WOW Word-Of-the-Week #512: Investment
May 28, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #512: Investment
Investment – what you do to create a profitable return.
What comes to your mind when you think of the word investment? Is it stocks and mutual funds? Is it your retirement account? How about your home? Have you ever thought of your body as an asset?
This week’s WOW is a perfect follow up to last week’s and the importance of walking (or any kind of exercise) and comes from The Wall Street Journal Sunday article written by Jack Hough and titled, “Big Payoffs – Five Investments You Don’t Know You Have.”
He lists:
- Your Benefits
- Your Body
- Your Marriage
- Your Spending
- Your Community
What I am going to focus on today is #2 – Your Body. Have you ever thought of it as an investment?
Hough writes, “Workers who exercise regularly earn 9% higher pay, on average, than those who don’t, according to a 2012 study published in the Journal of Labor Research.
By scoring subjects on their propensity to exercise, based on factors like age, education level and school sports involvement, the study showed a cause-and-effect relationship between working out and earning more. Other studies have documented an obesity penalty to earnings, which seems to hit women hardest.
The financial benefits of fitness extend well beyond earnings. The fit pay less for life insurance than the fat, and spend less on health care.
Plus, the benefits to employers of worker fitness–fewer sick days, higher productivity and so on–are enough to make companies want to chip in.
Put it all together, and for a typical household the return on investment for getting in shape over the next year dwarfs the likely gains from financial assets.
For those of you who have heard me speak, I have always said, “I don’t exercise because it’s good for me; I exercise because it makes me feel good.” Good health is something most people don’t worry about until they don’t have it!
This week’s focus is thinking of your body as an investment. How would your employer rate you on fitness? How much exercise do you get in a week? Do you ever take the stairs instead of the elevator? Now that you know walking stirs creativity and exercise is a good investment for future earnings what are you going to do differently?
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WOW Word-Of-the-Week #511: Brainstorming
May 22, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #511: Brainstorming
Brainstorming – a group technique for solving problems, generating ideas, stimulating creative thinking, etc., by unrestrained spontaneous participation in discussion.
Does your job entail coming up with creative ideas? Do you like solving problems? Would you like to be more creative?
This week’s WOW comes from the LA Times article written by Deborah Netburn titled, “Need a fresh idea? Just take a walk.” She writes, “If you find yourself in a creative slump, scientists have a suggestion: Take a walk. People generate more creative ideas when they walk than when they sit, according to new research published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition. 
“Everyone always says going on a walk gives you new ideas, but nobody ever proved it before,” says Marily Oppezzo, a professor of psychology at Santa Clara University and the lead author of the study. She goes on to say, “Walkers were more talkative than sitters. They had more thoughts, but they also had a higher density of creative thoughts than sitters.”
The researchers believe when we take a break from active perusal of solutions and go about our other daily activities, new ways of thinking about the solution may pop into our minds. But they were at a loss to explain why walking seemed to enhance creativity. Perhaps walking increases arousal in the brain. Perhaps walking interferes with the brain’s ability to filter thoughts.
They recommend that people take a walk before brainstorming, or it they are stumped on a creative problem. The study shows everybody’s creativity improved when they were walking compared to themselves when they were sitting.
This week’s focus is on brainstorming. I walk almost every day and can attest that it stimulates creativity. Many times I have come up with good ideas for my speeches or personal projects. What part of your job requires you to be creative? Do you ever remember being stumped and walking away only to come up with the solution later? How often do you take a walk?
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FUN-travel: Driving the good ole US of A! to Stillwater, OK
May 17, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on FUN-travel: Driving the good ole US of A! to Stillwater, OK
Driving the good ole US of A! That is the plan when all foreign travel has been completed. And hallelujah – we’re getting close!
Route 66 Holbrook, AZ
So how was the first of our “road trips” we plan to take in the US?
Well, we decided we were not going to drive across the entire country. East of Albuquerque and through the Texas Panhandle was let’s say, “Not so scenic.” So we won’t be doing that again! We have decided for now that the farthest we will go is Mt. Rushmore. Also we’re going to go at a much slower pace!
