9. the Inspirer Ninth Edition


2/12

AshrafWassalamMohd. Ashraf b. Nor Azrol

1

Highlights| 2Exclusive Interview:| 3

Career TalkThe Observer:| 5

Love What You DoQuickies| 7

Aspiration:| 8Worth His Weight In Gold

Laugh Out Loud| 10Introspectives| 11

C o n t e n t __________________________________TheInspirer|F

ebruary2011

Dear readers,

Every semester, there will be a group of students scrambling their heads off writing and creating resumes,following-up on companies of interest, making passports and visas preparing a good career prospect. All theseefforts are worthwhile because obtaining a desired career path ensures satisfaction.

Indeed this is true, thus we must prepare ourselves to face the real world. Academic excellence can secure us jobs,but to survive in the industry, communication and management skills are paramount. Therefore, involvement invarious events and clubs is a good start to build up those skills. In fact, we have so many activities to the pointthat it has become a culture in UTP. Last year alone, we had about 300 events. This year the number might growensuring vast opportunities for everyone.

Nevertheless, in our race to equip ourselves for our careers, once successful, do not forget those who have helpedus in life. Go back home and say thank you to your families for their support and encouragement. Send regardsand compliments to your lecturers and staffs that assisted you in getting the job that you enjoy. Expresscongratulations and gratitude to your friends for being the best of friends.

After all, a good salary may be able to buy a lot of things, but it cannot buy unending love from the people aroundyou.

ADVISOR

Haji Abdul Jalil Abdullah

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Mohd. Ashraf bin Nor Azrol

SECTION EDITORS

`Arif Amin bin Ahmad PuziNor Nadia bt. Jamal Abd Nasir

Lim Camille

PROMOTION EDITOR

Devashne Selvanathan

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Nur Izyan Izzati Abd Halim

Ahmad Fikry Mohd Anwar


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2Highlightss

tephen Covey said in his best-seller book, The 7 Habitsof Highly Effective People, the first rule of personal achieve-ment is being proactive. Indeed, in seeking the right careerpath, a proactive attitude is a must because there are thou-sands of hungry graduates, like you, seeking for jobs in themarket. According to the Department of Statistics Malaysia,there are 360,900 unemployed individuals roaming the streetswith the classifieds in their hands.

Competition for jobs does not come from the unemployedalone, but also from the 11 million other people that alreadyhave jobs! They change jobs for various reasons and they havean upper hand: job experience. Fresh graduates like us mustequip ourselves to face this reality.

The trick now is to beat the competition by having extraqualities that catch the eye of your future employers. Firstly,understand that academic competence is most important.Although we talk much about soft skills nowadays, onesacademic performance still remains the main indicator ofexcellence. Understand this fact and start striving to improveyour grades.

Only after fulfilling that first requirement can we thenlook intoother opportunities to add value to our abilities. Imagine theseextra qualities as extra toppings on an ice cream which makesit look and taste more delicious compared to the thousands ofother ice creams on sale. The key to mastering these extravirtues is to start early. Havea clear vision of what you want tobe and start mastering the relevant skills along the way.

The most obvious opportunity is during extended academicsessions; extended here means non-lecture activitiesdesigned in your academic course to increase learning andunderstanding such as laboratory sessions, field trips, projects

and industrial internships. Do not take these things lightly; all ofthem will add to your technical competency.

Why is technical competency important?

The first few years of your career after graduation will mostlikely be related to your degree. Thus, it is utterly important foryou to do things right because you are expected to do so afteryears of studying. The industry is, after all, all about applicationof the fundamental knowledge that you have learnt and hence,competency in technical matters is exceedingly important. Onlywhen you are able toapply your knowledge, do you become ahighly prized skilled employee.

So make sure you master all the concepts, tools and handlingof equipments in the laboratories, record your knowledge fromfield trips, be vigilant in completing your projects and learn asmuch as possible during internship.

The second priority for employee-recruiting companies isleadership which comprises time management, discipline,

communication skill and managerial capabilities. A leader musthave good time management and discipline to show a goodexample and credibility in handling subordinates. He must alsobe able to manage and delegate tasks through strongcommunication with his people. The best way to learn all ofthese qualities at once is by joining extracurricular activities inclubs, societies and events.

