Frustration, technology and how to have a good bad week

Although I am often nauseatingly positive, today I'm going over to the dark side ... to talk about frustration, how much I HATE technology sometimes (most of the time) and how to turn a week that makes you want to punch a baby into a week that makes you want to open a daycare for newborns.

My week began like any other ... slow to start Monday morning, sped up a bit by the afternoon, and by the evening I was ready to sprint through to Friday. Yikes, I would come in dead last at the Olympics. Nonetheless, everything was moving well until I came face to face with a big, bulky, obnoxious adversary ... our office printer. I shall call him Chad Kroeger. After three long hours and a LOT of crumpled up paper and self-worth in the recycling bin, I gave up and let him win.

Now, I can hear the #firstworldproblems tweets whizzing out of your smartphones as we speak. I know, this is not a big problem. But, when your week is starting off like a productive run around the track, obstacles like these have the ability to trip you and completely throw you off ... especially when they include the lead singer of Nickelback's robotic alter ego.

So, how do we get up and get back in the race? Well, here are a few tips from a girl who is still standing and was able to silence the noise coming from that awful excuse for an artist ...

1. Walk away. Avoid going all Office Space on him, channel your inner Kelly Clarkson and WALK AWAY.
2. Do something else. Preferably, far away from technology. For example, make some tea, chat with a few colleagues about Monday's episode of Bachelor Pad and try not to look directly at Chad ... your eyes may start bleeding.
3. Set something up to look forward to. For example, plan to work from home on Friday, far away from Kroegs and in the comfort of your sanctuary.

My Friday home office

4. Do something with your anger. Channel your inner frustration and turn it into action. My personal favourite is going for an angry run. What the hell is an angry run?... you might ask. Well, in it's simplest form, it is a jog. But the trick with an angry run is that you have to spend the whole time thinking about how pissed off you are and HOLY CRAP, do you ever fly.
5. Lastly, and most importantly, win. No matter what it is that is frustrating you, it is essential that you get closure and chalk it up as a win. Now, I'm not saying if a colleague is being frustrating that you should go all Biggie vs. 2Pac on them and have a showdown in the office. In this context, a "win" constitutes anything that will calm your nerves and allow you to move forward. If it's a conflict with a colleague, invite them out for a coffee and have a good chat (unless your colleague is actually Chad Kroeger). If it's a printer, ask for help, laugh it off and try to learn something valuable.

Every once in a while, you're going to have a week that feels like a  never-ending Nickelback concert. When you do, remember that you are human and it is okay ... but also remember that you can turn it around if you put your mind to it. Take the time to understand what is making your week so horrible and work to change it. Be intentional. Find the tricks that work for you and stay focused ... you'll be amazed at how much it helps.

"In every difficult situation there is potential value. Believe this, then begin looking for it." - Norman Vincent Peale

#Musicalmotivation: From lyrics to leadership

For those of you who haven't had the (dis)pleasure of meeting me ... basically any song that isn't written by Nickelback can bring me to tears in a matter of seconds. Why am I sharing this very deep and embarrassing piece of personal information?

First off, it's because I want to publicly state that I despise Nickelback and the long-stringy-haired horse they rode in on.

And slightly more importantly, it's because I want to explore the power of lyrics and how they can make us better leaders. There is something about taking a string of words and tackling it with a melody that can really move you. I've never been a fan of spoken word or slam poetry, but the second that an acoustic guitar shows up to the party, I'm hooked.

I've been known to pull the car over on busy streets and toss on my four-ways because I'm crying too hard to keep myself and other motorists safe, all because of a country song.

To honour the theme of this post, I am going to (attempt) to keep my narrative short and focus on powerful lyrics that can turn me into a human waterpark with just a few notes. Feel free to sing along ...

John Legend - If you're out there

Notable notes:
"We're the generation that can't afford to wait, the future started yesterday and we're already late."
"If you're ready we can shake the world. Believe again, it starts within."
"We don't have to wait for destiny, we should be the change that we want to see."

If that doesn't make you forget to shoulder-check and accidentally cut someone off in a weepy fit, nothing will... and I'm sorry to alarm you, but your heart is made of tin. It's amazing what a few words can do. Here's one more, just because I'm dragging ass this morning and am in definite need of some melodic motivation ...

Rascal Flatts - Stand

Notable notes:
"When push comes to shove you taste what your made of."
"On your knees, you look up, decide you've had enough ... you get mad, you get strong, wipe your hands, shake it off, then you stand."
"Every time you get up and get back in the race, one more small piece of you starts to fall into place."

Doesn't that make you want to jump up from your cubicle, have a good cry in your car and then go change the world? I've got goosebumps just thinking about it.

Many different things can motivate us in a plethora of ways. We just have to let them work their magic. Whenever you can, take a step back and pay attention to what's going on around you. Thank the stranger who held the door for you, dance and sing to a great song that comes on in the grocery store, give out high fives and hugs like its your last day with arms. Always remember that the smallest drop has the power to make the biggest splash, it just might need a little help. Look at, listen to and feel the music of the world around you... there's no better motivation than that.

