365 Days = 365 Opportunities for Awesomeness

In the past few years, I've gotten out of the habit of posting my New Year goals (not resolutions).  I've done some really cool things that were planned and some on a whim!  This year, I'm going to be intentional about what I want to accomplish.

My big goal is to run 365 miles in 2014.  That's a mile a day or a couple miles a couple times each week. 

Smaller goals just for fun:

• Run in a fun run with silly costumes.  (In 2013 we did the Bad Prom Run and it was fun!) I haven't picked the race yet, but it will be fun!

• Beat my 10k time from 2013.  I'll be running in the Wounded Warrior 10k on June 8, 2014.

• Host a dinner party to celebrate something....anything.  

• Use organic beauty care recipes and avoid buying new products when possible. (I ordered a recipe book that has things like face masks, hair care, body scrubs, etc)

It takes all kinds....

At work in the leadership space, we’re facilitating meaningful discussions around the Principles & Qualities Genuine Leadership.  In one of the classes we ask participants to think of a leader they admire and share what made them great.  Sometimes people talk about the Color Profiles, Myers-Briggs, Keirsey, Strengths Finders or any other method of assessment, and it’s tempting to look to a successful leader and try to figure out their profile.  Pretty harmless fun! 

What shouldn’t be tempting is to force your style to emulate someone else’s and expect the same results.  While some of our leaders may ‘lead with red’ or have M-B preferences like INTJ, there are also successful leaders that are described with different colors or assessment labels.  It doesn’t make one right or wrong – it’s just evidence that it takes all kinds to make up a team and a company.   For example: I’m proud to lead with green, be labeled an introvert, and INFP!  But heaven help us if everyone in the company was like me.  We’d probably be indecisive and 5 minutes late - but we’d feel really bad about it! :)

Introverts sometimes get a bad rep since they aren’t as open or obvious with what they’re thinking or feeling.  I’ve seen a lot of articles posted on FB and LinkedIn lately about introverts and the place they have in business.  I wanted to share one I found particularly interesting.    

http://elibishop.com/2011/07/27/10-myths-about-introverts/

The power of an apology

Never under estimate the power of an apology…no matter how delayed.  A woman from my office just stopped by to apologize for her behavior from over a year ago. 

 

In HR, you’re used to being beat up (verbally) by employees that don’t like what you have to say, so her screaming hissy fit wasn’t all that traumatizing.  But I forever associate her name with her temper tantrum and how nasty she was in that moment. 

These days our paths rarely cross and I have no influence on her professional future….yet she took the time to seek me out.  Her spontaneous apology couldn’t have been comfortable and frankly took guts.  It made me wonder if people associate my name with a bad behavior from years/months/days ago.   

We all have bad moments but I remembered a valuable lesson of an apology from a very unlikely teacher.  A very humbling experience....

Church Shopping

Trying a new church today?  Follow these easy steps!

Step 1: Decide to go to a new church.

Step 2: Look them up online for service times.  Realize you have 1 hour to go from sweaty, running mess to sitting in church.

Step 3: Rush getting ready process, skip breakfast, and drive like a maniac across town whilst putting on make up at stop lights.

Step 4:  Get to new church and read sign on door with service times.  9am & 11am.  It's 10am.

Step 5: Try to not swear under your breath as you wait for the service....stomach growling.

Mastering the Art of French Cooking....short cuts

This past weekend I went over to my parents’ house to spend a little quality time and to cook mom a (very belated) birthday meal. I wanted to make something special, delicious, and dad-taste-bud-friendly. 

A decision was made, a challenge was accepted, and I was off to make Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon for the first time. 

 It took hours to prepare (including patting dry every piece of cubed beef), and more time to check on, add more ingredients, move from stove top to oven, adjust slightly, dirty more pans, move from oven to stove top….Mouthwatering smells emerged from the kitchen and leaked out to the patio as it cooked. It was delicious! Beautiful! 

Friends, it tasted remarkably like other meals I’ve thrown in the crockpot on my way off to work. There’s something to be said about making one of Julia’s recipes, but I think my mom said it best: Julie Child's was a bored rich, house wife. 

Now that I’ve earned my cooking badge of honor, I’m back to the trusty crockpot.

Lawson and Auntie Beth weekend of fun

A few weekends ago, I watched my nephew while my sister was out of town.  We had an AWESOME time!

*To have context for the rest of this story, it is important to note that Auntie Beth doesn't keep Lawson toys at her house.*

I had activities lined up for us which included exploring around my neighborhood, feeding the turtles in the canals, camping out in my living room, roasting s’mores on the fire, watching a movie, etc.

….We blew through those activities in the first few hours.  (see above note re: toys)

So Auntie Beth and Lawson ventured out to Target to get some toys.  We left with a Power Rangers mask and a Transformer.  We immediately needed to go outside and practice our “awesome moves.” Video of said awesomeness here:

We eventually got bored and hungry so we came back home and ate everything in Auntie Beth’s pantry. Then we went to a park, ran around for a little, but got hungry again.  So we went to McDonald’s to have the 4^th meal of the day (at 2:30pm) and to run around on the playground.  What happened here inspired me to write this blog.

There was another little girl playing in the tunnels and slides at McDonald’s.  Her parents were sitting at another table and only spoke Spanish to her.  Lawson and the girl had never met but they immediately took off running and played for the next hour. 

That’s when it struck me.  Kids have it figured out. 

They don’t care who you are, what language you speak, what clothes you wear, who your parents are or if you live in the “right” neighborhood.  They don’t make small talk, and don’t care if they’ve hung out before or will ever again. 

In the innocence of childhood, the only important qualifier that needs to be asked and answered is, “Wanna play?”

Why the world needs moms

I had a perfect weekend, but on my flight home this weekend I ran into just about every traveling annoyance.

Annoyance 1: The cab driver was chatty and wreaked of smoke.

Annoyance 2: I checked in the night before, but was still in Group 5.

Annoyance 3: It seems everyone on my flight had trouble remembering they could only bring 2 carryons and they couldn't be the size of a small car. It took ages to board the plane while people tried to squeeze their super sized luggage in the overhead.

Annoyance 4: I was in a middle seat. When I booked the flight, that was the only seat available.

Annoyance 5: Apparently everyone also forgot that on flights, you need to turn off all electrical devices. No joke - it took 7 overhead speaker reminders, 3 walk bys by attendants, and I still heard a phone go off when we were on the runway.

Annoyance 6: I sat in the row in front of two kids under 8 and their teenage chaperon. The kids were in the wrong seats so someone had to give up their seat so the darlings could sit together.

Annoyance 7: The kids crunched on chips, the teenager listened to music on her cell phone speaker, the kids horsed around, farted, kicked our seats, and bounced on the tray tables.

My hero: The woman that sat next to me had enough. She first called the flight attendant and announced that she should inform the teenager to tell the children to stop kick our seats.

Some silence.....then another kick.

My hero whipped around and told the kids in a voice that made me sit up straight, "Please stop kicking my chair." It was perfect. She was polite, her tone was stern, and I'm fairly certain the kids didn't move the rest of the flight. (I know I didn't) It was glorious!!

This is exactly why the world needs moms. Moms to tell unruly kids to behave and tell adults to grow up.

Happy early Mother's Day! Thank you 14F and all the moms that never stop raising their own kids and the rest of us!