THE PEOPLE AGENDA - JASON MANNINO

Run For The Department Of Peace -- Literally!

2010-02-15T16:33:00.000-08:00

This Valentine's Day as we spend focused time reflecting on the quality of love in our lives, consider that peace lives in the same realm, and can be accessed from the same source in which we access the true essence of love. With this idea in mind I felt it was a perfect opportunity to introduce a friend and colleague, David Brown (www.davidmatthewbrown.com) who has recently chosen to run the LA Marathon representing The Department of Peace. Enjoy the interview, and know that peace and love start with you!

"Running for peace." What does that mean?

It means a lot... because I realize first, that peace starts with me; running for peace (particularly the Peace Alliance) and campaigning for the Department of Peace opens the door for a new paradigm in this country. Being a part of the tons of people active in creating a Department of Peace... means we can take our tax dollars and put them into something that will benefit everybody in a peaceful, kinder way. Take, for example, implementing peaceful resolutions for kids in schools. I have a two-year-old daughter. What matters to me is that she is able to understand, clearly, who she is through peaceful, more loving, kinder ways towards herself.

Doing this run is like running for everybody. But if I put it in that regard, it becomes overwhelming. So what matters is that it starts with me. If I can keep implementing peaceful ways of being within myself, that matters... and makes a difference.

What inspired you to run the L.A. Marathon?

Funny story.

When I was in high school, I ran cross country (long distance) and track. If you waited around long enough, you'd probably see me come in 124th out of 125 runners. I hadn't run for nine years when this past summer I was hiking through Runyon Canyon in Los Angeles; I got to the top of the hill, and I got a message that said "Start running again." I was, like, "You've got to be kidding me! Run again?!" But I started... and at end of September, the same feeling ran through me. "You're going to run the L.A. Marathon for the Department of What?!" From a Biblical sense, I kind of felt like what Noah must have felt like. But when I approached the Peace Alliance and Department of Peace with the idea, it was great timing. They needed something ... a human face. That's where the inspiration came from.

Why the Department of Peace?

When the idea to run the marathon... to run for peace... came to me, it was so strong. I remember seeing the Department of Peace at a couple of functions. When it comes to peace and unity from the inside out, there seemed to be a strong calling to the Department of Peace. I didn't know anything about them, when I approached them. I just knew they had a campaign going; a campaign very much in line with all of the things that I talk about. We live in a space where it's a lot easier to complain, blame, and talk about all the things we want to fight. I'm not saying that I am against war, per se- what I am saying is that I am FOR peace. It's time for us to evolve, to go to a different place, and get out of ridiculous old constructs that give the same results that don't work. To me, peace is proactive, not passive. It benefits everybody.

Plus, the Peace Alliance is an organization that really brings people onboard. It's about unity. I don't work for them, nor am I a part of them, but I'm helping them by doing this run. I like what they stand for; the fact that people can give their tax dollars to the Department of Peace, energetically giving money to peace, rather than defense. Peace is proactive, violence is passive.

I have already received a couple of emails from people who don't want me to make this run. They believe that, by having a Department of Peace, we just roll over for countries like Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. But I believe we are evolving. I understand that change can be hard and difficult, but when you start saying "yes" to your life... imagine where that can take you, as opposed to where resistance takes you.

Where did the number "one million people" come from?

We have 18 million people, or so, in L.A. When I talked to the people in the Peace Alliance, it started out with the idea that if we could have one million people lining the L.A. Marathon, standing for peace, it could really send the message to our politicians and all Americans, "I have a voice, I matter, and this is what I want to stand for. I want to stand for peace. I want to stand for everybody."

What is peace? What do you hope to bring attention to with this run?

Imagine peace like a hurricane. You have the hurricane going around in circles and in the middle of that hurricane, you have the "eye of the storm"... the peace... where you hold all the stuff that comes up. We live in a society where people feel powerless, but peace is right at the heart of what you are going through. Even when things are completely chaotic in your life, if you can connect to it (through mediation, getting into nature, etc.), you can have glimpses and moments of real peace, and the more you practice, the more accessible it becomes.

Through running the LA Marathon I hope to bring attention to the idea that we are evolving at a quickening pace right now, and we are going to a new paradigm. Each and every one of us is a part of that and it starts at an individual level. I hope that people who show up or read this article begin to identify with the idea that when we start with ourselves by going inward to find the places where we allow anger and violence to run us, and choose to resolve it, that we can each play a part in spreading peace across the globe. We all have that capability, that potential, that possibility.

How can people learn more about what you are doing and this run for peace?

They can follow my blog at davidmatthewbrown.com, as of today they can also purchase I STAND FOR PEACE bracelets to wear at the marathon and throughout their day as a reminder of who they really are!

What is your vision?

As a country, we should go inward and take a look at ourselves... really take a look at who we are and how we are evolving. There are so many possibilities! We are the United States of America; we should be able to unite within ourselves. Get past the ridiculous notion that same sex couples can't get married, or that it's okay for kids to beat up other kids with red hair. We need to show people that there is a different way. It's not powerful to kill someone, but powerless.

Everybody has a right to choose, a right to be who we are. I hope that people can really look at themselves and ask, "Am I really grateful? Do I have appreciation? Do I have peace in my life?" If you don't, don't be so hard on yourself. Just consider how it starts with you... and the new choices you can make.

You have a voice. It's time for us to choose peace... and stand for something, not fight for it!

To learn more about The Department of Peace go to www.thepeacealliance.org

Follow Jason Mannino on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jasonmannino

Homophobia: Healing It From The Inside Out

2010-01-18T17:40:00.000-08:00

"There must be radical healing of the gatekeepers if our globe is to truly be healed." Malidoma Some; World Leader in Spirituality & Heterosexual Ally.

Taking a stand for love in this world has always been a part of my life's mission. With the recent deaths of the remaining parental figures in my biological lineage comes an urgent call from the depths of my being. This call makes it clear, once again, that in life every millisecond is to be spent living in absolute alignment with who I really am.

