5 Tips For Happiness In Your Workplace

In my teens having a job was really about surviving city life - and being able to afford a ridiculous party addiction. In my early twenties it was about exploring industries, figuring out my passions, trial and error. Now that I'm in my - gulp - mid twenties, it's all about 'Am I going to be happy here?'.

Because what is the point of renting out 80% of your life to a place that you have panic attacks about attending every single day?

After all, being a stay-at-home-whatever isn't a luxury for the middle class anymore.

Yuck, I know.

So what if you're not happy in your workplace, and as much as you'd like to be dramatic and resign tomorrow, you can't leave?

This is what you do.


1 // create a game plan

If quitting by the end of today is off the table, unfortunately - and I do hate saying this because these exact words are what my mother told me, and swallowing them was like downing a shot of car battery fluid mixed with razor blades and salt - you have to change how you feel about your workplace.

What worked like a charm for me was producing a game plan. A simple month-by-month type of game plan.

For instance, this month make a project to crush your previous monthly sales history or to arrive at work 10 minutes earlier than your start time. Next month try up-skilling your product knowledge or make an effort to learn more about another colleague you're not that close to yet.

It is a known fact that if you have more purpose for something, you're more likely to create more feelings of engagement and enjoyment.


2 // design a happy work space

Those who sit at a desk, I don't know what's up with you shifty folks but you never seem to do anything with your space. Where's the photos, the magazines, the organised mess, the personality, the arrangement, where's the soul of you?

We do better when we're surrounded by colours, visuals or objects that inspire us. It's a security thing. If you surround yourself with things that make you feel more comfortable, work becomes easier, you feel safer, more open, more cheerful.

Embellish your desk with colour, photos, quotes and glitter. Sprinkle you, all around the office. Get chummy with those colleagues who look like they're good people to hang around with.


3 // make friends

When Scott had been working at his gym for a few months, I got really envious of the friendships he was building there. I loved being a Nanny, but I yearned to socialize, crack jokes, act stupid and chit-chat with adults again. I missed being part of a team.

Making friendships is one of the most important things about creating a happy workplace environment. You bond over menial stuff that only you really understand, you band together when shit gets interesting (A.K.A soul-destroying). Sometimes, the work-friendship crosses over into life-friendship. You never know what could happen!

You automatically gravitate towards the people who match you in personality. Get to know those people. After all, you do spend almost every day with them. They'll make it worth your while.


4 // spice up your lunch breaks

Are you guilty of doing the same thing every lunch break? Are you eating the same food as yesterday, txting your BFF complaining about your day or sitting in the exact same spot?

That was me several years ago. Meatball sub, cosmo magazine and the cold, damp staff room that would make your hair raise on the back of your neck every time a breeze floated by. Blegh.

Changing up your lunch breaks instantly gives you more zest to make it through the rest of your day.

For one whole week, try doing something different when you have your lunch break each day. Go for a walk, sit outside in the sun, go shopping, visit an art gallery, have a lunch date, go swimming, have lunch with a colleague, check a book out at the library or have a nap!


5 // avoid them haters

Haters gonna hate. No matter where you go, there will always be a parade of negative people taunting you to join the dark side.

They could be complaining about the boss one moment and the next they're bitching about you behind your back. Avoid them like the plague. Otherwise, that happiness you crave so much to have at your workplace, is never going to exist.

Bottom line: Stay away from gossip and unhappy people - and if you're one of them, fight for your happiness every. single. day.


xo

Elise

P.S - 21 self-love affirmations.

20 Tricks for Acing Your Job Interview

It's that time of year when all the kids are flooding back into the cities searching for work, or those who have had enough of their current jobs have decided to look for a new & shiny position in something they're more passionate about. Are you one of those people?

I've seen my fair share of jobs - who hasn't!? - and I've always been really lucky to land every position I've ever wanted. That being said, I've learn't a ton from interviewing and I think you could totally use some of the tips I've got to share if you're on the hunt for a job.

