Top 3 Non-Career Books that Will Energize Your Career

It is summer and I want to recommend 3 non-career books that I want you to put on your summer reading list to energize your career.

2 of the books I have written about before and will be relistening to the audible versions of these books this summer. The 3rd book may surprise you and not all of you will want to read it. It has a lot of 4 letter words but it has some great business lessons.

Let’s get started.

Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward

The first non-career book is Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud, which is probably one of the most thought-provoking non-career books I have encountered in quite a while, particularly for those in the 2nd half of life. Check out my previous post titled, Necessary Endings – They are Part of the 2nd Half of Life.

I think the author states it best in the following passage:

“Whether we like it or not, endings are a part of life. They are woven into the fabric of life itself, both when it goes well, and also when it doesn’t. On the good side of life, for us to ever get to a new level, a new tomorrow, or the next step, something has to end. Life has seasons, stages, and phases. For there to be anything new, old things always have to end, and we have to let go of them. Infancy gives rise to toddlerhood and must be forever shunned in order to get to the independence that allows a child to thrive. Later, childhood itself must be given up for people to become the adults that they were designed to be.”

This book has gotten me thinking about a number of topics.

I have lived in Austin for 39 years. It has gotten more crowded and expensive. Therefore, why do I stay? I now work for myself and could live anywhere.

Why am I still here? I believe it is mostly inertia. I previously wrote about the danger of inertia in my post Inertia and Persistence as it Relates to Your Career.

We are seriously looking at moving overseas, most likely to Mexico, Ecuador or Panama for better and more affordable healthcare and to a slower pace of life. I have already written a post titled 3 Technologies That Make Working From Anywhere Easy but look for more posts as I document how I can move abroad and take my job with me.

This book has made me seriously address and re-evaluate other aspects of my life and those things I think should end.

I am downloading this non-career book and relistening to it in the coming weeks.

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

This book has had a dramatic impact on multiple people in my life. This includes both clients and friends.

It is all about learning to say “no” to anything that you do not deem as absolutely necessary.

Elizabeth Rabaey wrote in a post on this blog:

The words, “no thank you” need to have a bigger presence in our lives. We have all been there: it starts out slowly, you take on additional responsibilities at work or with your professional association or community group, and before you know it, you are overwhelmed with things to do. That little voice in your head says, “you should do this project because it may connect you with so-and-so or increase your standing in your company.” So, you do it.

You can read the rest in the post titled Essentialism – Say “No Thank You” in Life – Guest Post.

I also used the processes I learned in this book in helping my clients learn to say “No” and not feel guilty.

When you learn to say no to the unnecessary things, you will gain more respect – not less. It is also learning to say “no” without really saying “no.”

Later this summer, I will download this non-career book and give it another listen.

I Can’t Make This Up: Life Lessons

You are probably going has Miller lost his mind.

The blurb on Amazon.com states:

Superstar comedian and Hollywood box office star Kevin Hart turns his immense talent to the written word by writing some words. Some of those words include: the, a, for, above, and even even. Put them together and you have the funniest, most heartfelt, and most inspirational memoir on survival, success, and the importance of believing in yourself since Old Yeller.

The question you’re probably asking yourself right now is: What does Kevin Hart have that a book also has?

According to the three people who have seen Kevin Hart and a book in the same room, the answer is clear:

A book is compact. Kevin Hart is compact.

A book has a spine that holds it together. Kevin Hart has a spine that holds him together.

A book has a beginning. Kevin Hart’s life uniquely qualifies him to write this book by also having a beginning.

It begins in North Philadelphia. He was born an accident, unwanted by his parents. His father was a drug addict who was in and out of jail. His brother was a crack dealer and petty thief. And his mother was overwhelmingly strict, beating him with belts, frying pans, and his own toys.

The odds, in short, were stacked against our young hero, just like the odds are stacked against the release of a new book in this era of social media (where Hart has a following of over 100 million, by the way).

