The Career Success Doctor

The Career Success Doctor guides talented professional women to career success

Internet Marketing – A Suitable Career For A Woman?

Written by

Internet MarketingIt’s long been my contention that internet marketing is a highly suitable career for a woman, so I was interested to hear a (male) internet marketer remark recently that ‘we need more women tekkies, we need more female internet marketers’.

I am a member of Martin Avis’ Internet Marketers’ London Lunch group.  It’s a group of Internet Marketers, and people with an interest in Internet Marketing, who meet about once every two months in London to have lunch (!), share hints and tips and just get out of the house. It’s a friendly, mixed experience group, and people are always more than generous with their time, advice and, very often, their purchasing of drinks. And it was at this month’s lunch that I heard that comment. [Read more…]

I Got The T Shirt! The Power Of Possibility

Written by

[youtube]http://youtu.be/KYEV3AANe34[/youtube]

2013-04-06 10.31.59 I’ve just come back from attending the Merrie Monarch Festival – a celebration of Hawaiian culture in the form of the Hula. From arriving with no tickets, and no real idea of how I might spend my time enjoyably I ended up with tickets for all the main events. And I had the opportunity to help an award winning team of horse riders to decorate their horses – and win prizes for the quality of the decoration.

This video blog tells you all about it – with photos, and a background of tropical birdsong.

Plus a few lessons I have learned along the way.

Getting Connected Hawaiian Style

Written by

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vivSypJa1RE[/youtube]

I’m here in Hawai’i on the island of Hawai’i, or Big Island as many people know it.

Hawai’i was ‘discovered’ by Captain James Cook in the 18th Century, although the Polynesians got here first! Although part of the United States, Hawai’i has its own language and culture, which were suppressed for over a century. One aspect of the culture which was suppressed was Huna, the psychological, energetic, spiritual and healing practices of the ancient Hawaiians.

Like most of the other ancient teachings around the planet, Huna stresses finding unity and connection to stay healthy, enjoy life and evolve as a human being, and one of my teachers, John Ka’imikaua had a wonderful way of presenting that which I show you in the video.

Beware – background sounds of the sea and birdsong accompany this tropical video!

Sex, Sacrifice And Energy – Top Tips To Boost YOUR Energy

Written by

Energy You’re lost in the desert. What’s going to enable you to survive? Water? Food? Many people, when asked this question, miss the most important factor which is … energy. If you ask a group of people ‘what are the best sources of energy’ they will tend to reply with things like food, water, exercise, being happy and much else, but in fact the best sources of energy are sex (done in the right way) and blood sacrifice! That’s why so many sects and cults include sex and sacrifice as part of their rituals. Building energy is a key aspect of Tantric sex. People who have been present at the mass sacrifice at the end of the Hajj (the Islamic pilgrimage) often speak of the extraordinary energy that is present in the air. Now I am assuming that you’re not planning to indulge in a little light blood sacrifice, and it may be that your sex life brings all the energy you desire. But if that is not the case, or you are looking for other energy-boosting methods besides sex, then how do you boost and maintain your energy? And why does it matter?

Why Manage Your Energy?

Do you ever wish you had more energy? Or do you find your energy ebbs and surges? If you have a demanding career, or wrestle with maintaining a good work-life balance, then having control over your energy levels is crucial for your career success and general well-beling and happiness.

Breathing For Energy

One of the best ways of increasing your energy is through breath-work. When we are stressed we often breathe in a shallow way. This means we don’t ingest enough oxygen to fuel our blood and our brains. Here is a great technique for balancing your energy though breath. Breathe in through your nose and out through you mouth in a ratio of 1:2 (so the in breath is half the duration of the out breath). Do this for 5-10 minutes in the morning and 5-10 minutes in the evening, or any time when you are feeling stressed or lacking in energy.

