Career Road Maps: Five ways to keep you on the road to success

I recently found myself in a career crossroads.  Nothing in my life had changed, but somewhere along the lines money stopped being as available as it used to.  I had come to a point in my career where it had become clear that I needed to make a change or go broke ignoring what was happening. 

When you think about “having it all” what do you envision?  When I was a girl, I imagined becoming an entertainment lawyer (because celebrities never run out of legal issues), some strapping bearded man I’d call husband, and a kid or two running around thinking I was the most fascinating person they know.  That wasn’t how life played out, and I’m grateful for that.  I learned a lot while traveling down my own personal career path, and the below are my top five lessons I’ve learned, that might help you as well.

1.      Like Jack Sparrow once said, “They are more like guidelines than rules”. There are no laws that bind you to one path in life.  Just because I announced my intentions of being an entertainment lawyer at the age of 10, doesn’t mean that I am stuck in that path for life.  I’m pretty sure I also announced my intentions of being an oceanographer and a make-up artist at some point as well. None of which I am doing for a living, and that’s okay.

2.      Mentors will be an invaluable tool in shaping your career path, no matter what age you decide to begin on it.  They help you gain exposure to new ideas and ways of thinking, help to develop new skills and give advice on developing strengths and overcoming weaknesses.  The use of mentors in businesses are a great way to develop a culture of personal and professional growth, enhancing your leadership and coaching skills in managers, improve staff morale and increase your staff engagement and retention within the company.

3.      Steady incomes and job security aren’t for everyone, but they sure do come in handy.  As a creative, I like the idea of working without a time clock but my reality is that I need that. As a single mother, my bills are coming in on a regular basis, and so should my income to pay them.   I have many friends that are able to survive on a freelance lifestyle,  I however, cannot.  My situation may change in the future, but at this time, I need steady and secure income.  Being able to adapt according to your changing lifestyle needs will increase your financial survival rate exponentially.

4.      Like what you do.  I’m a realist so I won’t say LOVE, but you have to at least like what you do.  Look at it this way; you are spending 40+ hours a week at your job of choice.  Do you really want to spend 40+ hours doing something you can’t stand, only to go home and complain about it for another 4-6+ hours until you have to go back to it? Yeah, me neither. Everyone is going to have bad days on the job, but you should never dread going into work. 

5.      Be the change you want to see.  I know how cliché that sounds, but it is also true.  It begins with the attitude in which you approach your work and continues into the actions needed to succeed.  Elizabeth Gilbert said it best in her book, Eat Pray Love, “There's a wonderful old Italian joke about a poor man who goes to church every day and prays before the statue of a great saint, begging, "Dear saint-please, please, please...give me the grace to win the lottery." This lament goes on for months. Finally the exasperated statue comes to life, looks down at the begging man and says in weary disgust, "My son-please, please, please...buy a ticket.”  Being able to articulate what you want is the first step, but sometimes it requires an extra action on your part to meet your goal.  In order to have change occur, you must change yourself. 

My willingness to adapt to the change has opened up many doorways of opportunity that wouldn’t have been available to me had I remained rigid and unmoving.  Life is a highway, and I am making sure I am the one in the driver’s seat. 

Interested in exploring exciting career opportunities with an actively engaging company?  

Check out the link below!

https://www.facebook.com/PleasantonAutomallEvents?fref=ts 

Economy Vs. Luxury - What is a comfortable commute worth to you?

I was making my way on interstate 680 this morning when I noticed a man in the car next to me calmly eating a rather large bowl of cereal as if it were Sunday morning at his table.  There was no hesitation in his merging, and his ability to do so without spilling the entire contents of said bowl down his front side had me in total awe. I can’t image the skill it must take hosting a full breakfast in your car, I can’t even handle a bagel and lox without at least part of it landing somewhere on me. 

It was that man and his cereal bowl that got me thinking though, how many of us commuters live out of our vehicles?  With the commutes on the upwards of two and three hours a day, the bay area is finding life is happening inside of our cars more often than not.   Just think for a moment, how many meals have you had inside your car? How many movies have your children watched while sitting in traffic?  How many naps have you taken in your car? You get the idea. 

