The danger of raising your standards Things not to do

The danger of raising your standards Things not to doThe danger of raising your standards Things not to doIf you want my advice, dont you dare do these thingsDont drink a $100 bottle of champagne.Dont fly business class.Dont go to Paris or Ireland or Italy.Dont travel at all, actually.Dont be picky about your romantic partner.Dont tell friends what you want.Dont buy front row tickets.Dont join a mastermind group.Dont make more money.Dont consume the best art humanity has to offer.Dont listen to the best music.Dont attempt to match what the pros do.Dont start getting up early to chase a dream.Dont cskipistee your diet.Dont exercise.Dont hang around people wiser than you.Dont do any of these things if you cant stand to raise your standards.- - - The second you do, youll be forced to feel better, communicate better, work better, save better, spend better, and BE better.- - - The danger of setting high standards is this? - ?it is impossible to live below them.So sure, aspire as high as you wish.Just be ready to pay the price.Much love as always ?- Todd BInfinite ideasIf I am elite in any area it is because of my ideas, both the quality and the quantity.I finally got my idea-generating process down in an ebook The Ultimate Guide to Infinite Ideas, which Im giving away for the price of an email address.Get your copy here.Thisarticlefirst appeared on Medium.

This is the new email rule every office should use in 2019

This is the new email rule every office should use in 2019This is the new email rule every office should use in 2019The never-ending barrage of emails we receive at work can get old. Some people have developed hacks to make said barrage a little less noisome, such as saving go-to responses as virtual signatures instead of rewriting the same message time after time. But even just reading all the junk that piles up into ur inboxes can take hours out of our day, and the constant influx of messages can feel like a full-time job in and of itself.Thats why Land OLakes CEO Beth Ford has come up with some advice for employees who have something to say. And it may be a rule we should all incorporate in our offices.I work a lot through email and text. I make it my goal to review what has come in and separate those that I can answer, Ford told Fast Company. I also always say to my team Please dont write me a novel, I wont read it. I just dont have the time. Instead, write in the subject line wh at it is that this is about.And tell me up front - is a decision needed, or do you need me to look at something, or is it a When you have time, take a look at this? - so I can prioritize effectively and be responsive when I need to be.When hundreds of workers are vying for attention at the same time, this kind of prioritization is key - especially for someone like Ford, whos perusing emails as soon as she wakes up at 5 a.m. But even for those of us who dont receive the same number of messages as a CEO might, it would be nice to stop receiving books in our inboxes every time the office supplies get restocked.So perhaps we at least make this a rule for ourselves - we wont send any more long-winded emails that could be communicated in a sentence, and well be clearer about our deadlines for a response. At least that way, we can lead by example and know that were making our coworkers lives easier - even if Karen still sends us her own version of Ulysses about staplers every month.

ASME IAM3D Challenge Winners Innovations Highlighted During Reception in New York

