The title says it all, when you have a passion (which you should), oft times you don’t end up working in that field. While everyone is not entrepreneur material, it is a good idea to keep your focus squarely on what it is that you really want to do. Getting to that goal is it’s own article but what I do know is that the daily grind will blur ones vision. Before you know it you become that salty employee, mad that your co-worker makes $1,000 more than you and mad that your boss hasn’t acknowledged all the extra effort you’ve put in a month before your review (heh). What not to do at your job: Tell others your dream: Nothing is more of a buzz kill than telling your dreams to disgruntled employee guy. The pats on the back and encouragement that you seek will not be returned. What you will get instead is… [Read more]

I’ve heard that even the late Mafia Boss of all Bosses Salvatore “Charles” Lucania absolutely hated his nickname “Lucky Luciano”. Nobody wants to be known as “Lucky”, we all want credit for what we’ve rightfully earned. One of my biggest pet peeves is the fact that there is no real attempt at empathizing with people who are assumed to have money. If you came from nothing, ground your way up to a sky-rise through your own blood, sweat and tears, people will still have the audacity to call you lucky. Oh he has nothing to complain about, he has all the money in the world, I wish I was that “lucky”, blah, blah, blah. It boils my blood to no end when I see, hear and read this feedback. The only thing that the guy who made it is lucky with is that he wasn’t stuck being as carefree as the person diminishing his work. I know… [Read more]

There are always people at work who you have to deal with on a daily basis and simply loathe the time spent with them. Because it’s your work place, you must keep the peace and act as if they matter until they are out of your space.  Here’s my list of the top ten annoying co-workers. Dog Talk Hear this dog lovers – not everyone cares about your dogs and the cute way he jumps in the pool with you when you are trying to relax. Truth be told, I think it’s kind of gross to be in any body of water with an animal (or the bed for that matter). Unless the person on the other side of the conversation is a known dog lover as well, keep your dog comments to yourself. Business meets Personal When you are at work, that’s the only mode you need to be in. Bringing personal problems into… [Read more]

I may be at risk at sounding like a disgusting White Knight on this article but trust me I’m no White Knight. Quite the opposite actually, I’m like that rebellious, badass, Black Knight who blocked Arthur’s passage in order to see if anybody was worthy of a good fight. See when I see hive mind on something, my natural thought process is to ask questions and fight back against it. If we are going to have a nice utopia, then wouldn’t it be nice if everyone played by the rules? Recently I did a vote on one of my favorite game series Mass Effect to see which model would represent the protagonist in their alternate cover. Upon observing the results I noticed that the Blonde model had over 13,000 votes whereas all the others: Brunette, Asian, Middle Eastern and Black were at about 1,500 or so (I voted for the chocolate one for those of… [Read more]

As a blog author it can be easy to get lost in the shuffle of pushing out content, relaying news and doling out advice. Oft times we build a community and trade commentary as if it were our castle (or Hall) and nobody on the outside can see. When I first started writing I had to make a hard decision as to whether I was going to keep it real or keep it care bear; of course I chose the former and as much as I love my denizen fam I run the risk of offending someone every time I write – and I am perfectly fine with that. One thing you have to learn is that you cannot please everyone. One of my lady friends started reading this space and called me a misogynist (buzz word of the year), but then she kept reading and realized that I love women. Not everybody will keep… [Read more]

People have started to call Facebook “fake book” because of the number of so-called friends they have on there that are showcasing a false reality. While this is true in many cases, I have to ask: Who are we to police these people? And why is it that we care so much that they choose to be fakers? While I find it pathetic that someone would lie about what college they went to or their relationship status or places that they’ve traveled to, I still am not affected by it so it really means nothing to me. But what is the point of it all? I know for business owners like myself I am forced to have a profile in order to keep pages up, but for Average Joe what is the point of Facebook? I know for networking it is priceless and with the fluidity of posting and sending messages etc. It is a… [Read more]

The beauty industry is the ugliest in the world, THE ugliest. No ifs, ands, or buts! I may have a biased view on this stance, but working numerous years in the beauty industry has made me realize one thing. If you aren’t attractive, you won’t be getting a job working behind a cosmetics counter or in a Parfumerie. It’s the horrific truth and all applicants are judged on their looks first. I know this because I was recruiting for “appropriate staff” for Chanel and YSL cosmetic counters and conducting interviews with applicants. One day my account manager had been off sick for a while and I had to step in and run the account myself with the leadership skills I had; for example: run figures and everything that comes along with the position. To me, when recruiting – it was about the skills and final delivery that the person presents, but my manager had different… [Read more]

People do not realize that they have more control over their work situation than they think they do. If you have a boss you don’t like then go find another job.  There are some who hesitate to leave stable employment in a tough economy, and choose to tough it out at their current place of employment.  If you decide to do this then you will need to find some personal value in your career that will help you make it through the rough days. The Value of Benefits As we age benefits become more important to us, a good insurance plan becomes paramount.  If you intend to get married and raise a family, these benefits can help you provide the care your family needs. In addition to vacations and visits to relatives, generous time-off  allotments empower individuals who want to travel the world without worrying about losing pay.  A 401(k), Roth IRA, or other type… [Read more]