Parents Want Career Progression Too

Parents Want Career Progression Too Sally was forced to leave her management job in HR at a large company after being turned down for any kind of flexible working while on maternity leave. She asked for reduced hours, a compressed week and a nine-day fortnight. None was acceptable. She was offered a lesser role. She opted instead to leave and take a £20k pay cut in exchange for greater flexibility. Ironically, she has since been asked to do consultancy work for her previous employer because they haven’t been able to find a suitable replacement. She says: “Career or work-life balance were seen as mutually exclusive. I was told that managers can’t have flexible working. It certainly didn’t make me feel very valued. I felt better entering a new company at a lower level rather than my colleagues seeing me take a step back.” She is still keen to make it to senior director level but is worried that she may never be able to get back on track. Sally is one of many women who feel their careers have not progressed or are going backward as a result of the lack of flexible senior jobs. Workingmums.co.uk’s annual survey shows 57% of mums say their career has not progressed since having children. The survey shows the huge demand for flexible new roles at all stages of the work lifecycle, something worth noting in a labor market marked by growing skills shortages. They also show how the search for flex is becoming central to job searches. Thirty-four percent of working mums researched employers’ flexible working record before applying for a job and 36% did so before accepting a job. Meanwhile, 28% asked about flexible working at interview and 31% say they would not have accepted their current job if there was no flexible working. The figures are similar for dads. Over 50s are also looking for flexible new roles, with 32% saying they had researched flexible working before applying for their last role and 46% having done so before accepting a new job. Interestingly, the figures are significantly higher for under 21s. Forty-one percent had researched flexible working before applying for their last job and 41% asked about flexible working at interview. One HR manager of a construction firm said she had tried many times to make senior managers understand how important flexible working was. They had seen all the surveys in the press and the reports citing the business case, but it was only when she made notes about the number of candidates asking about flexible working at interview that it brought things home. It’s not just in recruitment that the problem lies. Lack of flexibility, as Sally’s case shows, is having a big impact on retention. Indeed, the annual survey shows that 29% of working mums have had a formal flexible working request turned down, with 42% of these saying they had left their job as a result of flexible working being turned down. For Gillian Nissim, founder of workingmums.co.uk, the survey results show how significant flexible working is becoming in job decisions. “Employers need to think more creatively to compete with the start-ups that have been selling themselves on their flexibility. That might mean thinking of job redesigns or agile hiring policies where any manager who puts forward a job advert that lacks flexibility is challenged as to why. Changing an entrenched work culture is harder than starting a new flexible business. It requires constant questioning of working practices, but the benefits of getting it right in terms of recruitment and retention are becoming increasingly clear.” About the author:  Mandy Garner is the editor of Workingmums.co.uk.

How to Make Sure That You Do Not Put Your High School When You Have Colle

How to Make Sure That You Do Not Put Your High School When You Have ColleThere is a lot of confusion out there about the old style of writing a resume and how to get around it. The old way of writing a resume was to list your high school and your college history. This is not the only way to write a resume, but it is one of the easiest and least restrictive.The problem with the old resume that listed your high school and college history is that you are unable to show what you have done since high school and if you do not have a graduate degree or a professional certificate, that will disqualify you. The old resume design does not allow for you to write what you can write today.There is a new resume that was created specifically for people who want to have a job without necessarily a four-year college education. You may have been taught a trade before you went to college, but it may not have been the type of trade that would be appropriate for a four-year degree. It may be a hard skill to learn, or it may have been the last thing you had thought about for your career. You should be able to show what you know and what you have done.Another reason why you do not want to put your high school when you have called is because it puts you in a lower job classification. You may have shown yourself to be a hard worker, but if you don't have a four year degree, you may be pushed into a lower job classification that does not have a salary that is commensurate with your skills and experience. People who do not have degrees often get those jobs just by being friendly and doing the work.Another reason why you should not put your high school when you have called is because you do not have a college education. Many people feel that they have done all that they can do and they need a four year degree in order to advance in their career. If you are willing to take that lower paying job, then you should be able to show that you have put in the effort to learn and grow, even if you are not a four year college graduate.Instead of writing a resume that is very rigid and does not allow you to write what you know, you should write a resume that allows you to show your skills and abilities. If you think that your education is not very important, then you will be happy to know that there are many people who will give you a very low starting wage. If you really want to get ahead in life, then you need to show people how much you are worth.You will also be surprised at how much less you need to list on your resume by listing your college history and other career experience, but you must always make sure that you add your high school if you are hoping to get a higher paying job. You should also not forget to tell them your specific name so that you can contact them directly when you are looking for a job.This is just a basic guide to help you find the best job available, but it will help you with knowing what type of job is the most suitable for you and what you need t o do to land that job. When writing a resume you must know what you need to have on it, and this will help you when you get to the hiring process.

