Personal Development/Success/Life Lessons

Back in grade school, I remember taking the dreaded “achievement test.”

You probably remember this as a standardized group of questions with separate sections on math, English, social studies, and science.

The test was timed and at the bottom of each page, the instructions “Go On To The Next Page” made it clear we were supposed to keep working until finally reaching the last page of the section, which usually contained the single word, “Stop.”

The actual content of the test and the grade I received has long left my memory.

But those big, bold words at the bottom of the page, “Go On To The Next Page,” have resurfaced many times over the years. …

Personal Development/Success/Happiness

I know many of you are busy putting together your plans for the new year. Some of you will make “resolutions,” making a list of the things in your life you want to change.

For example, you may want to stop smoking or lose weight, make more money, or find a new relationship, a better job, or perhaps change professions altogether. In short, you’re looking for a way to change or improve some situation in your life that’s not as positive or rewarding as it could be.

As you begin the goal-setting process, you may decide to use one of…

Writing tips/productivity

When I was about twelve, my family decided to visit the relatives living in a small town located in the great state of . . . well, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just say it’s one of the contiguous 48.

It was a pleasant little town, one of those out-of-the-way places that looked like it had sprung from the canvas of a Norman Rockwell painting. The storybook houses sat on deep, perfectly manicured yards, their long driveways sheltered by leafy canopies of oak and maple, while front porch swings buffered the illusion of Victorian propriety with down-home hospitality.

The downtown area…

Personal Success/Goals/Achievement

As children, our choice of a future profession was usually the result of that week’s influences on our developing psyche. We took our cues from television and movies, popular books, or from conversations with friends.

The idea of being a rock star, an international financier, or movie idol was an easy choice

Because at seven or eight-years-old, we were at our most impressionable, and our short attention spans made it easy to change our mind tomorrow. At that age, we didn’t have to consider the prerequisites of education or experience, and we were under no pressure to demonstrate our innate talent for the profession. …

Responsibility/Values/Personal Growth

When I was a 17-year-old high school senior, my father asked me if I’d made any plans concerning what I was going to do after I graduated — his way of asking if I’d found a job.

Our conversation was a follow up to a previous discussion we’d had a few weeks prior. He’d made it clear how important it was for me to continue my education. He added that he thought my goal of wanting to become an electrical engineer was a worthy objective.

But unfortunately, he didn’t have the financial resources to pay for my college education.

The money he made came week-to-week, generated from a small grocery store located in a…

Attending company-sponsored events, seminars, conventions, and conferences are an integral part of working for the man.

Yes, most of these activities have been put on hold due to concerns over Covid-19. But managers also know the value of the added synergy resulting from meeting company executives and co-workers face-to-face. And after the current pandemic is contained, unless the organization is in a cash-flow crunch, you can expect the process of pressing the flesh to continue.

Make it a priority to use these get-togethers to your advantage.

You may have talked to John Smith a dozen times on the phone, but chatting with John in person brings a different dynamic to the…

Generosity/Life/Relationships

I’m writing this just a few days before Christmas — a time for holiday decorations, giving presents to family and friends, and setting the table with turkey and all the trimmings.

Ideally, we welcome the season as a time of generosity, kindness, and compassion. And we often do it by remembering and re-telling the stories that have become as much a part of the holiday as putting up a Christmas tree or hanging a sprig of mistletoe over a doorway.

There’s A Christmas Carol, written by Charles dickens in 1843, and The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry, published…

Work/Goals/Careers

With a majority of business authors, bloggers, and work strategists touting the advantages of being an entrepreneur, why would anyone try to create a successful and rewarding career by working for someone else? It’s just the opposite of the popular argument preaching self-employment as the ideal way to wealth, independence, and happiness.

But just like the current rhetoric surrounding corporate employment — the inherent politics, hidden agendas, and adherence to the herd mentality — are often inaccurate generalizations, the benefits associated with entrepreneurship are not guaranteed.

There are sobering disadvantages to striking out on your own

One of them is facing the need to gain experience, skills, and credibility while…