Purple Cow and Your Career Success

More on Seth Godin's books.

SG is the author of Purple Cow and other marketing books.

Interestingly, I first came across the Purple Cow back in 2006, when I hadn't even heard of SG. I was researching how to give effective presentations, and found an online article with a strange title: "Embrace The Purple Cow". I had never heard of SG or Purple Cow, and the significance of that title completely slipped me.

Funny how seemingly random events come together when you're ripe for a new idea in your life.

A few months back, I received an email invite from the professional networking association I used to attend. The invite was for a talk about business success and... the Purple Cow.

So, what or who is a Purple Cow, and what's the hype about?

According to the marketing blurb on the book -

"You're either a Purple Cow or you're not. You're either remarkable or invisible...

Purple Cow describes something phenomenal, something counterintuitive and exciting and flat out unbelievable.

Every day, consumers come face to face with a lot of boring stuff-a lot of brown cows-but you can bet they won't forget a Purple Cow.

And it's not a marketing function that you can slap on to your product or service. Purple Cow is inherent. It's built right in, or it's not there. Period.

In Purple Cow, Seth Godin urges you to put a Purple Cow into everything you build, and everything you do, to create something truly noticeable.

It's a manifesto for marketers who want to help create products that are worth marketing in the first place."

Here's SG's advice on how you can use the Purple Cow to find your dream job:

#1 You can't be Purple at the last minute. You need to be Purple before you start looking for a job. That means doing a remarkable job at work (hence the amazing referrals you'll get for internal jobs) and with clients (hence the unsolicited job offers). People who are remarkable in the way they deal with customers and clients rarely find themselves unemployed for long.

#2 Fight the temptation to print 1,000 resumes and to submit yourself to the cattle call that is the typical job search. This won't work. You'll get an average job if you do that. Instead, focus on the people who are searching for a truly special hire. If you're that person, it'll happen. What usually occurs though, is that average people are pretty desperate and try to persuade the hiring person that they are in fact remarkable. They end up not getting the job because their references belie their assertion.

So...

• Be remarkable
• Build a network of people who truly want to hear from you

...and you'll find the job you seek.

Serena Recommends: MindTools.com

I've subscribed to MindTools' newsletter for more than a year now.

The articles are excellent and I always learn something new.

You get tips and advice on:

• time management
• stress management
• communication skills
• leadership skills
• how to improve your memory
• project planning
• decision making
• problem solving

What's great is that the site caters not just to employees, but to everyone who is involved with an organization. So you could be an owner, worker, manager or HR practitioner, and you'll find something you can apply right away to improve your personal effectiveness.

If you mouse over Decision Making, for instance, you see these subtopics:

Pareto Analysis

Paired Comparison

Grid Analysis

Decision Trees

Force Field Analysis

Six Thinking Hats

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Wow.

I like the site's simple, uncluttered layout. It hints of professionalism, just what you and I would aspire to demonstrate in the workplace.

No wonder it's "The Internet's most visited career training site".

Wish I'd had access to such info when I was an employee!

Finding Your Allies: Building Strong and Supportive Relationships at Work

From MindTools.com

"A problem shared is a problem halved", as the old saying goes, and it's true in business as well.

When it comes to working your way through the challenges that you face every day, it's a great help to be able to draw on a network of supportive individuals that you can work with to find a solution.

Allies are the people who give you backing, assistance, advice, information, protection, and even friendship. They are your support base. With strong, mutually beneficial relationships with your allies, you can survive and thrive in the corporate arena, and you can get things done quicker, and more smoothly.

Working together with allies simply helps you and them achieve more. (Here, we're using the word "ally" in it's positive sense - we're not implying that you're trying to circumvent proper channels, engage in politics or game-play, or create any kind of "us and them" culture. It is clearly wrong to behave in this way.)

Anyone and everyone who can help you achieve your objectives is a potential ally.

Some are natural: These are people who share a common interest with you. The colleague who's been around for years and can offer an invaluable voice of experience, the team member who is always happy to be a sounding board for your ideas, or the vendor who is ready to accept seemingly-impossible deadlines; these people are your natural allies.