But Kevin Hart, like Ernest Hemingway, JK Rowling, and Chocolate Droppa before him, was able to defy the odds and turn it around. In his literary debut, he takes the reader on a journey through what his life was, what it is today, and how he’s overcome each challenge to become the man he is today.

And that man happens to be the biggest comedian in the world, with tours that sell out football stadiums and films that have collectively grossed over $3.5 billion.

He achieved this not just through hard work, determination, and talent: It was through his unique way of looking at the world. Because just like a book has chapters, Hart sees life as a collection of chapters that each person gets to write for himself or herself.

“Not only do you get to choose how you interpret each chapter, but your interpretation writes the next chapter,” he says. “So why not choose the interpretation that serves your life the best?”

If you cannot tolerate 4-letter profanities then this book is not for you. It has plenty of them.

However, the obstacles and the lessons Kevin Hart learned throughout his journey to success maps directly to the obstacles that many baby boomers face today.

The first half of the book is pretty juvenile when Kevin Hart talks about his journey growing up in Philadelphia. However, you will need to digest that portion of the book with an open mind because it directly ties to the lessons learned later in life.

Even with all of the profanity, juvenile, and dysfunctional behaviors, Kevin Hart comes through with some very deep lessons learned that suddenly pop up at the end of chapters.

This is not a deep, intellectual book but one with some incredibly deep lessons learned.

What Are You Reading this Summer?

I have been writing a lot about automation, artificial intelligence, robots and creative destruction in the last couple of months. I will be giving a webinar with FlexJobs.com called Webinar: How to Protect Your Career from Future Extinction, Now on August 1st of 2017. I will be discussing why and how you can keep yourself at the top of your game.

You need to be constantly improving yourself if you want to stay in the game in the 2nd half of life. I will never stop looking for ways to improve myself.

Check out all 3 of these non-career books that can have an impact on your career.

Marc Miller  

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7 Causes of Job Search Depression and How to Prevent It

Setting out to search for a job can sometimes be a long, arduous journey. And, even if this isn’t the first time you’ve set out to look for a job, it’s never an easy or fun task. There are usually some ups, but are generally a disproportionate amount of downs, as you potentially face dead ends, rejections and the stressful interview process. It could take a lot longer than you anticipated, and may not end exactly how you planned. But, all is not lost, and there are ways to prevent hitting a depressing slump in your search for employment.

Before you can prevent it from happening, however, the first step is determining the possible causes of depression during your job search.

Uncertainty of what the future holds

Unemployment fills a person’s life with uncertainty – from where their next paycheck will come from, to whether they’ll hear back from any interested employers, and even if they’ll be forced to uproot themselves and move in search of employment. There is no concrete end date they can look towards since it’s never known when anyone’s job search will actually come to an end. Because of this level of uncertainty, an individual can start to feel depressed, as though they will never get past this stage in their life.

Not hearing back from any potential employers

When an individual has been sending out their resume but has not been getting any responses in return, it can weigh on them and make them start questioning their qualifications and even their self-worth.

Receiving rejections

It’s always tough to hear that you’ve been rejected for a job you were excited about or felt you were perfectly qualified for. When the number of rejections a job seeker receives starts outweighing the positive replies they’re getting, that can seriously impact their psyche and push them towards depression. Hearing continuous rejections is a stressful experience, that can cause a person to question if they should bother continuing to look for a job or if they should lower their standards in order to broaden their chances.

Not being in control

When someone is looking for a job, they are leaving the direction of their lives in the hands of their potential employers. After they’ve done everything possible to impress an employer through their resume and during the application process, the rest is out of their control. It becomes the employer’s decision whether or not to pursue them as an employee. This shift in power can have highly negative effects on an unemployed person who has to experience this loss of control and put their trust in someone else’s hands.

Never been unemployed before

Being unemployed can be a stressful experience for anyone, but this is especially true for someone who has never had to face this before. A person who has already gone through a period of unemployment previously can always reassure themselves that they have already been through this and successfully found employment, so it’s possible to do it again. For someone who has never done this, it’s an extremely difficult experience that can lead to great deals of stress and eventually depression.

