Grateful

Today I want to talk about how greatful I am for all the people in my life. Not just the people I see and talk to everyday, but EVERYONE!!

I am currently unemployed (due to a layoff) so in addition to finding the perfect job, I spend my days cleaning things in my apartment that I have never thought to clean before, reading people's blogs, watching TV (sadly my TV watching has gone up--I attribute it to the late winter we are having in Salt Lake City), going to the gym and looking for new and interesting things to do. But really the highlight of my day is hearing from people via email, text, phone, facebook or other modes of communication.

I delight in hearing from them not because I am bored or lonely but because lately I have been noticing how brilliant the people around me are and seeing their wonderful attributes.

One example--I have been working on my resume lately. I have found it difficult to summarize what I have done at various jobs because quite frankly, each job deserves more than a few bullet points!! I have honestly put my guts into the different jobs I have had. I am not your typical 9-5er!! I have stayed late at jobs not because I was required to or because I wasn't efficient in my work, but because I knew that if I stayed late, then I could go above and beyond and make a project or my company that much more competitive or that much better. Not everything that I did have tangable, immediate results.

At my last job, I was a center manager and sales manager. I was responsible for leasing executive office space to individuals and companies. But was that all I did? Heck no!! I stayed and did the paperwork behind everything after hours so during business hours I could be out front where current clients stopped by because I felt that it was important. Yes, I did increase the number of suites occupied in my center and that is very satisfying, but even better is hearing the CEO of my company say that I created a feeling of welcoming to my center. He said he has noticed that anyone who comes in feels at ease and welcomed to the place. Clients who have wanted to upgrade from my center (class B space) to a nicer building told me they were set to do it, but don't want adjust to not having me and my employees to work with and see on a daily basis. How do you quantify that in a resume???

But I sent my ho-hum resume to a friend and within minutes she emailed me back giving me pointers and hints about how to list and quantify my accomplishments. Gosh, I am so grateful for her!!

I have a roommate that has been going though a lot of family issues as of late, but does that stop her from making my day a little brighter? Does that stop her from making the lives of others that she interacts with happier? Not at all.

Really when it comes down to it, I feel that I have become a better person for knowing the people that I have known and currently know. I just hope I can do the same for them!!

New Years Thoughts

New Year, new effort to chronicle the goings and comings of my life.

At the start of the year, I reflected on the things that happened that were significant during the last year:
1. My dad having a quadruple bypass
2. Getting laid off from an extremely stable job
3. Cops deciding that I need loads and loads of tickets
4. Not being able to register my car because of an over-vigilant mechanic who failed me on inspection, getting 2 tickets and almost getting my car impounded, but talking the cops out of it
5. Things getting tense in the house I lived in and having to find a new place to live
6. A rock flying up and chipping my windshield and several minutes later cracking my windshield
7. Getting hit, head on by a driver driving too fast in the snow and having $3600 of repairs to my car

I am sure there is more, but that is all I remember right now. Yes, to me it is a significant list and when thinking on it, I decided that 2010 HAS to be a better! A good friend of mine helped me alter my perception of the intense year I had.

1. My dad is in fantastic health and because of his great health, didn't have a heart attack and cause more damage. He recovered remarkably quickly from his surgery and is doing great!
2. Although I did get laid off from my job, it has been a good thing. Within a week of being laid off, I found a great job with great people doing something that pushes and challenges me more than I was ever challenged at my last job
3. Yeah, the whole getting tickets really is my fault, so I have no one to blame but myself
4. Again, my own fault. I could have taken it somewhere else and had it re-checked sooner than I did (it passed the second time it was checked)
5. This, too is a great thing. I moved with one of the roommates I lived with and things are fantastic! We found a beautiful place to live and the move was pretty easy
6. Life happens
7. The good news is that I wasn't hurt and the other driver wasn't hurt. My car was repaired through his insurance and I am now driving it

Really, when I think of all the good things that have happened this last year, they really make me realize that this last year wasn't so bad. In addition to the items listed above, I travelled domestically quite a bit, saw some fantastic concerts, had new adventures, made new friends, got to spend a lot of time with my sister and her family while they were here for 3 months, grew up quite a bit, learned what it is to be employed and unemployed in a crazy economy, and many other lessons that will make 2010 a dang great year!