Day 1 – drive 576 miles – Holbrook, AZ – Pop. 4917
- Stayed at the Best Western
- Only had 2 rooms left @ 6 pm
- They say it’s the cleanest
FUN-food – Dinner at Mesa Italiana (2 blocks from hotel) really good! Eggplant Parmesan & Pizza – Dancing Bull wine – $51 (get there by 6:30 on Saturday night or you’ll have to wait)
Cadillac Ranch
Day 2 – drive 600 miles – Shamrock, TX – Pop. 2029
- Bad coffee at hotel! Instant w/powder creamer
- Good news – McDonald’s McCafe coffee w/shot of espresso better than nothing!
- 5:15 – Stop – Cadillac Ranch just east of Amarillo (this was the “high point” of the day)
- Best Western Plus sold out
- Only 3 hotels total
- Opt for Holiday Inn Express – great hotel!
- Great bed & great coffee!
- 1st time staying in one & will do that again
Day 3 – drive 200 miles – Stillwater, OK
- Get there by 11:30
- Stay at Atherton Hotel on OSU campus for my speech tomorrow
- Campus has a real East Coast feel
- Very beautiful and well manicured
OSU
FF – (FUN-fact) – We got to see parts of Route 66 and some really well preserved Art Deco buildings along the way. (and some not so well preserved)
More FF – Temperatures ranged from 81 to 50.
WOW Word-Of-the-Week #510: Invaluable
May 14, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #510: Invaluable
Invaluable – having great value that is impossible to calculate; priceless.
How knowledgeable are you when it comes to your job? Would your peers consider you an expert in any area? Are you reliable when it comes to getting an assignment done? Do your managers and co-workers trust that you will do what you say you will do?
This week’s WOW comes from long time friend and subscriber, Joe. This seemed perfect after the last series on branding that focused on:
B = Build
R = Reflect
A = Actions Speak
N = Network Nonstop
D = Decide Today
He writes, “Someone told me a number of years ago that all we have in this life after everything is taken away is our name and our reputation. We have to work hard professionally in order to keep that good name and reputation.
In this day and age of corporate, branding seems to be the catch word. How we cultivate that brand will go a long way toward determining how far we go. Being knowledgeable in what it is we do is key. Since people talk in offices, once we are known for being knowledgeable in a way that will help others in the office. That is how we become “experts” to our co-workers. Word then spreads and we become the go-to people to solve problems.
The second is reliability. If we are seen as reliable and can get the job done for people in the office, co-workers will feel comfortable about coming to us at deadline. We will not only be there, but take care of rushes.
Finally, trust. We can obtain the trust of our co-workers by our consistency. Trust is also the hardest to obtain and to keep. Building trust on a daily basis is key. Once we do that, we can be invaluable not only to our co-workers but to the company in general.”
This week’s focus is on being invaluable. What value do you bring to your organization? Are you known as “the go-to person” to solve a problem? Do your peers feel comfortable coming to you when they need help? Do you have the trust of your co-workers and supervisors?
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WOW Word-Of-the-Week #509: Networking
May 7, 2014 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #509: Networking
Networking – making contacts where you work, with outside professionals and in your community.
How good are you at connecting with the people at work? Do you belong to any outside professional groups or involved in your community? What would those contacts know and then say to others about your capabilities?
This week’s WOW is the follow up to the last two week’s from the San Diego UT article titled, “How to build your personal, professional brand.” Personal branding is an elusive topic to most people, yet it is important for career success. Wise professionals with career success know it can mean the difference between landing that dream job and never getting noticed.
“You may think you don’t need a brand, but the reality is that you already have one,” says Jana Fallon, vice president, Executive Development for Prudential Financial. She recommends five specific actions you can take today to improve your brand reputation. This week I will share the last two.
N = Network Nonstop
To get others to recognize your brand, you have to market yourself. This clearly takes time and effort, but it can be done effectively if you follow these key steps. To share your brand, network in the organization you work in, outside with other professional contacts and in your community. Make yourself visible to those that can influence your career. The key to a successful professional brand is having strong “word-of-mouth marketing” from friends, co-workers, customers and other contacts. Having a strong brand means finding ways to network and manage what those contacts know and then say to others about your capabilities.
D = Decide Today
“Decide to make managing your professional brand a priority,” Fallon says. “Carve out time each week to fine tune and evolve your defined brand. Make time to reflect and try out new behaviors and to expand your network. There is real power in knowing where you are focused and letting others know for what you aspire to be known.”
This week’s focus is on networking. How comfortable are you marketing yourself? Have you made yourself visible to those that can influence your career? Do you have strong “word-of-mouth marketing” from friends, co-workers, customers and other contacts?
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