ASME IAM3D Challenge Winners Innovations Highlighted During Reception in New York ASME IAM3D Challenge Winners Innovations Highlighted During Reception in New York ASME IAM3D Challenge Winners Innovations Highlighted During Reception in New YorkStudents from six of the teams who participated in the inaugural ASME Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3D (IAM3D) Challenge were among the guests at a special reception held April 16 at ASMEs headquarters at 2 Park Avenue in New York.Earlier this month, ASME President J. Robert gesims, ASME Executive Director Thomas Loughlin, members of the Board of Governors, and other representatives from ASME welcomed the winners of the inaugural ASME Innovative Additive Manufacturing 3D (IAM3D) Challenge during a special reception at the Societys New York Headquarters.During the event on April 16, Sims, Loughlin and members of ASME leadership and staff unveiled a new exhibit located in the headquarters reception area on the sixth floor of the building. Th e redecorated lobby now incorporates several of the award-winning 3D-printed innovations from the final round of the IAM3D Challenge, which welches held last November during the 2014 ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition in Montreal, Canada. ASME President J. Robert Sims (foreground) welcomes guests to the IAM3D Inaugural Reception. Cindy Stong (far left), senior vice president of the ASME Student and Early Career Development Sector, and ASME Executive Director Thomas Loughlin also provided opening remarks during the eventThe inventions featured in the new exhibit include the winner of the competitions Best Overall Award, the FDM UAV, a 12-pound unmanned air vehicle that was designed by students from Purdue University and Brigham Young University to help farmers reliably monitor the condition of their crops over large areas, as well as the entry judged Most Innovative - Fishing Future - a 3D printing process for fishing bobbers designed by students fro m South Dakota State that enables affordable customization while eliminating the creation of scrap material.The other notable entries from the inaugural IAM3D Challenge now on display include the 3D Printed Granular Jamming Hand, an open-source, customizable hand and forearm prosthesis from the Stevens Institute of Technology for use in everyday tasks such as opening doors and lifting glasses and Winds of Change, a 3D-printed turbine blade designed by students from Sheridan University and the University of Toronto that dramatically cuts production costs, production time and material use.During his opening comments, President Sims noted the significance of hosting such an exhibit at ASMEs headquarters. The headquarters office is a testament to the contributions and innovation of engineering as represented in the architecture, artwork and displays on the sixth and seventh floors, he said. Our office is just another way that ASME shows its commitment to communicating the excitement of engineering, which is a vital and important part of our Societys mission. This reception is dedicated to the innovative work of some of todays brightest engineering students and engineering programs. (Left to right) Radhika Sagar, a member of the IAM3D Challenge team from Sheridan University and the University of Toronto, discusses her teams entry, Winds of Change, with ASME Senior Vice President Cindy Stong and Tatyana Polyak, director of ASME Student and Early Career Programs. ASME Executive Director Loughlin underscored this commitment to innovation during his remarks. ASME has embraced the field of additive manufacturing and 3D printing because of its countless opportunities to drive innovation and provide solutions to the challenges of our world, he said. This new industrial revolution has great potential to reduce manufacturing costs and lead time, to build and grow economies, and to contribute to a mora robust engineering workforce. The IAM3D Challenge, the ASME Innovative D esign Simulation Competition and programs like the ASME Innovation Showcase - the IShow - are just some of the many ways that ASME is offering students opportunities to grow, contribute and succeed in their engineering careers.Cindy Stong, senior vice president of ASMEs Student and Early Career Development Sector, also provided remarks during the receptions introduction. Najib Metni, chair of the Board on Student Programs, and Farzad Rayegani, chair of the IAM3D Committee, then introduced six students whose individually or team-designed innovations are featured in the new ASME exhibit Aaron Inouye from Brigham Young University, Maggie Serra from Stevens Institute of Technology, Hargurdeep Singh from Sheridan College, Eric Chapin from South Dakota State, Alex Benvenuto of Temple University, and Hituvan Lachhar from Sheridan College. Other special guests at the reception included Paul Stevenson, the incoming senior vice president for the Student and Early Career Development Sector I AM3D Committee members Howard Rhett and Imre Horvath and student faculty advisors Jim Chen (Temple University), Atilla Nagy (Sheridan College), Hossein Ahari (formerly of Sheridan College), Greg Jensen (Brigham Young University), and Todd Letcher (South Dakota State University).

