Creating Ecosystems of Success – Page 12

Getting Prepared For The Unexpected

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success, and two key focuses are Financial Literacy/Money and Health/Wellness. In life, we never know what is going to happen which is in part exciting but problematic at the same time. It is likewise important to understand this, and to try to figure out ways to be proactive about the unexpected. The following contributed post is thus entitled, Getting Prepared For The Unexpected.

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While it’s great to think positively about the future, it’s also good to be prepared for the unexpected as you never know what might happen – good or bad, it could be an unplanned pregnancy, a new job opportunity or you could lose your job, have an accident or get ill? Any of these events could have and probably will have a significant impact on your finances. So, are you prepared?

Be Realistic
Nobody plans for illness and no one prepares for a tree falling on their car. However, if you do prepare for unexpected events then, you’ll know how to deal with them, it won’t be such a shock and will hopefully mean you have some money or people or access to cash or the right people to help you through it. It’s tough to focus on adverse and traumatic events until you have to, however, if you do and you can think about what could/might happen, and what you would do about it, mentally walking it through, it can help you to work out what you might need.

Start with an Emergency Fund
A priority step for preparing for the unexpected is to have a substantial emergency fund in place. Your emergency fund should ideally cover you for 3-6 months of living expenses. If you are single, or you are a single-income family, you may want to consider building an emergency fund of up to a year, which will provide security for you and your family should you lose your job and have a hard time finding another one, or suffer an unexpected illness or gap in your earnings.

It is nice to know you have the money there while you are dealing with other issues such as job loss, illness or anything that might affect your income. Think about what you already have or is there anything you can sell, can you sell annuity payment for example? Do you have any money coming in from an inheritance that you could put by in case of an emergency?

Think About The People You Know
Professionally and personally, do you have people in your life who will be willing and able to help you if you need them? Do you know people to give you advice, coaching, or counseling? Each person you know will be able to offer something different; some people will be great at providing practical help such as meal deliveries, or personal friends who will stop by your home to help out. Having a support system can be invaluable when an unwelcome event occurs.

What About Your Job?
If you have an accident or fall ill and find yourself having to be away from your job for an extended period, this can add additional stress as you might be worried about your work, your clients and your team. Will they be able to manage without you? If you get a system in place for these kinds of eventualities, this will help to keep your mind at rest, as well as improve your team and employer know that everything will be taken care of.

Calm In The Cubicle: Encouraging Your Employees To Be Stress-Free

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and two key focus are Career Discussions and Health/Wellness. If you’re a manager in an organization or a business owner, a key consideration is keeping your employees at as low a level of stress as possible. If you can do so, you can get them to give you a consistently high level of productivity. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, Calm In The Cubicle: Encouraging Your Employees To Be Stress-Free.

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What we can suffer from when we are starting out on our business journey is that the business takes priority and not necessarily anything else. You might be working to promote your business day and night, and this can be to the detriment of the most important aspect of your company, the employees. After all, if we overworked and underpaid our employees, how long are they going to stay with us? Not very long. But, if we work at improving our employees, nurturing their capabilities, but also ensuring that they are happy in our working environment, this will naturally translate to productive and efficient work. So we need to think about those employees sat in the cubicle, on their own for hours on end, are they actually being productive? Maybe it’s time to look at the more stressful aspects of work, and eradicating them for good?

What Stresses Out Your Employees?
First things first, we don’t have an open door policy; we need to get this arranged. To get an open dialogue with our employees, we need to have continual contact with them, but we need to find what is making them feel bad. These days, stress and anxiety are two common components of modern living, and this naturally spills into their working lives. Sometimes their working lives are the very reason. If we can start to unravel this by having good quality communication and regular contact with our employees to ensure that we are on top of these issues, we can then put the stops in place that benefits everyone.

Fixing The Space
If you have rows upon rows of cubicles, this needs to go. In addition to this, you may want to take your attitude to the workplace out of the 20th century and bring it bang up to date! To alter the space and make it an environment where employees are not just hemmed in like farmyard animals, you should take inspiration from the more modern startups and make them a talisman for what you want to achieve. There are professionals such as Vertical Interior Design that can help you to redesign your office space so you can get rid of the cubicles and the open plan, and make it a more inclusive and collaborative space. This will help your employees to feel they are in more of a collection which will actually impact their work for the better, but those office cubicles never lend themselves well to communicating with anyone. When you see those offices that are silent and almost ghostly in presence, you’d never expect the environment to be a nurturing one.

