last thursday when i was closing at my job i was snappy with this girl because she was playing around online instead of getting work done. and the more i snapped the worse she performed. i wanted her to be fired. my boss told me i was overreacting and i realized he was right.
i didn't realize how snappy i was being. i wasn't being self-aware at all.
this week i decided i would approach the situation with a positive attitude. it was a testament to visualization. i foresaw work going smoothly and so it did. i was extremely aware of my tone of voice at all times. i acted as a facilitator and was encouraging.
and both of us were more productive and aimed closer to our full potential. the power of positivity. YES!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
41. STOP SHAVING
this is probably the most radical thing i've done so far.
and it's the first goal that has involved changing my appearance.
i am choosing to do this 1) so that i will produce less waste. razor blades, shaving cream canisters--they all go some place. the pacific ocean, most likely. and they are also an unnecessary expense.
and 2) if i count up all the minutes i've used shaving they become hours and a significant 0.07% of my life i don't want to spend on some arbitrary task.
also it makes me feel more natural. i decided to stop shaving at 15 and i would wear skirts and such and didn't start again until an older girl made me feel weird for it. but you know 3) i like the way my hair feels. i even like the way it looks. especially more than stubble, which i can't stand in appearance or sensation.
so it's all grown out. and i wanted to wear a skirt today. i thought about shaving, but i didn't. and i didn't feel self-conscious. not even once.
my leg-beards will never reach this capacity.
and it's the first goal that has involved changing my appearance.
i am choosing to do this 1) so that i will produce less waste. razor blades, shaving cream canisters--they all go some place. the pacific ocean, most likely. and they are also an unnecessary expense.
and 2) if i count up all the minutes i've used shaving they become hours and a significant 0.07% of my life i don't want to spend on some arbitrary task.
also it makes me feel more natural. i decided to stop shaving at 15 and i would wear skirts and such and didn't start again until an older girl made me feel weird for it. but you know 3) i like the way my hair feels. i even like the way it looks. especially more than stubble, which i can't stand in appearance or sensation.
so it's all grown out. and i wanted to wear a skirt today. i thought about shaving, but i didn't. and i didn't feel self-conscious. not even once.
my leg-beards will never reach this capacity.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
40. BE AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST
that's what a did today.
i work at a newspaper, yet i've never written hard news.
my story is about the Veteran's Services Organization lying to me.
i called them on thursday because i wanted thm to comment on the january statistics showing that mmore servicemen died by suicide than in combat.
the VSO said they would include a proposal for a PTSD counselor in their budget proposal.
today when they submitted the proposal it wasn't included.
it pissed me off.
instead they are spending all the money on recruiting more veterans to come to our school.
so i wrote about it.
when i confronted the retired staff sgt about it in his office, i did it through a question, not a statement.
and he shuffled his papers nervously.
i made a grown man nervous.
a vietnam vet, even.
(although, i suppose that's not a huge feat).
it made me feel really strong.
i bet 7 people will read the story tomorrow.
i work at a newspaper, yet i've never written hard news.
my story is about the Veteran's Services Organization lying to me.
i called them on thursday because i wanted thm to comment on the january statistics showing that mmore servicemen died by suicide than in combat.
the VSO said they would include a proposal for a PTSD counselor in their budget proposal.
today when they submitted the proposal it wasn't included.
it pissed me off.
instead they are spending all the money on recruiting more veterans to come to our school.
so i wrote about it.
when i confronted the retired staff sgt about it in his office, i did it through a question, not a statement.
and he shuffled his papers nervously.
i made a grown man nervous.
a vietnam vet, even.
(although, i suppose that's not a huge feat).
it made me feel really strong.
i bet 7 people will read the story tomorrow.
39. NO MORE DAIRY
i get asked a lot why i am a vegetarian. sometimes, it's as if people feel affronted by the existence of vegetarians. i don't always know how to answer. i guess i've been a vegetarian and known all the reasons why-to-be one for so long that it's like second nature. i need to have a list i can rattle off. here goes.
1. enough food can be grown on grazing lands to end world hunger.
2. cows cause a surprising amount of ozone depletion through methane.
3. chickens are pumped full of estrogen, pigs are full of antibiotics, etc.
4. many people are misdiagnosed with alzheimer's when they actually have mad cow.
5. it's important in this age of rampant environmental pollution to eat low on the food chain because organisms higher in the food chain have higher PPUs of dangerous chemicals.
6. while i don't really care about killing animals, i do care about their quality of life.
7. humans have relatively long large intestines, especially compared to other omnivorous and carnivorous beings. A long large intestines means more toxins are absorbed during a slower poop-shoot.
