Last Minute Gift To Myself

by -

arm-1284248_1920T-minus four days until Christmas and again this year the holiday seems to have crept up on me. How does this happen?

This year was going to be different.

I was ready.

You name it, I was prepared for just about everything.

Except bronchitis.

Showed up at the beginning of December and knocked me down for a couple weeks, refusing to leave.

It’s the gift that keeps on giving, for sure.

While my excuse is legit, it doesn’t change the fact that I’m behind on everything: work, decorations, gifts, and even holiday spirit.

Most importantly, I’m behind on planning for next year.

December is usually when I’m up to my eyeballs getting ready to kick off the next year. By now, I should have outlined my career goals for next year, along with a strategy and tactics for execution.

Instead I laid on the couch and binge-watched last-season’s Grey’s Anatomy.

Now I’m frantically trying to catch up. It’s hard to think strategically when my mind is going in a million holiday directions.

Standing in line at the post office, I started to think in broader terms about goals, more along the lines of a personal mission statement. Which is something I usually don’t like, BTW.

After much thinking about who I want to be as both a person and a professional, I came up with something I’m calling a “Last-Minute Gift to Myself”:

  • Give everything your all
  • Integrity is everything
  • Work with purpose
  • Always have hope
  • Give of yourself
  • Have fun
  • Maximize every experience
  • You can’t control much except your attitude
  • Inspire others
  • Do your best; always try
  • Love deeply
  • Take risks
  • No regrets
  • Forgive easily
  • Exercise more; stress less
  • Eat everything in moderation
  • Buy the new shoes/handbag/whatever (Within moderation, of course)
  • Take the trip
  • Connect with friends

There are more of these; I stopped at what I thought was the best.

The point is that these over-arching ideas are what motivates me as a professional. If I lose sight of these, my career is going nowhere fast and any professional goals I’ve made will not be met.

This “Last-Minute Gift” to myself will serve to remind me of what motivates me as a person. This in turn will help keep me on the right track professionally.

(I encourage you to do the same. To give a “Last-Minute Gift” to yourself by thinking about personal motivation and goals.)

Now I’m ready to think about my goals and strategies for next year.

After I’m done shopping, wrapping presents, and decorating the tree, of course.

‘TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE DEADLINE

by -

dec 25 deadline calendar-148598_1280Thought you might enjoy this work-related version of “”Twas the Night Before Christmas”. We can all relate to deadlines!

This is my second year to run this, although as a writer I’m never quite satisfied with my work and I’ve tweaked it a bit since last year.

Not sure what came over me; perhaps I had a few too many candy canes or other holiday treats. 

Wishing you the best this holiday season!

Tami

 

‘Twas the Night Before Deadline

It’s the night before Christmas

And I must confess,

My office is worse than its usual mess.

The desk piled high with all sorts of junk

Files, papers, pens and some unidentified gunk.

My job is creative yet that’s no excuse

For the piles of work that reach to the roof.

Plus Christmas is here! There’s so much to do

Decorating and singing a carol or two.

Who are these clients that want work done this week?

Will they even read email, or must I send Tweets?

So I ponder and think, and work up a sweat

Doing what most creatives do best

Putting off till tomorrow what I could do right away

The deadline can wait just one more day!

Besides, my best work is done under stress

That’s it! I’ll wait till tomorrow when I’m fresh

So I’m off to the mall to visit the Claus

Knowing the shoe racks may cause me to pause

The hustle, the bustle, the music, the fun!

It’s hard to go home when the shopping is done.

I drive past the houses with twinkling lights

Remembering mine is as dark as the night.

And that’s when the all-night decorating begins

Including trees, lights and inflatable snowmen.

I crawl into bed as the sun starts to rise;

Oh no – I forgot my deadline! I cry.

Back to the desk to write something witty.

Can I come up with something more than a ditty?

Will my clients see the humor here, I pray?

It’s Christmas, after all; not just any ol’ day.

Yet the show must go on, the release goes to press,

Despite that my work resembles a mess.

I’m trying to maintain some sort of humor

Happy Holidays to all from a creative Baby Boomer!

Festive Frantic: A New Way to Work During the Holidays

by -

laundry pile 3The holidays have always been my favorite time of year. Everyone seems to be in a better mood. Places – and people – are more festive, dressed up in their finest. Everywhere you go, there’s an energy that just doesn’t happen during other months.

