Take it to the Hoop or Take it to the End Zone- Just Take It!

If you play BBall or Football for any team, or even if you don’t, but are a fan, you understand that to consistently put the points on the board, you need coaching, training, and practice. To win, your coach knows that you need a Game Plan, and carefully designs one for each game. The coach taps your unique talents, guides you and supports you, ensuring the Game Plan is well executed. You win!! If you win a lot of games, and get all the coaching and support you need, something completely changes within you. You feel EMPOWERED AND CONFIDENT, like you can win every time, like you have the secret ingredient to success.

So… here’s the deal. If you are guided, coached, trained, and supported, through a process to determine with great clarity what career you are meant for, what you will love, what you will shine at, what you can have great success in doing, you too will feel EMPOWERED AND CONFIDENT. This confidence will, no doubt, be evident when you interview for internships, for jobs after you graduate and throughout your life.

You really can have the winning Game Plan, that unique combination that will set you apart from the crowd and from the other players or teams. I am very sure of this. In fact, when I got out of college and started interviewing, I was so clear that I would be great as a financial investment advisor, that I told this to every prospective employer. I also told them, with confidence and clarity, that I was sure if they didn’t hire me, someone else would. I actually told them that if they did not hire me, but followed my future career path, they would soon realize that they had made a mistake!

Well, I interviewed with four firms, and no surprise to me, I got four offers! By the way, I had no real experience in the field of financial investment advisement. What I did have, however, was clarity and confidence that I would be great as an advisor, and the message came through loud and clear.

I backed up my “personal sales pitch” with the same key points that we teach at oneTRUEzone. We coach young people to discover their passion, and help them reveal how they are unique, gifted and talented. We have each student slow down, and through personal exploration guide them in determining their own Game Plan for Life. Through coaching, training, and practice, each student has the potential to finish the game feeling so Confident and Empowered that nothing will stop them on their own path to success!

Taking the Easy Way

Have you ever seen the Staples commercials with the “Easy Button”? All the person in the commercial has to do is press the “Easy Button” and his or her problems are solved! Wouldn’t it be great if there were an “Easy Button” for finding a career?

Sometimes it may seem that following in your parents’ footsteps is like pressing the “Easy Button”, but is it really? There are many families that tend to have career patterns. We all know families where “everyone” is a doctor, lawyer, police officer, educator, in the military, or part of the family business. But does choosing the same career of a respected and admired family member or friend necessarily mean that you will be doing something that YOU will truly love?

Knowing that 77% of people are unhappy in their jobs leaves one to wonder how many people even like their jobs, let alone love what they do. In choosing a career by default, it is quite possible that you will find yourself in a position that is not right for you. You may regret taking the easy way out and wind up anxiously wondering- now what? As time goes by, you may realize that what you thought was the easy way, actually ended up being the hard way—leaving you unhappy with your career choice and unhappy that you wasted precious time doing something that was not right for you.

How do you avoid making this mistake? Take a few minutes to consider the bigger picture. What do you really like about your friend or family member’s career? What don’t you like? Can you actually see yourself living, on a daily basis, executing the tasks, functions and activities associated with the career in question? Know that you have a multitude of options in choosing a career. Sure many people have thoughts about becoming a doctor or lawyer, but what about a zoologist, a set designer for a television series, or a pilot? Take time to explore your options through considering a self exploratory program designed to help you to uncover your strengths and learn what career will make you happy—not what career path will make your parents happy. The hard work you put in now will have a great pay off as you find a fulfilling career that you will love. Who knows, maybe you’ll find that the family career IS the right path for you—but you will be much more confident in pursuing the opportunity knowing that you’ve weighed out your options.

You may be wondering how can I possibly find the career that is truly right for me. Remember oneTRUEzone’s signature coaching program is specifically designed to help you! While the process of discovery requires some work, contacting us to learn more about how we can help is like pressing the “Easy Button”.

What’s Your Playground?

Volleyball courts, dogs, video games, large inflatable balls, massage chairs, laptops everywhere, heated swimming pools, foosball tables, lava lamps, yoga classes, pool tables, bicycles and scooters for transportation down the hall, pianos, ping pong tables, gyms, and endless snacks and drinks.

Guess what that describes?

Google headquarters of course! That’s right Google HQ, also known as “The Googleplex,” provides all that and more to its several thousand employees who are even permitted to bring their dogs to work each day!

What is it that made these Googlers stand out, and got them hired to work in a place that sounds like a cross between a vacation and a college playground? Click on the link below to hear what Google Engineers Fitz and Ben have to say on the topic (of course filmed in front of a giant pile of inflatable balls):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqEjctBnbAk

And there’s your answer. The several thousand Googlers staked their claim because Google recognized that computer science is something that each and every one of them are PASSIONATE about!

Take a minute to think about Ben’s typical reflective interview question: “Would this person be doing computer science for fun if they were a billionaire and didn’t have to work at all?” What does that apply to in your life? What are you most passionate about? Imagine having a career that you absolutely loved being in every single day? A career that left you feeling like your work is a hobby?

In the video that you just watched, Ben said, “Coming to work is something I look forward to because I get to play in the world’s biggest computer playground.”

What’s your playground?

At oneTRUEzone, we are dedicated to helping each one of our students identify his or her passions as part of a process to make his or her dream a reality. Email us at: info@oneTRUEzone.com to learn how oneTRUEzone can help you to identify your playground and channel it into a career you will LOVE!

You Are Not Alone in the Race To Nowhere

AP classes, endless homework, after school sports, honors clubs, extra curricular activities, college essays…deep breath… catching up with friends, spending time with family, parties, gatherings, obligations, preparing for college…and enjoying senior year of high school?...

If the previous paragraph sounds anything like your life, you probably really did take a deep breath where it said “deep breath.” Good news: you’re not the only one that feels this way. Your senior year of high school can be a ridiculously trying time with a lot of pressure coming at you from many different directions. What is the best way to channel these pressures? Learn to talk about them, diffuse them, and take action for change NOW.

In learning to manage stress and get to the root of the problem early on in life, you’ll find that as you face challenges in years to come, they’ll get easier for you to deal with. It’s kind of like riding a bike. You learn to ride a bike when you are really young. Even if you don’t ride again for quite a while, the ride may be bumpy at first, but you will still remember how to ride the course. It’s the same with obstacles in your life. If you learn how to overcome obstacles now, later when you encounter them, the ride may be a little bumpy but you’ll know how to ride it out.

Last night I attended a screening of the documentary film, Race To Nowhere, at Ridgewood High School which included a post-film discussion with the Producer and Co-Director, Vicki Abeles. As one of the students pointed out during this discussion: overbearing course loads, upcoming tests, homework, and papers took all but 6 seniors away from the Race To Nowhere post-film discussion.

Know that the pressures you are feeling are so much bigger than just you, and what you can fit in your locker. Talk to your friends and classmates and do your part to not only discuss and de-stress with each other, but become part of the solution. Talk to your parents and get the conversation started with the administration at your high school. Don’t be afraid to ask for the support that you need. What would it take to have a homework free Spring Break? What would that bring into your life that you’re missing or needing right now? What other solutions can you brainstorm with your friends and classmates to facilitate change? Get the conversation started, and in the meantime don’t forget to take time each day to just de-stress and be you. There may be millions of high school students nationwide, but there’s only one you. Enjoy your senior year and focus on the positives. These are the times to remember- and there are plenty more awesome things in store for you, right around the corner!

Want to know more about the documentary that’s representing you? Visit: www.RaceToNowhere.com. Have a question or comment about this blog? We love hearing from you! Email us at info@oneTRUEzone.com.