Sample Resignation letter

Today is my last day at XYZ Company and it has been my pleasure to have worked with each and every one of you.

I wanted to take this opportunity to express my thanks to all of you who have made my time here such a great experience on both a professional and personal level.

I have learned so much and will really miss working with you.

I wish each of you the best of success in your future undertakings.

I would love to keep in touch, so please feel free to contact me at xyz@abcd.com

Thanks again for all the support and guidance. Take care and God bless you.

Five Ninja Tips for Success

Be willing to fail. This also means when you do fail, learn from that experience. You’ve already made it over one of life’s hurdles – college. You will most likely enjoy many successes, but you need to know that you will also fail.

I’ve learned the most from my failures. Here is one example in my life. When I was a counselor at a sleep-away camp, I was fired because on my day off I violated a rule and brought beer onto the campgrounds. I will never forget my embarrassment and anger and the trip back with my father, who had to pick me up and take me home. In retrospect, I learned that actions have consequences, that it hurts to be fired and that my father was wonderful because he knew I was devastated and needed no further chastising. I failed, but I learned more from that experience than many of my successes.

What makes America different is that you can pick yourself up from failure and try again. Steve Jobs was fired from Apple and returned to transform the company and our lives. Many of history’s most respected figures – from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln to Henry Ford – failed countless times before they found success. Failure is part of life, so be prepared for that. Don’t be afraid of it. When it happens, don’t let it shatter you. Failure is how we learn about ourselves and about life. Think about that each time you fail.

Ask lots of questions. You will not get very far in your career – or in life – if you already know all the answers. Look for mentors. So many times I have seen young people start out thinking they can do it all on their own. Some of you might even be thinking you have to do it on your own. But you can’t, and you shouldn’t.

My very first mentors were my parents. They taught me the value of setting goals and hard work. Along the way I’ve had many more mentors, both inside and outside my industry. Their perspectives and strong examples have helped shape my approach on everything from how I run a meeting to how I structure my work-life balance.

Be passionate about learning. Just because you’ve finished college doesn’t mean you have nothing left to learn. A ninja innovator is always learning. That love of learning is the catalyst for innovation. It will help you stand out from the crowd, because you’ll have the knowledge you need to go into battle to achieve success.

Take risks. success requires doing battle, and doing battle requires taking risks. Some of the best and most innovative ideas in history have been the result of fearless leaders who took risks. Now, taking risks is not the same thing as being careless. Like World War II General George Patton said, “Take calculated risks.” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is a great example of a smart risk-taker. On a macro level, Bezos’ strategy for Amazon bucks public-company convention. He creates his own competition and forsakes immediate profits to invest in keeping his customers thrilled. His philosophy plays out on the micro level in services like Amazon Prime and products like the Kindle, both of which have turned out to be hugely popular and successful for Amazon.

The final ninja tip may surprise you: Don’t become a slave to your work. You will be better at your job if you have different interests outside of your job. Creativity itself is often the ability to find connections between unrelated things. You also need to take a step back, spend time with your family and loved ones, and do things you enjoy. Time spent away from work is crucial to success, because it allows you to focus on the things that matter most, and that gives you the energy you need to work hard and be successful.

Each of you can make a difference. You can make something happen. You will be our next innovators, our next leaders. Whatever career path you choose, keep these five tips in mind. Don’t be afraid to fail; look for mentors; keep on learning; take calculated risks; and make time to get away so you can always come back refreshed. 

10 Brainteasers to Test Your Mental Sharpness

To test your mental acuity, answer the following questions (no peeking at the answers!):

1. Johnny’s mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child’s name?

2. A clerk at a butcher shop stands five feet ten inches tall and wears size 13 sneakers. What does he weigh?

3. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?

4. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?

5. What word in the English language is always spelled incorrectly?

6. Billie was born on December 28th, yet her birthday always falls in the summer. How is this possible?

7. In British Columbia you cannot take a picture of a man with a wooden leg. Why not?

8. If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

9. Which is correct to say, “The yolk of the egg is white” or “The yolk of the egg are white?”

10. A farmer has five haystacks in one field and four haystacks in another. How many haystacks would he have if he combined them all in one field?

Answers

1. Johnny.
2. Meat.
3. Mt. Everest. It just wasn’t discovered yet.
4. There is no dirt in a hole.
5. Incorrectly (except when it is spelled incorrecktly).
6. Billie lives in the southern hemisphere.
7. You can’t take a picture with a wooden leg. You need a camera (or iPad or cell phone) to take a picture.
8. You would be in 2nd place. You passed the person in second place, not first.
9. Neither. Egg yolks are yellow.
10. One. If he combines all his haystacks, they all become one big stack.

Eight Ways Goofing Off Can Make You More Productive

After canvassing my colleagues, I offer this list of productive ways to goof off during the day and evening. They will boost your productivity and sense of well being. But beware not to overdo any of them. Take too many breaks and you may enter the realm of procrastination.

1. Take a walk around the block.Fresh air combined with a change of scene can boost productivity.

2. Take a nap.
Some offices offer this as a perk. Closing your eyes for a 15-minute catnap can be hugely refreshing.

3. Chat with a colleague.
Even if you only make small talk, a fresh perspective on your day can help you get a new perspective on the task at hand.

