Happy Friday!  Friday is most corporate-goers’ favorite day of the week.  Perhaps it consists of an unhealty breakfast from McDonalds, a slight hangover or just the joy of knowing you don’t have to get up for work the next morning.

Since I’ve been away from my favorite blogs this week, I spent some time catching up with Google Reader early this morning.  After a very short time, I was thoroughly annoyed.  I was looking for some unique entertainment, to learn something I didn’t know, or to hear some good stories.  I found none of these things. 

Every blog post seemed to be exactly the same:

• Pursue your passion!
• Escape the 9 to 5!
• Leave your job to travel the world!
• Buy this e-book!
• Live spontaneously!
• Be a positive person!
• 50 Days to your dreams!
• Pursue your passion!
• Cubical = Hell on Earth!

YUCK.  Not only is this advice the last thing I want to hear about on a Friday morning, every blog post on every blog sounded exactly the same. 

Apparently I need to add some new blogs to my RSS feed (please give me some new ones, I’m dying here) and I need to delete some too.  Reading all of these posts made me feel like my generation is living in a weird bubble when it comes to their career.  Perhaps you could call it la la land. In addition, many of us see success in only one way- and we’re kind of harsh about those who don’t conform.

I’m all about making a million dollars a year pursuing your passion.  Who WOULDN’T be?!  Like Rich DeMatteo says in his recent post, I’m all about Gary Vaynerchuk’s book Crush It (in fact, it’s one of my favorites that I recommend to everyone) but I do have some beef with this new hot button called “passion.” Definitely read Rich’s post because it really hits home with me. 

What the hell does passion mean anyways?

I think we build the word up to be way more than it is.  Dictionary.com says passion is: any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate.  Pretty simple definition.

The “p-word” is losing it’s fire.  It’s an idea.  Maybe it’s a fantasy.  It’s overused.  It provides false hope amidst a recession.  It sets internet marketers up to make money selling dreams rather than valuable products and services.

There is NOT one definition of success

Another point I’d like to make is that not everyone wants to work for themselves.  Not everyone wants to leave their day job to travel around the world.  Not everyone wants to sell all of their stuff and see where the wind takes them.  Some people- GASP!- love their corporate jobs and are very happy moving up the ladder that way.  Some people like money and want to buy nice cars with it.  Some people like getting advacned degrees and going back to school. 

Let’s let everyone define their own version of success.

Success looks very different for everyone, and I feel that many Gen Y bloggers are painting the picture only one way.  Please stop.  You’re starting to make people feel like they are settling just because they aren’t freelance writers living on a beach in an exotic country…

Matt Cheuvront wrote a great post called “Breaking Away from Generation Now.” Matt works for himself and fully acknowledges that his lifestyle is not for everyone.   Thank you, Matt, for not making your readers fit into a little box.

As Rich says, Passion is PART of our career.  For many, passions are pursued outside of work.  And that’s ok! 

Throw some fuel on the fire

• Do you feel the word “passion” is being overused in Gen Y blogs today?
• Do you feel like Gen Y defines success in only one way?
• What would you do if you had the option to: 
  • A. Take a job you liked that paid you $15,000 more than you make now, or
  • B. Get a $10,000 salary cut to do something you are “passionate” about?
• Is taking the money such a bad thing? 

I’d really like to hear your thoughts on this rant.  Maybe I’m being unreasonable, but I had to share my thoughts.

Oh yeah, and please recommend some new blogs for me to subscribe to!

Dear Apartment Gods, 

Please, oh please let us find a dog-friendly 2 bed/2 bath within walking distance of the L. We’d like parking included. We also wouldn’t mind granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and wood floors…equal sized bedrooms and new bathrooms…oh yeah, and keep us way under budget and within a 4 block radius of the park. 

With Love, Nicole & Katie

I’m moving.  For the 4th time in the past year. 

And what a nomadic and wonderful year it has been!  In fact, the last year- although at times very stressful- has been my favorite year so far.  It has been one of those years that pushes you up to the next level.   

And what does this have to do with apartment shopping?

Well, before we get to that, first let me say that apartment shopping is a HUGE pain in the ass. While I have loved seeing Katie almost every day for the past two weeks, along with the past two Sunday mornings (not a pretty sight), I’d prefer not to see her under these circumstances. 

If you can imagine it, our apartment search consists of us driving the wrong way down one-way streets, relying way too heavily on my iPhone map to navigate our new neighborhood (which quite frankly is embarrassing considering we have lived here for 4 years), getting lost again, almost crashing the car while looking at iPhone map, being scared to get out of the car for showings at places that were listed as a “great deal!”, jumping into my flashy red car in slight embarrassment after working with someone who had quite possibly used illegal substances right before our appointment, (there’s no doubt that guy HATED us)…you get the idea.

We know exactly what we want.  But finding it is another story.

We find a place with the space we want, but it is 150 years old and falling apart.  We find a gorgeous place that is modern and in the perfect location, but one room is as big as a closet and doesn’t have a window. 

I think if I’ve learned one thing over the past year, it’s that you just can’t have it all.

Perhaps this is a simple concept to most, but it wasn’t for me.  I really thought you could “have it all.” 

What made THIS year so great was letting go of the notion that you can “have it all.” 

This year consisted of letting go of things that aren’t working even if you had hoped they would.  Making tough decisions in order to get where you want to be.  Accepting that you can’t make everyone happy all the time.

In terms of personal friendships and relationships, I’ve learned to pick my battles, let things go, not judge, not speak too quickly, and live the life that makes ME happy, not others.

