WHY MY JOBISN'T MY WORK

What do you do? 

It's one of the most common questions we get asked. Sometimes this question is posed before ones like how are you?

Much of our identity is formed through our job(s). I used to identify a lot of with what I did for a living. Speaking as someone who's recently quit her full-time job of 6+ years to pursue dreams of moving and working in London, this post is about work, identity, and jobs — and how I've come to redefine all three. 

My early 20s were slightly predictable and you couldn't pay me to re-live them. HOORAY for turning 27! After high school, I went to college, after college I did an internship, after that, I started working. I worked really hard. I got a job that not only paid my bills but that I genuinely loved. I had made it (whatever that means). There's a lot of pressure to get that first "real" job. There isn't as much of a focus on what to do after that. After a six year career, I accomplished a lot. I learned a lot. I worked very hard to get to where I did. But I did reach a point where I didn't feel challenged. I stopped growing at the rate that I wanted. I felt that I needed a big change. 

These past two months have been strange in that I haven't been working full time for the first time in over six years. This time has been so valued and has allowed me to figure out what's next. It has also taught me the value of not letting one single job be my whole life. When I let go of everything I had created — a career, a job, a work-life, I could clearly see who I am without it. For me, this was the only way to really know and feel my worth. I've given myself the opportunity to take a minute to sense my next career direction and I'm really excited about what I now know. 

WORK

The difference between my job and my life's work

I was listening to one of Oprah's podcasts and her guest was Wes Moore discussing if jobs are our life's purpose. He said something that really resonated with me. He said that our job is not our (life's) work. What we do for a living shouldn't define our identity. 

We all need money to live on. This is reason enough to not define ourselves by what we do. This whole experience has made me take a deep look at how I spend my time. I thought I would be so bored during the job search here in London. The truth is I've been just as busy as before — despite not working full time. My life's work as I now call it, is the reason why I've been so occupied. All the while I was working full time at the beginning of my career, I didn't realize that I was also planting seeds that would serve me later on.

Shirt: French Connection. Pants: Primark. Shoes: H&M. Glasses: Clearly

What have I been up to? 

I have been working part-time in a yoga studio at reception as well as teaching a class once a week. For the month of September, I've been volunteering at the London Design Biennale three days per week. In between, I have been doing photoshoots, writing blog posts, and of course — applying to full-time jobs. I've been meeting people and making friends, exploring my new city, and organizing the admin of my life. These things make me so happy. They are part of my life's work. 

Who you are, what you do, the affect you have on others, what you give, what you create — these are what define your life's work. The trick is finding opportunities to do all of the above. Once I began to focus my thoughts on the things I am passionate about, the opportunities started to appear. 

IDENTITY 

How it's formed and how I am re-inventing mine 

Identity really fascinates me. It's so fluid. So sensitive. We almost have to watch it and how it affects us. For a few years at least, my identity was hazy. It wasn't strong or confident. I was just trying to keep my head above water and going with the so-called flow. 

I re-designed my resume two months before I moved to London. I also made a creative portfolio. These were the hardest documents I've ever had to create. I realized that I had sort of lost touch with what I was capable of. What was I made of? I asked myself this a lot. It turns out I was made of all these awesome things that had become such normal parts of my day that I never took the time to appreciate them. 

I had to take the time to figure out what I had to offer of value, what my skills were, and feel confident in naming off accomplishments. I had to become an expert in my own professional self. I can't explain how good it feels to actually take the time to do this.

JOBS 

Can we make money doing what we love?

Yes and no. Sometimes we just need to pay our bills. Some people can't work for various reasons. Sometimes what we love to do just doesn't pay in money. The point of defining your life's work based on everything you are as a person, your volunteering commitments, your art, your services to others, is because jobs are sometimes just there to pay the bills. My various other fulfilling activities and commitments is what keeps me going when I have to do jobs that pay but don't fulfill me in other ways. What I have discovered, though, is I can bring elements of my life's work into any job. 

