"It's all about doing the things others are unwilling to do."

   I was watching the movie "Rudy" the other night with my wife and kids. "Rudy" is the story of a person with a dream that is seemingly so impossible that everyone dismisses it except for the dreamer himself. Rudy wants to go to Notre Dame and to play football for the Irish. Rudy's grades aren't very good, he is a little guy and playing collegiate football is hard on the body if not downright dangerous. But, Rudy sticks with it despite every challenge and in the end is carried off the field a hero and achieves a degree from Notre Dame University.

   How many times in life are we tired, beat up and bloodied and still we get up and go at it again? That is the message of the "Rudy" story. Keeping your eye on the goal and if you lose sight of the goal, refocus and keep going. This happens everyday and some people pick themselves up and continue and others quit and give up the goal.

   Todd Smith, of "Little Things Matter" once commented to me, "It's all about doing the things that others are unwilling to do." Think about that for a minute...

   So what are you willing to do to move your career along? Will you humbly promote yourself? I hear people say... "I don't like blowing my own horn!" So who will if you won't? Not the competition, I've never heard the Ford Motor Company say, "Gee aren't those GM cars and trucks the best!" Blow your horn; write down and keep track of your accomplishments and develop them into success stories! It take work to stop and think and log in the experience and then hone it down to a story people will want to hear. But it's worth it, because the other guy is likely unwilling to do it--because they don't want to blow their own horn!

   I heard a stat once that 60% of all interviews are never acknowledged with a thank-you! Seriously, 60% of the time people don't say thank you to the interviewer for taking time to meet with them. Not a note or email or phone call... because??? Who knows why?... Does it matter? If you send a thank-you you've moved into the 40% who do. And maybe only 4%, four out of a hundred, will make a phone call to thank the interviewer. If the interviewer only interviews five or six people you'll probably be the only one who will make the call. That's one way to distinguish yourself among the crowd.

   If it's about doing what others are unwilling to do... what are you willing to do?

Transition Requires Structure

In his book Sheifgab the World, noted author and public speaker Conor Cunneen, through his alter ego Finbarr Kozlowski asks the question: When you find yourself in transition, what’s missing… what’s different for you during transition?

The easy answer is everything is different. I always counsel my clients to work from a calendar. “To plan your work and work your plan,” I tell them. I share with them specific examples of what needs to be included in the daily and weekly schedules. This includes an outline to use. I stress planning, scheduling and balancing the day/week.

Something that I cover, but can always stress more is the importance of sleep, diet and exercise. Namely, taking care of yourself – taking care of your body and your mind will have a positive effect on your psyche and your attitude. Actually, having a good attitude begins with taking care of yourself. To paraphrase Finbarr from Sheifgab the World… if a battery-powered toy runs 24/7, after a while what happens? How can you do an effective job search if you’re not recharging your batteries and taking care of yourself? Make it a priority as you structure your day; schedule taking care of yourself; write down exercise from 7 to 8 Monday, Wednesday and Friday on your calendar.

I recently had the opportunity and pleasure to listen to Stedman Graham, best selling author of You Can Make It Happen. His book outlines a 9-step success process. He highlighted the power of changing one’s thinking. He stated many times during the 90 minute presentation that reading is essential to change your thinking. He built on that saying that changing your thinking changes your feelings. Changing your feelings changes your habits. And then changing your habits changes your life. Structure time to read into your day. Reading books on personal, spiritual or professional growth give your mind more of what it craves. Books challenge us, confirm us and open new possibilities for us to investigate.

Mr. Cunneen and Mr. Graham are making a similar case about feeding yourself positive discourse and good behaviors every day. They definitely agree that this will have a positive impact on your job search not to mention your life.

Structuring your life to include time for rest, exercise, family, plus time spent with a good book is essential for a positive attitude and as a result a successful job search.