Keep it Simple.

I’ve noticed a stark difference in my level of happiness and tranquility during short-term points of minimization. Granted I’m living and active, however, the duration of time in which I am living seemingly effortlessly is when I am the happiest. Little to no stress or worry goes so far and most of it is attained by a simple, uncomplicated, and organized habits. All of these positive habits are formed by preparation. I have found the simple mystery in itself to trim down the stress and unnecessary waste that we consume and produce in our daily lives. When I say ‘waste,’ I’m not strictly talking about recycling – like some tree huggers I know – I’m talking about physical and emotional human energy. When preparing for future expectations I cross off another need on the ongoing ‘to-do’ list. The less on the list, the better. It’s not just crossing those chores off, but setting each up so they can be accomplished more easily. If you’re painting a room, you need to lay out the bed sheets over the carpet or wood flooring. You then need to tape around fixtures and light switches, arrange the supplies, mix the paint, and develop a strategy that will serve as a most efficient way of quality and time – unless you’re one of those people who enjoy painting walls for hours on end. Not preparing in advance, such buying the supplies and possibly covering the floors in advance will hoard your time and energy when you’re ready to get to the project at hand – painting those walls.
I have developed habits of my own that have eased my laborious tasks, some you may practice already yourself. All of these habits undoubtedly come from preparation – and that’s exactly where I start.

- Making a grocery list. Simple task right? Sometimes you just don’t have pen and paper on hand and you think you can photographically memorize what’s in your fridge and pantry before hitting the grocery store. We’ve all arrived and said to ourselves, “ahhh what was it that I needed?!” or, you come home to unload and we’ve all done this, “crap, I forgot….” Making a list does two things: first, you will minimize your chance of forgetting something, only having to do without or having to go back. Second, it will save you money. Yes – by sticking to a list you will be less tempted to pick up the crap you see stores peddling on the ends of isles. I keep a pad and pen in one of my cabinets to write down an item that I know I’m going to have to pick up on my next trip.

- I work out in the morning. I know it’s not feasible for everyone, though in all honesty, I think it is for most. I strongly advise setting that alarm clock to get you going before you kick your day off. Working out first thing will wake you up and charge your energy. Whether you want to look into the scientific studies or not, I can tell you from personal experience that once you get used to this great morning habit – your energy will be more balanced throughout the day. For the simplicity factor, here’s why: One, you don’t have to pack an extra bag of workout gear for your lunch break or after work, your sweat drenched clothes are already in the laundry and you’ve already done what most others abhor to have to fit into their schedule. Two, everybody has to take a shower and prepare themselves in the morning. It’s unbelievable how much energy and time people put into getting ready (i.e. showering, blow drying hair, cosmetics, changing), why do this twice?!

- Pay the bills on time. Most common sense right? It’s sometimes one of the hardest things for individuals to keep track of, letting alone get themselves to do it. The mere thought of writing a check or calling in touch-tone phone number having to relinquish your money, for … ugh, utilities, can be a retracting force in itself. Set up online billing – that’s a duty in itself if you don’t already have online banking. Write due dates in your planner (come to think of it, step one: get a planner if you don’t have one) and check your online accounts daily to monitor the withdrawals. It doesn’t take much time, but it decreases the uncertainty of whether or not that particular bill was paid on time and it makes you feel more in control of your finances.

- Cook your own meals and take advantage of the fridge and freezer. It doesn’t take that much to learn the basics of cooking, and most recipes recite quite detailed instructions for even the most novice cook. Cooking your own meals saves money and calories. Making more healthy choices simplifies your diet and it gives you the creative power to go off on your own and experiment with flavors. When I cook, I usually make 3 or 4 servings so I can refrigerate or freeze them for those weekdays that I limited time or an inpatient appetite. Whether it’s chilli, lasagna, bbq chicken, lemon pepper pork – I’ve a got a surplus of good food in less than an hour of spending time in the kitchen.

- If you have the time to get it done, do it. This goes back far in time to our human affinity for procrastination. We love to leave things till the end, but what enjoyment do we really have knowing that we’ve got priorities to take care of while trying to relax? Being prepared is a response to avoiding ‘proslackination’. I feel so much better, so much more relaxed, having caught up or better – getting ahead, on my schedule. Doesn’t a good beer taste so much better when you don’t have to worry about drinking it while working at the same time? That’s my own odd rhetoric – take it or leave it.

Though I can’t say I follow my simple tactics, and there’s much more well beyond this small list, however getting myself to make it a habit is progressive role I take

Nation of Cowards?!

A few days ago, our newly appointed U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, stated that we are a "Nation of cowards."

Wow.

Wait a second... did he? why?

That was my first reaction, as I hadn't heard it in full context - only after as it was torn apart by my lovable pundits on FoxNews (i'm only partially kidding.) The statement was in reaction to his perception of our national inability to speak of race. Our American culture knows of it, however, in its diservice of our cultural progression, we do not speak of it. Now, how overgeneralized this viewpoint is I believe is subject upon that of an ear's owner. We speak volumes but in closed sections, that is not to say we don't speak of race - we just don't speak too extensively of it. I also find that my disagreement with such a bold statement is partially unworthy because I have found that those who do speak of racism are discussed in groups that have little to no dicriminatory histories relative to those who keep their lips tight. Those of us who need most to vocalize their inner dialogue are those who more often than not, have experiential circumstances that hinder the progression of equality. I use "equality" in the term = everything to everyone, nothing to no one. We are just as we are. No better, no different. There's no word in Webster's Dictionary, nor in our dominering slang that can express such a meaning.

