Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
1922 — 2007

My favorite author . . . of all time.

Second place is steps beneath him.

See his self-crafted obituary.

http://vonnegut.com

Brilliant.

I could write post after post about how much I learned from Kurt Vonnegut, both as a writer and as a human being.

And, I think his two most persistent messages were these:

1.  We are here (on this planet) to fart around.

2.  We must be kind.

I think there’s a message in there for you, too, Dream Jobber.

Farting around in Vonnegutese really means to be doing what you’re hungering for and not wasting your time on what really boils down to nothing but the petty stuff and things that don’t matter.  And, if you can be kind while you’re at it, you’ll make yourself and those around you just a lot more pleasant.

So, do what you love and bring joy to yourself and those around you.

What’s the alternative, really?

And so it goes, Mr. Vonnegut, so it goes.

I’ll miss you a lot!

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When you’re beating yourself up about all the things that are keeping you from your dream job mission, here are a few ways to get back on track: 

1. Random acts of kindness.
2. Hanging around successful people.
3. Anything inspirational.
4. Anything motivational.
5. Most things educational.
6. Anything funny.
7. Talking to a child.

Source:  A great little jewel of a book from Jeffrey Gitomer called Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude. 

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Is a negative attitude keeping you from the job of your dreams?  Focus on a few of the items below, take ‘em to heart, and see what happens . . .

1. Admit it’s no ones fault but your own.
2. Understand you always have a choice.
3. If you think it’s okay, it is.  If you think it’s not, it’s not.
4. Invest your time, don’t spend it.
5. Study the thoughts and writings of positive people.
6. Attend seminars and take courses on attitude.
7. Check your language gauge.
8. Avoid confrontational and negative words.
9. Say why you like things and people, not why you don’t.
10. Help others without expectation or measuring.
11. Thing about your winning and losing words.
12. Think about your mood and your mood swings.
13. Are you the head of the complaint department and the chief complainer?
14. Celebrate victory and defeat.
15. Visit a child’s hospital or help someone less fortunate than you.
16. Count your blessings every day.

Source:  Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude

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The value of an idea lies in the using of it.
Thomas Edison

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From Jeffrey Gitomer’s book The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude

National tests reveal why people fail on the job:

20% — Improper training or poor job skills.

15% — Poor verbal and written communication skills

15% — Poor or problematic boss or management.

50% — Attitude.

Wow!  So, think about all that . . . It’s really you that determines what happens to you.

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Staff writer Bob Quick, of the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, did some research awhile back that might surprise you.

When it comes to finding a job, what you know is just as important as whom you know, according to a recent survey of 150 senior executives by Accountemps, a temporary staffing firm.

The “what” in this case is knowledge about your prospective employer.  The survey indicated that 47 percent of executives polled said having little or no knowledge of the company is the most common mistake made by job seekers.

Among the tips for researching potential employers are visiting the company’s website, looking at an annual report, researching the industry, and asking friends and colleagues about the company.

Popularity: 3% [?]

If you’ve been around Dream Jobs Dialog for any length of time, you may know about my pal, Stephen Hopson.

Stephen is a motivational speaker, and an instrument-rated pilot.

What raises him about the runathemill though is the fact that he’s deaf — as far as I know, he’s the only instrument-rated deaf pilot in North America, and he’s certainly one of the only deaf motivational speakers around these parts.

Read more about him by clicking here for my Stephen Hopson Interview.

Stephen’s not one to let the dust gather around him, so I wanted to tell you about his latest venture . . . he and a wheelchair-bound co-pilot are flying from Ohio (their home base) to Hartford, Connecticut this summer to raise awareness for disabilities.

More importantly, I think they’re raising awareness to tell us that we can all overcome our disabilities, no matter how great or small.  And, that goes for you too, Dream Job Seekers.

Check this out:  Flight to Hartford

Then, click here to see what the plane looks like.

Get off your butts and send these guys a few bucks to help ‘em cover their costs.

