What Happens When You Say No in Your Career - The Muse

What Happens When You Say No in Your Career - The MuseWhat Happens When You Say No in Your Career Why do I keep saying Yes to things when I know that overloading my plate never turns out well? Its a question Ive asked myself a lot recently.Take last year for example Between my full-time position and two part-time gigs, I spent around 85 hours working and commuting each week. It was a lot, but I made it work. But when I started my current position- one I felt very passionate about and wanted to excel in- I said farewell to my side gigs so I could put my all into it. It was a good decision. I hadnt realized that Id been drowning until I finally came up for air. I spent the next couple months catching my breath and slowing down. Then, in typical Abby fashion, as soon as I felt good about my work-life balance, I started the cycle all over again. And just like that, I was in over my head again and I didnt know why.Sure, the additional money was nice. But that wasnt the root of it because Im not a person whos solely motivated by dollar signs. What I am, however, is a person whos driven by the fear of failure, the anxiety of not accomplishing enough, and the discomfort with how quickly time goes by. Underneath all the other noise in my head, a voice kept murmuring, if you say No to this opportunity, youre saying no to ever going anywhere.That daunting thought (paired with the curse of needing immediate gratification), caused me to believe that I had to say yes to everything or stagnate in my career.But then I had a revelation.Going to work every day and doing my job well is progress in itself. Sure, I wont receive accolades simply because I show up every day, but that doesnt mean my careers at a standstill- that my boss isnt impressed with my work, that Im never going to get promoted, or get another job, or have something to humblebrag to my friends about. Every day, Im learning new skills, increasing my knowledge base, and gaining extensive management experience. Not to mention, Im growing as a health educator, a higher education professional, and a human being. And that all counts toward going somewhere in my career.So, I made a promise to myself Id start saying no more often to offers or requests that didnt excite me (with the exception, of course, of things I had to do- you know, the things that are phrased as requests but really arent). Instead, Id use that time to do things I wanted to do.And heres the cool thing Ive learned about saying No It doesnt have to mean never ever. It can also mean not right now. For example, when I informed one of my side gig bosses that I would no longer be able to work with him, I asked him to keep me on his freelancer list so I could reach out if things calmed down (or I truly missed the work). And sure, we cant live our lives saving every opportunity for later. But that doesnt mean we need to fit it all in today.By making this small change in my life, I went from always being focused on what needed to be don e next- even when I was participating in leisurely activities- and instead felt much more capable of being in the moment, of providing others (and myself) with the attention they deserve. Dont get me wrong. Im not 100% stress free. (Is that even attainable?) And the urge to seek out new opportunities didnt completely disappear. Im not a magician. Every few days, when I have some time to myself, I start wondering what I could be doing to move forward. But Ive worked hard to not give into my restlessness. And I think its paying off. So if youre feeling a little overwhelmed, give yourself a break. Step back. Slow down. Say no. And hey, if that makes you uncomfortable, just say not right now.

This city has the highest unemployment rate

This city has the highest unemployment rateThis city has the highest unemployment rateIf you live in Washington, DC or New York City, youre living in one of the worst run cities in the US, according to a new study.WalletHub compared the 150 fruchtwein populated cities in the US based on six key factors including financeable stability, education, health, safety, economy, and infrastructure and pollution. The different metrics weighed differently and were factored together to give each city a combined score.Washington, DC topped the list due to it having the highest long-term debt outstanding per Capita. Other cities like Gulfport (Mississippi), San Francisco (California), Chattanooga (Tennessee), and New York City (New York) rounded out the top five, only to be followed by Detroit (Michigan) and Oakland (California).Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreWhen it came to finding work, th e highest unemployment rates were found in Detroit, Flint (Michigan), Gary (Indiana), Fairbanks (Alaska), and Hartford (Connecticut).The city of Gary also had the highest infant mortality rate and lowest median annual household income, according to the survey.On the positive side, Nampa (Indiana) and Provo (Utah) were named the top two best-run cities in America, followed by Boise (Idaho), Durham (North Carolina), and Lexington-Fayette (Kentucky).

More than half of The Worlds Greatest Leaders are women

More than half of The Worlds Greatest Leaders are womenMore than half of The Worlds Greatest Leaders are womenFortune Magazine released its list of The Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders today and more thanhalf of them are women - 26, to be exact.The publication ranked a diverse set of women as power players in industries like government, media, entertainment and philanthropy.Fourwomen made it to the top 10 Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation, came in at 4, Film Director and Screenwriter Ava DuVernay at 6, Tsai Ing-Wen, the first female (and current) president of Taiwan, at 8 and Angela Merkel, chancellor of Germany, rounded out 10.Author Geoff Colvin pointed out three lessons on leadership we can learn from everyone on the list this year. They acknowledge reality and offer hope, bring followers physically together, and build bridges, Colvin wrote.You dont have to be famous to be a leaderYou might be thinking, well, thats great and all, but what about the hardworkin g women (and men) who I work with everyday?Fortune emphasized that we shouldnt forget about the great leaders who dont get big magazine spreads.Remember as you scan our list that we evaluate each leader within his or her own field of endeavor. Someone leading a small organization effectively may rank above someone far more famous nudging global issues.The point is that great leaders can be anywhere- at the helm of a giant corporation, running a rural college, or in a cramped office exerting influence through sheer personal energy, Colvin wrote.Women in leadership positions are still rareWhile more than half of the people on The Worlds 50 Greatest Leaders list were women, its clear that women who are diverse in every sense of the word are underrepresented in professional jobs.Nonprofit organization Catalyst named all the women who are currently CEOs at SP 500 companies, according to the January 2017 SP 500 list published by Dow Jones. Theyfound that women only hold 29 CEO positions a t those companies- a mere 5.8% of CEOs, a small proportion compared to women as roughly half the population of America. The discrepancy has motivated executives including Sheryl Sandberg at Facebook, and Sallie Krawcheck, formerly of Bank of America, to write books and give speeches about what women can do to further their positions in corporate America. Sandbergs TED talk on why we have too few women leaders is a popular one.Women of color often hold even far fewer leadership positions.Hispanic women make up 6.2% of the private sector workforce, but only 1.3% ofprivate sector senior-level executives, according to a chart in a report by theAmerican Association of University Women, which used2014 data from the U.S.Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The same chart showed that Black women make up 7.9% of the private sector workforce, but only 1.5% ofprivate sector senior-level executives.The irony? Many studies show that companies with more women on their boards and more women o n their teams perform well financially and earn better revenues and stronger profits.