By
Jan Yager, Ph.D.
(http://www.drjanyager.com)
Copyright © 2012 by Jan Yager, Ph.D.
Please note: You have permission to reprint, repost, or print this original article as long as you do not edit it in anyway and you also include the copyright and the author’s bio, including contact information, as well as any accompanying links from the original article.

As a professional writer and speaker, I’m always looking for new ways to put my words and thoughts to work. Therefore, the information-packed Winter Conference in Plano, Texas that was put together by the National Speakers Association on how to “Monetize Your Message” was just want I needed.
I was so inspired by the presentations I attended, and the 60+ people that I met (out of close to 400 in attendance), that I decided to share 12 ways to monetize your expertise that have worked for me including the two key ones, write a book and give a presentation.

1) Write a book. Whether this will be your first book, or your tenth, writing a book is still the best way to share your expertise with the widest audience. (If you’re thinking, “But I don’t have time to write a book? Remember that if you write just a page a day —or write for a few hours over the weekends if you cannot find time during the work week — you could have enough material for a book in just a few months or certainly within a year or two.)
2) Develop one or more speeches based on your expertise. Speaking is hard work and a skill but there are benefits to mastering that skill that include everything from getting paid for your expertise and paid travel opportunities, to expanding your SOI (sphere of influence) nationally and internationally. (For help with your speaking skills, consider joining Toastmasters, attending meetings of the National Speakers Association and joining once you are eligible, hiring a speaking coach, reading books on speaking, as well as going to presentations by outstanding speakers so you can observe the best presenters in action.
3) Teach a course based on your book or the area of your expertise at a local college or adult education center.
After spending several years researching my first book, and getting multiple rejections, I was able to teach a course on my topic at the New School in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Before I taught even one class, an editor from Scribner’s, who had seen the write up in the catalogue, wrote to me and noted that she found my course fascinating and she then asked if I had ever thought of writing a book on that topic, a history of vegetarianism! (And the rest, as they say, is history!)
4) Become a spokesperson for a company or association.
5) Become a coach related to your area of expertise. (My Simon & Schuster book, “When Friendship Hurts,” which has been translated into 23 languages, as well as my previous book, “Friendshifts” (Hannacroix Creek Books), led to becoming a friendship coach.)
6) Become a consultant to companies who will pay for your knowledge.
7) Sell foreign language editions of your book to international publishers. I’ve sold one or multiple titles into 30 languages as well as English language reprint of your book into other markets or territories such as India, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and Nigeria.
Turn your nonfiction book into fiction, such as a novel (or vice versa). (I wrote a nonfiction book on crime victims, “Victims,” an expansion of my master’s thesis in criminal justice that Scribner’s published. Years later, I co-write with my husband Fred Yager a thriller entitled “Untimely Death.” It was published by my company, Hannacroix Creek Books, Inc. (http://www.hannacroixcreekbooks.com), and it’s been translated into Vietnamese and Swedish (which led to an author tour to Sweden including being put up at a hotel in Stockholm that used to be a prison).
9) Turn your book or speech into an e-book. (I’ve already converted at least ten books into e-book versions .)
10) Offer a webinar.
11) Get paid to write articles, based on your expertise, getting published in everything from trade publications for associations, online magazines or publications that pay, to the major “slick” magazines that pay at a rate of $1 to $2 a word! (Not a professional writer? Collaborate with one.)
12) Create a blank book version of your book or speech. (”The Friendship Journal,” which has quotes from my book, “Friendshifts,” is an example of this.)

I welcome hearing from you with your own suggestions of what has worked for you in further monetizing your expertise and also to finding out which of these ten ideas you try out that are successful.

Since time management is one of the topics I speak on and write about, it’s great to offer a way of increasing our productivity so we get more mileage out of our initial hard work and efforts!

