How Women Can Negotiate Salary with Confidence

How Women Can Negotiate Salary with Confidence How Women Can Negotiate Salary with Confidence By Diane DomeyerThroughout my career, I have attended and spoken at conferences and industry events on topics of hiring and career management. One question I am asked often is, What is your best piece of career advice for women? This is a subject I am passionate about, and there are always several tips I like to share, which I have learned from others and through my own experiences. However, the most significant piece of advice I can offer women is this Learn how to negotiate effectively, especially when it comes to your salary.To have a successful career, women (and men) need negotiation skills. We negotiate every day with our teams and clients on ideas, projects, deadlines, contracts and more. Asking for a higher salary during negotiations can be one of the more intimidating conversations, yet its absolutely necessary for advancing your career. Two separate surveys from found that about ha lf of both men and women feel they are underpaid. But only 45% of women said they tried to negotiate higher pay in their last job offer, compared to 68% of men.Women must be as bold in asking for what they want, need and deserve as their male colleagues. We bring so much to the table, but some may elend be as confident in salary discussions, or may be willing to settle on a lower figure.Why?Well, there are many hesitations people have when it comes to negotiating starting salary or asking for a raise, like the fear of rejection, lack of preparation or not knowing the right way to ask.And in some cases, women are concerned they will be perceived negatively when they are direct and persistent. Yet you need these traits to successfully ask for higher compensation. Perhaps we dont want to open up a conversation that could be uncomfortable or tense. Or maybe we dont want to jeopardize our current opportunity by appearing ungrateful with whats offered.Yes, negotiating can be nerve-wrackin g whether you are a woman or a man. But my advice is to believe in the value you bring to an organization and work on your confidence. Its unlikely that youll regret asking for higher pay, and its a perfect way to demonstrate that youre a self-assured professional. If youre nervous or reluctant to ask for more money, preparing a thorough and fact-based business case can help remove emotions tied to the request. Whether youre negotiating salary for a position youve held for a while, or youre asking for more in a job offer, here are some essential steps to requesting higher pay with confidence and clarity.1. Do your homework before negotiatingYour first step in negotiating pay is to do some research to better realize your value. What is the market rate for your position in your area? What are other companies offering their employees in terms of salary, benefits and perks? Gather information from a variety of resources, like Robert Halfs Salary Guides, to share with your manager or pot ential employer.But dont stop there. Look at the cost of living in your area, your commute and, most importantly, your career path, when evaluating your current salary. Once youve compiled all this information, decide on a number that youd like to present to the employer. It should be reasonable, but and heres the key it should also be a bit higher than what you really desire.GET YOUR SALARY GUIDE2. Prepare a business caseIn todays economy, professionals have some negotiating leverage, as skilled candidates are scarce and employers want to hire you or keep you on their team. Making a strong business case can really show your employer how valuable you are to the organization.Never assume others are as aware of your accomplishments as you are. Create a list of your recent successful projects and positive feedback youve received as evidence of your excellent work. If you can articulate a return on investment for the company in terms of revenue, cost savings, productivity gains or imp rovement in customer experience, that will be all the more valuable. Simply put, be bold in promoting your accomplishments.3. Time it appropriatelyOf course, the best time for a job candidate to negotiate salary is right after they receive the initial job offer. For an employee, the timing is a bit trickier. The ideal moment to ask is soon after completing a successful project or receiving great feedback from a leader.Avoid asking when your team or company is struggling, and dont surprise your manager with the request and expect an immediate response. Rather, during a one-on-one meeting, mention that you would like to find a time in the near future to discuss your latest accomplishments and career goals, including compensation, and try to schedule a meeting within a week or so.4. Communicate confidentlyWhen you meet with your manager or potential employer, demonstrate confidence and poise throughout the discussion. Remember, this isnt a demand it is a strong request, and your resear ch and business case will support your proposal.After highlighting your recent achievements and mentioning the unique skills you bring to the team, propose the number youd like and expect to negotiate back and forth before landing on a final figure. (This is why you added a bit extra to your anticipated salary in the first step.)SEARCH OUR OPEN JOBS5. Have a backup planIf the conversation doesnt go the way you want, dont be discouraged. Before the meeting, prepare for a possible no by considering other perks or benefits you can negotiate beyond salary. Would you be more satisfied in your role with a few more vacation days or a flexible work schedule that could improve your work-life balance? You can also request a follow-up meeting to see if a raise would be possible at a future time.Learning to negotiate is crucial career advice for women to advance their earning potential and professional success. Avoiding salary negotiations can hold you back in your career, so take time to prepa re for these conversations and build your confidence.