Food And Energy

I love the Hawaiian approach to energy and food: if it gives you energy eat more of it, if it doesn’t give you energy, eat less. However, it’s very easy to kid ourselves. For instance I love chocolate, and a little high-cocoa chocolate can give me energy. But….the sugar in chocolate tends to give you a blood-sugar spike, so it feels like your energy has increased. In the short term, it works brilliantly, but the energy created doesn’t last and blood sugar spikes are not healthy in the long term. Find the foods that truly sustain your energy and make sure you include them regularly in your diet.

Alcohol And Energy

Oh dear! I love my wine but the truth is that alcohol is a depressant: it depresses both your mood and your energy levels. If you want more energy, then moderate your alcohol intake and avoid binge drinking.

Exercise To Boost Energy

There has been a lot of research into the energy benefits of exercise. Exercise can improve your mood, and your energy. Based on extensive research, the UK’s National Health Service advocates the benefits of exercise for both physical and mental health.

The Sound Of Energy

The healing benefits of sound are often overlooked. It is thought that music may play a significant role in cell growth and repair. Sound includes both the human voice and music, as well as chanting and rhythmic beats. If dancing around to your favourite music raises your energy, then do more of it. If listening to Gregorian chants takes you into the zone, then tune in to chant. And if the sound of the spoken voice soothes your soul, and builds your energy, then a radio programme or a good audio book may be the perfect solution.

The Feeling Of Touch

Years ago I used to teach at a friend’s massage school. As a result I was getting massage at least once a week. I was going through a particularly difficult time in life with a string of failed relationships behind me. Although there was nothing sexual about the touch I received, that healing contact was deeply healing for me, and I would leave the school feeling relaxed and energised. If there’s no-one around to touch you, go get a massage!

Have you liked our Facebook page yet?

 

through you

Does Blogging Help You Stand Out From The Pack?

Written by

IBlogging Can Help Your Career Successf you’re looking for a new job, or a new career, one of the suggestions career experts like myself offer is: LinkedIn. Recruitment consultants crawl round LinkedIn like truffle hogs in an oak-wood, and LinkedIn provides an opportunity to showcase your sills and expertise to both speculative enquirers and those with a more serious interest.

In a recent blog post, Tony Restell proposes that, rather than relying on LinkedIn, job-seekers should concentrate their energies on blogging. In his view, LinkedIn doesn’t enable the recruiter to distinguish genuinely good candidates from poor ones. A blog helps you stand out from the pack.

To a large extent I agree with him, but there are a couple of areas where you need to be cautious: consistency and connection.

Consistency and Connection

As far as consistency is concerned, once you’ve started, you need to keep going. If your blogging schedule is inconsistent, particularly if there are large gaps between posts, you may look disorganised, or lacking in focus.

In terms of connection, how will people find your blog? Of course, you can mention it on your LinkedIn profile, and tell your friends on Facebook, but ideally you want to have a range of strategies for encouraging people to come and visit

So, if you are thinking of going down the blog route, what ‘s the best strategy?

Here are some questions to consider before you ever embark on a blogging approach for career success.

  • What do you want to achieve with your blog? Is it simply a new job, or are you in this for the long haul? Do you want to become an acknowledged expert in your field, or are you content to operate in the void?
  • How much time, energy and money do you want to spend on creating and maintaining your blog? This will depend on what resources you have available, and what image you want to project.
  • What help do you NEED in setting up and maintaining your blog? I have an IT background, including IT security, and at first I set up my blogs myself. However, I’ve come unstuck on a couple of occasions, and I’ve finally realised that I was not put on this planet to get down and dirty with the innermost secrets of WordPress.
  • Even if you have a strong technical bent, how are you with the written word? Most mainstream recruiters will be put off by typos or poor grammar.

There are plenty of ways to set up a blog cheaply and cheerfully  with relatively little technical knowledge – for example by using blogger, wordpress.com (this is different from wordpress.org, which I am using) or one of the other free platforms. You can also do video blogs using Youtube. But these might not project the image you want, or give you maximum control of your site.

So, if you want to stand out from the pack, blog by all means, but do it in a strategic way to ensure you achieve your goals.

If you need help with finding your career direction, or help with using a blog as part of your plan to stand out from the pack, then contact The Career Success Doctor for a complimentary Career Quickstart Conversation.