Feed Your Career

I just returned from a 3 week vacation in Spain.  I was told people all over speak English so when I had no time to squeeze in learning a new language before going I was not worried.  When I got there, it was a different reality.  Yes, some people spoke English, but the vast majority did not.  Thankfully the people in Spain are very friendly and patient so my hand and face gestures together with my mini Spanish/English dictionary helped me survive.  I did have a few mishaps (actually more than a few) along the way.

There was the ordering of my favorite drink – hot mocha.  I was craving my favorite drink and ordered coffee, milk and chocolate and got two drinks: hot chocolate and an espresso.  There is no such thing as a mocha drink in Spain.    The word I needed to know was together – junto in Spanish.

Then there is the detergent.  I had rented a flat and there was some laundry left from the last renter.  Using some meant saving a trip to the store.  Word of advise -  know the word for bleach when working with laundry in a different language ( lejía).  The bottle was not regular laundry detergent, it was bleach.  My 14-year olds’ clothes were instantly turned into tie-dye designs.  She was extremely understanding.  She had clothes in that load she had just bought for the trip.  Yes, she had every reason to be upset but thankfully took it in stride.

I found myself at the grocery store for my first trip without my mini-dictionary.  For most food items I could look and grab and know what I was getting.  For milk, it did not work so well.  Being a dietitian I have drank skim milk for past 20 some years.  The next morning on my cereal I tasted whole milk for the first time in a long time.  Wow, that was very different on my tastebuds.  I now know the word for skim milk is leche desnatada.

For me, the best way of learning words and life in Spain was to plunge in and learn as I went along.  Do you have plans for your career?  Where you want to go?  What skills and experiences and credentials you need to get there?  Are you having trouble knowing where to start?  Are you afraid of doing it wrong?  My word of advice is just get STARTED and from there you will learn what you need and are lacking.  If you don’t start, you will never get to where you want to go.  Mistakes are ways of giving us direction in what we want, what we need, how we need to redirect ourselves.  Do not fear making mistakes.  Jack Canfield sums it up wonderfully.

As you begin to take action toward the fulfillment of your goals and dreams, you must realize that not every action will be perfect. Not every action will produce the desired result. Not every action will work. Making mistakes, getting it almost right, and experimenting to see what happens are all part of the process of eventually getting it right.

Jack Canfield  – Inspirational Self Help Author and Success Coach, author of book “Chicken Soup for the Soul”

For me, by the end of my trip I was much more comfortable living in Spain and using my limited Spanish to get by with.  I still have a long, long ways to go, but I will not make the same mistakes and was able to create a fabulous daily routine for myself and my kids to enjoy and live life fully for our trip in Spain which was our goal in going.

Mistakes are challenges in disguise. Realistically most of us don’t get it right the first time around. Successful people make mistakes all the time, the difference is that most of the failures go unnoticed because they don’t give up and keep on going.

Successful people evaluate their failures, come up with new solutions to the challenge and try again – this time more educated than the first. Successful people also don’t allow the fear of failure to stop them from achieving their goals.

If you study the failure and challenges of business you will discover the steps needed for achieving success.  These are the key lessons an organization learns as they grow, expand and compete in a changing marketplace. If you want to create shamelessly fabulous success, study all your failures and follow the path that it is laying out for you to sucess. Most highly successful people were not successful from the beginning, they had to struggle a little or a lot to reach their peak potential. Success takes time just as it takes time for you to adjust and learn new skills. But, be aware that mistakes will continue to happen even after you have reached a high level of success. You will always need to be learning something new in business to stay innovative and on top of your game.

Where are You?

Have you started working with social media for your career?  For your business?  What is holding you back?  Much of social media is experimenting and learning  to see what works and does not work to attract new customers.

Thomas Edison was not afraid of mistakes.  He had steel-bending perseverance and determination.  It has been reported that Edison failed over 6,000 times before perfecting the first electric light bulb. On one occasion a young journalist challenged Edison by saying to him, “Mr. Edison, why do you keep trying to make light by using electricity when you have failed so many times? Don’t you know that gas lights are with us to stay?”

