5 Ways to Prepare Your Career for the New Year (Decade)

As we draw the year to a close many of us are looking forward to some well-deserved time off to relax, eating some good food, seeing a movie or two, and spending time with family.

But the holiday break also affords us an opportunity to spend some time thinking about our job and career and what actions we might take to enjoy our work more and become more successful in our career over the coming year.

Here are five things you might do over the holiday break to prepare for the new year and to set yourself up for success in the coming decade.

Sign up for a class. There are so many opportunities to enhance your skills and deepen your knowledge in areas that can positively impact your career, from online courses and webinars to conferences and classes at a community college. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to find an impactful class, but you need to start somewhere.

Seek out a mentor. Take a few moments to identify someone you’ve been wanting to learn from. You likely already have this person in your circle of contacts but, perhaps, you haven’t let them know you wanted a more formal mentorship. Now is a good time to ask.

Add a good habit. You know you need to eat better, sleep more, and get some physical exercise in but it can be overwhelming to consider everything you could change in your life so make a plan to make one change. Maybe it’s a simply as avoiding a drink tonight or going to sleep at a reasonable time. Start with one day and then make it two days and then three. That is how we change to begin to make good decisions. These decisions will lead to better decisions and impact your life and career for the better.

Consider your thoughts. We are what we think about and it’s important in every area of our lives, and in our career, to think thoughts that move us forward, rather than negative thoughts that bring us and others around us down. Avoid thoughts that blame others or dwell on past failures or mistakes. Add a practice of meditation, yoga, or prayer to your life to slow down and allow you to more effectively evaluate your self-talk.

Schedule a vacation. Yes, though you might enjoy a break over the holidays take some time to plan your next vacation before you dive back into the stress of your working life. Having a vacation planned will also give you sometime to look forward to and you’ll know that there is a reward coming for all the hard work you do.

Do even some of these things over the holidays and you’ll be set up for a more successful new year at work.  

5 Ways to Feel More Independent at Work

As we celebrate our country’s Independence take a few moments to evaluate your own freedom. How independent are you at work? Do you go in each day and depend on someone else to tell you what to do?

An important part of the enjoyment we get out of our work is the degree to which we are self-sufficient and direct our own work.

While your work routine might be not be flexible due to the needs of your company, you still have some opportunities to gain some independence and variety at work. Try these five approaches to feeling more independent on the job.

Take on greater responsibilities. There are likely other tasks you can take on in your job. Don’t be shy. Talk to your manager and volunteer to do more. It might not result, immediately, in a pay increase but it will expand your abilities at work, make the job more interesting, and increase your odds of gaining a promotion in the future.

Learn new skills and gain additional knowledge. Similarly, seek out knowledge and skills in other areas at work. The more you know about your company, the field you work in, and the various tasks required to do the job well, the more employable you’ll be and the more your employer will trust you to get things done.

Mentor or supervise others. Demonstrate your knowledge of the job and your leadership abilities by volunteering to mentor new employees. Seek out opportunities to supervise or manage the work of interns. You’ll gain valuable managerial experience and demonstrate your ability to move into roles with more responsibility.

Expand your network. Just as it’s important to learn as much as you can about the work of your company and your field, seek to meet new people, particularly within your company and in areas you are unfamiliar with. You might not only gain a new friend, but also a new opportunity to move into another job later down the line.

Work at home. If your company allows employees to work at home take advantage of this perk. Working from home provides freedom you don’t always feel when stuck in an office, cubicle, or at the plant, and allows you to demonstrate your ability to get things done without close supervision.

Paying attention to these areas can help you increase your freedom at work, expand your opportunities, and increase your enjoyment on the job.

What to Do When Your Career Has Gone Off the Rails

Shortly after starting a new job many years ago, I accidentally deleted thousands of files resulting in an emergency effort to retrieve them. Fortunately, all was not lost, my mistake was fixed, and I remained in the job for many more years.

However, sometimes we make mistakes that have lasting consequences, both at the job and to our career. Sometimes we feel there is no path forward or that we don’t know where to turn next.

In those times, it can be best to step back and consider how to move forward. Here are some things to do when you feel like your career has gone over the deep end.  

Go to a conference. It can be good to get away, clear your head, and be inspired by the fresh ideas and insights to be gained by attending a good conference in a great city. You’ll also meet new people who can provide a new perspective on your career.

