2010 – The Year of Rediscovery
2010 was quite an interesting year. A lot has changed, for better or worse, time will tell. Personally I have been accepted to NEIU MBA program and I am very excited to get going. I have rediscovered my love for music and creating music. I set up a website from which you can check out what I am working on during my rare free time at hypamusic.com. I have also lost touch with a couple friends I was close with but rekindled other relationships.
Professionally things are going okay. It is amazing to see that when there is a common goal, people work well together and things get done, especially during tough times. Our annual audit had to be moved by 3 months due to the flood but I don't expect it to be a difficult one. There is some good movement in our dental department, which I hope will get the clinic closer to self sustenance. Although it took us approximately 3 years to achieve it, I am very proud to see the increase finally happen. Now it's time to determine the next area with potential and I will move forward from there. To put it more succinctly, IWS is also rediscovering itself.
I hope to keep the momentum going in 2011 and I hope anyone who is reading this will have a wonderful new year.
--Orkun Ozkaymak
The Great Hiring Question
According to gallup polls, 31% of U.S. businesses are hiring while 18% are letting go. If we do the simple math, there is a net hiring rate of 13%.
The thing that doesn't make sense to me is that majority of the employers expect their prospective employees to be currently employed. Meaning if you are currently unemployed, you don't have a very good chance of getting a piece of that 13% pie. I understand the business strategy of this: "people who are laid off aren't the top performers and we need people to hit the ground running as soon as they are hired." Doesn't that strategy ignore the current reality of the job market that, not everyone who is unemployed deserved to be unemployed in the first place? There are in fact many bright people whom would perform greatly given the right opportunities.
The thing that makes this hiring practice even more bizarre to me is when you compare it to other realities of life such as courtship&mating. Both being employed and being married are great commitments and my next example shows how goofy hiring people who are already employed is.
Imagine a pool of candidates who are looking to get married and start a family. Their only prerequisite: their prospective spouses have to be currently married. When asked why, their response is "being successfully married demonstrates to me the great aptitude my future significant other possesses in knowing how to have a successful relationship"
Any comments?
Why Motivation Matters
Anyone who has ever worked knows this: Work requires motivation. Great work requires great motivation.
People often find themselves in slumps. The regressive wiring in our brains can make us lazy, bored and unmotivated. This is all due to people over-stressing about the current situation that they are in and not looking at the bigger picture. It could be harmless for short periods of time, heck, it may even be refreshing. However, we all need to take charge and achieve those goals that we have set for ourselves. But how?
It is really easy to stay in bed for an extended period of time, sit on the couch to watch TV or play some games for hours. Granted, we all need to take breaks or have some sort of down-time. But excessive breaking not only wastes your valuable time, it also prevents you from jump starting the things that you need to do. I am, like many of you are, a very busy person. I juggle work, grad school, a family business and social responsibilities all at the same time. It almost seems as though I have to cheat myself out of some very scarce down-time in order to do those things I need to get done. As we all know, after health, time is the most important thing in our lives. It is a resource that's not renewable. Wasting it almost seems like a crime!
So what can we do to motivate ourselves? My motivation is usually the end result. Before I start anything, I think about and picture what the end result should, and will look like. Small things like music, a memory, a certain scent can trigger additional motivation I need in order to get it done! A lot of good things in life require hard work, patience, and persistence. Without motivation, none of those things will happen.
Don't Give Up and Stay Motivated My Friends!