[b]5 Life Altering Choices I Wish I Had Made At 25 - Jeff Haden

If I could go back, here are five decisions about education, work, and life that I would make differently:

1. Education.

I went to James Madison University, a four-year school. I paid my way through by working at a local manufacturing plant. I majored in communication arts mostly because I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up.

If I had it to do over again, I would:

Wait a year to start college. But not backpacking across Europe. I would work instead. I would learn a little about the real world since college is anything but, and figure out some of the things I didn't want to do.

Think about how a pre-college (instead of the typical post-graduation) reality check might have changed your approach to education.

Spend the first two years at a community college. In Virginia the state universities have formal arrangements with community colleges; for example, a student who gets a 2-year degree and at least a 3.4 GPA is guaranteed admission to the University of Virginia.

When I graduated high school UVA didn't want me; under the current system they would have been forced to want me.

In community college I could have saved money on all the classes I didn't pay attention to anyway and later I could still receive a degree from a prestigious school. (Not that there's anything wrong with JMU.)

I can't think of a good reason not to take this approach; feel free to explain why if you disagree.

Get a degree in a "profession." My comm arts degree qualified me for, well, nothing.

The same is true for lots of other degrees; unless you plan to teach, to the majority of employers an English degree is a generic, interchangeable degree.

If you're thinking business, get a finance degree rather than a business degree -- you can always be an accountant or analyst. Or get a nursing degree instead of a biology degree. A degree that confers a specific skill creates a solid backup plan.

And if, say, you don't end up working in finance, no problem; your finance degree is just as good as a liberal arts degree to the average employer.

2. First job.

I graduated college and immediately took an entry-level job at an R.R. Donnelley book manufacturing plant. I spent 17 years there, along the way breaking through the labor/management wall into leadership positions. Still, after 17 years all I "knew" was book manufacturing.

If I had it to do over again I would get a job outside my chosen field for a year or two. Say you earn an engineering degree; instead of being in a hurry to land a job calculating structural loads, work for a construction company for a year or so.

Or if you get a finance degree, work in retail. Think of yourself as a conglomerate that chooses to integrate horizontally. The skills you bring from your "outside" experience will make you better at what you choose to do and will differentiate you from your peers.

You have 40 years to calculate structural loads; there's no rush.

3. Career.

Until I left I was convinced I would spend my entire career at RRD. Why work anywhere else? Big company, good pay, good benefits, good opportunities... only when I had left did I realize there were lots of other great places to work.

If I had it to do over again, I would create a series of 10-year plans. My goal would be to "milk" the RRD experience for everything it was worth while preparing myself for my second 10-year career. Around year five I would decide what I wanted to do next and start getting the education, experience, and skills required to make the transition.

If after 10 years the grass isn't greener I would still have choices -- choices I get to make rather than choices that are basically made for me.

Think of your working life as a four- or five-act play and write your own script -- it will always be better than the one other people write for you.

4. Business.

The thought of starting my own business was... shoot, I never even thought about starting a business until I actually did.

If I had it to do over again, I would start a small side business within the first couple years of graduating college. (Or if I hadn't gone to college, within the first couple years of starting my first job.)

Start any business, preferably in a field somewhat removed from your industry or profession. It's easy; you can start a business in one day. Entrepreneurial skills benefit every career, and who knows -- your small business could turn into a full-time venture.

If you currently own a small business, great; start up something different on the side. The same principle applies.

5. Personal achievement.

For years I focused solely on working and raising a family. No regrets there... but I do look back and wish I had used some of my spare time more wisely. (Don't say it: No matter how busy we are, we all have a little spare time.)

I don't speak a second language, can't play piano, never hiked the Appalachian Trail... the list is endless.

If I had it to do over again, I would set meaningful personal goals and pursue them as actively as I pursue career and business goals. I regret hours I wasted on TV... or web surfing... or simply being lazy... that I could have spent learning something new or achieving a cool goal.

With the right kind of effort, mastering a skill is fairly easy. Say you've always wanted to write a novel; think how far along you would be if you had actually gotten started last year. Say you've always wanted to play an instrument; think how good you'd be if you'd actually gotten started a few years ago.

Starting something new is painful, but the regret of never having started is a lot more painful.

What about you? What different paths would you take?[/b]

I find this subject interesting because of its pivotal role in personal development and success in diverse areas of human endeavor i.e education,career,business,public leadership etc. My career in the industry after graduation is now over 10 years and in my working experience and personal development I have realized that leadership skillsets is the most valuable asset that anyone can possess and have since become a student of leadership.

