Tag Archives: jobs

Oct13

5 Ways To Tell You’re Ready For A Career Change

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5 Ways To Tell You’re Ready For A Career Change

Many people aren’t actually doing what they want to do work wise or, unfortunately, only see their job as a means to an end. It’s common to feel a bit stagnant and decide to focus on furthering studies or learning something new. If you’re not feeling challenged anymore, it might be time to shake things up a bit with a career change. You’ll be more likely to be engaged and motivated at work, and will be able to start making realistic financial goals for your future. Here are five ways to tell you’re ready for a career change:

You don’t feel like your job makes a difference:

Many people opt for a career change because they want to do something more rewarding. This might mean a new job where you help make a difference in people’s lives. If you’re interested in this type of work, you could look into taking a course with an occupational therapy school. This is an example of a career where you can help people of all ages with any physical, developmental, and social challenges they may be facing.

You no longer feel challenged:

If you’ve been in the same job for a while, it’s easy to feel bored and in a rut. Often people are afraid to change careers because they don’t believe they can learn something new. This is not the solution, however, and it’s much more beneficial to seek out new challenges. This way, you’ll improve your skill set and have more opportunities in the future. It’s time to get focused and finally leave your comfort zone.

You would like to continue studying:

There are also many benefits to furthering your education. You’ll be a much more valuable member of staff to any employer, and you’ll be able to gain more experience and responsibility. Perhaps there’s a subject you’ve always wanted to study but haven’t got round to yet? It’s never too late to continue studying and if you don’t want to leave your current job you can opt for a part-time course online. Employers are generally on board with this idea, as it helps to motivate staff, so they might even offer to sponsor you.

There is a wide variety of online courses and certificate programs available. Local community colleges tend to offer fully online degrees or you can search online for well credited programs. From literary arts to home inspector training online, you are sure to find something that fits your interests.

You don’t feel financially compensated:

It’s also time for a career change if you don’t feel financially compensated. By focusing on gaining a new qualification you might be able to finally curb financial anxiety and get paid what you deserve. Money isn’t always the reason people decide on a career change, but it’s definitely a factor if you don’t feel valued at work.

Your priorities have changed:

Your priorities might have changed since you were younger. Whereas in your previous role you were more interested in travel or networking, for instance, you might now be looking for other challenges in order to progress. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for in the future, here are some tips on how to prioritize. Before you make the decision to change careers, you need to get your goals and priorities straight.

It’s never too late to try something new and, yes, that includes your career! Good luck!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Oct13

An Apple A Day

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An Apple A Day

Hello!! For those of you who don’t know, my big girl job is as an Independent Provider for people with special needs. I love my job always but in the summer and fall, I feel particularly thankful because I am constantly being spoiled with produce from gardens and apple orchards. Each family I work with does a garden every summer and, I swear, I never went a week without delicious, homegrown veggies in my apartment these past few months.

This past week, a client and his family visited an apple orchard and I had such fun hearing about his outing. Fast forward to when I was about to pull out of their yard to go home and his mom comes running out to stop me with a huge bag of apples. SO sweet!

All of the families I work with consider me an “honorary” member of their household and it is an honor for me. So, to come home with a bag of apples or veggies is special to me because it’s a reminder of how much we all care for each other. I would be so lonely without all of the wonderful families I get to help out and, god forbid one of us gets sick or goes on vacation, because we all end up missing each other like crazy!

Like I said, my client’s mom ran to my car with this beautiful bounty and it was like getting the most fantastic hug. Small and simple acts of kindness are often the best so be sure to offer an apple (pumpkin or gourd!) a day to someone you love if you visit an apple orchard or pumpkin patch this fall. You have the Lil Red Guarantee that it will be oh so appreciated. ❤

What was the last random act of kindness you made? What do you like to grow in your garden? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep29

Having Trouble Focusing While Working From Home?

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Having Trouble Focusing While Working From Home?

