#TrendingThursday 2.0 – Num. 11

“I Learned How to Write From My Heart” by Cheri Lucas Rowlands
I write. Writing is what I want to do with my forever when I get to that point. So, of course, I think everyone else should see the value in being able to, at the very least, put a sentence or two together in somewhat of a palatable fashion. This piece hones in on it. Check it out.

Meet the photographer traveling the world for free by Francesca Street
After writing (and motivating, which I sometimes do through my writing), photography and traveling are my next two favorite things to do, in alternating order. The story of this young professional who found an alternative way into his passion is pretty dope. I want to be like him when I grow up.

Five Work Habits To Kick Before The End Of The Year by Rich Bellis
I don’t really believe in “Catch All” lists but I do believe in “Catch Most” lists and this is one of those. Some stuff just makes sense to most.

Make professional development a priority.

#TrendingThursday 2.0 – Num. 6

Learn anything easily with this simple trick by Ephrat Livni
Last week, I posted about the importance of writing. Then, this week, a different go to source came out with another article talking about the importance of putting pen to paper. So, how about this: instead of sending that sweet text to your significant other, write him/her a nice note. It’ll strengthen your brain and your relationship.

13 Paradigm-Shattering Books to Open Your Mind by Anthony Moore
I’m all about reading and reading lists. I read ever day (probably more than I ought to) and that is what allows me to communicate as effecitvely as I do. If you want to be a better listener, speaker or writer, you need to be a more frequent reader. That’s a fact. So check this list out, pick a book, and let me know what you think of it. I’m planning to start on Thomas J. Stanley’s The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy.

20 Truths About Billionaires That Nobody Understands by John Rampton
Money isn’t everything but it can impact the quality of life you, yours, and those that you’ll never meet can have forever. So, while acquring mass amounts of it isn’t critical for living, it’s pretty cool to know how those who have done it do what they did.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Most of Moments vs. Most Moments

We’re stuck in a tradition that says “You must work 40 hours or more a week.” I emboldened those two words because there is emphasis put on them. We’ve reached a point in American history where, because everyone can be contacted at any time, they often are. But, what if I can effectively complete my work in 25 hours? What if I’m most productive from 8 AM to noon and, the rest of the day, I’m pretty much twiddling my thumbs or checking mindless tasks of my list? Where’s the value in the twiddling of thumbs?

When I come into the office, the synapses in my brain are shooting off at a mile a millisecond. I have ideas and creative juices flowing and am genuinely excited because I haven’t had to think about stuff all night. I took a break. So, I like to knock out everything that is going to take creativity in the morning. That’s me. The afternoon is for the mindless widget construction that many of us have to do at one point or another. The dialing of numbers and repetitive request for support.  The reading of reports. The stuff that doesn’t require me to put out. But the mornings? That’s when I get funky with my writing. That’s when I develop strategies that will make me a better professional. That’s when I really do.

Everyone is different. Structure your day so that you make the most of moments, as opposed to working the most moments possible. Sure, there is time when I do work at home but eight times out of nine, it’s only because I am inspired to.

Time is not to control you. Rather, it is yours to control.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Show Me Some Proof

At one point or another in your professional career or personal life, you’re going to have to write something. And, if you’re writing, chances are you’re human (or a very well trained ape). Either way, you will have a mistake. Something will be misspelled. You will transcribe letters. Maybe you’ll even leave out a word all together. Shoot, I do it on here more frequently I’d like to (just kidding, but you see how easy it is to be typing so fast that you forget something minor). The problem is, something minor (to you) could be major to the person who is reading your writing and could provide you with the opportunity of a lifetime. So I strongly suggest you have someone proof your work. Let it be someone you trust to be honest with you without worrying about hurting your feelings (and if someone telling you that you misspelled/misused a word will hurt your feelings, we’ve got a bigger problem on our hands). Have them comb through your writing every so often just to make sure it’s not full of mistakes. And, if you disagree with one of the suggestions made, be able to back it up. Don’t miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime because you thought yourself too smart to be flawed. Humble yourself and ask for help. We all need it.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Death to the Written Verbal Filler

Like, I am so, um, tired of the written verbal filler.