How can extracurricular activities help?

You are a leader regardless of what position you are placed in.

You are a leader now and soon enough you will climb to biggerresponsibilities. You have objectives to achieve and plans toexecute. Thus, you need discipline to manage your time, youneed to communicate with various people to get your job doneand you have to learn to manage things so that your workmoves smoothly. So when you take up responsibility in theseactivities, you are building the leader in you. This is thelearning process.

In the real working environment, your ability to be a leader iswhat makes you survive and get promoted. We are fortunatebecause we have events and clubs that offer plenty ofleadership opportunities for you to experience. Grab this

chance and diversify in your choice in responsibility for one willnever know what nature of job one will encounter in hisworking life. Give extra emphasis on communicating in Englishbecause a good command of this language is always an addedadvantage.

Lastly, oddly enough, people are being hired because of theirauxiliary skills such as computer knowhow, writing talent,photography handiness, sports inclination and even singingability! Although some might argue that this is the smallestcontributing factor, but as long as you can score extra pointsabove the rest, why not. Most of the time, a company has itsown work culture, for example having a family day. Workersspend time together at bowling and karaoke. If you are good

at both, wouldnt it be an attractive point for the employers tohire you?

Recall what the trick is again. We must beat the competitionand only a few added advantages can be the differencebetween the winner and the loser. The auxiliary skills arerelated to your interest or even if you dont like it, just give it atry. At least you can include them in your resume, that youhave done this and that. Who cares for the reason you gothired, as long as you secure the job, you win!

Start from today and identify what equipping skills you want toacquire for the vision of your career. We have identified three

skills; technical, leadership and auxiliary skills that will prepareyou to get a job and survive. Learn them now or risk losing outto others later. Nonetheless, you can always create your ownjob and leave the career seeking competition altogether. Beingan innovator or an entrepreneur might be your goldmine.However, acquiring these three skills at the university will helpyou in those careers too!TI

TheInspirer|Febru

ary2011

By : Mohd Ashraf bin Nor Azrol

(PE, 3rd Year 1st Semester)

S


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TheInspi

rer|February2011

years of work experience in the industry haswithout a doubt proven priceless in preparing

Ir. Dr. Mohd Shahir Liew for life as an academician.Equipped with an ever-increasing vault of knowledgeand having mastered the ins and outs of managerialwork, it came as no surprise when it was announcedthat he was to be the new Head of the CivilEngineering Department, having joined UTP asrecent as 2009. The Inspirer sought his opinions onthe theme of this edition: career.

Exclusive Interview

Career TalkHaving worked in the industry for such a long time,what made you decide to become a lecturer?

Well, after spending so many years looking at various thingsin the engineering industry, I felt that its about time for meto share my knowledge with the students. The knowledge isinvaluable and instead of letting it give me a headache bykeeping it all to myself, I was offered the chance to dump allof my knowledge on students. I honestly believe that to be agood academician you must have industry experience so thatyou can share thoroughly with the students knowledge not

just from a textbook standpoint but also from actual workpoint of view.

For those still studying, in your opinion which wouldbe a better career path: being a lecturer or working inthe industry?

It depends. If you have the aspiration to be an educator, Iterm lecturers as educators, then you need to seriously thinkabout going for advanced degrees i.e. masters degree andph.D. Having a masters degree alone is inadequate. Youwould need at least a ph.D to go into the education line.Having said that, it will be good to have at least 5 or 6 years

of industry experience before you go back to the academics.It is less destructive that way as compared to for instanceswitching from academics to work and back again.

What kind of civil engineers do UTP want to produce?

For our department, we should be producing civil engineerswho have holistic civil engineering background meaning theyshould have adequate technical knowledge in all the areas ofcivil engineering. Later on in work, especially in the consult-ing industry, you cant really say you dont know the subject.You should have enough knowledge to comprehend thesubject and be able to do well in your endeavors. If you takea look at our programme outcome objectives, you would

notice that our aim is to produce technically qualified civilengineers with the potential to become leaders of the civilengineering industry.

What would be your response then towards softskills?

