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Last week, I started at a new job.
New jobs are always exciting, nerve-racking, and full of the unknown. And I have (or should I say feel) all of these. But I also feel hope, and I know this is a good change.
Change is an interesting thing. It occurs all around us, it happens to us, and we are confronted with it whether we ask for it or not. Businesses face the challenge of driving change, and given the very individual and personal reactions we each have to change, corporate change seems darn near impossible sometimes.
When I arrived at my new job, I was asked to read a book about change. Ugh. A homework assignment!? A book about change, really!?
But I read it. And I was pleasantly surprised.
It was light, refreshing, and true. I have always considered myself someone who rolls with the punches and is an agent of change, but sometimes we all need a good reminder :)
Here are some of the quotes that were in the book and that I hope inspire you to think as they did for me.
“Everything is in a state of flux, even the status quo.” - Robert Byrne
“We can’t wait for the storm to blow over; we’ve got to learn to work in the rain.” - Pete Silas
“Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower
“In a fight between you and the world, bet on the world.” - Franz Kafka
“Whenever he thought about it he felt terrible. And so, at last, he came to a fateful decision. He decided not to think about it.” – Peter McWilliams
“Never become irritable waiting for things to get better. If you’ll be patient, you’ll find that you can wait much faster.” - Unknown
“Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.” - Garrison Keillor
“If you have always done it that way, it is probably wrong.” - Charles Kettering
“Faced with the choice of changing ones mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everybody gets busy on the proof.” - John Kenneth Galbraith
“Things will get better – despite our efforts to improve them.” - Will Rogers
“There is very little difference in people. But that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.” - W. Clement Stone
“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.” - Jonathan Kozol
“As you’re the only one you can really change, the only one who can really use all your good advice is yourself.” - John-Roger and Peter McWilliams
“The trouble with the future is that it usually arrives before we’re ready for it.” - Arnold H. Glasow
“Our problems are mostly behind us – what we have to do now is fight the solutions.” - Stults’s Situation Report
For some reason I find this image fitting. This is an image I took over the weekend of Scott’s congratulatory MCAT balloon floating off into space.
Happy Thursday!
As we enter into a new year, and a new decade (holy cow!), I find myself, as many do, reflecting on how far I have come, where I am going, and where I want to go.
A new year is often a time of much reflection and resolution, but for some reason this year, I find myself thinking more generally about the past and present. Why I am where I am today. Why any of us are where we are, really. And as my mom always taught me, life is about choice and consequence. So, we are all, in effect, the product of the collection of our choices.
Granted, we are handed certain cards based on genes and our early years are influenced by the choices of parents/environment; however, your life is, my life is, the culmination of MY choices. It’s quite interesting, I think, when you really get down to it. The seemingly small choices about what to eat for breakfast, what to wear, who to say ‘hi’ to when you pass someone on the street, all influence the person you are. And, of course, there are the bigger choices about where you live, the people you associate with, your job, and on and on, that we make stronger connections to their direct influence. But all of our choices are connected.
The thing that really strikes me though, is that at the end of the day we are all accountable for ourselves and to ourselves, no one else. We are the driver of our lives and cannot cast blame or obligation on others. I mean if you think about it, obligation is really choosing to do something because you don’t want to deal with the consequence of not doing it. When in fact, you do have a choice. You just choose not to deal with a potentially less ideal outcome.
Anyways, everyone is creating their own path…their own series of choices. It really is a cool thing when you think about the power of a choice.
Be mindful of your choices and their consequences. Choose the life you see fit :)
And because posts are more fun with photos… :)…here is a picture I took with my new Fuji Instax 210 over the weekend. I LOVE this camera. Anyways, this picture seems to kind of fit the sentiment of this post for some reason. Enjoy!
Happy Monday!
Yeah, I think I made that word up, “blogstalker,” but I have become one.
There are so many blogs I love to read and many that I follow on a daily basis. I feel like I really get to know the people I read about, almost like we are friends; and then I remember, “Oh riiiiiight, they have no clue who I am!” It makes me almost feel creepy. But I am not creepy, I am just really inspired by what they write and do.
Well, this past Thursday Scott and I went to a SMUG, a photographer meeting of sorts, in Orange County and I was able to listen to Jasmine Star speak. Which was amazing because I feel like we have a similar story and seeing how she has been able to follow her passion and create a name for herself so quickly really makes me feel like my dreams are possible.