Verbal fillers are the imperfection of human speech.  Very few people speak as eloquently as they write because writing, ideally, ought to be thought out before it is sent out.  Typing “um,” “uh,” “like,” outside the confines of quotation marks is truly pointless.

Why do we do it?  Millennials, this question is for us.  Does it make us feel cooler?  Because the point of writing, especially business writing, is not to feel cool.  Even on social media, typing in a verbal filler serves no purpose and it is a waste of your 140 characters if you are on Twitter and simply a waste of a minute amount of time if you’re on any other character-limitless platform.

So stop it.  It is not ok.  We’re too smart and we have access to too many thesauri to be this wasteful.  The English language can be beautiful.  Let us not make it ugly.  Use “like” when comparing or to refer to something being enjoyed.  That’s it, unless you truly are addled while you’re speaking words from your mouth (I shouldn’t have to say that but I also shouldn’t be writing a post on writing verbal fillers).  It is at that point that you have a pass.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Be Divinely Human

Everyone has heard the saying, “To err is human; to forgive, divine.” Well, I’d like to amend that for the purpose of this post by saying “To err is human; to pay attention to detail, divine.”

We live in an age where we have grown accustomed to having everything we want either in our hands or on the way within five minutes of inception. That makes us try to create things, from content to résumés, at the same relative speed. We’re all guilty of it. I’ve published posts that haven’t been proofread enough (and I would greatly appreciate an email or direct message if ever you notice a grammar faux pas on The Reader). I’ve submitted résumés that contained typos (it’s been a while but, none the less, I have). You see, we are human. The beautiful thing about humanity is that we are supposed to learn and grow from our experiences. My résumés are nowhere near as basic (in my opinion) as they were my junior year of college when I interviewed with my boss to be and she said she loved its format and asked me to help her on hers. I have since worked to improve my résumé and its format so that she wouldn’t be the last employer to be impressed by it. My blog posts, which receive thousands of views a month, no longer are me reposting what I think professional development ought to be; now I am immersed in the lifestyle of a young professional and I am able to commentate on the good and bad. And, with the growth of knowledge comes a growth in technique.

In the time since graduation, I’ve figured out what people want: they want things now. I figured out one other thing: brands want to create at the speed that their target markets desire production. And it can be done. But doing it shouldn’t require a sacrifice of quality for quickness. Before replying to an e-mail, read and re-read. Before publishing that LinkedIn update, take a minute to ask yourself if it is relevant to your professional network or is it a tear-jerker that ought to be committed to Facebook and Twitter. Take the time to look up the minute grammatical rules when something doesn’t sound or look as if an NYT journalist wrote it. And, though you may say to yourself, “I’m no journalist,” whenever you write something professionally, be it an e-mail or a cover letter, at that moment, you are, in essence, a professional writer. At a job, too many flaws will get you terminated. On a résumé, too many flaws will make your potential career move a non-factor. So, in all things you do, work to be as divine as possible. And work ahead when you can. That gives you time to mess up, reread, and not be rushed. They say, “If you stay ready, you won’t have to get ready.”

Always remember that life is not fair. We’re all flawed but that won’t keep you from getting fired or overlooked.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Keeping a Detailed Record

Do you know what I’m realizing now more than ever?  Keeping a detailed (and honest) record of events, professionally and personally, is critical to one’s success.  Recalling your thoughts, reactions, and daily sequence of events plays a major role in your ability to recall events.  Every day at work, my to do list can go from 5 to 15 items.  That’s potentially 75 tasks a week and 3,600 tasks a year, excluding the month of time spent out of the office for vacations and holidays.  So, if ever asked to account for what I did on June 6, 2015, I wouldn’t be able to without daily journaling.

