Military Jokes And Humor

Military Jokes And HumorMilitary Jokes And HumorMinot AFB opened in February 1957 and supports Continous Bomber Presence (CBP) as well as Intercontinental Ballistic Missles. The strategic importance of this base, its mission, billions of dollars of strategic bombers, nuclear weapons and missiles cannot be underestimated, but the cold weather and remoteness is often the butt of many military jokes. This base is in the middle of NORTH DAKOTA To say the Air Force Airmen create jokes about their living conditions in such a place is an understatement. Here is a classic joke about life in Minot AFB during the winter. The most used phrase about the Minot Air Force Base as well as the town itself is a simple question and answerQuestion Why Not Minot?Answer Freezins the Reason.Many who have grown accustomed to the base and its permanent sitzordnung within the polar vortex will quickly answer, No other base has two-thirds of the nuclear triad (Bombers, ICBMs) with Ballistic Missile Submarines being the third of the Strategic Deterent Mission. Here is a classic long story diary form joke about life at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota during the winter months. An Airmans Jurnal December 8 - 600 PM. It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow December 9 - We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Putting in for an assignment at Minot was the best idea Ive ever had. Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snowplow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life. December 12 - The su n has melted all our lovely snow. Such a disappointment. My neighbor tells me not to worry, well definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful Bob says well have so much snow by the end of winter, that Ill never want to see snow again. I dont think thats possible. Bob is such a nice man, Im glad hes our neighbor. December 14 - Snow lovely snow 8 last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life The snowplow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didnt realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but Ill certainly get back in shape this way. December 15 - 20 inches of snow in theforecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wifes car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think thats silly. We arent in Alask a, after all. December 16 - Ice storm this morning. Fell on my butt on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel. December 17 - leise way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I shouldve bought a wood stove, but wont admit it to her. God I hate it when shes right. I cant believe Im freezing to death in my own living room. December 20 - Electricitys back on, but had another 14 of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling. Took all day. Damn snowplow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said theyre too busy playing hockey. I think theyre lying. Called the BX to see about buying a snow blower and theyre out. Might have another shipment in March. I think theyre lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the base will issue me a ticket, and if you get three, you have to move off-base. I think hes lying. December 22 - Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white crap fell today, and its so cold it probably wont melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to poop. By the time I got undressed, pooped and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter but he says hes too busy. I think the jerk is lying. December 23 - Only 2 of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she nuts Why didnt she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think shes lying. December 24 - 6. Snow packed so hard by snowplow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snowplow Ill drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken s hovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where Ive just been Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snowplow. December 25 - Merry -bleeping- Christmas 20 more inches of the damn slop tonight. Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. I hate the snow Then the snowplow driver came by asking for a cup of coffee or hot chocolate and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think shes a fricking idiot. If I have to watch Its A Wondeful Life one more time, Im going to stuff her into the microwave. December 26 - Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever put Minot on the dream sheet? It was all HER idea. Shes really getting on my nerves. December 27 - Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze, CE finally came after 14 hours of waiting f or for them. Said it was a busy day. I know the SOBs are lying. December 28 - Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. THE BITCH is driving me crazy December 29 - 10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. Thats the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am? December 30 - Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plow driver. The commander is now giving me an Article 15, for not only the beating I gave the driver, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his ass. The wife went home to her mother. 9 of snow predicted. December 31 - I set fire to whats left of the house. No more shoveling. January 8 - Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to thebed? So, I ask you again - Why Not Minot?Military Jokes and Humor

