Courtesy of Cerce84 (via Flickr)

I hate dressing in kacki pants and a polo shirt.

Before starting my own business, I found that the first question I asked a lot of temp agencies before accepting an assignment was, “what’s the dress.” I loved answering back, “Business Casual – khacki pants and a button down shirt?”

It was a personal joke I had – just for me.  :)

Have you ever stopped to ask them, “Ummm… what if I don’t like dressing like that? What if I can give you my best work in a t-shirt and jeans?”

Good luck with getting that job, huh?!?!?!

Unfortunately, most of the time it’s either dress the way the company wants or don’t work there. Companies want you to be who THEY want you to be. Not accepting you for who you are.  So we give them who we’re not.

At that time I took the job.  I took the job and for some strange reason met many people like me who felt the same exact way. They didn’t want to wear the monkey suit because it wasn’t “them.”

So if someone can give you their best work dressing the way they want AND what they’re really comfortable in… why would we force everyone to be someone they’re not… dressing in a way that isn’t “them?”

It doesn’t make too much sense – now does it?

In return we work in a fear based environment.  Making our decisions based on fear. Later wondering, “Why is my soul crying so hard to get out of this corporate crappery?”

So the next time you’re at a networking event, think twice about how you dress.  You should be hired for you.  Not what the COMPANIES expects of you.

Special Note: Go hog wild and take your business with you! Hire me to have your content work as hard as you do (click the blue link to find out more).

Follow Me: @jaredkessler

It’s tough to sometimes to remind ourselves of who we are – I know.  We have more distractions than reminders.

Here are a few quick tips that I recently got back into and you might want to try doing (if you haven’t already or may have forgotten):

1 - Record yourself saying, “I’m so happy and grateful now that ________.”  Filling in the blank with whatever you want to have, do or be in life.  Play it each morning the first hour you awake.

2 – Use the first hour to ONLY listen to something that uplifts you (no more letting your mind go over bullshit thoughts of yesterday and twenty years ago from people who dislike you for no other reason than… just disliking you).

3 – Put on a little sticky note on your bathroom mirror, “No more decisions will ever be based on fear anymore.  Only faith and confidence in myself.”

So that’s it.

If we’re not reminded of who we really are, we’ll be reminded of who we’re really not. Your choice.

Special Note: Go hog wild and take your business with you! Hire me to have your content work as hard as you do (click the blue link to find out more).

Follow Me: @jaredkessler

Have you ever walked by a business thinking, “why the heck is this place always crowded?”

That’s what happened to me the other day – and I fell in love with best veggie Meat Loaf I’ve ever had.

Now before every meat eater out there starts scratching their head visualizing how cardboard tastes… give me a second to explain.

I was at a place called, “The Honey Hole” a few blocks down from my new place.

Let me just tell you that it was the best damn Veggie Meat Loaf I’ve ever had.  So here’s my take on the reasoning by why they’re always so crowded:

1 – Where the heck can you get a veggie meat loaf sandwich like this?

2 – As a 20 something (or wannabe “20 something”) how fun is it to say, “I’m going to the Honey Hole.  Want to come along?”

3 – No one can steal or copy what they do.

Remember… it doesn’t matter how mundane you think you’re product or service is, never lose the art in it (even if it’s as boring and mundane as meat loaf).

Special Note: Go hog wild and take your business with you! Hire me to have your content work as hard as you do (click the blue link to find out more).

Follow Me: @jaredkessler

So many companies claim to be “different.”

“We’re different from the rest” is almost shouted from the rooftops.  Then the minute we walk into their office or do business with them we see:

• Most of their employees living for their Friday/Saturday nights, using the same overused “Thank God It’s Friday” lingo day after day because the job they’re in sucks.
• Businesses using the excuse for not giving people their yearly bonus “Because of the economy we have to ______.”  When the company still made millions of dollars – and their employees sit there thinking, “Even though profits are down you still made millions of dollars last quarter, and you’re telling me you can’t afford to give me my yearly bonus?”
• Our fellow employee’s looking at us weird because we didn’t participate in today’s “potluck” – because we’re trying to break free from the cubicle shackles to start our own business.

Listen.  Being “different” isn’t about telling someone how different we are (whether we’re looking to start a business or not).

It’s about finding out what we stand for.  What we stand against.  What we can give to someone that no one else can give them… then delivering it in our own unique way.

For a lot of people this can be incredibly scary – being “different” (especially in the “Corporate World,” unless of course you’re the CEO or good friends with them).  But it shouldn’t be as scary as you think.  It’s true… people at first, may look at you weird. They think you’re “off your rocker.”  I know.

But here is the thing… isn’t it just as scary to NOT be “different?”  After all, look at where it leads people.

Special Note: Go hog wild and take your business with you! Hire me for your next project (click the blue link to find out more).

Follow: @jaredkessler

When I was catapulted into moving to Seattle, I had no other option but to find a place to live.  It was either, find a place in four days or be on the streets.

I signed the lease on the fourth day.

We’ve all heard of similar stories before.  Haven’t we?  Those people that had no other way, but to make one because… well… the alternative was just too bad to face.

Of course this same theory can apply for just about anything in our business or personal life.

Should I maybe leave the door slightly open “just incase things don’t work out?”

Do we not remember the initial reason why we shut the door in the first place? Wasn’t it to close that door and move onward?

Special Note: Go hog wild and take your business with you! Hire me for your next project (click the blue link to find out more).

Twitter Me: @jaredkessler