When I was younger, I remember having a debate with my father about new and pre-owned cars.  He preferred buying older cars and accepted the fact that he would repair his car more often than most, but the savings on the overall cost would be worth it.  I, on the other hand have always had a preference for new or certified pre-owned.  I think it was growing up and watching my father always working on the car instead of driving it that swayed me so heavily.  I didn’t see the point in owning a car that you would always have to be fixing.  To me, that felt like a moving money pit. 

Flash forward to my first car buying experience.  The first car I ever bought was a 2001 Nissan Sentra.  Prior to my first buy, my father had gifted me several older vehicles that of course, broke down and required replacing within just a year or two of purchase.   It was with the history of these prior jalopies that I went into the dealership with a checklist of attributes I wanted to have in my dream car. 

I wanted something reliable.  After having three cars die on me in the five years prior, I was ready for something that would be around for a while.   I needed a car with excellent gas mileage.  While, at the time of this purchase, gas was still close to the $1.99 range, I was also a very broke college student and gas for my car was the least fun thing I could use my money on.  I wanted a low car payment.  Again, college student, I think you get the idea.  So with my minimal budget and practical mindset I purchased my reliable yet fairly basic Nissan Sentra.  It was everything I had hoped for.  Great gas mileage, never broke down on me, and being as I purchased it pre-owned, I was able to achieve the lower monthly payment I was hoping for. 

Now flash forward to the car I purchased after my very reliable and inexpensive college car.  I purchased a Certified Pre-owned 2003 Mercedes C240.  My wants list had upgraded, and I now had the budget to pay for it.  Having graduated from college and gotten a job running call centers for Fortune 500 banks, my ability to move past my needs and start addressing my wants became a reality.  The car buying process stopped being about the basics or being thrifty, but rather about showing myself appreciation for a job well done.  This was my proverbial pat on the back for finally getting a grown up job and making it out there in the real world.

When I was younger, the purpose of my vehicle was to get me from one exciting adventure to the next without breaking my very tiny bank account.  Having luxuries such as movie screens, heated seats and even smart phone integration were just wastes of money, however as I got older, I realized that the majority of my adventures were found in the journey itself.   For me, adventures have become conversations with my daughter driving to and from work, driving my daughters Brownie troop to and from their next patching activity and our monthly excursions out of town for weekend getaways. I found that I was willing to pay a little extra for added conveniences if I was going to be spending so much time in my car. 

While there are a multitude of makes and models to choose from, you will find that many of life’s mini hacks have already been made a standard feature in most new vehicles.

I can recommend a few that I’ve found to be life savers for my adult/parenting lifestyle.

-          Heated/cooling seats are a must.  Living in the bay, the weather changes at the drop of a hat and between sweltering heat and biting winds, this little feature will ensure that your body temperature stays just right. 

-          The AUX/USB port in my car is a daily go to.  Being that I hate everything about commercials, being able to stream my music from Spotify or Pandora allows for me to stay happily Zen while maneuvering through the travel crunch. 

-          And although I know they are a bit controversial, I am a big fan of the DVD and TV screens for the back seat passengers.  The best part is that each back seat passenger has a headphones jack allowing for them to enjoy their selected movie while you continue to drive without the added distraction!

Want to check out more available features on your next luxury vehicle? Click on the link below now! 

http://www.lexusofpleasanton.com/NewModelsPage 

The Pursuit of Happiness in a Millennial Era

In a world filled with iPhones, laptops, tablets and smart watches, Millennials are inundated with advanced technology.  The ability to connect directly to your personal happiness has become more challenging than finding parking downtown at Union Square.   For the majority of us living and working in the city, happiness is something we read about on Buzzfeed or Elephant Journal on our 10 min breaks or in between bites while we Instagram our lunch within the allotted hour. 