Living boldly in my full authenticity means knowing that every part of who I am is a gift -- including my sexual orientation. I took a courageous stand for myself when I came out of the closet in 1989. I was seventeen and Ronald Reagan had just vacated the White House (need I say more). It was a time when legal protection for LGBT people was rarer than it is today. In this political climate it would have been easy to buy into self-loathing, even take my own life as too many young LGBT people still do (see my article: Homophobia is Killing Our Youth). However, my inner experience of unconditional love was greater than my internalized homophobia.

Flash forward to the precipice of the new decade on which we stand. We still live in a world where too many LGBT people have unconsciously held onto the poisonous, negative beliefs about sexual orientation that our society, churches, and government still force feed. Eleven years after the death of Matthew Shepard, Wyoming (the state where he was murdered) along with 18 other states and the federal government still do not have hate crimes legislation that protect LGBT people (actually, fully inclusive hate crimes legislation landed on Obama's desk for signaure as this article was submitted). Thirty one states -- along with the Federal government -- can still fire people from their jobs on the basis of sexual orientation. Every day thousands of lesbians and gay men who can be fired for telling the truth about their sexual orientation stand side by side with fellow soldiers in our armed forces. As I write, people in Maine are trying to take away marriage rights from LGBT people just as they did here in California last year

Homophobia doesn't stop at the cultural or social level. This plague penetrates the depths of our unconscious whether we are straight or gay. I witness the results of homophobia consistently among my clients, when a client has an "a-ha" moment realizing that old, shameful beliefs about their sexual orientation still pervade their life experience. For instance, I have career coaching clients who realize that stress at work is sourced in the dire need to be accepted as a result of judgments about being "different" due to sexual orientation. I have coached clients who have wondered why they were experiencing challenges attracting a life mate until they uncovered negative, homophobic beliefs like, "Loving relationships are only supposed to be between men and women."

Although religious and governmental institutions can inhibit legal rights, true liberation can be achieved by releasing ourselves from the illusory shackles of the beliefs that our sexual orienation is an affliction. LGBT people are gifted with a unique role to play in the conscious evolution of humanity. When we liberate ourselves from the internalized shame we hold about our sexuality, and reclaim the connection between our sexuality and spirit we can step fully into playing that role. Malidoma Patrice Some, PhD, Author, Elder, Diviner and gay ally speaks frequently about the perception of homosexuality in indigenous cultures.

He had this to say in an interview with M.E.N. Magazine:

The gay person is looked at primarily as a "gatekeeper." The Earth is looked at, from my tribal perspective, as a very, very delicate machine or consciousness, with high vibrational points, which certain people must be guardians of in order for the tribe to keep its continuity with the gods and with the spirits... Any person who is at this link between this world and the other world experiences a state of vibrational consciousness which is far higher, and far different, from the one that a normal person would experience. This is what makes a gay person gay. This kind of function is...one that people are said to decide on prior to being born. You decide that you will be a gatekeeper before you are born...To then limit gay people to simple sexual orientation is really the worst harm that can be done to a person.... And, personally, because of the fact that my knowledge of indigenous medicine, ritual, comes from gatekeepers, it's hard for me to take this position that gay people are the negative breed of a society. No! In a society that is profoundly dysfunctional, what happens is that peoples' life purposes are taken away...This is again victimization by a Christian establishment that is looking at a gay person as a disempowered person... This is not justice... It is a terrible harm done to an energy that could save the world, that could save us. If, today, we are suffering from a gradual ecological waste, this is simply because the gatekeepers have been fired from their job. This is not fair!
Next April, we as a community have an opportunity to answer our call to greatness whether LGBT or a straight ally by attending the first liberation conference: Liberation, 2010. Liberation 2010 is a conference being directed by kindred spirit, and friend Mark Anthony Lord, Founder and Spiritual Director of Bodhi Spiritual Center in Chicago and his co-host August Gold, who is the Spiritual Director of Sacred Center New York. They are calling LGBT people, families, friends, and straight allies to come together and go on an inward journey to uncover and heal the toxic, homophobic beliefs that keep us from radiating our brilliance and answering our call to greatness. Lord has called on powerful spiritual leaders of the 21st Century including Byron Katie, Gay Hendricks and Malidoma Some to be with us during this conference and support us in healing this plague. When each of us heals one piece of ourselves we contribute to the healing and conscious evolution of the whole world.

I spent some time with Lord and asked what is inspiring him to call this conference now:

Well, the reason gay marriage didn't pass in CA is not because of politics. It is because of religion. Religion is what is blocking the rights that GLBT people deserve. I want to help LGBT people discover that wholeness lies with us. Before we change the world we have to change the way we view the world. If we are looking through a lense of our own homophobia we stay stuck blaming rather than changing. The way to truly create change is to rise above those concepts and be a vibration of love.

Check back for my full interview with Mark Anthony Lord.

To get involved go to the Liberation 2010 website: www.liberation2010.com

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Learn more about Jason Mannino at www.jmannino.com
Follow Jason Mannino on Twitter: www.twitter.com/jasonmannino

2009-08-03T11:51:00.000-07:00

How to Keep Your Job Without Resorting to Blackmail

2009-08-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ninety percent of our eligible workforce remains employed even though we are currently experiencing the worst unemployment rate in 26 years. Stress levels are high during this time of economic uncertainty--and not just for those who are laid off. Unfortunately psychological stress can sometimes lead to negative behavior. A study conducted by Adecco this year indicates that employees are willing to go the extra mile to do what it takes to stay in their jobs at this time. However, "the extra mile" in this case actually includes things like blackmail. The study shows that 28 percent of individuals are willing to blame co-workers for mistakes, blackmail, and even flirt with superiors.

This statistic inspired me to share strategies to help you stay employed without engaging in indecent proposals. These suggestions are particularly appropriate for those with career lives in the corporate arena.

1. Be the solution
Your company is looking to you as an employee to help solve problems even when times are great. In the current economic climate one way to help yourself go beyond the call of duty is to uncover and solve a particularly challenging problem or situation, particularly if it could help save your company money. Of course, the way to showcase yourself will be to identify an issue that will call on you to execute the skills you want most to shine. Creating a win-win situation like this helps to position you as indispensable. One cautionary note: In engaging in this strategy you do want to ensure that you are not going to step on anyone's toes in the process.

