Our Best Advice

JOBS – The Best Careers

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010 | Our Best Advice | No Comments

Below are great TIPS to take advantage of for your Career Building goals and Cultivated Living. At ISA we get inquiries from Applicants asking what are the best Jobs available. Because we receive new wonderful Employer Job Orders continuously, it’s important to stay in top form prepared for interviews with our clients.

You can use our TIPS to assist your goals, refine your work, or help others do their jobs better.  Our Best Advice is invaluable– filled with years of expertise other agencies cannot claim. We’re known as Best of the Best. You can begin our process of applying for a job here online and send us your resume with photo, contact our office.

May is a great month to start fresh and avoid burnout, even if you need to make a job change. TIP – People tend to make their work way too complicated. Just because we now have technology and a bunch of software choices, don’t let it take over your focus. Keep it simple.

Among my wonderful mentors was a high profile very successful man, who came from a wealthy family (but had also made considerable money on his own). Over the years when we met for lunch it was usually at the restaurant, or at his home where we placed a Top Estate Couple (who ran the home for him and his wife), with one of the couple being a Chef among other estate management duties.

Then, one day he asked me to meet him at his office first. We were going to a restaurant nearby and would walk there. I arrived at an iconic high rise overlooking the ocean, with a stunning office interior right out of Sabrina (1954 version).

In the movie, Audrey Hepburn plays the chauffeur’s daughter, with co-stars Humphrey Bogart and William Holden being sons of inherited wealth (a great video to rent if you haven’t already seen it). See Hulu for free movies.

His huge desk empty of everything but a telephone, Bert was siting laconically, gracious as always, relaxed (looking nothing like Humphrey Bogart who played a character of ‘all business, no pleasure, no play’). I asked my mentor where he was hiding all the papers on his desk to prove he really worked for a living. He laughed. This man ran top corporations in the world. He didn’t like waste. Bert replied that any CEO who’s got a desk full of papers doesn’t know their job and doesn’t understand business. His executive secretary also had a minimal desk, without a filing cabinet in sight (presumably, they were in a closet for esthetics). She was always warm when we’d spoken on the telephone, but this was the first time we’d met. A well mannered, smart, true Professional.

That eventful day Bert asked me if I’d be interested in opening a school for domestics to learn top high level skills for jobs in the domestic help field. He felt there would be a lack of these professionals in the future, and offered to back it. I was very moved and complimented he considered me someone to partner with, yet I declined. Although I could easily oversee it (and clearly knew who the best professionals able to teach it would be), I explained why this was not going to solve the top skills issue. Nothing beats hands on experience and schools cannot give that. It isn’t that I don’t believe in schools, just that they’re inherently limited. I offered to introduce him to a Top Butler who might be interested instead. He would not consider it without my being involved.

TIP – Become passionately self educated and continue learning daily. Neighborhood Libraries are free, and our Los Angeles Public Library downtown is terrific (a great visit if you’ve never been there). You can also download books at Gutenberg Project and Google Library for free, in media formats of your choice. Read to become more cultivated.

Reading provides for learning, and hands on experience deepens it. In England you’re taught on an apprenticeship basis, advancing through the ranks at the home you work in. Someone above you (who went through the same process) gives critical supervision daily, until your work is perfect. Only then are you allowed greater responsibility. You’re not going to see staff destroy a floor, a cashmere sweater, or wear down the silver, because someone didn’t know what they were doing. See our SITEMAP for more TIPS on those. Traditional classic training remains unbeatable. There is something indelibly real about it.

It’s a bit misleading to tell folks that just because they hold a certification in their hands, that would be sufficient to call themselves a Top Butler or Top Estate Manager. Luxury Home Estates environments requires you to know much more then what was learned in school. Every Chef knows you have to apprentice at a professional kitchen with a Master Chef to become very good, which takes hands on experience. There is style and great professional ability to it. Not to mention some of the most successful people in the world were high school drop outs self educated.

