June 12, 2012 • Volume 3, Issue 12 • ISSN: 2154-3240

In This Issue

♦	Feature Article: Shake Up Your Thinking
♦	Ask Amanda: I’m suffocating at work! What can I do?
♦	Practical Tips: Skill Sharpening

Shake Up Your Thinking

We all fall into routines, including routines in our ways of thinking. However, when our thinking gets into a rut it can have serious consequences for our careers. How can you stimulate your brain and keep your thinking innovative?

Look for the Unseen
Insights often come from focusing on what isn’t apparent. Where others saw a simple transaction—purchasing coffee—Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, saw a daily, emotion-packed ritual.
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	Champions are made in practice, not in the game.

Practical Tips:
Skill Sharpening

Staying current in your field—or adding new skills—is important for career growth. A quick way to access some of the big guns at leading universities is to check out iTunes U. Look for it on your navigation bar when you log into your iTunes account. You can search by category and find everything from TED talks to a Harvard course in statistical modeling (oh, goody!)—all for free!
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I feel trapped in my job. I work long hours, never see anyone, and feel like I’m dying! I am a creative person and they’re suffocating me with work. What can I do? A.R., Brooklyn, NY

First, I would suggest you dial down the drama. Remember, you are choosing to stay in your situation because there is a positive tradeoff. I completely understand the feeling of being inundated with work, but characterizing your situation in this overly emotional way just makes it seem worse—and it’s more draining. It can lead you to lose perspective.
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About Us: Our Corporate Life LLC (OCL) is a company that offers a new system for reducing unnecessary workplace suffering caused by the organizational, interpersonal, and ethical issues of our time. It is founded on the belief that adhering to core human values and achieving business success are always compatible. Working with both companies and individuals, OCL helps create solutions that enable corporate employees at every level to optimize profits while enabling them to thrive in the corporate environment. OCL was founded by Amanda Mitchell to help meet the needs of people working in corporate America during this transformative moment in our nation's history. The OCL system reflects her experience and insight gained from a 20–year corporate career working with Fortune 500 companies, and as an executive coach to senior–level corporate executives.