Life really is a miracle and I am grateful for each day. The fact that I can breathe, walk, talk, love, dance, sing, cook, write — is amazing. We are all magical miracles of life and the fact that we exist means we have purpose. We matter and we're here to inspire, uplift, and marvel at this amazing thing called life. 

So let's get to work. 

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LEANNE DIXON

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LIKES AND FOLLOWSAND COMMENTS, OH MY!WHAT'S IN A METRICTHESE DAYS?

Being a human on The Internet can be tough. 

Everything we do online is measured. Our likes, follows, comments, clicks, views, unlikes, unfollows, spam views, and the list goes on. As a social media manager, blogger, and general human on the Internet, I've had to think a lot about these metrics. 

A typical brain gaggle of questions may look something like this: 

What is the best time to post? If I include a photo of a person will it get more likes than a graphic? If I ask a question will I get more comments? If I post before noon will I reach a different audience? How much does my blog post title reallllly matter? How come this picture got 113 likes? How come this picture only got 21 likes? 

I know some of you will relate to this thought process and I think that most of us have some version of these questions every now and then. We can't pretend like we truly don't care how much praise — or flack — we get on social media. It's psychological and it's finally being discussed in articles about mental health and how this new way of life is affecting us emotionally. 

I've worked in the mental health field for years and often think about how social media affects our mental health, self-identity, and ultimately our stress levels. In reading about why we're so addicted to social media and our phones, I learned that every time our phone buzzes with a text or new follow, the reward network in our brain is activated. The release of dopamine during online social networking makes it much harder for people to resist the activity.

Of course this article alone isn't enough for me to quit cold turkey and that certainly isn't the message of this post but I think it's important to be aware. When we're aware of something, it helps us make better decisions. When it comes to social media, I personally don't think quitting is the answer for me but rather finding a healthier balance.

As a blogger, I find myself feeling SoOoOO happy and over the moon when a post gets a lot of likes, shares, and ultimately, views. But when a post isn't doing well, I begin to spiral into negative thoughts like what's the point, nobody cares, you are worthless, why bother. This exact spiral happened after I published my last post. It was one where I opened up a lot. I took a lot of time writing and refining. I posted pictures that were very different from my typical ones and thought they'd generate interest. I thought the post was going to really resonate with people. 

And it did. But this didn't result in a lot of views. It actually has the lowest view count among my posts all year. I only know it resonated because of comments on my personal Facebook share of the post AND, get this — I got an "in-person" comment. Seriously. Someone came up to me and said "I read your last post and really liked it. It resonated with me and made me really think about some things. So thank you." 

And this got me thinking. WHAT really is in a social media metric? Am I placing too much value on the wrong metrics? Why should views be considered my gold standard of worth? Do in-person comments not count because they aren't Internet-tracked? 

I've had in-person comments before and they always made me feel really good. Way better than any like, follow or comment combined. Just like how talking to a friend in person is always better than texting. But you can read more about how to really be there for someone in my last post. Please click, it needs more views. ;)

As the world craves more transparency and true connections, I'm learning that what we truly like on social media is changing. It's not about standing out anymore. Quite frankly, nobody stands out anymore. And the ones who do are the ones who are simply honest. They're shameless. They're caring and kind. They write genuine comments. They share big pieces of their heart. And they offer in-person comments. The best kind. 

They say that to be successful, we must be happy first. Put the happy first and success will follow. Do what you love and the money will come, so to speak. My goal for this blog has and always will be to share, connect and resonate with people through being open with my experiences and feelings. In the new digital space where everything is becoming saturated, the new path to success is paved with honesty, kindness, and compassion. And I hope you'll join me on this yellow brick road. 

The most important thing for me to remember is that my number of "likes" shouldn't change how much I like myself. I'm learning to "like" myself more each day. And that, my friends, is priceless. 

PHOTOS BY LISA KIDD.

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HOW TO RE-FOCUS AT WORK WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE A DISTRACTED POTATO

It's 2 pm. How is it already 2 pm? 

You glance down at your empty coffee cup and contemplate whether it's time for another cup. 

You look back at your screen and back at the cup. You get another cup of coffee. 