One of the reasons for job burnout is because there is a lack of knowing how to run things well and expediently. TIP – for all Personal Assistants and Estate Managers, long ago I was taught there is no need to create unnecessary wasteful paper. Keep it lean. That holds true for computer data entry too. Don’t drain your energy. If you’re stressed out on your job, use some of these burnout TIPS below, or do them to further yourself. Tell A Friend

Schedule Regular Social Activities

Even if you’re feeling tired after a days work, schedule weekly social meetings with friends and people you’d like to know better, or those you went to school with but haven’t seen in a while. Not only will it improve your networking, people who maintain an active social life live longer and have more fun in life. Go to the Art Openings, Galleries, Museums, food and wine tastings. Seek to increase being cultivated. Many of these events are free or cost little to attend like Programs Music [LACMA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art].

Don’t Worry Be Happy!

This really does work. Smile daily, laugh out loud, at nothing, and often. It’s true. Good energy brings more of itself. People in the past didn’t need to go see a comedy show or movie to laugh. They bubbled with it even during dire circumstances. Some of the best jokes came out of the worst times. What did people do in the past? They went dancing! They whistled, had hobbies, told each other jokes, the list is endless…

Always Try New Activities

Take dancing lessons like Swing (a great workout), fantastic music and fun. Or go on Nature Walks or Hikes to learn the wild edibles, participate in diverse social activities from your usual ones. Diversify to enjoy and to share new experiences. You become more interested, and interesting.

Follow a New Fitness Plan

Part of your job description is staying fit and healthy.  Apart from all the physical benefits of exercise, you’ll also enjoy the mental satisfaction, as long as it’s not your usual old routine. Studies show the mind likes diversity to grow, the body loves routine. Do both. Explore techniques of self defense like Krav Maga by auditing a class (see a video on YouTube).

Work out a schedule with your boss as further improvement skill that benefits the job, and ask if they’ll consider paying for your learning. Inquire with an accountant to see if it’s deductible for you and/or your Employer, for some people and jobs it is. Learn at least one defense technique because it’s beneficial for your safety, your boss and their kids, gives peace of mind, and becomes another skill for your job resume. Some courses need six weeks or less to complete, others are a life long pursuit with several ranks of refining. Yoga has become mostly calisthenics and acrobatics, challenge yourself to something new.

Pursue a New Hobby

Get off the tech toys, take a break from them. Nothing beats graceful meaningful living. Pick a hobby that has little or nothing to do with what you spend most of your week doing, and pursue it with passion. A hobby that uses an entirely different skill set can provide your heart and mind with a satisfying break from the weekly grind, set you on a good path for increased productivity, and provide new adventures and people to meet who share that interest. Find something you can do anywhere in the world regardless of location or weather.

Volunteer

Nothing brightens the soul or warms the senses like giving to others. Seek out an organization to volunteer your assistance, help a neighbor, hospital, or school. You’ll quickly forget yourself and whatever you were obsessing about. Doing a “good deed of the day” is known as one of the best ways to stay youthful and fulfilled. Share that good energy and more comes to you in so many ways, beyond any expectation.

Write a Manifesto and Journal

Have you forgotten what you want out of life, or put it on hold or delay? What can you do to bring that focus back? It’s easy to lose track of time and even easier to forget what makes us glad to be alive. Keep a journal and write daily. Take a day or perhaps an entire weekend to write a manifesto, a declaration of purpose, for yourself. Historically famous people did these things, and we read their memoirs/manifestos today. Motivational and self help workshops took their ideas and exploit it. You can do it yourself for free, without paying those high fees.

Write And Practice Affirmations

Declare your affirmations out loud daily, but don’t get stuck with them as doctrine. Some people become obsessed with this, and makes for very dull people indeed. Make affirmations short and poetic, like Haiku, or poetry, or sing them out in your car when driving. Share them with others. This technique has been used for thousands of years. It’s called prayer and singing hymns. You can create your own or write them collaborating with others.

