Truth: Most people never become what they could be. Without a definite purpose or ambition, they cruise along in life, tackling what’s easy with great aplomb, saving what’s difficult for another day that never comes. When obstacles become too tough, too inconvenient or seemingly insurmountable, they give up, then resign themselves to the fact that success wasn’t meant for them.

Obstacles – nasty as they may be – are really nothing more than giants on the road to your goal. Giants pop up to test you, to strengthen you and – more often than not – to make you prove you’re ready for what you want in the first place. (Some people say that giants are a sign that you’re on the right path.)

No matter what you do in life, how you handle giants will ultimately determine how successful you become.

Be warned, however: Giants are clever. They come disguised as a lack of time, funds, education, contacts, resources…you name it. There’s a garden variety to choose from, all giants nonetheless. Perhaps the greatest giant of all is insecurity, i.e., who am I to do that? Don’t allow yourself to get intimated by big projects and paralyzed into inaction. Whenever feelings of doubt of insecurity creep in, recognize it for what it is – fear – and then get out of your own way. (Note: The more giants you tackle, the easier they become to defeat.)

The key to conquering fear is not to try and banish it completely (which is impossible), but to deal with it. Use it. Turn your fear into focus. No matter what the situation, if you take the spotlight off of yourself (how is this going to make me look?) and put it on the task at hand (what would really make this project outstanding?), you’ll have an easier time moving forward.

“Focus is bringing everything you have to what you want and cutting off everything else.”

~Advertising Legend Mary Wells Lawrence

Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington or via email at ebennington@msn.com.

OMG, my neighbor won a Grammy award this Sunday!

As you can imagine, I’m psyched beyond words for her and immediately wanted to celebrate her life changing career success with you all here at YoungandSuccessful.com….because well, that’s what we do, but also, because I thought you’d all appreciate the little taste of this experience up close and personal.

Living in Los Angeles is a pretty surreal existence. Sometimes it’s a little over the top, often it’s fascinating (mostly due to the crazy characters who reside here), frequently it’s perplexing (attitudes, values, paradigms, etc.) but the real reason most live here is for the unbeatable lifestyle – the relaxed atmosphere, the beauty, the beaches, the amazing weather.  Sure some come to be discovered, others to escape the cold, and the rest in search of a better life.

Anna Joseph moved to LA from Minnesota to launch her career in the entertainment industry like countless others.  For the past few years, she’s been a wiz at producing commercials and more recently started to take on some other projects – one of which was a music video.  Long story short, the “Boom Boom Pow” video featuring the Black Eyed Peas was in part, her creation.  And Sunday, they took home the Grammy for Best Music Video.

As I watched the awards that night (with my other favorite neighbor) I couldn’t help but look beyond the glitz, the glamour and the stage show that was put on to celebrate and publicize it all.  When Taylor Swift talked about what it was like to be a kid in high school dreaming the impossible – to one day win a Grammy – then experience it actually happening that night, she reminded millions around the world that many on that stage have had journeys similar to ours.  She ruminated about how those of us who start out all filled with fire and ambition, hungry to succeed, are all told at some point or another that much of what we dream of is unreachable…but clearly it’s not.
Listening to Taylor was a reminder of that.  But helping Anna get ready for the actual Grammy’s herself was the best proof I could ever imagine.  And I really wanted to remind you all of that.  These kinds of successes really do happen.

Anna is the sweetest, nicest, most considerate, professional and talented person you could meet.  She’s real, authentic and dedicated to giving everything she can to everything she does.  She’s one of those people that you hope experiences a success like this…but still, you never dream it will actually happen.  And yet, it does sometimes!

For the past month our building has been a buzz with getting her ready – dresses, hair, makeup, planning.  Her sisters and niece and father flew into town this weekend.  Everyone else at home huddled by their televisions with bated breath.  Those in town got all dressed up, went to the parties, escorted her to the awards show, bit their nails as they waited for the category to be called, then were right by her side when it all happened.  Totally surreal.

I know you don’t all personally know her, but I wanted you to share in this experience because it’s important for us all to see come to life.  All this hard work, the late nights, the pain, the suffering, the dedication, the commitment…is worth it.  Not always, but often enough to make the effort worth it.  Plus, how much more exciting are our journey’s than everyone else’s?  We lead these crazy lives because we want more out of life and we’re all curious to to see just how far we can go.

As you’re thinking about your path so far and all the things you aspire to do, take a look at this video and put yourself in Anna’s shoes. It is possible.  This level of success can be yours.  Anna is living proof.

It’s that time again—time to usher in a brand new year. No matter what you did or didn’t do in the past, you can turn the calendar page and begin again. Start your job search fresh with a cover letter that will result in an interview for the career you’ve dreamed about.

Even in a tight economy, people are being hired every day. You can be one of them. Businesses need qualified individuals who are professionally trained, experienced, and ready to step into a wide range of jobs—from A to Z.

Blow away the competition this year with a unique cover letter that commands attention.

Adopt a Winning Strategy

A well-crafted job search cover letter has three tried and true ingredients and you can include them in your letter as easily as anyone else. Here they are, yours for the taking.

Make it SHORT: Thank you for posting your need for a bookkeeper on CareerJimmy.com. With five years of experience in this field for my previous employer, I feel well qualified to fill this position and would welcome the opportunity to interview.

Keep it SIMPLE: I’ve received two company awards for my skills and performance. I understand the importance of taking responsibility for the job assigned, holding myself accountable to my superiors, and being a team player with my co-workers.

Be SINCERE: I would love the opportunity to interview for this position. I want to learn more about your excellent company and then show you how I can do my part to help achieve your goals.

