If you live in one of these cities, youre probably happy with your salary

If you live in one of these cities, youre probably happy with your salaryIf you live in one of these cities, youre probably happy with your salaryThe job market continues to be strong as we approach mid-March. According to the latest jobs report, in February the U.S. added 313,000 jobs, the fruchtwein since July 2016 acrosslow-, middle-, and high-wage industries. Be sure to check out Ladders list of companies hiring for the highest paying jobs as of March, 2018. The jobless rate also remains at its lowest point in a whopping 17 years. In other words, the economy is strong.Hopefully, you are one of those lucky people who not only has a job but also feels that they are being properly compensated for their work. However, if you dont feel satisfied with your salary it could be because of where you live. Employment review and research sitekununu ran a studybased on 69,378 reviews done in 2017 for companies located in the largest U.S. cities.The study asked employees whether they felt fair ly compensated for their work to determine the 50 cities with the highest and lowest satisfaction rates. To give you some comparison, the average national annual pay for 2016 was $53,621,according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So which city came out on top? Check out the list below.Washington, DC ($68,000)Minneapolis, MN ($55,010)Seattle, WA ($61,170)San Francisco, CA ($69,110)Columbus, OH ($48,850)Boston, MA ($64,080)Sacramento, CA ($54,690)Omaha, NE ($46,490)New York, NY ($61,790)Los Angeles, CA ($55,650)High-wage industries fuel happinessWashington D.C. coming out on top isnt too surprising, as the high-paying tech sector is strong in our nations capital. Last month, we learned that women working in tech in D.C. are actually beating the national pay gap with their salaries.Minneapolis workers may be especially satisfied with their average salary of $55,000 because unlike other cities like New York and Los Angeles, half of their salary isnt spent on rent.Some of these cities are dominated by high wage industries like tech and finance and therefore tend to receive high ratings in salary satisfaction too, said Johannes Prller, of Kununu, in a statement. However, as our salary satisfaction index shows, you shouldnt preclude midsize cities when searching for a new job.Some of the lower ranking cities tended to be dominated by industries that just arent as lucrative such as tourism and agriculture. San Antonio, TX Las Vegas, NV and Albuquerque, NM were ranked in the last three spots for salary satisfaction with averages between $43,000 and $46,000.Money does help with happiness when it comes to liking where you live (and so do some other things) but when it comes to being satisfied with your job, salary is not the most important factor.A strong work culture with good teamwork and gender equality, employee autonomy and challenging work tasksall ranked higher than compensation.

