Using the Three BsBed, Bath, Busto Unleash Mental Power During a Job Search

Using the Three BsBed, Bath, Busto Unleash Mental Power During a Job SearchUsing the Three Bs- Bed, Bath, Bus- to Unleash Mental Power During a Job Search4The early 20th-century philosopher Ludwig Wittgensteinis credited with observing that our thinking, creativity, and ability to generate innovative ideas are all enhanced when were relaxed. In conjunction with this theory, he reportedly coined the concept of the Three Bs- bed, bath, and bus- to give people guidance on how to operate at peak mental capacity. By understanding how the Three Bs work and practicing this wisdom of slowing down to speed up, todays job landseekers can give themselves an extra edge.In a competitive job market, the common tendency is to keep pushing ahead in a driven way- for example, by concentrating hard on trying to problem-solve about your job search, or staying constantly active in scrolling through job sites and pushing out resumes. These tactics can be helpful, but only to a certain extent. If you driv e yourself too hard without a break, you risk burnout from your job search process, which can then cause you to back off of it completely rather than maintaining a steady pace of search-related activity.To follow Wittgensteins lead, try instead to designate specific partes of your day or week to the Three Bs during your job search. By doing so, you can potentially tap into a creativity-cultivating semiconscious state while zoning out before falling asleep, unwinding in the tub, or mindlessly commuting to generate your best insights. These might include self-awareness about your career preferences or out-of-the-box ideas to reach employers.Feeling stuck about how to get started? Try out the Three Bs to give yourself an edge in places that you least expect itGet to bed earlier.If youre so wound up about your job search that you stay up too late working on your cover letters, resume, and applications, then you wont give yourself the decompression time that you need to make lying in bed into a fount of creativity to inform this transitional time of your life. Your goal is to give yourself some extra moments to rest in bed withoutdoing any other activity like reading, looking at your phone, or watching TV. This wont happen if you wait until youre so tired that you fall asleep the minute your head hits the pillow, so set a goal of getting to bed an hour before you expect to fall asleep.Now heres the hard part just lie there and rest. Dont try to actively think about challenges of your job search or rehearse your answers to tomorrows interview. You want to create open, empty space in your mind so that those intuitive answers that will impress the hiring committee will come to you without straining. Thats the true power of the Three Bs.Take a nightly bubble bath.Whens the last time you actually slowed down enough to engage in a simple pleasure, like soaking in the tub? Chances are, if youre embroiled in your job search and anxiously casting about for solutions to gain ing employment, taking a lingering bath rather than a quick shower can seem like too much of a luxury. But if you want to make space for the Three Bs to work their magic, then you have to actually createthe time and space for a do-nothing state of mind. So turn nightly tub time a new habit, then relax and close your eyes. Do some deep breathing and try hard not to brainstorm about anything- youre prioritizing giving yourself some bored, empty space to enhance creativity.Ride the bus somewhere new.If youre looking for work, you may not be getting out of the house much. You might feel you cant spare the time to do much else besides troll your favorite job sites for new listings. But by offering yourself a change of scenery in a rolling venue where you can just space out for a while, youll be priming your mental pump for innovative insights. It doesnt matter your destination or how long the trip is- the point is to shake up your routine by giving yourself some low-key travel time. Gaze out the window and let your mind wander without leading it anywhere. Later, see what comes up that can inform your career.Use Wittgensteins Three Bs whenever you feel stuck in a rut on your job search. Youll find that giving yourself the rare opportunity for unfocused time without conscious concentration can produce the fresh and creative ideas you need to stay competitive in the job market.Ready to find a job that fits your lifestyle?Browse Open Flexible Jobs

