Displaying All Posts by Mike Vardy

In Conversation With: Sean Aiken of One-Week Job

Mike Vardy 12th May Career Leave a Comment
    In Conversation With: Sean Aiken of One-Week Job

    While we’re all striving to have an awesome time working at one job, I scored an interview with a gentleman you managed to do so with 52 of them over the span of one year!

    Introducing Sean Aiken, founder and “do-er” of The One-Week Job Project.  I met Sean last year at a local TEDx event and after hearing about his project, I knew I had to keep up with his adventures.  He’s been featured on several major news outlets (New York Times, CBC, CNN, 20/20, among others) and has authored a book on the subject and documented his story on film as well.  During my conversation with Sean, he discusses the reasons he embarked upon this year long journey and what his results were.  I can tell you that his book about it, entitled (appropriately) The One-Week Job Project is available now at fine bookstores – both online and not-so-online.  He’s also completed his film and was showcasing it at a private premiere this week.  Hopefully it’ll come to a theatre or television near you in the not-too-distant future. Click Here to Read Article …

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    Getting “Prosonal”

    Mike Vardy 30th April Communication Leave a Comment

      One of the things that can have a strong impact on how awesome your work is—or becomes—is how you handle yourself both personally and professionally. As I’ve said before, it’s a tricky balance. So tricky, in fact, that it may not even be worth challenging. I mean, trying to shift between how you act and react on a professional level versus how you do so on a personal level is as daunting as it sounds. You’ve got be constantly aware of where you’re at, what you’re doing—you have to mind you p’s and q’s all the time. With that in mind, I’m going to propose something radical to you.

      Don’t.

      You shouldn’t even bother trying. What’s the point of distilling the personal from the professional? It’s an exercise in futility—I tried it for years. It just doesn’t work.

      Click Here to Read Article …

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      Be the Wheat, Not the Chaff

      Mike Vardy 17th April Goals Leave a Comment

        Photo by Armando Maynez.

        I’m a fan of beer, especially wheat beer. Light and flavourful, and it’s about the time of year where one can really enjoy it. We’re coming into that time of year, and as I sit here enjoying a frosty cold beverage I can’t help but think of what led me to this point in my work/life balance.

        You guessed it – I’m not here to write about beer.

        Click Here to Read Article …

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        Dealing with Boredom at Work: Make a Big Splash

        Mike Vardy 9th April Career Leave a Comment

          Here are some telltale signs that you are, in fact, bored at work:

          • You feel restless.
          • You feel as if you’re not being challenged.
          • You are surfing the web. Mainly about non-work stuff.
          • You find yourself eating at you desk…a lot.
          • The office water cooler has become your desk.

          I’m sure there are more, but I’d like to get past the boredom and on to the exciting stuff.

          Being bored with your work means you’ve got to change your work. It’s not the job you need to change, it’s the calling you need to change. Should you simply leave your workplace and do the same calling somewhere else, boredom is bound to creep back in. Now, if you’re content to stay in this job over the long haul, that’s fine…but you won’t find yourself doing awesome work over that haul. I’m sure that if you’re at this site that this isn’t the case, so we’ll move on.

          Click Here to Read Article …

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          Pushing Through Urgent to Get to Important

          Mike Vardy 7th April Goals Leave a Comment

            In an earlier article, I alluded to the notion that everyone should give themselves the gift of time.  Coming off a long weekend gave me the perfect opportunity to do just that.  I’ve had the time to reflect and get in the right headspace going into a week of work – a short week at that.  Problem is, I’d almost set myself up to fail in that regard.  After giving my head a shake, I put myself in a position to elevate my weekend and make the most of my time, not the least of it.  I had a ton of baggage that was weighing me down.  I had to cut some of it loose.

            I did it by pushing through the urgent and getting to the important. Click Here to Read Article …

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            How to Avoid Sucking

            Mike Vardy 2nd April Your Job Leave a Comment

              When I was a kid, there were several words that we were forbidden to use. Stupid was one. Jerk was another. There are seven other words that were strictly on the “you’d better not say” list as well…these words were also never heard on television, either. But there was another word we’d get scolded for if we used in any sentence.

              That word was suck.

              Let me clarify: we could use it when referring to the vacuum in a positive light or in terms of what said device was supposed to do. We could also use it to describe what we did with a straw. However we were not to use it to illustrate the performance of any person, place or thing. It was verboten.

              Click Here to Read Article …

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              Live What You Love

              Mike Vardy 25th March Goals Leave a Comment

                “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.” – Christian (as played by Ewan McGregor), Moulin Rouge!

                If you’re reading this there’s a good chance you fall into one of the following two categories:

                1. You don’t love what you’re doing and want to see if I have any insight into the topic…the title of the article brought you here.
                2. You used to love what you’re doing but are currently in doubt about it. You need a boost.
                3. You’re not loving your life and want to. Again, the title brought you here.

                No matter which category you fall into, I hope by bringing you my own journey into “living what I love” will inspire you to aspire for the same.
                Click Here to Read Article …

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                What You Owe Yourself

                Mike Vardy 24th March Goals Leave a Comment

                  We’re all trying to make a better day, week, month, year and life for ourselves. We want this at work and at home. We all have different ways we’re trying to get there. It’s a difficult thing to do on an ongoing basis – and in all aspects of your life. The bottom line is there are certain things you owe yourself in order to make the “better” happen for yourself. Click Here to Read Article …

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