Tuesdays with Morrie

Another great book to read, Tuesdays with Morrie is along the same lines as The Fred Factor in some ways...wisdom from an old man to a young man (Mitch Albom) about life's greatest lessons. This is a true story about the discussions between an old professor and his favorite student, the former dying from Lou Gehrig's disease.

Thirteen discussions about the social issues of the world: money, greed, cultural self-serving, etc... but also some of the best things in life: family, love, hope, change etc... and mixing them all together in serious discussion with real-life humor also thrown in.

I would encourage everyone to read it. The end almost made me cry! You get to know Morrie and Mitch both, and discover how much human contact and love are important in any relationship and, if you're willing, what you can learn from the previous generation about how to live your life to find true happiness.

The Fred Factor

Now, here is a book that I would recommend to everyone who wants to do better in their business and make their relationships more meaningful (and that should be everyone)--read The Fred Factor.

It's a small book about a mail carrier who does an extraordinary job at what he does. The author, Mark Sanborn, knows this mail carrier personally, Fred Shea, and uses his example to teach us how to be like Fred. The best thing about the book is that he's an ordinary, real-life example of how to be extraordinary in every sphere of life.

How, do you ask, can we be like Fred? Well, here's the major points I got from the book:

Service: One act of kindness a day, rather than random acts of kindness now and then, will make your life better and better the lives of those you serve. It doesn't have to be something huge--it can be baking cookies for someone, paying a bus fare for someone who forgot their wallet, going the extra mile at work, complementing someone or whatever. Seek out those who need help and be the one to answer the call.

Attitude: Your attitude can change the entire course of your day. If you find yourself getting depressed, start naming things you are grateful for...Look for the things that make you happiest and enjoy them. Love whatever situation your in. If you are going thorough tough times, work hard to solve the problem and think outside the box--You may find that something you never thought you would do might be the answer to your problem.

Love: Love the people you work with, thank the people who inspire you, cherish friendships and family members, and for those who are hardest to love, often they are the ones that need love the most. Include, not exclude. Find something good in everyone, not just in those who are easiest to love.

Value: Add value to your work and relationships--remember birthdays, be creative in every sphere, solve problems that at first might not have an answer, remember to be grateful and say so, improve yourself rather than compare yourself to others...Do everything you can to do your best and it will be best for you in the end.

These, among other things, are what I learned from The Fred Factor. I would definitely encourage anyone who wants to improve their workspace and relationships to read this book!

I am grateful for....

Today I decided that rather than linger on the increasingly awkward and headache-inducing goings on of my day, I would say at least one thing I am grateful for--bus drivers.

Now, for those of us who do not drive in this world--and there are very few of us--bus drivers are an integral part of our day (This also includes train and subway conductors and electric operators, for those of us on the other side of the hemisphere or in very large cities that use the metro more.). They probably get up earlier than most of us and spend all day transporting other people around. Some drivers I know have just come to the five year mark of their bus driving, while others have been doing it longer than I have lived--and that could be considered a while.

So, to those of you who drive day in and day out--bus drivers, taxi drivers, metro controllers and train conductors--I thank you! You make my life a little bit easier with your job. The next time you see one of these guys, make sure to thank them for all their hard work and give them a round of applause.

An Update

So since the last time I spoke to you I have gotten used to my new job as tech support at the largest discount company in the world...Access Development. It's fun and interesting and the team is great! Now I will be moving shortly to a new apartment, and I can't help but feel that this is a new stage in life--and it is exciting, yes, but I must say that I have lost sleep over it, which is definitely not as exciting. It's hard to wait for something like this, such a long time coming.

Things are finally coming together on this side of the computer screen, and I sense a new beginning, like standing on a precipice and stretching out your foot just before you fall into it, whatever it is. Whether I hit the water or dry land I don't know, but if (and when) I survive the fall I'll let you know what it was like.

I am also once again feeling the need for adventure, which is odd in some ways because I am so close to starting a new stage, but if anyone has possible ideas, I'm game and open to them always. Hopefully I'll have more good news in the near future....until then, a bientot!

Busy

For anyone to cares to know, I am sorry I've been somewhat out of commission. Not that I have been sick, just busy. I started a new job two weeks ago, almost have the green light on publishing a collection of short stories (I'll update you on that as soon as I know...:) ) and I am trying to also find an apartment while figuring out my life....Busy, as you can tell. As Father Cavenov says in the movie Rudy, "In twenty-five years of religious study, I have discovered two things: There is a God, and I'm not Him."

Although this might seem like something odd to say, it is not so, for though my life is still quite confusing, I know that it will work out and that I will be able to find an apartment soon and find out what I need to know and who I need to be with.

I always wanted a life of adventure, full of new things to try, to do, to experience. Sometimes I must admit I even feel caged and stagnant, which I absolutely hate. As time passes, however, I slowly am beginning to realize that my life is an adventure, with tons of life lessons along the way. I still will always wish to experience more and new exciting things, but in the larger picture perspective, my life has been one of perseverance, faith, and full of love for others that I'm pretty sure will not change with the passage of time. And so I leave you for now, hopefully with a belief in yourself and a knowledge that someone cares, someone far across the void.

A Plan to find work

Hello my friends on the other side of the void....I know it has been FOREVER since I wrote, if anyone cares to be reading this; for those of you who do, this is an update and the workings of a major plan in progress. Basically, here's what happened:

So I lost my job (again), due to budget cuts this time, and have been searching again for a job every day for a month. Lost and confused, my dad and I finally came up with a plan to help me along in my search.
Here is the plan:

1. Still look every day as I have been, but open up the horizon, meaning that I open it up to part-time, full-time and flexible time as well as opening to the type of jobs I'll be doing such as selective retail, administrative, call centers, etc.

2. The Job Journal, or writing down all the frustrations and fears concerning the job hunt in a book that we will later burn when I do get a job. And since I am a writer by nature, also writing freely and creatively as a separate thing--we're not going to burn these.

3. Driving 2-3 times a week (For those of you who don't know, I don't drive. For those of you for whom this is a revelation, now you know.) This is the crazy part of the plan for me, but we have agreed...no freeways.

4. A trip to the LDS temple once a week. This for me is a religious practice that gives me peace, comfort and understanding in a time when uncertainty is the only certainty in my life at the moment and a practice that can lead to guidance and direction.

So there, my friends, is the newest plan. With it, I hope to find the right job for me that I will actually enjoy and eventually be able to move out to an apartment. Victory will be sweet when it comes!

Life

For anyone who may be bridging the gap between the computer void at the moment, I want to give an update on my life right now. Currently I started a new job at Salt Lake Community College that I love already and it's only been two days. I also am waiting to hear back from a couple of publishers and groups that I've sent my work out to for publication (hopefully)--If I got published again, that would be totally awesome! I would love it immensely, though for those who are curious, I have been published before-- in 2007 in a poetry anthology called In Other Words and my articles at Examiner.com, where I have been writing for around six months now.

I am also hoping to expand my social life and circles and to have more friends...Friends are never a bad thing--you never know when you might need someone or they might need you. I am also continuing in a community choir named Crossroads Chorale here in Salt Lake that I started to go to when I first moved up here again after my long stint in Provo.

So anyway, thanks for listening, the someone reading this out there in the void.