How to Keep Your Dreams and Your Day Job

How to Keep Your Dreams and Your Day JobKelsey Murphy from the Muse has advice for aspiring globe-trotters and self-re-inventors she knows from experience the joys and perils of quitting her day job and hopping on a tuch to explore a new career while traveling the world. One day,she realized moving to London on a whim wasnt necessarythere were plenty of opportunities to explore the greener grass much closer to home. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Embrace the Learning CurveFor every new job or challenge Ive had, theres been a moment about a week or a month in where I wanted to quit, where the things that stressed me out far overshadowed the things I enjoyed. I was convinced I wasnt meant to be an editor, a teaching assistant, a writer, a dog-owner, or even a New Yorker.But in the beginning, nobodys an expert or a pro, and even if youre a wunderkind youve got plenty to learn on the job. Be willing to screw up, apologize, and learn a new w ay to do things. The learning curve is even easier to swallow if its not a full-time experienceuse the security of gainful employment to explore something youve always wanted to do on the side in the evenings or on weekends. Dont let fear of failing keep you from dabbling.Harness the 15-Minute IntentionIf youre getting swept up in the demands of the minute-to-minute, take some timeto refocus on the big picture to-dos. What are you prioritizing? What gets knocked off course by errands or someone elses urgency?Try to set aside 15 minutes a day to check in with something important to you, outside your daily grind. Maybe you add it on in the morning, or partition your lunch hour, or have a few quiet minutes right when you get home. There are plenty of productivity apps that can help you mark off the time.Find a Mentor (A Small One)The idea of forging a mentor/mentee relationship from scratch is daunting I cant even watch the Karate Kid without my intimacy issues flaring up. But, what Mu rphy calls a mini-mentor can be someone to help you in a small way, with one specific area of your life.Find one thing youd like to learn in service of your larger interests, and the right person to ask. It may develop into a larger relationship, or it may conclude with one simple interaction, but either way youre better off for having sought and accepted help. Plus if you do decide to throw caution to the wind and quit job A in pursuit of passion B, youll have at least one potential networking connection

