The Art of Asking Hard Questions

Achieving your goals comes from hard work. That is a truth and an obvious statement. So why bother mentioning it? It is because so often I see many of my peers who underestimate willpower and dedication. They forget that while sometimes good things come to those who wait, you also only get what you put out. 

Are you feeling underemployed, dissatisfied with your job or internship, or feeling stuck? Sometimes you may blame the job market or your situation. But quite often you need to assess your position and determine how hard are you willing to work to be truly happy? Because at the end of the day, you don’t get what you don’t ask for.

Kevin O’Leary talks about this in his book The Cold Hard Truth. In business you don’t get what you don’t ask for. There may be a great opportunity  waiting for you, but just sit there, dead silent, unmoving, and it will pass on to the person who does speak up. Maybe you feel entitled, but you sit quietly by. Entitlement is not as satisfying as perspiration. Maybe you are scared of failure. But that will only ever hold you back. It could be the risk asks too much. That could also means getting more in return.

Whatever the reason for your lack of success, you are probably thinking it is not for lack of being ambitious. But thinking about success is different than reaching out for it. And success looks different to each person and does not mean you reach the dream job from the start. It just means taking the first step that matters to you in your career.

I learned from a very early age from another great teacher – my mom. I don’t know how many times I would have concerns or questions about things and decisions in my life that I would confront with statements like:

• “I really like x, but I don’t like y. But there is nothing I can do about it.”
• “I wish I could do this. But oh well.”
• “I guess that is just the way things are.”

And without fail my mom would remind me that confronting difficulties, problems or negativity often involves asking something of someone. And that can be a scary thing. For example, you might think asking to work different hours is something you cannot do, because you are afraid of no. But my mom would always say to me “When you ask, the worst that can happen is you get a no.”

I only had to hear this 1000 more times before I internalized it. Now I use it all the time. Every time I want something or need something to change, I am less afraid to ask for what I think is fair. That is because if you do it strategically and be honest, the worst that can happen is they say no.

People can’t read minds. No one goes around giving you what you want. But maybe, if you speak up and ask, you can achieve something and reach that goal you have been reaching for. But you will never know if you don’t ask.

How do you feel about difficult questions? What was the hardest thing you had to ask for?

P.S. I love PR

The Art of Reading!

I have a confession to make. I read a lot. I mean a lot. Not just the passing-by kind of reading, or going through Tweets. I read… Books. Yes paperback, hardcover, new releases, literary classics, fiction, non-fiction. I do it every day, more than once. And worse, I will do it anywhere, at school or on the bus and yes, alone in my room. I’ve decided it is time that I reach out and do something about my obsession with reading…

What you ask? Well, I have decided the first step is to admit that I have an obsession. I have been an avid reader my whole life, but it wasn’t until I was 11 that it became a serious problem. I can’t even leave my home without a good book! What if the bus is late or I am waiting for my friends? Sadly, unlike my peers social media just doesn’t have the same effect on me as reading does.

 

Now that I have admitted that I am a bibliophile, I am determined to share, be open and honest with people. That is where my blog comes in. I think the only way I can justify some of my reading is to share it with you. That is why in addition to my career journey tips and PR insights I will be posting book reviews. 

The fact is nothing replaces a good book. I don’t care if you want to read the e-version to be all futuristic, a book is a book. And they are full of amazing stories and information. If you are looking to escape the boredom of reality, you can pick up a fictional book and disappear into an alternate world. Or if you want to grow your knowledge and become “well-read” on a topic, you can delve into a non-fiction piece that really opens your eyes.

Reading is important to me. It has helped shape who I am today. Because I have always loved to read, I grew to love to write. And because I love to write, I grew to love PR. And because I love PR, I grew to love blogging. And because… well you get the point. Reading and writing to me go hand-in-hand, so you can imagine how full my hands are.

The best part about reading is that you are doing 2 things simultaneously. Yes, two things. You are learning something (some random detail, some historical fact or some obscure word) and you are being entertained (by dramatic suspense, a tear-wrenching moment, a funny joke). Many people believe that bookworms are boring or weird. I disagree. Reading makes your mind sharp; I can pull a fact out of thin air, I can tell you a story that you will relate to or I can tell you how I know I am right about something. What I am trying to say is that reading can give you power. Not so boring and weird now is it?

 

Before I go any further and turn this post into a book itself, I will tell you about the kind of books I will review. To keep it relevant to PR or young professionals I will review non-fiction books only. I will review new releases or books that are timely. I already have books in mind that include topics like creativity, curiosity, professional development, personal growth, career advancement, building success and business savvy. Stay tuned, as my first reviews will be Amanda Lang’s The Power of Why, Malcolm Gladwell's The Tipping Point and Arlene Dickinson's Persuasion.

Let me know what you think about reading and book reviews. What kind of books would you like to see reviews for related to PR, marketing and business? 

P.S. I Love PR

The Art of Blogging!

After starting my own personal blog this past fall chronicling my entry into the PR world as a student, I have done a lot of research on blogs and whenever a link comes to me (via Twitter mainly) about blogging it always catches my eye. Here I want to share with you some these links in case you too want to start your own blog or want to understand how blogging works. Keep in mind that in PR you may be blogging as part of your job, in which case these links may also prove useful.

Let’s start with the basics. If you have never written for a blog before there are methods to the madness of the blogosphere. Follow this link if you need an easy breakdown for starting a blog.

After writing the post, it’s all about making your blog successful. It’s hard to know how to do so if you don’t research tried and truemethods. 

The difference between blogging and content marketing? There isn’t really. Blogging is a medium for which you can deliver content and blogs need to be marketed. Therefore you can’t really blog without understanding the basics of content marketing. Here is a link introducing content marketing and here is one that talks about compelling content.

Blog is a short form for weblog, which came from logs way back in the day of writing with pen and paper. That means blogs are like a journal and each post an entry. Therefore the blog is a story and each entry is a chapter. This makes sense since people are drawn into your posts because of the content, but most likely come back for more for your storytelling (what happens next?). This is why I suggest this link for tips on making your posts more interesting. And if you love infographics as much as I do, check out this link for tips on storytelling.

After publishing the post, that’s it right? Not necessarily. You put in a lot of work to write that post so why not take it further? This link provides some unique and broad examples of suggestions for taking your blog posts beyond their initial purpose.

The best part about blogging is that it is a learning process and it improves your writing ability. If you are looking into blogging here is a great infographic to help you with your blog posts.

Finally if you want to take your blog to the next level here is a guide that is a little more advanced. 

What do you think of blogging? What makes a good blog? Let me know by commenting below.

P.S. I love PR and good luck blogging.

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