Work + Life = Balance?

“Don’t let life consume you, you cant do it all in one day, one must steer away from the idea of only being able to truly live when one retires.” Says Mr. Nigel Marsh. There must be a balance between work and life.

I believe every reader who comes across this blog post has, or is currently been a victim of living an unbalance life. TED speaker Nigel Marsh delivered a message in May of 2010, a message that spoke and inspired me. Nigel Speaks about how “work-life balance is too important to be left in the hands of your employer.” At first thought, I did not completely understand that phrase. Post listening to the message, it all began to make since.

            We as human beings live these day-to-day, systematic, unbalanced lives. These days-to-days eventually turn into month-to-month and evolve into year-to year. Its simple: we become complacent, we settle and adopt excuses as to why we can't or won't follow our dreams, or indulge into risk taking or even make decisions based on the happiness of self. We place so much value on working, working, working which is fine, but when one is only focusing on that aspect and forgets about the family, happiness and things one is passionate about outside of work; can possibly lead to self destruction.

What I enjoyed most about Mr. Nigel Marsh he is blunt, clear to the point and honest. He is that speaker who says what you need to hear, and what you were probably thinking, he says it. The creative author, open up my eyes and changed my perspective on acknowledging that my life is a bit unbalanced and it up to me to take control of my life and to start living now, because time waits for no man. “There are thousands and thousands of people out there leading lives of quiet, screaming desperation, where they work long, hard hours at jobs they hate to enable them to buy things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.” Says Nigel. Therefore, my question to you, what are you really working for, or towards? If, you answered yea to this question, in this very moment, acknowledge your time spent helping someone else dreams and goals come into prosper and begin to pursue yours. 

Use Social Media to your Advantage!

Many years and generations ago the choice of farthing one's education was not an option. However, today over 59% of the United States population are obtaining a Bachelors degree. Post graduation many graduates are seeking employment, with there being so many talented and driven individuals in the world. Companies and corporations receive unlimited amounts of resumes, and applications. So, my question is how does one stand out? How does one make him or her more "marketable"? Alternatively, even, how does one use the resources that are already available to his or her advantage? 

Social Media has taken over, we all can agree, probably because, we all use it! According to PewResearch; as of January 2014, 74% of online adults use social networking sites. Many people use social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn) for personal and miscellaneous use. A mass of people post embarrassing, drunk and half-dressed photos. Profanity and explicit content on their pages not realizing these are Social media footprints that they are leaving behind footprints, which could possibly be traced. 

I believe social media is a great invention, a trend that seems to continue to grow, expand and flourish. However, I also believe its a functionality that can be used as a resourceful, favorable networking tool to place one in a positive light. Using this resource to one's advantage can possibly enhance job opportunities. For recent graduates, this is a great way to stand out from the crowd, and lead to a promising job search path, if used correctly.

 One must simply revamp his or her social media sites, and brand self in a way recruiters, and or employers would be able to depict thoughts of leadership, integrity and personality through these media outlets. Consistently reposting and posting inspirational, leadership driven and world news literature is a great way to start. In addition, publicizing your volunteer participation, or discipline habits (healthy eating, working out, reading) are the types of characteristics employers look for. Being properly prepared with having resume or some work history already uploaded on sites that are more professional would be a ideal. 

However, in the event that you lived a wild, crazy life in the past or though out college and your social outlets are loaded with derogatory, explicit content. I recently discovered a site by the name of Social Media Examiner. This site guides you through the steps in ways to clean up your social media sites. The world wide wed is a very large system, a system, which can trace anything; you have done or posted form previous years. This is your reputation we are talking about; it is important, so protect it! Think before you post and take advantage of social media. 

What kind of Leader are you?

I believe that the Maxwell style of leadership is most similar to my own characteristics because I have always prided myself on being a direct and truthful person. In the film industry, it is very rare to come across individuals who possess those qualities with good intent. In personal relationships, those close to me can attest to the fact that I will never sugarcoat a situation, but will always be honest with my response.  Also, I believe that it is imperative to surround yourself with different types of people and those that challenge your thoughts. If you are constantly involved with yes people it could hinder your judgment and allow you to become complacent which are not the best traits for a leader. I do feel that confidence and humility are important qualities that I have developed, that has equipped me to overcome struggles and overlook distractions. In the entertainment industry, some may lose themselves in the stardom and fame. Personally, I know that I am confident in myself and I have never let the judgment of others depict my growth. Since I was a younger, I always had a vision of being successful in the entertainment industry as an actress or film producer. Even then, I knew that it was my responsibility to create and follow my own destiny. As an adult, I know that my goal is not to live forever, but to create something that will be everlasting. I believe that the only way that you can truly be fulfilled successfully is by leaving a legacy for others to continue. I have dreams of building an empire within the film industry where the people working for me have a sense of pride in themselves and the work that they do. Individuals that hold the qualities of a Maxwell leader build foundations with their employees and equip them to become effective leaders. I proudly categorize myself as an Maxwell leader, and I only hope to capture the attention of viewers worldwide through my work and to be able to lead other future leaders whom possess similar qualities. 

Procrastinate or Pay up?

Many would say that the generation today is label as the technology driven generation. I like to think of it as the entrepreneurial and dream-driven generation. A lot of people are making it their business to start taking full advantage of life and beginning to follow his or her dreams. Unfortunately, with all the distractions in the world slowing people down from achieving their hearts desires. One of the major distractions seems to be social media. While people try to study, complete homework, or read a book; subconsciously we get lost in our phones, Ipad, Instagram, Facebook and etc. Time seems to just slip away from us , this then leads into the common phrases; “I will finish it later, or I will have time tomorrow” in other words; PROCRASNIATION.

This dream driven and entrepreneurial generation seems to continue to be innovative nonetheless.

My question for you is what if every time you procrastinated, missed a deadline or gave up on pursuing a goal do you think you would have completed it on time or finished it, if there was a supplemental incentive or payout?

If you answer yes, today is your lucky day an entrepreneur’s new site invents procrastinators to pay ransom for their bad habits. This is a website which offers a creative service that will appeal to the productivity-hungry, to-do list savvy individuals. The site is names Go F!#%ing Do it; a site in which you either achieve your goals and complete your to-do task or you literally pay for it! Though you will have to publicly share what your task, dream, or goal is. I know that people are likely to succeed when they have others keeping tabs. It’s a sense of self-accountability, I believe. Think about it, no one wants others to see or know that they have fail; it’s not the American way.

I am pretty sure there is some study out there in the world, that shows; people would rather complete a task if it means keeping money in their pocket. I believe this because, I am thinking of my self, I much rather work harder to finish something I have set my mind to, instead of losing money that I worked hard for. Especially for a task or something that I could have been properly planned out, prioritized and successfully completed. Like my self and many of us today we finds ourselves so busy and tied up with “everything”, when in actuality it turns out to be us simply doing a whole lot of nothing, we’re just moving at a fast pace, which gives the illusions that we’re super busy. John Lennon said, “That life happens when you are making other plans.” This site could definitely prosper if marketed correctly, because the perception of what productivity really is has been misconstrued. A lot of times, we get claim being productive as an accomplishment, when really being effectively productive is what will lead us to happiness. Being happy allows person(s) a more free, open-minded and optimistic view on life. Allowing one to productively fulfilling the steps to achieving one’s dreams and heart desires. However, this journey all begins with us taking on self-accountability and eliminating procrastination.