As you may already know,leadership is the ability to influence the successful outcome of an endeavor and as such this subject actually has no boundary in terms of human horizon,and it is my pleasure to explore the subject to its frontiers by posting on leadership inspirations around the globe and in Nigeria,the post below is on Jeff Haden linkedin wall [url]http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130219132304-20017018-5-life-altering-choices-i-wish-i-had-made?trk=eml-mktg-condig-0108-p5[/url. Some of his thoughts below are really interesting and I can relate with many of his thoughts,read for yourself in the excerpts below.

abinibi: [b]5 Life Altering Choices I Wish I Had Made At 25 - Jeff Haden

If I could go back, here are five decisions about education, work, and life that I would make differently:

1. Education.

I went to James Madison University, a four-year school. I paid my way through by working at a local manufacturing plant. I majored in communication arts mostly because I had no clue what I wanted to be when I grew up.

If I had it to do over again, I would:

Wait a year to start college. But not backpacking across Europe. I would work instead. I would learn a little about the real world since college is anything but, and figure out some of the things I didn't want to do.

Think about how a pre-college (instead of the typical post-graduation) reality check might have changed your approach to education.

Spend the first two years at a community college. In Virginia the state universities have formal arrangements with community colleges; for example, a student who gets a 2-year degree and at least a 3.4 GPA is guaranteed admission to the University of Virginia.

When I graduated high school UVA didn't want me; under the current system they would have been forced to want me.

In community college I could have saved money on all the classes I didn't pay attention to anyway and later I could still receive a degree from a prestigious school. (Not that there's anything wrong with JMU.)

I can't think of a good reason not to take this approach; feel free to explain why if you disagree.

Get a degree in a "profession." My comm arts degree qualified me for, well, nothing.

The same is true for lots of other degrees; unless you plan to teach, to the majority of employers an English degree is a generic, interchangeable degree.

If you're thinking business, get a finance degree rather than a business degree -- you can always be an accountant or analyst. Or get a nursing degree instead of a biology degree. A degree that confers a specific skill creates a solid backup plan.

And if, say, you don't end up working in finance, no problem; your finance degree is just as good as a liberal arts degree to the average employer.

2. First job.

I graduated college and immediately took an entry-level job at an R.R. Donnelley book manufacturing plant. I spent 17 years there, along the way breaking through the labor/management wall into leadership positions. Still, after 17 years all I "knew" was book manufacturing.

If I had it to do over again I would get a job outside my chosen field for a year or two. Say you earn an engineering degree; instead of being in a hurry to land a job calculating structural loads, work for a construction company for a year or so.

Or if you get a finance degree, work in retail. Think of yourself as a conglomerate that chooses to integrate horizontally. The skills you bring from your "outside" experience will make you better at what you choose to do and will differentiate you from your peers.

You have 40 years to calculate structural loads; there's no rush.

3. Career.

Until I left I was convinced I would spend my entire career at RRD. Why work anywhere else? Big company, good pay, good benefits, good opportunities... only when I had left did I realize there were lots of other great places to work.

If I had it to do over again, I would create a series of 10-year plans. My goal would be to "milk" the RRD experience for everything it was worth while preparing myself for my second 10-year career. Around year five I would decide what I wanted to do next and start getting the education, experience, and skills required to make the transition.

If after 10 years the grass isn't greener I would still have choices -- choices I get to make rather than choices that are basically made for me.

Think of your working life as a four- or five-act play and write your own script -- it will always be better than the one other people write for you.

4. Business.

The thought of starting my own business was... shoot, I never even thought about starting a business until I actually did.

If I had it to do over again, I would start a small side business within the first couple years of graduating college. (Or if I hadn't gone to college, within the first couple years of starting my first job.)

Start any business, preferably in a field somewhat removed from your industry or profession. It's easy; you can start a business in one day. Entrepreneurial skills benefit every career, and who knows -- your small business could turn into a full-time venture.

If you currently own a small business, great; start up something different on the side. The same principle applies.

5. Personal achievement.

For years I focused solely on working and raising a family. No regrets there... but I do look back and wish I had used some of my spare time more wisely. (Don't say it: No matter how busy we are, we all have a little spare time.)

I don't speak a second language, can't play piano, never hiked the Appalachian Trail... the list is endless.

If I had it to do over again, I would set meaningful personal goals and pursue them as actively as I pursue career and business goals. I regret hours I wasted on TV... or web surfing... or simply being lazy... that I could have spent learning something new or achieving a cool goal.