Getting unstuck The myth of work-life balance

Getting unstuck The myth of work-life balanceGetting unstuck The myth of work-life balanceHave you ever felt like you were in a rut or experiencing a particularly low point in your life? Its times like these when we feel down, hopeless and stuck. This can run the spectrum of significance, such as being unfulfilled at work to grieving the death of a family member or friend, but the symptoms are the same. We become disengaged and canleid fully focus or show up with our best selves. In fact, women are more dissatisfied with their careers than their male counterparts.According to a new report by the Conference Board, a New York-based gemeinntzig research group, 53.7% of women are unsatisfied - thats over half of all working women The key to getting unstuck is self-care, even when that feels like your lowest priority and the last thing you have time for. But really, self-care is the only way to move forward again.This type of stuck is a gestalt of grieving and too often, we try to muscle our way through it instead of moving gracefully beyond it. We try to busy ourselves, self-medicate or avoid the flood of feelings accompanying the situation. Most of us havent been taught how to grieve, and because we are so uncomfortable with the pain we cant sit with it and be patient with the process. It takes time and requires gentle progress toward doing what it takes to feel better one day and sometimes one moment at a time.The good news is, you cant think your way toward better acting, but you can act your way toward better thinking. When youre ready for progress, use the practices below to move forward again. In the process, youll redefine success and what it means to be your best self.ExerciseMany of us fail on this one because we set expectations that are too high for ourselves. When you are coming out of a low period, you need to consistently have the experience of succeeding. To accomplish this, you must lower the bar and set a goal that is attainable given the circumst ances. For example, you might commit to some form of self-care once a week once you are consistent and making progress while gaining energy, only then will you raise your goal to twice a week. If at any point the self-care causes stress, its no longer self-care. Self-care also includes sleep. Often we neglect sleep as a key ingredient to health. At times like this, you may need more than your usual amount to sustain your energy for the long term.Try it Commit to some form of self-care once a week. This could be 30 minutes of exercise, sleeping seven hours in a night or spending quality time with a friend. Youll start to see the positive impact of these practices and be motivated to do them more often.GratitudeRemembering there are things to be grateful for, even in the darkest of times, helps keep us focused on the positive and moving forward. Keep a gratitude journal and list at least ten things you are grateful for every night before going to bed. This one intentional practice is a game changer for how you approach each new day. Some days the weather may be all youre grateful for and you can detail ten aspects of that at the bare minimum.Try it The Doubler- this is an exercise developed by Shawn Achor that helps increase gratitude and positive thinking. Every night write down the most meaningful thing that happened to you that day. Then, write down three details about that thing. Causing your brain to recall details has the doubling gratitude effect that gives the practice its name. Do it every day for two weeks- you will bedrngnisice a differenceHealthy dietWhen you begin to treat food as fuel as opposed to a drug, you become more mindful of what you put in your mouth. When youre down, you may not even be conscious of this. Fueling yourself with good foods helps your body stay healthy and your mind stay sharp. Make a commitment to nourish yourself the way you would nourish your children. Time is often a barrier for busy people, but there are many services like Origins, Blue Apron and Instacart that can help minimize the effort shopping and cooking takes. There are healthy options around being intentional means youll slow down to ensure youre taking care of your body.Try it Youd be amazed how cutting just one thing out of your diet affects your body. Try cutting out sugar just two days a week. As I shared above, lowering the bar will get you started and help you be consistent with the practice. Or, commit to packing a lunch twice a week. Youll save money and most likely choose a healthier option. Planning and dedication will make your practices happen successfully.Support networkSurround yourself with positive people and inspirational messaging. This can be from family, friends and non-human sources like pets, social media, and other reading materials. You need to evaluate how your interactions make you feel do they give you energy or drain your energy? Do you feel forwarded or mired as a result of the interaction? Filter out anything that lessens your energy, including relationships. Take a break from social media or limit the amount of time you spend online daily. When youre stuck, gravitate to what is easily moving you forward. Once youre in a better place mentally, physically and emotionally, you will be able to change your thinking.Try it Take an inventory of the people in your life and how they make you feel. Do you leave interactions with them feeling happy and energized or drained and negative? These reactions are important to pay attention to. Every person has a season in our lives, and at some point, it may be time for your relationship to end. If you dont leave feeling better than you did prior to seeing someone, spend less time with them.Getting unstuck is a process that takes time. Be patient and kind to yourself, and know that even small progress is a success. In addition to the practices outlined above, find other ways to recognize you are winning. When you dont believe you have the time to put yo urself first, remember that taking care of yourself is like putting on your oxygen mask before helping others on the plane. If youre not around, you cant help anyone elseMore than just a bestselling author, Sue Hawkes is a keynote speaker, Certified EOS Implementer, Certified Business Coach, WPO Chapter Chair, award-winning and globally recognized seminar leader, and an entrepreneur. She is CEO and Founder ofYESS Your Extraordinary Success Strategies, and brings over 25 years of experience to her clients. Hawkes is also a wife, mom of three, and a bulldog owner. Her new book,Chasing Perfectionis now available for purchase.