8. eating meat is nutritionally inefficient.
these are just some of the reasons, each requiring a longer explanation for lay persons. but i suppose i am a hypocrite because i continue to eat dairy.
dairy is worse. humans are the only mammals that drink milk after infancy. dairy clogs up the digestion system and causes poor sinus health. pretty much all of the above reason can also apply to eating dairy. i guess it's just been a hard thing to give up. but like i said, this blog is about aligning my behavior with my beliefs.
1. enough food can be grown on grazing lands to end world hunger.
2. cows cause a surprising amount of ozone depletion through methane.
3. chickens are pumped full of estrogen, pigs are full of antibiotics, etc.
4. many people are misdiagnosed with alzheimer's when they actually have mad cow.
5. it's important in this age of rampant environmental pollution to eat low on the food chain because organisms higher in the food chain have higher PPUs of dangerous chemicals.
6. while i don't really care about killing animals, i do care about their quality of life.
7. humans have relatively long large intestines, especially compared to other omnivorous and carnivorous beings. A long large intestines means more toxins are absorbed during a slower poop-shoot.
8. eating meat is nutritionally inefficient.
these are just some of the reasons, each requiring a longer explanation for lay persons. but i suppose i am a hypocrite because i continue to eat dairy.
dairy is worse. humans are the only mammals that drink milk after infancy. dairy clogs up the digestion system and causes poor sinus health. pretty much all of the above reason can also apply to eating dairy. i guess it's just been a hard thing to give up. but like i said, this blog is about aligning my behavior with my beliefs.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
38. HANKIES
i'm thieving this resolution from sarah.
a few years ago, i did something similar to this by keep handtowels EVERYWHERE so i wouldn't be tempted to use paper towels to wipe my hands. it worked. i imagine this will, too.
it would probably be more revolutionary to stop printing also, but i don't have a reliable laptop to carry around as of yet.
Friday, February 6, 2009
37. FAIL BETTER
from zen habits:
When someone is having a bad day, they go home and deal with it in their way then wake up and start a new day, usually a better day. Even when the bad day carries over, eventually the string of bad days end because a person’s mood will change. People become happy again and they forget about improving their lives. They won’t make major changes unless the bad days keep stringing together and making their life miserable.
I’ve heard countless people complain about their jobs, but they never do anything about it because the pain isn’t strong enough. They don’t want to work at changing their habits because all they see is more pain. They see a pile of lifelong behavior patterns that aren’t worth changing. They are used to the emotions that they’ve dealt with for 10, 30, or 50 years. They don’t want to dive into their emotional mess and probably come out disappointed in themselves.
i don't want to be a person who doesn't learn from her mistakes. sometimes, i think i confuse trying to change with actually changing. but at times, change feels like it is never happening or that it is constantly happening but not to my desired outcome. when my own faults keep coming up and obstructing the life i want to live no matter how often i try to approach them (and from different angles) i feel like i'm in a bad made-for-tv version of groundhog's day. maybe it's on lifetime or ABC family and i play bill murray's daughter who is an asshole, albeit unknowingly, and can't seem to keep anyone close for too long without being disappointed or being a disappointment. it will be called groundhog's day 2: this time the train sequence is for real.
also, i'd like to say the double-standard most people have about forgiving women versus forgiving men is seriously bogus.
When someone is having a bad day, they go home and deal with it in their way then wake up and start a new day, usually a better day. Even when the bad day carries over, eventually the string of bad days end because a person’s mood will change. People become happy again and they forget about improving their lives. They won’t make major changes unless the bad days keep stringing together and making their life miserable.
I’ve heard countless people complain about their jobs, but they never do anything about it because the pain isn’t strong enough. They don’t want to work at changing their habits because all they see is more pain. They see a pile of lifelong behavior patterns that aren’t worth changing. They are used to the emotions that they’ve dealt with for 10, 30, or 50 years. They don’t want to dive into their emotional mess and probably come out disappointed in themselves.
i don't want to be a person who doesn't learn from her mistakes. sometimes, i think i confuse trying to change with actually changing. but at times, change feels like it is never happening or that it is constantly happening but not to my desired outcome. when my own faults keep coming up and obstructing the life i want to live no matter how often i try to approach them (and from different angles) i feel like i'm in a bad made-for-tv version of groundhog's day. maybe it's on lifetime or ABC family and i play bill murray's daughter who is an asshole, albeit unknowingly, and can't seem to keep anyone close for too long without being disappointed or being a disappointment. it will be called groundhog's day 2: this time the train sequence is for real.
also, i'd like to say the double-standard most people have about forgiving women versus forgiving men is seriously bogus.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
36. EMPLOY STUDY TECHNIQUES
someone who knew what they were talking about said to me that i should read all of my notes after each class. immediately. before i did anything else. and that if i did, i would be able to retain more knowledge than if i reviewed the notes later and even more if i reviewed them even later.
here is the first image that google finds when "gratuitous image" is typed.
here is the first image that google finds when "gratuitous image" is typed.
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