The world around us has become a constant stream of instant gratification opportunities; however no one seems to be feeling satisfied.   All the instant gratification has left our generation feeling jaded and unimpressed.  After going through almost a full year with a, “Now what?” feeling inside of myself, I decided it was time to make a change.  I created a five step plan to bring me back to life. 

1.      Put down the technology.  This was probably the hardest for me.  Having grown up with a computer in my house from the age of 7, I have been cord-connected longer than I care to admit.  I purchased my first cellphone in college and haven’t put it down since, (that was over 20 years ago…).  My ability to reach for my phone after the text message alert rings would match that of Doc Holiday in Tombstone.  But it was the act of NOT picking up my phone that really opened my eyes. Obviously there are certain messages and calls that you are expecting, and need addressing.  But what I have tried to do is put the phone away after my work day has ended.  I keep it in my bag and only allow myself to check it periodically to ensure I am not missing an emergency.  If the messages I find are not urgent, I force myself to wait until the next day.  At first the act was very conscience for me.  I would have to talk myself down from checking, but do you know what happened after a while?  I didn’t miss it, nor did I feel like I was missing out. 

2.      Drink more water.  This seems so straight forward; however the proper intake of water in my life did more than just quench my thirst.  There were so many benefits I wasn’t expecting including helping to control calories, energize my muscles,  keep my skin looking amazing,  as well as helping my kidney’s and bowel functions.    I know drinking water doesn’t sound sexy, but it’s incredibly easy to incorporate into your everyday life.   Start with including a glass of water with each of your meals and keep a bottle of water with you in your car or at your desk at work.   Just having the water available will make it that much easier to make it a regular part of your daily routine. 

3.      Step outside at least three times a day.  As I was brought up by my hippy mum, I was forced to play outdoors all the time.  I never understood why it was so important, when I could just as easily play with my Barbie inside as I could outside.  It wasn’t until I entered adulthood that I began to understand benefits of the sun.   The sun provides the body the ability to create Vitamin D, which is essential for many functions such as bone health, anti-cancer, immune system support, protects against dementia and brain aging as well as many others.   We have been so bombarded with the dangers of the sun, but in moderation, the sunlight has the ability to heal on so many levels.  Take a drive with the top down, and get out there to the local beaches and parks! Having a sun roof in my own car gives me the ability to take in the rays even if it is just during the morning and evening commutes to and from work.  The overall uplifting feeling I get can best be related to one of the best hugs from my little kiddo.  I mean it’s right up there for me.

4.      Breathe.  When I say to breathe, I mean get into a breath practice.   I like to focus on three deep breathing techniques that really help to calm my day to day OCD and social anxiety.  The first is Coherent Breathing, which is basically breathing at a rate of five breaths per minute.  The easy way to time your breaths is to count five seconds for your inhale and five seconds for your exhale.  Breathing at this rate will help to improve your heart rate variability.  The second type of breathing is Resistance Breathing, which is exactly what its name suggests, creating resistance to the flow of air.  Resistance can be created by pursing the lips, placing the tip of the tongue against the inside of the upper teeth, hissing through the clenched teeth,  tightening the throat muscles, partly closing the glottis, narrowing the space between the vocal cords.  Or if you are like me, the easy way is to just breathe through your nose with your mouth closed.  The final technique is Breath Moving.  Think, sending your breath on a little journey around your body.  As you breathe in, imagine you are moving your breath to the top of your head. As you breathe out, imagine you are moving your breath to the base of your spine, your perineum, and your sit bones. Each time you breathe in; move the breath to the top of the head. Each time you breathe out; move the breath to the base of the spine. Breathe in this circuit for ten cycles.

5.      Laugh.  If you haven’t heard, laughter really is the best medicine.  Laughing decreases stress hormones and increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, thus improving your resistance to disease.  Laughter also triggers endorphins, which if you watched Legally Blond, you know, endorphins make you happy! Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. 