Many of us have had to get used to the prospect of working from home over the past few months. While there are undeniable benefits to being able to take care of business in your own space, a lot of people have trouble adjusting to it, as well. If you’re having trouble getting productive, here are a few solutions that might help you get back on top of things:

You’re not making time for it:

With the flexibility that comes with working from home, it might feel tempting to simply do work whenever it suits you and not have any solid plans. However, this tends to end up wrecking your work-life balance. It’s a good idea to find what time you’re more productive and create a daily schedule around that, complete with strict starting and finishing times. This way, your life and work-life don’t start to bleed together to the point that you feel like you have to be half “on” whenever you’re in the home.

You’re surrounded by clutter:

It might sound like the difference would be minimal, but a neat and organized desk actually has a big impact on your mental condition while you’re working. Clutter has been shown to be a more significant cause of stress than we otherwise give it credit for. Maximizing closet space and making use of things like desk trays in the home office can ensure that you’re not surrounded by bits and bobs all day long. You may find that your office space becomes cluttered quickly because you don’t have enough surfaces to work at. If that is the case, then it might be time to check out Office Monster to see if there is any furniture that you could add to your current set up to help better organize your space so you can complete your day’s work free of distractions.

Your office doesn’t give the right vibe:

This point might sound nebulous, but getting yourself in the right headspace to work is vitally important. As such, investing in decor that can help you create a quirky but professional vibe is important. You want to make sure that you’re surrounded by imagery and designs that inspire and energize you while also ensuring that the workplace is subtle enough that it doesn’t serve as an ongoing distraction.

For some people, it might be as simple as hanging a few pieces of art to give the room some life. For others, it could be a total change of scenery to complete a huge deadline. If this is the case, utilizing Hamilton Cabin Hire (or a similar service in your local area) could give you a welcome reprieve from your home office to focus fully. Your best work might just be a long weekend away.

You’re physically uncomfortable:

Of course, even if your office gives the vibe you need and is organized to perfection, you’re going to have a hard time enjoying it if you’re dealing with a sore back. You might not notice the impacts of poor posture immediately, but if you start to feel some aches and pains in your back and joints towards the end of the day, that means it’s time to look at your chair and desk setup. Ergonomic furniture design can help support these achy parts of you, leading to a more comfortable working day while decreasing the chances that you might actually injure yourself.

It isn’t always easy to create a home office that feels right for your working needs. However, it’s worth taking the time to implement fixes and find what works for you rather than letting yourself start to hate the prospect of working at home entirely.

Featured Image By: Pexels

Sep28

Hold My Beer

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Hold My Beer

Hello! Being self employed is super rewarding and there is nothing better than being your own boss. However, I do have one complaint: Taking time off sucks! When I am sick or going on vacation, I don’t get paid time off so I often end up running myself ragged until all of it catches up with me. Like last week, for example.

I’d like for all of us to take a minute to laugh at what I told Johnny when I returned home from work last Monday. I believe it went a little something like this: “I’m really not trying to take time off until Thanksgiving”. Then, the world said “hold my beer” and I ended up having to take the rest of the week off from being sick.

When I woke up on Tuesday, it was like a switch flipped on and “Sick Mode” commenced. Oh my, was I miserable. I had a hell of a sinus infection and all of the drainage going into my stomach made me nauseous to the point of throwing up. I was so tired constantly even though some nights I slept for close to twelve hours. Needless to say, there was no way I was going into work.

It honestly took falling sick and feeling so yucky for me to realize that I need to be far more generous with my time off – even if I’m not getting paid for it. My health should always come first, especially in COVID times and I can’t take care of my clients or myself properly when I am so worn out and going for months on end without a week day or two off.

Being the CEO to two thriving businesses has its perks. I love making my own schedule, being one hundred percent in control of everything, and only having myself to answer to. But, being the boss also means knowing when an employee needs a break and I plan on being much more accommodating to that from here on out.

I’ll tell you what, being sick and all alone in my apartment while Johnny is at work is for the birds. And not having my parents take care of me like back in the day when I was under the weather is for the birds too. So, here’s to less days off from being sick and more days off for pure fun and relaxation. Let’s get it!