##

Jan Yager, Ph.D. is the author or co-author of 31 award-winning books in 30 languages including When Friendship Hurts; Friendshifts; Productive Relationships; Grow Global; Work Less, Do More; Creative Time Management for the New Millennium; 365 Daily Affirmations for Time Management; 365 Daily Affirmations for Happiness; 365 Daily Affirmations for Friendship; Career Opportunities in the Publishing Industry; and The Pretty One (a novel) among other titles.
Check out clips from Jan’s speaking engagements or her appearances on Oprah, the Today Show, and Good Morning America, posted at http://www.youtube.com under “Jan Yager.”
Jan’s finishing up new books on speaking and on writing a book. Send her an e-mail — jyager at aol.com — if you would like to be notified when those new books are published.
For more on this author and speaker, go to: http://www.drjanyager.com, http://www.whenfriendshiphurts.com, or http://www.hannacroixcreekbooks.com

By Jan Yager, Ph.D.

Here are twelve suggestions—based on years of research into relationships as well as my own romantic experiences including a happy marriage that’s going strong aftger 27 years — that may help to nurture the love between you:

1. Eat dinner together and continue to go out on “dates” with each other on a steady basis, even once you have children.

2. Try to get off the phone (or computer) as soon as your romantic partner walks in the door, not because you are talking about something he or she should not hear but because it is polite and shows that you care.

3. Avoid badmouthing your spouse to your friends or relatives. If you’re having problems, deal with them in a constructive way, first with each other. If you need outside help, turn to someone you trust such as a religious or marriage counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist.

4. Compromise, compromise, compromise.

5. Keep your sense of humor and the fun and romance in your relationship and life together as you continue to be each other’s best friend.

6. Make physical intimacy a priority and find time for it, no matter how tired or preoccupied you are. Words count too. When’s the last time you said “I love you” to your romantic partner and showed him/her your feelings through your actions?7. Divide up the necessary domestic chores so neither one feels the burden unfairly falls on her or his shoulders.

8. Make time for what you care about individually, as well as for each other, such as cultivating hobbies you enjoy as well as spending time with friends, developing new interests, or participating in sports activities on your own or as a couple.

9. Be positive and supportive. Avoid criticizing. If you have to be critical, offer what you say as feedback and say it in the most gentle, nurturing way possible.

10. Celebrate the differences between you and your romantic partner rather than wanting him/her to be just like you. They say opposites attract for a reason!

11. Remember that you are responsible for your own happiness. Instead of blaming your romantic partner for any of the disappointments or unhappiness that you may be experiencing, work on finding solutions. (Of course this is based on the assumption that your romantic partner is not the problem!)

12. Actively work to keep kindling the excitement in your relationship by keeping communication open between you and your mate, remembering and making a fuss over birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, as well as planning and going away on weekends and trips together as well as spontaneous excursions.

Call it a relationship that works because of luck, timing, both your efforts, or something that was “meant to be,” a love that is shared is a truly amazing gift to cherish and nurture.

by Jan Yager, Ph.D.

I just returned from a three-day conference in Plano, Texas organized by the National Speakers Association where I met, and exchanged business cards with, at least 60 men and women. As I began to input information from the cards I collected into my ACT! database so I can contacting them to reinforce our new connection, I immediately saw how some cards really made an impact.
The advantage of carefully looking over so many business cards at once is that the cards that really worked for me stood out clearly from the ones that fell short.
Here’s what I observed from studying these cards about how to make your own business card as effective as it could be:
1. Who, What, Where, Why, How
You card should say who you are, what you do, where you’re based, why anyone should care, and how to contact you. At least one card I received lacked an e-mail address. But my biggest annoyance was with business cards that did not indicate where in the world that person was based! Since one of the purposes of a business card is to encourage communication and even doing business with each other, knowing where you’re located is one piece of information that helps to define who we are. That does not mean it will rule out doing business together if we are not in the same state let alone time zone or even country, but those cards that lacked that information made me feel as if someone was hiding something. It also makes it harder, when you have a stack of 60 cards and you are trying to reconnect with someone that you met, to start the dialogue since knowing that someone is based in New York City or Seattle offers an easy conversation starter.
2. Include all your social media contact information.
If you haven’t updated your business card to include your Twitter name, LinkedIn.com link, website url, youtube.com video channel, or cell/mobile phone number, consider investing in a new card that lists as many of those ways as possible to contact you. I found those cards that provided all that information shouted to me, “I’m up to date and contemporary.” It also makes it that much easier to immediately follow someone on Twitter.com since the Twitter.com name is provided right there on the card.

