Learning to take the next challenge

This past week I thought I was starting to train for my triathlon scheduled for September. I had my training plan in hand to wake up at 5am and head to the gym, the pool or jump on my bike. I could already feel the adrenaline rush that always happens when you start the 12 week count down. I had rehearsed in my mind the statement I needed to make myself get up early; the literal interpretation of the phrase sink or swim. I found the discipline to monitor what I am eating and when by keeping a diet log, and taken on the task of motivating my training buddy, Jeff. But alas, yesterday brought the worst news you could receive: my event has been canceled.

Really? Honestly, you are kidding! Nope, there it was, the down and dirty deflating email that says your goal just vanished. The decision was out of my control and I truly believe my body physically reacted. Every muscle starting to ache as if to say it was letting go of the strength and energy it would have required to run the race. I was, to say the least, disappointed.

And then I turned to the real reason I participate in triathlons: the challenge. This unwelcome news was just another part of the challenge; part of the journey to stop, reflect, regroup and take steps in a new direction and that meant I had to find a new race. So instead of Orlando, I am off to Amelia Island, where I will be swimming in the ocean vs. a lake, biking a flat course and hopefully having a little cooler weather to run in. The race is 2 weeks later then the original date and so I am off to modify the training plan. A lesson learned in how to set new goals and reaffirm commitments.

The other reason for training has to be the amazing individuals that I have on my team, from my running coach Robin Adams, my swim coach Christine Sanchez, to my training buddy Jeff. I never feel afraid of asking for help from my team. They are the people who have given me encouragement, guidance, and support, and I can always rely on them to have fun. So this is me starting over, a new 12 week training plan and I hope you will be part of my journey!

-Emma ><((">

The Allure of Allure

Products call out to us. I'm talking about items that we absolutely love, but know that we don't need. What’s your vice? We all have one. And sadly these things we could buy for a reasonable price, but we instead feel compelled to buy because of a brand name or something about it that draws us in.

Has anybody noticed lately that Coke product two liters are now curvy and contoured? They are a lot more interesting than regular two-liter bottles. The original contour glass bottle was created in 1916 to help Coke stand out from the pack, and in 2009, it is working yet again. The first time I saw the new bottle, I immediately wanted one in my refrigerator. Why, I really don’t know. Coke marketers know what the heck they’re doing.

Let’s talk about purses. Honestly, what is a purse intended to do? Carry items. Sure, many people want pretty and stylish purses because they are basically accessories with a higher calling then say, a satchel or a plastic bag, which have the same exact purpose. However, people spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on Coach, Louis Vuitton, Dooney and Burke and other high-end purses. Are they really any prettier and well-made than other purses? Do these purses have magical powers or special abilities that purses that cost around $20 don't have? But there is a certain status that people feel when they're carrying around a $500 piece of fabric. Funnily, these pieces of fabric could easily be ruined, stolen or out-bagged by a hotter, trendier, more expensive bag. Hmmm…

One of my shopping addictions is hand soap and fragrant Wallflowers plug-ins from Bath and Body Works. For some reason, I feel like my house is prettier and better smelling if everything comes from Bath and Body Works. However, unless on super sale, hand soap costs $5 and Wallflowers refills cost $12! Why isn't other hand soap and home fragrance that costs a lot less just as good in my eyes? Because I am mesmerized by the allure of owning Bath and Body Works allure. I also like the cute bag these items come in and I like thinking, my house is awesome thanks to Bath and Body Works and my friends will think I'm cool. Oh, that makes me feel gross just saying that!

I recently splurged on a $25 Twilight movie themed umbrella. I guess while I was in Borders admiring and then purchasing this piece of junk, I forgot that umbrellas cost about $5 at most other stores. Oopsie. At that moment, I really wanted my head to be covered by a pretty vampire and his muse during rainstorms, and hoped people would think: "That's a girl with a really clever Twilight umbrella - God bless her." I now kind of wish I had that extra $20 in my bank account AND the $5 umbrella. When it's raining, who on Earth cares what other umbrellas people are carrying?

The allure that pulls us in and makes us spend, spend, spend even goes as far as alcohol. Who wouldn't want to drink Patron instead of generic tequila? That's not sexy! We want to say, "I'm drinking super expensive Patron suckers!" How about just pouring some water in a shot glass and pretending to get really drunk? I don't know, think about it. There would be a lot more money in your pocket in the morning and a lot less of a hangover headache.

Let's face it, certain material objects make us feel really special. But to who? Ourselves? Aren't we special enough just being us?

