It is a sign of the times. Given the current economic woes, many people are turning to a second job to make extra income.  Things are bad everywhere with no sign of improvement on the horizon.  The temporary boost in employment statistics generated by the thousands of part-time census jobs has evaporated.  The numbers just keep getting worse. Here in Florida we had a .1% jump, which wouldn't seem so awful if we weren't already at record unemployment levels.  Now unemployed job seekers have to face off against not just their unemployed brethren, but also the employed (and therefore...

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MOSAIC may not be a household name, but they are the world’s largest phosphate mining company. They provide the raw materials that go into the fertilizer that grows the fruit and vegetable products that you consume every day. Last week, they announced plans to lay off over 200 workers from their plant in rural Polk County, FL. You read the headline that a company resorted to layoffs and your logical response is “it’s the economy, stupid.” Good answer, but wrong. It isn’t the economy. It isn’t a lack of demand or resources and it isn’t...

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You have the power over the challenges and tasks you face.  You just might not know it yet.  Not too long ago I learned a new term: self-efficacy.  The concept was not foreign to me, just the term itself. Self-efficacy is your belief in your abilities.  Those with low self-efficacy believe they are not able to accomplish certain tasks.  When they face a new challenge, they lose the battle in their head before they even start.  In contrast, those with high self-efficacy believe they can conquer any  feat.  Nothing will stand in the way. We all have faced a new situation...

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News-flash:  The economy isn't doing so well.  I know that's a shock to those of you who live in a cave on a deserted island and haven't seen a TV or the Internet for the last three years.  For the rest of us, it's just more of the same.  The only question that remains is: when will it get better? Ask ten economists, and you'll get ten different predictions as to when the economy will turn around.  The only commonalities will be that they all think it's a ways off, and they'll all tell you something different than they did six...

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Imagine walking to a well with a large bucket.  You can  fill this bucket only once per day, and you have to live off of this water for 24 hours.  What would you do with your rations? Essentially, this is a metaphor for our time and energy each day.  We only have so much to give but have many vessels that require  filling.  If we let it happen, there are many who would dip their cups and take our water.  Soon, nothing is left for us.  Is this what's happening to you? Our time is precious.  We can't afford to waste it...

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