The Happiness Resume
With the downturn in the economy, violence and environmental challenges facing us every day, what makes us happy is often lost in the roar of uncertainty. All the commotion in our lives makes it difficult to hear the beating of our own hearts sometimes. We are so distracted by what’s going on in the world around us that we aren’t aware sometimes of what’s going on inside us, and how days slip by, anonymous and almost unnoticed. We let go of renewing the springs that feed our own well of happiness.
Along with the crashing economic downtown and resulting job losses, you may be one of the many who are putting normal activities on hold while you focus your attention on finding a new job. You may be fervently polishing your resume to shine among the sea of job hunters. I know how arduous that can be. I’ve spent so many years of my life eagerly and aggressively listing new accomplishments to impress prospective employers, and then helping others create powerful resumes and cover letters when I opened my writing business.
One day, turning my attention away from pleasing others for a change, I decided to take stock of how happy I was and how close to attaining a high position of happiness in my life. So I began listing my “accomplishments” to see how I was measuring up. There I came face to face with how long it’s been since I pursued pleasure merely for its own sake. I remembered long forgotten pleasures I enjoyed years ago that had faded in the limelight of obligations. So, I developed a new resume, my “Happiness Resume” that, updated regularly, lets me know if I’m staying in balance and making time to enrich my life, not just satisfy obligations to others. This resume is not about what I do to put food on my table, it’s about what I do to feed my soul. I followed a standard resume format, but entered very unconventional information. I invite you to follow along and build yours with me; you may be surprised at the impact it can have on your life.
In the Heading, I started with my name (I just put “Jan”; “Janet” reminds me of being scolded me as a child. You should put what you like to be called). Then, instead of putting contact information where I could be reached, I put where I like to be found, my favorite place at the Jersey shore. List that special refuge you cherish; that secret garden, that mountain path, maybe your studio, a library, a golf course. And definitely don’t list your phone number (or e-mail address).
Where a professional resume sometimes follows with an objective, I wrote my life’s goals. I had a little trouble here because there is so much I want to do, but narrow yours down to what makes your heart peacefully sing. It could be improving your golf game, completing your novel or just being able to enjoy a glass of wine and your favorite decorating magazine when the kids are in bed. Maybe it’s starting your own business, but if so, it’s not something you’re doing just for money. It is your bliss; it makes you feel in flow with that inner spring.
Next, list your education. I don’t mean where you attended high school or the institution that bestowed your college degree. List life enrichment classes, creative arts classes, or studies you have pursued for you and you alone. Maybe flower arranging, sculpting, creative writing or music appreciation. It could be bowling lessons, but it’s anything that has taught you how to enjoy an aspect of your life or brought you closer to what you listed as your objective. I’d forgotten the dance lessons I took with my husband and my intentions to try jewelry-making. I vowed to make time in my life for such pursuits I enjoy.
In a professional resume, you might next list Employment History. But on this resume, you are going to list Enjoyment History. Take stock of what you have done to nurture your spirit and enhance your enjoyment of life. Did you hike down the Grand Canyon or sail the Mediterranean Sea? Did you participate in a community gardening project or plant your own tomato patch your family feasted on all summer? Did you backpack across Europe or soak up the rays on your dock at the lake? Maybe it’s taking time to meditate, or enjoy weekend entertaining to share your gourmet cooking talents. List what you’ve done for your own enjoyment over the years, not just to please or impress others. This part of the happiness resume shows you if you‘ve consistently made time for your own pleasures, or let them slip by. Next, make a section for accomplishments. What have you done that has made you proud or ecstatic? You can list your children, but not their accomplishments. How about that cooking contest? Your prize roses? Getting your poem published or grabbing that part in a play? Maybe you attained citizenship or got your pilot’s license. Maybe you celebrated an anniversary of volunteerism for a cause you advocate. Resumes often include affiliations. Don’t include professional memberships that merely advance your career. List what you participate in for your own personal fulfillment. Are you a member of the local garden club or downtown revitalization organization? An animal rescue group? Don’t list your kid’s soccer league, but you can list the Acting Guild if it is your avocation, not just your vocation.
