This month's focus is on work. I have been a working mother for 3 years and working at the same company for 7 years, since November 2003. It would be 8 years, but I took a year off to stay at home with D. I decided it wasn't in my nature to be a stay at home mom and went back to work. I love my job, the company I work for, and my boss is great to work for as well, a definite plus for any employee. I get great evaluations every year, but the one thing he always tells me is an "opportunity" for me (depending on the context, and in this situation a performance eval, this company lingo for "weakness") is developing a clear career path. He always follows this statement up with: "not that I want you to leave me (I'm his assistant), but you have potential to do more." I really appreciate that encouragement, but that's the perpetual "what do I want to be when I grow up", $50 million question.
I graduated from the U of A in 2002 with a bachelor's in fine arts, emphasis in psychology. I worked for a psychologist for 2 years and really enjoyed it. The problem with any profession that couples the words "people" with "practice" is the extra schooling. At the time, I didn't have the patience or the means to fund a masters or doctorate degree. Plus, driving 30-45 minutes to the office I worked in everyday was a pain in the you know what. My husband helped me put my resume together for a position at the company I currently work at and the rest is history.
I've heard that the best way to figure out what you want to do in the future is to look at what you've done in the past - starting with updating your resume, my first goal for January. The next step is to get involved in areas you have an interest in or a special skill set for and that you enjoy. That's an important caveat - if you are good with numbers, but hate budgets, you probably shouldn't be in finance. I look to accomplish, or rather explore, this goal through mentoring relationships. I have one mentor who is in special events and communications - an area of interest and past experience, as well as an area I've been told I have some skill level in; and another mentor in merchandising - an area I've always been interested in getting involved in but have no idea how to break in.
The other goals for January really focus more on improving day to day work quality - working smarter, not harder. In addition, I want to improve and foster better relationships at work. To accomplish the first goal, I want to organize my work space, both physically and electronically. I enjoy the feeling of satisfaction and stimulation that I get when I just move things around a bit on my desk in an effort to be more efficient or have things laid out so they are easier to get to or they help me stay on top of projects and to-do's. To organize my work space electronically, I'd like to start by doing a better job of organizing my day. I know what my boss is going to be doing every minute of every day (because I schedule them all), but my day is a toss up. Of course that's part of the nature of my job. If he needs something now, that's priority. If I have to rearrange his day or travel, I drop what I'm doing and do it. However, barring those interruptions, I can make task lists, to-do action items and schedule time to work on major projects in my day.
So, what does all this have to do with happiness? I get a sense of fulfillment out of accomplishment. When I complete a big project or check off a task, I feel a sense of pride and contribution that makes me happy. Probably a big part of the reason why I work. When I feel organized and like I'm just "on it," I feel great. Things click. But those things don't always just happen, they are planned for. And I'm if anything, a planner!
Monday, January 2, 2012
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Week 4
2011 is rapidly coming to an end. And like we say every year, I can't believe how fast the time has gone. Especially this month. And while I can't say that I hit each one of my goals every day this month, I know that the times that I have, I feel better or I have more energy and that makes me feel good. But this project isn't about FEELING good, it's about BEING happy.
I'd also like to clarify happiness. I read a quote the other day from someone that said, "Life is not about being happy." I would counter that life is not about being SELFISH. People often do things compulsively and selfishly, chasing after what they think is happiness, but end up feeling empty inside. I know that my ultimate source of happiness is my God, but I also know that God expects action on our parts in our lives. I also know that the Bible speaks an awful lot about joy. So I say there is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy and joyful, dwelling in the Source of it all.
So next month's focus is going to be on "Work." Why I chose "Work" for January, I'm not sure! Maybe because "Health" seemed cliche with the New Year's Resolution time of the year, and if anyone knows me very well, they know that I eat pretty well and work out 4-5 times a week, so there is not a lot of "Health" that I need to focus on.
This next week, I will take some time to come up with what within "Work" to focus on!
I'd also like to clarify happiness. I read a quote the other day from someone that said, "Life is not about being happy." I would counter that life is not about being SELFISH. People often do things compulsively and selfishly, chasing after what they think is happiness, but end up feeling empty inside. I know that my ultimate source of happiness is my God, but I also know that God expects action on our parts in our lives. I also know that the Bible speaks an awful lot about joy. So I say there is nothing wrong with wanting to be happy and joyful, dwelling in the Source of it all.
So next month's focus is going to be on "Work." Why I chose "Work" for January, I'm not sure! Maybe because "Health" seemed cliche with the New Year's Resolution time of the year, and if anyone knows me very well, they know that I eat pretty well and work out 4-5 times a week, so there is not a lot of "Health" that I need to focus on.
This next week, I will take some time to come up with what within "Work" to focus on!
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Week 3
Week 3 has come and gone in a blink.
While we had a much better week with D, I did a poor job on my resolutions. I only hit about half of them - mainly the exercise and drinking enough water. I noticed how important emotional energy was to physical energy. I only have one kid but when he's in a cranky mood, it really takes a lot of energy to deal with. I can only imagine the mothers who have more than one! And it's no secret that this busy time of year can create a lot of activities that cause it to hop from one thing to another, taxing our energy.
Fortunately, we're done with all our Christmas parties and I've only got a gift or two left to pick up, so this week will likely be slower before the mob of family arrives, which is always a good time! I love having all our family around, it's an emotional pick me up (most of the time :).
Another observation I made this week was how much of a distraction my iPhone is. I already leave it in my car during work, but I still check it in the morning, at lunch and at night, pretty much constantly. So this week, I am going to limit it to 1-2 times a day. There's never anything so urgent that I need to check it 10 times a day!
So this week, I am going to do a better job of getting in to bed on time and getting stuff ready for work in the morning, especially since I am at work by 7 a.m. It can be frustrating after a 10 hr day, getting D into bed and then trying to fix my lunch and iron my clothes, all while getting in to bed by 9:45 p.m. It can feel like you end up with no free time or time to relax. Keeping in mind one of my commandments, to work smarter, not harder, I'm going to try and be more efficient in this area, so I have more time for myself!
Here's to this week!
While we had a much better week with D, I did a poor job on my resolutions. I only hit about half of them - mainly the exercise and drinking enough water. I noticed how important emotional energy was to physical energy. I only have one kid but when he's in a cranky mood, it really takes a lot of energy to deal with. I can only imagine the mothers who have more than one! And it's no secret that this busy time of year can create a lot of activities that cause it to hop from one thing to another, taxing our energy.
Fortunately, we're done with all our Christmas parties and I've only got a gift or two left to pick up, so this week will likely be slower before the mob of family arrives, which is always a good time! I love having all our family around, it's an emotional pick me up (most of the time :).
Another observation I made this week was how much of a distraction my iPhone is. I already leave it in my car during work, but I still check it in the morning, at lunch and at night, pretty much constantly. So this week, I am going to limit it to 1-2 times a day. There's never anything so urgent that I need to check it 10 times a day!
So this week, I am going to do a better job of getting in to bed on time and getting stuff ready for work in the morning, especially since I am at work by 7 a.m. It can be frustrating after a 10 hr day, getting D into bed and then trying to fix my lunch and iron my clothes, all while getting in to bed by 9:45 p.m. It can feel like you end up with no free time or time to relax. Keeping in mind one of my commandments, to work smarter, not harder, I'm going to try and be more efficient in this area, so I have more time for myself!
Here's to this week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)