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Risk-taking - Get Your Feet Wet!We often use the phrase, "Get Your Feet Wet" when we are just beginning to learn how to do something or are about to pioneer a new initiative. When we participate in a project for the first time, there is usually a hesitancy to step out into the unknown. There's no better way to learn than by doing. This requires that we move away from our comfort zones and step out into the unknown, which usually exceeds our reach and makes us stretch to get it. Stepping Out Into the Unknown The unknown elicits strong emotional responses, the chief of which is fear. We're afraid to take chances or that we will make mistakes. While mistakes are embarrassing, they can be used to jumpstart and enhance our learning. Other reactions to the unknown include:
While the above list is not all inclusive, it is helpful in understanding our emotional response to the unfamiliar?strange?mysterious?uncharted territory. To step out into the unknown requires courage, commitment and conviction. How to Get Your Feet Wet at Work Every day, you embark on a journey into the unknown and experience what seems like a lifetime lived in 24 hours. Don't be afraid to get your feet wet. Your first efforts may not be perfect, but you've got to start somewhere. Use the wisdom you gain from your experiences to strengthen your character and competence, and to prepare for future journeys. Althea DeBrule, entrepreneur and seasoned human resources executive, has focused for more than 30 years on helping people achieve their career goals. Creator of The Extreme-Career-Makeover? and a founding partner of RADSGroup Organizational Consultants, she is recognized for her bottom line and practical application of career development and management strategies in a way that penetrates hearts and compels action. She speaks and teaches with inspired talent, humor and contagious zeal at management conferences and leadership retreats nationwide, and has been featured in CFO Magazine, Strategy@Work, Human Resource Executive Magazine. Althea is the author of Bosses & Orchards, a compelling and candid book about how to make your work relationship with your boss succeed. To discover how you can take your career to a new level, visit http://www.extreme-career-makeover.com/ |  | | | RELATED ARTICLES 10 Steps to Getting the Most Out of Job Fairs Many job seekers tend to overlook job fairs. They can be crowded, busy, competitive and confusing events. But they offer you the opportunity to contact many potential employers all within one place, and they can help you land a job. Make Your Career Offshore Proof There has been a lot of talk recently about American jobs moving overseas?offshoring is the buzzword for it. During difficult economic times it is often easy to find a scapegoat to blame for a downturn in jobs. While government reports and politicians try to downplay the impact, offshoring is something to take seriously. This article will discuss the permanent effect offshoring will have on U.S. jobs and what you can do to make sure it doesn't happen to you. What A Former Stay At Home Mom Knows About Creating A Stunning Resume That You Dont Recently I was asked to touch up a friend's resume. Her challenge was simple. She was a stay-at-home mom who had not worked in four years. A difficult task however, with the information in this section, I generated a listing of skills she did not know she had. Here is a partial list.(Organized, patient, detail oriented, energetic, ability to multitask, works well under pressure and capable of meeting deadlines) Now ask yourself, what company would not want their new employee to showcase these skills? 5 Ways to Combat Job Burnout Job burnout happens when the stress or prolonged frustration of a job or career contributes to emotional and physical exhaustion. The ability to cope with general life stressors outside of work is strained. This combination results in a lack of motivation, fatigue, irritability, and sometimes depression. Job burnout presents a significant challenge for everyone supporting the burned out individual. Preventing The Runaway Candidate Municipal and law enforcement officials in Georgia are still calculating the final costs associated with the "runaway bride". 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I am in the situation where I have the perfect imperfect world. I have a daughter which might not be mine after 6 years of believing she is, I have a girlfriend who is so imperfect she is perfect for me. A son well he is only 8 months old and he seems to be the only perfect balance at the moment. Career Planning for Gifted Adults "James is so restless and energetic. I wonder if he's hyperactive." How to Get Paid More Without Being Pretty or Good Looking Guess what. The results are out they are ugly. Pretty people do get paid more money. The Changing Values Landscape of the U.S. and How It Impacts Midlife Job Searchers Imagine a huge river that has been flowing for centuries: See the thick underbrush that has grown up on either edge of the river's expansive banks and the moss-lined stones that litter its shallow edges. Feel the power of water so deep and so strong because it has been pulsing through this landscape since the Renaissance, yet now this mighty river approaches a "Great Divide" such as has never been seen before in human history. Tips on Finding Employment as a Corporate Flight Attendant I will not pretend that this is the easiest topic to write about. In fact, my knowledge of how one finds work as a private flight attendant is based chiefly on what others have shared with me. You can find some useful tips within the many threads written on the Corporate Flight Attendant Community message boards at http://www.cabinmanagers.com, but to save you from culling through hundreds of threads I will highlight various standout points and include others that have been shared with me over the past several years by industry insiders: How to Transform a Boring Note Into A Killer Cover Letter - Part I The AIDA formula is as old as dirt. It was taught when I was in school over a decade ago. And it's still being taught for good reason - it works! When you apply it to your cover letter, it has the power to transform a regular cover letter into an attention-grabbing "Killer Cover Letter" that'll make your phone ring off the hook. How to Deal With Workplace Inflexibility You've been a model employee: responsible, industrious, creative and productive. You've gone the extra mile time and again, with a smile. The Executive Resume - Moving Beyond Accomplishments There is a major difference between conventional resumes and executive resumes. Accomplishments are usually the center point of a conventional resume (i.e., indicating how much money was saved, how sales increased, what processes were proposed, planned, initiated, implemented, or streamlined). The executive resume, on the other hand, has more than one focus. It alludes to the executive's ability to drive profits (accomplishments) and the capacity to lead (that is, to blend various "soft" skills) an organization. Outsmart Other Job Seekers by Showing These 5 Key Strengths Getting an appointment for an interview these days is an accomplishment. It indicates that you have a good resume, and/or that networking has paid off. Bravo. Now for the all-important in-person phase of the process. Four Important Questions to Ask Your Interviewer; Do You Really Want to Work for This Person? Many job seekers miss a golden opportunity when they are asked towards the end of an interview if they have any questions. If they feel the interviewer adequately explained the position, they make the mistake of answering "No" to this question. But this is the perfect time to find out if you really want to work for this person! After all, even a wonderful job can turn into a miserable experience if you don't get along with the person you work for. Ten Things About Your Career Development There are some tactics you can action whatever you wish for from your career. Whatever you might think right now, you have all the tools you need for a career which give you joy and fulfilment. You might not think that possible, or that it will leave you cash poor. But that's not usually the case. Your life can change within your control. Resumes and First impressions Hunting for a position in a new career field? Trying to take your new education or skills and transform them into a job with a future? Writing Resumes Use a resume as a foot in the door |
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