On Tuesday morning, I had a great time meeting and conducting a workshop called Living in Transition with Aliveness and Courage at the Women For Hire Expo in Los Angeles. The women I met were so motivated and on top of their game. Paying attention to their strengths, they are leveraging what they’ve got to get out and start their own entrepreneurial ventures, while in the meantime are prepared to meet employers who need sharp and willing people who will get the job done. No whiners in this bunch. I was really impressed with their humor and persistence, two attributes we can all use when the going gets slow.

I always encourage lifelong learning, but now is absolutely the time to stretch out of our comfort zone to embrace the possibilities that this time of change presents. Stepping into change stems from hope….

When you see spontaneous social protests erupting from Tunisia to Tel Aviv to Wall Street, it’s clear that something is happening globally that needs defining. There are two unified theories out there that intrigue me. One says this is the start of “The Great Disruption.” The other says that this is all part of “The Big Shift.” You decide.

Paul Gilding, the Australian environmentalist and author of the book “The Great Disruption,” argues that these demonstrations are a sign that the current growth-obsessed capitalist system is reaching its financial and ecological limits. “I look at the world as an integrated system, so I don’t see these protests, or the debt crisis, or inequality, or the economy, or the climate going weird, in isolation — I see our system in the painful process of breaking down,” which is what he means by the Great Disruption, said Gilding. “Our system of economic growth, of ineffective democracy, of overloading planet earth — our system — is eating itself alive. Occupy Wall Street is like the kid in the fairy story saying what everyone knows but is afraid to say: the emperor has no clothes. The system is broken. Think about the promise of global market capitalism. If we let the system work, if we let the rich get richer, if we let corporations focus on profit, if we let pollution go unpriced and unchecked, then we will all be better off. It may not be equally distributed, but the poor will get less poor, those who work hard will get jobs, those who study hard will get better jobs and we’ll have enough wealth to fix the environment.

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It’s an interesting phenomenon – the issues my clients face seem to come in waves. Recently I’ve seen several people who are struggling with horrible bosses and really lousy work environments. It makes sense, right? More people are more stressed at work that ever. Doing more with less, less turn around time to get things done, more emails, texts, etc coming at us than ever.  But is this really unavoidable? Do you have to suffer in silence, take the abuse and then spread the negativity by talking it out with your friends and family; growling at the cashiers your encounter, drinking too much, or however else you deal with the nasty behavior of people who ‘control’ your working life?

You know what I’m going to say, right? No you don’t have to take it. Recently several clients of mine has decided that sticking it out in toxic work situations was not worth the risk of ruining their mental and physical health. They actually decided that, even without actual jobs to move to but with other options in the wings, to resign.  Making the decision was scary, certainly, all things considered. But all things were considered, so clarity reigned.  This is where the bravery lives.

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Writing jobs are out there. Know your social media and you too can be a ninja or a professional.

Employers are liking and hiring social media workers

Corporate America is on a hiring binge for people to manage a company’s presence on Facebook, Twitter and similar sites. Once given such titles as social media wizards, ninjas and divas, they take their jobs seriously and are gaining more respect.

Like many people, Evan Cunningham spends time on Facebook and Twitter while at the office. He sends out party invitations or chats about beer.

But unlike most people, he gets paid for it. And he gets a title.

Cunningham’s job is one of the newest in corporate America: social media manager. It’s also known, depending on the company, as social media wizard, social media ninja, social media diva or just plain online communities manager.

No matter what they’re called, experts in marketing a company’s name and wares on social network sites — such as Facebook, Twitter and special interest forums — are in demand.

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It’s no secret that millions of Americans are looking for work, from recent graduates to downsized late-career employees who aren’t ready to retire.

Far fewer are aware of how Uncle Sam’s tax code can be used to blunt the cost of a job search—especially one that may go on for longer than in the past.

Judi Lacko, a 45-year-old CPA from Denver who has been actively searching for work as a chief accounting officer for months, says, “Looking back, I wish I had thought right away about deductions and record-keeping.”

Career coaches usually don’t help with taxes. “My job is to get my clients back to work as quickly and efficiently as possible,” not to dissect deductions, says Win Sheffield, a career coach in New York who is part of a network called the Five O’Clock Club.

The tax issues affecting job seekers are numerous, with many parts of the code coming into play. They also are tricky. One key provision—the “miscellaneous deduction”—can severely limit job-hunting write-offs, while another—the “alternative minimum tax”—denies them entirely.

But there are opportunities, especially for people who can earn some income in a side business. “By starting a consulting practice, taxpayers may convert limited write-offs into full deductions,” says David Kautter, who heads the Kogod Tax Center for Small Business at American University.

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Over the years I’ve heard outrageous stories of disfunction in the workplace. Finding a way to create your own happiness at work is key. So how do you do it?

The Five Drivers of Happiness at Work

I am in a wood-paneled boardroom of a large multinational waiting to make a pitch. My stomach lurches as I anticipate having to use the “H” word to the CEO. It just feels too “new-agey” to associate with the hard-numbered world of business.

“We’re here to talk about happiness. Happiness at work.” The words sound so flaky; “happy clappy” and “happy hippy” ping into my mind even though the numbers tell their own story.

We’ve all had to face and deal with a very different working world, especially since the financial crisis and ensuing recession.

Data which we’ve gathered since 2006, shows that people everywhere feel less confidence, motivation, loyalty, resilience, commitment and engagement.

And whether your local economy is in a state of boom or bust, employees are experiencing similar pressures and bosses can only squeeze until the pips squeak for so long.
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How Happy Are You at Work? One of the first things I hear from clients, and others, about what they want from work is more meaning and creativity; this article echoes this. How we think about our contribution at work has everything to do with our happiness at work.

I’m Mad As Hell and I’m Not Going to Take It Anymore!

Applying to Any Area of Your Life Recommended.

Thinking Thoughts No One Has Thunk

Charles Darwin did this, slowly and painfully, and so can you.

Every day we walk through the world. We look around. We think we see what’s going on, but it is hard to remember how routinized we are as we look, how we automatically see things from our accustomed angle, never thinking of alternate possibilities.

I mean, who goes to Mount Rushmore and thinks about this?

Courtesy of Scholz & Friends

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