3. Avoid including too much information.
A couple of the business cards I collected were the other extreme of listing so much information that it was overwhelming. The business card is a tool to encourage someone to make that initial (or follow-up) phone call, or to send an e-mail, or to visit your website to find out more about you (and your services or products). By listing every single title you have published, or every speech that you offer, you are making giving the business card a function I do not think it should be fulfilling. I also find that makes me feel “information overload” and it does not inspire me to want to find out more about someone.

4. Provide your contact information even if you lack a card.
Even if you run out of cards, or you forgot to bring your cards in the first place, make sure you write your key contact information on a piece of paper. It is much better to do that than to tell someone you will follow-up by sending your information after the conference is over. There are a couple of reasons for that. First of all, you might be so busy that you do not get to share your information right away. Second of all, you are missing the opportunity to be part of that collection of cards that someone might be going over on the plane, or right after the event when the contact information is getting inputted into their database. (While it is still fresh in my mind, I make a list of those I have met who did not have a card so I can find their contact information and still enter it into my database so it is easier to do follow-up from that initial meeting.)

5. Use a photo of yourself (preferably a recent one).
Does your card have a photograph of you? I personally like a photo because it serves as a reminder when the volume of connections after these events can be daunting. (If you take the card of someone without a photo on their card, if you have a smart phone with a camera function, ask if you could take a picture and import that picture into your computer or database along with the contact information.)

6. Is your mailing address sending out the right message about you and your business?
Reevaluate what image using a P.O. Box might be projecting. Would it be better to rent a box at the UPS Store, so you can use a mailing address and also have the ability of someone to take packages for you, or even use your home address if you are comfortable having your personal information on your card? However, a post office box with your mailing address is still better than lacking a mailing address at all.

7. What color paper is best for you?
There is no right or wrong answer about whether you should have a more professional white or beige card versus a color in a vibrant color, but you should consider what your choice says about you and your business.

8. One-sided or two?
Consider the back side of your card as a way to share more about yourself or your services, message, or products but make it useful and pertinent or just leave it blank.

9. Do you have a special offer or “call to action” as part of your card?
Although I haven’t yet followed up on any of the free offers that were part of several of the business cards that I collected, I might do that at some point. By including an offer right on your business card, you are providing a “call to action” for those who take your card rather than just the passive exchange of your contact information.

10. Include your website url.
Do not assume someone will find your website through an Internet search. Include your main website and any secondary sites right on your business card as a way to direct those with whom you had a meeting, however brief, to find out more about you.

11. Is your clever card worth that extra expense?
I received several cards that were truly unique and I know those customized concepts and sizes cost a lot more than your traditional standard card. But I wonder if that extra expense is justified is there is no relationship between the unique format and what you do.
**
Here’s another tip: In addition to entering the information from the business cards I’ve collected into my database as soon as possible after a conference, or a meeting, I organize the cards by that event by then filing those cards in a business card file that I keep just for that event. (I buy the card file that enables you to have up to 96 cards in the one file.) I use my labeler to label the card file on the front and on the spine so I can file it upright on my bookcase for easy retrieval for follow-up. By organizing the cards by event, I find I have an additional visual cue to remembering those with whom I met, beyond inputting that information into my database. By keeping a separate business card holder I find it’s more effective than having a stack of cards with a rubber band around it or adding the cards to a master business card file.
Someone once said to me, “It’s not the business cards you give out but the ones you get that count.” Yes, on a certain level that is true, but in time I have decided that it is both the ones you give out and the ones you get that can be a boost to our careers.
However, we all have to keep in mind that ultimately, of course, when all is said and done, it is connecting to each other that is pivotal, not just the card!
Jan Yager, Ph.D. is the author of numerous books and articles on business and relationship topics including Productive Relationships: 57 Strategies for Building Stronger Business Connections; Business Protocol; Grow Global; Work Less, Do More; Friendshifts; When Friendship Hurts; and Effective Business and Nonfiction Writing. For more on this author/speaker/coach/consultant, go to: http://www.drjanyager.com To follow Jan’s tweets, go to: http://www.twitter.com/drjanyager

by

Jan Yager, Ph.D.

Jan’s book, The Fast Track Guide to Losing Weight and Keeping It Off: Applying Creative Time Management Principles to the Weight Challenge, will be published by Hannacroix Creek Books, Inc.) Foreword by acclaimed eating disorder expert Joel Yager, Ph.D. (no relation to the author).