How to Ask Your Boss for Help With a Problem - The Muse

How to Ask Your Boss for Help With a Problem - The MuseHow to Ask Your Boss for Help With a ProblemThree different times today, youve made your way to your boss door, paused before knocking, and then just decided to turn around altogether. Youve drafted and then promptly deleted five separate emails. You awkwardly loitered behind your manager at the coffee pot, willing yourself to speak up.Why? Well, you have a work-related issue thats been plaguing you all day. And, on top of that, you have another dicke bretter bohren mssen You have no clue how to actually deal with it.You want to approach your teamberater to get her advice on how you should proceed. However, you also dont want to seem like a fumbling idiot whos incapable of handling even the smallest roadblock.All of the career advice youve read taunts you with this one sentiment Come up with a potential solution that you can bring to your boss for approval.That strategy is great- provided you have any clue where to get started. B ut, you? Youre totally lost. You have no idea how to even begin resolving this issue, meaning the idea of coming up with a suggestion on your own is pretty much a pipe dream.So, what do you do? How can you bring this dicke bretter bohren mssen to you boss, without seeming totally helpless and incompetent? Follow these five steps. 1. Determine Your MethodFirst things first, you need to determine how you should approach your manager. Will you send an email or have this conversation in-person?The lure of email can be tempting, especially since it saves you the embarrassment of needing to look your boss in the face as you confess your own perceived stupidity. Fortunately, jotting your supervisor a message can work just fine for any non-urgent matters. Plus, email gives you the opportunity to document any information that your boss might require (mora on that in a minute). But, if this problem youre dealing with is particularly time-pressing or groundbreaking? Much like any other serious conversation, those issues are best handled face-to-face. 2. Gather Your FactsImagine that you strolled into your managers office and nonchalantly said, Hey, boss The building is on fire and I was really hoping you could jump in and put it out.Your manager is bound to have questions. How did this fire get started? Has anybody already tried to put it out? Why is this happening?Just because you cant bring any potential solutions to your supervisor doesnt mean that you can wander into his office without any context. Hell need the necessary hintergrund information in order to better understand the situation and help you identify the best way forward.Before initiating the conversation, take some time to think through the entirety of your problemWhat conversations or circumstances led you to this point?Did you make any mistakes that exacerbated this issue?Are there any other players involved that your manager should be aware of?Is there any documentation your boss will need to get a bett er understanding of the whole picture?Coming armed and ready with all of this information in place will show that you arent just aiming for an easy way out of your sticky situation. You may not have the answer- but at least you took the time to gather the facts. 3. Explain the Potential FalloutTheres a reason that youre going to your boss with this problem- not only because you dont have the solution, but also because you know that making the wrong move could have some serious consequences.You need to make that potential fallout explicitly clear. What makes this problem worthy of his time and attention? Is a client really angry? Is the companys reputation at risk? More often than not, managers prefer to get involved before stuff really hits the fan. So, your own supervisor will likely be happy that you brought the issue to him before things turned into even a bigger mess.4. Resist the Urge to Apologizenotlage having the answer can be a blow to your ego. But, cut yourself some slack and remind yourself of the fact that- whether youre new or well-established in your position- youre not supposed to know everything. Its for that very reason that you have a boss to guide and advise you when these sorts of things come up.As embarrassed as you might feel, dont fall into the trap of repeatedly apologizing for what you assume to be your own ignorance. Instead, be matter-of-fact about the help that you need and express gratitude for your managers insights.What does that look like? Instead of sayingIm really sorry that I need to bother you with this. I just dont know what to do.Try something like thisId really appreciate your help in figuring out the best way to respond to this client.5. Take NotesNot knowing how to resolve something once is totally understandable and forgivable. But, if you continue to repeatedly approach your boss with that exact same issue, youre bound to begin fostering that helpless reputation youre so desperately trying to avoid.When your manager d oes walk you through how to solve the problem thats on your plate, make sure you document it. Create yourself a little cheat sheet where you can record the answers to questions and issues you might see crop up again. That way, if you encounter that issue in the future, youll be able to take a little more initiative on your own. Needing to approach your boss with a problem can definitely poke holes in your confidence- and, even more so when you dont have any ideas for how to address that setback yourself.However, it happens. You dont have all of the answers, and every now and then youll need to lean on your managers experience and wisdom to get you through some sticky situations.So, take a deep breath, follow these five steps, and finally knock on your boss door. Im willing to bet youll be pleasantly surprised by how that conversation plays out.