Successful Blog

Learning Chinese Pays Benefits

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the-chinese-wall-2174275_640With the business growth China has seen, it only makes sense that many businesses have an eye on the Orient.

If a business is setting up shop there, they want to make sure employees they bring in know language and culture. With China the second largest economy, there are opportunities for foreign investment.

With that in mind, how are you best-served as someone traveling to China to do business or study?

Going Online to Begin Your Journey

Like with much everything else in life these days, using the Internet to help guide you is a great place to start.

The worldwide web has an infinite amount of information, some of which can be beneficial to employers, employees, students and more. By tracking down the right info, you can put yourself in a better position to succeed at home and even abroad.

If you’re an employee or student who will be traveling to China, don’t wait until the last-minute to learn. Being prepared ahead of time can give you an advantage over others.

Among the areas of most importance:

  • Language
  • Culture
  • Laws
  • Finding medical help if necessary

By using the Internet, you will be better prepared to take on any challenges you will face in your new home. Whether going to China on a temporary or long-term basis, educate yourself on this part of the world.

With Chinese lessons online, you can educate yourself before arriving there.

When you team up with the right learning tool to learn Chinese, look for one that offers the following:

  • Teachers instructing students in Chinese as a second language and Chinese literature.
  • Instruct you in Chinese online as they would if you were in attendance in a classroom.
  • Online hours that meet your schedule needs.
  • Affordable pricing.

Keep in mind that you need a laptop or desktop computer, a headset, and the ability to connect to the web. Once those needs are all met, you’re on your way.

Making Your Life Work in China

When relocating to China or any other country for that matter, be sure to assimilate to the local culture.

Not only is it important to learn the language, but also the cultural differences.

From greeting locals to words that could be offensive, do your best to educate yourself.

It is a good idea to try and reach out to people you may know in the U.S. from China or the country you plan to live in. By talking to them, you can pick up some tips on your upcoming travels.

Among them:

  • How to greet locals.
  • What parts of the country you will be staying in are the safest to travel to?
  • What foods and entertainment will most likely meet your tastes?
  • Where to go if you are in need of medical or legal help.

If the time comes for you to relocate to China or elsewhere in the world, educate yourself as much as possible.

In doing so, your experiences are much more likely to be positive ones.

Photo credit: Pixabay

About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.

 

 

Why we should stop saying “I’m terrible with names”

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By Lindsey Tolino

The first time I heard it was when I was in middle school. On the first day of school, our teacher said it with little emotional engagement. He coupled it with a remark that at some point, maybe a few weeks in, he would eventually have everyone’s down. I remember it rubbing me the wrong way even then.

“I’m terrible with names.”

I’ve always felt like someone devalues me when they say it. They don’t mean to. They are citing an insufficiency in themselves. I know that.

But when someone tells you that they’re terrible with names, they are essentially saying that you aren’t important enough to remember your name.

Name tag

I know this because you know whose names I don’t forget? My husband’s. My dog’s. My family’s. My friends’. People I want to get to know. People whose work I extol.

And just so you know, I’m terrible with names.

I’m usually selfishly worrying about what’s in my teeth and I don’t catch what you said. “Did she say Sheryl or Carol?” I hate when I do that.

However, I shouldn’t tell you that I’m terrible with names simply because I’m bad at listening to you. If I do tell you that, it’s like I think that it’s an acceptable character trait. And I don’t think it is. I want to get better at it. I want to listen well and show people I value them.

Though forgetting names shouldn’t be acceptable, it does show that you’re a normal human if you struggle with it. But you don’t want to be seen as normal, right? You want to be remarkable, so don’t identify yourself with the cliché of being terrible with names.

If you can’t remember someone’s name, simply tell them how you remember them, but that you can’t recall their name. It will at least make them feel valued that you remembered them in some capacity and most people understand that names can be evasive at times.

If you just met them a few moments ago, you can simply apologize and ask for their name again. Just don’t qualify the lapse in memory by saying you’re terrible with names. No one wants to hear that.

We all want to know that we are valued. So let’s not minimize each other by saying “I’m terrible with names.”

Author’s Bio: Lindsey Tolino is an intentional creative who helps make businesses better. She serves business owners with her words at ToBusinessOwners.com. Follow her on Twitter @LindseyTolino or connect with her on Google+.

Image info: Original royalty-free image from http://www.freeimages.com/photo/1428915

I Am Not A Blogger

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By Lisa D. Jenkins

I believe in blogging. Just not for me.