 Follow Jan’s tweets at: http://www.twitter.com/drjanyager For more on Jan, or to send her an e-mail about her books, coaching, or workshops, go to: http://www.drjanyager.com, http://www.whenfriendshiphurts.com, or http://www.hannacroixcreekbooks.com.

One year ago
I walked through that door
It was a brave step
It was a scary step
Made a bit less overwhelming with my husband Fred by my side.

But everyone was so caring
Everyone was so positive
I just knew it was the right thing to do.

So I gave myself over to “the plan”
And week by week
Pound by pound
I found myself shrinking from topping the scale at 204
To 194
Then 184
Then 174
Then 164
154
144
And I’m almost into the 130s, 64 pounds lighter, with my goal weight in sight.

But more than the changes in the scale
And the smaller size that I wear
It has been a year of growth
Professional growth as I have finally refused to be treated
In a negative way by the occasional business bully
Personal growth as I got back to swimming, walking, and discovering Zumba,
After years of being sedentary.

And then the plan changed
And I was afraid to embrace that change
Adhering to the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” philosophy
But Pat, our leader, our mentor, assured us it would be better
And I trusted her
And I tried it
And it is better
And it is a “forever” approach to food.

So I’ve eaten a Skinny Cow™ ice cream cone every day for a year
Proving that you can lose weight without depriving yourself
And I’ve gone to parties
And traveled near and far
And I’ve slipped and put on a few pounds
But I caught myself and went back on plan
And took off those pounds I had regained
And then began losing again.

So year two begins
And I know reaching my goal and maintain my goal is
Key for this second year
But I now see that if I stay the course
If I keep showing up at meetings
If I let fellow members into my heart and my mind
That it will all work out.

Yes, I have lost weight
But I have gained a new approach to food and exercise.
I am in control
Food is no longer controlling me.
I can turn to other things when I’m upset
And not compulsive overeating to push down those feelings
that I feel that are so strong and overpowering.
I have taught myself that it’s okay to feel
Because I’ll work through the feelings
And I’ll still be able to wear the clothes that now fit
And to walk up stairs without hugging and puffing
And to be more optimistic that I’ll live a longer, full, and active life.

Copyright 2011 by Jan Yager, Ph.D. All rights reserved.

1. You can’t control others but you can control yourself and your own “distractionitis”.
2. Time waster #1: doing too much at once. Focus on what’s important. If possible, make each day’s priority the first thing you do.
3. Time waster #2: being disorganized and wasting time trying to find something-a name, an address, a phone number, a piece of information. Put your contacts into a database. Have an efficient filing system.
4. Time waster #3: perfectionism. Aim for achieving excellence not unrealistic perfectionism.
5. Time waster #4: procrastination. Fear of success and fear of failure are at the bottom of most procrastination. But sometimes procrastination is a time saver because it happens because you do not have enough information to make a decision.
6. Time waster #5: poor pacing. Rest will make you more productive. Get enough sleep and active rest during the day.
7. Maximize your own productivity by listening to what others tell you that they need and giving it to them (if it’s in your best interest, of course, to comply).
8. Promise less, deliver more.
9. Be clear about how you will measure that you are becoming more productive. Making more money? Finishing more projects? Being able to leave work an hour earlier?
10. Delegate tasks not relationships.

Dr. Jan Yager is speaker and trainer as on productivity and relationships as well as the author of numerous books including WORK LESS, DO MORE (Sterling); CREATIVE TIME MANAGEMENT FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM (Hannacroix Creek); and the new title, 365 DAILY AFFIRMATIONS FOR TIME MANAGEMENT (Hannacroix Creek). For more information, go to: www.drjanyager.com

How does boredom waste time? It wastes time by leading to unproductive activities, or shifting gears – and taking on too much at once — in the hope of curing it; beginnings are often more exciting than middles. In the end, however, more time is lost since it is usually more efficient to stick with something till it is completed before starting on something new.

Solution #1  Change the task.

Solution #2  Try doing the same thing, in a different way.

Solution #3  Change the order of the tasks you have to accomplish.

Solution #4 – Try to reward system (that is also useful for overcoming procrastination).

