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#Strategy : 21 Highly Successful People who Rebounded after Getting Fired…From Steve Jobs to Jerry Seinfeld, here are 20 People who Turned their Termination Into an Opportunity.

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Getting kicked to the curb by your employer can certainly be demoralizing. But these successful people prove that what may initially feel like failure may just be the launching pad you need for success.

From Steve Jobs to Jerry Seinfeld, here are 20 people who turned their termination into an opportunity.

Vivian Giang and Alana Horowitz contributed to earlier versions of this article.

Thomas Edison secretly conducted experiments in his office at Western Union that got him fired.

Wikimedia

Until one night in 1867, when he had a chemical accident at the Associated Press bureau news wire, according to “Famous Americans: A Directory of Museums, Historic Sites, and Memorials.”

Edison worked the night shift so he could have more time to spend on his inventions and reading. One night when he was experimenting with batteries, Edison spilled some sulfuric acid that ate through the floor and spilled onto his boss’ desk below.

He was fired the next morning, but decided to pursue inventing full-time and received his first patent two years later for the electric vote recorder, according to Bio.

 

Before heading to Yale, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was fired from her brief stint at a salmon cannery in Valdez, Alaska.

Lucas Jackson/Reuters

The former New York Senator recounted on the “Today” show on Monday that after graduating from Wellesley College, she and some friends worked their way across Alaska washing dishes, and she eventually wound up working in a fishery scooping out salmon guts.

“I was given a spoon and some boots and I was told to take out the insides of the salmon,” she said.

Clinton didn’t last long in that role, however, noting that the Japanese workers who were taking out the caviar yelled at her for working too slowly. “So they literally kicked me out of that job,” Clinton said.

She says they then placed her on the line packing the salmon head to tail. But when she noticed the salmon were “green and black — they looked horrible” and a peculiar stench, she questioned the man running the operation about the salmon’s quality.

“When I left, I came back the next day and the whole operation was gone,” Clinton said. “So I think that was the equivalent of getting fired.”  

During a previous inter viw on Letterman in 2007, Clinton called her stint at the cannery her “favorite summer job of all time,” noting its role in her future success: “Best preparation for being in Washington that you can imagine,” she said.

Steve Jobs was fired from Apple, the company he cofounded. His second act turned out to be bigger and better than the first.

REUTERS/Robert Galbraith

When Jobs was in his 30s, the very company he created fired him.

“I was out — and very publicly out,” Jobs said in a 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University. “What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.”

Jobs spent the summer of 1985 in a “midlife crisis” trying to decide what he wanted to do, from entering politics to becoming an astronaut, said Alan Deutschman, author of“The Second Coming of Steve Jobs.”

During his time away from Apple, Jobs cofounded computer company NeXT, which was later acquired by Apple, and launched Pixar Animation Studios. When he returned to Apple nearly a decade later, he brought the innovation of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

Walt Disney’s newspaper editor told the aspiring cartoonist he wasn’t creative enough.

AP Photo

In 1919, Disney was fired from one of his first animation jobs at the Kansas City Star newspaper because his editor felt he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas,” according to “The Wisdom of Oz.”

That wasn’t the last of his failures. Disney then acquired Laugh-O-Gram, an animation studio he later drove into bankruptcy. Finally, he decided to set his sights on a more profitable area: Hollywood.

He and his brother moved to California and began the Disney Brothers’ Studio, eventually creating Mickey Mouse and Disneyland and winning 22 Academy Awards.

Carly Fiorina was fired as CEO of Hewlett-Packard.

AP Photo/Jim Cole

The first female executive of a Fortune 500 company, Fiorina was forced to resign from HP after six years at the helm in 2005 after the controversial decision to buy Compaq in 2002 for $25 billion and subsequent lay off of 15,000 employees at Hewlett-Packard, International Business Times reports.

While she’s never held elected office,Fiorina announced her candidacy for president in May and currently is a frontrunner in the polls ahead of career politicians like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination.

“I was fired in a boardroom brawl. And you know why?” Fiorina told CNN in August. “Because I challenged the status quo. It is what leaders must do. And when you challenge the status quo, when you lead, you make enemies. It’s why so few people lead.”

In the 1980s, Mark Cuban lost his job as a salesman at computer store. That was the last time he worked for someone else.

Screenshot from ABC’s “Shark Tank”

One of Cuban’s first jobs out of college was as a PC software salesman. However, he was more interested in cultivating new business than obeying his boss.

Cuban wrote in Forbes that, after a few months on the job, he had to opportunity to make a $15,000 sale — he just needed a coworker to cover him at the office and to get his boss’s approval.

After his boss told him not to make the sale, Cuban decided to go through with it anyway, and upon returning to the office with the check was promptly fired.

“But being fired from that job was the determining factor in my business life,” he wrote. “I decided then and there to start my own company.”

Shortly after his termination, Cuban started Micro-Solutions and has since earned an estimated $3 billion, according to Forbes.

J.K. Rowling spent too much time at work brainstorming story ideas.

Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

Rowling worked as a secretary for the London office of Amnesty International, but she dreamed of being a writer.

She secretly wrote stories on her work computer and daydreamed about a teenage wizard named Harry Potter. Her employers finally got fed up and gave her the boot, according to “Your Journey from Fired to Hired.“

Her severance check helped support her over the next few years, when she finally decided to focus on writing.

Today, she’s the author of one of the most successful book series of all time.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg used his severance check to start his own company. Now he’s one of the richest people in the country.

Getty

Bloomberg was a partner at investment bank Salomon Brothers. In 1998, they were bought out by the company that eventually became Citigroup. Bloomberg was let go, but not before receiving a hefty severance check, he writes in his autobiography, “Bloomberg by Bloomberg.” 

He used that money to start his own financial services company, originally called Innovative Market Solutions. The company, eventually renamed Bloomberg LP, aimed to make it easier for traders to wade through data and was worth $2 billion by 1989.

Today, the former New York mayor is work an estimated $38.4 billion, according to Forbes.

Julia Child was fired from her advertising job for “gross insubordination.”

Jon Chase/AP

In the early 1930s, Child was the advertising manager of home furnishings company W&J Sloane’s Los Angeles branch, according to Bio. She was fired for “gross insubordination” a few months after acquiring the position.

“I don’t wonder,” she reportedly wrote on her résumé, according to “Julia Child: A Life.” “One needs a much more detailed knowledge of business … than I had.”

Child went on to volunteer as a research assistant for a US intelligence agency during World War II; moved to Paris, where she developed a love for French cooking and attended the Cordon Bleu cooking school; adapted complex French cooking for everyday Americans with her acclaimed cookbook “Mastering the Art of French Cooking“; and become a television icon with her popular cooking shows like “The French Chef” and “Julia Child and Company.”