Flexibility
If your employees feel that their job is the biggest source of stress in their lives, what you can do to make it easier on them is to employ a more flexible approach to their working day. For example, those busy working parents who are always rushing to get in for 9 in the morning, but always end up being late may feel that they have the Sword of Damocles hanging over their head every time they turn up a little bit late. But instead, why don’t you push the clock back a bit for them? Having a more flexible schedule will make them stress less and work better.

Sourcing The Right Stimuli
Because a typical office is somewhere that’s the very embodiment of drab, or demotivation, or without the right touchstones, you can focus on these negative aspects and they can color your entire attitude to work. So if there is nothing much we can do about this, then we need to work at improving the cognition of our workers by implementing certain things that can help in the long run. The right snacks can be a godsend, especially when you look at the fact that the typical office culture celebrates sugar and greasy carbohydrates in the form of doughnuts and pizza, every time there’s a deadline that is tight or you want to reward your employees. But this only makes them sluggish in the long run. Likewise, if you have a very busy office space, and you have employees that are struggling to focus, you can make the most of various productivity tools to help your workers focus better in this stressful environment. The right noise app can drown out any office hubbub and allow your workers to focus on the task at hand. Likewise, if you’ve got a lot of work that needs doing, and a lot of typing, then voice recognition programs could cut that workload in half!

Stress in the workplace comes in many different ways, shapes, and forms. Work-related stress is very common, but there are the external aspects that can cloud their ability to work as well. If we can encourage a more relaxing environment in the workplace, this will translate to a happier person and a healthier environment.

Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make in the Medical World

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. The medical industry is unique in that you directly affect the lives and health of people. In this regard, even the simplest error or mistake can be fatal and costly. What kinds of errors are there? The following contributed post is entitled, Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make in the Medical World.

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When you work in the big wide medical world, there isn’t much room for error. When a doctor , surgeon, researcher or nurse makes a mistake the results can be catastrophic. If you’re working in the medical industry you need to be able to minimize mistakes and keep your business running smoothly. This is not only for the sake of your patients, but your reputation will be on the line too. Every human has made a mistake at some point in their life, but it’s not often to the detriment of another life. The medical world will always be full of ups and downs, but as long as you can keep a level head, you will succeed with minimal errors.

Translation Errors

When you’re working in the medical sector you will often be faced with documentation and devices that are written in a different language. You can’t afford to look up these kind of translations on the internet so click here to find highly specialized document translation services. You can be sure that your information is specifically translated by a professional so that you minimize mistakes in your establishment.

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Misdiagnoses’

When a patient is overlooked or misdiagnosed it can put your entire career in jeopardy. Of course, this type of thing happens all the time in hospitals and surgeries, but how can it be prevented? Make sure every single person who works for you understands each protocol for diagnosing patients. If there is any dispute or ambiguity somebody senior should step in and give their opinion on the patient’s condition. When you’re more thorough in a medical environment it helps your patients to receive the best care possible.

Failing Employees

In the medical industry there will always be a handful of employees who slip through the cracks with their skill sets. You need to make sure you never allow unqualified or dangerous people into your working environment. Thorough checks should be carried out before giving anybody a job. You could even start people on a probation period if you’re unsure. Implement training programs so that every everybody always feels supported.

Missed Opportunities

There will always be new clinical trials that your establishment wants to try out. Although they can be risky when medical treatments go wrong, it is always good to give them a try whenever possible. You will never be able to enhance your knowledge if you don’t step out of your comfort zone from time to time. Assess each situation as it arises and you will always know you did your best.

Your medical business will always be your pride and joy, so don’t allow any mistakes to slip under the cracks. Put adequate training programmes in place and hire the right people for certain jobs. Whether you’re training new interns or hiring someone to translate documents, every level of the chain is extremely important. Missing out on one important stage could cost your business and reputation. Don’t leave room for errors and you will never have to worry about picking up the pieces.

