Three ASME Board of Governors Nominees Selected

Three ASME motherboard of Governors Nominees Selected Three ASME Board of Governors Nominees Selected Three ASME Board of Governors Nominees SelectedJune 29, 2018 Todd R. AllenThe ASME Nominating Committee recently named three new members of the Board of Governors, who will each begin their three-year terms next June. The three Board of Governor nominees Todd R. Allen, Laura E. Hitchcock and Thomas R. Kurfess, Ph.D., P.E. will take office at the 2019 Annual Meeting, following the ratification of their nominations by ASME membership via an online ballot this fall.The president and founder of the professional services and consulting firm Allen Research, Technologies and Services Inc. (ARTS Inc.), Todd Allen has spent his nearly 40-year engineering career in the petroleum, chemical, nonwovens, paper, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, building products and consumer and personal care products industries at companies including Exxon, Shell Oil, Johnson Johnson, Kimberly-Clark Corp. and Georgia-Pacific Corp.Allen, a member of ASME since 1979, has been an active volunteer with the Society since 1995. He served as chair of the Diversity Inclusion Strategy Committee from 2011 to 2015 as well as a member of the Board of Diversity and Outreach, the Center for Leadership and Diversity and the VOLT Academy. Allen also helped the Society institute the ASME Johnson Johnson Consumer Companies Inc. Award, which recognizes contributions to the value and strategic management of diversity and inclusiveness, and advised more than 15 engineering societies in their diversity programs.A National Science Foundation (NSF) grant co-principal investor and a National Academy of Engineering co-author, Allen also served for six years on the Corporate Foundation Alliance, working with the NSF to increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing STEM careers. Laura E. HitchcockLaura Hitchcock, currently an independent consultant, recently retired from The Boeing Company as a sen ior standards specialist and corporate project manager for external standards management, strategy and policy. A world renowned expert on issues related to government, industry and international standards activities and strategic standardization, Hitchcock spearheaded Boeings endeavors to develop strategies and policies to leverage the companys standards activities. She also handled the companys intellectual property and copyright issues related to industry standards.A member of the ASME standards community for more than 35 years and a member of the ASME Council on Standards and Certification for the past 10 years, Hitchcock served as ASME senior vice president for Standards and Certification and chair of the Council on Standards and Certification from 2014 to 2017 and has been a member or a leader of several Task Forces of the ASME Board of Governors.Hitchcock, who is active in a number of engineering and standards-related governing organizations, was also the founding chair of the Aerospace Industries Associations Standards Governance Board and the Strategic Standardization Forum for Aerospace, chair of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group for ISO/TC20 Aircraft and Space Vehicles, and a founding member of both the Industry Cooperation on Standards and Conformity Assessment and the National Association of Manufacturers International Standards and Conformity Assessment Working Group. In addition, she has served on the board of governors for the IEEE Standards Association and on the board of directors for the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), ASTM International and SAE International. Thomas R. KurfessThe third BOG nominee, Thomas Kurfess, is the HUSCO/Ramirez Distinguished Chair in Fluid Power and Motion Control and professor of mechanical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. In 2012-2013, Dr. Kurfess served as assistant director for Advanced Manufacturing in the White Houses Office of Science and Technology Policy during his yearlong term as the ASME Swanson Federal Fellow. Kurfess responsibilities in this role included coordinating federal advanced manufacturing research and development, addressing issues related to technology commercialization, identifying gaps in current federal RD in advanced manufacturing, and developing strategies to address these gaps.Kurfess, who has been an ASME member for more than 30 years, has served ASME in a variety of volunteer capacities, including chair of the ASME Manufacturing Public Policy Task Force, and member of the Council on Standards and Certification and the ASME Committee on Government Relations. Kurfess is the recipient of the ASME Pi Tau Sigma Award, the ASME Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award, and the ASME Gustus L. Larson Award.A Fellow of ASME, SME and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Kurfess is the current president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and serves on the board of directors of the of the National Center for Defense Manufa cturing and Machining and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, and on the board of trustees for the MTConnect Institute.

