Tag Archives: blah

The Three Skills You Need To Get Ahead In Your New Career

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The Three Skills You Need To Get Ahead In Your New Career

It’s a competitive world out there. People are actively discouraged from taking a jump into a new career or to leave their miserable job for a freelance career because there are so few roles out there but with so much competition. The fact of the matter is, is that for anyone that’s unhappy in their job, there is no point in resigning yourself to a life of the mundane blues if that’s not what you want. So if you want to take the plunge away from the work blahs, then all power to you! But before you go into your new life, it’s always best to make sure that you have the right skills. “Skills” is a bit of a vague term in life, but there are three constants that you definitely need to have in your reserves. Know how to implement these three and it will see you through any difficult work situation in the future:

Leadership Qualities: You don’t need to have had experience in running a ship! But when you’re looking for a new role, the brief will be likely to include the phrase “self-starter”. And this may not mean leading a team to victory, but you will need to be able to motivate yourself. And if you can’t motivate yourself, then how can you be expected to motivate anyone else? Learning about leadership opens up so many new doors for you. Knowing the vital skills that it takes to motivate people and knowing the right techniques to achieve results will make you indispensable and a cut above the rest. While you may think that you need to learn by doing, which is a fair assessment, there is a Fresno Pacific Online Leadership Masters program, which you can complete online. People don’t make the most of online courses, and it is possible to complete whole degrees or Masters courses without leaving your home and in your spare time (and in your pajamas!).

Research Skills: Vastly underestimated in any role, the ability to research a topic properly and demonstrate a good working knowledge is something that can take some time to get right. While we all have our own ways of researching a topic, it may be a possibility that you are doing it the long way round. The big trick to researching a topic is to identify the touchstones – i.e. the salient points, before burrowing further into each one. It’s like ironing in some ways; go over each bit once and then thoroughly go across the whole thing.

Interpersonal Skills: Getting along with people is a must in the vast majority of roles. So if you’re searching for a new career as a change from your cubicle where you have been on your own for the last 25 years, it can be a major challenge to start communicating with lots of people again. While we all know how to speak to people, do we really know how to listen? This is a big part of being a leader or being able to work in a team, and it’s all about learning to work with different ages and types of people. The value in developing excellent working relationships is incredibly high. Being an amazing team player is something that rarely goes unnoticed in the working world!

Having the skills above is something that will make you irreplaceable at your next or current career opportunity. Hone in and perfect them and you will certainly be a force to be reckoned with!

Featured Image By: Pixabay

Creep

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Creep

Okay, let’s all be honest here. We’ve all social media creeped before. Whether it’s on your ex’s new girlfriend or one of your coworkers, social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have given us free range to snoop to our heart’s content. My girlfriends and I have had many a conversation about our in depth creeping sessions and it always provides us with a laugh fest or heart wrenching girl talks about our findings. But what happens when you feel a little too creeped out by someone’s Facebook creeping?

So, on Wednesday my dad and I went to Dairy Queen to get an ice cream cake for my mom’s birthday. The same Dairy Queen that my best friend worked at well over a year ago. It’s not somewhere that I actively frequent except for the handful of times that I’ve stopped in to see her or went with her to pick up her paychecks. And by a handful of times, I mean like three. My dad and I chose the cake that we wanted and probably exchanged a total of twenty words with the employee who was helping us.

Frankly, I was not trying to socialize with anyone because I was totally bumming it that day. Leggings, hoodie, no makeup, and a beanie was my outfit of choice. All I wanted was to get the cake and go and within five minutes we were in and out. BUT, despite my disheveled outer appearance, I could feel the employee looking at me just a little too closely for my liking. Especially since I was basically in my pajamas. Whatever. We left and I didn’t think anything of it until twenty minutes ago.

Today while I was hanging out, I saw that I had a notification from Facebook messenger and it was a message request. Normally, I don’t look through those but I knew the red message circle wouldn’t disappear if I didn’t so I took a peek. And, guess who it was from? None other than the Dairy Queen employee from two days ago with a message reading “I hope you enjoyed the cake. Facebook creeping at its finest.” Ugh. What?

