New Year, New Habits (from advancedetiquette.com)

Posted on by Sandy

Syndi Seid is a client of mine, and I thought I would share her New Year’s email here. She has a great “tip of the month” you can subscribe to — always something that you can “put into action” to improve your life! — Solitaire
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[Tip of the Month, AdvancedEtiquette.com]

Whenever the New Year arrives, it says to me… “Yippie! I’m leaving behind all the terrible stuff I did last year and beginning a new year with a clean slate.”

For me, a clean slate means New Year’s Resolutions. Do you make them? Perhaps you did at one time, but stopped when you couldn’t stick with them. The key is to make a list according to the SMART method… being Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable, and Timely.

I used to list things such as “lose weight” and “make more money,” yet know I will be contending with these forever… so I don’t bother to list them. Instead, I work on goals and resolutions, some challenging and some mundane, to develop better habits and make me a better person.

Here are my eight New Year resolutions for 2008:

Say “please” and “thank-you” with every request. This means not only with co-workers, but my spouse, family, and close friends, as well. I should treat the people most important to me as well as strangers.

Be on time for appointments and parties. The primary reason I am ever late is because I do not take enough time to think through and plan for traffic and other situations. When I leave enough time, I am never late.

Wait for the green light at all crosswalks. It amazes me how calm I become when I wait instead of crossing, even when I’m in a hurry. The extra few seconds don’t amount to a hill of beans, compared to losing life or limb, causing other traffic jams, or other disasters.

Twice a week, send someone a card and note by regular mail. Thanks to Send Out Cards, it’s easy to build this habit. To all those I have said, “I’ll be in touch, “ or thought, “I wonder what’s new with so-and-so,” I am now taking action. The responses are well worth the effort—tenfold, at least!

Keep all shared items and areas at home and in the office clean and neat. I admit, I have been known to take a pair of scissors from a drawer and not put them back for my husband or others to use. I am also picking up after myself and cleaning all areas I’ve messed up before leaving the room.

Invite someone to lunch or coffee once a month. There are certain friends, co-workers, distant family members, and other acquaintances I’d like to know better. I will now do it by having lunch or coffee with these individuals, once a month. For folks far away, a telephone call will surely be a welcome surprise.

Make a habit of turning off my cell phone and other electronic devices the moment I enter a meeting, restaurant, theater, museum, or other public place.

Not to talk over or interrupt someone while they are speaking. This, I admit, is my worst offense. I get so eager to share information or ask a question, I forget to remain silent until it is my turn to speak.

How about you? Do some of these goals sound familiar and are you willing to make SMART resolutions for 2008? Here are some suggestions on how to achieve results and receive a reward for doing so:

Make a list of six to twelve items, based on displaying better manners, adhering to good etiquette, and generally transforming yourself into being a better person for life. Display this list in a visible place on your desk, on the refrigerator, or wherever you are likely to see it daily.
Send your list to me at doubleohsandy@yahoo.com as witness of your firm commitment. We’ll check back in, by the end of 2008, and if you feel you’ve made your goals, I’ll send you a complimentary gift of congratulations!

Do not tackle your entire list at once. It will be unrealistic and impossible to manage, and you will become discouraged. Choose one or two items each month. As the year progresses, you will make these a habit each month, then add more in subsequent months. By December you will have six to twelve new habits ingrained that will enhance your life forever.

Happy Practicing… and Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!! (The “Cracker Story”)

Posted on by Sandy

Over New Year’s Eve, we have a big bonfire and invite everyone we know to come and throw in lists or representations of things they want out of their life in the new year. Then, after midnight, everyone throws in lists or representations of what they want IN their life, for 2008. One of the gals came with a new tradition — she had a big round “cracker bread” (BIG), and she had everyone say what they thought the “representation” of the roundness meant. Unity — the world — etc. Then, everyone grabs a piece of the edge, and then on the count of 3 everyone breaks their piece off for the New Year.

There were about 8 of us when we did this — and everyone broke the cracker off — when I was bending mine, it cracked off the ENTIRE cracker except what was in everyone else’s hand! Yes, the WHOLE thing. I started laughing, and the gal said she had never seen THAT happen before. I of course held it over my head and said….2008, “O” stands for “Oprah”!

Have a grand new year, all of you!

Your Morning “Coffee”

Posted on by Sandy

A group of alumni, all highly established in their respective careers, got together for a visit with their old university professor.

The conversation soon turned to complaints about the endless stress of work and life in general…

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an eclectic assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal – some plain, some expensive, some quite exquisite.

Quietly he told them to help themselves to some fresh coffee.

When each of his former students had a cup of coffee in hand, the old professor quietly cleared his throat and began to patiently address the small gathering.