Colonel Harland Sanders was fired from dozens of jobs for his temper.

Wikipedia

According to KFC, Colonel Harland Sanders sold tires in the early 1920s and became the top salesman in Kentucky, but he was fired because of his temper.

Times reports he was fired from dozens more jobs before closing his first restaurant and going broke at age 65. He was reportedly fired from two separate railroad jobs, once for insubordination and the other time forfighting a colleague, and as a country lawyerafter assaulting his own client.

After losing his restaurant, Sanders traveled across the US looking for someone to sell his fried chicken. It wasn’t until 1964, when Sanders was 74, that the Colonel had more than six hundred franchised outlets for his chicken and he sold his interest in the company for $2 million to a group of investors, according to Bio.

Anna Wintour was fired from her first job as a junior fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar.

Getty Images / Gareth Cattermole

The Vogue editor started her career in New York as a junior fashion editor at Harper’s Bazaar. She made waves for her innovative shoots, but editor Tony Mazalla thought they were a little too edgy. She got canned after a mere 9 months.

Getting fired was a great learning experience and never held back her style. “I recommend that you all get fired,” she told fashion students.

Shortly after leaving Harper’s, she became a fashion editor at Viva, and in 1988 she was named Editor-in-Chief of Vogue, a job she has held for 27 years.

Jerry Seinfeld didn’t know he was fired until he showed up for a read-through and his part was missing from the script.

John Minchillo/Invision/AP

In the early 1980s, before his hit show “Seinfeld,” the comedian had a small role on the sitcom “Benson,” but, according to the New York Times, Seinfeld and the show’s producers clashed over the character’s direction, and he was fired after only four episodes. 

Unfortunately, no one bothered to tell Seinfeld he’d been cut, according to “Jerry Seinfeld: Much Ado About Nothing.” Seinfeld showed up for a read-through of the script one day and found there was no copy waiting for him. The assistant director pulled him aside and told him that they had neglected to inform him he was no longer on the show.

Seinfeld was humiliated, but he went right back to performing at comedy clubs. After one performance, a talent scout for the “Tonight Show” was in the audience. Seinfeld landed a gig on the show and his career immediately took off.

Sallie Krawcheck, often called one of Wall Street’s ‘most powerful women,’ was fired from Bank of America in 2011.

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Two years after hiring Krawcheck from Citi, Bank of America fired its former president of the Global Wealth & Investment Management division, Forbes reports. The decision came from Bank of America’s struggle in reorganizing its C-level execs after merging with Merrill Lynch.

“I got grateful when I got fired,” Krawcheck said at the Third Metric conference in June 2013. “I said, ‘How many people get to get fired, and it’s on the front page of The Wall Street Journal?'”

“If you asked me when it happened if I got fired from Citi because I’m a woman, I would have told you absolutely not,” Krawcheck later told Fast Company. “But now I’d say, not exactly.”

“I was invited to leave because I had a fundamentally different business perspective than the powers that be,” she said.

In 2013, Krawcheck acquired women’s networking group 85 Broads, which has more than 30,000 members in 130 countries, and renamed it Ellevate Network. 

The New Yorker gave Truman Capote the boot after he insulted poet Robert Frost.

Capote dropped out of high school to become a copy boy for the New Yorker, according to “Capote: A Biography.” His lifelong dream had been to be published in the prestigious magazine.

Two years later, Capote attended a reading by famed poet Robert Frost. Sick with a cold, Capote left in the middle of the meeting. Frost was deeply insulted, and knowing where Capote worked, he demanded that the magazine fire the boy.

Getting fired didn’t hurt his career. He began to submit short stories to magazines like Harper’s Bazaar and Mademoiselle. A few years later, he published his first novel.

Robert Redford was a lazy, sloppy manual worker. Turns out, his talents belonged elsewhere.

AP

As a teenager, Redford worked in the shipping yard at the Standard Oil refinery in El Segundo driving a forklift and cleaning tanks.

According to “Fired Up!” when a supervisor found him asleep in an oil tank, instead of firing him, they moved him to the bottle-washing department in the chemical building. But when he smashed a load of glass bottles, he was terminated.

Redford was fired from a number of other odd jobs after that.

“I got fired from the jobs I should have been fired from,” he said. “I took those jobs to earn money. The lesson I learned was that I wasn’t meant to do any of those things. I was never meant to be in the labor market.”

It wasn’t until Redford moved to New York to pursue acting that he found his career path.

A Baltimore TV producer told Oprah Winfrey she was “unfit for television news.”

Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP

According to “Become Your #1 Fan,” Winfrey was fired from her evening news reporter gig with Baltimore’s WJZ-TV because she got too emotionally invested in her stories. A Baltimore TV producer reportedly told her she was “unfit for television news.”

As a consolation, though, he offered her a role on a daytime TV show, “People Are Talking.”

The show became a hit, and Winfrey stayed for eight years, according to Bio.

Winfrey eventually became the host of “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” which aired for 25 seasons. She’s currently worth an estimated $3 billion, according to Forbes.

Before being named NFL Coach of the Year, Bill Belichick was kicked to the curb by the Cleveland Browns.

Christian Petersen/Getty

Since joining the New England Patriots in 2000, the head coach has led the team to six Super Bowl appearances and four wins. But in 1995, Belichick was fired from his first head coaching job with the Cleveland Browns by team owner Art Modell.

Belichick was named NFL Coach of the Year for 2003, 2007, and 2010 seasons and is the NFL’s longest-tenured active head coach. He is widely considered one of the best coaches in history, according to Bio.

Madonna lost her job at Dunkin’ Donuts for squirting jelly filling all over customers.

Michael Buckner/Getty Images

According to “Madonna” biographer Andrew Morton, when the artist dropped out of college and moved to New York to find fame, she had a rough start.

Strapped for cash, she took a job at Dunkin’ Donuts in Times Square. She didn’t even last a day. After squirting jelly filling all over a customer, her managers gave her the boot.

The Material Girl went through several fast food and waitressing jobs before she was introduced to the city’s punk rock music scene in 1979.

Ford didn’t want Lee Iacocca, so he brought his ideas to Chrysler.

AP

Iaccoca rose to the top of the Ford Motor Company, but he clashed with Henry Ford Jr., the company’s then-CEO and chairman, according to “Iacocca: An Autobiography.” After a string of unused and bad ideas (including the Ford Pinto), Iacocca was let go.

