Pet Peeves

Conversation Interrupters - I just want to finish my sentence!

Adamant about not wearing a watch - Will you please stop asking me the time?

Noisy chewers - Pass me the muzzle

Rude Customer Service Reps - So you appreciate irony, but please re-read your job description

Loud talking via speaker phone in open spaces- Inside voice? Headset? Closed office? New job?

Sneezing without hand guard - Back away from my face

Indecisiveness - Getting tired...pick one and go with it

Falling asleep on the phone - Oops! Sorry...uhh you have a soothing voice? I felt comfortable?

CD Wrappers - I already paid for it, make it easier

Obnoxious alarms - Pass the sledgehammer

Incorrectly spelling my name - It's 4 letters, are you even trying?

Eggs - Why can't I eat you, even though I am technically not allergic?

Bed Head

Sometimes she surprises me. She is very different... her thoughts, her actions, her desires...all are clear opposites of my typical style. She and I have intense conversations, we negotiate about what we think the best plan of action should be and she often wins...unless I am standing firm.

She is Bed Head.

Getting out of bed can be a real challenge on some days. The inertia is overwhelming. I try to convince myself that it is really in my best interest to move, that I must get up now, but Bed Head is stubborn, she wants more sleep. She doesn't want to be dominated by responsibilities. She is in charge and sleep is her priority. Her tactics are very successful.

My only hope of winning is to somehow get out of the bed. It is tricky, but the moment my feet touch the floor, Bed Head disappears. Her arguments no longer exist. I am left feeling surprised by what she was able to convince me to do, but happy that she has released her grip for now.

A pill a day, keeps the straight jacket away: Mental Vitamin for Procrastination

It starts out as procrastination. It's light, it's fun, it's friendly.

It turns into worry. It's itchy, annoying, but bearable.

It moves on to panic. It's heavy, debilitating and stifling.

It ends in apathy. It's dishonest, delusional and ridiculous.

I have found the solution: stop the procrastination phase early - before it gets to worry - and take action. No matter how small, just act. It's surprisingly easy, satisfying and a big relief!

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy. ~Dale Carnegie

With Your Potential? Only the Best!

I am currently reading Tough Choices, a memoir by Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard. Carly has had a tremendous career, holding significant leadership positions at global corporations including AT&T and Lucent. In her memoir Carly states, "I experienced first-hand the power of high expectations: had less been demanded, less would have been achieved." When I look back at my life so far, I too can see the impact of high expectations...

I grew up in a very supportive home, with parents who taught me to want the best for myself and encouraged me to be a high achiever. The pursuit of excellence became automatic for me early on in childhood. When taking the Common Entrance exam to determine my placement in high school, I identified the top two secondary institutions on the island as my preferred schools. I was successful and attended Immaculate High School for girls. A few years later, when it came time to think about colleges, I applied to and received a scholarship for an elite all women's college in the U.S. - Smith College.

During my high school and college years, I came to appreciate the positive impact of a go-getter peer group. Interacting with talented women who had aggressive career goals, further motivated me to set similar challenging targets for myself. We were all expected to use our talents to deliver big results.

After college, I joined a prestigious global management consulting firm and started what has been an extremely rewarding and successful career in consulting. A large part of my success has been due to the expectations set by excellent mentors, demanding managers and talented colleagues.

Having seen the wonders of high expectations in my own life, I feel the need to share this gift with people around me. It has been very rewarding to see the impact of simple acts such as

• asking about and being genuinely interested in someone's goals
• sharing words of encouragement based on the potential you see (and sometimes they may not)
• brainstorming to identify steps necessary to achieve targets
• checking progress against agreed upon milestones
• celebrating any positive momentum towards realizing stated goals

During these interactions with others, I relay the same message that has been ingrained in me since youth: With your potential? Only the best!

Mental Vitamins

Positive re-enforcement works wonders. I find that a word of encouragement quickly gets me back on track and heightens my productivity levels. Here are some bite size mental boosters from select motivators to help re-energize us throughout the day:

Dale Carnegie

• If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep
• You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you
• Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy
• I deal with the obvious. I present, reiterate and glorify the obvious -- because the obvious is what people need to be told
• Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours
• Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date

Martin Luther King, Jr.

• The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy
• Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter
• If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values - that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control
• Life's most urgent question is: what are you doing for others?