5 Tips To Make Your Amazon Business Successful

5 Tips To Make Your Amazon Business Successful For quite a number of years, Amazon has remained at the top in the list of the largest online retailers. In 2018, Amazon celebrated 2 decades of being in the game since it was started as an online bookstore. Humble beginnings, right. Despite being the biggest online retailer, Amazon is also one of the biggest creators of online income opportunities. In addition to having an affiliate program that lets you promote their products through social media, blogs, and websites, you can also market your own products on Amazon. But as a current or aspiring online entrepreneur, you should know by now that it is never as easy as it seems. Especially when promoting your products or other people’s products on Amazon, competition is always stiff,   unless you’re marketing an entirely new product. And even then, there are many things you need to do to stay ahead in the game when selling on Amazon. Amazon is a Unique Opportunity Needless to emphasize, compared to sites such as eBay and Walmart, it is reported that the number of businesses and individual making a million worth of sales is 4 times more on Amazon. It is also estimated that roughly $88,000 is spent on Amazon each minute. But unfortunately, as high as these numbers may seem, only the Amazon sellers who know how to   to go about promoting their business end up being successful. Only those who know how to give better value than their competitors excel at it. Its mostly about choosing or having a great product and figuring out the best ways to promote your business. And in all honesty, success in business is denoted by the numbers in terms of sales, customer retention, and an overall growth rate. So how exactly do you go about it? What is the best way to get the most out of your Amazon business efforts? How do you maximize your presence, sales, return customers, and growth rate?  Well, here are some   tips to make your Amazon business successful. Ace it on Product Quality If you’re looking at making your Amazon business successful in the long-term, you have to promote a great product. Here, great means acing it on quality after choosing a product that you know your target market will be interested in. Most online entrepreneurs end up closing shop within a few months or years, just because they chose the wrong product or the quality was questionable. It is important to put your clients first. When you fulfill their needs, the rest will fall into place, perhaps even sooner than you anticipated. In addition, though, how you present your product to your target audience also matters. In this case, it is important to provide detailed information about the product in a manner that answers the various questions they may have about it. The way you present your product in your listings should be enticing. For the best results, be sure to include compelling images of the item, along with product details and some more information indirectly telling your prospective clients why they should buy it. Whether you’re an established Amazon business or you’re a third party affiliate marketer, you just have to approach Amazon with a great product. Use Fulfillment by Amazon Online selling requires a couple of things. When a customer places an order, they expect the products to be delivered within a specific length of time upon making payment. This means that as an e-commerce business owner, you have packaging and shipping to deal with. You also have to have a warehouse where you store the products you’re marketing. But all this stress is eliminated when your Amazon business uses the Fulfillment by Amazon service. Your only responsibility when using the FBA is promoting and availing your products while Amazon takes care of storage, packaging, and shipping for you. You only need to send the products you’re marketing to the Amazon warehouse and they take it from there. The FBA can be an amazing way to save time and resources while minimizing delays so your customers find your business more convenient. Convenience is one of the most important things to online shoppers today. As a matter of fact, it is one of the prime reasons they resort to shopping online instead of going to the mall, hardware shop, or the local store. Another good thing is the customer service is also handled for you! With the FBA, selling on Amazon becomes easier for you and more convenient for your target customer, which is good for the success of your business. Ace it on reviews Not only on Amazon, a larger number of online shoppers heavily rely on reviews and comments from previous customers before making purchase decisions. This means that product and customer reviews are highly important for your Amazon business. For starters, having many reviews alone shows that a product has been tried and tested by a number of people. This can increase a potential customer’s confidence in your product and even compel them to buy it. Additionally, reviews can also benefit your customer service and reputation building. For instance, responding warmly to negative reviews and ensuring an angry customer’s issue is resolved can paint a good picture in your products and also your business or the company you’re promoting products for. In your Amazon listings, always be sure to ask for reviews at the end of your product information content. However, it is also important to ensure that most of them are positive, along with satisfactorily addressed dissatisfaction reviews.     You can find an Amazon marketing agency to help with the mechanics of getting good reviews and promoting your products.   