Daily Mood Quotes - December 12, 2011

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 220 – December 12, 2011

“A system is a network of interdependent components that work together to try to accomplish the aim of the system. A system must have an aim. Without the aim, there is no system.”

~W. Edwards Deming

Now all we need to do is add an “ing” to the word network and the connotation changes. A recent conversation with a friend reminded me “that it isn't what you know, but who you know. You have to network, networking is how people get jobs.” Okay, can someone tell why I have spent nearly six years in college to earn a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees? Should I drop out now? Or, maybe I should change my major to include classes like, butt-kissing-101, how to schmooze your abusive boss-201, or, how to get a raise by learning to play golf-301. Tell me my friends what is broken about this “system?”

So it follows, that the best people for the job, apparently aren't the ones getting the jobs. So, why are there still colleges around, if getting a job is based on who you know and not what you know? I don't know about you, but this depresses me...aaalotttt (thank you Peanut from Jeff Dunham). I understand that people need to have good communications skills and it certainly never hurts to “play well with others.” But apparently getting work is based on being somebody’s brother's cousin's niece's second aunt's sorority friend's best buddy, or something like that. That's six degrees of separation I wish were seven! I would like to know, when did networking take the place of actual knowledge, skill and experience? As for me, my experiences in networking have all too often turned my stomach, because it requires people (especially where I live) to go out after work and drink with others they work with. And to quote Bartok the bat from the animated movie Anastasia “This can only end in tears!” A lot of gossip occurs in these outings and that's not something I want to be a part of, in the business world, or in any other part of my life. Gossip is corrosive-period. I have seen too many people's careers and lives destroyed, because of something they said or did, under the influence of alcohol. Even if you don't drink, things you say are often twisted against you in these scenarios. It's simply not worth it. There is an old saying, “With friends like “that” who needs enemies?” I guess when you have been stabbed in the back a few times, you have a cautious wall between you and unpleasant networking “opportunities.” The point is that if everyone is networking and working the system when the heck is anything useful getting done? Kind of explains one reason for a sagging economy... don't it?

So, let's talk about social networking via the internet. I belong to a few social network sites; Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and they too have their pros and cons. First the pros; if you have something to say, you get the opportunity to say it without interruptions (that's another blog for later), and you have a hard copy of what you said, so if your words would ever be twisted, you have the proof you need (sad we need to think like that). And it lets people connect with others with similar interests and even old friends. That's great and I am grateful for that. On the con side; it also opens you up to bullying, and online attacks, and everything you say online can end up as public record, to use as ammunition against you by random people, human resources departments and even potential vendors and lenders. Plus, there is the ever present specter of identity theft. Additionally, I have found that many human resources managers and executives hide behind the digital wall to exclude quality candidates from positions they are eminently qualified for, except for when they are someone's brother's, sister's cousin's niece’s nephew, who is looking for a job. Oooops sorry, that only happens here. Best to tread lightly through the digital minefield.

The point is, if we do not begin to assess people by what they know and how much they care, we run the risk of being at the mercy of people who may network great, but can't, or won't work worth a darn. Wrong skill set. Wrong attitude often leads to lost profits and high turnover. Erica Albright (played by Rooney Mara) said it best when she said to Mark Zuckerberg (played by Jesse Eisenberg) in the Movie The Social Network, “I'm sorry you are not sufficiently impressed with my education.” I guess I just don't get it. Hiring a “network friend” is like hiring family, it's just bad business. Didn't former President George W. Bush hire many of his friends? See where that got us! Hmmm, enough said.

How will you view networking today?

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Daily Mood Quotes - October 3, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quotes

Day 153 – October 3, 2011

Happiness depends more on how life strikes you than on what happens.

~Andy Rooney

In my life, the one thing I have always been able to do, is take something good, something memorable, or something I didn't know, from every situation I have been in. Letting others dictate the direction of one's life only means never finding the happiness, that was truly meant for you and it is a recipe for failure. What I consider to be one of the biggest mistakes people make is “trying to fit in.” I tried it once; it was the most unhappy time of my life. To quote Peanut from Jeff Dunham, “it suck-ka-kaed.” I was miserable trying to be someone everyone accepted, everyone liked. I was looking for those after work invites to a nearby bar or restaurant, just to feel like I belonged... to be one of the group. What's the point? I've seen and heard too many stories of how these events can destroy people, because of unprofessional conversations that took place in those settings. You have heard the old saying, “loose lips sink ships?” Well they also sink careers, relationships, promotions and pay raises, so why do it? I know; “to fit in” “be accepted.” It's that sense of “needing to belong” which drives many of us to disaster.