Helen Keller

• Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved
• One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar
• Life is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood
• Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence
• While they were saying among themselves it cannot be done, it was done

Napoleon Hill

• Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together
• A goal is a dream with a deadline
• First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination
• It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed
• Don't wait. The time will never be just right
• Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything
• Cherish your visions and your dreams, as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements
• There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge
• The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail
• Think and grow rich
• When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal
• When your desires are strong enough you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve

Tony Robbins

• Live with passion!
• The path to success is to take massive, determined action
• If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten
• Most people fail in life because they major in minor things
• Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible
• Nothing has any power over me other than that which I give it through my conscious thoughts
• If you can't, you must. If you must, you can
• The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you
• If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you'll achieve the same results
• Questions provide the key to unlocking our unlimited potential
• Things do not have meaning. We assign meaning to everything
• Your life changes the moment you make a new, congruent, and committed decision
• Most people have no idea of the giant capacity we can immediately command when we focus all of our resources on mastering a single area of our lives
• Whatever happens, take responsibility
• Quality questions create a quality life. Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers
• There's no abiding success without commitment
• The past doesn't equal the future

Michelle C. Ustaszeski

• The path of least resistance has been cleared for you, but the road to success is one you must build yourself
• Even if you are not the best at what you do, you can be the one who never gave up.
  When your walls come tumbling down, consider it an opportunity to rebuild something even stronger and better
• Close your eyes and imagine where you want to be. Imagine the complete journey you need to take in order to get there. Now go pack. Your reservations have been made
• The length of time it takes to reach your goal depends on the intensity of your desire
• As you approach your goal, you will realize that childhood fantasies do come true and that you are actually capable of so much more
• When others aim to hurt, rejoice in the absence of your own animosity
• Pain is pain. The difference lies in our inner hospitality. Some may let it get comfortable while others simply show it the door
• It's not the mistake that matters, it's how you interpret the lesson
• If you want to get to the top in life, you are going to have to take the stairs
• Do not wait for your ship to come in, get in your boat and row out
• Never look back and regret, look back and smile at what you have learned
• Don't work on the problem, work on the solution
• If you think you can't, you won't
• You will instantly win any battle when you find peace within yourself
• The right place at the right time is here and now
• Courage is what it takes to admit when you are wrong
• Step onto a clean slate each morning and you will be miles ahead of the rest
• Honesty is fearing a negative response and telling the truth anyway
• If you fail the first time, consider yourself normal and try again. If you fail a second time, consider yourself special for you have what it takes to succeed. If you fail a third time, consider yourself extraordinary, for many people would have already given up
• Give without hesitance and you shall receive great abundance

Oprah Winfrey

• I know for sure that what we dwell on is who we become
• The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work
• Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment
• As you become more clear about who you really are, you'll be better able to decide what is best for you - the first time around
• I believe the choice to be excellent begins with aligning your thoughts and words with the intention to require more from yourself
• You know you are on the road to success if you would do your job, and not be paid for it
• If you neglect to recharge a battery, it dies. And if you run full speed ahead without stopping for water, you lose momentum to finish the race
• The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams
• Whatever you fear most has no power - it is your fear that has the power
• Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have
• We can't become what we need to be by remaining what we are

Zig Ziglar

• You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win
• Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street
• If you don't see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner
• Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful
• Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don't hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people
• You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself
• When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you
• Success is a personal standard - reaching for the highest that is in us - becoming all that we can be
• This I do know beyond any reasonable doubt. Regardless of what you are doing, if you pump long enough, hard enough and enthusiastically enough, sooner or later the effort will bring forth the reward
• Don't let the mistakes and disappointments of the past control and direct your future
• Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will

Friendly Expectations

In this moment I know that I am loved, I am special, I am not alone...my life has again been blessed by you.

Yesterday, you held me accountable. You challenged me to the point of tears. You wouldn't allow me to compromise the greatness you see in me. You accepted no excuses and demanded action.

Today, you listened. You valued what I had to say. There was no awkwardness, I freely shared my thoughts - goals, fears, and insecurities. I wasn't intruding, wasn't wasting your time. You wanted to hear more.

Tomorrow, you will laugh. You will tease me about taking life and myself so seriously. We will relax and take a moment for ourselves. You will make sure that I have fun.

Each day that you are my friend, I am blessed. Your participation in my life is a rare gift. Thank you. Expect me to return the favour.

Wake Up, Brit! You may still have a chance...

In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity -- Albert Einstein

I gave up Britney Spears several years before it was fashionable. I was never too embarrassed to admit that I liked her music. She was an edgy, charismatic performer with catchy songs. My period of loyalty ended in early 2004. I got bored when Britney stopped releasing music and any publicity about her was related to her love life (she married Kevin Federline in 2004).

In 2006, Britney - mother of 2 - announced her split from K-Fed, now known as FedEx. It was with mild interest I watched to see how she would handle this unique comeback opportunity. Britney still had a huge fan base and had removed the underwhelming and widely disliked FedEx. Post-dump, the news has not been positive. Pictures of indecent exposure and signs of risky living have caused fans to leave in droves. I don't care enough to be disappointed in Britney, but I hate to see her waste the opportunity.