What the working class can teach Americas professionals

What the working class can teach Americas professionalsWhat the working class can teach Americas professionalsDo you consider yourself to be part of the middle class?When asked, mora than 80% of Americans say do, said Joan Williams, founding director ofthe Center for WorkLife Law andthe author ofWhite Working Class Overcoming Class Cluelessness in America.That includes everyone from an amusement park worker earning $23,000 a year to a corporate lawyer earning more than $200,000 a year, she said.In reality,the middle 53% of Americans, which Williams calls the white working class, make a medium income of about $72,000 a year.Ladders spoke with Williams about other common misconceptions of class in America,how class can define our viewof work, and what workplace lessons can be shared across the class divide.What are some misconceptions about class in the U.S.? Williams The cultural elite, which consists of about the top 20% of Americans, tend to think of themselves as cosmopolitan and o pen-minded and think of working-class people as close-minded and parochial.What elites dont understand is that they went to college and thus immediately had a national, if not global, network of friends and acquaintances. They derive social honor by presenting themselves as cosmopolitan, global, and sophisticated.People who didnt go to college tend to have smaller, denser, more local social networks.Theyre typically more rooted in their community, andtheyre typically more patriotic.Why? People tend to stress the high-status categories they below to. Working-class families stress being American, whereas global elites have so many other high-status categories to choose from that they dont typically emphasize beingAmerican.An important message to the cultural elite is that theyre not cosmopolitan and open-minded because theyre the peak of perfection. Their folkways are just folkways that stem from their class position.How does the view of work differ by class? Williams Among the top 20 %, its been well documented that work typically is seen as the central focus of life. Its called the work-devotion schema.Sociologists have pointed out that for this group, work is often the core of the way they create a meaningful life. Work plays many of the roles that other institutions, notably religion, played in the lives of prior generations.Among the white working class, work remains important as a sense of identity, but the samenorm of work devotion does not reign.For example, onestudycomparedmen who were emergency physicians to men who were emergency medical technicians. The lives of the physicians were shaped around the work-devotion schema. They worked extremely long hours, their work came ahead of family responsibilities, and the wives were often unhappy about how much their husbands worked, which made little impact on the schedules of the husbands.The emergency medical technicians were also very proud of their jobs, and they also typically worked longer hours than thei r wives. But work was not the undisputed key totheir identities. They were also very proud of their family roles. When they worked overtime, they typically consulted their wives, andif their wives thought it wasnt worth it, they turned it down.This example is over-simplistic, but it captures something important the professional elite tend to liveto work, whilethe working class tends to work to live.What lessons can we learn?Williams It helps to look at class migrants, people born to blue-collar families whofind themselves in professional jobs. Class migrants sometimes find themselves ill at ease in both worlds.They have to tread really carefully in their original neighborhoods so as not to be seen as having their nose up in their air. In professional neighborhoods, they have to tread carefully to be seen as someone who fits in. The challenge is to create a meld of the two very different class contexts choosing elements from each to create a combination thats best for them.Some profe ssionals who are class migrants find that their blue-collar families keep them grounded and help them recognize that theall-consuming, voracious nature of professional careers is not something they want to succumb to completely. They grew up with the idea that work shouldnt eat up your life, and theyre not willing to let that happen.Another characteristic of professional families is that they have a very new and specific mode of child rearing, called the cult of intensive motherhood. The idea is that the mother should be discovering every little micro-talent and developing it absolutely immediately to give them kid a leg up professionally.Unfortunately, what that looks like on the ground is hydraulic performance pressure on elite children, who often have high levels of depression and anxiety as a result. For class migrants, their heritage canhelp them and their families successfully navigate what can be at times insane performance pressure.The assumption is often that the non-elites should get with it and behave like the elites. But when it comes to the role of work and child rearing, the non-elites have important messages for the American elite.

