Month: May 2019

If you’re unhappy at work, it may be tempting to head for the nearest exit
immediately. However, leaving before you have something else lined up could have major consequences for your wellbeing and career.

The truth is that quitting your job without a backup plan may be reasonable or reckless depending on the specific circumstances. Find out what you need to know about this important decision before you hand in your resignation letter.

What to Do if You’re Quitting Immediately

Does your job involve physical hazards or such intense stress that it’s undermining your health? Is it so demanding that you’re unable to look for other opportunities as long as you’re in your current position? If so, you may need to depart now regardless of whether you have another job waiting.

Use these strategies if you’re quitting right away:

1. Exit gracefully. Just because you’re leaving quickly doesn’t mean you can forget your manners. If possible, tell your boss before you put anything in writing. Be sure to express your appreciation for your time with the company.
2. Revise your budget. Reduce financial pressures by calculating a monthly budget based on minimal expenses. Think about how you can supplement your income with part time jobs or freelancing.
3. Review your network. Start letting others know that you’re looking for a new position. Challenge yourself to make a specific number of contacts each day.
4. Stay busy. The gig economy has made employment gaps less problematic, but you may still need to explain them to some employers and recruiters. Figure out how you’ll describe this time on your resume. As a bonus, activities like consulting and volunteer work will help you to stay engaged.
5. Refresh and recharge. It can be difficult to make a positive impression in interviews if your old job has left you depressed or anxious. Reach out to family, friends, and your spiritual community to boost your mood and self-esteem.
6. Be flexible. Take time to reflect on why you left your old job. You may want to explore another industry or transfer your skills to a different set of responsibilities.
7. Order business cards. You’ll look more professional and strategic if you hand out updated business cards rather than trying to cross out your old office information. There are many sites where you can order affordable and high-quality printing.

What to Do if You’re Biding Your Time

Maybe your job is less than fulfilling, but it’s still tolerable. Maybe it even provides a path for advancement if you’re patient. Looking for a job while you still have a paycheck can increase your options and decrease your stress.

These strategies will benefit you if you have some time before you quit:

1. Address obstacles. If your job is satisfying except for certain aspects, you may be able to fix them. For example, being proactive about setting priorities could help you deal with a demanding boss.
2. Ask for support. Talk with your boss and HR department if you think they would be willing to assist you. Maybe you could modify your job description or transfer to a different department.
3. Warm up your network. Catch up with old contacts and look for ways to help them. It’s less awkward than getting back in touch because you need job leads right away.
4. Add to your savings. Put a percentage of each paycheck into your savings consistently. Having a financial cushion will allow you to take the time you need to find a position that suits your career goals.

Quitting your job without a safety net can be frightening, but sometimes it’s your smartest option. There are practical advantages to searching for a new position while you’re still employed. However, letting go of a job that’s holding you back may inspire you to pursue your dreams instead of settling for something less.

---

Do you have some extra time to kill and need another source of income? There are several ways to generate a secondary source of income without leaving the comfort of your own home. It’s surprising how many home employment opportunities exist. Anyone with a few hours to spare can earn extra money.

Check out these ways to stay at home and earn money in your free time:

1. Freelancing. With the capabilities of the internet and associated technologies, working from home is a snap. Whether your talent is writing, graphics, building websites, or voiceover work, there’s no end to the amount of work available for a freelancer.
   • No matter what your skills might be, there’s someone out there looking for you. Check out one of the many freelance websites to get started.
2. Telemarketing. Any place with a telephone is suitable for your telemarketing headquarters. It’s a job that few enjoy, so there are usually employers looking for callers. If you have a pleasant voice and can deal with rejection, telemarketing can be an easy and flexible way to earn some money.
3. Grow and sell vegetables. Okay, you might have to leave home to do this. On the other hand, you might be able to convince someone else to sell them for you at the local farmer’s market. Seeds are very inexpensive. Mother Nature will take care of the rest, minus weeding.
4. Make scrapbooks. Not everyone has the skill to make a custom scrapbook. Create scrapbooks for those who are unable or unwilling to do it themselves. A few supplies are all you need to get started.
   • Begin with offering your scrapbooking service to family, friends, and neighbors. You might be able to generate enough referrals to stay busy without additional advertising.
5. Data Entry. Most jobs pay for each entry rather than by the hour. It’s a great job if you have a few spare minutes here and there. It’s super flexible and can work around any schedule. With focus and fast fingers, you can generate a reasonable income.
6. Tutoring. Part-time tutors can make $30 or more per hour. You might have to brush up on your geometry or Latin, but tutoring can be a lucrative way to spend your free time.
7. Translate. Are you skilled in a second language? There are many opportunities to translate conversations and documents. While certifications are required to translate for large companies and government agencies, they’re totally unnecessary for translating a love letter or a conversation on Skype.
8. Rent out a room. If you have the space to spare, rent out a room. A good roommate can be a blessing and help you cover the bills. It might help your social life, too.
9. Host a party. There are parties for Tupperware, candles, and numerous other types of products. While these parties are typically held in the homes of others, host the parties yourself.
   • You could also allow your friends to use your home as a party location, and then keep a percentage of the profits.
10. Sell ad space on a personal blog. Create a blog and then sell ads on your website. You can sell the ad space directly or sign up with Google Adsense. With Google, they’ll post relevant ads for you, and you’ll receive money whenever someone clicks on the ad.

