High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Harnessing Positive Thinking to Grow Your Career and Business

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Harnessing Positive Thinking to Grow Your Career and Business: "If you allow yourself to dwell on the negative, habitual skepticism will run your life and influence your decisions. It’s hard, if not impossible, to build success when you’ve resigned yourself to negativity."

• How to Have a More Energized and Productive Meeting: "icebreakers and other getting-to-know-you activities promote better collaboration. These exercises raise the energy level and give people a chance to get to know one another."

• 10 Best Practices for Managing Your Email: "Emails are clearly a major part of our personal and professional lives today, and yet many people spend as much as one or two hours a day managing them."

• Motherhood Inspired These Entrepreneurs to Start Companies With a Mission: "Palmer encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to identify a problem that needs to be solved and create a solution that your audience will love."
• 9 Ways to Build Wealth Fast:"Don't think that you have to do everything. Instead, focus on a few things and do them well. It all starts by investing in yourself."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: The Question Successful People Ask in a New Job

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Successful People Ask This Question When Starting a New Job: "Successful people are less interested in learning what they are supposed to do in a new job than they are in learning what value they can create."

• Should You Work at a Startup?: "When there’s a smaller workforce, you’ll spend more time interacting with your colleagues. This can present unique and fulfilling learning opportunities."

• How to Identify the Skills that Energize You: "Don’t let fear keep you stuck doing only what you’re already good at, especially if it doesn’t give you energy."

• 13 Habits to Boost Your Success: "Setting goals and boundaries, both personally and professionally, is necessary to sustain the life you’ve worked so hard to achieve."
• How to Boost Personal Performance and Improve Your Business:"This triple threat of mental and physical boosters is the total package that entrepreneurs need to thrive."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 2 Questions You Must Ask in Every Job Interview

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 2 Questions You Must Ask in Every Job Interview: "Think of someone in the organization who really represents the right attitude for this culture. Could you tell me about a time they did something that really exemplifies having the right attitude?"

• 6 Tips for Balancing a Successful Side Hustle: "This feels counterintuitive when you’re insanely booked and everyone needs something from you. But if you don’t step back, think, consider, plan, and evaluate, you won’t move forward."

• Why You Should Exercise Before Work Every Morning: "If you start your day with a physical activity that gets your blood pumping, your brain active, your mind cleared, your metabolism raised, and your endorphins flowing ... you feel far more awake throughout the rest of day."

• 10 Ways to Be More Productive Working at Home: "No matter what else you do, invest in a good computer, a good phone, and the most comfortable and ergonomically correct chair you can find. When you're uncomfortable, it's hard to stay focused and productive."
• The 10 Best Business Books of 2018:"For the entrepreneurs and executives on your gift list, here are 10 great titles to read by the fire."

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 7 Productive Daily Habits

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Modern Health Monk, Alex Heyne shares seven daily habits to help you be more productive, including planning your activity around your energy levels rather than around time. Take a look.

8 Steps to Your Best Day on the Job

Instead of hitting the snooze button, dreading the office and your co-workers, you can get up with energy and enthusiasm to face the day.

When you do that you’ll be on your way to having your best day at work, ready to tackle the opportunities that come your way.

Like anything in life, your best work day comes from preparation. Here are eight steps to prepare for your best work day … and weeks … and months.

Get good sleep. It all starts with this. You have to ignore all those loud voices telling you that the only way to succeed is to work longer than everything else, sleep be damned. Adequate sleep is critically important to success and most of us need 7-8 hours every night. If you must, schedule it in and treat it like one of your other key tasks of the day.

Exercise. After you awake begin your day with some movement. Choose something you enjoy: a bike ride, a run, some push-ups or burpees, or maybe just dance wildly to a favorite song.

Meditate. You don’t need to go off to a monastery to learn how to meditate. Download an app or check out some meditation practice on YouTube. Even five minutes every morning will slow your mind and help you get settled in and focused on having a good day.

Write. If you don’t keep a journal now is a good time to start. It does not have to be complicated. You’re not writing for others so don’t worry about doing it “right.” Consider writing a few lines about the events of the previous day, note some projects you are working on, take some time to brainstorm possible solutions to any issues, and end by jotting down several things you are grateful for in your life.

Eat energizing foods. Your breakfast should provide you with energy and you’ll want to eat something with protein. Avoid a lot of breads and sugary cereals.  Try eggs and yogurt with fruit. Add a protein smoothie. Pay attention to your body in order to discover the foods that energize you and the ones that slow you down and be sure to eliminate the latter from your diet.

Greet everyone with a smile. Set the tone for your day and in your relationships with your colleagues and manager by greeting everyone you meet warmly. Smiling has a therapeutic effect on the one smiling and on the one receiving the smile. So, don’t be stingy with that grin.

Move before lunch. Particularly if you have a sedentary job, be sure to get some movement in before you grab your (healthy and energizing) lunch. Perhaps go for a brisk walk around the building or the surrounding neighborhood, or maybe you have time to pop over to a nearby gym for a quick workout. You’ll enjoy increased energy and focus for the afternoon.