Air Force SSgt (E-5) Promotion Overview and Rates

Air Force SSgt (E-5) Promotion Overview and RatesAir Force SSgt (E-5) Promotion Overview and RatesThe Air Force manages its enlisted versetzungs differently than the other services. The Air Force first determines the overall versetzung-tarif (Air Force Wide) for the promotion cycle, by forecasting how many slots will be available. It then takes this rate and applies it to all of the Air Force jobs (almost*) equally. For example, lets say the Air Force determines (Air Force Wide) that it will be promoting 20 percent of all eligible Staff Sergeants (E-5) to the rank of Technical Sergeant (E-6) for the next promotion cycle. Each and every career field (job) will promote 20 percent of their eligible Staff Sergeants to Technical Sergeant, regardless of whether or notlage the job is over-manned or undermanned. *NOTE The percentages for each job dont come out evenly for two reasons (1) The Air Force rounds the numbers *up* for each job. For example, if the overall promotion-rate for the cyc le is 10 percent, and there are 100 people eligible in Job A, then 10 people will be promoted (10 percent). However, what if there were 113 people eligible? 10 percent of 113 is 11.3. You cant promote one-third of a person, so in this case, the Air Force would round it up and promote 12 people. That would result in a promotion rate in that job of 10.6 percent, instead of 10 percent. If there was only one person eligible for promotion in that AFSC (Job), he/she would be promoted (assuming the commander recommended him/her), and so the promotion rate in that job would be 100 percent.(2) Each year, the Air Force selects some critically manned career fields to receive an extra five percentage points. So, if the overall promotion rate was 20 percent, some critically-manned career fields would be allowed to promote 25 percent of their eligibles. How Air Force Promotions Are Determined When determining who gets promoted, the Air Force uses WAPS (Weighted Airman Promotion System) point s. Quite simply, if the promotion rate is 10 percent, you add up the WAPS points, and the top 10 percent of the eligible members in that job with the most WAPS points, are the ones who get promoted. For complete details about the Air Force enlisted promotion system, see Air Force Enlisted Promotion System Made Simple. Historical Trends of Air Force Staff Sergeant Promotion Rates During times of conflict, the promotion rates increase significantly as the operational tempo of the Air Force airmen also increases. Historical trends both up and down can be seen below in the 25 plus year historical analysis of the promotion rates on E5 ranks in the Air Force. Most recently, the selection rate has been significant after a lag in promotion due to reduced force numbers in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2015. The reduction in deployment cycles often cause a need for fewer airmen thus the drop from mid 40% acceptance rates to low 30 rates. 2017 - 32,006promotion eligible senior airmen, 14,181 were se lected for promotion to staff sergeant, for a selection rate of 44.31% 2016 - 39,064 promotion-eligible senior airmen, selected 16,506 airmen for promotion to staff sergeant, for a selection rate of 42.25% 2015 -39,260 promotion eligible senior airmen, selected 13,269 for promotion to staff sergeant, for a 33.8% selection rate. 2014 -36,739 senior airman eligible for promotion to staff sergeant, 9,403 were selected, for a 25.59% selection rate. 2013 - 34,078 senior airmen eligible for promotion to staff sergeant, 11,212 were selected, for a 32.9% selection rate. 2012 - 33,500 senior airmen eligible for promotion to staff sergeant, more than 13,400 senior airmen selected, that is 40% of those eligible. 2011 -26,549 eligible senior airman for promotion to staff sergeant,11,337 were selected,for a selection rate of 42.70%. 2010 -28,510 eligible senior airmen for promotion to staff sergeant,13,518 were selected,for a selection rate of 47.41%. Historic Chart for Air Force promotion rates to the rank of Staff Sergeant (E-5)Since 1993 Notice the chart below with the ending of the first Gulf War, a massive reduction in military personnel across the board leads to one of the fewest selection percentages in recent history. However, notice post September 11, 2001. The acceptance of airmen to advance to E-5 nearly doubles. YearNumber EligibleNumber SelectedPromotion Rate (%)9382,75813,53516.359478,21212,54116.059572,21212,54116.599657,5239,54116.599752,8208,85418.669848,71911,03322.659944,10916,05336.390038,65419,60550.720230,88019,44862.980327,41613,65149.750433,30613,62540.910536,40514,61440.140637,07113,29835.860736,60815,13041.330828,09812,20943.450930,57415,22349.79 About the Other Services The Army, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard base their enlisted promotion rates based upon a members job. In other words, promotion rates are different for each job, depending on how many available slots there are in the next grade. That means that for over-manned jobs, it is very hard to get promoted, while people in undermanned jobs may be promoted much faster than the service-wide average.However, similar selection rates occur within the other services largely due to times of conflict and times of down sizing.

