According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day (observed on the first Monday in September) is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. I thought this would be a great time to reflect on and share about my own journey of how I struggled (psychologically, academically, bi-culturally) to enter the American workforce. Someone asked this question: "Did anyone tell you what you should be when you grow up? How did you respond?" Here's

There’s no such thing as overnight success. You have to put in the effort and hard work, and it doesn’t hurt to have some luck and good timing on your side. “There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs.” -Zig Ziglar Jackie Hermes (Founder & CEO of Accelity, a company helping B2B SaaS startups and scaleups grow with customer acquisition & lead generation) said on her podcast (The Art of Entrepreneurship) that success requires four things: 1) a smart plan, 2) t

Kindness From a Stranger This is the first time I’ve shared this story. It’s not earth-shattering, traumatic, or dramatic, just a small act of kindness that meant a lot to me at a time when I REALLY needed an extra serving of kindness. Many years ago, during a time period when I was looking for a job and was really struggling (financially, mentally, and emotionally), my wife and I went to a fast casual restaurant chain that serves home-style meals. This one lets you choose th

“Growth is the great separator between those who succeed and those who do not. When I see a person beginning to separate themselves from the pack, it’s almost always due to personal growth.” ―John C. Maxwell Blocked Personal Learner According to Barnfield and Lombardo (2014), a person is a “blocked personal learner” if he or she: Is closed to learning new personal, interpersonal, managerial, and leadership skills, approaches, and tactics. Prefers staying the same, even when

In his book, “The Happiness Advantage” (2010) Shawn Achor asserts that happy employees can actually help improve an organization’s bottom line. Achor says we often think that if we work hard and become successful, then we’ll be happy. But, he argues (convincingly I might add) that the formula is backward. Instead of success first and happiness second, it should be happiness first, and then success. In a related Harvard Business Review article, Achor (2012) cites a meta-analys