Plan tomorrow. Before you leave work, plan for the next day. Write down the major tasks or goals you have so when you arrive tomorrow morning you are focused and ready to get after it.

Implement these eight steps tomorrow and you’ll be on your way to a better and more productive day on the job.

5 Ways to Ensure Your Vacation Benefits Your Career

A summer vacation can be a great time to build energy for your career or job if you do it right. Unfortunately, many of us don’t know how to relax, nor do we know how to leave work behind.

In order to gain the most benefit from your vacation and return with renewed enthusiasm and focus at work implement the following guidelines for your trip.

Don’t check emails or respond to texts and phone calls. When you are on vacation you need to be on vacation. This is a time for making a clear break with work and get some time to recharge. Make the effort to catch up on your messages before you leave and be sure to set up an out-of-office message.

Be sure to relax and avoid constant motion on your vacation. The point of a vacation or holiday is to relax and recharge, rather than run from one event to another or one historic site to another architectural wonder of the world. By all means enjoy your vacation and see and do whatever you wish but do so at a leisurely pace. Effective pre-planning can help you appreciate the locale while also ensuring that you’re getting in some R & R.

Consume responsibly. It can be tempting to overindulge and eat anything you want or to drink too much while on vacation. While it’s okay to enjoy some of the treats you might discover on your travels or enjoy a drink of the local wine, beer, or whisky, if you overdo it you’ll find that you feel less energized for your return to work and will want time to “recover” from your holiday.

Get enough sleep. Like we just discussed, be sure to get enough rest. Balance a late night out with a leisurely morning and since you’re on vacation, why not treat yourself to a nap? The important consideration here though is to avoid changing your schedule so radically that it becomes difficult to readjust to your normal work schedule.

Give yourself at least a day to recover before returning to work. You don’t want to fly home at 8 pm on a Sunday night and head back to work at 8 am the next morning. 

Take a day to return home, resume your typical routine, catch up on the laundry, and prepare yourself mentally for the return to work.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: The Best Time to Ask for a Promotion

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Here is the Best Time to Ask for a Promotion: "
  Visier discovered the ideal times, and circumstances, to receive a promotion. 
  If you’re waiting for cooler weather to ask for a promotion, think again. The research showed summer was the best season to ask for one
  ."

• 4 Steps Women Should Take When Considering a Career Transition: "Take stock of your skill set and what sets you apart. Be brutally honest with yourself about what you do well and where you have previously failed. Ask for feedback."

• Why You're Probably Networking Wrong (and what to do instead): "these tools automatically sync your communication history with your contacts across a variety of networks, and remind you when it's about time to reach out and rekindle those relationships."

• Do This One Thing During Vacation to Come Back Recharged: "When we are on vacation and feel some sense of distance from the hustle and bustle of our daily routine, Kadoch says, life feels good again and gives us the chance to come back to work with more energy and focus."
• 4 Things Leaders Bring With Them Every Day: "Humility opens the door to learning. It also allows you to defer to the person with the greatest subject matter expertise and context about the problem so it gets solved the best way possible."

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Laziness, Motivation, and Energy

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below Alex Heyne from Modern Health Monk discusses laziness and motivation and the connection between motivation and energy. Watch the video for more.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: Does Dressing for Success Really Work?

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Does Dressing for Success Really Work?: "When I present myself in a way that’s contrary to that image, it throws things off and makes people feel out of place, uncomfortable. Especially me."

• How to Get Over Your Fear of Self-Promotion: "Whether you're a freelancer, a business owner or a serial side hustler, self-promotion is crucial to attracting clients and ultimately, making sales."

• 10 Horrible Habits That Are Draining Your Energy: "The solution is to learn how to say no. The transition is difficult at first, but people will respect you for it. Plus, it will give you significantly more time and power to commit to other things."

• The Right & Wrong Way to Attract Young Workers to a "Boring" Company: "I hear it time and again — How can we compete with Facebook or Google for young engineers? How can we attract digitally savvy marketers against Starbucks or Amazon?"
• 5 Remarkably Powerful Ways to Boost Self-Confidence: "Wouldn't it be amazing to have this kind of self-confidence, every day of the week? Guess what? You can. It comes down to one simple question: If you don't believe in yourself, how do you expect anybody else to?"

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 6 Habits of High Performers

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below Brendon Burchard talks about the six habits of high performers, including seeking clarity and generating energy. Learn more in the video below.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Steps to Surviving a Career Mishap

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 5 Steps to Surviving a Career Mishap: "Keep in mind that, no matter the situation, your reaction to the error will play a large part in how effectively you survive the mishap."

• Want to Be Successful? Learn These 3 Skills: If you don’t step out of your comfort zone, you won’t create connections that can take you to the next level in your professional career."

• 3 Simple, Powerful Ways to Boost Your Energy: "Focus on a wellness regimen that takes care of personal you, and watch professional you follow suit. You might also raise the bar for your friends, family and team members along the way."

• 5 Interview Questions You Should Always Be Prepared to Answer: "Your answer to this question shows two things: Whether you’re passionate about the job and whether you’ve done your research."
• 11 Modern Leadership Lessons from History's Masters: "Angry activists have never been in short supply, but the greatest leaders don’t just complain."

