Disqus - Latest Comments for daveisbell

Re: Watch: The How I Met Your Mother Finale, Fixed by an Angry Fan

daveisbell — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 16:44:37 -0000

Nice. But it ignores the entirety of the show, which is Ted obsessing over Robin in nearly every episode and telling his kids about it. It was never about he mother!

Re: Something about Boystown. (Dammit.)

daveisbell — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:18:40 -0000

You know what Paige? I love you BECAUSE you are a "hot mess." It is hard to find people who are honest about that so you are always the person I want to talk to when I need to remember that it is ok to be imperfect, and I know you understand what I am talking about! Also, I love that you continue to remember your friend on this blog. I feel like I have a sense of who he was and I wish I could have met him; I'm sorry for your loss, time only makes the pain less sharp but it often won't take the pain away.

Re: Cup 52

daveisbell — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 10:57:24 -0000

Megan, I am so happy for you for what you have accomplished already. I consistently speak with people who are twice your age who do not have the self-awareness, faith, and courage that you have already developed. I am humbled to have been a small part of your journey, honored to call you a friend, and still inspired by the always evolving path that you are carving out for yourself! Thank you for all that you continue to do to bring hope to other people, and for your current service with the MSUAA. Keep on keeping on my friend!

Re: Reunited, and it feels so…

daveisbell — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:34:40 -0000

I can't tell you how timely this post is for me. My twenty year reunion is coming up next year. I purposely skipped the ones that were held before because I never had need for the pretentious smiles of people who could have cared less about me back then. But, this past weekend I attended a funeral for a friend from high school who died. The service was sad, of course. But afterward, my circle of friends who I had not seen in nearly 20 years went out for a few drinks and for four hours we laughed our heads off about the old days and got caught up on more recent events. I believe that it was an unexpected gift, given to us from our friend who had passed on. You see, most of us in that group went our separate ways after high school, and we just never found the time to get together in two decades. Then we found ourselves remembering and celebrating the life of the first one of us to leave this world. In general, we celebrated life. Together, we became the same group of kids we once were. I remembered that I didn't hate everything about high school. Next year, when the reunion comes up, I think that same group of "losers" will be together again. We'll sit at a table in the corner ignoring all of the pretentious peacocks as they strut around the room showing off their feathers to all of the other peacocks. And we will spend the night laughing with one another, instead of preening in front of mirrors, or chewing the ticks off of other peacocks. Just like we did twenty years ago.

Re: Keep on truckin’.

daveisbell — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:24:26 -0000

I have a friend who is a trucker. He is trustworthy, but he talks. He talks alot. About anything. To anyone. He's probably the one of the friendliest people I have ever known!

If you seriously want to ride in a truck, and feel like talking alot, I'll ask him to pick you up next time he's in Chicago. You know where to find me and all you have to do is ask!

Re: Link parade!

daveisbell — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 16:04:57 -0000

I hardly ever write on it, but I'm the problem with, er, I mean, the one responsible for www.spartanshelpingspartans...

Re: I’m not knitting.

daveisbell — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:26:12 -0000

Paige,

You are a brilliant writer. Just let yourself breathe and live. Come back to us (your readers/fans) when your muse inspires you. We'll all be here (at least, those of us that matter. Who needs fairweather "fans" anyway?)

You can't lose me. Even if you stop writing, I'm still going to turn to some of your older posts for inspiration! Plus, we always have twitter..... :)

Re: February.

daveisbell — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:57:23 -0000

Paige, I have listened to this sing three times in a row now and I absolutely love it! Thank you for sharing it.

Re: It’s the little things.

daveisbell — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:38:28 -0000

I second Paige - you are an inspiration. It does not matter to me that I have not yet had the opportunity to meet you in person. I have learned so much from you and I count it a blessing that I am even one of your 10 billion Twitter friends that you dialogue with (even if all we do is screw around and make each other laugh!)

Re: It’s the little things.

daveisbell — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:29:35 -0000

Aw Paige, sometimes your oxygen is my air. I'm usually the one telling people to slow down and breathe in life. Thank you for reminding me to take my own advice. Even though we don't occupy the same geographical space, you know all of my digits and if I thought it would help, I would beg you to use them when you are feeling isolated!

Re: Job Interview Success – Enthusiasm is the Key to Your Perfect

daveisbell — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:32:29 -0000

Great list Bill! I would also add: Know yourself and don't be scared to tell them how good you are (with confidence, not arrogance!) What are your core competencies, characteristics, and professional interests and what stories can you tell that illustrate how these things resulted in the work the company needs done? Aside from not knowing anything about the company, this is probably the thing I end up spending most of my time coaching people on.

Re: 10 Things Recruiters Won’t Tell You (But I Will!)

daveisbell — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:23:03 -0000

Great post! So many clients I have worked with have stumbled repeatedly because of these seemingly innocuous types of things. One thing I would add to this advice is that people need to realize that a recruiter’s first impression literally starts with the first awareness of a person’s existence! If that first awareness comes from a referral by a trusted professional who is a mutual acquaintance then it immediately colors the lens through which the recruiter views the candidate. Likewise, if the first awareness the recruiter has of the applicant is a sloppy, unfocused resume that was uploaded to a database, it immediately directs the recruiter toward a thought process that will probably not be beneficial. Professional recruiters will always attempt to keep objectivity intact but it is human nature to judge the content by the source through which it was received. This is more often than not what separates two otherwise equal candidates! It is also the reason why people need to start by examining their message before they send it. J.T. posted above that “if you are angry, fearful, or confused, it’s going to show. You must find a way to feel good about yourself and your ability to contribute.” If your friends and acquaintances know you as “giving, reliable, trustworthy, etc.” then how willing do you think they may be to make a recommendation to someone else about you, and when they do, what is it that you think they will say? Your attitude (and who you are) when you are alone is quite literally the beginning of what other people are going to understand about you. Recruiters are really quite adept at reading people very quickly and weeding out those who are sincere from those who are not. True, sometimes you have to fake it until you make it. However, any good actor knows that to convince the audience, he must first convince himself that he is the character he is playing. When he is successful, he brings enough of his own characteristics into the role that, when meshed with the character’s, becomes a new creation that is real, organic, and believably alive. Therefore, every time he finishes a production, he has learned, grown, and been changed by the experience and a little bit of that character will stay with him forever.

Re: 6 Strategies for Surviving in a Job You HATE

daveisbell — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:29:46 -0000

Great advice! I would add one more thing. Be sure to manage your relationships well by looking for opportunites to do things for other people, despite opportunity for compensation or reciprocity. The obvious result will be the good feeling that you get from giving. However, the less obvious reason is that people who manage relationships in this manner will eventually reap the rewards of having strong advocates for their own "brand message" when they are seeking an opportunity. (Which is not the reason to do good things, but is a nice byproduct of having done them!)