5 Strategies for Creating a Winning Staffing Management Game Plan

5 Strategies for Creating a Winning Staffing Management Game Plan5 Strategies for Creating a Winning Staffing Management Game PlanThe responsibility for the success of the team starts with the coach, who develops the plan that is then executed by the players - who are extremely well-prepared.In a 1993 interview with the Harvard Business Review (HBR), former San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh welches asked how he achieved quickness and responsiveness in his teams. The quote above was just parte of his response. But it is a significant statement. As the HBR article notes, Walshs focus on developing long-range strategic and personnel plans for the 49ers from the moment he joined the organization in 1979 helped him create a powerhouse team that won three Super Bowl titles during his tenure.Building an all-star finance and accounting team for your business also requires a solid game plan. With a well-thought-out staffing management strategy, you can complement the abilities of you r current MVPs, and give them the support they need to deliver their best performance. You can also identify and address skills gaps that could undermine your finance functions ability to meet critical deadlines, keep clients satisfied and generate new business.When developing his personnel strategy, Walsh, according to HBR, focused on what other coaches had considered the minutiae of the game minute-by-minute choreographing of practices, breaking down individual and group tactics into parts, and defining responsibilities and setting objectives for both players and coaches. You may not need to get this detailed when creating a game plan for your accounting and finance organization (although it cant hurt). But do consider applying the following five strategies as part of your processStrategy 1. Conduct a talent auditStep back and assess your current team members to determine their strengths. Dont just consider technical skills. Think about your employees interpersonal abilities and l eadership potential, too. Public speaking skills, business acumen and effectiveness in collaborating with people inside and outside of your department are all qualities that deepen your finance functions bench strength. A thorough assessment of each players talents can also help to inform your succession planning efforts for your organization.Strategy 2. Identify critical gaps in your rosterOnce you fully gauge your existing staffs abilities, think about what roles and skills youd need to recruit to create a high-performing and well-balanced dream team for your finance function. To fill critical gaps, would you need to hire more full-time staff? Could you train and develop promising employees? Or would it be better to engage specialists and experienced consultants? Depending on the needs of your business, you may find you need to employ all the above staffing strategies. (See Strategy 4.)Strategy 3. Determine how long you will need certain skillsYour staffing management strategy sho uld be designed to be flexible. It must stretch and contract with ease and speed as workload demands fluctuate. Thats why its important to differentiate between project-based and ongoing needs when creating your game plan. For example, if your firm pursues a merger or acquisition, or an IPO, you might need to hire specialized consultants to help guide the business successfully through ansicht big change events. On the other hand, entering a new market or taking on a major new account might require you to expand your roster of full-time accounting and finance employees.Strategy 4. Know how to compete for top talentWhen you extend job offers to in-demand candidates, start with salaries that are at or above market rates - and be prepared to negotiate if needed. (You can use our Salary Calculator to quickly determine compensation ranges in your market for accounting and finance roles youre trying to fill.) Your game plan for recruiting top players should also include publicizing the co mpelling perks your company offers, such as a work-life balance program.Strategy 5. Keep top performers from jumping shipSavvy managers know they need to put as much effort into retaining top players as they do to recruit them. So, your staffing management strategy should include tactics for keeping MVPs motivated to stay with your organization for the long term. Clearly mapping milestones for career achievement and offering professional development opportunities are just some ways to keep your employees engaged and satisfied on the job.Creating a winning staffing management game plan for your accounting and finance team requires a lot of careful thought. Even then, theres no guarantee that every staffing decision you make will be the right one. Youll also need to adjust your strategy over time, as your organization changes and faces new challenges. But having a plan is better than no plan at all.As Coach Walsh told HBR in 1993, You need to have a plan even for the worst scenario. I t doesnt mean that it will always work it doesnt mean that you will always be successful. But you will always be prepared and at your best.Great teams dont just happen - theyre builtLooking for more ideas on how to build a strong team for your accounting and finance function? Download Robert Halfs free guide, Creating Managing the Dream Team, for tips on how to identify the working styles of elite players, manage different personality types with the right approach, and leverage effective management techniques to be an even stronger leader.GET THE GUIDE

