WeVerb Day 9 - Appreciate

WeVerb Day 9

Appreciate.

In which moment did you find yourself flooded with gratitude? How will you rally around gratitude in 2012?

Honestly, I would not have gotten through this year without practicing gratitude. Amid much of the stress and much of the lows and questioning this year, I was still so thankful. I can't say that it was any one moment, but it was a continuous stream of being very appreciative of all that I do have. I appreciated my health, my marriage, all of the physical trappings and good things that I am fortunate to have. In a time, when so many people are struggling financially, we are not. I am muddling through life right now, but I muddle through a very good one.

A lot of this I attribute to my faith orientation. I personally believe that without it, I may not have been able to see the good I have around me. I am thankful and appreciative for that, too.

I hope that I will have an even deeper attitude of gratitude in 2012.

I Needed this This Morning/Thank you, Steve Jobs

Truly inspirational. Say what you want about Apple products, Steve Jobs loved what he did. His passion and vision were really evident in everything that he spearheaded for Apple. His commencement speech at Stanford in the video below is really food for thought.

Thanks, Steve Jobs. RIP.

Howdy from a Somewhat Busy Thirty-Something Nothing!

Hey, all!

It's December! Can you believe it? I know that I have been delinquent in my updates lately. Between my other blog, personal projects and consulting work (and life!), I've become quite busy. Err?! It was pretty funny for a couple of weeks because I wasn't used to having so many demands on my time.

How are the holidays going for you so far? Are you thinking about making new moves career-wise and personally for 2011?

See you all before the New Year!

I Can Do Better

So last week I totally had a public meltdown. Technically, this is my space to fall apart and not my other blog, Try Anything Once (yes, I can totally plug my own blog, thank you very much).

As I am sure you've seen here, I think it is perfectly fine to hit rock bottom once in awhile. I've been allowing myself to wallow in my own mental toilet. Yuck! I surely did wallow waaaay too much last week. Yet even before my little mini-breakdown, I think I was already on my way back.

It's not unusual for me to wallow just a tad, but I shouldn't feel this way. Why? Well, I like to think of myself as a person of faith, and I have not been exhibiting that to myself or by writing my craptastic post last week. By the way, based on Site Meter, it was the most read post I've ever had on my other blog. Can you imagine that?!

Lots of the things I've been reading lately have been reminding me to trust where I am and that God (Universe, Allah, Shiva, etc.) is working things out on my behalf. It's one of those things that I know, BUT I have learned recently that I am not doing a very good job putting it into practice.

Yet something caught my attention this past week during my church's weekly sermon. The visiting pastor mentioned that sometimes we go through trials and periods of upheaval not only for ourselves but also for others. It made me think a lot about my mother who has been unemployed for a little over a year now. (I have not mentioned it here 'cause you all know that I am relatively private). She was laid off of her job of over 25 years last year. She's having a hard time assessing what to do next after being at one workplace for so long. Unlike me, she does not have a multiple degrees or 30 plus years left in the workforce. While there are a variety of issues at work here, I know that it's been a hard road for her so far.

It got me to thinking that maybe I've got to keep myself together for her. I usually don't share my frustrations with my mother, but I feel like I've got to step it up for her (be a better role model and also perhaps eventually a provider)....and perhaps maybe I need to step it up for all of you too? Now let me say that I am no martyr or anyone particularly special. I am just crazy enough to write a blog post from time to time. I know that there are some of you out there going through job searches, having your own 30's life shifts, thinking about taking own projects and businesses, etc. I know that you read this blog. I want you all to know that I've got to be a better for you all too. We're all going to get through whatever it is we're dealing with currently. The change we seek will happen maybe not when we want it to, but it will. I think we'll all be a bit better for it. :)

Anyway, this was just a post to say that I can do better and plan to (and I have been...I've been meaning to write a post about entrepreneurship issues that I've been working through). Also feel free to call me out if I am not handling my business in terms of being forward-thinking and positive about what I've undertaken here. I'm serious! :)

The Ride....

Hey, all!

Happy early portion of your week! I've got another vlog for you.

Here it is:

Also I would love to hear about ways to be productive with spring fever going around. Last week was soooo gorgeous here in the Northeast that it sort of upended my schedule. Hmmm...

Anyway, I love hearing from you, so please comment! I'll also be better at commenting back! :)

Faith.....

......is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen.

Yep. I DID IT! I've decided to make the biggest, most craziest step in my professional career. I quit my job. After changing my mind every minute for a good month I decided to leave. In a way this is a complete act of faith for me. I thought to myself that I've never totally explored what I've wanted to do in an in-depth way. I've always done what was safe and taken jobs that came first just because they were offered. This time around I hope that won't be the case.

I see this as a way to let God/Allah/the Universe (or whatever you believe in) lead me to where I should be. Hopefully a path will unfold for me and God will close the doors and open the doors necessary for me to FINALLY figure out what the heck I should be doing with myself. Now whether I am completely at peace is a whole other story. When you're seeing media accounts of people who a suffering because they were laid off, I feel like a self-indulgent fool for doing this. There are many people who would love my job, no? (Although if you had my former boss, probably not)

Telling my boss was easier than I thought. I was sooooo nervous to track her down to tell her especially when I work in a place with no walls and no privacy. Then I learned a week later why she barely flinched when I told her. She was leaving herself. That's right. It was announced a few days that she was getting a promotion and moving to a different city to head a different work group. Even though I tried, I actually didn't see her on my last day. I guess I can't expect much from someone who was not interested in my growth and development, right? I think in some ways, it was her "F--- you" to me. To leave a job with nothing lined up is a public but silent way of saying that you're not happy. Maybe she knew that people would think something about her management skills (or lack thereof) at hearing me leave. Who knows?! I think she just didn't care.

I've been neglecting this blog because it overwhelms me, but I will keep trying to tell my story on a daily basis or as much as I can muster. I know I can't be the only person out there this crazy. :)