You sit back at your desk and decide to focus. But first you check Twitter because you may have missed something crucial. Then you check Facebook just in case you missed something that wasn't covered on Twitter. You see that your friend tagged you in ANOTHER meme, your mom commented on your same picture for the third time (true story), and you read yours and all your friends horoscopes. After, you took a quiz to find out which Friends character you are. 

You decide that now you can focus. Now is your time. You open the thing you are supposed to be working on. You put your earphones in. And you're really not feeling this song but curious about what this artist is up to these days. They're touring. Next summer. Def going! Ok, ok, you find the song that will launch you into super creative work mode.

Now you can focus. Like hard. 

In the corner of your eye you see your phone light up and it's a text. Someone could be in danger. If they were, they'd obviously send you a text over a phone call. So you better check it. Like now. Anddd your friend sent you ANOTHER picture of their cat. 

Does this sound like you? If so, you've come to the right place.

Suit: Primark London, $70. Heels: Zara $35. Purse: Value Village, $8. Glasses: c/o of Clearly.ca. How cute are these frames?! When I saw this pink suit, I knew exactly which glasses to wear it with. I feel like a monochrome dream. Thank you, Clearly!

You don't have to hate your job to fall under the distraction spell. Maybe you love what you do but you've just gotten side-tracked and are having a hard time finding your way back to awesome. Here are some tips for feeling focused and energized:

Go.  

The fastest way to focus is to give your brain a break. If you're finding that you keep hitting a block in with what you're doing, whether it's writing or coming up with a creative solution to a problem, chances are your brain has too many tabs open. Try standing, walking around, going outside, and basically visit an environment different than the one you're currently in. This will give your brain some space to re-sort. Some of the most creative minds in history spent the majority of their time on leisure and sleeping. Check out this chart. The red bars represent time spent doing creative work. The green bars are time spent doing creative work.

I realize we live in 2018 and most of us are required to work a certain number of hours. But you get the point. Walk anywhere. The water cooler. Go! 

Awareness. 

This should probably have been first. Awareness is your friend. Once you become aware that you're distracted, you'll be in a better position to do something about it. Next time you get distracted, try taking an extra moment to analyze the before, during, and after. 

Two or three things.

On a day when i'm feeling most distracted but I have deadlines looming, I make a list. It has two or three (at most) things that I want to accomplish by the end of the day. When I can cross them off, I leave work feeling confident. During slower work times like summer for my job, I found it helpful to chop up my day into chunks. I use a Google Calendar and schedule each hour with a different task and colour code. I had it send me pop up reminders when it was time for the next task. It also gave me soft deadlines.

One thing at a time.

Managing social media is part of my job and a regular piece of my day. But it doesn't come without major distractions. Let's say I'm going on Facebook to check if we received any messages or comments on posts. So, I log on and BAM. Black hole. All of a sudden I'm conducting all kinds of creeping. At some point I return to my senses and think wait, why did I come here in the first place? It's like when you walk into the kitchen and immediately forget why you went there so you start munching on some cheese. Anyone? 

What were we talking about?

Right, one thing at a time! When I start something, I try really hard to stick with it. Even if it means having to be hyper-aware and keep a strict inner voice. No, bad, bad, close that tab, exit, delete, focus!

Music. 

I typically have to work with one earbud in at all times. I need to have background noise to help me focus. Silence just doesn't work for me... at work. 

If you're able to listen to music at work and it helps you focus, definitely try it. When I need to hyper focus, I tend to listen to mantras or instrumental music. I find music has a really positive influence on my work flow. Here's a link to one of my favourite playlists I made.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL TUNDO.

Breathe.  

Here's a yogi pro tip! Sit straight and block your left nostril with your index finger. Inhale through your right nostril. Hold the breath for five seconds. Exhale through your right nostril. Try this for three minutes. This is the breath to help you focus because it corresponds to the left side of your brain, which is associated with logic. 

Happy focusing!