OK, so here is where the blogstalking comes into play. As Scott and I sat there, I realized I was just another face in the crowd as Jasmine spoke, but I already kind of felt like I knew her. It was like we had already met and chatted over tea before, but we hadn’t. And as we met a few more photographers that evening, it was the same thing. They would introduce themselves and I am thinking “I feel so creepy, I know who you are already, duh, you had a birthday last month, you have a poodle, and your favorite color is green” (not that exactly, but you get the idea :), and to them, I am a new face, an unknown name and just some girl who recently took an interest in photography.
One day, I hope to be a name that people know, someone people are inspired by, and maybe even have some blogstalkers of my own (obviously in a non-creepy way…duh, we don’t want actual stalkers running around!) Anyways, it was just an interesting reality to experience on Thursday and was a lot of fun.
Jasmine was so much fun to listen to and was truly inspiring. A big thank you to Jasmine for inspiring me and for believing in herself enough to follow her dreams and inspire others to follow theirs.
This is a picture I took the other week of a light post and it kinda has that “could be creepy” vibe to it so I think it is fitting for this entry :)
Be inspired today.
Happy Saturday!
The other week, Dr. Zail Khalsa came to my office to talk about wellness and being fit (totally felt like a scene straight out of The Office: a varied group of quirky employees, standard training room setting, snacks, it had it all…minus the inappropriate comments from Michael Scott of course).
Anyways, the talk was very interesting and really made me start think about what wellness and being well means. Dr. Zail pointed out that the idea of healthcare is all reactive and is really more of a “sick care” system. We treat people who get sick and make them well again. But what are we doing before they get sick to promote health? Are we doing anything? Is it a personal responsibility? A social responsibility? Not trying to get political, I was just fascinated by the perspective of a medical professional who saw his own field as highly reactive. So, he is trying to do something about it. Dr. Zail believes in wellness and the overall care of yourself daily, being mindful of the choices you make for your body and soul.
Here are some of the things I wrote down and took away from the meeting:
- Book: Talent is Overrated
- Blog: www.lifehack.org
- Blog: www.zenhabits.net
- Vitamin: D3 (not D2)
- Vitamin: Omega 3 (Wild Salmon)
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Best exercise you can do: Kettlebell swing and dead lifts (apparently 15 minutes of these things are better than 1 hour at the gym!)
- SLEEP
- Mineral rich water
- If you want to buy organic: coffee and butter products (other foods not necessary)
Those were the things I jotted down and I am not really qualified to try and explain, but if it spikes curiosity are things you can check out :)
As we go through each day, our daily routines (the long drive into work, the long day at the office, or whatever it may be) we should be proactive. We should be proactive about our wellness. I am going to try and do a better job about being mindful of my total well-being: mind, body, and soul. Make the time for a walk. Take a few extra minutes to concentrate on my breathing and clear my thoughts. Spend the time making a home cooked meal instead of just deciding to go out for dinner.
I feel that to be well you need to be a little selfish. Make the time for yourself to feel like the amazing you that you are (wow, I am a total cheese ball right now).
Be well.
Happy Thursday!
“Every man has a right to a Saturday night bath.”
Lyndon B. Johnson
Enjoy your Saturday. Rest, relax, and who knows, maybe even take a bath :) Have a wonderful weekend full of all of the things you love and enjoy doing.
Fight On!
Happy Saturday!
Mean a lot :)
Everyday I am grateful for…
…nerdy text messages from my sisters
…how excited Abby is to see me when I get home
…kisses from my husband
…a home cooked meal
…hugs
…photographs
…a phone call from my parents
…terrible jokes that make me laugh
…an email from a friend I haven’t heard from in a while
…a song that makes me want to sing at the top of my lungs
…hot green tea
…an unexpected compliment
…all the little things.
Sometimes I forget to take a step back and remember these things, I let the things that seem bigger and badder take over my thoughts and yet it is in these small things that I find comfort, love, and happiness :) It is so important to take a second every now and then and breathe in the little things.
Happy Thursday!
Well, I would like to pose the argument that men spend an unnecessary amount of time in the bathroom too. When they poop!
(I know, probably not what you were expecting, and not the most dainty of conversations, but someone needs to point out this strange phenomenon.)
Oddly enough, this topic has been brought up in conversations among women only as well as in mixed company, and the theory still stands. Guys sit in the bathroom forever when they go #2! Like seriously, an unusually long amount of time, most of which is not dedicated to going to the bathroom at all!
They sit, they do their business, and then they continue to sit, they read, they play games on their iPhone, they do who knows what, but somehow they spend up to 20 minutes doing it! Do men enjoy sitting on the toilet? Are guys feeling slighted because women always sit when they use the restroom, and so they make up for lost time when they poop!? As far as I know, and speaking personally, for women it is a get in get out situation. We want to spend no more time than is necessary on the toilet. Why would you, right?