Female silhouette

Every 7 days I sit down to write a post here. Against almost every bit of social media/blogging advice to the contrary, my own blog – for years aptly titled The Occasional and Erratic Blog – has sat sparse and neglected. But I’m just now understanding why.

Self-employment wasn’t so much a carefully considered selection for me as it was a response to circumstances that required immediate action.

My two kids and I had decided to leave everything and start a new life together. I’d held a job I loved at a state college for almost 10 years. With benefits the job paid enough to cover a fairly modest life for a family of three. As my son said at the time, “We might eat hot dogs and ramen forever, but they’ll be our hot dogs and ramen.”

A month after the divorce was final, I lost the job I’d held and loved for 10 years – statewide budget cuts were deep that year. There I was with custody of my 13 year old son, a 21 year old in college, a mortgage and no income to cover any of it.

It was at that moment I decided to truly support myself rather than once more place myself in a position of counting on something else that might dissolve.

I’d been watching social media evolve and participating for a while – hoping my Director would let me integrate it into our marketing – and I knew beyond a doubt that I could make this work for me and for others. So I took the leap and dove head first into finding my way as a social media professional.

I was extremely vocal on Twitter and Facebook, learned WordPress and taught myself the coding skills we needed back in the day. Because: no plugins. I spent every single day learning and building connections by being helpful wherever I could. I offered advice, pointed people to resources, donated my time and writing to non-profits and I went to conferences. Nothing has been as keenly painful to my introverted self as that seemingly endless cycle of self-promotion but I did it. The one thing I never settled into was blogging.

Disclosure: Random exaggeration ahead.

“But you MUST blog,” says everyone always.

Yes, well, five years later and I’m still here – and barely blogging.

Inconceivable? Oh, it’s conceivable, I assure you.

But how to explain that to people and prospective clients became the issue at hand. Two weeks ago, on the Main Salmon River in the middle of Idaho’s Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, it crystalized for me.

I don’t want to be an A-List blogger. I’ve no aspirations to write a social media or marketing book. I don’t wish to be recognized as a media personality. I’ve never pursued those things.

I define and execute strategy. I measure and analyze metrics. I engage on social media. I curate content. I design campaigns. I build relationships. And, I blog … for my clients.

I do the job I love in the best way possible for the clients I partner with. If my work isn’t the best example of my worth to a new or existing client, no amount of blogging on my own site will help.

Hi. I’m Lisa. I’m a social media practitioner and that’s all I want to be.

How does what you’re doing fit with what you want to be?

Author’s Bio: Lisa D. Jenkins is a Public Relations professional specializing in Social and Digital Communications for businesses. She has over a decade of experience and work most often with destination organizations or businesses in the travel and tourism industry in the Pacific Northwest. Connect with her on Google+

Sharpen Your Marketing Skills with MOOCs

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What’s a MOOC?

It’s a trendy name for online college courses–Massive Open Online Courses.

It’s college without the beer pong.

In many professions, it’s common to have a requirement to do continuing education. Accountants, educators, attorneys, and many others are obligated to keep learning in order to maintain their professional status. Entrepreneurs should be doing it voluntarily.

Why You Should Always Be Learning

Even if you have 100 business and marketing blogs in your RSS reader, you should still go deeper. With the latest online courseware technology, you can communicate with fellow students, receive the information in video and/or audio format, work on collaborative projects, and often get course materials as well. This is a much richer experience than the hit-or-miss method of reading blog posts or e-books.

Stephen Covey’s 7th Habit of Highly Successful People is “sharpen the saw.” Anyone who wants to run a successful business with longevity should pay attention to this important habit.

Sharpening the Saw means preserving and enhancing the greatest asset you have–you. It means having a balanced program for self-renewal in the four areas of your life: physical, social/emotional, mental, and spiritual.

A key component of many MOOCs is the sharing of real-world experiences and projects by the participants. You may get inspiration, support, and new ideas by joining. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, this could be something to give you a good kick in the pants.

First, Decide What You’re Studying

There are courses available on a huge array of subjects. You can either follow a course series from a specific institution, or set up your own path of study.

Are you interested in honing your branding skills? Need help with market research? Want to build on your knowledge of competitive analysis? Do some research and gather a group of courses that you can “stack” consecutively for maximum reinforcement of the key concepts.