Iacocca was soon courted by Chrysler, which was in danger of going out of business. He took out a huge loan from the government and used it to revive the company. He brought several of his ignored ideas by Ford over to Chrysler, like the Dodge Caravan and the Plymouth Voyager.

He remained CEO of Chrysler until 1992 and is credited with helping the company achieve record profits, according to Bio.

Right before they started Home Depot, cofounders Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank were fired from their jobs.

Getty Images

Marcus and Blank were working for Southern Californian home-center chain, Handy Dan, when a corporate raider fired both of them, Entrepreneur reports.

The two men decided to start their own home-improvement store based on an idea they’d had while at Handy Dan: an entire store of discounts. They called it Home Depot. In less than a decade, they’d opened more than 100 stores and made over $2.7 billion in sales.

Handy Dan shut down in 1989.

Businessinsider.com | October 5, 2015 | 

Your #Career : 5 Reasons You Should Always Be Looking for a New Job…Often, We Get Comfortable (a.k.a. Lazy) in Our Current Positions & Don’t Think About What Might be Next for Us on the Ladder of Success. But you Never Know When your Dream Job Will Come Along—Or When you Might Lose the One you Have.

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You may be really happy in your job and that’s great. But if a recruiter calls or a friend tips you off to a great position that fits your skills, are you ready to pursue it? If so, is your resume current? Are you constantly connecting with people in case a better opportunity presents itself?

 

 

Often, we get comfortable (a.k.a. lazy) in our current positions and don’t think about what might be next for us on the ladder of success. But you never know when your dream job will come along—or when you might lose the one you have. Here are five reasons why you should be always be seeking out new opportunities and laying the groundwork for your next career move:

1)    Loyalty doesn’t pay. Gone are the days when people stayed at the same company for their entire careers and collected a gold watch at their retirement party. According to a Careerbuilder study, today’s Millennials spend an average of 2.4 years or less in the same position—and it doesn’t hurt them one bit. In fact, staying at a company too long can work against you. You may get promoted but you likely won’t see the kind of substantial salary increases that you would if you left for a new job. In addition, unless you’re able to move into different roles that challenge you and grow your skills, you may max out on learning in the same job for years. Lastly, while you may feel that your employer values your loyalty, when push comes to shove, if they need to make cuts or new leadership comes in above you, there’s no guarantee that your job won’t be eliminated.

 

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2)    Things can change quickly. There are any number of reasons why you could be put in a difficult or precarious position and, suddenly, your previously secure gig could be on the chopping block. You could get a new boss who decides to bring in his own team or doesn’t think you’re as much of a rock star as your previous manager. Alternatively, if your company gets acquired, the new owner could choose to clean house or the business could go through a rough patch financially and be forced to streamline. You want to stay in control of your own destiny—not leave it at the mercy of shifting business priorities.

3)    It keeps you top of mind. Even if you’re content where you are, you should always be entertaining other options. Update your LinkedIn profile on a regular basis, expand your network and stay in touch with recruiters in your industry so they know to reach out to you when an even better job becomes available. If people don’t think you’re on the market, you won’t get those calls—and your competition will. I landed my last job by reconnecting on social media with the company’s CEO, with whom I had worked years ago, and asking him to have a catch-up coffee. It turned out that he had just started thinking about bringing in a head of communications. After I had started there, he admitted that, had I not gotten back in touch, he never would have thought of me as a candidate since I was at a much bigger, more established company and he didn’t think I would leave.

4) Every conversation is worthwhile. So, say you do get approached about a job opportunity and you don’t think it’s the right fit or the right time. Go on the interview anyway. Case in point: When I was director of PR at an internet company years ago, reporting directly to the CEO and running a department, I got a call from a recruiter for a senior manager position at a much bigger company, with three people above me, and I almost turned down the chance to interview. But I decided to take the meeting for the heck of it. Flash forward: I took the job, stayed there for over a decade and was promoted three times.

5) It’ll help clarify what you want—and don’t want. A few years ago, I got an offer for what seemed, on paper, like a dream job. But the process was agonizing—spanning five months of back and forth, multiple interviews, periods of radio silence and a management team that seemed highly disorganized. I turned it down because my gut told me it wasn’t a good move. Sure enough, less than a year later, they had eliminated the entire PR team and had gone through three CEOs. Paying attention to the signs confirmed for me what I didn’t want in a job or a company, which was indecision, changing priorities and a leadership team without a clear vision.

The upshot: You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by getting out there and going on interviews. At a minimum, it’ll expose you to new companies, businesses and people—which could help you at your current company. At best, it could lay the groundwork for future career moves. Either way, you’ll be on the road to success—and squarely in the driver’s seat.

Jessica Kleiman is a Branding and Communications Consultant and co-author of Be Your Own Best Publicist: How to Use PR Techniques to Get Noticed, Hired and Rewarded at Work.

 

Forbes.com | September 28, 2015 | Jessica Kleiman

#Leadership : 6 Surprising Reasons Younger Managers Perform Best…”He Doesn’t Have a Lot of Experience Managing People. Do you Think he Can Do the Job?” This is a Phrase we Hear More Frequently as Organizations Fill the Vacancies Retiring Baby Boomers Leave Behind.

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“He doesn’t have a lot of experience managing people. Do you think he can do the job?” This is a phrase we hear more frequently as organizations fill the vacancies retiring Baby Boomers leave behind. Recently, a younger friend told me his experience of being hired after receiving his graduate degree. Most of the team he would manage had been working for the organization for more than 10 years and were his seniors by approximately 20 years. Some of them expressed frustration about being managed by someone so young and inexperienced. Were their fears grounded? How effective are newly appointed managers compared to the older and more seasoned folks they replace?

 

Frankly, being an older boss myself, I assumed veteran managers would prove to be the more effective leaders. But the data surprised me. In a recent article forHarvard Business Review my colleague Jack Zenger and I explored our database of more than 65,000 leaders and looked more deeply at managers who were 30 years of age and younger (455 leaders) and compared them to an older group of leaders over 45 years of age (4,298). Once we separated the two groups, we looked at the distinguishing characteristics of each.

 

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When comparing groups, we strive to make them as similar as possible. But by the very fact they were promoted to managerial positions at a relatively young age, we realized that those in the younger group were primarily high potential achievers. It is not common to be elevated into a managerial job at such a young age. Of the younger group, 44% ranked in the top quartile on overall leadership effectiveness when compared to all leaders in our database. In contrast, the older group contained only 20% who were in the top quartile. In all, the older group was a combination of leaders who were exceptional, more that were good and an expected percentage who needed improvement.

