Click the image above to view my presentation slides.

1. DON’T Accept the Default

• Seek out an option that is BEST for YOU.
• Make it your mission to fight: “We’ve always done it this way” thinking.
• ALWAYS find a BETTER way!

2. Develop a GROWTH MINDSET

• Remind yourself that failure is an important part of learning. FAIL FORWARD!
• Understand the power of positive self-talk. Change your words; Change your mindset.
• Look to examples of famous people who failed multiple times before achieving success.

3. Be so GOOD They Can’t Ignore You

• Do MORE than the default – Arrive early and stay late!
• PRACTICE what you don’t know. WORK on your weaknesses.
• Be AVAILABLE at ALL times!
• Volunteer for everything.
• CRUSH the competition!

4. NEVER Stop Learning

• Embark on self-directed, passion-based professional and personal development.
• Listen to podcasts, view webinars, and READ whatever you can get your hands on.
• Become an expert in your field at your own blistering speed. “The standard pace is for chumps.” Kimo Williams
• Curate and share content with colleagues/friends.

5. CREATE as Much as you Consume

6. SHOW your WORK

• Brag about your successes, your creations and your workplace on social media.
• Don’t hold back because you worry that it’s not good enough or original enough. “To be original, you don’t have to be FIRST, you just have to be DIFFERENT and BETTER.” ~Adam Grant
• Create a website, a digital newsletter or a YouTube channel to spread the word.
• As a job-seeker in the new millennium, you are your own personal brand. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to promote yourself.

7. Establish a POSITIVE and PROFESSIONAL digital presence for yourself

• Understand that your digital footprint (tattoo) is permanent and you have total control over the content you put out there. So keep it positive and appropriate!
• THINK before you POST!
• REMEMBER that employers will VET your social media accounts.

8. GET Connected

• Discover the VIBRANT community of AMAZING professionals on Twitter. Follow hashtags! This has been a true GAME-CHANGER for me! I’ve learned more on Twitter in months than in years of traditional PD.
• Grow your PLN (Personal/Professional Learning Network).
• Go to meetups, conferences, and workshops (the topic matters less than the people you connect with).

9. Save EVERYTHING

• Keep a journal and or blog about your successes and failures in school and the workplace.
• Take pictures, make “Best of” slide shows, and share your work: product and process.
• Keep a digital portfolio of everything you do with your students.
• Digitize your resume using apps like Smore/Canva and continually update it.

10. EMBRACE CHANGE

• and you will rarely be disappointed!