Change-makers' Career Tips - May 2006 - Prime time women, goal planning

In this issue:

Under the Radar –Prime Time Women
Recent Career Trends – Plog: What It Is, How to Use It
Career-Life Symmetry – Balance Assisted by Feng Shui
Career Resources & Services – Goal Planning Without Writing
The Coach Notes - Our Service to You

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Quote of the Month

"The secret of seeing is to sail on solar wind. Hone and spread your spirit, till you yourself are a sail, whetted, translucent, broadside to the merest puff.”

- George Bernard Shaw

Under The Radar

PRIME TIME WOMEN
“Prime Time Women” is my term for women over 50 years old – my attempt to re-direct the reader away from the misleadingly negative connotations of phrases like “'mature women' ” or worse, “ 'middle-aged women.'”

      “The Power of Prime Time Women is based on the convergence of the two most substantial consumer marketing trends in the U.S. today: The aging of America, and the growing spending power of women.”
      “Line that up with the fact that, as any population ages, it becomes increasingly more female, thanks to women’s longer life expectancy. Financial service companies are the leading industry in marketing to women for a very good reason: their livelihood depends on knowing where the money is, and where it’s going.
      “The average American woman controls 80% of the spending decisions in the typical dual earner household. The Prime Time Woman controls the spending decisions in America’s most affluent households.
      “And that dynamic is set to accelerate over the next 20 years because not long after the largest generation in history – the Baby Boomers – inherit from their parents, Baby Boomer wives will in turn inherit from their husbands. That means the combined assets of two generations – from both sides of the family – will become concentrated in Baby Boom widows’ wallets.”
      “Yesterday’s 'little old lady' will be tomorrow’s Ms. Moneybags. Marketers unable to let go of outdated notions about men carrying the cash, and consumers shutting down spending at age 55, will find themselves outflanked and outrun by savvy companies eager to serve America’s target market bulls-eye – Prime Time Women.”

Source: Targeting the Bull’s Eye, by Marti Barletta, 20-year senior level marketing strategist, author of Marketing To Women and CEO of the TrendSight Group http://www.trendsight.com/article-primetimewomen.php

Recent Career Trends

PLOG: WHAT IT IS, HOW TO USE IT
      “Plog n. 1. A Web-based tool used by colleagues to keep tabs on group projects. 2. An Amazon trademark, which will presumably be used to sell more books.
      “Now that we're all familiar with blogs, along comes a new thing: the plog. Though there are a variety of definitions for the term (which Amazon has trademarked), the most relevant concept for business owners is using blog software to create a password-protected project log -- or plog for short.
      “Co-workers can use a plog to create an archive of observations and data for each project they work on. People can keep tabs at their own pace, visiting the plog as often as they wish. And because plogs are Web-enabled, users can post hyperlinks to key documents on them, sparing their colleagues' e-mail in boxes the burden of dense attachments. Readers familiar with software development can think of a plog as a poor man's version of the wiki, a sophisticated tool used mainly by developers to manage collaborative projects.
      “So far, most companies that employ plogs have built the software themselves. Chicago-based interface design firm 37signals added a calendar and task list to its plog, which it's now selling as a program called Basecamp. You can try out the program for free on one project--after that, it starts at $19 per month for up to 10 projects.
      “On an open blog on the 37signal's website, Jason Lemieux of the Eggplant Active Media Workers Collective, based in Plainfield, Vt., writes that his team uses Basecamp to manage 14 Web-application development projects. Lemieux also noted that he is using the plog app to plan his wedding. 'The in-laws love it,' he posted. Now that's a ringing endorsement.”

Source: Quotes from Buzzwords: Plog by Ian Ybarra. Inc. Magazine, September 2004

Career-Life Symmetry

BALANCE ASSISTED BY FENG SHUI
      Kartar Diamond, classical Feng Shui expert, says “Feng Shui (pronounced Fung Shway), is a system for determining how both seen and unseen aspects to your environment can influence your health, your mental and emotional states, and your financial potential.
      “This ancient Chinese predictive art evaluates how we respond to our immediate environment and seek to balance all aspects of our lives through laws of physics, good interior design and a metaphysical interpretation of our surroundings. Like gravity, it affects everyone.
      “The United States was introduced to Feng Shui during the California gold rush of the 1840s.”   It is a “guide to acting with integrity, respecting the earth and working with the flow of nature.
      “Feng Shui guides you to look at how the placement of objects can bring harmony to the environment. It can be as simple as placing your couch in the best location in your living room or as complex as placing your house in the best location on your property.” http://www.webterrace.com/fengshui
      An example: “Every house has certain areas associated with arguments, tension or delays. If a person works all day in an office that can trigger those energies, they can manifest in the personal life as well as the professional life. If someone sleeps in a bedroom that indicates legal problems, those energies can also affect either the personal or professional life.
      “While these energies are powerful and predictable, they are not visual cues or design flaws that the layperson can easily identify. Some of these energies, like those that cause arguments or legal problems, are calculated based on when the house was built.  This overlapping effect of both home and office occurs because you are most affected by areas you spend a lot of time in. If you work eight hours a day in an office, that is as significant as where you get your eight hours of sleep at night.”

To learn more about Feng Shui and remedies that can aid your environments, see Kartar's book, Feng Shui for Skeptics http://www.FengShuiSolitions.net

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