Having incorporated these five simple routines into my daily life, I have found my quality of life dramatically increased.  Feeling good and being able to laugh and let go of the minor stresses allowed for me to appreciating the life I was actually living, instead of the life I thought I should have been living.  I began to look forward to weekends with my daughter, taking off in our car for an impromptu adventure days.  And for the first time in a very long time, I can honestly say, I am happy.   Remember, the hardest part is getting started.  So maybe today, you drive with the top down or the sun roof open and enjoy some of those beautiful Vitamin D rays on your way home today.  Enjoy a nice cool glass of water and for those few moments let yourself begin to feel happy. 

Don’t have a convertible or sun roof in your car? Check out the link below to see our latest selection to choose from! It’s always a great time to start enjoying your life, one drive at a time.

http://www.lexusofpleasanton.com/NewModelsPage

Invest In The Experience

Monday mornings are generally a blur of coffee cups hidden around my house, keys that never seem to want to be found, and a spray of headlines and social media posts about all the things I "should be doing," all before I even make it into the office.  We spend the majority of our lives working and planning for life experiences and only a mere five percent of our time actually living out those well thought out trips.  I am sure most of you have a box, bin, board or even a file saved on your desktop of every trip, every smile or ideal moment you have dreamed for your life, but what are you doing right now to get you to that moment.  

The days of "waiting for a rainy day" have come and gone.  The one true realization our millennial generation has taken away from our parents is that you can waste an entire lifetime planning, and that the saying "all work and no play makes Jack and Sally a dull Girl and boy."  Is incredibly accurate.  Millennials have the mindset that experiences define us, and that living requires more than planning, it requires doing.

When buying a car, the mindset I have coming into a dealership is, "Can this car get me where I want to go and can it handle all my stuff?"  Outside my own needs, I focus on the experience and feel I get from my sales associate.  Being a female in a generally male driven industry, approaching the car buying experience can be intimidating.  I was just speaking to a girl friend of mine that is in the market for a pre-owned Accord or Altima.  She would send me text messages throughout the day with the stereo-typical comments a few of her potential sales associates would say to her.  Remember that approx. 83% of people will relive an experience, and that the experience has an emotional longevity to it.  It stays with us and are lessons we use every day to guide us through to our next choice. 

Be sure that when you select a sales associate, you get the experience you deserve.  Look for transparency, an educated staff and an associate open to questions and concerns.  You may have done your due-diligence already by researching on the internet, but let your associate close any gaps you may have in all that information you’ve worked so hard to acquire.  Part of the car buying experience is creating a relationship with your associate. 

Remember that whichever vehicle you choose, make sure it suites your lifestyle and can get you from one happy snapshot to the next, with all the stuff you need while getting there. And always ask the questions:

Did I live?

Do I have regrets?

Did I experience everything I wanted to in life?

To get more on Investing in your life experiences follow the below link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sean-kim/invest-in-life-experience_b_4924744.html

For the Weekend Wanderlusts of the World

Weekend Wanderlust Warriors

If you are like me, my head begins to think of the weekend right about Wednesday afternoon.  As soon as the mid-day meal begins to sink deep into the belly, my mind will begin to drift to where I would much rather be at that moment.   That usually involves me, my car and the open road.

Being a parent of a six year old, the ability to just “get up and go” has become a thing of the past, but what I have been able to do is create “adventure days” and have become an avid Weekend Warrior. 

What does that mean?  Very simply, I have learned to tap into my inner gypsy and utilize my weekends for exploration and travel.  

Being able to travel by car allows for me to bring my daughter along, as well as every favorite toy she swears she’ll need while away for those two days.  The added convenience of ample storage space, a wicked stereo system and full blue-tooth connection for my phone allows me to stay connected and prepared for life's emergencies, while enjoying the much needed disconnection I strive for. 

You don’t have to travel by plane to experience luxury while enjoying stunning views that would wow even the most avid of Instagram users.  To satisfy my need for extravagance, I have found a few locations that have been able to entice the likes of even the Teslas' of the world to “unplug” for a weekend.   If it’s good enough for Mr. Tesla, it’s good enough for me.