The biggest issue that gets in the way of saving for retirement

The biggest issue that gets in the way of saving for retirementThe biggest issue that gets in the way of saving for retirementRecent data from Schwab Retirement Plan Servicesshows that 40% of Americans say that paying for unexpected expenses like home repairs gets in the way of paying for retirement.In terms of how the research was carried out,Logica Research polled 1,000 American workers between 25 and 70, who are putting money away for retirement in their 401(k)s. They are all employed at workplaces with 25+ employees that have 401(k) plans.What makes it harder to save for your Golden YearsHeres how Americans weighed inPaying for unexpected expenses like home repairs 40%Not willing to sacrifice things that add to my quality of life (occasional dinners out and vacations) 34%Paying off credit card debt 31%Needing enough money to pay basic monthly bills 28%Saving/paying for my childrens education 28%Having medical bills to pay 27%leise paying off student loans 15%I dont know how to pl an for retirement 12%Other 11%The top three ways that Americans save or invest for retirement are investing in my 401(k) at 98%, saving in a savings account at 61% and investing in an IRA at 46%.But while 80% of people say that their 401(k) is in better shape today than ever before, 72% think that they are on top of the investments they make in their 401(k), and 71% say theyd like personalized advice about it.What Americans which they hadnt spent as much money onWhile 64% of people surveyed said that they would sacrifice items in past to save more for their Golden Years, 36% disagreed.Of those who wish theyd cut back on their spending, heres what they wished they didnt dole out as much cash onMeals out 55%Expensive clothing 31%New cars 28%Vacations 28%Buying the newest tech gadgets 26%Living in my desired area/home 17%Expensive wedding(s) 15%Taking out student loans for myself 12%Helping child with student loans 10%Private school for children 8%Other 4%None of the above 10%Steve And erson, executive vice president ofSchwab Retirement Plan Services, Inc., commented on the research in a statement.The survey shows that if given the chance, many Americans would have spent differently on short-term pleasures, especially compared to spending that supports their families long-term happiness and success. Moreover, participants understand the value of their 401(k)s and the importance of saving for retirement, but the findings suggest that they need guidance to prioritize their financial obligations and make the fruchtwein of their assets. While there may be hurdles along the way, having a written financial plan can help workers make decisions today with an eye towards the future, he said.What people use their extra money forWhile 72% of Americans say that they have paid their bills and have extra cash sitting around at the end of the month, 22% said they dont, and 6% say they are behind on bills.But specifically, here are the five most popular things people do with the ir extra money when the end of the month comes aroundI keep it in a rainy-day fund 41%I save for a vacation 38%I pay down debt 23%I invest in the markets 21%I put it towards my 401(k) 19%

What Barbie Can Teach Us About Careers

What Barbie Can Teach Us About CareersWhat Barbie Can Teach Us About CareersThe term career is often associated with desks, offices, filing cabinets and secretaries. Careers are synonymous with the proverbial desk job, complete with a watch at retirement.But that isnt always the case. There are a great many people who do bizarre, interesting, exciting things for a living. In real life and in popular culture we have a few individuals who time and time again land exceptionally fascinating jobs. One such character is Barbie, the iconic doll. Over the years she has developed quite a diverse resume.Here are some of Barbies best and most interesting jobs.Ocean Treasure ExplorerOf all the job titles Barbie has held, this is by far the most interesting. Ocean Treasure Explorer Barbie came complete with scuba diving equipment and a reef to explore.Normally when we publish job lists we provide a link to the job listings. Unfortunately, Simply Hired doesnt have a single ocean treasure explorer job in its database.This is a career you happen on your own, and Barbie knows this.PhotographerPhotographer Barbie comes complete with a tripod and camera equipment. Photographer Barbie is specifically a fashion photographer, but with the skill set and equipment Barbie should be able to take on a host of different photography gigs.Maybe even underwater photography.Average salary $30,000 per yearChefChef Barbie has cooked in a variety of different niches. Shes been a pastry chef, a pizza chef, a pancake chef, etc. Each of the chef Barbies comes with a kitchen appliance, utensils and some food. Of the various career Barbies, working as a chef has been one of her top occupations.Average salary $40,000 per yearPilotMale pilots are more common, and Pilot Barbie set out to change that. Although pilot Barbie doesnt include an airplane for her to fly, she does have a traditional captains uniform and rollaway suitcase. Of course pilot isnt the only job Barbie has taken in the skies. Shes als o spent some time as a flight attendant.Average salary $61,000 per yearAstronautBarbie has been to space Maybe not literally, but she has worked as an astronaut for years. At times her space uniform was a bit silly. There was a point where she was wearing a pink space suit. However, more recently Barbie has decided to go more traditional. Today she can be seen wearing a white NASA-style space suit.SurgeonOf course Barbie spent some time working in the medical field, both as a nurse and a doctor. But back in the 1970s Barbie also spent some time as a surgeon. Costuming wasnt so exciting for this Barbie though, just the simple blue or green scrubs. Unfortunately she also lacks any serious surgical instruments or someone to operate on.Average salary $99,000 per yearjoga TeacherAlthough always a big advocate for fitness, Barbie had not spent time working in yoga. That all changed in 2012. Although Yoga Teacher Barbie is not extra bendy, she does come with a yoga mat and little dog.Avera ge salary $42,000 per yearPaleontologistLittle kids love dinosaurs. So it was only a matter of time before Mattel figured out that of all the advanced science jobs, paleontologist is the only ones kids know by name.Thus Barbie spends some time digging up dinosaurs.Average salary $33,000 per yearAs you consider possible directions you can take in your own career, grab some inspiration from Barbie and remember the sky (or the ocean) is the limit

