Happy New 2023 Year, New Purpose

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colorful cutouts of the word purpose
Photo by Magda Ehlers on Pexels.com

Hellooooooooo 2023! We are in the place to be! Thankful and grateful … let’s get purpose filled! Y’all … it’s a new, fresh, brand-new, right of the package, poppin tags NEW YEAR! I normally am not this excited about a new year – who am I kidding … yes I am. This year feels different, we are years past the original COVID-19 lock downs. We are all blessed to be here. There are a lot of us who passed away and are here, but we will always remember so their memories live forever. For those of us who are still living on this earth, I hope you are making the best of each day … doing you, on purpose.

This year, I decided to focus on purpose. Each year, I normally select a “focus”. Instead of a resolution, I choose to focus on something I want to improve upon in a positive way. This year, my focus is “Purpose.” How does purpose shape life? For me, purpose has been different things at different times in my life. This year, purpose means honing my most authentic personal happiness. Last year, a ton of life changing events affected my level of happiness. I am sure you can say the same. This year, how about we decide to go totally wild and unfiltered with purpose filled happiness?

Sure I am down, but how do we start, you ask? Well, I am so happy you did … it all starts with creating a simple, easy, and personal … VISION BOARD! Yessssssssssssssssssssssss! I know, it seems super cheesy, but let me tell you – I have completed several vision boards in the past, and after recently moving I found all my past vision boards. While reminiscing over them, I realized that 90%, if not more of my “Visions” have come to past and manifested. It is time to do another one – this year deserves purpose filled attention.

Creating a vision board is so much fun and easy to do, and only takes about 1-hour to complete. All you need are a poster board, some magazines, clip art, pictures, words, markers, tape/glue sticks and anything you want to put on a poster board. You can also do this as a digital vision board, which is just as much fun. Once done, place it in plain view, for daily reflection. Before you know it – photo by photo, you will start to see positive changes. If you don’t believe me –try it for yourself. Even if only a few things come to pass, the most you have lost is an hour of time … not bad for putting good vides out in the world for your positive, purposeful life.

References
Vision Board Ref 1 – https://www.bjclearn.org/resiliency/PDFs/031110.pdf
Vision Board Ref 2 – https://www.truejoyexperience.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Vision-Board-Workbook-.pdf
Vision Board Ref 3 – https://sbwsdstor.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/medialib/rising-strong-vision-board-workbook.41067a14622.pdf

Learn More About Oneself

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How much do you know about yourself? I can tell you right now that there is a lot about yourself that you may not know. There are things, abilities, weaknesses, and tons of outstanding qualities you may not know about yourself. What are these things you speak of Jenice? Well, I can tell you that in order to grow and be successful in life, you must learn more about yourself. When you learn more about yourself, you give yourself permission to extend your ability to experience gratitude, understanding, wisdom, flexibility, and overall personal professional growth. There are several ways you can do this.

You can grow and learn more about yourself by spending time with yourself, writing in a journal, meditating or communicating with friends and love ones. The point is, you are able to grow and learn more about yourself in anyway that suits and fits your needs. I have used several different tools to grow and develop self- awareness of myself. The Myers-Briggs personality exam is one tool I have often referred back to when looking for opportunities for growth in my personal or professional life. When I was honorably discharged from the military and started my academic career, I had no idea what the SWOT analysis of my personality was. The SWOT analysis are your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of your own personality. This is important to understand in order to learn ways of handling difficult and challenging times. Using your SWOT, you may reflect back on your strengths to improve upon your weaknesses.

I vividly recall an interview for a position from my early years. I was sure that I was selected for the position. During the beginning, there were several interview panels that included my peers to be in the room, along side of me. We had to discuss why we were the best candidate(s) for the position(s). Then, there was a sit down exam. Normally, I am not good at exams – which most of us sometimes are not, when dealing with a stressful interview situation. I looked up, and heard the prompter instruct us all to “take the test quickly”, those were important instructions in that moment for me. Those of you that know me, know that I’m extremely competitive when it comes to ALL things. I have a tendency to be known as a bit of a “Rachel” from friends.

When I finished my exam the proctor informed me that I would be called up to discuss my results. When I was called up, I sat down nervously and took a deep breath. The first interviewer said the most incredibly off putting words, “this is not the position for you Ms. Armstead.“ As I sat their baffled, I decided to respond promptly, “why is that exactly sir?” The prompter than continued , “you seem to a lack of empathy.“ Again, stunned by the words that he was saying, I replied, “I absolutely have empathy, empathy for people going through things and empathy for understanding difficulties, I have plenty of empathy, thank you.“ He looked up at me, slightly smiling and responded “well the reason why we say you like empathy is because of your score on the personality exam. “Do you know what personality type you are?” He asked, obviously knowing that answer. “Your traits are that of an ESTJ on the Myers and Briggs personality exam.“ I had no idea what he was talking about. He then continued on to let me know that based on my personality trait, I would be better suited for other positions such as: business management, a political office, federal work, teaching or being a executive supervisor.