When Your Boss Expects You to Be A Workaholic - The Muse

When Your Boss Expects You to Be A Workaholic - The MuseWhen Your Boss Expects You to Be A Workaholic So, your babo is a workaholic and expects you to emulate herbei? Whether that means working ridiculous hours, inhaling lunch at your desk (or skipping it altogether), and even sacrificing your weekends, reporting to a person like this can be taxing on both your career and home life. The negative impact of herausforderung managers is pervasive. Studies consistently link a lack of support for work-life balance by managers to fewer profits and more on-the-job mistakes. Whats more, a bad boss may literally be making you sick One study found that 77% of employees experienced physical symptoms as a result of poor relationships with their bosses. The added pressure may not only have you considering jumping ship at your current job, but may follow you home, leaving you on edge long after you leave the office. Bottom line The stress of working for someone with a distorted sense of work-life b alance simply isnt sustainable. If you find yourself answering to a workaholic, you may be heading for burnout. And if you dont crash, then youre probably riddled with anxiety that if you fail to measure up to your boss impossible standards, youll be shown the door. Its important to take action, even if you feel intimidated or fearful of her response. Yes, it can be difficult to set boundaries, let alone request more work-life balance. But if you live in fear of your supervisors criticism or just flat-out feel like youre producing subpar work because youre over-tired and your brain is fried, its time to make a change.Here are four dos and donts to fix the harmful patterns- its the only way for you to start living a healthier, more balanced lifestyle. 1. Dont EnableNo matter how distant and aloof he may make himself in the office, remember your supervisor is a person too. His workaholic tendencies may be a result of learned behavior. Pressure- and praise- from his oben liegend may m ake it difficult for him to initially relate to your desire for more balance. And if your goal is to get him to understand that you value your life outside the office, you should not, under any circumstances, enable his workaholism. Avoid giving praise when a result is obviously due to overworking. If you know your boss stayed up all night creating a presentation, complimenting his sacrifice can be counter-productive. This reinforces that the behavior is not only acceptable, but it also suggests you are impressed with it and might be inclined to follow suit. 2. Do Communicate ClearlyApproaching a workaholic supervisor can be intimidating, and you certainly dont want to come across as offensive or insulting. Understanding that your boss actions are not intended to single you out or make your life miserable may be perspective you need. Aim for open and productive communication, and dont assume your manager is out to get you. For example, it may appear that your boss doesnt care when y ou miss your childs birthday party to finish a project or that youre frequently pulling all-nighters to keep up with demands. Chances are, she simply hasnt noticed. Workaholics tend to be hyper-focused, which can lead others to view them as uncaring or dismissive. The sooner you realize that you are not being targeted, the better. The last thing you want to do is engage in passive-aggressive behavior that only stands to hurt your working relationship and career. So, for example, if your boss asks you to work late on a night you have important plans, dont snipe, Whatever, and put your head down instead, remind her that that you have a commitment you dont feel comfortable breaking. 3. Dont PanicDont fixate on missed milestones or advertise daily if youre behind a project deadline. While it may be true, expressing feelings of being swamped or telling your supervisor that work is coming in quicker than it can be completed only encourages a sense of panic that can lead to even longer hou rs. Its important that you adjust your own perspective of productivity. While it may be tempting to gauge your daily success based on the number of hours you work, its the quality of work you deliver that matters most. Being good at your job doesnt mean working more it means producing results. At the beginning of each day, make a list of what you want to accomplish, including starting projects that require heavy-lifting, and at the end of the workday (not at midnight) assess your list and figure out what to prioritize the following day. 4. Do Break Old PatternsIf youre learning the job skills from your workaholic supervisor, the concern is that you are susceptible to falling into the same bad habits he possesses. How can you avoid this?One strategy is to strategically interrupt the work pattern within your office by calling attention to the need for improved systems and optimization. Clear and direct conversations will help prevent either party from becoming defensive. Use open-ende d questions such as, How can we develop a more efficient way to accomplish this outcome? or What will help promote more work-life balance among our staff? Thoughtful inquiries like these encourage your boss to think creatively instead of relying on habitual workaholic responses.But clarifying the problem isnt enough. Youve got to offer realistic solutions- best achieved by framing the conversation around enhanced departmental productivity and efficiency- that could meet the needs of everyone involved. In regards to the nightly emails, for instance, you could suggest a cut-off time after which, it becomes acceptable to respond the following morning. This allows your boss to prioritize, ensuring that any pressing information be sent during business hours. If after repetitively discussing work-life boundaries with your supervisor and seeing no change in expectations, it may be time to do some soul searching- or job searching, for that matter. Your happiness is very important and if the unrealistic expectations and growing workload are not what you want for your career, then find another one that better suits your needs. As difficult as it can be to stay in a high-stress role, dont let it compromise your integrity. Put in effort to make the best of the situation and prepare yourself to move on to bigger, better things.

