Focus The Fire

Procrastination is usually step one in breeding a list of other problems like frustration and anxiety. Here’s a quick power tip on how to get unstuck and be on your way to productivity fast.     Question of the day: What do you think makes you procrastinate? (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

When it comes to career building we often jump to salary negotiation, job hunting, making the right moves in the office and similar topics. But it’s hard to do your best work if your body and mind are unprepared to sustain high performance. To make sure you have right tools to get that fitness level up we invited an expert to break it down.   In this in depth interview JC talks about developing a career in the massive health and fitness industry and practical steps busy professionals like you can take everyday to prepare your body and mind to crush other challenges. We go into the facts behind popular diets like Keto, how to separate the fake and enthusiast fitness gurus on instagram from real experts, fasting and so much more.   Special offers:  Book your Initial Fitness Assessment with JC Mr. Fitness today.  Use promo code HALF to get half off. CLICK HERE   Connect with JC: Instagram - @jcmrfitness Web - trisetfitness.com       Question of the day: What your biggest fitness goal right now? (Comment below

When you start a new career is common to be curious about many areas and eager to be great, at everything. This energy if good, but you must know how to channel it properly. The spray and pray approach may satisfy your curiosity, but serious focus on one or two areas with yield faster results.   Learn more about the power of niche on this episode.     Question of the day:  What niche could you focus on for the next 3 years? (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Lately I’ve been thinking about the balance between credentials and results when it comes to growing a career or business. Which one matters more?    Here’s where I’ve gotten so far with the debate. I’d be delighted to hear your take.      Question of the day: Credentials or Results? Which one matters more?  (Comment below or on twitter)     Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Criticism can sting like a bee sometimes, but it’s a crucial ingredient to mastering any skill faster that the average person. People who excel learn how to process feedback without letting it demoralise or overly inflate their ego. Think of it like pruning a tree. Get rid of the dead branches so the best of you can thrive.    More on the inside.      Question of the day: What was the most useful criticism you ever received? (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Your out of office profile, online and in the community can lend serious pre-selling weight to your next move. Before you even arrive at the negotiation table, build the image of yourself as an expert in a particular area.   Tune in for more on how to make this happen.    Question of the day: What do you want to be known for most? (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

I’m fresh off the road recording interviews in the British Virgin Islands for season 1 of our Caribbean wisdom series. This a quick debrief from the trip as well an important less we all have to learn if the plan is get those dreams out of the clouds and make them reality.      Question of the day: What have you been stuck on lately?   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

What’s your super power? Yes, there’s a job you’ve been hired to do, but what about the skills you use to execute that hobby or side hustle. When your main career seems unrelated you can gain serious mileage by activating those “extra” talents. In this episode we discuss practical step for making this happen and how you can pitch the idea to your team.      Question of the day: What’s your other skill? (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Before you upgrade to LinkedIn Premium listen to this!   If you’re on LinkedIn no doubt you’ve been taunted with upgrading to the elite “Premium” status for some extra perks. Last month I gave it a test run for 30 days to see if it’s worth the monthly investment and what would have to be true for you to really benefit from the features.   Tune in for a summary that will help you decide whether it’s the right move for you.     Question of the day: Have you used LinkedIn Premium and what would you say is the best feature?  (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

You don’t need all the attention, just the right attention. In a digital world that has us conditioned to seek validation in likes and follows, I had a human reminder yesterday that consistent hard work in the pursuit of excellence get’s noticed by people who truly understand excellence.    For now, remember, the right people are watching.   For more on that last point about not being ready, check out this video from one of my favourite creators, Roberto Blake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3Dfsq0Lpxs     Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Subscription models are en vogue now and most of us have at least one, or ten! It may be Netflix, Amazon Prime, or countless others. It’s important to keep them organized or they can quietly drain your bank account. Time to plug the financial leaks.    Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Job security? What is that and do you even want it? Rather, do you want the traditional version? Here’s a different take on how you can approach job security in the modern workplace.     Question of the day: What does job security mean to you? (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

Cleaning up your clutch word vocabulary is a fast way to improve your communication skills and sound like a leader.    Today we discuss whether removing uhh, umm, and other fillers can make you sound more articulate and convincing. Clearly, this is good for your career. Or, does it even matter?   Question of the day: Are crutch words natural and acceptable, or should we work on removing them ASAP?     Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

What does is take to win? As in win in a sustainable way that lasts beyond the short term. Not surprisingly, the best things in life are seldom free. Let’s take a look at the things you will need in abundance along the journey. Today we examine the three most valuable currencies you need to succeed in a career.   3 Currencies  Attention Character Commitment  Question of the day: Which currency do you need to build the most right now?  (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

Social media is our biggest opportunity and biggest distraction from grasping opportunities. Today we take a careful gaze at these apps and platforms that have captured so much of our time and attention. Are they good or bad? More importantly, how can we leverage what they offer to build our personal brand and career.   Question of the day: What’s your favourite social media platform and why?  (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

What if you could live forever? What if you could be immortal, or at least have your work live forever? These are things I seriously think about very often. Your purpose in life is strongly connected to what keeps you up at night. It may be a direct cue to your career choice, or something your career will finance indirectly.    Here’s a reflective look at what keeps me up at night. I invite you to share yours.     Question of the day: What keeps you up at night?  (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Help us create more great content: patreon.com/dalanv

If you found this podcast I’m willing to guess that you interact with technology regularly. Each day we at least hear about Google, Facebook, Uber, Twitter and other big tech companies. Have you wondered how people actually land one of the seemingly illusive jobs?    Today we sit down with Kevin Wu to get the inside scoop on how you can make this happen.  Kevin is the co-founder and CEO of Pathrise, a startup that acts as a career accelerator for students and young professionals breaking into the tech industry. Before starting Pathrise, Kevin worked at industry-leading tech companies, most notably as a product manager at Yelp and software engineer at Salesforce.   Question of the day: If you had the chance to work for one company for a few years, which would you choose? (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with s

Today we take you behind the mic of our operation and share some messy things we’re working on.  In fact, this episode was recorded in that mess!     One of the most common reasons for people not starting or quitting too soon is the humbling frustration of not being an expert on day 1, or 100. It’s tough, especially when you’re generally used to being good at the things you’ve been doing for a while. Here’s the irony. The only way to get better is to push through that initial mess for as long as it takes.  Here’s the true story of how being afraid to start ugly hindered this show from growing for a long time.     Question of the day: What have you been wanting to start?  (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire       Support the mission: patreon.com/dalan

Ok so you got the job. Now what? This first two years will separate the rookies for the rock stars. We’re here to make sure you go hard and carve out your space amidst the tough competition.   Today we share three crucial things you need to do during the first two years on the job.     Question of the day: Have you done any of these three things already? Tell us about it! (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire    

Make a distinction between one person's experience and what is possible for you. Thoughts are contagious so don’t become small minded by osmosis.    More on the inside so tune in.      Question of the day: What is one thing someone around you said that you started to believe without real evidence?  (Comment below or on twitter)   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    Full show notes and other resources available at www.focusthefire.com   Connect with host on twitter @dalanv www.twitter.com/dalanv   Connect with show on twitter @focusthefire www.twitter.com/focusthefire