1. What's Your Why?

Why did you apply for the job anyway? Hint: Don't say because you're on your last packet of instant noodles, have $2 left in the bank & are going to start selling limbs to pay off your student loans. It's not amateur hour. Regardless of whether it's your dream job or not, you wouldn't apply for a job you don't actually want to do, so why are you applying for that position in that industry? What about it lures you? Where are you hoping to go? Everybody out there is driven by a 'why'. I'm building my own business. Why? Cause I want to enjoy my flippin' life. Eric Thomas knows his 'why'. Figure out yours, and you'll be kilometres ahead of the other job huntees.

2. Do The Research That Most Job Hunters Don't Do Anyway

There's gold in knowing all you can know about the company you're getting into bed with (metaphorically speaking). Employers love when you come into the interview gushing about their company - it reaffirms their own reasoning for arriving at the doors 9am sharp every day for the last 15 years. Google the usual: What their company is about, how they started, what drives them, social media pages and who the head honcho's are. This is the quickest way to find out if you'd even like the company.

3. Prepare For The Questions You'll Be Asked & Become A Pro At Answering Them

Arm yourself with intelligent thought-out responses to these questions and you'll have your interviewer in the palm of your hand. What do you know about our company? Why do you want to work for us? Tell us about a negative situation that arose in your last position and how you handled it? What did your previous manager do that you disliked? What do you believe are your strengths & weaknesses? Why do you think you're the best candidate for this role? How do you want to be managed? Tell us about your experience in this industry? Bonus Round: Suit up on behavioural questions.

4. Get Amped Like You're About To Carve Up The Clubs

Modesty aside - make a 'hell yeah!' playlist. I know you more than likely already have one. Listen to it on your way to the interview. Actually. I know you're nervous. But not only will fist pumping in your car amp you up, but it will ease the nerves. It's also a form of power posing, which Amy Cuddy explains so eloquently.

5. Dress Like A Boss - Literally

I'm actually incredibly laid back when it comes to managing a team. But when it comes to interviews, if you wear jeans, I'm not hiring you. In saying that, don't play it safe, play it smart. Dress for the role but treat your outfit like an extension of your personality. Think of it like this, the 'standard' interview outfit is vanilla ice cream, your personal style add-ons are the chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles and caramel sauce. ASOS has a great workwear section where you can find a faultless interview outfit like these examples below.

6. Get To Your Interview Embarrassingly Early

Arriving late doesn't look good. It really doesn't. And arriving late in jeans is just icing on the damn cake - you're still not getting hired. But arriving early? Gives the interviewer a very good first impression of you. Getting to your interview early has a lot of benefits - you have extra time incase traffic is bumper-to-bumper, you haven't applied your makeup, your boyfriend forgot his lunch & you're on girlfriend duty to save the day or your nerves are getting the better of you.

7. A Smile Is All It Takes To Make or Break Your Interview 

This is where some of you will get caught out. If you're rude to the receptionist and the staff member you passed on your way in and then act all sweet-Lucy-kiss-ass when you meet your interviewer, you've already lost the fight. Staff talk to each other. And they have no problems voicing their opinions about you, and because the interviewer knows and trusts them over you, you'll lose. So whoever you meet from the moment you leave your house till the moment you're back in it again, give them your warmest smile sweetheart.

8. What's Your Story?

Your story is your marketing goldmine. Are you gonna be a personal trainer? Were you severely overweight and then dramatically lost it all to pursue your dreams? That's a story. Have you been obsessed with dresses and notebooks since you were in diapers and want to sell them to the world? That's a story. Stories sell, so make sure you bring yours into the mix. Make it passionate, inspiring and also humbling. You'll have them begging for more. Bernadette Jiwa is an expert at helping you unlock the value in her story.