Folding Microscopes from Frugal Science

Folding Microscopes from Frugal Science Folding Microscopes from Frugal Science Microscopes are a basic tool of doctors and scientists of every discipline. They are ubiquitous in laboratories around the world. But all microscopes are not alike, varying in cost and complexity, and a team of researchers discovered that in places where they might be needed the most, the tool is never used, either from complexity or lack of training. So they developed a folding microscope, made from paper and based on the concepts of origami, at a cost of about 50 cents.Manu Prakash, an assistant professor of bioengineering at Stanford University, and his team of graduate students, developed Foldscope to get low-cost serviceable equipment in the hands of front-line health care providers in developing countries. Now, they are also trying to put the scope in the hands of elementary school children around the globe. Prakash just completed the first phase of the 10,000 Microscopes project, in accepting propo sals from 10,000 people around the globe with wide-ranging ideas of how they could use the tool. The team plans to provide every one with a Foldscope to pursue their project.In the field in India and Thailand, I saw donated research microscopes just sitting there, covered with mold or something, he says. They had no way to maintain them, and the annual salary of a health-care provider times ten is still more than the cost of the tool. We need to build tools to deploy in a much larger context.Foldscopes cost just 50 cents to make, and can be assembled in 20 minutes. Image FoldscopeOrigamiPrakash runs a laboratory at Stanford, and challenged his students to devise alternatives. He lectured on the physics behind microscopes and folding, and credits graduate student James Cybulski with refining the idea. There are a lot mechanics is how this is built, he says. By the act of human folding, you can get a really precise optical alignment, out of origami.The kit can be folded and constructe d in about 20 minutes. There are not any moving parts, and it packs flat. The components are printed on A4 paper, perforated and color-coded. There is no instruction sheet either. It is extremely ruggedPrakash has thrown one out of a three-story buildingand can be incinerated after use to destroy any potential pathogens. But to keep costs down, the plan depends on low-cost spherical lenses rather than precision-ground lenses used in research or other microscopes.The goal is to make it easy for the user for a diagnostic perspective, says Prakash. Theres usually a lot bells and whistles that front-line workers are not able use.Prakash says one of the thrusts of his lab is development of what he calls frugal science, and the development of cheaper tools and scaling up for manufacturing. Another project is building tools that are disease specific.Pathogens can be magnified to 2,000x with a Foldscope. Image FoldscopeInstructionTo use a Foldscope, a sample is put on a microscope slide and wedged between two slats, or paper layers of the microscope. Using a thumb and forefinger to grasp each end of the paper strip, the user puts an eye to the micro lens and focuses by sliding and flexing the strip. The tool can reach magnifications of 2,000x, Prakash says.Using a watch battery to power different LED lights, the Foldscope also can be configured to target specific organisms related to a disease. Prakash says the tools initial promise is in detecting diseases that include malaria, African sleeping sickness, schistosomiasis and Chagas. The scope also can be modified for bright-field, multiflourescence or projection microscopy.There are many different types of microscopes, he says. A microscope is a mechanism with precisely made components that need to come together. Folding was the mechanism to do that without three-dimensional parts.Diverse IdeasPrakash has been working with small grants from the Centers for Global Health and the Gates Foundation, which he is looking to renew at a higher level to build on the 10,000 Microscopes project. He couldnt be happier with the results within two to three weeks earlier this spring, people from 130 countries signed up. Applicants merely had to propose how they would use the tool and how it would work within their community. Concurrently, the team is conducting field trials in India, Ghana, Uganda and elsewhere in Africa.I was astounded by how diverse the people and their projects are, he says. A Mongolian farmer wants to identify pathogens in camel milk. There is a broad range of ideas from people who are passionate about the context off the tool.Prakash is putting the proposals into book form to bring cultural context to the project as well as providing a repository of ideas. The project proves how versatile the tool can be, he notes. Although the initial applications are in front-line health care in developing areas, Prakash sees potential for environmental monitoring of various pollutants, among other subj ects.To take development to the next level, Prakash is looking for about $1 million over the next three to four years. Demand certainly seems to be there. Prakash says he has been approached by a government representative from Singapore where officials want to put a Foldscope into the hands of every student.There are a lot mechanics in how this is built. By the act of human folding, you can get a really precise optical alignment, out of origami.Prof. Manu Prakash, Stanford University