How to Complete Eagle Scout Recommendation Letters

How to Complete Eagle Scout Recommendation Letters How to Complete Eagle Scout Recommendation Letters If your son is on the path to becoming an Eagle Scout, he will be joining a century-old tradition of excellence in the scouting community. Becoming an Eagle Scout is not easy, nor is it common - only 4% of scouts attain the ultimate level of scouting. Once a scout achieves this goal, he will be in good company among those who are Eagle Scouts. Some of the most well-known eagle scouts include film producer and director Steven Spielberg, astronaut Neil Armstrong, President Gerald Ford, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.   Eagle scouts have given a tremendous amount of time volunteering in the United States, with a cumulative total of over one hundred million hours since Eagle Scouts became a division of the Boy Scouts of America. Having already fulfilled the requirements to earn 21 badges in order to qualify as an applicant to the Eagle Scout level, boys know that becoming an Eagle Scout will require much time and dedication to maintain their elite status.   Recommendations that affirm a scouts character are an integral part of the application process. Eagle Scouts are expected to live up to the values and morals espoused in the Boy Scout oath and law. When an Eagle Scout applicant provides strong letters of recommendation, it supports their candidacy to become an Eagle Scout to the Eagle board of review. All prospective Eagle Scouts must supply five character references as part of their applications. Asking for a letter of recommendation can be a daunting task, but its important that the scout make the request, not the parents. Feeling confident enough to request support from someone he looks up to is an important trait for any scout, but especially an Eagle Scout. Requests should be made in person if possible, and thank you notes should be promptly written after receipt of the recommendation. What the Recommendation Should Include Before asking individuals to write a letter of recommendation for the Eagle Scout application, consider who might know your son well and be able to speak to his character. The letters of recommendation should include:   A religious leader or spiritual advisor: If your son does not attend a church or temple, he can write an essay about his mortal beliefs instead.A teacher: preferably one who has worked closely with your son and can attest to his work ethic and values.An employer, if possible. Since the Eagle board of review must happen within 6 months of his 18th birthday, some applicants might not be employed. If this is the case, consider a reference who has worked with your son for extracurricular activities. Two reference character letters, for a total of five recommendation letters. Once the references have agreed to supply the letters of recommendation, the letters are mailed directly to the troop. Your son should supply stamped envelopes addressed to his troops unit chairman or whichever adult has been designated to receive them. Parents' Letter of Recommendation You, his parents, will also write a letter of recommendation. In your letter of recommendation, you can speak to your sons character, explain what scouting has meant to him, add any insights about why he chose his particular Eagle project, and supply supporting examples for your reference letter points. Submitting the Eagle Scout Application The Eagle project and collecting letters of recommendation can require time. Be mindful of the required timeline to submit the application and the letters of recommendation, and plan your recommendation letter requests with plenty of time to meet the deadline. Consider the seasonality of your requests as well; if ?a holiday or summer vacation is around the corner, it can affect the availability of others to write the letters of recommendation.  ??? As a final step, your son should double check the status of the letters with his troop leaders to make sure all of the required references have been received. On occasion, it might be necessary to remind the individuals who committed to writing the letters of recommendation of any approaching deadlines. It is ultimately the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the letters of recommendation have been delivered to the Eagle board of review in a timely manner.

Throw Out the Job Description

Throw Out the Job Description Throw Out the Job Description The job description was lost in translation, and you may be interviewing for the wrong position.You might be interviewing for the wrong positions, and it may not be your fault. It’s probably not the recruiter’s fault either.The job descriptions that recruiters use to guide their candidate searches, and which you use to apply to jobs, are often poor translations of the position the hiring manager is looking to fill. The result: candidates who appear qualified on paper but continue to disappoint frustrated hiring managers.The process is like a game of telephone that begins with the hiring manager who tries to describe the open position to the human resources professional charged with hiring for the company, who then delivers the message to the recruiter seeking candidates. By the time the message gets to the requiter, who must draft a job description, it may not be the most accurate representation of the candidate the hiring manager visualized.How are you, the job seeker, supposed to know?Recruiter Jon Ramos has a novel way of tackling this issue: He makes his client (the hiring manager) write the job description.Actually, he asks him to describe it again, as if for the first time, putting aside his original job description and starting from scratch via questionnaires Ramos has used this method over nearly 30 years in the marketing industry and more than 10 years recruiting advertising, public-relations, graphic design and marketing executives.Without his structured prompting, Ramos said, a hiring manager often draws a fuzzy picture of the ideal candidate. Often it’s more enlightening to ask him what he isn’t looking for than to pin down exactly what he needs. Some of these elements seem basic or insignificant to the hiring manager but prove fundamental when Ramos eliminates and qualifies candidates.“Clients seem to think that the longer we take to find someone, the better that person is. That’s just not true,” said Ramos, a staffing consultant at M arcom Choices, which specializes in marketing and communications jobs. “With this approach, there is a certain amount of communication that’s done beforehand to explain, ‘We are sending the very best person to you based on what you told us, so make sure you are as clear as possible in your job description.’ ”The biggest hole in the job description for most hiring managers is almost always the budget, Ramos said.“The financial issue is tricky with clients because we hear how they’ve been blindsided with candidates who had no idea how to manage a budget, and that caused a lot of problems,” he said. “If candidates aren’t experienced with budgets and financials, that’s OK, but clients (need) to know that upfront.”A hiring manager often neglects to consider other basic elements of the job that to her might seem insignificant, like whether a candidate is strongest with strategies, tactics or both and, for marketing companies, whether he will be able to excel in an agency or corporate role.Ramos added that for marketing clients, a candidate’s experience with a specific type of product is usually secondary. “It’s more important for clients to know where a candidate’s end-market experience has been; for instance, whether that’s large technology firms or small business, or wireless, security, PCs, that sort of thing.”Finding good candidates fast has become even more valuable as the recession ebbs and clients clamor to fill open positions, Ramos said. Marketing and communications departments were hit hard by the economic downturn, leaving many of Ramos’ clients in a desperate position as the employment market starts to heat up. By asking a client to “fill in the blanks” of marketing job descriptions, Marcom Choices can easily identify, vet and present highly qualified clients fast.

