Beyond 254

The Power of Gratitude

I mentioned earlier this week, that I plan to start a gratitude journal. Well it has been less than a week and I already have noticed dramatic results, in my personal life and on the job. The power of gratitude can really have a profound impact on your life.

 

It all started this Tuesday with a penny I found on the ground. I picked it up and thanked God for blessing me. I was truly excited about this penny and even wrote about it in my new gratitude journal. I believe that if you show gratitude and thanks to God for what you receive, even if it is a penny, God will cause the doors to open for you to receive more. The very next day, I received an unexpected check in the mail for $1,064.80! This was a total surprise, but a true testimony to the power of gratitude. This new shift has also caused positive changes on my job. I have been on a difficult project for the last few months with very little direction from upper management. Finally, we made some strides earlier this week and I wrote about the progress we made in my gratitude journal. Well, today I finally received word from my team that everything is set and we are ready to move into production tomorrow. So, we will be completing this project on time. I told my manager and she stated that I should give myself a pat on the back for getting this project completed. Somehow everything fell into place at the last minute, but I was totally grateful for the accomplishment of this major milestone. Of course, I will be documenting this in my journal tonight.

 

The power of gratitude combined with prayer and believing can cause profound changes in your life. I will continue to keep you posted on these profound changes and how it has impacted my life.

 

Tip for the day: The attitude of gratitude, even for the little things, will cause you to manifest success and abundance in your life.

Every Storm Has An Assignment

Lately, I have been hearing how every storm, trial or adversity in your life has a purpose. I heard this message at church recently and also on shows and reading other blogs. I am a firm believer in this, because I look at the lessons learned from the trials I have experienced in my life.

 

The trials I experienced on my job earlier this year caused me to make some changes in my life.

• It caused me to look within myself and change characteristics within my personality that have been hindering me. Some changes I made were: stop taking things too personally, gain control of my emotions and stop blaming others.
• I now have a closer relationship with God and my Faith has grown stronger.
• I started digging deeper to discover my life’s purpose.
• I started to become more organized on the job.

In addition to the items above, I started writing this blog due to the frustrations I was experiencing on the job. I wanted others who were going through the same thing to know that they are not alone and could learn from my experience. As I stated earlier this month, things are getting better, but it is still a work in progress. One more thing I plan on starting is a gratitude journal. Every night, I verbalize the things that I am grateful for, but I heard that writing it down is more powerful. I will keep you posted on the power of the gratitude journal and what changes take place in my life.

 

Tip of the day: If you are experiencing problems on the job, look at yourself first and work on changing you, instead of blaming others around you. Once you do that, you will notice a dramatic shift in how you view things and see the purpose God has for your life.

One Day of Rest

As I mentioned earlier this week, vacation days for me are limited. So I am looking forward to this Memorial Day. At least I get one day away from the office. Since Americans are not given as much vacation as Europeans, I suggest you use this one day to recharge. Do not be tempted to do anything associated with your job, such as checking e-mail or voicemail. In fact, do not even think about the job. Taking time to relax, will give your body and mind a chance to rest, which will make you a more productive person on the job.

What Do You Mean No Vacation?!

When I started with my current employer last year, I assumed that I would get the standard two weeks vacation, which most new hires receive when they start working with a company. But, we all know what they say about assuming, you end up looking like the first three letters of the word ASSume. That is exactly how I looked and felt when I discovered the vacation policy at my company.

 

Last year, about a month into my job, I discovered that new hires received zero vacation days, that’s right ZERO! I received the standard paid holidays, but as far as vacation there was nothing. To say I was heated is an understatement. If I had known this, I would have negotiated this when the job was offered. My second year is prorated based on last year’s hire date, which means I only get 7 vacation days. How pathetic is this! Today I was talking to a fellow co-worker from Germany. He broke down the vacation days in Germany. The vacation and work hours are as follows:

• 5 to 6 weeks vacation for all new hires
• 14 to 15 paid holidays
• Work 35 hours a week, anything over 35 is considered overtime

I thought to myself, wow that is amazing. It seems that most European countries are generous with their vacation days. I worked with people from Germany and they always manage to get things done even though they work fewer hours and receive more vacation. But here in the US, I have worked with many people who make mistakes and miss deadlines, why, because people are not rested. Since I have not received any vacation this year, I noticed that I have been sick several times and very tired on the job. I usually do not get sick, but when your body is tired and worn down, you are more susceptible to illness. Why don’t these companies get it, when workers are more relaxed and rested the productivity will increase as well as the quality of work.

 

Two lessons I have learned from all of this is, never assume anything and always ask if you are not certain. In Corporate America, assumptions can cost you benefits that can not be recovered

I’M BACK!

My trip late last week was very exhausting, since I had to travel cross country. My flights were booked solid and I was not able to get an upgrade. Luckily, I had an aisle seat, so I was not as jammed as the guy in the middle seat. Also, I was glad that I had the foresight to get some food before I got on the plane. For a 5 hour flight, they only served pretzels and cookies with our drink!! Can you believe that, 5 hours and all we got were lousy snack foods on a crammed flight! When they came down the aisle with those pathetic pretzels, I reached into my bag and whipped out my sandwich. That was the best tasting sandwich I had. I really cherished every bite. I am not sure if the sandwich was really that good or if it was the fact that I knew I would not be getting anymore food for the next several hours. It is shameful that travel nowadays has been reduced to this. I think that is why I dislike traveling so much, it is not the destination, but how you get to the location that is terrible. I really want to start traveling more, but the thought of dealing with these airports and airlines really sours the whole trip.