Laszlo Bock, Googles work guru, starts new company Humu to make work better

Laszlo Bock, Google's work guru, starts new company Humu to 'make work better' Laszlo Bock, Google's work guru, starts new company Humu to 'make work better' Laszlo Bock is the innovative man behind Google’s company culture of free meals and shuttle buses. Now he’s planning something new.As Google’s former Senior Vice President of People Operations, Bock made the company’s culture more cooperative and wrote a bestselling book about how, titled Work Rules!After Bock announced he was leaving Google in 2016, reports of his new startup emerged. In an email to family and friends, he said his new pursuit would be built around the principle that “every job can have meaning, that if you give people freedom they will amaze you, that applied science (which I dubbed ‘people analytics’ a decade back) can illuminate the truth about what really makes people happy and productive.”On Monday, Bock elaborated what that  meant in his first public announcement that he was starting a new company called humu to “make work better.”Citing U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics, Bock said he was alarmed to find out we  spend eight times as much time working as we do caring for others. Worse for Bock was finding out that two-thirds of Americans only see their work as “just a job.”He wants to change that. He believes “work should be better than that. It needs to be better than that. If we’re devoting most of our lives to work, that experience should be meaningful, impactful, productive.”Work RulesThis is not the first time Bock has talked about making work meaningful.In fact, improving the culture of work was the thesis to his bestselling book. He used Google as a positive  case study on how leaders can make work meaningful for their employees through three principles: “finding a compelling mission, being transparent, and giving their people a voice.”The Humuhumunukunukuapua’a of the animal work worldMaking work better sounds great, we can all agree, but there’s not much detail on how humu is planning to do this.Is humu going to be a LinkedIn jobs board site, or the Goop lifestyle publication of the workforce, o r a Lean-In circle for job seekers and advisers to share wisdom and talk shop, or a combination of all of the above?All we have are mysterious clues from Bock himself.When a person on Twitter noted that “somebody has to be building a LinkedIn killer,” Bock replied archly, “Yes…..someone.”Humu’s website is currently sparse. There’s only the caption, “making work better through science, machine learning, and a little bit of love” with a photo of a fish.A reverse Google image search tell us this fish is a Humuhumunukunukuapua’a (pronounced who-moo-who-moo-noo-koo-noo-koo-ah-pooah-ah), the State Fish of Hawaii.Ok, now the name of the company makes more sense as way to shorten that fish’s name - but what does a reef triggerfish have to do with work?We took a look at the fish’s characteristics for clues, and it does sound like someone we might have worked with. This reef triggerfish has a pretty face and razor-sharp teeth. It’s known for its aggressive, solitary nature. Its  color is most vivid when it  is healthy and feels unthreatened.Is Bock telling us that we’re all lonely, competitive fish trying to find environments  where our coats can shine?Ladders has reached out to Bock and  his humu co-founder Wayne Crosby to find out more about humu’s mission, so we can stop projecting work anxieties onto  a Hawaiian fish. We will update when we get a response.

Advice for When You Meet Your Military Recruiter

Advice for When You Meet Your Military Recruiter Advice for When You Meet Your Military Recruiter How should you prepare for a meeting with a military recruiter? Learn about what to expect and what questions to ask. If you are unsure of which service to join, you may want to visit recruiters from all of the services. Tell the recruiter up front that you are visiting all of the recruiters before you make any decision. Bringing a Friend or Relative to Your Recruiting Meeting Its a good idea to bring a parent, relative, or better yet, someone who has served in the military for your first visit. However, make sure its someone youre comfortable with hearing the answers to the personal questions your recruiter will ask during that first interview. These include, Have you ever used drugs? The recruiter asks these questions to make sure he knows your basic qualifications and whether or not he can afford to spend valuable time with you. If you dont want your parents to hear the truthful answer to these questions, youre probably better off going alone. Questions to Ask Your Recruiter Its a good idea to prepare a list of questions to ask, in advance.  