Do this simple activity and you will forever change your life

Do this simple activity and you will forever change your lifeDo this simple activity and you will forever change your lifeTo best position yourself for a life of happiness and success on your terms, it is vital to have a philosophy around what you hope to be, and what you intend to accomplish.Some people call this a creed. I call it, Establishing Yourself. This is written documentation that establishes three thingsYour PurposeYour DirectionThe substance of things that matter to youYour purposeor your raison dtreis the reason why youre doing what youre doing with your life. I encourage you to look at this from a blank slate in order to get to the brass-tacks truth of what you really want your mission to be in life. This should be organic and developed only by youfree and unfettered from any influences or emotions of the moment.Your direction is the process- and the actions you must take in order to fulfill the requirements of your plan. Too often, people doubt themselves because they dont think theyre ready to begin moving in the direction of what they want to accomplish. They think its leid their time, theyre lacking in a particular area or theyre too youngtheyre hindered by limiting beliefs which beget doubt and fear.Oftentimes, it simply makes sense to begin even with very tiny steps toward completing tasks and goals that match up with your purpose. This is where writing out your goals and putting them into a plan comes in. This is your directionthe compass that will guide you when life gets in the way, youre too busy, too tired or hungry. Planning is essential.My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.Maya AngelouThe substance of things that matter to you are part and parcel of your purpose, and should be incorporated, as much as possible, into what you do each day. These are the core values, ideals, principles, people and also the things that bring enthusiasm and p assion to your life. Beliefs or activities that get you exciting and mean something to you.In other words? - ?as Bono once sang, all that you cant leave behind.The power of planningSuccessful businesses, schools, hospitals, sports teams and individuals begin by stating their goals and addressing how they intend to achieve them. These collective individuals understand the importance of accountability, and the power behind committing to a specific philosophy. They understand their purpose, what dedicating time and effort to a cause means and what taking ownership over something is all about.Equally as important as writing a creed, is to definefor yourselfwhat your definition of success is. Never let anyone else define success for you. You should always take the time to do this for yourself. In a competitive landscape, its easy to be concerned with how others are doing. To stress and worry about such things is natural. Its human.When you have established yourself, youll realize the po wer behind deciding for yourself how successful you can and will be. Your definition of success serves as the foundation for all future attempts at becoming who you hope to be. Several years ago, I wrote mine. Here it isTo live each moment to the fullest by having a positive attitude, a smile and a genuine enjoyment for life, while giving everything I have to love the people and environment around me and make it a better place.Youll notice that this is indeed a philosophy, a high-level view of how Id like to conduct myself in this world, and a few of the actions Id like to take. This is not a series of marching orders or specific goals intended for a short duration. Your philosophy is strategic, while short-term goal setting is tactical.Setting goals helps you focus on specific things you aim to accomplish and how you plan to accomplish them. The creed is crucial for establishing the things that matter to you. This leads to the development of your own personal values and principles. Outstanding people have one thing in common An absolute sense of mission.Zig ZiglarThere have likely been millions of thought impulses that have flashed through your mind during the course of your life. Even for those of you in your teen years. These thought impulses are acted upon, left in the recesses of your subconscious mind or ignored. Your thoughts lead to your lifes experiences and those experiences are often shared in the company of others.All of these things have an enormous impact on how you make decisions. Your decisions will impact your course in life and whether you will find yourself happy, ambivalent or disappointed.When I think back to putting together my philosophy, I reminisce about past relationships, experiences, thought impulses and emotions. I think of the times when Ive been happiest, times Ive been down, moments of peace and distress, and the times Ive found my greatest inspiration. My inspiration is derived from my core philosophy.A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can meister the course of history.Mahatma GandhiMy motivation comes from the fire inside of me, the indescribable power that fuels my dreams and inner creativity. I acknowledge this fire as a gift that God has given me. A beautiful, divine power that I believe all of us can tap into if we have the desire and we believe.This power will lead us to personal freedom, greater clarity of thought, vitality and energy to bring into our everyday lives. All this requires is a willingness to believe in yourself, and the desire to get to the core of what fuels your inner fire. Introspection and deep, personal reflection are key to living a life of freedom.They help us to analyze our experiences and thoughts, and determine how we can use them to our future advantage. They provide us with a greater sense of direction and purpose. Once you have established yourself, you will be more confident, stronger in your convictions and youll have great er passion for living. You will begin living your future destiny.This article was originally published on Medium.

