Dear Claire,
When it comes to work, your mom, is a mini-risk-taker. That's right, for the most part, I've followed pretty safe and traditional paths. I've always done what i've enjoyed, but never in a crazy, over-the-top, wild and throw all caution to the wind kind of way.
But here's the really weird thing. When I have taken risks at work, they've always worked out in my favor.
Oddly enough, out of my four teaching positions, I only knew what one of them really was, when I accepted the job!
Being willing to dive into the unknown is what has kept me feeling challenged, what has stretched my learning, and was has forced me to rise to the occasion again and again.
In only nine years of teaching I have been willing, excited, and able to change. Able to go with the flow. Able to embrace newness. Able to learn as I go. Able to invent and create. Able to fail and then learn from those experiences.
So DIVE IN!!!! It will all work out in the end because it's your instinct to swim.
Love you when you're brave,
Mom
Showing posts with label Workplace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Workplace. Show all posts
Monday, April 15, 2013
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Don't Shit Where You Eat
Dear Claire,
My apologies honey for the foul language in the title, but hopefully it wakes you up a bit.
Unless you fall into one of these categories:
You're over twenty eight-years old (this is the age when your colleagues might begin to take you seriously).
You've been at this same workplace for three years or more (you've established some credibility).
You only have one year to live (if this is the case, you can do absolutly anything, and no one will say a word).
If none of these apply to you...then trust me...avoid the at-work relationship for now. There are so many people in the world, why worry about running into an 'ex' each day at the photocopier.
Love ya doll,
Mom
My apologies honey for the foul language in the title, but hopefully it wakes you up a bit.
Unless you fall into one of these categories:
You're over twenty eight-years old (this is the age when your colleagues might begin to take you seriously).
You've been at this same workplace for three years or more (you've established some credibility).
You only have one year to live (if this is the case, you can do absolutly anything, and no one will say a word).
If none of these apply to you...then trust me...avoid the at-work relationship for now. There are so many people in the world, why worry about running into an 'ex' each day at the photocopier.
Love ya doll,
Mom
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Don't Wing It
Dear Claire,
Life is going to throw many, many surprises at you. Things you can't control, things you have to react to immediately, and things that nothing can prepare you for. Whenever you encounter these surprises...just follow your heart, your gut, and use your common sense.
For everything else...prepare!
If you want to decrease stress and increase your self-confidence, then prepare for anything and everything that can be prepared for.
Test or exam - prepare.
Job interview or audition - prepare.
Going for groceries or buying a car - prepare.
I can't tell you the number of errors, mishaps, and stumbles I have witnessed only because the person simply didn't practice or prepare beforehand.
You are your own best teacher, you will learn the most from the mistakes you are able to recognize and correct on your own.
You can't recognize or correct mistakes that you don't look for ahead of time.
Some people will tell you they work best under pressure and they will procrastinate until the last second. I always wonder how much better that person could have done if they simply gave themself the time to really work on something and to improve it before sharing it?
No one who is hugely successful at what they do, has become so on a whim or because of luck. They have put in the time, the patience, and the willingness to improve their areas of weakness.
And this is the thing...those surprises that life throws at you...you'll find that the more prepared you are in your daily life, the easier it is to handle the curveballs that are thrown at you.
Love you when you're ready!
Mom
Life is going to throw many, many surprises at you. Things you can't control, things you have to react to immediately, and things that nothing can prepare you for. Whenever you encounter these surprises...just follow your heart, your gut, and use your common sense.
For everything else...prepare!
If you want to decrease stress and increase your self-confidence, then prepare for anything and everything that can be prepared for.
Test or exam - prepare.
Job interview or audition - prepare.
Going for groceries or buying a car - prepare.
I can't tell you the number of errors, mishaps, and stumbles I have witnessed only because the person simply didn't practice or prepare beforehand.
You are your own best teacher, you will learn the most from the mistakes you are able to recognize and correct on your own.
You can't recognize or correct mistakes that you don't look for ahead of time.
Some people will tell you they work best under pressure and they will procrastinate until the last second. I always wonder how much better that person could have done if they simply gave themself the time to really work on something and to improve it before sharing it?
No one who is hugely successful at what they do, has become so on a whim or because of luck. They have put in the time, the patience, and the willingness to improve their areas of weakness.
And this is the thing...those surprises that life throws at you...you'll find that the more prepared you are in your daily life, the easier it is to handle the curveballs that are thrown at you.
Love you when you're ready!