Don’t get me wrong. I am well aware that I am an easily recognizable person. With bright red hair, pasty pale skin, and five nose piercings it’s hard not to be. But really? You’re going to use the five words that I exchanged with you at your place of employment as an excuse to hunt me down on Facebook and shoot me a message? That’s just so unprofessional, inappropriate, and (to be frank) weird in my opinion.

Believe me. I am used to the odd messages, emails, and comments. And I get that I am recognizable enough and somewhat relevant enough on social media to get unwanted attention in my inboxes. But, I don’t know. There was something about this experience that made me feel weird because the person is in such close proximity to me and because our exchange was so incredibly brief.

I’ve never had anyone actively try and find me on social media like that and I didn’t like it. Am I looking too much into this? Probably. But I still have such an initial grimy feeling that I just had to blog it out. I am not trying to put anyone “on blast”, I’m just trying to not feel weird about this! Is it ever appropriate to try and find someone you met while on the job? How would you react to this situation? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

(And, as always, I have no rights to this video, song, or featured image photo!)

I’m NOT Lonely

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I’m NOT Lonely

Hi everyone and happy Sunday! So, I’m not sure if those of you who aren’t my friends on Facebook are aware but my year and a half long relationship ended (by me) a few months ago. And, believe me, I’m fine. Even if I wasn’t the one doing the dumping, I think that I would be fine. But, the absence of someone who you used to talk to every day for the past year and a half is a little bit difficult to deal with.

I was having this conversation over drinks with my sister last night and I swear, I must have emphasized to her that “I’m NOT Lonely” at least five times. Because I’m not. Really. However, a void has definitely now been made in my life from the time that I used to spend hanging out with and talking to my former significant other. It’s not a feeling of loneliness but I’m more left with the feeling of “what do I do now?”.

It’s just freaking annoying. Like, when you have a boy or girlfriend, you have a built in social life from it. Dinners, movies, drinks, or just simply hanging out. But, once the break up happens, you are left to your own devices. I guess this wouldn’t be a problem if I had a buttload of friends but, in all reality, I have like three people that doesn’t include my sister that I like to spend time with.

It’s weird, because everyone thinks I’m this little social butterfly – but I’m so not. I’m actually quite shy when it comes to new people. I’m not the girl who’s going to go strike up a conversation with a stranger and I’m definitely not the girl who’s good at making friends. So, that kind of leaves me floundering around trying to figure out what to do next.

The way I’m feeling right now is really conflicting because I am totally content with my social life. I am able to see my girlfriends at least weekly, which is super nice. I love going to the bar, the mall, movies, or whatever with them and we always end up having a lot of fun. So why do I all of a sudden feel like I need a brand new friend group? After typing this out, I guess I am trying to “fill the void”, so to speak. It seems that now, it’s more of a matter of finding productive things to do to help use up some of this newly gained free time. Blogging, planning my Europe travels, et cetera.

Wow. Okay. Good one sided talk, everyone! Glad we had it. So, to emphasize again, I’M NOT LONELY:

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Lolol, JK. I just need to focus on doing some things that make me happy rather than focusing on such an apparent loss of someone’s company. Yeah? Yeah. How have you dealt with the post break up void? Has anyone ever felt similarly to what was described in this post? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Beat The January Depression At Work: 3 Ways To Bring Nature Into The Workplace

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For many, the month of January in the office feels like the longest and darkest month of the year. While this can be explained by the fact that January means for all going back to work after the Christmas break, there is no denying that offices often experience a low and depressed mood during the time. While you could try to improve the mood by offering a round of hot drinks to your colleagues or bringing cookies at work, for example, there is a better way to visibly and permanently release everyone from their pressure and their dark thoughts: Invite the great outdoors into the workplace. Here’s how to do it!