I would like to leave you with a lyric from Great Big Sea's "Ordinary Day" that is so simple in its beauty and it always picks me up when I need it most ... "I've got a smile on my face and I've got four walls around me."

Tears, the Olympics and believing in each other.

Since every conversation that I've had in the last two weeks has been about how crappy Canada is at the Summer Olympics, I figured it was time to be a bit more positive ... although Dora the Explorer could probably dig up more medals than we have won so far. (Sorry, last one...)

And then, like she had read my mind, an old staff member sent me the following video in a sick attempt to make me weep uncontrollably at my desk ... she succeeded, but she ALSO got me thinking about how wonderful the human spirit is and how much we can learn when we don't win.

So, without further ado, I wish your tear ducts the best of luck ... here it is:

What can we learn from this incredible man and his ADORABLE father with great fashion sense? Well, where should I start? First, you should hug your foot today if you haven't yet. Secondly, there is nothing more powerful than the human spirit. But, more importantly, there is nothing more powerful than belief. Now, I am not talking about believing in Santa Claus ... although I am still mad at my parents for gorging on all of the macadamia nut cookies that we WASTED on an imaginary man who clearly did not need any more dessert ... I am talking about believing in each other. Derek was determined to finish the race although he had a TORN HAMSTRING - which, by the way, is comparable to the pain experienced by the dude played by James Franco in 127 Hours (shudder) - but, this determination was turned into success by his father's belief.

We cannot get through this life alone, that's for sure ... but we also cannot get through this life if we don't believe in each other. It is one thing to surround yourself with people who make you laugh, dance and sing, but it is another thing to make meaning with these people. Share yourself, support the people that you love, show them that you will be there to pick them up when life tears their hamstring and knocks them down.

So, today, my challenge for all of us is not about leadership in the traditional sense. My challenge is about meaningful interactions. Instead of walking by a friend and saying "How are you?" .. "Good, you?" and not even listening to the answer ... stop, ask a REAL question and listen, you will be surprised by the outcome. Instead of sitting on a friend's couch and talking about Chris' latest shenanigans in Bachelor Pad, talk about family, regrets, love and heartbreak.

Go out today and care about yourself, the people that you love, and the power of believing in it all. Because, after all of the material things, shiny medals and national anthems fade away ... all we have is each other.

#Thatawkwardmoment ... friend or foe?

As I sat through a relatively choppy meeting a few weeks ago with someone I had never met before, I was overtaken by some sort of out-of-body experience ... well, not really, mainly I just listened to myself speak for once in my life.

And then it dawned on me ... I am REALLY awkward sometimes. When I listened to myself in the meeting babbling about god knows what, I couldn't believe it ... do I EVER shut up? To all my friends, please don't answer that. Now, as someone who's own mother can't remember a time when I wasn't speaking as a baby, I recognize that I am quite the gilmore girl. And, as my best friend puts it, I am a "learned" good listener; ie/ I used to be an obnoxious ass until I realized that listening to people would be a good idea... what are best friends for if not brutal honesty, right?

Best friends, and incredible awkwardness.

So this leads me to my theme of the day, the proverbial awkward silence. Why are we all so terrified of that gaping hole in conversation that raises the hairs on our backs and makes sitting still a literal impossibility? If, for some reason, you don't know what this feels like ... think about the moment in between two movie previews when all you want to do is be silent but, of course, your body chooses that EXACT moment to tickle your nostrils and make you sneeze sour patch kids all over the theatre... got it now? Thought so.

Well, as all of my fellow rez-lifers who have been trained in the wonderful art of "active listening" know, we must embrace these horrendous silences. We (especially me) must, against every fibre of our being, just SHUT IT once in a while. Because, in those silences, some of the most wonderful things can be heard. As a society that is consumed by noise and distraction, we need to redefine silence as something that is meaningful, powerful and not awkward in the least. Silence gives us time to think, reflect and connect in a very impactful way.

And right now, somewhat ironically, I am at a loss for words. So, I am going to let Mitch Albom take this one away with some of his magnificent words from Tuesdays with Morrie, my favourite book ...

"He enters the classroom, sits down, doesn't say anything. He looks at us, we look at him. At first, there are a few giggles, but Morrie only shrugs, and eventually a deep silence falls and we begin noticing the smallest sounds, the radiator humming in the corner of the room, the nasal breathing of one of the students. Some of us are agitated. When is he going to say something? We squirm, check our watches. A few students look out the window, trying to be above it all. This goes on for a good fifteen minutes, before Morrie breaks in with a whisper. 'What's happening here?' he asks. And slowly a discussion begins -- as Morrie has wanted all along -- about the effect of silence on human relations. Why are we embarrassed by silence? What comfort do we find in all the noise?"

Today, and everyday, I encourage us all to spend some time in silence. Listen to yourself, listen to the amazing world around you. Just lock it up for however many minutes that you can and embrace yourself, your opportunities and most of all, the incredible beauty of silence.

To echo the wonderful Morrie (and to encourage you to read the book if you haven't),

What comfort DO we find in all the noise?

#Thatawkwardmoment