Comments (1) What a perfect follow-up to yesterday’s rant – a guest post on Gelareh’s blog, Nutritious Foodie, about the importance of finding something positive to share about your day, along with the rants.
Do you make it a habit to share something positive about each day? Head on over to Nutritious Foodie to leave your answer.
Ha, I don’t need to give you a clue on my answer – you all know it is something I am still working on!
I’m so happy it was rain, not snow, pelting me in the face as I walked to work this morning.
I just wish I would have remembered my umbrella!
What signs of spring are you noticing where you live?
I feel like the longer days have snuck up on me. It is light when I walk to work in the morning now (even at 6:30 am) and sometimes light on the train ride home. I guess that means it is time to start breaking out of the habit of immediately getting into sloth-mode when I come home. Darn!
I think Data wants a bath…
… okay, maybe not!
What is your pet’s favorite “hiding spot”? What strange places do they get in to?
Back when Steven and I were doing the long-distance thing (me in Iowa, him in Illinois) we used to talk to each other on the phone while we were getting ready each morning.
One day when we were chatting, Steven was about to leave the house when he realized he hadn’t seen Data in awhile. Normally, Data is his little shadow, so it was a bit strange that he wasn’t there, acting as a tripping hazard. Of course, I started to panic, asking Steven if he had opened the garage door and let Data out, if Data accidentally got trapped in the coat closet (a favorite place of Data’s to hide) when Steven grabbed his jacket, or if nazis kidnapped him, etc. Steven looked all over downstairs and couldn’t find him.
So I’m 400 miles away, hyperventilating because I am convinced Data somehow escaped the house and got hit by a car. Steven decides to retrace his steps from the morning, checking the bedroom, closet, and bathroom upstairs.
Steven looks in the bathroom, no visible Data. Checks behind the shower curtain, no visible Data. He thinks about his morning routine, washing his face, brushing his teeth, using mouthwash… “wait a second,” he says (we are still on the phone), “I wonder if Data got into the cabinets when I got my mouth wash out this morning!”
Sure enough, Data was sitting in the cabinet under the sink, like it was no big deal (he must have been there for at least 15 minutes). Steven opened the cabinet door, and Data gave it a second or two (coupled with a few glances of boredom) before he walked out.
Now we always check the cabinets before we leave the bathroom.
Steven, I am sure I told parts of this story wrong, so you can correct me if you want!
Duh! What kind of a dumb question is that?!
Well, according to a study done in the Netherlands (whose residents get about 4 weeks of vacation per year) it is not the vacation that makes you feel happy for the longest period of time, but planning for it and anticipating it.
The researchers studied happiness levels among 1,530 Dutch adults, 974 of whom took a vacation during the 32-week study period. Their findings were interesting:
When I first read this article, I kind of thought it was a bunch of baloney, but as I thought about it more, I realized it describes me exactly. I LOVE daydreaming about upcoming “vacations” and races. And sometimes I enjoy the daydreaming more than the actual trip. It allows me to escape the mundane and live a little fantasy in my day-to-day life. It gives me something to look forward to.
And I can definitely relate to the stress of going back to work! I think I could say my mood is worse after coming back from a vacation. As much as I try to be cheery, I just don’t want to be back in the office!
Do you sometimes enjoy planning and anticipating a vacation more than the actual vacation itself? What are your tips for relaxing on vacation (and leaving work and other life issues behind)? Do you have any vacations coming up (share them with me – I am definitely not taking any and will live through yours!)?
I better post some pictures if I am talking about vacations! Here are some from the last two we’ve taken – Aruba and Denver. Can you guess which photos are from which locations? Ha ha.
Wow.
You guys really like cookies – I cannot believe how many people entered to win the Alternative Baking Company cookies. Wait – maybe I can believe it. These are damn good cookies!
I did use the Random Number Generator for this giveaway. There were just too many entries for me to do it the old-fashioned way! Before I put the entries in though, I deleted all the non-entry comments and pingbacks (sorry!) to make it fair.
And the winner is…
#92… Holly from The Balance Broad! Congrats Holly! Please email me your address and I’ll send these delicious cookies your way! (Please send it soon – if they sit on my kitchen counter any longer they may get eaten!).
As always, thank you to everyone who entered. And a big thanks to everyone who provided a recipe! I have so many to try now!
And since I am always asking your opinion on things, please let me know in the poll below (and your responses) if you think I should keep doing giveaways. I really enjoy doing them, and think they are a great way to meet new bloggers, but was wondering what you guys think. Thanks!
Loading ...I am in a position at work in which I am often training a coworker how to do what I do. I explain procedures, processes, how our contracts work, how to do things in AutoCAD, how to handle certain situations… you get the idea.
I don’t mind training someone or explaining things to them. I actually look forward to how it serves as a refresher to me, and may even open my eyes to new ideas.
BUT, I don’t feel like I am a good trainer. I don’t feel like I explain things very well! I’ve really been struggling with being articulate lately. And by lately, I mean for most of my life. Sure, I am gregarious, but when you put me in front of a group, there might be a few extra words thrown in.
I was talking to my ex-neighbor* about how I don’t think I am good at training people, and he recommending asking people how they liked to be trained. Do they prefer hands on? Reading a document? Watching someone else perform the task first?
I thought that was really good advice. So I want to ask you to help me out as well:
What qualities should a good trainer have?
Whether it’s at work, or a coach, a teacher, or even a mentor, what have your favorite trainers been like? What did they do/not do that worked/didn’t work for you?
*Sniff sniff – they moved to New Mexico!