When we looked at the 360 data of the younger and more seasoned managers we found the younger group was rated more positively on every one of the 49 items. This is both surprising and excellent news that indicates there are talented young leaders in our organizations who will be capable of stepping into key roles.

However, like my friend, younger managers struggle with proving their worth. From the comments and data we saw that younger managers were not fully trusted and that others often felt they were not capable of representing the organization. People also complained that young leaders lack strategic perspective and deep knowledge of their industries. It is true that some things are only learned over time. But before pass over promotion of a younger employee due to their “inexperience” you should know what they really have to offer. Here’s what we found:

  1. Welcome change. The younger leaders embraced change. They did a great job of marketing their new ideas. They had the courage to make difficult changes. Possibly their lack of experience caused them to be more optimistic about proposals for change. It was as if they did not know that changes would be hard to make happen. They possessed the courage to take on significant changes and were more willing to be the champions of change projects.
  1. Inspiring behavior. Younger leaders knew how to get others energized and excited about accomplishing objectives. They were able to inspire other to high levels of effort and production to a even greater degree than their more experienced counterparts. Their older colleagues tended to more often lead with “push” while they lead with “pull.”
  1. Receptive to Feedback. Young leaders were extremely open to feedback. They more frequently asked for feedback. They wanted more extensive feedback regarding their performance, and they found ways to both digest and implement the feedback. Older leader then to be less willing to ask for and respond to feedback from colleagues.
  1. Continuous Improvement. It may be the result of the fact that they have less invested in the past, but the younger leaders were more willing to challenge the status quo. They were constantly looking for innovative ways to accomplish work more efficiently and with higher quality.
  1. Results Focused. Young leaders will do everything possible to accomplish objectives. They have a high need for achievement and will put every ounce of energy and effort they had into achieving their goals. In contrast, when someone has been in an organization for a long period of time, it is easy to become complacent and to see the status-quo as sufficient.
  1. Elevate Goals. The younger leaders were more willing to set stretch goals. Some older leaders have learned to sandbag a goal so they don’t have to work too hard or run the risk of falling short of a goal. Younger leaders were more prone to set stretch goals and inspire their team strive to achieve difficult tasks.

Every organization will need younger managers to fill in the vacancies left by their long-term predecessors. Understanding and leveraging the many strengths of this younger group creates a big opportunity higher performance and productivity. While younger leaders have challenges that will require focused effort and leadership development to overcome, they bring tremendous assets to the organization. They may likely be one of the most under recognized and under utilized resources in our organizations today.

 

Forbes.com | October 1, 2015 | Joseph Folkman

 

#Leadership : 9 Life Lessons I Learned from Being a Janitor for a Year…My Sophomore Year of College I Landed a Part-Time Job as a Janitor. I made just $6.25 an Hour, & it Wasn’t Glamorous, but it Was One of the Best Life Experiences I’ve Had to Date. Why? I Learned some Invaluable Lessons that Have Stuck With Me Every Day Since.

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Most college kids get jobs as waiters or lifeguards or tutors when they need extra cash. I did something slightly less conventional.

 

This job didn’t pay much — but it offered me a lot of good life lessons.

My sophomore year of college I landed a part-time job as a janitor. I made just $6.25 an hour, and it wasn’t glamorous, but it was one of the best life experiences I’ve had to date. Why? I learned some invaluable lessons that have stuck with me every day since.

Here are a few that stand out:

1. People are generally self-absorbed.

BI

Many people don’t think about how their actions – even seemingly insignificant ones — affect others.

For instance, when people go to the bathroom, they aren’t thinking about aiming right so someone else doesn’t have to clean up their mess, or about picking up the paper towel when their free-throw misses the trash can. No. They are thinking about finishing their business as quickly as possible so they can get out and get on with their life.

When I first started working as a janitor, this type of self-absorption annoyed me — it got under my skin. But I eventually accepted it because I know we all have a lot going on in our lives and we’re all guilty of being at least a little bit self-absorbed. Plus, it was my job to clean up other people’s messes. That’s what I signed up for, and what I was paid to do.

2. Just because someone is your boss doesn’t mean they are best suited to be your boss.

Flickr

No one is perfect. Managers are human and have faults and doubts just like everyone else. But some bosses are really just not meant to be leaders.

Even at the janitorial level, this truth struck me hard when I noticed some of the “head janitors” gossiping with employees about colleagues in a mean manner. I couldn’t believe they would stoop to that level of unprofessionalism — but I learned a good lesson: You should never put your boss on a pedestal.

I realized that just because someone lands a managerial role doesn’t mean they actually deserve it (or will be good at it).

3. People in all lines of work go on “power trips” — even janitors.

a2gemma/flickr

Considering I was slightly embarrassed to have to wear a bright orange janitor uniform in the first few days of my employment, I was surprised at the competitive race for managerial positions that I sometimes observed at work.

Then, once someone received a promotion, they often went overboard with discipline and micromanagement.

I finally understood the word “power trip,” or the phenomenon of people in higher up positions making their subordinates’ lives difficult just because they can. And I learned that you can’t make a power trip go away — you just have to accept it and choose your battles wisely.

 

4. Never be ashamed of a job.

REUTERS

As I said in lesson three, I was slightly embarrassed to wear the neon orange janitor uniform on my first few days on the job. However, I quickly learned not to be ashamed of my “janitor” title.

That gig required a lot of manual labor and hard work, which I think is admirable…not embarrassing.

It’s important to remember that not every job will be your “dream job,” especially if you are just entering the workforce. So keep an open mind and never judge a book (or a job) by its cover (or reputation).

And if someone makes fun of you for a job, they are not worth your time.

5. People get uncomfortable when they hear you have a low-level job.

Evil Erin/flickr

Much like telling someone that you’re unemployed or that you’re now single can make them uncomfortable, so can telling them that you work as a janitor.

I get this. Janitors are at the bottom of the work totem pole in most people’s mind. Why do you think Matt Damon’s character in “Good Will Hunting” started off as a janitor before his incredible math skills were discovered? Because being a janitor created the most dramatic contrast. Who would ever expect the janitor to be a genius?

So when you tell someone that you work as a janitor, they don’t necessarily know the proper response. They can’t say “Cool! That’s awesome!” because it will seem sarcastic. They can’t say “That stinks!” in case you like being a janitor and will find that offensive. So they generally say, “Oh okay…and how is that?”

I tried to save people from this uncomfortable decision by saying, “I work as a janitor. It has its ups and downs, but I generally like it and it’s taught me some good lessons.” This type of answer puts people at ease and they can feel free to ask more questions about your job or to move on to a new topic.

