Erin Albert's Blog

I’ve never been, nor will I probably ever be a “shopper.”  Maybe it was all those years working in retail during and after college that have ruined me when it comes to retail, but I’m definitely ruined.

Also, one of my least favorite purchases is “toiletries.”  Let’s face it – the namesake is pretty much res ipsa loquitur – right?

However, there’s one aisle in toiletry land that really gets me geeked.  What is it?  Of course!  The “Travel Size” Aisle, where I just was recently, preparing for…travel!

There are a few reasons why I dig the travel size aisle, and trial sizes in general:

1.  You’re actually GOING SOMEWHERE – which is why you’re in the aisle in the first place!

2.  You’re buying mini-sized versions of stuff you need for your life – which means you can generally use them up faster and get on with trialing something else in your life sooner rather than later.

3.  Like #2, you don’t really have to commit to much – just a trial.  Score one for the non-committal!

4.  Did I mention – you’re going somewhere…?

5.  My backpack (and my back) appreciate the space-saving sizes.

Guess you can tell what’s coming up for me soon – I am pumped.  However, thanks to the travel size aisle, my trip is going to be even better, because I can travel a little lighter, and somehow, a little brighter…!

Right now, I’m perturbed.

I just signed my business personal property tax returns.  I don’t have a lot of business personal property – as I’m a one woman operation. BUT–thanks to the state of Indiana and local government, I have an entirely separate tax return due at a separate time from my other tax return (where I report all my other taxes, of course, except for this tax).

Not to mention that all that business personal property I already paid taxes on once – when I bought the stuff.

Ugh!

Rant aside, I’ll shift to attempting to solve this type of problem in my own little corner of the world right now – with you, my fab 13…because I hate to let you down.

On 6/27, I’ll be talking about how I write and publish books at the An Evening With… series by my good friend and author, Dr. Elaine Voci, at her shop.  What I thought was important to share with you (just in case on a whim you decide to show up to the event) was to give you a list of what I will NOT be talking about at this event, relative to writing and book publishing.  This way – you don’t get the surprise “Ugh!”:

What I will NOT be discussing on 6/27:

-Finding an agent for your book.  (Really – you need to be your OWN agent.)
-Asking someone else for permission to publish your book (see the next bullet…)
-Traditional publishing – where someone hands you a check to write a book before you write it (that doesn’t happen unless you’re a celebrity or JK Rowling, or both…)
-Fiction (sorry, I don’t write that genre…yet)
-Children’s books – OK, I will talk about this a little, but I’ve personally never written a children’s book – I’ve only helped guide other authors to do so.
-Vanity publishing – (anyone can print at Kinko’s…)

I’m sure this list will grow before June 27th.  But just so you know up front, I’m trying to manage expectations here…let’s reserve the “ugh!” moments for our government.

You, my fabulous 13, know how I roll by now.  While I do read a lot, I rarely put out discussion guides.  However, when a book is really worth reading and it changes me after I read it, I like to share the thoughts that move through my head as I read the book.

Thus, I’ve been listening to The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin in the Jeep this week.  Also, I ran out and bought a couple of hardcopies as well to share with my mentors/friends and co-reading conspirators.  Last, but certainly not least, I wanted to share 20 questions that went through my head as I read the first part of this book with you, because the book is that important.  It is below, and over at the slidewarehouse (AKA Slideshare–why do I love to rename sites?  Who knows. Maybe that’s part of my art….)

Read. This. Book!

I did my usual surfing of the internet for good stories this morning.  I saw something on a “smart pill bottle” that doubles as a smart phone over at one of the major business sites…but as I hear and see people still complaining about all the unknowns around PPACA, (yeah, there’s a reason, folks, the laws are still being drafted…) all I keep thinking about is…my mac.

So, last week, my mac was making a horrible clicking noise.  Not good.  Really not good, considering it was only a year or so old.  So, having previous computers crump on me, of course I bought AppleCare when I purchased the laptop, set up the auto backup to an external hard drive every day, and took it into the Genius Bar at Keystone at the Crossing when it was clicking last week, and said, “here, fix this…”.  So, the genius flipped out his iPad mini, and then proceeded to look up my MacBook Pro’s “chart” – when I bought it, what service plan was on it, etc.  Then, he took it and replaced the hard drive overnight.  (Luckily, I had everything backed up the day before.)