5 Steps to Finding Your Next Great Opportunity

5 Steps to Finding Your Next Great Opportunity5 Steps to Finding Your Next Great Opportunity When youre looking for a new job , the sheer volume of opportunities available can be daunting - even if youre fairly comfortable using job searching tools. With so many listings available, it can be a major time suck to filter through them one by one, even if youve narrowed the pool using filters or by searching for specific job titles. Thatswhy going into your job hunt with a smart strategy is a must. Like anything else, the best job search game plans are simple to put into practice, so ahead, check out this five-step guide to finding your next amazing opportunity.Most people start their job search by simply looking up job postings with the same job title they have now. Its worth seeing whats out there with your current title, but if youre looking for a new gig, chances are youre looking for something a little different from what youre doing now. Instead of focusing on j obs that have the exact same name as your current one, youre mora likely to find opportunities that will allow you to grow and evolve by first pinpointing your best assets and the responsibilities you want to have, then working backward by searching for those skills on job sites.Think about the skills you use most often in your current job. Which ones do you want to further hone? What technical tools do you know how to use better than others? What elements of your personality help you do a good job? Which tasks do you love doing, and which ones would you rather never do again? By translating your answers to these questions into keywords (think communication, strategy, leadership, etc.), youre more likely to encounter job listings that inspire you.Be sure to make use of the helpful filters that most job search sites offer. Glassdoor allows you to narrow down listings by location, estimated salary, company size and even date posted (its always better to apply early). By using these filters to your advantage, you can save time and avoid having to sift through jobs you know arent right for you - allowing you to focus on the ones that could be great fits.Once you find one job posting youre interested in, it will be easier to find more like it. Thats because many job search sites display related job listings somewhere on the page. Make use of these, as they can make finding multiple jobs to apply for a lot simpler, and can even help you discover opportunities that you wouldnt have encountered otherwise. When youre job hunting , its important to cast a wide net within the pool of jobs that are appropriate for your interests and experience level, so dont overlook this easy-to-miss feature.The specific role youre applying for is definitely most important, but its also a good idea to consider the type of company you want to work for. Perhaps you have certain locations in mind, specific benefits you require or a particular type of company culture you know you need in order to flourish. Working at an early-stage startup and a multinational corporation are two vastly different experiences, so mull over what your ideal company might look like and do some research into the companies youre considering applying to. Check each companys reviews on Glassdoor to get a feel for what its like to work there.Once youve found one job youre really excited about submitting an application for , keep the momentum going and find a few more rather than applying to jobs one by one. Once you have a good number (perhaps five or 10), sit down and apply for them all at once within 48 hours. By batching your job applications in this way, youll be more efficient with your search, and applying to each job will feel less time-consuming. If that feels too overwhelming, select your top three favorite opportunities and commit to applying for those within 48 hours. That way, youre still getting some applications out there. After that, you should be well on your way to a new job

Why Cover Letters are the Worst#8230;.Until They Aren#8217;t

Why Cover Letters are the Worst8230.Until They Aren8217t Why Cover Letters are the Worst8230.Until They Arent It didnt come through Lots of Applicant Tracking Systems and job board portals give you the option of adding your titel letter to your application, but thats elend the whole story. Many times, depending on the (internet) proximity to the actual company, your application (cover letter and resume included) is torn apart, stripped down, parsed into sections that will work inside of the companys internal system and put back together in that organizations particular protocol before human eyes even see it. Since resumes are the lifeblood of the recruiting application, the information in these usually makes it through, but since cover letters are a block of text that can be ignored easily or error-ed out all- many dont make it through.They dont have time The average time that a recruiter scans or reads a resume is between 6-30 seconds and it seems to be going down every year. Thes e people are racing through your resume and probably would love to read your cover letter (if you are their cousin or best friend). Right now, though, its get through that stack of resumes or miss Burrito Day in the cafeteria. Which would YOU choose?They arent ready to emotionally invest in you I know this one sounds like a stretch, but stick with me. The truth is recruiters are trying to find the very closest match to the job they have open. For all the talk about workforce planning and cultural fit, thats not what their brains are thinking about right now. So before they read your cover letter, they need to see what skills you have. Otherwise, why risk liking you because of your killer cover letter?So why even have cover letters at all? Are they just a useless invention, designed to make jobseekers work harder than they have to? Well, not really. You see cover letters do have a great place in the job hunt strategy of many folks and there are even recruiters out there who love gett ing and reading them (and sometimes making fun of them on Facebook). A few situations where a cover letter is a must haveEmployee referrals. If someone inside the company has recommended you for a specific position, a cover letter (along with a STELLAR resume) is a great way to back them up. Coming on strong can be an advantage in this particular arena. In this instance, reference the person who referred you for the position and mention one or two things that youve discovered in researching the potential hiring company. (Recruiters, look for these things, obviously)Startup situations. A traditional cover letter in a startup situation? Maren says yes Heres why In startups, cultural fit generally comes closer to the beginning of the process. Also because many new businesses are waiting until they are drowning in volume hiring or get seed capital or series A or whatever, they dont have a need for a fancy ATS that will boot your application with cover letter out the door.When its your d ream job. If youve been dreaming about working for a company forever, dont let the same old rules dictate your job search. Hopefully, youve been researching this company for awhile and may have an idea how to get your cover letter in front of someone who will actually read it. In fact, I just sat down with my 11-year old to write the first of many letters to Lego, the place he WILL work when he grows up.Bottom line, you HAVE to have a cover letter, because the one time you dont include one, itll be the thing that costs you the job, but keep in mind that you need your resume, phone screen, internal referral and social profiles to be impeccable as well.Master the art of closing deals and making placements. Take our Recruiter Certification Program today. Were SHRM certified. Learn at your own pace during this 12-week program. Access over 20 courses. Great for those who want to break into recruiting, or recruiters who want to further their career.

