Who IS The Problem Here?

When challenges slap us up side the head, it’s always good to consider what YOU have to do with the situation and its circumstances.  Truthfully, if you draw a line to the circumstance and its unveiling there are always roads that lead back to YOU and your reaction to the event.

One of my good friends told me about three years ago that her company was going to be offering packages to anyone who had over 25 years of service.  I asked if she was going to go ahead and take one of the offers. She barked back at me, “I am not leaving until they escort me out the door.”  I encouraged her, at that time, to start planning for the day when empty boxes appear on her desk to pack up those 25 year memories while she is being asked to make a quick exit to her car.

Last week she called enraged that the company had offered her a package, had empty boxes on her desk when she returned from HR, and gave her 15 minutes to pack her 28 years of ‘stuff.’  She was yelling “the nerve of them to let me go after all these years of service, dedication and hard work.”  While I agreed with the sadness of the inhumane manner she was being treated, ya can’t say she wasn’t warned!

Why is it that we always hear people say things such as:
“I can’t believe this happened to me!”
“That kind of thing never happens in our neighborhood.”
“He was always so quiet.  I wonder what made him snap?”

Because people do not like to face the truth! Draw the line back to any circumstance in your life and you’ll see you were given warnings, red flags were there, tiny alarms went off inside you and you felt something wasn’t quite right. We sometimes are simply duped by the truth. 

If there are any red flags flapping in your face, take charge of that situation now, prepare for any outcome and do not be caught off guard again!

Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman’s Graduation Speech at Boston University

I wanted to share this powerful message with you.  Read this to one of your children or grandchildren when they have their electronics in their face “communicating” with you!
“I believe fully in the power of technology to change the world for the better. And I believe even more fully in the ability of your generation to use that power to great effect–to rule technology. But you can’t let technology rule you.
Remember to take at least one hour a day and turn that thing off. Do the math, 1/24th. Go dark. Shut it down. Learn where the OFF button is.
Take your eyes off the screen, and look into the eyes of the that person you love.
Have a conversation–a real conversation–with the friends who make you think, with the family who makes you laugh.
Don’t just push a button saying I “Like” something. Actually tell them. What a concept!
Engage with the world around you … feel … and taste … and smell … and hug what’s there, right in front of you–not what’s a click away.
Life is not lived in the glow of a monitor. Life is not a series of status updates. Life is not about your friend count–it’s about the friends you can count on.
Life is about who you love, how you live, it’s about who you travel through the world with. Your family, your collaborators, your friends. Life is a social experience first, and the best aspects of that experience are not lonely ones–they are spent in the company of others.”

Is That Really The Best Outfit They Had?

Summer time naturally brings a more relaxed attitude. School is out. Kids are having fun. Parents are planning vacations.

And, evidently workers view their work attire in a much more leisurely manner. Have you seen what is being worn to work these days? It's embarrassing not only for the employee but for the rest of us who have to look at you all day. Here are some Do Not Attempt To Wear helpful hints when you head to your closet tomorrow morning to pick your ensemble:

1. Flip flops - no matter how much they cost or what type of material they are made from - do not wear them to work. Closed shoes are the best option for safety and sanitation.

2. Ripped or tattered clothes - not a good first impression to see someone with these clothes choices. It diminishes your professionalism immediately.

3. Workout attire - Hello? They are for just that...a workout.

4. Shorts or skorts - risky at best. They are entirely too casual for work.

5. Women's ta ta's - leave your girls covered in the workplace.

If you have committed any of these fashion mistakes, stop. Now!  We beg you. As my grandma would have said, "Dress up and act like you got some sense!"

Thanks!

Check out this posting on Marilyn Easter's Facebook page after attending a seminar in Newberry, SC:
"The motivational speaker I heard at" Annie's Project" for women in agriculture this weekend came quickly back to mind! #1. I shut off the moaning song #2. I took control of my day!!! Phew!! I feel much better!!! Thank you Laura Hamilton for that great program on communication skills and women's issues!!!"

Happy Fathers Day

It’s that time of year when we salute dads! Isn’t it always fun to honor someone who has played a major role in our view of the world?
Some dads are serious and strong disciplinarians. What did we learn from them? The need to be detailed and stay focused on the task at hand.
Some dads are quiet and sincere. What did we learn from them? The need to be a calming force in times of chaos.
Some dads are fun and love to laugh. What did we learn from them? The need to be able to laugh at ourselves and learn from the mistakes we have made.
What was my dad? Joe Hicks was all of the above. He was an amazing man!
No matter what kind of dad you are - enjoy your day being the center of attention!