Conclude your resume with references. I listed friends I have known since high school who have laughed and cried with me though all phases of my life, new friends from my painting classes who encourage my artistic talents, and my yoga students who inspire and teach me something in every class I give. Think of those who share your interests and values, appreciate your talents and provide what gives you peace. List those who love you for who you are and nurture your spirit. Vow to cherish and feed these relationships. When you’re finished, review your resume with a critical eye. Do you have the qualifications to fill your life with the happiness you deserve? If not, where are the holes? What should you do to fill them? Are you able to separate your goals from those of your boss or your family? Reward yourself for your accomplishments by doing more of the same. Be sure you have a long and steady enjoyment history and you’re feeding your soul with life long learning opportunities. Learn to identify with your own true talents, values and contributions to the universe, not just your career. I keep my resume dynamic, updating it frequently with new accomplishments and other steps I take to advance my spiritual health. I check it to make sure my life remains on course. Updating my happiness resume makes me reassess where I am spending my time and energy. I recognize what I’m doing to enrich my happiness and what I’m doing to merely impress or please others. I know that if I was to suddenly lose my job, but I have a successful happiness resume, that I haven’t lost my identity or purpose, only my employment temporarily. Don’t let the roar of the future’s uncertainty drown out the spring of happiness that bubbles inside you. You can help make your world, and that of those you touch, flow more peacefully by charting your happiness and staying on course. Take a cue from Robert Louis Stevenson, who once said “There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy, we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.” So, don’t think of your Happiness Resume as merely taking time away from your hectic responsibilities to indulge yourself. It is your duty to keep your springs flowing, to reduce the stagnation of unhappiness in your world, and calm the tide of uncertainty that tends to sweep us away with its strong undertow. Maintain a source for your own spring of happiness, a positive current that will overflow into all of your life, and may even sweep others along while you track your progress and navigate your course for a successfully happy, fulfilled life. Exp
ect success; anticipate abundance in your quest for happiness and you will not be disappointed.
Jan Lynn Bastien is a freelance writer and yoga instructor living in Mount Holly, NJ with her husband, Charlie, and her cat, Noah. If you are interested in writing services, yoga lessons or a workshop on building your Happiness Resume, contact Jan at pinkmoon7@comcast.net.
Snail Twitter
There has been much news about Twitter in recent weeks and months. Even the President of the United States of America has an account. And recently, Insidedge launched a Twitter account of its own (yes, shameless plug. But keep reading, I have some real thoughts for you, I promise!).
So all this talk in the media, among colleagues and with clients got
me thinking about the essence of what Twitter specifically (and social
networking in general) is all about. To me, it’s an expression of the
age-old human desire to connect with others, to be part of a community,
to be valued (maybe even admired) and to be heard. That’s it. Nothing
high-tech to it.
Technology is in the midst of a philosophical revolution. In the
early days of computing, the knowledge curve was very high and that
necessary technical aptitude translated into separation from others as
“computer geeks” poured in hours to learn code, etc. More time in front
of a screen and a small circle of people with comparable knowledge
meant the illusion of social isolation for these elite few from the
rest of us who were rushing to make it home to watch The Cosby Show.
Well, DVRs have changed that (unless you’re an Idol fan and want to see the whole episode) and social networking sites from Facebook to LinkedIn to YouTube and Flickr
have changed what we do on a computer and more profoundly how we
interact. Now, with basic computer knowledge, you can use this
technology to connect with hundreds and even thousands of people around
the world.
And that ties back to concept that we all want to connect. So to
better connect my office, I decided today to launch a new social
networking platform that is decidedly anti-technology, but with the
functionality that has become nearly second-nature to many of us. I’ve
dubbed this fusion of the bygone and the present “Old School Twitter.”
Above you see my name plate, a little banner that I made and a stack of
sticky notes. I will be updating my status there throughout the day.
And my co-workers are following suit. My hypothesis is that this will
increase interaction among co-workers and keep people more connected
and demonstrate how a tool like Twitter can be effective in a work
environment to foster collaboration and share ideas. See, I told you I
had a nugget for you!
Let me know what you think of this experiment or perhaps if you’ve tried something like this in your office.
SOURCE : INSIDEDGE
Viral: you never have to say you’re sorry…
In the old days this guy would have only been a joke. Today he's still a joke, but highly viral. Admit it, you're going to send this to a lot of people. Viral never has to account for taste.