4. Run an errandLike walking around the block, getting out of the office and taking care of business can give your mind a break and the exercise will get your blood flowing.

5. Brush your teeth.
The symbolism of removing decay and plaque can be especially potent when you are feeling sluggish.

6. Spend ten minutes checking Facebook, Twitter or other social media sites.This is not as good for you as leaving your desk, but the mental distraction can offer a helpful break. Monitor your time however and don’t let yourself be distracted for more than five minutes.

7. Go to the gymIf your company has an exercise facility, take advantage.

8. Go out to lunch
Judging from the habits of my colleagues, lunch out of the office is a dying American habit. But a healthy meal and good conversation can be nourishing on multiple levels.

Here are 14 things successful people do (or should be doing) on weekends:

1. Make time for family and friends. This is especially important for those who don’t spend much time with their loved ones during the week.

2. Exercise. Everyone needs to do it, and if you can’t work out 4 to 5 days during the workweek, you need to be active on weekends to make up for some of that time, Vanderkam says. It’s the perfect opportunity to clear you mind and create fresh ideas.

“I know an owner of a PR firm who takes walks in the park with his dog to spark ideas about how to pitch a new client, or what angle to take with the press for a story,” Kurow says.

Cohen suggests spin classes and outdoor cycling in the warmer months. “Both are energizing and can be organized among people with shared interests. For example, it is not uncommon for hedge fund folks and Wall Street professionals to ride together on weekends. It is a great way to establish and cultivate relationships based on membership in this elite professional community.”

3. Pursue a passion. “There’s a creative director of a greeting card company who went back to school to pursue an MFA because of her love of art,” Kurow says. “Pursuing this passion turned into a love of poetry that she now writes on weekends.”

“Successful people make time for what is important or fun,” Egan adds. “They make space for activities that add to their life balance.”

4. Vacation. Getting away for the weekend provides a great respite from the grind of an intense week at work, Cohen says.

5.  Disconnect. The most successful people avoid e-mail for a period of time, Vanderkam says. “I’m not saying the whole weekend, but even just a walk without the phone can feel liberating. I advocate taking a ‘tech Sabbath.’ If you don’t have a specific religious obligation of no-work time, taking Saturday night to mid-day Sunday off is a nice, ecumenical time that works for many people.”

6. Volunteer. “I know a commercial real estate broker who volunteers to help with cook-off events whose proceeds are donated to the Food Bank,” Kurow says. “The volunteer work provides a balance to the heavy analytical work she does all week and fulfills her need to be creative — she designs the promotional material for the non-profit.”

Cohen says a lot of successful people participate in fundraising events. “This is a great way to network and to meet others with similar interests,” he says. “The visibility also helps in branding a successful person as philanthropic.”

7. Avoid chores. Every weekend has a few have-to-dos, but you want these to take the minimum amount of time possible, Vanderkam explains. Create a small window for chores and errands, and then banish them from your mind the rest of the time.

8. Plan. “Planning makes people more effective, and doing it before the week starts means you can hit Monday ready to go, and means you’ll give clear directions to the people who work for you, so they will be ready to go, too,” Vanderkam says.

Trunk agrees. She says successful people plan their month and year because “if you get stuck on short-term lists you don’t get anything big accomplished.”

9. Socialize. “Humans are social creatures, and studies of people’s experienced happiness through the day finds that socializing ranks right up there, not too far down below sex,” Vanderkam says.

Go out with friends and family, or get involved in the local community.

“It has been demonstrated that successful people find great satisfaction in giving back,” Cohen says. “Board membership, for example, also offers access to other successful folks.”

10. Gardening/crafts/games/sports/cooking/cultural activities.This is especially important for those cooped up in an office all week.

“For the pure joy, some folks find great satisfaction in creating beautiful gardens,” Cohen says.

Kurow knows an attorney who uses her weekends to garden and do mosaics and tile work to satisfy her creative side. “Filling her life this way enables her to be refreshed on Monday and ready to tackle the litigation and trial prep work. Artwork for her is fulfilling in a way that feeds her soul and her need to connect with her spiritual side.”

Bridge lessons and groups can also sharpen the mind and often create relationships among highly competitive smart professionals, Cohen says. “I once saw a printout of a bridge club’s membership list; its members were a who’s who of Wall Street.”

Theatre, opera and sporting events can also enrich one’s spirit, he adds.

11. Network. “Networking isn’t an event for a successful person, it’s a lifestyle,” Trunk says. Wherever they go and whatever they do, they manage to connect with new people.

12. Reflect. Egan says truly successful people make time on weekends to appreciate what they have and reflect on their happiness and accomplishments. As Rascoff said, “weekends are a great chance to reflect and be more introspective about bigger issues.”

13. Meditate. Classes and private instruction offer a bespoke approach to insight and peace of mind, Cohen says. “How better to equip yourself for success in this very tough world?”

14. Recharge. We live in a competitive world, Vanderkam says. “Peak performance requires managing downtime, too–with the goal of really recharging your batteries.” That’s how the most successful people get so much done.

Successful people know that time is too precious to be totally leisurely about leisure, Vanderkam concludes. “You’re not going to waste that time by failing to think about what you’d like to do with it, and thus losing the weekend to TV, puttering, inefficient e-mail checking, and chores. If you don’t have a busy workweek, your weekend doesn’t matter so much. But if you’re going from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day, it certainly does.”