Of course, I am sure there are exceptions to the rule in both parties, but I have strangely had a number of conversations with people about this to make me believe there is definitely a gender trending difference.
Again, I apologize for the off the cuff kind of post, but it is just such an odd and awkwardly true pattern of human behavior that just made me stop and think. And so I propose this: Men will stop giving women grief for taking the extra 10 minutes to fluff their hair and curl their eyelashes (at least while in the bathroom we are working towards something, albeit vein) and women will look the other way when they see a man walk into the restroom with a book.
A great book :)
Happy Tuesday!
I have not been good at blogging the past few days, but life just seems to keep filling up with wonderful things which are keeping me busy. Anyways, just wanted to say ‘hi’ and leave you with a quote I found when I Googled ‘happy quotes.’
“Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it.”
~Jacques Prévert
Happy Friday!
Wow! It has been a busy weekend! A good weekend, but a busy one. I have not been good about keeping up with my daily posts, and have slacked on my personal goal of posting something each day. So, to make up for my slackerness I am going to do multiple posts today, that counts right? :)
So, here we go.
Wedding Videos vs. Photography
When Scott and I were planning our wedding we almost immediately ruled out budgeting in a videographer. Photographs are a must and a classic way to capture beautiful moments on a hugely special day. So, finding an amazing photographer was a ‘duh’ and having a videographer felt unnecessary and a way to save on our budget. This is until my mom saw a the wedding video of one of her friends daughters. My mom was so moved by the video and decided that her and my dad would hire the same videographer as a gift to us, and to themselves.
I was appreciative of my mom’s decision, but still not convinced of the need for a videographer. Well, this weekend I became a believer. My parents brought down our wedding video and we all viewed it together on Friday. It is amazing. It captured the essence of our day and gave us a glimpse of the day from an outside perspective. On the day of your wedding you are being whisked around and are the center of attention so you forget that there is so much going on around you.
I wish I could share the video here because it is truly wonderful and a work of art that Scott and I will cherish forever. (Sneak Peak: If you go to metmedia’s website and go to watch/fusion samples, the 1st and 3rd our clips of our video :)
Ok, so my final take on a wedding videographer and photography. A wedding photographer is a must have because there is something magical about the moments captured in a single shot. So, be picky about your photographer and find someone that will capture your day in a style that fits you and your fiancé. Now, a videographer. I would consider this a must have luxury that if you can budget for…you should! Maybe ask a group of relatives or friends to pitch in and help pay for it as their wedding gift to you. It is a gift that will last far longer than the pots, pans, and toaster on your registry. A video of your wedding day will be something you can proudly share with your children someday and is be a beautiful reflection on such a momentous occasion that you can look back on always.
So, I guess the short answer is, if you can have both, do it :)
Our wedding video was made by metmedia (amazingly cool group of guys!) in collaboration with our photographer, Jeffrey Neal of JNP Studios. Our videographer and our photographer collaborated to make our video and the result was breathtaking. Thank you to all involved, you have given us such precious gifts.
Happy Labor Day Weekend!
Dr. Seuss.
We all eagerly read his non-sensical rhymes and starred longingly at the bold, colorful images of strange fictitious creatures. Yet, as children I don’t know that we really appreciated the words of Dr. Seuss. At least I know I didn’t. Ironically, it is not until now, as an adult, that I see the true inspiration in what his poetry, his books, and his words are really saying. It almost seems as though his work is more for the parents who read to their children than for the children at all (or for someone like myself, without children, who just happened to stumble upon it :).
And so today, I would like to reflect on the wise words of good ol’ Dr. Seuss, a wise man who cleverly disguised such inspiring words in a surprisingly causal fashion.
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.
Dr. Seuss
Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.
Dr. Seuss
From there to here, and here to there, funny things are everywhere.
Dr. Seuss
Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.
Dr. Seuss
Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So… get on your way.
Dr. Seuss
If you never did, you should. These things are fun, and fun is good.
Dr. Seuss
I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant’s faithful, one hundred percent.
Dr. Seuss
So the writer who breeds more words than he needs, is making a chore for the reader who reads.
Dr. Seuss
And will you succeed? Yes indeed, yes indeed! Ninety-eight and three-quarters percent guaranteed.
D. Seuss
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.
Dr. Seuss
Always be inspired and never forget the simple things. Channel your inner Dr. Seuss :)
Happy Wednesday!
