With 200,000+ tech layoffs in 2023 and more being let go in early 2024, it is easy to get discouraged. Personally, I have many friends who were and are affected. For those whom I worked with, I am grateful that our paths crossed.

For 30 days, I will post a tip each day to encourage you and give you some suggestions on how to stay motivated during your job search.

Day 5

Are you someone who believes that work is just a means to an end? Or do you agree with Thomas Edison who said, "I never did a day’s work in my life. It was all fun."?

After losing a job, it's natural to start thinking about finding a new one. But, before you jump back into the job market, take a moment to re-evaluate why you work.

Consider reading the article "Why We Work" and answering some important questions to find out what job would be best suited for you. Questions like: What make you cry? What make you laugh? What make your heart sing? What will you do even if you don’t get paid for it?

Think about...

With 200,000+ tech layoffs in 2023 and more being let go in early 2024, it is easy to get discouraged. Personally, I have many friends who were and are affected. For those whom I worked with, I am grateful that our paths crossed.

For 30 days, I will post a tip each day to encourage you and give you some suggestions on how to stay motivated during your job search.

Day 4

Recently, my family went to a Zen monastery for a few days to welcome the new year. When we got there, I was exhausted, and it showed up on my face. After checking into our room, I sat on the floor, sullen. My daughter said to me, “Mom, smile.” Three key behaviors of mindfulness practice are to stop, to breathe, and to smile. Ironically, I was even wearing a t-shirt with the word “Smile” on it. Despite practicing mindfulness for many years and even after being reminded by my daughter, I couldn’t smile. I responded to her: “I’m too tired to smile.” She replied:...

With 200,000+ tech layoffs in 2023 and more being let go in early 2024, it is easy to get discouraged. Personally, I have many friends who were and are affected. For those whom I worked with, I am grateful that our paths crossed.

For 30 days, I will post a tip each day to encourage you and give you some suggestions on how to stay motivated during your job search.

Day 3

Dealing with a job loss is almost like facing a storm. In Houston, we prepare for hurricanes yearly. Ask anyone who has prepared for a hurricane what you should do, and they will tell you a few things consistently. First, you should board up your windows. Second, you need to prepare your essentials, such as water, food, medicines, flashlights, full tank of gas, etc.

Consider following these two steps to stay strong, grounded, and persevere through the stormy weather.

Step 1: Avoid unproductive conversations. Be careful whom you talk to. Only talk to people who will encourage you and lift you up. Limit...

With 200,000+ tech layoffs in 2023 and more being let go in early 2024, it is easy to get discouraged. Personally, I have many friends who were and are affected. For those whom I worked with, I am grateful that our paths crossed.

For 30 days, I will post a tip each day to encourage you and give you some suggestions on how to stay motivated during your job search.

Day 2

Being let go from a job is a form of rejection. While you are working to get over that first rejection, you may encounter many other rejections during your job search, everything from not having a response to your application, not going to the next round of the selection process, to being ghosted after having a good interview. When we are rejected, it’s easy to go down the spiral path of thinking that we are not worthy or that we are a failure. Everybody has rejections in their life. I do. You do. And many other famous people do. Abraham Lincoln failed in business 3 times and failed...

With 200,000+ tech layoffs in 2023 and more being let go in early 2024, it is easy to get discouraged. Personally, I have many friends who were and are affected. For those whom I worked with, I am grateful that our paths crossed.

For 30 days, I will post a tip each day to encourage you and give you some suggestions on how to stay motivated during your job search.

Day 1

Practicing an attitude of gratitude helps me through difficult times. When we are in the middle of a setback, such as being let go from our job, everything seems dark and bleak. We fail to realize that we still have all other conditions for happiness, such as clean air, fresh water, clean clothes, and a warm bed. When we have a cold and can’t breathe, we wish to be able to breathe easily again. But when we can breathe freely without any congestion, we never really notice it as a blessing. Losing a job can be devastating. But the skillset and the experience you gained are still with you. With that...

