It’s Graduation Time, Lessons Learned & To Share

Have you ever given a graduation speech?

It’s always been a goal of mine, and this year, I received a call from the Dean of Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater – one of the largest colleges within Temple University – asking me to be their 2009 commencement speaker.

What an honor! What a responsibility!

So, on a daily basis since that call, I have been thinking/ writing/talking out loud, putting my thoughts together.

Ultimately, on graduation day, May 14th, I want it to be inspirational, realistic and informative.

That said,I have come up with four learning points that I will share with graduates, and in my blog over the next few weeks.

My learning point for this week is this:

As difficult as the job market is, no one is a victim. It is critical to be honest with yourself and assess both your talent and your passion.

When the two are combined, work isn’t work. It is a gift.

How do you assess that?

Take a look at yourself when you are the happiest. What are you doing? The flip side is to look at what makes you miserable and drains you.

I was a speech communications major as an undergraduate. My parents worried about job opportunities in the field after I graduated (yes, even in the dark ages, there were job issues!). They encouraged me to switch into speech pathology and therapy.

The fact that I had no passion, interest, or talent for this field, seemed to secondary to getting a job.

I held my ground, and am so glad that I did.

Once I realized (at age 21) that my purpose was, and still is, to communicate and help others to be more effective, the rest was looking for opportunities where I could make that happen.

For me, career #1 was working in a college, teaching communication and presentation skills, so students would be better equipped no matter what they pursued.

All these years later, I still believe that to be happy, you need to figure out your purpose and your passion.

What is yours?

My Personal “Stimulus” Plan

Our government is still busy with its Stimulus Package.

I certainly hope it kick starts the economy!

As a small business owner, I am seeing no direct result.

Hence, I have decided to create my own “stimulus package.”

The goal is to stimulate myself to be even more proactive and productive, enthusiastic, and more in charge of my own future.

You might ask, “Marjorie, just how are you doing that?”

Let me tell you ….

This week’s blog will focus on my personal perspective, while next week, I’ll outline my business plan.

Here are my personal “stimulus” goals:

•Exercise daily: Just by doing this, I feel better. Feeling better is stimulating!

•Eat properly: Again, it’s treating my body well. So, I feel better and I have more energy.

•Drink my gin and tonic and eat my dark chocolate in moderation. After all, deprivation doesn’t solve problems, just creates them!

•Spend time with family. For example, I took one grandson (4 years old) to a theatre last week. I said, “I love our theater dates. Do you think when you are older, you will still want to go to the theater with Nana?” His response: “You may be dead then.” That sure put things into perspective!

•Never miss “24.” As though I don’t have enough tension in my life! Jack always wins, maybe I will, too!

•Go to the movies, read a book, see friends. Really, making time for fun and escape stimulates the brain.

•Indulge in personal treatments. As occasional massage, mani and pedicure, and hair cut are no longer luxuries – they keep me feeling and looking better.

•Find humor in the absurd. And, sometimes, that is looking at the stimulus package and getting a good laugh!

Feel free to share your own personal “stimulus activities” to keep going in these trying times. If you do, and provide an e-mail address, I'll send you a PDF copy my E-book 21st Century Pocket Guide to Proper Business Protocol.

Next week, I’ll talk about the ways we are stimulating our business.

Setting Goals Is Better Than Making Resolutions

Some of you have made 2009 New Year’s resolutions, and to date, have kept them. Only 359 days left to go this year.

Congratulations!

Others have made and broken their resolutions already. Personally, I don’t believe in making resolutions, which I think overall tend to be negative.

I believe in setting goals -- goals that are specific, measurable and observable. Often these goals are a stretch, but not impossible.

Let me give you a few examples. One is a goal that I had about 7 years ago. At that time, all of my reading was business-oriented -- news, training, sales, and business magazines, and also how-to books. These are things I still believe in, but I thought my conversations at parties were limited, and I was boring. My goal that year was to read 5 bestsellers, 5 business, and 5 motivational/spiritual books.

I kept a list next to my bed. After all, it was only 15 books a year, but more varied topics. Just by tracking everything – keeping the list in a visible place – I began to read more.

At this point, I don’t need that goal, I do it automatically. The results are that I am more informed, more fun, and a better conversationalist.

Here’s another example … a resolution might be to get in better shape. Instead, write a goal: Exercise 20-30 minutes four to five times a week.

Here’s another one:

Resolution: get more business. Goal: make 1 to 5 calls per day, 5 days a week.

Research shows that those who make specific goals, write them down, and share them with others, accomplish more than those who don’t.

This is nothing new, but always worth revisiting.

I hope 2009 is fabulous for you all. Only you can define what fabulous means!

Here’s my special offer to you, to help achieve your goals: Through the end of January 2009, I will offer my book Life Without Limits: A Guidebook to Turning Your Dreams Into Reality at the special price of only $5, plus any relevant taxes and shipping/handing. That’s almost $15 off the regular $19.95retail price! All you have to do is e-mail Miryam Roddy at mroddy@brodypro.com or call her at 215-886-1688.

Happy New Year!