Be Open Minded to New ideas and Embrace Fear

 Summary:     This article describes the opportunities that can come into our lives when we open our minds to the realm of possibility.    Find out what can happen when we embrace fear for what it is – the Opportunity for Growth.

As we go about our work each day we should keep our minds open to new ideas and possibilities.Life is about learning and developing new skills and experiencing new opportunities - and by opening our minds to possibilities we leave ourselves ready and able to hear and see opportunities that a more limiting mind may be denied.        

We need to ask ourselves the question – Are we ready and willing to change our behavior in order to widen our minds to possibilities? For instance, if we are poor listeners are we ready and willing to make the necessary changes in behavior that will allow us to hear new ideas and thereby experience new possibilities.    What possibilities are we missing out on because of having closed minds? It is not just “ideas” we miss out on when we consider this across all areas of our lives –  this could include opportunities that will bring us laughter, joy, happiness and love into our lives.When we approach each area of our life with positive expectation and flexibility it opens up a whole range of possibilities for us to enjoy.

We should also be prepared to encounter some “fear” in our lives.When we encounter fear it is a sign that we are stretching ourselves, and therefore we are learning and growing. Many people avoid fear because it gives us that terrible feeling in the pit of our stomach. Recognise fear for what it is – it is the Opportunity for Growth!! If we never experience fear we are not stretching ourselves.

When we resist fear we are stifling growth. If we meet fear head on, our lives will become more expansive and our new learning experiences will enable us to thrive and flourish.  We cultivate fear on our journey through life partly because we are afraid to fail. What we need to realize is that failure is part of our journey to success. Many very successful business people have failed many times before going on to create extremely successful businesses.

There is a saying “the Teacher arrives when the student is ready”.  Every person and every opportunity is a “teacher” (learning experience) for us – we learn from positive experiences and we learn from negative experiences – just as we learn from negative people and positive people. For example – if we exceed the speed limit when driving we receive a fine – we can learn from that negative experience and decide not to speed in the future, or we can continue to speed and keep receiving the same negative result. Children learn in similar ways.When parents praise their child for doing something well the child will continue to try to make repeat attempts at the task before them, thereby developing their skills and enhancing their interest in exploring new possibilities. They may fall down many times along their journey however their persistence will eventually gain positive results.

Like the children we once were, we need to continue to approach life with open minds and fearless spirits believing in our ability to persist and eventually succeed in any endeavour we undertake.

HASTEN THE CHANGE to the Confident YOU – Use A Visual Simulator !!

Barbara Elisjones explains how we can change our beliefs and be the person we wish to be.   Barbara operates a recruitment company in Sydney, Australia and is a trainer in personal development.


How can we hasten the change in our beliefs in order to build our confidence and self esteem?       All our beliefs have been developed gradually over many years – therefore it will take time to develop new beliefs.   However, we can further the emergence of the new YOU by regularly repeating positive affirmations. See article - "Are you lacking confidence and self assurance?"

We can also improve our confidence by using Visualising techniques.    You have probably seen or heard that when flight pilots develop new skills they use a flight simulator to do this.     This is because the simulator is able to replicate exact experiences the pilot will encounter when at the controls of an aircraft.    Similarly we can use our imagination to act as a simulator to enforce positive experiences and beliefs which we can then replicate in real life.    

Take time each day to visualize yourself being the person you want to be.    For example, if you lack confidence in social situations you may wish to visualize yourself walking into a room full of people – shaking hands, smiling and chatting in a relaxed manner.     Whilst visualizing this scene feel that friendly relaxed energy that you would like to enjoy, rather than stress and anxiety and sweaty hands you may presently experience.  Note your heart beating at a normal steady rhythm (not pounding), and feel the lovely inner glow you would like to experience when meeting these new people, and smile and nod to verify your interest in what they have to say.   You will be simulating an experience of someone you would like to be – as though you already have these social skills.