Magical Solutions to Resume Language Discovered

Magical Solutions to Resume Language Discovered Heres What I Know About Resume Language Resumes and CVs are two terms that might be used interchangeably. Notice how the example resumes are extremely specific when it has to do with technical skills. You do not need to include things like every very small responsibility held in each position. Unless youre applying for work in IT, you can alsoput your computer skills in the identical section beneath an overall core competencies heading. When applying for the place of a foreign language teacher, be certain to include a range of skills to persuade the employer that youre the proper person for the job. Organize your skills depending on the management function needed for the job, and then list everything under the executive summary.Employers know youre searching for work, and therefore you dont need to waste valuable space on your resume stating the obvious. List accounting certifications and extra training also. Employers understan d that youre young and looking to enhance your experience, so give them as much as you can that shows you are going to be an important employee. Education ought to be included too, because most customer tafelgeschirr representatives typically require a high school diploma. The True Meaning of Resume Language There are a lot of soft skills you should cultivate if you intend on working in customer support. Crafting the ideal receptionist resume objective takes time and a reasonable amount of thought and skill to receive it right. Possessing good organizational skills is a significant part of being a great customer service representative along with nearly every position requires keeping records and having the ability to retrieve them when required. If this is the case, you are going to want to emphasize a number of the soft skills commonly necessary for customer service employees, such as being a fantastic communicator and having strong interpersonal skills. The part of a receptio nist is extremely essential in any organization, and is frequently viewed as an entry level job that may change to numerous administrative tasks as time progresses. Designing and selecting the book cover is an essential step in the publishing procedure, because the cover can create a difference in sales. Landing a receptionist job in an industry-leading company may go a very long way in accelerating your career towards the target of a trusted office administrator. What to Expect From Resume Language? The skills section is one which draws maximum viewing time for those recruiters. Language skills are a really good asset in the current labour market, but not every job-seeker knows the way to draw attention to them. Its possible only once you highlight your abilities and abilities in a different and powerful way. Your multitasking skills will be placed to the test if the organization receives high footfalls every single day. Getting the Best Resume Language Its possible for y ou to use samples to offer you a blue print on how best to compose your own resume. The primary goal is that the reader shouldnt have to look for your language skills if you know that is what they will be searching for. The following are a few suggestions to help you know when you need to list secondary language proficiencies on your resume. You need to have a particular languages section which gives more comprehensive info on your ability. Attempt to earn the language a substantial portion of your life and utilize it as often as possible. English is now a global language. Language is a tricky point to describe, since proficiency can arrive in many forms and people who learn second languages often only have true proficiency in some specific regions of the language. If a specific language is important for any given position, you can take an ideal certification exam. Top Resume Language Secrets Alas, many employers only scan resumes for a couple seconds before choosing whether to continue reading. In addition, there are a few handy strategies to help you craft a successful resume. Affordable essay writing help cheap essay phd job on-line australia services are satisfied with a great deal of prejudice and suspicion. A web-based search can help you to discover programs to in which to participate.