Click here to read the full article at HuffingtonPOst.com:

2009-07-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

http://tinyurl.com/nyfk4m

Emmy Nominated Prayers for Bobby Saving Lives of LGBT Youth

2009-07-23T10:25:00.000-07:00

In 1983 Bobby Griffith died instantly when he threw himself off a freeway overpass in Portland, Oregon. He could not reconcile his self-loathing and his religious mother's fiercely determined quest to heal his homosexuality through the Bible. It took Bobby's tragedy for his mother, Mary Griffith, to understand that it was not Bobby that needed to be fixed, but blind adherence to flawed biblical interpretations. His death led his mother, Mary Griffith, to renounce her homophobia and fundamentalism and become a steadfast advocate for LGBT rights and education.

Over 25 years later, Leroy Aaron's penned book, Prayers for Bobby, has become a Lifetime Movie honored with two of the highest Emmy Award Nominations: Best Made for TV Film and a Best Actress nomination for Sigourney Weaver. Weaver portrays Mary Griffith with a depth of love and compassion that calls us to understand the pain of a mother who realizes her ignorance and fear too late to save her son from tragedy.

Cast and crew including Producers, Daniel Sladek, Chris Taaffe, David Permuet, Actor: Scott Baily, Screenwriter, Katie Ford, and Executive Director, PFLAG (Parents Families, and Friends of Gays and Lesbians: Jody Huckaby were all present to discuss the film. Mary Griffith could not be present with us on Sunday's screening. However, I am delighted, honored, and privileged to be among the first to publish the heartfelt words of gratitude and support that she sent to be read at the screening.

This is an excerpt from her letter (to read the full letter click here to go to the column at my website: www.jmannino.com

My name is Mary Griffith. My life story, and that of my son Bobby (and our entire family), is depicted in the Emmy Award-nominated movie Prayers For Bobby. To say I am honored is an understatement. I am delighted to see this wonderfully executed film generate critical acclaim and meaningful consideration for the highest honor in the television industry. I am thrilled to acknowledge Sigourney Weaver's Emmy Award nominated Best Actress performance playing me (which I still find unbelievable!). I am reminded of the present day; of our public school teachers and administrators who are not allowed to validate "out" gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students, and to provide proper education; of the military establishment excluding our gay children who take bullets alongside their non-gay peers in order to keep us from harm's way; of some religions openly and actively seeking to 'cure' our gay children, further promoting fear and ignorance; of setbacks in AIDS healthcare and education; of the lack of a Federal nondiscrimination policy protecting all Americans from discrimination; of the lack of a Federal marriage rights act guaranteeing equal protection under the law for all couples wanting to enjoy the sanctuary of marriage. I am also reminded of days past; the Stonewall riots; the assassination of Harvey Milk; the brutality of the Holocaust and the ultimate humiliation of the pink triangle; the horrific murder of Matthew Shepard and other hate crime attacks against far too many gay and lesbian teenagers.

THANK GOD I..

2009-07-13T22:46:00.000-07:00

This is my interview on David Brown's "Inside Out" about my Thank God I contribution:

My interview is the second one, about 20minutes in..

Lisa Kudrow, Josh Brolin, Chaz Bono, Christina Ricci Come out to Support LGBT Film at Outfest 2009

2009-07-10T16:02:00.000-07:00

Rich and I with Lisa Kudrow at Outfest opening

If the walls at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles could speak they would tell you that last night was the kick off of the 27th Los Angeles Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, Outfest, 2009. Outfest is one of the oldest, continuously running film festivals in Los Angeles and will feature 181 films from 25 countries over a ten-day event that will put focus on LGBT Rights in response to Prop 8.

Cultural change is often led by artists. Outfest has been on the cutting edge of supporting diverse, bold LGBT artists in creating change and remains a pioneer in this festival. Jon Korn, one of the programmers for the festival says that he thinks "one of the biggest trends we're seeing in LGBT documentaries recently is an increased diversity in the types of stories being told and an increased range in their subject matter. Whereas fifteen, or even ten years ago, a lot of films focused [solely] on the sexuality of their subjects as an exclusive topic."

Click to Read the full artcle at Huffington Post.com

TIPPI HEDREN TALKS ABOUT MICHAEL JACKSON AND THE TIGERS SHE ADOPTED

2009-07-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

Let us dream of tomorrow where we can truly love from the soul, and know love as the ultimate truth at the heart of all creation - Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson made the painful decision to give his animals up for adoption following the court battle he went through in 2005. Shortly after the decision, rumors started popping up all over the place regarding Jackson's mistreatment of the animals by organizations like PETA and others.

In honor of Michael Jackson's untimely passing I was blessed with the opportunity to help dispel this myth and show the depth of loving that lived in this man by speaking with Tippi Hedren.

Full version of this article is published at Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-mannino/michael-jackson-loved-his_b_224324.html

2009-06-29T16:30:00.000-07:00

I attended the GMCLA concert yesterday (and heard my friend's sing their hearts out). I met some great people, some in the photo below, Bruce Vilanch, Gloria Allred (made famous by representing very high profile legal cases like Nicole Simpson's family and the first lesbian couple to sue the State of California to legalize gay marriage). The music was a joyful respite from all the chaos and tragedy over the past week. You can access the full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-mannino

Career Lessons from My Recruiting Desk Part I: Getting the Meeting

2009-06-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

This is the first in a series of articles that will draw deeply on my ten years of Talent Acquisition (recruiting) work for Fortune 500 companies throughout the entertainment and staffing industries. It is my intention for these articles to support you with real, hands-on information. I intend to draw on my experience in the trenches as a recruiter or my personal success as a job hunter. This first article outlines a couple of assertive techniques that will ask you to generate courage and confidence to take action that will help you successfully distinguish yourself from the hundreds of other applicants currently in the talent pool. However, I caution you to only execute these techniques if you are indeed very qualified for the job! Although my experience is at very large companies I assert that these techniques will work well when approaching smaller companies.