Soft skills are important, definitely. I found 70% of studentslacking in soft skills; they are a bit rough on the edges but Ithink some of these things come with age. We cant changethem overnight nor can we expect the students to do so.Theoretical textbooks do not change people. They will havetheir ideas, but if you dont show or guide them, they

wouldnt have the notion on how to proceed.

C

By: `ARIF AMIN BIN AHMAD PUZI (PG, 3rd

Year 1st Semester)

20

Later on in work, you can't really say you don'tknow the subject


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Do you agree with the idea that undergraduates/graduates nowadays are too picky in their jobs orinternships? Should they be picky?

Once again, it depends because there are two parts to this.The first part is that if they are picky because of money,then I think they are not being realistic of their career path.

However, if they are picky because of what they want to dothen I think thats fair because they need to be able toindulge or be involved in something that they like. They cantjust jump into something that they dont like even if it pays alot of money. In UTP, I found the students are a bit pickier;they always have a preference for the oil and gas industrybecause the starting salary is high. One thing that they needto understand however is that just because youre in the oiland gas industry doesnt mean youll be rich. I come fromthe consulting background; I think Im quite rich also. So inmy opinion, some of the students are too picky; which isunnecessary actually.

So for those going to internship, you would advisethem to try other companies beside those related tothe oil and gas industry?

Yes, thats right. They should go beyond the oil and gasindustry to real, heavy duty consultancy work so that theyhave exposure to that because in the oil and gas industry,you are actually specializing in a particular area so you dontget the holistic knowledge technically.

What are some aspects of the professional careersthat students have to prepare for?

Basically, the main thing is teamwork along with leadershipqualities, soft skills, the ability to get along with people andto accept criticism without taking it personally. Besidesthat, it is imperative that they develop a continualeducation system among themselves meaning that they willhave to continue to seek knowledge; even at my age Im

still seeking knowledge! For your information, being aprofessional engineer requires you to complete 50 credithours every year before they renew your license. Thus,your Ir. title is subjected to you completing your CPE(Continuing Professional Education).

Finally, do you have any words of advice to ourreaders?

The first thing that I want to advice the readers is that as astudent, it will be good to learn as much as you canwithout being selective about specializing in any particularcourses. Through my experience, I know that somestudents dislike certain courses which they deem

unimportant but it is this sort of negative attitude thatneeds to be discouraged. Secondly, I encourage studentsto start considering becoming academicians. Statistically,10% of the graduating undergraduates will go to themasters degree and another 10% of the masters studentswill go on to ph.D. By that time, there will be very fewpeople going into the academic line and we face theproblem of running short of good academicians. So it is agreat opportunity for those interested.TI

Just because you're in the O&G industry,

doesn't mean you'll be rich

Convince Yourself That You Want A New Goal

No goal is achieved without commitment. Have you ever observed someone pursuing a goal and said to yourself, "That person is a truebeliever." True believers are easy to spot because they are defined by their commitment. Don't allow yourself to be comfortable withcircumstances that do not further your goal. Want to know that you will succeed before you step out of your comfort zone? Guess what? Youdon't get this guarantee up front. The miracles in your career happen when you say "yes" and jump in.

Start Small

Are you in one of these two places:

1.You have no idea what should be the next step in your career,

2.You do know, but haven't done anything about it yet.

Either way it doesn't matter. Now is your time to move forward.

Start small. Small steps increase your confidence and lead to completing other small steps. Small steps taken on a regular basis are moreeffective than larger steps taken inconsistently. Slow and steady wins the race.

Create Your Game Plan

Having a plan is vital to your success. With a plan, success is yours. Without a plan, you will be working far harder than you have to. A planadds organization to your goal because it details specific actions and steps to get there. Another reason to create a plan is that it will prevent

your goal from becoming overwhelming. The temptation to feel overwhelmed is normal. Here's how to create one: Take your career goal andbreak it into smaller pieces. Get out your calendar and write down the specific small pieces you will do and when you will do them. Use yourplan to encourage and guide you. After all, your plan's underlying goal is for you to have an exceptional year.