First on the list, The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay.  From sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean to the dramatic cliffs that the resort is housed upon, to the hotel resident golf course and exclusive in-house culinary adventure at the hotel restaurants you can’t help but feel a bit posh just by walking through the hotels entryway. 

If you are more of a foodie than a golfer, The Epiphany Hotel hosts lofty ceilings with full-height sliding glass doors and spacious verandas.  For you night life, they provide two signature restaurants that provide atmosphere and indulgence to wow all five of the senses.  A must try for all city slickers. 

These are just a couple of locations that I've gotten to experience, but there are so many more to choose from, and all within driving distance from the heart of San Francisco.   To see photos or to make reservations at these or one of the many remarkable locations available to you, click on the below link:

http://www.sfgate.com/travel/article/Staycations-of-the-tech-elite-6266118.php

Eat Drink SF

Eat Drink SF Announces Full Lineup Of Chefs, Demos,

Classes, And More, July 27 - August 3, 2014

Eat Drink SF, formerly known as SF Chefs, is excited to announce the full lineup and programming details for this year's week-long festival. In its sixth year, this well-known Bay Area food, wine, and spirits festival, will be held July 27 – August 3, 2014, with the Lexus® Grand Tasting being held at Fort Mason Center, August 1– 3, 2014.

Highlights for this year's festival will include:

• Lexus® Grand Tasting: Showcasing over 140 Bay Area restaurants such as A16, Acquerello, Bourbon Steak, Commonwealth, Copita, Flour + Water, Plumed Horse, The Coachman, and more. In addition, guests will enjoy specialty cocktails from some of the city's best bartenders, as well as wine from local and international wineries.
• San Francisco Chronicle's Top 100 Class of 2014Dinner: Join chefs Andrew Cain (Santé), Michael Chiarello (Coqueta), Nico Delaroque (Nico), Tyler Florence (Wayfare Tavern), Shotaro Kamio (Iyasare), Jennifer Puccio (The Cavalier), and Jared Rodgers (Picco) for a five-course, sit-down dinner benefitting the SF-Marin Food Bank.
• Food Arts Industry Day: Including Matthew Accarrino (SPQR), Dominique Crenn (Atelier Crenn), Corey Lee (Benu), David Kinch (Manresa), Charles Phan (Slanted Door Group), Joshua Skenes (Saison), Craig Stoll (Delfina Restaurant Group), and many more.
• Cooking Demos: Presented by Food Network's Next Iron Chef Duskie Estes, Top Chef Masters alum Suvir Saran, and Top Chef alum Casey Thompson.
• Wine, Beer, and Spirits Tasting Classes: Featuring Chateau Ste. Michelle, Gentleman Jack, Hangar 1, Herradura Tequila, Stella Artois, Wines of Washington, Wine Spectator, and Woodford Reserve.
• Bar Crawl through the Chronicle's Top 100: Highlights include Adam Dulye (The Abbott's Cellar), Kyle Itani (Hopscotch), Louis Maldonado (Spoonbar), Isaac Miller (Maven), Melissa Reitz (Bar Agricole), Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal (Town Hall), Rachel Sillcocks (Range), David Williams (Bull Valley Roadhouse), and many more. Tickets available exclusively for San Francisco Chronicle members.
• CUESA and KPIX 5 Preview Series: Taking place at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market with demos from Central Kitchen, Copita Tequileria y Comida, Delfina Restaurant Group, and Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen.

Eat Drink SF celebrates Northern California's bounty of ingredients, chefs and restaurants, winemakers and wineries, bartenders and bars, brewers and breweries, farmers, and artisan producers. Eat Drink SF is presented by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA), with title sponsorship by American Express.

Eat Drink SF is committed to its charity partners with financial support going to the following charities: Golden Gate Restaurant Association Scholarship Fund, Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture, Meals on Wheels, Share Our Strength, and Slow Food San Francisco's NOMADgardens project.

American Express Card Members have exclusive access to two weekend package options which include an all-access pass to either all VIP or General Admission Lexus® Grand Tasting sessions, as well as premium check-in, select cooking or beverage demos, and a limited-edition keepsake Eat Drink SF badge.

