With millions of people awaiting 2013 to start their New Year's resolutions, now is the time to focus on your passion and do work you love.

In this very inspiring TED talk by Scott Dinsmore, you will find the reason why some people find their passion and others don’t.

Statistics show that 80% of people hate the career they are in. Scott Dinsmore has interviewed thousands of employees and entrepreneurs from 158 countries to find out why a majority of us settle for a career we are not happy with and, most importantly, how we are able to position ourselves to pursue our passion.

Sabine Ahrens, a freelance designer from Hamburg, Germany, has come up with an intriguing approach to getting new clients - by trying to see things from their point of view. Did they really need a designer? If so, why did they need one? And were there perhaps good reasons why they shouldn't hire one? Answering her own questions, Ahrens came up with the flowchart shown below. Click on the flowchart to make it bigger.

Let's face it. Meeting with family over the Holiday season can become.... well awkward and annoying at some point. One of those moments comes when you try to explain your job as a social media manager to those people who just don’t quite “get” it.


Hey – I use Facebook! I’d be so good at your job! While it is true that being a social media manager, using Facebook is a part of the job, it is only that. One part of the job. You need to know how to use all the social media sites (and blogging) and how best to utilize them for your community.

I just don’t get the point of “The Tweeter” First of all, don’t call it “The Tweeter”. Calling it that is either ignorance or obnoxiousness, and sometimes both. Twitter is an important part of the social media tool kit. It is a great way to get involved with your community, both talking with and listening to them.

What do you do all day? Short answer: a lot. A day in the life of a social media manager can include a variety of things. From creating and curating content to designing a Facebook contest to searching out what people are saying about the company/brand across the Internet. All that while addressing customer concerns, replying to what people are saying while keeping up with the brand voice and maintaining a positive brand reputation.

You actually use that stuff for business? Social media is a great place to get involved in the community with your customers. It is a place to listen to your customers and to know them better.

Oh – you could do mine free for me, right? Because we’re friends. No. Social media management is a service, you pay for someone to manage a social media account in the same way you would pay an accountant to do your taxes or a lawyer to read your contracts. Would you ask your cousin the accountant or your sister the lawyer to manage your business’s workload for free?

So, what are you going to do when social media goes away? Things may change and evolve over time, but there will always be a need for businesses to engage with the online communities. We evolve with the times.

Can’t I have an intern/my son/my granddaughter etc do that for me? No. The person behind your social media accounts is another ‘face’ of your company. The things they say and do online will reflect back on your company in a positive or negative light. As Scott Stratten says “It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and one tweet to screw it all up.”

You mean like, people pay you to tweet for them? Yes, but consider this… those tweets have a lot of thought behind them. Is it in the brand voice? Does it stick to the social media plan? If it’s curated from another source – is that source a reliable one? Are the facts correct? Is the spelling and grammar correct? Those are just a few thoughts behind every post on any social media site.

Who in the world would pay for that? Isn’t it free? While having the basic set of social media accounts is free, there are charges to some of the tools. You also have to consider the cost of your time. Social media is alive and active 24/7/365. It’s not just 9-5. Do you have time to respond to every Tweet or Facebook post? Can you afford the time it takes to not just write your own blog, but reply to every comment as well?

Aw… that’s cute. But what’s your real job? This is a real job! You might not understand what I do, but that’s ok – we’re still cool. Let’s go have some cocoa.

Read more at http://www.business2community.com/social-media/10-things-not-to-say-to-a-social-media-manager-0341056#vlTYh1WTYslvVJrW.99 

We all want to be the best that we can be. We want to do a good job and feel confident in our abilities and talents. Sometimes, however, we forget the essentials. We get so caught up in the day-to-day grind that we forget what we are really working for. Sometimes we just do the bare minimum, or feel bored, unfulfilled and unhappy. Well, what if there was a way to regain your spark? To love what you do again? Here are a few ways to become a better designer and bring new life into your work life. 


KEEP IT SIMPLE 
Sometimes we make things too complex. We try to think of every last possible problem or occurrence. When we do that we get caught up in the ‘what ifs’. What if this should happen? What if that should be needed? What if they don’t like it? What if… Drop the what ifs. Don’t sweat the small stuff. If you keep thing simple and basic you will be better off. Not only will you enjoy your work more, but the people you are designing for will feel the love you put into it and like it too. Remember that simple is always better. With more things come more complications. So, keep it simple, relax, and have fun with it.



BE CREATIVE 
This is a long overlooked part of having fun with your design. If you are not being creative then you are not interested in what you are doing. If you are not interested then why would your customers be interested? The more fun you have with a project the more that effort will show to your customers. Be creative and think outside the box. Not only will your work be better but you will enjoy working again.



LISTEN 
This is a big step that many of us miss when we get too busy. We have done this sort of thing a hundred times before so we think we know what the customers are looking for. But that is not the way to get repeat business. No, you should take the time to really listen to what the customer is saying they want. Even if it seems outlandish or foolish you can get something out of it. By listening you not only hear their concrete wants but you get a feel for who they are and what their style is. By listening you can really personalize your design and create something outstanding rather than just workable. 
These are just a few ideas that can help you to get back to the basics of design and love your work again. If you can bring back that spark you had when you first started then you will see better results. Have fun with your work and remember to keep thing simple