The Stella Artois Reassuringly Expensive Campaign

The Stella Artois Reassuringly Expensive Campaign The Stella Artois Reassuringly Expensive Campaign Lets talk about beer, and image. You have no doubt seen Stella Artois offered in your local stores, bars, and clubs. But your perception of it may be vary depending on where you have lived. If you resided in the United Kingdom between the years of 1982 and 2007, you will know the phrase Reassuringly Expensive and will instantly associate it with Stella Artois, the Belgian lager beer. With its clean, white can and ornate crest, it looks at home with the moniker of an expensive lager, and has always tried to live up to that image.   A Brief History of Stella Artois Advertising The origins of the campaign lie with Sir Frank Budge Lowe, an advertiser who was working on Stella Artois at Collett Dickenson Pearce (CDP) in the 1970s. One of his most famous ads had the brilliant headline My Shout, He Whispered and the roots of the Reassuringly Expensive campaign can clearly be seen in that execution. Stella is pricey, and you dont want to be dipping your hand in your pocket to buy a round. But you get what you pay for. In this case, real quality.   When Frank Lowe left CDP in 1981 to form Lowe Howard-Spink (which would become Lowe and Partners Worldwide) he took the lucrative Stella Artois account with him. A year later, the Reassuringly Expensive campaign was launched, turning a major negative for the brand (high price) into a champion for the product. Now, paying more for the beer was a guarantee of quality, which made it rise above the cheaper competitors. Print ads in the campaign really pushed the idea of luxury worth paying for. One that stands out, from 1984, shows a pint of Stella Artois next to a plate containing a single sausage. The headline - Tut, tut. Another expensive account lunch. Another shows a bar at closing time - Come along gentlemen. Havent you got mansions to go to? The print campaign continued in this vein until 1990. Then came the now legendary ads that mirrored European cinema. Stella Artois Creates Ties to the Movie Industry A creative director working at Lowe, on the Stella Artois account, happened to catch a viewing of Jean do Florette. Its a classic of modern French cinema, released in 1986 and featuring Yves Montand and Gérard Depardieu. This inspired the creative director to write a script based on a very similar idea, and the result was Jacques de Florette, a TV and cinema ad that spawned an entire series of award-winning ads. This firmly planted the idea of Reassuringly Expensive in the minds of the consumers, and it did it with a delicate touch of wit and some superb cinematography. It was accompanied by a soundtrack that becomes synonymous with the Stella Artois brand. Although the ad was aimed at an English speaking audience, it was filmed entirely in French and had no subtitles. It didnt need them. Watch for yourself, youll get the message. Stella Artois maintained its links with cinema by sponsoring various movie events and festivals, notably with Channel 4. And between 1991 and 2002, seven of the Jacques de Florette styled ads aired, with the last one - Good Doctor - receiving more prestigious advertising awards than any other campaign that year.   Shedding the Wife Beater Image Unfortunately, Stella Artois has not always been able to live up to the high-end claims of its advertising. It has nothing to do with the quality of the beer but the association with lager louts who, for some reason, chose Stella Artois as their drink of choice. It became a popular drink amongst soccer hooligans, binge-drinkers, and pub brawlers, earning it the nickname wife beater. In 2007, the Reassuringly Expensive campaign and slogan was dropped for good, and the word Stella was avoided in the ads. Ironically, Stella Artois is now one of the cheaper beers in the liquor stores and lager aisles, coming in at the same price as most domestic brews.   Stella Artois - Drink From a Chalice, Not a Glass One recent campaign from Stella Artois revolves not around the drink itself, but how to drink it. And, what to drink it from. In a massive promotion that spanned the web, telephone recordings, print ads and more, Stella Artois encouraged its drinkers to sip the exquisite lager from a Stella Artois Chalice, which they were giving away free. Thousands and thousands of people responded to the 1-800-MY-CHALICE promotion. But it did come with a slight drawback. At the same time, Newcastle Brown Ale went in a very different direction, doing brutally honest ads under the no bollocks campaign (no bollocks is British slang for no bullsh*t). The ad Who Uses The Word Chalice? was brilliant enough, but positioning these ads side by side with the Stella Artois ads was a genius media buy.   The Joie de Bière Campaign In 2018, Stella Artois introduced a global marketing campaign referred to as Joie de Bière, or the Joy of Beer. This is a change in direction from previous campaigns and puts a focus on a fictional setting where characters in the advertisements are set free from the stresses of modern technology. The goal for Stella is to remind beer drinkers to remember to socialize and enjoy the good times in life.