For the novice, thats an excellent way to make your Amazon business successful in the shortest possible time. Optimize your Amazon page Well, having an Amazon business is one thing, but attracting and influencing customers to make purchases is entirely another. Yes, FBA and sponsored ads on Amazon play an important role in doing this, but it may not be enough for maximizing your sales and growing your business to success. This brings us to one very important point. You have to invest good Amazon page optimization. To do this, you would need to work with a good SEO agency, who will improve your product rankings on both Amazon and search engines such as Google. This, coupled with paid ads and website marketing will boost your sales so that your best seller rank can increase. If you ever search something on Amazon, you must have noted some section listing the best sellers of that particular product or a similar product in that category. The main idea is to outdo your competition on Amazon in terms of sales. However, there is more to it in BSR than just increasing your sales. For instance, reviews and ratings from customers can also affect your BSR rank. On top of this, marketing your Amazon page may also involve investing in social media marketing, email marketing, and influencer marketing. Video sites such as YouTube, Vimeo, VSkit, and the like, have also gained a huge popularity as an effective online marketing approach. In summary, here are some things you need to capitalize on to optimize your Amazon page and improve its rankings. Use FBA â€" This one was explained earlier. Invest in paid advertising â€" This one involves paying for your Amazon business to feature in sponsored ads both on search engines and within the Amazon website. You can use Amazon pay-per-click (PPC) ads combined with other approaches such as email marketing for the best results. Invest in SEO â€" This one cuts across a wide range of marketing approaches. You can promote your Amazon page or products through your website, your social media profile, your blog, professionals review sites, or even through authority sites within your niche. Some of the most important things in SEO include using informative, up-to-date content optimized with the right keywords in every post you make. This may include your specific product pages on Amazon. Have a website for your Amazon business Especially when marketing more than one or just a few products, having a website for your Amazon business is critical to its success. With your website, it becomes easy to collect customer data and promote your brand more. A website will help increase your online presence, such that a prospective customer doesn’t have to search for your products on Amazon to find them. With a website live online, search engine optimization for your business is also easier and more effective. Your website can be a source of ginormous traffic to your Amazon pages. In addition to being a source of collecting contacts from prospective customers and one-time visitors, your website will also make a great point of customer service. What’s even more interesting, there’s a huge variety of free website design tools you can use to design your own website and get affordable hosting within the shortest time possible. With your website also, it becomes easier to keep your target audience updated on the latest product developments, trends, and what to expect in the future. You can also have a blog within the website where you provide professional product reviews for your products, how-to guides, and other informative articles in your niche of specialization. And it even gets better, you can also provide coupons, discount codes and flash deals through your website with links that redirect to your sales page. Additional tips to a successful Amazon business With the above being the main factors that matter most, there are minors that you shouldn’t forget about. These include the following. Provide a fair shipping price.     Costs of shipping can go bananas sometimes. But overpricing your shipping can exert a huge toll on your business. Don’t charge your clients extra for shipping. Competitor tracking is important.   What are your competitors selling on Amazon? What techniques do the top-sellers use to get there? Are they offering discounts? What’s unique about their products? This information will be helpful for you to stay in the game. You may also benefit immensely from your competitors’ customer reviews, which can help you discover their strengths and weaknesses. Provide discounts.   One thing is for sure with shopping everywhere; everyone wants to save a few bucks off their purchase. As a matter of fact, a huge number of online shoppers wait until there’s a discounted offer on a particular product. This is very common in the tech device and apparel industries specifically. This means that whenever you have special offers, it is highly likely that your website or Amazon store will experience a heavy flow of traffic. The interesting thing is that such shoppers will keep checking for new offers every once-in-a-while after that for more hot deals. Discounts are always enticing, it’s just the way it is considered today’s rather harsh economy. Provide exceptional customer service.     The biggest key to achieving long-term success in any business is to provide the best customer service possible. Customers tend to keep a non-erasable memory of how they were treated when shopping at a physical or online store and how their specific issues were handled. Make experiential, and they will always come back the next time they need a product within your line of specialization. From the placement of orders to packaging and shipping, your customer service has to be on point. Even if you’re using the FBA program, you should be able to go out of your way to assist a client in case they reach out to you through the Amazon reviews, social media or your website. If you anticipate a delay in shipping, it is also important to communicate this to them beforehand at the point of ordering. The quality of customer service you provide will have a huge impact on the reviews you get as well as your sales and the overall success of your business as an Amazon entrepreneur. In totality, the Amazon business world is a tough one. Well, starting one is not the tough part. The hard part is to grow into a successful online franchise. But it becomes as easy as ABC if you know how to approach it right. The above tips can be helpful you know what you have to do to achieve your highly coveted success. Take advantage of the Amazon tools, use the above tips and be sure to look for an experienced Amazon listing optimization agency you can trust. The latter will be highly essential for the success of your Amazon business.