I remember when I was in middle school, I had to have a Swatch watch and Reebok sneakers and Guess jeans. I didn't feel awesome or cool if I didn't have these things. I was pretty sure people would like me better back then if I had expensive things. Guess what? They didn't. I was kind of nerdy and people were mean to me no matter what I had and wore. I should've just saved my parents a whole lot of money and worn clothes from Wal-Mart. Back then though, I would not be caught dead in Wal-Mart in fear that somebody would see me.

Today, I think stores such as Wal-Mart and Target are possibly the coolest places ever. I welcome running into people - because it means we're both smart and like to save money! I can find pretty much anything my heart desires - clothes, shoes, purses, hand soap, home fragrance and wow, even a watch that is a lot better quality than the $75 Swatch I used to sport.

I guess it just comes down to having enough confidence to realize that we are not what we own. I can certainly agree that you do get what you pay for and there are some items (such as electronics) that you shouldn’t skimp on. If you buy the cheapest TV, it will probably act like the cheapest TV and won’t last very long.

However, if you know what you’re doing, finding shortcuts and forgetting about brand names can take you on an exciting, money-saving journey. I get so many compliments about this amazing pair of sunglasses that I just got. Guess what, they were $5. I'll probably break them in a few days because I have awful sunglasses karma. I’ll be a lot happier to be out $5, than say $50 or $150 for a piece of plastic that I am indefinitely going to sit on, step on, lose, drop, run over or burn up (don’t even ask me about the demise of those sunglasses).

In times like these, it is good to remember that we are a lot better than brand names. YOU are cool and awesome no matter where you buy your stuff and what silly name is stamped on it. Allure is just something that pulls us in, and we don’t know why, but for some reason, it makes us think we’re alluring too. I promise that there are many wonderful things about you that pull people in a lot more effectively than a $50 pair of sunglasses or a $500 bag.

~Mandy Stark, Freelance Writer, Catch Your Limit Blogger (misslou20@a0l.com)

Most important leadership skill today

If you don't subscribe to the Leadership Smartbrief you're a fool. This was published in today's.

What is the most important leadership skill in this difficult economic environment?

Motivating the organization to higher performance levels in the face of recession. 36.22%

Maintaining customer confidence in a world of uncertainty. 20.67%

Cutting expenses without cutting muscle. 20.10%

Increasing market share as competitors recede. 11.86%

Husbanding financial resources for an uncertain future. 6.61%

Steering clear of government interference. 4.55%

What it takes to lead: Nearly 1,400 people responded to last week's poll. While all about them people fret about the current economic environment, leaders know what to do. In a textbook ordering of leadership responsibilities, inspiring the organization is still job one. Tied for second are "maintaining customer confidence" and making the hard calls on expense reduction so it doesn't compromise the future. These fundamental leadership skills will get us to the rebound.
--Eva Schmatz, president, Summus Limite

Aliens and Leadership In Leadership

Have you ever been in a meeting, maybe at work or at the PTA or the local chapter of a Menudo Fan Club (don't judge me), when you are listening to the person in charge and think, "there is no possible way that this person is for real. This is an alien. No resident of planet Earth would take this seriously." But you still sit there and listen and perhaps even nod your head from time to time. You know that for the time being, this person is your leader, and also that it is generally frowned upon to stand in a crowded room, point your finger at the presenter, and accuse them of being another life form.

So you wait until you are in the parking lot and then discuss your suspicions with your fellow hostages.

Other times, your esteemed leaders simply seem to be overwhelmed, buckling under the pressure of leading the team and allowing themselves to be pulled in every direction by well-meaning (and some not-so-well-meaning) members of the group. They are akin to a ball of silly-putty: fun to have around and great at starting conversations, but ultimately more facilitator than navigator.

And, once in a while, you come across a leader who is a little of both: one who is open to the crazy and willing to be convinced, but also not afraid to take the wheel and fly the committee into a completely new galaxy. It's this kind of leadership that can make you feel like even though you may be light years from where you started, your team has the flexibility and strength it needs to be successful.

The truth is, both aliens and silly-putty have deserved places in leadership. A lot of great ideas seem crazy at first, and we all know it takes a lot of flexibility to work as a team, attack a problem from different angles, and mold a solution from what at first seemed like a pile of goo no one wanted to touch. As long as by the end of the day you've managed to land safely back on planet Earth, it's all just part of the lead/follow process.

So which kind of leader are you? Regardless, I challenge you to climb aboard the ship with me and allow yourself to become part alien, part silly-putty: speaking a new language, but flexible enough to come back down to Earth.

-Heather Fuselier

The Friendly Skies?

I read an article recently on Yahoo.com about the top 7 things that passengers do to annoy flight attendants. I actually appreciated the article because, as a frequent flier on multiple airlines, I could empathize with (and yes laugh at) many of the things on the list. Since my husband has elite status on 2 major airlines, for about the 7th year in a row, and a friend of mine works for a major airline, I even forwarded them the article knowing they would also get a good chuckle out of it!

