Hard work and training

Most people will find themselves reading self-help guides, feeling that these "tips and tricks" are the most obvious truths in the world. Often however the most obvious truths are the ones we forget, and from time to time we need reminding of them.

In any industry the key to success is hard work and proper training. Recently in Britain there have been two popular tournaments involving famous people leaning ballroom dancing and ice dancing. In both, hard work and training from a professional for a handful of weeks turned the incapable into fairly good performers, and with more training it's almost certain they'd get even better, leading to a professional standard.

It's much easier to enjoy your work if you reach a professional standard in whatever you are doing. This could be outlined as the standard attained by a person who consistently does something well and without effort. The may even smile like James Bond as they complete the toughest of assignments with ease.

The main way to get to that stage in our professional lives is through hard work and training.

Once you've got the best training, and are putting in the hardest work, you can enjoy performing like a professional. You will be treated with respect, and you will have confidence in your ability to perform well at work.

There are many opportunities for training, including free training courses online, as well as paid for training courses at training providers across the country. Signing on to a training course may be the best thing you've ever done in your life!

Workaholism in 2012

In Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" we are painted a picture of a work addict. We see Ebenezer Scrooge holed up in a dark and dank office, slaving away late into the night, with stacks of coins as his only company. Ensnared by his drive to succeed, Scrooge annexes himself from the rest of the world and devoted himself entirely to his employment. Having surrounded himself so tightly with his work, Scrooge is reduced to a man who can to nothing but scheme and plot for money.

The work addict may today not seem as disagreeable or void as Dicken's famous character, a shocking high percentage of workaholics today share a lot of the signs and symptoms as Scrooge.

Workaholism can have a number of negative effects on our life. It can lead to a reduction in relationships with others, as well as other problems related to the people in our lives. It can alienate those suffering from their friends and families, and can lead to a disruptive household and even, in extreme cases, break-ups and divorce. Often choosing to work instead of spending time with family, workaholics soon find themselves alone and bereft of meaningful interpersonal relationships.

Another problem with workaholism comes in the abstraction of boundaries between work and life. Often these individuals will bring work home with them, incapable of leaving their tasks in the office. They'll even go so far as to steer conversations with family and friends towards the problems of work, which can often have a negative impact on their ability to socialise.

In our ever more mobile world, workaholism is facilitate by the ever connected laptop and smart phone. We can be anywhere, doing anything, and still suffer the calls of employment even when we're trying to get away from it. And workaholics will take full advantage of this; a laptop or smart phone is merely a tool they can use to carry on working when they're away from work. And a constant preoccupation with work can often have a negative effect on the value of the work being done.

To put it short, workaholism is an addiction and - like any addiction - it can be dangerous. If you feel like you are a workaholic, or know someone who is, you should consult a psychiatrist or other medical professional. Whilst it may not lead to the problems assosiated with more detrimental addictions, it can lead to detrimental mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, personality disorder or the like.

Have a Strong Work Ethic

A strong work ethic is crucial if we want to make more of ourselves and seek self improvement. If we find ourselves working in a job we don't like, we must be ready to make a tough decision. We must either decide to grin our teeth and bear it, or we have to be ready to move to a job we'll find more fulfilling. These are the only two choices that really matter if self respect matters to us at all.

Even if you dislike the work you do, a good work ethic that shows we are eager and willing will almost certainly get noticed by the people who can help us advance. It's easy, like many do, to take the low road and do the minimum amount of work possible to get by, but this is never going to lead to promotion or advancement. However this is only a valid approach for those who have no interest in self improvement and building a better life for ourselves.

It's an oddity then that plenty of people pride themselves on doing as little as possible, seemingly beating the system or pulling the wool over the eyes of their employers. This often however leads to yet more disappointment for those people; they complain about their jobs not being fulfilling enough, often because they don't work to find the fulfillment that there may be in working hard. And they are probably the most vitriolic people you're likely to work with, as they find their amusement in office politicking and rumours for the same reason they complain about their work; a lack of a strong work ethic.

On the other side of the fence, there are those who work hard and work well but seemingly get ignored by their managers and employers. They find themselves perhaps doing more than their lot in an effort to get noticed, and are often willing to take on tasks that would otherwise not get done to show that they are motivated and hard working. In these cases moving on is often the only reasonable choice available, so that they can try to find a job - and an employer - that will value them to a fair degree.

Making sure we are up to date with all the latest goings on in our working field, as well learning new skills that could further our abilities in work, is very important if we want to advance in our career. Keeping motivated will also help. If your goal is to advance up the corporate ladder, or start our own business, have a strong and pronounced work ethic is perhaps the most vital thing needed for success.