How to Become an Indispensable Employee

How to Become an Indispensable Employee You want to exceed expectations. But it might not be immediately clear what you need to do to excel. Whether youre just entering a new lage or angling for a promotion, you can secure your position within a company if youre proactive. Heres how to earn recognition and become an indispensable employee.6 Tips for Becoming a Key Contributor at Work1. Embrace new challenges.Its common for employees to gripe about their work. But positive workplaces are up to 30% mora productive than neutral or negative environments. When youre faced with new challenges, adopt a solution-focused approach. Try to moderate your initial reaction and choose to respond with optimismothers will pick up on your emotional cues and feel more motivated.In 2018, researchers at Stanford tested a hypothesis aboutthe connection between a persons attitude and their brain function. They asked a group of students to solve math problems while an fMRI machine scanned images of their br ain. The results showed that students who were confident about their math skills and enjoyed the exercise were more likely to solve the problems correctly. The scans also showed the students who did well had more neural activity in the hippocampus region of their brain, the epicenter for memory and learning. Based on these results, it binnenseems like a positive attitude might actually boost performance and facilitate problem-solving long term.People gravitate toward positive influences, and a little optimism could even make your brain work better.2. Align your priorities with the organizations bottom line.It can be easy to view your role or department as the fruchtwein important in an organization. For example, someone in a C-suite position might not fully appreciate the customer experience because they dont interact with their users directly. But the best-performing employees deliberately seek out new perspectivesand then integrate that information through the lens of profitabilit y.Youll need to consider four key areas to determine how you can contribute to the profitability of your companyDevelop Revenue Whether you boost sales or identify a new revenue stream, money talks. Look for opportunities to monetize a service, generate more leads, or streamline the purchasing funnel. Attach specific metrics to this points so you can measure your impact and communicate those milestones with your supervisor.Productivity David Mamet and Alec Baldwin cemented the phrase in our collective conscious Always be closing. But if sales outpace production, disaster will ensue. Employees will become stressed and overworked, and customer satisfaction will likely plummet. So, when youre looking at the overall impact you have on your business, think about the products and services you offer. How can you increase your product supply or decrease production costs? You dont want to slash quality when making cuts, but there could be opportunities for refinement.Overhead Internal benchm arking is the key to evaluating your departments overhead costs over time. Once youve established those metrics, you can identify specific strategies to improve individual functional processes. If you can become more efficient and save money, youll see that value reflected in the companys net profits.Collections The longer an invoice goes without payment, the less likely you are to collect those funds. Organizations can optimize their billing process by implementing an A/R aging report, making their invoice easy to understand, streamlining payment options, and communicating with customers. From billing to processing payments, are there any steps you can take to directly affect the companys collection efforts.By evaluating your companys profitability, you can decide how you want to approach new initiatives within the company. If you can influence any of these three stagesand communicate those achievements to the leaders at your organizationyoull be recognized as a key contributor at work.3. Innovate.Did you knowPlay-Doh was originally created to clean wallpaper? The compound was invented in 1933 when coal furnaces were popular people frequently used the material to remove soot buildup. But when oil and gas furnaces were introduced into the market in the middle of the 20th century, people didnt need wallpaper cleaners anymore. The family business teetered on the precipice of failurebut then they discovered kids loved playing with the compound. Thanks to quick-thinking and creativity, the company rebranded their product as one of the best-selling toys to date.This is just one example of creativitys transformative impact on a business. Every professional understands the key to a companys success is their ability to distinguish themselves from their competitors. It stands to reason, then, that the employees driving performance are the ones who challenge the position quo.If youve never been praised for your creative vision, dont worryscientists argue creativity can be learned with the right approach.4. Articulate your ideas.Worldwide,poor communication cost businesses an estimated $37 billion in just one year. Collaborating between regions and departments is even more challenging today than ever beforeemployees cant rely on having face-to-face conversations to resolve every situation. As more companies expand and hire remote workers, employers increasingly look to individuals with language skills. If you can connect with people over the phone, in video, and through written correspondences, youll save yourself time, money, and frustration.The professional arena is rife with potential communication gaps, but there are steps you can take to clarify your message. Here are a few tips for honing your communication skills at workOutline concrete objectives and the action points needed to achieve them.Offer balanced feedbackand encourage others to provide input on your performance.Use active verbs and short sentences to make your message clear. Explic itly identify the subject for each action.Pay attention to your coworkers body language, and think about the image youre projecting in return.Reinforce collaboration and teamwork by using we statements.Dont make inflammatory remarks at work. Understand how language can reinforce ideas that are biased.Practice active listening. When someone else is talking, dont think about what you will say in responseinstead, weigh their words carefully and try to internalize the message.5. Cultivate your skills.A survey from Pew Research Center in 2015 shows that 54% of workers believe continuous training will be essential to their career success. Respondents with college degrees were more likely to prioritize ongoing trainingpossibly indicating that the most qualified individuals are also the most committed to learning new skills.To stand apart from your peers, you cant grow complacent. The people who succeed professionally are invested in their work inside and outside the office. Follow developm ents in your industry. Set up media alerts, and register for newsletters. You can also search forcareer-focused panels that will help you learn about new developments and techniques.6. Hold true to your values.Integrity is crucial at every level of your business. Its implications are perhaps most widely felt at the topC-level executives set standards for the company culture. They develop networks inside and outside an organization and receive the most public scrutiny. If you have plans to advance, youll need to demonstrate a consistent record of integrity. Be honest, moral, and respectful, even when that means youll need be brave and work harder. The social network you develop at the office will influence your tenure as much as your professional contributions.In 2018, the median tenure for wage and salary workers in the United States was 3.8 years. For a variety of circumstancesoffshoring, restructuring, voluntary leaves, and forced transitionstodays workforce doesnt stay with the s ame company for long. To stay in demand, you need to have a plan. Proving your value at the company is key to achieving job security and climbing the corporate ladder. Rachel Lake--This story originally appeared on Ivy Exec. Rachel Lake is the Content Manager at Ivy Exec. Based in New York City, Rachel holds an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College.