Be as specific as possible. While most recruiters will not lie to you, remember that the recruiter lives or dies by the number of people he/she can recruit. He or she may not volunteer information which may chase away a potential quota-maker. Its up to you to ask pointed, specific, no-nonsense questions, and expect direct answers. Be very suspicious of any unclear, or vague answers. Always press for specifics. If in doubt, ask the recruiter to put the information in writing, and sign it, or to show you in the regulations, guides, or pamphlets that what he/she is saying is true. If youre joining the active duty Air Force or the active duty Navy, in most cases, you dont want to ask too many questions about specific military jobs. Job selections for these branches are performed during your processing at the Military Entrance Processing Station (MEPS), and the recruiters have nothing (or little) to do with it. Rather, focus your questions on the general advantages of that particular service (length of basic training, leave (vacation), medical care, barracks/dormitory/housing conditions, education benefits, etc.as). If youre joining the active duty Army, active duty Marine Corps, Army or Air National Guard, or the Reserve forces (of any of the branches), the recruiter will have more input about job opportunities (more on this in the next chapter). Common Courtesy for Recruiter Meetings Treat the recruiter with the same courtesy that you would give if you were at a meeting with the hiring director for a civilian job. Recruiters are busy animals. Recruiters put more hours on-the-job than just about any person in the military. Recruiters do not get a monetary bonus for signing people up. They get their regular paycheck, whether you enlist or not. If you drop by without an appointment, dont be surprised if your recruiter isnt there. He might be taking someone to MEPS, speaking at a high school, trying to calm jittery parents at an applicants house, or taking a few days of well-deserved leave (vacation). Show up for your appointment, and dont cancel at the last minute. If you were trying to get a job with Microsoft, you most certainly would not walk in dressed like  a bum or make an appointment, just to cancel it at the last minute. Getting Down to Basics Sooner or later, youre going to have to stop shopping, and decide on which military service you want to join. You may have met a recruiter who impressed you, or you may have met a recruiter that left you cold. Its important that you not choose your military service based upon your perception of the recruiters quality. Choose your service based on your interests, not whether or not the recruiter was kind enough to buy you lunch at McDonalds. Once you make your decision, make an appointment with the recruiter for the service you want to join. The first thing the recruiter is going to do is to pre-qualify you. The recruiter will ask you a bunch of questions to see if you  qualify for military service. These will be questions about age, citizenship or immigration status, education level, criminal history, drug abuse history, and medical conditions. The recruiter may weigh you, and ask to see personal paperwork (birth certificate,  high school diploma,  social security  card, etc.). Tell the Whole Truth to the Recruiter Its important that you be truthful with the recruiter. Its also very important that you not allow the recruiter to encourage, advise, or even hint that you lie about any of this important information. It is a felony to give false information or withhold required information on any military recruiting paperwork. Remember, there is no  right to join the  United States Military. The recruiter uses the information you give to determine whether or not you are qualified to join, based on  Department of Defense  (DOD) and individual service standards. Those standards exist for reasons. It is not up to you, or the recruiter to decide which standards are valid and which ones are not. It is much better to be disqualified for enlistment in the first place and never join; then it is to lie about it, go through basic training, have the lie discovered, then get thrown out of the military (possibly with an administrative discharge that will follow you for the rest of your life). ASVAB Test In addition to the pre-qualification questions, the recruiter may ask you to take a sample  Armed Forces Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)  test. It is a computerized  ASVAB  mini-test, with representative questions in the four areas of the ASVAB which determine the overall  ASVAB Score  (AFQT Score). These areas are  Word Knowledge, Paragraph Comprehension,  Mathematics Knowledge, and Arithmetic Reasoning. This mini-test has a pretty good reputation for estimating what  youre  AFQT score is going to be when you take the full-blown test. Some recruiting commands have policies that will preclude scheduling the applicant for the actual  ASVAB unless they achieve a designated  minimum score  on this practice ASVAB. Medical Questionnaire Of particular importance is the  medical questionnaire  (there are two of them- the first one is completed in the recruiters office, and the second one is completed at MEPS when you take your physical). It costs the military a lot of time and money to process the medical physical. If medical pre-screen in the recruiters office finds anything questionable, the recruiter must get permission from the medical officials at MEPS to even schedule you for a physical. Just as there is no  right  to join the military, neither do you have the right to have a physical. If the MEPS medical official determines (from the pre-screening questionnaire) that you are not medically qualified, they can simply refuse to allow you to take the physical. If this happens, youre pretty much dead in the water, as far as enlistment is concerned, as waivers are generally not granted in such cases, nor is there any workable avenue of appeal. What if You Don't Meet the Standards? Even if you dont meet the standards, sometimes criminal history, minor drug abuse, and medical conditions can be  waived. Whether or not a condition can be waived is not up to the recruiter. Its up to superiors in his/her command (exactly how high up the chain of command depends