Farm Women

I recently had the greatest joy of working with Farm Women in South Carolina in a program called "Annie Project" through Clemson University. These amazing women joined together to share ideas, marketing concepts, shortcuts, learn of financial planning, and offer good old fashioned advice to each other in their agricultural lives. No matter the type of farming they did, they had many things in common.

What do you think of when you think about farming? I found out there's all types of farming! Just in this group farming came in: Grass fed beef, raw milk, farmstead cheese and butter, timber, vegetable, eggs, hay, dairy, horses, swine, herbs, organic fruits and vegetables, roadside markets, farmers markets, cotton, peanuts, and nubian goats. Wow!

We often forget about our life line to agriculture and the commitment of the farmers who provide us with nourishment every day. I wanted to give a shout out to these women who all touched my heart!

Sunscreen Safety

Sunscreen is getting lots of coverage since there are new regulations on the SPF coding. The codes are suppose to make us safer.  Sunscreen is suppose to help us reduce skin cancer. These are all great things, right?

Well, have you heard that 1) An ingredient in sunscreen can cause cancer? 2) An ingredient in sunscreen is flammable? Do companies even care what ingredients they are putting in these products so they can make a fortune selling us 'safety'? Geez.

Another Great Customer Experience

I love finding people going beyond the call of duty.  I really appreciate someone providing great service these days.   I found someone who does both very well. Her name is Beverly and she works at a local Laundromat.

Why would I need a Laundromat?  It happened when I woke up one morning to find bright neon green highlighter deposits all over the king sized comforter.  Why would neon green splotches be on the comforter?   I used the highlighter the night before to underscore exceptional thoughts in a book.  I thought I had secured the pen top but I had not.  And as I moved in bed, the highlighter moved with me leaving pools of highlighter in large and small places. Who knew highlighters had so much ink in ‘em lil barrels?

I do not have a heavy duty washing machine so I headed to a local Laundromat that had a sign in front of their business that read, “Let Us Do Your Laundry For You!”  That got my attention.  I walked in with that huge mound of highlighted comforter in my arms, peeking over the heap and, there, I met Beverly.  Beverly walked up and said, “What can I do to help?”

When I explained the situation she looked at me and said, “Do you want it back this afternoon or in the morning?”  No condemnation. No snide remarks. No rolling her eyes at me.  Beverly simply had service on her mind and delivering a clean comforter to me as soon as she could.

I got into a conversation with this effervescent, confident woman and heard her life story.  A foster child most of her life, she worked her way through college, married, had three children, and managed restaurants for years. Now she managed this laundromat because it allowed her more time with her family and fulfilling their goals.  What an achiever!

Beverly knew service inside out:  Service to her family; service to her career; service to her customers; service to her own life choices.

Here’s a big salute to Beverly. Thank you for outstanding service excellence! 

Take Care of Yourself…No One Else Can Do It For You

May was a month when a lot of my friends got sick, hurt, disabled, well, you name it.  I do not know why it all happened at the same time but it did.  Could it just be my age and the age of my friends?  Could it just be bad things happen to good people?  Could it just be that everyone is so busy taking care of life – they forget to take care of themselves?

I think the answer lies in the fact that we do not take care of ourselves anymore.  I have made a living teaching women in my “Superwoman: Are You Invincible?” seminar that if we do not take care of ourselves we do not have a life!

Ask yourself these questions:  During a 24 hour period

1. How can you not have time to sit down to simply breathe and relax?
2. How can you be so busy you forget to go to the bathroom?
3. How can you not know the time of day because you are so focused on taking care of others?
4. How can you get so absorbed in work you forget about your children?  Your spouse?
5. How can you be mad at your family because they never help you out?
6. How can you blame others for the poor shape you are in when you have done nothing to fix
    yourself?

Wanna know why?  Because you have not made you a priority in your own life.  Hey, this is not a dress rehearsal.  We do not get ‘do-overs.’  We do not have the privilege of hitting a delete button and starting all over again.  This is it!   

Make an personal pledge that June will be a month of focusing on yourself.  Believe me, you are well worth it!