Polished: Preparing for What’s Next

By Calvin Purnell Jr.

In order to be successful in any area of life, you have to prepare for it. Many people try jumping into deep waters only knowing how to dog paddle. Dog paddling can save people yes but learning how to tread water, float, hold your breath for extended periods and swimming in depths unknown can help you prepare for swimming in the ocean.

Polished: Preparing for What’s Next is the follow up to Polished: A Young Professional’s Guide for Success. Preparing for What’s Next speaks to individuals looking to advance themselves to their next level by providing sound career advice to the readers.

This book gives readers real life examples of what it takes to advance in any career option whether it be a fast food chain or corporate position.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Sep 23, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982235420

Calvin Purnell Jr.

Calvin Purnell, Jr. is a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native who is about evolving personally and professionally. He encourages people to learn not only from their past mistakes but from other’s mistakes to help catapult them to their next level. He is a natural coach and mentor for many people. Calvin uses life lessons to help people see their potential to grow personally, professionally and spiritually. He plants seeds in people because he believes everyone can grow, be fruitful and prosperous in life. For Calvin, this is his God given ministry

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Copyright © 2019 Christopher Purnell.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Author Photo by Stephen Hudgins

ISBN: 978-1-9822-3541-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-3543-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9822-3542-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019914725

Balboa Press rev. date: 09/20/2019

DEDICATION

For my kids Skylar, Calvin (Trey), and Brooklynn, and my honorary son, Bruce. Everything in life requires you to prepare for it. There’s nothing wrong with taking your time. Slow down and prepare for everything. Respect time. Thinking you have time is the wrong thought process. You never know what the next second, minute, hour, month or year holds for you. Time doesn’t respect you because it doesn’t have to. You do have to respect it because it will keep passing you by no matter what. The last thing you want is to regret not taking the time to prepare. Having to rush to get to an appointment can easily be avoided if you prepare. Studying for exams will prepare you to receive that passing grade. Getting your clothes ready for the next day the night before eliminates anxiety the next morning because you don’t know what you want to wear. Packing your lunch for school or work the night before saves you time in the morning and money in the bank because you’re not spending your money on a lunch that may cost you $15 or more. Saving money to take a vacation will help you decompress when you need to. Listening to your elders when they offer you advice will help you prepare for things that may come your way in life. If they are speaking to you about certain things, it’s because they care about you and want to see you succeed in life. Pay close attention.

Knowing the direction, you’d like to see your life go will help you prepare for the future. Praying and asking God to order your steps and to give you insight will help you strategize for life. This is why I’m always on you all about being on time for things. You have to prepare. You have to be ready when the time comes for you to take the necessary steps for your life. And this is why I made you all sit at the dining room table during Christmas break in 2016 and write out what you needed if you moved out on your own. Always prepare for what’s next.

I love you!

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Letter From The Author

Introduction

Chapter 1     Invest In Yourself

Chapter 2     Build Your Brand

Chapter 3     Polished

Chapter 4     Clean Up Your Act

Chapter 5     Team Player

Chapter 6     Etiquette

Chapter 7     Show Up

Chapter 8     Setting Goals

Chapter 9     Don’t Get Taken Advantage Of

Chapter 10   Disrupt Your Comfort Zone

Chapter 11   Realigning Yourself

Chapter 12   Be Careful What You Allow In

Chapter 13   Maximize Your Potential

Chapter 14   Taking A Pay Cut

Chapter 15   Clean Up After Yourself

Chapter 16   Use Your Skills

Chapter 17   What Motivates You? That’s What’s Next

Chapter 18   A Great Leader

Chapter 19   The Difference Between Connecting And Networking

Chapter 20   My Notes To You

FOREWORD

Our goals can only be reached through a vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe, and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.

—Pablo Picasso

I find this quote about success to be very powerful, not so much for what it states but more for how it is stated. It casts goals as something that are ours and success as a result of acting together, where oftentimes success is viewed as something that comes from the talent or effort of an individual. When I reflect about what attracted me to this project by my longtime friend Calvin Purnell, I realize that it is his understanding of us. Calvin takes his life experiences and creates a treasure chest of wisdom and guidance that helps us work as a team that is destined for success. One of the building blocks of Calvin’s journey to success is character. His unique insights into how to develop character propel us into being our best selves for the benefit of others.

This book is a roadmap for success. Sometimes the road has hills, sometimes it gets rocky, and sometimes it seems like we are stalled and there is no progress at all. Preparation and planning are surefire ways to help us overcome the obstacles that will inevitably confront us as individuals and as teams. There are planning and preparation strategies in this book to help us conquer personal challenges, but they also offer sharp insight into personal accomplishments. As far as organizations go, Calvin embodies many positions. He is like a coach because he offers his experience and good judgment to give you great instruction. He is also like a veteran player who has seen it all but is willing to give maximum effort in the game with you. That is one of the things that make his insight so powerful—the fact that he speaks from a position of lived experience. Finally, whatever you are dealing with in your current situation, he is your biggest fan. He will encourage you to fight and stay in the game, and he truly wants you to win! Regardless of the role, Calvin works to bring out the best in you and position you for success in all of your endeavors.

—Elton Brand

LETTER FROM THE AUTHOR

Dear Reader,

I want to thank you for your support in purchasing my second book. Being able to share and possibly impact someone’s life means the world to me.

There is always a consequence for your actions, or the lack thereof.

If you read Polished: A Young Professional’s Guide for Success, you know I have a felony conviction on my record. This is something that can happen to anyone. The smallest mistakes can land you in jail. Many people have committed crimes and haven’t been caught. Some people drive drunk and don’t get caught. We’ve all