Complete this statement: "When I work with people..."

My oh my… what’s new you ask?  LOTS

I’ll go in order of importance, starting with the very UNimportant.  I think I’m coming to terms with our messy house.  Maybe.  I become dissatisfied when I compare my home to the very picked-up and put-together homes of friends.  And I tend to blame Superman because the mess doesn’t bother him and therefore he doesn’t clean.  But I am a self-confessed slob as well.  I’m just not proud of it. 

Combined as a couple we tend to leave cabinet doors opened after we get what we need out of them, empty cans and bottles wherever we finished drinking them, clothes wherever we took them off (aka: everywhere.)  Its just lazy is what it is.

Just this evening we had to create for ourselves a "set time" for writing thank-you cards.  YES we are still writing them.  For our WEDDING.  YES, that was almost a year ago.  We are pathetic.  If you doubt that at all... Listen to what we came up with.  Each and every night we have frozen pizza for dinner, we will sit and write thank-you cards (rather than watching TV) during the 12 minutes it takes to bake.

Sad.  So sad.  But its actually a step up.

I think it will be better when we have kids because we will teach them slave labor at a very early age.

Speaking of kids… we had a slightly more concrete discussion this evening about when we want to start having them and I think we’re on the same page.  I’m not going to publish our decision here, but I’m glad to know where we stand pretty clearly.  Of course you never know with plans… they rarely go how you plan them.

And along a similar line:

When I think of having kids… my feelings are very different than a mere three months ago.  I’m actually SAD to consider no longer working.  I can hear you now…”How is this possible?!”  Well, did I mention I began a new job a little over a week ago?  Because I did.  And I can’t begin to enumerate all the blessings this job-change has brought forth.

Of course, Blessing Numero Uno is that the immense pressure and dread of heading off to teach a classroom of teenagers everyday is no longer there.  Even the most hectic days of this week have been such a sigh of relief because I’m doing my work without an audience.  Hallelujah.

People have been asking me how things are going, how I’m adjusting, whether I’m liking it… and I can only respond, “I am SO thrilled to be here.”

Since I said I couldn’t begin to enumerate ALL the blessings, I’ll just tell you about one more.  Amidst all the busy-ness and hard work of a day in the office today… I was invited to attend of meeting with fellow-co-workers who meet every other Monday to discuss an inspirational book.  (The current one is called “The No Complaining Rule.”)  I was fascinated by this concept.  Taking time out of work?  To talk about our attitudes and how we can improve our workplace by taking responsibility to eliminate negativity?  Lord knows I could use a little less complaining in my life.  So I went.

WOW. 

I was taken aback as I sat alongside Senior Financial Reps (including the big boss-men) and we discussed the things we had done that day that earned us an A+.  Sound corny?  It was a little.  But we literally went around the table and shared an “A+ moment” from the day.  (My family does something similar to this around the dinner table at home called “Say your high and your low)… but it was so different to do at work!   People describe successful meetings, exciting potential employees, completed tasks, etc.

We then discussed concepts from the book.  The uselessness of judging or criticizing other people for any reason… the harm of complaining… the horrible effect that negative people have on a work environment… the spirit and attitude we want to have as a company and how that is more important than the “outcomes.” 

 The theory was that too many companies focus ALL on the “fruits” (the productivity, the comission checks, the profits) and ignore the “roots” (the relationships you build, the goals of your clients, and the people you help) and eventually BOTH dry up.

I was fascinated by this! 

To wrap up, we were then asked this question,

“If you were to try and describe how one could operate at the highest level of energy, creativity, and cooperation in their daily life… How would you complete this statement?”

When I work with people…

What would you say? 

What do you think would be the BEST way to complete that sentence for you?

Do you want to know what the discussion leader said?

She said the most striking statement she could think to make would be:

When I work with people… magic happens!