Who Is Really Deciding to Hire You or Not - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Who Is Really Deciding to Hire You or Not - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Years ago, I had a large office in the Wall Street area with a personal secretary screening my phone calls, opening mail, taking dictation, and managing my calendar. Since then of course, the business world has changed. The next phase had executives sharing a pool of secretaries using floppy discs working on word processors. That was followed by an administrative assistant supporting at times an entire group. Whereas years ago the hiring process and the hiring decision were the exclusive domain of the executive, nowadaysâ€"since so-called teamwork has become a major part of the work environmentâ€"hiring decisions are often shared and thus made by several team members. That process supports the concept that a group decision is better than an individual decision. As a result, the process has become convoluted, protracted, and not necessarily betterâ€"in my opinion. Today’s job market is flooded with lots of very qualified candidates chasing very few openings. The way hiring happens has also changed. Technology has infiltrated the process, and today’s submission of one’s candidacy is purely mechanical. Nobody sees the candidate’s skills and qualifications unless the hiring manager’s keywords match those on the résumé or LinkedIn profile, and only then is the original document viewed. Once that happens, several candidates get selected for the next step in the process. To save time and money, a short phone or video interview, or screen, is the next hurdle candidates face. It’s usually accomplished by someone junior in the human resources department who in most of the cases does not fully understand the hiring department’s particular needs. If an external recruiter is the intermediary between the candidate and the hiring company, then the recruiter’s financial motivation is playing a significant key role. That’s because recruiters work for the company paying their commissions. Decision Making Decision making is a complex process because several parties have a say and a stake in it. For example, sometimes the human resources department representative’s opinion carries significant weight, and other times the rep is merely a paper trail processor. Sometimes a candidate is interviewed by several people in addition to the final decision maker. Those others, too, have a sayâ€"because hiring managers want to show their support of their teams by demonstrating their collegialityâ€"but to what extent those other opinions matter is probably variable. And what happens when a hiring manager favors a particular candidate but several others who’d be future peers of the candidate show resistance? In addition, in most cases hiring managers know the thinking and mentality of the person they report into, so what happens if their own opinion is opposed regarding the type of person who should be hired? A recent large survey was conducted among human resources professionals and hiring managers. The survey clearly found that by far, the number one factor in the hiring decision is the fit factorâ€"meaning, the determination about whether a candidate will fit into the culture of the company. Fully 100 percent of the respondents said so! But what is this culture that’s referred to? Who defines it? Who interprets it? Some companies use exclusively behavior-based or situation-based interview questions. The tenet here is that past performance is a good indicator or predictor of similar such performance. I wonder if those companies can decisively demonstrate that by practicing this theory, they become able to hire and retain a higher-caliber labor force. Ultimately, of course, it is people who make the final decision about which candidate to offer the job to. The interview process is certainly not a science but an art. Can that art be learned in order to improve one’s chances of being hired? Well, I’m sure you know the answer to the old riddle that asks, Do you know how to get to Carnegie Hall?