Consult with a mentor. Talk to someone you trust and whose opinions you respect. The wisdom of others can be a great support in times of stress and can allow us to develop a better understanding of our current situation and future career opportunities.

Take a class. Similar to attending a conference, going to a class and learning something new can open up possibilities you hadn’t previously imagined and might even lead you to pursue a new career path.

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Think outside the box. When things have gone wrong and we’re frustrated in our career decisions it can be easy for our thinking to remain in a rut, and for us to consider easy answers. Avoid this tendency and seek out creative ideas and approaches. The first step is to be open and avoid easily dismissing ideas or suggestions that are uncomfortable.

Do nothing. This might seem counter-intuitive but sometimes the best thing to do is nothing. Time can change our perspective on a situation and help us see things in a new light. Sometimes it’s better to do nothing than to jump to a quick decision that you might regret later.

High Five Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 8 Steps to Reaching Your Full Potential

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!

• 8 Steps to Reaching Your Full Potential: "Commit to regular time for personal development and strategic thinking — space to think and feel. Begin with a couple of hours each week and expand from there."

• The Ultimate Guide to Bulletproof Habits: "The most direct, fulfilling route to greatness is not through grand strategy, clever maneuvers, inborn talent or the right connections; it’s the path of small, consistent and patient steps repeated again and again."

• Why Mindfulness is a Must-Have Mental Skill: "mindfulness provides for a non-confrontational intervention where you develop the skill to choose to pivot your thinking and stop the broken record of unhelpful thought looping on repeat."

• 4 Ways Working Dads Can Make More Time for Family: "The men surveyed rated work-life balance as the primary factor to consider when measuring success and as the third most important criteria for choosing a job."
• 5 Tips on How to Find a Mentor:"Ask what you can do to help your mentors. You may have assets they need. Don’t be a pest, but do send a relevant article or a post they might find interesting, or promote their work to your network."

Five Areas to Be Grateful for in Your Career

As we approach Thanksgiving Day it’s good to think about our career and the parts of our work lives that we’re grateful for. We’d also recommend a daily gratitude practice but that is a story for another time.

There are many aspects of our career that we might be thankful for but for now let’s focus on the following five areas.

The opportunity to do work that benefits your community and the world, while utilizing your strengths, talents, skills, and interests. It’s fulfilling to find work that interests you and enables you to use your strengths and skills to make the world a better place through your company’s products or services.

Working with good people. You’re fortunate when you work with a competent and dedicated team that you enjoy working with toward a common goal. You earn bonus points when there is one or two co-workers you consider a friend or enjoy socializing with outside of work.

Flexible work arrangements. Be grateful for opportunities you to work from home, leave work early to attend to family matters, or benefit from a four-day work-week.

A mentor. We should always be thankful for those people who have taught, guided, and mentored us along the way in our lives, education, and in our jobs. A good mentor should not be taken for granted, and he or she likely played an important role in where you are now in your life and career.

The occasion to advance in your career and to develop your skills. A great workplace enables you to gain new knowledge, enhance your skills, and provides opportunities for advancement. Be grateful for these opportunities at work.

These five areas can offer you the chance to reflect on your current job, be thankful for the positive aspects of your work, and can help you consider whether a change in scenery might be better for your career.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 7 Steps to Stay Motivated for the Long Haul

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!

• 7 Steps to Stay Motivated for the Long Haul: "For a resolution to stick, it must be aligned with your core values and hold deep personal meaning that you connect with on a deep emotional level."

• 5 Ways to Pursue the Job You Want: "Mentoring has many personal benefits, too. Learning to listen, to creatively approach problems or explanations, or to work with people who are different from you are all important leadership skills you’ll need in order to advance."

• 8 Steps to Stay Focused and Reach Your Goals: "Instead of trying to do a million things at once, take a step back and tackle one task at a time. And while your inclination might be to start your day with busy work ... get your brain moving by challenging yourself with with a bigger, more creative endeavor first thing."

• 7 Ways to Overcome Toxic Self-Criticism: "The best way to change the channel is by getting active. Find an activity that will temporarily distract you from the negative tapes playing in your head. Go for a walk, call a friend to talk about a different subject, or tackle a project you've been putting off. But refuse to listen to your brain beat you up."
• 15 Habits That Could Be Hurting Your Business Relationships: " It’s hard to convey your investment in a conversation if you’re glancing at your phone every 30 seconds. Always be sure to give people your undivided attention."

