Life Can Be Delightful

"Life is not meant to be easy, my child; but take courage -- it can be delightful." - George Bernard Shaw

It takes me a fair amount of time before I can shake off my job and enjoy a vacation. But then after having time off from work, it takes me a fair amount of time to return myself to the actual work.

I get into one of those first-day-back foggy moods.

Now I could approach these first-day-back days a few different ways.

I could choose to sit the day out and simply let it pass quietly. Maybe call in sick and mill about at home, putting off the inevitable until the next day. But the next day always comes and has to be faced.

So I choose not to waste the day. Not wasting the day and working to accomplish at least one thing, anything that will allow me to feel good about it. An accomplishment that allow me to feel good about being back in the swing of work.

The same goes for things you do in your life.

Many times there are things you 'have to do' in the daily routine. Don't get me wrong, I am lucky in the fact that I really enjoy my job. I understand others are not.

But you still have to face that job, that chore or that event until you make a change. So get up and do it. Remember your situation is a result of your choices, not others.

Having the attitude to approach even that which you don't care to do is a step towards change.

Stay inspired my friends!

Regain Your Life

"Tenacity is key because it keeps you going during tough times, but it must be tempered because sometimes you need to back down or walk away."
- John Stollenwerk

Many people including myself, become very wrapped up in our jobs. Our ability to take time away to relax has been usurped by technology. There are many types of mobile devices, cellphones, satellite and globalization of everything which make it difficult to 'not be available.'

Suddenly you realize it was "picture day" at school.

I call it this because your child had pictures taken at school today and you forgot about it. The pictures still got taken but likely they did not look very good. Or maybe you suddenly find that you missed planning an important birthday or other family event.

It could be time to look at the priorities in your life.

Family or personal events which get pushed to the bottom of the list happen when work becomes all consuming. And when it does happen, you need to realize it and then set some boundaries which will allow you to balance your life in a better manner.

A few rules to consider;

- Turn off technology whenever you can.
Even if you have to start slowly by blocking off Sunday morning as a 'no-cell-phone' or 'no-PC' time zone.

- Send less, get less.
It is said that if you send 20 percent less email, you'll receive 10 percent less. Cut out the quick thank you replies and don't hit "reply all" unless absolutely necessary.

- Make your boundaries known.
You have to be very clear in the workplace that 'no, you are not available on weekends.' When you do this in the beginning and you draw the line, expectations can be managed.

- Don't send email on weekends
Others are also trying to find their own balance. Be respectful of their weekend and others will begin to do the same of your weekend.

- Figure out your own rules, don't adopt somebody else's.
In example, if it is in the service of relaxation (taking electronics on vacation), it can actually help. You start to realize that "ok, I'm not missing anything critical."

The question becomes, what is going to make you more relaxed? Speculating about what might be piling up in your inbox or just doing some sort of check. You figure it out.

Start to regain some sort of balance in your life.

Only then will you regain your life.

Stay inspired my friends!

Seven Days

"Find a job you like and you add five days to every week." ~ H. Jackson Brown

It is the start of a Friday work day for some of us, others are well into it and others are much further into their weekend already. The day is one that so many people look forward to in anticipation. It is a day looked forward to on Monday.

In contrast, Monday is the dreaded day by those settling into their Sunday evening.

We spend nearly five days in a sour mood just waiting for two days...the weekend. One could quantify it loosely and state that we spend over 70% of our life in misery or just short of 30% in happiness.

Doesn't that seem a bit wasteful of your life?

Why not try to enjoy the entire week instead of taking only those two precious weekend days? I don't want to suggest that the weekend and time off is a bad thing. Quite the contrary, having time away from work is good and allows you to renew yourself. But you can do that during the week as well.

The work day doesn't have to be miserable, but you have to like your job in order to get over it. If you don't like your job, then make movement, change jobs, change careers, do something.

Get back that 70% of your life.

For the week, maybe take Wednesday evening and attend a church service, an evening class or go see a movie. Just create an easy and non-burdensome activity that you can choose or choose not to attend.

By gaining back your week, you gain back your life and attitude. When those things improve, your personal life will improve, your work performance will improve and best of all - life just seems to improve.

Get back those lost five days and look forward to not just Friday, but every day.

Stay inspired my friends.

Fear of Hard Work

"Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all." - Sam Ewing

Is hard work really necessary in order to get ahead in life?

Not if you are born into wealth and status that allows you to live a life unencumbered by a need for money. But even under those circumstances, it may require hard work to keep and maintain that wealth.

There are many people whom consider handouts to be a given right. They have a belief it is society's job to keep them well. It might be those that abuse the welfare system or those that steal in order to make (not earn) an easy dollar.

But a majority of people understand that it takes dedication and hard work to get ahead in life. It is also understood that hard work does not guarantee success. Yet we each go about working hard, striving for that little something we can individually call 'success'.

Never quit trying, never quit, never say never.

Reward will find you at some point. You simply need to keep moving towards it. Remember that "failure is not the worst thing in the world. The very worst is not to try."

Stay inspired my friends!

Achieving Confidence

"Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings." -Samuel Johnson

In a cartoon strip called Dilbert, one of the characters named Wally tries to coerce his boss into giving him a raise by threatening that he has a job offer from another company. You then see in Wally's thoughts, "..sit back and let the loving begin." But his boss is quietly speaking on the phone to security, "...whack him in the parking lot."