Successful Tips for Customer Service Resume You Can Use Starting Immediately

Successful Tips for Customer Service Resume You Can Use Starting Immediately Whispered Customer Service Resume Secrets Even if you have a look at just a single sample resume for customer rckendeckung, you begin to get an appreciation for the art thats resume writing. Take a look at the hyperlink below for a seasoned customer tafelgeschirr representative resume template to help you in developing a document that operates. Some customer service resume samples are offered on the net, and they could have the ability to offer additional handy tips regarding inclusions, but they might not always have the most optimum structure. It is crucial to note here that not all resume templates available on the internet are updated. What is Actually Happening with Customer Service Resume Always look at examples before you begin your writing. My Perfect Resume provides an abundance of different example resumes from which you will have the ability to learn the important skill of resume writing. Its better in the event that you present your info in an accurate method. For the best resume samples for freshers, an individual must always seek to supply honest information sometimes, which also suggests that you shouldnt hide any of your employment information unless its unnecessary for the job which you are applying. In addition, every facet of your correspondence to employers is being evaluated, so be certain to utilize it in a manner that gives you the ideal representation possible. Contrary to what you may have heard, giving great customer service doesnt require being an enthusiastic people-person, although it does help. When a customer arrives to you to resolve an issue, you should have the issue solving skills required to effectively manage the issue accessible, regardless of what it is. According to the demands and problems of the various clients, it requires being flexible. The Secret to Customer Service Resume Meeting sales goals and quotas is proof you can se ll, interact with customers to discover products that satisfy their wants, and recognize the firms business agenda. You ought to be trying to emphasis how youll assist the employer increase customer satisfaction and sell more goods and solutions. In case you have lots of experience in customer assistance, you can want to use a combination format to highlight both your years of knowledge and accolades. The Debate Over Customer Service Resume Selling your skills is vitally important, however lying to potentially increase your possibility during the hiring process is not wise. You have to tailor your resume to the work offer. Concentrate on how much you are able to benefit from the work not always the other way around. However good youre at your work, you still will need to present your potential future employer the opportunity to understand how great you truly are. The Bad Side of Customer Service Resume Proactive support is about identifying and resolving customer service is sues until they become an issue. So if youre really interested in finding job, then you ought to use the assistance of such on-line firms. So if youre truly serious in finding job, then you ought to find the help of such on-line firms. Customer service jobs require individuals with superior communication skills, and your resume is one method to showcase your experience and capacity to create well-written documents. Since many small business people understand they will need to provide an excellent product or service, they will need to keep in mind that customers care as much about service as quality. As a way to draft a productive customer service resume, it is helpful to know what sort of customer service job youre going to be applying to. If youve ever worked in customer assistance, you are aware that it is a job which might not be glamorous, but is totally required. As a customer service agent, its unlikely that you will be helping one customer at a moment. The Unexposed Secret of Customer Service Resume Hiring managers will be searching for project managers that could solve issues and give original ideas towards the growth of the business. Our customer service representative-specific resume examples can help you focus your resume on the abilities and experience employers want to get. It is vital to encourage the customers to present their suggestions. Include a number of the techniques you have dealt with difficult customers before. Definitions of Customer Service Resume In the majority of resumes outline or opening sentence is truly important especially when it regards objective statement. Writing resumes is frequently a subject that intimidates many individuals. The Argument About Customer Service Resume Keeping an expert identity make sure that you make your career goals clear to the reader. If youve got professional experience, then mention your distinct contributions and the way in which they helped the organization. Every customer would like to feel important, though your attention could be pulled in lots of directions. When you currently have the knowledge on the best way to make your resume, then begin organizing it immediately. The New Fuss About Customer Service Resume It actually isnt as hard as you could think. Customer support resumes typically include things like basic data in the resume header. As an example, army personnel have special requirements and requirements. If you discover you cant honor a deadline for some reason, get in touch with your customer before the deadline and say so. The organization is ansprechbar and thus youre able to interact with them via emails. Excellent companies may also assure you that if you cant locate a work even after a specific period of time, they will rewrite you resume at no cost. The bigger companies are getting on board with call centers due to the fact that they provide a great remedy to the continuing problem of never-ending customer care. Custo mer Service Resume the Ultimate Convenience If your field is actually uncommon or youve got an extremely high-profile resume then you must hunt for a resume writing service that has people experience in composing with such number of resumes. You need to be able to use the work experience part of your professional resume samples 2017 to extol your virtues and capacity to finish a number of tasks. Its possible to even take a look at some of the samples of several sorts of resumes for various kinds of careers. You can also check at any of the samples of various kinds of resumes for various kinds of careers. Person addressing the customer should have good communication abilities. Make sure that your skills are highlighted It is essential that you highlight the skills which make you stick out from the competition. If youve got stellar interpersonal abilities, your approachable demeanor and capacity to cultivate friendships is a valuable asset that can help you build stronger cust omer relationships that benefit your organization. You have to incorporate both strong soft abilities and client service skills throughout your resume.