1. Stop sending your resume/profile and start having conversations
In the current employment climate I encourage you to take a more active role in your search and stop sending your resume to every Tom, Dick, Harry, and job posting you see on the internet. You may not realize it, but as soon as you submit your resume to a company you also put your career in their hands. Therefore, when you see a posting at a company that interests you, ask yourself if you have a way in other than your resume. Perhaps there is someone in your network that works for the company who you can ask to e-mail or hand your resume to the hiring manage. If you don't know anyone then do the research to find out who to talk to (with sites like linkedin.com this isn't as hard as you might think). Send them a brief (perhaps two paragraph) intro telling them why you are the solution they need and let them know that you will be calling to follow up in a couple of days. Recruiters don't want to hear this, but (if and only if you are indeed well qualified for the opportunity) one of your best ways in is through direct contact with a hiring manager. On many occasions I have met with hiring managers to discuss new openings and have been given direct leads to candidates who had made contact with them.

2. Use the telephone
I know this seems archaic in our age of technology. However, rather than leave your career up to cyberspace I encourage you to do some groundwork, figure out who to contact, and muster up the courage to make the phone call (if and only if you are indeed well qualified for the position). When you do get the hiring manager on the phone you should be prepared with a solid twenty second pitch as to why you are the solution to their problem. Then make an agreement to submit your resume directly to them along with submitting it online. Let them know that you will call to follow up in a couple of days and how much you appreciate their time. Alternatively, if you have submitted your resume online and you know you are a great candidate for the position call within one week to follow up on the status of the position. Tell them why you are someone they would want to meet and that you would like to interview for the position. Many job postings say not to call. However, if you take a strategic approach to this, understand the line between making a phone call and being a stalker, and you are indeed a solid candidate for the job than you are doing the recruiter or hiring manager a favor. In my busy recruiting days it was a service to me when a qualified candidate whose resume I had not yet seen would call to follow up. If time allowed I would open their resume immediately. If they were a great candidate, I would get very excited and start asking questions right away or schedule a better time for an interview.

3. Do your research early
If you are contacted by a company you should be prepared by having conducted some initial research. It should answer the following questions: a) What does the company do/offer? b) What is their market position and who are their competitors c) company structure d)company financials e) your understanding of the job based on the description. Most, if not all of this information is readily available on the internet. You may not be asked questions that illustrate this knowledge if they are simply calling to schedule a meeting. Nonetheless, you will be prepared.

4. Be the solution
It is not a secret that many organizations are currently struggling. Hence, more than anything, even more than your actual skill set, companies are looking to hire you as a solution to their problems. What's the problem? Figuring out how to save or generate more money. One way to clearly differentiate yourself from other candidates is to illustrate that you are the solution to this problem. You want to have clear examples of how you helped address a company's bottom line on your resume and be ready to talk about them as soon as your first conversation. This may seem challenging if you are not directly in sales, finance or accounting. Here are some examples:

Marketing: How can you quantify leads that got generated through marketing campaigns you executed? How can you quantify money you saved or helped generate based on your marketing analysis.

Product Development What kind of revenue was generated by new product launches?

Project Management How can you quantify in a dollar amount time you saved on a project?

Administrative Perhaps you supported a boss who was a key player in the sales department and can illustrate how you provided the expertise to help a system run more efficiently, which saved your boss more time to go out and close additional sales.

These techniques can be daunting for some. However, the courage you need to take assertive action in alignment with your desire to get back work is right within you! It is your vision coupled with action that will help bring your career back into reality!

Do you have a strategy you want to share or a question about "getting the meeting?" Please comment below. You never know, the story you share may just be what the person reading it needs to hear. "tweet" this article or post it to Facebook so others can benefit from this information!

The next segment in Lessons from My Recruiting Desk will show you how to stop interviewing and provide in depth details for crafting your "winning job presentation!".

TIPS FOR DEVELOPING YOUR PERSONAL SUCCESS CRITERIA

2009-04-10T10:15:00.000-07:00

The original version of this article appeared at Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-mannino/unemployment-a-call-to-se_b_182653.html

If you take a look at statistics illustrated by major research companies you will consistently find that more than 50% of individuals lack satisfaction in their jobs. I have spoken to more than one executive who has referred to their job in the corporate jungle as "wearing golden handcuffs." The truth is that so many people experience what I refer to as "job dread." This is the experience of dragging your body into work while leaving your soul in a sweltering car with the windows rolled up. Unemployment could actually offer the well deserved time needed to resolve this experience. You can conduct a job search that includes a personal strategic plan designed to integrate your soul's needs with your practical career needs.

Of course, when significant change is triggered by events beyond our realm of influence,it is natural to go through a grieving process that includes panic, fear, anger, sadness, etc. Particularly, if you are newly unemployed, I encourage you to give yourself the time you need to fully experience the emotions that come forward for you, without judgment. Also, gently remind yourself that this is not the first time in which you have had to overcome prior, seemingly impossible challenges. For instance, less than ten years ago many of us traversed significant challenges resulting from the dot com burst and pervasive post 9/11 cutbacks.

After you have allowed yourself to experience the bulk of your instinctual response to the layoff, I invite you to refocus your attention on something positive. This can include activating your support system, and beginning to take an inventory of your unique skills and strengths that will remain with you wherever you go. Begin to ask yourself, "Is it just my job and company that are in flux or is it my industry and career sector that are in trouble?" If it is your industry then I encourage you to also ask yourself if you are one of the more than 50% lacking job satisfaction. If so, this lay off may just be your call to self discovery.