Look At Your Goal Every Day

Most people want a "do-over" or a second chance. You get this opportunity on January 1st. If you create your goal, and then put it away,your words will have no value. What you can't see will soon be forgotten as the year progresses. When you look at your goal regularly, itgradually becomes a part of who you are.

Written&Contributedby:DeborahBrown-Volkman,PCC(Career,Life,Wellness,andMentorCoach)

ArticlesFrom:http://ww

w.careerage.com/career/articles/art6/


6/12

5

I am sure that this scenario has played itself before inmany of our minds. A random survey of new studentsentering UTP would tell you that lo and behold, not allof them want to be engineers and technologists! Inbetween the confines of UTPs pak guard-watchedgates are frustrated doctors, architects, sportsmen andbusinessmen, to name a few, who have had to

abandon their dreams once they willingly enrolled inUTP. The writer himself had never known the wordgeoscientist existed 3 years ago but now he is aboutto go to his industrial internship to complete hisBachelor of Technology (Hons.) Petroleum Geoscience.Its fair to say that sometimes, things dont go asplanned.

The Rolling Stones coined it perfectly in one oftheir songs: You cant always get what you want, youget what you need. Necessity is fine enough, butsatisfaction and happiness is hard to get when yourenot doing what you love. Frustration tends to set inand even though you would be making a healthy living,

your lives wont be healthy. So how do we overcomethis? All you have to do is switch the words around andyoull realize that to be happy, you have to love whatyou do.

Loving what you do doesnt mean you have tosubstitute your passion for something else. One of thedangerous mistakes a person can do is to give up onhis dreams and stuff away everything related to it inthe closet. Doing so would only serve to make youdepress and uninspired. Once you take the flame outof the passion, how can anyone shine? Instead, youshould always keep your aspirations close to your heartand let it motivate you to greater heights. Even though

you are not chasing that dream yet, use it as along-term goal. Think of your work as a stepping stonetowards achieving that goal monetarily wise,experience wise and maturity wise. When you feelready and all the pieces are in place, you can alwaysuse your degree to further your studies in the field ofyour dreams.

Be it as it may, simply saying, writing andimagining about these things are easier than actuallydoing it. One way to keep motivated is to alwaysperceive events in life as an opportunity to learn.Regardless of what youre doing, who it involves, thetime of occurrence, and the place it happened, if youreally look deep enough, you will find lessons to belearnt from everything in life. Everything has its purposeand everything here encompasses not only physicalobjects but also intangible experiences. Unlike publicity,there are never any bad experiences as every

experience is your share towards improving yourself. Aperson who has never made any mistake would neverhave learnt while a person who has achieved successhas done so only by bouncing up after a fall.

The Observer

You can't always getwhat you want, you getwhat you need

TheInspirer|February2011

career. The goal that should be so clearly pictured in a graduates mind during his studies yet

remains so vague and fuzzy due to the accompanying factors of the state of the global economy,

advancements in technology, unscrupulous competition and an ever increasing reliance on automated

machines. Considering all of the above, a degree is no longer a guarantee of obtaining your dream job, if

any at all. But lets say, that fortunately you do have a job. Unfortunately though, it is not what you

expected and you never imagined yourself doing it. What would you do?

A

LOVEWHATYOUDOBy: `ARIF AMIN BIN AHMAD PUZI (PG, 3rd

Year 1st Semester)


7/12

There is no such thing as abad experience

6

At times when the work seems never ending andpointless, it would be wise to focus your attention on thethings you like about your job. It could be one or it couldbe many; identifying them is the key. Even though this isntyour preferred choice of careers, why did you choose thisparticular career path instead of the other many moreavailable options? There must be something special aboutthis job that made you sign up for it. What are you good at

in this field? Which part of the job do you contribute mostin? These are the kinds of questions you can ask yourself inorder to realize your talents. Once you have done so,concentrate on these qualities first whenever you feel lostin your work. These qualities will make the work easier foryou and once you have found a rhythm, work will flowsmoother.

