Recent Articles from Michael Schmidlen
Top 10 ways to get the most from working at home
Can you really work in your underwear and take long lunches? Can you actually get work done and be more productive than you would be at an office, without being constantly distracted? What's the best way to pace yourself to avoid burn out? And how can you avoid talking to the dog, the cat – or the...
The mid-life career crisis
Instead of having a stereotypical mid-life crisis, where I get a divorce, a comb-over and a red sports car to go with my much younger girlfriend, I’m having my own version: a mid-life career crisis. It started a number of years ago when I got to the point where I no longer enjoyed the business tha...
Self-help or shelf-help?
In this age of short attention spans, information overload and instant gratification, we’re all looking for the “easy” button to change our habits, improve our lives, add to our expertise, lose weight or find our soul mate. The simple truth is that there isn’t one. All of these things are possible and not necessarily too […]
Motivation for the rest of the year
Here are 13 of my personal favorite motivational quotes to help get you through the second half of 2013: “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” – Thomas Edison, inventor “I think when I work 14 hours a day, seven days a week, I get lucky.” […]
The four stages of competence
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Master Lao Tzu, Chinese Taoist Philosopher, founder of Taoism This quote is one of my favorites, and I’ve experienced its message on multiple occasions. I’ve learned some painful lesson[...]
Top 10 pillars of success
I have enjoyed a healthy dose of both success and failure over the more than 30 years I have been in the business world, and success is certainly more fun – and definitely pays better. While I will concede that there are many different pillars of success, these are my personal top 10: 1. ACTION:...
Thirteen steps to a great 2013
The number “13” has always been my “lucky” number. I was born on a Friday the 13th and have celebrated some “milestone” birthdays on Friday the 13th (the most recent was my 50th Birthday). So I’m entering this New Year with great hopes and expectations, as I’m past due for having a “good year.” While […]