Inspirational Quotations

If one does not fail at times, then one has not challenged himself.
—Ferdinand Porsche (Austrian Car Designer)

The great thing about people with intellectual disabilities is that they’re not people who discuss philosophy… What they want is fun and laughter, to do things together and fool around, and laughter is at the heart of community.
—Jean Vanier (French-Canadian Humanitarian)

Sorrow is easy to express and so hard to tell.
—Joni Mitchell (Canadian Singer, Songwriter)

Wicked thoughts and worthless efforts gradually set their mark on the face, especially the eyes.
—Arthur Schopenhauer (German Philosopher)

Man is stark mad; he cannot make a flea, and yet he will be making gods by the dozens.
—Michel de Montaigne (French Essayist)

The origin of civilization is man’s determination to do nothing for himself which he can get done for him.
—H. C. Bailey (English Novelist)

The stakes are too high for government to be a spectator sport.
—Barbara Jordan (American Educator, Politician)

For we must share, if we would keep, that blessing from above; ceasing to give, we cease to have; such is the law of love.
—Richard Chenevix Trench (Irish Archbishop, Poet)

The only people who attain power are those who crave for it.
—Erich Kastner (German Author)

Defining myself, as opposed to being defined by others, is one of the most difficult challenges I face.
—Carol Moseley Braun (American Politician)

The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm.
—Swedish Proverb

For every poet it is always morning in the world; history a forgotten, insomniac night. The fate of poetry is to fall in love with the world in spite of history.
—Derek Walcott (West Indian Poet)

Enough is often too much in our material world, but seldom enough in our material world.
—Bob Woodward (American Journalist)

Some people, however long their experience or strong their intellect, are temperamentally incapable of reaching firm decisions.
—James Callaghan (British Labour Statesman)

The doctrines of grace humble man without degrading, and exalt without inflating him.
—Charles Hodge (American Theologian)

There’s small Revenge in Words, but Words may be greatly revenged.
—Benjamin Franklin (American Founding Father, Inventor)

A fault confessed is half redressed.
—African Proverb

Sometimes I think that the biggest difference between men and women is that more men need to seek out some terrible lurking thing in existence and hurl themselves upon it. Women know where it lives but they can let it alone.
—Russell Hoban (American Author)

Man needs more to be reminded than instructed.
—Samuel Johnson (British Essayist)

Brevity is the best recommendation of speech, whether in a senator or an orator.
—Cicero (Roman Philosopher)

Make no judgments where you have no compassion.
—Anne Mccaffrey (American Science Fiction Author)

He who hunts two hares leaves one and loses the other.
—Japanese Proverb

Life yields only to the conqueror. Never accept what can be gained by giving in. You will be living off stolen goods, and your muscles will atrophy.
—Dag Hammarskjold (Swedish Statesman)

The future struggles against being mastered.
—Latin Proverb

There was never a great man who had not a great mother.
—Olive Schreiner (South African Novelist, Feminist)

Introspect daily, detect diligently, negate ruthlessly.
—Swami Chinmayananda (Indian Hindu Spiritual Teacher)

If I had followed my better judgment always, my life would have been a very dull one.
—Edgar Rice Burroughs (American Novelist)

Say not that this or that thing came to thwart you; it only came to test you.
—Muriel Strode (American Author, Businesswoman)

The road to a friend’s house is never long.
—Danish Proverb

The great mass of women throughout history have been confined to the cultural level of animal life in providing the male with sexual outlet and exercising the animal functions of reproduction and care of the young.
—Kate Millet (American Feminist, Writer, Sculptor)

We go on fancying that each person is thinking of us, but they are not; they are like the rest of us—they are thinking of themselves.
—Charles Reade (British Author)

Life holds so much—so much to be happy about always. Most people ask for happiness on conditions. Happiness can be felt only if you don’t set conditions.
—Arthur Rubinstein (American Pianist)

This world is so full of care and sorrow that it is a gracious debt we owe to one another to discover the bright crystals of delight hidden in somber circumstances and irksome tasks.
—Helen Keller (American Author)