I was recruited and hired into a new position that began right after 9/11 on September 17, 2001. At the time my work was Human Resources and Talent Acquisition. Within two weeks I discovered that I was hired as a recruiter into a company that was implementing a hiring freeze and reducing headcount. Guess who was one of the first to go? Right, yours truly. Three weeks after being hired I was laid off with two weeks of severance pay. Trust me; it was no fun being a recruiter in a job market that was experiencing significant cutbacks and unemployment. Over the course of the next year I had moments when I didn't know if I could afford to eat lunch. Fortunately, I was blessed with a support network that fed me when I needed it. Not only did I manage to survive, I learned about the depths of my resourcefulness and what was truly important to me. I learned to listen to my gut, which was telling me to stay in my contract and not take the new position. Also, my desire to be of service was rekindled, and I went back to work for a non-profit career center while I submitted applications to graduate school.

Many people often wait for adversity to engage in the process of self-discovery. Self-discovery in the context of career exploration means asking yourself a few probing questions. These questions include,"What is it that I truly love to do and that inspires me? What would I be willing to stay up all night doing, still feel energized in the morning, and not get paid for it?" These questions begin to tap into the source of your true inspiration, values, and preferred skills.

In conjunction with National Career Exploration week (April 5-11) I encourage you to begin to ask yourself these questions and look for additional articles in the next few weeks that will offer strategies to continue your exploration.

Please share your inspiring stories of how being laid off was ultimately a gift in disguise!
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E-mail Jason with your career exploration questions at info@jmannino.com.

Jason brings a decade of experience in Talent Acquisition to his work as a career coach. You can learn more at www.jmannino.com.

How to Care for Yourself in Times of Crisis

2009-04-02T15:41:00.000-07:00

An original version of this article appeared at Huffington Post:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-mannino/how-to-care-for-yourself_b_170438.html

It would be a disservice to avoid the fact that so many of us are in the midst of what appears to be profound chaos, uncertainty and fear. We are hearing daily about the state of our economic environment and unemployment. I am not just talking about what we read and hear in the news; I am talking about the personal conversations we are having with our loved ones, friends, co-workers and even the conversations we are having in our own minds. I have noticed how easy it is during these chaotic, stressful periods for people to allow their level of self-care to become severely diminished. Allowing stress to hijack your ability to care for yourself has negative ramifications for your health, which inhibits the ability to successfully manage challenging circumstances. Also, your availability to your loved ones in their time of need is stifled when you have even been unavailable to care for yourself.

With this in mind, I'd like to offer some essential self-care tips.

Maintain self-worth
I have a client who recently lost her job as a legal secretary. While she was employed, she was making close to six figures with overtime. The company went through an across-the-board headcount reduction only taking salaries and employee categories into consideration. It's as if they didn't even look at people's names in considering who to layoff, and my client got one of the axes. After placing herself in the job market, Gail received a call from a recruiter who was very excited to talk to her and anxious to present her to one of his litigation clients, and told her that her salary would be comparable to what she had been making before. She met with the recruiter and invested hours taking all of the skills tests that any of us who have ever signed up with an employment agency know to be a normal ritual. In addition to a legal secretary, the firm needed support opening a new litigation office in Los Angeles, a project that would include implementing technical systems and training staff in various software packages.

While Gail was well-equipped to handle all of this, she was surprised to hear from the recruiter that the firm intended to decrease her salary by $5k because "litigation" was listed third in her experience at her last employer--even though she had primarily provided litigation assistance at her previous job. The fearful voice in her head wanted her to move forward with this interview even though she felt the offer was an insult to her value. However, the self-respecting voice in her head told her that she was worth more than they were offering and that another company would recognize this, so she declined the interview. The recruiter and Gail's sister were shocked to learn that she had turned down a job in such a grim economy, but she held steadfast to her resolve.

Right now we are in an employer's market and many will get away with undervaluing their employees in compensation packages. However, Gail has just begun her job search and had the courage to maintain her self-worth, which I agree is important. However, regardless of where she or anyone else is in their job search, no one should feel pushed into undermining their own self worth. For some a 5k pay cut is acceptable, for Gail it was a compromise she was unwilling to accept, and I commend her for her personal integrity. I encourage you to ask yourself in a situation like Gail was in what your own limits are, and to access the inner qualities necessary to maintain your self-worth.

Laugh and smile
There is actual research to support the fact that both smiling and laughing can support you in shifting your mood and maintaining a healthy attitude and it's contagious. So, do it!

Take care of the little things:
Another client of mine recently shared with me that he had been driving with an expired license for three months. He said that he would experience a pang of anxiety while driving sometimes, and wondered what might happen to him if he were to get pulled over. He found out when he drove himself right into a driver's license checkpoint and watched the police tow his car away. Additionally, what would have been a $30 transaction for him became a $500 lesson. When I asked my client what lessons he received from this, he replied, "I learned what happens when you abandon yourself." I encourage you to use this as an example of why it's important to be responsible and handle the little things, even if they present an inconvenience. Where in your life are you not taking care of little things that could turn into big issues?

Stay present
I recently had dinner with a friend of mine who just had a very stressful week at his job at the Walt Disney Company, where he has been employed for 25 years. His division had just gone through a significant lay-off and my friend was experiencing a lot of fear. "What would I do if I lost my job?" he said to me, and proceeded to go on in similar fashion. Finally I stopped him. "Where are you?" I asked.

My friend looked at me, unclear what I meant. "What do you mean?" he replied.

"Well, when you ask questions like 'What would I do if I lost my job?' you are creating an experience of a future, unwanted fantasy, which takes you away from the present moment and elicits the experience of anxiety and stress. It is not self-supportive." I encouraged my friend to come into the present moment where he still has his job and all of his needs are met, thus eliciting an experience of gratitude, satisfaction, peace and equanimity and allowing him to consider his future from a place of empowerment rather than resistance and fear

I encourage you to ask yourself if the fear or stress you may be experiencing is a result of a future, unwanted fantasy or a direct result of a circumstance in which you currently find yourself. The latter is rational. The former is irrational. If your fear is irrational I encourage you to engage in the self-caring gesture of shifting your thinking to something you can be grateful for. Doing this will support you in staying present

While it can be easy to allow things like layoffs, financial distress to elicit a diminished sense of self-worth and even self-neglect, it is more critical than ever to remain conscious of engaging in very simple practices to support you in caring for yourself and moving gracefully through global chaos that can become personal challenges.

