I have been feeling so sluggish and crappy lately. Things in my life are going well and there's really nothing to feel bad or down about, but my body just doesn't seem to get that. I think back over the past month and there has been a lot of booze and junk food involved, with little veggies or exercise. As a result of this unhealthy lifestyle I have gained a few pounds recently as well - which leads me to feel even worse and then eat more junk food.
Hmmmm I might be on to something. To sum up, I'm fatter, slower, grumpier and may have developed scurvy. Awesome.
Tonight I stocked up on healthy food - spinach, proteins, fruits, healthy snacks. I went to the gym tonight and yesterday so I hope I'm on to something. Oh, and I've decided to go on a semi-detox (I know I will never fully commit to NO alcohol - my social life just revolves around drinks too much...), so I'm strictly limiting the amount of drinks I have. I'll let you know how it goes - anything has to be better than how I'm feeling now.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Take Advantage
Usually 'taking advantage of a situation' comes with a negative connotation, but I believe in something different. There are ways to take advantage of situations in order to benefit you and the people around you (your company, co-workers, friends, family).
I'm primarily thinking about the workplace - join as many committees and extra projects as you can reasonably handle. Do not overwhelm yourself to the point that your job performance will suffer or you can't make a true commitment. But do try something new - join a committee and perform a role that is different from what you do in your day to day job. Learn about a new project or company goal while interacting with people from various departments and various levels. If your company offers subsidies for training courses take as many as you can, making them tie-in to your current role. These things will make you a more well-rounded candidate when you do choose to move forward or move on, and your department and the company will benefit with your increased knowledge, contacts and confidence. If you're in a position where you lead people, use that opportunity to learn and develop as much as possible. Read books on leadership, speak with other Managers/Execs to get tips and hints, and exercise your new knowledge on your direct reports (of course being careful not to hinder their experience!).
If a friend is starting a business, offer to help her with the promo, design or budgeting. Use your skills and get higher level experience (think creating the company budget vs.monitoring a small portion of it), to help her and yourself. If there's a specific skill you're looking to develop, apply to be a volunteer with one of many organizations - you can contribute to an important cause at the same time.
Often we find ourselves in less than perfect situations with one or more things in our life. While you are in that job, relationship or even city - take advantage of all the opportunities that are hidden within.
I'm primarily thinking about the workplace - join as many committees and extra projects as you can reasonably handle. Do not overwhelm yourself to the point that your job performance will suffer or you can't make a true commitment. But do try something new - join a committee and perform a role that is different from what you do in your day to day job. Learn about a new project or company goal while interacting with people from various departments and various levels. If your company offers subsidies for training courses take as many as you can, making them tie-in to your current role. These things will make you a more well-rounded candidate when you do choose to move forward or move on, and your department and the company will benefit with your increased knowledge, contacts and confidence. If you're in a position where you lead people, use that opportunity to learn and develop as much as possible. Read books on leadership, speak with other Managers/Execs to get tips and hints, and exercise your new knowledge on your direct reports (of course being careful not to hinder their experience!).
If a friend is starting a business, offer to help her with the promo, design or budgeting. Use your skills and get higher level experience (think creating the company budget vs.monitoring a small portion of it), to help her and yourself. If there's a specific skill you're looking to develop, apply to be a volunteer with one of many organizations - you can contribute to an important cause at the same time.
Often we find ourselves in less than perfect situations with one or more things in our life. While you are in that job, relationship or even city - take advantage of all the opportunities that are hidden within.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Pestering
The worst situation to be in, in my mind, is to be that girl who is pestering a guy. Can you imagine the guy you're dating/seeing/liking from afar looking at his phone the next time you text saying "oh jeez, there's ______ again". I can just picture it now - he's out for wings with his friends, and instead of telling them about how wonderful, fun and independent you are, he's sharing your 'could be construed as clingy' text messages.
I'm not a proponent of game-playing, but try to keep the tables balanced when it comes to messaging, calling, and all forms of communication. Sometimes there are reasons he's not responding right away - he could be legitimately busy in which case he needs his space. And if it's not legit, he doesn't deserve your time anyway. Just something to keep in mind before you hit send on that 4th straight message.
I'm not a proponent of game-playing, but try to keep the tables balanced when it comes to messaging, calling, and all forms of communication. Sometimes there are reasons he's not responding right away - he could be legitimately busy in which case he needs his space. And if it's not legit, he doesn't deserve your time anyway. Just something to keep in mind before you hit send on that 4th straight message.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Who Are You
How do you describe yourself to someone new? What floats your boat, what interests you, who are you? Now remove work from the equation - who is the real you? No more hiding behind a job to define you. You're not a banker, teacher, nurse...you are a fabulous young woman with so many amazing things that you're excited about, work just being a small portion of that. If you don't feel this way, maybe it's the time to focus a bit more on the 'other things' in life.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Songs
If you`ve ever listened to song lyrics closely you know that most of them are about relationships - past, present or future. How true are the words? I know people in relationships who sing of women that I'm sure are not their GFs - are they fictional situations or people from the past, or worse, the present? My BF doesn't exactly talk about his feelings, yet his new song talks in detail of 'missing' someone...should I be concerned? Granted, it's just a song, but the thought of him a) remembering in detail a past relationship b) confronting these feelings and c) revealing them to the (technically) entire world makes me a bit uncomfortable. Just saying.
Being Alone...Not Always So Bad
No matter who you are, there are times you will find yourself alone. Be it waiting in a doctor's office, grabbing a coffee or catching a flight. Everyone enjoys spending at least some part of their week alone at home, but when it's in public, some people are just not so good at solo. Between travelling quite a bit on my own, moving to a new city, and being awkwardly early for most appointments/dates/meetings, I have become quite accustomed to doing my own thing. I think every confident girl should be A-OK with being on their own for at least a couple hours, and realize that it's perfectly natural.
Try going into a restaurant and having lunch on your own. It's almost liberating, at least after you get over the initial awkwardness. And if a solo lunch seems too intimidating try grabbing a seat at Starbucks with a coffee and paper for half an hour. A good trick is to always carry a good book, magazine or a journal - something to entertain you and make it look like you MEANT to be on your own (not like you got stood up). Smartphones really help too - allowing you to access the Internet and all chatting capabilities...but that kind of defeats the purpose a bit. Try it, you might be surprised at how great you feel when you devote some time to chillin with yourself!
Try going into a restaurant and having lunch on your own. It's almost liberating, at least after you get over the initial awkwardness. And if a solo lunch seems too intimidating try grabbing a seat at Starbucks with a coffee and paper for half an hour. A good trick is to always carry a good book, magazine or a journal - something to entertain you and make it look like you MEANT to be on your own (not like you got stood up). Smartphones really help too - allowing you to access the Internet and all chatting capabilities...but that kind of defeats the purpose a bit. Try it, you might be surprised at how great you feel when you devote some time to chillin with yourself!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Expectations
The downside to having a thoughtful, romantic BF (there's a downside? you ask) may be that expectations are set too high. After several romantic gestures - be it coffee drop-offs at work, flower deliveries or surprising you with a clean apartment, it's really hard not to come to expect these things. So when you come home after a long day of work and the dishes are still in the sink, don't forget to remind yourself that those are 'special signs of how much he cares' and not every day duties or responsibilities.
Should you set your expectations low? No way - but there's a definite difference between expectations of respect and commitment vs. 24/7 catering to your every whim. If that does happen in your relationship though, please let me know where you found him!
Should you set your expectations low? No way - but there's a definite difference between expectations of respect and commitment vs. 24/7 catering to your every whim. If that does happen in your relationship though, please let me know where you found him!
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