With 200,000+ tech layoffs in 2023 and more being let go in early 2024, it is easy to get discouraged. Personally, I have many friends who were and are affected. For those whom I worked with, I am grateful that our paths crossed.

For 30 days, I’m committed to post a tip each day to encourage you and give you some suggestions on how to stay motivated during your job search.

Day 0

First, please know that it is not your fault. Business conditions changed and hence led to you being let go. Sometimes, it may be because of weak financial performance; sometimes, it may be because of the company’s infighting politics. Whatever the reason is; when the environment is no longer conducive to your productivity, it may be a blessing in disguise to be let go.

Losing a job is difficult to face. And it’s extra difficult for people who bring their heart to work and give the workplace their absolute best.  A lot of questions must be running through your head, such as...

We spend most of our adult life at work.  Even when we aren't at work, we spend most of our non-working time thinking about work.  Work can be the source of joy, happiness, and excitement.  But, sometimes work can be the cause of stress, fear, anxiety and disappointment.  We all have those moments when we wake up exciting about work; I usually told everyone that my favorite day of the week is Monday because it's the beginning of a new work week which I again get to make a difference.  But sometimes, work can become so challenging that it drains us, and causes us wonder whether it's all worth it.  In those challenging moments, it's important to ask ourselves "why do we work?"  Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, used to say: A man can overcome almost anything if he knows the why. 

When we face tough situations at work, it's important to come back to the root and answer the question "why we work".  Knowing the why can give you the courage...

Happy Mother Day to all the wonderful moms, and especially to the working mothers out there!

To those of us who are working mothers, the struggles are real.  So often, we feel guilty for missing our kids’ school event or maybe even their birthday because of a work obligation. So often, we feel guilty for rushing off exactly at 5 p.m. to pick up our children from the day care while our colleagues are still working at their desks.

Today, as I celebrated Mother Day with my family, I reflected on my first Mother Day as a mother and choked up. My son, who is probably the most sensitive person in our family, detected changes in my voice and asked, “what’s wrong, mom?” I responded “Nothing, son.” But, immediately after, I decided to tell him the truth and used this as a teaching moment. I told my children of my first Mother Day as a mother.

"Many years ago, after giving birth to our first child, being inexperienced, I didn't...

Comedienne Lily Tomlin said, “The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.” This week a friend reached out and asked about how to figure out what he was good at, how to do what he loves and how to find and live his purpose. Don’t we all want to find the more to life we sense that’s out there somewhere? We live in a metropolitan area of over seven million people. It’s easy to get caught up in the “rat race.” There are commute times, taking kids places, work pressures, financial pressures, relationships at work, at home, with friends. The list could go on and on. We’re so busy we go, go, go and don’t have time to think. Or do we?

Sometimes we need to hit the stop or pause button. Several years ago I took three days to just get alone. I rode my motorcycle to the mountains of New Mexico and stayed in a place where I didn’t know a soul but could spend time praying, reading (as a Christian, my...

Yesterday morning, shortly after waking up and before my first cup of coffee, I was listening to a program on my smartphone. Through my groggy, foggy, just got up mind, the speaker got my attention when he said, “Train like a champion!” He was talking about athletic performance and we frequently equate champions with athletes.

But what about us? Most of us won’t be athletic champions or even aspire to be. However, the same principles of being an athletic champion can be applied to our lives. Champion leader, champion teacher, champion entrepreneur, champion engineer, champion parent, champion spouse, champion, champion, champion. You get the picture. Champion You!

Let’s look at some of the transferable principles of champions that we can apply.

• Coaching
• Discipline/Daily Schedule
• Training
• Practice
• Equipment/Tools
• Lead by example
• Network/Friends
• Extra Effort
• Improvement/Growth
• Perseverance

Now, just to prompt our thinking on transferring these concepts from...