Archive for: March, 2012

Take a Selfish Day (or Weekend) Stat!

Mar 30 2012 Published by under Jennifer S. 

by Jennifer S.

I’ll make a confession, I’m writing this blog post at 6:30 pm the day before it will be posted.  You might say, “Jennifer, it’s Friday.  You had the whole entire week to write this post!”  And, you might be right.  But I decided to selfish and disconnect myself this past weekend.  That’s right dear reader, I took Larkin’s post last week to heart and became responsible for my own happiness.

You can find pages and pages of posts out there on why we should take some times for ourselves and how good it is for us, body, mind and soul.  SELF magazine even has a monthly feature that shows how a reader took a “SELF-y day”.  But how many of us actually do this?  I’m guessing a lot of you, like i used, think about taking a day for ourselves but never get around to it.  Is it because you don’t know what to do?

I don’t blame you, even if I’m going to enjoy myself and disconnect from the online world I still want a plan.  Here’s what I did on my selfish weekend, to get you thinking about what you could do in a weekend, an evening or even an hour to make yourself happy!

  • Find a great sale:  If I need to buy something, even if it’s just groceries, I feel a sense of accomplishment when I get a great deal on it.  This weekend, I got two candles for the price of one (the only time I’ll be these candles is when they are BOGO) plus a full-sized hand soap and reusable bag for free.  What is better than getting four items for the price of one?
  • Take a walk:  If you haven’t been listening to the forecast, Minnesota is gorgeous!  Seriously, we are breaking record temperatures set in the early 1900s.  I took advantage of this early summer and walked around my town.  I even found out that there is a park nearby with great walking trails that I went to about three times.  After this winter, it felt great to walk around, in the sunshine, without a coat.
Yes, this is what March in Minnesota looks like.
  • Read some “non-intellectual”:  I had two choices of reading this materials this weekend, Brave New World or a year’s worth of Cosmo.  Yes, I took the trashy magazine route.  After reading blog posts that are suppose to make me think all week long, it felt great to not be forced to think.  Time went by quickly (and yes, I sat outside and read).

I hope that my selfish weekend has given you some ideas of something to do, even for an hour, that is only for you and makes you happy.  Log off your computer, step away from the smartphone and just think about yourself!

What are you going to be selfish about this weekend?

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There is nothing permanent except CHANGE

Mar 29 2012 Published by under Megan E. 

by Megan E.

Iʼve always been someone thatʼs pretty confident in my life and career choices.  Iʼve always been very sure about what Iʼd be doing in the next few years. But hereʼs the thing, Iʼm never right. Despite my self assurance, things are never quite what I expect.  And thatʼs a good thing.

Hereʼs the deal.

change

flickr photo by Sean MacEntee

We live in a world thatʼs constantly changing. Whatʼs true for today isnʼt true for tomorrow. Thereʼs no guarantees and no such thing as a “sure thing”. Iʼve gone from wanting to be a rock star (circa Kindergarten) to the president (3rd grade) to an environmental scientist (7th grade) to a journalist (10th grade) to a social worker (12 grade).

And what do I want to be now? Whatever will continue to bring me joy. Thatʼs it. Something relatively simple, yet not always so easy. The key is discovering what the thing is that brings you joy. For me, itʼs a lot of things. Itʼs learning. Itʼs fun. Itʼs passion. Itʼs friendship. Itʼs community. Itʼs knowledge. Itʼs human connection. Itʼs making a difference. Thatʼs what I want out of a life, out of a career. So I pursue interests that do just that.

I have the pleasure of working for two incredible non-profits that bring me a whole lot of joy. I organize the efforts of Revolution Hunger in San Francisco, teaching students in the community about root causes of hunger and encouraging them to get involved with the campaign. I run a blogging program at Mobilize.org, teaching young Millennials how to advocate for the issues effecting our generation via social media. Not to mention writing for the wonderful community here at the Millennial Chat.
As I go through my next stages of life, I want to be able to continue a path that continues to bring me joy. And it might not turn out exactly how I imagine it. In fact, Iʼm sure that things will indeed be very different in the next few years. But so long as I can roll with the punches and continue to learn, explore, grow, build community, and make a difference, Iʼll be happy.

Imagine who you were 5 years ago.
Are you that same person today?
Do you have the same friends?
The same exact goals?
The same job?

Iʼd guess that for most people, things have changed a whole lot in 5 years. While itʼs important to plan for the future, itʼs equally important to be open to change. Change is what makes us grow and helps us learn. If things stayed the same, you wouldnʼt be who you are today.