All I keep thinking is – why can’t we do this for healthcare?  Why can’t we just schedule a genius bar appt when we need one, and pay a flat fee to get in on service for our bodies, just like we can our macs?  Why can’t we just go in and speak to a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, PT, OT, or someone in a team to fix what’s broken, without a lot of fuss?  What if we could get a backup plan for our healthcare, like AppleCare that covers us for crashes and burns?  What if a Genius could just whip out our chart and history on a mini iPad and let us know that we’re covered?

Instead, it’s complicated.

If anyone gets the AppleCare thing figured out for healthcare, let me know.  I’ll be the first to sign up!

I’m not a lawyer…yet.  Therefore, I can’t give legal advice.

However, I AM a writer and published author.  I CAN, therefore, give some real-world, practical advice in this domain!

So, my dear friend and one of my writing mentors, Dr. Elaine Voci, is hosting an evening with yours truly on 6/27 on writing and publishing books on your own.  Here, I will lay down how I published my half-dozen or so titles, and share with the audience how to go about it.  As well, my friend Elaine also put together an entire series of published authors to share their stories throughout the year.  It’s all online at her website.

While there is a registration fee, I don’t make a personal penny on this program–it’s going to charity.

So…this is your big chance.  This is the only talk I’m giving this year on how to write and publish – so if you’re interested, better hop to it – registration space is limited.  And if you don’t see me, go see the other writers…if you’re serious about publishing a book or two or ten, you need to hear how others have done it!

I’ve been working behind the scenes to get my 2 new latest projects up and running!

One is here.  Going to try and share the process of writing my next book on a blog, rather than sharing the experience AFTER it’s done.

The other isn’t a book, and I’m still grinding out the title or brand around it.  Don’t worry, my favorite 13, as soon as I have it figured out, you’ll be the first to know!

What’s your newbie project, and where is it, so that we can follow YOUR magic?

I need to go back for a second.  Rewind to yesterday.

For those of you who haven’t had the joy of refreshing a webpage to eagerly stalk a list that contained perhaps a shot at your future livelihood: When you’re checking the bar exam pass list, you kind of get tunnel vision.  You’re ONLY looking for your name at first.  Somewhere, anywhere on that list, you want your name.  Luckily, yesterday, I found it pretty quickly – yay!

But, upon the joy of shouting from the rooftops you’ve passed the bar exam, patted your fellow passing colleagues on the back, etc., a second gander at “the list” revealed an interesting title at the top.  The board of law examiners entitled the list, “The Successful List.”  I thought that was an interesting selection to name it.

Why?

Well, first off, is the pinnacle of “success” merely passing the bar exam?  It is certainly an accomplishment.  (OK. A BIG accomplishment.)  But–is it really “successful,” when nascent lawyers are merely embarking on their careers, particularly in this economy, when traditional legal jobs are few and far between, and law school forgot how to train us to be real-world lawyers?

I don’t know.

To me, success is in connecting and creating.  Do I get that from passing the bar?  I’m not sure; but in fairness, it’s probably too early to tell.  But I can say, that one of the best bits about sharing my pass with the world yesterday was an exchange with a fellow law grad, who congratulated me, then immediately asked me if any of our other colleagues were looking for legal work, because he had some gigs and needed some help.  I threw out a couple of ideas to him, and he said he would connect with them.

That, to me is success.

Guess what?

They are enemies.  At least according to Seth Godin in The Icarus Deception.

Welcome to my nightmare as an educator!

On one hand, I have to train students to find the best answer when it comes to pharmacy practice.  After all, make a bad choice and end up with really epic consequences.  Not good.

On the other hand, I have to train students to find creative ways to solve problems, since healthcare is such a hot mess.  This, to me, is art.

How can you train students to find both the best answers AND art?  And, how can you train them to know when to shift gears between these two skills?

hmm….