For full lineup of events and to purchase tickets, visit http://eatdrink-sf.com/. @EatDrinkSF #ieatdrinkSF American Express is the preferred card of Eat Drink SF. Tickets range from $30 – $325 with events on Sunday, July 27 – Sunday, August 3, 2014.

2014 Eat Drink SF sponsors are as follows (as of June 17, 2014):

Title Sponsor: American Express

Platinum Sponsors: Lexus, American Lamb Board, Chateau Ste. Michelle, Fine Cooking, Hangar 1, Hotel Council, KPIX 5/KCBW, Nespresso, SF Travel, San Francisco Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Stella Artois, Sub-Zero and Wolf, Sunset, Visit Seattle, Westin St. Francis, Westfield San Francisco Centre, Wine Spectator, Washington State Wines, Woodford Reserve, Andrew Freeman & Co., Dominic Phillips Event Marketing, Noise 13, and Tannin Management

Gold Sponsors: Campari America, Drink Me, Eater.com, Food Arts, Gentleman Jack, Grillson, Groupon, Herradura, Le Creuset of America, Mr. Espresso, OpenTable, Soy Vay, WHERE Magazine

About the Golden Gate Restaurant Association – Producer The Golden Gate Restaurant Association (GGRA) is a non-profit trade association founded in 1936 to promote, extend and protect the interests of the broader restaurant industry, and to serve our members in the San Francisco Bay Area. Restaurants are a high-risk and generally low-profit-margin enterprise undertaken by people passionate about a wonderful cultural tradition: eating out. GGRA is a resource to help our members keep the doors open and tables set. For more information, visit www.GGRA.org

About Andrew Freeman & Co. – Co-Producer Andrew Freeman & Co. is a high-energy hospitality agency with a unique blend of expertise in marketing, publicity and creative services. AF&Co offers programs that include: creative/concept development, branding, recruiting, public relations, sales/marketing, training, event management. For more information, visit www.afandco.com, or follow them on Facebook or Twitter.

Our dealership sponsors 6 Lexus Convertibles in the SF Giants Parade

It started before the crack of dawn on Wednesday, October 31st at Downtown San Francisco. At the intersection of Main and Market Street, sat a fleet of brand new Lexus IS 250 and 350 Convertibles. Ready to shuttle their very special passengers, the World Series Champions, San Francisco Giants.

The Lexus IS convertibles were from several different dealerships from the San Francisco Bay Area. With the six you see here at the front of the group were from our dealership, Lexus of Pleasanton (www.lexusofpleasanton.com).

In additon to the World Series Champions, there were some very special guest drivers. San Francisco 49ers Quarterback, Alex Smith and Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh were part of that morning's celebration.


Some of our Lexus of Pleasanton teammates were there to facilitate bringing the Lexus IS Convertibles. Here (from left to right) Lexus Technology Specialist, Jared Hovander, Linda Tran, two lucky guests of our dealership, and Lexus Sales Manager, Jeremy Davis were enjoying being up close with the World Series Champions.

      One of our service technicians, Scott Hackbarth was lucky enough to be given the chance to drive both Giants players, Tom Flannery and Roberto Kelly down Market Street.








There were was an estimated one million fans that gathered to watch the parade and get a chance to see their baseball heros. Not an single standing spot was left along the parade route, even roof tops were lined with fans.

We even had all six of our car's window stickers autographed by the player that rode in it. An added bonus for some future buyer.

Again congratulations to the San Francisco Giants for their World Series Victory, thanks to Lexus USA for the opportunity to be in the parade, our teammates for getting up so early and staff photographer, Ming Ho for these memories.

To see more of pictures of the days event, check out our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/LexusOfPleasanton

Lexus is a proud partner of the 34th America's Cup

A first for both the City by the Bay, San Francisco and the America's Cup Race to host the 34th race here in Northern California.

Did you follow the action or there in person that weekend? Be sure to follow the action when the race returns on October 2 -7th.