on what the waiver is for), who make decisions based upon current law, regulations, and policy. Some things cant be waived, and the recruiter can tell you this, straight up front. There is simply no way even to guess whether or not a waiver will be approved, even if someone has gotten a waiver for the same condition in the past, or- conversely- if nobody has ever gotten a waiver for the condition in the past. Each and every waiver is evaluated individually, using several individual factors, including but not limited to: Is the condition progressive?Is the condition subject to aggravation by military service?Will the condition preclude satisfactory completion of prescribed training and subsequent military duty?Will the condition constitute an undue hazard to the exam or to others, particularly under combat conditions?Is the recruit exceptionally qualified, otherwise? (ASVAB scores, etc.)How are current  recruiting goals? How bad does that particular branch of the service need this particular applicant at this particular point-in-time? Generally, when the services are doing well in their recruiting efforts, fewer waivers are considered. During years when the services are having a tough time finding enough qualified applicants to meet their quotas, they are more generous in the  waiver approval arena. I have seen waivers approved for a specific condition, only to see a waiver disapproved for the same condition, by the same service, just a few weeks later. Remember, each of the services has their own standards and policies when it comes to processing recruiting waivers. If you dont qualify for one service, its possible that another service would agree to process and approve a waiver. In general, the  Air Force  has the reputation for approving the fewest waivers, followed by the  Marine Corps, the Navy/Coast Guard, and finally the Army. Because  National Guard  recruiting policies can differ greatly from state-to-state, many times, the National Guard will approve a waiver that the active duty and reserve forces wont even consider. Once the pre-qualification is done, the recruiter then knows whether or not he/she can start processing you for enlistment.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Curriculum Vitae (CV) Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Lights Out 7 night-time rituals that will make you happy and more productive

Lights Out 7 night-time rituals that will make you happy and more productive Lights Out 7 night-time rituals that will make you happy and more productive Everybody talks about morning rituals to get the day started right. (Even I have.) But  ending  the day right can be even more important. Why?Because your mind  ain’t perfect when it comes to happiness. It  cheats.Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner and author of  Thinking, Fast and Slow, has shown that your brain really  remembers only two things about an event: The emotional peak The end Via  The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less:Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman and his colleagues have shown that what we remember about the pleasurable quality of our past experiences is almost entirely determined by two things: how the experiences felt when they were at their peak (best or worst), and how they felt when they ended. This “peak-end” rule of Kahneman’s is what we use to summarize the experience, and then we rely on that summary later to remind ourselves of how the experience felt.If your brain is gonna cheat, you should  cheat back. Let’s game the system. If you structure your days  so that the peak is awesome  and the ending is awesome  you’ll fool your imperfect noggin into a happier life.How? I am so very happy you asked. Let’s get to it…1) Have a “Shutdown Ritual”Workday is over. But your mind is still going and going and going. You gotta get your brain out of “work mode” to relax.A simple ritual can help. Have a consistent lit tle routine that let’s your overactive brain know “we’re done.”From  Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World:…support your commitment to shutting down with a strict shutdown ritual that you use at the end of the workday to maximize the probability that you succeed. In more detail, this ritual should ensure that every incomplete task, goal, or project has been reviewed and that for each you have confirmed that either (1) you have a plan you trust for its completion, or (2) it’s captured in a place where it will be revisited when the time is right.Bestselling author  Dan Pink  gives similar advice:Establish a closing ritual.  Know when to stop working. Try to end each work day the same way, too. Straighten up your desk. Back up your computer. Make a list of what you need to do tomorrow.Research shows writing down what you need to do the next day  relieves anxiety and helps you enjoy your evening.(To learn the six things the most productive people do ever y day, click  here.)Now you’re out of “work mode.” You want to get happy, right?  Wouldn’t it be great if every day was a Saturday? Impossible?Wrong, dear reader…2) Turn Weeknights Into WeekendsFirst let’s ask: why are weekends so great?  Research  says the  big reason is more time with friends and family:A large portion of the weekend effects is explained by differences in the amount of time spent with friends or family between weekends and weekdays (7.1 vs. 5.4 hours). The extra daily social time of 1.7 hours in weekends raises average happiness by about 2%.So don’t just sit on the couch by yourself when you get home. Spend 2 hours with friends or family and you just turned a dull Tuesday night into a happy Saturday.