I hope the new year will bring better news for Britney. If a miracle happens, I may even re-join the fan club.

Making the Flight - God is good (again!)

Well, first off I agree with you that pulling an all-nighter the day before I have to catch an early morning flight to Minneapolis probably wasn't the best idea...but you have to remember what I said earlier about passion and my intense focus and all that jazz (See "Setting Up My Blog" post for details)

I was supposed to leave the house at 5:30am for a 7:15am flight out of Newark airport. I went to sleep at 3:30am, no sweat...ever heard of an alarm? I set the alarm for 4:15am so I could do some work before I left , but decided that I could actually sleep some more and work on the plane. I told myself to reset the alarm, and kept telling myself that until I woke up again at 5:33am. Oh, 5:33am? I mean that's good, right? That's considered early morning in most situations....wait!!!, in this panic-ridden situation I am actually 3 mins late for the airport car service. After a couple seconds of more panic, I call the driver who is waiting outside the house - on time as usual - and let him know I am late. Alright, now I dash to the shower (thank God I already packed and had put out 3/4 of my clothes to wear...the remaining 1/4 were downstairs in the dryer). Proud to say, I am out the house in 20 mins flat, with 100% of clothing on.

In the car, I simultaneously

• cuss myself for oversleeping (I mean it is day 2 of the new year...sheesh!)
• put on lipstick and watch
• fix hair
• zip up boots
• check time on the clock in the car and on my watch
• pray to God that I make the flight
• calculate the impact of not making the flight

while my wonderful driver is carefully speeding to Newark. (Oh yeh, I of course apologized to him for being late - he was so cool about it)

We arrive at Newark airport in 25 minutes, at around 6:34am (typical travel time: 35-40 mins). I have not checked in, the lines are looong, so I walk to the ticket booking desk to try and get on the next flight. Oh ye of little faith! Next flight is fully booked. I spin my wheels for 45 seconds and then decide to do self-check in for my 7:15am flight. It is now 6:45am.

For self-check in you are only allowed carry on luggage. No problem - I quickly trash every drop of liquid in my suitcase, probably somethings I didn't even need to trash. Goodbye lovely hair lotion from Cape Town, South Africa!!! I run to the security line - liquid free - and get through that mob by 6:53am. My gate is C130, I run passed C123...*pant*, *pant*, I think I can, I think I can. I hear the announcement reminding all passengers for my flight that you really must be on board 20 mins before the flight or else you risk...I couldn't hear the rest because I was still running to my gate.

I make it to my gate and there are 3 passengers still with the agent. THANK GOD. Wow. I calmly show my crushed boarding pass to the agent and walk to the plane doorway. My suitcase can no longer hold on the plane so I check it at the door and walk to seat number 20E, a middle seat behind already crying young kids. I sit, put my bag under the seat, zip my boots (which had to be unzipped during security clearing) and thank God again for helping me to make the flight. I am so grateful, and happy and sleepy...ZZZZZZZZZ

Setting Up My Blog

January 1, 2007

Happy New Year!

As I think about what I would like to achieve in 2007, one thing that continues to ring true for me is : be ye passionate and also consistent. I am motivated by what I feel passionate about....the high energy levels and intense focus associated with passion result in states of extreme productivity for me. However, this is often short-term, as when the initial blitzes of energy fade, there is nothing left to facilitate forward momentum. Passion alone cannot be my sole basis for achievement and so I have added be ye "also consistent". Alongside passion, I must also put in place mechanisms to support follow through.

What am I passionate about? Writing. I had early career goals of pursuing creative writing or journalism. During college I took several philosophy, and literature courses, and did a couple-article stint at the college newspaper. It was during this time that I realized how much I enjoyed expressing myself through written communication. After college, I continued to write on and off for various church bulletins in the US and Jamaica and distinguished myself in my management consultant career as someone with strong editorial talent. So, yes, I am passionate about writing, but I have never committed to it in any consistent manner. Well, it is Jan 1 2007 and since passion now must be accompanied by consistency...my search is on for the appropriate support mechanism(s) for writing.

Enter...My New Blog! (At some point this narrative had to connect to the title Setting Up My Blog) I realized that by setting up and maintaining a blog I would simultaneously tap into passion and consistency. Passion, by having an outlet for written creativity, and consistency, by having to satisfy my many readers (hint!! plug for my blog!) with interesting and fresh items to read. Let the blogging begin...happy reading!!

Cheers to a passionate and consistent 2007!