Overcoming Obstacles

If you are like me, you intentionally start everyday with a positive self affirmation that you can achieve great things if you keep a positive attitude and keep your eye on the goal. However, we all know that this is a lot easier said than done.

Vince Lombardi stated, "Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal."

How do we overcome these roadblocks? How do we stay focused?

Recently, I have been struggling with the above mentioned questions and had to reach out to some fellow runners to be redirected. Below is the advice I received:

1) Have Purpose: Remind yourself what will come when you complete the task at hand and the original intention of setting a goal.

2) Have Strategy: Lay out a well designed plan to help hold yourself accountable in every step down the road to success.

3) Have Milestones: Celebrate small victories as move from one step of the plan to another.

4) Have a Support System: It is a lot easier to stay on track when you have a cheering section.

5) Have Fun: Achieving success should be fun because you are making yourself better everyday.

Thanks to the runners that have helped me. Thanks to my family and friends that cheer me along my way. You guys are the best.

Do You Have a Cheering Section?

Do you have a network of people that help shape your goals and ultimately carry you to the finish line? Can you name five individuals who have actually taken the time to invest in your future and continually challenge you to be better?

I can not begin to tell you how much of a difference a cheering section makes when you want to achieve a goal or conquer a difficult task.

In his book, "The Last Lecture: Achieving Your Childhood Dreams", the late Randy Pausch describes a peewee football coach who tested and criticized him throughout an entire practice. After practice and feeling somewhat worthless, the assistant coach verbalized to Randy that it was a GOOD thing that the coach corrected him over and over again. Randy states in his book, "When you are constantly screwing up and no one is there to correct you, that means they have given up on you and that is not a good place to be."

How true is the above statement? Can you look back at moments in your life where the right person approached you, helped you, and then provided you with the tools and information to be successful?

Why is it so important to have a cheering section?

1) Reality Checks. By nature, humans have a defined sense of being self righteous in moments where we want to prove that what we are doing/saying is absolute truth. I know I do. However, this attitude tends to lead us down a road where we can not get over certain brick walls. To overcome, you need some one that can provide you with honest information to help you climb over the wall to the other side of reality.

2) Motivation. I ran my first 15k with my dad yesterday. After mile six, my mind started to play mental games with me and I began to question my endurance. My saving grace was my Dad. Along side me, he coached and pushed me all the way to the finish line and furnished me with the motivation to accomplish the race. We all need our motivators.

3) Feedback. Where would we be if the outcomes of life decisions where never filtered back to us in some kind of way? We need feedback to help redirect us.

I appreciate my cheering section.

This week, challenge yourself to invest in some one's future.

Attitude Is Everything-Be a Superachiever

Is your glass half empty or half full? What is your attitude like at work? Are you continually in a bad mood?

Attitude is everything.

After reading Jeffery Gitomer's, "Little Gold Book of Yes, Attitude" and the below article forwarded to me by a friend in law school, I had to re-evaluate my professional perceptions and behaviors.

It is so easy to allow "roadblocks" during the course of our day to detour us from achieving success. However, if we continue to make a commitment to wake up every morning and say, "I can win", you will slowly start to see a positive change in your body language, verbiage, interaction with co-workers, and ultimately your Attitude.

http://www.lawconsultingblog.com/2009/06/articles/career-development/super-lawyers-think-optimistically/

CareerBuilder vs Monster

When you start a candidate search, which website do you generally go to first? CareerBuilder or Monster?

Both have different advantages and candidate pools, however I tend to favor CareerBuilder because of two main reasons: Search Capabilities and Contact Features to Candidates.

1) Search Capabilities: R2 Technology. This feature recommends a pool of candidates to recruiters/employers based off certain criteria in a resume, job description, or candidate profile. Time is money and this capability allows users to narrow searches based on valuable information.

2) Contact Features: A virtual recruiter's best friend is email blasts. Careerbuilder allows you to email up to 100 candidates at a time through their website without certain hassles. Monster requires a process that can be frustrating if you do not have time to fill an order.

I have been able to use Monster to my advantage, however, Careerbuilder remains my top choice when looking for qualified employees.

Healthcare Industry Is Growing Despite Rising Unemployment Rates

Even though recent numbers released by the US Department of Labor indicates that unemployment rates are on the rise, the healthcare industry is still growing by adding jobs and creating a need in the market place.

Home Health Services and Outpatient facilities are still in demand as the "Baby Boomers" retire and need additional care. You do not have to be a clinician to land a job in the Healthcare Industry. As a recruiter, I am in constant need of entry level candidates with a strong background in customer service to work various jobs across the United States.

Please don't be discouraged by recent news of rising unemployment. For more information about employment opportunities, please visit www.allmedstaffing.com.

For information about Healthcare Industry Trends, please read the below article.
http://www.recruitingtrends.com/article/ART638631?C=Y1PtuWzLc6vE56N

Dont Lose Your Passion

Lets be honest. Recruiting can be a cut throat environment full of drama and headaches. However, if you survive the first initial introduction to the staffing world, you find yourself being motivated to help others. Nothing feels better than having a candidate come to you full of appreciation and hope for the future.

After reading the below link, I realized that there are several things we can do to prevent ourselves from getting tired and losing passion in our work.

If you find yourself struggling, please read this artice.


http://www.streetdirectory.com/travel_guide/8088/self_improvement_and_motivation/is_your_passion_fizzling_out.html

What's Your Real Age? Live a Healthy Life.

Live a Healthy Life!

In November 2008, I made an appointment with a wellness physician who provided me with the below link to calculate my "Real Age". This information was given to me after some concerns that my daily living habits could cause some serious health issues for me in the future.

http://www.realage.com/default.aspx

After taking the quiz, I was mortified. I was a 25 year old living in a 33 year old biological body. Eight Years difference. My daily living habits had my physical body aging at a rate that made me feel horrible about myself. It was time to change!

5 areas in my life that needed a makeover

1) Mindset/Attitude. Being healthy should not be a short term goal. It needs to be a lifestyle.

2) Physical Activity. I had to start making a commitment to exercise. You have to make it fun and you need to hold yourself accountable. Our bodies were not designed to sit on a couch all day.

3) Diet. I decided that I was not going to cut anything out of my diet, however, I was going to make a few adjustments. More vegetables, fruits, and water. Less sugar and carbs.

4) Be social. A portion of the quiz asks about family life, friends, and organizations. I realized that I needed to start becoming more involved in various communities. Being a loner is depressing.

5) Being a priority. I was done with making excuses why I could not take care of myself. At the end of the day, you have one body. Take care of it!

I retook my quiz today. I am now a 26.2 yr old living in a 26.4 yr old biological body! It was not easy to change and form new habits, however, I feel great and am currently training to run my first marathon.

Take care of yourself.