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FIVE TIPS FORWORKING INPUBLIC RELATIONSIN A DIGITAL WORLD

I graduated with a diploma in public relations in 2012. Turns out a lot can happen over 5+ years. Like turning yourself into a dog with a protruding animated tongue and posting it for your followers to watch for a very specified amount of seconds. Come to think of it, I graduated just months after Snapchat was first launched and years before I would begin using it. 

While so much has changed, my industry has certainly kept up and has taken advantage of every new digital app or tool. This is great because there are so many different ways of telling stories. But this is also horrible because there are so many different ways of telling stories, increasing the possibility that your story will get lost. And to me, story-telling is at the heart of what PR people do. 

How do we have our stories heard? How do we keep a human tone when we have so many options for pre-written automation? 

Today I'm sharing five tips for working in PR today, here and now. 

1. Embrace digital but don't become a robot. 

I specifically work in healthcare public relations so this one has been easier for me than I'm sure for others who work in less direct human contact-based industries. Compassion is a word I've come to know and love. In every message we put out, every question we respond to, the communications team are thinking of the people we serve: the reason for being (raison d'être). I've learned to embrace digital tools like social media, apps, and software. However, within these tools, I try to remember that behind most screens, there are people. And people also like face-to-face meetings, phone calls and personalized messages. I've learned to focus on the social media channels that work best for us and to only use digital tools that are worth my time. I also connect with people in person whenever possible. 

2. There's no such thing as a social media guru.

This is more of a statement than a tip but hear me out. As someone who has managed my fair share of social media accounts, I have been called a 'social media guru' many a time. And every time it always felt inaccurate. Is anyone a social media guru??? 

The word guru generally means an expert or master. How can you be an expert at something that is constantly changing? Nobody really knows what the secret formula is. In my experience, there isn't one. 

Here's the deal. There are millions of social media accounts out there. And here's why there is no secret formula. Each account has a very specific number and variety of people who follow that account. You have to try new things and see how your specific audience relates and engages. Be real. Show pictures of your people doing cool things. If you have nothing particularly new or interesting to say, please don't post just to post. This is how your content quality goes down and people unfollow or scroll through. It's okay to go a day without posting. Your followers will probably thank you. 

I have also learned to not care about the numbers: the followers, etc. We live in a time when you can literally buy followers. What IS important is engagement. Are people liking, commenting and sharing your posts? That is the true measure of value. 

3. Be open to learning new skills.

Social media is constantly changing, even within the pre-existing channels. There are literally Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. headquarters of staff working all day improving their product and adding onto it as we speak. The only way to catch up is to keep an open mind and be willing to learn new things. With social media, comes the need to feed different types of content through to your followers. Things like creating graphics, videos, articles, and even live video, are all things I've had the pleasure of learning. 

4. Don't underestimate good writing.

Whether it's for a newsletter, video script, or tweet, good writing will always be one of the most important PR skills you can have. We all have incredible stories to tell and great writing does them justice. The title of your news release, article, video, etc., has huge influence over if it will get viewed or shared. I've learned that it's important to take the extra time to write well, thoroughly, and with no mistakes. 

5. Remember your basics. 

PR people are people-people. The human contact, social skills and hand written notes are at the heart of it. Connecting with people in a genuine way — whether it's in person, during a phone interview, with your coworkers, or through social media, personable contact is extremely important and strengthens everything you do. Be mindful of the public's perception of your organization and also mindful that you too are representative — to a certain degree — of your organization. Remember to slow down, smile, and make eye contact. Try to keep an outsiders' view and be aware of what people are saying. 

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL TUNDO.

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Public Relations: Life after Graduation

You've written one hundred press releases, you can come up with strategies, key messages, tactics, and objectives in any situation, and you can do a media interview on the spot, so NOW WHAT? 

As a proud public relations college graduate, PR is a topic I'm pretty passionate about. While I learned so much in school and gained experience, I found I had a difficult time adjusting to life after school and job hunting. I've been working in the field now for over three years and I've learned a few things.

Grab a tea or coffee and a note-jotting device! (I say device cause like who uses pen and paper anymore?) *raises hand*

A brief backstory: I studied public relations at Algonquin College from September 2010 and graduated in June 2012. I just had to reference a calendar to bring you those dates. Wow. 