Ask For Help

Whatever your struggle is (and everyone has them), asking for help will get you to a solution faster than you could ever hope to alone. Those who are the best at their work sometimes forget they need to reduce that pride on occasion, get humble, and reach out for help. While Social Networking is great, one-on-one private talk is better. Offer to return the favor to whoever helps you, and always write a handwritten appreciation of thanks immediately the next day. Even if you’re terribly busy, don’t send  it as an email (keep cards and stamps in your glove compartment if you’re that rushed!). It sends a message that the person wasn’t worth you going to the extra effort for. They are, always. When appropriate, send flowers with your thanks.

Make Others Laugh

Forget the doom and gloom routine and leave it to the movies. Entertain happy thoughts when people are around you, and also privately when you’re alone to make yourself laugh! Be and act excited, and kind. Using your humor increases your ability to stay in good spirits throughout the day, makes you a great person to work with and befriend. You’ll be surprised how quickly life improves.

Make An Escape List

Create an escape list of everything you would need to do in order to escape a situation that’s driving you mad. In a work context, your escape list might include things like asking for a raise, or increased benefits. When your Employer is planning a trip away, offer to work more hours for four days in order to have three days off to play or that course you’ve wanted to take. Qualify this by letting your boss know that you love your job and it comes first, but you would deeply appreciate the time to improve your skills to best serve them. Make your list attractive to your sense of drive to implement. Take risks, and do it with style!

Embrace A New Morning Ritual

Are you starting your day waking up late, rushing about, running out the door at the last minute? Get up earlier, it works! Soon your internal clock will adjust to a new time ritual. You would be amazed how wonderful it is to be up with the birds at dawn. If you’re insomniac, a couple of organic Lavender Oil drops might be of help (see Big Sur Flower Essences). I use it and have great dreams. Some people use melatonin, but I prefer flower essences. A wonderful Magnesium and Baking Soda bath before bed works also.

Remember to stay up late sometimes too, maybe all night! It’s important not to get too stuck in any ritual.  Your body is like a child that needs to be treated well, but not to be at the mercy of. Be fluid and flexible. I don’t get jet lag because I’m in the flow, can be up late or all night, and wake up pre dawn at will. Most people who live a worldly conscious life transcend timelines. I know that health professionals will say sleep is most important. I believe remaining passionately interested in life is. Nobody ever lay on their death bed wishing they’d slept more! They regret the things never done.

Stop Making Excuses

For whatever, excuses and blaming others is unprofessional, provides no benefits, and a weakness to be quickly discarded. Always come from strength. You’ll see more of the good, be satisfied and grateful with your life, become able to turn on a dime with elegant adaptability. It takes energy to procrastinate, this includes living your life vicariously through others. Make your life meaningful right now, in all ways possible. The future is fiction until it happens.

Be Accountable

Find an Accountability Partner. Someone you can trust with your intimate sharing. For best and fast results have your accountability partner not be a relative, somebody you’re dating, or your mate. These people may not have the capacity for objective review of your progress, or conversely, may unwittingly thwart your desire to change things. People who love you will often make kind excuses to cheer you up. You want to avoid excuses at all costs. Tell them to be frank and openly candid with you. If you disagree with their feedback, don’t protest. Simply ask yourself if what you’re doing is working for you. Change what isn’t. Success is relative, make it meaningful.

Remember To Be Grateful

Just that. Remember To Be Grateful. Practice it daily. Gratitude is our gift to the divine. Write songs, poems, or pray out loud with gratitude, any words of praise and thanks that flow and come to you. Don’t edit. Allow it and you’ll love how it feels. The secret is, there’s no secret, and never was. Life is an adventure of deep spiritual love and the wisdom to know and share it, increasingly, compassionately, ongoingly…

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Serving Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air, Benedict Canyon, Torrance, Hancock Park, Laurel Canyon, Los Feliz, Marina Del Rey, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Melrose. Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Woodland Hills, Topanga Canyon, Westwood, Hollywood Hills, Pasadena, San Mareno, Santa Barbara, Orange County, Ventura County, California, New York, & the greater United States…

Our Best Advice has been brought to you by www.ISAstaffing.com.Visit often for other great ideas, use our Tell A Friend featured link to this blog, and our Domestic Staffing website to pass our TIPS and renowned services. THANKS!