6. You value $6.25 a lot more when you scrub toilets for an hour to earn it.

slgckgc/flickr

I remember being 15 and my grandmother would sometimes give me $5 or $10 “just because” and, while I appreciated the generous gift, I would usually just stick it in my wallet or spend it on an ice cream cone or movie ticket. I didn’t truly value that seemingly small amount of money.

However, once you scrub toilets, mop floors, and pick up trash across an auditorium for a solid hour just to earn $6.25, you learn to really value money — any amount of it.

 

7. No matter what you’re tasked with, always give it your all.

Marcin Wichary/flickr

This lesson is a bit of a cliché, but it’s true. Whether you are cleaning toilets or running a company, you should always do your best so you develop a good work ethic that will help you to achieve your career goals and to earn good recommendations from your boss.

In addition, when you work hard, you gain confidence in yourself and your abilities. And that’s something everyone wants.

8. Nothing creates a friendship like complaining together.

Flickr / engelene

I agree that optimism is better than pessimism, but I also know that some of my best friends have come from complaining about a teacher, or an awful school assignment, or certain aspects of my job.

One of my closest friends in college was a fellow janitor with whom I would complain about work. We both noticed some uncalled-for “drama” among some our colleagues and bonded over how silly we found it. I had a much easier time keeping my head down when I could give my friend “the look” out of the corner of my eye.

Perhaps a better lesson is that you never know where you will meet your closest friends in college.

9. Guys can’t aim.

Mike Mozart/Flickr

You know what this means.

 

Businessinsider.com | September 30, 2015 | Natalie Walters

 

#Strategy : 4 Steps To Overcome Adversity And Amplify Your Success…When you Consider the Statistic that 60% of Americans are Unhappy With their Occupation, It Becomes Apparent That the Majority of Us are Not Aligned With our Purpose or, Consequently, our Potential.

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“The truth is that customers don’t typically care who you are or what you have to offer unless they can see that there is clear and obvious value being offered in the exchange,” said Brad. “What drives the interaction is an exchange of value. As soon as the customer perceives that the value being offered is greater than the cost, there will be a natural urgency for the exchange.”

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference,” wrote Robert Frost in his famous poem “The Road Not Taken” in 1916. Our team at Fishbowl believes it is a metaphor for accepting accountability for our choices. We can remain optimistic through every breakdown or failure, learn and come back wiser and possibly even grateful for the experience.

“Life is difficult,” wrote Dr. M. Scott Peck in his bestseller The Road Less Traveled published in 1978. “This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult – once we truly understand and accept it – then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.”

Frost and Dr. Peck make it clear that life is a journey and challenges are a given. Fast forward to 2015 and to a new generation of thought leaders and we learn that adversity in many experiences can be overcome with knowledge and viewing the situation from a different perspective.

We recently read The Laws of Influence by Brad Harker, a highly respected influence expert. He reminded us a lot of Dr. Peck. We liked his book so much that we connected with him to learn more.

 

Brad consults with professionals and organizations in the disciplines of sales, entrepreneurship and career development. With his entrepreneurial track record that includes a series of startups and more than a quarter billion dollars in sales, we were anxious to learn more about Brad’s theories on influence and the strategies he has introduced to his clients to help them reach incredible levels of personal and professional achievement.

Brad possesses more ambition, creativity and passion than we’ve seen in most experts. He has a unique ability to help others discover their purpose, amplify their strengths and leverage their potential.

Here are the four highlights from our discussion that helped our team and will hopefully help you overcome challenges and amplify success:

1. Everyone is in sales

Brad views selling as a function of influence. “Rooted in a distinct mindset, selling is in the way we think, act and communicate,” said Brad. “It is habitual. It’s not so much what we do or say, but how we do or say it. We all sell our ideas, beliefs, products or services every single day of our lives. No matter what our job title is, we are all active in the art of influence.”

Through his experience in sales and entrepreneurship, Brad has arrived at five conclusions:

  1. Selling or influencing others is an integral part of our daily experience, no matter what role we play in life.
  2. Our success in any endeavor depends on our ability to influence.
  3. We each have natural abilities that we can cultivate into habits of influence.
  4. By practicing these habits on a consistent basis, we can leverage the power of influence to reach our greatest potential.
  5. Once we have accepted the reality that we are always selling something, we can direct our attention to the most important sale we will ever face – ourselves. Our “pitch” to ourselves is that we each have unlimited potential and a unique capacity to realize our own version of greatness.

2. Align with your purpose

Brad believes that aligning with your purpose is the first step to build influence. He suggests that “each of us possesses unique traits and natural abilities, and our mission is to come into harmony with the gifts and talents that we have been given.”

We learned that Brad, in addition to his speaking and consulting activities, is an Adjunct Professor at Dixie State University. He thrives on the opportunity to help his students gain an awareness of their purpose and leverage their potential.

“Consider how much of your life you have spent acquiring an education,” said Brad. “It requires at least 16 years of school to earn an undergraduate degree! In all of that time spent learning, how much of that was spent on understanding exactly who you are? Education and experience are worthless if you don’t first understand who you are and what drives you.

“When you consider the statistic that 60% of Americans are unhappy with their occupation, it becomes apparent that the majority of us are not aligned with our purpose or, consequently, our potential.”

In the words of Mark Twain, “The two most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” If you follow our work at Fishbowl, you will know that we believe Twain got it half right. It’s what you do after figuring out the why that really matters, which leads to Brad’s next point…

 3. Focus on creating value

Brad recently created an online webinar series called Sales Primer that is designed to simplify the sales process for sales executives, professionals and entrepreneurs. In the first section Brad shares what he calls the exchange model.

The model simplifies the process of exchanging products and services. The model highlights the fact that the true medium of exchange is value, not necessarily money or the product. Brad has found that far too many professionals lead with their title or product, expecting success as a result of who they are or what they think is great about their product.

“The truth is that customers don’t typically care who you are or what you have to offer unless they can see that there is clear and obvious value being offered in the exchange,” said Brad. “What drives the interaction is an exchange of value. As soon as the customer perceives that the value being offered is greater than the cost, there will be a natural urgency for the exchange.”

4. Find success in the midst of adversity

Brad has overcome significant obstacles throughout his career. What is more compelling is how he has been able to harness that adversity to educate and motivate himself towards his goals.

“Mental response to rejection is a major differentiator between average and successful people,” said Brad. “Resilience” is the word he uses when describing the degree of fortitude people are able to show in the face of adversity. You may wonder how much resilience you have. Brad suggests, “It is important to understand that resilience is largely based on perceptions. From our youth, we have formed habits and meanings for the events we experience.”