I simply adored the program, the people, the courses, everything. I learned so much and would re-take it if I could. After graduation though, I was slightly panicked about finding a job. The place where I did my internship couldn't hire me full time and so I was working in retail while job searching. I freelanced for them on a very part time basis and was eventually hired for more and more hours. I've been full time for almost three years now. Time flies! 

Here are five tips to help you in your job search.

1. Find a job that will pay your bills whilst searching for a PR job. 

I know you're itching to work in your chosen field but someone's got to pay those bills! You might get very busy like I did. I worked full time in two consignment clothing stores but found a way to incorporate PR into it. I began creating the stores newsletters and managing their social media. This allowed me to put my newly learned skills to the test. Grab lunch with your boss and discuss ways you can help their business with your new skills. Create a proposal or plan and present it to them. (I created a document with a social media plan to show ways I can help grow their accounts). I also started my blog a few months after graduating and that helped me hone my writing skills. 

2. Keep at it. Stay in it. Don't drift. 

The thing about college is you pay a lot of money and spend a lot of time learning new skills in hopes of getting a job you'll love. But the thing about learning is you have to continually practice your skill to build on what you've learned and mostly to remember it all. If you don't find a job right away, find other ways of staying connected to the field. Start a blog, strengthen your social media skills, grab a coffee and pick the brain of a former professor or mentor that you met in college. Write something, even if only you will see it. Keep learning. The best way to do this is to volunteer or do an internship. It might be tough to do if it's unpaid and you're living on your own but try to make it work. Even if it's on an event basis, just a few hours per week, you have to make time in your schedule. Think of an internship as a prolonged interview. It's a chance to show what you can do and prove your skills are needed. Even if they don't hire you at the end, you will learn so much and network with people who can help you. 

3. Networking: Awkward? Yes. Important? YES! 

SO IMPORTANT. Public relations is all about building strong relationships with people. Be it clients, reporters, bloggers, non profits, and the list goes on. Don't be afraid to reach out to an old boss, or your new boss, or a former professor, your friend's cousin, your mom's friend, you get the point. I had a coffee with a former professor who was the communications person at my ex-boyfriend's dad's ex-fiance's work. THAT was a mouthful. Point being: she helped me so so much at that time in my life. She re-inspired me to push myself to my full potential and gave me so many great ideas. She even offered me a part time job. Don't ever underestimate the power of coffee and face-to-face interaction. Accomplished adults want you to succeed. And they want to help you! 

Networking events are great ways to meet new people. During school, I attended as many as I could, often going alone. I highly recommend attending these solo, as scary as that may be! It's the best way to practice your networking skills and that way you are forced to talk to people. Even if I attended an event and only talked to one person, it was still worth it for me. You never know who you'll meet. If you're in Ottawa, check out IABC or CPRS. MeetUp and Eventbrite may also have these type of events. Psst- they also have apps and systems that can send you a weekly round up of events in your city! TRES COOL. 

If you're not sure who you could ask, I would say it's not uncommon these days to add someone on LinkedIn and message them if you have similar interests. Just remember that everyone is busy and if you get to the point right away and have a clear objective, you will get a positive response. Add me on LinkedIn if you haven't already!

*this is just my opinion of LinkedIn because I'm speaking from experience. Some "gurus" may say to not ever add someone you don't personally know. 

4. Follow up. Be annoying. But polite. 

Like I said in my last bullet, people are busy. That's not to say they don't care. It's likely that it's just slipped their mind or haven't gotten the chance to get back to you. If you haven't heard a response from a job or a coffee meeting invitation, there is nothing wrong with a friendly follow up message. Maybe choose a different form of contact than you originally used. Send a friendly tweet or instagram comment. "Love the new glasses! Hope to meet up soon!" Or "I see you're attending that event, I'll see you there!" 