However, in fairness to us lowly passengers and in light of the fact that I am currently sitting on an airplane, I decided to write a top 10 list of things that flight attendants do that annoy passengers. I tried to stop at 7 to keep it fair, but I just kept thinking of things.

Disclaimer: not all flight attendants act this way, but the ones who do really make flying miserable…

Let me start by saying that I consider myself a good passenger. I always say please and thank you. I smile, even though I don’t always get a smile back. I step into the row when boarding, just like their little announcement says to do, even though the passengers in front of me don’t. I actually check a bag and don’t try to shove everything I own in the overhead bin. I shut my cell phone off before they even make the announcement. I try to make their lives easier. Today, though, I’m wondering why I even try.

Here goes…
10. Going along with one of the things I mentioned above: When a passenger smiles, try to smile back. If you can’t, then maybe bring it up with the airline that you’d like to start charging for smiles, since you charge for everything else. At least we’d be guaranteed a return smile.

9. When someone says thank you, try saying “you’re welcome”. Even my 3 year old daughter can do that without being reminded.

8. When you’re handing us a drink and we’re in the middle or window seat, try to actually look where you are handing it rather than leaving it to chance that we’re going to have a firm grip and not dump it all over our fellow seat-mate’s laptop. What your fellow flight attendant did last night is not nearly as important as making sure we don’t spill our precious 4 oz. of liquid that we have to ration like a refugee for 2 hours.

7. We realize that you are trying to do your jobs as efficiently as possible, so you can get back to the galley area to read another magazine or gossip (yes, I’ve overheard this many, many times), but advances in technology are helping us endure these long flights while we’re locked in a 16x48 inch space. Therefore, have a little tolerance when you ask what we would like to drink and we have to take a second to either pause our device or take our earphones off.

6. Please make up your mind on the segregation of restrooms on the plane. You make the announcement that passengers in first class should use their restroom and passengers in coach should use theirs, but yet you let passengers from coach use the first class restroom. I could care less either way, but either enforce it or don’t announce it. Also, that whole post-9/11 rule about no line forming in the front galley should also be enforced.

5. Remember that your coach seats are designed for people under 5 feet tall, so on a long flight we actually like to get up and stretch, so our legs actually work when the plane finally lands. You get to walk around the entire flight, we don’t. Show a little sympathy without rolling your eyes and sighing when we have the gall to stand up next to our seat for a moment.

4. As with this flight, don’t get bent out of shape when the captain waits until 2 hours into the flight (no turbulence at all) to turn the fasten seat belt sign off and then get annoyed when half the plane gets up to use the restroom.

3. On that same note, when we do get up to use the restroom, don’t get equally as annoyed when you decide at that very moment to serve another round of 4 oz. beverages and roll your eyes and sigh when we are trying to get back to our sardine can seats.

2. Award tickets = people who fly your airline ALL THE TIME and have enough miles to spend on a ticket (probably multiple tickets). Award ticket ≠ someone who is too cheap to buy a seat and should be treated like a beggar on the street and who should feel privileged to be flying your airline. Award travelers should almost be treated better than someone who bought a ticket because it means they are loyal to YOU! Shouldn’t that count for something?

1. Unless you’re going to start having a dress code for first class, stop treating young, casually dressed passengers different than 40 plus year old men in business suits. I can wear a suit too, but since I travel so much I like to be casual and comfortable. Yes, this could mean jeans, sweats, a hat, etc…, but I do bathe everyday and put pants and shoes on just like the person in the business suit. However, being dressed casually does not mean I am any less of a person than “business suit” guy and I should be treated with the same respect you give him. Use my name just like you do his, look me in the eye, hang my jacket up, serve me a drink, etc… just like you do for him… with the same friendly smile.

If you can manage some of these things, then I will continue to be a good passenger and not do anything on your top 7 most annoying list which, by the way, was really funny and very true! And, again, I realize not all flight attendants are like this. I’ve encountered many who do not treat me any differently whether I’m on an award ticket, in first class in sweats, or have to pause my movie or iPod when they ask me what I would like to drink, and they smile when I smile; and I appreciate it greatly!

Here is the link to the Yahoo.com article for those of you who want to make sure you are not one of the offenders!
http://travel.yahoo.com/p-interests-28078669;_ylc=X3oDMTF2YWJnM21wBF9TAzI3MTYxNDkEX3MDMjcxOTQ4MQRzZWMDZnAtdG9kYXltb2QEc2xrA2Fubm95YXR0ZW5kYW50LTYtMi0wOQ--
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