3 Strategies for Keeping Your Cool at Work

3 Strategies for Keeping Your Cool at Work3 Strategies for Keeping Your Cool at WorkYou get a rude email from a co-worker.You read it once and start to feel annoyed, then you read it again, just to make sure. Yes Its obnoxious. So, you hit reply and start dashing out a response to set the record straight, feeling your blood rise with every tastatur stroke.Sound familiar? Whether its getting angry with an annoying colleague, getting frazzled by a problem in a project, or just getting frustrated by little speed bumps in the day, there will be times when something minor grates on you in the office. And, like me, your first instinct may be to get angry, to snap, or to react.But theres a better way to handle these moments. First- of course- dont send emails when youre upset. But more importantly, you have to relentlessly remind yourself to keep a level-headed perspective on the job.I know- easier said than done. But next time something gets to you, try one of these three simple techniques for staying cool, calm, and collected.1. Ask Yourself How Important it IsWhen I find my blood pressure rising and I start to lose my perspective, I ask myself this simple question Will I care about this in five years? As I stare at whatever email Ive just received or whatever presentation Im working on, the answer is almost always a definitive no. Usually, I will have moved on from it in a month.This rhetorical question is notlage an excuse to become complacent on the job, but it provides me with the outlook I need to step away from my desk when Im feeling agitated, get some fresh air, or boost my blood sugar with a snack. Then, I can return to what Im doing and- with the keen awareness that Im not facing wartime disaster- do my best to keep calm and carry on.2. Dont Take Anything PersonallyI know what youre thinking everything is personal. And its always the sleaziest business executives- at least in the movies- who say things like Its just business dont take it personally.But the re is something you can learn from trying to gain this perspective when youre feeling overwhelmed, attacked, or frustrated. The case for this mentality is made best in The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, who explains how he implements this way of thinkingWhatever happens around you, dont take it personally. Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world.Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you. What they say, what they do, and the opinions they give are according to the agreements they have in their own minds.There are times when you may feel like a less-than-friendly email or snappy comment from your boss has something to do with yo ur performance. And there are certainly times when this may be the case. But more often than not, the people you work with have their own daily stressors that influence how theyre interacting with the world- things that, as Ruiz points out, have nothing to do with you.3. Feed the Right WolfWe are all vulnerable to something called negativity bias, which means that the bad events of the day are more memorable than the good ones. But just because its our natural tendency to dwell on the negative doesnt mean we cant push back against it.In her book Taking the Leap, Pema Chdrn illustrates the negative and positives sides of ourselves as two hungry wolves fighting in our hearts. She asks readers to think of the hautwolf who wins the fight as the wolf who we choose to feed.Most of us have gotten so good at empowering our negativity and insisting on our rightness that the angry wolf gets shinier and shinier, and the other wolf is just there with its pleading eyes. But were not stuck with t his way of being. When were feeling resentment or any strong emotion, we can recognize that we are getting worked up, and realize that right now we can consciously make the choice to be aggressive or to cool off. It comes down to choosing which wolf we want to feed.You can choose to focus on the minor frustrations of your day- or, you can choose to focus on finding meaning in your work. This can feel impossible when youre consumed by something on the job, but try to pause and reflect on whats really important to you. In that moment, you may be able to channel your energy in another direction- to switch gears and work on a project you really care about or to simply take a moment to remind yourself what you appreciate about your job.Work will never be free from stressors or annoyances, but youre always in a position to manage how well you handle them. If do your best to maintain perspective when things get heightened, youll find yourself not getting bogged down by the details of the d ay, and instead, rising above them.Photo of frustrated man courtesy of Shutterstock.

