This info is too true not to continue to remember. We can be happier in work and in life. And stop chasing an unattainable idea of success. We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity. (Filmed at TEDxBloomington.) To watch this TED Talk, click here: www.ted.com/talks/shawn_achor_the_happy_secret_to_better_work… Read More
Daisy Swan
An Introduction to Mindfulness – FREE Lecture with Daisy Swan
Monday, March 30, 2015 | 8-9 PM Mimoda Studio @ Paper or Plastik Cafe 5772 W. Pico Blvd. @ Ogden, Los Angeles, CA 90019 An Introduction to Mindfulness Mindfulness meditation is increasingly showing up in mass media as the antidote to contemporary stress. Why all the fuss? Over the past 15 years, hundreds of scientific research studies, and their published results, illustrate just how positively powerful this simple practice is for the human body and mind. Individuals and organizations are now embracing mindfulness practices in record numbers to counterbalance the non-stop demand and distraction of a world that is wildly connected via technology. Mindfulness meditation instructor Daisy Swan will discuss some of the important research that has recently surfaced in this area and provide resources for practice, as well as lead us in several mindfulness exercises that can be incorporated into daily life. Night School lectures are free and… Read More
January 9-11, 2015: New Year, New You ~ Cleanse and Visioning Retreat in Ojai
Mindful Awareness Practices (MAPs) II: Cultivating Positive Emotions (formerly Finding Happiness) (a UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center program led by Career Coach, Daisy Swan) This MAPs II class emphasizes heart-based qualities that complement mindfulness and can be cultivated through meditation practices. We will explore loving kindness, compassion, equanimity (even-mindedness), joy, generosity, and gratitude. We will learn new meditations to develop these qualities, tools to work with when we find them ourselves stuck and not feeling positive emotions, and practical exercises to incorporate them into our daily life. This is a helpful expansion to our basic mindfulness practice. Each class is a dynamic, interactive combination of lecture, practice, and group feedback and discussion. MAPs is taught in a context of a supportive community environment with classes no larger than 30-40 students. Daisy Swan will be leading this class series; she has years of personal… Read More
How To Be a Mystery Shopper (in Your Own Life)
Daisy Swan – Career Coach Guest Contributor for My L.A. Lifestyle Do you love to look around to find the unexpected? Love to scour racks of clothes, or shelves of shoes, for that perfect surprise item that pulls an outfit (or maybe starts one) together…? Not everyone loves this kind of thing. Some people want the goods all laid out, put together, done. But some of us like the thrill of the adventure. We are mystery shoppers. Some people are actually employed as mystery shoppers…people who are planted in stores to surreptitiously shop the aisles, watching how salespeople manage patrons and merchandise. I’m not talking about that kind of mystery shopper. I’m talking about being a mystery shopper in your own life. Tuning into our own lives like a mystery shopper, means tuning into what’s really happening with us, and the world around us. We get… Read More
Think You Have to go to SFO for Cool Work? Think Again.
L.A. County Has Most High Tech Jobs in Country By MELISSAH YANG Los Angeles has more high-tech jobs than any other metro region in the country, including its northern neighbors in Silicon Valley, according to a report released Monday. The county in 2013 employed more than 368,500 people in its high-tech sector, defined as businesses with a large proportion of technology-oriented jobs. The biggest high-tech segments for Los Angeles were in aerospace, wholesale production, engineering, consulting and computer software development. High tech made up 9 percent of all L.A. jobs, above employment numbers posted by manufacturing; accommodation and food services; and trade and logistics. “Los Angeles’ tech industry is now as critical to our economy as our manufacturing and entertainment sectors – and we are outperforming New York, Boston, and Santa Clara County, in the heart of Silicon Valley,” said Mayor Eric Garcetti in statement. “If we want… Read More
Interview with author, Vanessa Van Pettan
Years ago I met a young woman at a networking event and we exchanged phone numbers; she was just starting her new business and was interested in talking about what I was doing in my work, and what she was developing. We became fast friends and exchanged plenty of information about how our businesses were developing on and off line. Her name is Vanessa Van Petten and she has grown her new little business into an amazing online resource of services, teachings and now several books for parents all about what it’s like being a teenager from a teen perspective. I recently spoke to Vanessa when she launched the sale of her new book Do I get My Allowance Before or After I’m Grounded?, about the growth of her business and her experiences publishing three books – one self-published with a self-publishing company, one entirely on her own, and most recently with a big name New York publisher. Have a listen to this candid conversation about growing a business, and the changing challenges and demands of book publishing.