Needless to say, this happened over 15 years ago, I am thankful for that experience. That was some of the best professional advice I would ever receive. Since then, I have gone on to have a success career in higher education, the federal sector and starting/owning my own business. I was empowered with self knowledge. I learned more about myself in that interview than from any professional interaction. This allowed for a deeper understanding of my personality traits, and how they align with my professional and personal life. From then on, I’ve taken the Myers-Briggs personality exam every each year and have scored the same exact personality type every single year. I’ve learned a lot about myself, about my personality and how it relates to different situations, as well as how to improve upon my weaknesses.

The moral to the experience, you have the ability to learn, grow, and know more about yourself than ever before. I hope I have empowered you, inspired you, and provided grow and develop for you as well. You deserve to learn more about yourself, that is how you will gain your true success. Learn how to improve upon your weaknesses, it is worth it. You are awesome just the way you are, and in order to be more awesome all you have to do is be willing to be open enough to learn more about yourself.

Happy self discovey,
Dr. Jaye

MBTI Personality Test. (n.d.). Retrieved August 22, 2022, from https://publicdocs.adler.edu/LMS/interactives/data/MBTIPersonalityTypeTest/story_content/external_files/MBTI%20Personality%20Type%20Test.pdf

Short Story: Shared Moments

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There are moments in our lives that are mutually exclusively about ourselves. Then, some moments are shared with others. Whether you realize it or not, you share moments with friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers. The most interesting moments are shared with people you will never see, or hardly ever see. Anyone who knows me understands my deep love for my fur babies. Recently, the oldest of the fur babies crossed over to the Rainbow Bridge. It was a heavy day, I dreaded the next morning and having to walk only one fur baby. I was worried about bursting into tears at every glance from a blind or curtain. I worried that others would wonder where Princess was, as if she was home being fussy or being a Diva – which she did often. Every morning I would see an older Hispanic man walking his collie and schnauzer. One morning, when I went to waive – thinking it would be a good moment to share my loss with a fellow canine own, he turned around and sped away. I didn’t think much of it until it kept happening. “Did I say something to offend him?” I wondered.

A year and a half later, my wife and I decided it was time to add another addition. Enter into the family, Blue – our 8-week-old French Bull Dog. He is wonderful and has brought much-needed fresh energy to our home. The other day, my wife made mentioned seeing the Hispanic man and of course, he couldn’t resist Blue. My wife started, “Yeah, I saw that man and he was upset about us losing Princess.” She said. “What? What do you mean? That was over a year ago.” I replied. “Yeah, that’s what I told him, he didn’t know and he stopped speaking to you and felt terrible because it reminded him of how old his fur babies are.” She said. “Ohhhhhh,” I replied. That makes sense now. “What?” She asked. “Well, he would run off when he saw me walking Papi and not Princess,” I said. “Oh, yeah … he was sad about the future loss of his fur babies.” She concluded. It just goes to show, that your moments are not simply about you – sometimes, most times – they are about others’ moments as well. Be kinder, hug longer and hold on to the beautiful moments of life, it happens so fast.

New Fur Baby – Blue

Understanding USAJOBs – Career Success

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We are back at it … USAJOBs tips and tricks … looking for new employment or deciding to change careers is always a job in itself. I decided to share some information on USAJOBs (Free Job Site), for all to benefit from. USAJOBs is easy to use, but understanding what jobs to apply to, how to apply and how to get follow up information can be a bit tricky. In this video I go over some career success tips and information to better prepare you for understanding the USAJOBs process. Remember, I am here if you have any questions/concerns.

All the best,

Dr. Jaye

O*net Tips and Tricks – How to Find a Job using O*net

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O*net has a plethora of information and ways of obtaining job search information for any job seeker. One of the fantastic tools that O*net has to offer is the ability to research open positions for particular position you are looking for.

In this video I discuss research tactics for researching open positions for your next career move. Please let me know if you have any questions comments or concerns. Happy job hunting 🙂

Dr. Jaye

O*net Tips and Tricks – How to Research Compensation

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LIIkd6y3lHo

There are many questions and concerns when it comes to using O*net www.onetonline.org. This super helpful platform provides specific information for job seekers and those looking to gain additional career information. O*net has a plethora of information and ways of obtaining job search information for any job seeker.