”You may have noticed that all of the nicer looking cups were taken up first, leaving behind the plainer and cheaper ones. While it is only natural for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is actually the source of much of your stress-related problems! ”

He continued…’

‘Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In fact, the cup merely disguises or dresses up what we drink. What each of you really wanted was coffee, not a cup, but you instinctively went for the best cups… Then you began eyeing each other’s cups….” ‘

‘Now consider this: Life is coffee. Jobs, money, and position in society are merely cups. They are just tools to shape and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not truly define nor change the quality of the Life we live. Often, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee that God has provided us. God brews the coffee, but he does not supply the cups. Enjoy your coffee!”

The happiest people don’t have the best of everything – they just make the best of everything they have… So please remember: Live simply. Love generously. Care Deeply. Speak Kindly. Leave the Rest to God. And remember – the richest person is not the one who has the most, but the one who needs the least.

The $40 Gorgeous Day

Posted on by Sandy

Yesterday, coming from my pole dancing class, I’d parked about 2 blocks away from the building in which the class is held.

When I had driven into the city it had been a “pretty day,” but in the 2.5 hours I had been inside – WOW. It had become ~unbelievably~ beautiful.

The class is in the Cow Hollow area of San Francisco – which means you see the Golden Gate Bridge, sailboats, marina, etc – and so I started to walk slower….and slower….just amazed at the beautiful day.

I walked so slowly, in fact, that the 2 minute walk took me 15 minutes. And when I got to the car, I had a $40 parking ticket!

So, when asked today by a friend who is “enjoying” (not) the drizzly, cold, nasty New Jersey weather how the weather was in San Fran, I said that, in fact, it was not only gorgeous, it was a “$40 gorgeous” day!!

🙂

This entry was posted in: Fun

Enjoy Your Life, NOW!

Posted on by Sandy

You know – I’m such a lucky Bond grrl 🙂

Today, here in Bond Grrl land, it was grey this morning, but it’s lovely now. Yah yah, I’m supposed to be going to the gym, but I was up in the Russian River helping out a friend going thru a divorce (no work to do? Don’t obsess — get out of the house!), and so I decided, WTH, I would head up a bit farther North and go to my fav winery (Hanna — http://www.hannawinery.com/).

So here I am – the tasting room gal knows me – so I’ve had a couple tasting glasses (gratis) of their new chardonnay, with some nice crackers, sitting on a big redwood picnic table (alone – it’s weekday) in the wine fields.

The crows and sparrows are calling and swooping, there’s a little highway traffic from 101 … but otherwise, it’s me, the crackers, the grapes, and the Chard.

They had a midweek 40% off special and so I bought (yeah. Credit cards. Bad Bond Grrl) some wine for my James for the holidaze he is going to LOVE.

Instead of getting stressed out re “no job, etc.” – except for the buying wine on cards part – this is the Bond Grrl life.

Take a break when it’s offered. Forget the hustle. In a month, it’ll be rainy and cold. Glass’a chard, me, the wine grapes, the sun, the birds.

The gym can wait another day 🙂

Solitaire

This entry was posted in: Fun

Bookin’

Posted on by Sandy

You’d think that being an author kinda ends when you turn the book into the publisher. Not so! Now comes the “visualization” part. Figuring out how to portray your vision on the page, in a manner that’s not going to break the bank (e.g., use lots of fancy colors, ‘screens’ and fonts). Everything from margins, lines, fonts, … ack!

It’s tough, too, to get a mock-up from the publisher and then see mistakes that weren’t caught. Maybe it’s seeing it in more “book-like-form” that does it; just a second ago, I re-read one section and realized that my “math” was off by a factor of 10! (I said in the book divided your age by 10 and multiply by your income, and then used the example of someone who is 40 and making $50,000. My sentence blithely says: “so that’s 4/10 x $50,000 or $20,000.” Um, no. It’s 40/10…and $200,000. Aw, only 10x more…(laugh). Also have been seeing a lot of sentences that, for example, start with “you” (as if I’m addressing the reader) and end with “she” (as if I’m addressing a third party). My publisher can’t be happy that I keep sending little “oh, just one more thing” love notes to her!

Thursday, a friend of my mother’s (my mother is the head of a Public Relations company), who used to book folks on Oprah, is giving a seminar I’m going to attend via telephone. I’m going to get on Oprah, yet! I’m ready to take lots and lots of notes! LAUGH!!!

It’s Done!!!

Posted on by Sandy

Well, amazing but true—I haven’t posted for nearly a year! Why? Lots of reasons…but most importantly, I have been working on my book. And it went to the publisher today!

I am SO EXCITED!

In 5 minutes, I also have an interview with a reporter for Money Magazine—the Universe literally delivered this opportunity “unto” me. I’m excited, and… OK, kinda scared. I just have to tell myself those are butterflies in my stomach—not condors!

Solitaire