And that last point is a big one- you need to do what is right for YOU.  It’s not as easy as it sounds either.  Without even realizing it, we all have pressure from our friends, families, jobs.  Perhaps you are your own worst enemy, striving to have it all in a world where perfect just doesn’t exist.

My apartment search has mirrored that of dating and job seeking: it is almost impossible to find the whole package without a flaw.  And at some point, you just have to pick one and go from there.

Letting go of perfection is bound to give you a happier and more fulfilling life.  Embrace the imperfections.  Give up on having it all.  Live the life you imagined and have fun doing it!

You may have noticed that Matt Cheuvront of lifewithoutpants.com and I hang out a lot online.  It all started over a meeting about this very website.  Since then, our friendship has grown and so has our list of co-projects.

Today we are announcing our first official project- Social Media 101.  We will be hosting social media workshops in the Chicagoland area to educate small businesses, entrepreneurs and non-profits how to get more out of their marketing while spending less money.  Since we love the online space and have experienced serious growth because of it, we thought we should let others experience the same thing.

The workshop will be held on Saturday April 10 from 9am-1pm in Elgin, IL. We are offering the workshop for FREE because in this economy, small businesses need to stretch their dollar as much as they can.

Social Media can change a small business. Yet small business owners are usually the ones wearing so many hats that they don’t have time to think about learning social media basics too.  After leaving our workshop, attendees will be equipped with the confidence and knowledge to have the voice of a large company with the marketing budget of a small company.  We will provide new ideas that are crucial to today’s small business marketing strategy.

Don’t believe it? We know it sounds far fetched for those who are new to the space.  Therefore, Mari Luangrath of Foiled Cupcakes will be sharing how social media has played an instrumental role in her business.  It’s no accident that Foiled Cupcakes are Chicago’s most coveted cupcakes.  Not only are they delicious, but Mari has relied on social media and online marketing to create the buzz.  She’ll be sharing her story and answering all of your questions.

Also, Matt and I will are co-authoring a “Social Media 101″ e-book which will be 100% FREE for all attendees.   The e-book includes some of our best practices and case studies from small business owners. We’re not reinventing the wheel here, but are instead focusing on providing a tangible resource to all workshop attendees and anyone else interested in learning more about Social Media.

I’m pretty excited to give back to my hometown community by doing something I’m passionate about.  Plus, working with Matt Cheuvront is an honor.  Our meetings are just as fun as they are productive (and trust me they are really fun!).  I imagine the workshop will be the same way.  Matt knows his stuff, he has a knack for design, and he knows from experience what works and what doesn’t work when it comes to small business marketing.

For those of you who are in the Chicagoland area, please pass this info on to anyone you know who may benefit from our free workshop! You can register using the form below or here.

Thanks for sending in all of your resumes over the past week in preparation for Job Search Boot Camp!  I’ve loved looking at them.  After reviewing all the resumes, I wanted to share 5 big picture ways to avoid your resume getting thrown in the trash.

These are just the first step of having a polished rock star status resume.  Without these, you won’t make it far.

5 Very Basic Things You Need to do with your resume

1. Make it pretty.
2. Put your references on a second page by themselves.
3. Finish your sentences.  Tell me more.  Show quantifiable value that you added.
4. Keep it to 1 page!
5. Cut cheesy interests and bullshit about crappy jobs.

Shout Outs!

• Most Likely to Call for an Interview: Jen Deweerd from Ontario, Canada
• Overall favorite resume: Katie Garton, Syracuse, New York

My favorite dating book of all time is called “Why Men Love Bitches.”  Girls, you need to get this book.  Guys, pretend you didn’t read that first sentence.  I don’t want you to know all of our secrets.

The subtitle of this book is called “From Doormat to Dreamgirl-A Woman’s Guide to Holding Her Own in a Relationship.”  The word bitch is not a bad word in the eyes of author Sherry Argov.  Bitch stands for “Babe In Total Control of Herself.” Sherry argues that doing what you want to do, living your own life and avoiding traditionally female emotional drama is the best way to win a man’s heart for the long haul.

This book just so happens to be my dating Bible.  Yet since my boyfriend is working from the Chicago office for the first time in 6 months (he usually works in L.A. during the week) I’ve been a little too excited.  My house is clean, his dry cleaning is done, the fridge is stocked, dinner is cooked, etc.

Then yesterday he dropped a bomb on me: he said I was being too nice and that it was a bit much.

WHAT?! The poster child for “Why Men Love Bitches” is being too nice?!  I’ve never heard such a thing from anyone I’ve ever dated.  In fact, quite the contrary.  Usually people tell me to BE NICE!

I’ve seen and heard variations of this story happening to people at work. The difference is that at work, you probably won’t receive the direct feedback of someone telling you you are being too nice.

Yesterday’s events served as a great reminder not to be too nice.  Being too nice can be detrimental to your career and how your co-workers see you. In order to get promoted, you need to be seen as unshakable: focused, clear minded, fact based.  You need to command respect.

Here’s how you can apply the rules of dating to your job

• Be in total control of yourself.  Don’t let your anger or emotions get the best of you.
• Don’t say yes to everything.
• Don’t immediately say “sorry.”  Only use that word when you need too.
• Don’t feed into your boss’s bad moods.  Instead give him or her space and stick to the facts when communicating.
• Don’t say anything about “having a talk.”
• Don’t start conversations with “I feel.” Instead, start with facts.
• Don’t let them assume you will always be there.
• Take the time off that is given to you.
• Set boundaries and stick to them.
• Don’t do everything for your co-workers. You will start to be seen as a gopher instead of a smart and talented employee.

What other rules of dating do you think can be applied to your job?

Do you think Sherry Argov’s dating advice is too harsh?

Why does every guy I know love Family Guy?