How do you keep sane while self employed? How did you spend your last day off? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Sep22

Making Fitness Into Your Business

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Making Fitness Into Your Business

Fitness can be one of life’s greatest pursuits. Working out, creating healthy food, and looking after every aspect of your health can make for a very satisfying life, and a lot of people find themselves becoming near-obsessed with this part of their lifestyle. Of course, simply living the life of a fitness addict may not go as far as you’d like. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the best ways to make fitness into your business, giving you the chance to take the next step with this part of your life:

Opening A Gym:

Gyms are getting increasingly popular in the modern world. Many people use this sort of resource, and even more would be motivated to do so if they had a gym close to their home. This makes opening a gym a safe and stable business option that will give you the chance to embrace your love of fitness. You will have to make sure that you are prepared for the work that can come with this, as it isn’t always easy to run a physical business. You will find that a big part of running a gym is keeping everything in working order for your customers. This will include hiring a team for commercial gym maintenance so that your machines are always running as they should. You cannot have a functioning gym without functioning equipment!

Becoming A Coach:

While most people don’t look at them this way, sports teams can be incredibly lucrative. With sponsors, ticket and merchandise sales, and a host of other ways to make money, coaching a successful sports team can be a great way to make a living out of fitness. Online schools like The Health Coach can give you the skills you need to pursue a career like this, making it incredibly easy to work up to this while you are still doing a normal job.

Personal Training:

With more and more people going to the gym, personal trainers are in high demand. Working in a role like this will involve helping people to achieve their fitness goals, using science and coaching to improve other people’s bodies. You can find courses around the web that will teach you how to handle this role, and you can choose to look for a regular job or work as a freelance personal trainer. As time goes on, the doors will open to bigger and bigger clients, giving you the chance to climb the ladder.

Don’t forget that you can also offer personal training sessions virtually. This is excellent as you won’t be limited to clients in just one gym but all over! There are plenty of personal training software that you can use so choose what makes the most sense for your needs and training style. This guide for PT Distinction vs Trainerize weighs the pros and cons of two popular software programs used by personal trainers and is most helpful. Be sure to ask other trainers for advice and their likes and dislikes of different platforms too.

Fitness Competition:

Competitive sports are another area of fitness that can be a good money-maker, while also giving you the chance to show off your abilities to a much wider audience. Getting involved with competitive sports can be a long process, with many years of hard work going into achieving the results you want. Each major win will come with a prize, though, and this can make it possible to make a living from this type of work.

With all of this in mind, you should be feeling ready to take on the challenge of making your business out of your passion for fitness. This process can be tough, but will be well worth it if you are unhappy with your current work and are ready for a change!

Featured Image By: Unsplash

Sep8

How To Embed Health & Safety Into Your Business

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How To Embed Health & Safety Into Your Business

All businesses have a duty of care to their employees, a series of legal requirements that they must meet with regards to the health and safety of those in their employ. Often, the health and safety guidelines are covered in an employees onboarding program, then forgotten about.

With injuries in the workplace costing businesses millions of dollars each year, you can’t afford to let things slip. Here’s how to ensure that health and safety are at the heart of your business:

Support should come from the top:

The importance of health and safety should be evident at all levels of the organization. Everyone from the boss on down should be promoting the importance of health and safety at work, or risk a call from a personal injury lawyer. Don’t just leave everything to one designated person.

Perform annual training:

Health and safety training should be covered when an employee joins the company. This way, you are ensuring that they are getting the very latest information on your policies. But what about those employees who have been with you for a long time? How do they get their information and how much of it can they actually remember? By making annual health and safety refresher courses mandatory, you can be sure that all employees are getting the latest information on a regular basis. These sessions can be completed by management or can be outsourced when you search for a “health and safety training UK company” (or your local area).

