The Gift of GAB

An Irishman & motivational speaker

   I have this friend, Conor Cunneen. We have worked together and offered each other support as we transitioned into new careers from our corporate gigs. Conor is a great example of someone who looked at his “transferable skills” and re-invented himself. Check out this example of Conor’s re-invention: Click Here


   The gift of GAB talk is filled with points that might be of benefit for us. GAB is an acronym for Goals, Attitude and Behavior.


Goals, 
   After a termination from your job, the structure, deadlines and routine of the job is gone. The discipline from the job is missing and we need to replace it with our own personal accountability. A refresher in the basics of goal setting is often all you need to get back on the wagon, so to speak. See Goal Setting for Job Seekers


Attitude,
   Having a positive hopeful attitude with expectations of success is essential for people doing a job search. It's where the smile comes from which is the most powerful non-verbal humans have to offer the world.  With so much competition out there why have anything other than a positive attitude. Drop your “stinkin’ thinkin’” and stop making excuses and start moving toward your goals. As Conor states in his book SHEIFGAB, “The key question is, What do I want my attitude to be?”


Behavior, 
By putting goals and a new attitude together your behavior becomes directed and more active. There lies the path to success. Job search is work. That’s why Conor challenges everyone he hears say that they are “unemployed.” In stead, he says that you are, “NIGEP = non-income generating employed person.” This is the most important work you have to do and may be the most important work in your whole life. 

WARNING

   Remember the old adage, "If you don't have anything good to say..." As a job seeker, you cannot afford to pass negative thoughts, actions or energy... you don't know where it will land. Like a stray bullet that hits an innocent bystander, a negative comment can paste you with a reputation as a whiner and complainer, in short, a problem,  when you want the reputation of a problem solver.  Remember you can choose your attitude and you have control over what you do and say. Take control over the things you can take control over and see what happens. Like the fellow said, “If you think you can you can, and if you think you can’t you can’t. Either way you’re right!”

Next week I’ll focus on developing and working from a job search plan. Good hunting. 

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.