5 daily habits to increase your creativity and decrease your stress levels

5 daily habits to increase your creativity and decrease your stress levels5 daily habits to increase your creativity and decrease your stress levelsHow do the greatest business minds stay creative and practice great habits when the demands of building a business can be so exhausting?Over the course of my career, I have often turned to colleagues and leading business experts and coaches in the world for advice. Here are five of my favorite daily rituals I learned from some of behauptung leaders These tips and habits are simple enough that you can incorporate them into your routine as well.Breathe differentlyEven the fruchtwein extraordinarily busy entrepreneurs can find a few minutes each day to take care of their physical well-being. Leaders who are said to practice breathing techniques and meditation include Oprah Winfrey, Paul McCartney, Szu sichyl Sandberg, Elon Musk andmore.One tactic I learned this year comes recommended by an expert who works with many of our clients,Walker Cla rk. Clark is a sought-after performance coach known as a leader creator for his unique style of coaching. Clark told me about theButeyko methodof reduced breathing he uses with his clients. All of us tend to breathe incorrectly, which can wash too much carbon dioxide from our blood and starve our tissues of oxygen. This can contribute to a host of ailments, including chronic exhaustion, depression and anxiety, says Clark.The breathing exercise he recommends is simple. With your tongue resting on the roof of your mouth, repeat these stepsTake a small, calm breath in through your nose.Gently allow your breath out.Hold your nose for a slow count of five.Breathe quietly and normally for 10 seconds, then repeat the sequence.Learn story structureOne key to success in business is knowing how to tell any story in a powerful way. Good stories can connect us to our customers, increase sales, inspire our teams and even start movements. My friend and author,Craig Leener,gives a great tip for le arning this priceless skill He suggests reading Napoleon Hills personal development classic,Think and Grow Rich,where you can review the books organized planning chapter as a guide to understanding an eight-point story arc.Knowing how an eight-point arc works and practicing the method allow you to craft your own powerful story from start to finish. I use this method constantly to help grow my companies and help my clients grow theirs, too.Write morning pagesOriginated by Julia Cameron from her book,The Artists Way, the concept of morning pages is simple As soon as you wake up, you need to write three journal pages with any and all thoughts that come into your mind. I first heard about it last year and was reminded of the power of this practice byRobyn Ward, an advisor and coach for some of the worlds largest tech companies and founders.Robyn recommends all the startups and founders she works with topartake in the practice of morning pages. She swears that capturing our messy and ran dom stream of consciousness on paper helps to quiet mental chatter and free the mind, which allows us to move more consciously and creatively into our day. Robyn says, Adding this morning ritual to my day was a game-changer for me and, though my clients are often wary of the concept initially, I have watched countless entrepreneurs benefit from this practice.Take walking meetingsWalking meetings are incredible for the mind, as we can be more effective and creative when were moving.My friend, author and investor Amy Jo Martinsaysthat walking meetings actually help her brain stay stimulated, and when she cant get outdoors, she takes meetings via Google Hangouts and Skype calls from her treadmill desk. Yes, atreadmill deskis a real thing. Amy says, Over the past year, Ive also started setting aside a certain amount of time each week where I hop on my treadmill desk and then ask friends and followers on social media if theres anything I can do to help them while Im getting my steps in.P rioritize your to-do listAs entrepreneurs, were often faced with an overwhelming mountain of to-dos every day. And most of us are tempted to jump right into the tasks that we can finish quickly (you know, the easy work that we can check off our list to feel accomplished). But the truth is, those easy tasks are also typically the most trivial.Recently, I heard Sasha Kill, founder of Outlaw Creative, share on a call how she manages creative projects for the worlds top brands and their founders every day. We have worked with Sasha over the years and she uses a trick that many leading CEOs swear by. Sasha says, If you want to stay on top of your game, its important to focus on your most important daily projects first. It only takes a few minutes at the beginning of each day to prioritize and outline your top three projects, then commit to completing those tasks before tackling any other to-do on your list.The tips above will not only address your personal wellness and mindfulness, but c an also help you build a better team, experience less stress and reach your business goals. The trick is that you have to make these tips habits. You cant just glance at story structure you have to memorize it. You cant just try the breathing exercise once you have to make it a part of your daily routine. Habits also statistically take at least 30 days to stick (though some say only21 days), so challenge yourself to try one of the above for a minimum of 30 days and see what happens as a result.Beth Doane, an award winning writer, speaker, and social entrepreneur, is a managing partner of Main Rose. This article first appeared at BusinessCollective,

