#success

Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jan 24, 2020
3 min

It's who you know

Are you looking for work, or open to a career change? Would you like job offers to come to you? According to a survey published on LinkedIn, 85% of people find jobs through people they know. (1) In my experience, 100% of my job opportunities have been the result of someone who knows me, or knows of me and knows my work, offering me a job. I’ve never filled out a job application. I’ve never even looked for work. Is my story unusual? Research says no. If it was, the phrase “it’

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Sep 27, 2019
2 min

Take the next step!

When you are facing a big project or task, are you more inclined to get started right away, or put it off? If you are in the 20% of the population who are considered chronic procrastinators, your answer will be “put it off.” If you are among the remaining 80% of us who occasionally procrastinate, your answer will be “it depends.” Everyone struggles with procrastination at least sometimes and we procrastinate for many reasons. Whatever the reason, when facing a task you can’t

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Aug 30, 2019
3 min

What is your “14er”? Part 2

After work today, our oldest son, Joey, along with seven other adventurers (at last count), are driving more than 20 hours from Indiana to Leadville, Colorado. When they arrive on Saturday they will check out the trailhead, have dinner, and sleep for a few hours. On Sunday, they will rise before dawn to climb Mt. La Plata, which is one of the more than 50 peaks over 14,000 feet in elevation in the state, thus earning the name “14er.” Upon descent, they will begin the 20-hour

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Aug 2, 2019
3 min

How do you describe professionalism?

Were you ever instructed on how to be a “professional”? In our nutrition communications course at Purdue, I included a class period on this topic at the start of the semester. Students were assigned a reading describing the results of an annual survey conducted by the Center for Professional Excellence at York College of Pennsylvania. They were also expected to contribute to our discussion of what constituted professional behavior by finding one additional source. We discusse

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jul 12, 2019
3 min

Helping others is a win-win

Looking for a proven method for self-improvement? Here it is: Engage in helping others improve by sharing your knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Why? Because helping others improve helps us in several key ways: First, we learn more when we are teaching others, whether it involves sharing knowledge or demonstrating a skill. Teaching requires greater cognitive and emotional investment than learning. When we teach, knowledge and application of knowledge become more deeply embed

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jul 5, 2019
3 min

4 Lessons from 2 Years of Blogging

This week the USA turned 243 and this blog turned 2. Happy Birthday! This is my 104th blog post since launching NutritionCommunicator.com two years ago in July 2017. Yay! I have continued to meet my goal of creating and posting a weekly blog. It’s time to celebrate… again! It’s good to take time to applaud our achievements. It’s also important to take time to reflect. One year ago I posted a blog celebrating one year of blogging and lessons learned (https://www.nutritioncommu

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

May 24, 2019
3 min

5 Questions that Inspire Action

How do you and the audiences you serve view life – as the unfolding of events that happen by chance – or as a process of self-directed actions taken to meet personal goals? The first view takes the perspective of a victim and the second the perspective of a victor. A victor welcomes change, is empowered to change, and is not defeated by minor setbacks or obstacles to change. Our goal is to inspire actionhttps://www.nutritioncommunicator.com/tip-sheets When we communicate with

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

May 3, 2019
4 min

Why should we recognize others?

In today’s throw-away world, I venture that some of the items we treasure most are the notes of appreciation or praise, the certificates for a job well done, the awards for “_____ of the year,” and other expressions of honor or recognition. The wall in my office and the top of my office bookshelf showcase many I’ve collected over the years. I have a file with thank you notes from former students. Consider what treasures of recognition you have saved over the years. We keep th

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Nov 23, 2018
2 min

Entering the final stretch

As we enter the final weeks of another year, what word best describes your state of mind: Panic? Dread? Anticipation? Excitement? Exhausted? Reflective? Thankful? All of the above? I must admit that “all of the above” may describe my state of mind over the final weeks of 2018. I am most definitely anticipating many wonderful holiday celebrations: decorating the house, taking my mother to the Purdue Christmas Show for her 89th birthday, get-togethers with friends – including o

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Nov 9, 2018
3 min

Don’t fear feedback – embrace it!