(To learn how to make your weekends more awesome, click  here.)Okay, you can’t go out and see friends every weeknight. What else makes evenings more enjoyable?3) Mastery, Not TVResearch  shows that “mastery experiences” are also key to helping peopl e recover from the workweek.So what’s that mean?  Doing stuff you’re good at and trying to get better.Actively engage in a hobby,  don’t passively  sit on the couch.Most of us seek unscheduled free time for our leisure but given your brain’s lazy nature, research says  you’re likely to waste that time doing what’s easy vs what’s really fun.Via  Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life:Summing up, Csíkszentmihlyi says, “If left to their own devices and genetic programming, and without a salient external stimulus to attract them, most people go into a mode of low-level information processing in which they worry about things or watch television.” The antidote to leisure-time ennui is to pay as much attention to scheduling a productive evening or weekend as you do to your workday.(To learn what Harvard research says is the secret to being happier and more successful, click  here.)Okay, you’re actively engaging in a hobby.  But your brain does not have an easy “off” switch.If you want a good night’s snooze  you need a ritual that  helps you wind down and lets your mind know it’s sleepy time…4) Wind Down, Don’t CollapseDim the lights and turn off all screens at least an hour before bed.You wouldn’t walk around in bright daylight before trying to sleep for eight hours, would you? Well, when you stare at screens late at night, that’s pretty much what you’re doing.When I talked to  Richard Wiseman,  professor of psychology at the University of  Hertfordshire and bestselling author of  Night School: Wake up to the power of sleep,  he said:Ten minutes of a smartphone in front of your nose is about the equivalent of an hour long walk in bright daylight.  Imagine going for an hour long walk in bright daylight and then thinking, “Now I’ll get some sleep.” It ain’t going to happen.(For more on how to get an amazing night’s sleep, click  here.)So no screens. And if you want to maintain a happy relationship, what should you  never   do before bedtime?5) Don’t  Go To Bed Angry With Your PartnerKarl Pillemer  of Cornell University interviewed nearly 1500 people age 70 to 100+ for his book “30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans.”  What did they recommend most often for a happy relationship?Via  30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans:…if there was one ubiquitous recommendation about marriage it was this: “Don’t go to bed angry.”Why might this be so powerful?Via  30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans:…most things that couples disagree upon aren’t worth more than a day’s combat… The joy that many of the experts express on waking in the morning next to a partner of decades is the flip side of this insight. Each additional day together is a  gift. The end of the day means the end of hostilities, the recognition that the underlying shared values and commitment to the relationship trump the need for one last dig or self-righteous justification.Not going to bed angry doesn’t mean “stay up and fight.” Just let it go. Kiss and make up.(To learn the four most common relationship problems - and how to fix them, click  here.)And it’s probably no surprise that the single most proven method for increasing happiness is something best done before bed. Here it is…6) Write Down The Good Stuff That HappenedI’ve mentioned this a bunch in the past. But if you’re still not doing it, you need to start.  This is all you have to do: Put a notepad and pen by the bed. Before you go to sleep each night, write down three things that happened that day which you’re thankful for. Then write a sentence about why each happened. This technique has been proven  again  and  again  and  again. Here it is, explained by its originator, University of Pennsylvania professor Martin Seligman.Via  Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being:Every night for the next week, set aside ten minutes before you go to sleep. Write down three things that went well today and why they went well…Writing about why the positive events in your life happened may seem awkward at first, but please stick with it for one week. It will get easier. The odds are that you will be less depressed, happier, and addicted to this exercise six months from now.Research  shows the  more you think about happy things the happier you’ll be. Simple but true. So reminders are powerful.(To learn how to make your life better by sending 5 simple emails, click  here.)Now your brain may cheat when it comes to happiness but it can also be your best ally. Sometimes dreams are far better than reality. How can you use that to your advan tage?7) Schedule  Something To Look Forward ToStudies show anticipation can actually be  more  enjoyable  than getting the thing you’re anticipating.From  The Myths of Happiness: What Should Make You Happy, but Doesn’t, What Shouldn’t Make You Happy, but Does:…researchers who studied a thousand Dutch vacationers concluded that by far the greatest amount of happiness extracted from the vacation is derived from the anticipation period…People who devote time to anticipating fun experiences are happier.From Shawn Achor’s  The Happiness Advantage:One study found that people who just thought about watching their favorite movie actually raised their endorphin levels by 27 percent. Often, the most enjoyable part of an activity is the anticipation. If you can’t take the time for a vacation right now, or even a night out with friends, put something on the calendar- even if it’s a month or a year down the road. Then whenever you need a boost of happiness, remind yourself about it.Schedule a meal with a friend or designate a time the next day to indulge yourself with something simple that you love to do. Then be excited about it. That’s all it takes.