Here is a relevant example Brad shared with us: consider how you have felt after experiencing a significant challenge, such as being fired from a job, benched during a game or intensely reprimanded.

For most of us, those experiences evoke emotions of discouragement, failure or severe depression. The reason is because we have been conditioned through our experiences to respond that way. “Fears, doubts and worries are perceptions of a reality that exists only in your mind,” Brad explained. He believes that our biggest weakness as humans is what often keeps us safe: our protective mechanisms.

Brad teaches a powerful approach to “reframe failure” that helps his clients embrace and learn from the adversity in their lives instead of shrinking in defeat and losing confidence.

He believes that we have two options in the face of adversity:

1. We can conform to it by allowing fear and insecurity to construct facades and walls that allow us to pretend that we are okay. In this conformity, we deprive ourselves of valuable education and strength.

2. Or we can humbly embrace failure as the great teacher and refining fire that has proliferated great men and women from the dawn of civilization.

We all face challenges in life. Reframe what holds you down into a learning opportunity and your success will be amplified. “We must be willing to fail and to appreciate the truth that often life is not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be lived,” said Dr. Peck.

Learn more about Brad and his concepts here.

Additional reporting for this article provided by Mary Michelle Scott, Fishbowl President

 

Forbes.com | September 29, 2015 | David K. Williams

 

#Strategy : 7 Ways To Blow Your Boss’s Mind…You’re Putting the Work In, So Why Aren’t you Getting Rewarded? The Answer is Simple: You Don’t Get Promoted for Fulfilling your #Boss’s Expectations.

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We all want to get ahead. Still, even when it seems you’re doing everything right—you’re never late to work, rarely take a sick day, and always meet deadlines—promotions can be few and far between.

 

You’re putting the work in, so why aren’t you getting rewarded? The answer is simple: you don’t get promoted for fulfilling your boss’s expectations.

Your boss’s expectations are the price of entry. Even if you’re making a great effort and doing all that’s asked of you, you won’t stand out. You’ll be seen as someone who completes the minimum requirements, and no one who builds a great career is seen this way.

The trick to advancing your career and getting paid more is to add value by making certain your contributions are worth more than you’re paid. You want to go above and beyond so that you’re seen as someone highly valuable—someone the organization can’t live without.

You should aim to exceed your boss’s expectations so much that he feels like he’sthe smartest guy in the world for hiring you.

This isn’t as hard as it sounds. In fact, you can blow your boss’s mind in seven easy steps.

Step 1: Beyond developing the skills you need for your job, learn about your company’s industry, competitors, latest developments, and challenges. 

Professional development is important, but why stop there? If you really want to blow your boss’s mind, soak up everything you can about your company and your industry. For example, if you’re an IT developer, instead of simply learning the current best practices in coding, learn how those practices are being applied throughout your industry.

Transferring your knowledge to the real-world context of your organization is a great way to add value. On top of knowing how to do your job, it shows that you know why you’re doing it and why it matters.

 

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Step 2: Instead of always having the answer, pre-empt the question.

It’s a good feeling when you can answer your boss’s questions on the spot, without shuffling through piles of paper or telling her that you’ll have to get back to her. But if you really want to blow her mind, pre-empt the question. Anticipate what she wants to stay on top of, and send her regular updates. You’ll save her time and energy, and she’ll appreciate that just as much as your enthusiasm.

Step 3: Instead of owning up to mistakes once they’re discovered, bring them to light yourself.

Accountability is a lost art. Too many people try to cover up their mistakes, fearing the repercussions of admitting fault. Show your boss that you’re not afraid to own up to your mistakes, and he’ll be amazed. When you make a mistake, just give your boss a simple heads-up, and have a solution ready. Even better, tell him the steps you’ve already taken to mitigate the problem.

Everyone makes mistakes. You’ll stand out by showing your boss that you’re accountable, creative, and proactive when you inevitably make them.

Step 4: Instead of asking for training, do it on your own.

Typical career advice is to ask your boss to send you to classes and workshops to improve your skills. But we’re not talking about what’s typical; we’re talking about blowing your boss’s mind. Pursue training yourself, on your own time. It doesn’t have to be expensive; there are plenty of online courses available free or close to free. While everybody else is asking the boss to send them to training, you can tell her what you’ve already done, and your initiative will be rewarded. You’ll save the company money and get ahead, and expand your skillset at the same time.

Step 5: Instead of doing what you’re told, be proactive.

Anybody (well, almost anybody) can do what they’re told. To blow your boss’s mind, you have to be proactive. If you see a problem, fix it. If you see something that needs doing, do it. Put together a how-to guide for new hires, document your processes and figure out where you can streamline them, or do whatever else you can think of to make a difference.

Bosses appreciate vision more than anything. They love it when you see what could be useful to the company over the long term—and don’t forget to tell your boss about it. It’s only “kissing up” if you do it manipulatively or with the intention of making your co-workers look bad. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with owning your accomplishments.

Step 6: Build relationships with other departments.

It’s practically guaranteed that, at some point, your department will need help or input from another area. An excellent way to blow your boss’s mind is to build relationships throughout the company. Person-to-person interactions are almost always more effective than department-to-department exchanges. You can make your boss’s day by saying, “Why don’t I take care of that for you? I know someone who can get that done for us right away.”

Step 7: Be the calm one in a crisis.

Few things get your boss’s attention like your ability to weather a storm. Whether it’s conflict between people, everyone freaking out over a rule change, or what have you, make certain that you’re the one who remains calm, composed, and in control of your emotions. Your composure and ability to think clearly during a crisis demonstrates leadership potential, and leaders get promoted.

Bringing It All Together

The people who achieve the most are those who add the most value. Business is, after all, about making a profit. You want your boss and the company to know that they’re getting a great return on the time and money they’re investing in you.

What are some other great ways to blow your boss’s mind? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

 

Forbes.com | September 29, 2015 | Travis Bradberry

#Leadership : 24 Ways to Influence Even the Most Resistant People…Influencing Others is How we Get Jobs & Promotions, Win Negotiations, Sell Products, & Gain Notoriety.

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Seduction, persuading a person to yield to your advances, isn’t used only in the pursuit of a love interest. Influencing others is how we get jobs and promotions, win negotiations, sell products, and gain notoriety.

 

Frank Underwood offers Viktor Petrov his hand in “House of Cards.”

In “The Art of Seduction,” popular author Robert Greene explores the ruthless tactics of some of history’s greatest seducers, from Cleopatra to Casanova.

We’ve summarized Greene’s 24 rules of seduction below.