This year? I’m just not feeling it. I’m going to blame working from home. Honestly, how does one prioritize work and clients amid so many holiday distractions?

My mood might best be described as “Festive Frantic”. Similar to “Festive Casual Attire”, the nightmare clothing category that even retailers have yet to decipher, Festive Frantic is best described as Clark Griswold meets the Grinch meets Martha Stewart.

The movie description reads: A business woman with a passion for Christmas stuck in her undecorated home has an out of body experience as Scrooge.

My home office is hardly the sanctuary needed for working during the holidays. Try as I might, I simply can’t ignore the Christmas distractions happening all around me as I commute from the kitchen to my desk.

I’m convinced that driving through traffic to a “real” office has got to be better right now. At least there might be free treats in the break room.

What? You’re not buying my sob story?

Let me share with you my tale of working amid the holiday distractions that fill my office. A.K.A.”My home”.

  • The tree is upset with me, calling to me from the living room. And rightly so. Poor guy has stood naked for almost two weeks. Friends and relatives visit our home while the Naked Tree stands next to the TV, ornaments close enough to touch but have not yet made it to cover his branches. We should at least put a cowboy hat or something on his head, maybe a belt around his middle.
  • The Christmas Cards, which were created and ordered prior to Thanksgiving, sit – untouched -on the kitchen counter. They talk loudly amongst themselves in hopes that I’ll stop working and starting addressing. It’s so annoying! Yes, they are a deadline too, but not a paying client. Finally had to put them in a “time-out” in the pantry.
  • Holiday treats? Ha! I just laughed so hard I snorted. Ingredients were purchased, but I’ve yet to find time to bake anything. Thank goodness chocolate chips can be eaten by the handful, straight from the bag. Not that I would do that.
  • The doorbell and phone both ring non-stop. Doorbell is due to package deliveries. For neighbors. Because I work from home. And the calls from strangers asking for donations! I’ve started telling them I’m a 501c3 and was about to call them for a donation myself.
  • The lack of gifts under the Naked Tree reminds me I haven’t made it to the mall yet to shop and enjoy the decorations, one of my all-time favorite holiday activities.
  • And the laundry piled on the couch – hardly a festive touch. At least it’s clean.

Holiday distractions – it’s madness, I tell you! Augghhh!

Wha..what? What just happened? I think I just blacked-out or something. Had the craziest dream – at least I think it was a dream.

We were talking about the holidays and, in a fit of holiday madness, I put work on hold for a minute in an attempt to re-gain control. These distractions are not going to win!

I turned up the Christmas carols and I put bows on top of the laundry pile, adding a festive touch. I may have said something politically incorrect to a client or two, like “Merry Hanukkah Christmas Kwanzaa”, to cover all my bases.

Shopping and cards were combined into one fun event. Once I finished my marathon shopping at the mall, I bought one of those fancy coffee drinks, found a bench and simply handed my cards to anyone who passed by. Done!

It’s possible that I’ve eaten more than my share of chocolate chips in the last twenty four hours. On a chocolate “high”, I “may” have put an “Out of Office I’m On Vacation” notice out to my clients just a wee bit early.

As I look around, the tree seems to be smiling. And I know for certain that Hubby is missing a belt.

‘Twas The Night Before Deadline

by -

deadline

This week I’m taking a break from my usual career talk and posting something creative.  Not sure what came over me; perhaps I had a few too many candy canes or other holiday treats. 

Actually, I wrote a version of this for my editor at the Dallas Morning News where I’m a Community Voices Columnist.    And I thought you might enjoy this version – we can all relate to work deadlines!

Wishing you the best this holiday season!

Tami

‘Twas The Night Before Deadline

‘Twas the night before deadline

And I must confess,

Not a word written yet not a prose or a jest

The desk piled high with all sorts of junk

Files, papers, pens and some unidentified gunk.

My job is creative, I won’t argue that

It’s hard to think when I can’t see over the stacks

Plus Christmas is here! There’s just so much to do

Decorating and singing a carol or two

So I ponder and think, and work up a sweat

Doing what most creatives do best

Putting off till tomorrow what I could do right away

The deadline can wait just one more day!

Besides, my best work is done under stress

That’s it! I’ll wait till tomorrow when I’m fresh

So I’m off to the mall to visit the Claus

Although the shoe racks may cause me to pause

The hustle, the bustle, the music, the fun!

It’s hard to go home even though shopping’s done.

I drive past the houses with twinkling lights

Remembering mine is as dark as the night.