Solution #5  Become more sensitive to your moods.

Solution #6  Look at the causes of the boredom as a source of your solutions to overcoming it.
If your boredom is caused by too much work, or poor planning, you can cure it by getting more rest, relaxing, exercising, or saying “No, sorry. Thanks anyway for asking.”
Consider if boredom is also being caused because you took on such an overwhelming task that it is a camouflage for the feeling of fatigue or befuddlement.
Reconsider the frequency of a task as the possible reason for boredom: one progress report a month is useful, once a week might even be more helpful, but daily reports might become boring (and unproductive).

Solution #7  Recognize that some boredom is actually beneficial.
Too much boredom certainly wastes time, but some ennui has its benefits. “I keep busy every minute because I never want to be bored,” says a married man with a toddler who works two demanding jobs. “There’s no monotony in what I do, and every task is different. Maybe a little boredom might prove restful,” he adds, breathlessly.

Excerpted, with permission, from CREATIVE TIME MANAGEMENT FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM by Jan Yager, Ph.D. (Hannacroix Creek Books)

Whenever I conduct a time management workshop and I ask attendees what their top time wasters are, almost invariably a few people say, “procrastination,” or putting off doing something they don’t want to do. Does that sound like you? Maybe you don’t procrastinate all the time, just once in a while, when it can make the difference between getting a report or project done on time and taking longer than you should, much to everyone’s annoyance, including your own. In most cases, procrastination is a negative behavior trait. However, in this article, I will also point out what could be the benefits of procrastination in certain situations.

Consequences of procrastinating

The first step in overcoming procrastination when it is putting your work, career, and even personal relationships in jeopardy is to look at what the possible consequences of your delay. What is it that you need to do right now? Write that task down on a piece of paper, on your computer, or on your mobile phone, if you use it for note taking as well.  Now consider the consequences if you put off doing this task for the next few minutes, the next hour, the next day or two, or even the next week? Will you get yelled at? Will someone who is waiting on you for information or even a phone call from you get annoyed because of the delays you are causing? Will your procrastination force someone waiting for you to be late and in need an extension? When procrastination causes delays in getting something to a customer or client, you could lose business.  Eventually, you could get a bad reputation for lateness or for being less effective than you need to be to get a job done.

The “Good” Versus the “Bad” Procrastination

There are, however, times when procrastinating can actually be a good thing. This is when procrastination is an indication that something is not quite right. Delaying getting to a task, or the completion of an activity, is done not because you are just putting something off because you are lazy or just don’t feel like getting around to it. In these cases of “good” procrastination, the act of delaying is providing you with information so you can assess if what you are procrastinating about is in your best interest. This “good” procrastination is letting you know that something just is not right with what you are supposed to be doing. Perhaps you are putting off making a decision about accepting a new job offer. Maybe that delay is indicating that you are not really sold on this new job as the right career move for you? Are you procrastinating about saying “yes” to a conference you have been asked to attend? Perhaps your delay is an indication that you doubt if this is the right time to be away from your office for two weeks or even if this is really the optimum conference for you to be attending? In your personal life, you might be delaying about inviting people to a Sunday brunch because you want to be sure that you even want to host the event. 

The key is to decide in your gut if you are procrastinating because you are being lazy or distracted from a priority task that needs to be done or if in a particular instance your procrastination is a delay that is a way of telling you that you are rethinking an action or a decision. In that case, procrastinating indicates you need more information to make an informed decision about how or when to proceed.

Possible Solutions to Your Procrastination When It is Not in Your Best Interest

Now that you have decided that in a particular instance you need to get over your procrastination because it has no benefits, it is key to find a solution so you can get on with the job at hand. Just beating yourself up over being a procrastinator or labeling yourself as one is not going to help you overcome this tendency. Instead here are some tips that have worked for others and may be right for you:

1.      Try the reward system.

Tell yourself “If I do x I will reward myself with y.” Of course make the reward realistic and  proportionate to whatever it is you’re procrastinating about. Perhaps if you make those sales calls to try to get new customers you can reward yourself with a call to your friend who asked you to get back to him or her to set up a lunch date. Or you might buy a book or register for a half-day seminar you had wanted to attend. If you promise yourself you’re going to sign up for a Mediterranean cruise that you can’t afford, that may not help. That’s unless you are putting off a new product marketing campaign that could bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars. Then, picking a reward on the grand scale just might work because you will have the resources to follow through.