Help employers do their work by putting your name and experience in front of them.

Think of the hiring manager as a good friend, joining you for lunch after a round of golf or a workout at the gym. Keep your writing short, simple, and sincere and you will be noticed.

Avoid a Losing Strategy

Notice the difference between the previous examples and this one that is filled with clutter, confusion, and camouflage…

“Regarding your posted listing on CareerJimmy.com I am taking time today to respond to that listing in hopes that you will take some time to consider me for the job of bookkeeper, given that I have five years of doing this type of work for the employer I used to work for before I saw your listing. I hope you will decide to interview me, although I realize there are other people hoping to win this job. If you want I can provide you with more information about my qualifications. Just ask. Please consider me for this job. I have been unemployed for the past six months and need to get to work soon.”

Salute the New Year!

Read your cover letter aloud—preferably to someone you trust for honest feedback. Then kick the clutter, confusion, and camouflage off the page! And turn to short, simple, and sincere. Be yourself. That’s the person a hiring manager is eager to meet. When you hear your unique voice on the page, you’ll know you’re there.

Then lift your glass and tip your hat to the New Year with expectation and excitement. It’s going to be a great 2010 for you, perhaps one that will change your life and career in ways you’ve never imagined. And all because you took the time to write an amazing job search cover letter that will have a future employer raising his glass to yours (and inviting you in for a job interview).

Happy New Year and happy job hunting!

Jimmy Sweeney is the president of CareerJimmy and author of the new, Amazing Cover Letter Creator. Jimmy is also the author of several career-related books and writes a monthly article titled, “Job-Search Secrets.”

Visit Jimmy on the web at Amazing Cover Letters.com for your ‘instant’ cover letter today. In just three and a half minutes you will have an amazing cover letter guaranteed to cut through YOUR competition like a hot knife through butter!

It’s just a fact of life that some people get past the velvet ropes of business and others don’t. The good news is that if you consistently find yourself on the outside looking in, the only thing preventing you from getting past the gate is your relevance to the gatekeeper. And by gatekeeper, I mean those people you want and/or need to know. Think about that for a second.

Odds are, the people on your list are in a position to help you get something you want. This is because, for the most part, we gravitate towards relationships that bring value to ourselves, i.e., we judge others based on their relevance to us.

Once you understand this, all you have to do is figure out a way to become relevant to the people you’d like to know better. Make them NEED YOU for something, be that an important project, task, or even just a sounding board on their favorite hobby.

Example: Say you’re an entry-level exec trying to make friends on a new job. You learn that Sara in Cubicle D is a travel buff who backpacks through Europe every summer. You spent a semester in Madrid. Ta-da.

Better example: Say you’re an entry-level exec trying to get noticed on a new job. You learn the president of your company is on the Board of the local YMCA. You volunteer for a steering committee. Now, every third Thursday of the month you and the bigwig are partnering on projects from soccer tourneys to scholarship programs.

If your not “getting” as much as you’d like from your career, think about how much you’re giving.

Emily Bennington is the author of Effective Immediately: How to Fit In, Stand Out, and Move Up at Your First Real Job. She hosts a popular blog for career newbies at www.professionalstudio365.com and can be found on Twitter @EmilyBennington or via email at ebennington@msn.com.

I always wanted to be both an entrepreneur and writer. Which is what led me to start Literary Magic, an online literary magazine. I was only 15 at the time and was heading into an industry known for thick competition and thinner business plans, but I used my verve and love for writing and words to distinguish my creation from the rest. So was born Literary Magic, the first online source for literati of all parts: short stories and literature combined with linguistics and etymology.

Literary Magic is like a story to me. Like my life, it’s had its up and downs. Successes and failures. But now our traffic has grown and our name has begun to establish itself within the minds of literati and bibliophages (people who “consume” books at a ludicrous rate). We receive hundreds of submissions a year and dozens of book review requests. What started as an idea for a website has been transformed into a thriving venture. Now I’m working on turning it into a profitable business, utilizing a three-pronged business model of advertising, consulting and e-commerce.

I first got started with Literary Magic by following my passions. At 12 I wrote my first book. That took three years. My second book took three days. Sound crazy? Well, if there’s a will there is a way. This led to me to explore other aspects of the English language, which birthed Literary Magic. Since then, I have written over 200 articles and reviews on language and business, received the Attorney General’s Triple C Award and won my high school’s English literature award.

But my passions took me further. Only six months after working on Literary Magic, the former New York Times columnist William Safire dubbed me a “word maven.” A few weeks later, I was invited to intern with The McGraw-Hill Companies to work with their Online Media team.

The most important things I have learned from my experiences is to never give up and that while there is no formula for success, one method that works for me is the equation “Idea + Implementation = Success. Ideas are nothing if you do not persist and put in the effort to make it happen.

I have also gotten a taste of the incredible amount of effort that goes into running a website and managing people. However, from this experience I have improved my communication and marketing skills.

Today, as I start college,  I still run Literary Magic as CEO and Editor-in-Chief, with a staff of six editors, two dozen staff writers and a couple of web technicians. It has transformed into Reichman Media, which will serve as my platform for all future web ventures. I’m trying to both build a business model and expand the readership of Literary Magic. I also do marketing as CMO for robotics and electronics startup Narobo. I have interned with McGraw-Hill for 4 years and I am working on my third novel. When I’m not working on business, I write and tap dance.

But to me, entrepreneurship isn’t just a career choice. It’s way of life.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions about writing or entrepreneurship or if you just want to connect. I love meeting fellow entrepreneurs and writers!