Get Back to Work!

Martial artists like to throw around Asian words and phrases from time to time. One of my favorites is "Kung Fu."

Kung Fu literally means an achievement as a product of great effort. A more direct translation for the Western ear would be "work." To achieve you've got to practice positivity and you've got to open your mind, body & spirit to possibility. To increase probability for success you've got to take action; you've got to get to work.

Today we're facing enormous challenges in business. Whether you're an employee or an employer there are conditions and circumstances beyond your control that are impacting everyone. More important, no matter what the current conditions and circumstances there are actions you can take here and now to take control of your success.

1. Ignore circumstances and conditions beyond your control. That may be a tough pill to swallow, but until you let go of what you can't do anything about and start focusing on what you can do you'll be stuck in a vacuum of negativity. Decide exactly what you can and can't control and start focusing on actions that will produce direct results.
   
   
2. Always prepare for the day you're obsolete. If you're in business, prepare yourself for the day when your goods or services are no longer marketable. Explore how you might transfer your skill sets to a new sector, look for new & receptive markets, and investigate new marketing angles or repackaging & repurposing your product or service lines.
   
   If you work for someone else make sure you're networking with people in your field outside of your workplace. Join associations and trade groups and know who is looking for good people. Take advantage of every training and educational opportunity available at your place of employment.
   
   
3. Make yourself more valuable. In business or employment, there is always opportunity to make yourself more valuable. You do this by making yourself more effective; by increasing your ability or capacity to perform or act effectively. You make yourself more powerful.
   

You probably have no control over the global or even local economy. You probably don't decide which military bases will be closed, which manufacturers decide to go overseas or which retailers file for bankruptcy. You can always control the process of continual self-improvement.

With the access to training and education we have today there is no excuse for complacency. You may face tough decisions including moving, changing careers or delaying retirement. Some of these decisions may be made for you. There is no reason to face these decisions unprepared.

1. Take full advantage of every training opportunity available at your place of employment. Don't wait for these opportunities; seek them. If they're not available, find them on your own.
   
   
2. Network; get to know the people who can help you find your next opportunity. As you increase your value and others know your value; there will be people in your network waiting for you to become available. Networking is not just for entrepreneurs, sales reps and CEOs; it's for everybody.
   
   
3. Learn: Always! Take courses at your local adult ed or community college…Can't afford that? Get to your local bookstore or get on-line…still out of reach? Get to the library; they still have plenty of books and most of them now have computers.
   

Power is your ability or capacity to perform or act effectively. Power increases value; the greater your capacity to act effectively the more valuable you are. When the axe comes down, the more valuable you are the less likely your head will be the one on the block. If it is, the more likely you'll quickly find your next opportunity.

There is much you can't control; you can always increase your power. The way to generate power is to get to work: Kung Fu!

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal Power. You want a kick to get you started, become more powerful and develop more options in your life and career? Visit JimBouchard.org and click on the PersonalPOWER, EntrepreneurPOWER or Life Coach button!