Feel free to contact Stephen at stephen@sjhopson.com and tell him I sent you.

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I’ve written about Bob Parsons before; we’ve had somewhat parallel careers and touch base with each other from time to time.  Bob’s now running GoDaddy.com, the domain name registration site.

Awhile back, I shared his 16 Rules For Success.

Good stuff; check ‘er out.

So, it really didn’t surprise me to find out that Bob’s put his Rules on a neat-o looking poster and you can pick up a copy here.

This poster belongs on your wall.

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Percentages below show 10-year projected job growth.

1 Software engineer 46.07% $80,427
2 College professor 31.39% $81,491
3 Financial advisor 25.92% $122,462
4 Human resources manager 23.47% $73,731
5 Physician assistant 49.65% $75,117
6 Market research analyst 20.19% $82,317
7 Computer/IT analyst 36.10% $83,427
8 Real estate appraiser 22.78% $66,216
9 Pharmacist 24.57% $91,998
10 Psychologist 19.14% $66,359
11 Advertising manager 20.34% $107,049
12 Physical therapist 36.74% $54,883
13 Technical writer 23.22% $57,841
14 Chiropractor 22.40% $84,996
15 Medical scientist 34.06% $70,053
16 Physical scientist 12.18% $80,213
17 Engineer 13.38% $76,100
18 Curriculum developer 27.53% $55,793
19 Editor 14.77% $78,242
20 Public relations specialist 22.61% $84,567
21 Sales manager 19.67% $135,903
22 Optometrist 19.73% $93,670
23 Property manager 15.30% $78,375
24 Actuary 23.16% $81,509
25 Writer 17.72% $60,519
26 Social service manager 25.52% $74,584
27 Paralegal 29.75% $61,204
28 Health services manager 22.76% $92,211
29 Advertising sales agent 16.33% $112,683
30 Physician/Surgeon 23.98% $247,536
31 Management analyst 20.12% $63,426
32 Occupational therapist 33.61% $51,973
33 Mental health counselor 27.18% $53,150
34 Landscape architect 19.43% $50,383
35 Biotechnology research scientist 17.05% $66,393
36 Urban planner 15.17% $60,891
37 Lawyer 14.97% $153,923
38 Speech-language pathologist 14.57% $58,329
39 Meeting and convention planner 22.21% $56,072
40 Dietitian/Nutritionist 18.30% $52,244
41 Biological scientist 17.03% $61,317
42 Financial analyst 17.33% $66,203
43 Dentist 13.52% $122,883
44 Accountant 22.43% $62,575
45 Environmental scientist 17.11% $59,027
46 Lab technologist 20.53% $51,502
47 Registered nurse 29.35% $68,872
48 Sales engineer 13.96% $78,875
49 Veterinarian 17.39% $79,923
50 School Administrator 14.55% $73,767

Source:  Money Magazine

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• Air traffic controller Annual income: $102,030
• Storage and distribution manager Annual income: $66,600
• Transportation manager Annual income: $66,600
• Police and detectives supervisor Annual income: $64,430
• Non-retail sales manager Annual income: $59,300
• Forest fire fighting and prevention supervisor Annual income: $58,920
• Municipal fire fighting and prevention supervisor Annual income: $58,902
• Real estate broker Annual income: $58,720
• Elevator installers and repairer Annual income: $58,710
• Sales representative Annual income: $58,580
• Dental hygienist Annual income: $58,350 Radiation therapist Annual income: $57,700
• Nuclear medicine technologist Annual income: $56,450
• Child support, missing persons and unemployment insurance fraud investigatorAnnual income: $53,900
• Criminal investigators and special agent Annual income: $53,990
• Immigration and Customs inspector Annual income: $53,990 Police detective Annual Income: $53,990
• Police identification and records officer Annual income: $53,990
• Commercial pilot Annual income: $53,870
• Talent director Annual income: $52,840

Source:  CNN

Popularity: 6% [?]