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NANNY PROJECTS – childcare green TIPS

Sunday, April 25th, 2010 | Our Best Advice | No Comments

At ISAstaffing we wholeheartedly support meaningful projects Nannies can do with their Childcare for any age group. TIP – Support programs for tree planting. Regardless of which side of the fence you’re on about the environment, trees are a welcome addition to any landscaping or sustainability efforts. It’s a great weekend project to undertake with children for a Nanny or Housekeeper Childcare provider. Parents should get involved with this important drive because we know kids copy and emulate the adults around them. DieselZilla is a wonderful robot built by students in the American River College clean diesel program, their project to help plant a tree for Earth Day at the former Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, California.  “The trees symbolize the Air Force Real Property Agency’s commitment to environmental restoration,” said Robert Moore, AFRPA director.

Denis Hays, the creator of Earth Day, is also the Chair of Earth Day 2010 Global Advisory Committee. The Air Force Real Property Agency officials coordinated a drive known as Trees Across America, an initiative with a twin mission of restoring and recycling property at closed Air Force Bases. They’ve conveyed more then 76,000 acres of surplus Air Force property to benefit the public, and to optimize their assets such as runways and other infrastructure to strengthen local economies, jobs, and commerce.

Trees were planted all across the country to provide shade, beauty and oxygen for those living and working in these communities and elsewhere. As a worldwide event held in 180 countries, Earth Day folks planted trees or supported organizations that did it for them.

Treehuggers confirmed the drive to plant trees was a major success and Earth Day still enormously relevant. Trees are recyclable and provide habitat including cleaning our environment and supplying the oxygen we need. Hybrid poplars help clean toxins out of landfills through a process known as phytoremediation. Share Treehuggers GREEN TIPS. Teach children about their local environment and the importance of trees, including whether we should use paper or plastic (if at all).

Paper Bags or Plastic Bags? Everything You Need to Know

Another great online store is Weeplant, a Californian company built on green consciousness through a positive symbol, a real tiny plant that you can take care of. Perfect for EVENTS you might be hosting or chairing as a fun novelty, or community school drives. From the very beginning, Weeplant has contributed to the reforestation of our planet by participating into a worldwide program developed by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), and has developed a partnership with American Forests. Besides its involvement in reforestation projects, the company’s priority is to make sure their production and logistics process respect sustainability rules. Tiny tree holding capsules are made with recyclable plastic.

All plants are grown in the USA with no chemical pesticides. The species grown and commercialized in the USA are all respectful of the CITES rules (endangered species protection chart).

We’re happy to report that on Earth Day Disney also chose to debut their documentary “Oceans.” The photography in Disneynature’s Oceans (their followup to Earth) is absolutely breathtaking and shows our underwater world with beautiful clarity. It opens by presenting the sheer power of the ocean, then begins its trek into the vastly different life forms that call Earth’s ocean their home. See our gallery of ISAstaffing clients for more on Walt and Roy Disney. A portion of each ticket sold during the film’s opening week will be donated to the establishment of new marine protected areas in the Bahamas, through an initiative with The Nature Conservancy Plant A Billion Trees called: “See Oceans, Save Oceans.”

We can also proudly say that Los Angeles is ranked first in the country with the most number of ENERGY STAR rated buildings. A cost saving of $93 Billion dollars in 2009 alone. See the top 25 Cities rated chart, and for in-depth information on more Energy Star TIPS visit EnergySavers.gov

A Chinese proverb says, “The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”

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Serving Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Bel Air, Benedict Canyon, Torrance, Hancock Park, Laurel Canyon, Los Feliz, Marina Del Rey, Malibu, Pacific Palisades, Melrose. Santa Monica, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Encino, Woodland Hills, Topanga Canyon, Westwood, Hollywood Hills, Pasadena, San Mareno, Santa Barbara, Orange County, Ventura County, California, New York, & the greater United States…

Our Best Advice has been brought to you by www.ISAstaffing.com, renowned Best of The Best in Household Work and Domestic Help staffing. Visit often for other great ideas, use our Tell A Friend featured link to this blog, and our Domestic Staffing website to pass our HOT TIPS and renowned services. THANKS!

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