Five Career Goals to Set in 2018

With the new year approaching, now is a good time to reflect on the past year and set goals for your career that will propel you closer to doing the work you love.

Feel free to take the five goals below as yours or use them for inspiration to come up with your own.

Utilize company resources more effectively. The benefits your company provides are there for your … yes, benefit. Use them. Are you taking advantage of the 401k plan or health savings account offered? If not, do so. Use all your vacation time next year. If your company allows you to work at home occasionally, try it out. Do you have a training allowance? Sign up for a course right now. Why spend money at the coffee shop on the way to work when your company provides free coffee in the lounge? Perhaps your company arranges carpooling opportunities for employees? Consider how your companies benefits and resources can enhance your work life next year.

Create a personal advisory board. Instead of looking for a single mentor develop a strategic group of advisers to meet with periodically to gain feedback from on your career and its direction. This group can be comprised of mentors, former bosses and college instructors, along with successful entrepreneurs and individuals in related fields. Meet with your advisers at least quarterly and plan to do so in person. They can help you identify areas to improve your career and introduce you to important people in their networks.

Take a class to learn a new skill. The world is changing quickly and its important to stay up on the latest trends and knowledge in your field. If your company offers regular training sessions for its employees be sure to take advantage of that, or sign up for a relevant online course or class at a local university or community college.

Attend the annual conference of an association in your area of work. Nearly every job or career path has a membership association for individuals in that field and these associations often present an annual conference. Attend this year. Conferences provide excellent opportunities to gain a new skill, increase knowledge about your area of work, meet new people and extend your network, and often provide a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm for attendees.

Make time for something you love. Be sure you have time in your life and schedule for that hobby or side project you love: woodworking, photography, writing, or scrap-booking? Who knows … next year might be the year to turn your passion project into a side hustle and make some additional money with it.

Take a few moments in the next week to reflect on the past year and set your course for the new year ahead by setting three to five goals.

To Be Successful in Your Life & Career Get to Know This Important Person

Success in your career depends on many factors but one factor that is underappreciated is the need to get to know an important person in your life. Your knowledge of this person will help you gain some clarity, focus, and direction in your career.

So, you might be wondering, just who is this important person you should get to know? Perhaps it’s the CEO of your company? Or the Human Resources Director?  

It’s a good idea to know the decision makers in your company but the person you need to know before all others is yourself.

When you have a clear sense of who are, the strengths and skills you possess, and your interests and mission in life, you’ll have the ability to make focused and healthy career decisions for you and your family.

To get a better understanding of yourself consider the following.

Check out the Myers-Briggs test. The Myer-Briggs Type Inventory (or MBTI) is a popular test that provides you with some information about your personality. The results of the test will place you in one of sixteen personality types that can help you better understand yourself, how you interact with others and perceive the world, and provide some insight to help you communicate more effectively with other personality types. There are also versions of the test you can take online.

Take a skills assessment. You can find many tests to assess your skills and these can be beneficial to help you better understand what it is that you are already good at and how you might apply those skills to a career. Many tests will link up your skills with relevant jobs and this can be a great way to consider a job or career you hadn’t thought of before.

Meet with a therapist. Sometimes meeting with a therapist one on one can be the best way to come to a better understanding of ourselves and to figure out what is holding us back from success in our life and career. We might carry with us negative patterns of behavior or thought that we don’t even realize and a good therapist can help us work through these issues.

Ask for feedback. We often have people in our lives who know us well: a spouse or partner, good friends, family, a boss. Take the initiative and be courageous and ask for some feedback about your strengths and weaknesses. The more specific the feedback is the more helpful it will be for you.

Get a mentor. A good mentor can support you in many ways, including providing knowledge and wisdom gained from their experience, providing you access to their network, and encouraging you to persevere. Mentors can provide you with a better understanding of who you are and which direction to head in your career.

When you gain a better understanding of your strengths and weaknesses you can become more effective at surrounding yourself with the resources you need to be successful in your career and in life.

Six Ways to Be a Great Coworker

To be successful in your career you need to learn to work well with others, similarly to when report cards noted when an elementary school student could play well with others.

It is unlikely that your career will lead you occupy a solitary position that doesn’t require you to work closely in collaboration with other people. Your ability to be a good colleague and coworker can significantly benefit your career and help you enjoy your job.

Here are six ways to rock the workplace as a great colleague.

Share the credit. Your success is not your own and is made possible by the support of others working with you. Be sure to recognize and acknowledge the others that help you successfully complete your tasks and projects. 

