{"id":76017,"date":"2014-07-04T08:00:18","date_gmt":"2014-07-04T13:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=76017"},"modified":"2014-07-03T15:55:33","modified_gmt":"2014-07-03T20:55:33","slug":"four-pieces-of-advice-from-mary-schmich","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/?p=76017","title":{"rendered":"Four Pieces of Advice from Mary Schmich"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Alabama<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Four Pieces of Advice from Mary Schmich<\/span><\/h3>\n

\"ashleymancill\"<\/a>When coverage of commencement season began over a month ago, I found\u00a0myself mentally reciting a few random lines from the late-90s hit \u201cEverybody\u2019s\u00a0Free to Wear Sunscreen.\u201d Those familiar with the song know it is not actually a\u00a0song as much as it is a speech set to music. Few probably know it was originally\u00a0a column written by the Chicago Tribune\u2019s Mary Schmich entitled \u201cAdvice, like\u00a0youth, probably just wasted on the young.\u201d The column, as Schmich describes, is a\u00a0commencement address she imagined that she might give to a graduating class. And\u00a0while we as job seekers and jobholders are not Schmich\u2019s intended audience, some\u00a0of the advice that she dispenses is applicable to us as professionals as much as it is\u00a0to graduates. The excerpts that follow may be things we have heard before in some\u00a0form or other, but just as they are meant to encourage graduates to pursue their\u00a0goals and assure them that life\u2019s obstacles can be overcome, they can inspire the\u00a0confidence we need to succeed in our careers and propel us forward.<\/p>\n

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as\u00a0trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.<\/em><\/p>\n

Time spent worrying over things that we cannot immediately correct or have no\u00a0control over only elevates stress levels and impacts self-esteem. Instead of fixating\u00a0as many of us are prone to do, acknowledge the issue and the effect it is having on\u00a0you. Agonizing over a job application and how your credentials will be perceived by\u00a0a hiring manager will not hasten the selection process. Accept that you were diligent\u00a0in examining the details of the job and describing your qualifications and move on.\u00a0For mistakes and oversights like forgetting to finish an important report before\u00a0leaving the office or not acquiring all the materials for tomorrow\u2019s programming\u00a0event, make a note to handle them first thing and do not stress yourself out. It\u2019s\u00a0unlikely that these mistakes will follow you throughout your career or even be\u00a0remembered twenty or thirty years from now. Issues that affect the long-term such\u00a0as job security and unemployment are understandably more difficult to dismiss, but\u00a0realize that worrying over these things will not accomplish anything. Just do your\u00a0best, even if it means taking a pay cut, working a part-time job to supplement your\u00a0income, or finding temporary employment to pay your bills while you search for a\u00a0job in your field.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you\u2019re ahead, sometimes you\u2019re behind.\u00a0The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s an unfortunate habit of ours to measure our successes against the successes of\u00a0others. Don\u2019t. You will experience a number of ups and downs over the course of\u00a0your career and being envious of a friend or colleague who is experiencing an up\u00a0while you are experiencing a down is a waste of time and energy. Focus instead on\u00a0your own talents and skills and use them to land your next job or that promotion\u00a0you\u2019ve been after. The goals you set for yourself can only be achieved if you put\u00a0forth the effort and show others how valuable an asset you are to a company or\u00a0organization.<\/p>\n

Remember compliments you receive, forget the insults.<\/em><\/p>\n

Take note when colleagues and coworkers compliment you professionally. Such\u00a0praise can be immensely beneficial to your career. If you\u2019re after a promotion, ask\u00a0someone who is familiar with your work and who has given you positive feedback\u00a0if they will speak in your favor. If you\u2019re a job seeker, ask if they would be willing to\u00a0serve as a reference. As for any insults and criticisms you receive in the workplace,\u00a0recognize their intent\u2014to put you down. The person (or persons) delivering them\u00a0is most likely threatened by your success, intelligence, and competence. While any\u00a0undeserved comments may upset you and be difficult to forget, do your best to\u00a0dismiss them. Your time is better spent focusing on other things.<\/p>\n

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s okay if you don\u2019t have it all figured out\u2014there are few who do. People and\u00a0circumstances change, and the aspirations that you had four years ago may not\u00a0be the same as those you have today. They may not even be the same as those\u00a0that you will have ten or fifteen years from now. And that is okay. If you go into a\u00a0field and decide it is not a right fit, you can always switch to another. Assess you\u00a0skills, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and be willing to learn new things.\u00a0Continue doing this over the course of your life\u2014the number of opportunities\u00a0available to you will likely increase. Even if you never figure out what it is you really\u00a0want to do, you will likely discover a few things that you enjoy doing and gain a few\u00a0memorable experiences.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Ashley Mancill, Head Editor,\u00a0INALJ Alabama Four Pieces of Advice from Mary Schmich When coverage of commencement season began over a month ago, I found\u00a0myself mentally reciting a few random lines from the late-90s hit \u201cEverybody\u2019s\u00a0Free to Wear Sunscreen.\u201d Those familiar with the song know it is not actually a\u00a0song as much as it is…<\/p>\n

Read more \u2192<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":63294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[145],"tags":[146,69,5363,3592,3624,6326,6325,111],"class_list":["post-76017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","tag-advice","tag-article","tag-ashley-mancill","tag-blog","tag-inalj-alabama","tag-life-advice","tag-mary-schmich","tag-tips"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/03\/ashleymancill.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1WoMK-jM5","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=76017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/63294"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=76017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=76017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inalj.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=76017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}