Skills to Put in a Resume Fundamentals Explained

Skills to Put in a Resume Fundamentals Explained Skills to Put in a Resume Can Be Fun for Everyone In the event the skills are of a specific type, they may be bulleted or separated with commas. 3 First, you must select the best skills for yur resume. Then youve developed your communication abilities. Then youve developed your oral communication abilities. Most standard resume formats incorporate a skill section at or close to the bottom of the resume. Written Communication Writing well is a big element of your professional presentation. Your accounting degree or experience with bookkeeping might be mora applicable than you believe. Dependent on the recommendation of our expert sources, here are a number of broad classes of skills your resume could include, together with unique approaches to express them. The Basics of Skills to Put in a Resume You Will be Able to Learn From Starting Right Away In the Summary of Qualifications section, you concentrate on your qualifications and skills applicable to the job youre applying for. Actually, there are particular jobs in which its important to set a skill section at or close to the top of the resume. If youre able to do that, an employer will surely notice. Be confident in yourself and what youre able to offer employers. Make certain you go as specific as possible with your resume skills. Youve got leadership abilities. Some skills could be relevant while others arent. Thus when writing down your job skills take some time to strategize and find out the very best approach to organize them in your resume. In the event the work description mentions additional abilities and abilities, then its always wise to set a couple of them in the appropriate section of your resume. It is possible to find below a list of the greatest skills you may put on your resume based on the sort of job which you are applying for. A great nanny should have these skills and qualities. You are going to have tough time locating a work description that doesnt include things like communication as an essential skill. Look through the work description and see whether any soft skills are mentioned. They, on the other hand, are not easy to quantify. In the majority of cases, your soft skills can boost your hard skills. As stated earlier, assessing soft skills is a lot more difficult. In truth, it might be appropriate to incorporate a more prominent core competencies section at the peak of your resume with in depth descriptions of certain skills if theyre absolutely central to success in the desired position. To begin with, if youre seeing a great deal of hard skills that you just dont have, it could be better to move on to the next position. If you would like to display your organization skills, obtaining a tightly structured resume certainly helps. Regardless of what your age, and however much experience that you have, you always need to be ready to learn a new skill or technique. For a part-time job wh ere the schedule varies, youll need to be flexible and ready to work an assortment of distinct hours. Just make sure to double-check whether adding social media to your particular resume is acceptable for the job A great sales professional is continuously seeking to upgrade their knowledge base and increase their abilities. You may have helped your company gather vital data in your part-time job, while its searching for potential new customers or researching an upcoming article. A whole lot of jobs require that you manage projects, and tech is just the same. Many jobs out there ask you to work in the existence of different folks.

The 30-Second Trick for How You Writing a Pending Certification on Resume

The 30-Second Trick for How You Writing a Pending Certification on Resume Key Pieces of How You Writing a Pending Certification on Resume You will need to set the expected date of completion. A great resume format is simple to scan. The info in your resume should paint a photo of the sort of employee you are and show employers what youre capable of accomplishing. Consider your requirements and see the explanations below to decide on the best resume format for you. One of the principal things theyll be on the lookout for is required certifications. You must spend money to earn money. In that instance, you are going to want to place your certifications at the peak of your resume near your name. There are various types of certifications which should be included on a resume based on the kind of jobseeker and the business and position that the resume is for. For instance, if you have CPR certification and youre asking for an accounting position it isnt relevant and would fruch twein likely be better left off your resume. If at all possible, attempt to have many associates proof your resume. Just consider it your very first step in convincing employers that youve got the qualifications they require. Youre interested in an expected employer, but you should introduce yourself and convey what you could do for the organization. Where to Find How You Writing a Pending Certification on Resume If youre searching for work when pursuing the CPA license, you may use your licensure progress to your advantage for a job applicant. Utilize your CPA status to inform the story of your career The perfect way to determine where in your resume you should incorporate the information regarding your CPA status is to learn the story youre attempting to tell with your resume and how your pursuit of the CPA enhances your story. You simply have to learn to compose a CPA candidate resume. If your training and certifications are precisely what the employer should see and have an immediate effect on the open job, set the section close to the top of the resume.