9. Let Your Personality Do The Talking

If you're predominantly cocky, nice, snobby, energetic, laid back - be it - and don't be afraid to be either. Show your personality, don't be timid, there's no reason to be. There is a place for everyone. Yes, even the douche bags *cough*carsalesmen*cough*.

10. Passion Goes A Long Way - And So Does Personality

I do hope you actually really want the job you're interviewing for, and not just the pay check. You can fake passion for an hour, but you can't do it for months or years. And your employers will notice that, and they'll feel cheated by you. When you speak, speak with passion about the company, the position and about yourself. Let your personality ooze through you and everything else will fall into place.

11. Ask Questions You Know Will Make Your Interviewer Get A Little Sweaty

It's not just an interview for you, you're also interviewing your potential employer. You want to know if this is going to be a profitable business decision for your wellbeing, your pocket and your future. When they ask you if you have any questions, intelligently ask them these: Can you describe a typical day in this type of role? How long have you been with the company & what has made you stay for so long? How would you explain the work environment/culture? What are some of the goals for the company in the short & long term? How would my performance be measured? What is the companies initiatives regarding learning & development? Bonus: If the pay rate wasn't advertised - you have every right to ask how much the role is worth.

12. Take Your Resume & Send It To Extreme Makeover - Job Edition

We're all guilty of still having a sleep-inducing black and white 90's style resume - so you can come out from behind the sofa now. Want to know a secret? 99% of all resumes submitted for jobs are unedited, undesigned and uncoloured. That means that a small touch up of your own resume will literally place you in the lead for getting an interview and the position. Your resume should also be an extension of your personality. If you're zippy, charismatic and full-of-life, a black unedited resume does not reflect who you really are. So add some colour! Underline your headlines, introduce white space, add a professional photo of yourself, be YOU in written form. Loft Resumes is great for the non-creatives or those without time to edit or design their own resumes, (that's their handiwork in the image below), you tell them what you want, pick your template, and a lovely professional creates it all for you. And then watch how employer after employer is calling you the very next morning for an interview.

13. Sell YOU Inc. (the best company in the world!)

Think of the job application process like dating someone you really like. You don't want to screw up anything - especially on the first date. You think of every tiny detail that will make you look desirable before you've even met at your favourite restaurant - you know the one with the waiter that always makes sure you get extra fries with your burger. You prepare your hair, your shoes, your outfit, your perfume, what you talk about, what you say in a text, the language you use, the way you laugh, your body language, your facial expressions and even your smile. All so that you're presenting the whole package of yourself. The selling starts the moment you learn of the position advertised.

14. What's Your Edge?

Thinking outside the box for the position will be a brilliant asset for you.  Write a list of skills and experience you have officially and unofficially - and don't sell yourself short either - I know you oh modest one. You could be going for a position as a lifeguard and also be a whiz at social media. Float the idea that you could use those skills to promote the pool online 24/7 with updates on swim lessons, aqua fitness classes, pool closures, when maintenance will take place and staff and member updates. And boom! you've suddenly become a 1000% more valuable to your potential employer.

15. Step Out, Be Bold & Share Your Ideas

Could the company consider adding an incentive structure to motivate employees better? Do you know a shortcut way to slice their costs in half? Did you use a great system in your previous job that would fit extremely well into this new company? This is how you demonstrate your usefulness to the company. Don't be afraid to express your ideas. Being bold is what makes you stand out!

16. Leave An Impression - But Not So Much You Break The Internet Like Our Friend Kim K

Right from when you submit your application to the moment you leave the interview room, plan to leave a lasting impression. Smile, be creative, communicative and enthusiastic - but don't kiss ass - and know your shit. A lasting impression is worth more than a resume with loads of experience, and a person with no vivacity. Head hunters and employers want to know you understand their company and that you actually give a damn. Don't give them a chance to doubt that.

17. Ask When A Decision Will Be Made

You're a busy girl (or guy), you've got hearts to break and other employers to impress. There's nothing worse than leaving an interview with the ball 100% in their court - what you're surprised? You still have some pull my dear - and having no idea when or if they'll get back to you. Muster some and ask. Peace of mind is a lot more fun than being left in the dark.