But you can find allies in unexpected places too.

Alex in finance, who pulls together an extra report on your projects finances; Claire, the secretary, who tells you when the boss is in a good mood; or Simon, your ex-department head who is always available for advice. They too are important allies.

Allies can help you directly and indirectly. For instance, if you're running behind schedule on a project, your subordinate can help you directly by working longer hours, while your boss can help you indirectly by delegating another part of your workload to someone else.

Building Your Personal Support Base
This is one of the reasons that it's important to be open and supportive to others in the workplace, and why it's worth making at least some of your time available to help others out when they need help. After all, if you're a positive and supportive person, many other people will be equally supportive towards you.

So who could your allies be? Just your team mates? Actually, your list of potential allies goes much further than this!

Rest of the article...

How Hard Do You Work?

I am reading books by Seth Godin.

Started with All Marketers Are Liars and am currently midway through Small Is the New Big.

It's a collection of A-Z essays on SG's thoughts on everything from AAA Autos to Zebra Cake. :-)

The one I want to share is A Brief History of Hard Work, Adjusted For Risk.

SG's question to us: how hard do we actually work? What exactly does it mean to work hard?

Working hard doesn't mean sitting at a desk for long hours or being always connected with your BlackBerry.

That's working long.

SG says:

"Our future in the workplace is not about time at all. The future is about work that's really and truly hard, not just time-consuming. It's about the kind of work that requires us to push ourselves, not just punch the clock. Hard work is where our future job security, our financial profit, and our future joy lie.

It's hard work to make difficult emotional decisions, such as quitting a job and setting out on your own.

It's hard work to invent a new system, service, or process that's remarkable.

It's hard work to tell your boss he's being intellectually and emotionally lazy.

It's hard work to tell senior management to abandon something that it has been doing for a long time in favour of a new and apparently risky alternative.

It's hard work to make good decisions with less than all of the data.

It's much easier to stand by and watch the company fade into oblivion.

Today, working hard is about taking apparent risk...something that the competition (and your co-workers) believe is unsafe but that you realize is in fact far more conservative than sticking with the status quo.

...many of us are choosing to take the easy way out. We're going to work for the Man, letting him do all the hard work while we put in the long hours.

Some people...are realizing that this temporary recession is the best opportunity they've ever had. They're working harder than ever - mentally - and taking all sorts of emotional and personal risks that are bound to pay off.

Hard work is about risk. It begins when you deal with the things you'd rather not deal with: fear of failure, fear of standing out, fear of rejection.

Hard work is about training yourself to leap over this barrier, tunnel under that barrier, drive through the other barrier and after you've done that, to do it again the next day.

The riskier your co-worker's hard work appears to be, the safer it really is.

It's the people having difficult conversations, inventing remarkable products, and pushing the envelope (and perhaps, still going home at 5 pm) who are building a recession-proof future for themselves.

So tomorrow, when you go to work, really sweat. Your time is worth the effort."

PS. My good friend and ex-colleague OTL is exactly the kind of hard worker SG had in mind. A visionary, always tinkering with new ideas and new ways of doing things, always challenging the status quo and asking "Why?" and "Why not?"
OTL, you'll have job security for life. :)

PPS. If you've enjoyed this post, get more SG pearls at www.SethGodin.com.

Don't sweat the small stuff. Sweat the ones that matter. :-)

The Secret to Being Happy

If you want to be happy...

For an hour, take a nap

For a day, go fishing

For a month, get married

For a year, get an inheritance

For a lifetime, help someone.

Martin Seligman

The Next Phase: Becoming A Church Elder

At last Sun's congregational meeting, CA and another member were elected elders of Hoppers Crossing Uniting Church.

When I think about how new we are in Aus and how much we have to learn about so many things here, I am like "Wow! Really?"

I remember looking up 1 Timothy in the Bible to see what the apostle Paul had to say about church leaders.

It's quite a sobering list.

