Push Yourself

As president of Pennwriters, Inc., a 400+ member writing group, I write a column for our Penn Writer newsletter. Our October theme made me think of some positive words to pass along to everyone.

• Define your goals clearly and write them down
• Identify your supportive forces (friends, family, books, classes, etc.)
• Reward yourself for victories
• Develop an action plan and set deadlines
• Take action
• If you do not get the results you want, change your tactics
• Reach out to your support system
• Think and speak positively

When you take positive steps in the right direction, you are headed for success.

Happy Fall, All

Autumn begins this week and with it Fall Fix-Up season, making it a good time to fix-up things in our lives such as these:

• Personal relationships
• Workplace relationships
• Time management
• Organization of home and office
• Careers
• Eating and exercise habits
• Social habits
• Online presence

You can find tips for time management, organization, workplace relationships, and career help in my former blog posts and on my website.

Where Does the Time Go?

Since returning from my Disney World vacation, I have been totally focused on writing my new book, Seeking a Job After 50. I turned in the first two chapters yesterday and am diligently working on Chapter 3.

All this work brings to mind time management and organizational skills. My website, www.carolsilvis.com, has a list of time management and organization tips if you need a little help in these areas.

With fall coming, it's a good time to take stock of where our time goes and how we can make the most of it. Soon we will be facing another holiday season and all the time crunches that come with it.

Do yourself a favor and take time to enjoy life.

Vacation from the Career

I'm taking a much needed vacation and will be leaving for Disney World tomorrow morning. My blog will resume in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, find a way to squeeze in some time for relaxing and de-stressing. We all need that if we are to keep productivity high at work.

Enjoy the last days of summer!

Succeed in Your Career Despite the Economy

Another round of dismal employment news was released yesterday. To succeed in your career in this economy, you must constantly improve yourself and remain in good standing with your company.

• Establish your goals for advancement
• Learn what you need to do to reach those goals
• Develop and implement a plan of action
• Persist with an optimistic purpose and clear sense of direction
• Commit the time and effort necessary to reach your goals

Get a clear picture in your mind of what success means to you and then work toward it.

Hold Onto Your Job

Today's news on the economy is once again bleak. It is more important than ever to keep the job you have. One of the best ways to do that is to provide excellent customer service. Another is to do everything you can to make your boss's job easier.

Here are some other ways to help yourself and others through tough economic times:

• Always speak kindly to everyone every day.
• If there is something special you can do for your customers, do it.
• Spread words of encouragement and appreciation.
• Treat people fairly and never take advantage of them.
• If you must offer criticism, find something positive to say first.

The way you walk your career path is especially important in this economic climate.

Marketable Skills Equal Career Success

One way of increasing your chances of keeping your job and advancing in this tough economy is to remain marketable by keeping skills fresh. Skill maintenance is an ongoing process, especially with changing and evolving technology, new research and development, and modernized equipment. Ever-changing job descriptions, assignments, procedures, and the like affect what and how much you need to know and how well you perform.

Some competencies that are always in demand include:

• Computer Equipment and Software
• Marketing
• Sales
• Customer Service
• Oral and Written Communications

To determine the best way for you to update:

• Review your job description and verify core competencies and skills you need
• Assess your competency in these areas
• Ask your supervisor if he/she feels there are competencies you need to acquire
• Ask the HR director or company trainer if there are skills/competencies you should acquire

After you have determined the skills/competencies you need, decide how you will obtain the training and the date by which you will begin training.