 

1. Choose the right victim.

Your target should be someone “for whom you can fill a void,” Greene says. Don’t try to get the most out of those who are too eager to please you, because they are usually looking to get something in return; instead, find those who give subtle hints, like shyness in your presence, that they are open to your influence.

2. Create a false sense of security — approach indirectly.

If you want to initiate a relationship with someone who would be of value to you, you risk forcing them to raise their guard if you approach them and immediately ask for something. Before making a proposal, reach out to them via a third party, or develop a neutral or friendly relationship before making it about business.

 

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3. Send mixed signals.

“Game of Thrones”/HBO

Peter Baelish is one of the most conniving characters in “Game of Thrones.”

Once you’ve got someone hooked, give yourself an air of mystery to keep that person’s interest. Don’t reveal too much about your background or your intentions.

4. Appear to be an object of desire.

Don’t make a fool of yourself, but don’t be humble when you’re trying to win someone over. Show off your most important connections and successes.

5. Create a need — stir anxiety and discontent.

People cannot be seduced if they’re content. Sell yourself by illustrating ways in which the other party is lacking in some respect and then reveal how you can make up for that deficiency.

6. Master the art of insinuation.

“Game of Thrones”/HBO

Cersei enjoyed a reign of power in “Game of Thrones.”

If you’re too straightforward with people you’re trying to influence, you may scare them away or even turn them against you. The best way to get people to work in your favor, Greene says, is by subtly dropping hints over time without revealing your true intentions. That way you can make your target think he or she is acting on his or her own initiative.

7. Enter their spirit.

If you’re trying to change people’s minds, first play by their rules. Begin by becoming a mirror, and they will open up to you.

8. Create temptation.

20th Century Fox

Cleopatra was able to maintain power by seducing both Julius Caesar and Mark Antony.

Determine what your target’s weakness is, and play to it. Find an ideal that this person is trying to realize “and hint that you can lead them to it,” Greene writes.

9. Keep them in suspense.

The moment people think they know what to expect from you is when your hold over them is broken. Keep their interest in you with the occasional surprise.

10. Use the power of words.

Justin Sullivan/Getty

People pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars to hear Tony Robbins give one of his dramatic speeches.

If you are giving a presentation, for example, goad the audience onto your side by telling them what they want to hear. Make your argument convincing by making it enjoyable.

11. Pay attention to detail.

Entice your target by making painstaking decisions look effortless.

12. Poeticise your presence.

You will not win people over if you are a nagging constant in their lives. Associate yourself with enjoyable experiences so that your target misses you when you’re gone.

13. Disarm through strategic weakness and vulnerability.

“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”/New Line Cinema

Grima Wormtongue was a manipulative villain in “The Lord of the Rings.”

Rather than overpower your target, set aside your ego and communicate how the other side is in a dominant position, even if it isn’t exactly true.

14. Confuse desire and reality — the perfect illusion.

“Remember: people want to believe in the extraordinary,” Greene writes. Make whatever you’re trying to sell sound dramatic yet rooted in reality.

15. Isolate the victim.

People are most vulnerable when they are shut off from everything around them. Make others feel like they are the only person who matters.

 

16. Prove yourself.

Anton Raphael Mengs (1759)

Giacomo Casanova was an adventurous Italian socialite who wrote about his many affairs with women.

If your target begins to become insecure and pulls back from you, demonstrate your value by going out of your way to help him or her in some way.

17. Effect a regression.

Your targets will have had similar relationships that worked well for them. Figure out what they liked most about these previous experiences and do things to evoke memories of them.

18. Stir up the transgressive and taboo.

Even the most clean-cut people have a curiosity of the forbidden. You do not need to be doing anything wrong to make the other side feel as if they are working in a nebulous area — that can mean something as simple as hinting that a deal you are offering is so great that it is unprecedented and needs to be kept secret.

19. Use spiritual lures.

You run the risk of cheapening your words if they all lead to a singular goal, whether that be getting a job or selling a product. Supplement them with moral ideals that make your aim seem more important than it is.

20. Mix pleasure with pain.

Reuters

Spanish bullfights are thrilling and violent.

Avoid being overly polite with your target, which can have the unintended consequence of making you seem insincere and insecure. Mix complimentary language with blunt, straightforward insight.

21. Give them space.

When the other side is on your side but has become used to you, re-create interest by taking a step back and having them chase you.

22. Use physical lures.

Keep your target focused on you by making yourself as attractive as possible, dressing nicely, smiling, and speaking with confidence.

23. Master the art of the bold move.

When your target has demonstrated that he or she is definitely interested in you, make a final offensive move, stating your intended goal. End with a natural, bold finish, rather than awkwardly or timidly avoiding what you really want, Greene says.

24. Beware of the aftereffects.

Netflix

Kevin Spacey as Frank Underwood in “House of Cards.”

Once you have succeeded in your seduction, employ variations of the above tactics to certain degrees to keep the other side from taking you for granted and making you disposable.

 

Businessinsider.com | September 29, 2015 | Richard Feloni

#Leadership : I Wish I Knew Then: 6 Power Women Share Most Valuable Career Advice …”Surround Yourself with People Who are Smarter than You. You Should Never Be the Smartest Person in the Room. Worry if you Are. ” -Jessica Alba, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, The Honest Co.

/in /by

What if you had the opportunity to ask today’s most successful leaders to identify the single most important lesson they’ve learned on a given topic? And what if those same leaders were willing to drill down on their personal experiences and share key insights in an honest and relevant way? My guess is that it would be a game-changer for many of us.

 

“The One Thing” is a new series dedicated to tapping into the wisdom of today’s most dynamic thinkers and ‘doers’. What’s ‘The One Thing’…. about career success, or work-life wellness, or bouncing back from failure…that you absolutely need to know in order to better navigate those types of events in your own life? This series will be a one-stop, go-to guide for women who are looking to embrace the success strategies of proven leaders, across industries and across generations.

Everybody can benefit from a mentor. And while we can’t hit fast forward on personal experience, we can draw on the life lessons of others to enhance our growth or simply help us manage all that we’re looking to accomplish each and every day.

“Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. You should never be the smartest person in the room. Worry if you are. ”

–Jessica Alba, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, The Honest Co.

Have A Bias For Action

“I would echo what my mother told me, ‘You’ve got to have a bias for action.’ The hockey coaches and the basketball coaches always say, “You will miss a hundred percent of the shots that you never take.” My mother encouraged me to try things that I wasn’t sure I could do. Over my life, I’ve been able to try things, many of which have worked that I didn’t necessarily think they would. Be brave. The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake. ”

–Meg Whitman, CEO, HP

 

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Leadership Is All About Adaptability

“Darwin said those who survive are neither the strongest nor the most intelligent, it’s those that can adapt to change. And I wish I had thought about that when I was younger because it always seemed to me that you had to be the brightest or the strongest. There’s something to be said for adapting to change. That doesn’t mean abandoning your values, but it does mean recognizing that the environment has changed and absorbing that .”