Annual training doesn’t have to be an onerous or expensive undertaking, you could put the training online and people can complete it with minimum interruptions to their working day. Remember that if new machinery or safety equipment has been added to your facility, training on how to use it properly should follow immediately. What good is a new piece of equipment or an eyewash station as seen here if no one knows how to use it? These trainings will only enhance the safety of your employees.

Include employees in your policy making:

Rather than making one person or department totally responsible for health and safety within the company, try and find ways to get others involved. You could make health and safety issues a standing agenda item on a team meeting or have some kind of forum that people can make suggestions or report issues. There are also other avenues you can take such as hiring a lawyer. With the help of a lawyer, such as this LLC attorney Colorado, or one tailored to your geographical location, you can receive assistance and guidance with business formations, employment agreements, and mergers. These are great meetings to get your employees involved in!

Show that you are listening:

If you have gone to great lengths to include your employees in the health and safety process, they will soon lose any enthusiasm if you aren’t listening. By failing to act on their concerns, they will assume that they are not being listened to and will eventually stop contributing at all. Make any health and safety changes or results of investigations available to them. Even updates on small changes like adding some White Hygienic Wall Cladding in the employee showers is worth mentioning. It could be the change someone was waiting for!

For example, the employees working in your warehouse might have more safety concerns than those in the main office. Hold a meeting and get them the proper equipment required to continue to perform their jobs safely. First aid and CPR training should be a must as well as knowledge on storing hazardous materials properly. Red Cross can help with the first while Storemasta products can help with the second.

Focus the benefits on the employee:

You have to pitch your health and safety policies in the right way. If you present it as something that is there solely to protect the company legally and financially, it will be difficult to get buy-in. Instead, show how the policy affects their own lives and is there to protect them and keep them safe.

In order to embed health and safety into the forefront of your workforce, you need to ensure that you include employees at every step, communicate often, and repeat training on a regular basis. Not only will it lead to reduced incidents in the workplace, but will also protect your company from potential litigation.

Featured Image By: Benjamin Sow on Unsplash

Sep2

Feeling Presidential

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Feeling Presidential

Hi everyone!! For those of you who don’t know, my “big girl job” is as an Independent Provider for people with special needs. Most of my clients are not too interested in politics and that is totally fine. However, one of my clients decided he wants to become president this past week. With nothing to do cause COVID, we turned our time together into running his campaign and nurturing his dreams.

My client and I made posters, campaign speeches, and discussed all of his platforms and strategies. It proved to be educational for both of us because he learned more about what it takes to become president and I got to learn about all of the things that are really important to him. It was also just plain fun and something different.

If you work in the field like me or if you have children, this could be a great idea to get them Feeling Presidential too. Spend some time talking about what it means to be president and how your future candidate would go about their victory. Then, you can craft to your heart’s content and even work on some grammar as you write your speeches.

The crafting and talking about future goals is inspiring and it could open up a whole new world that your child or client might not know existed before. So put your president pants on and get to work!

How do you create fun and unique activities for your children? What would your platform be if you were president? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Press & Journal

Aug23

Making Time For Me

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Making Time For Me

Hello! Ever since I began my self employment journey five years and change back, I have been dedicated to running both of my businesses the best that I can. Of course, it is exhausting but it is also so rewarding that it makes putting one foot in front of the other each day that little bit easier. The only bad thing about self employment? No paid time off. -_-

I have always had a hard time taking days off because needing “me time” during the week means I won’t be getting paid! However, having a boyfriend who gets holidays off has turned my mindset a total one eighty. Believe you me, I love my job but having to go to work on a day that Johnny has off is for the birds.

So, I began to do something different when Johnny and I got more serious. I began being much more lenient with myself about taking a day off. Sleeping in during the weekend rocks but there’s something about sleeping in on a day you should be at work that just hits different.

Since I have become better about taking a day off every once in a while, it has given me something to look forward to. Johnny and I now coordinate our time off as best as we can and I cannot wait for Labor Day Monday so I can have a three day weekend with my MAN. It’s a bit of a way off, yes. But can you blame a girl for being excited about the little things during the coronavirus pandemic?!