A fun thing to do is to have a personal project relatingto your dream career. Do it on your own time as a wayto always keep in touch with your passion. If possible,relate this project to your career so that not only areyou enjoying yourself, youre enjoying your work too!As an example, if youre a cheese-loving app. designer,then in your spare time you can always create an appfor cheese; Where to get the best cheese in town,

ingredients for that perfect mozzarella, moms recipe forSwiss cheese, etc. It doesnt have to be complicated nordoes it have to be marketable, it just has to be cheesy!No pun intended.

In life, it always seems that the grass is alwaysgreener on the other side of the fence. However, onething that is always forgotten in that proverb is that noone is holding you back from taking a paintbrush andpainting your grass green. Whatever happens in our lifeis in the control of a supreme being but how we reactto the challenges in our path, is what will determine ourdestination. Never give up on your dream.TI

TheInspirer|Febru

ary2011


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7NZ!BNCJUJPO

Suppose I found a clue, I would startworking on it. I would try and understand the picturewritings on the walls of the pyramid. Sometimesmummies give us a lot of information about the livesand times of ancient Egypt. I would keep in mind allthe clues and focus on one thing at a time and gothrough all the clues in stages.

I would never get overloaded or paranoid

with work. I would take things easy and when Iwould see that my brains were not functioning, Iwould stop work at once. If I would work like this,with no worries in my mind, I would solvee v e r y t h i n g i n n o t i m e .

I am really serious about becoming anEgyptologist and during the history period in school,I am transported to the world of the pharaohs andhope to achieve my ambition someday.

Sources from http://www.pitara.com andhttp://www.cartoonstock.com

Quickies

TIishika Das Roy, who is from Kolkata, seems tobe very determined about what she wants to

become when she grows up. Sometimes I wonder

what I would like to be when I grow up. I think of adifferent ambition every year. Since I turned eight,I would wonder what I really wanted to be. Would Ibe a teacher, a singer, a journalist or no, anastronaut.

This year I am thinking of becoming an

'Egyptologist'. Everybody, including my parents, thinks I

am mad. They say that anything is better than getting

buried under the hot sandy deserts of Egypt. I want to

become an Egyptologist not to become famous and rich,

but mainly because of the adventures I would have and

the excitement I would face.

Suppose I unravelled the famous curse of the

great king Tuten Khamin, which archaeologists have

racked their brains for millions of years to solve? What if I

really found a way to enter the pyramid? That would be

great! It would be like a dream come true. I would see

every pyramid in Egypt and tour the country of my

dreams. All the same I would work really hard. I would

ask the other historians working with me about the other

pyramids which haven't as yet been discovered. I would

get on to the job straight away. I would go to all the

chambers in the pyramid, knock on all the panels and

walls for an entry to the treasure chamber.

R

TheInspir

er|February2011

Written and edited by Nor Nadia bt JamalAbd Nasir (BIS, 2nd Year 2nd Semester)


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8TheInspirer|February2011

Aspiration

Worth his

weight in goldAs UTP students, can you tell the readers the truth:How much of what we learn do we actually apply in ourprofessional careers?

As disappointing as it may be, do not be surprised if we end upin a position that does not require us to use the knowledgethat we have learnt. Even in my position, I only use some ofthe knowledge that I have gained, especially oninstrumentation, valves, production and separation. The bulkof what we learn is not being very helpful in our careers. Ihave even come across friends who studied engineering butended up doing managerial works. However, I believe mostwell-known companies have trainings for their new employeesso as to equip them with the essential technical knowledgerequired prior to performing work functions.

ignesh Kumar a/l Munusamy, or moreaffectionately known as Vicky, was the latest

recipient of the prestigious Chancellor Gold MedalAward during UTPs 10th convocation ceremony,Convofair 2010. Graduating with a Bachelor ofEngineering (Honours) Chemical, majoring in ProcessEngineering and a CGPA of 3.98, it is no surprise that

Vicky was quickly snapped up by the industry and iscurrently working with PETRONAS Carigali Sdn. Bhd.,Peninsular Malaysia Operations. It did his cause noharm also that he was once the captain of UTPsEnglish Debate Team and he had won the UTPInvitational Debate Competition in 2007 as well asbeing chosen as the best speaker for hisperformances. 6 months on after graduating, who elsewould be more accomplished to enlighten and inspireUTP-ians regarding their future careers other than thistruly well-rounded student?