A church deacon/overseer must be:

• Husband of only one wife
• Temperate
• Self-controlled
• Respectable/Worthy of respect
• Hospitable
• Able to teach
• Not given to drunkenness
• Not violent but gentle
• Not quarrelsome
• Not a lover of money/Not pursuing dishonest gain
• Must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect
• Must not be a recent convert
• Must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience
• Must first be tested, and appointed only if there is nothing against them
• Must have a good reputation with outsiders

I reckon the bit about managing the family well is our Challenge of the Moment.

Beth has been acting up since she started school.

She actually defies us when we tell her to Go To The Corner, and says NO and has to be physically escorted there.

I can't believe how out of hand things get at home sometimes, and how inept I feel as a parent when the girls test our authority.

It makes me wonder: are we as a family up to handling CA's new position of responsibility?

Surely we ought to be role models like the ones described in Steve Green's Household of Faith song first?

On the other hand, this is our chance to serve in Hoppers Crossing, this community where we live, worship and go to school.

To - as a friend back home puts it - bloom where we are planted.

I need to trust that God knows what He's doing (even when I don't), that He has a plan for us, and that His plan is to prosper us and not to harm us, to give us hope and a future here, right here in the suburb of Hoppers Crossing in the City of Wyndham in Melbourne, Australia.

And not only to trust, but also to obey.

As the hymn goes: "Trust and obey/For there's no other way/To be happy in Jesus/But to trust and obey".

Goals Are Gained Through Small Steps

I love this article from Beth's school newsletter.

GOALS ARE GAINED THROUGH SMALL STEPS!

Do you feel like there's a huge gap between your present position and your ultimate destination?

You say, "Yes, I'd like to be a lawyer, but that means I'd have to go to Uni and do a degree. That would take years!"

"I have so many other things I'd like to do."

"I don't think I could take the risk. It will create financial hardship."

"I don't know how to get started."

The excuses pile up like dirty dishes in a sink; it feels like it would take too long, cost too much, require too much energy, require too many sacrifices to get from point A to point B.

Whether it's making an effort at school, or starting your own business or applying the discipline required to make it happen, the temptation is to always put it off until another time.

How do you overcome the fear of starting? The simple answer is that you reach big goals by taking small steps! While it's tempting to think that the amount of time required is too long, those days and years will pass quickly - whether you're pursuing your goal or not! You need to make an early start and for students it is right now - at the beginning of the year!

You need to show up for duty and leave the provisions - to Him. The Psalmist writes: "No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly."
(Psalm 84:11)

Trust God and take the first small step, but do something! Don't just sit around hoping it will all just fall into place. If you do nothing, we will be here same time next year, asking the same questions.

Principal
Reynald Tibbens
Heathdale Christian College

Reflection:
When you consider that this article was written for the students of Heathdale, it's just amazing.
Can you imagine the ripple effect it can have on its readers - parents, siblings, friends - and its power to change the lives of those who are ready and open?
I felt so awed and inspired when I read it, and almost wished I'd written it myself.
Its simple and succinct content is at once a reminder, a clarion call to action, a nudge in the direction of self-discipline, and something I can paste on the fridge and refer to every day.
With a Christ-focused principal like RT, I know my daughter is in good hands.

Recommended Reading: 7 Strategies to Recession-Proof Your Career

Just want to share this article by Dr. Randall S. Hansen, QuintCareer.com's Career Doctor.

I always enjoy reading the articles on QuintCareers because they are informative, full of value and written for easy reading without being overly simplistic.

If you're an employee, protecting your career and boosting your chances of being retained and promoted require a delicate balance between knowing what's going on outside the company, and being your boss' trusted resource.

Dr Hansen recommends these 7 strategies to protect your career:

1. Stay alert to the grapevine.
2. Keep your resume current.
3. Build your brand internally.
4. Become a company man/woman.
5. Build your brand externally.
6. Find career development opportunities.
7. Network.

Read the article here.

The Next Phase: Becoming A Piano Teacher

Years ago, I remember asking my best friend to connect me with her friend who was a piano teacher.

We exchanged emails but I never got round to taking action on my then vague desire to teach piano.

I felt that my Dip. in Piano Performance just wouldn't hack it if I had to submit myself to a rigorous Yamaha audition, so why bother?

When Beth got to the age of being able to sit through a Kindermusik class, I thought: maybe I could teach kiddies music?