Be supportive and help out. In turn, offer your assistance to your colleagues and volunteer to help out with other projects when possible. Stay alert to co-workers who might be struggling with a particular task or project and step in to support them.

   

Let your guard down and be social. Some people try to keep their professional and personal lives separate but it’s important to be authentically you in the office. It’s difficult to develop meaningful relationships with colleagues without sharing some details about your personal life and finding some things to bond over. Develop these relationships by socializing with your colleagues at lunch, for dinner and drinks after work, and at the company-wide holiday party.

Smile and be kind. Your generous smile and greeting to a passing coworker can help ease a stressful day and brighten the office for others. Showing kindness to your colleagues is a simple way to build rapport and contribute to a positive work environment.

Offer what you know. You don’t need to have a formal mentoring relationship with someone to provide them with some training and offer guidance. You don’t want to come across as a know-it-all but be willing to share your skills and knowledge with others who could benefit from it.

Communicate effectively. It’s impossible to overestimate the importance of learning how to effectively communicate with you colleagues, customers, and supervisors. Developing positive ways of communicating with others will enable success in many other areas of your career.

Implement these practices and you’ll develop a reputation around the workplace as someone others look forward to working with.

Five Unconventional Traits of Successful People

Many of us picture successful people as the loud, outspoken, overly confident guy in the dark suit. He arrives to every gathering in a fancy car and is a bit obnoxious. He’s successful and he knows it.

However, successful people often have traits that run counter to this image and involve having a humble approach to life, along with a real talent for connecting with other people. Below are five traits to cultivate for success.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak. A successful person understands the important of listening and really hearing what others are going through and what their needs are. This enables them to be empathic to others and also to come up with creative ideas and solutions to real problems and issues facing their community and customers.

Be humble. True success and joy in your career path comes from an honest and humble assessment of your skills and victories. It’s necessary to realize that success is usually achieved in collaboration with others. Humility does not mean that we denigrate our successes or think lowly of ourselves but, instead, that we have a true and honest view of ourselves and others, and recognize that our achievements depend on the contributions of other talented individuals. And often even involve some luck.

Spread the credit for success around. Good leaders are sure to recognize the accomplishments of the team and make certain that the contributions of others are appreciated. They are quick to praise others and celebrate the strengths of those around them.

Help others succeed. Successful people are not in it for themselves. They actually seek to encourage and support the accomplishments of others, and aren’t afraid to work on a project or task that might seem “beneath” them or their position. The successful person humbly knows that success and happiness is not finite and they don’t need to “win” at the expense of others.

Generously mentor others. Successful people are curious and continuously learn, and then seek to share their knowledge with others. They do not fear sharing their secrets or “hacks” for success and productivity. They actively seek to mentor and pass on their knowledge and experience to others.

Seek to build and emulate these five traits of successful people.

The Mid-Year Career Tune-up

It's June and the year is nearly half over, so where are you at with your career goals and objectives for the year? This is a good time to pause and reflect on your career and evaluate if you're at the place you want to be.

Consider the following three areas and make corrections and adjustments as needed so you can move forward successfully.

Continued Learning. It is incredibly important, both to your job satisfaction and to your future career success, for you to have continued opportunities to learn and develop new skills. Take a look at what you've done so far this year, along with the skills you've developed, and consider if there are some training sessions or a conference you can attend sometime in the next few months. If your employer offers free training or provides reimbursement for classes take advantage of these perks. Sign up today.

Network Building. Throughout the year you want to continue to develop your network in several ways, including through social sites such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Be sure to keep your LinkedIn profile updated with new skills and responsibilities. In addition, if you're not currently working with a mentor seek one out. You can likely find a good mentor at your workplace or through your network of contacts. A good mentor will also introduce you to others and help expand your network. Finally, find a networking group in your community you can begin attending or register for a conference. Conferences are great places to meet great people doing cool and exciting things in your field and some of these people can become mentors and future collaborators.

Healthy lifestyle. It's difficult to be at your best in your career if you're not getting enough sleep, or if you're eating unhealthy food and drinking too much. Take a look at your habits and determine if you need to build more activity into your schedule. Perhaps you live close enough to bike into work a few days a week. Or join the yoga class at the office. Maybe starting your day with a few minutes of stretching and mindful meditation can get you more focused on developing a more healthy lifestyle that will benefit you and your career.