With this in mind, ask yourself this: What are some of the things that you do to care for yourself?

CHOOSING OPTIMISM WHEN PESSIMISM WOULD BE EASIER

2009-03-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

The original publication of this article appeared at Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-mannino/choosing-optimism-when-pe_b_164535.html

With the election of Barack Obama to the presidency, there has been a lot of talk about "change" and optimism. Some even think we have been hearing about it too much during a time in which many are experiencing significant crisis. Yet, while some have an easy time maintaining a generally optimistic outlook, others are asking, "What the hell is there to be optimistic about?"

Personally, I feel that there is a lot to be optimistic about. For instance, we can be optimistic about the fact that we have a compassionate president who is willing to stand in the shoes of those who hold opposite points of view and willing to admit when he makes a mistake. However, when we are riding the 401-k roller coaster, experiencing the worst unemployment rate in 25 years and moving through the trials of a heinous economy, it can be an elusive experience. Nonetheless, I encourage you to explore the role that holding a positive, optimistic point of view can play in your life even through these trying times. However, to do that, it takes a bold and courageous leap into acceptance for all things, good and bad, past and present.

I can hear some of you thinking, "I can't take ownership for Wall Street screwing me over and losing my job," Of course, I'm not suggesting that you have caused all of the circumstances of your life, but rather that your experience of circumstances, therefore, your reality, is based on your response to these circumstances. How you react to any given situation is the result of an internal choice you make. Therefore, it is within your realm to accept and take ownership for your experience. When you take ownership you are empowered to make enlightened, conscious choices that can support you in focusing on the positive, and what is in your life for which you can be grateful.

Victor Frankl was a Psychiatrist in Berlin, Germany who was a survivor of Auschwitz. It was during his time in Auschwitz that he made this discovery: "The one thing you can't take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one's freedoms is to choose ones attitude in any given circumstance." In addition in Ben Sherwood's book The Survivor's Club: The Secrets and Science That Could Save Your Life, he provides a significant overview of research that illustrates that one's attitude and faith are essential to overcoming tragic, dire circumstances.

One's outlook can play a key role in co-creation, the symbiotic relationship that forms when you allow spirit to be in the driver's seat of your life while simultaneously making informed, empowered choices. When you are powerfully co-creating you emit the high vibrations of love, bliss, joy, gratitude. This level is where the Law of Attraction (so famously demonstrated in The Secret) gets triggered powerfully and allows you to call forth new visions and desires for your life. Defined simply, The Law of Attraction is, "like attracts like, you get what you think about, and you get what you put your energy and focus on whether wanted or unwanted." Therefore, though it can be very challenging, it is critical to shift into an optimistic point of view.

My mother died tragically following seven months of suffering and complications following an elective surgery -- an event that ranks among the most tragic circumstances of my life. I would not trade my mother for anything in the world, however, there are things I had to go through as a result of my mother's death that I am very grateful for. The experience offered deep personal transformation, learning and maturity. Accepting the circumstance inspired my willingness to go within and access the courage to experience gratitude; which continues to shine wisdom and insight into my life.

Recently, I had a client who was laid off. Prior to the lay-off it became clear that she would be taking her career in a different direction than her job. At that time she enrolled in graduate school to pursue something completely different. However, although it was not her passion, she knew that it was not time to leave the job. Then the lay-off happened. When I asked her what the lesson might be that she was getting from this lay off she realized that it spirit's way of putting both of her feet on the path that she was choosing to walk. As a result, she was able to see this lay-off as an affirmation of her new direction. Although this circumstance did present her with challenges it became clear that it served her and this supported her in maintaining a positive perspective.

I encourage you to do what it takes to shift your attention away from what is negative and place it on what it is positive in our life. If need be enlist help from your support network or a professional. Also, there are exercises you can engage in that will support you. Daily I write at least five things I am grateful for in a gratitude journal. I also acknowledge myself for something I am proud of or accomplished during the day. This exercise has helped me to keep my attention on the positive aspects of my life, particularly when in the moments that I have felt like things couldn't get any worse. Actually, when things can't get any worse, guess what? That's when they often start to get better.

If you would like to learn more about shifting your perception from negative to positive e-mail info@jmannino.com for Jason's new complimentary e-book: Mind Your Mind; Manage Your Thoughts, Tips to Turn Your Mind Into Your Ally.

Learn more about Jason and A.C.T.ion Centered Transformation at www.jmannino.com.

Easy Nurturing for a Hectic Life

2008-09-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

EASY NURTURING FOR A HECTIC LIFE

By Jason Mannino

August 20, 2008

In my last article I discussed how easy it is to become overwhelmed. Particularly,

while juggling multiple projects, whether personal or professional. When overwhelmed one is often never present where they really are, which is right where they are. Rather at any given moment they are already onto their next item on the "to do" list and not fully engaged with what is in front of them. With this kind of existence it is easy to run ourselves ragged and even forget to receive nurturing from others or ourselves. I have provided a simple list of ways you can allow yourself to be present to nurturing from others and yourself in your some of your most mundane day-to-day activities. Some of what is outlined below may sound a little silly. However, consider that when you were four or five and freely allowed yourself to be really silly that this was one of the times in your life when you were effortlessly connected to source and trusted that you were unconditionally cared for.

More than just a haircut

While getting your haircut or "done," (I have found that men seem to say "haircut" and women seem to say "getting my hair done.") allow yourself to become real present in the salon chair. Take a few deep breaths and bring your awareness to the hands of the person doing this job for you. Simply acknowledge to yourself that someone is taking care of your hair, and therefore, taking care of you. Become real present to the person's hands in your hair, the scissors cutting your hair, and the process of having your physical appearance cared for by another. This will bring you into a very relaxed state and you may even experience some quiet bliss in the awareness that another human being is nurturing you.