18. Self-Five & Throw Back A Beer

You've got to celebrate the small things darling, otherwise it just becomes a treacherous game no one likes to play. You made it to, through and out of your interview - that's *insert alcoholic poison of choice here* worthy. Congratulations, big girl! The hard part is over.

19. Everyone Loves The Chase - Except When You're The One Doing The Chasing

Muster some guts guts and use them when you haven't heard back from the employer and it's the day after they've said they'll call you. Take a deep breath - a shot of vodka (optional) - and make the call.

20. Move Forward

Some of you have a tendency to take what was said in the interview harshly. Stop stressing about whether you said the right things or not. It's an absolute waste of your time. Just get on with life, apply for more positions, do vodka shots with your friends, live your life (heeeeeeeeeeeey). And when they do call you to let you know that the job is YOURS. You can be one of the cool kids and act like you knew you'd get it anyway. Piece of cake. Mmmmm, cake.

Soul-Goals: My Roadmap to a Life Less Ordinary

All I can say is Wow.

I am stunned and completely moved by your amazing responses to my last post. Your emails, facebook messages and comments have uplifted my spirit and given me so much hope. I feel so supported and understood and from the bottom of my heart I thank you for reaching out to me. You are truly an amazing person.

With any journey, there needs to be some sort of a roadmap (even if incredibly vague). Deep down, most of us know how we want to feel in our dream life and so I'm using that as my baseline for mapping my own journey! (If you're not sure of how you want to feel, I highly recommend you get The Desire Map by Danielle LaPorte).

I have three core soul-goals I really want to achieve. They're biggies, but I know they will make a huge difference to my life if I just start heading in the direction of them. I know it's not about 'being' anything or 'getting' anywhere nor is it in any way about 'perfection'. These are the goals and achievements my soul craves.

Soul-Goal #1: Make My Wellness a Priority

Self Care: I have neglected myself for far too long. I 100% believe in self love and self care and even know the true benefits of what 'taking care of yourself' does to your life, yet I still let it go by the way side. I know all of these things make me feel good, I just keep avoiding them. I don't know if it's out of fear or laziness but you can bet your ass I am going to make a conscious effort to change this. Bring on daily meditation, mini spa treatments & time for 'play' every day!

Get Active + Have a Love Affair With Food: Call it exercise, fitness or working out, I personally want to move away from those definitions because I associate negatively to them. For me it's about re-connecting with my body and just being active. I've  had terrible body and weight issues, I've shunned, b*tched and picked on her for so long & it hasn't done my well-being any favors. I've recently come to discover I am an emotional eater. The days leading up to my meltdown I was shoving chocolate down like it wasn't going to be produced anymore. I had no idea why but after I let it all out, my eating patterns returned to normal. I don't believe in deprivation or dieting, I'm excited about trying on the new 80/20 lifestyle for size. I think it's a winner.

Make My Home A Beautiful Love Nest: Gotta say, never in a million years thought I'd ever wanna make a love nest. But as I've gotten older I realize just how important your living environment is so I'm going to discover my personal style and figure out my taste in decor. I will bring more of the colours that make me feel alive as well as finally create my dream wardrobe. No more cheap clothes that will do for now. I'm going to create the most fun, beautiful and romantic way of living.


 Soul-Goal #2: Create even more of an EPIC Love Story

Sexy Dates: One of my favourite things to do with my man is our date nights. It could be dinner and a movie, glow in the dark mini-golf or a night at a boutique hotel. I really want to focus more on this and create even more beautiful, meaningful and sexy dates.

Romantic Adventures: Due to finances we haven't been able to get away as much as previous years. It can sometimes really take a toll on the romance in a relationship but that's why I'm going to spend these next 6 months cultivating new and romantic ways we can go on adventures, even if it's in our own backyard! Nothing delights me more than surprising my man with a fun gift or a beautiful dinner so I want to make a conscious effort to do it more often. Especially for small celebrations that we tend to shrug off. We're both working toward things were so deeply passionate about, so when either of us make a little progress - it's going to be made into a party!


