The Art of Second Chances: On Forgiving, Forgetting and Letting Go

by Marisa Mauro, Psy.D.

Sometimes people screw up. As imperfect beings charged with the power to manipulate, lie, cheat and steal and the emotional sophistication to feel jealousy, heartbreak and outrage, this is to be expected. And so we sometimes find it in our hearts to empathize with the offender and forgive or love them and forget. We award second chances and some of us are filled with so much empathy or love that we give third and fourth chances. Still other times we do not and the offender must lay down in the bed he made.

In our personal lives I am sure that the majority of these decisions are based upon feelings - the raw and blinding emotions of love, lust and fear to name a few. But second chances are not limited to family, friends and lovers and in fact often flood our more objective world. Maybe you are a boss whose employee has failed to meet your expectations or maybe just a guy who got bad service at the corner market. You will, consciously or not, evaluate the offender's worthiness of a second chance.

Resolusi Proaktif untuk Karier Cemerlang

Tahun 2012 telah berlalu dan bulan kedua di tahun 2013 segera berakhir. Waktunya Anda segera memulai perencanaan karier bagi yang terlambat membuat resolusi karier agar lebih baik lagi di tahun ini. Anda bisa mengadopsi saran yang diberikan Shelly Gorman, direktur managemen karier dari UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, tentang beberapa resolusi proaktif yang bisa dilakukan untuk meningkatkan karier Anda.

1. Cek kembali manajemen karier Anda. 
Untuk memastikan Anda berada pada jalur karier yang tepat untuk Anda, maka tak ada salahnya untuk mengecek kembali dan intropeksi diri Anda dengan pertanyaan seperti, "Dalam pekerjaan ini apakah saya bisa sepenuhnya memanfaatkan keahlian saya?", "Apa visi lima tahun saya ke depan, dan apakah karier saya yang sekarang bisa mewujudkan hal ini?", "Apakah saya menikmati apa yang saya lakukan sekarang ini?"

Career of Your Dreams, Career of Your Genes

By Nancy L. Segal

Ever wonder why you ended up at the job you did? You may have your genes to thank

Twin studies show that the career of your dreams may be the career of your genes. In 1979, identical twins Dean and David Kopsell took part in a study I conducted on cooperation and competition between twins. They were 9 years old at the time, a highly compatible pair who worked together on their puzzle task with skill and motivation. The smiles on their faces reflected the joy they felt in a job well done. Their IQ scores were well above average and perfectly matched.

Today, at 29, Dean and David are both finishing doctoral degrees in horticulture at the University of Georgia and are seeking similar research positions at the same institution. How did the Kopsell twins come to walk the same career path? What has made me a researcher and not an investment banker, another person a teacher and not a ditchdigger? And why do some people find their jobs gratifying, while others experience only the daily grind? Since we spend most of our waking hours in the workplace, these questions are key.

Increasingly, researchers have been turning to identical and fraternal twins for answers, with dramatic results. They are finding that genetics, in addition to familial interests, educational, social and other environmental pressures, have a considerable impact on how we choose what we do—and how happy we are with that choice.

Twins reared apart, one University of Minnesota study showed, chose jobs that were similar in terms of complexity level, motor skills and physical demands. In other studies, twins have been shown to have similar tendencies when it comes to "enterprising," "conventional" and "artistic" undertakings; they also share basic interests, be they science, the pastry arts or public speaking. In both sets of measurements, the similarities between identical twins are greater than between fraternal twins.

Berpikir Kreatif Pasca Kehilangan Pekerjaan

By Al Falaq Arsendatama

Memanfaatkan Krisis untuk Keuntungan Anda

Dalam masa krisis finansial ini tentunya kita semua berharap keadaan yang lebih baik dari tahun sebelumnya. Namun sore itu saya ditelepon oleh seorang teman yang memberitahu kalau dia baru saja kehilangan pekerjaan.

Teman saya ini sudah 12 tahun bekerja di salah satu perusahaan asuransi multinasional. Dia sudah membayangkan posisi baru di depan mata ketika tiba-tiba perusahaannya terkena dampak krisis global keuangan yang disusul dengan PHK massal atau istilah kerennya redundancy.

Akhirnya kami memutuskan bertemu dan bertukar pikiran untuk mencari sikap yang tepat dalam menghadapi situasi yang tak terduga ini. Intinya, kehilangan pekerjaan menimbulkan masalah finansial dan psikologis akan tetapi selalu ada kesempatan untuk menciptakan kondisi yang lebih baik.

Polyphenol Antioxidants Inhibit Iron Absorption

Health benefits from polyphenol antioxidants -- substances found in many fruits and vegetables -- may come at a cost to some people. Penn State nutritional scientists found that eating certain polyphenols decreased the amount of iron the body absorbs, which can increase the risk of developing an iron deficiency.

"Polyphenols have been known to have many beneficial effects for human health, such as preventing or delaying certain types of cancer, enhancing bone metabolism and improving bone mineral density, and decreasing risk of heart disease," said Okhee Han, assistant professor of nutritional sciences. "But so far, not many people have thought about whether or not polyphenols affect nutrient absorption."

How Good Is Your Listening Skill ?

