jaywalking

It can be said that communication is the lifeblood of relationships, and this is especially true at work. By fostering understanding, we can communicate more effectively, thus building relationships that enrich our professional lives. This sounds like a lofty goal, so how best to go about it? Based on my own experience, here are three best practices that came to mind: Active Listening - Also known as "listening on purpose". This means when someone is speaking, don't just wait to talk, actually listen to what he/she is saying. Sounds easy enough, right? I don't know about you, but I always seem to have such a great response teed up all I can think about is getting it out there! However, if I resist the temptation and practice active listening, I gain a deeper understanding and can target my message accordingly.  Empathy  - Empathy is the ability to put oneself in another's shoes and understand their feelings and experiences. If I understand and empathize with someo...

As I navigate a challenging time in my professional life, staying positive  is one of the most important things I can do. Update your resume, update your LinkedIn profile, make connections, practice your interview answers, the list goes on. These are some of the many pieces of advice I heard over the past year as I have trudged the road to gainful employment. Often overlooked is a positive attitude.   As I mentioned in my last post, I have decided to make a career transition from capital markets to communications. At the time of this writing, I am still unemployed. To say the process of looking for a job is frustrating is an understatement of biblical proportions! It is a struggle to stay positive in the face of seemingly constant rejection, but I must keep going. It is far easier to fall into a morass of self-pity, thinking I made a big mistake, or that I will never find a job. When those feelings come over me (which they often do) I make a conscious effort to suppress t...

All through my academic career I got passing grades, but I was never interested in learning . Chalk it up to being young,  naïve , and not understanding what these abstract subjects had to do with "real life". How am I going to apply ancient history or algebra once I am in the outside world? Turns out the teachings of the ancients are just as relevant today as they were thousands of  years ago, and algebra has many real-world applications. Who knew?  I did have one class in high school that had “real life” applications-typing (yes, that was an actual class). I wish I had paid more attention there, as it has taken quite a while to type all this. Between all the backspacing and being accidentally stuck on CAPS LOCK, well you get the idea. Fast forward a few (ahem) years and I find myself interested in learning about anything and everything . I am fascinated and curious about plants, animals, astronomy, natural history, and the complex workings of terrestrial, aquatic, ...

Welcome to my blog! As I sit down to write this first post, I am filled with a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and anticipation. Starting this blog marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life, and I couldn't be more thrilled to embark on this journey with all of you. I have a passion for writing and connecting with people through words, so this seemed a natural progression for me. Rest assured I will do my best to create compelling content that keeps you coming back for more. As I embark on this blogging journey, I invite you to join me. Your support and engagement are very important, and I look forward to sharing my thoughts and experiences with you in the posts to come. Watch this space... Thanks, Jay