WHAT IS YOUR CARPE DIEM?

I have been a little overwhelmed with work, duties, and obligations lately. I was trying to prioritize what to take action on, trying a little self-motivation. So, I just randomly said “carpe diem” to myself, hoping for some action to get out of planning mode and into action mode. ‡ After all, the phrase seems to work for so many others.

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Carpe diem! This is popularly translated as Seize the day! Some scholars say that the Latin word carpe is more akin to the English equivalent pluck. What does seize or pluck the day mean for you? Yeah, it really doesn’t resonate with me, either. It is hard to wrap my mind around seizing something as metaphysical as a “day” or “time.” How do you seize what you can’t touch? (I know, it isn’t meant to be literal.*) 

Thank you, Mr. Roget 

I went to my Thesaurus and looked up “seize.” Here are some alternatives that are more meaningful for how I use the phrase. More importantly, these words are more meaningful in propelling me to action (the point of the mantra, after all).

1. grab 
2. snatch 
3. confiscate 
4. commandeer 
5. take control of 
6. capture 

Well, items 1 – 3 are too … physical. Again, hard to confiscate something you can’t grab or snatch. However. I can easily “commandeer” my day or time. (Yes, I have control issues.) I definitely need to “take control of” my day and take it back from other people’s priority lists. Additionally, I can “capture” my time back from the time sink of email or web surfing. 

Meanings are in people 

I encourage you to do this exercise. What phrase will motivate you? Tweak it until it truly motivates YOU. You can look it up in the dictionary, search the Thesaurus or ask others. However, until it means something to you, it just won’t work. Now that I have a better translation for carpe diem, it really does propel me into action. 

What do you need to seize/pluck/grab/snatch/confiscate/commandeer/take control of/capture today? What is the one thing that will propel you forward toward your goals? What motivates you? What do you want more of in your life? 

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. 

All things are possible,  

Elisabeth 

Elisabeth Adler-Lund 
Executive and Life Coaching 
Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 
E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

‡ This is why motivation doesn’t always work. 
A) You have to tie it something specific. It can’t be random. 
B) It has to mean something to you. If money isn’t your motivator, more of it won’t push you into action. 

* In Horace, the phrase is part of a longer poem. Literally: 
(Latin) … carpe diem quam minimum credula postero. 
(English) … Seize the day, trusting as little as possible to the future. 

There are many similar phrases on making the most of now, the present, because life is short and time flies by: 
“Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.” 
“Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.” 
“Time flies when you’re having fun.” (Often said ironically.) 

ARE YOU PRODUCTIVE ENOUGH?

If you are working, you are probably doing the work that previously occupied several people. The sad reality for many employees, just because the company downsized, doesn’t mean the work went away. Your success on the job or in the job hunt is not determined by the size of your To Do List, but by your accomplishments. 

Let me ask you some questions. 

• Are you working smarter, not harder? 
• Are you multitasking? 
• Are you working with yourself or against yourself? 

WITH YOURSELF 

Part of working “smarter” is recognizing your personal work rhythms and using them to your advantage. Most people are most productive and creative in the first part of the day. If this is you, are you capitalizing on this and tackling your difficult and important assignments first thing? Or, do you open up your email? 

TIME SINK 

Nothing can eat away at your time like email. It is full of to do’s large and small. It has all this information, most of dubious value. If you are able, don’t open your email until later in the morning. After you’ve completed a step or large chunk of your most important project, THEN open up and answer the email. If your boss or corporate climate requires an immediate response first thing, by all means, open up the email. However – only answer those urgent items that you must. Then begin work on your project. 

If you can, spread the word that your first one or two hours of the day are your project times. Perhaps add a line to your email signature, “I check and respond to email at 10:30 am and 4:00 pm each day. If this is an urgent matter, please reach me by telephone.” Since everyone else is doing their email, you may have fewer distractions and more uninterrupted time. You’ll make more headway in that hour, than two hours in the afternoon. 

TASKING 

Do you multitask or unitask? Multitasking is really just a myth. The brain cannot work on two projects at the same time. What the best so-called multitaskers do is alternate very quickly back and forth. That actually slows you down. It takes more time and energy to do two tasks together versus sequentially. Concentrate on one thing at a time. Get it done (to the stopping point or completely) and move on to the next thing. You’ll be done in less total time and have a higher quality product. Multitasking is also very stressful to your system. Voilá, more productive and less stress! 

Another technique is to batch up your tasks. Put another way, do tasks in blocks of time. Two hours of project time, an hour of phone calls, an hour of email, and so forth. You’ll get a rhythm going as you accomplish several similar tasks in a row. 