The Leaked Secret to Writing Your Resume Pdf Disclosed

The Leaked Secret to Writing Your Resume Pdf Disclosed You may even include you internship experiences should you just recently graduated. Also, mention your prior job position in which you have applied all the abilities and abilities that youve stated in your resume. Youve got to tailor what you put in your list of skills, abilities, and achievements in line with the work position you are at present applying for. Highlight your transferable abilities, which are the ones which it is possible to use from 1 job to the next irrespective of the position. You may always copy and paste text from a portable document format if you will fill in an on-line application and after that send your full resume in PDF file formatting later every time a hiring manager has invited you to achieve that. This informative article will inform you how to determine which file format to use while saving a resume so you can make certain that a hiring manager will read it. There are several online resum e maker tools which will sure help you to acquire a resume in pdf format only as long as you pay them. Reading content backwardsawkward and time-consuming though it could beis a fantastic way to catch minor mistakes which you might otherwise miss. There are scores and scores of resume writing services online who claim they are the very best and you might wonder why you need to choose ResumeGet agency. Especially if youd like your resume to keep formatting and if are asking for a creative job which requires your resume to reflect a specific skill set such as graphic design. A good resume will give the benefit to people who only submitted a resume solely for the interest of submitting one. Readers dont devote a good deal of time on every page. Bear in mind that recruiters may see the personenname of the file that you send them and also dont forget they get a great deal of resumes daily. Therefore its important that you email your resume right. There are many resume templates to select from and they save you valuable moment. The most significant thing is to adhere to the employers instructions. In case the job description or internet application offers you specific instructions, follow them. While chronological the default, it isnt always the best method to create your case. Until then, you dont have to mention. How you lay it out really depends upon where youre in your career path and that which youre seeking to do next. Do not practice writing resume only as long as youre going to apply for employment. The obvious response to this question is, naturally, because its needed by the job youre applying for. Everyone can say which he or she excelled at her or his final job.

What to Do After You Give Two Weeks Notice - The Muse

What to Do After You Give Two Weeks Notice - The MuseWhat to Do After You Give Two Weeks Notice After plenty of sleepless nights, you just put in your two weeks leidlageice. First things first Pat yourself on the back for making a hard decision. Its never easy to leave a job unless you absolutely, 100% hate everything and everyone involved. Nows the time to let out a sigh of relief and coast for the next 10 days.Not so fast. While its definitely a time to enjoy a little less stress as you wrap up and hand off ongoing projects, you dont want to let everything slide. For one, youll most definitely run into your co-workers and boss in the future, and youre not doing yourself any favors if your final impression with them is a bad one. Its a small world out there, and you never know who youll end up working with or for in the future. So dont burn any bridges The person whos not reference today, might end up being the foot in the door you need a few jobs down the line. Leaving on a good no te will be so much easier if you take care of loose ends the minute you know youre leaving.Heres what to do1. SocializeI know, its last minute and seems counterintuitive since youve got a foot out the door already, but youll regret not taking advantage of your last chance to see people face-to-face and make some final connections. Maybe youve always wanted to ask Jolene about how she got her departure as a designer, but youve never had the courage to approach her. Or, how about Marcus on the legal team. You heard he used to be in the Peace Corps, an organization youve been fascinated with for years, and now youre kicking yourself for always putting off that coffee date. Well, as the saying goes, time is of the essence. Making a connection now will not only benefit you in the future, but doing it before you head out the door will be easier, simply because of proximity, and convenience- which shouldnt be underestimated. And once you have it, itll feel more natural to keep in touch onl ine. 2. Save ItNows the time to discard any minimalist tendencies and go into full hoarding mode to save everything you think may have some use to you in the future. This means forwarding important emails to your personal account, uploading any documents you need to your personal Google drive, and copying down any contact information from co-workers or clients that you may want in the future. (musiknote Just dont break any company rules while doing this.)In one of my old positions, I naively assumed that Id have the same share-drive access that I had before because I was making an internal move. Well, that didnt turn out as expected, which messed me up for a good while when it could have been as easy as taking the time to upload my work.3. Clean UpMore than once or twice, when I started at a new position, I had the glamorous task of cleaning out the desk, file cabinet, and sometimes computer that my predecessor left behind. Whether it was piles of personal information (like health r ecords and bank documents), or pretzel crumbs and a sticky keyboard, I was stuck tidying up.You know that annoying Boy Scout saying, Always leave a place better than you found it? Well, were not too old (or too jaded, hopefully) to employ that sentiment in the workplace. Take a few minutes to pack up your belongings, clean out your drawers, give your desk a disinfectant swipe, and leave things looking decent for your replacement. Dont assume your companys going to be organized enough to take care of these small but important details.4. UpdateOnce the important stuff is done, you can focus on your personal branding update. Even if that parole makes you shudder, No, I dont have a brand, you actually do. Take a moment to check out your social media accounts and note whatll need to be changed once you leave (such as your LinkedIn title or your Twitter bio). Oh, and if you were able to ask your manager for an endorsement before putting in your notice, check to see that it reflects on you r page now, rather than after youve left.And while this might not be possible for all organizations, see if you can have your work email address set to auto-respond that you no longer work in your prior position and can now be reached at your personal email. If its not possible, make sure your most important contacts have your new contact info.5. Leave on a Good NoteIf you have certain processes that you developed to make your job more efficient or easier, go ahead and update any relevant instructional documents. If there are any last things you owe your co-workers, or boss, make sure you deliver, or hand off to someone else if necessary. While some people will always assume a person on his or her way out the door has a case of senioritis, you dont have to prove them right. And, while you should be considerate simply because its the right thing to do, think about how youd like to start at your new job. No one enjoys unraveling and finishing a predecessors project.While the last thin g you probably want is to add more items to your to-do list, keeping track and getting everything closed out at one job will help you start your new one with a clean slate and the freedom to focus. Ill tell your from experience that you dont want to spend your first week emailing, calling, or texting your old IT guy, to see if theres any possible way he can recover that one document you left on your desktop. Just trust me on this one.