One of the very sage, fierce women lawyers I interviewed in LSL told me that going to law school, graduating, and passing the bar is kind of like winning a pie eating contest….where the prize is…more pie.

Today, I like pie.

To my friends who passed the February 2013 Indiana bar exam, I congratulate you.  We all won the pie eating contest today!  Special thanks to IndyBar, who had patience enough to prep me for this exam…twice.

And to my friends who did not pass, have faith.  If it is meant to be, it will happen, and if not, trust when I say that everything happens for a reason.  As another law school pal of mine said, “Are you really going to let some silly test get in the way of your future?”

Exactly.

To my friends who passed: congratulations.  Here’s to the rest of us who today – welcome that pie as the prize!

…does anyone have a fork?

First, in my note from the Universe this morning, the following:

“Sometimes, e, when circumstances or disappointments bump you off track, it’s the beginning of an even bigger dream coming true, that could not have come true on the track you were on.  Yeah, always.”

Second, a conversation with a mom/co-worker, who has a son who is currently seeking his first job out of college.  I was rooting for him with one of my former employers, but sadly, I was informed he didn’t get the job.

Now what?

Here are 4 suggestions on how to move on from this, and maximize that time you spent polishing that resume, practicing your interviewing, and shaking hands/meeting new people:

1.  Follow up – First off, I’m in hopes you sent an immediate connection request via LinkedIn digitally after the interview (with a custom thank you message), and a hand written thank you card (in legible penmanship, with a business or custom calling card with all your contact info in the card) to each and every person you met at that company when you interviewed.  (You did, didn’t you?)  Furthermore, I hope you sent the snail mail and the LinkedIn requests within 24 hours of that interview.

Second, assuming you did all that and were informed you did NOT get the job, reach back out 3-4 weeks after your last interview, thank everyone again, and say you would hope that they would consider you for future positions.  Ask for feedback on your candidacy as well.

I asked for feedback regarding a Fellowship application rejection I received this spring.  I got it.  It was brutal to listen to, mainly because there was feedback on stuff that was and is completely out of my control, but, I NEEDED to hear about my weaknesses so I can improve for the future.  You should do this too.

2.  Follow up, again – You certainly don’t want to turn into a stalker (there’s a fine line between passionate persistence and stalking, as I’ve stated here before) but there’s nothing wrong with taking notes during your interviews and then following up with interesting bits from that original conversation.

For example, I like to talk strengths from Strengthsfinder 2.0.  Buckingham and other authors are always putting out other books on the topic – so if the hiring manager is big on Woo from Strengthsfinder, for example, why not talk about the Woo book, then send him or her a copy of it when it comes out, or a link to an article on Woo when you see it – and email it to the hiring manager, check in and just state that you saw the book or article and it reminded you of your conversation with them.  (Feel free to substitute “Woo” for “sports” or “art” or “travel” or whatever you two discussed.)

This step requires you to prep ahead – by taking notes, and having interesting things to say during the interview conversation and after.  Sports/books/movies/ideas/websites/travel – bring something different to the table in your interview, and you’ll have stuff to continue the conversation even if you don’t get the job.

3.  Think of the “no” as “not now, but let’s keep in touch” – Take the interview for what it was – the STARTING POINT to continue conversations, not a one shot deal-never-to-be-spoken-of-again.  If you got a call for an interview, you got the amazing shot at seeing a company from the inside out, and you should leverage that opportunity as an ongoing conversation rather than a terminal point.  It’s just a starting point.  If you go into the interview with this mindset, you’re golden.

4.  Success is the best revenge – When you DO get that amazing job, make sure you shout it from the rooftops.  Make that other company WISH they had hired you.  There is no better revenge than success!  After a year or two under your belt and some amazing projects you can be proud of, make them fight over you after you engage and continue these conversations.

I’ll close with a little story about my own career: that same company with the son above…?  Yeah, they didn’t hire me the first time I applied either.  But, eventually, they did hire me.

I never gave up – and neither should you.   And sometimes, when things aren’t working out, that just means that something even better is lurking around the corner for you…you’re just moving over to a better track!