Writing a Summery For a Resume During the Summertime

Writing a Summery For a Resume During the SummertimeYou can write a summery for a resume anytime of the year but what about during the summer? Yes, there are times when you may need to write a summery for a resume. Summertime is the perfect time for all of us because it brings more people and activities to the office. Thus, the company may be struggling to find time to write resumes for those who have been laid off during the summer.Of course, a summer job can mean that you should not have your resume written for the season or may even be too busy for writing a summery for a resume. In fact, during the summertime, people may need more rest than usual. Therefore, it is easier to get a summer job than during the winter season.Also, employers do not always want to write a resume in summer. For instance, an employer who has a sudden change of plans may have no time to write a resume for a summertime. The other reason for the employer not writing a resume is because he does not know the c andidate's qualifications. Thus, it is better to be careful with what information is contained in the resume, especially during the summertime.When writing a summery for a resume, some people tend to forget important details. However, if you are not able to organize the resume correctly, it can lead to your bad resume application. It may be quite embarrassing to be asked for a resume even though you have done well in the past resume application.Even when you are unable to write a summary for a resume in the summertime, there are still some things that you need to know. For example, you need to make sure that the most vital details of your resume are included in the resume. You need to also give enough attention to the organization of the details on the resume. You need to work hard if you want to get a summer job this summer.As mentioned earlier, summer jobs are usually short-term jobs. Thus, it is important that you make sure that you provide all relevant information for the summer job. Remember that the employer only gets to see a part of the resume, so you need to be careful that the rest of the information on the resume is included in the form.Other important points you need to include on the resume are your contact number, your position and name, your previous work experience, and most importantly, your academic and professional background. You also need to include the skills and other abilities that will be useful for the job you are applying for.If you think that writing a summery for a resume in the summertime will take too much of your time, you can take advantage of online writing services. These companies can help you with your resume as long as you submit your resume on time.