5 Ways to Kick Start Your Career

5 Ways to Kick Start Your Career5 Ways to Kick Start Your Career2Whether youre looking for a job, currently employed, or a little bit of both, the new year offers us a chance to jump abflug our careers just as much as we jump-start ourselves.Of course, you can kick-start your career any time of year, but the new year provides momentum that doesnt necessarily exist any other time of year. Your friends and family are probably doing something similar in their lives and you can use each others energy and enthusiasm to stay committed to your career kick-start.Here are five ways to kick start your career in 20131. Do an audit of your current job.What do you love about it? What would you change if you could? What are your road bumps or bottlenecks? How can those be eliminated or improved? What are your goals for 2013?2. Do an audit of your overall career.Where are you in your journey? Are you headed in the direction you want for yourself? If not, what direction do you want to turn? What are the ways you can make that happen?3. Make a list of your top career goals.They can be small or large, and should include whatever is most important to you getting a raise or promotion, taking on new tasks, learning new skills, becoming certified, or even finding a new job or making a career change. With each of these goals, include the smaller steps that it will take to get you to these goals so you have a road-map for how to attain them.4. Try for unconventional benefits at work.As the economy improves, companies will be looking for ways to retain their top talent, so try asking for a benefit that you might not have considered before, like a flexible schedule or the option to telecommute. Believe it or not, more companies including the government are realizing the cost benefits of allowing staff to work from home. Dont be afraid to approach your boss about the possibility of working from home, even if just 1 or 2 days a week.5. Dont just sit there.If you can look back at your c areer in 2012 and be satisfied, you might be entering into 2013 on a good trajectory and be tempted to sit tight. But whether youre satisfied in your career or looking for something better, make the new year a year of action.Readers, are you ready to kick start your career? Head to our flexible jobs page to start your search

