Food for Thought Beat the winter blues - Hallie Crawford

Food for Thought â€" Beat the winter blues Yes, winter’s coming. It’s not my favorite season. I love summer-the longer days, warm weather and sunshine. (I was born in Florida so its not surprising ;-)) Living in Chicago (I just moved to Atlanta last year), I tended to go into hibernation mode in the winter and become a TV-watching couch potato after work. Then one year I decided to make a list of things I wanted to do for the winterthings that would get me out of the house and keep me active. It helped me combat the winter blues a little bit, and it just might help you too. What do you want to do this winter? To get started, make a list of those things you’ve been “meaning to do: movies or plays you want to see, art galleries or museums you’ve been wanting to visit, social activities with friends, workshops or classes that have sparked your interest. If they cover your area, Daily Candy always has some good ideas for new things to do and places to see. The options are endless! Sure, there’s nothing wrong with hibernating a little. It’s natural. But making a list of the things you want to do, and picking one or two from the list each week, can help you stay more balanced and inspired during the winter months. Have fun with it! Career Advice Coach

Avoiding Common Errors When Writing a Professional Resume For Free

Avoiding Common Errors When Writing a Professional Resume For FreeThe best way to be able to write a professional resume for free is to be aware of some common pitfalls and areas that people fall into. Many people decide to take advantage of free resume writing services or use them to help them produce a job application and you can as well. But to get the most out of these free services, you need to know what to avoid.Do not be fooled by the free services that offer to do all the hard work for you. Most of these free services are scams or are written by people that have no idea about the importance of resume writing. You have to learn from your mistakes. It is easy to hire a service to do this work for you.You have to get into the habit of checking resumes for errors. This is not as hard as it sounds. The easiest way to do this is to go through the first few pages of the resume. Look for spelling errors. Make sure that the resume is formatted correctly.You should always research free services before accepting them as doing the work for you. This can be done by finding out where the person came up with the resume. Take the time to find out if they worked for a company before. Even if they did, do not think that they are going to tell you their honest opinion. These can be good sources for information on how to avoid these mistakes.Do not even think about using free services when hiring for someone else's resume. If they ask for a sample letter, they are probably going to be lying to you. When they start asking for fees, stay away from them immediately. Even if you have an agreement in place, you are better off paying for a more professional resume.To get the most out of free services, you should always keep track of the latest trends. There is no way that you can do your own research on this subject. You must stick to the tried and true methods. Another mistake many people make is writing more than one resume. In doing so, they neglect to ask anyone that they kn ow, friends and family, what they thought of their new company.It can be tempting to use free services when hiring for a job. But the damage can be done before you have even started. Stick to what works. You will find that writing a professional resume for free can be a lot easier than you expected.