And I think somewhere in these ramblings, thereʼs a very important lesson to be had for Millennials. Be flexible. Life is not linear. Youʼre going to get thrown curveballs. You have to adjust.

For me, I can already feel things changing again. Iʼm debating changing my major, Iʼll be living in a new place next year, and Iʼm starting to think more seriously about what life will look like after graduation. And instead of being scared for these changes, and apprehensive to make those adjustments, Iʼm excited. I want to shake things up a little. I canʼt wait for the next set of challenges. I plan to meet them with determination and grace.

And I recommend you do the same. Things will look very different in the future, they always do. Our generation will have to adjust. Our lives will change. And itʼs going to be just fine.

One response so far

#DAYAFTER: How to collaborate WELL

Mar 28 2012 Published by under Day After

Yesterday’s #millennialchat produced 109 tweets generated 81,711 impressions, reaching an audience of 14,435 followers.
(stats provided by hashtracking.com)

Congratulation to our top 5 tweeters:
1. @millennialchat – 19 tweets
2. @willie_matis – 16 tweets
3. @irenicimplement – 12 tweets
4. @selizbur – 9 tweets
5. @opptobe – 8 tweets

3 responses so far

How to Get That Raise

Mar 23 2012 Published by under Tristen S. 

by Tristen S.

Hey everyone, it’s been a while since my last post and I know you missed me ;)

I’m going to delve back into the world of job searching after this post but in the meantime, last week’s #MillennialChat discussion on getting raises/promotions had me thinking…

So it’s your first job, heck maybe even your second job and you don’t know how to ask your boss for some extra moolah but you feel like you deserve it. I was in that same boat last year.

People kept telling me I was doing a kick-ass job but I felt under-compensated for all of the work I was doing. Lucky enough Mika Brzezinski, co-host of my favorite show, Morning Joe, put out a book called “Knowing Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You’re Worth” around the same time that all of those feelings came around. The book made me feel totally empowered and put me on the right course. Pick one up, seriously (even if you’re a dude).

Money, Money, Money

flickr photo by borman818

I felt completely inspired after finishing the book and made a course of action that put me in the right mind-frame towards earning what I felt my value was. Here’s an abridged version of that plan of action which I feel can be transferrable towards most industries:

1) Set Up a Review: It’s always important to know when you’re eligible for a review. This is a good platform for you to present your case as to why you deserve a better (and ehhemm higher) compensation. Get one on the books, and start your groundwork.

2) Prepare Your Boss: I wouldn’t go ahead and completely blind side your boss at your review and demand more money, instead, give them a heads up a week or so before the appointment that this is a topic you want on the table.

3) Advocates: You are of course your own best advocate when it comes to speaking about your work and successes however it’s always beneficial to have more people in your corner who can speak to your awesome job performance. Be able to tap them not only for advice, but also for recommendations as you prepare your case.

4) Prepare Your Case: The budget is tight in most offices, especially if you’re working in the non-profit sector like some of my colleagues in the #MillennialChat. That being said, regardless of your company’s financial state, you need to be fully prepared to discuss why you deserve more moolah. What helped me out mucho was building a Powerpoint presentation charting my big wins for the company. This isn’t something you need to do, but it’s always great to have the information written down in some capacity.

An important lesson that you learn in the marketing and ad world is that every objective needs to be measurable. So if your objective is to get a raise, point that out in the presentation and tell them how much more $$ you’d like to get – whether it’s by a percentage or dollar amount.

Without overtly throwing people under the bus, compare your performance with others around you both people at the same level as and those higher than you. This helps to establish a benchmark of what you’re actually getting done on behalf of your company. I also pointed out some errors that I either made or avoided and the ways I was able to effectively get around those.

Go back to your advocates and ask them to put together a short letter about your overall job performance. This is something that I popped into the end of the Powerpoint presentation with some pictures to try and lighten the mood some more.

5) The Review: I kind of took the reigns of my review and was the one to lead off. That won’t always be the case, I was just really close with my bosses and they knew what was coming their way.

Keep everything light-hearted and fresh – money is a difficult discussion, especially when there isn’t much of it to go around. If your boss is the lead-off, sit patiently, listen intently, heck even take notes of what they’re saying about your performance in case your short term memory is crappy. Of course by this point, being the masterful presenter you are, you’ve already gone through and practiced your delivery of this awesome document numerous times. So now that it’s the big show, be confident, not cocky, and walk through your case. Have hand-outs of the presentation and ease through everything nicely.

Remember, this is all about maintaining positivity and firm preparedness! I presented my case to my bosses and got that sweet raise. If you go through all these motions and don’t end up getting what you asked for, just take a breather and remember that it’s okay! At this point what you should do is set up a list with your supervisor of benchmarks to achieve before the topic of getting paid more is brought up again.