10 Advertising and PR Stunts to Get Your Brand Noticed

10 Advertising and PR Stunts to Get Your Brand Noticed10 Advertising and PR Stunts to Get Your Brand NoticedIf you want to get a great return on investment (ROI) for your advertising and public relations campaign, stunts are a fantastic way to get thousands of free dollars in earned media. If youre unfamiliar with the term, earned media is publicity generated by your campaign, stunt, or promotion, and its something you do not pay for. This comes in the form of TV and radio nachrichtensendung reports, write-ups in newspapers and magazines, mentions on all the social media sites, plus shares by the general public. If you do a stunt well, people will do all the heavy lifting for you. Almost everyone carries both a camera and a video camera in their pocket these days, and they are mora than happy to take photos and movies that they can share online. If that is, its worth sharing. So, how do you grab their attention? What can you do that will actually make thousands, if not millions, of p eople advertise your brand or product for you? Well, these 10 ways are a great start. Just remember, dont rip-off other stunts already done and in the media. Its not as shareable if its been done before, and it also makes you look tacky. 1. Do Something First Ideally, something very entertaining or impactful. And you need to consider the context of the worlds first attempt, and how it relates to what youre selling. Its no good being the first CEO to sit in a bathtub filled with baked beans for 48 hours if youre selling car insurance. What does one have to do with the other? A classic recent example of a worlds first stunt that paired beautifully with the brand welches the Red Bull Stratos Space Jump. You will have heard of it, every news outlet and online source covered it. In 2012, Felix Baumgartner became the person in history to break the sound barrier without the help of a machine. He literally jumped to Earth from a capsule in space over 23 miles, reaching incredible speed s. The stunt pulled in over 8 million live viewers, and Red Bull was seen throughout the jump. 2. Poke Fun at a Competitor There is a fine line to walk here. You have to make sure youre not coming across as too snarky, or over-indulging in schadenfreude. But this is business, and it can generate a lot of buzz when you openly pour scorn on the failure of a competitors brand. The most famous example comes from the Mac vs. PC ads, in which Mac skewered the PC in a series of commercials that were watched and shared millions of times online. Then, there was the Audi vs. BMW billboard war. Audi started it with Your Move BMW, but few people at the agency thought that BMW would come back with a billboard right next to it saying Checkmate. And in Britain at the turn of the millennium, the British Airways London Eye was having all sorts of problems being raised. Thats when challenger brand Virgin Atlantic jumped on the chance, floating a balloon close by saying BA Cant Get it Up. Classic Richard Branson. 3. Zig When Others Zag One of the biggest issues facing the creative department of an advertising agency is convincing the client to do something that its competitors are not doing. It goes back to the 50s and 60s when clients would turn away interesting work saying that doesnt look like an ad for our product. But this is the ideal way to grab the attention of the public. When other companies are going small, go big. When theyre being loud, be quiet. When theyre using comedy, use drama. A great example of this is Doves campaign for real beauty. At a time when all other beauty product companies were using female models that were tens, Dove decided to use real women in their ads. And, they showed the behind the curtain moments of how any woman can become perfect by using Photoshop. The videos went viral. 4. Hijack an Event or Holiday It doesnt have to be a big day, like Christmas or Halloween. If its an event that will get any kind of news coverage, you have an instant advantage. During the U.S. Election of 2016, many brands jumped on the bandwagon and caught the attention of the public. Labor Day is an ideal vehicle for many products and services to do something big, and different. And events like the Oscars, the World Cup, the Olympic Games, and even local events have some built-in newsworthiness that you can take advantage of. Its important to tie to the context of the event, though, and if you do it badly, you will come across as foolish. If youre doing something on Presidents Day, youd better have a natural connection to it in some way. 5. Break a World Record The Guinness Book of World Records is known around the world. There are thousands of records archived, and new records are broken every day. It has