I hate that I can never be completely “caught up.” Whether it’s with a work or personal to do list, it seems there’s always something left on it at the end of the day to make me feel uneasy for not getting it done.
And I’ve gotten so much better at prioritizing what I do need to get done (at least at work)! So I cross those things off first. But there’s always something left.
And I feel like I am always behind on personal emails and reading blogs – things I like to do, but don’t have time for everyday.
Now that I think about it, the things that make me feel most uneasy about not getting done are the visible things. You know, responding to emails, reviewing documents for a coworker, and so on… things other people know I am doing. I give those items priority, because I don’t want people to think I am ignoring them, or that they are not important.
Sometimes I think I just need to throw the whole to do list concept out the window and do what I please. But then I would probably feel even more scattered.
Do you use a to do list? Do you feel like you are never “caught up”? Or are you miraculously able to let things slide when you don’t get them done immediately?
I always feel like there is so much hope for those months that begin on a Monday. This month, last February, last June… I need to remind myself that if I am looking at the start of a month to encourage/motivate me for anything… I am looking in the wrong place.
Trying to start a month/week/day/whatever out “perfectly” just sets you up for failure.
How do you allow each moment to be an opportunity to start fresh?
Do you like cookies?
Ha! What kind of a question is that? Who doesn’t like cookies?!
Have you heard of the Alternative Baking Company? They are based in California and make gourmet, vegan cookies that don’t contain dairy, eggs, trans fats, hydrogenated oils, cholesterol, animal ingredients, artificial ingredients, or refined sugar. They make their cookies in small batches using organic flour, organic sugar, and natural ingredients. They even have wheat-free cookies.
And they are so delicious, soft and chewy! I wish I could replicate them at home!
I love their cookies (especially Luscious Lemon Poppyseed) so much that I wrote to them asking if they would provide me a sampler pack to share with a blogger!
MY FAVORITE!!!
And here is what I have to share with one blogger friend (see photo below):
Yum, oh, yum! I was going to hold off on giving these away for awhile… but if they hang around the house any longer they might disappear!
Thank you for providing these, Alternative Baking Company!
Contest Rules:
Wow, everyone – I felt so much better yesterday knowing how many of you could relate to my frustration with things being out of my control. There were some great tips:
I figured since many of you could relate to my frustration with things being out of my control, that you might also relate to my problems with being impatient. I think those two issues go hand in hand – you create an elaborate schedule for yourself, and are very impatient if things don’t go accordingly. Sadly, I am almost always in a rush, or cutting my time short – cramming as much into my day as I can. It goes haywire when I expect other people to be on the same path as me, and they just aren’t (good for them!). I get impatient when someone isn’t on time, when someone takes longer than I think they should, when I have to wait for an answer, when the train is late, when I am behind a slow driver (last night!), when I am waiting to get into my seat on a plane, when I am stuck in a slow-moving line… you get the idea!
Valerie Frankel wrote a great article for the March issue of SELF, humorously discussing her lack of patience and how she went about changing it. She cites a few studies done about impatience, and shares the suggestions she received on dealing with it.
Here is what really spoke to me from the article:
Impatience can also be a by-product of living in a chaotic world. Generally, it arises when we don’t feel in control.
Waiting with patience means actively accepting the current circumstances and giving up the illusion that you can control the world.
Agreed! But, wait… how do I do that?!
Frankel received tips (from a Buddhist monk) on how to be more patient:
Notice how similar some of these tips are to the tips you gave me yesterday?
Are you impatient? Do you think this tips would work for you? What are your tips on being more patient?
I think they might work for me, but that I would really have to do a lot of self-talk to calm myself down. I am going to try them though!
Yesterday in the comments, Erin mentioned that she used to create all of these plans, but never share them… then she felt upset when people weren’t following her plans. She realized this didn’t make sense – how would they know what she wanted to do if she didn’t tell them – so she started sharing her plans.
I used to do that too. I still do, a bit. I create these elaborate schedules and do not share them with Steven, then wonder why we are so frustrated with each other on the weekends. Now we plan out our weekends, and when I wake up in the morning, I usually ask him what he wants to get done during the day.
So, that is my tip – VOCALIZE YOUR SCHEDULE – it decreases the chances that it will be interrupted, or, lets you plan for interruptions.
If you’re interested, I’ve included a few other interesting tidbits from the article below:
Generally, I thrive on:
I don’t handle very well:
I am just being honest here. I struggle with a fear of the unknown. Not the unknown of what is going to happen in my life, but the unknown of “how far off schedule am I going to get today?”
I live in this imaginary place in my mind, where I get to actually control my own schedule, make a to-do list, and follow it. Sure, I enjoy the occasional interruption, or unplanned event. I am not that stiff and rigid.
But I HATE IT when I feel like I have no control over my day. More and more lately I feel like my entire day is being flushed down the drain because there are so many interruptions/too much drama to deal with. I actually found myself thinking earlier this week “I hope no one bothers me today.”
Whoa – I think it might be time to reassess my situation. Hoping that no one bothers me says something about me – I am worn out and stressed to the point that I am not doing a very good job with human interaction.
Any tips on helping me be more flexible and “go with the flow”? Do you ever struggle with fear of the unknown/things being out of your control?
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Hi! I'm Kim, a 25-year-old living in a Chicago suburb with my husband and our cat. I work in the design (architecture) industry, follow a vegan lifestyle, and am addicted to running! I write about a variety of topics, and consider this a "life" blog - a place I can share anything that's on my mind. Please visit "About" and "100 Things" to get a better idea of who I am! :-)
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