Starting 2015: guidelines

So, everyone says they have new years resolutions- I think of these more as guidelines for myself.  There are quite a few and most of them are harder than i think they are going to be.  I think they will bring me a lot of pleasure as they get accomplished.

1. Get back in shape
2. 1. Find a new sport to enjoy
3. Take a class
4. 1. Biomechanics/kinesiology- get a B or higher
   2. Find a sports/recreation class(fencing? hot yoga?)
5. By June have 60 pages written of a book for people in the helping professions on how to not experience burnout( mental skills techniques)
6. Find a new job that I enjoy
7. 1. It doesn’t matter if it’s the right job, as long as it’s a stepping stone
8. Spend 10 minutes per person per week catching up via FaceTime/Skype/call
9. 1. Friends
   2. Family
   3. Professional Contacts
10. Start a savings account- even if it’s only $25 per week. Start saving.  and put extra money in it
11. Start a vacation account. Put $100 a month in it. It will accumulate quickly.
12. Establish a date night and stick to it. 
13. Help more around the house
14. 1. Dishes
    2. Laundry
    3. Vaccuming
    4. Dusting
    5. Making the bed
15. Spend less time on my phone and more time reading/writing/in nature/working out/cooking etc
16. Take vitamins daily-use up the ones Auntie Cathy got you!
17. Work on my blog-write daily 
18. Meet new people who share similar interests 
19. Meditate at least once a week for 5-15 minutes. Start small
20. Take more pictures
21. Start every week with a Ted talk- that way I never stop learning

First up: workouts: it's time to get back in shape, and with only 135 days to the cruise: it's another good reason to start working out

Wk 1

Monday-

Squats+Lunges:40 each

Plank- Left, right, front:1 minute

Pushups+tricep dips: 20 each

Russian twists: 40 

Calf raises: 75

Yoga: 20 minutes

Cardio: 10 minutes

Tuesday-

Squats+Lunges:50 each

Plank- Left, right, front:1:30 minute

Pushups+tricep dips: 28 each

Russian twists: 50

Calf raises: 90

Yoga: 30 minutes

Cardio: 15 minutes

Wednesday- 

Squats+Lunges:40 each

Plank- Left, right, front:1 minute

Pushups+tricep dips: 20 each

Russian twists: 40 

Calf raises: 75

Yoga: 20 minutes

Cardio: 10 minutes

Thursday-

Squats+Lunges:50 each

Plank- Left, right, front:1:30 minute

Pushups+tricep dips: 28 each

Russian twists: 50

Calf raises: 90

Yoga: 30 minutes

Cardio: 15 minutes

Friday-

Squats+Lunges:25 each

Plank- Left, right, front:2:00 minute

Pushups+tricep dips: 15 each

Russian twists: 30

Calf raises: 75

Yoga: 30 minutes

Cardio: 10 minutes

Saturday- 

Yoga: 1 hour

Sunday-

REST/yoga/ meditation/ Kinect games

I hope you are setting guidelines for yourself, or you can follow some of mine.  Make sure before you start any kind of exercise routine, you consult with your doctor to determine if you are capable of physical exercise and in what degree. These are my guidelines, feel free to adjust to your own capabilities.  Progress is progress no matter how small.  

Happiness!!!!!!!!!!!

<3 B

One small change...can change everything

Sometimes one small change, can change everything.

Negativity in an office environment can be extremely toxic. I've been living this first hand for over a year.  I try to kill with kindness but you cannot change people or really make them see the error of their ways. After over a year, the negativity is finally gone. Big surprise, the whole team felt better and their happiness carried over to their careers.  We had more sales yesterday from agents on all teams, then we had the past two weeks total. Maybe it was hard work, or luck, or any number of different factors but I'm going with the fact that the negativity that hung over our office like a little black rain cloud is gone. Now to establish a culture of positivity, happiness, kindness, and energy.  It's about to be a great and wild ride.


On a side note: felt suits went out of style a LONG time ago. Yes, someone showed up in one today. Fashion no no. 

How to deal with the person who won't stop being negative at work

Every office has that one person or group of people who will not stop running their mouths in a negative fashion.  No matter what happens, they feel as if everything and everyone is conspiring against them.  I want to smack these people.

Want to know why you didn't get the promotion?
        - Someone worked harder than you did
Want to know why no one likes you?
        - Because you are always complaining and negative
Want to know why your team hates you?
         - Because you treat them like animals you are going to beat

How to deal with these people?

1. Ignore them.  I know it is not easy, but try anyways. Their negativity is contagious. Avoid it at all costs.
2. Be super kind to them. Maybe they have a terrible home life and are reaching out for attention.  Only give them positive attention and positive advice. Do not acknowledge their negative beliefs.
3. Confront them.  Give them the reality. Sometimes people need a healthy dose of reality. It will not make them your friend, but it could do your whole office some good.

For more ways please visit the Purpose Fairy at 9 clever ways to deal with negative people


HAVE A GREAT MONDAY!!!!