Gifts for Job Seekers Holiday Gift Guide for Your Job Seeking Friends

Gifts for Job Seekers Holiday Gift Guide for Your Job Seeking Friends Gifts for Job Seekers Holiday Gift Guide for Your Job Seeking Friends Searching and applying for jobs can be overwhelming and tedious. You may know of a friend or relative who’s looking for a new job and could use some assistance. The holiday season is a great time to offer a gift to help them improve their resume for job applications in the new year. Consider this your holiday guide to gifts for job seekers in your life. The following are all useful ideas that will assist any family or friends that are looking for a new job or to expand their professional skills. 1. Resume Editing and Interview Coaching Services Professional resume and interview assistance are among the best gifts you can give to a job seeker. A professionally written resume, for example, can help a job seeker to expertly word, organize, and format their resume so that it gets past a company’s applicant tracking system. Getting past the applicant tracking system means a better chance of an interview. Professional resume and job support services are offered from Noelle Gross, Debra Wheatman, and Amie Thompson. Some of their career resources include cover letter and resume help, interview coaching, networking advice, and guides and workshops about advancing a career. These types of services can serve as a beneficial gift for your family or friend, who may be uncomfortable with peer-editing or afraid to ask for professional job assistance. 2. LinkedIn Premium Help the job seeker in your life upgrade a basic LinkedIn account with a premium membership. This gift is a great tool during the holiday season because companies typically receive fewer job applications in December. It’s a great time for a job seeker to improve their resume and send out applications since competition is low. LinkedIn Premium will show them how to improve their resume for recruiters, how they compare to other applicants for a position, and who is interested in their profile. It will also provide them with advanced search tools. This way, your friend or family member can stand out from the crowd before the  flood of January applications. The tools and benefits of LinkedIn Premium for job seekers. 3. Jobscan Premium This is a more affordable gift alternative to a professional editing or coaching service. You can give the job seeker a Jobscan Premium account. This gift can help them to improve their resume by boosting their chances of making it past a company’s automated applicant tracking system. The first month is free, so you can give them a few months to use this tool. As a holiday gift, they’ll be able to optimize their resume before the surge of January applicants, which will increase their chances of landing an initial interview.   4. Online Education Give the gift of an online education this holiday season. An online class is a great way for a job seeker to learn new skills to  enhance their resume. New skills will help increase their chances of getting a new job. Send your family or friend a gift subscription to an online educational service like Lynda or Udemy, or give them a gift card to pay for a class or two. An online class can help them break into a new industry or learn new, in-demand skills (such as how to code or use Adobe Photoshop). Online education shows employers that they are actively improving their resume for 2017 job applications. 5. Professional Attire What someone wears for a job interview shows their level of professionalism, respect for the company, and maybe even an element of their personality. It’s an opportunity to make that first great impression and increase their chances of getting hired. Unfortunately, business attire can often be expensive, even during the holiday sale season. Items to consider include: a suit, a tie, slacks, a collared shirt, dress shoes, a sweater, a shift dress or pencil skirt, or a blazer. Gap and J.Crew are great stores for finding professional attire. Worried about size or getting the right item for your family member or friend? If a gift receipt won’t do, a store gift card is another option.