Of course, if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter, @Tristens!

4 responses so far

Millennial Meetup for Edu2Tech

Mar 22 2012 Published by under Megan E. 

by Megan E.

There’s no doubt that times are tough for students in California. Deep budget cuts have been bad news for the public education system, resulting in less classes, less financial aid, less support services and higher tuition. As a current student at a California State University, I can personally attest to the mess our higher education system has become. Believe me, it isn’t pretty.

But the story doesn’t end at CSUs and UCs. Perhaps the system hit hardest by this whole debacle is the Community College System. Often seen as a safety net for students unable to go directly to a four year university, the community college system is becoming increasingly difficult to both afford and attend. In fact, it’s estimated that 670,000 students will be turned away from California Community Colleges this year alone.

And while it’s common knowledge amongst Californians that these problems exist in the educational system, the personal stories of students dealing with these issues seem to be missing. We see the facts and we know the figures, but without knowing how these facts and figures effect people, these numbers mean little. People respond to emotion, struggle, and triumph; information that is difficult to garner from simple statistics.

It’s that fact that led Mobilize.org’s Millennial Meetup for Edu2Tech in Berkeley last Friday. Designed to provide Community College Students with the skills and knowledge to utilize technology to tell their stories, students across Northern California got a chance to meet and discuss many of the issues surrounding engagement in community college education.

As a trainer at the event, I got the chance to help students understand how Social Media can be leveraged to improve student involvement on campus. It was truly incredible to see so many passionate, driven, intelligent, young people working together on the same goal.

Millennial Meetup

Millennials at a round table discussing the future of Community College in California

Social Media and improved student engagement.

By improving student engagement, the student body becomes a powerful force. By uniting community college students, they can become more effective in making their stories and their voices heard.

By making their stories heard, those statistics become real. Those facts and figures aren’t just numbers anymore, they become people doing the best they can to educate themselves despite facing incredible adversity and extreme barriers.

While the media doesn’t always show it, we truly have some amazing young people working very hard to advocate for both themselves, and their fellow students.

And while the future may seem uncertain, I am so inspired by all the passion, drive, and determination exhibited by the young Millennials I’ve had the privilege to work with.

We may not have an immediate solution to the problems facing the education system in California. And we may not have one for a while. But I’m more than confident that with the skills this generation has, we can and will work together to make accessible education a reality in California once again.

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To learn more from and connect with Megan, follow her on Twitter – @MeganEmme.
You can also follow the entire Millennial Chat team here.
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What issues are you seeing college students face in YOUR state or city?
How do you think social media can help alleviate these problems?

6 responses so far

#DAYAFTER: How to Lead More Efficient Meetings

Mar 21 2012 Published by under Day After

Yesterday’s chat produced 154 tweets generated 117,186 impressions, reaching an audience of 15,571 followers.
(stats by hashtracking.com)

Congrats to our top 5 tweets:
1. @millennialchat – 44
2. @jenniferlspies – 26
3. @larkingrant – 22
4. @marketingmel – 11
5. @sarahkathleen – 11

And a BIG thank you to Larkin for moderating the chat yesterday since something came up that didn’t allow me to be there! She stepped in and did a GREAT job.

3 responses so far

Our Responsibility to Be Happy

Mar 16 2012 Published by under Larkin G.

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

-Dalai Lama

Too often when we talk about happiness or sadness, we talk about someone making us sad or making us happy. So this month in observance of Millennial March and our theme of overcoming obstacles, I’m going to talking about how I took responsibility for my own happiness.

The Blame Game

It’s easy to see how these thinking patterns developed. The expressions are built into our vocabulary:

  • He made me so mad!
  • She made me so happy!
  • That present cheered me up.

Sentences like these attribute our emotional state to other people’s actions, removing ourselves entirely. And why wouldn’t we want to do this? If we equate our feelings to another person’s actions then we:

  • are not to blame if our feelings are irrational
  • cannot change our emotions, even if we wanted to
  • are not responsible for our own misery

Makes sense, right? WRONG!

Lightbulb Moment

Want to be this happy? You can!

You may be wondering why I have put so much thought into all of this, and as luck would have it I am going to tell you. This fall I was going through an extremely taxing emotional time, and like most people, I blamed my depressed state on someone else.

One day while pondering life in general, I came to a realization: I did not like feeling so miserable all the time. (for those who don’t know me, I’m a very bright, bubbly, energetic person) So why not change that? It was my life after all. Why in the world was I wasting it being miserable?