4 Ways to Take Your Career from Good to Great

It can be easy to coast in a job or feel stuck in our careers but if we want to take our career from good to great it will require action.

However, it might be easier than you think to move your career toward greatness. Implement the following four simple tips and your job and career prospects will be soaring above average.

Get organized. Put the power of technology to work for you to organize your email and other electronic files you use. Develop a system to handle any paper and hard copy documents that pass through your hands, and utilize any effective strategies to reduce waste or eliminate attention spent on time-sucking and energy-draining activities. The more organized you are the more effective you'll be in your work and the more you'll enjoy it, too.

Get positive. Your attitude goes a long way toward determining your success in life and in your career. And the good news? You can largely control your attitude and response to life's curve balls. A positive attitude also increases your energy level and makes you more attractive to your boss and other potential employers. One way to be more positive is to start your day with some exercise and meditation. Even a brief practice of 20-30 minutes can be highly beneficial.

Get a mentor. You can't do this alone and succeed without the support of others. Seek out a supportive mentor who can provide honest feedback and guidance. And meet regularly with your mentor in order to move forward in your life and career, and avoid settling into mediocrity.

Get curious and learn as much as you can. People who attain greatness want to know as much as they can and never stop trying to better themselves. They continually learn new things and seek out unique experiences. A curiosity about the world, other people, and new technology will help you get out of a rut, avoid average, and move your life and career from good to great.

Five Tips for Building Mental Strength in Your Career and in Life

It is inevitable that we experience setbacks in our lives and our careers. Success requires failure, and it necessitates failing many times and trying again after each disappointment or difficulty.

A Japanese proverb encourages us to "fall seven times, stand up eight."

We must develop mental strength in order deal with the failures and setbacks we experience in our personal and professional lives if we want to see those failures lead to success and positive outcomes. Too many of us retreat from failure, allowing it to define us, or allow difficulties to make us feel trapped, unworthy, and unable to move forward and reach our goals.

Instead we need to continually work to develop our mental strength and the following five practices will help do just that.

Let go. Put the past behind you and move on from your previous failures and disappointments. Learn what you need from them but don't be held back or defined by setbacks. This might require you to focus on changing your thoughts when you are troubled by the failures of the past. Telling yourself something simple like "that is behind me and today is a new and successful day" can be a effective technique to change your focus from the past to the present.

Practice meditation. Take some time each day, preferably just after you wake up, to set your day with some mindful meditation. Focus on breathing deeply and use this time for prayer or to repeat a short mantra that inspires you. This practice will help calm you, give you greater clarity of purpose, and will put your thoughts in a positive place to start the day.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. It's very important to have friends and colleagues around who encourage and inspire you. Be around people who understand the importance of taking risks and failing, who applaud you for taking action and trying something new. It is equally important to avoid time with people who frequently complain, are negative, discourage you from going after your dreams, or seem to take some pleasure in pointing out your weaknesses and failings.

Watch what you take in. We are what we eat and we are what we consume through the books we read, the movies we watch, the podcasts or radio programs we listen to, or the music we enjoy. Eating healthy food and surrounding ourselves with positive and encouraging media can be a tremendous source of strength, similar to being around a wise mentor or a great friend.

Act and fail and act and succeed, and be grateful for it all. The process of taking some action, of failing and getting back up, and trying again, and achieving some success builds our mental strength and enables us to continue to act, fail, and succeed. Pay attention to the process, and work at enjoying all of it, while expressing gratitude for what you're building and the strong and resilient person you're becoming.

5 Ways to Add Purpose and Meaning to Your Career

Many of us move through life and our work career deeply dissatisfied and without any sense of purpose. We might simply follow the paycheck or feel like we're sleepwalking through our work lives. Our career path might seem predetermined by our choice of college major or previous job experience but it's not too late to think about a more rewarding and purposeful direction.

If you want to live a more purposeful life or add more meaning to your career reflect on the following actions and considerations.

Identify your strengths and skills. You'll find the most enjoyment in your work if you're utilizing your strengths and the things you are good at. Spend some time to inventory your strengths and ask your friends and family to help you identify what you're good at.

Identify your passions. Do you love helping others? Or perhaps you enjoy solving problems and coming up with unique solutions. Do you love to travel? Spend some time thinking about the experiences that make you feel most alive and energized. Can you imagine a life or a career where can get up every day and do what you're passionate about?

