Black Friday

Are you one of those people that go crazy on Black Friday?

Do you put yourself through a whole day of bliss torture? Shopping carts run into the backs of your ankles, baby strollers being used as ram-rods to get through the crowds, hours and hours of long check-out lines, and the possibility of getting hurt with merchandise (or maybe another shopper)?

My daughter asked me to go with her a couple years ago. I don't do well with crowds and my very first reaction was to say "no". But my daughter is a persistent one. "Please mom, all you have to do is stand by the cart and I will throw stuff in." Throw stuff in?? Are you serious? The very first store that we went to, I did just that. I stood by the cart while she threw stuff in. And in my amazed, disbelief, awe, I wanted it to be a mental rejection (this is not happening type of thing), I witnessed merchandise being thrown over innocent bystanders' heads. And do you know what that merchandise was? Great big boxes of the battery powered cars (jeeps) for kids. Oh Lord, I wanted to exit that store, and exit it NOW (I am having a panic attack). The next store that we went to (3 hours later) I found the nearest bench and sat there till my daughter was done shopping (I really hope this bench is bolted down, because when I get the urge to sprint out of the store, I might just take it with me).

I ran across an article from Salt Lake City's Target and Best Buy stores. If you love to shop Black Friday, they make it possible for you to gobble down your turkey dinner and then head out for shopping. The doors will open and the crowds will charge. CHARGE!

Did you know that these two stores start planning their Black Friday sales in July? That is almost four months of planning. And it's not just planning the items that they want to mark for sale, those four months are used for training too. The stores provide in-store seminars and classes to teach the employees the ins and outs of handling large crowds. And the number one concern on Black Friday is customer safety. A public shopping facility being trained on customer safety.....does that tell you something? Every employee is assigned a position. This is kind of sounding like a set up for the president to arrive (they have snipers at every entrance and exit. Security in every department. And a walkie-talkie system just in case there is trouble, like a stampede, fist fights, or hair pulling....). Best buy will have an extra 25 employees on hand; Target will have nearly 175 staffers throughout the day.

One fun fact for you: Americans are expected (statistics, gotta love'm) to spend about $450 billion in sales over the holiday season this year.

Me, I am going to stay home on Black Friday with my doors and windows bolted.....The one day of the year I stay home. Okay, two days a year, I don't go anywhere on New Year's Eve either. I will stay home and say a prayer for the people that put themselves through torture.

I Am Still Stuck On Leadership Skills

I was doing some blog surfing and Back Porch Spice lead me to Quay Po Cooks. You will have to check her out because she is an awesome writer, and she made me laugh on my very first visit with this post. First impressions mean a lot. But the amazing thing about this post, it brought back a memory for me and I thought I'd share it with you.

How do you pass the time with the leaders (supervisors, mentors, etc....) in your life? Are you serious with them all the time, or do you mix things up and add a little humor? Make each other laugh....

While I was visiting Quay Po Cooks I was scrolling down her blog posts and came across this title, "When a Man Grows Older, His Balls Get Smaller". Okay, this is suppose to be a cooking blog....The title made me do one of these; forced me to slam back in my chair and caused my eyes to pop wide open. Can you just see that happening? I know you have done the exact same thing when you see something unexpected.

I am going to tell you the story about my own supervisor (leader) experience, and I really hope I don't offend anyone. Yes, I have a dirty minded streak in me.....don't we all? Working 22 years in a factory tends to keep the mind sharp on the funny thoughts, dirty thoughts, and how to strike out at people without being too offensive.

I spent 22 years working in a factory, and if you've never worked in a factory, this is usually what you will find; everyone talks like a truck driver (no offence truck drivers, just a metaphor), a person is judged by the way they look, there are clicks just like in high school, and the gossip is knee deep.

But on the up-side, some of your co-workers are like your second family. And if you think about it, working in a factory has longer hours than your home hours. So that leads to great relationships and poking fun while you work.

My supervisor at the time was male and we were kind of close in age (he was a little older). I was working the night shift, and my supervisor was faced with a deadline on a particular part that needed to be shipped first thing in the morning. He assigned me to do the job. I always worked very well under pressure, but that night my supervisor thought he needed to check the production numbers every thirty minutes. One thing that I never liked was being checked on (treated like a child). Half way through the shift, and being checked on every half hour, I decided to put an end to it, or try to anyway. He came up behind me one last time and asked how the numbers were looking. I turned around (with a smile on my face, of course) and said, "If you're going to ride my a$$, you better be pulling my hair."