How Would You Cope With Losing Your Job?

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Career Discussions. In some instances losing our jobs is in our control and in other instances, it is beyond our control. In either case, it’s important to think about what you would do should such a circumstance arise. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, How Would You Cope With Losing Your Job?

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The world of work has changed dramatically. In our grandparents and parents eras, you’d often get a job after leaving school or university and work that job until you retired. Industry and businesses tended to be long lasting, and job roles in general were much more secure. These days, things change quickly. The speed that technology advances means that companies have to adapt, and the roles that exist within them change to match. Companies have higher rates of failure for this reason, and so none of our jobs are quite as safe as we’d like to think. No one likes to think about being made unemployed, but if your company goes under, you get made redundant or you get sick or injured then it’s something you’ll have to face. ‘Hope for the best but plan for the worst’ is a good mindset to have here, here’s what you can do to get yourself in the best position if this were to happen.

Save and stockpile
Having money saved in general is no bad thing. Often in life, big expenses will crop up from time to time, and if you have a ‘buffer’ it can prevent a situation from becoming a lot more stressful. Aim to have at least three months of rent/ mortgage, bills and other costs set aside in the bank. That way, if you do lose your job you have everything covered for a few months while you find something else. A new job won’t always come right away, so by having this money set aside you don’t risk falling into debt or arrears or even losing your home. Another thing you could do is stockpile long lasting food items, toiletries, cleaning products and other home essentials. Fill up your pantry with staple items- tins, jars, dried grains, herbs and spices and you have a number of meals you can make if you’re short on cash for a while. Fill a cupboard upstairs with kitchen and toilet paper, toothpaste, shampoo, soap and cleaning essentials for the home. At least that way you don’t have to struggle during leaner times, particularly if you end up losing your job. You don’t need to go mad and stock up as if the zombie apocalypse is imminent. But grab a few essentials when they’re on sale and store them away, you might be glad of it one day.

Get insured
Having health, dental, home, pet and other kinds of insurances means you’re not left out of pocket if the worst were to happen. Insurance costs might seem like something you can cut out of your budget if you’ve recently lost your job, but it’s now you need them more than ever. If you do need to make a claim you’ll be so glad you had them in place.

Have an alternate source of income
Having a side hustle, a way to earn some extra cash (even better if it’s from home!) can make your situation a little easier if you lose your main source of income. Whether it’s from freelancing, blogging, a Youtube channel or a home business, you at least have some cash flow coming in and can cover your basic costs. It can take some time to get a side hustle established to the point that it’s earning regular money, so don’t wait until you’re at the point that you really need it. Start today, work it in your spare time and use it as a way to boost your monthly income. That way, it’s there if you need to rely on it later down the line.

Improve your CV
Improving your CV means that if you do lose your job, you’ll find it easier to get something else. Don’t just rely on the experience from your current role, there’s plenty more you can do. Why not do an online course in a subject that’s linked to your career path. You can study online, from home in your spare time so it doesn’t have to be a huge commitment. You could take up some voluntary work, or even start a hobby that would look good to employers. For example, if your chosen career requires patience and logic you could start at a chess club. If if requires teamwork, a team sport would look impressive.

Ensure you’re claiming the money you’re entitled to
There are various benefit and welfare schemes out there, make sure that you’re claiming everything you’re entitled to. There are certain benefits that you don’t need to be out of work to claim, for example military spouse benefits and child benefit that you get regardless if you’re entitled. But sickness, disability and job seeking benefits could all apply to you depending on the reason you’re out of work. Be sure to check and claim the money that’s owed to you.

How would you cope if you lost your job tomorrow? Do you have any systems in place that would make the process easier?

Simple Ways To Narrow Down Your Job Search

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of success and a key area of focuse is Career Discussions. At some point or another, most of us have to look for jobs. In addition to having the appropriate qualifications, its also important to make your searches as simple as possible. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, Simple Ways To Narrow Down Your Job Search.

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When you’re looking for a new job, there is no point in applying for roles that you are unlikely to get. There is no point in trawling job sites that don’t contain the positions you are looking for. There’s no point filling out endless application forms for a job that, considering who you are as a person, are never going to fulfil you.