-Anne Finucane, Vice Chairman and Global Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer,Bank of America BAC +0.00%

Stay Open To Opportunity

“Be ready. Just be ready.  You just don’t know what opportunity might be out there.  It may not even be a path that they were thinking of.  But other people see your possibilities there.  I never intended to run for Congress.  I never intended to run for leadership.  Other people came to me to encourage me to do so.  And I was ready.”

–Nancy Pelosi, House Democratic Leader, The U.S. House of Representatives

Stay True To You

“I would say always, to thyself be true. We’re all born with what we have. Take what you have and do the best you can with it . Know who you are…Feel your way through life. Don’t over-think your way through life, because I think we’re all guilty of that.

–Angela Ahrendts, Senior Vice President of Retail and Online Stores, Apple

It’s All Going To Be Ok

 “I would tell myself to relax, that everything works out the way it’s supposed to. If you look back on your life at the things that you stressed out, ‘Oh my gosh, he didn’t ask me out, he didn’t call, I didn’t get that job, I lost that job,’ quite often in the end when one door closes, another one opens. Everything, even though you don’t believe it at the time, works out the way it’s supposed to–the good and the bad.

–Gayle King, Editor-at-Large, O, The Oprah Magazine; Co-Host, CBS This Morning

 

Forbes.com | September 28, 2015 | Moira Forbes

#Strategy : 7 Ways to Improve your Mood in Less than 5 Minutes…There are Definitely a Number of Proactive Things we Can Do When we Start Feeling Ourselves Getting Down. If you’re Looking for Ways to Turn a Bad Mood Around, Here are 7 Ways to Improve your Mood in Less than 10 Minutes.

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Some days staying positive and upbeat can feel like an uphill battle. Maybe it was a stressful day at work, a fight with a friend, or even just an off day — whatever it is, there are definitely things you can do to improve your mood.

 

And it’s no wonder bad moods can sneak up on us so often. According to psychologist Guy Winch, author of the bookEmotional First Aid: Healing Rejection, Guilt, Failure, and Other Everyday Hurts, a bad mood can be caused by anything from guilt over forgetting someone’s birthday, to outstanding tasks on our to do list, to not getting enough likes on a personal or important Facebook share. Basically, humans are sensitive creatures, and it’s not abnormal or even uncommon for little things to get us in a funk.

What’s more, according to a psychology study featured on ABC News, while a portion of our individual happiness is pre-determined by genetics and circumstance, research shows that up to 40 percent can be controlled throughour daily thoughts and actions.

This means that there are definitely a number of proactive things we can do when we start feeling ourselves getting down. If you’re looking for ways to turn a bad mood around, here are seven ways to improve your mood in less than ten minutes.

1. Listen To Upbeat Music

According to a 2013 study published by the University of Missouri, listening to upbeat musiccan actually improve your mood. The study’s author, Yuna Ferguson, noted that it’s important not to overthink, “Am I happy yet?” while listening, and instead just allow yourself to enjoy the experience. So don’t be afraid to turn up the jams when you’re feeling low.

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2. Get A Good Laugh

According to an article on Prevention, a study conducted by Stanford University showed thatlaughter increases dopamine in our brains, which is a chemical that elevates mood. And according to the Mayo Clinic, laughter also increases oxygen to our bodies and cools down our stress response system, resulting in a positive, relaxed feeling. So the next time you’re in a bad mood, try pulling up some Amy Schumer or an SNL digital short on YouTube — you’ll probably feel a lot better!

3. Walk Around The Block

Daniel Kripke, M.D. at the University of California said that, “Studies show that people who getmore light exposure during the day have fewer sleep problems and less depression, and evidence suggests that light can keep you alert and productive.” Additionally, mental health and exercise expert Jack Raglin, Ph.D., says that, “Studies have shown that even mild exercise, about 40 percent of your max heart rate, can lift your mood,” and recommendsdoing activities that match your mood instead of trying to force yourself to do something you’re just not feeling — like working in your garden instead of going to a loud Zumba class.

4. Declutter

Author of The Highly Sensitive Person, Elaine Aron, Ph.D., said that “clutter is a reminder of things that should be getting done, but aren’t,” and can help fuel feelings of failure, and mentioned that you don’t have to spend an entire day reorganizing to feel better, as “just the illusion of order is enough to ease the mind.” Aron recommended just putting things intoneater stacks and piles for an instant boost in mood.

5. Give Someone A Hug

Tiffany Field, head researcher at The University of Miami’s Touch Institute, said in an article inPsychology Today that, “when you stimulate the pressure receptors in the skin, you lower stress hormones,” and also that touching others stimulates oxytocin, which also has positive effects on our mood. Field also recommended rubbing your own forehead, hands, and neck, as self-massage has been shown to decrease heart rate and reduce the stress-hormone cortisol in our systems.

6. Think About What Went Well

In another article in Psychology Today, doctor and wellness expert Susan Biali, M.D., said to reflect on three things that are going well or three positive moments in your day, and even replay them in your mind. According to Biali, that mentally revisiting these moments will help bring back the good mood and feelings they initially created.

7. Allow Yourself To Vent

Psychology Today contributor and psychologist Leon F. Seltzer, Ph.D., said there are actually some advantages to venting about a problem to a friend, and helping with your mood is one of them. “In many (though not all) situations it’s better for you to discharge negative emotions than to keep them bottled up inside,” he says, and also that, “venting helps restore your equilibrium.” So while you don’t want to be the person at home or work who is always focusing on the negative, there is definitely a time and a place — not to mention a therapeutic reason — to vent when needed.

There’s no reason a bad mood should ruin your day — or even a portion of your day. Often times when we’re down about something at work or a minor interpersonal conflict, a quick boost is definitely within your grasp; you just need a conscious desire to feel better and a willingness to take a few mindful steps towards it.

And if you’re finding that your bad or low moods are lasting longer than they should, or as if you can’t seem to shake them, never be afraid to reach out to a professional. You can visitMentalhealth.gov or StrengthOfUs.org for information on how to get help in your area.

Read the original article on Bustle. You can also check them out on Facebook and Pinterest. Copyright 2015. Follow Bustle on Twitter.

Businessinsider.com | September 27, 2015 | Bustle