The Idiots Guide to Writing Skills Explained

The Idiots Guide to Writing Skills Explained The author is basically in charge of the ideas presented. Planning Planning is a significant academic writing skill. Excellent writing skills can actually help you earn a whole bunch of money. So always try to remember that having great writing skills will get you the very best deal and save your bacon also. Writing IS the sole thing that may boost your writing skills. Ultimately, you may also check your Writing scorewhich attempts to quantify your writing skills. Thought Academic writing involves a great deal of thought. Heres What I Know About Writing Skills Constant exercising will definitely enhance your writing skills, and youll observe the improvements even sooner than you might imagine. oben liegend writing skills in the workplace helps your company in lots of ways. In case you had similar experiences, you want to inform them that. Learning new words and boosting your vocabulary is a superb way to enhance your languag e abilities. There are several ways youre able to utilize to enhance your writing skills that may be utilized in virtually every sphere of your life. Improving writing skills is a normal procedure and it wont change within a day. Great writing is similar to music. Writing and editing is quite an extensive category. Excellent editing still needs a human being. Writing and editing need a lot of interrelated abilities, and its difficult to understand what to include.

5 ways to stay strong even when things get difficult

5 ways to stay strong even when things get difficult5 ways to stay strong even when things get difficultDealing with the unexpected is part of life, but knowing this doesnt make it any easier when youre going through a difficult time. Marc and Angel Chernoff, authors of the New York Times bestseller Getting Back to Happy, experienced this firsthand.About a decade ago, in a relatively short time frame, Angel and I dealt with several significant, unexpected losses and life changes, back-to-back We lost a sibling to suicide, a mutual best friend to cardiac arrest, and a breadwinning job, and had a family business failure (and reinvention), Marc Chernoff reveals. Those experiences were brutal, and enduring them in quick succession knocked us down and left us heartbroken for a long time.Chernoff says that after using unhealthy coping strategies like drinking alcohol and watching too much TV to deal with the pain and frustration, he and Angel realized that getting to a place where they wer e able to move forward emotionally and physically required real practice. Whether youre dealing with a job rejection, entrepreneurial challenges, heartbreak, or the loss of a loved one, these five strategies can help fortify you to forge ahead.1. Accept the hard realityChernoff believes that many people make themselves unhappy by refusing to accept whats happening in the present moment. Dont be one of them, he warns. Let go of your fantasies and know that letting go doesnt mean you dont care about someone or something anymora its just realizing that the only thing you have control over is yourself.To begin to foster acceptance of your circumstance, Chernoff suggests changing the way you see it. Sometimes, letting go is simply changing the labels you place on a situation, he says. Try to see it with fresh eyes and an open mind.2. Opt for an empowering responseSince youre in control of how you look at life, you can challenge yourself to find the lesson in whats happening or flip the s cript. In place of envy, feel admiration instead of worry, take action. In place of doubt, have faith, Chernoff suggests. Your response is always more powerful than your circumstance A tiny part of your life is decided by completely uncontrollable circumstances, while the majority of your life is decided by your responses.3. Be patientJust because youre struggling doesnt mean youre failing or that youll never be able to move forward in fact, personal growth comes from powering through challenging circumstances and overcoming obstacles. This happens one day at a time, one step at a time, Chernoff says. No matter what happens, no matter how far you seem to be away from where you want to be, never stop believing that you will make it. The next step is always worth taking.Chernoff also tells us that patience is about more than just waiting - its about your ability to keep a positive attitude and work hard on making progress. Do your best to adopt an unrelenting belief that things will work out, that the long road has a purpose, that the things you desire may not happen today, but they will happen, he advises.4. Try a positive ritualIts easy to get stuck in a rut, especially when hard things happen. However, what you do every day can bring change over time. Hard times make us want instant gratification, Chernoff notes. We want things to get better, and we want it better now. Unfortunately, this yearning often tricks us into biting off more than we can chew. Remind yourself that you cant lift a thousand pounds all at once, yet you can easily lift one pound a thousand times. Small, repeated, incremental efforts will get you there, through thick and thin.One way to take small, consistent actions is by adopting a positive ritual such as writing affirmations, carving out time for a walk each day, or phoning a friend twice a week. If youre still feeling down, be sure to consult with your doctor or a mental health professional.5. Give yourself creditStaying strong amidst challenging, painful circumstances can feel impossible, but weathering lifes storms is something you should be proud of. Maybe things have changed your perspective, taught you lessons, and forced your spirit and soul to grow. So believe in yourself through hard times, and believe in your capacity to heal, Chernoff says. Even more, appreciate your progress. Give yourself credit for your resilience and how far youve come, because youve lived and learned. Youve survived all of your bad days - and youre still here, growing.This article first appeared on Brit + Co.