Trying to manage financially

Even though a person’s employment may have ended, their bills and everyday expenses aren’t put on hold. Dealing with paying bills, maintaining a roof over one’s head and putting food on the table can be a burden that weighs heavily on an individual during a period of unemployment. If they aren’t able to manage themselves financially, their feelings of self-worth may be severely diminished, leading to depression and anxiety, among other feelings.

Feelings of embarrassment

Many people identify themselves with the job they hold. When someone is unemployed, their identity isn’t solidly attached to any job, and as a result, they may suffer from feelings of shame or embarrassment, especially in social settings or in talking to others.

How to prevent it?

Once some of the causes of depression during a job search are identified, you’re able to figure out how to combat it. Here are several effective tips for battling depression during your search for employment:

Get physical

The endorphins released during exercise help to relieve stress and pump up a person’s mood. So, when the feelings of stress or depression start to loom overhead, getting in some physical activity can help nip them from the start. Losing weight can help boost self-confidence and can increase your overall feelings of well-being. My Fitness Pal is the fastest and easiest to use a calorie-counting app, to help keep you on track for your goals. And, if you need a little help with motivation, Endomondo is like having a personal trainer in your pocket at all times.

Participate in productive distractions

It’s important to take breaks from your job search, no matter how desperately you’re in search of employment. Getting your mind off of the search can help you avoid getting into a depressing rut, and can give you something to look forward to doing when the job search isn’t panning out so well. Finding something that gives you a sense of fulfillment is easy through organizations such as Volunteer Match, who work to bring like-minded people together to work towards good causes.

Take your time to edit resume, cover letter and Linkedin profile

Many of the above causes can be lessened or eliminated completely, simply by ensuring that the resume and Linkedin profile you share with employers are flawless. When you want to hear positive replies from employers and increase your chances of finding employment, you’ve got to put out a stellar first impression.

For help with proofreading and editing your resume and online presence, as well as get tips on making improvements, Write my essay or Assignment help can help you get the job done.

Keep a job search journal

Tracking your job search progress through a journal can help you identify the things that worked and what didn’t work, so you can make adjustments to your job search approach. It can also give you a great perspective on the progress you’re making and all of the great strides you’ve made in your hunt. A free online journal, like Penzu, can give you the platform to keep track of your job search, and 750 Words, Essay writing service or Custom essay tools can help you develop and hone your writing skills for use in your journal, as well as in your future job.

Unemployment is a stressful time, no matter how many times an individual has experienced it. If left unchecked, it can lead to depression in those who aren’t finding the success they anticipated when they began their job search. Use these tips to help identify and eliminate potential causes of depression before they become overwhelming in your life.

This post was written by Gloria Kopp. Gloria is a digital marketer and an e-learning consultant from Manville city. Now she works as a content manager at Paper Fellows. Besides, she is a regular contributor to such websites as Engadget, Academized, Huffington post etc. Read her latest post here.

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Create Opportunities and Stop Reacting

Create opportunities? As a baby boomer born in the mid-1950’s I was taught by my parents that I should go to work for a father-like-company that would take care of me.

I went to work for IBM. I, therefore, would react when opportunities were presented and make a choice. For the next 15 years, I always reacted when my boss or someone else would present an opportunity. I never created my own opportunities.

I am sure for many of you this sounds very familiar.

Are You a Turkey?

I have been speaking to a lot of turkeys lately.

I wrote about the Turkey analogy in my post Looking at Your Career from a Turkey’s Perspective.