As bothered as I am by Holder's comments - I think it sparks a significant discussion among those who need to speak most. I can write about this topic for hours on end going off on tangents about past experiences, implications, education, igonorance, and so on. But that's not going to help us - we as a progressive society need those who restrain themselves to speak. Getting those individuals to that point, is one that I cannot answer in a blog post. It certainly wouldn't seem too frank for an Attorney General to call me a coward.

Seek To Understand, Prior to Being Understood.

Lately i've been thinking a lot about personnel management, recently applying it to my own employment – and again with other situations whether they directly affect me or not. In my own situation, I have found the small group of people I directly work with; ten to be exact, have all formed our own dynamic in an ebb and flow of unity and separation. Outside my own job, there are people that work for themselves, work for small departments like myself, and then we can get into the major private and public institutions that employ hundreds and thousands of individuals. Regardless of size, geography, or industry, personal management is something that all of us need to understand clearly. It's a science that isn't given enough time in our education, training, and development. We study organization behavior in higher education, but we don't really understand what learning and experience is required to properly "manage" others. As diverse as our workforce is becoming, many of our managers are still stuck in the decade long ago hierarchal structure of superiority. Rank-and-file is and should be applied to military positions. We now have a great number of women and minorities filling positions in sectors that are typically male dominated. I use the present tense, because they are still dominated by men. Where I'm going with this, I'll get to now. Simply put with the continuous change that are workforce will undergo, human resource management has not kept up with it. Administrators cannot expect that their managerial idiosyncrasies that may have been successful in the past are still going to enlighten and lead their subordinates. If an administrator does not have the respect of those who work for him or her – they will not succeed. Respect is a key ingredient of personnel management, you must have the admiration of those who spend their days representing what you proclaim to lead.

In my work currently, I have two supervisors – one of whom I work directly with on a daily basis. Now, keeping as far away from the individual nature of both of their managerial styles, I will extend my experience as to my statements above and note one other specific aspect of personnel management that can only be learned within its practice. That is, humor does not solve problems. You can make someone genuinely laugh (or genuinely cringe), but humor is not a solution to anything at any time. Respect cannot justly be earned through comedy, though it does have its benefits, respect is earned through credibility and conversely, the respect a superior exudes upon deserved others.

I had a wonderful and incredibly insightful professor my senior year of undergrad who would always tell us, "Seek to understand, prior to being understood." As open and largely philosophical as that was – I didn't appreciate its true meaning until I started working within the dynamic of an entity that had been set well before my arrival. As the environment changed and management didn't, I became aware of how simple, yet how difficult, it is for someone to understand another before asking them to accept your own being. Saying this, I mean for anyone who supervises another – and know that this extends beyond the role of the work place – one must understand the intricacies, the background, the culture, the experience, the education, the generational differences, etc., far before you can expect that individual to accept all of which you are yourself. Seek beyond your norm. What you do, how you act, and what you believe is your perception of "normal." What others do, behave, and believe is not.

Seek to understand, prior to being understood.

http://www.desmoinesisnotboring.com/

For all of you whom i've talked to over the past year and a half ...

I've really come to love it here (minus the cold and spring tease weather)

Inner Space

This past Saturday I had a great experience enganging with a Reiki healing master. She talked to our class about the power of our minds and how we can control the balance of stress and peace. Participating in a ten minute meditation session, I had gone through an experience I had not yet come to challenge myself before. Unfortunately I had always prematurely underestimated the beneficial power of meditation. Spirituality was for people who wore tie-dye and grew herbs under heat lamps in the winter time. If you had time to meditate, than why are you stressed to begin with?

Though it's not something that I will practice on a frequent basis, I have to support the occasional healing methods that provide for so many diverse feelings of mental clarity. I felt like weightless, happy, more alert, and focused after rising from our session. Check these links out, they provide for great advice and knowledge about the history and background of Reiki and the various benefits from its practice.

http://www.reiki.org/faq/WhatIsReiki.html

http://www.reiki-for-holistic-health.com/

http://www.reiki.org/

"No Stone Goes Unturned."

This weekend, President Obama called the innaction of Washington leaders "inexcusable." Focusing much of his narrative speech on the drought of jobs, the loss of homes, and the depth of the situation we are heading toward, all stressed the words "we need to act now."
What contradicts his motivate to push this stimulus package through regards the false reassurance of exploring every option, every initiative, every provision, and leaving "no stone unturned." With the time that President Obama means to sign this bill through - allows for only the most inappropriate amount of time to dig in and cut out the fat. It unfrotuantely takes time and resources to muddle through and compromise. One, five, ten years down the road ... are we going to have wished that we used the time and the resources we had available to relook at the stimulus? This will become the question of the term - a facet of our new President's tenure which I hope will not have to become one of retreat.

The follow in is a link to the CNN broadcast.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2009/02/06/business/1231547258231/obama-calls-stimulus-delay-inexcusable.html