Thoughtful Thursday: Where have I been?

Though this summer has been full of "enlightenment," life has been crazy and blogging comes after sleep in the priority list.

I vow to pick up my blogging again in August. :-)

Thoughtful Thursday: Remembering your inner fat kid

Everyone had that awkward stage in life. It may have been when you were 5 or it may be still happening now, but everyone has it. And as awful as it was and no matter how great a job you've done of becoming a better person, I think that it's very important to never forget that stage in your life.

Why?

Because that's where you're humility comes from.

It doesn't matter if you've become a supermodel from being a fat kid or Rico Suave from being socially awkward, you need to always remember where you came from; and more importantly how you felt during that stage.

Remembering when you were, "Fat kid," "Four-eyes," "Pizza face," "Weirdo," "Nerd/Dork/Geek," or "Freak" can keep you from getting to big for your britches and make you a better person. :-)

Thoughtful Thursday: Talking = Overrated?

So yesterday afternoon I realized that I spent a lot of time talking to Stepdog (Yankee Manfriend's 4 year old "puppy.") I mean A-L-O-T.

To you pet owners: You know exactly what I'm talking about.
To you non-pet owners: Don't judge. Pets are an endless stream of praise, love and affirmation and everybody needs that. (Plus pet owners live lover than non-pet owners so :-P)

I ask her questions when I'm thinking out loud. I tell her my to-do list. I ask her if she has to go to the bathroom. I ask her if she would like to go see her aunt Lisa and play with Tank and Delta. I'll ask her if she's already had dinner. I even let her choose her treat if she's been a good girl.

And do you know what I get in return?

Her version of communication: "Woof," kisses, and a whole lot of funny facial expressions. She can only say one thing and yet she always manages to communicate (and get) exactly what she wants.

You can't help but think maybe talking is a bit overrated; maybe it's actually getting in the way of us actually communicating...

Thoughtful Thursday: Maybe We Should Be More Like Animals...

This week a lot of animal clips have come through my inbox and DVR that reminds me of how people could learn a lot from animals.

Baby and Boxer


Bella and Tara


Christian the Lion


Do differences really matter?

Thoughtful Thursday: Resolutions Revisited

So I thought this Thursday I would look back and see how I was doing on my New Years Resolutions.

1. My Thoughtful Thursday resolution: Do a better job of deciding what I want and making a plan to get there. So far this is going pretty well, I've planned out my 1, 2, and 5 year career plans and discussed them with my boss so we're all on the same page.
2. Fabulous Friday: Resolution #2: Shop more. Check. Spurred by the need to do some shopping for a fabulous weekend in Vegas with my girls, I have increased my spending on clothing and have purchased one item suitable for the 9-5 every two weeks. Additionally, with the help of Lisa's plan to also eat in more during the week (Lisa, her boy N.E.B., my Y.M. and myself were double dating it 2-3 times a week), I've cut my "Restaurant" spending by $50 in both January and February. Yay!!!
3. Sabbatical Saturday: Resolution #3:Vacation more. Already hit Vegas (and was under budget by the way...) with the girls in February and I have a plan to go to Houston and Dallas in June taking care of quarters 1 and 2 of this year.
4. Selfish Sundays: Resolution #4: Take one day a month off to do NOTHING but exactly what I want to do. Sadly this is one that I'm failing on so far. The second half of January and all of February came and went without a day where there wasn't something on the agenda. I guess I'll have to take two days in March...
5. Money Monday: Resolution #5: Track my finances using the Mint.com. CHECK! I love Mint as much as I love Google...and that's saying a lot.
6. Teach It Tuesday: Resolution #6: Take classes. Hmm...I have failed to sign up for any classes so far this year. Need to get on that...
7. (house)Work Wednesday: Resolution #7: Cook more meals at home. In January I cooked my one meal from scratch (Simply Chicken Parm from Allrecipes.com) but in February I didn't cook a single meal and I was supposed to do 2...boo...

So here's where we stand-

• Done (100%)- 4
• Half assed (50%)- 1
• Haven't even started (0%)- 2

My resolution score: 64% completed

How are you doing with your goals?

Thoughtful Thursday: First Class Brains

This quote has hit my inboxes multiple times this week and it's totally worth a really thinking about it for a moment.

F. Scott Fitzgerald said: “The test of a first class mind is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in the head at the same time and still be able to function.”

-Are you first class...or not?

-Are you first class in some areas because you don't care about them at all and you have no opinion or because you care about them a lot?

Thoughtful Thursday: Take a moment a reflect

I was emptying out my email and came back across this email that I thought would be nice for people to think about...

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk,smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. When you wake up in the morning complete the followingstatement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat lessfood that is manufactured in plants. 5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.
6. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires,issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control.Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
12. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
14. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea whattheir journey is all about.
15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
17. Forgive everyone for everything.
18. What other people think of you is none of your business.
19. GOD heals everything.
20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!
22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished _________.
24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.


Happy Thursday.

Thoughtful Thursday: Resolution #1

So it's a new year and with new years come resolutions. So for the first week of the year I'm going to share my seven resolutions.

My Thoughtful Thursday resolution: Do a better job of deciding what I want and making a plan to get there.

That's all I have for today, going to head back to watching the Private Practice marathon.

Thoughtful Thursday: Holiday Spirit

Thought provoking statement of the week.

From my P.I.C. (Partner in Crime):
"You know whats wrong with society? They push this whole Santa character...yet they tell their kids never to take candy from strangers. WTF?"

And we wonder why people grow up to be hypocritical...

Thoughtful Thursday

Americans will put up with anything provided it doesn't block traffic. - Dan Rather

Hmm...