Instead, you need to narrow down your job search, so you don’t a) waste time with applications and interviews for jobs you aren’t suited to, and b) don’t end up in a position that you are likely to quit in several months time.

To narrow down your job search…

Think about the kind of jobs that would motivate you. What kind of job will get you out of bed in the morning? What kind of job would you enjoy doing? It might be a job that allows you to follow your passions. Or it might be a role in a career where you can help others. Whatever it is, think about the jobs that will excite you, look at the appropriate job sites or do a Google search for companies near you, get the qualifications needed, and then start applying.

Think about the skills you possess. When you know what your skills are, you will then be able to target those vocations and industries that you know you are suited for. So, if you have a head for numbers, you may be eligible for accounting jobs. Should you have a flair for cooking, you might want to consider a career in catering. You may have picked up skills in both your personal life and work life, so list them, and consider the types of jobs you could apply to. You might need to get extra qualifications, but as many jobs offer these as part of in-job training, you might still apply if you know you have skills particular employers will be interested in.

Think about your current position. If you are currently happy in your career but looking for advancement, you might want to focus your job search on those roles that will advance rather than downgrade your career. There might be roles within other companies in your chosen industry that are more senior than your current position, so rather than trawling the job pages, why not directly approach these other businesses? Or network with others at industry meetings and conferences, as after all, sometimes it’s not what you know but who you know! You might also reach out on social media, using LinkedIn to network with other professionals within your industry.

Think about your lifestyle. Do you have a family to consider? Do you want a better work-life balance? If either of these things is true, you might want to look for jobs that are closer to home. You might want to target part-time rather than full-time positions. And you might want to look for those jobs that will give you greater flexibility for your lifestyle. Narrow down your job search, and look for those roles that will help you meet both your personal and work goals.

Don’t waste time trawling job sites that don’t contain what you’re looking for. Don’t waste your time applying for jobs that are above or below your pay grade. And don’t waste your time sitting in interviews for jobs you don’t want or are not really eligible for. Using the tips in this article, save time by narrowing down your job search, and move into those positions that are better suited to you.

The Fine Line Between Project Success And Failure

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. No matter what kind of project you’re working on, it’s important to understand how to push it through to completion successfully. Many individuals’ projects end in failure. The following contributed post discusses how to successfully finish a project and is entitled, The Fine Line Between Project Success And Failure.

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Knowing what determines project success or failure is important. It provides you with direction; you know what you will be judged on and, therefore, what you will be aiming for. With that in mind, in this post, we are going to assess the factors that are relevant to project success or failure in further detail.

The success of the business project manager tends to be based on how they achieve three key goals. These are as follows:

The project being completed on time
The project being completed within the cost budget that was approved
Good performance – This means that the project delivers the intended benefits and satisfies the specification that was provided

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In order to achieve these objectives, there are a number of factors that are required:

• Quick and fair conflict resolution
• Effective project management training
• Well-motivated team members
• Good project communications
• Appropriate regard for the health and safety of all people that are connected with the project, this is especially the case for the likes of new healthcare projects, for example, saliva drug test advancements or testing for various diseases
• A suitable organisation structure
• A sound quality culture throughout the business
• Technical competence
• Firm control of changes to the project
• Availability of resources, including sufficient funds
• Strong support for the project
• The correct project strategy
• Clear project definition

In some cases, one of the three primary objectives mentioned above may have special importance over the others. For example, it could be critical that the project is completed on time – this could be even more important than performance or budget.

It is important to recognise that this will result in a trade-off decision. If there is more emphasis placed on one or two of the main objectives, then it is going to come at the expense of the other objective(s).

You also need to understand the relationship between quality and cost, as well as the relationship between time and cost. Let’s deal with the former first. Most would agree that quality cannot be attained without added cost. However, there is an even greater reason why you cannot compromise or downgrade quality in order to save money. This is evident when you accept that a product must be fit for the purpose for which it was intended – this is the definition of quality. Downgrading quality simply isn’t an option, as no project manager should ever think about a result that is not fit for purpose.