The 17 worst passwords of 2017

The 17 worst passwords of 2017The 17 worst passwords of 2017While we were told to make some pretty big changes to personal password creation a few months ago, password management applications provider SplashData released a 100-entry list of the Worst Passwords of 2017 this week, and a super-easy one claimed the top spot (just like in 2016) 123456.The company estimatesthat around 3% of people have employed this one. Roughly 10%of people have used at least one of the 25 worst passwords on this years list, the company says.This is SplashDatasseventh annual list, and researchers took a look at more than five mio leaked passwords from largely Western European and North American users, but, the press release continues, passwords leaked from hacks of adult websites and from the Yahoo email breach were not included in this report.The company cautioned that some of the entries are NSFW, meaning not safe for work, so well leave those for you to check out on your own time. You should also know that according to the company,use of any of the passwords on this list would put users at grave risk for identity theft.VoilThe 17 worst passwords on the list - apparently, people actually use these1) 1234562) password3) 123456784) qwerty5) 123456) 1234567897) letmein8) 12345679) football10) iloveyou11.) admin12) welcome13) monkey14) login15) abc12316) starwars17) 123123Other words on the list include lakers (37), blahblah (47), cookie (68), and thunder (100).Morgan Slain, CEO of SplashData, Inc. commented on the findings in a statement. Unfortunately, while the newest vorgang may be a fantastic addition to the Star Wars franchise, starwars is a dangerous password to use, he said. Hackers are using common terms from pop culture and sports to break into accounts online because they know many people are using those easy-to-remember words.3 password safety tipsWhat can you do to keep safe instead? Keep these tips in mindConsider using a password managerSplashData recommends that you p rotect your assets and personal identity by using a password manager to organize passwords, generate secure random passwords, and automatically log into websites. (Of course, this is SplashDatas business but its still a good idea. And there are lots of options to chose from when it comes to password managers.)Dont overdo itBill Burr, the man responsible for much of what we know about password creation due to a guide he wrote in the early 2000s, backpedaled on his decade-plus-old advice in recent months, according to The Wall Street Journal.The new rules call for lengthy phrases you can recall with ease - and just making new passwords when it looks like youve been hacked, instead of changing one with special characters every 90 days.Dont rely on passwords aloneAARP reports that you should add a second door.Two-factor authentication services add an extra layer of security to your most vital digital accounts, AARP recommends. You log in to an account using your usual password. Next, t he two-factor authentication site sends your phone a six-digit code that you must enter before gaining access. For a list of websites that offer two-factor authentication, go to twofactorauth.org.mora from Ladders10 ridiculously smart questions you should ask in a job interviewThe best answer when an interviewer asks what animal are you?6 reasons recruiters say theyll toss your resume in the trash

Six Figure Careers with the Highest Growth Potential

Six Figure Careers with the Highest Growth PotentialSix Figure Careers with the Highest Growth PotentialGetting paid well and having career growth potential are all things we find important. These six-figure careers are in high demand and offer the most career growth potential.Tax Manager - $103,000/yrWith the way the US tax system works, and all the crazy laws in between, someone needs to make sense of it. That is why this is a six-figure career in high demand with growth potential. Few people understand taxes in the US, and even fewer understand how to manage taxes for a company.Now that companies are all going global, having a tax manager who knows Federal, State, Local, and International taxes would make this person key to a companys financial growth.Data Engineer -$105,000/yrThese six-figure careers are in high demand because they build processes to help the data flow in a company. Data engineers are like the plumbers of a data pipeline. If it doesnt flow its clogged and doesnt work.These engineers work closely with data scientists who are looking to paint a picture for the company of what all the data means. The growth potential is endless since we live in an age where collecting data is key to company success.Analytics Manager - $109,000/yrThese are the good folks who help us comprehend all the random data. They make a six-figure career of taking loads of information and presenting it to assist with key decision-making. The wide variety of skills required for an Analytics Manager includes visualizations, quantitative skills, data mining, and data modeling.The profession is important because understanding what data means impacts how a company changes and grows.Data Architect - $122,000/yrA six-figure career in Data Architecture requires a mind that is able to think long and short term. You have to make it easy for staff at a company to access critical information when they need it. You are essentially rahmen up the architecture for how all information is collected and organized.Most importantly, you are setting up how that info will be kept secure. The growth potential for this position grows with every story of a data breach. As such, companies may expect you to have a Masters Degree in Data Science.Technical Program Manager - $129,000/yrThese positions are highly important to any company looking to increase their relevance in technology. They handle all aspects of technical projects for their organization. They initiate programs, track the progress of projects, and support tech teams when issues arise.This is one of the best six-figure careers with growth potential because the skills required are very hard to find. These managers lead, plan, schedule, strategize and execute well.Site Reliability Engineer - $140,000/yrEvery company needs a Site Reliability Engineer to keep all teams productive and scalable. The position combines software engineering with operations to create scalable and reliable software systems.This is a six-figu re career for a person who possesses interpersonal skills and knows how to effectively solve problems (not just treat symptoms). They are strategists who work well across all teams.