Creativity at work

In today's economic climate, workplaces are going through a phase of excessive rightsizing and downsizing. We're all having to do more with less, so how do we stay ahead of our workload whilst remaining relatively sane? 

There are a lot of answers to this question but few are as fun as being creative. Using your creativity to work for you can allow you do to more with less and shine out like you never have before.

Not everyone is overly creative, but everyone can be creative to some extent or another. Interestingly enough you're probably creative in your everyday life without really thinking about it. Creativity helps us problem solve on and ongoing basis, and everything from waking up in the morning to making a cup of coffee can exploit our creative minds when we're not aware that it's happening. Put simply, if you're breathing, you're probably quite creative.

Creative thinking - as well as problem solving and innovation - are things you shouldn't take for granted, so here's 10 hand ways you can get the most of your creativity in the workplace.

1.) Use your personal values, things that interest you and the skills you have to express your opinions, and make your contributions stand out.

2.) Don't force expression; use the unique things that make you who you are to express yourself naturally.

3.) Customise your work environment and your clothes in such a way that speaks about you as a person.

4.) Speak and write in a way that reflects you as a person. You don't always need to use corporate bore-talk to get your point across!

5.) Use the way you work to express who you are. Everyone does everything differently, so use your unique approaches to problems as a way of expressing your personality.

6.) Bring your hobbies, interests and "at home" personality to influence the way you work.

7.) What makes you passionate? What hobbies do your put the most energy into? What do you commit yourself to? Take all three to work with you and put them to work for you.

8.) All creative acts begin with a conception. Make sure you capture your workplace conceptions as they come, as they can have a big impact on how you work.

9.) All creative acts develop through incubation. Make sure you give yourself some time to follow your creative impulses, so that you don't get too bogged down by your responsibilities.

10.) All creative acts end with a birth. Make sure you see your creativity through to completion, and you'll feel all the better for it.

Working from home

Today's work is a lot different to the world your father, mother or your grandparents grew up in. This can be a positive or negative thing, depending on your perspective on life.

One of the great benefits of today's world is the Internet. Like never before it has empowered people across the world, leading to success and wealth for millions of people. Perhaps the Holy Grail of the working world is the idea of working from home, and thanks to the Internet that is now more possible than ever before.

The problem with working from home, or starting the journey towards working from home, is that there are those individuals out there who know that most people would like to work from home. Simply put, they will exploit that desire to their own ends. It's very easy to get scammed unless you pay close attention to the details (that are often buried 6-foot under a mass of small print).

So where do you start? Well the first thing to do is get your priorities straight. It's all well and good having a brave and bold business plan, but you need to "aim high, shoot low" so to speak. Make sure that your idea will allow you to provide for the necessities of life, pay the bills, feed the family, and the like. If it can't, you'll need to spend some time figuring out a way to make it work for those basic requirements.

The next stage in the process is to get the right mentality. Regardless of the scale of your ambitions you should treat any "at home" venture as a business. It may sound simple, but if you go in viewing it as a hobby you're likely to miss a great many opportunities along the way.

If you have a set of marketable skills then you can easily (with some work) set up a profitable business from home selling your time and abilities; if you don't, that doesn't mean you can't succeed, but you will need to look elsewhere for a product, service or offering that aligns with your goals and aspirations. One great way of setting up a business from home is to align yourself with companies that offer commissions to sell their products. Some are not so lucrative, but most offer great rates and brilliant customer services that will allow you to fuel a growing and successful business.

However you need to be cautious. As the old adage goes: "if it seems too good to be true, it probably is." There are a wealth of shady businesses and individuals out there offering seemingly amazing ways for you to make a great deal of money, but almost invariably these are scams, or at the very least exaggerations, that could lead you to ruin. If you don't think a service is realistic in its claims, it probably isn't. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pursue such avenues, but pursue them with a great deal of scrutiny, and if in doubt walk away. 

One good idea is all it takes to make a success of yourself by working at home. There are a wealth of famous quotations that emphasise this point, and they are never dishonest. Generally the difference between success and failure will fall on your effort and mentality. If you don't believe in yourself, or don't put in the hard work, you will probably fail. Believe in yourself and the product or service your are offering, and put in the hard work that is required and you can - and probably will - be a successful business person from the comfort of your own home.

Building positive relationships in the workplace

Getting on well with co-workers is very important to anyone who wants a happy and successful time at work. Most people spend more time with their co-workers than anyone else in their lives, something that we rarely consider. Those people are directly related to your success and your well-being in the work place, because what they say, do and think about you will always be an important factor in their relationship with you. Everyone in a work environment is a cog in a much larger machine, and if one of those cogs doesn't fit well with another it can have a lasting impact on not just the success of those individuals, but the success of the entire team they are a part of.

