Stepping back and rethinking

There comes a time when you need to step back and rethink all your different priorities. This has happened to me, and I have had to rethink some of my goals as well as my priorities. I was one of those people that had to please everyone in the past, and I didn't care if I was happy or not. Doing this causes a lot of problems because you don't really feel happy when you are doing some of the things you have agreed to do.

Being able to rethink your goals is a project because you have to think of why you are aiming for that specific goal, was it to please someone else or to please yourself. It does take some time because it can also mean redoing the goal so that it is more for pleasing yourself. Some goals just get deleted because when you realize you aren't going to achieve it and be even a bit happy, there is no point in doing it.

I was one of those people that had to please everyone, and I would forget about pleasing me. I came to realize that there are some people that no matter what you do you will never please them, so why try. This step was a huge thing for me to realize, and since doing that I have felt better and have given up trying to please these people.

I now have goals that are for me and help me be happy. I am not saying that you put yourself first all the time, I am saying you need to remember to do things that please you as part of your life. How you feel is very important because if you aren't happy, you can't really make others happy, or at least the people that count.

Where has the word "thanks" gone

Yesterday, when we were out and about, I heard a very interesting comment from someone.  "Where has the word thanks gone."  That is so true because so often people don't remember to say a simple thanks when you do something for them.

Maybe I think about this the wrong way, but I think part of this is the "entitled generation" that expects people to do things for them without having to say thanks.  I know not everyone in that generation is like that, but it is frustrating when such a simple word is missed.  A simple word can really make a difference on how you are dealt with and respected.  The situation yesterday was an eyeglass salesperson adjusted a girl's glasses that had been bent out of shape.  Something that does take a few minutes and meant the girl could see better once it was done.  Neither the parent nor the girl said thanks, and considering there were no cost, thanks would have been really nice.  The sales person then after not getting a thanks turned and said "you're welcome" making it known that the family hadn't said anything.  The father looked a little shocked and then said thanks, but the girl never did.  I guess it really says a lot about how people deal with others.

I know the word "thanks" isn't a big deal, but it can make such a difference to how people respect you and deal with you.  Maybe just acknowledging what someone did for you with those 6 letters could make a big difference.  I know when someone says "thanks" to me for something that I have done, I feel appreciated.  Sometimes what I did wasn't such a big deal, at least I know the person appreciated what I did for them.

Remember, say "thanks" and let someone know you appreciated what they did.

Some days

Well, there are some days that I think I should just go back to bed and hide and let the day just pass me by.  Today was one of those days and I have to admit that after just two hours of working I wanted to turn off my computer and blackberry and let the rest of the day just happen without me.

I think everyone has those days every once in a while, and I just happened to hit it very hard this morning.  I have been able to deal with all the issues that have hit my desk the best way I could.  I know some of the issues still aren't resolved, but at least I have started that process to ensure everyone is happy and all the issues have been dealt with.

Knowing that I can get things resolved does make me feel happy, knowing that even when things are going crazy around me, I can still get things accomplished.  I may not be working as quickly or efficiently as I normally do, but at least little things are getting done.  OK, my to-do list today has just got longer, but at least I know what I need to work on and hopefully will figure out a plan of attack later.

Some days are crazy, but at least I know that things will get better, and I will get things accomplished.

Snow

It's amazing to watch people drive when it snows out.  Ontario got a lot of snow on Friday, and some people drove like it was perfectly dry out.  I was able to watch one truck fishtail a couple of times, and I am not sure if he made it to where he was going or not.  The media kept saying to drive slowly and be patient, and you would get to where you were going.

For me, it meant a day to watch people through a window instead of being out in it.  The most amazing thing was listening on Saturday to people complaining about the roads not being plowed on Friday.  I had watched the plows go by at least 3 times during the day trying to keep ahead of the snow but considering we got between 25 and 35 cm in under 24 hours it was a lot for a city to handle.

The city seems to be able to get the roads cleared as much as they could, but it was the cars that were parked on the sides of the roads that made it difficult.  Lots of cars parked on the roads meant that the plows couldn't get close to the edge of the road, resulting in narrower roads.  Hopefully now that the snow has started to melt, things will start to get back to normal.

My advice when it snows like it did on Friday, stay home if you can and avoid being out on the roads and dealing with the individuals that don't know how to drive in snow.