The art of friendship has been little cultivated in our society.
—Robert J. Havighurst (American Researcher)

If you want to be creative, stay in part a child, with the creativity and invention that characterizes children before they are deformed by adult society.
—Jean Piaget (Swiss Psychologist)

In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed.
—Sid Caesar (American Comedian)

Sweat saves blood.
—Erwin Rommel (German Field Marshal)

Inspiration is a slender river of brightness leaping from a vast and eternal knowledge, it exceeds reason more perfectly than reason exceeds the knowledge of the senses.
—Sri Aurobindo (Indian Mystic, Philosopher, Poet)

Blessed is the man who has some congenial work, some occupation in which he can put his heart, and which affords a complete outlet to all the forces there are in him.
—John Burroughs (American Naturalist, Writer)

Nothing is so good for an ignorant man as silence; and if he was sensible of this he would not be ignorant.
—Sa’Di (Musharrif Od-Din Muslih Od-Din) (Persian Poet)

I always say beauty is only sin deep.
—Saki (Hector Hugh Munro) (British Short Story Writer)

Shame is an unhappy emotion invented by pietists in order to exploit the human race.
—Blake Edwards (American Filmmaker)

Our yearnings for happiness were implanted in our hearts by Deity. They represent a kind of homesickness, for we have a residual memory of our premortal existence. They are also a foretaste of the fullness of Joy that is promised to the faithful.
—Jack H. Goaslind (American Mormon Leader)

A person who is too nice an observer of the business of the crowd, like one who is too curious in observing the labor of bees, will often be stung for his curiosity.
—Alexander Pope (English Poet)

Just do your best today and tomorrow will come … tomorrow’s going to be a busy day, a happy day.
—Helen Boehm (American Entrepreneur)

Pray not for lighter burdens, but for stronger backs.
—Theodore Roosevelt (American Head of State)

For the person for whom small things do not exist, the great is not great.
—Jose Ortega y. Gasset (Spanish Philosopher)

The liar’s punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else.
—George Bernard Shaw (Irish Playwright)

One must know not just how to accept a gift, but with what grace to share it.
—Maya Angelou (American Poet)

Happy is he who still loves something he loved in the nursery: he has not been broken in two by time; he is not two men, but one, and he has saved not only his soul but his life.
—G. K. Chesterton (English Journalist)

Virtue is more clearly shown in the performance of fine actions than in the non-performance of base ones.
—Aristotle (Ancient Greek Philosopher)

The superior man is aware of Righteousness, the inferior man is aware of advantage.
—Confucius (Chinese Philosopher)

All I want of the world is very little. I only want the best of everything, and there is so little of that.
—Michael Arlen (British Author)

He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves: one for his enemy and one for himself.
—Chinese Proverb

If every fool wore a crown, we should all be kings.
—Welsh Proverb

The gift we can offer others is so simple a thing as hope.
—Daniel Berrigan (American Catholic Poet)

When you walk on a court, clear your mind of everything unrelated to the goal of playing the match as well as you can.
—Stan Smith (American Sportsperson)

One sometimes finds what one is not looking for.
—Alexander Fleming (Scottish Bacteriologist)

There is a difference between conceit and confidence. Conceit is bragging about yourself. Confidence means you believe you can get the job done.
—Johnny Unitas (American Football Player)

Don’t take anyone else’s definition of success as your own. (This is easier said than done.)
—Jacqueline Briskin (American Novelist)

Dharma is not upheld by talking about it. Dharma is upheld by living in harmony with it.
—Buddhist Teaching

Our lives can only be lived forward and understood backwards. Living a life and understanding it occupy different dimensions.
—Hanif Kureishi (British Novelist, Screenwriter)

Great is peace, for it is to the world what yeast is to the dough.
—The Talmud (Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith)

The future is always beginning now.
—Mark Strand (American Poet, Essayist)

If we are to change our world view, images have to change. The artist now has a very important job to do. He’s not a little peripheral figure entertaining rich people, he’s really needed.
—David Hockney (British Artist)

You don’t have to be a well-seasoned graphic designer to make a PDF presentation visually appealing. However, you will need a couple of tools to help you transfer the ideas in your head into the PDF document.