Have you ever had this type of feeling at your job?

The cartoon's creator Scott Adams does a wonderful job of pointing out the truths and misbeliefs of the work place. What I suggest the meaning behind the cartoon is that you can't simply expect things to happen in life. You have to go out and work for those things you want to accomplish. If we choose to merely "expect" things to come to us, that expectation will normally produce unexpected consequences.

Would we want to merely be meek in what we do?

At the same time I must admit the cartoon character named Wally exhibits a great amount of confidence. But we must be careful not to confuse confidence with self-serving ego. There must be work and sincerity behind the effort given in support of our confidence.

Your work ethic creates the boldness.

Be bold in your confidence and back it up with hard work and servitude. Others will be confident in your ability by the proof of the work you have performed. The reward itself will follow. Stay inspired my friends!

Twas the day before Christmas

‘Twas the day before Christmas, at the place where I work,
Not a phone was a ringing, a pleasant and nice perk;
The laptops were playing YouTube funny clips,
With hopes that our boss would give not a flip.

The workers they rustled in adjustable chairs;
While thinking of dinner and a good old cold beer;
And me with my headphones clapped over my ears,
Listening to Pandora and Tears for Fears.

When out in the lobby there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter.
Away through the door I flew like a flash,
Down the hall in a hurry, my coffee did splash.

An EMC video, it played on the screen,
To an empty reception room, with outdated chairs,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a UPS truck run into a FEDEX trucks rear.

Both drivers were talking so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment, the tension was thick.
More rapid then a post man, the brothers they came,
A rumble of couriers soon burst into flames.

Now, Airborne and Fedex and A1 did fight,
With UPS and USPS in locked battle might.
To the top of the hood, no sign of a stop;
Now dash away, dash away before we all call the cops.

With a blink of an eye, more boxes to deliver,
They shook hands in friendship and none did shiver,
To their trucks they arose, turning keys to ignite,
More packages to go before they could have dinner.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the lot,
Screeching tires of couriers dashing off one by one.
For this was the day, we work before Christmas,
But I heard a faint echo as they drove out of sight,

“Merry Christmas to all and to all a good-night.”

Work Environment

 

Have you ever walked into a workplace (private or governmental) and told yourself that you are glad you don't work there? The environment is dingy and just not very pleasing for a number of different reasons.

In the area that I live, we once had such a place; it was called the Department of Motor Vehicles Licensing office. To label the office miserable does not begin to describe the office conditions, not to mention the large numbers of county citizens using this location. The customer service being provided by the employees working there were certainly a reflection of their work environment. Many of the office people would try but one could see how truly difficult it was.

Then one day I had a need to visit the new DMV location. It was a trip I had performed a few times before with my boys. This visit would be another one to help my son get his drivers learner permit. I was bracing from the pain and misery of standing in long, uncoordinated lines and just a rotten day.

To my surprise, the new location was a huge transformation, not only in atmosphere but in the spirit of the employees. Things ran much smoother, much quicker and with much less tension. Efficiency is most times joked upon when it comes to governmental services. But do not forget government employees are people are just like you and me. Think about how well might perform if you had a poor work environment.

A pleasant and well designed work location will be reflected in your employees. This means more efficiency through out the workplace.

• Efficiency gains translate into a more stable work force.
• Efficiency gains translate into a more satisfied customer.
• Efficiency gains translate into dollars.

Think about where you work and what that work environment is like. Are you regulated about having a plant on your desk or have such poor lighting that you couldn't keep a plant alive?

If the environment is tiring and displeasing, a change needs to occur. As an employer you need to recognize it. As an employee you need to make sure your employer knows it. It boils down to an environment where the customer, employee and business owner all benefit.

A report from the Whole Building Design Guide (WBDG) Productive Committee discusses the costs of a great work environment and what the potential payback is. You can read the article at http://www.wbdg.org/design/productive.php.

There are five principles of productive building designs that I'm quoting from this article;

• Promote Health and Well-Being

Indoor environments strongly affect human health. A productive workplace should be designed to support and enhance the health and well-being of its occupants.

• Provide Comfortable Environments

A workplace designed and operated to provide the highest achievable levels of visual, acoustic, and thermal comforts for its occupants is the underpinning of worker productivity.

• Design for the Changing Nature of Work

Providing spaces with flexibility and technology to promote new ways of working is a cornerstone of change and innovation.

• Integrate Technological Tools

Effectively integrating technological tools and distribution networks required in today's office environments to enable workers to perform their duties starts first and foremost with properly designed pathways and spaces.

• Assure Reliable Systems and Spaces

Reliability is one of the greatest concerns for building occupants—it directly affects their safety, health, and comfort. Workers must be able to rely on building systems, equipment, and tools that function consistently and are properly maintained.

So take some steps - make some changes - shake up the atmosphere and see what happens. Because sitting still and doing nothing will leave you behind everyone else that are moving on and getting ahead. Change the work environment from one of working in the sludge pits to one that creates a great environment.  Unless of course you actually do work in a sludge pit, which means a different article for discussion.

Stay inspired my friends.