Keep repeating these exercises across all areas of your life until you become that confident and relaxed person you have visualised.   The more you bring all the feelings and emotions to the exercise the greater and sooner the improvement.

As you develop your self esteem you will find that you start attracting new and different people into your life and you will start thinking more positively about yourself and others.    Next week we will discuss the importance of mixing with positive people.   We will look at the people who will assist you in your journey to find the new confident YOU.      

ARE YOU LACKING CONFIDENCE AND SELF ASSURANCE?

Barbara Elisjones explains how we can change our beliefs and be the person we wish to be.   Barbara operates a recruitment company in Sydney, Australia and is a trainer in personal development.

Why do some people have confidence and self assurance whilst others lack these positive traits? Our ability to interact with others in the community comes down to our self belief.

Each of us has travelled a different journey in life – different parents, different teachers, different peers, and different life experiences with people. The interactions we have experienced with each of these people through life and the way that we responded to those interactions has created the person we are today. This includes all of our fears that we have generated, the way we participate in our relationships, the way we respond to others at work and the way we think about ourselves.

For example we can all remember things that were said to us by our parents and teachers when growing up – things like – “You will never amount to much” - “Why aren’t you smart like your brother” - “Why aren’t you well behaved like your sister” - all negatives that were implanted In our subconscious minds when we were very young. Our minds react to this negative information 24 hours a day and we go over and over these subconscious thoughts – until they become our beliefs. All these “put downs” then impact in a negative way on the way we see ourselves.

Advertisers make use of our subconscious minds knowing that we absorb any messages that cross our minds into our subconscious; and that is why advertisers repeat their messages continuously until these messages become our beliefs about the products and services they are promoting. Therefore we need to be aware that some of our beliefs are not based on fact. Instead they are based on messages provided by others.

What we need to know is that we can change these incorrect beliefs. We need to replace these incorrect beliefs with new beliefs. We use positive statements about ourselves to do this and repeat these statements over and over until they become reality. We also need to take a careful look at what we say to ourselves each and every day. How many times have we done something and then made the comment to ourselves – oh you idiot why would I do that? Although we did not mean that comment such comments need to be stopped. So we must keep correcting ourselves – and say positive things about ourselves and always say them in the present tense as though we already have the ability, skill or the characteristic we wish to have. Repeat to ourselves positive statements, for example – “I am a confident, happy, friendly person who enjoys interacting with people.”

The more we repeat these statements over and over again will enable us to replace any negative messages we have stored in our subconscious mind over a number of years and enable us to become the person we wish to be.

Next week I will discuss with you how to use this correcting exercise in combination with others to enable you to further the process and speed up the journey to be the person we wish to be.

Best Jobs in Sydney

Resume Preparation

Remember your Resume is your selling tool – it is selling YOU. It should be concise and understated rather than exaggerated. Your consultant will add to it if required.

Your resume presentation gives an indication of your logical thinking and your written communication skills. (Are you able to express yourself concisely or are you a waffler?)

Type your resume. Handwritten resumes are ignored. No employer has the time to decipher handwriting.

Make sure you check the spelling errors. Every draft should be thoroughly checked for spelling and grammatical errors.

Keep your points concise – avoid long phrases. Use dot points to show your responsibilities under each position in your career history. Dot points are easier for reading and it is easier to see your skill-set. Your resume should include –

Your Personal Details:
Name, address, contact details (home telephone number, work telephone number, mobile number, email address)

Education should include:
Level achieved at Secondary school, name of institution you attended, and date you completed.
Tertiary education (provide name of institution attended, name of course, areas of major study and year attended).
List short courses attended and year attended.
List of computer software and computer skills.

Work Experience should include:
Name of Company, branch and city
Position Held, Date position started and finished (e.g. Sept 08 – June 10)
Under each position list “Roles and Responsibilities” – here use dot points and list the roles in single lines.
Special achievements may be noted under each role if you wish.

Provide a list of referees (at least two) together with telephone numbers. Referees should be people to whom you previously reported.