In addition to keeping a professional record, it will be nice to be able to sit down with my grandkids in 50 years and explain to them that their 78-year-old grandpa was once a recent college graduate just trying to make his way in the world and keep their grandma in a safe neighborhood.  But I can’t accurately tell that tale without writing everything down.  I pride myself on having a great memory but some things just slip our minds.  It happens.  We’re human and we are flawed.  But these notebooks… As long as they stay in my possession, they will hold valuable information that will, decades (maybe even centuries) from now, explain the world as I saw it in the contemporary.

So go out today and buy a journal.  I don’t recommend journalling online unless you know you have the discipline to do it.  Buy one that speaks to your personality and that costs a few dollars so that you’ll be more likely to use it.  And write.  About everything.  And I mean EVERYTHING.  Don’t hold back.  Don’t be shy.  If you never want to share it, you never have to.  But it’s nice to always have the option.

 

Make professional development a priority.

Why Aren’t You Reading More?

Folks!  Why aren’t we reading more?  Too many of us know too little about our professional field.  Things are changing weekly, if not daily.  Degrees have coaxed us into superficial slumbers and we need to wake up.  There are new terms being introduced into jargon with every article written.  New best practices are being developed and we need to know what works best for our fields.  Being great at what you do isn’t always about coming up with a new way to do it.  Sometimes it’s about finding the way someone else did it and improving upon their methods.  Easiest way to find their methods?  Reading.  Plus reading helps you become a better writer. Too many of us mis-punctuate sentences, misspell words, and misuse terms because we don’t have a solid understanding of them.  You’ll gain a better understanding by seeing more words.  Plus you’ll feel more comfortable using them in conversation.  And you’ll have an easier time impressing your supervisor/peers when they ask for input or (better yet) impressing the interviewer when you’re trying to get a job.  If you don’t have time to read, while you’re at work pounding away at the keyboard, find a podcast or e-book that that will enhance your knowledge of the field.

Though books are the greatest invention since heated food (if you ask me), if you’re not big on heavy reads, at least set a goal to read one article related to your profession every day of the work week.  It’ll give you something to talk about.  Easiest way to find them?  Set up a Google Alert or follow a Twitter account related to your profession.  But don’t stop learning.  The conferring of degrees doesn’t mean the completion of learning.  It only means now your learning ought to be self-guided for the most part.  This isn’t 1847.  This is the day and age where knowledge really is power.  How strong do you want to be?

Make professional development a priority.

15 words to eliminate from your vocabulary to sound smarter

I believe myself to be a good writer.   Not a great one, but better than decent.  This article by Jennie Haskamp is going to be critical to my further development as a writer.  Even though I have gotten better over time, I can always improve.  I hope it helps you become more effective as well.  Feel free to forward it to your associates who need it.

Newsprint is on life support, emojis are multiplying faster than hungry Gremlins, and 300 million people worldwide strive to make their point in 140 or fewer characters.

People don’t have the time or the attention span to read any more words than necessary.

You want your readers to hear you out, understand your message, and perhaps be entertained, right? Here’s a list of words to eliminate in order to help you write more succinctly.

1. That

It’s superfluous most of the time. Open any document you’ve got drafted on your desktop and find a sentence with that in it. Read it out loud. Now read it again without that. If the sentence works without it, delete it. Also? Don’t use that when you refer to people. “I have several friends that live in the neighborhood.” No. No, you don’t. You have friends who. Not friends that.

2. Went

I went to school. Or the store, or to church, or to a conference, to Vegas, wherever it is you’re inclined to go. Instead of went, consider drove, skated, walked, ran, flew. There are any number of ways to move from here to there. Pick one. Don’t be lazy and miss the chance to add to your story.

3. Honestly

People use honestly to add emphasis. The problem is, the minute you tell your reader this particular statement is honest, you’ve implied the rest of your words were not. #Awkward

4. Absolutely

Adding this word to most sentences is redundant. Something is either necessary, or it isn’t. Absolutely necessary doesn’t make it more necessary. If you recommend an essential course to your new employees, it’s essential. Coincidentally, the definition of essential is absolutely necessary. Chicken or egg, eh?