More than just eating in restaurants

Take a moment to make a human connection with your waitperson. Make it a habit to ask them their name and treat them like a human being as opposed to someone serving you food. When you make this human connection you consciously begin to have the experience of another human being taking care of you. It feels good to be more fully present in the moment, enjoy your meal, and let yourself be taken care of. Becoming fully present means relaxing where you are as opposed to worrying about where you have to rush off to when your finished eating. You can do this on your lunch hour at work even if you only have 20 minutes.

3. More than just a cup of coffee

Make eye contact with the person who serves you coffee everyday. Bring your awareness to feeling grateful that at any given time you can walk into your favorite café and there is someone there to serve you your coffee or tea. The gratitude you feel will connect you authentically with the fact that there are people all over the place whose role is to care for you. Yes, even if it is just serving you your coffee. You can do this at your dry cleaner, grocery store, theater or movie ticket box office. You can do this anywhere you are receiving a service and it is their job to take care of you. The more you bring your consciousness to that idea the more you will experience it.

4 More than just a workout

I encourage you to exercise consciously. Coach yourself to be present in your body during your workout. Guide yourself through a quick body meditation by bringing your awareness to your breath and your entire body before beginning the workout. Than if you are lifting weights, between each set continue doing breath meditation and visualize yourself moving powerfully through your next set. You will feel stronger and more empowered when you get to the set. If you are doing cardio, in your minds eye visualize yourself having the body you desire. You can also run an affirmation while doing your cardio. An affirmation I use during cardio is, "I have a beautiful, muscular, healthy body that supports my mission and purpose in life." Approaching your workout from this perspective will support you in bringing your consciousness to having a workout that actually nurtures you as opposed to one more chore you have to get through before the day is over.

Of course in order to feel loved and nurtured you yourself need to come from a loving place with people. Sometimes as we run through our hectic lives it is easy to forget that the person who is actually providing us with a valuable service (as mundane and simple as the service may seem) is actually a human being. Take a moment to really look people in the eye and let them know you appreciate what they do for you. This exchange of nurturing and appreciation will support your life perspective in being much more peaceful and graceful even during the most hectic moments of the day.

BUSTING MENTAL BLOCKS WITH POSITIVE SELF TALK

2008-07-05T11:08:00.000-07:00

Your reality, ultimately, is a reflection of your thinking; particularly, when your thoughts are expressed through speech and writing. From birth we are programmed like a computer. Data and programs go in and stay there unless you make a decision to purge them. Sometimes you are unaware that those programs are running. Your hard drive becomes overloaded and begins to run very slowly. It may shut programs down while you are using them. Overall you are just not getting the results that you go for. You then have to look for these programs and delete them or you will continue to get undesired results.

As a child you are programmed by the adult figures in our life. You take what they say and internalize it as truth. Often times these thoughts are negative. They penetrate your subconscious and influence your behavior and the results that show up in your reality. They stay with you until you make the conscious choice to go in and delete these old files and programs. They also become the mental blocks that can keep you from achieving your goals. When you change your thoughts and process negative subconscious patterns driving your thoughts your life will change. There are many ways to address subconscious thought. They include meditation, conscious breathwork, hypnosis, NLP, etc.

One powerful mental blockbuster is positive self-talk in the form of affirmations. An affirmation is a positive statement. It is expressed from the present tense in support of shifting your negative thoughts and manifesting a goal or intention. Also, affirmations are great for processing the subconscious. The simple act of shifting negative beliefs and stating a positive affirmation unique to your life will trigger the ego. This will bring an emotional response from your subconscious into awareness illustrating what may be lurking underneath. Then you can resolve your unseen negative thought patterns.

The most effective method I have found in utilizing affirmations is a writing exercise. In this exercise divide a sheet of paper in two columns. Label the left column “affirmation” and the right column “response.” In the left column write your affirmation. Take a breath. When a negative response surfaces write it in the response column. The response column allows you to purge negative beliefs. When you state an affirmation always use your name in the present tense. For example: In the affirmation column your affirmation may read "I, your name, am now doing what I love and making an abundant living." Your response column response may be "You can't be a dreamer and bring home the bacon."

With a new affirmation I strongly suggest you use this exercise once a day for a week. Write the affirmation and a response at least 15 times. You will know it is working when you suddenly discover that the responses you are writing become positive and support your affirmation. For instance, in the example above, your response may sound like “This is fun!” You will also know it is working if you do not have a response at all and you are feeling relaxed and peaceful after writing your affirmation. Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of this exercise. Transformation doesn’t have to be arduous.

In addition, I suggest speaking your new affirmation out loud. Write it or type it on a piece of paper and place it near your bed, on your bathroom mirror, in your car, in your office or anywhere you can regularly see it. In the morning when you are getting ready to leave for the day look at yourself in the mirror and state the affirmation. Repeat the affirmation out loud while you are driving. Spend five minutes a day in your office working with your affirmation.

I have seen people shift negative beliefs, change circumstances, and manifest their goals literally within two weeks using this tool. If you use this consistently with intense focus it can have powerful results for you too!

THE CALL: YOUR DREAMS NEED YOU

2008-06-26T13:40:00.000-07:00

THE CALL: Living the Life Only You Were Born For

When you’re feeling stuck in a rut and finally decide to make a change going alone can be challenging. You see we don’t live in a society that nurtures authenticity or uniqueness. By authenticity I mean being faithful to internal rather than external ideals. So when you decide it’s finally time to move away from doing what you’ve always done; which perhaps has never made your dreams come true, you might be hard pressed to find support to help fuel your momentum.

Are you at a place in your life where you’re thinking “I would rather have my teeth pulled out than go back to my office ever again,” or “Why did I accept this horrible assignment when my gut was screaming no?” Perhaps you are feeling like things just are not going the way you had planned. Perhaps you are feeling like it is time to do what you have always wanted or perhaps you are confused about what that is. You may begin to share your feelings with the people in your life and discover that this is not something people are unconditionally willing to listen to. The idea that you need to make a change may trigger fear or concern in some of your close friends and relatives. In our society people are generally not acquainted with those of us who want to follow our unique calling. For most people this is often relegated to hobby time.