One of the fantastic tools that O*net offers is the ability to research compensation for the particular position you are looking for. In the below video, I discuss research tactics for learning more about compensation and salaries to gain knowledge, skills, and abilities for your next career move. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.

Happy Researching,

Dr. Jaye

O*net Tips and Tricks – How to Research Training Programs

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Team Work

There are many questions and concerns when it comes to using O*net www.onetonline.org. This is a super helpful platform that provides some specific information for job seekers and those looking to gain additional career information. O*net has a plethora of information and ways of obtaining job search information for any job seeker.

One of the fantastic tools that O*net has to offer is the ability to research training programs for the particular position you are looking for. In the below video, I discuss research tactics for researching training programs to gain knowledge, skills, and abilities for your next career move. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

Happy job hunting,

Dr. Jaye

Introducing: Kream Shea Shop

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Happy March everyone … I am super excited about my new business venture. I recently was inspired by one of my close relatives who started her own business. Those of you that know me, have often heard me discuss issues I have had since a Child of my problematic skin. I have tried tons of products medications (topical and oral) and have had mixed reactions to each trial and error. Since the pandemic and supplies were short of everything (all the time); I decided to pursue my childhood dream to make my own skin product. I researched and discovered what everyone already knows: raw organic shea butter is perfect for problematic skin. I have tried raw shea butter in the past, but it was always difficult to use – is that its original form is pretty hard to scoop for daily use. I started playing around with mixing different oils with shea butter and finally got it … introducing Kream Shea Shop!

The Kream Shea Shop is all about creating all-natural skincare products. The Kream Shea Shop believes in putting our best into creating homemade beauty products. Our specialty is luscious, creamy, whipped shea butter. All of our whipped shea butters include a base of raw, unrefined organic shea butter, organic unrefined coconut oil and premium essential oils. Our whipped shea butters come in a variety of fragrances including natural (no fragrance), in a variety of sizes (1oz, 2oz, 4oz, or 8oz) for individual use or gifts. Kream Shea Shop also creates customized fragrances upon customer request. The sky is the limit to the fragrance(s) of choice. We love to hear what you think about your whipped shea butter and selected fragrance(s). We look forward to creating the perfect creamy, luscious, and smooth whipped shea butter just for you.

Thank you for your support and be well,

Jaye

Make sure to check out the Youtube Premier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgw7-rvzvhQ

Check out the Kreams https://www.kreamsheashop.com/home

Get Your Goals On

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You know I had to write about it … your life goals! We all have goals in life. Some goals are easily attainable, and others will take a ton of time, effort, and focus. The significant part about having goals is you can adjust your goals based on your needs. Your hierarchy of needs will change as you grow. Maslow (1943, 1954) stated that people are motivated to achieve particular needs and that some needs take precedence over others. Maslow’s theory works like this:

• If you have food – hunger need is satisfied
• If you have a viable home – shelter need is satisfied
• If you have friends/family to support – relationship/social need is satisfied
• If you have money to support yourself – financial need is satisfied

How do you know completing your smart goals is satisfying your hierarch of professional needs? You can start by asking yourself a few questions and gauging your happiness based on your truthful answers. When we decide to accomplish a goal, a series of things must happen to make completing the goal a reality.

• Get clarity of the goal – Write it down
• Make a list of steps to accomplish the goal – Write it down
• Inform a trusted friend/family member of your goal – Talk about it
• Make the steps toward the goal a daily reminder – Think about it
• Put the steps into action and find resources for achieving your goal – Act on it

It is that simple. Say it, believe it, and achieve it. I have included some resources to better prepare to for success toward creating and achieving your goals. Remember, allow yourself to let your goals change as you grow. Change is good and constant.

Happy goal achieving,
Jenice

Resources

OfficeArrow.com. (2008). Smart Goals Worksheet. Retrieved from https://www.mcckc.edu/counseling/goal-setting/docs/SMARTGoalWorksheet.pdf

Simply Psychology. (n.d.). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Retrieved 2021, from https://canadacollege.edu/dreamers/docs/Maslows-Hierarchy-of-Needs.pdf

SMART Goals. (n.d.). Retrieved 2021, from https://www.baylor.edu/hr/doc.php/308719.pdf

S.M.A.R.T. Goals Worksheet. (n.d.). Retrieved 2021, from https://www.smartsheet.com/sites/default/files/IC-SMART-Goals-Worksheet-9237-PDF.pdf