There is also a vital and direct relationship between time and money. Cost estimates are almost guaranteed to be overspent if a project runs late. Every day that a project exists, be it a non-working or working day, it costs money.

All in all, if your project is to be a success, you need to achieve the three primary objectives mentioned above – deliver it on time, deliver it on budget, and deliver it to the specification provided by the client. You also need to understand how these objectives impact one and other if you are to succeed.

Are You Trying To Balance Being A Parent And Studying? Here’s 3 Tips To Make It Easier

Two key focuses of my blog are Creating Ecosystems of Success and General Education. Many parents balance going back to school and parenting which can be a lot of work. The following contributed post gives tips to parents for simultaneously balancing both tasks and is entitled, Are You Trying To Balance Being A Parent And Studying? Here’s 3 Tips To Make It Easier.

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There are many reasons why parents decide to continue or even start, studying at the same time as raising a young family. They may have become parents at a young age and missed out on the chance to finish their education, or perhaps they took time out to go on a gap year or went straight into the workplace instead. Whatever the reason, it is possible to make a return to education and raise a family at the same time. It will be more difficult – after all, you have little people depending on you, but bare in mind that you are doing your best to be a good role model and improving your future job prospects. Here, we look at a few ways to make studying and parenting a lot more simple.

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1) Think about online or distance learning

Sometimes, actually getting out to a college or university campus can be the most difficult thing about studying for a parent. If your children are not of school age, you need to look for reliable daycare, which can be extremely expensive. You also have to think about getting everyone ready and out of the door on time in the mornings, and let’s face it, with young kids, that is never the easiest thing to do. Lessons and deadlines are usually set in stone and have no leeway for flexibility. Online and distance courses, are not as rigid, and can often be done at your own speed, from the comfort of your own home – in your pyjamas if you like and sitting at your affordable reclaimed wood table. It also allows you to attend events at your children’s school and be at home for them when they need you without the worry of it affecting your grades or attendance.

2) Be prepared to study anywhere

When you’re studying and raising a family, the one thing you are most likely to struggle with is time. As parents, we seem to waste a lot of time, sitting around in our car while they are in ballet recitals or soccer coaching. When you are studying, those little pockets of time can be precious. Have a bag ready to take anywhere and everywhere with course books, printouts, flashcards and anything else that you need to do some spontaneous studying. You will be surprised at just how much you can get done!

3) Lose the guilt

Guilt is one thing that parents feel a lot of the time, and when you are trying to divide your precious time between your children and your education, it is easy to feel guilty. To do both effectively, you need to let that guilt go. Sometimes, you might have to put the TV on and leave the kids to amuse themselves. Sometimes, you might need to miss that show or that baseball game to meet a deadline. There will be times when you feel exhausted and have little patience left, but remember, you are doing this not only to benefit you but to benefit your children as well.

Promoting Better Mental Health in the Workplace

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key focus is Health and Wellness. Creating a healthy workplace for our employees is critical. Mental health is particularly important. The greater the better the mental health of your employees, the more productive they’ll be. The following contributed post is therefore entitled, Promoting Better Mental Health in the Workplace.

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The way your employees feel when they are at work con Impact on your business. It can affect productivity, communications and safety issues. Promoting a good atmosphere for them to work in will help with a good mental attitude in the workplace, and as an employer, you should be taking steps to make sure this is the case for your staff.

If you fail to do so, depression and anxiety could mean a lot of extra sick days, which will make your business less successful and harder to run. Your employees can be your most valuable assets and investing in them is vitally important for the future of your business.

Create A Healthy Workplace

This is easy to do by sometimes making just a few simple adjustments to your workplace and the way you treat your employees. Make sure that the environment they are in is a healthy temperature and that the air is fresh, Just these two things are a great start to making them feel better about themselves.

Do not expect them to work all day in your workplace and then go home and do even more work. Most people spend about one-third of their life in work and that is long enough. Expecting them to work a 60-hour week or to deal with emails and queries from home is not only unfair, but it will also make them feel discontented and that their efforts while at work are not appreciated.

Make sure they take their breaks and have somewhere that they can socialize for them. Some social interaction is a great way of relieving stress and they will return to their workstations more alert and ready to work.

