Tag Archives: Work

Today This Is Where I Wish I Was….

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On a beach in Honolulu, playing in the surfing and soaking up some sun.

Honolulu Beach

Instead I am at work having to deal with a situation that I thought was over. On the bright side I get recognized at the company town hall for fifteen years of service. I can’t believe I’ve been at the same company that long (well April 1st is my anniversary date) and with that comes mixed feelings. On the one hand I’m proud of being there so long, on the other I wonder what happened and when I will decide what I want to be when I grow up.

If the situation turns messy I’ll just close my eyes and think of the beach.

Bobsled!

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After the personality assessment at Canada Olympic Park in the morning and after lunch we got to go and ride the bobsled!

Very exciting, we had to pick out a helmut and then four go at a time. You figure out who you’re riding with and then where you get to sit. I got to sit in the front YAY! Then the one guy who actually knows what he is doing tells you to hold on keep your head up and hold on.

The bobsled reaches speeds up to ninety km an hour, the ride goes by SO fast and the corners are crazy. It’s a bumpy ride and you do get jostled around quite a bit. All I could think of is the scene in “Cool Runnings” about the Jamaica Bobsled team where they are all sitting in the tub practicing and now that scene makes a lot more sense!

You have no time to react you just go with it and get knocked about a bit from side to side.

It was fun and I’d totally do it again!

At the start:

In the bobsled:

Ready to go!

We were suppose to do the zipline as well which I was REALLY looking forward to but the wind picked up and they shut it down for the day : (

The good news is that we do get to go back and do the zipline in September so all is not lost, I’m really looking forward to it! I went ziplining in Costa Rica and it was really fun, I wrote about it here Ziiplining Costa Rica.

Okay The 7 Habits Has Been Enjoyable

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I signed up for the course and wasn’t really looking forward to it. I’ve fought the “7 Habits Of Successful People” by Steven Covey for years. Showing up yesterday I thought we’ll get stories, instruction and the dreaded group work and presentations.

Upon arrival I grabbed a coffee and settled in for three days of pretending to pay attention. Something happened, our instructor is really nice, very engaging. The other people from the office were really nice. The course is really useful and I can see implementing many of the habits into my life. Not just work but every day life. Actually probably more my personal life, I care more about my personal life.

Much of it is common sense but sometimes we need a reminder of what’s important, priorities and also how to treat people. All of this is in the course. Focus and figuring out what is important, coming up with a plan and staying on track. All good lessons. Perhaps the best lesson is that I work with people. Sometimes you forget and just show up to your job, get it done and go home. I realized over the past two days how little I engage with the people I work with. Many in the course are outside of my group, people I don’t get to talk to and it was nice to see some familiar faces I haven’t seen in awhile and also meet some new ones.

Have one day to go with the course and I’m looking forward to it. I’m now glad I took it not just for the instruction on the 7 Habits but also for reconnecting with people in the office. Sometimes just stepping away from work and getting a more personal conversation going can make a huge difference, also looking forward to going back to the office and keeping up some of the friendships I’ve started to form.

A New Week

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I don’t have to go to work for three days!

Don’t get too excited I get to go to a 7 Habits course. Do I understand that the 7 Habits are suppose to make me a more productive and organized employee? Yes.

Do I still think I’m going to want to stick a pencil in my eye? Yes.

I am going to go into it with as good an attitude as I can muster. Also I could use some reminding lately of organization and priorities. I’ve been scattered and a little muddled for months now. Perhaps this will pull me back and put me back on track. Also I get to spend time with some coworkers. It’s become so easy to hide at my desk and perhaps it’s also time to get out from my cubicle and get to know my coworkers again.

The company since I’ve been there has been through so many changes and I guess I need to figure out if it’s changed too much for me to be happy there again or if its time to move on. Either way the 7 Habits should come in handy both professionally and personally. Curious how it will go, I know there will be participation and that always takes me outside my comfort zone. Wish me luck!

Toe-May-Toe, Toe-Mah-Toe

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It happens a lot in an office. You ask somebody for something or to do something and they forget or just don’t get to it. Now it’s late and you’re behind but all they have to say is “Oh I’ve been so busy, I just couldn’t get to it”.

Really? Or is it that you can’t manage your time, don’t care because it doesn’t affect you, isn’t a priority for you  and you are just generally incompetent?

I recently had this happen. I needed numbers, an update on costs before I could do my part. Had sent out a request, sent two reminders and still on the day it was due it hadn’t arrived in my inbox. Asking the person where it was and when I could expect it they informed me they had been busy and hadn’t gotten to it yet. Furthermore they were so busy they didn’t now when they would get to it.

It was at this point that I mumbled something like “You say busy, I say incompetent, toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe”.

They didn’t hear me and asked “What?” I just told them to have it to me as soon as possible.

Turning around my boss was looking at me. Uh oh. My boss had heard me and I got a short talk on how not every one in the office would get my sense of humour. Humour is that what we’re calling it today? Also that maybe, just maybe, my attitude was a little off.

Okay I admit, I shouldn’t have said it.

Then later in the day somebody was explaining to my boss about how they didn’t have something done because they were too busy. That’s when my boss looked at them and said “Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe”.