Science says Complaining about your bad boss makes it worse

Science says Complaining about your bad boss makes it worseScience says Complaining about your bad boss makes it worseTheres nothing mora cathartic than a proper bitch session when your boss is being unreasonable, but the coworker you confide in has the power to hurt your career - and not in the way youd think.According to a recent study in the Academy of Management Journal, slamming your boss to a colleague, particularly a passive listener, can make you angrier, more pessimistic, and a worse employee.When people are upset, their natural inclination is to vent to someone who validates their feelings by saying things like, Wow, you were really wronged, says study author Michael Baer, a professor at Arizona State University. But that type of feedback isnt best if you want to get over a negative situation.In the two-part study, Baer and his team asked 170 bus drivers how fairly theyre treated by their supervisors, how they express frustration to coworkers, and the type of feedback they receive from their vent sessions.They found that drivers who vented to passive listeners - those who said things like, Youre totally right and Yeah, you got screwed - felt angrier and more unforgiving of their bosses, less optimistic that the situation would improve, and started slacking on the job.Their supervisors noticed. When researchers followed up with the bosses after a period of time, the above employees almost uniformly received poor reviews. These employees were less willing to go the extra mile at work, says Baer. Their lack of effort welchesnt conscious, but because they were angry, they were less motivated to impress their bosses.Things looked a lot different for the drivers who vented to colleagues who reframed their problems by saying things like, Maybe there was a reason for that, Things arent so bad, or What was your part in it?They did not get angrier, feel less hopeful or unforgiving, and their job performance didnt suffer after the conversation, says Baer.Simi lar results were proved in the lab - researchers assigned a group of students an anagram project to complete independently for five minutes, then asked the proctor to annoy the subjects by announcing that time was up after only three minutes. The proctor then said, The way I grade these is well, never mind. You dont need to know. Its not like undergraduates get or care about these things anyway and incorrectly graded the tests, giving only partial credit for peoples work.Once subjects were sufficiently pissed off, they were paired with people with either reframing or passive listening skills. While the former group still felt angry, they were more hopeful and forgiving the latter seethed, even refusing the proctors request to help clean the classroom before they left.Its absolutely true that venting feels good- sharing a painful experience can minimize sadness and anger, help sort through complicated feelings, and in cases where people share your pain (like colleagues who suffer u nder the same boss) complaining serves as a social glue.However, both parties are responsible for any negative outcomes and should try for a positive one. If a coworker is upset, do your best to have their back and ask objective questions that help diffuse their anger. It can be tough to strike the right balance between