become such a great way to capture the imagination of the public that Guinness has sections of its website devoted to corporations getting involved in new or existing records. They list the advantages of record break as boos ting brand awareness, team building, good cause promotions, and anniversaries. Recently, the Porsche Cayenne broke the world record for the Heaviest aircraft pulled by a production car a record that was previously held by the Nissan Patrol. Dont worry if a record doesnt even exist simply create on that fits with your brand, even if its something silly like number of cookies balanced on your nose. Someone, somewhere, will plektrum it up. 6. Create a Viral Event and Release the Footage The word viral has become painfully overused in marketing and advertising. Most of the time, its very hard to capture lightning in a bottle. People will either interact with your brand, or they wont. However, there are ways to almost guarantee a video will go viral, and thats by staging an event and filming it. Then, you release the footage on YouTube, Facebook, and other sites. Classic examples of this in recent times include TNTs Push To Add Drama, the Chucky Comes to Life Poster and the Telekine tic Coffee Shop. Every one of those stunts garnered over 50 million views on YouTube, and there were countless more shares on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit. If you put in the work, it will pay off. 7. Go Big. Really Big. If you do not want to be ignored, make something so big its impossible to ignore. That is not talking about the scale of the event, but building something that is physically huge and impressive. When Michael Jackson released his album HIStory, plus the accompanying tour, giant statues of Michael (over 30 feet tall) were placed in various locations around the world, including London, Los Angeles, Paris, Berlin, Milan, and Prague. Every single one of these statues made the news in countries around the world, garnering millions of dollars in earned media. When Maryland launched a limited edition Unbelievably Fudgey Object (UFO), the PR agency Cunning created an enormous cookie and crashed it into the middle of Trafalgar Square. Game of Thrones created a massive d ragons head and placed it on a beach in England. And then there was the 50ft dead parrot used to promote Monty Python. These projects take time, money, and a lot of planning, but they will grab the headlines. 8. Use the Power of Celebrity There is another easy way to grab the attention of the public, but its definitely not the cheapest option. If you work with a big celebrity, you have a guaranteed audience of millions that will watch almost anything he or she does. Of course, you have to find the right stunt, the right product or service, and the right time to do it. In 2004, Tiger Woods was at the height of his success, and the worlds tallest free-standing hotel, in Dubai. Although he was paid a cool $1 million to play in the tournament, it was his tee shot from the top of the 1,053ft building that made the headlines. Attach your brand to Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Ashton Kutcher or Dwayne Johnson and youll get millions of view, but it will likely cost millions to get them. 9. Do Something Outrageous If you have an idea that you think is just pushing the boundaries too much, dont shelve it yet. Its possible it could be the perfect solution for gaining awareness. In 2007, Lifelock CEO Todd Davis printed his real social security number on ads, billboards, and in TV commercials. He was so sure of his product, he literally put his own security on the line. As it turns out, several criminals took advantage of it and took out some small loans. But the amount of media attention he got dwarfed those small amounts. In 2000, eBay paid the city of Halfway, Oregon to change its name to Half.com. And just look at all of the outrageous stunts that John Oliver of Last Week Tonight is pulling, including the establishment of a church, and buying student debt for pennies on the dollar. 10. Focus on a Landmark Major landmarks around the world always have eyes on them. And that makes them perfect fodder for stunts that will quickly get attention. In 2002, Greenpeace activists scaled the statue of Christ the Redeemer to protest the results of the World Summit. In 1999, popular magazine FHM projected an prestige of a nude Gail Porter on the Houses of Parliament. And in 2016, Nat Geo promoted Big Cat Week by placing a giant lion made from clock parts in the center of Trafalgar Square. Monuments and landmarks are protected though, so make sure you get all the appropriate permissions beforehand or risk the consequences. You cant just hijack the Statue of Liberty or the Tower of London without a lot of paperwork.

