Focus The Fire

Learn how to wake up each day with more energy and drive to accomplish your dreams.  We’ve been setting goals yes, but does the very thought of your goals get you fired up? Do they make your eyebrow rise and your heart beat faster? Here’s how to live life with more energy regardless of where you are on the journey.     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

We’re on the mic today with Joel Quass who is unlocking insider secrets on how to write a resume that converts, and find success on your next job interview. This a rare opportunity to get inside the mind of the person who will decide whether your resumé is worth a call back. Learn what top level executives are looking for when you arrive at a job interview.   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

We're on the mic with Jamila Abston, who is a Partner with Ernst & Young LLP New York. Jamila worked, networked and earned her place in the top tier of corporate leadership. Featured in Black Enterprise and interviewed by the NY Stock Exchange, she joins us on Focus The Fire to give you the tactics she used to blaze this trail. Learn how to build a career smart and fast! *This episode is a bit longer than our usual 15-20 minutes, but trust me, you don't want to miss a single drop of this powerful information. 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

In your career development it’s crucial to engage with people who are more advanced that you. This may mean they have more experience, money, connections or other assets. Some will inspire you from a distance, others will teach and some will invite you to participate in what they are building.   Great…but don’t get confused. Their success is not yours. The goal is to get to a place where you are adding at least as much value as you are getting from the relationship. Be impressed, be inspired, but don’t be confused. Remember to stay focused and get yours! Players get paid more than cheerleaders.   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 

Is there a difference between personal and professional development? Maybe, but I don’t think they are mutually exclusive. If the line is there, it’s probably dotted or very thin.  Either way let’s learn how to leverage the skills we learn for the office and those we learn for life. That’s right, this is one time double dipping is approved and encouraged!    Question of the day:   What’s one skill you use outside the office that might be a super power in your career?   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

Sometimes we let a desire to be complex hinder us from getting started and sharing ideas with the world. It’s understandable. With so many smart people out there doing great work, we naturally want to be sure we are adding something valuable to the conversation.  Perhaps the best thing we can add is a simple explanation to things people will find very useful.       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

Time is our most precious resource. As a high performer hungry for a career the leads to more time, money and freedom you have to master how to maximise the time available each day. Here are four power tips to start making this happen today. Be more intentional about scheduling your time. Be extremely present and focused on each task. Manage your mental time. Power Lunch! Tune in for a full breakdown of how it works. Question of the day: What are some other areas like lunch where you can restructure the time? (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

On this Episode we sit down with Michele Badie, host of the Career Tipper podcast and author of “Confidently You: 21-Day Action Plan To Your Professional Best”.  in this exclusive interview for the Fire Squad (you!), Michele unboxes practical techniques to help you grow into your professional best.    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

Your first job may not be your dream job. Maybe your second one will be less than perfect as well. Even so, the people you meet and experiences you collect along the way are priceless. Those same relationships can be useful later. This episode teaches you how to manage the exit process and walk out the door with integrity and respect. How to quit your job like a boss!   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

If you’ve ever tried to accomplish anything great then you’re already familiar with the sense of fear that makes you question your ability to succeed.  Or even more strangely, it may be a fear of how you will handle things if you find massive success.  In any case we can’t allow this to overshadow our will to move forward.      More on the inside.   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

Before we can seriously talk about investing, let’s get your finances under control with 10 easy ways to save money. Working in accounting and banking for the past 10 years, you get to see the range of ways people manage to make and lose money. This episode is a brief summary of the top things to avoid and rules to follow.   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

  Do you travel for business? On this episode we drop a load of insider tips to help you move like an expert traveller and stand out as a serious executive.  This is more than a “what to pack” conversation so tune in to learn more.   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

So you did all the stuff they told you to do. Goals written, podcasts loaded and listened to, liked multiple motivational quotes on social media.  But there is a problem.  Many of us get started then eventually fall off the ride and lose momentum for various reasons. Perhaps the number one reason is that we keep stopping for APPLAUSE.    In this episode we teach you how to avoid this trap and keep working even when people aren’t clapping.   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

We’ve been doing a lot of thing about why so many people have big dreams and struggle to make them a reality. What’s the real thing that separates the dreamers from the doers? On this episode we break down the one lesson that helped us get to this point.    10,000 reasons why you should to the hard things that will get you like life you desire!   New Youtube Video: 3 Steps to Start Building a More Focused Career https://youtu.be/yPEgA0je2v4     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

Let’s face it. Corporate life can be a jungle with many people fighting clean and dirty for that top spot. This can be the case on any team of high performers. Here are five practical strategies you can start using today to carve out your space as a valuable asset.   Make your boss’s life easier. Bring the best energy to every situation Become an expert in 1 mission critical aspect of the business. Build strong relationships with clients Be the face and voice of something     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

What do you want more than anything? What do you dream about, think about, wish for?    People usually have great answers for these questions, but the conversation gets awkward when you start talking about what they are willing to sacrifice to get there.  It’s hard to get extraordinary results by only taking ordinary action.    Today we look at the real price of achieving greatness.  Than narrow, deep focus that requires you to set aside some things are good and useful, but perhaps not mission critical.   Question of the day: What is your one thing and what are you willing to sacrifice to get it?   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    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

Have you ever felt like quitting your job? We’ve all been there at some point and if not, keep working, it will come!    Last’s we sent an article about things to consider before you quit your job.  Today we take a closer look at that decision process. Being an entrepreneur is hard work and not everyone is interested. It’s also not a requirement for having a meaningful life. While you may never actually quit, let’s discuss why you definitely need to be ready to quit your job.    Question: What’s is the biggest thing you need to do right now, to help you get ready to quit your job?       Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    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

This week our guest is Devoreaux Walton, a personal improvement expert. She is the President and Founder of The Poise Pursuit, a personal branding company and The Prep Pursuit, an etiquette and style online media company, based in Dallas, Texas.   Devoreaux breaks down the secrets behind using the way you look and behave in every situation to maximise your success inside and outside the office.    Visit the show notes for special Fire Squad discounts on training courses from The Poise Pursuit:    Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    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

It’s easy to get caught up in the busy work of building your career and miss the important details along the way. This time we don’t mean the specifics of manoeuvring office politics or crunching numbers. We’re talking about the intricate way nature, art, music and other things shape our world.     If you can start appreciating those things, the next step is seeing the beauty in people. When this happens, you’re on the way to becoming a strong leader.  You can look beyond a person’s work and see the desires that fuel them daily. Use that to lead your team to their best!     Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    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

Let’s be honest. Producing great work, is hard. Even when you’re a high performing, confident person, there are things we keep putting of until tomorrow, next week, or next year. Inside: Understanding what in your mind is really holding you back How to reprogram that thinking 3 step process to gain momentum toward your goal Special challenge! #FTF30days See you on the other side of progress!   Essential career advice for ambitious young professionals.    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