Fashion Career Expert: Maria Pesin

Once Again I Am On A Plane!

In the last 4 weeks I have been in New York (I live there), St Louis, Little Rock, Seattle, Dallas, Tampa, Las Vegas, and now I am flying to Little Rock, and then St Louis again.  Certain times of the year I travel a lot for business.  But, it is worth it.  There is nothing like seeing your customers face to face in their home town.  You get a better idea of their needs and can really build your business with them.  Even if you do not work with customers directly and maybe visit factories, no matter what the reason, going into the field gives you a clearer perspective that can really make a difference in your performance.  So I advocate for travel wherever appropriate so that you can further develop your business and which will help you in your career.

Self Discipline And Why It's So Hard

Well if it was so easy you wouldn't have to have discipline.  So since it is so hard what can you do to exercise self discipline. Over the years I have wanted to accomplish certain goals.  For example: quit smoking, make sure  my bed is made each morning, lose weight, save money, pay all my bills on time, etc.  In order to do these things I have had to force myself into a ritual.  At first it was very hard,  I had false starts.  I quit smoking several times before it took for good.  I made my bed several times a week but took a while before I did it everyday.  I exercised but it took months before I was into a routine.  The object here is to start and to know you won't be perfect in the beginning.  However if you stick with it eventually it will become a habit.  Now I hate leaving my house without my bed being made.  And I haven't smoked in over 25 years.

How Sleep Can Help Your Career.

When I first started working in my industry I used to burn the candle at both ends.  I partied at night and got up early for work the next day.  One day I was filing papers and I was literally falling asleep as I did it.  I had to go to the bathroom to splash water in my face in order to wake up.  Now while this is extreme there is a tendency for people to skimp on sleep.  It is almost a badge of honor to get less sleep than necessary. 

This is not good for your career.  In order to perform at your peak it is vital to sleep enough to get rested.  How do you know what enough sleep is?  Try on the next long weekend to go to bed at a reasonable hour.  Do not set your alarm.  Wake up at a natural time.  After three days your body will have gotten enough sleep so that you can than sleep the fourth night for a time that is what you need.  So if on the fourth night you sleep 7 hours.  Chances are that this is the amount you need. 

By sleeping 7 hours every night,  maybe a little more when you have additional stress, work, whatever.  You will find your thinking to be clearer and your memory to be stronger.  This will make you more successful in your career.