So whether you’re preparing a professional presentation for business partners or creating a how-to manual, it’s always a good idea to have at least a few of the tools I listed below.

#1: Canva for Graphic Editing

Canva works great for PDFs because it comes with a few pre-designed templates for documents, ebooks, marketing materials, blog articles, and so on. So you can just use one of these and avoid the anguish of creating a design from scratch.

However, there are other tools you can use, such as Photoshop, InDesign, or GIMP(if your budget is limited.) Canva also has a free version that you can use (with limited functionality) to put together gorgeous PDFs.

#2: PDFSimpli

Since PDF is one of the most popular formats used for documents online, it was only natural to have tools dedicated to the editing process. And I’m not talking about the content here (this will come a bit later.) I am talking about the frame of the document and its overall structure.

For instance, a tool like PDFSimpli is useful when you want to merge snippets from different documents in a single file. Plus, an editor also has the split feature, so you can split PDF into pages and choose only the pages you need. Of course, editors have several other useful functions, but these are the ones I use most often.

#3: Google Docs

PDFs are great because they keep everything as the author intended regardless of the viewer’s device. As long as you have an up-to-date browser, you can open and read a PDF.

However, when you put everything together (the text and other elements,) it’s best to use a text editor such as Google Docs, MS Word, or LibreOffice Writer. These tools were created exactly for this type of activity and have the necessary features to help you create astonishing-looking documents.

When you’re done with the creative process, and you feel satisfied with the result, you can simply export the content into PDF format.

#4: Canva for Templates

I already talked about PDF templates when I mentioned Canva (check #1,) but you can find PDF templates on a wide range of websites (free and with pay.)

But what exactly is a PDF template?

In short, a template is an already designed frame that allows you to replace the text and graphic elements with your own simply. Everything is already placed within the document, but you can adjust it to your liking.

Overall, I love working with templates because you start knowing what the end result should look like.

#5: Canva for Infographics

Any presentation or document, regardless of format, looks better with graphic elements. These can be images, charts, diagrams, graphs, and more. However, the ones that I found to perform the best are infographics.

These can be used as-is or as part of a larger document and have huge sharing potential. Still, you do need the talents of a graphic designer if you want a visually attractive infographic that’s easy to understand as well.

The other alternative is to use an infographic maker tool such as Free infographic maker by Canva.

#6: Image Color Picker

Image color picker is a simple tool, but it can save you a lot of time and frustration. If you use a graphic design tool like Canva or Photoshop, these come with a built-in color picker, but when you don’t feel like opening a resource-consuming software just to get a color code, you can find an HTML Color Picker online.

#7: Adobe Reader for Backgrounds

Backgrounds are easy to make your PDFs look professional without investing too much effort. The background can be anything from a solid color to a faded image or text (depending on what you’re trying to highlight.) However, it needs to fit well with the foreground, and you need to make sure it doesn’t obstruct the information you’re trying to share.

If you use the Adobe Reader PDF (or any other PDF tool that lets you manipulate the background,) you should be able to add backgrounds on specific pages, on all pages, or a range of pages. However, you can only add one background per page, so if you want something more complex, you will have to piece it together before inserting it into the file.

Also, keep in mind that adding background images will make the resulting PDF bigger in size.

#8: PDF Link Editor

PDFs can be used as lead magnets or to attract new subscribers. This is why many websites offer ebooks in PDF format, how-to guides, or exclusive success recipes when you agree to become their subscribers or start a trial with them.

Furthermore, since it’s easy to insert links, you can easily guide readers toward your landing pages. So you can also use them as marketing tools, especially in awareness-raising campaigns.

However, when it comes to editing links in large files, things can get a bit challenging. So to avoid missing out on any old links, it’s best to use a link editor like PDF Link Editor. This tool allows you to work in batch mode, or you can remove all the links in a PDF file, which comes in handy when you want to repurpose your marketing materials.

#9: DocuSign

Whether we’re talking about an official document or one designed for marketing purposes, an official signature with your company’s contact information makes everything seem more straightforward.