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 6 Ways to Work Less But Get More Done

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 6 Ways to Work Less But Get More Done: "Say no to more things than you say yes to. Choose your projects carefully and purposefully. A general rule of thumb is to focus on one thing at a time. Have one goal, or one big thing, that needs to get done everyday, and focus on that."
• 11 Easy Ways to Boost Your Energy in the Afternoon: "The best way to combat a slump is by getting something done. Instead of tackling a tough issue that you’re likely to give up on midway through, send one sincere thank-you email to someone who has helped you on your journey."

• 5 Reasons to Make a Lateral Career Move: "When you take a new job, even if it’s a role you are very familiar with and even if it’s in your department, you learn a lot. Your 'learning muscles' get revved up and your confidence grows."

• How to Make a Great First Impression: "Before meeting someone new — whether it’s a potential employer or a new client — do your homework. Know who you’re meeting, what he cares about, and what he might need from you."
• 3 Brain Hacks to Boost Your Motivation When You Need it Most: "When we know that our work will make a difference to someone else, it makes us work harder."

5 Career Benefits to Staying Physically Fit

Staying fit (or getting in shape) is important to your life satisfaction and can also benefit your career or work in numerous ways.

Below are five career benefits to staying physically fit.

1. Reduces stress. Physical activity has been shown to reduce stress hormones in the body and stimulate endorphins, increasing one's sense of well-being.

2. Increases creativity. Recent studies have suggested that physical activity can make you more creative, enabling you to find innovation approaches to your work.

3. Boosts energy. The same factors at play in reducing stress, such as the stimulation of endorphins, has been shown to boost energy levels and reduce fatigue.

4. Networking. Participating in activities to improve your health, such as running or tennis, can be done in groups or leagues, leading to networking opportunities.

5. Better focus. Exercise and movement also helps in maintaining focus and rather than multi-tasking you can concentrate more effectively on the work at hand.

These are just a few of the benefits you'll see from getting in shape and practicing a healthy lifestyle. You'll likely discover many more.

5 Enemies to Success in Your Career and Life

There are a number of factors, qualities, and characteristics necessary to be successful in your career and in life. You need to have the necessary knowledge and skills, along with determination and hard work.

But there are also enemies to success that you'll encounter and will need to overcome. Let's take a look at five of these enemies to your success in career and life and consider ways to defeat them.

1. Lack of focus. It's difficult to be successful if you don't focus daily on what is truly important to your success. Many of us get distracted by unnecessary tasks instead of staying keyed in on what is necessary. To help with this stay off of social media when you're working and avoid multi-tasking. Complete one task at a time without distractions before moving on to something else.

2. Lack of effective communication skills. If you communicate in ways that are unclear, rude, or condescending it will be difficult to succeed in life and work. You need the support of others to succeed and you must be able to clearly articulate your vision in ways that motivate and encourage others rather than alienate them.

3. Lack of energy. It will be nearly impossible to be successful if you lack energy and enthusiasm to follow-through on your plans. This requires you to get an appropriate amount of sleep, eat well, avoid excessive alcohol intake, and get some exercise.

4. Lack of direction. Similar to lack of focus is lack of direction but lack of direction is related to the big picture: where do you see yourself in 5-10 years? What is it exactly that you want to accomplish? To hit a goal you first have to set a goal. Without a clear direction your work will be aimless and without any real sense of purpose. Get clear on your mission and goals and you'll have a better shot at the success you want.

5. Lack of support. There are no "self-made" men or women. We all need the support and encouragement of a team around us. Make an effort to develop a strong support system around you, including family, friends, mentors, and colleagues, and you'll find that you are already successful.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: How to Say No in Order to Achieve Your Goals

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career and life development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In the video below from Entrepreneur, Emily Richett shares some tools to help you learn to say no and properly budget your time and energy.

5 Tips to Work More Effectively and Productively

If you find that your days seem to run into each other and you're constantly working on yesterday's to-do list, here are 5 tips to manage your work day more effectively and productively.

1. Start the day with a tall glass of water and some energizing food. You need energy and strength to be at your best and so it's important to hydrate with water when you awake and to eat something high in protein and low in sugar, in order to avoid a crash later in the morning.

2. Identify your top 3 tasks the night before. Your day should start the previous night or afternoon. At some point in your day identify the top 3 tasks you need to complete tomorrow and write them down.

3. Ignore email and complete your most important task first. Avoid getting bogged down by email early in your day. Save the email for the afternoon and attack your most important task of the day first. Once that is completed you'll experience a great surge of energy and pride in your work.

4. Work in 45 minute bursts followed by a short break. Allow yourself to focus more efficiently by working hard but briefly on your tasks and then allowing time for a short break. If you work for 45 minutes and follow that with a 10-15 minute walk you'll return to your work with more focus.

5. Eliminate everything in your in-box before the day ends. Attack your email and clear out your in-box in the afternoon, once you've completed your most important tasks. Respond to necessary emails and file away those you need to save. Stop working with an in-box empty and you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment and won't spend the evening worrying about the items you need to deal with.

Implement these 5 tips and your work day will be much more efficient and productive.