Listen to the audio interview here:
Women For Hire on Fire in LA
On Tuesday morning, I had a great time meeting and conducting a workshop called Living in Transition with Aliveness and Courage at the Women For Hire Expo in Los Angeles. The women I met were so motivated and on top of their game. Paying attention to their strengths, they are leveraging what they’ve got to get out and start their own entrepreneurial ventures, while in the meantime are prepared to meet employers who need sharp and willing people who will get the job done. No whiners in this bunch. I was really impressed with their humor and persistence, two attributes we can all use when the going gets slow. … Read More
What Kind of Optimist Are You?
I always encourage lifelong learning, but now is absolutely the time to stretch out of our comfort zone to embrace the possibilities that this time of change presents. Stepping into change stems from hope….
When you see spontaneous social protests erupting from Tunisia to Tel Aviv to Wall Street, it’s clear that something is happening globally that needs defining. There are two unified theories out there that intrigue me. One says this is the start of “The Great Disruption.” The other says that this is all part of “The Big Shift.” You decide.
Paul Gilding, the Australian environmentalist and author of the book “The Great Disruption,” argues that these demonstrations are a sign that the current growth-obsessed capitalist system is reaching its financial and ecological limits. “I look at the world as an integrated system, so I don’t see these protests, or the debt crisis, or inequality, or the economy, or the climate going weird, in isolation — I see our system in the painful process of breaking down,” which is what he means by the Great Disruption, said Gilding. “Our system of economic growth, of ineffective democracy, of overloading planet earth — our system — is eating itself alive. Occupy Wall Street is like the kid in the fairy story saying what everyone knows but is afraid to say: the emperor has no clothes. The system is broken. Think about the promise of global market capitalism. If we let the system work, if we let the rich get richer, if we let corporations focus on profit, if we let pollution go unpriced and unchecked, then we will all be better off. It may not be equally distributed, but the poor will get less poor, those who work hard will get jobs, those who study hard will get better jobs and we’ll have enough wealth to fix the environment.
Turn Your Image into a Powerful Magnet: How to Attract the Right Job, Client or Mate That’s Best For You AKA
Clothing and Non-verbal Communication for An Effective Professional and Personal Life New Date TBD Cost: Advance registration $75. Location: Olympic Collection, corner of Sawtelle & Olympic, 11301 Olympic Blvd. Parking is available in the building Are you confounded by what to wear to work? Do you have a closet full of clothes, but suffer from the “I Have Nothing to Wear” Syndrome? Have you ever felt insecure during an important event because you hated what you were wearing? Are you interviewing and not getting called back for a second interview? Are you under 30 and wearing Ugg boots to work? Are you over 30 and stuck in a look that is tired or outdated? Are you sure that’s working for you? How short/long/tight/loose are your skirts/jeans/slacks and are they really expressing who you are? Have you been offended by someone making mention of your attire? Are you… Read More
Seeking the Fountain of Youth
As midlifers seek the fountain of youth, chances are they’re not noticing the younger folk glancing enviously their way. “I’m looking forward to my 40s,” says Mikey, a struggling entrepreneur in her mid-20s. “I plan to suffer my midlife crisis at the wheel of a new red Porsche.” Recent college graduates have always grappled with hesitation and self-doubt. But in their new book, “The Quarterlifer’s Companion,” co-authors Abby Wilner and Cathy Stocker suggest that these feelings can signify a legitimate problem. The quarterlife crisis – which typically hits between the ages of 21 and 35 – is, according to Wilner, a “state of intense anxiety resulting from the uncertainty and instability accompanying the shift to adulthood.” The crisis generally sparks feelings of helplessness and isolation. And various culprits like student loans, inflation, job competition and parental pressure are to blame. The key factor, though, is the void created in the… Read More