5. Frame of Mind: Set to Positive

You might not hear a response right away about a job, or a meeting, or a proposal. That's normal. You might drift into a spiral of negative thoughts. Feeling like you're giving a lot of effort to receive nothing in return can lead to a thought like "Nobody wants me." Please, please, challenge that thought!! You are brilliant and will find a job you love. It just takes time. Practise positive self talk or write yourself daily reminder post-its on your laptop or desk so that you remember how awesome you are. If you don't believe in yourself, it will be hard for potential employers to. Keep building up your confidence because it will translate in your messages, meetings, interviews, and when you do get your first pr job! 

I hope this post helps you along in your career path. I have so much more to say and will be posting more about this topic on here. I wish you the best of luck and am always here to answer any questions you may have! 

Keep shining!

Here's a special work #OOTD for you. I literally wore this to work last week. 

Top: Value Village, $5. Jeans: Reitmans, $16. Similar here. Shoes: gifted, thrifted. Purse: gifted, vintage. Necklace: Forever 21, $12. Similar here.

CRISIS!!!! 

ALL GOOD.

Tweeting at all times. 

PHOTOS BY LISA KIDD.

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When I Grow Up

I think we all at some point imagine what we're going to be when we grow up. When we're young, we have big dreams. Doctor, actress, rock star, model, shop owner. And by the time we're graduated high school, that dream tends to no longer exist and we become more concerned about survival than anything. While this is a sad fact, I believe it's still possible to find a job you love that encapsulates your childhood dream, reality, and the present day job market and expenses. 

I'll be the first to say finding a job, any job, is difficult. Especially for new graduates of college or university who expect a little more than minimum wage. However, a careful mixture of passion, hard work, determination, persistence, a little bit of luck and a good outfit can certainly help generate leads and hopefully in turn, a job. 

I recently got to thinking about my childhood dreams and compared it to my current job. I found so many similarities and have decided to tell you how I've come to find the profession of my dreams and hopefully give you some insight on figuring out which path is right for you.

Let's start at the beginning. As a child I had many dreams. The first that I can remember is wanting to be a doctor. I wanted a job where I could help others and the uniform looked pretty awesome (to my naive and fashion-deprived eyes). I even had one of those pretend doctor bags and would walk around the house giving "check ups". Flashback to now, the sight of blood or needles makes me cringe but the compassionate side of me is still the same.

Me circa mid-90s. I still wear my helmet inproperly.

Next, I moved on to being a mail-man (yes, I called it that). I would get paper and a marker and force my dad to tell me how to spell things. I would write everyone a long letter with the four words I knew how to spell and put them in my "mail-bag", go around the house and deliver the mail. I was really busy. 

As I matured to the age of 7/8, I decided I wanted to become an actress. I even convinced my mom to put me in acting classes (they were actually really fun). I was always a different character around the house and would put on dances and plays with my cousins in my basement. My mom also built us a stage complete with red curtains and dressing area in the back. You're awesome, mom. 

Back to the story. If you examine these three childhood dreams closely, you can pull out skills and desires. Doctor: helping people, making a difference, health care. Mail-man: writing, publishing, sharing my writing, androgynous dressing (if you'd call that a skill). Actress: expressing myself creatively, speaking in front of others, building self-confidence. 

Rockin that lipstick. Nothing's changed. 

It's well-known among my friends and family that I love what I do. They sometimes laugh at how overly enthusiastic I am about my job and how much I loved school. I still rant about how much I loved Algonquin College. 

I work at The Royal on the Communications team. I do a lot of writing, speaking, and connecting with the public both in person and via social media. These tasks are essentially my three childhood dreams combined. Once I realized this, it all made sense why I love what I do. 

Live-tweeting one of our events at work. 

If you're feeling lost career-wise, try this:

Pretend your five. Ask yourself: What do you want to be when you grow up? 

Don't give up on your dreams because if you have to do something for eight hours a day, you better enjoy it. I believe your work should be a place of inspiration, growth, and learning. You deserve to feel excited to go to work everyday! Trust me, it's an unbelievably amazing feeling. 

This post was in part inspired by a video Jonathan sent me. 

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. And don't stop dreaming!

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