Luckily, plenty of tools let you insert a signature and other details in various PDF files with ease. However, if you want to sign legally binding electronic documents, you may need DocuSign. So make sure to discuss it with business partners and third parties first.

#10: Acrobat DC for Increased Protection

As we already mentioned, one of the reasons PDF is so popular is the fact that it keeps the content as designed regardless of the device you use to read it. However, this doesn’t prevent anyone from copying and redistributing your content as their own.

So if you want to share sensitive information or you’d like to protect your content from being copied, you can use Acrobat DC to password-protect the file or remove access to the copy feature. Also, passwords can prevent anyone without the right access to information from reading and sharing the document. While this is not a 100% guarantee your content won’t still be shared, it is a serious deterrent.

Wrap Up

The PDF is a great format for various types of documents. It can also be used to stimulate productivity for remote teams since it makes sharing and collaboration easier. Plus, it doesn’t take much to create beautiful designs and spread your knowledge and ideas in a well-designed format. Overall, the more care you put into your creations, the better they will fare with your audience.

If you don’t know jewelry, know the jeweler.
—Warren Buffett (American Investor)

Though ambition in itself is a vice, it often is also the parent of virtue.
—Edgar Quinet (French Intellectual)

To get what he wanted, a man had to give other people what they wanted.
—Dashiell Hammett (American Crime Writer)

The royal road to a man’s heart is to talk to him about the things he treasures most.
—Dale Carnegie (American Self-Help Author)

Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end.
—Leonard Nimoy (American Actor)

There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves.
—Thomas Wolfe (American Novelist)

When we judge other people we confront them in a spirit of detachment, observing and reflecting as it were from the outside. But love has neither time nor opportunity for this. If we love, we can never observe the other person with detachment, for he is always and at every moment a living claim to our love and service.
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer (German Lutheran Pastor)

The ultimate of being successful is the luxury of giving yourself the time to do what you want to do.
—Leontyne Price (American Soprano)

Man, so long as he remains free, has no more constant and agonizing anxiety than find as quickly as possible someone to worship.
—Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Russian Novelist)

The real world is not easy to live in. It is rough; it is slippery. Without the most clear-eyed adjustments we fall and get crushed. A man must stay sober; not always, but most of the time.
—Clarence Day (American Author, Humorist)

All political power is primarily an illusion. Illusion. Mirrors and blue smoke, beautiful blue smoke rolling over the surface of highly polished mirrors, first a thin veil of blue smoke, then a thick cloud that suddenly dissolves into wisps of blue smoke, the mirrors catching it all, bouncing it back and forth.
—Jimmy Breslin (American Columnist)

The great living experience for every man is his adventure into the woman. The man embraces in the woman all that is not himself, and from that one resultant, from that embrace, comes every new action.
—D. H. Lawrence (English Novelist)

HR departments are responsible for optimizing employee productivity and managing any workplace issues that might arise. HR had to find a way to develop an organization that is flexible and competent as a result of Covid. Thus, a solid data infrastructure is vital to ensure good decisions, enhance employee satisfaction, and ensure alignment between HR and business strategies. Optimal recruitment is driven by human capital analysis, and data mining has improved the recruitment process for HR professionals. The adoption of technological advancements will improve data management and speed up operations. Let’s take a quick look at the following tips to get your organization to adopt HR tech:

Be data-conscious, not data-driven.

To stay competitive and to make informed decisions, businesses rely on accurate metrics. Sadly, sometimes data contradicts itself. In terms of content, we’re in charge of connecting the dots and establishing a coherent story that aligns with our company’s objectives.

Assume your organization runs a survey on employee engagement. If you notice that some of your colleagues reported low engagement rates. It probably means these employees would not be a good fit for your organization. The reality is that when you analyze performance data and determine that despite being poorly engaged, they are still highly productive. So, what’s wrong? It may mean you need to collect more data. Data is crucial, but good intuition and experience are crucial when it comes to making recommendations that are most valuable for your team.

Centralize your data with technology.