Use The Digital Force For A Low-Cost Moral Boost:

For people in a workplace, the winter months can feel especially gray and cold, as there is rarely any chance that it’s a nice day outside. All you can see through the window is generally traffic and rain or snow, depending on how cold it is where you are. Besides, as most people are focused on their screens, it is really tricky to remember that there is a life outside of work. Sometimes, a nature-inspired desktop saver can boost your mood, although you need to be careful with those. Using the picture of a sunny beach can only remind people that working in a town in winter feels a lot different to summer holidays. You could also try fireplace videos as a screensaver, as they bring a feeling of coziness that offices often lack. If you want to revive the interests of nature lovers, try some outdoor wildlife apps on your smartphone: They can help your colleagues remember that there is more to the planet than the office desk.

Bring Natural Elements That Can Release Pressure:

Work can be stressful at times and it is important, especially at the beginning of the year, to create a friendly environment that can help workers to let go of their pressure. This is something that you could try with the addition of an aquarium, as the presence of swimming fish in an office is proven to reduce blood pressure and to boost mental concentration. Besides, it’s a lovely feature for the workplace. Additionally, you could consider bringing in office plants that will help to purify the air and boost the moral and the productivity of colleagues. However, picking the right plant can be challenging without gardening knowledge. You need to choose plants that are sturdy and low-maintenance to make sure that your green office doesn’t turn into a plant graveyard!

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Create A Positive Work Decor:

How you decorate a room and how you use the space within plays a significant role in the mood of those who work there. If you are new to the notion of Feng Shui, you should know that this ancient Chinese philosophy focuses on balancing and harmonizing the energies in a room. The basic rules of effective Feng Shui relate to making the most of the natural colors for your furniture and walls, keeping the air fresh and pure, and balancing the natural Yin and Yang forces in the room. While this sounds a little simplistic, the addition of a Feng Shui compliant decor can genuinely help to boost the mood and the productivity of your colleagues at work.

American Horror Story: Hotel

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American Horror Story: Hotel

Helloooo everyone and happy Tuesday! So as all of you know, I’m an avid American Horror Story fan. I’ve loved it since the beginning at the Murder House to the previous season at the Freak Show. So how do I feel about the upcoming premiere of the new season subtitled “Hotel”? Shockingly, very ambivalent. Check out one of the trailers and allow me to explain:

Okay, yes, Lady Gaga is the new face of AHS and quite frankly, I couldn’t care less. Don’t get me wrong, I love me some Gaga – but I just don’t know how I feel about her taking over one of my most beloved shows. In my humble opinion, Jessica Lange IS American Horror Story. Point blank. Period. It will be exciting to have someone dare I say, younger than the previous leading lady but Gaga is the wrong lady for me. She’s almost too famous for my liking when it comes to the show, if that makes sense? I like how some of the actors on AHS are pretty low key and now that anonymity (for lack of better words) is jeopardized by the arrival of a super star.

I’ve been saying to literally everyone in my social circle who’s an AHS fan that I would have much preferred an unknown actress to take over rather than a mega celebrity ever since it was announced that Gaga would be the main character on the show. And now with the season premiere of Hotel just weeks away, I still stand by that statement. And here’s the thing, I know for a fact that once I see the premiere of season five that I’ll be hooked and more than likely gaga over Gaga…But for now? I’m feeling pretty meh – I just can’t put my finger on it.

Despite my mixed feelings for Miss Meat Dress herself replacing Queen Lange, I must say, the story line for Hotel sounds great. I’ve been really pleased with all of the teaser articles and trailers that I’ve seen as well as the impeccable casting choices with some treasured AHS alumni like Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, and Evan Peters. I’m also very happy that my Freak Show faves, Finn Wittrock and Wes Bentley, will be returning for a stay at the Hotel. However, I am SO pissed that Emma Roberts is returning in this season. I seriously can’t stand her and I don’t think that she’s AHS material in the slightest…and that’s really all I have to say about her -__-

Although my feelings for the new queen bee of American Horror Story: Hotel is lukewarm, I’m still really looking forward to seeing what season five has to offer! How does everyone feel about Lady Gaga joining the cast? Who’s excited for the October 7th premiere? I wanna hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

PS: I’m so aware that my blah opinions on Lady Gaga joining the cast is not the popular one, so don’t judge me too hard! 😉