B

Managment is all about your team

Management: an asinine word for how you practice leadership in the workplace 

This is from Forbes.com

 



So the reality is that leadership is all about your team. You have to know the people you are working with and what their goals are and how they like to be managed.  There is a fine line between how they want to be managed and how they need to be managed. Most of my team is very hands off, but some of my team is very hands on. My new agents I am very hands on with because they need extra guidance. My veteran agents only want to talk to me when they have problems in the field. Both are totally fine.

A large part of leadership is empathy and caring, which leads to loyalty. I always try to show and tell my team that I appreciate them and that I care about them because I think it's important.  In our career choice, the only time you receive praise is when you write big sales. I think everything my team does is important and leads to their success, because that is the reality of the situation.  I try to praise each member of my team daily. It could be something as simple as that they look sharp or that I appreciate their continued efforts to expand our team by recruiting. Praise is good.

My team dictates how I lead them.  I can have a leadership style, but if my leadership style doesn't adapt to and work with my team, then I am hurting them and myself by not taking the iniative to try something different. 

Communication is another large part of leadership and it is built into empathy and caring. My company has a LOT of managers.  I cannot say sadly that my company has many leaders. Leadership training is only given in intervals.  This is something that I would like to change.  Every team is different and needs to be led differently.  If my manager tried to lead my team, she would try to pull her hair out within minutes.  If I needed to lead one of the teams in one of our other offices, I would try and pull my hair out within minutes. Each team is an individual entity and has to be treated as such.

Communication is key to this.  We try to constantly communicate with our agents, which is all well and good, but part of what we say we don't do.  Micromanagement in this field loses us 10x more people than the money it gains us.  We have to be aware of the consequences of micromanagement and the person we are attempting to micromanage.  Sometimes it is necessary.  Often it is overkill and will brew hostility.

Instead of trying to pick a leadership style and abide by it at all times, give yourself the opportunity to build a holistic leadership style based on the needs of your team.

Because I'm happy

Not every day is an easy day to be happy.  Yesterday was not one for me. I spent most of the day curled around myself with cramps.  The medicines only dulled the pain for a few hours at a time.  It didn't help that I had a vomit inducing migraine.  About once every 3-4 months I get a period like that.  They are no fun, but luckily the worst part is over now.

I realized yesterday that even in the midst of the pain in my abdomen and in my head, that there were some high points to yesterday.  My boyfriend made me all of my meals and brought them to me in bed. My bosses left me alone for the most part.  I got to catch up on some shows that I enjoy watching.  I got to watch the start of the NHL hockey season.  I had tea made for me. I got a good nights sleep with no major interruptions to it.  So no matter how I felt, yesterday was a success.

I am starting a happiness project with my team today.  I think it is important for all of us.  In this career I  feel as though my manager cares about me, but mostly in the I make them money way- maybe not as much on a personal level as I would like.  I didn't grow up here in the Springs.  I have no family in a 10 hour radius.  I know no one other than my neighbors and my coworkers.  It's pretty much the same for my team.  We have all put down roots here, but due to our crazy hours, the only people we really have are the people we live with and our coworkers.  I'm going to try a happiness project with my team to get each of us involved in the lives of the others.  I'm hoping that this increase in personal connection with my team will make us closer, more loyal to each other, and more compassionate towards one another.  I also hope that it makes us happy.  I'll let you know how it goes.


Check out the growing movement at buzz feed using this link.
Happiness challenge- 100 days

Yes he's my best friend

Love and relationships aren't just about physical intimacy.  They are about friendship and caring and protecting and being better because that person is in your life.  No matter what happens in my world, this guy is my best friend.  He is there through the smiles and the tears and there is nothing more that I could ask for in him.  He makes me a better person and a stronger woman.  He takes my good days with happiness and my bad days with(for the most part) a grain of salt.  When it is all said and done, he is my rock, my solid, my lover, and my best friend.  I don't tell him nearly often enough how much he means to me and how much easier he makes my life. I love you babe.

How to get ready in 8 minutes or less

When your alarm doesn't go off and you wake up 25 minutes after it would have gone off- here is how to make the most of the 8 minutes or less you have to get ready. 

0:00-0:30 Turn on your shower, HOT.

0:31-1:00  Spray your roots with dry shampoo.  Throw hair up high in a ponytail or bun.

1:01-2:00  Get wet.  Grab body wash. Wash privates and armpits. Rinse. 

2:01-3:00 Out of the shower. Dry body. Take down hair. Brush. 

3:01-3:30. Put hair in high pony tail or bun. 

3:31-4:00 BB/CC cream that lovely face

4:01-4:30 3 in 1 stick that lovely face: eyelids and cheekbones.  Blend.

4:31-5:00 Mascara: navy blue- makes your eyes whiter, but black will work fine

5:01-6:00 Get dressed

6:01-6:30 Put on deodorant and walk through a mist of body spray or perfume

6:31-7:00 Put on shoes

7:00-7:30 Put on jewelry

7:31-8:00 Grab your bag, take a deep breath, dont forget your cell. Go to work. 

And that's how you get ready in less than 8 minutes.