The turkey metaphor comes from the book, End of Jobs by Taylor Pearson. Taylor compares our careers to turkeys. Taylor wrote in his book:

A turkey is fed for a thousand days by a butcher; every day confirms to its staff of analysts that butchers love turkeys ‘with increased statistical confidence.’ The butcher will keep feeding the turkey until a few days before Thanksgiving…[The] Turkey will have a revision of belief—right when its confidence in the statement that the butcher loves turkeys is maximal and ‘it is very quiet’ and soothingly predictable in the life of the turkey.” N.N. Taleb

From the day a Thanksgiving turkey is born, everything about its life indicates that things are only going to get better. It’s hatched in a safe, sterile environment. It’s cared for and fed daily.

Every single day, this pattern happens again. It wakes up to find plenty of food and a place to live.

It is at the moment when the turkey has the most historical data to show that its life is likely to keep improving, on the 4th Thursday of November, that it realizes — It’s not so good to be a turkey.

Turkeys are victims to their own inertia.

They do not create opportunities but they react when opportunities appear. Unfortunately, sometimes while waiting for the opportunities to appear – the 4th  Wednesday of November arrives.

Respond and not React

In much of the 2nd half of my career, I can say I have responded and not reacted.

During the holiday season of 1992, I ruptured the L4/L5 disc in my back. I had a choice: get operated on or spend 3 months on disability and let the disc heal. I do not like doctors with sharp implements and chose to let the back heal.

During this time, my employer, IBM, nearly declared bankruptcy. When I returned to work in early April of 1993, chaos broke out. The full employment policy had been eliminated, thousands had been offered early retirement, and others offered exit packages.

My time off was a moment of clarity. I was relaxed and my mind was clear. This could have easily been a “turkey moment.” I could have stayed in my current position as the lead in a technology transfer group. Instead of reacting with a “hunker down attitude,” I responded by asking to be transferred to a sales/marketing role in a customer briefing center. I crossed to the dark side and went into sale sand marketing.

If I had stayed in the technology transfer position, I would have likely had my position eliminated and been laid off in a couple of years.

Create Opportunities – Right-Place, Right-Time

You are probably saying how do I create opportunities?

You have probably worked with colleagues who seem to flow from one opportunity to another. It seems effortless. How do they do it?

It is all about positioning. They strategically establish relationships in areas and companies where future opportunities are likely to appear. They follow a well-established playbook of strategic networking.  You can read more about strategic networking in my post, Strategic Networking Playbook – Who, How and When!

By being strategic in their relationship building, they are in the right place at the right time.

Create Opportunities – Create a Job

I have been talking with a variety of individuals who have been busy running around applying to jobs and getting very frustrated. All of these individuals are over 50 and are refusing to see the world has changed.

If you listened to my podcast Very Late in Life Career Decision Questions [Podcast], you would hear me say, “stop looking for a job rather look for a problem to solve.”

Yes, you read that correctly: look for a problem to solve.

In the podcast, I discussed the problem a 70-year old retired technology professional had posed to me. He had been retired for 18 years. He needed income because his retirement nest egg was disappearing. He assumed he needed to go find a J-O-B in the technology world where he retired from 18 years earlier.

His biggest problems were that his professional network was largely gone and his technical skills were completely obsolete.

When I told him to find a problem to solve, he immediately started talking about an issue that he had with his water well pump and the solution he had been working on. He entrepreneurial pump was primed.

This could turn into a business, a product, consulting gig, or a job. He needs to start creating opportunities in completely new places. Like the Thomas Wolfe novel title, You can’t go home again. 

He needs to leave his technology roots behind and find something completely new.

Pick Your Direction

Are you a turkey waiting for the 4th Thursday in November?

Will you become opportunistic in your networking and put yourself in the right place at the right time?

Will you decide you want to control your destiny and go find a problem to solve?

Either way, you will be in control and you will not need to react to whatever opportunity that comes your way.

For many of you, this will be a frightening thought but once you start you will find it very empowering.

Marc Miller  

Be sure to check out the Career Pivot Client Testimonials Page

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Check out my latest book which is available on Amazon.com!

Repurpose Your Career - A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life

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Check out the BoomerJobTips Page for the latest curated content relating to baby boomers or join us on the BoomerJobTips LinkedIn Group