5. Very

Accurate adjectives don’t need qualifiers. If you need to qualify it? Replace it. Very is intended to magnify a verb, an adjective, or another adverb. What it does is makes your statement less specific. If you’re very happy? Be ecstatic. If you’re very sad, perhaps you’re melancholy or depressed. Woebegone, even. Very sad is a lazy way of making your point. Another pitfall of using very as a modifier? It’s subjective. Very cold and very tall mean different things to different people. Be specific. She’s 6’3″ and it’s 13 degrees below freezing? These make your story better while also ensuring the reader understands the point you’re making.

6. Really

Unless you’re a Valley Girl, visiting from 1985, there’s no need to use really to modify an adjective. Or a verb. Or an adverb. Pick a different word to make your point. And never repeat really, or very for that matter. That’s really, really bad writing.

If you are visiting from 1985? Please bring the birth certificate for my Cabbage Patch Doll on your next visit. Thanks.

7. Amazing

The word means “causing great surprise or sudden wonder.” It’s synonymous with wonderful, incredible, startling, marvelous, astonishing, astounding, remarkable, miraculous, surprising, mind-blowing, and staggering. You get the point, right? It’s everywhere. It’s in corporate slogans. It dominated the Academy Awards acceptance speeches. It’s all over social media. It’s discussed in pregame shows and postgame shows.

Newsflash: If everything is amazing, nothing is.

8. Always

Absolutes lock the writer into a position, sound conceited and close-minded, and often open the door to criticism regarding inaccuracies. Always is rarely true. Unless you’re giving written commands or instruction, find another word.

9. Never

See: Always.

10. Literally

Literally means literal. Actually happening as stated. Without exaggeration. More often than not, when the term is used, the writer means figuratively. Whatever is happening is being described metaphorically. No one actually “waits on pins and needles.” How uncomfortable would that be?

11. Just

It’s a filler word and it makes your sentence weaker, not stronger. Unless you’re using it as a synonym for equitable, fair, even-handed, or impartial, don’t use it at all.

12. Maybe

This makes you sound uninformed, unsure of the facts you’re presenting. Regardless of the topic, do the legwork, be sure, and write an informed piece. The only thing you communicate when you include these words is uncertainty.

13. Stuff

This word is casual, generic even. It serves as a placeholder for something better. If the details of the stuff aren’t important enough to be included in the piece? Don’t reference it at all. If you tell your reader to take your course because they’ll learn a lot of stuff? They’re likely to tell you to stuff it.

14. Things

See: Stuff.

15. Irregardless

This doesn’t mean what you think it means, Jefe. It means regardless. It is literally (see what I did there?) defined as: regardless. Don’t use it. Save yourself the embarrassment.

Whether you’re ghostwriting for your CEO, updating a blog, selling a product, or finishing your master’s thesis, you need to keep your reader engaged. These 15 words are a great place to start trimming the fat from your prose. Bonus? You’ll sound smarter.

 

Source: Business Insider

Don’t Be Good. Be Great.

I consistently give two pieces of advice on here: read and write. These are the same things I’ve been told would make me successful since I was a child. In addition to those two, speaking has played a major role in my early successes. But, if I give you a piece of advice that could make you a better writer, it would be to read more. Read anything that relates to your subject matter. Follow companies and publications on Twitter and Instagram that will help you become a better professional. And, after reading articles that they post/retweet, write a review on it. Even if you don’t post your review/reflection, the fact that you’re digesting the information will allow you to better articulate yourself when discussing the subject.

In addition to reading your subject matter, read the work of great writers. You need to learn how to write. And we can all continue to get better. I’ve been writing formally for over a decade and I still have grammatical questions. When those questions come up, I reach for one book: Elements of Style by Strunk & White. Very few people know all of the rules and this book isn’t fully inclusive but it’s pretty close.

So, I’ll leave you with this: Read more so you can write better and, therefore, you will be able to speak more confidently.

And, as a gift from me to you, here’s a PDF copy of the fourth edition of The Elements of Style. Go forth and prosper.