There has been an explosion of virtual tech applications that solve problems. For example, communication, collaboration, accounting, and recruitment are some of the reasons for a flooded HR technology market. Taking care of your technical infrastructure requires effort. The HR department must devote significant time to monitoring, updating, and correcting data. For this purpose, they need next-level technology that will help them to manage these things.

Modern technology like LMS allows you to integrate your systems. Also, LMS like Blackbaud, Docebo, and others can help you centralize your data. Platforms that support APIs and require little coding are making it easier for users to take advantage of centralized data. Now you can let apps create Excel files for you, instead of having to export them from different applications. Afterward, you can turn your attention to the important stuff, such as analyzing the information and devising strategies with a positive perspective.

Keep your employees updated with relevant data.

Transparency and communication are key to the success of every company. Imagine what it would be like if those two factors were automatic.

To increase employee engagement, companies must make data more accessible to employees. Transparency and confidentiality must be balanced with the right degree of confidentiality. Some information, including pay scales and performance goals, enables employees to make informed decisions regarding their professional development. However, personal data amongst employees should be kept confidential. Whichever environment your team is working in, robust access control systems are needed to keep sensitive data protected while also providing the context that your team needs to succeed.

Provide training to key users.

The excitement of getting a new tool is contagious. Now that you know how it can improve and ease the working, it’s time to understand its value. When you’re in a rush to get started, you might just skip over the onboarding process and get started right away. But you should stay patient. Analyzing onboarding materials, talking to others on the platform, getting feedback, and effectively rolling out the platform to other key members of your team. When your team knows how to utilize your new technology to drive business results, then your team and you will be prepared for success.

Conclusion

The most important lesson we have learned in this Covid affected year is that HR teams must predict change, adapt to it, and respond effectively to it. Apart from simply adopting new technology to increase company flexibility and sustainability, HR departments should also devise an effective strategy to ensure implementation success.

Technology plays a significant role in empowering and retaining employees in a technology-driven workplace. Consequently, employees are enabled to make their efforts count, promote collaboration, facilitate knowledge sharing, improve business performance, and enhance collaboration across departments and regions.

Improvisation is too good to leave to chance.
—Paul Simon (American Musician)

Never have anything to do with an unlucky place, or an unlucky man. I have seen many clever men, very clever men, who had not shoes to their feet. I never act with them. Their advice sounds very well, but they cannot get on themselves; and if they cannot do good to themselves, how can they do good to me?
—Mayer Amschel Rothschild (German Financier)

The test of any man lies in action.
—Pindar (Greek Lyric Poet)

There must be more to life than having everything.
—Maurice Sendak (American Writer, Illustrator)

Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well. Neglect nothing; the most trivial action may be performed to God.
—Marie Angelique Arnauld (French Abbess)

The art of resting the mind and the power of dismissing from it all care and worry is probably one of the secrets of energy in our great men.
—James Arthur Hadfield (British Psychoanalysts)

Discover the centre of your being and hold fast to it; only from there can you describe the perfect circle of life rounded into its absolute fullness.
—Nolini Kanta Gupta (Indian Hindu Revolutionary)

As human beings, we are endowed with freedom of choice, and we cannot shuffle off our responsibility upon the shoulders of God or nature. We must shoulder it ourselves. It is up to us.
—Arnold J. Toynbee (British Historian)

The real man is one who always finds excuses for others, but never excuses himself.
—Henry Ward Beecher (American Protestant Clergyman)

We ought to fear a man who hates himself, for we are at risk of becoming victims of his anger and revenge. Let us then try to lure him into self-love.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (German Philosopher, Scholar)

Simply by making the effort to start something, you will be miles ahead of almost everyone else.
—Gary Player (South African Golfer)

Private interpretation in religion is like cutting your own hair.
—Austin O’Malley (American Aphorist, Ophthalmologist)

What others think of us would be of little moment did it not, when known, so deeply tinge what we think of ourselves.
—Paul Valery (French Critic, Poet)

He is not poor that has little, but he that desires much.
—Samuel Daniel (English Poet)

Till the 1990s, instances where people quit their jobs were very few because the opportunities were also very less and people had little exposure because there was no easy access to the internet. However, with changing times, the job opportunities became more and the exposure to various jobs also increased significantly. People became particular about how their job should be and have high self-awareness to understand what suits them.