The first place you should start when dealing with co-workers is to deal with their unique characters traits. Often you'll find that people have habits and tendencies that can annoy you quite easily, and whilst you could argue that those people should be more considerate of you it's probably easier for you to simply learn to deal with those problems yourself. The workplace is a diverse environment, and you are unlikely to find a single person that you will get along with entirely. Then of course there are the issues of race, gender, age, nationality and religion.

You may consider that people of different race, gender, age, nationality or religion are quirky, and prone to strange habits. Whilst this may be true, it is also true that everyone of every different denomination wants the same things from life; a safe place to live, ongoing employment, success and financial security. Whether they act or dress the same way as you, and regardless of their unique traits and qualities, they share a lot of the same aspirations as you. And what a bland world it would be if everyone was precisely the same as everyone else!

If you discriminate against fellow co-workers because of their race, gender, age, nationality or religion, or for any other reason, it's safe to say that you're putting your success at work in jeopardy. There are a host of situations where being discriminatory towards other staff can lead to your failure. For example, if you were put up for a promotion to a managerial position and your co-workers were asked whether they would be happy with your appointment, would they give their support to someone that had treated them badly simply because of the differences between you? 

Of course there are other areas where your relationship with co-workers can break down. Perhaps another employee is emotionally immature, and finds it difficult to work with you because they fear that revealing any aspect of their job to you may result in a loss of job security? Or maybe another co-worker simply doesn't understand something you are trying to explain to them, no matter how simply you break it down? Or maybe they just don't care as much as you do about doing their jobs well? The problems inherent with difference in emotional maturity, intelligence and job dedication are hard to deal with at the best of times, but again these people could make or break your career depending on how you interact with them. Patience, and calm, can go a long way in facilitating healthy working relationships with the most difficult of co-workers.

Your success in the work place requires that you accept and embrace everyone around you, regardless of whether you like or dislike them on a personal level. Forming healthy relationships with co-workers that you may work with, even if it's unlikely, will make your job easier and more successful in the long run. Be personable; engage in small talk on coffee breaks, invite them out for lunch, and learn about them as a person, if only to give you a better understanding of how they tick. 

Never come across as threatening, bossy or intrusive; consider how you would like to be treated and treat others accordingly.

6 tips to help you cope with stress at work

Are you feeling stressed at work? And are you taking that stress home with you at night?

Stress in the workplace is a problem common to most people at some point in their working lives. We've compiled a short list of 6 things you can do to help reduce your stress levels. Following these simple steps should help you cope with stress in the workplace, and allow you to go home at night free from work-related aches and pains.

1. Breathing exercises can help you reduce stress. If you know you're entering a potentially stressful situation, such as making a particularly difficult or lengthy phone call or attending a meeting with your boss, try taking a few deep breaths before you move forward. It may sound silly, but practising simple breathing exercises before a stressful situation can make a big difference to how you cope with the issues at hand.

2. Eat sitting down, and not at your desk or in your workplace. Lunch time is a brief period in your working day where you can take some time out to, even if it's only for a brief period of time. When you intend to eat lunch try to give yourself some time away from your desk, even if it's only 10 minutes. This will allow your mind to wander to more pleasant thoughts, and you'll come back to work refreshed and ready to take on the rest of the day's tasks. Focus on relaxing and enjoying the free time you do have, rather than trying to cram work and lunch in at the same time.

3. On the drive or walk to work, listen to some upbeat music that you enjoy. It's important that you start the day on the right note, and whilst it may not seem like much at all simply listening to a catchy song that you enjoy can make you feel more energetic and ready for whatever the day may throw at you. 

4. On the drive or walk home after work, listen to something relaxing. Obviously the same sentiment is true. You may be going home to do the washing, or cleaning, or to look after the kids, but it's important that you get a brief unwind time after leaving the office. Simply listening to something relaxing can remove the frantic thoughts and feelings that your work-day may have left in your mind even after leaving the office.

5. Take some time every day to reflect on the days difficulties, failures, successes, and anything else you think is important.  Some days may feel like they've been the worst days in history, but it's rare that we have a day where nothing positive at all happens, even if it's something really simple like finding some change on the floor, or having a perfect cup of coffee. Reflect on these days, but reflect on them honestly; you'll often find that things aren't nearly as stressful as you first thought.

6. Avoid wine before bed. Whilst this may seem a little silly (we all love a glass of wine after a hard days graft) wine is perhaps the biggest enemy you have in your drinks cabinet. It may feel like it allows you to sleep better, and feel better, but in both cases the opposite is true. Wine disrupts your sleep, which will obviously lead to greater stress not just at work but in every area of your life. Having a glass of wine every now and then is perfectly fine, but stop drinking at least 4 hours before you go to bed.