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Hillman author offers free online course for job success

Pat McConnaughey

For anyone looking for tips on how to be successful at their job, Pat McConnaughey is offering a free online course titled How To Be Successful At Your Job: 9 Secrets Revealed In A Short, Easy Course.

“I have worked with so many people who want to do well at their job or career, but they don’t know how to go about it,” he said in a press release.

Having served in various executive positions including many years as a human resource director, McConnaughey has had ample opportunity to study what works.

“The secrets are simple but they must be practiced on a consistent and regular basis,” he continued.

In an interview last week, McConnaughey explained that enjoying your job is essential to enjoying life, since we spend so much of our time at work.

“Many times, the best somebody can say about their job — and I’ve heard this a lot — is, ‘Well, it’s a job.’ And that’s it. And I’ve always felt, my entire life, that that was a sad way to go about your life,” he said. “We spend so many hours, during our working years, a huge chunk of our day is at work, and people feel burned out, they feel frustrated, they’re unenthusiastic, they wish they could be somewhere else or doing something else.”

McConnaughey has worked many different jobs himself.

“I started out as a janitor, and I worked my way up,” he said. “I went to college and became a … first-line supervisor, and then supervised more people, then became a manager, and then an executive, and, along the way, was a human resource director, and dealt with excellent employees, and people, of course, who were not performing well in the workplace.”

Over the years, he has worked with military generals, businessmen, professional musicians, and senators and observed that they had certain traits in common, and he wishes to share them with others.

“I saw what worked,” he said. “It’s been very interesting to not only see what worked in my own life, but to see what works in other people’s lives.”

He said he can only recall one job he didn’t necessarily like.

“I’ve always had jobs, I have to say, probably with the exception of one, that if someone were to ask me, ‘How do you like your job?’ I’ve always said, ‘I like it. I’m lucky to have it,'” McConnaughey said. “And, you know, you get those puzzled looks from other people. They didn’t expect that.”

He holds an M.B.A. and a master’s degree in professional counseling. Over the years, he has received various awards, including Citizen of the Year from the AMVETS, the American Legion, and has been awarded the Distinguished Service Medal from the Michigan Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. He retired as commandant of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, and as vice president of the National Association of State Veterans Homes in 2002.

“I do what I do as a public service,” he said. “I am fortunate and proud to have been raised in this area and now I want to give back to the community that has been so good to me.”

Upon retirement, McConnaughey and his wife returned to Hillman, where they make their home.

The free online course can be found at his website, “thegreatlovestoryofyourlife.com,” as well as on his YouTube channel, by searching for Patrick McConnaughey. He said the course is about 90 minutes.

“The key is putting them into practice,” McConnaughey said of the nine tips. “You can make huge changes in your life by making small changes. Small steps turn into huge changes in our lives. But we have to take those small steps.”

He said success looks different for everyone. For some, it could be a raise. For others, it could be switching to the day shift so they can spend more time at home with their family. For others, it could be improving relationships with their boss or coworkers.

“For all of us, it’s a combination of those things in different degrees,” he said. “So, success is however you define it … You have to figure out what’s important to you, and then, these steps will help you get there.”

About his book

He is the author of the book “The Great Love Story of Your Life: Learning to Love Yourself and Others and Find Purpose,” and is currently working on his second book. His book is available locally at 45th Parallel Books and Gifts and online.

“It was published in November of 2019,” he said of his book. “It’s something that I’ve worked on for probably three or four years. I just felt I had something to say that I could share with others … I wanted to write something that was hopefully inspirational and uplifting and encouraging.”

He said the book aims to help others live their best life and not just accept things for how they are, but to strive toward the life that they truly desire.

“We only have a short number of years on this earth, and, why not make our life as special as we can make it?” he asked. “And I hope I’ve succeeded.”

“A central message of the book is that you obtain personal peace and fulfillment by learning to love yourself and others,” the back cover of his book explains.

McConnaughey reads and reviews other books and puts them on his website as a resource for others seeking advice for topics such as mental health and self-improvement.

“I try to write a good, objective review, and I only put books on that I feel would be of value,” he noted. “So they’re all positive.”

McConnaughey’s website offers other resources, such as articles by guest authors and more.

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