Posted by contributing writer Chrysty Beverley Fortner. I used to live in the land of "what if." It's not a very enchanting place to be, but so many of us end up there time and time again. Let’s compare two stories of far away lands: "What If;" where the princess never kisses her prince and the knight never slays his dragon to “As If;” where the princess is already making … [Read more...]
Breaking Through the Language Barrier
I spent the weekend working a Latino Rodeo and Festival at the fairgrounds. Good thing I paid attention in Señora Alarid’s class, otherwise I’d been more overwhelmed than I was. I was in charge of getting the folks (who paid a GOOD price to get into the festival) to sign up para la rifa del carro (for the car raffle) on Sunday. I pieced it all together and even remembered a … [Read more...]
Seek and Ye Shall Find
My father-in-law used to say, "The best time to search for a job is when you have one" and I tend to agree. I'm happy with my current career choice and my accomplishments, but I am not naive enough to think that I am indispensable. None of us are safe as so many have come to realize this past year. But just because I'm grateful for my job, doesn't mean I'm going to rest on … [Read more...]
The Season for Giving Thanks
I know, 80 degrees, late-April is SO not that season, right? Wrong…I'm learning that every day of every season truly needs to be that time of acknowledgment. I’m reading The Noticer by Andy Andrews and while I’m only on chapter 4, some of what I’m reading is telling me not only to stop and smell the roses, but to let the roses know how much I appreciate them. Man, do I have … [Read more...]
A Feng Shui Happened on the Way to the Office
I never imagined using the words Feng Shui in a sentence, much less in a sentence concerning work. We sometimes get into a pattern that is not terribly uncomfortable, but nothing extraordinary either. I know because I’ve been there more than once…sometimes it’s a home rut and sometimes it’s an office rut, and sometimes it's a combination of both. It’s nothing tragic and it … [Read more...]
Laughter is Serious Business
If you make me laugh--odds are I'll do business with you. It's not scientific nor is it intentional but as I look back at the largest business transactions in my career they were a result of somehow making someone laugh along the way and vice-versa! There are plenty of successful people that are serious and rigid, so I figure there's room enough for someone like me. I guess … [Read more...]
Recovering from Vacation
Monday mornings can be foggy all by themselves, but the morning after vacation can be completely gloomy. We all look forward to taking vacations; I'm back just today after 9 days off. My problem has always been gracefully exiting the workplace just before the time off and again entering back in. NOT working is a harder subject for me than working has ever been. We won't … [Read more...]
Tell Me My Baby’s Ugly
I don't have kids so it's easy for me to say. I know it sounds harsh, but if I did have kids I'd really rather know. So often in business we are forced to work with people who won't go to that place of, "tell it like it is." I'm not suggesting you lose all regard and respect for common decency, I am saying be the person who's known for telling the good, the bad and the … [Read more...]
The Easy Button
Even though there really is no "easy button" in business, I bought four of them on Tuesday at the office supply store. Why? Because sometimes I need a distraction to remind me that I may be the one making things difficult. It's my new "distractor" that makes me giggle when I hear it say, "that was easy." But here's why I bought them in the first place. I sat in my boss’s … [Read more...]