By Hendrik Ronald

iras.gov.sg

Dalam dunia service dan bisnis, kita sebaiknya mendengarkan. Kita mendengarkan untuk didengarkan. Bagaimana kita bisa melayani konsumen dengan baik kalau kita tidak pernah mendengarkan? Bagaimana mau menghasilkan Excellent Product kalau tidak mau mendengarkan? Kalau seandainya ada pilihan, “Mana yang lebih baik, enak di customer atau enak di kita?”. Sebagian pilih ‘enak di kita’, sebagian besar pilih ‘enak di konsumen’. Namun saran saya, pilih yang enak dua-duanya. Namun, kalau anda harus memilih, pilih yang lebih enak di konsumen. Mereka yang membayar gaji kita (sebaiknya kita sadar).

Why Didn’t I Get That Job?

by Carl Beuke, Ph.D

Failure can pave the road to getting the job you want 

It's difficult and disappointing to find out that you have been unsuccessful in a job application. Often, you have invested a lot of time, energy, and emotion. For most job seekers, going through this process is a frustrating and inevitable stage along their career journey. However, having put in the effort to get this far, most people forget to ask the questions that can pave the road to getting the job they want. Here's how to be different. Your interviewer knows what they were looking for, and it's probably similar to what any future potential employer will be looking for when seeking to fill a similar role. So - you need to know why they decided not to appoint you. Specifically, you need to know what skills and/or knowledge you need to develop to obtain a similar role in future. Armed with this information, you can enhance your chances of future success.

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Don't be scared to ask questions after an unsuccessful job application. Most people like being asked for their advice. If you ask the right questions in the right way, you increase the chance that the interviewer will remember you positively, and consider you for a future role. After all, you've shown that you're interested in developing the skills they need.

Growers Can Boost Benefits of Broccoli and Tomatoes

A University of Illinois study has demonstrated that agronomic practices can greatly increase the cancer-preventive phytochemicals in broccoli and tomatoes.

"We enriched preharvest broccoli with different bioactive components, then assessed the levels of cancer-fighting enzymes in rats that ate powders made from these crops," said Elizabeth Jeffery, a U of I professor of food science and human nutrition.

The highest levels of detoxifying enzymes were found in rats that ate selenium-treated broccoli. The amount of one of the cancer-fighting compounds in broccoli was six times higher in selenium-enriched broccoli than in standard broccoli powder, she said.

Selenium-treated broccoli was also most active in the liver, reaching a level of bioactivity that exceeded the other foods used in the experiment. "We were intrigued to find that selenium initiated this amount of bioactivity," she said.

Tips Tingkatkan Inteligensi dan Kreatifitas

Menurut David "Wex" Wechsler (1896 – 1981) , inteligensi adalah kemampuan untuk bertindak secara terarah, berpikir secara rasional, dan menghadapi lingkungannya secara efektif. Dari berbagai definisi dapat diambil benang merah bahwa inteligensi adalah suatu kemampuan mental yang melibatkan proses berpikir secara rasional. 

Oleh karena itu, inteligensi tidak dapat diamati secara langsung, melainkan harus disimpulkan dari berbagai tindakan nyata yang merupakan manifestasi dari proses berpikir rasional itu. 

Adapun faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi inteligensi adalah : 
-Faktor Keturunan 
Penelitian membuktikan bahwa korelasi nilai tes IQ dari satu keluarga sekitar 0,50. Sedangkan di antara 2 anak kembar, korelasi nilai tes IQnya sangat tinggi, sekitar 0,90. Bukti lainnya adalah pada anak yang diadopsi. IQ mereka berkorelasi sekitar 0,40 – 0,50 dengan ayah dan ibu yang sebenarnya, dan hanya 0,10 – 0,20 dengan ayah dan ibu angkatnya. Selanjutnya bukti pada anak kembar yang dibesarkan secara terpisah, IQ mereka tetap berkorelasi sangat tinggi, walaupun mungkin mereka tidak pernah saling kenal.
-Faktor Lingkungan 
Walaupun ada ciri-ciri yang pada dasarnya sudah dibawa sejak lahir, ternyata lingkungan sanggup menimbulkan perubahan-perubahan yang berarti. Inteligensi tentunya tidak bisa terlepas dari otak. Perkembangan otak sangat dipengaruhi oleh gizi yang dikonsumsi. Selain gizi, rangsangan-rangsangan yang bersifat kognitif emosional dari lingkungan juga memegang peranan yang amat penting.

Memuliakan Bawahan

BY DADANGKADARUSMAN

Coba perhatikan baik-baik, apakah ada yang aneh dengan judul artikel ini? Sekalipun tidak terlalu aneh, tetapi tidak lazim. Saya sendiri tidak pernah mendengar nasihat atau kuliah kepemimpinan yang membicarakan topik tentang memuliakan bawahan. Kata-kata itu meluncur begitu saja seolah ada tangan yang sengaja menjatuhkannya dari langit lalu secara akurat mendarat diatas kepala saya yang nyaris plontos. Tanpa ada yang menghalangi, dia merasuki otak saya lalu mencair dan mengalir melalui seluruh jaringan syaraf menuju ke sekujur tubuh saya. Seolah terkena sengatan setrum listrik, seluruh sel didalam setiap organ tubuh saya tertegun. Mengapa harus memuliakan bawahan?