Some experts, including Cynthia Telles of Kaiser Permanente, have spent years researching and dealing with these matters, and their opinions are very highly respected. She has been involved in several programs that aimed to improve the mental health of employees in all walks of life.

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Help Employees Identify Mental Health Problems

It is thought that in the US, one in four employees suffers from mental health problems to some degree and that most of them suffer in silence. This is in part because many of them do not recognize the cause of their problem and think it because of aging, the menopause or any one of a number of other things. Some workers think it is normal to feel this way and you need to help them identify when the way they are felling is not part of normal stress.

Helping them to recognize the symptoms and the triggers is one of the most effective things an employer can do for their workforce. You could invite a mental health expert to your business to give them a talk on what to look for and how to deal with it. There are confidential mental health screenings available and sometimes a questionnaire about their habits and symptoms can be very enlightening for someone that has been trained in these matters. There are also free online screening tools that you could encourage them to use.

The whole point is that a happy workforce will be more productive and produce a better quality of work. The time taken to ensure that none of your employees are suffering from mental health problems because of their job, or that none happen in the future, could save you a lot of time, effort and money ion the long run.

Assist Them With Their Treatments

Most mental health issues are very treatable, but they may need some time to seek the help they need. Letting them leave work for weekly therapy sessions that are during business hours for example, could prevent that employ from being off work long-term while they are treated.

Most employers would not have a qualm in calling for help if an employee becomes physically ill while they are at work, but those same bosses will totally ignore mental health issues. There is still something of a stigma attached to mental health problems, but many of them could have been prevented to start with. To the sufferer, they are just as bad and sometimes worse, than a physical illness and they deserve the same care and attention as someone who is having a heart attack while sitting at their desk.

If you any idea that a member of your staff may be becoming depressed or anxious while they are at work, speak with them or get someone else trusted to, and suggest that they seek treatment before it gets even worse.

Unlocking Confidence In Your Daily Life

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success. Often times, success in our lives is greatly dictated and influenced by our mindsets and personal beliefs. Likewise, a lack of success is caused by mental programming. The following contributed post discusses this and is entitled, Unlocking Confidence In Your Daily Life.

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Everyone would say that they would like to be more confident, as it is clear that it leads to a more productive and fulfilling life. But it is one thing to want this, and quite another to actually know how to go about making it a reality, and that is a distinction which can really make all the difference in the world. Nonetheless, everyone is capable is learning to be more confident, and it begins by focusing on what it is that you tend to do with your mind. The secret to being confident is understanding how to think about it, as well as how to approach hurdles and problems in your daily life, in a manner which breeds more and more confidence within yourself. In this post, we’ll look at a few of the mindset qualities which can help you to feel and become genuinely much more confident in no time at all.

Anything Is Possible

First of all, you will want to try and develop a sense and feeling of anything being truly possible. Although at first it might seem as though this is not true, or that it must be hard to think this way, actually it is not quite as difficult as you might think, and the truth is that most things are much more possible than people tend to think. The problem is that by assuming that things are not possible, you make it truer, and the same is true of the opposite. You can start with very small things for this, everyday annoyances which you would usually feel have no real solution. For instance, it is always possible to get out of a parking ticket – check out GetDismissed, for instance – or to get away with being given your coffee for free. Try it out, and see what you can manage, and then you can start to build it up.

Growth Is What Matters

Of course, you are going to face setbacks, so it is the way in which you approach those problems that determines how confident you are likely to feel and come across, and therefore what kind of a life you are likely to live. And you will find it considerably easier to deal with whatever problems you might have if you can focus more on growth than anything else. If you can say that a problem at least caused you to grow, then you will find that this leads to a much more positive way of looking at things, which in turn allows you to feel much more confident in yourself in the future, for you won’t be fearing failure quite so much. This is powerful, and it’s well worth looking into as best as you can.

Help Others, Help Yourself

Finally, there is much to be said for the process of helping others in your life. Apart from just being a nice thing to do, when you go out of your way frequently to help others, it tends to have an effect of making you feel better about yourself, and this will lead to an increased confidence in no time. This is hugely important, and it can’t be overlooked.