The 3 words you need to know for greater success

The 3 words you need to know for greater successThe 3 words you need to know for greater successThey say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. After all, if we go to the trouble to copy someone else, they must have something cool going on.When Madonna came on the scene years ago, it wasnt long before girls everywherbeie were dressing like her. Madonna had an original look, and fans couldnt get enough of it.The same held true for Michael Jackson fans. Everywhere you looked, youd see dudes moon-walking. Or kids wearing big, oven mitt sized gloves on one of their hands. Michael was unique. He had a look, sound and style all his own.I know of a somewhat successful landscape painter who developed his entire style by copying a more notable painter.Beginning artists and most lay people probably think the artist is great. However, most professional landscape painters and educated collectors can easily spot the artistic appropriation.It is better to fail in originality than to suc ceed in imitation. - Herman MelvilleWe all want to be like ur heroes. The problem is that ur heroes are one of a kind. They stand out due to their uniqueness, talents and originality. We cant copy our way to the top, we have to leverage our authentic selves.Our challenge is to discover and develop our passions and talents. Then, we must find a way to originally and authentically share them with the world.- - - Figure out how to stand outA lot of creative people hone their skills until they reach a point of proficiency or mastery. And then they stop.Attaining a masterful level is important because quality matters. But masterful execution of your creative work doesnt assure that youll stand out.Walk into a classical painting atelier, and youll see masterful sketches and paintings of the human form. Students study Charles Bargue plates and plaster cast drawings, sight/size renderings of models, in-depth color mixing, values, brushwork, etc.There are a lot of phenomenal, highly skille d, atelier trained painters out there today. Im happy about that, because the classical approach had been marginalized by the growth of abstract and modern art.The only problem is that a lot of academic, atelier trained artists produce similar work. It all looks kinda the same. No doubt beautiful, skillfully rendered artwork, but not terribly original.Seth Godin is a popular author, blogger and marketing expert. Forbes.com reviewed his book, Purple Cow Transform Your geschftlicher umgang by Being Remarkable, and noted the followingSeth Godin says that the key to success is to find a way to stand out - to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins.If you want to be successful in life, you have to figure out how to stand out. Its a noisy, frenetic world out there, and everyone is screaming, Look at meIf Madonna and Michael Jackson had pursued more conventional images and songs, they probably wouldnt have attained super-stardom.Of course, being different for difference sake, is not enough. There are plenty of dreamers out there, acting bizarre and trying to shock us with their weird behavior, bad language or off the wall antics.There has to be quality behind the originality. If Michael Jackson couldnt dance and sing well, no amount of glitter and makeup would catapult him to fame.- - - Its somewhat counterintuitiveSo what do you need to do? Lets say you have the talents and skills. How do you stand out?There are three words you need to know that can help you achieve greater success. Those three words areDo the oppositeIts somewhat counterintuitive. Normally, we study how other people became successful, and then we try to follow the same path. Its a logical strategy and to some degree, it works.For example, maybe your sister has a terrific job at Google, working as a full-stack, computer programmer. She went to college and grad school, got her computer science degrees, and is now pulling down a six-figure income.Your sisters path to success can be cop ied. In fact, a lot of people follow this educational path. Sure, for many there is student debt accrued, but they also land good jobs.However, if you want to be that purple cow and stand out from everyone else, you need to bump it up a notch. Thats where do the opposite comes into play.This short clip from Seinfeld hysterically drives home the power of do the opposite.- - - I didnt stand out at allWhen I first got into blogging, I wanted to attract more followers. So, I studied what all the experts expoused.I examined what top bloggers were doing. Everyone recommended having a lead magnet on your blog, which is basically some kind of bribe or free gift for signing up to your newsletter or email list.I created two, free e-Books for new subscribers. I noticed a lot of bloggers using pop-ups, so I installed one on my blog, too. I bought a popular WordPress theme used by a top blogger, because I wanted to be successful like him.The free eBooks I used to entice subscribers with.Before long, my blog had all the bells and whistles, but it also looked exactly like everyone elses blog. I didnt stand out at all. I blended into the landscape of similarity and mediocrity.My blog posts were also fashioned like all the top bloggers. I incorporated those infernal listicles and bullet points. I started sharing the same kind of advice as everyone else.In my desire to be like other top bloggers, I forgot about my own unique experiences and authenticity.I got a few hundred followers, but I think they just signed up because they felt sorry for me. Eventually, I