Do no harm. You’ll feel a great sense of satisfaction and purpose when your life, career, and work choices do not bring harm or pain to the earth, other people, and to plants and animals. It is difficult to feel pride in your accomplishments or your work life when you contribute to spreading toxins or promoting unhealthy habits and choices.

  

Make a difference. Consider work that will make your community and the world healthier, safer, and more equitable for all. Does your company create products that pollute the air or advertise unhealthy food or products to children? Look for a career that contributes positively to the needs of the world, for a company that is solving the world’s problems in ways that don’t bring additional harm.  

  

Pass it on. Be a mentor. Your gifts and skills and talents were meant to be shared with others and provide you with an opportunity to teach someone else what you know. Pass on your knowledge and you can help multiple the good in the world.

You don’t necessarily need to change your job to change the world. There are opportunities all around, starting with your neighbor. If you look for ways to make a difference you will find them and begin to live a more rewarding a purposeful life and have a more satisfying career.

4 Ways to Love Your Job

The start of the new year is a good time to get a new start at your job and this can be particularly important if you're finding it difficult to like your job. Job satisfaction is important to your health, your emotional well-being, and to your career success.

You can take steps to love your job and the following four ideas will get you headed in the right direction:

1. Personalize your work area. You might not be able to add new lighting to your workplace or change the color on the walls but you can take some small steps to make your work space more comfortable. Bring in a picture of someone you love, or a photo of your favorite vacation spot. Post an inspirational quote or some other line that inspires you. Bring in a small plant.

2. Take on your most difficult tasks first. You can enjoy your work more if you're able to get the work you least enjoy done first and can then move on to tasks or work you enjoy more. Of course, this is not always possible, depending on your job, but set this as a goal and you'll find yourself energized when you complete that despised task.

3. Spend time with co-workers you enjoy and develop friendships. Many people find that they enjoy the people they work with much more than they enjoy the work itself. Take the time to get to know your co-workers, have lunch with them and socialize outside of the job, and you'll find yourself looking forward to going to work in the morning.

4. Seek out a mentor at your work place. Having someone on your side, who has your best interests at heart, and can help you grow as an employee can help you enjoy your work more. A mentor does these things so seek one out. Today!

5 Ways to Excel in Your Career (and Life) in 2017

As you've entered the new year you've likely set some goals for yourself in 2017 and, if you're like many people, a goal or two is related to your job and career. Of course, we can start the new year with good intentions and then quickly find ourselves discouraged and failing to meet our goals.

Consider the following five ways to stay on track with your goals and to excel in your career and job in 2017.

1. Automate when possible. Find ways to increase your productivity and create additional time in your schedule by automating as many tasks as possible. Use an app to manage your budget or to organize your email. There is, really, an app for everything so you have an opportunity to better manage and control some of the many tasks that dominate modern life.

2. Start a side gig. If you've always wanted to work for yourself or start a business now is the time. Set aside a few hours every week to work on this: develop a business plan, create a web site, offer your services as a freelancer, or start making that product you've dreamed of.

3. Go back to school. Start taking a class or two toward earning a new degree or certificate. You can even learn online or informally by reading some books by experts in your field of interest.

4. Be mindful of your health. Unfortunately, many of us don't pay enough attention to our health and don't realize that we can be much more successful in work and life, and increase our productivity if we focus on our health. Take a look at your diet and eat more healthily, be sure to be active and exercise, have a consistent spiritual practice, such as meditation, get enough sleep, and reduce alcohol and caffeine.  

5. Build a support system. None of us can succeed on our own so be sure to develop your support system. Your support group should ideally include co-workers, friends, family, a supervisor at work, and a mentor or two.

4 Things to Do Once You've Been Promoted

So, you got the big news: all the hard work has paid off and you've been promoted to that job you've been coveting and working toward for months. Now what? This isn't a time to kick back and relax.

Take the following steps to continue your career momentum:

1. Celebrate and be grateful. Yes, you certainly deserve to celebrate your accomplishment. Enjoy that night out with friends and family and be grateful. And then be grateful every day. You'll want to remember the importance of being thankful on those days you question if you really all the responsibility of this new job.

2. Listen and Learn. Begin to listen to others you'll be working with and for. Hear their frustrations in the job, along with the things they enjoy and the processes that are going well. Begin to understand your role and how you can best support those around you, in addition to considering how to best apply your strengths and knowledge to the new position. Learn as much as you can from others and seek to serve those you work with, particularly those who report to you.

