Jim Carrey – A Lesson in Building Your Career

Jim Carrey was an extrovert as a child. As a child he performed constantly for anyone who would watch.
When he was a teenager, his family was forced to relocate to a Toronto suburb. They all took security and janitorial jobs. Jim worked an 8-hour shift after school. The family lived out of a Volkswagen camper van.

Eventually he dropped out of high school (age 16) and decided to strike out into the comedy club scene. Then he moved to Los Angeles and worked his way into a regular show at The Comedy Store, where he impressed the late Rodney Dangerfield so much that the veteran comic signed him as an opening act for an entire season.

After seeing Jim perform, Damon Wayans made a call to his brother, Keenen Ivory Wayans, who was in the process of putting together the sketch comedy show “In Living Color” (1990). Carrey joined the cast and quickly made a name for himself with outrageous acts.

Carrey’s transformation from TV goofball to marquee headliner happened within 12 months! He starred in Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The Mask and then in Dumb & Dumber, his first multi-million dollar payday! Eventually he made $20 million for a movie (The Cable Guy), the largest up-front sum that had been offered to any comic actor at that time.  Jim wrote himself a check for $10 million dollars in 1983, post-dated 10 years and hoped he could cash it by then.

What can we learn from Jim’s journey to become a major movie star and comic actor?

1.     You never get anything good for nothing – study the “greats” and you’ll see that they all worked hard. It’s your focused day-to-day efforts that add up to making you remarkable in what you do.

2.     You’ve got to LOVE what you do - Studies indicate that 75% of people are not excited about their work – they have a job but they don’t have a career – without passion you are unlikely to ever make it big!

3.     You’ve Got To Be Bad Before You Become Great – Career development is a PROCESS not an event – keep trying to get better at what you do and soon or later, you will be the expert!

4.     Recognize The Power Of Relationships – Jim made it big because he offered amazing talent that was recognized by industry leaders – who’s in your contact database that can help you achieve greatness?

5.     Focus On Who You Want To Become – Jim’s teenage life started with him working 8 hours after school and living in a Volkswagen van with his family – he beat the odds to become successful because he focused on where he wanted to be not where he was.

6.     You Become What You Think About (most often) – have a focused drive to become somebody great and have a WRITTEN plan to make it happen – having written goals dramatically increases the chance you will reach them.

Now more than ever, take time to think about what you want out of your life and your career.
The Internet and technology has made it easier than ever to become someone great.

Watch this video and Become A Dreamer Again.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

Why UPS Trucks Rarely Turn Left

The UPS package delivery system uses packages marked with special codes to load the trucks by address as well as a delivery sequence to make as many right turns as possible. Turning left usually requires waiting for oncoming traffic and traffic lights, so by eliminating that idle time, UPS saves millions of dollars. Since the trucks are driven an average of 2.5 BILLION miles a year, their package flow software combined with right-turn only planning, eliminates 29 million miles of driving and saves 3 million gallons of fuel annually. Efficiency is so much of a focus at UPS, that at the end of the day, their brown trucks are parked 5 inches apart with their rear view mirrors overlapping to maximize parking space.

Using advanced analytics, UPS discovered relationships in their truck usage data that highlighted how minor changes could produce amazing results!  But look closely and you’ll see that there is more than just a lesson in cost savings here.

The real insight is that “if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.” Studies have shown that more often than not, 80% of your success comes from 20% of your efforts. It is the same for job hunting.

Just think of how much more productive you could be if you focused 80% of your effort on 20% of the things that get you the best results! The secret is to know what those “20% activities” are.

Start your new job search today to measure your activities and track the results.

If sending out resumes for jobs listed on job boards gets you a 4% response rate but 60% of your interviews come from networking events, where should you focus your efforts?

For many job searchers, they rarely get calls for jobs posted on job boards, yet they spend 90% of their time sending out more resumes.  Try a mix of search strategies and see what works for you. Over the course of a month, a minor change in your job search focus can produce amazingly different results. Track your results tied to what you are doing and the data may surprise you.

In the movie Jerry McGuire starring Tom Cruise, actor Cuba Gooding, Jr. made famous the phrase “Show Me the Money”. Years later, a variation of that saying, “Show Me Results” is what’s on the mind of most hiring managers.

Looking for a job is a job. Measure what you do and manage your activities tied to what gets results.  If you are turning left instead of right in your job hunt, you may be too late to pick up a package that’s being returned to the sender because nobody’s home.

Find Your Purpose! It’s as Easy as 1, 2, 3

Are you struggling to find your purpose?

Do you go to work at a job that leaves you yearning for something more? Is your least favorite day of the week Monday? If so, you are not alone What’s the cure? Find Purpose!

Many people dream of the life they will live once they find their purpose - or their passion – a true calling - that one driving force that will make them pop up out of bed each morning, eager to start their day. They fantasize about living a life filled with deep spiritual rewards and unlimited abundance. They want to find their purpose and believe doing so will make every aspect of their life passionate and amazing.

