About Me

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Fishers, Indiana, United States
Brenda gained career expertise as a human resources leader at a global company before becoming an HR consultant. Her functional experience includes a variety of sales roles in the health care industry achieving success for over 30 years. She is currently in Consulting & Analytics Business Development for a health care firm. Her passion is participating in, writing about and observing the evolving workforce. For the first time in history four generations work together. It keeps things interesting. Baby Boomers (born 1946-1964) are redefining retirement and what it means to age in the workforce. It is not just about money. Okay it plays a role! At 76.4 million members strong, Boomers are leveraging technology to continue their careers and the personal fulfillment working brings. Managing a late-stage career requires a strategy. There is no roadmap or one size fits all answer. This blog is about sharing, networking & finding your own right answer to working later, managing your career, redefining retirement, looking for work in your 50s & 60s and reinventing yourself.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Monday Morning Pep Talk: July 23, 2012

(The Monday Morning Pep Talk is another new occasional feature for the blog. If you are interested in providing a "Pep Talk" of less than 500 words, I'm open to guest writers. Contact me!)

KEEPING IT IN PERSPECTIVE

It is Monday morning somewhere and what lies ahead is a week of possibilities, 168 hours that can shape the rest of your life. The intent of our first pep talk together is to motivate you to keep the week in perspective (especially the challenges, obstacles and delays). Initially, this inaugural installment was about setting goals. Then, Friday there was the mass murder during the Batman movie premiere in Aurora, Colorado. It was a startling reminder about the importance of perspective. Who wouldn't approach the week differently if we knew it were our last?

When a tragedy happens like the incident in Colorado—it reminds us that while we are in the hustle and bustle or working, looking for work or trying to move up at work—our occupations (though incredibly important) are just one facet of our total lives.  The most recent data says the average life expectancy of a woman in the United States is 80.8 years and for men it is 75.6 years. The fatalities in Colorado are not of people who reached those ages. Whatever happens this week, keep it in perspective—how important is it in a lifespan of 75-80 years?

Whether you are working at the job of your dreams this Monday morning or just trading your time for money to pay the bills; remember it is a job—not your life. Take some time to enjoy your kids before they go back to school.  Call your friend you’ve been meaning to talk to instead of communicating by Facebook or text. Let them know you are thinking about them even if you just leave a message on voicemail. Compliment someone at the store or gas station and make their day. Smile for no reason.

Maybe your Monday will be dominated by looking for a job— it could have been a while since you’ve worked or since you have earned the kind of money you’re accustomed to and this week you are searching for a career upgrade. Just because no one called you back last week-doesn’t mean the same thing will happen this week. And if no one calls you back, maybe it is time to change your tactics and your job-search strategy—join a job club, start a job club, update your LinkedIn profile and network with someone new or volunteer for something short-term to shake up your routine and meet some new people.

Ultimately, we are the authors of the story on how we spent our 168 hours. Make it a great week!


Life expectancies by countries around the world (as of 2010) :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy
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2 comments:

  1. The HRmeisterJuly 23, 2012 at 9:24 AM

    Good morning! Your comments about the Colorado shootings ring true. If you are continuing to look for a job this week, follow Brenda's advice - do something different to shake things up! It's amazing how a new 'connection' can open up a door for you. Consider writing a blog. I just did, four days ago! Whether anyone reads it or not is immaterial at the moment. You will be 'sharing' your knowledge, experience, and perspective with others - and who knows, you might surprise yourself with some new 'connections'. Good luck!
    The HRmeister

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  2. MitchJuly 23, 2012 at 6:37 PM

    Thanks for the Pep Talk. It has been a rough day in a particularly challenging summer for my business. One of my employees who worked with you sent me this link and while I do not generally have time for this sort of reading, she challenged me to read and respond. Sound advice. It does help some time to look at the big picture with so many things happening in our changing world, and realize we will get through today's challenges.

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