3. Find an ally. Often when a promotion occurs it means that at least one other person you'll work closely with was passed over for the job. These can be tricky situations and so it's important to find someone to discuss issues and concerns with. Find an ally and a mentor to help you move through the transition to your new role, especially in those early months when emotions are raw and everyone is still finding there way around the new structure.

4. Give yourself some slack. You'll make mistakes. That is a given. You'll need to learn how to quickly move on from your mistakes, own them responsibly, and learn from them. Learning from mistakes does not mean that you spend hours dwelling on them in an attempt to get things right. A good leader knows that you need to let your decisions go and move on.

5 Ways to Use Twitter to Benefit Your Career

Social media engagement can offer excellent opportunities for finding a job or strengthening your career. You're likely familiar with using LinkedIn, and perhaps have even used Facebook to find a job, but Twitter also offers some useful ways to benefit your career.

1. Follow those you're connected to on LinkedIn. You can use Twitter to supplement your efforts on LinkedIn. Check the profiles of your most significant connections to see if they are on Twitter and, if so, follow them. You can even create a list specifically for your LinkedIn connections. Then engage with these people on Twitter: like their tweets, re-tweet them, and comment, as appropriate. 

2. Follow prominent leaders in your field. Seek out the thought-leaders and champions in your industry, follow them, and comment on their tweets. Not only will you learn more about your field, but you might just end up with a new mentor.

3. Share your knowledge. Become a resource for others by tweeting out articles of interest in your field, sharing your ideas and experiences, and engaging with your followers.

4. Search relevant hashtags. Stay up to date in your field by searching on topics of relevance or to be in the know about job postings. It's as simple as searching for #[industryorfield]jobs, such as #publishingjobs or #marketingjobs or #salesjobs.

5. Join a career-related Twitter chat. Search for career chats or hashtags on career topics to learn when a chat is happening and then join in to learn something new, contribute your expertise, and build your network.   

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 5 Personal Obstacles That Limit Your Success

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 Personal Obstacles That Limit Your Success: "You cannot wait until you have the perfect plan before taking action. You need to simply dive in and take a few risks."

• 3 Signs You May Not Be Open to Professional Feedback: "Maybe you already do know how to handle the task well, but if those kinds of responses are your standard regardless of the situation, you may make it hard for others to offer suggestions."

• 5 Ways to Become the Person You Aspire to Be: "Most people settle for less. And many of those same people will also convince you to settle for less."

• What Young Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Powerful Media Mentors: "Judith as my mentor has shown me, you need to take the time to develop your message, your goal, the results that you wish to expect."
• How I Use Facebook Groups to Grow My Business: "I try to stay in my lane, so to speak, and only engage on topics that are central to my business in order to effectively manage my time in the Facebook groups I've joined."

5 Ways to Overcome Fear, Doubts, and Uncertainty in Your Career

Fear is often one of the strongest emotions we experience when it comes to taking on new challenges and tasks in a career. Sometimes we allow doubt to creep into our minds and we tell ourselves that we have no business expecting success and we feel like a fraud when we get that promotion.

This is common to many people and there are ways to deal with these thoughts and feelings.

Try these five ways to overcome fear, doubt, and uncertainty in your career:

1. Meditate. Take 5 to 10 minutes when you start your day to practice meditation. This calming practice will help set your fears and anxieties to rest and also allow you to fill your mind with some positive words if you add a simple phrase to meditate on, such as "I am grateful for each new opportunity."

2. Identify strengths and successes. Write down three of your strengths, along with three significant successes you've had in your life. Post this somewhere you can view it several times throughout the day. Drawing attention to your strengths and successes will help remind you that you are capable and have the skills necessary to be a success.

3. Practice positive self-talk. Learn to identify when you are telling yourself negative thoughts or are filled with fear and doubt. Take a moment to breath carefully and replace your thoughts with something true and inspiring. This is where identifying your strengths and successes can come in handy. Replace your doubts by reminding yourself of the ways you excel.

4. Surround yourself with positive and encouraging people. The people in our lives play an important role in our mood and how we think of ourselves. Make an effort to associate with people who inspire and encourage you to be the best version of you.

5. Seek out a mentor. When taking on new challenges and opportunities it can feel overwhelming and so it is important and beneficial to have an experienced person who can serve as a sounding board and provide counsel and advice while you grow in your work.

Try to implement these five strategies at any time in your life and career and you'll likely decrease the hold that fear, doubts, and uncertainty has over you.