“Membership” Has It’s Privileges
According to The Nielsen Company's "Global Faces and Networked Places,"
revealing the new global footprint of social networking including both
social networks and blogs, "Member Communities" have become the fourth
most popular online category, ahead of personal email, and growing
twice as fast as search, portals, PC software and email. Active reach
in "member communities" now exceeds e-mail participation by 67 percent
to 65 percent.
John Burbank, CEO of Nielsen Online, says "social networking has
become a fundamental part of the global online experience… (and) will
continue to alter… the global online landscape… (as well as) the
consumer experience at
large… "
According to the report, the world's most popular social network is
visited monthly by three in every 10 people online across the nine
markets in which Nielsen tracks social networking use. Other key
findings include:
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One in every 11 minutes online globally is accounted for by social network and blogging sites.
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The biggest increase in visitors during 2008 to "Member Community" Web sites globally came from the 35-49 year old age group
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Mobile, in social networking, is up 249% in the UK and 156% in the US
over last year; 2 million people in the UK, and 10.6 million in the US
The story is consistent across the world, ‘Member Communities' have
taken a foothold in every major market from 50% of the online
population in Switzerland and Germany to 80% in Brazil. Facebook has
become the largest player on the global stage. The study found that
Facebook's greatest growth has come from 35-49 year-olds, and it has
added twice as many 50-64 year-olds as those under 18. Now that social
media has broken out
of the youth demographic, the search for a workable ad model is even
more urgent, says the report.
"If the successful ad model can be found," says the report, "a
significant shift in advertising revenue from 'traditional' online
media towards social media could be realized."
The prevailing wisdom, concludes the report, is that the current
level of advertising activity on social networks isn't consummate with
the size and highly engaged levels of the audience. But, the Nielsen
report
says, advertising and social media to date have not been compatible.
Advertising has typically performed poorly in chat and e-mail because
of social media's communications role. The larger challenge for
advertising is to move from an
interruptive role to joining conversations, concludes Nielsen.
Member Communities' now reach over 5 percentage points more of the
Internet population than it did a year ago, a growth rate more than
twice that of any of the other four largest sectors.
Social networks online started out among the younger audience. As
the networks have become more mainstream with the passage of time, the
audience has become broader and older. Consequently, people under 18
years
old are making up less of the social network and blogging audience,
whereas the 50+ age group are accounting for more of the audience.
In terms of sheer audience numbers, the greatest growth for Facebook
has come from people aged 35-49 years of age (+24.1 million). Facebook
has added almost twice as many 50-64 year olds visitors (+13.6 million)
than
it has added under 18 year old visitors (+7.3 million). If the average
month-on-month audience changes over the last six months were to
continue, by mid-June 2009 there would be as many 35-49 year olds on
Facebook as 18-34
year olds.
Take care of people, and the numbers will follow…
Almost every business story today is centered around numbers, percentages, as if the very thing that makes those numbers good or bad is now invisible. And that's the consumer. Or as Stanley Marcus, a master marketer always knew, it's about paying attention to people, not consumers. Take care of peoples needs first and the numbers will follow. Wise advise especially in today's economic climate.
Wikipedia defines a consumer as "a person who uses any product or service. Typically when business people and economists talk of consumers they are talking about person as consumer, an aggregated commodity item with little individuality other than that expressed in the buy/not-buy decision.
"Ok, it's a new day. The term "consumer" must be purged from any organizational lexicon. Shame on marketers who insist on putting such an arbirtrary generalized term on the people they are trying to attract. As if "consumers" live in some petri dish to be probed, prodded and tested.The term consumer presumes people are put on this earth soley to buy stuff. How disrespectful to only think of "consumers" in way that would suggest what they will do for me economically, not what we can do for them.We are people. With laughs and tears, dreams and hopes, and a desire to express our individuality in the context of having positive relationships with others and the world around us. Consumers? How about people? The best brands recognize the difference. - Joe Duffy
“Well done, is better than… well said” – Benjamin Franklin
Five Billion Mobiles Worldwide by 2012
Now there's a market. According to The Center For Media Research, by 2012 there will be over Five Billion Mobiles.
According to Informa Telecoms & Media's Global Mobile Forecasts,
annual revenues from the global mobile market will top (US) $1.03
trillion by 2013, when the number of subscriptions worldwide will have
risen to more than 5.3
billion. It took over 20 years to reach 3 billion subscriptions, says
the report, but another 1.9 billion net additions are forecast in just
six years, with the global total nudging past the 5-billion milestone
in 2011.