Whether you’re in financial pain or just need an activity to fill your spare time, a secondary or part-time source of income could be the solution. Someone almost certainly has a need that fits your skill set perfectly. Find them and provide your services. It might be the most enjoyable money you’ll ever earn.

Insecurity is perhaps the biggest roadblock to achieving your goals. If you lack confidence and certainty in yourself and your skills, you’ll never leave the starting line.

Insecurity is the result of poor mental habits and giving too much power to others. With work, you can be a highly confident and secure person!

What causes insecurity? Babies aren’t insecure, so it must be something you’ve learned over the course of your lifetime. How do we become insecure and how to we maintain insecurity into adulthood?

There are several causes of insecurity:

1. A lack of self-esteem. If you view yourself negatively and believe that you’re incapable, you’re going to feel insecure. The amount of self-esteem you have is ultimately up to you. No one else can decide it for you. However, they can influence your self-esteem if you let them.
2. Relying on others to make you feel good. Approval from others is nice, but when you need it to feel confident and secure, your feelings of self-worth are out of your control. This creates a strong need for approval and gives too much power to everyone around you.
3. Unreasonable expectations. The people that are held up in our society are especially beautiful, wealthy, or both. These are the people that we see in the movies. These are the people in the magazines. It’s easy to forget that they’re a very tiny portion of the population. Avoid comparing yourself to others.
4. Insults and criticisms from the past. These negative comments may have come from parents, teachers, peers, or anyone else from your past. Children are especially sensitive to criticism and may have a hard time moving past negative comments.

Few people feel as secure as they would like. Your feelings about yourself and the world rarely change without work and focus. Make the decision to let go of your unreasonable expectations and your past hurts. The future is waiting for you.

Use these strategies to feel more secure in yourself and meet the world on your own terms:

1. Approve of yourself. You can give yourself as much approval as you choose! Notice every time you’re hoping for approval from someone else and stop yourself. Give yourself a compliment and practice self-acceptance. With time, your interest in receiving approval from others will dissipate.
2. Only compare yourself to yourself. Are you in better shape than you were last month? Is your financial situation improving? Are you experiencing gains in your social life or your ability to play the piano? Seek improvement over your past. Avoid worrying about what everyone else is doing.
3. Let go of the past. Think of the times you’ve been unkind or critical toward others. Does it seem reasonable for someone from your childhood to still feel wounded by the comments you made so many years ago? Your comments weren’t relevant, and neither were the comments anyone made to you. Forgive everyone from your past and enjoy today.

Feeling secure is about removing the power you allow others to have over you. You don’t need the approval of others. You don’t need to compare yourself to others. The past doesn’t have to define you today.

Identify the challenges that are creating feelings of insecurity in your life and face them head-on. You can be more accepting of yourself and trust yourself more than you do today.

As an added bonus, the better you feel about yourself, the better you’ll feel about others too. Refuse to allow insecurity to tarnish your future. Make the decision today to trust and love yourself more.

There has been a lot of attention focused on the idea of deliberate practice over the last few years. There are several books on the topic and a large body of associated research. There’s no doubt that deliberate practice is the best way to advance your expertise.

But what is deliberate practice?

Can anyone use this technique?

Follow this process to use deliberate practice to master what you want:

1. Identify your weaknesses. Which skills would you like to strengthen? Ask yourself how you can best use the time you have available to you. What specific skill can you practice that will bring you the greatest benefit?
2. Have a purpose for your practice session. It’s not enough to just go to the driving range and hit golf balls mindlessly. Randomly pulling out sheet music and playing the piano won’t help much. Before you begin practicing anything, it’s necessary to know exactly what you’re trying to accomplish.
   • Think about your practice session and write down your objectives. “Learn the C Major scale.”
   • Know your intention before getting to work.
3. Do it daily. Regular practice is key. If you only practice once a week, your progress will be much slower. Your highest level of development will also be much lower. There’s no substitute for consistent practice.
   • Practice more than once each day to maximize the effect.
4. Focus. Deliberate practice requires your full attention. You know that your practice session will be less effective if you’re staring out the window or daydreaming.
   • The quality of your practice is dependent on the amount of focus you can create and maintain.
5. Seek to improve. It’s all about improvement, not just repetition. Try to make each attempt better than the last.
   • Constant improvement is the goal of deliberate practice. Mastery
     requires a lot of incremental improvement. If your intention is to improve, your rate of improvement will be higher.
6. Have a mentor. A mentor can make all the difference. A mentor can have a variety of titles: expert, teacher, or coach. Regardless of the title of your mentor, what’s important is their expertise.
   • A great golf coach can immediately pinpoint the error in your swing. A piano teacher knows what’s wrong with your hand position.
   • Find a subject expert to help you. Feedback is critical to deliberate practice. Without it, you might be practicing the wrong things over and over. Are you sure you’re doing it correctly?
7. Allow time to rest. Physical and mental recovery are necessary. For example, focus can only be maintained for so long before you run out of gas. Experiment and find the optimal length of practice sessions for you. How much of a break do you need? Only you can determine that.
8. Deliberate practice cannot overcome all. If you’re short, slow, and
   middle-aged, you won’t play in the NBA, no matter how much you practice.
   • Deliberate practice is the best way to come close to realizing your full potential at a particular task. It cannot give you potential.

Deliberate practice consists of using your time in a very intentional and focused way. Identify your weaknesses and build your practice routine to address them. Consistent practice is the key. With deliberate practice, you will discover what you’re really capable of.