Did you always wanted to be a chemical engineergrowing up?

Not really. As a kid, I never knew what I wanted to do whenI grew up. But, like all kids, I wanted to be a doctor,policeman or be in the army. Those were standardambitions kids used to have. Being an engineer was never achoice, probably because lack of exposure to theengineering field. But, I do not regret choosing the chemicalengineering programme in UTP. As I was doing my degree,I came to love what I am expected to do as an engineer.

Now that you are working, what is the official title ofyour post and what does it entail?

Seeding Operation Supervisor for Pulai-A platfom. Seeding isnot dissimilar to training. After two years, I will become aField Engineer or an Operation Supervisor, depending on jobavailability, and also my capabilities. My job requires me totake care of the day-to-day operations of the Pulai-Aplatform, including production and maintenance of theplatform. I work with a team of other engineers of variousbackgrounds including pipeline, mechanical, construction,nstrumentation and electrical engineering, each of whomare assigned to this platform.

As a result of the economic recession, the

competition for employment in the engineering fieldor otherwise is ever heating up. In your eyes, whichspecialization of chemical engineering or other typesof engineering is currently in demand?

To be frank, I really have no clue on that particular subject;you would be better advised to pose that question to thehuman resources department. But what I can say is that theonly way to guarantee yourself of a working position lateron when you have graduated is to be the best among yourpeers. I know it sounds clich but saying it is one thing andactually striving to be the best that you can is another.Getting to the top is the easy part, staying there is where

the true challenges arise. This also applies to yourprofessional careers. Once you have received a job offer,you cannot decide to just relax and take it easy but youmust constantly motivate yourself to be better.

By: `ARIF AMIN BIN AHMAD PUZI (PG, 3rd

Year 1st Semester)

I came to love what Iam expected to do as an

engineer

V


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9 Aspiration

TI

TheInspi

rer|February2011

Which qualities do employers seek in fresh graduates?

In my opinion, within the first few years in the organization,the most important ones would be the ability to work not onlyindividually but also in a team. You will get assignments whichrequire you to work in a group as well as individually and youhave to pull it off within certain deadlines. I would rankcommunication skills, which includes presentation skills, as the

next most important quality needed in the work placeespecially the way you communicate to others in your team.Then, it would have to be the ability to handle stress as wellas management skills. Considering the abundance of work,the two go hand-in-hand as the latter will complement theformer.

Finally, can you give a word or two of advice to thosewishing to be the next "Chancellor Award" recipient?

Learn to prioritize your work so as not to disappoint othersand also yourself. Personally, I divided my timeby prioritizing my work which affected others first. Forexample, if I have debate training and also a test to studyfor, I would go for my debate training because it affects my

teammates. It may not be the best thing to do but, thatswhat I did and apparently it worked for me. Study-wise,revisions before tests and final exams are crucial; I mostlymade my revisions only for test and final exams, as to befrank, all UTP students do. However, a point to highlighthere is that, I always made sure I understood my subjectmatters well, and did not shy away from meeting lecturersto clarify a lack of understanding with regards to the subjectmatter. Having discussions with friends also helped a lot.

"I always made sure Iunderstood my subject

matters well"

Typical vita categories or headings may include some or all of the fol-lowing:

Personal/Contact Information

(name, address, phone number (s), email)

Academic Background

(postgraduate work, graduate work/degree (s), major/minors, thesis/

dissertation titles, honors, undergraduate degree (s), majors/minors,honors)

Professional Licenses/Certifications

Academic/Teaching Experience

(courses taught, courses introduced; Innovation in teaching; teaching

evaluations)

Technical and Specialized Skills

Related/Other Experience

(other work experience)

Professional/Academic Honors and Awards

Professional Development

(conferences/workshops attended, other activities)

Research/Scholarly Activities

(journal articles, conference proceedings, books, chapters in books,magazine articles, papers presented/workshops, ezine articles, workcurrently under submission, work in progress)

Grants

Service

(Academic, professional, community)

Academic/Research Interests

Affiliations/Memberships

Foreign Language Abilities/Skills

Consulting

Volunteer Work

References

Excerptfrom:http://w

ww.quintcareers.com/curriculum_vitae.htm

l


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10TheInspirer|Febr

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Laugh Out Loud

Visit FruityCuties.com for more.