Edison replied, “Young man, don’t you realize that I have not failed but have successfully discovered six thousand ways that won’t work!”  What mistakes have you been making and learning from lately?  If none, you are staying too close to your comfort zone.  You need to take calculated risks and learn from them.  There are no successful people who have not made mistakes to get to where they are and they are still making mistakes today.

In life and business, there are two cardinal sins. The first is to act precipitously without thought and the second is to not act at all.

Carl Icahn – Investor and Entrepreneur and Billionaire

What actions are you taking next to find your journey to your success, your dreams, your passion?  What are your mistakes telling you?  Embrace them, they are part of your journey to success.

While I was reading my gratitude devotion (Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach) I came across a great entry on the unspoken language of authenticity and how you dress is an expression of who you are.  I deeply believe in this.  I have always enjoyed using my wardrobe to express myself.  It has never been about being a fashion standout.  Instead for me it has been a way to talk to the world without “saying” anything.

I can remember my excitement growing up when I would get several brown paper bags of hand me down clothes from another family at church with older kids.  It was like candy for me.  Tingling with excitement I would go through and find my new favorites.  I have over the years groped for words to describe to others what clothes mean to me.  I have never been big on brands.  I purchase clothes at Target through Nordstoms with some splurges thrown in.  Now my secret is out.

I have hesitated in talking with others on dress because I am afraid others will think I am materialistic or favor more how I look on the outside than my inner qualities.  That could not be more wrong.  Inner qualities rate far more important than material items for me.  How I dress is an expression of myself, and extension is even better way of describing it.  Also, in recent years how I dress has become even more important as I get busier and busier with life.  For me, taking time to give thought to how I dress and taking time to purchase a couple new things every season is showing appreciation for myself.  It is taking care of me.

It is not easy always, I have four kids and work from home.  The youngest is just 8 months old now.  I know every one of you out there also has a very hectic lifestyle.  No matter how busy I get, every day I take time to get up and shower, pick out an outfit that makes me feel good, and ‘put on my face’.  Often I have to ask my husband or one of my older kids to hold the baby while I finish getting ready.  I do have the routine down to a quick 20 minutes.  I believe I show value for myself by taking the time to do this every morning.  I never know how my day will go.  I do feel better whatever ends up happening  if I have taken time to appreciate and value myself by doing this every day.

Authentic Self

I am still working on the words to describe to others how dress can be an extension or communication to others of your inner self.  There is a great coach Steffi Jo Kern who helps woman learn and identify who they are at their very core. She calls it ‘your Essence’ and helps woman learn all the colors and design elements that ‘your Essence’ aligns with and applies this information to the clothes they choose to wear. She helps woman open to their authenticity and their true personality on the inside and express this on the outside with their language and actions.  She has even created a twelve-step Closet Challenge to help define ‘your Essence’.

Steffi poses the question – imagine what could happen if a person was always dressing in alignment with their authentic self?  For example, going on a job interview, attending a board meeting, asking for a raise, going on a first date. When a person is congruent with themselves they create a positive energy that attracts.  Now those are the words I have needed for so long to talk to others.

Personal Brand

Authentically dressing is a key part of a personal brand.  Dress is your visual impression.  If you can capture your authentic self through what you wear every day that will give you much more power and reach in your personal brand.  Beth Hewitt has a great blog posting on personal branding and how you dress is important.  We all know about first impressions  – first seven seconds…  It is key that as part of anyone’s endeavor to follow their passions, live out their life purpose, that they dress purposely to express their authentic self.   Without thought to dress, the first impression can create mixed and even off messages as to your intention and seriousness. ‘Dress for Success’ means something completely different today than ten years ago.  Dressing today provides a platform to get your ‘authentic self’ noticed.

There is a quote included in my gratitude devotion that speaks to me:

To choose clothes, either in a store or at home, is to define and describe ourselves.

by Alison Lurie.

I am going to go into my closet today and find at least 4 things that do not express my authentic self and give them away.   I vow to wear clothes that I love and express my authentic self.