reframing and supporting the person, says Baer. But we still need to try.If youre the one complaining, ask yourself, Do I want to stay mad or move on? Research published in the Journal of Social Psychology found that complaining, but with the hope of problem-solving, can actually make people happier. Its also important to confide in the right person, says Baer. Or have a mix of people to talk to - one for venting and another whos good at helping you see things differently.Thispostoriginally appeared onShondaland.com.

A 1999 interview shares some useful advice from a young Elon Musk

A 1999 interview shares some useful advice from a young Elon MuskA 1999 interview shares some useful advice from a young Elon MuskAlthough America had yet to be overwhelmed by Elon Musk mania, in 1999, at age 28, he welches already a multi-millionaire. This fact is made all the mora impressive when you understand the virtues that foretold it.The success Musk has procured survives on an unyielding sense of conviction and a sober appreciation of risks. Selling his first computer program when he was only 12 years old, is the earliest testament of a knack for seeing shapes in landscapes out of focus for most. The erroneous prediction that commercialized trading on the internet was just flash in the plan nonsense seems beyond the pale of insanity in retrospect but that was the very much the censuses.An interview with the South African banker filmed in 1999 for a documentary about millionaires, at once evidences a young entrepreneur blissfully welcoming the upper echelon and the precocity that would see him build upon his place in it in subsequent years.Back in 95, there werent very many people on the internet. And certainly no-one was making any money at all. Most people thought the internet was going to be a fad.A year prior, Musk sold his online publishing company, Zip2Zip for $400 million dollars. He occasions his comprehension of the unbridled potential the internet has to transform the banking industry as one of the ways he doesnt fit the conventional archetype of a banker. He believes wealth should furnish opportunity. He makes a point not to allow financial success to be synonymous with the end of the journey. Musk is much more interesting in using his money to evolve and develop new promising companies.This is more especially a reference to X.com which many of you may know to be the father of PayPal. Musk reveals that he sunk the majority of his net worth into the fledgling company matter of factly. The statement is a token of his confidence, not an admissio n of some misguided dedication.The lesson to be learned from the formulation of companies like Tesla Motors and SpaceX isnt merely to see a thing through. Its, more importantly, a call to nurture an aptitude for determining whether or not a thing is worth being seen though. You dont play poker without first having an understanding of the rules and a general sense of strategy.The three and half minute interview ends with Elon Musk reiterating the idea of embracing stakes right before he and then-fiancee Justine Wilson speed off in his newly purchased McLaren (he makes a point to mention that he now owns one of 62 that exist in the world).The real payoff is the satisfaction of having created the company that I sold. Wilson leaps to remind the young Musk that the car is pretty fun too.