September 2011

CareerTips

Reinvent Your Career!
by Myles Golden

My July edition of Fortune Magazine lay on my coffee table most of July. To say the least our lives have been hectic recently dealing with my mother-in- law, age 93,  elder care issues, a  house renovation due to May storm damages, conferences to organize and attend, visits to our family in NJ, etc. Amidst this, pondering what to share with our readers for my September newsletter and fed up with Piers Morgan dominating the airways, I spotted my Fortune Magazine where the front page read “Reinvent Your Career.” Now that is something I’m passionate about. I turned off Piers and started reading the article authored by Douglas Alden Warshaw and reporters John Caplin and Tara Moore featuring five individuals who have successfully reinvented themselves. Noted in the lead-in were some interesting stats relative to today’s job market. You will not be surprised that job creation is at its lowest point since 1980, while job destruction continues to rise. A full 12.6% of the workforce lost their jobs in the past recession, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Not surprisingly, part-time work has quadrupled since the 1950’s to 2.38 million people by the end of 2010. “It’s a spot auction market” says Robert Reich former Secretary of Labor under Clinton. “What you’re paid is what you’re worth at a particular time, meaning you will most likely change your professional identity frequently,” and revealing another stat, the youngest Baby Boomers (those born from 1957 to 1964) held an average of 11 jobs from ages 18 to 44. Not surprisingly, The Denali Group, a procurement services company, predicts that Generation Y will have 15-25 jobs in their lifetime. So the message here is that if you’re an expert in your field, if college tuition is looming, if you aren’t able to relocate as you once were, there is just one way to achieve true job security - stand ready to reinvent yourself.

But how?

Fortune scoured the country to find people who had their careers disrupted but managed to create new careers. They were not 25-year old techies; they are established professionals who were happy doing what they were doing - until they were not doing it anymore. Here are just three summaries of the five professionals featured in the article that successfully reinvented themselves and found out losing their jobs was probably the best thing that has happen to them relative to their career:

David Kahn – Kahn was one of Blockbusters’ biggest franchisees. He had the big mansion, five plasma TV’s, a Hummer and even had his picture taken with President Bush. Then Netflix came along. In 2006, his bank let him do a workout but his career was over. Goodbye went the mansion, the country club and the Hummer. However, he refused to obsess over the loss. He said “You don’t say this is where I’ll always be. You say, this is where I am now.” Kahn took a hard look at his skills and decided that his expertise was in franchises, not videos. He bought six Subway franchises in mid 2007. A few months later he had 500 employees. Six months later, Subway rolled out its $5 foot long smashing profits. He sold the franchises and was back to square one. He had a small financial cushion, supportive family and a deep belief that he would figure it out. He cashed in his sky miles, told his wife Carol, “I’m going to LA to look for a ‘trendy thing’.” He drove the streets of LA and came up on Yogurtland, where people created their desserts, and filled out a franchise application on the spot. But Yogurtland never called back, so Kahn decided to go it alone. Nine banks turned him down for a loan. Unfazed he put his house down for collateral on a $300,000 loan and Yogurt Mountain opened on Sept. 10, 2009. In March 2010, Kahn sold 40% of his business to a private equity group for $3 million, a line of credit, and help opening new stores (there are now 35). He says “You’ve got to go into survivor mode, and you’ve got to reprogram yourself. What’s the alternative?”

Click here to continue reading inspiring success stories.

Click here to contact Golden Career Strategies about Reinventing YOUR career!

Handing Stress During Transition
By Bonnie Tollison,
Licensed Stress Coach and Certified HeartMath Coach

No matter what your transition is about, you need to have good mental clarity during the process of making decisions on this new journey towards a more fulfilling future. 

In order to have this clarity, it is important to be able to handle the stress of it all.   You say you don’t really have any stress?  What about those headaches, sleeplessness, fatigue, brain fog, digestive issues,  irritability, or downright anger, anxiety and depression? 

If you do not see these as warning signs then you are looking at bigger health issues down the road.  You see, stress creates wear and tear on the body and it is cumulative over time.  So why not take care of it now and be healthier and more productive in your journey? 

What do you need to do?  There are several things.  Let’s break it down into physical, mental and emotional needs.

Breathe deeply and slowly, breathing out just as much as you breathe in.  Carbon dioxide is toxic and causes anxiety.

Drink pure water  - half your body weight in ounces.

Eat fresh or frozen unprocessed foods.  Skip the preservatives, dyes, etc.  If  the list of ingredients is long or you don’t know what they are – don’t eat it!

Eliminate white products – flour, sugar, etc.  Eat less sugar!  They all create stress on the body, especially the liver.

Exercise – with whatever is fun!

Participate in prayer, meditation, yoga or other practices that shift your focus from that chatty mind.

This is the most important of the three.
Emotions determine the rhythm of your heart. 

Negative feelings create an uneven rhythm and communication to the brain is compromised.  This makes it more difficult to make decisions, solve problems and be creative.  The brain also tells the body that all is not balanced and physical wear and tear occur.

On the other hand, positive feelings create a smooth rhythm in the heart, which opens up communication to the brain.  With that optimal brain power, we can make those critical decisions, solve  problems more efficiently and be more creative – all tools that help you through that challenging transition.  The added benefit is that you are physically healthier – and happier!

What matters most to you?  Are you in touch with and living your core values?  Are you integrating this in your transitional journey?  If not, you may have a long, rocky road ahead.

Wouldn’t you like to move through your transition with more peace and mental clarity?  Learning to manage your emotions is the key.

A change of heart changes everything!

You can contact Bonnie Licensed HeartMath ® Provider at bonnietollison.com or by calling 864-901-4433

Helping Others Helps You Too ~ Volunteer!

Joust for Fun - To benefit character and ethics education in elementary and middle schools.

On October 1, 2011, the Greenville Evening Rotary Club will host its second annual Joust for Fun Jousting Event and Medieval Festival from 10 am to 3 pm at the Riverbend Equestrian Park located at 175 Riverbend Road, Greenville, SC 29617 near Furman University. There will be fun, festivities, even catapult contests, as well as a live jousting match performed by the Knights of the Guild. To volunteer, contact Ann Golden at agolden@goldencareerstrategies.com or 864-527-0425. For further information see www.greenvilleeveningrotary.org.

Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities

United Way agencies

Ready 4 Reading

Habitat for Humanity

Mauldin Miracle League

Greenville Literacy

Meals on Wheels

Greenville County Library System

American Cancer Society

Greenville Area Opportunities - searchable by category

Golden Career Strategies Speaks:
Recent Speaking Engagements & Sponsorships

GCS ~ Silver Sponsor for GSATC (Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson Technology Council)