Interview Techniques

Before taking the next step in your career path you must succeed at your interview. It is at this time that all that confidence you had seems to disappear. Successful interviews don't just happen they require preparation. Go prepared and maintain your confidence.

Preparation

Talk to your Elisjones Consultant and find out about the company offering the position, its job specification and the skills and experience required.

Do your Homework. Research the company. Check out their website, find out about their products and services. Compare your skills and experience against the job specification.

Make a note of any special skills or experience you have that matches the job specification that can validate your selection for the job.

Make a list of questions to ask the interviewer. Always let the interviewer know that you have researched their website, and tell them you have some additional questions. (Talk to your Elisjones consultant about the sort of questions that would be appropriate at this point.)

Plan your travel to the interview. Ideally arrive ten minutes early so that you arrive relaxed. (If taking public transport, take the earlier train or bus to allow for cancellations.)

Present yourself as the person you want to be. Look professional – smart, tidy and clean. For corporate positions wear a classic dark suit (including jacket) – make sure it is pressed and clean. Avoid sandals, sling back shoes and sneakers. Avoid unnecessary adornments like rings, bracelets and chunky earrings.

Be prepared to answer situational or behavioural questions related to the role. (Ask your Elisjones consultant if you are unsure.) For example for a customer service position you could be asked: "Can you tell me how you would handle a difficult customer who has a complaint."

Know your strengths and weaknesses. Prepare yourself ahead – many of our weaknesses are also our strengths – so tell your interviewer this. For example – 'attention to detail' can be a strength and a weakness – it can slow you down if overdone. Avoid saying that you don't have weaknesses. We all have them, so this wouldn't be credible.

The Interview Itself

You have arrived at the interview location on time, well dressed and well prepared and your mobile phone turned off.
- Greet the interviewer with a friendly smile and a firm hand shake.
- Most interviewers will then endeavour to put you at ease by having a general chat prior to asking you questions.

Speak at a normal pace. Avoid speaking too fast. (Some people speak fast when they are nervous – be aware of this and slow your speech if necessary.)

Always look at the interviewer – keep eye contact as much as possible. Try to smile, as this relaxes you. Do not cross your arms. Lean forward slightly and show interest in the job.

Phrase responses in positive terms – avoid negatives. This presents you as an optimist rather than a pessimist. Answer questions in short descriptive phrases without waffling. Be precise and clear with your answers.

If you completed your preparation, you should now know how to answer your strengths and weaknesses if asked. Similarly you should be prepared for any behavioural or situational questions having checked with your EJ Consultant.

Closing the Interview

Avoid asking about remuneration until the end of the interview. Allow time for the interviewer to approach the subject first. Initially answer the question by saying - for example - "I believe the market range is $60-$65,000". The reason for this is to allow the employing company to commit itself first with a guideline figure.

If an offer is made at the interview, and you are keen to accept the job – do so. However, if you are unsure – or you need to discuss the position further with your Consultant or partner, confirm your interest in the job and tell the interviewer that you would like to discuss the offer with your partner (or consultant) first before accepting.

If a job offer isn't made – ask for the Job. Don't be worried if the job is not offered immediately as there could be others to be interviewed.

Where the interviewer brings the interview to an end thank the interviewer for their time (and for the job offer – if made). Confirm your interest in the job.

Ring your Elisjones consultant and discuss any queries you have about the position that needs to be clarified. Provide feedback of your interest or otherwise in the position as soon as possible after the interview. Remember it is best if the consultant has your feedback before talking to the employer regarding their response. It demonstrates your enthusiasm for the role.

DO NOT

If you "forget" to turn off your mobile phone – ignore it and apologise to your interviewer – do not ask can you answer it.

Do NOT chew gum.

DO

Sell yourself.

Remember you are a person with good skills and experience that fits the job on offer. (Your Elisjones consultant has already matched your skills and experience.) Your Consultant believes in you – now believe in yourself.

Elisjones & Associates - Recruitment Services Australia