2.       Allow yourself to procrastinate but only for a set amount of time.

Instead of feeling bad about yourself and getting even less productive as the task you’re putting off looms larger and larger in your mind, allow yourself a small amount of procrastination. Let’s say fifteen minutes, or half an hour, or an hour. If necessary, set a timer. Then, when the timer goes off, return to working on the task you’re putting off. (Procrastination may have been a way of your body and mind telling you that you needed a break before getting back to work.)

3.      Use a timer to work on the task you’re putting off for a controlled amount of time.

This is another way to approach the timer solution. Set the timer for 5, 10, 15, 30, or 60 minutes. Whatever period of time you need to “break through” your procrastination and just get going on the task you’re delaying. You may find, to your surprise, that if you just get into that task, you actually can work on it rather than put it off. But if you can only work on it for the amount of time on your timer, at least you’ve made a dent in your procrastination.

1. Make whatever you are procrastinating about the first thing you do in the morning.

Force yourself to do “first things first” and then go on to the rest of your morning routines including checking e-mail, reading the newspaper, and so forth.

1. Write down on a “to do” list or in huge letters somewhere on your desk what that priority task is that you need to focus on.

This may seem obvious, but for many of us it can be “out of sight, out of mind.” Keep what you need to do now in clear site. Use a “to do” list and have that project, chore, or task right at the top of the list or write in huge letters what you have to do and put it in plain sight. Post it on your computer, over your phone, right on your desk, on your bulletin board. Wherever you need to put that reminder so you will be less likely to move on to another task until the one you are procrastinating about is completed.

6. Try creative procrastination.

Creative procrastination is a phrase I use to mean substituting another priority task or goal for the one you’re putting off. In that way you complete key significant tasks or goals even though you might go about what you need to do in a different order. Let’s say you are procrastinating writing a report.  Instead of putting it off and going to the movies, or heading to the coffee or break room at your office, work on the bibliography for the report. Or make a couple of sales calls, or return some priority e-mails.  You’re moving your responsibilities along just in a different order so that the sum total of your activities will be more productive than if you just procrastinate by doing something frivolous.

1. Seek help.

If these solutions are not working for you, consider seeing a therapist or working with a business or productivity coach to deal one-on-one in a more concerted way with the root causes of your procrastination problem and how to overcome this habit.

So the next time you find yourself procrastinating about something, the first question you might want to ask yourself is, “Why am I putting this off?” rather than automatically assuming that getting right to that task is what you should do next. Making sure that you are doing the right things will usually take you further than rarely or never delaying.

Jan Yager, Ph.D. is a productivity, business, and relationship  coach and workshop leader who is the author of 26 books translated into 24 languages including three time management books, most recently  Work Less, Do More: The 14-Day Productivity Makeover, published Sterling

What if you find yourself in a negative work environment, but for whatever reason, you can’t quit right now? Previously [in this book] I mentioned Linda, who had to stick it out in a toxic workplace for a few years until she could retire at full benefits. Others perform such unique jobs that they are unlikely to readily find another similar opportunity especially in a tough economy. There are some who feel they must stay at a particular job even though their coworkers, boss, or clients are causing a lot of daily or regular stress because they are older and the job prospects are tougher past a certain age. They are countless others who feel that working with difficult coworkers or a demanding boss is better than no job at all.

What follows are some affirmations that you could read or reread to yourself that may help you to survive negative work relationships. You could read these affirmations right after a particularly tough incident occurs or just review one or all of these affirmations from time to time to help you to cope. Here are ten affirmations to help you but of course feel free to add your own as well:

• I am a terrific, valuable, hardworking employee and I have a right to work in a positive environment.
• I did not create this difficult situation but I have the strength and forbearance to handle it.
• I will not allow my boss to drive me out of this job until I am ready to leave on my own terms and within my own time frame.
• I can handle my coworkers or my boss and there is also the possibility that my boss or coworkers will be replaced with others who are easier to deal with.
• I do not deserve to work in negative conditions or to be around unpleasant people but I deserve to have this job.
• I am in control of my reaction to any annoying person or grueling work situation.
• I am developing my stamina by surviving and even triumphing despite these tough work conditions.
• I depend on this job and I will not be railroaded out.