Unhappy at Work? Here’s What to Do

The first principle of my blog is Creating Ecosystems of Success and a key area is Career Discussions. In some instances individuals can become unhappy in their careers and at work. Is the only option to quit? Not necessarily. The following contributed post is entitled, Unhappy at Work? Here’s What to Do.

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Work takes up a significant amount of your time and if you are unhappy, you must make a change. There is no point in going through life feeling like things could be better and doing nothing about it!

Being unhappy at work can have a massive knock-on effect on the rest of your life. If you are anxious and stressed at work, you will almost certainly be anxious and stressed at home. If you are feeling bored and uninspired at work, you can guarantee that your home life will be boring too.

The good news is that there is a simple formula to find your way to happiness once again. In just 3 steps, you should be able to see a much brighter future ahead.

Isolate the Problem

There are all kinds of reasons that you might be unhappy at work. Perhaps you feel that you don’t have enough of a challenge or maybe you are feeling overworked. It may be that you don’t get on very well with your manager or colleagues or even that you are being overwhelmed by the social commitments expected of you. No matter what it is, you should try to isolate the specific problem before you do anything else.

Often, people who are unhappy at work begin to internalise their worries and feel that they are to blame. Employees who are stressed out and overworked often feel that they are bad at their jobs and don’t realise that they could do an excellent job elsewhere. Similarly, if you aren’t getting on with your colleagues, you may feel socially inept. By isolating the problems you are having at work, you will be able to see that the problem lies with the job and not you. When you come to go for a new job, you will be able to see the warning signs and make a better choice.

Isolating the problem or problems is the best way to start working on a plan to make things better. If you are just focusing on the feeling of being unhappy and not the cause, you aren’t going to make any progress. The best action plan is based on facts not feelings.

Decide on an Action Plan

Stress and anxiety quite often stand in the way of working out an action plan but this is no problem in the long run. You just need to shift your priorities. Instead of focusing on what you need to do to make your job better, you should start by thinking about what will make your mental health better. Happily, the two things often coincide.

Breathe deeply and close your eyes. Let your mind drift for a moment but try to prevent them going into a spiral – follow the thoughts that interest you. Letting your thoughts wander is a great way to give your brain space to come up with more creative ideas and solutions. As problems at work pop up at the forefront of your mind, think about the possible solutions. You might even like to make a list you can look at later.

Some problems are easier to work through than others. For example, if you aren’t getting on with your colleagues, you might be able to talk to them about the problems you are having and clear the air. Similarly, if you want a greater challenge, you could ask to go on courses, move departments and take on more responsibilities as part of your role.

But other issues are more difficult to resolve and you may need to ask for professional help. If you are unhappy because you believe your company is acting illegally and you are planning to become a whistleblower, you will certainly need some help and should ask a lawyer for more information.

When you have a few solutions to try, you should put your plan into action. So, let’s say you are unhappy because you don’t get on with your colleagues and you don’t have enough to do. Start by asking your manager for more responsibility and suggest areas that you are particularly interested in developing. This is a good idea for several reasons but most important are that you can build up your CV and you will have less time to worry about your social issues.

Next, you should go through the process again, what is it specifically that is impeding your relationship with your colleagues? Would it help if you were to speak more clearly? Do you need to tread more carefully when you talk? Perhaps you are misunderstanding each other and there actually isn’t really a problem! Social issues at work take time to resolve but a candid chat is always a good starting point. Whatever you do – don’t gossip!

Make Positive Changes

Making just a few positive changes at work can have a real impact on how you feel. Positive changes can be as small as having a picture on your desk or as big as quitting and starting up your own business. The most important thing is that you are making the decision for the positive rather than simply escaping the negative. One of the most important rules in finding a new job that will make you happy is that you should always run to a job not away from a job.

Getting a new job is often the end goal for most people who are unhappy at work. Though it might feel like climbing a mountain every day, this is the main reason that you shouldn’t completely give up on the job you currently have. Continue to do your best and find ways to develop yourself so that when it comes to the interview, you will have plenty to talk about and impress the new company with.

As difficult as it is, try to keep looking at the positives. You might feel stuck in a rut but writing and sending off your CV will help to show you that you have plenty of skills and experience to work with. You won’t be trapped in this job forever.