. It may be a golden opportunity to stop spinning your wheels in your career lane and make a commitment to make a change.

Think career

Design a career for yourself that corresponds with what you really want to attain in life and that is connected to your values and beliefs. There are many options you can choose: salaried employment, management, independent, partner, business owner or multi-careerist.

What is right for me?

Your career must be based on logic, rationale and wisdom. It should be based on the past and on what you have now: intelligence, strength, general and specific knowledge and experience. What you have gained up to now can be relevant for other career paths.

What attracts me?

Look for a career that will enable you to authentically realize who you really are, to love your line of business, to implement personal values that move you forward toward a destination that gives meaning to your life.

A breakthrough

In contrast to the expected future, a breakthrough is a new future and not a continuation of the past. Use a forced turning point or initiate a crisis to begin a breakthrough. Take a risk, let yourself be unsure and uninformed, plan for the future, take advantage of opportunities and new possibilities that may arise.

Think of a job

Get down to brass tacks and think of a job or position that will take you into the new career you have chosen. Define the characteristics you want. Think of the possibilities of progress and growth. Choose a job that is best suited for you.

Be proactive

Look for work and take advantage of the possibilities that the world of employment offers – national and local newspapers, Internet Web sites and employment fairs. Focus on looking for work proactively. This is the time to initiate, to instigate, to design and create your future. Make sure you are fully and truly devoted, seek help from the appropriate placement companies, invest in networking in all cycles of your life, be creative and take initiative.

Don’t look, find!

Let others look for work…you concentrate on finding it. Invest your intentions, focus, time and energy: manage the process of finding work in an organized manner. Look for more than one position at the same time so you’ll have the opportunity to choose, move forward in the utilization of any possibility that opens up, relate to the calendar and the market situation, investigate and improve the organization of your relevant skills.

Being accepted

Investigate and examine the workplaces offered to you. Make sure they are right for you. Prepare good answers to why you are preferable over other candidates. Be open to opportunities that may come your way. Be honest in your job interviews and business meetings. Guide your acceptance process into a new job.

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You’ve got pots of money and you’re seeking a thrill…

February 25th, 2010

Adrenaline addicts seek designer thrills

Wealthy thrill-seekers in France who are tired of the usual array of white-knuckle sports are turning to a bizarre new service to get their adrenaline rush – designer abduction.

The cost

For 900 euros ($1,226), clients of Ultime Realite (“Ultimate Reality”), a firm in eastern France, can buy a basic kidnap package where they’re bundled away, bound and gagged, and kept incarcerated for four hours. Alternatively, they can opt for a more elaborate tailor-made psychodrama, involving an escape or helicopter chase for example, where costs can quickly escalate.

Whatever you want

“Basically, anything is possible. I identify what the customer wants and then try to put it into action,” said Georges Cexus, 28, who set up the company in the middle of January. Once the scenario has been established, clients sign a contract and liability waiver, but have no idea when the kidnappers will strike in order to maximize the surprise. But Cexus said the maximum incarceration time is 11 hours, beyond which clients might find the novelty tends to wear off.

The business is up and running

After just a few weeks in business, Ultime Realite says it is already getting up to two requests a day, the majority from top-level executives seeking an extreme alternative to bungee jumping or skydiving. Others are hoping to confront deep-rooted phobias, such as one potential client who says he wants to be buried alive.

What’s next?

For those searching for the ultimate nightmare, the company is also hoping to branch out beyond kidnappings and is looking into options such as spending a night in a morgue, or attending your own funeral. “Let’s say it will really be about bringing to life the client’s worst fear, the thing that’s lurking in the back of his mind and he’s never dared talk about,” said Cexus. While paying “victims” might find the experience cathartic, however, there’s little guarantee of how innocent bystanders might react to witnessing a kidnapping in broad daylight.

The law

A spokesperson for the French police said they had no legal objections to the service, but the company would need to warn local authorities beforehand so they were prepared for any emergency calls. “With regard to the police and penal code, there’s no reason for us to ban this service, as the victim is consenting which means there’s no crime,” the spokesperson said.

Real Kidnap

In the real world, being kidnapped is no joke. It is one of the earliest crimes that man indulged in and even today is a highly popular form of money-raising especially among terrorist groups.

The Lindbergh kidnap

Perhaps the most famous of all kidnappings was that of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., son of aviator Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh. The toddler was abducted from his family home in New Jersey on the evening of March 1, 1932. Ransom was paid, the child was found murdered and a suspect was executed. This one was for real.

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This is your New Year resolution review.

February 24th, 2010

Prepare to be honest

New Year’s resolutions work like a dream for some people and are just a waste of time and money for others. Two months into 2010, how many of us are still working on their New Year’s resolutions, like saving money, quitting smoking, losing weight and attending to chores around the house? Here’s an idea to help you stay on course. Don’t let your resolution end up like an abandoned car on the side of the road.

Success story

I was 40lbs overweight at the start of 2009 and resolved to lose weight. Because I thought it was too difficult to shed it all in one year, I set a 20lb loss target for 2009, which I achieved by:

• Setting a target that was not too difficult.
• Breaking up the target into smaller units, 3lbs at a time.
• Setting intermittent targets and being encouraged every time I reached a small target.
• Adjusting my habits to achieve my goal: for instance, no second helpings and no eating between meals.
• Spreading the target over the entire year, more or less securing success.

I’ll tackle the next 20lbs in 2010.

Financial targets

I like to apply the same principles to financial targets though these can be expected to stretch beyond the two-year mark, like accumulating for retirement or for an overseas trip – stuff that will take a longer time to achieve. The question is where to start and how to stay on track.

The GPS system

GPS owners will understand this. When you make a wrong turn, the voice will not tell you that you are dumb, missed the turn and that you have to go back. The GPS is “re-calculating”, meaning its setting you a new course. We must do the same – re-adjust and re-calculate. We must never give up and think that we cannot achieve our goal. Life is unfortunately full of abandoned dreams. Don’t become a victim and give up on your dreams.

Be specific

The GPS needs a specific target address; and likewise your financial goals need to be clearly defined. Say that you want to start saving $200 per month this year, or want to retire on an income of $10,000 per month. The GPS can give you an estimated time of arrival at your destination; a good financial advisor can help you calculate your financial “destination”. The secret is to start moving towards a specific goal or destination – set a time limit.

The basic steps to success

To make your resolutions and goals work, I suggest the following:

• Set a target.
• Make it realistic.
• Set time limits.
• Break larger goals into smaller interim targets.
• Be specific.

• Adjust and recalculate when you go off course.
• Give big targets more time to achieve.
• Make contingent plans for when the battery dies.
• Never give up.
• Persevere to the end.

Keep working on those New Year resolutions!

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