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11 Introspective

ome people like fame while others preferfortune. Certain people shun monetary gains

to pursue their passion, yet there are those whochoose to just make a living. Either way, that is justhow people express their own definition ofhappiness. However, has it ever occurred to youwhich kind of life you would want for yourself?

Would it be the kind of life that always pushes youto rush from Brazil to San Diego and from SanDiego to Capri, or is it the kind of life that wouldallow you to sit down, relax and watch some TVwith your loved ones?

The one thing that is pretty much related to this isthe career that people choose. Regardless ofwhether to be an engineer, an artist, a lecturer, adoctor, a corporate person, or a politician, whateverit is, make sure that it is the right choice and holdon to the choice you make. But, how? Ill tell you

how; Lets take a tour through the seven little stepsto keep you motivated in whichever career you havechosen and bear in mind, motivation has alwaysbeen the best potion for performance andproductivity in a workplace.

Step one, clarify your goals. To be completely honest,nothing is more depressing than working arbitrarilywithout having a clear vision, mission and set ofobjectives for your work. Without a clear picture of thegoals and mission you want to achieve at work, whats thepoint of you working? Besides, you might find yourselfending up spending a lot of time on urgent but

unimportant matters rather than tasks that positivelyimpact the bigger picture. It is completely astonishingwhat you will achieve once you have honed in on yourprecise goals, eventually realizing them.

Step two, establish a clear plan to realize yourgoals. Once you have clarified your vision and goals,devise a detailed strategy for getting there and chart yourprogress on a regular and ongoing basis. Having ablueprint for success that is composed of clear, sensiblemilestones and achievable interesting tasks will greatlysimplify and lend meaning to your daily routine and willalso give you a feeling of control over your work and

Step three, ride the wave of your successes. Success isvery stimulating. Work hard enough and you will achievesuccessful results. See then how motivated you are to achievefurther successes as you excel in your performance. In thiscase, see yourself as being an overachiever, strike your goalsand ride the momentum of each success to achieve furthersuccesses. Do keep in mind that the secret of success is hardwork, creativity and perseverance.

Step four, reward yourself. Reward yourself as you achieveyour objectives or reach a significant milestone. This will giveyou something to look forward to, or shall I say an extra driveto get to next level and a surge of excitement and enthusiasmwhen you do attain your desired goals.

Step five, keep things in perspective. It is important tokeep things in perspective and always remind yourself of whyyou work. Besides the pay, it is often about realizing yourpotential, feeling alive and useful, feeling connected, making adifference in the world, expressing creativity, expanding yourskills and abilities, helping others and contributing to the

community. List the reasons you entered the field you are inand when times are tough, remind yourself of why you do thework you do. Also remind yourself that work is work and thatyou have a life outside of work to look forward to, enjoy andmake a difference in.

Step six, maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is very easy tolose yourself at work and forget what awaits you outside of thework arena. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial for bothyour general motivation level and your overall wellbeing. Do thethings you like for instance exercising, reading, taking courses,shopping or other hobbies and activities that channel yourcreativity and energy. Having something to look forward to

after work will see you through moments of drudgery at workwhen your motivation and energy levels are not as high as theycould be and will also make you more productive at work.

And finally, step seven, think positively. Negativity is a verycontagious affliction. It might rip you off of your dreams. Whatyou can do to stay away from negative thinking is to practicethe laughter yoga, mingle around with groups of positivepeople, exercise, travel or whatever that makes you feel happy.

Bear in mind people, choose whatever that you feel pleasure indoing, dont end up in misery and regret for the rest of yourlife. And the most important thing is to support your dreamsand never turn away from what you think is best for yourself.

TheInspirer|February2011

Counseling Services:1. Face-to-face (See us at Pocket D)

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The Ins i e Blogs ot h i i bl

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By: LIM CAMILLE (ME, 1st Year 2nd Semester)

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9. the Inspirer Ninth Edition

Documents

Transcript of 9. the Inspirer Ninth Edition