(To learn the four rituals neuroscience says will make you happier, click  here.)Okay, let’s round all this up and learn  the easiest way to get started…Sum UpHere’s your new evening ritual for happiness: Have a “shutdown ritual.”  Write down worries and make a plan for tomorrow. Work is over. Turn weeknights into weekends.  Weekends are happier because of time with friends. So see friends. Not hard. Mastery, not TV.  Hobbies make you happier. Spend nights getting awesome at something. Wind down, don’t collapse.  No screens. No coffee. No skydiving. Never go to bed angry with your partner.  Kiss and make up. And kiss. And kiss some more. Write down the good stuff that happened.  Force your brain to think about the good and life will be good. Schedule something to look forward to.  Anticipation is like 401K matching for happiness. Double the  happies. Your brain cheats. Cheat back.  Plan a good thing for tomorrow to have an emotional high point, end the day right and you can trick your mind into  happiness.And don’t wait. Right now, send this to a friend and plan something fun for tomorrow. That way you’re half done.As the saying goes, “All’s well that ends well.” So end the day well, my friend.Join more than 300,000 readers.  Get a free weekly update via email  here.Related posts:How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertNew Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You HappyNew Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More Successful  This article first appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree

What Do CEOs Look for in Interviews

What Do CEOs Look for in Interviews What Do CEOs Look for in Interviews In a new book, Adam Bryant talks to more than 70 CEOs about what they want from new hires.Seventy CEOs walk into a room …Top executives are often the objects of wry humor and close scrutiny over their compensation and strategic fumbles as well as the financial performance of their companies. In his new book, “The Corner Office“, Adam Bryant takes a different, more personal tack: He focuses on the qualities that have put them into positions of leadership and their perspective on how employees can thrive and advance their own careers at any level.Bryant uses more than 70 interviews he conducted for his New York Times column of the same title to gauge CEOs’ candid perspectives on the challenges of succeeding, managing and leading in corporate America. In this context, their insights are less a profile of the tiny minority of people who’ll ever hold a CEO title than a guide for career-minded professionals to make their own way through corporate obstacles.To underscore the point , Bryant pointed to the variety of resumes that lead professionals to the corner office. “So many of the CEOs I’ve interviewed come from surprising backgrounds,” he said. “Why did they end up as CEO? Whatever job they have, they take ownership of it, and they figure out how to do it well, then they get promoted.“It’s a question of the locus of control: Do you start looking for excuses why it can’t be done, or do you find ways to do it? There’s this cartoonish notions about why people are in those top spots: that they’re master politicians or greedy … That might be true in some cases, but they get promoted in most cases because they do a good job.”A job search requires a careful balance of candor and diplomacy. What can CEOs teach us about self-presentation at a new company?“It’s become clear to me they’re master psychologists,” Bryant replied. When it comes to interviewing new talent at their company, “they’ve come up with incredibly clever ways of using misdirection to get people off-script. What does that mean for job seekers? Be yourself, but just turn up the volume in terms of energy and presentation.”Furthermore, CEOs tend to be people who acknowledge their missteps and expect others to do the same. “It’s OK to have setbacks and failures in your life and career … That’s the stuff CEOs want to hear about. CEOs who’ve come back from situations like that have come to realize there are things they can’t control. CEOs really want to hear stories of failure, setback, adversity. That’s a given. The CEOs want to hear you’re being honest, but they also want to hear how you’ve dealt with it.”They also respect fearlessness, Bryant said. “You can hear the reverence in CEOs’ voices for people who have it. They really value people who are willing to take risk - as long as they’re doing it in the best interest of the company, not just to make a name for themselves.“Another insight that I’ve heard repeate d often from CEOs is about ‘star players’ vs. ‘team players.’ Many say that when they first started hiring, they were bowled over by talent. But then they realized over time that stars do not make good team players. Hence, they will focus a lot of their interview on work with teams. Work is increasingly being done in this country by cross-disciplinary, ad-hoc teams. That skill is at much more of a premium than, “I’m the star.’ “