Again, I failed to take action.

Today, I'm glad to say I've just taught my 2nd lesson to an adult learner, and it's been all good.

I reckon I'm learning as much as she is.

It's not easy finding the right words to say and I'm having to be really careful so that I am generous with praise and encouragement, and that I gently correct without being critical or judgmental.

Having been raised in a high-control, perfectionistic environment, I have to consciously censor those thoughts and remarks that would otherwise slip out.

It helps that Beth has her Yamaha Junior Music Course in the morning, and that I get to sit with her through the class and absorb some of the positive vibes from her very enthusiastic teacher and classmates. The class gives me a high and I carry some of that zeal and joy with me into my teaching in the afternoon, so it's worked out really well.

I'm so thankful that after years of dithering and non-action, I've finally found my way into teaching piano.

I plan to get better and better in my teaching and my playing so that I grow alongside my student.

The Time To Act On Your Dreams Is NOW

We are not fearless enough to take charge of our lives.

We live in the shadows of those who are our heroes and whom we are content to applaud.

Sadly, most of us don't recognise that we too have the capacity to take home the gold and consequently we live a mediocre standard of life.

Every day there is sufficient time and reason for us to do something that will propel us into becoming something bigger and better...

It's NOW that we need to do those things that should be part of our spiritual progress but sadly we haven't time just yet. The lawn has to be mowed; the dog has to be washed. By the end of the week we think we will have more time and only then will we write the poetry that is simmering inside us...


We convince ourselves that later on, next week, afterwards, soon, presently, before long, it will happen.

Yes, maybe in days to come we will have time, but is it possible that we won't be well enough, have enough money to pay for the art classes or have the vision to read the book when we finally find that elusive time?


Talk comes cheaply.

Action costs a little bit more. It takes courage and tenacity.

And guess what? Each and every one of us has enough to rule the world if we wish.

It's time to challenge ourselves because the clock ticks quietly on as we fritter away those days, weeks and months of idle talk.

Action by Lorraine Hunter
Living Now, Jan/Feb 2008 - To inspire, nurture, inform and empower
Australia's largest and finest holistic publication

I Am Only One

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do the something I can do.

Edward Everett Hale
Reformer, writer and chaplain of the U.S. Senate

Making Friends

I felt so proud today when Beth declared that she now has 5 friends at school: Emily, Jasmine, Madison, Connor and Joey.

She started school knowing just Joey, who was her best friend at kinder.

We're very blessed too that she has all these senior friends looking out for her, because all the kids from church are at Heathdale Christian College.

Yesterday, Georgia (Grade 3) came specially to look for Beth before school started.

When I got to band practice at church last night, the twins were disappointed that Beth wasn't with me.

But Beth's not the only one who's been busy socializing.

Dropping Beth off and picking her up everyday means I get heaps of opportunities to meet other parents.

I'm meeting new people everyday and trying hard to remember all their names and the names of their children.

A, dad to Jennifer.
L, mum to Kyle and mum of 4.
M, mum to Sarah and mum of 4 girls.
LA, mum to Jasmine and mum of 4 girls.
Sharon, mum to Riley and Alexandra.

It's a wonderful way to become part of the Heathdale community.

Just 2 days ago, one of the mums I'd struck up a conversation with, asked if I could do her a favour and take her daughter home for 2 days next week! Her husband works shifts and she hasn't got her 'P's yet. And she knows I've only just acquired my 'P's. How incredible is that?

So this afternoon, she and her daughter Sarah, who's also a Preppie, sat in our car and directed me to their home.

I assured her and her hubby I would devote some time over the weekend to memorize the route from school to their place. I know how frightening it must feel to place their daughter's safety and wellbeing in the hands of a complete stranger, especially one who's just passed her driving! They tell me they've been praying that they would meet someone they could trust to take their daughter home, and now "God has provided"!

I can think of only 2 words: Divine Appointment.

Perhaps God has planned all this so our 2 families can get acquainted and support each other.

I definitely feel like He's calling me to Higher Ground and out of my comfort zone....again.

Generation Nigella

From mX News, 1 Feb 2008

I've just learned of a new Generation, betwixt X and Y.

