A poem by my daughter

"I Am..."

I Am, a dancer who has lots of friends.
I wonder if the world will have peace.
I hear the animals roar in there homes.
I see the world full of beautiful trees.
I Am, a dancer who has lots of friends.

I pretend that I'm a dance teacher, though I am not.
I feel happy when the audience claps at a dance competition.
I touch the wind blowing through my hair.
I worry that if I don't believe in myself, I won't succeed.
I cry when I see my grandma suffer walking.
I Am, a dancer who has lots of friends.

I understand that you and I can't always have our ways.
I say you can do it if you have confidence in yourself.
I dream that one day I will fulfill my dreams.
I try to understand the hard things in life.
I hope that one day this will all come true.
I Am, a dancer who has lots of friends.

-- Ashley Allen

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A plea for boldness

I don't remember where I got this article. I want to give the author full credit and I apologize if I am violating any copyrights by posting it. But I wanted to share the information. If you know the author please let me know and I will change the post to show a link to the original.

What can I say? The times call for boldness. In managing our careers and lives. I don't mean brash. Nor flash. Nor large, uncalculated risks.

The situation is as follows: There are way more job seekers than jobs at the moment. Companies aren't hiring very much. High paying jobs are getting outsourced. There are a lot of well qualified folks out there under or unemployed.

So, what's your strategy for success? Take your chances? Wait for a turnaround? Keep doing the same things even if they aren't working? Let me ask you a question. Among your professional peer group, do you stand out from the crowd? Do you have a reputation for excellence, performance, quality, specialized knowledge, service or sheer doggedness in the face of adversity? How credible are you? You need something to hang your hat on. To distinguish yourself.

There has NEVER been a better time to develop a bold career.

Being bold means having the courage and vision to stand out from the crowd. Be yourself. Be confident. Stand for something. Commit. Be the best you can possibly be. Take calculated risks. Change your patterns. Learn new things. Develop your own brand. Invent. Serve. Follow-up. Deliver. Define who you are and what you do well and improve on that. Change. Learn. Adapt. Pursue. Have a mission and a vision.

Not only will this give you purpose and meaning, but it will also separate you from the vast majority of folks who go through the motions. And, speaking from personal experience, it is way more fun.

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My name spelled out in Flickr

Get yours here.

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Switching gears

Have you ever gone on vacation, come back to work, and everything has changed? The people, the job, the atmosphere? It happened to me. Taking on a role I've never done before.

One of the things I've noticed when you are put in a situation that requires you to learn at an accelerated pace is the total exhaustion I feel. See, I don't even think I'm making any sense. You see how many times I have to back space as I type this.

I also don't know why, of all the days since my last post, I am choosing tonight. Maybe its because I'm so totally exhausted I am partially psychotic.Not sure how long this new role will last, but I hope I get the hang of it soon because it's driving me insane.

Filed in: sitenews

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DucterPDA - from all things Duct Tape

I don't really have a need for this (basically a case for a HipsterPDA) but think I will put one together just to see how it works. Interesting idea.

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