Is Your Career Your Calling or Just a 9 to 5?

Written by Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman


Do you remember your parents asking you what you want to be when you grow up? Byrepparttar time I was inrepparttar 104609 9th grade, my mother started asking me that same question until I graduated from high school. At that time I wasn't 100% sure what career path I would take, but I had several ideas.

Your calling is that passion that you have deep inside -repparttar 104610 career that defines your purpose in life. Someone once told me if you find a job that you love you'll never have to work a day in your life. Some of us work in careers for so long that we are numb onrepparttar 104611 inside and outside. We go from appointment to appointment and our days are so mundane. We hardly get any enjoyment out of what we do because it is just another 9 to 5. Have you recently said, ‘I could do this job with my eyes closed?'

People who choose a career, instead of their calling, wake up disappointed that they have to go to work. They hate facing another day. If you find your calling and pursue it, life will become an adventure and not just another 9 to 5.

Ponder over these statements: * Your passion directs you to your calling. * A calling is who you are. * A career is what you do. * A calling is 24-7-365. * A career is a 9 to 5. * A calling is what you would do for free. * A career is what they have to pay you to do. * A calling cannot be measured with money or fame.

Presentation Pitfalls: Top 10 Content Management Mistakes

Written by Melissa Mayers Lewis


Top 10 Content Management Mistakes by Melissa Lewis

Here, David Letterman style, are what I consider to berepparttar Top 10 most common mistakes presenters make when organizing and preparing their content:

10) Not settingrepparttar 104608 stage.

An introduction should be more than just "Hello. Today we'll be discussing _____." If you just jump intorepparttar 104609 content without setting uprepparttar 104610 presentation, it can get you off to a jumpy, disjointed start. An introduction should giverepparttar 104611 audience a sense of who you are, what you're there to do and what's in it for them to listen.

9) Using ineffective notes.

It's almost always wise to have some notes handy to make sure you don't forget anything important, but if your notes are hard to follow or are distracting forrepparttar 104612 audience, they defeatrepparttar 104613 purpose. Trying to read from a crowded page of word-for-word narrative is a killer because you look down and have trouble looking up for fear that you'll never find your place again. Disorganized papers or cards can be cumbersome and messy. Keep clear, concise key-word-or-key-phrase-only notes handy to simply to jog your memory, not serve as an unnecessary crutch.

8) Using jargon or acronyms that leaverepparttar 104614 audience bewildered.

When a listener hears a word or phrase he/she is not familiar with it causes what I call a "cerebral derailment". The listener's mind is chugging along happily with you until he/she hears an unfamiliar term and suddenlyrepparttar 104615 mind jumpsrepparttar 104616 tracks to wonder, "What does that mean?" Always define acronyms (even if you're sure they know whatrepparttar 104617 letters stand for) and, when in doubt, define any terms that could possibly be unfamiliar.

7) Planning backwards.

Many people begin to prepare a presentation by thinking, "What do I have that's cool?" (meaning visual aids, support points, stories, examples, etc.) Then they ask themselves, "How can I work it in?" This is backwards. Decide on what you want to accomplish and then ask "What do I have inrepparttar 104618 way of support that would help me meet that objective?" If you plan backwards you may very well end up with a bunch of interesting information that is of no value torepparttar 104619 listeners.

6) Not knowing your objective and/or not sharing it.

In addition to being clear onrepparttar 104620 point you want to make, you should also be clear onrepparttar 104621 objective you wish to achieve. Do you wantrepparttar 104622 audience to make a decision? Show themrepparttar 104623 options and ask for a decision. If you need their cooperation, make sure you explain why you need them and how they can help you. If your goal is to familiarize them with a topic, make that clear so you don't get bogged down in excess detail. Both you and your audience should be clear on what you're there to accomplish.

5) Not providing "signposts".

Imagine that you can get a new set of information two ways: 1) you can read it in a report or 2) you can listen to it in a presentation. What advantages do you have when you're reading that you don't have when you're listening?

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