Have you ever stuck your neck out to apply for a highly sought after position, or to participate in an event such as speaking at a conference, or to receive an honor or award? You feel qualified, and yet, you aren’t sure. Will I get picked? You wait. Finally, the letter or email you have been anticipating arrives. Opening it makes you nervous. You close your eyes and hesitate before cracking one eye to read the first line. Did I get accepted? Or rejected? If the letter opens

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Maximize the impact of your conference experience

Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Oct 26, 2018
3 min

Maximize the impact of your conference experience

The conference is over, your suitcase is waiting to be unpacked, hundreds of emails need to be read or deleted, piles of “real” mail need to be recycled, bags of expo swag are likely to sit untouched for months, and notes from sessions and meetings may be ignored until it is time to enter your continuing education credits online. Making conference attendance worth it Attending a conference has numerous benefits – visiting new places, sharing knowledge and ideas, connecting wi

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Sep 21, 2018
3 min

Stand out – Be bold, not bland!

Want to stand out? Paint it red! Back in January, I posted my “18 for 2018” – 18 goals to achieve this year: https://www.nutritioncommunicator.com/single-post/2018/01/12/Have-you-written-%E2%80%9C18-for-2018%E2%80%9D Goal #12 was modestly stated: “Redecorate the dining room.” I determined that I would like to select a Rena Brouwer painting to use as my decorating focal point and inspiration. We’ve gotten to know Rena as she shares a gallery with other local artists in the Del

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Sep 14, 2018
3 min

Want to go further faster?

Find someone to be your coach! Coaching… what images does that word bring to mind? Your child’s soccer coach demonstrating a move or cheering from the sidelines? The birthing coach who taught you how to breathe during labor? Your acting coach from high school who had you run through your lines over and over and over? The types of coaches are numerous. In addition to athletic coaches, birthing coaches, and acting coaches, consider performance coaches, skills coaches, career tr

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

May 4, 2018
4 min

Who are your heroes?

I was honored this week with induction into the Purdue University Nutrition Science Hall of Fame. This is the department where I studied and later taught. In the photos with me are past and current recipients of the award and our department head, Dr. Michele Forman. Receiving this award caused me to reflect on the many heroes in my life who made a significant difference in where I attended college, what I studied, and the trajectory of my career. Who are your heroes? I decide

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Mar 30, 2018
3 min

What are YOU putting off?

Procrastination. We all do it – delay or postpone doing something. Is there something you’re putting off? Something you avoid doing even though you want to do it or know you should? Until yesterday, I was putting off creating my first “talking head” video to post on social media. Yes, I was procrastinating. Now I’m not one who likes doing things at the last minute, so I don’t usually procrastinate, but I just kept putting this off. Posting videos I create to social media, at

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Climb that mountain! Achieve your goals.

Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jan 26, 2018
2 min

Climb that mountain! Achieve your goals.

4 weeks into 2018, what percentage of New Year’s resolutions have been forgotten? Too many! Yours don’t have to be. Achieve your goals by taking to heart the advice contained in these 5 tips for achieving your goals: Tip #1 Assess your situation Begin your goal-setting journey by taking time to reflect on where you are now. What do you want to be different about your situation? What strengths and resources can you draw on to make the changes you desire? What is your motivatio

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Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Jan 5, 2018
2 min

What does the future hold?

What does the year ahead hold in store? We cannot look into a crystal ball, but we can determine what we would like our future to be and set specific goals and action steps to help us make our vision a reality. New beginnings, like the start of a new year, serve as prompts to take time to reflect on where we’ve been and where we are going. I encourage you to take time in January to reflect on your journey as a communicator. What are your communication strengths? What areas of

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What does it take to be a successful communicator?

Barbara Mayfield, MS, RD, LD, FAND

Dec 1, 2017
2 min

What does it take to be a successful communicator?

Successful nutrition communicators possess more than the required knowledge and skills. Successful communicators demonstrate specific characteristics that transform their work from merely adequate to outstanding. A lack of one or more of these characteristics can spell the difference between mediocrity and excellence. The characteristics selected have been grouped into three broad areas – ones that build credibility, ones that help a communicator be compelling, and ones that

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