A Sampling of MOOC Resources

  • edx.org (https://www.edx.org/) – Free online courses for an array of schools, sortable by category/subject area. This is a collaborative effort by several institutions. Includes a lot of Ivy League content.
  • MITOpenCourseWare (ocw.mit.edu) – Free online courses from MIT; includes a marketing subject area.
  • Entrepreneurship Corner (ecorner.stanford.edu) – Stanford’s excellent series of videos and podcasts for entrepreneurs. There is a mobile app available as well.
  • MOOC List (http://www.mooc-list.com/) – An aggregator site that is searchable by subject; huge list of MOOCs from all over the web.

Drawbacks of the MOOC

  • You may not earn credits; if you’re looking to end up with a certification or course credits, check up-front. Some offer college credits and some do not.
  • Might be outdated material (check the date on the course before starting it…some were recorded a long time ago, and best practices do change).
  • You get what you pay for. If it’s free, remember that you won’t have full attention from the professor, and there may not be technical support available if you have problems accessing the course.
  • Might not be structured enough for some types of learners. Most MOOCs are free-flowing and study-at-your-own pace. This won’t work if you don’t have some discipline to keep going.

So, are you ready to give it a try? Please share any good online courses you’ve experienced already!

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out the Social Strata blog. You can find Rosemary on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Surprise Yourself

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Timing Isn’t Everything.

cooltext443794242_influence

They say that

  • opportunity happens when we’re prepared for it.
  • when we’re ready the right teacher appears.
  • Winning isn’t getting ahead of others. It’s getting ahead of yourself.

I say that trying is what happens right before succeeding begins.

Timing isn’t everything.
Knowing our place in time is.

We can stand in the perfect place in time with opportunity right within our reach. How we’ve used our time to prepare, what brought us here, won’t be enough, the outcome will still be affected by how we think. Despite the fact of our top-notch abilities, if we think we’re ready, we’ll take on that chance, if we think we’re not good enough, we’ll let it pass.

Surprise Yourself

Some days, some Mondays, we may be ready for the week to begin. Some days, some Mondays, come with challenges that mean a lot and we wonder whether we’ll win.

Wondering allows those voices and doubts in your head to say things like,

  • you’ll never be able to do that.
  • you’ll never be as good as he is.
  • who are you for thinking you should that?

Don’t wonder.
Dig in and do something about those doubts.

Consider replacing those old voices in your head with a few voices that I’ve heard in the last week or two …

  • You never know until you try.
  • Never underestimate your own value.
  • People could be saying nice things about you.

Refill your positive opinion of you. Remember when you’ve helped someone, answered a question that someone asked or passed on a kind word that was shared with someone who never knew good things were being said about him. Inside those moments you’ll find fuel to face a new challenge or even a plain old Monday again.

Then spend a while doing thinking about how you might do the same things for yourself. People who can cheer themselves, help themselves, and keep themselves are inspiring to be with.

Be inspired!
And don’t be shy about showing it!


Let a sunrise surprise you and inspire you!

Have faith in your ability to surprise yourself.
Surprise yourself with the ways you can make good things happen for you and everyone else.
Believe in what you’ll make, not what you’ll break!
Your subconscious will do the rest.

Every winner believes in winning.
Every leader knows to believe.
Surprise yourself with believing.
It’s irresistible.

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Does Your Credibility Show in What You Do?

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cooltext443860173_ive-been-thinking

about credibility and what we do.

Not long ago, while we were listening to a talk show, a friend made a remark about a woman caller who argued a passionate opinion. She talked a bit longer than was acceptable for the the show in question. What he said was, “Anyone who can’t stop long enough to let someone else talk isn’t worth listening to.”

Have you met the pot that called the kettle black? With that sentence his credibility was shot.

This friend loves to argue science, politics, and how things work — he uses the same arguments more than once. His style is exactly that. He makes his voice such a strong force that no one has the energy to argue his point. It’s fine tactic for winning, but not one for reaching the truth. It’s also, as he himself said, not a way to win people who want to listen to you.

I’ve been thinking about that dissonance ever since. What struck me is how often we dislike in others what is our own habit or fault. We hold up our values when we call someone out for misbehaving, but we lose our credibility when the misbehavior is something we do too.

I’m going to be a little slower to talk. I’m going to check for my own version of someone’s bad behavior before I point theirs out. I don’t want to be the pot that calls the kettle black.

Credibility is hard to renew.

Credibility means believability. How believable can we be if we knock a behavior we do ourselves? .

Does your credibility show in what you do?

Be credible.
Be irresistible.
Be the best version of you.

Liz's Signature