Soul-Goal #3: Build a Beautiful & Fun Lifestyle Biz

Heart-Centered Blogging: I'm going to write more posts from my heart than anything. I want to be as real and authentic as I can possibly be about the subjects I'm going to be writing about. I aim to make this blog a buzzing community of young fun-loving, ambitious and confident women who wanna take on life by the horns.


Abundance: As with any business comes abundance and money. In the next 6 months I want to not only transform my life but my business as well. I want to create an incredible lifestyle business that is inspiring, evoking & loveable. Bring it.


If you have the courage, I would really (really) be honored if you shared some of your soul-goals with me in the comments below. This is your first step in showing up for yourself, declaring what you want (and don't want) even if you're not 100% sure of it. Let's celebrate this first step by standing up for ourselves. I know you can do it hun!

All images sourced here

How to Make Your Blog More Attractive

So you wanna know how you can spice things up a lil on your blog (or website)? Well, the look & feel of your website is probably the most underestimated and important thing to get right.

Different colour schemes draw people in. Like for instance, I know that I'm more attracted to blogs with pinks and purples in their design concept. And I've also found that websites with brown or beige colours really put me off. I'm not a fan.

If you've been stressing out about what colours to use and how to make your blog more attractive, use my 6 top tips to get your blog looking HOTT today.

1. Have a Juicy Tagline

If you have a blog that's say yourname.com or maybe sweetnothings.com, you gotta have a tagline in your header to say what your business is about.

Don't be afraid to tell people what you do even if it's only tips on styling thick wavy hair. It's your quickest way to a fan base because your visitors will know exactly what to expect and what you offer.

Specificity is sexy. Take 5 - 10 minutes to really think about your blog and what you offer and sum it up in a short sentence that people will understand and resonate with.

2. Write Badass Titles

Say you're searchin' up the google 'how to get a mint tan for the summer' and you come across two blogs with the exact same content but one has the title '~~**Tanning Up**~~' and the other has the title '6 Quick to Tips to get the Sexiest Tan this Summer!' which would you choose?

Check out Ali Brown's article on the 5 headline formulas that will NEVER go out of style. Great read and a really good guidelines to go by.

Pretty titles are nice but they rarely get you sales and fans so aim for the specific and enticing titles!

3. Go DIY Designer

Biggest pet peeve I have is stumbling onto a blog and it has tacky blog buttons/graphics or ads on the side columns, it take 20 years for the page to load and there hasn't been much effort put into the look at all OR it's still a basic template by the blog provider!

Get your butt over to PicMonkey and design yourself a simple header or graphic for your blog! It's 10x more professional, 10x unique and 10x more magnetic for me and others to magpie your blog!

4. Use Killer Graphics

Whether you take your own photos, use image quotes or pretty pics you found on pinterest - try to have at least one image for each post.

Posts with pics tend to get picked up by the search engines quicker. I don't know why but that benefit alone is awesome. You can also pin your images on pinterest to drive more traffic to your site. WIN!

5. A Dash of Colour! 

Humans respond to colour! Watch a child trying to paint a pretty plain brown box. Does he go for black and grey? NO! He chooses electric blue, nylon green and grapefruit yellow!

Find at least two colour combos that relate to the theme of your blog. It will do wonders!

6. Avoid Using Tacky Widgets! 

I know it's super addictive to put up playlists of your favourite songs but to be honest it's blogger suicide. Going crazy on the extra widgets makes your blog 10x longer to load and therefore runs the risk of pissing off your visitors to the point they click the back button. And we DON'T want that.

My rule is use the minimal amount i.e archive, search and rss sign up.

Today's Question: What can you start implementing today onto your blog to make it more attractive?