IT WORKED!! And the look on his (blushing red) face was priceless. He had the same look as I had when I ran across the post article about men's balls. Buggy eyes, a step back, and SILENCE.....Yup, left him speechless. I didn't see him the rest of the shift. And yes, the production numbers were met for the morning shipment.

After the little pep-talk, words of encouragement, and dumbfounding the supervisor that night, he figured out that I didn't have to be checked on constantly.

I am working my way toward filling a supervisor position myself and I have been searching for ideas and suggestions that will make me one of the BEST. Funny stories and personal experiences are helping me along the way....

"The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You DEVELOP the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it." ~Elaine Agather

I am going to print this list and keep it near by for when I fill my leadership job role:

1. Have fun (cheap) toys handy to pass out to employees during the working hours. Foam dart fights after a long tedious day of work will relieve stress.

2. Have good ice breakers during a bad day (funny photos on the wall) just to get employees to laugh.

3. Place humor in documents and memos (Chaos, panic, and disorder - my work here is done!)

4. Will I want people to read manuals? Write on a random page (10) that the first 10 employees to mention the page receive a gift (a T-shirt, and the T-shirt would say, "ask me about page 10").

5. Issue dollar fines for excessive whining, and use the proceeds to have a team party.

6. Include competitive FUNdraising. Each department competes to see which team can raise the most money for a charity, with the winning team receiving a prize.

7. Take the blame when an employee fails or messes up.

8. Celebrate screw ups - allow employees a means to feel it's okay to say we screwed up.

Leaders and employees that play together stay together. When fun is encouraged employees or team members are inspired.

Hugs for Always,

Angie

"FAITH"

Over the last few days the word "FAITH" has been appearing everywhere for me. In my emails, on blogs, under my pillow, in the shower, and in my thoughts. So, today I intend to take some time and find out for myself what faith really means. Is it a dream? A vision? A hope? A demand? Is it expected?

According to Merriam-Webster, "FAITH" has many meanings. When we hear the word "faith" we automatically think religion, but it is much more than that. "FAITH" is huge and it only has five letters.

Definition of FAITH:

1. a: allegiance to duty or a person - LOYALTY

b: (1) fidelity to one's promises (2) sincerity of intentions

2. a: (1) belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion

b: (1) firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) complete trust

3. something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially: a system of religious beliefs

We never really know what's going to happen in our lives, and every single human being on this big faced earth has a need for certainty. Our need for certainty is, having our car start every day, placing food on the table every day, having a place to sleep at night, and for some, the certainty of money in the bank. Certainty is the sibling to "FAITH". But too much certainty can sometimes stop us from growing or moving forward. That is why we lean on faith more heavily, and leave certainty as a sibling.

The word faith comes from Christian teachings, but it is expandable. Very expandable!

Hebrews 11:1 says, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for." SURE" (impossible to doubt or dispute; certain) and "HOPE" (to wish for something with expectation of its fulfillment) in the same sentence......HUM! But if you think about it, faith IS being sure. Children have faith in their parents, and they are sure their parents will provide. Adults have faith in the companies they work for, and they are sure their company will provide. And I'm not about to bring politics into this post, because (my opinion) faith in our government is dying quickly.....

Now if you bring hope into the mix; children hope for a great childhood, and adults hope for a fulfilling life, which creates "FAITH".

To best understand faith, you can look at it this way: It is made up three words, assurance, substance, and reality.

Assurance - Suppose I owe you $40.00 (we're in a recession, so that's enough), and you ask me, "Where's my $40.00 dollars?" I would say, "I don't have the cash on me, but I do have my checkbook, so I'll just write you a check." You accept the check, and the check is your assurance that you will get the money (as long as it's in my account). The check is as good as cash in your hand. Your confidence is, you will get the money because you have the check. Assurance in "FAITH".

Substance - Something beneath you to hold you up. "Sub" means under. "Stance" means something to stand on. Something that is firm enough to hold you up.

I am to short to reach the top cupboards in my kitchen. I keep a stool in the kitchen to lift me up so I can reach the top shelf. The stool is the substance that is going to guarantee my reach. Faith is what holds you up and supports you through life. Faith is the sub-stance of your life.