Unfortunately, most people waste time hoping that their purpose will find them. They want it to appear to them in a dream or knock on their door with a big sign that reads “Here is Your Purpose!”

The truth is that most people who are living their dreams and who are engaged in a life filled with purpose and passion came to realize their calling while they were busy doing something else. Others, still, had the courage to follow a dream they have harbored since childhood. Whether you feel drawn to something new and exciting or even if you’re absolutely lost, these three steps will help you find your purpose and passion  in life.

Why find Purpuse? Here are 3 great reasons:

1. Finding Your Purpose May Be a Lonely Proposition (at least until you achieve success).

The well-intentioned words of family and friends may often discourage you from pursuing your dream. Those closest to us tend to pigeon-hole us in the roles we’ve always played. Trying to break out of these roles seems to make everyone uncomfortable. Some of your peers may even feel a spark of jealousy over what you are doing. The first step to finding your purpose is deciding that you are going to do whatever it takes, regardless of what others think.

I walked away from a six-figure sales job to pursue my love of writing and speaking. You can imagine what my family and friends thought; they were ready to call the men in the little white coats to come and lock me up! But the truth is that I was miserable after nearly 20 years in sales. My health was suffering and I was starting to look haggard and worn out.

After I resigned, people who hated their jobs started telling me how courageous I was for walking away to pursue my passion. I certainly didn’t FEEL brave! To me, bravery is courage under fire, doing well in life and death situations. But I soon realized that, in a small way, changing careers for me WAS a life and death situation. When we are unhappy, our bodies break down. We have an OBLIGATION to ourselves to pursue our purpose and put passion into our lives. But be responsible and be prepared. I had stashed more than two years cost of living in the bank before walking away from my sales job.

Just don’t expect MOST of the people in your life to understand what you are doing. Once you have succeeded, they will sing a different tune. You’re bound to hear, “I KNEW you could do it all along!”

2. When you find your purpose, Time Flies

The French call it “engagé” – the act of being so wrapped up in what you are doing that time just seems to fly. If you’ve ever been engaged in your true purpose, you know exactly how this feels.

When I started writing for a living, I would be surprised when I felt hungry. I could have sworn I had just eaten an hour ago. In reality, it had been four or five hours since I’d taken a break. I could not believe that hours had passed; I was completely “in the moment” while my fingers flew across my keyboard. The same thing happens whenever I’m baking, singing, creating PowerPoint presentations, or engaged in other creative tasks where my spirit can soar. Your purpose has a way of finding you … usually when you are too busy to take time to look for it.

Think about what you are doing when time seems to get away from you. What activity gets you so engaged that you feel you are a million miles away? Now, do the research to see how you might be able to do that for a living. Whether you feel your purpose may lie in the field or sports, beauty, science, food, or even shopping, the odds are there is a way to monetize it so you can make a living doing it.

3. Find Your Purpose and You’ll Discover Greater Energy

You will “vibrate at a higher frequency” once you find your purpose. Imagine yourself doing a tedious task, such as paying bills or cleaning house. Your friend calls you and invites you to lunch, shopping, or maybe a round of golf. Suddenly, you feel your energy rise. This is actually the cells in your body vibrating at a higher frequency. You find yourself eager to change gears and switch to this other, energizing, exciting activity. Could this activity be an indication that you may have found your purpose? Absolutely!

Once you become aware of those things that make you vibrate at a higher frequency, you are well on your way to discovering your true purpose and passion. The next time you are engaged in such an activity, notice if the time spent at it seems to fly. The real test will come when you share your thoughts with those closest to you. If they don’t understand why you’re so excited about this, you are probably well on your way to finding your purpose.

The best part will come later. Once you have found your purpose, you will want to spend more time working on it. You will attract and be attracted to others who share that purpose with you. When you find yourself surrounded by others who share your feelings, dreams, and desires, you will know you have arrived, and that the search to discover your purpose will have been worth it.

How To Boost Your LinkedIn Profile to Find a New Job

Learn How To Build Your LinkedIn Resume With A Simple Recommendation

I have decided to put together a series for finding a job on LinkedIn. I think it’s necessary as there so many people out there looking for a new job or career change, especially in recent times.

Finding a job is a daunting task and it requires a bit of leg work especially in this economy. As I have always said, “Finding a new job is a job in itself.”

That is why you have to utilize every aspect that you can to separate yourself from the competition. You have to put yourself out there to get what I call the “WOW” factor when people see your resume. You need to have a resume or LinkedIn profile that when people click on it, that they are so amazed they want to meet you.

In order to get there, they need to

How to Find Talented Interns for Your Small Business through LinkedIn

Summer Interns Bring Value When You Least Expect It!

It’s summertime and remarkably there are hundreds of thousands of students looking for summer jobs or internships. This is the best time to get some really talented and bright students who can help you or your business and to leverage man power to increase your revenue.

I was recently talking to a close friend of mine that is about to finish up her exams and she is