came to terms with the fact that I was just like every other aspiring blogger. I was unoriginal and boring. Definitely not a purple cow.Do what you cantOne day I finally decided to ignore all the gurus. The minimalist in me hated pop-ups, busy website design, and obnoxious gimmicks to lure readers in. I redesigned my website with more white space and less noisy distraction.I dumped the lead magnets, free stuff, pop-ups and give-a-ways. I focused on improving my writing by hiring a coach. I did a lot of thinking about what I wanted to do with my blogging.A lot of bloggers add taglines that say, I help people to They were taught by other bloggers and experts that in order to succeed in blogging, you have to solve other peoples problems.No doubt, writing useful content to help people solve problems, will attract some attention. Especially if you have strong qualifications and experience to back up the advice and solutions you offer.What I realized, however, is that you can also entertain people with your blogging. Some of my favorite blogs dont solve problems for me. They entertain me. They fascinate or inspire me.Consider the hugely popular YouTube personality Casey Neistat. This guy has over 9 million followers. He basically creates awesome videos about his travels, experiences, etc.What he doesnt do is hit you over the head with lame pop-ups, or pleas to subscribe by offering a free eBook or fil e download. He doesnt anesthetize you with listicles or re-tread articles telling you to get up early or eat more kale.Instead, he entertains us. Casey Neistat stands out because hes an original and his videos are cool to watch. Sure, he slips in some great messages here and there, so in a way, hes helping us. But mostly, hes entertaining and inspiring us.Check out this awesome video Casey did titled, Do what you cant.Casey Neistat is definitely an original. Even his website breaks from what everyone else is doing. Talk about minimalismDo the oppositeThere are some things in life that we should all be doing. Treat people with kindness and dignity. Pull our own weight. Be there for our kids. Obviously, if everyone else is being thoughtful and kind, that doesnt mean we should be thoughtless and mean.However, in so many aspects of our lives, if we did the opposite, wed probably grow considerably. Wed move closer to our goals.Author Steve Sample, from his bestselling book, The Contraria ns Guide to Leadership, has this to sayAristotle noted that, when carpenters wish to straighten a warped board, they dont put it in a jig that simply holds it straight rather they put it in a jig that bends it in the opposite direction from that in which it is warped. After a week or two in this reverse-bending configuration, the board naturally springs back to a straight shape when it is released from the jig.Think about what your life would look like if you did the opposite of some things. Instead of vegging out on the couch, do the opposite go work out.Dont get seduced by the couch Go do something coolInstead of taking your wife for granted, do the opposite. Buy a small journal and every day, for a month, write the reasons why you love her. Only, dont give it to her on Valentines Day or her birthday. Do the opposite give it to her on a plain, old Monday morning.Do the opposite at work. While everyone else is bitching about the job or the boss, why dont you double down and get mor e work done?Stand out from the crowd. Not because youre a brown noser to the boss, but because no one else is putting in a stand out effort. Whether you love or hate your boss or job, doing the opposite of whining and minimal effort will get you ahead.How about that blog of yours? Why not redesign it so it doesnt look at all like everyone elses blog? Adopt a minimalistic look, or maybe a totally unique, new design.As a creative, consider the work youre producing. Does it stand out? If not, try doing the opposite of what youre currently doing. Switch things up.Im doing that right now with my cartoon work. I prefer fine line, black and white cartoons to saturated, color cartoons. Color tends to mask the beauty of sketchy, cross-hatching and detail. So, Im doing more black and white cartoons.Color cartoons probably stand out more online. But Im doing the opposite. Maybe my cartoons will stand out more, because they dont look like all the colorized cartoons?Speaking of cartoons, they we re parte of my solution for more original, authentic blogging. I started to illustrate my own articles, instead of using the Unsplash stock photos that everyone else is using.Bam When I began adding my own cartoons to blog posts, they immediately stood out more. In my blind efforts to copy top bloggers, I forgot all about my own, unique talents. Like cartooning.How about you? What unique talents or unexpected skills could you bring to your digital life? What could you be doing that nobody else is doing?Experiment. Try new things. Dont be afraid to risk. If you crash and burn, maybe youll lose some fans. Just dust yourself off, and try again. Next week, the new stuff you try just might attract a whole new group of fans.Take Casey Neistats advice and do what you cant. Also, learn to embrace the three words you need to know for greater successDo the oppositeYou just might start something big. Something original. Something authentic, and totally you. How cool that would beBefore you goI m John Weiss. I draw old school, handcrafted cartoons and write about life. Get on my free email listherefor the latest cartoons and blog posts.Thisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.