The younger generation of employees are usually very particular about their job, that’s the reason why the employee turnover rate is high in every company. With more and more Millenials and Gen Z entering the corporate world, the number of people quitting their jobs became even more.

Every year, thousands of young professionals join the corporate world with lots of dreams and aspirations. But sadly over 40 percent (1) of them quit their job in the initial one or two years itself. The reasons can be subjective but there are a few generalized reasons like bad work culture, poor work-life balance, lesser hikes, no career growth opportunities, etc. All these reasons add up and suddenly they quit their job.

To sustain a company for a long period, the young professionals should know about the company in and out. Talk to the people who are already working in it and ask them how their work culture, job role offered, incentives, and all other parameters that matter to you most. Once you have all this information, you can make more informed decisions and your job experience would be fruitful. If you quit mid-way, all the efforts you put in to get that job goes in vain. So, as a young professional, one needs to weigh in all the positives and negatives of an organization before joining. To help you better with this, we have listed down a few things that you should look for before you join a company.

1) Learning & development:

As a young professional, the first and foremost thing one should look for is career growth opportunities. It usually entails training & development. As a fresher, there are lots to learn and upskill yourself so that you can be better at your job. Building your core skill set makes you more employable as you progress in your career.

In the job description, you usually find about learning & development in the benefits section. Almost every organization can afford employee training because of technological advancements. With learning management systems like “Docebo”, organizations could offer employee training with minimal costs. The interactive elements and features in an LMS make it a great option for training. Read more about them on their official website. So, because the employee training became very affordable with online learning and all the technology available, learning & development are must offer.

2) Career growth:

No one wants to become stagnated at their job, you need growth in whatever shape or form. Along with your career, look for opportunities that challenge you and require you to come out of your comfort zone. Look for jobs that teach you transferable skills and prepare you to switch to leadership roles or the ones that help you to excel in your career.

3) Positive work culture:

Before knowing about the company’s culture, you need to understand what you prefer most. If you want a rigid and organized structure, then you might want to choose an established organization. But, if you want a casual workplace where you can explore your job, then a startup company might be the right fit for you.

Once you know what you want, now you should find whether the company is a good place to work with or not. Most of the younger professionals look for empowerment, freedom, and respect. If the employees are looked upon precisely and valued enough, then that company might be the ideal choice for you.

4) Additional benefits and perks:

Alongside a salary, many companies offer benefits like pension schemes, healthcare and paid sick leave. Companies also offer additional bonuses and incentives to attract the best talent. Some other additional bonuses include company car, free food, early finishes etc. These benefits can be subjective, so look for the ones that are most important to you in a company.

5) Work-life balance:

It’s not always about the money, you should look beyond that. A good work-life balance is equally important along with good pay. Some organizations make their employees work overtime without offering additional pay and some even demand their employees to work on Sundays and other holidays. After all the hustle and struggle to get the job, you don’t want to end up working each day without any breaks and holidays.

If there is no work-life balance, it will damage your physical and mental health in the long run. When you look for a job, it’s important to consider how much that company promotes work-life balance. Flexible timings, work-from-home options, and paid leaves are some of the indications that the company cares for its employees.

6) Job security:

Although this is hard to tell, you can find out whether your job will be secure or not through the company’s track record. If the company is consistently increasing its revenue, client base, and workforce, then it’s a great option. If not on the upward rise, the ship should be steady at least. Also, look for layoff rates in the organization. If the layoff rate is high, you can never be secure in your job.

7) Check company reputation:

These days, it’s easy to find out the reputation of any company. It’s all at your fingertips. All you need to do is check the employee reviews in Google of that particular company and you understand the company’s vibe and how they treat their employees. Through those reviews, you get a basic idea of whether it’s a good place to work or not.

Conclusion:

To wrap up, these are all some of the things that young professionals look for when they opt for a job. A good job in a well-established organization helps you boost your career in the initial stages. Thus, always choose a company that helps you grow in every way possible.