IN THE HUNT 

If you are in the job hunt, set specific hours for your job search. Allocate certain times every workday to making the calls, for visiting companies, networking and searching the internet for job postings or research. 

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. 

All things are possible, 

Elisabeth 

Elisabeth Adler-Lund 

Executive and Life Coaching 

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

DOES ANOTHER DOOR OPEN?

You know the saying, “One door closes and another one opens.” Have you found that to be true? One door closed, you lost your job. What is your opening door? If you are only focused on a new job as your next open door, you may be overlooking all the open doors in front of you. You might also be a candidate for burnout.

Remember all those things that you wanted to do when you were working? Now is your “open door” to getting them done. Here is a short list of things you now have time for:

• Spending more time with the family
  
• Cleaning out the garage/attic/junk drawer
• Reconnecting with your spouse or significant other
• Reevaluating your career direction and decisions
• Doing an in depth self-assessment of your strengths, skills, abilities and experience
• Volunteering at your favorite charity (giving time instead of money)
• Learning new skills to improve your career
• Working at an unpaid (or token pay) internship to explore a new career

NOT “JUST” KEEPING BUSY

This is more than just keeping busy and out of trouble. When you maintain a schedule, you also maintain a focus about your life. This occupies your mind with new ideas and new people. It also makes you more interesting to others. Good conversation is helpful in all areas of your life.

As you are out and about, you are meeting people and building relationships. Sometimes the volunteer job can lead to a paying job. Sometimes the colleague you volunteer with has a job lead. Sometimes you can help out the volunteer colleague and the organization. That’s a double whammy win! Keeping your self-esteem high is important in the hunt for a job.

BURNOUT

If everything is focused on getting a job, you can become burned out fast. The unemployment rate is the highest it has been for decades. Employers aren’t rehiring the people they laid off. That is a lot of rejection. Every time you submit an application or send in a résumé and no one even acknowledges it, you feel rejected. You finally get an interview and you don’t get the job, more rejection. Even seasoned salespeople suffer burnout in these conditions.

The consequences of burnout are that when you get your next interview, you sound desperate or disinterested. Desperate because all you are thinking is “Please, please let me get this job.” Or, you are already resigned to failure, making it self-fulfilling.

By keeping yourself useful to others, you get positive reinforcement. That in turn is an antidote to the burnout a prolonged job search can create.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

WHAT DOES YOUR BODY LANGUAGE SAY?

How you move, sit and stand all conveys something about you. Do you know what your body is saying to others? Here are some pointers for you.

POSTURE

Put your shoulders back, suck your stomach in. Bad posture gives off an air of timidity or sloth. A person sitting in a chair, slouching, does not project confidence and determination. It’s like your body saying, “Whatever.” Find a more upright way of sitting that still feels somewhat comfortable.

Whether sitting or standing, your body should be relaxed and open. Do not cross your arms or legs. While you may think it conveys a sense of ease, studies have shown that a people read a closed body differently: they subconsciously think you have something to hide. This is a golden opportunity to send a positive signal. In keeping your body open and your arms spread a little more widely than your torso, you offer openness and appear friendly.

YOUR HANDS

Clenching your fists can create two problems. First, the closed body issue: closed hands are just like closed bodies. Second, you could make some people think that you’re short-tempered and ready for a fight. I think we can agree this is the wrong signal. While hand-clenching for many is just a nervous habit, it’s one well worth training yourself to avoid. Force your hands open to send positive signals and convey a sense of being at ease with yourself and the conversation.

It’s natural to try to communicate with your hands and arms when speaking. Just don’t get carried away. Only use your body language for emphasis when you really want to accentuate a point. However, don’t point. No one likes being pointed at or having a finger wagged in their face.

Better ways to use your hands? The Karate Chop: Hand flattened with one or two gentle downward movements. The Bill Clinton: Former President Bill Clinton is a master of communication. Clinton often emphasized his points with his hands. He made a fist then moved his thumb over his index finger. He was still pointing, but with just the nub of his thumb extended, it was not aggressive like a full index finger is.

THE HANDSHAKE

The handshake is an opportunity to make a great impression. To begin with, you should endeavor to be the first to offer the handshake. When someone new comes in and says, your name (usually as a question) extend your hand and reply.

When the handshake begins, make sure you extend your arm without fear. If there is any hesitation on your part, you’ll end up shaking fingers. You want web-to-web contact. The “web” is the bridge of skin between thumb and point-finger. Aim for two pumps. Many more than that and your handshake partner will see you as exceedingly nervous (or that you’re trying to rip of their arm). Keep your hands dry. No clammy palms.