Mom
Sunday, August 5, 2012
No Job is Too Big or Too Little
Dear Claire,
There are certain experiences in life that almost everyone can connect with. The great thing about these experiences is that wherever you go and whoever you meet, you can bring up one of these topics and practically everyone will have something to add to the conversation.
For example - really bad part-time jobs.
That's something almost everyone has had.
Growing up, I had what feels like, a million jobs.
My first job was selling 'Regal' door to door. Yikes. Selling wrapping paper and weird household items is definitely not the most glamours job out there, but I think I made about $30 a month which was pretty good for being twelve.
Then I moved into the big leagues....picking strawberries. This job was hell and I think that if for some reason, I ever get sent to purgatory, I'll be picking strawberries until the second coming. I had to ride my bike in the sweltering heat to the patch, pick strawberries for four hours, and then ride my bike home all for only $32. It sucked and that was pretty much the end of my days doing "hard labor".
Soon came babysitting (quite enjoyable), working at Tim Hortons (okay), selling running shoes at Joggers (great seeing all your friends at the mall and easy hours), selling Weedman lawn care over the phone (telemarketing is pretty brutal but you can't really complain when all you do is talk on the phone for three hours a day), camp counsellor (tons of fun!), working at a bar (much more fun to be at the bar than working the bar).
I also sold women's clothing at Jacob and served up some tasty pasta at East Side Mario's. I had an amazing job working with kids in a group home which I loved and can share many stories about that with you one day.
I learned something from all these jobs. Sometimes I learned actual skills, but mostly I learned that I love working with people, and more than that, I love helping people find what they're looking for. And, really that's basically what I do now as a teacher, help young people find what they're looking for.
You're probably going to have a few crappy jobs, but you'll learn something from each of them. Simply learning that you never want to do that kind of job again is a great start.
Hopefully you'll learn what your strengths and weaknesses are and you'll surely meet a lot of interesting people.
The more places you work, the more work experiences you have, the easier it will be for you to find work that you're passionate about and truly enjoy.
So embrace each job for what it is: a way to make a bit of cash and learn a little something along the way.
Readers - what was your worst job?????
Love you when you make that money honey!
Mom
There are certain experiences in life that almost everyone can connect with. The great thing about these experiences is that wherever you go and whoever you meet, you can bring up one of these topics and practically everyone will have something to add to the conversation.
For example - really bad part-time jobs.
That's something almost everyone has had.
Growing up, I had what feels like, a million jobs.
My first job was selling 'Regal' door to door. Yikes. Selling wrapping paper and weird household items is definitely not the most glamours job out there, but I think I made about $30 a month which was pretty good for being twelve.
Then I moved into the big leagues....picking strawberries. This job was hell and I think that if for some reason, I ever get sent to purgatory, I'll be picking strawberries until the second coming. I had to ride my bike in the sweltering heat to the patch, pick strawberries for four hours, and then ride my bike home all for only $32. It sucked and that was pretty much the end of my days doing "hard labor".
Soon came babysitting (quite enjoyable), working at Tim Hortons (okay), selling running shoes at Joggers (great seeing all your friends at the mall and easy hours), selling Weedman lawn care over the phone (telemarketing is pretty brutal but you can't really complain when all you do is talk on the phone for three hours a day), camp counsellor (tons of fun!), working at a bar (much more fun to be at the bar than working the bar).
I also sold women's clothing at Jacob and served up some tasty pasta at East Side Mario's. I had an amazing job working with kids in a group home which I loved and can share many stories about that with you one day.
I learned something from all these jobs. Sometimes I learned actual skills, but mostly I learned that I love working with people, and more than that, I love helping people find what they're looking for. And, really that's basically what I do now as a teacher, help young people find what they're looking for.
You're probably going to have a few crappy jobs, but you'll learn something from each of them. Simply learning that you never want to do that kind of job again is a great start.
Hopefully you'll learn what your strengths and weaknesses are and you'll surely meet a lot of interesting people.
The more places you work, the more work experiences you have, the easier it will be for you to find work that you're passionate about and truly enjoy.
So embrace each job for what it is: a way to make a bit of cash and learn a little something along the way.
Readers - what was your worst job?????
Love you when you make that money honey!
Mom
Monday, July 23, 2012
Yes Means Yes
Dear Claire,
This advice is super easy to say, but not always easy to follow.
It is simply that, yes means yes.
Incorporating this phrase into your values will improve many of your relationships, whether with friends, significant others, people at work, and those in your community.
What does 'yes means yes' mean?