We all came into this life with unique gifts and talents we are meant to share. This is our calling. More often than not it is also our dream and the thing we do that makes us feel alive and jump out of bed in the morning. The great news is that what we are born to do in this life is also how we serve humanity. I believe when one of us misses our calling there is a negative ripple throughout consciousness.

As children we are deeply connected to ourselves as divine beings; therefore, still related to the truth of who we are meant to be in this lifetime. When a child announces, “I want to be a firefighter!” it would be good for this to be heard deeply by a parent. Whether or not the child actually wants to grow up, don a firefighter uniform, and carry around a big hose spraying fires is not the main point. The main point is that there is an intuitive voice in that child that knows deeply that the qualities of a firefighter are qualities he was born to bring forth to serve humanity in this lifetime, e.g. courage, heroism, teamwork, etc. However, let’s say this child makes this announcement to a father who almost died in a fire as a child and has held onto the dread associated with that circumstance. What may result is stifled self-expression. The child may then put this dream in the “DO NOT PURSUE” file.

As a child I remember making announcements like, “I want to be a rock star!” or “I want to be a movie star!” I did discover the one thing I excelled at and loved as a pre-teen and young man, which was acting. Although my family and parents were very proud of me when I starred in community plays and musicals the general message I always received was that you cannot be an actor and make a living. In my mind this got translated to the irrational belief “You can’t do what you love and make a living.” At 35 I have finally resolved that belief and I am pursuing another dream. I had to do a lot of mental work to get to this place.

My calling is to empower others to be their best on their unique path to living the life they were born for. This is why I am still doing The Call seminar that I co-created eight years ago. The seminar directly addresses these issues of authenticity and following our calling in an environment imbued with love, spirit, and mutual support. Also, the seminar specifically addresses the issues that gay men face being disconnected from their true selves.

First hand experience has taught me well that the gay community facilitates getting deeply caught in ego endeavors with ease. My past experience is that getting caught up in these has left me wondering where my life is headed and severely disconnected, particularly, from myself. My experience working with other gay men has taught me that these feelings are universal. The ego endeavors I refer to include circuit parties, drugs, youth obsession, materialism, the bar scene, sex obsession. It also includes not being fully self expressed because we are more concerned with looking good or keeping the job that seems perfect on the surface. One clear example of this is people who stay closeted out of fear of what their co-workers might think if they come out. No one should have to go to work and leave 75% of who they are in the car with the hot sun beaming down on it. Alas, many of us do. Also, as illustrated previously we often disconnect from ourselves in childhood as a result of events that may leave us feeling less loved or accepted being who we really are. This is why it becomes critical as adults to consciously engage in exercises and practice to reconnect at the authentic level of consciousness.

The main purpose of The Call is to support the participants in reconnecting with their authentic selves, unique gifts and visions they are meant to realize in this life. In the first two and a half hours of this seminar I ask the men to take a journey through their life up until the present. Where are they succeeding? What have they neglected? Where have they been less than authentic? By looking candidly at where the men are now and beginning to understand that what got them to this point is a series of choices they can move into unconditional acceptance. Through accepting current reality and realizing that we are always making a choice we can see that it is within our realm to make a different choice. However, we can’t choose something else until we place our consciousness on Here and Now and accept what we have already chosen without judgment. Making different choices could take us closer to the realization of our goals.

At this point in the seminar I ask the men to do visioning work! This means that I ask them to bring their imaginations to the seminar with them. It is in the imaginary realm that we allow our authentic self to hold the vision of what we desire and begin to see the ways in which they can be brought down to earth. The remainder of this eight-week seminar facilitates the implementation of tools that support their visions becoming reality. This includes creating very specific action plans. Without action visions are just visions.

Through the honor and privilege of previously facilitating this work I know directly the difference that people can make in their own lives and in the world when they enter this level of consciousness. Also, I know that when people do evolve into their authentic self they don’t go back, at least not indefinitely. When we experience and come to know ourselves as authentic beings we automatically begin to see others this way. Seeing others and ourselves at this level of consciousness brings more peace and joy to humanity.
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To learn more about THE CALL and enroll you can call Scott @ Gay Men's Medicine Circle @ 818-400-2432. You can also access further info at Jason's website: http://www.jmannino.com/EVENTS.html

The seminar is facilitated by Jason Mannino and Johnny Burke.

Jason Mannino is a Personal Coach and Seminar Leader in Hollywood, CA. He is available for one-on-one coaching and group coaching in addition to his seminars: The Call and Being Love. You can learn more about Jason and contact him through his website at:
www.jmannino.com

WHO LOOKS FOR A COACH?!?

2008-06-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

I know you are not looking for a Coach! Who looks for a Coach?! Perhaps what you are looking for is a solution to a problem or support in bringing to life that dream that seems just out of reach or perhaps clarity and support in navigating a life or career transition. Perhaps you are looking for time management training or leadership and communication development! This is where I come in!

Through my personally developed coaching approach, Action Centerd Transformation (A.C.T.), I will support you in moving beyond old patterns, fears, belief systems, and choices that are keeping you from bringing your heartfelt dreams into reality. Moving beyond these will facilitate your knowing who you really are at the core; therefore, identifying your life's mission , the purpose, passions and the unique gifts and dreams you are meant to share in this lifetime. The purpose in this technique is to support you in courageously stepping into the "here and now" and moving out of your comfort zone to take powerful and purposeful action. When vision and action come together your dreams can be reality.

It is never to late to dream and it is never too late to let go of old dreams and keep dreaming!

I have gone through all of the work that I bring into my coaching practice. I happily share my own journey with you, which adds to the connection established. I feel this work is never complete and therefore, I am always taking on new challenges and enthusiastically engaged personally and professionally in this work. Therefore, choosing me as your coach means working with someone who has direct experience on both sides of this equation.

During an initial consultation we will discuss your visions and goals and together we will begin to establish a plan to bring these into reality.

If we decide to move forward we will determine which coaching plan will be most effective. Minimum plans are for four weeks and they include 4 weekly 60min. sessions either on the phone or in person in addition to regular phone support.

For rates and furhter info go to my website: www.jmannino.com