3 Issues Youll Have When You Get a New Manager - The Muse

3 Issues Youll Have When You Get a New Manager - The Muse3 Issues Youll Have When You Get a New Manager Raise your hand if things have always gone smoothly for you when youve gotten a new manager in the past. I have a hunch that if youre staring blankly at your screen without your hand in the air, youre definitely not alone. Lets face it- getting a new boss can be tricky. And even when both of you have good intentions, tzu siche are a few issues that might come up as they step into their new role. Here are a few to keep in mind.1. You Work on Different SchedulesYoure used to leaving right at 5 PM. Shes more of a Ill be here way past happy hour person. Neither of you are wrong, but itll probably feel uncomfortable to pack up for the day when your managers totenstill grinding away. There might even be a few side-eye glances from her that make you wonder if perhaps you should cancel your plans for the night. How to Address ThisBring it up- either in your check-in or via an email. Its a s simple as saying this, Do you expect me to be in my seat during certain hours? If yes, I will make it happen, but if no, I wanted to share that I work best in the morning and would therefore like to come in earlier, and then leave a bit earlier. 2. Your Personalities ClashHes a little bit country. Youre a little bit midnight microwaveable pizza. When you bump into each other in the kitchen, you dont have much to say to each other. And that might make you wonder if hell eventually get tired of you and bring in someone that he can at least tolerate.How to Address ThisIf your boss is a jerk, take Muse writer Sara McCords advice on how to deal with a schwimmbad boss. First, pinpoint the specific issue, then work to tackle that- rather than attempting to change the persons entire being (more on that here). But if you and your manager simply dont connect on a personal level, avoid trying to be friends. As long as you can tell he means well, accept the fact that he wont be your go-to per son to discuss issues outside your job (and sometimes, thats for the best). 3. He Doesnt Understand What You DoOne of the most frustrating things a new boss once said to me was, I dont understand why this takes you so much time. Of course he didnt know Hed only been in the role for a week, and we hadnt even met one-on-one yet. Back then, I went home and complained to everyone whod listen to me. How to Address ThisWhen your new manager joins the team, dont wait for her to ask what you do every day. Take the initiative and bring a breakdown of a typical week at the office. This is beneficial for both of you. If she sees that youre doing too much, she might be your advocate and help you get a few things off your plate. If nothing else, this can help her see just how much work goes into something that you make look so easy and effortless.Working with a new manager is always going to be tricky, especially in the first few weeks. But even beyond the specific issues we discussed here, ther es one very general (but important) one that you should keep in mind. And thats to avoid going into the relationship assuming its bound to fail just because its new. Rather, go into thinking that you might just be meeting your newest, greatest professional advocate.

Company culture isnt what you do, its how you do it

Company culture isnt what you do, its how you do itCompany culture isnt what you do, its how you do itI have an issue with company culture discussions.The popular definition of company culture is how many ping-pong tables you have, how many beer garden outings you take as a team, how comfortable the chairs are in the entryway, whether you get 10 days of paid vacation time or 15 days of paid vacation time, how good your 401k plan is, how many weird fun facts you know about your employees, etc. etc. etc.A perfect example of this is the tech start-up worldCompany culture, as it is formally defined, is immediately followed up with descriptions of the office, how much time you get off for lunch, the fact that you can write on the walls in Crayola marker because its more creative. And to a lot of people, these environments seem like dreams.They are the David of the working world, slinging rocks at corporate Goliath.But Ill say for me, the above has leidhing to do with how I define company culture.For me, company culture comes down to one thing and one thing onlyHow you treat what it is youre doing for eight plus hours a day, five (sometimes six or seven) days a week.If I dont feel good about how the work gets done, if Im not enjoying the process with my team, then no amount of rock climbing expeditions or expensed dinners or Friday margaritas are going to change that.Sure, they might give me a fleeting sense of fun, but that does very little to impact the way the work (the thing we spend far more time doing) gets done.Company culture has to do with the people, not the things you have your people doing - or the amenities you provide your people to leisure themselves.Having said that, let me tell you my definition of company cultureCulture is how people handle a disagreement.Culture is how teams communicate, the language they use, the way they share their ideas and feedback.Culture is whether or not people talk badly about others behind their backs.Culture is the meti culousness that goes into even the most mind numbing of tasks.Culture is whether your title defines your role, or your role defines your title.Culture is everyones willingness to listen.Culture is showing up on time, prepared, with a positive attitude.Culture is the way you approach your work, day in and day out, with an insatiable hunger to learn and grow and build.Thats company culture, and thats whats actually fun.Getting stuff done, is fun.Getting it done really well, is fun.Getting it done with people you enjoy being around, is fun.And feeling really good about your work, is fun.Everything else is secondary.This article originally appeared on Inc Magazine.