Last week Pete Wilson posted on “Impression Management” what he calls “the process through which people try to control the impressions other people form of them. It’s a conscious or unconscious (but usually conscious)  attempt to influence the perceptions of other people through controlling information in social interaction.”

I am pretty skilled in this. Not that it is something to brag about. Maybe my “impression management” skills make me more qualified to be in communications? Maybe it is my WOO factor? But maybe they keep me from ever really feeling completely known?

Here, on the blog, I have figured out how to reveal enough that I seem transparent while leaving out the tidbits that I fear might send you packing. (more…)

Have you ever noticed that you don’t appreciate something that works flawlessly? But once it is broken and pieced back together you can see with a whole new respect?

We take perfection for granted. Because we have nothing, really, to compare it to. So it works, no big deal? Isn’t that what it is supposed to do?

Take my iphone.  A few months ago I was carrying it around without its indestructible carrying case (dumb, I know) and it fell on some beveled concrete. And the glass screen shattered. In lots of little pieces.  (Literally I cut my finger on a shard.)

It was several weeks before I could replace the BROKEN glass. I grimaced as I used it for several days, the glass a reminder of my mistake. And when I finally got it repaired I had a whole new appreciation for the device. The glass screen was flawless. It was magical. Even though my iphone was no more perfect than before it was BROKEN, I had new appreciation for it. (more…)

Your thoughts please on this commonly used phrase…

Fake It Until You Make It

Words to live by? Or a bunch of bologna?

I want your opinion. Go.

Today I am contributing to the Cultivate Her blog. Below is a preview. You have to hop over there to read the whole thing…

When I was in school, I was kind of a “crammer.” You know…I’d wait until a few days before the test, try to jam everything I might possibly need to know into my brain, ace the test (this might or might not be an exaggeration), and then forget everything?

All this to say..I remember very few facts or formulas that we were taught in school. (Don’t ask me to list the state capitals, Presidents, or chemical elements. All those things went in one ear, hung out for awhile, but then flew out the other.)

But there is one formula I remember. And truth be known it has helped me out of a pinch or two.

I took this peer counseling class and they taught us a quick, but very helpful, formula for assertive communication (aka how to get your point across without offending friend and colleagues).

(click here to read more…)

Last night was one of those nights.

One of those nights where my day had gotten the best of me. One of those nights where my soul just felt battered and bruised. One of those nights where I was dwelling on all the wrong things. One of those nights where the darkness crept in.

And I started processing through comparisons… (more…)

I have always LOVED music. And I have always felt like I was “in the know” on the new, cutting-edge bands. Until recently. Twice in the last two weeks friends have mentioned popular bands that I had never even heard of.

So I have come to realize, I am in serious need of some new music in my i tunes library.

What songs/artists are you listening to right now that I need to go check-out? (Oh, and please tell us all a little bit about song/artist so we can see if they peak our interest.)

So you can see how random my musical preferences are, here are two playlists I made over the holidays. Maybe (I doubt it) you’ll discover something new?

“Completely Random Mix” (more…)

Okay, time for Part 5 of my Drafting Blueprints series. In case you missed the first 4 parts, here is a brief recap:

My “Blueprint” series is essentially a mechanism for me to start thinking through my life goals. And as hard humiliating as it is to admit some of the things I want to achieve in life, I am trying to be painfully honest because (for some crazy reason) I feel like I need to put them “out there.”

Part 1 – I want to get married.

Part 2 – I want to get fit.

Part 3 – I want to get my hands dirty.

Part 4 - I want to cultivate deep and authentic friendships.

And today I am tackling a biggie….

I want to have kids.

(Please remember I am not a whiny girl who is unhappy with her life, with the cards she’s been dealt. Nothing could be further from the truth. My life is full. But if I am honest, before it is all said and done, I want to raise kids, to have a family of my own.) (more…)

Disclaimer: If you wanted something light and fluffy today, this post is not for you. But you can go here where we are discussing “guilty pleasures.”

Disclaimer 2: If you wanted something that was poignant and tied up with a pretty bow, this post this blog is not for you. But you can go here where I at least make a concise point.

Most of the time my thoughts are linear. You know the kind? A + B = C?

But everyone once in awhile when something big happens my brain just gets stuck, stuck in a circle. And I keep processing the same thoughts over and over, and over. I just can’t seem to make sense of them. I just can’t come to any kind of definitive conclusion.

And, as you can imagine, the “thought death-spiral” is quite frustrating. It halts productivity. It drains energy. (more…)

You have got to love this Wikipedia defition of a “guilty pleasure”:

A guilty pleasure is something one considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the “guilt” involved is simply fear of others discovering one’s lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt. Fashion, music, and food (especially unhealthier foods high in sugar and/or fat) can be examples of guilty pleasures

We all have guilty pleasures.

Right?

Right?

Surely, I am not alone in this?

Well, anyway…I have one several. But one I will share with you to get this started:

General Hospital - I know it is a “soap opera.” (more…)

…that this year is off to a slow start.

But, well that is just not the case. I can’t believe how much has already happened in 2010. And get this…it is only January 13. (more…)