My old college roommate recently asked me if she still has the  "shine" factor.  On a quest for a new job in this difficult market, she wanted to know if she embodied that "sparkle" she used to have when we were just entering the workforce after graduation.  As a career coach and former recruiter, I advised her that to be a star and advance in this current economy, she may need to pull out some extra glitter and go well beyond the normal call of duty. Here are some other tips I shared with her:

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Often my clients ask me “How do you get motivated to run? How can I get inspired? How do I become disciplined?” I often reply that there is no magic formula. You get it by doing. The mental qualities you need are all linked like a chain. If you give exercise a try and see results, even if it is as simple as feeling good that you got out the door, you’ll become motivated to repeat the exercise. One woman who shares this philosophy is Nicole DeBoom. An ironwoman competitor and founder of http://www.skirtsports.com, I imagine how many times she has managed to “just show up” for her work and her training. (An Ironman distance event equates to a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride plus a 26.2-mile run.) To find out if she is procrastination- proof, I reached out to her with a few questions:

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When I first meet with potential clients, I review their current situations and discuss what they would specifically like to achieve in the first 90 days of working together. Often the goals are lofty: get out of massive amounts of debt; find a partner; locate a different career in a new sector. Most individuals feel stuck and don’t know where to begin. I implement the use of the acronym, S.M.A.R.T. in order to create specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-limited guidelines for motivation between sessions. As their coach, my ambition is to support them in successfully reaching these milestones but I encourage taking initial “turtle” steps.

It is often in the minor efforts where we begin to change and build momentum. Although it takes some time and patience, I believe that it is possible to conquer big challenges just by starting small. 

In the follow-up to their bestselling book, THE POWER OF NICE, co-authors Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval show us how to harness the power of small to improve and transform your life in their new book, http://www.thepowerofsmallbook.com/. From making a connection with an employer during an interview to keeping track daily of personal spending, this book reinforces the benefits of refocusing attention on the little things. Making a decision to outline a plan is the first step, but showing up for the task is the second, (and sometimes more difficult) part. I asked Robin Koval (RK) about the ways that she has managed to stay true to her promises and to “just show up.”

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