• Others depend on me to have this job and I will do it to the best of my ability.
• I feel sorry for the difficult person or persons who are making my life miserable but I will not allow their problems to become my own troubles or to ruin my job performance.

 Reprinted, with permission, from the forthcoming book, The Power of Workplace Relationships: 57 Strategies for Building Strong Business Connections by Jan Yager, Ph.D. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or reprinted without written permission of the author, Dr. Jan Yager. (jyager@aol.com)

This blog is a collection of excerpts from the Foreword to CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FILM INDUSTRY, 2^nd edition, which I co-wrote with my husband, Fred Yager, a screenwriter and a former entertainment writer and film critic for the Associated Press, published in 2009 by Facts on File, Inc. (http://www.factsonfile.com). These excerpts are reprinted with permission of the publisher.

David Carradine was gracious enough to share his thoughts about his development as an actor as well as his views on the future of the film industry. Sadly, he passed away recently and Fred and I mourn his passing because we had the privilege of being his friend for more than twenty years.

I want to share these excerpts from David’s Foreword to our careers in film book so visitors to my blog will hopefully get to know David a little more through his own words as they remember him for his contributions to TV and film, including his Kung Fu series, movies Kill Bill: Volumes I & II and Bound for Glory, the 100+ other movies and television shows he starred or appeared in, as well as literature through his own books, including Spirit of Shaolin and his autobiography, Endless Highway.

Excerpts from

Foreword By David Carradine

From Career Opportunities in the Film Industry, 2^nd edition, Facts on File, Inc. 2009. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

Did I always want to be an actor? No. But I always had the itch to perform. My first gig that I remember was at about eight years old at summer camp. At the campfire show, I sang “Red River Valley” a cappella and recited “Casey at the Bat.”

At 10 or so, I wanted to be a cowboy. But my first real ambition was to be a sculptor. Then I realized that would mean living in a garret, working alone in a room with a cold north light with a big piece of rock and maybe a pretty model, and never making any money. So I switched my plan to studying music composition and theory, the idea being to write operas. There was hardly such a thing then as a popular American opera, excerpt for Porgy and Bess—an open field, I thought. And I’d be surrounded by singers, dancers, art directors, and musicians. There’d be tuxedos and champagne, and I’d get to meet Leonard Bernstein. So I enrolled at San Francisco State College as music major. The music department and the drama department were in the same building, and while drafting down the hall, someone asked me to be in a play. The rest, I guess, is history. The main reason for the shift, thought, was that my girlfriend was really excited by me as an actor. So I guess you could say the reason I went into acting was to get girls. I think that’s why most of us got into it.

After I got out of the army, I went to New York to make it on Broadway….

Here are some highlights from these other issues that David Carradine continues to share, in his own words, in the Foreword:

Being part of a Family of actors and an Acting Heritage

There are at least two sides to that. The first is that that’s how I grew up. I have no knowledge of what it’s like not to have an actor for a father…

Some Career Highlights

It used to be, of course, the Kung Fu series, Bound For Glory

Then there are my own projects….and the stuff I’m doing right now in China: television miniseries that are epic in scale. The rtuth is, though, I don’t feel as though I’ve even scratched the surface yet. I’m still, at the age of 70, just getting rolling.

Advice for Someone Starting Out Today

Keep trying. You can’t have a failed career unless you give up…

Changes in the Film Industry

The film industry has changed a lot, but in many ways, it’s still the same…That things will change is about all I know. It was Jean Cocteau who said that movies will never be an art form until the materials are as accessible as pencils and paper. That has actually happened. Anyone with a camcorder can make a movie and might even get it released…

The Importance of Talent Doing Publicity

Well, sure, it’s important. Movies are not like painting. To be a painter, all you need is a bare canvas and some paint. And your brother can store your paintings in the back room until you’re dead and become famous. Or to be a writer, all you need is a typewriter. But a movie takes a couple of hundred people and millions of dollars. You can’t support all that without a paying audience. You won’t get the chance to publicize yourself until you become sort of successful. And then, when the studio says to do this talk show or take this tour, you’d better set things aside and do it. Not for the fame or the fortune, but to make sure that someone sees the work you did—you and those 199 other people it took to make the movie.