And that’s when the all-night decorating begins

Including trees, lights and inflatable snowmen.

I crawl into bed as the sun starts to rise

Oh no – I forgot my deadline!  I cry.

Back to the desk to write something witty.

Can I come up with something more than a ditty?

Will my followers see the humor here, I pray?

It’s Christmas, after all; not just any ‘ol day.

Yet the show must go on, the blog goes to “press”

Despite that my post resembles a mess.

I’m trying to maintain some sort of humor

Happy Holidays to all from one creative Baby Boomer!

When You Give A Girl Some Egg Nog

by -

Egg nog

What one word or phrase would describe your house right now? Festive? Decorated? Santa-ready? Stockings hung by the chimney with care?

My word is un-Christmas-y.

What? That’s not a word, you say?

Don’t argue with me; I’m not in the mood. If I say it’s a word, it’s a word.

Despite my current state of mind, I love the holidays. Both Hubby and I do.  We go all-out: décor outside and in; a fully decorated “real” tree (nothing faux here); an explosion of red and green everywhere.  The highlight for us is our Christmas card, a unique creation that visually tells the story of our year.

We decorate as though we had children. Our four-legged fur daughter just sighs each year when we bring in the tree that blocks her view of the backyard.

We love having people over to share the holidays and have fun in our home.  No grinches allowed!

Yet this year is different.  We’re just not in the mood.

Hubby’s travel schedule has been grueling. This fall my travel was crazy too.  Both of us have shoulder injuries that have us feeling less-than-one hundred percent.  And recently we’ve dealt with sad news of the passing of two friends just at holiday time.

That all adds up. And it’s drained us.

Where does that leave us decoration-wise?

We purchased the dead tree, a.k.a. a Christmas tree, and even managed to get the lights on.  But that’s it.   We added a few poinsettias, thanks to mom and her voracious appetite for Black Friday sales.  In a burst of energy fueled by caffeine and football excitement, Hubby even got the decorations out of the closet and moved them to the living room where they’ve sat ever since.

The boxes and bags allude to holiday décor, with labels that read, “Green and purple glass ornaments”, “Assorted Christmas stuff”, and “Wooden Nativity”.  All are marked “Fra-gee-lay”. 

That last one was our attempt one year at Christmas humor.  Watch the film, “A Christmas Story” if you don’t understand.

To top things off, Hubby took off again this week on one of his whirl-wind business trips.  That means if I want decorations, I’m on my own.

Part of me wants to just sit on the couch, eat cookies, drink some egg nog, close my eyes and hope that Santa’s Elves will magically appear, decorate and leave.   

The problem with that plan, aside from the obvious – that the elves would put the ornaments in the wrong place, duh – is that it means I’ve ceded control of my Christmas holiday.  I’m letting other things take the reins in terms of the way I want my holiday to turn out.

Now that I think about it, I don’t let other people or things take control of my personal brand message in business; why should I let a little tiredness or holiday cray-cray get the best of me and take control of my Christmas?

Well that’s not happening to this gal.  I’m going to pull myself off of the couch, drink my eggnog, turn on the holiday tunes and start decorating.  Watch out; our house will be decorated so well that when Hubby gets home he won’t even recognize this place!

That’s what happens when you give a girl some egg nog.

Merry Christmas!

by -

ugly sweaters

It’s Christmas Day, and for us that means a quick visit with my sister’s family.  We love flying on the holiday; the airport is full of travelers and people seem so happy. We laugh at those who neglected their holiday shopping until this very moment and are now frantically searching the airport shops for gifts. I’m pretty sure a People magazine and a tin of breath mints will be a “memorable” gift, although not in a good way.

Sometimes Hubby and I have been known to wear Santa hats or other holiday gear for this trip.  Not so much to show our holiday spirit, but more to embarrass our niece and nephews when they pick us up at the airport.  As young adults they are still concerned with being “cool” or “awesome” or whatever you call it now.

We, on the other hand, feel so uber-cool that we can do anything without ruining our hard-won reputations. This year, we’ve taken holiday embarrassment to an entirely new level, with matching ugly Christmas sweaters.

We can’t wait to see their faces when they pick us up!

If I may be serious for a moment: Thank you for your support throughout the year!  I write because I enjoy it, yet it’s your comments, tweets and “likes” that push me to do more.  Today and every day, I wish you joy, happiness, laughter and peace.

WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST THIS HOLIDAY SEASON!