It's called Generation Nigella, named for Nigella Lawson, who has made home-cooking and domestication fashionable again.

Gen N refers to young, middle-class women who prefer a happy balance of home, work and family to working long hours and partying hard.

A survey of 2480 commissioned by the UK RED Magazine found that only 1% of young, middle-class women say their jobs take priority in their lives.

59% would rather work part-time if they can afford to.

36% would like to be full-time mums.

And women who give up work to stay home with young children are the happiest of all.

"Forget the '90s work/life balance, now it's home/life/work balance...Nigella has given 30-somethings permission to enjoy their homes again."

Heath Ledger: 1979-2008

We were watching A Knight's Tale last night, one of two Heath Ledger movies being screened on TV as a tribute to the Australian actor, who had died suddenly on Jan 23 at the age of 28.

At every commercial break, these terse words would flash on the screen:
Heath Ledger 1979-2008

How bleak and harsh they were.

Surely they couldn't be referring to the lively, funny, big-hearted hero being portrayed on screen.

It just didn't seem right that he was cut off before the prime of his life.

"He's younger than you," observed hubby.

"Yup, only 28, what a pity. Would you say he has achieved more than most people?"

"Of course," came the instant reply.

"Isn't it obvious?" was unspoken.

It made me think.

How do you measure the impact of a person's life against his peers'?

How do you tell what a person's legacy was, and whether he had lived to his fullest potential?

Is the significance of a man's life dictated by the length of his days?

Is the significance of a man's life dictated by how many people knew him?

By "knew", I mean not only those who, by virtue of their professional achievements and choice of profession, attained great celebrity (or notoriety) and thus were known by name to thousands.

I refer also to the many who are quietly missed and fondly remembered, whose names appear only in an obituary in the local paper, if even that.

Their names are remembered only by those who knew them personally.
But oh, what fond, funny and heartwarming tales they would tell!

They might talk of how, wherever Mr A saw need, he would plant help and hope, and how this started a cycle of paying it forward.

The legacies of these quiet heroes will live on in lives touched by the simple, ordinary acts of love, courage and kindness that they faithfully performed while they lived.

If God has created every person on this earth for a specific mission and purpose, what then was Heath Ledger's mission and purpose?

When he died as tragically as he did, had he already fulfilled his mission and purpose?

What will people remember him for 10, 20, 50 years from now?

I suppose it depends on whom you ask.

1979-2008.

2 numbers that bookend the start and end of a person's time on earth, time that once gone can never be retrieved.

1979: A baby boy is born into a loving family. His parents rejoice at this new addition to the family, and dream of what his future might be.

2008: The same parents who have lovingly raised their son to adulthood and proudly watched as he achieved worldwide acclaim for his acting talent and wise choice of acting roles, now have the grievous task of burying him.

What a sobering reminder of how volatile the future can be.

"Teach me to number my days, O Lord, that I may be wise," says the Psalmist.

Helpful resource:
http://www.holybible.com/resources/living_learning/fall_1998/teach_numbers.htm

You Are Who You Are For A Reason

Poem by Russell Kelfer
From Chapter 2, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

You are who you are for a reason
You're part of an intricate plan
You're a precious and perfect unique design
Called God's special woman or man

You look like you look for a reason
Our God made no mistake
He knit you together within the womb
You're just what he wanted to make

The parents you had were the ones he chose
And no matter how you may feel
They were custom-designed with God's plan in mind
And they bear the Master's seal

No, that trauma you faced was not easy
And God wept that it hurt you so
But it was allowed to shape your heart
So that into his likeness you'd grow

You are who you are for a reason
You’ve been formed by the Master's rod
You are who you are, beloved,
Because there is a God!

Anthony Robbins, NLP and Christianity

If you're a fan of self-empowerment and self-improvement, you will almost certainly have encountered Anthony Robbins at some point.

His books: Unlimited Power, Awaken The Giant Within and Giant Steps, are international bestsellers.

His seminars are legendary, as much for their drama (firewalking!) as for their cost.

