Focuses on the training and development needs of admin professionals and features topics such as hard skills (software competencies, writing, communication, filing) and soft skills (teamwork, time management, leadership).
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/132240
JUNE 2013 Go for it. After all, YOLO FRO M THE EDITOR Joyce Grant YOLO. It's something the kids are saying these days. As in, "my dad's taking me skydiving. YOLO, eh?" It stands for you only live once. It's more than a saying, it embodies a spirit—of risk-taking and adventure. In my 40s, I decided to do something outside my comfort zone every year around my birthday. One year I went horseback riding (I have a small comfort zone and horses are really tall, I discovered); I tried indoor rock climbing; I did that bungee-cord-trampoline thingy where you bounce really high and Administrative Assistant's UPDATE Administrative Assistant's Update is published once a month by Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. EDITORIAL OFFICE v joycegrant@sympatico.ca S (416) 656-7796 U Joyce Grant, Editor Administrative Assistant's Update Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. 1 Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Road Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 CUSTOMER SERVICE S (416) 609-3800 (800) 387-5164 T FAX (416) 298-5082 (877) 750-9041 v carswell.customerrelations@ thomsonreuters.com Contents copyright. All rights reserved. © 2013 Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. Contents may not be reproduced without written permission. Brief extracts may be made with due acknowledgement. Annual subscription: $189. Publications Mail Registration No. 40065782 GST# 897176350 then do a flip. One year I even auditioned for a reality TV show. It was exciting to go to the audition and sing in front of strangers. (As far as I know, Broadway Bootcamp never made it to air.) What I enjoyed most about doing those things was the challenge of stepping outside my comfort zone, trying something I'd never done and having the satisfaction of overcoming a fear. Sometimes when you try something new it works out well. I'd never written a children's book before but I decided to go for it. Now I'm working on my second book in the "Gabby" series. YOLO. Chris Hadfield Someone who has taken a lot of risks this year—with enormous success—is Commander Chris Hadfield. He's the Canadian astronaut who spent six months living in space on the International Space Station. But his space travel isn't the risk I'm talking about. The risks I'm referring to are his singing, photography, tweeting and creation of videos in space. Here's one of the brightest Canadians; he works incredibly long hours doing experiments in space. And yet he chooses to write a song (with the lead singer of the Barenaked Ladies) and record it while in space. He brought a guitar with him to space and played and recorded the song he wrote while floating in zero gravity. He's not a great guitar player or singer, but he decided to go for it anyway. And it paid off. Image: Canadian Space Agency, Chris Hadfield He inspired children across Canada to sing the song (called "ISS: Is Someone Singing") together on a single day in May this year. And his tweets and photographs from space are incredible. Again, photography is his hobby, not his job—but he's going for it. Check out Hadfield on Twitter if you're not already following him, @Cmdr_Hadfield. You can also search for his wonderful informational videos on YouTube. Your comfort zone Are you in your comfort zone at work? What would it look like to take a risk and step into a more uncomfortable place where you might be judged—but you might just succeed? Make a presentation; spearhead a project; create an admin lunch-nlearn group. It might turn out really well. Our front-page story by Helen Latimer is about taking the reins and starting an information-sharing group. Why not try it? After all, YOLO. 2 2013 June AAU.indd 2 13-05-14 9:41 AM