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS

Furrowing your brow, shifty eyes and aggressive nodding will tend to convey the opposite of your intention. Furrowing the brows is also the facial expression for scorn or bewilderment. To avoid this tic, try opening your eyes a little wider when someone says something interesting or asks a question that makes you think. A positive action in response to a habit reduces the tic’s occurrence more than just trying not to do anything does.

To keep your eyes from shifting: make eye contact and rarely break it. This doesn’t mean you can’t blink (that would be even worse) and you can glance down from time to time. But looking the questioner directly in the eyes says, “I have nothing to hide.”

When you agree with someone, a natural reaction is to nod. When you’re nervous, people tend to exaggerate that. When you answer “yes” to a simple question, a fast, repetitive nod says that you’re nervous. A slow, short nod utilizes body language to emphasize something important, the point of agreement.

DISTRACTIONS

Maintaining focus in the interview or meeting can be difficult. Potential distractions should be seen as an opportunity to convey your professionalism and focus. If someone accidentally comes into the meeting room? Continue pleasantly looking at your target and stop speaking until the person excuses himself then resume speaking as if nothing happened. Don’t even mention it. You are so focused on what’s important, nothing can distract you.

SOLUTIONS

How do you move, sit and stand? What is your body saying to others? One way to know is to have a friend video a practice interview. Set it up with a table and practice questions. Have the camera pointed at you. Ask yourself: How does your smile look? Are you moving enough or too much? Do you look confident or tentative? Are your nerves showing through with fidgeting or overly aggressive gestures? A dress rehearsal can be invaluable for fixing some nervous habits. Then you too, can appear relaxed, confident and ready to do the job.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

IS YOUR RÉSUMÉ SHARP?

No matter what your current status is: happy in your current job, seeking a new career or unemployed and eagerly looking for a job, it is a good time to update your résumé.

We are in a new year and things expire or become out of date. “What things?” you ask. Well, experiences, accomplishments, certificates, memberships and so forth all have a shelf life.

SHELF LIFE

New experiences and accomplishments take the place of old ones. Some times the new experiences are more relevant to your job search. They are more recent and more indicative of who you are now. You learn new and better ways of doing things every time you do it. You need to reflect that on your résumé. Be clear about your accomplishments and use statistics to back it up whenever possible (e.g., reduced downtime 25%).

For the same reasons, your most recent accomplishments need to be documented on your résumé also. Document your growth and dedication to the job. A cutting-edge accomplishment five years ago might be business as usual today. An example is “doing more with less.” If a company is still in business, it is doing more with a lot less. That is no longer an accomplishment, but an expectation.

Certificates and memberships expire, and you may not have renewed them. Even if you did renew them, ask yourself, “Are they still current for the job I am seeking?” Sometimes we just renew our memberships without thinking of its relevance to our future. If you have decided that you need a break from human resources to pursue writing, your membership in SHRM is no longer relevant. Save that money or at least don’t put it on your résumé. Or, maybe it is time to join a professional organization.

THE PROCESS

Start at the top of your résumé and look at everything. Is your name and contact information current? Do you want to put in your cell phone number rather than your home phone? Do you use a different email address more frequently now? (DO NOT use your email address at your employer’s business.) If you want to be taken seriously, use a serious email address (e.g., not PartyAnimal@abc.net).

Is everything relevant for your current job search? If still employed, is it the most recent information about you? What new classes have you taken or new information do you now use on the job? Is everything spelled correctly? Is it the right word?

HOMEWORK

Go to some of the big job search boards (CareerBuilder, Monster, etc.) and look at some job ads in your field. Notice what buzzwords or keywords are being used. Incorporate these keywords into your résumé. What are the core competencies and skills that are asked for? Putting all this into your résumé ensures that employers will see that you have the ‘right stuff’ for their job. It also means that your résumé will pass the scanning process.

KEEP IT CURRENT

Update your résumé every six months. Just knowing it is current means you won’t be caught off-guard if someone asks for it or you suddenly need it. It is also a good time to review your career progress. Are you on track? Do you need to make a course correction or pay for the class that you had expected your employer to provide?

What differentiates one applicant from another is how well they can do the job. What contributions they’ve made to the organization, key projects they’ve led what financial (and other) successes they’ve had on the job. You have to tell the reader of your résumé not what you do, but tell them how well you do it.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

All things are possible,

Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund

Executive and Life Coaching

Telephone: 916 • 803•1494

E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com