Making more time for me has turned me into a much more relaxed individual because I’m literally giving myself permission to chill out. That really has never happened before since I began being my own boss. A day off with my boyfriend is always what the doctor ordered, though, so bring on Labor Day! 😀

What are you looking forward to? How do you make time for yourself? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug6

Making It Work

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Making It Work

Hello! I recently had to cancel a lifewithlilred photo shoot for COVID reasons and I was so disappointed because it was a treat I was really looking forward to. Safety trumps all, however, so I decided to try and make a photo shoot work anyway. Thanks to my mom’s iPod photography skills, I had a bounty of great shots to pick from and I enjoyed the quality time with JANE most of all.

You know how after you take a bunch of pictures, you immediately seek out the ones that you deem “good”? I am guilty of it, myself, and it took a few times of scrolling through my pics to see the beauty in the unintentional shots my mom captured. In fact, quite a few of them ended up being my favorites! Check it out:

E47DF544-DAFC-4F26-9BF6-2FCA7538EDF6AB99448F-85D8-45C2-84DE-DFCD754659D0D82E495F-B060-4EE9-91B1-FBFE52D580B90102C057-4FB2-410E-9612-9B578F42EC24

Keeping two businesses up and running during any time is stressful but during a pandemic it is even crazier! This photo shoot was such a nice way to relax and have some fun and so much new content for lifewithlilred has been inspiring for me. Not to mention your girl was feeling her goddamn self!!

For the past six years of being self employed, making it work has been the name of the game. I wouldn’t have it any other way and it only improves my ability to think creatively and problem solve. These “oopsie” pictures are a visual reminder to me to keep making things work – from maintaining my businesses to taking the time to notice the amazing things that can be captured every moment. It’s all about just knowing where to look. 🙂

How do you make it work during stressful times? What is something that you find beautiful? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Aug4

How Can You Tell When A Job Is Good For You?

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How Can You Tell When A Job Is Good For You?

Being able to tell when a job is good for you can be hard; it’s tricky in the moment, when you’re caught up with work, and it might be all forgotten about by the time you slip into bed at night. However, there are quite a few things you can look out for as you work away day by day to tell you if the job you’re currently signed up for is actually good for your health. Make sure you keep the points below in mind if you’re curious about where you stand with your occupation, and whether or not something needs to change:

Every Day is Satisfying:

If you want to know if a job is good for you or not, it’s important to take note of how you feel at the end of each working day. Say, if you’re working in food service jobs right now, and you’re coming home feeling like the day was good (Even with a couple of fussy customers!) and you’re surrounded by friends at work, you might just be in the right position for you.

Overall, you need to be satisfied with how your workdays usually go. You need to be able to come home feeling like you’ve done some good work, and you’re ready to face a similar tomorrow. Jobs should be satisfying, in order for you to do your best work through them, and if not, it’s time to look elsewhere!

You’re Always Motivated to Keep Going:

Working can take a lot out of us, but when we enjoy a job, we keep going, if not for any other reason than we’re being paid for it – don’t worry, it’s valid! But in knowing that a job is right for you, being able to keep going, no matter how tough things get, is a great way to determine whether or not you’re happy where you are.

Take some time to think about the worst days and how you handled them. Did you need to stop and take five? If so, did you get back to the task at hand? Because even if you did, you’re well suited to your job!

You’re Still Feeling Healthy:

And, finally, it’s important to think about how physically strong and/or well you feel, after working in a job for at least six months. Are you worn out? Do you get on with labor you’re not trained for or can’t handle? Are you at a desk for 8 hours a day? Because all of these questions can help you to determine if your work is keeping you healthy, and if you need to offset any of the effects.

A job is good for you when you know how to do it, you can do it safely, and you’re satisfied when you come home again at the end of the day. A good job is one that treats you like a human being, and ensures you have everything you need to succeed. Good luck!

Featured Image By: Pexels