Life Hacks 20 Easy Ways to Get Rich Quickly

Life Hacks 20 Easy Ways to Get Rich Quickly Many people strike it rich by just making one smart career move, investing in the right stocks or even inheriting a family fortune. But for others, it simply comes down to changing their daily habits and routines, adopting a new mindset or implementing small lifestyle changes. Check out the secret life hacks successful people use to build their wealth â€" and find out how you can do the same. 1. Stop Watching the Clock If all you ever do is focus on how much you get paid per hour, you’ll be working long hours for the rest of your life. Take a lesson from Tim Ferriss’ “4-Hour Workweek,” and start thinking about how you can get paid for results instead of time. You’ll be motivated to work smarter, not longer. Video Player is loading.Play VideoPlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duration  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  Playback Rate1xChaptersChaptersDescriptionsdescriptions off, selectedCaptionscaptions and subtitles off, selectedAudio TrackFullscreenThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.PlayMuteCurrent Time  0:00/Duratio n  0:00Loaded: 0%Stream Type  LIVESeek to live, currently playing liveLIVERemaining Time  -0:00  Playback Rate1xFullscreen 2. Don’t Shy Away From Self-Promotion Whether you’re advertising your skills or a business, you need to feel comfortable doing it. Promotion can sometimes feel pushy, but it’s a crucial part of business â€" especially if you’re trying to establish a customer base. Use social media, local advertising and other marketing methods to get your name out there. 3. Stop Confusing Wealth With the Appearance of Wealth You don’t need to become a full-fledged minimalist, but it’s time to trim the proverbial fat. Look at your budget, and identify the ways you’re throwing away money on over-priced nonessentials. Spa treatments, expensive restaurants, most retail shopping and unused gym memberships are excesses than can sabotage your financial health. Read More: 21 Habits of Highly Successful Billionaires 4. Change Your Playlist When you’re not working, you should be learning and gaining as much knowledge as you can, whether it’s related to your business or not. Listen to audio books and podcasts while you drive, shower and clean your house. You’ll find that it’s as relaxing as watching a show at the end of the day, but you’ll be getting a brain workout instead of just vegging out. 5. Monetize Your Talents If you dream of earning $1 billion, start with your talents. If you have a valuable skill, you could create a business around your talents. Whether you’re a skilled programmer with a vision for launching a development company or a fashionista ready to create your own product line, use your interests, passions and abilities to make money. 6. Get a Mentor James Wilkinson, CEO and president of Pamco Machine Works, Inc. in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., recommended that you “identify successful people in your industry and reach out for advice.” “Be bold by asking, writing, emailing or calling them directly,” he said. “Ask them to help you solve a specific problem, give you general advice or become your mentor.” Read More: 50 Ways You’re Throwing Away Money 7. Drink Water Life’s simplest necessity can actually increase your wealth. If you cut back on sodas, coffee and other costly â€" and unhealthy â€" beverages and stick with water instead, you’ll reap the financial benefits. Plus, your brain can become healthier and more efficient. 8. Give More Don’t make the mistake of thinking that greed equals growth or that your success must come at the expense of others. Help people by volunteering, giving your time, truly listening and being generous. Be happy to share your successes with people. You will create more avenues to success by gaining allies than by making enemies. 9. Stop Wishing â€" Set Goals Instead Wealthy people don’t allow their success to hinge on hopes on dreams. They commit to success by working to achieve clearly defined goals. Set some goals for the next week, month, six months and beyond. Define your goals, and outline the smaller steps you should be taking to achieve them. A good calendar system helps. 10. Adapt as You Pursue Goals While being committed to your project is important, you’ll also need adjust your plan or perhaps even change your end goal, if needed. For example, if you’re developing an app and you start seeing the need to change directions, don’t be afraid to shift focus if it will mean long-term success. 11. Clear Clutter for More Brain Space A certain amount of messiness is acceptable as part of the “creative mindset,” but at some point clutter becomes a distraction to your work â€" whether you realize it or not. Clear your primary work area so you have some space for your thoughts. You’ll be surprised by how much more productive you can be in a clean room. 12. Drive Less Not only will less driving save you money on gas, maintenance and potential accidents, but the exercise of walking and biking can help boost your brainpower by slowing the brain cells’ aging, improving memory and alleviating anxiety. 13. Identify Needs and Invent Solutions If you ever think to yourself, “I wish there was a product that could…” then start thinking about how to turn those ideas into realities. Chances are, if you identify a need, other people would pay money for a solution to the same problem. 14. Accept Criticism Don’t be too proud to accept advice and criticism. It doesn’t always feel good to hear critiques, but learning from them and moving forward can feel great. Use criticism to motivate you to further perfect your business model. Read More: The Best Investments at Each Stage in Your Life 15. Ask Questions Wealthy people are driven by the desire to learn and grow. By asking a lot of questions, you can learn from other people’s mistakes and experiences, gain knowledge about your field and create strong relationships with people. 16. Stop Blaming Failures on Bad Luck If you want to be able to take credit for your successes, you need to start taking credit for your failures. Success is as much a mindset as it is a status. 17. Block Your Time As helpful as media and social media are for connecting, informing and entertaining, most people find themselves distracted too frequently. Between click-bait titles, cute videos, friends’ updated statuses and online games, it’s a wonder anyone gets any work done at all. Set up a timer or a block on your computer for the websites that are your biggest time wasters. Create time blocks in your schedule for work and play. Your mind will be clearer, and you’ll have more time to focus on what’s important. 18. Recognize That You Reap What You Sow Think of your brain as a crop field. If all you ever did was harvest creativity and success, your fields would soon be dry, barren and picked over. Allow yourself time to sow seeds of success by resting, thinking, brainstorming and taking breaks. 19. Put Your Money to Work You work hard, and your money should, too. Make your money work for you by investing in stocks, mutual funds, CDs, peer-to-peer lending, real estate and other vehicles that can help you build wealth. If you and your money work at the same time, you can earn money even faster. 20. Associate With Other Successful People Rubbing elbows with successful people is a great way to take steps toward building wealth. By creating relationships with influential people, you can reach a wider customer base. You can also learn about wealth and business from seasoned pros. This article originally appeared on GoBankingRates.