Four ways to make this your summer of success

Four ways to make this your summer of successFour ways to make this your summer of successIts tempting to bask in the heat all summer long, losing track of what you want inyour position, and your career as a whole.Heres a better idea think ahead instead, and make steady progress through the summer. Between trips to the beach, hikes in the mountains or even a classic staycation in your neighborhood, theres time to work on your career so youre prepared when things kick into high gear again in the fall.Heres how to stay on top of your goals before the cooler months roll back around.Bring your former colleagues togetherIn the summer, people feel more loose and more social. Use that time to get to know people and strengthen your network. Getting back in touch with those you used to work with could be a fun way to both catch up and to find out whats happening in your industry.J.T. ODonnell writes about this in a 2015 Inc. article.All of us have colleagues from old jobs. Even those crazy su mmer jobs you had while in school. Use social media and pull together a meet-up at a local restaurant and invite all the alum from an old employer. Its a fun, easy way to network with former colleagues face-to-face. And, it could stir up some new partnership or job opportunities, ODonnell writes.Get some informational interviews on your calendarEven if you dont want to switch jobs, its good to know whats out there - and what may be a fit - before youre feeling a crisis about jumping.Marisa Torrieri writes about booking informational interviews during the summer in an article for LearnVest.If youre planning to spend some time this summer figuring out your next career moveespecially if an industry change is in your futuretry to squeeze in as many informational interviews as you can while your workload is light. Picking the brains of some of the smartest and most capable people in your extended network could give you the push you need to make the leap to your dream job, Torrieri writ es.Give your skill set a major boostDuring most of the year, its incredibly stressful to improve your skills while handling a heavy workload. In the summer, when most industries slow down a little, its the perfect chance to fill in any holes on your resum with classes.In a 2017 Forbes article, Alisa Cohn writes about bettering your skills in the summer.The summer pace gives you some breathing room, and this is a perfect time to build your skills. Attend a learn to code workshop investigate conferences sign up for a management training seminar or class. Putting these on your calendar early in your summer will ensure that you achieve something substantial when the busy fall resumes. Another way to build your skills is to investigate volunteer opportunities where you can get some new experiences. One of my clients wanted to improve his business acumen so he spent time last summer researching non-profit boards. He wanted to find a cause he cared about - of course - and he also wanted to serve on the finance committee of the board so he could participate in those discussions. He learned a lot through that process and also met people who helped informally guide him, Cohn writes.She adds that you can read books, blogs and magazines in your industry.Do a personal annual reviewNormally people review their goals at the end of the year, amid New Years and its resolutions and the frenzy of holiday parties and year-end benchmarks. But the summer is a much better time to take a look at whether youre where you want to be.Les McKeown writes about this concept inTIME.Theres something seemingly magical about the calendar year end that has us all trapped in its spell. We see the turn of the year as a time for reflection and a time to plan the year ahead. But the reality is, the calendar year-end is an entirely mechanistic construction. An annual review (looking back at what you learned, what you achieved, what you missed out on, and rearranging priorities for the incoming year ) is an incredibly useful exercise, but theres absolutely no reason your need to conduct it in the middle of a much-needed holiday, and during what is a busy time for all of us. Do what I do. Move your personal annual review to the summer. You still get to review the entire previous year, but you also get to do it in a much less frenzied state, and with much more likelihood that you will actually implement the lessons you learn (remember all those never-happened new years resolutions?), McKeown writes.Use the slower pace of warmer months to your advantage this summer.