Your guide to surviving an assessment centre - Debut

Your guide to surviving an assessment centre - Debut This post was written by an external contributor.  Anna Rieser has put together a quick guide on how to prepare for an assessment centre.   Congratulations! You’ve put in the work, aced the application and you’re now down to the final stage: the assessment centre. These days usually consist of a combination of practical exercises and interviews, testing all of your skills. This is why assessment centres can be so scary. When I asked my friends about their experiences with them, I was met with ashen faces, as they found the whole process pretty harrowing. But whilst being thrown into a busy day at the office without any training for the job you’re about to do is a challenge, it doesn’t need to feel like surviving a marathon. With this simple guide, you’ll be better prepared to survive an assessment centre, and maybe even enjoy it! Know what they are looking for Like any other interview, you want to know the competencies of the company inside and out. What do they value in their employees? How do they want to be seen by the world? What is the bigger picture here? Remember, due to the nature of the day, you won’t just be saying words that match up with these values; youll have to apply them practically through role play. This may be the only time that LARPing enhances your career options! The company you are interviewing with will most likely send you examples of their tests. If not, then it’s a really good idea to get in touch with the careers service at your university. Tell them the company you’re working with and get them to give you a mock interview and standard tests to practice with at home. Brush up on your maths skills If you’ve been studying calculus for the last three years, then you’re going to be just fine. However, if you’ve focused more on the particular meaning of ‘enamel’ in eighteenth century love poetry (or studied any subject not related to numbers), you might want to recap how to work out percentages, interpret graphs and sort out fractions quickly. Use any stats or numbers given in your tasks effectively. In this case it’s well worth revisiting your GCSE textbooks. BBC Bitesize now have an app that lets you practice these these exercises on the go. So next time you reach to scroll through Instagram, do a sum instead. Be friendly Businesses will be on the lookout for how you interact with others and work in a team. So bring your best self! Youll likely take part in a group activity, and its tempting to advocate for the leadership position. But remember; the rest of your group will also have these objectives in mind as well. To avoid eight ‘leaders’ shouting over each other work together, not against one another. Be professional and polite, use people’s names and make eye contact, and try your best to appear confident. If people are being talked over, bring them into the conversation in a non-patronising way. Alternatively, if people are shouting and being obstructive, try and work out what point they are trying to make and address it so that the discussion can move on, rather than just dismissing them. Try to remember that ultimately it doesn’t matter if your options aren’t chosen. Its mainly about how engaged you are in the discussion, and how well youre able to judge others opinions and ideas. Be resilient in mind and body The best advice I was given is to remember that everyone feels like they’ve failed. A lot of assessment centres are designed to create a pressurised environment that makes you stressed out. Youll do better at some exercises than others, so don’t be disheartened if something goes wrong. Resilience is important, so just shake it off! Look after your body as much as possible. Get a good night’s sleep, eat a hearty breakfast and resist the temptation to over-caffeinate. If you have a seven hour interview, you should bring some lunch with you, as they might not provide it. The last thing you need on the day is to have low-blood sugar, or feel hangry! The whole experience can feel extremely strange; youre in an unfamiliar environment, and everyone will most likely be suited and booted to impress. Embrace the surrealness of the situation, try to enjoy it and give yourself the best possible chance of success by following this guide and feeling as prepared as you possibly can. If nothing else; breath, smile and fake it til you make it. Download Debut  and  connect with us on  Facebook,  Twitter  and  LinkedIn  for more careers insights.