While researching NLP and whether it conflicts with Christian doctrine, I came across these helpful resources:

• An article on ReachoutTrust.org about what NLP is and how its teachings are at odds with Christianity.
• An analysis of Anthony Robbins' teachings (Anthony Robbins and the Quest for Unlimited Power).

Learning Piano All Over Again

I've taken the next step in the process of shedding my classical training and all the joylessness and inhibition that came with it.

I Googled "teach piano to beginners" and found these cool sites:

www.piano-lessons-central.com
www.chordpiano.com
www.readmusicfast.com
www.playpiano.com

They are all written by US-based piano teacher Duane Shinn.

I love his video clips, especially the ones where he demonstrates complex chord progressions and improvises to different rhythms like jazz and swing (have always wanted to do that but don't know how).

I feel like I can really learn this new stuff, even if I've spent my entire childhood and adolescence steeped in a discipline I didn't enjoy.
I feel inspired to try different things the next time I go for band practice in church.
Inspiration is a beautiful thing!

The Magic Of Thinking Big

As long as you are going to go about your day thinking anyway, you may as well "think big".

Anyone can think small, and most people do.

In fact, most people keep themselves in the same place in life, doing the exact same thing, without significant growth or change because of limited or conditioned thinking.

Don't just think about what is possible, think about what might seem nearly impossible, that would require you to grow and move beyond who you currently know yourself to be.

Think about what you have always wanted to do or have in your life ... those things that your heart speaks of.

"If you can dream it, you can do it." ~Walt Disney

Thinking big equals going big.

Thinking small means staying small.

You decide.

You get to choose your thoughts.

Be outrageous and let your imagination fly.

This does not mean thinking unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky stuff, like being able to suddenly perform superhuman feats.

It means allowing yourself to stretch and believe in the beauty of your dreams.

Adapted from the Coaching Compass newsletter

Simply Music, Simply Divine

Do you, like most people, believe that a person is born musical?

That in order to master the keyboard well enough to play it for your own pleasure, you have to spend years learning it?

That only those who started learning when they were children would have any hope of getting really good at it?

While looking up the Internet for ways to teach piano to adult beginners, I came upon a fantastic site, SimplyMusic.com.

This is an Australian-developed program that teaches students to play music before they can read music, that focuses on hands-on learning rather than rote learning of theory and technique.

The program wants to make music accessible to everyone. In that sense, it's revolutionary.

I've been looking for something like this without knowing it.

I'm so excited I've printed the brochures off so I can study them properly.

If this is what it claims to be, I've just found my answer to something I've been struggling with - how to teach piano to adult learners without a piano teaching qualification and without being a concert-level pianist.

I've noticed a growing interest in my community from adults who just want to learn to play simple songs for their own pleasure and fulfilment. They're motivated, they're self-directed, they're hungry to learn. They don't want heaps of theory or to sit exams. Most importantly, they're adults, so we speak the same lingo. They're my kind of students, and I want to learn how to reach them and teach them so they can start to experience the joy and aliveness and power that Music has given me.

Just imagine the possibilities....I can hardly wait!

To Work Or Not To Work

That is the question.

Here we are again at the age-old dilemma:

Should I go back to f/t work or continue to stay home with the kids?
Is this the right time?
Is there such a thing as the right time?
Can I do both rather than either/or?
Is it selfish to want to be the best I can be, to want more than what being a SAHM can offer?
Will my kids' development and wellbeing suffer if I return to work f/t?

I am learning to think with an Abundance mentality, one that allows for the possibility of "plus" rather than "either/or", which can really limit your choices.

I find that my energies will always travel in the direction of those things I most love doing, and that financial recompense is not always the top criterion in determining how happy and fulfilled I will be.

As Stephen Covey says in The 8th Habit, where Passion, Vision, Need and Talent intersect, there will I find my Voice.

So if Internet marketing promises squillions in residual income but it doesn't give me the one-on-one human interaction I enjoy, it won't work for me. I may start with a bang but give up after a few months.

And if being a Legal Info Officer with VIC Legal Aid offers a salary that's middling but lets me feel like I'm able to help a section of the community that's disadvantaged, and also allows me to use my legal skills indirectly, then that might work out better for me.