Even though traveling to and from was not great, at least I was able to get some rest. I was able to get more hours of sleep on this trip than I usually get at home. Also, I was able to catch up on my reading. Like I said before I left, use this time away to catch up on reading or get some much needed rest. Also, I was able to see a part of the country that I have never seen before on my company’s dime! So instead of looking at that next business trip as a negative, turn it around and see what you can gain from the experience.

Looking Forward To The Business Trip

I will be out of town on a business trip the next few days, so I will not have any new postings until I return. But one thing I will say is that I look forward to the trip. I will admit at first I was not thrilled, but I decided to stop looking at every interruption as an inconvenience. Sometimes a business trip can be good, because it takes you away from the office. Even though you are still working, I notice for me, it is a little more relaxing. Also, being away gives me a chance to catch up on my reading, since I do not have the usual distractions. It also gives me a chance to see and discover new cities. So the next time your boss tells you that you have to go out of town, embrace it and look forward to all the possibilities that you might encounter on your journey.

Things Are Getting Better

I must admit that things have been getting better this last month. Ever since I have been changing my outlook and attitude, things have started shifting in the right direction little by little. I have been doing the following:
• Changing my attitude and outlook
• Avoiding negative thoughts
• Attending church
• Reading inspirational books and blogs
Everyday is not perfect, but what has changed is how I handle tough situations. Earlier this year, when things were at its worse, I would let any difficult situation get the best of me. If I had a bad day on the job, I would be in a depressed state for several days. I would keep repeating these negative thoughts in my head over and over. Now when I face a problem, I address it, try to learn from it and then let it go. But one thing I have noticed is that I am better organized at work. I set up a daily schedule for myself and it helps me stay on track. Of course, I still encounter stress, but instead of letting it fester, I change my attitude and look forward to all the positive things that life has in store for me.

Topic for Today’s Meeting – Your Personal Life

The other day, I was sitting in my cubicle and I overheard two of my co-workers talking to each other about the marriage of another colleague. They were talking about the personal details of this guy’s marriage. I mean very personal details and issues that are plaguing his marriage. Now granted, this guy should not have divulged his personal life to his co-workers, but they did not need to gossip about it. The only reason I heard all this is because my cubicle is right outside their office. They were talking loud enough that I could hear everything. They were not even whispering or trying to hide it. This is why I keep my mouth shut at work and only divulge what I want them to know, not what they want to know. I rather remain a mystery than be the subject of office gossip.

Give a Fake Smile and a Fake Laugh

This past week, the HR team was in town for a meeting. Since the entire team was in town, the HR director, who stabbed me in the back, was in town as well. This is my first time seeing her in person, since that incident a couple months ago.

Luckily this HR Director works in another city, so I was not confronted with seeing her face day in and day out. But while she was in town, she needed a place to sit for the day. The guy who works in the cubicle next to me was out of town, so she stopped by and asked to use his cubicle. When she saw me, she had the biggest smile and gave me a friendly and warm greeting. Of course, now that I know what she is capable of, I had to muster up all the energy I could to smile back. To say that my cheeks literally hurt when I smiled would not be exaggerating. Then when I gave that fake laugh, I could feel all of my stomach muscles tense up from the pain. I do not have it in me to be phony, so to give that fake smile and laugh was very difficult. I kept thinking to myself, how she can smile in my face and act like nothing has happened. It amazes me sometimes how people can pretend to be your friend and turnaround and talk about you behind your back. I notice this back-stabbing environment is the norm at this company. So for me, I continue to keep my personal business to myself, because I do not want to be fodder for office gossip. Also, I will continue to endure sore cheeks and stomach muscles until I can finally make my big escape

Enigmatic Pain

Last Thursday, I did not go into work, because I woke up with intense pain on the right side of my lower neck and collarbone. I also stayed away from the computer for a few days, so I could try to recover. Most people attribute this type of pain with sleeping in an uncomfortable position. For me, I knew that it was more than just sleeping in an awkward position, because this pain has been coming and going for the past two years.

Last year, I saw my doctor about this pain, but I could not get a valid explanation for this pain. He referred me to a specialist, who did not offer any explanations, but instead gave me a painful shot of cortisone in the inflamed area. The shot only offered about a week of relief, but the pain returned and has been coming and going ever since. I am starting to attribute this mysterious pain to job stress. About three years ago, I had a mysterious ache that kept reoccurring on the right side of my waist. Again, my doctor ran tests, but nothing turned up out of the ordinary. Now I am faced with the same puzzling pain, but instead it is around my collarbone. I truly believe that job stress is the cause for this problem as well as other issues I have battled such as: uncontrollable eye twitching, skin problems and frequent colds. I am a healthy person, who eats the right foods and exercise, so I should not be having these physical problems. But job stress trumps any good you may be doing for your body. I believe stress in Corporate America is the cause of many health problems that plague Americans. For me, in order to fight this stress, I have been working on changing my attitude and outlook. In addition, I have been getting involved in things that I enjoy so I can have an outlet. I noticed that these last couple of months, my attitude has changed, but of course with anything, it is still a process. These things will not change overnight, but I am positive that if I continue to work on ways to relieve my stress these physical ailments will slowly go away. So for now, I am going to make the best out of a bad situation until I can break free.