Smart Money Magazine Thinks Job Seekers Are...Stupid

Smart Money Magazine Thinks Job Seekers Are...Stupid I was recently approached for an interview with Kristen Bellstrom, a journalist for Smart Money Magazine for an article on the resume writing/career coaching industry.   I had surmised going into this that Smart Money would make a concerted effort to show readers how to get the most bang for the buck when purchasing   career coaching products and services and that there was a chance that Smart Money would be scrutinizing the value of coaching services as part of the articles agenda. Whats really unfortunate is that Smart Money   presented such a one-sided editorialized perspective of the industry rather than a thorough   investigative piece of journalism. I was in fact   misquoted and misrepresented, perhaps in an effort to bend the article towards Smart Moneys skewed perspective.Instead of presenting information about the industry and the pros and cons of hiring a coach, the article titled Should You Hire a Job Coach? is written from the   duh, of course not! point of view.   (The a rticle is not currently available online without a magazine subscription, so you will only be able to link to the article title).Smart Money doesnt seem to think their readers are smart enough to   evaluate the services of a career coach based on the facts, nor do they think its important to inform consumers about what they should look for when considering hiring a resume writer or coach. Instead they chose to present vague information about the industry and the services offered along with a healthy dose of skepticism and then mention what the so called critics (who are never referred to by name, profession, or affiliation) think about the services coaches offer.So since Smart Money doesnt think its necessary to help job seekers figure out if a resume writer or coach is right for them, I decided that I would recommend some questions you might want to ask a prospective resume writer or coach if you are thinking about hiring one.What types of services do you offer? What dont you offer ? What types of outcomes can I expect if I use your services?What is my investment in the service and what does that include? If the pricing is very different than others you have interviewed in the industry, ask why that is and ask how that pricing is linked to the benefits of the service.What type of experience do you have that positions you as an expert in your field? Are you credentialed and if so, what do those credentials mean and how do they differ from other industry credentials? If the writer is not credentialed, ask them how their background and experience positions them as a leader in their industry.On a resume, how would you position someone in my field or industry? If you have a specific obstacle such as an employment gap, short tenure in positions, or if you are changing careers, ask the writer how they would overcome those obstacles on your resume.Can I see samples of your work?Before I make a final decision about hiring you, can I speak to a few of your former or cur rent clients? (In an effort to be respectful of other peoples time, I only recommend this as a final step when you are feeling very confident that you will hire this writer or coach unless something the reference says changes your mind about your decision).Feeling comfortable with the person you hire is paramount. Purchasing resume writing or coaching services is not the same as purchasing a flat screen TV. The quality of the relationship and the trust you have in your coach and their services is crucial to the success of the process.

Lost 1 Sense of Trust

Lost 1 Sense of Trust Breathe in inspiration trust yourself by tea for thoughts Ive been practicing what I preach, what I know, the life lessons that have presented themselves to me in the 32 years, 4 months 2 days Ive been on this planet. Ive been super nice to myself. Ive been taking in all the niceness that others are giving me ( man, have I been getting bunches of niceness lately). Im acknowledging celebrating my wins all the stuff thats going right in my life. Im only involved in projects I really, truly want to be involved in, that feel good exciting fun. Ive chucked most of/all the shoulds. Ive surrounded myself with the most awesome tribe a girl can ever have. What does this add up to? A sense of purpose, graciousness, a full 1,000% belief that everything Ive gone through in the last 32 years, 4 months 2 days has brought me here to this place that I belong, that Im welcomed, that I need to be. And yet Ive lost my sense of trust. The trust that I have the space I need to take the next step the one thats right good for my business my self. The trust that there are no right wrong answers. The trust that its, well, easy to trust. The trust that it will all come together. The trust that it wont be taken away. The trust that the Universe will provide me with what I need. The trust that time is abundant. Part of me is so confused. How can I be so sure of what I know what Ive learned what Ive been practicing, so comforted positive fulfilled, while part of me is so fearful   unsure rushed? Why does it feel so complicated when it should be so simple? This is where I rest on the lesson that the most fulfilling things in my life have been the ones that have had their fair amount of fear mixed in with the excitement. That if I take one (baby!) step every day, that Im moving forward. That freakin A, the Universe is totally providing for me, even though its not in a way that I can yet measure. But wait I can. I can write down all the ways that the Universe has been providing for me. And I can look at all those things smile say, Well, I trust that Im doing something right. I truest that people are getting up what Im putting down. I trust that this will be my bread butter. I trust that Im super in it to win it. And other such cliches that accurately represent what Im going through. I can talk to you nonstop for an hour about all of the wonderfuness that has come my way this past month since Ive been a full-time creative career coach, yet its not enough to allow me to breathe, to rest, to be comforted. But from here on out, Im going on an adventure: one part movement, one part trust, one part rest, one part celebration. Ill mix it in slowly, gently, almost secretly but I know that its there. I can actually see it. Trust is a welcoming ray of sunshine, a singing bird, a sunset, a sweetness with arms open wide smiles bright big. Im just going to keep walking towards it. Baby steps. Easy does it. Ill walk slowly, surely, carefully, until it embraces me I feel it breathe when I do. Ill trust that its OK that I dont feel that now. Yet. Ill get there.