Reality - The authenticity of something. Faith makes things real to you even when you can't see it. If someone in your family passes away, and you were told during the reading of the will that that person left you a large money certificate, a money certificate that you didn't know about. A lawyer would hand you the certificate and that guarantees the money is yours. That is something you have not seen before turned into reality. That is also "FAITH".

Our faith, our assurance, our foundation, and the reality of our LIFE is based on what we hope for. It is all based on our "FAITH".

We must believe in something, have faith in something, and bring in a little certainty. That is the perfect recipe for synchronicity.....our God, ourselves, an idea, a cause..., a forward fulfilling life is all based on "FAITH".

I am so glad I took the time to research this information, because now I know how to react when the word faith appears a million times throughout the day. It is telling me that I need to work on my sub------stance. Find a firm foundation and make it grow.

Hugs for Always,

Angie

Organization

Have you been wondering where I've been? Well......I'm.....

How do you keep track of the thoughts in your head?

I have so many thoughts going through my head all at the same time, and sometimes everything wants to jam up like a huge traffic jam on the highway, and then I have to sit and wait for things to clear for days....not minutes or hours like a normal traffic jam, but days.

I don't know what you see in your thoughts, but I do a lot of "what if's", "if only", "I need to", "why?", "can I work this in?", "what will the outcome be?", and "how can I help?"

See, I told you it was a mess.....

Well, I have decided that enough is enough! I'm tired of fighting with myself and it's time that I clear my thoughts and put things into action. I should have saved this for a new year resolution, but I can't wait any longer. I have to do something NOW!

I have decided that starting Monday morning (and this can mean 12:00 a.m. Sunday night) I am going to create a schedule for myself and stick to it faithfully. I already have my calendar all marked out (not an electronic calendar, because that would tempt me to surf the internet). I used a paper calendar with a pen.....call me "old school", I don't care. I have to find something that works for me.

I find myself trying to pack more into a 24-hour day than is humanly possible, applying short cuts. And what do I do when I get to the end of the day? I look back on my day to see what I have accomplished and the view is never really that good....Actually I never really accomplish anything. I almost never complete things. I have good intentions every morning when I get out of bed, but my accomplishments at the end of the day are either unfinished, or never got started. Do you ever feel like that? I think that has a lot to do with the traffic jams in my head and being unorganized.

I have decided that I am going to get organized (place accurate traffic lights in my brain where they belong) on my schoolwork and appearance. Yes, appearance. I have never really had a major weight problem, but when 50 (okay, to be exact, it's 46) extra pounds is placed on someone and it's not suppose to be there....that extra weight tends to make that person feel miserable. And I am miserable!! After I lost my job of 22 years, the pounds crept up on me before I could stop them. I don't want to break into a sweat anymore when I get dressed in the morning, or feel out of breath just from putting on my pants. GEEEESH!! And I have a whole dresser full of size 10 jeans that are just sitting there begging to be worn....

Time management and weight loss have a lot in common (and both of these probably come sliding in behind the Get Rich Quick industry). People want instant results, but really don't want to put forth the effort to make things happen or change. Everyone knows to lose weight you eat less and move (sweat) more. To manage your time you take on less and concentrate harder on what you do tackle. But the simple things (less) are the hardest to tackle. That is why my accomplishments at the end of the day are unfulfilled. The simple things get pushed aside and I focus more on the large things. The things that are impossible to finish in one day. It is now time to stop that! I need an even-steven and I need it now.

Have you ever given thought to owning a pedometer? If you think about it, a woman is constantly walking, whether it be doing daily chores, shopping, or chasing children. Can you imagine what it would be like if we didn't combine our daily routine things? STOP MULTITASKING!! For example, instead of trying to see how many grocery bags you can pile on one arm, one finger, or one neck, maybe consider taking one bag at a time. Back and forth to the trunk 20 times instead of 1. That pedometer would be smoke'n by the time you got all the groceries in. The same thing with laundry. Instead of packing your arms full and balancing everything with your chin, how about placing one piece of laundry in the washer at a time. Pile them on the floor, bend, pick-up, twist; place in one shirt, bend pick-up, twist; place in one pair of pants, etc....There are so many ways we can keep ourselves active with everyday routines. Park farther away from the store or workplace.....walk farther. Let your 2 year old run loose in the house. Guaranteed to create exercise for mom.

So, now it's time for me to take my own advice and stop sitting in this computer chair typing all day long. I am going to get in some extra steps, and extra physical activity. If I'm going to live for a long time, I sure do want to be able to enjoy life.

Hugs for Always,

Angie