Inspire ME Friday: Expect Something Wondrous

Good Morning Folks,

You always hear me say that no one has the right answer or all the answers and that we must stretch ourselves to evolve and change with changing times or get left behind. There is a tremendous sense curiosity in the FSO family, we never stop learning, growing or being on a relentless quest for self-improvement.

Just as an attitude of doom and gloom makes you see more problems, facing the future with a sense of wonder makes you alive to all sorts of wonderful things that are going on, right now, everywhere around you. 

That in mind, and in the spirit of our “Inspire Me Fridays” series, I present: 

==> Positive Thinking: 6 Easy Ways to Improve a Bad Day

1. Remember that the past does not equal the future.
There is no such thing as a "run of bad luck." The reason people believe such nonsense is that the human brain creates patterns out of random events and remembers the events that fit the pattern.

2. Refuse to make self-fulfilling prophesies.  
If you believe the rest of your day will be as challenging as what's already happened, then rest assured: You'll end up doing something (or saying) something that will make sure that your prediction comes true.

3. Get a sense of proportion. 
Think about the big picture: Unless something life-changing has happened (like the death of a loved one), chances are that in two weeks, you'll have forgotten completely about whatever it was that has your shorts in a twist today.

4. Change your threshold for "good" and "bad." 
Decide that a good day is any day that you're above ground. Similarly, decide that a bad day is when somebody steals your car and drives it into the ocean. Those types of definitions make it easy to be happy-and difficult to be sad.

5. Improve your body chemistry. 
Your body and brain are in a feedback loop: A bad mood makes you tired, which makes your mood worse, and so forth. Interrupt the pattern by getting up and moving around. Take a walk or eat something healthy.

6. Focus on what's going well.
The primary reason you're convinced it's a bad day is that you're focusing on whatever went wrong. However, for everything going badly, there are probably dozens of things going well. Make list, and post it where it's visible.

Thanks to Geoffrey James and INC.com. And thanks to you for listening.

Have a happy, healthy and JOYOUS weekend,

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here

Welcome To My New Blog

Good Morning Folks,

If you are tired of laziness and complacency in pursuing your dreams and need guidance in cultivating your career or profit center, you’re going to love my new blog here at MitchWeiner.com. I look forward to being your tour guide on this wild, wild ride that is today’s rapidly changing job market.

The face of business is changing and whether an individual or corporation, the pressure is on to innovate or die. Employment in America is increasingly operating in a new reality. The constancy of change requires today's career employee to think and act differently, because the path to the American Dream is no longer a guaranteed right of passage. 

It’s because workers across the board took a hit during the financial crisis and struggled to find work. While generations of workers had a life-long career in a single company with a progressive path upward inside the company (as in Detroit automakers), the reality is that most of us do not have that option today, and that path is no longer even viable (as in Detroit automakers).

Young Americans are being crushed by college debt. And even with college degrees, many of them can't find jobs. Older candidates faced an even harder time regaining employment during and after the Great Recession. 

Most of the gen x and younger Americans no longer have long work histories at any one particular company. It's a nomadic life of constantly on the look out for greener pastures.

The career escalator is jammed at every level. Unemployment rates are sky-high. Creative disruption is shaking every industry. Global competition for jobs is fierce. The employer-employee pact is over and traditional job security is a thing of the past.

That's why I decided this is a unique opportunity in time for me to step up and blog.

Some days I’ll blog original thoughts on workforce-related topics I’m most passionate about such as how the unemployed can get back into the market and make the most of their skills and talent. I’ll address how today’s managers can navigate a brave new world in which companies must manage four different generations from millennials to boomers — each with different needs and motivations. 

I’ll also dispense valuable advice about realizing the full potential of the forgotten hourly demographic, sharing our recipe for implementing the training and incentives that boost morale to levels that build rather than tax the bottom line. In future posts I’ll opine on topics like:

• How to develop a YOUR COMPANY/YOU Mind-Set
• How to develop a YOUR COMPANY/YOU Skill-Set
• How to turn company culture into a huge motivator
• How to develop and sustain a competitive advantage
• How to anticipate and prepare for contingencies with agility and resiliency
• How to bounce back from adversity even when facing unemployment, massive student debt and a Master’s Degree collecting dust
• How to establish and strengthen a network of genuine and appropriate relationships
• How to become a stand-out in a competitive world
• How to avoid common career mistakes such as going for money above all else or choosing a company for what you can get, rather than what you can give
• How to recognize and avoid mediocrity

On Thursdays we’ll “Link UP” with other thought leaders and share tips and techniques I have discovered on other blogs. 

To end each week, our “Inspire Me Fridays” posts will usher in the weekend with some positive reinforcement and send you home to your families with a big smile.

While many companies are struggling to retain and find great talent, all while facing the difficulty of managing a four-generational workforce under one roof (Xs, Ys, Boomers, and Millennials), we excel at attracting and retaining inspired and passionate people with performance-based rewards and opportunities for advancement.

My team leads with consistency in mission and in corporate/strategic initiatives. I have never taken my eye off what drives a successful company – continued innovations, changing with the times and having the ability to be flexible, and retaining great talent.

"We excel at attracting and retaining
inspired and passionate people with
performance-based rewards and
opportunities for advancement"

We offer employees the opportunity to work with industry leaders, the latest and greatest technology, and some of the most forward–thinking customers in the world. FSO provides an environment that rewards innovation, is rich in resources and respects the incredibly talented team we’ve built over the last three years.

For employees, forging a fulfilling career is one of the most important — and often, most difficult —challenges in building a happy life. For employers, building a culture of happiness is key to cementing their brand’s success. When these interests converge, the result is a sense of belonging through shared values and an intangible, emotional belief that we are on a shared journey. My goal in this blog is to share insights and strategies to help each of us thrive by creating the work life and workplace that we want and deserve.

Welcome aboard!

Have a GREAT day as I look forward to seeing all of you soon.

Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer

Learn more about what DIFFERENTIATES FSO here