It means that if you say you're going to do something, you're going to do it.
I know you're probably thinking that this seems pretty easy, but for most people, including myself sometimes, it's not.
The trick to being able to live by this rule is this: take time to think about something before agreeing to do it.
Ask yourself: is this something I really want to do? What if it takes longer than expected, do I want to put in extra time? Will I find personal fullfillment in this? Will I enjoy spending time with the other people involved? Do I have the energy to do this?
Remember, there are very few situations where you have to give a 'yes or no' answer immediately, yet most people feel that this is what they have to do.
Don't.
Take the time to think about something before you agree to it, especially if it's going to be something that may impact you in the long-term.
Obviously there's going to be times when you can't keep a committment, just don't let this become a constant, or people will lose their faith and trust in you.
Love you when you follow through!
This advice is super easy to say, but not always easy to follow.
It is simply that, yes means yes.
Incorporating this phrase into your values will improve many of your relationships, whether with friends, significant others, people at work, and those in your community.
What does 'yes means yes' mean?
It means that if you say you're going to do something, you're going to do it.
I know you're probably thinking that this seems pretty easy, but for most people, including myself sometimes, it's not.
The trick to being able to live by this rule is this: take time to think about something before agreeing to do it.
Ask yourself: is this something I really want to do? What if it takes longer than expected, do I want to put in extra time? Will I find personal fullfillment in this? Will I enjoy spending time with the other people involved? Do I have the energy to do this?
Remember, there are very few situations where you have to give a 'yes or no' answer immediately, yet most people feel that this is what they have to do.
Don't.
Take the time to think about something before you agree to it, especially if it's going to be something that may impact you in the long-term.
Obviously there's going to be times when you can't keep a committment, just don't let this become a constant, or people will lose their faith and trust in you.
Love you when you follow through!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Tune Out and Glaze Over
Dear Claire,
One day you're going to be at work and something really frustrating is going to happen. Maybe someone else got the position you were hoping for, maybe you bombed a presentation, or maybe you were even "let go".
No matter what happens at work, don't cry.
This (sadly) is even more important if your boss is a man because he will either a) see you as a terribly weak employee or b) feel sorry for you, and trust me, you don't need anyone's pity in the workplace.
This (even more sadly) is important if your boss is a woman because her claws will immediately come out as she labels you (in her mind) as some sad little girl who can't handle the real world.
So if shit hits the fan at work, tune out, glaze over, say in the most sincere voice you can muster: "thank you for that suggestion". Then hide in the office washroom to quietly shed some tears.
This may be difficult, but not as difficult as facing your boss and/or colleagues the next day after you let mascara run down your red, wet face onto their nice shiny desk.
Worse of all however, is using crying, in an attempt to get what you want. It is your hard work and how you handle yourself during difficult periods that will get you ahead in the workplace - not a sob story.
So my dear, when at work, hold it together. You can call me when you get home, i'll come over, and you can cry as long as you want. I won't tell anyone.
Love you more than any boss ever will!
Mom
p.s. - Oprah is exempt from this rule because she is a billionaire. Once you are a billionaire you are allowed to cry anywhere, anytime and you can dry your tears with thousand-dollar bills.
One day you're going to be at work and something really frustrating is going to happen. Maybe someone else got the position you were hoping for, maybe you bombed a presentation, or maybe you were even "let go".
No matter what happens at work, don't cry.
This (sadly) is even more important if your boss is a man because he will either a) see you as a terribly weak employee or b) feel sorry for you, and trust me, you don't need anyone's pity in the workplace.
This (even more sadly) is important if your boss is a woman because her claws will immediately come out as she labels you (in her mind) as some sad little girl who can't handle the real world.
So if shit hits the fan at work, tune out, glaze over, say in the most sincere voice you can muster: "thank you for that suggestion". Then hide in the office washroom to quietly shed some tears.
This may be difficult, but not as difficult as facing your boss and/or colleagues the next day after you let mascara run down your red, wet face onto their nice shiny desk.
Worse of all however, is using crying, in an attempt to get what you want. It is your hard work and how you handle yourself during difficult periods that will get you ahead in the workplace - not a sob story.
So my dear, when at work, hold it together. You can call me when you get home, i'll come over, and you can cry as long as you want. I won't tell anyone.
Love you more than any boss ever will!
Mom
p.s. - Oprah is exempt from this rule because she is a billionaire. Once you are a billionaire you are allowed to cry anywhere, anytime and you can dry your tears with thousand-dollar bills.
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