There is another old saying, “Why don't they put lids on crab pots? Answer, because when one starts climbing out, the others reach up to pull them back down.” So, it is with fitting in. Every group of people, has an up, or positive side and a down, or negative side. One of the great hazards of trying to “fit in” is that we seldom see the negative side, until it's too late and the damage is already done. Friends are a gift. However, if they can't accept you for who you are, then maybe you need to reconsider who your friends are.

Happiness isn't something someone can give you, it can only be achieved from within. I learned this a long time ago, my friends, my family, even my spouse were not responsible for my happiness; only I was. When I realized that, I changed the course of my life. And today, I am happy. Okay, still unemployed with a nuisance vision disability, but I am happy because of the choices I made for my life. In the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, Christopher Gardner (played by Will Smith) said to Christopher (played by Jayden Smith), “Hey. Don't ever let somebody tell you... You can't do something....You got a dream... You gotta protect it. People can't do somethin' themselves, they wanna tell you you can't do it. If you want somethin', go get it. Period.” Follow your dreams. I can remember many, many times in my life when I was told, I wasn't any good at something, or I couldn't do it because..., (okay, driving aside). I always wondered, if I could. Well, I don't wonder anymore, I have done and achieved many of the things I wanted to do, and I will continue to achieve. This winter, I'm thinking about learning to ski. 

I also always wanted to be a writer and after listening to Andy Rooney's sign off speech from 60 Minutes last night on CBS, I feel more inspired and less ashamed about following that dream. I wonder if 60 Minutes would consider me as a temporary fill in? I'm not Andy Rooney, but I always say what's on my mind. Someone once told me, “If you never ask, you never know.”

How will you pursue “happiness” today?

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Daily Mood Quotes - September 25, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 145 – September 25, 2011

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results.”

~Willie Nelson

This morning I woke up feeling “blah.” These days don't happen very often, but they do happen. Let's face it, women have days of “blah.” I have often wondered if these days are built into our DNA, I'm not a scientist, so I don't know. I just know that when they happen, perception can be out-of-whack. The key to prevent a blah day from turning into a bad day is finding something positive, in the moments the blah feelings are the strongest. If you can't find the positive, find the funny, that works too.

For me today, I found this positive quote. Willie Nelson was one of the first country singer's I ever listened too. Many years ago, my husband introduced his music to me with his song, “On the road again” and somehow this song came on the radio every time my husband picked me up for a date. Hey, I found the positive in my “blah” moment. When I reach into my memories, I remember the wonderful times my husband and I had when we were dating, the feeling of falling in love, how everything was brighter, and the road ahead of us seemed to be ours for the taking. The road is still ours for the taking, but we don't move as fast as we once did, not because we don't want too, but because we see things differently. Still very much in love and keeping the positive (even during difficult and sometimes dark times), we continue to travel along the road of life... He's not just my husband, he's my best friend too.

My husband says men also have “blah” days and finding something to look forward too takes a little work, but it's worth it. Once you do that, then bit by bit, the day begins to feel a little better as it progresses. I guess everyone has those days, not just women. I apologize for the assumption. So, for the blah, bad and difficult days, I will refer to what Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) said in A Beautiful Mind, “I need to believe, that something extraordinary is possible.” Staying positive, finding the positive, even when you don't really feel like it, is the key. And, if you can't find the positive, find the funny. I recommend www.jeffdunham.com there's some “good, good, goooood” funny there! I love Peanut, he's the best.

How will you change a negative into a positive today?

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Thank you for reading.

Daily Mood Quotes - September 24, 2011

 

Daily Mood Quote

Day 144 – September 24, 2011

“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.”