Note: Sorry I forgot to press publish on this last week :-/

Thoughtful Thursday: Decisions Part 2

So last week I wrote about choice and how the brain processes choice. I've been thinking and analyzing choice in my own life ever since.

For those who don't know me, I like rules. Rules make it so there's no analysis to be done and that means my analytical brain can have a little vacation for 3 minutes whilst the rest of me is following the rule.

My stepdad makes fun of me and my mom because we have created these random rules about life that don't seem to make sense. For instance, if you are going to leave a light on in your house it's never a lamp, it's always an overhead light. We prefer to buy Tide...the original...in a powder, we always drink skim milk, and blue Dawn dish soap. But why? The green Palmolive washes dishes too...

I've come to an answer. My mom and I are analyzers and our poor brains are overloaded. I did some research and apparently sometimes when people have to much to analyze they make up rules so that there are somethings they never have to think about. Basically, its a mechanism the brain does to be more efficient. If there's a rule then you don't have to think. The decision has been made for you.

Here's an awesome example from my life:

Let's say I'm at a restaurant. It's after dinner and I think I might like dessert. For effect let's say I'm at Cheesecake Factory and I have 40 options for dessert. How does someone who likes to analyze all the options figure out which one to pick. By playing by the rules. Now I can cross off anything with nuts, caramel, peanut butter, toffee, and cheesecake because I don't like those and I don't care for beige food. Now my 40 options are just down to chocolate cake or ice cream, much easier for me to analyze. :-) Most of the time the rule means no dessert at a restaurant and that's fine, I can now think about my conversation instead of sucking up brain power on dessert analysis. Seems crazy but it works.

I've never stress out about dessert at restaurants...but it took me 20 minutes to pick out a flavor of candles yesterday...

Just imagine how indecisive I'd be if I didn't already have some of these in place. :-)

OHHHH...and Happy Thanksgiving. :-)

Thoughtful Thursday: Decisions

If you all have time I want you to listen to this podcast from Radio Lab: http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/2008/11/18/choice/.

It's about the choice and how we make choices. It's very interesting.

For those who don't have the patience to listen, here's the take away:
You have two parts of your brain 1) Emotion and 2) Logic. They normally keep each other in check so that you can make choices. However they have a capacity, especially the logically side and if it has too much to handle, the other one has to take over. This is why when people are trying to figure out something (like why that boy didn't call, why they lost their job, or why their friends are acting weird) they are more likely to make more emotionally based emotions in other aspects of their life because the logically side is distracted and the emotional side is taking over. This could result in bad eating, drinking too much, and/or smoking.

Now I have a pretty well exercised analytical side...but I have a HORRIBLE diet. When I'm bored I can make lists and plan out foods and even go and buy everything but when I get to work and I've been analyzing things all day I become very impulsive in my only outlet during the day...my lunch. I eat fast food and chicken even when I brought something else for lunch. I've struggled with my random cravings for forever and the more I think about things, the worse it gets. Hmmm...

Enlightenment: Less thinking might equal better eating...I'll let you know.

Thoughtful Thursday: The Difference Between Schoolwork and Work Work

Yesterday on my way home I was talking to my mom and telling her about this project that one of our interns is using for a school project as well as a work project.

During the convo I made this statement: "I feel that if the project was done for a school project it would be easier to do than as a work project. I told her that projects I had done for work had been similar to ones I had done for school and it was always easier in the school version."

She asked "Why? It's the same project either way, isn't it?"

My response: "Uhhhhh..." Blast. Why was it different?... And then I thought back to my freshamn year of college...

(insert "Twilight Zone" music + screen blur)

So it's orientation before my freshman year of college and I'm working on my schedule. I had a hole to fill and I was required to take a 100 level gym class to graduate from Wolfpack Country so I selected the easiest one I could find that fit in my schedule: Step Aerobics. I based my decision (as ever good new freshman that was an overacheiver would) on the following train of thought:

1. I need an "A" in Step Aerobics.
   
2. If I actually give it my all, I can actually get an "A"


3. "A" is good so we'll do that one.

Then I met with my advisor who told me this: Gym was a class eligible for "credit only" status (meaning you could take it for a grade or as a pass-fail with no grade) and that as long as I got between a 70-100% I would pass with a lovely "S" for "satisfactory"on my transcipt.

Hmm. Interesting...

Because of my awesome lack of athelic skills, I decided "credit only" was the best option but I was still going to try in the class. Well because of this change in events instead of giving the class the 90-100% I had planned, I gave it exactly 74%, got my "S," and was done with 100 level gym classes. Woot.

Why did I tell you this?

In school, you were graded on the quality and effort of your work. If you put in 85% then you get out 85% and that's fine cause that's still a B. In aerobics I gave 74% and passed...and even if it had been a grade it would have been a "C" and let's be honest and truthful: "Cs get degrees."

But what if my job had been aerobics?

I couldn't have gotten away with giving 74%, or hell even my B 85%. At your job you have to step it up and give 95-100% or you'll never move up in your career, if you even get to keep your job. Translation: You have to be an "A" student at your job just to keep it and an A+ student to advance it. Woah...

This moment of enlightment (and the answer to my mom's question) smacked me in the face like a Mack Truck:

"B" student status isn't going to cut it in the real world like it did in school. If you're a "B" employee you're less than average, not better. You have to get the work done, you have less time to do it, and it has to be as close to perfect as possible. I mean we're talking 95-100% range only, 100% of the time. Period.

Now why doesn't your advisor tell you that when you get to school so you can make that a habit form day one of college...