With the right kind of effort, mastering a skill is fairly easy. Say you've always wanted to write a novel; think how far along you would be if you had actually gotten started last year. Say you've always wanted to play an instrument; think how good you'd be if you'd actually gotten started a few years ago.

Starting something new is painful, but the regret of never having started is a lot more painful.

What about you? What different paths would you take?[/b]

[flash]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6kbcERdmCw[/flash]

A video that explains leadership by inspiration using the golden circle idea.I believe this idea can influence your success at interviews if applied when preparing response to interview questions.

Self-Leadership:

This is an inspiring rags to riches story about the author of Harry Porter books, J.K Rowling,it's about taking leadership in your own situation,it is not positive thinking but positive actions when negative situation is the reality of what surrounds you today.I hope this will speak to millions of university graduates in Nigeria that are unemployed,do something that makes you happy,engage in a hubby,volunteer for a cause,take up a project that you are passionate about,work without pay as long as passion drives what you do.


http://ezinearticles.com/?Leadership-Inspiration---Rags-to-Riches-Leadership&id=2013522

"Each of us has that right, that possibility, to invent ourselves daily. If a person does not invent herself, she will be invented. So, to be bodacious enough to invent ourselves is wise." - Maya Angelou

Where does leadership originate? What makes a good leader? There are a multitude of perspectives and definitions on the subject. What about the followers? Who are the followers of a leader? Are the followers obeying blindly out of fear or laziness when taking the easy road? Or are the followers being self-leaders within the circles in which they participate?
These questions are normally outside of mainstream conversations. The majority of people don't identify with being a leader or a follower. Regardless of status whether you are a parent, executive, professional, spouse, group member, caregiver, etc. you have unlimited leadership potential. Powerful self-leadership is when you answer your call to what is important to you and makes a difference.
Leading from within is based on your truth. It is answering the call to your vision, not someone else's future. Following a compelling passion is usually followed by mastery.
Take the rags to riches story of J. K. Rowling. J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter fantasy series, is an excellent example of a self-leadership story. Rather than letting circumstances define her, she took proactive steps to develop the possibility of having a book published. In 1990, while she was waiting for a train from Manchester to London, she came up with an idea for a story about a young boy attending a wizardry school. The train she was waiting for was delayed four hours, but within that span of time the characters and plots came flooding into her head. When she arrived at home she immediately began putting the story to paper.
Between 1990 and 1995, while she worked on her manuscript for Harry Potter and The Philosopher's Stone on an old manual typewriter, her mother passed away, she moved to Portugal, got married, gave birth to a daughter, got divorced, moved to Scotland with her daughter, was diagnosed with clinical depression, contemplated suicide, was unemployed and lived on state benefits. Rather than succumb to life altering transitions, she wrote every chance she could. Her experiences were instrumental in developing the Harry Potter characters. For example, her illness gave her the idea of the soulless creatures, Dementors.
The death of her mother influenced her writing when describing the emotions Harry Potter felt with the death of his parents. J. K. Rowling submitted her manuscript to 12 publishing houses. She received rejections from each of them. It was a small British publishing house in London that finally accepted the book due to the persuasion of the editor's eight-year old daughter. Barry Cunningham gave the first chapter to his daughter. After reading it the little girl insisted on reading the next chapter. The Philosopher's Stone was published in 1997 followed by six more Harry Potter stories.
"It is our choices...that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." - J. K. Rowling

Forbes ranked her as the 48th most powerful celebrity of 2007; the Sunday Times Rich List estimated Rowling's fortune in 2008 at $768 million; and she has become a prominent philanthropist. She took charge of her life in following through with an idea she was passionate in fulfilling. She took the high road in spite of what was thrown at her that could have easily swayed her to be a follower. Her self-leadership led her into leadership roles helping others develop self-leadership.
History and present day events are plentiful with persons who have made a difference in all walks of life and practices. They started out as self-leaders. Self-leaders are purposely stretching their possibility potential effecting their internal and external environments. They are visionaries and see beyond circumstances. They are creative inventors, scientists, cooks, interior designers, truck drivers, entrepreneurs, authors. In other words, they show up in all walks of life. They grow in their personal evolution by waking up their potential, daring to move toward a new possibility through self-leadership.
Questions to Ponder:
What is it that you are passionate about in becoming and doing? Where are you now professionally/personally? Is this where you want to stay? If you don't take action now, when will you? Why wait?

Hello Abinibi,
Could you kindly give me your email addy and contact no so we could communicate, My name is Philemon and my cell no is +97466674096 email: olusegunphilemon009@gmail.com
Looking forward to more correspondence.
Regards,
Philemon