La Rochefoucauld

As my husband and I have become better cooks, the one thing we don't do very often is eat out anymore. However, it is a treat when someone else does the cooking. Yesterday, my husband surprised me by treating me to lunch at a local restaurant. This is a restaurant we have been to a few times over the past nine years and one we enjoy. It's clean, the atmosphere is nice and the employees are always nice and smiling. It's a good place to share a meal with your family. However, the experience we had yesterday was one that begged to be talked about today.

On the outside the menu looked familiar, the company's branding carried through every little nuance. But, when we looked inside, clearly things had changed. New product line-up from start to finish. Sure some of the old favorites where still there, the pancakes, the combos, and the omelets seemed familiar, but the lunch and dinner menu was a complete surprise. Clearly we had been away for awhile and the menu had changed “ALOT” (thank you Peanut and Jeff Dunham). There were new salads, new entrees, new meal combinations, and new appetizers. Unfortunately, the new menu comes along with less options.

I was safe because I ordered a garden salad with ranch dressing, but my husband was hungry for a cheeseburger and french fries. The only problem was that the burgers had grown “ALOT.” The only ones available were massive half-pound Angus beef, giant, monstrous burger that came without a side. The side needed to be ordered separately. Why not, let's face it, the burger is a meal for two people...maybe three, itself. Brings a whole new meaning to bigger is better. Anyway, my husband was also hungry for some fries. So innocently, he ordered them as a side. This was lunch, a salad for me and burger and fries for him. Pretty simple,huh? The prelude was appetizers, fried mushrooms and cheese bits.Yum...

When things began to arrive, well, to quote Jim Nabors from Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. (1964-1969), “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!” What a surprise it was... First, the appetizers came at the same time as the meal and they where a meal in themselves. The burger and side of fries came on a ten-inch plate with the fries heaping over the monster burger. My husband was just stunned. Looking and sounding for all the world like Roy Scheider, when he saw the Great White Shark in Jaws, my husband said; “We're gonna need a big box!”

To the point of today's blog.... Who on earth can eat that much food? We were just looking for “a little lunch” but what we got... Gee Whiz! giant food!!!. Not that I advocate restaurants that serve “elf food” (not sure where I saw that commercial) and I also realize, that we have gone to bigger meals for "bigger folks," but this was over the top! No options for less and fewer options altogether, left me feeling a bit uneasy. Two little people, facing a mountain of food? I really got mixed emotions. First, I don't subscribe to the notion that you have to clean your plate, if it's going to make you sick. No question eating all of this food would. Secondly, bigger portions and fewer options may look good on a balance sheet, but here in the Heartland of America, that means less return customers (us included). Thirdly, there we sat, with enough food (from two orders) in front of us to feed four, or five people. I admit the we both felt a bit guilty about that. It really hit home. Perhaps they thought they were giving us “our money's worth,” but maybe that money is better spent elsewhere. Then there is the heart and health thing; it seems like you can't find middle ground; either its full-on health nut menu, berries and nuts, or full on heart attack/high cholesterol menu. Take your pick and pick your destination: Emergency room, or bathroom. No middle ground. Hmmm, sounds like Congress (just heard they are haggling over the budget...again). I'm guessing a 12% approval rating isn't low enough for them? 

To quote Morgan Spurlock in the movie Super Size Me, "See, now's the time of the meal when you start getting the McStomach ache. You start getting the McTummy. You get the McGurgles in there. You get the McBrick, then you get the McStomach ache. Right now I've got some McGas that's rockin'. My arms... I feel like I've got some McSweats goin'. My arms got the McTwitches going in here from all the sugar that's going in my body right now. I'm feeling a little McCrazy." No, it wasn't “those guys” but they did start that trend, didn't they?

Anyway, I hope that we find ways to level out restaurant meals and provide a more balanced approach to eating out, or I'm going to be doing a lot more cooking. Good thing I like to cook.

Anyone for balanced nutrition today?

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Thank you for reading

Daily Mood Quote - May 14, 2011

Daily Mood Quote

Day Ten – May 14, 2011

“The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all men, charity.”

~ Benjamin Franklin

I thought this was a great quote to share. Unfortunately, I'm having a bad mood day today. Bad moods happen, we all have them and we have to deal with them. I will deal with it through humor...Where is Jeff Dunham and Peanut when you need them?

Tune in tomorrow to read the Daily Mood Quote.