2 things you should focus on instead of social media

2 things you should focus on instead of social media2 things you should focus on instead of social mediaEvery Monday and Wednesday, I pay a guy to push my hespecies rate into the stratosphere and turn my muscles into mush. His name is Tyler, and hes my personal trainer.For years, I worked out on my own. Haphazardly. Id run a bit here, lift some weights there. I seldom warmed up and frequently forgot to stretch. Afterwards, Id come home and reward myself with a beer.When I was younger, this exercise approach basically worked. I built some muscle and stamina. However, as I aged, injuries started to mount. My shoulders became stiff. I gave myself tennis elbow from too many curls.Last year, I finally bit the bullet and coughed up some dough for a twice-weekly trainer. Thats where Tyler comes in. He went over my entire health history, injuries and fitness goals. Then he measured my body fat, fashioned a training plan and we were off to the races.Now, every Monday and Wednesday, whether I want to or not, Im at the gym. We focus on core training, sort of like CrossFit. After the workouts, Im exhausted, but its a good kind of exhaustion.When I get home, I stretch, shower, and drink lots of water. No more beer. In fact, I eliminated alcohol and caffeine from my diet completely.When you pay for a personal trainer, its harder to flake on workouts. Paying makes it more of a priority. While everyone else in the gym is snapping Instagram photos or getting lost on Facebook, Tyler is putting me through the paces. Now, even when I work out alone, I always leave my iPhone in the car.What does any of this have to do with social media? Mostly, that there are no short cuts to any place worth going. Social media sucks a lot of time out of your day. It may be entertaining, and it can be helpful to market your business or art. But it distracts you from achieving greater, personal success.Authors Gary Keller and Jay Papasan wrote the book, The One Thing The Surprisingly Simple Truth Be hind Extraordinary Results. The book drives home the importance of priorities. Some of the points they touch on includeAchievers use a success list, not a to do list. They have a strong sense of priority.If you want extraordinary results, you need to narrow your focus.Do your fruchtwein important work, your one thing when your willpower is strongest. For many people, thats early in the day.Ask the question Whats the one thing I can do that will make everything else easier?Essentially, the authors suggest that in every aspect of your life, prioritize the one thing that is most important. For most of us, social media is probably not whats most important.Being an artist. Thats my one thing.A seemingly invaluable toolApart from mindless entertainment, social media has become a seemingly invaluable tool to promote your business, entrepreneurial ambitions, and creative pursuits.Everywhere you look these days, youll find online life coaches, aspiring writers and artists, as well as all man ner of businesses leveraging social media to promote themselves. Yet, for many of them, the stuff theyre peddling is not that unique or valuable. It doesnt stand out from all the other noise.Technology has removed the gatekeepers of the past. Anyone can create an online platform for their art, music or business. They dont have to convince agents, editors or investors anymore.Unfortunately, there is no quality control. As a result, many aspiring writers, artists and entrepreneurs have their hearts broken. They spend a lot of money on fancy websites, logos, photos and newsletter services.They launch their websites, post like crazy all over social media, and wonder why the response is crickets. Its sort of like building a fancy sports car, with a spectacular paint job and accessories. Except the car doesnt have an engine. Sexy on the outside, but dont look under the hood.Social media success is a side effect of quality, not the cause. You can pretty your Instagram account all you want, and upload all kinds of lovely pictures on your Facebook page. None of that stuff, by itself, will make your art or business take off.If you want to be successful with your art or business, stop spinning your wheels on social media. Instead, focus on these two thingsRare and valuableProduce things that are rare and valuable. Instead of wasting all day grooming superficial stuff on social media, pour your energy into mastering a difficult skill. If its not difficult, it wont be rare. You wont stand out, and success will elude you.A better writer and artistAuthor Cal Newports book So Good They Cant Ignore You Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love argues that following your passion is bad career advice. Rather, you should pursue work that interests you to develop skills and career capital along the way.Its helpful if the work aligns well with your aptitudes, too.Not everyone agrees with Newport, but I think hes on to something. When I was a teenager, I dreamed of bec oming a rock star or cartoonist. My father urged me to get an education and pursue a reliable, stable career. Enjoy your cartooning and music, but have something solid to chose back on, Dad used to say.So, I went to college and studied criminal justice administration. On the side, I performed in a rock band and drew cartoons for the campus newspaper. Later, I went to grad school, attained a Masters degree, and enjoyed a 26 year career in law enforcement.My police career taught me volumes about people, responsibility, leadership, and more. The last ten years of my career I served as Chief of Police. I learned tons about politics, community issues, budgets, recruitment, retention, media relations and the fact that its impossible to make everyone happy.I dont know where Id be today had I tried to become a rock star or famous cartoonist. What I do know is that I developed invaluable skills in my law enforcement career. I honed a strong work ethic, personal discipline, good habits, solid writing and speaking skills, and the ability to delay gratification.The many experiences, skills and abilities I developed over my career helped me become a better writer and artist.Rare and valuable skills are what tischset you apart from everyone else. You have to create value to get value.Be like the Mona LisaAuthor and marketing expert Seth Godin wrote a short but excellent blog post titled, Social media is a symptom, not a tactic.Godin points out that if youre doing remarkable work and your organization has built a social ratchet that works, youll have a significant social media presence.Godin addsOn the other hand, if you spend all your time beginning at the end, grooming your social network, tweezing your Insta posts, hyping your tweetsnothing much is going to happen.To drive home his point, Godin points to the Mona LisaThe Mona Lisa has a huge social media presence. Her picture is everywhere. But she doesnt tweet. Shes big on social media because shes an icon, but shes not an icon because shes big on social media.Rome wasnt built in a dayRecently, I began studying figure drawing with Scott Waddell, a classically trained and talented painter. Also, Ive studied landscape painting at length with Scott L. Christensen, a master artist.The time, travel and expense of studying with these artists is considerable, but as noted above, There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.I could waste time wellenreiten social media, and paint only when inspiration strikes. But when I upload my artwork on Instagram and Facebook, I shouldnt wonder why no one pays attention.The solution, rather than trying to endlessly spruce up my website and social media posts, is to put in the hard work. Get up early, or stay up late honing my skills.Seek the best instruction you can afford. Relentlessly practice. Constantly compare your work to better artists, creators or entrepreneurs. Continue to focus on the ONE THING that you need to do to move forward.Are you producing things t hat are rare and invaluable? If not, stop grooming superficial work online and start developing the skills to produce rare and beautiful things.It may take time. Rome wasnt built in a day. Some of the skills youll learn might come from unlikely places. Keep focused on your ONE THING. Get the best instruction you can. Work hard.In time, youll start producing rare and valuable work. People will start to notice. And then, maybe your stuff will be the talk of social media.Before you goIm John P. Weiss. I paint, draw cartoons and write about life. Thanks for readingThis article first appeared on Medium.