Change of Pace

Is it really that simple, you ask? If you want to be happy, then poof you’re happy? Like making a wish on a magic lamp? Simple answer: yes and no.

The yes: You can change your mindset extremely rapidly. Think for a minute about the last time you’ve gone from having a great time at a party to a horrible one. That same feeling shift can work in reverse- if you want it to.

The no: You have to want to change your mindset, and not in a half hearted way like when you “wanted” to clean your room as a kid. I really wanted to change my outlook. I was so tired of being miserable that my outlook changed pretty rapidly.

Did it stay continuously? Heck no! I had times when I went back to being miserable, but you what do I call that? Life. It happens. You know what you do then? Call your friends in for back up.

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To learn more from or connect with Larking, follow her – @LarkinGrant
You can also follow the entire Millennial Chat team here.
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Tell me, what are your strategies for overcoming hard times?

 

One response so far

#MillennialMarch How to Be Taken Seriously at Work

Mar 15 2012 Published by under Sarah B. 

written by Sarah B.

Normally, I write about service and volunteering for Millennial Chat, but this month, in honor of Millennial March and improving ourselves, I wanted to share something about being taken seriously, specifically at work. I hear a lot of millennials complaining about how they can’t make the step from unpaid to paid work or from entry level jobs to the management level. They’re confused, and they’re blaming everything from the economy to Baby Boomers not believing in them. As a generation, we get stereotyped a lot as lazy, selfish, technology-addicted slackers who think we’re entitled to everything RIGHT NOW. But what if, without even knowing it, you’re doing things to encourage those stereotypes? See if any of these things sound like you at work:

Clock Work Man

flickr photo by SeanMacEntee

You don’t pay attention to details.
This isn’t a slam on idea people or those who really like to think about the big picture. It’s about paying attention to details in your work and professional behavior that impact others. If you want to be taken seriously, it’s time to stop making careless mistakes that will brand you as disorganized or irresponsible. Meet deadlines, complete forms correctly, respond to phone calls, and make a name for yourself as someone who prides themselves on being responsible. Show up to work on time, adhere to the dress code, and pay attention to the culture at your office. If the whole office can hear your iPhone apologizing for party rocking, you’re potentially doing it wrong.

You over promise and under deliver.
This is probably one of the most fatal mistakes that I see other Millennials make. It comes from a really good place. We all want to be successful in our personal careers; exceeding expectations can lead to a raise, a promotion, or at least a pat on the back. Plus, if you’re bringing in money for your employer, hopefully you’ll survive when times are tough for the company. Some Millennials want to be successful so badly that they swear up and down that they can achieve or surpass a goal, only to find they’re overwhelmed. Don’t promise anything that you’re not 100% sure you can deliver. If you do promise something and find out you can’t do it, ask for help immediately. Being cautious and realistic will help you develop a reputation as a consistent and solid performer, rather than a risk.

You gossip.
Gossiping is one of those things most of us struggle with. (If I’d figured out how to stop doing it completely, I would have written my post about that.) What I know is that a quick way to kill your reputation and relationships is to make negative comments about someone else. Never forget how small your industry might be. Be careful when you’re making comments about vendors, clients, or any outside of your company that you’ve worked with. (In my case, that’s donors, volunteers, and community members.) You never know who’s related, married, or old college buddies with the person you can’t stand. That thing your mother told you about not saying anything if you can’t say something nice is true.

You complain about how people treat you unfairly because of your age.
Some people at your company are going to treat you like their child, especially if they’re 30 years your senior. They’ll probably joke around with you about how you must have been texting in the womb. Get over it. Stop ranting about how they need to get up to speed. The fastest way to call attention to your age is to whine about it. Smile, be friendly, and ask questions about people’s personal lives or previous work experience. These people are actually trying to have a conversation with you, but they’re not sure what to talk to you about. You can help them by starting the conversations and continuing to engage them. Don’t try to convince them you’re an equal- just try to form a friendly working relationship with them.

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To learn more from or connect with Sarah, follow her on Twitter – @SarahKathleen
You can also follow the entire Millennial Chat team here.
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What are your tips for being taken seriously at work?

One response so far

#DAYAFTER: How to ask for a raise!

Mar 14 2012 Published by under Day After

Yesterday’s chat produced 165 tweets generated 107,688 impressions, reaching an audience of 15,963 followers.
(stats provided by hashtracking.com)

Congrats to our top 5 tweeters:
1. @millennialchat – 29
2. @tristens – 27
3. @larkingrant – 26
4. @irenicimplement – 20
5. @selizbur – 18

 

One response so far

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