* Excerpts from Foreword By David Carradine

From Career Opportunities in the Film Industry, 2^nd edition, Facts on File, Inc. Reprinted with permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.

For the entire Foreword, please read our book, available in trade paperback or hardcover, at local libraries or from your favorite local or online bookstores, such as www.amazon.com, www.bn.com, or www.powells.com, as well as directly from our publisher, www.factsonfile.com

“ARE YOU WORKING 24/7 AND IT’S STILL NOT ENOUGH?”

by Jan Yager

“Sometimes I work until two in the morning, have no social life and I still don’t get everything done,” says Nomiki Konst, a 25-year-old single woman who executive director of Alliance Hollywood. Is Nomiki’s refrain familiar to you? With the tough economy, cutbacks in staff, and the feeling that if you are lucky enough to have a job you had better look like you are working hard, toiling 24/7 describes life for more and more people and  not just workaholics.

However, devoting all your time and energy to work is not the answer. Besides the obvious risk of burning out or making more mistakes because of exhaustion or sleep deprivation, you have little or no time for a romantic partner, children, getting together with friends, or that all important “me” time. Who wants to live like that?

Here are six ways to get more done:

1.      Delegate.

A paid assistant with experience and the promise of a long term commitment is the best solution, but what if you do not have the money to pay for an assistant? Consider offering an unpaid internship for credit only to a student at a nearby college who will work for one or more semesters.

2.      Set clear and specific priorities for what you have to accomplish each day so you can also have a natural end point to your work.

If you lack a plan for your day, it is easier to let the hours slip away so that you have to work longer just to get done what you needed to accomplish.

3.      If possible turn off your computer after a specific time and only answer personal or emergency work calls on your cell phone.

4.      Be careful of “distractionitis,” especially when it involves constantly checking incoming e-mail so you break your concentration.

            Whether it is because you are curious, need to find out who is thinking about you, or you are not that engrossed in what you should be doing, constantly checking incoming e-mail has become a big time wasters. As California-based Beth Shaw, founder and president of Yogafit Training Systems Worldwide, Inc. puts it: “I am chained to and addicted to my e-mail.”

To resist the temptation to frequently check your email, create an auto-responder that advises those who write to you that you only answer e-mails at certain times of the day. Another solution is to discipline yourself to respond to e-mails on a periodic basis, as a reward of getting a specific required work task done.

5.      Use technology to multitask safely and effectively.

If you have calls to place, or receive, consider using a cordless headset that will enable you to talk on the phone while still doing other things, such as filing or taking notes related to the conversation.

6.      Only meet if it’s essential and make those meetings worthwhile.

A survey conducted for Office Team, a staffing service specializing in placing administrative assistants, found out that the 150 senior executives surveyed at 1,000 major U.S. companies stated that 28% of their company meetings were unnecessary. Make sure each meeting you attend is really necessary rather than a routine gathering that has outlived its usefulness.

Finally, if you still can’t cut down on the hours you work, make sure you’re doing work you love so if you do have to do a lot of it, you’re less likely to resent it. “For me, I don’t think of work as work” says Craig Morningstar, an Arizona-based married entrepreneur with two grown children. “Work is only too much work depending on the space you come from.” What does Morningstar consider “work?” “If I have to pick the weeds out of our front yard, it’s work when it’s one hundred degrees,” says Morningstar.

However, even if you love what you do, having a life beyond work will help you to have a more balanced life. At Grand Central terminal in Manhattan, there is a sign on the front door declaring that it is closed from 2 a.m. till 5 a.m. So if one of the major transportation centers in the world shuts down for a few hours every night, why not you?

Jan Yager, Ph.D. is a Connecticut-based sociologist, coach, speaker, and author of numerous highly-acclaimed books translated into 22 languages on business topics as well as relationships including three on time management, most recently Work Less, Do More: The 14-Day Productivity Makeover (Sterling Publishing Co., 2008). For more information, go to: http://www.drjanyager.com or send an e-mail to: jyager@aol.com.

Copyright © 2009 by Jan Yager, Ph.D. All rights reserved.